Eggs in a Basket

[OP: Ringo] Check the local vendors in the starter cities. We are running out of [pure water] fast.

[OP: Sato] I'll check Winchester and Laredo.

[OP: Breeze] I'll head to Black Tomb and then Carson.

The OP guild leader had been shuffling back and forth between GnG and Ravenwood all night. The Songbirds had easily extracted Portia and Jesper from the Maelstrom prison on the Orion server. After securing the objective, they retreated into the Freeborn territory, where they made contact. As expected, Orion's Tanu was less than trusting, but after presenting the friendship amulet and hundreds of vials of [pure water], they were escorted to the exit.

The differences from server to server were easily discerned, mostly because each was in a different stage of development. On Orion, Tanu's child was dead. However, on the Legends server, Tanu was dead, but her child Crysta was alive and grown.

While the Songbirds continued to rescue prisoners, QJ paid a personal visit to Chancellor Ivy regarding the release of Dax. He returned to Ravenwood with the Gypsy King shortly after, while the Songbirds were busy retrieving Morgan on the Vesuvius server.

QJ walked toward the nearest Exodus gate, followed closely by Dax. Although he'd been given fresh clothes and a basin to wash up, he was in dire need of a bath. "I have some news for you; it isn't going to be easy to hear."

Dax stepped onto the platform and selected a place called Ravenwood as his destination. He wore a wide smile on his face when he appeared in the central courtyard a moment later. "What sort of place is this?"

"This is where my people live," QJ answered truthfully. "Normally, you wouldn't be allowed here."

Dax's dark face grew serious. "You have bad news?"

QJ nodded. "Your kin, the ones taken by Morbin before his execution, have been dead for weeks."

The man's dark face scrunched up; his dark eyes shone with unshed tears. "All five of them? My sister Portia? Her husband Reggy?"

"Yes," QJ answered. "They were never taken prisoner but rather executed on the spot."

Dax wept quietly, covering his eyes with one hand while his body shook with grief. "They're all dead?"

QJ nodded and stopped outside the community hall. "This is going to be difficult to believe, but if you trust me, things may work out."

"How can it work out?" Dax's voice was raised in grief. "My kin are dead!"

QJ gripped the handle of the door. "So are you..." He opened the door and pushed the stunned Gypsy King inside.

"What?" Dax stepped into a large room filled with chairs and one very long table. A blond-hair woman with pointed ears and white robes sat quietly waiting. She wore a peculiar-looking timepiece, suspended around her neck by a silver chain.

[Group: QJ] How are we doing on the Vesuvius sever?

[Group: Ringo] Robin just entered Exodus; she's bringing Morgan here.

[Group: Yaya] Let's get started.

[Fora/Songbird: QJ] Thanks for the hard work tonight. I owe you one.

[Fora/Songbird: Wren] I'll take a hideout gun!

[Fora/Songbird: Thrush] Me too!

[Fora/Songbird: Nightingale] You're welcome, QJ.

[Fora/Songbird: Lark] Nonsense, you are family.

"Open the doors." QJ stepped inside and closed the door. At the same time, two doors opened up, and four other people were ushered through.

"DAX?" A beautiful woman with short, raven-colored hair froze in the doorway. "Impossible... you were killed in front of me."

"Portia? QJ told me you were dead." Dax's gaze shifted from QJ to Portia.

"Dax?" Two men on the other side of the room stared at the Gypsy King. "Portia and Jesper.... What's going on here?"

The confusion turned to shouting, and then chaos as everyone started asking questions at the same time.

"SILENCE!" The high elf slammed her hand on the table before standing up. "I will explain what is going on. The easy answer is that you are all dead." Yaya nodded to QJ.

As if on queue, Robin entered with Morgan. Portia collapsed to her knees when she saw her, holding her stomach while she rocked back and forth, wailing.

"Momma?" Morgan rushed to the fallen woman, hugging her tightly while the rest of the gypsies crowded around them.

