Gathering Forces

QJ had a smile on his face when he exited his room a few moments later. Angel's face and devil's heart? "I guess it's time to bring back the Jester..." Robin had been one of his favorite targets, mostly because she could take a joke and had enough situational awareness that pranking her was challenging.

Wu sat at the kitchen island, his eyes glued to the hud before him. "Forums say that the attempted takeover of OP Keep by Righteous Hand cost them more than a hundred million credits."

QJ laughed at the numbers; he didn't doubt they'd be high, but nothing like that. "Probably subtract a couple of zeroes."

"Maybe," Wu admitted. "Did you know Righteous Hand is going after Chupa Lupa today?"

"Not smart," QJ had a high opinion of Chupa Lupa. "Did they declare a guild war?"

Wu nodded. "Four hours, adjusted row (Rules of War)."

"Streamline the adjustments for me." QJ grabbed the mayo from the fridge and the smoked turkey his mom had dropped off a few days earlier.

"One piece of equipment drops when you die; you're allowed two deaths per character before you are eliminated." Wu paused long enough to push the fridge door shut with his foot. "No allies may participate, but you are allowed to hire 15 mercenaries."

QJ snorted; mercenary meant Striker help. "Why would Bobo agree to that?"

Wu laughed at the name; he had researched Chupa Lupa. They were somewhat of an unknown in the gaming community, but judging from their Keep Defense participation, they considered OP their friend. "Unsure."

"Hmm... I wouldn't mind getting some payback for the hassle RH caused us."

Wu closed his hud, watching as QJ made a sandwich. After studying the GnG logs, he knew much about all the OP member details: reaction time, accuracy, attack choice, and situational awareness. "The webbing idea for Doublers Canyon was brilliant. Are you planning the [Venture] raid?"

QJ shook his head. Venture was a thirty-person raid for levels 45-55. It wasn't popular among raiding guilds because the reward-to-time-required ratio was horrific. "Not yet. That's the train heist?"

"Yep," Wu answered. "There's a bit of faction grinding you have to do before you start it. I'll write up a brief and send it to your inbox."

QJ glanced at the railing overlooking the kitchen island before lowering his voice. "How's the data coming out of the Phoenix?"

"Two things of note. Morbin's surviving relatives are fighting it out over his properties; the other concerns the World Summit."

"I don't care about Morbin's distant cousins. What about the Summit?"

Wu used the island hud to display the Fraezi territory before zooming in on the capital city of Vavri. "Most people think that Vavri is some artic wasteland; nothing could be further from the truth."

QJ studied the map without commenting. He already knew that Vavri was surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of ice and snow, with temperatures cold enough to kill anything unprepared. However, Vavri was the exception. The capital was a fertile valley protected by unscalable mountain ranges. "If this was TAP, we could just fly in."

Wu sipped his coffee, waiting while QJ studied the map. "The Venture quest is the only known method for traveling to Vavri. Attending the Leadership Summit will grant you access to the inner city. No player has ever seen it."

"I'll need a work-up on everything. The Venture quest, the politics, the factions involved, and Minotauro Velez." QJ left his chair to rummage through the fridge. "No one on the Orion or Legends server has seen the inner city?"

"The Affiliate is a congregation of world leaders. The first World Summit takes place early in comparison to server development." Wu grinned suddenly; most of OP barely understood how much they were changing things. "The second Summit takes place five years later; by then, the Affiliate is much stronger and uninterested in recruiting members. Visitors only see the outer city, which is still pretty amazing."

QJ understood that the fledgling organization was looking to recruit him; by bringing all of OP, he hoped to turn that into an alliance. "You said the Summit was mentioned in the Phoenix casino intel?"

"Yes," Wu answered. "There was a vague mention of a few keynote speakers and their topics."

QJ covered a yawn. "That sounds boring... Anyone we know?"

"Sandhealer Faction Leader QJ, lecturing on Gunsmithing." Wu chuckled.

QJ was already heading back to his room but froze in the doorway. "Me? Seriously?"

Wu nodded. "Afraid so." He didn't know Felix Soma or why the GnG developer would give QJ the Gunsmith skill. However, one thing was apparent; giving that ability to an engineering genius had created the Phoenix server's first juggernaut. "Most craftsmen are lucky to have one Magnum Opus; you already have three. So, of course, they want to talk to you."

QJ took a quick shower, skipping his morning workout since he had plans to spend his lunch in the pool with Lotte. He logged directly into OP Keep and immediately took note of those present.

[OP: QJ] Who wants to get some payback?

[OP: Ringo] I love that word, but let's have some context before committal!

[OP: Sato] I'm in!

[OP: Lotte] Me too.

[OP: Breeze] Yep! Same here.

[OP: QJ] Context? Really? Who are you?

[OP: Ringo] Fine... I'm in too. How many do we need?

[OP: QJ] The five of us, a healer, and perhaps the four horsemen!

[OP: Enju] I can heal!

QJ stared at the name, a level 47 medic. He knew that OP didn't have a medic named Enju.

[OP: QJ] Did we recruit a new medic?

Ringo was standing at the podium, chatting with Sato and Breeze. The three of them wore broad smiles.

[OP: Enju] I applied for a name change from Leeta to Enju.

[OP: QJ] Really? What for?

[OP: Lotte] I know why! You must be getting a lot of messages meant for me.

[OP: Ringo] Really?

[OP: Enju] Leeta and Lotte were apparently too similar. Three or four times a day, I'd receive mis-tells.