"What is going on here, QJ?" Dax placed a hand on Portia's head, noting that a few strands of gray were visible.

QJ leaned against the long table; next to him was a basket full of eggs. Without speaking, he pushed the basket slightly, causing its contents to crash onto the floor. "What do you see?"

Dax frowned at the young man. "Broken eggs."

QJ nodded in agreement. "What if I told you that saving these eggs meant that everyone you cared about would be safe."

Dax's dark eyes glittered dangerously. "I'd say that was something you should have said before you knocked them off the table."

Yaya has activated [Timescape].

A sudden oppression pushed down on everyone in the room, restricting their movement and breathing. The egg basket on the floor shifted slightly and then reversed course along with its broken contents. When the pressure vanished, the basket of eggs was back in its original place.

"Now..." QJ's voice seemed loud in the aftermath of time manipulation. He touched the handle of the egg basket. "Saving these eggs means your family will be safe."

Dax leaped forward and grabbed the handle of the basket before quickly retreating.

"We've been able to save the eggs, but it isn't perfect." QJ took a seat in the nearest chair. "We're manipulating time itself; the process is imperfect, and this leads to imperfect results. "Know what happens if Morbin dies before Dax?"

Dax startled suddenly as if someone poked him. "The five prisoners that were taken, you said they're dead.

QJ nodded. "Morgan, Portia, Jesper, Reggy and Juanita. Dax thought them imprisoned until I told him they were killed by Morbin."

The five gypsies in question glanced around the room, confusion evident on their faces.

"The analogy with the egg basket is flawed in that it's impossible to save all the eggs." QJ paused to gather his thoughts. "We can, however, save them one at a time."

"I'm not following," Portia announced. She stared at QJ with dark, beautiful eyes. "If you can only save one, then save my daughter and leave me to die."

QJ smiled at the gypsies. "We worked slowly, throughout the night. Each time we rewound to save a specific person, that resulted in another person dying."

"So it never ends?" Dax understood enough to realize they were trying to help him. "So what's the best outcome?"

"Your timeline is best, Dax." QJ stood up suddenly and pushed in his chair. "Morbin is dealt with, and his faction is broken."

"But you said he killed..." Dax's eyes shift to the other five gypsies in the room. "I see... If I'm right, you did my timeline last."

QJ nodded. "We removed the survivor in each scenario and restarted. It's not perfect, but..."

Portia squeezed her daughter's hand. "You died in my arms when you were twelve, shot by one of Morbin's men."

Morgan shook her head in denial. "No... You died saving me when I was twelve."

"Each of you remembers something different," QJ stated. "Some of you are a few years older than the others remember, but there are no imposters here. Now it's time to deal."

"Whatever you want, QJ" Dax held the basket of eggs like they were diamonds.

"Dax is alive. My daughter is alive..." Portia wept openly. "Please don't take them from me."

QJ shrugged helplessly. "Each of you besides Dax will recall a lot of deaths; none of those happened in his timeline. My request is simple. The rights have been wronged; drop the vendetta with Morbin's faction. I'm going to need everyone's word. Refuse, and you can return to where you came from."

"I swear to drop the vendetta!" Dax bowed low.

"I will not seek further revenge," Jesper bowed deeply.

Portia, Morgan, and Reggy quickly followed suit, swearing never again to take up arms against Morbin's faction.

[Group: Ringo] Holy crap... There's no way you can sign anything before Doubler Canyon. An alliance with the gypsies is going to net you a lot of XP.

[Group: QJ] Both of us, actually... and I'm aware.

[Group: Ringo] All this because you want a stable black market?

[Group: Robin] No. He's like his father; when he sees an injustice, he can't help but interfere.

[Group: QJ] It's too late to compliment me now, Robs! You've already sullied my good name with made-up stories from my childhood!

Robin laughed at his words. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'm going to bed."