[OP: Lotte] Same here; thanks for changing!

[OP: Ringo] Love the name! Introduce yourself...

[OP: Enju] Sure. Formerly known as Leeta, I'm Enju, Level 47 Field Medic.

[OP: QJ] Welcome, Enju, putting a mini-raid together.

[OP Raid]

QJ: Wrangler

Junzo: Rider

Maric: Rider

Dunnie: Rider

Chainy: Rider

Breeze: Chero

Ringo: Slinger

Lotte: Slinger

Sato: Scout

Enju: Medic

[OP: QJ] Let's meet outside the front gate in ten minutes; I need to contact some friends.

The mini-raid was mounted and waiting when QJ joined them a quarter of an hour later; he was flanked by three Gypsies riding carpenter ants.

[Raid: QJ] Adding our friends to the raid.

Rigori: Saboteur

Eruzo: Saboteur

Blanca: Saboteur

[Raid: QJ] You three can head to the Righteous Hand headquarters. The rest of us will be along shortly.

QJ opened his hud and chose a name from his friend list; a moment later, the white-painted face of Chupa Lupa's guild leader popped up.

"QJ!" The clown's face lit up. Her bright red hair was covered with a blue Stetson hat, making her look even more ridiculous. "I don't have much time; we're having a mini-guild war against Righteous Hand."

QJ nodded and sent her a standard Striker contract that he had filled out. "I hope you can afford us."

Bobo's painted lips widened considerably. "You guys aren't Strikers."

QJ shrugged. "We don't have to be. The rules say that any Striker has to complete the required courses at the Exodus Academy or be sponsored by them. Our guild leader is an official member of the Exodus Academy faculty."

Bobo chuckled, "And you are taking this job for the price of one credit?"

QJ nodded. "That's one credit each, don't try to short us."

[System Message: You are contractually obligated to assist Chupa Lupa for the next four hours.]

[OP: Sato] Why did I get a notification about a contract?

[OP: Lotte] Me too....

[OP: Ringo] We all did.

[OP: Breeze] I'm a Striker? Wait... One credit? Why not do it for free?

[OP: Ringo] That's the minimal payment for a Striker. Give us the brief, QJ.

[OP: QJ] Sending everyone the brief.

[Guild War Brief]

Our gypsy friends should be setting up the killing field as you read this. We'll utilize high ground near RH forces and let our Snipers lure them in. Once they've entered the trap, we'll spring it, and the rest of us will move in to sweep up the stragglers.

[Raid: QJ] I want everyone to use their anonymous setting. We're using simple tactics, but they should be effective as long as we remain flexible and mobile.

Chainy moved her mount closer, the white-haired Rider smiling mischievously. "Want to race there, QJ?"

QJ was using his [Dark Stranger] appearance; he studied the horse she was riding. "That's the mount you won in the raid?"

Chainy smiled innocently and pushed the brim of her hat up. "Yep, this is him."

QJ sensed she was trying to set him up. "Who is your mount based on?"

"Seattle Slew, another old legend," Chainy replied.

"Wow..." QJ brought up his hud map and drew a line that led toward Chupa Lupa's guild HQ. "I'll mark the finish area. Want a headstart?"

[Coastal Waters, Basara Continent]

Robin leaned on the ship's rail; her orange hair was down and blowing freely in the ocean breeze. QJ's family had asked her to protect a foreign woman. It was the first time Tal, Leah, and Mojo had openly accepted her. It had been somewhat awkward but also very nice.

"Are you worried? I, Nimda, will make sure everything goes smoothly." The portly bandit was dressed in white with black boots. His bald head was covered with a black bandanna, making him look like a pirate.

"I am worried," Robin admitted. "Once we weigh anchor, you find us a transport inland for the portal while I ask questions.

[Basara, Jesu tribal territory]

The long staff the woman held made her seem taller than she was. She wore sleeveless plain white robes and walked barefoot on the shore of the Bosai River. At the end of her staff was a swirling orb of azure water that reflected her immediate surroundings. "Please stand up, Jesu Elders. I am not someone worthy of your kneeling."

Elder Shani slowly stood up, "it is our honor that the Water Wielder visits the Jesu tribe."

Ra smiled pleasantly. "I've always admired the Jesu. It seems that your tribe has received the Water King's Blessing." She continued walking along the riverbank until it opened to a vast lake. Her dark brown eyes sparkled as she took in the body of water. The unsolvable riddle that gave access to the inner workings of the Ancient City had lasted only a few minutes under his QJ's speculation. They had only spent a few hours together, but she relived those moments endlessly in her thoughts.

"Can we see the Water King?" Elder Shani bowed deeply when she spoke; she dared not kneel again since the Water Wielder had forbidden it. It was common knowledge that the blue orb at the end of the Water Staff could reflect people and events.

Ra froze in place, her heart racing as a sick feeling settled in her stomach. She used it to see him once a few nights after he left. He had been lying in the arms of a beautiful woman with orange hair. The event had crushed her emotionally, and the ordinarily calm woman cried for the remainder of the evening.

"One time, then."

The entire tribe crowded around her and sat down so those behind could see.

The orb spun slowly, an image slowly forming. A young man was riding a magnificent red horse while a similar animal struggled to keep contact behind him. He had short black hair and sky-blue eyes. QJ smiled over his shoulder at his pursuit, a smile that made Ra's heart pound. "Beware a handsome man." She whispered the words under her breath.