[Group: Yaya] Your grasp of the intricacies of time is advanced, QJ. I dare say you'd have made an impressive Time Mage.

[Group: QJ] Thanks for your help, Yaya. Using time manipulation as an explanation was the best option since we could demonstrate it on a smaller scale.

[Group: Yaya] Not even your grandmother can bend time on the scale we claimed, but it is easier than trying to explain the parallel worlds that exist in GnG's multi-server set-up.

[Group: Ringo] Shit... Since they can move servers. What's to stop them from going back to their original one?

[Group: QJ] In the interest of these potential LAIs developing properly, Felix Soma has agreed to restrict their access to the Phoenix server.

"What now?" Dax asked.

"I need you to stay here until tomorrow night," QJ replied. "Then we'll move forward with our business deal."

Dax nodded. "What shall we do until then?"

"Spend time together, catch up on gossip..." QJ could think of a dozen questions he would ask.

Morgan scowled suddenly, her dark eyes focusing on Dax. "That bastard Rinic..."

Dax looked confused for a moment. "Rinic? You know he's one of my best friends."

"Is he? That old bastard was going to force me into marrying him." Morgan's pretty face looked like she bit into something sour. "He was pressuring Merta to make the match."

[Group: Ringo] I love drama... Can we stay and listen?

[Group: QJ] It's morning; I want to get in a workout and some breakfast.

[Group: Ringo] Roll call in three hours. It's okay if you skip it.

[Group: QJ] Wouldn't miss it. Cya soon.

QJ logged off from Ravenwood and opened his eyes to the darkness of his bedroom. Generally, he avoided playing all night whenever possible, but the Gypsy quest had taken hours longer than he would have guessed.

After ensuring his alarm was set, he opted to sleep for an hour before getting up to work out.

When QJ returned from his run a few hours later, Tal, Anna, and Quinn were sitting around the kitchen island eating breakfast. "I was hoping to catch the three of you together."

Quinn leaned back in his chair; he already had a good idea of what was coming. "What's on your mind, QJ?"

"Moving into Pop's old place." QJ felt it was best to jump right in. "My room here is already mapped, so it would make a great virtual nursery for Cale."

Tal sipped her coffee, but unexpectedly she didn't immediately object. "What about the hot tub project? Going to disassemble it or leave it up?"

"Disassemble?" QJ grinned at his dad, "How am I going to have wild hot tub parties if I don't include LAIs?"

Quinn gave his son a secret thumbs up. "You had the pool emptied, and that ceramic tile installed. Are you planning on expanding the project to include the pool?"

QJ nodded. "I was hoping Mom and Naomi would be able to complete that portion since I walked them through it."

Tal's lips curved in a smile. She obviously was still feeling a bit guilty over trying to pressure QJ. "We can handle it. Naomi's assistant already has some ideas on how to improve Eddy current's imaging feedback and power efficiency."

"Which assistant? Let me guess... Gin, the mohawk one?"

Tal nodded. "She's flying out here to live with Naomi for a few months. The entire lab is really excited about the apartment complex. The pool/hot tub project will be a great way to get our feet wet while we plan the construction of the facility."

Anna was the only one who didn't look happy. She enjoyed having the youngest Riley in the house. "Is there a rush?"

QJ shook his head. "Not really, but I'd like to make it happen in the next few weeks. You can always come with me, Nan!"

Tal shook her head. "No way!"

Quinn scowled at his son. "VETO!"

After breakfast and a quick shower, QJ slipped on his VR suit and slid into the chamber's comfortable 'S' seat.

QJ logged directly into Ravenwood and then took the platform to Exodus. The mail icon on his hud blinked immediately. The first letter was from Cedric.

QJ,

I was able to broker a deal for eight properties in the cities previously mentioned in exchange for the three Maelstrom properties that you and Ringo submitted. I had the three property owners contact Ringo personally so that my name wouldn't be involved in the transaction.

Cedric,

QJ rubbed his hands together. "It's all coming together!" The second mail was from Ringo.

QJ,

There are ten Merchant deeds attached to this letter; each requires your signature. Please do this at once.

Ringo,

QJ used his electronic signature to sign the attached deeds before forwarding them to Ringo. Within seconds, he received two additional packages. One was a business plan write-up, and the other an Alliance Treaty; they were both signed by Ringo. He left the treaty alone and opened the business plan.

***Important****

Don't sign the Business plan or the Treaty until after Doubler Canyon!!

[Black Wind Merchandise]

Owners: QJ, Ringo

CEO: Dax Romani

[Main Store]

Maelstrom (Manager: Portia)

[Branch Stores]

Laredo (Manager: Jesper)

Winchester (Manager: Reggy)

Black Tomb (Manager: Juanita)

Carson (Manager: Yulio)

Bullet City (Manager: Tora)

Yarima (Manager: Viktor)

Yunz (Manager: Ragusa)

Tuscano (Manager: Omerta)

[Outlet Store]

One Problem Keep (Manager: Morgan)

QJ was already aware of the details; both he and Ringo would each receive forty percent of the proceeds, while Dax and his managers received a combined twenty percent. If, after two years, the profits reached a set amount, then Ringo and QJ's profit percentage would drop to thirty-five percent each, and the gypsies would rise to thirty percent.

QJ walked up the steps of the Keep a short while later, frowning at his lack of leveling progress. "This brake bullshit is for the birds."

[Welcome to Guns and Gore, The Phoenix Server]

Location: One Problem Guild Keep

Time: 0652 hours

Server Population 42,774 Your Current Level is 32.

QJ spotted Ringo and Lotte squeezing out of a large crowd of their guild members. "What's going on?"

Ringo handed QJ a pastry, frosted with white icing. "Dave the Baker... Where did you get that guy?"

"He came recommended to me by my friend, Cedric." QJ accepted the pastry and took a big bite. "Nice... this one has blueberry filling."

Ringo smiled and took a bite of her own. "They only last a few minutes before getting eaten."

"No worries. I'll ask Dave to make more." QJ glanced around the room. "Should we get started?"

Ringo nodded. "Let's do it."

[OP: Ringo] Morning, everyone. Before we get started, here is this morning's leaderboard.

[Top Guild Level]

1) One Problem 31.5

2) Old Skool 31.3

3) Gunsmoke 30.8

[Class Leaderboard]

Range Rider: Junzo-Lvl 32

Gunfighter: Old Man Crane-Lvl 35

Brave: Laffy Taffy-Lvl-33

Tracker: Carlotti Hottie-Lvl 31

Shaman: Three-Tails-Lvl 31

Field Medic: Dessi-Lvl 33

Wrangler: Jigsaw-Lvl 33

Scout: Sato Lvl 32

Commanchero: Breeze-Lvl 32

Cavalry: Iron Lou-Lvl 32

Raider: Devil Woman-Lvl 31

Gambler: Pinnacle-Lvl 31.

[Top Five Ranking]

1) Oldman Crane

2) Laffy Taffy

3) Dessi

4) Jigsaw

5) Kingslayer QJ

QJ studied the board for a moment, not surprised that his name dropped several ranks. Even Jigsaw managed to unseat him as the top wrangler. "Who is Gunsmoke?"

"The third years started a guild," Ringo replied.

[OP: Ringo] As you can see, we've lost a bit of ground to Old Skool and Gunsmoke. I'm not worried. Our mission is Doubler Canyon.

[OP: Breeze] The limit for Doubler is 33. Can I grind today?

[OP: Ringo] As a safety measure, anyone at level 32 will not grind or turn in quests today. Log out and take the day off.

[OP: Lotte] Do we need to play it that safe?

[OP: QJ] Yes. Everyone should have reviewed the raid write-up. I'm going to send out maps, and additional notes. Keep in mind, we'll be bidding on loot!