68 Leaks

Robin leaned against the rail, waiting patiently while the ship anchored and tied up. Nimda and Sally mingled among the dockhands; they were both sea folk and knew how to blend in.

By the time the large crate was unloaded, the pirate and his daughter had returned. 

Nimda kept one hand on his cutlass while he scanned the crowd around them. "We procured a wagon for transporting our cargo. Our contact's name is Dara; she will be waiting a few miles outside town."

Robin nodded, her brown eyes scanning the crown. "Remember QJ's warning; expect trouble." 

Nimda snorted loudly. "I, Nimda, always expect trouble." 

The orange-haired Songbird walked down the narrow gangway plank, not bothered by the subtle swaying caused by the bay's surf. She frowned while the cargo was tied down onto the transport. It was oversized, twice the length of an average wagon, and pulled by a team of eight horses. "Might as well put up a sign that says please rob me." 

"Thank you for loading up my crate." A large man with slicked-back blonde hair and a blue silk shirt smiled. His beady eyes roamed obscenely over the Songbird Operative. "I'll be taking it now, and you along with it."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Perfect... Now I don't have to waste time looking for you," she said before vanishing. 

[Backstab]

(Critical Hit)

Robin has hit the target for 211,888 damage. 

Hurly Damon has been slain. 

Robin wiped her blade on the corpse's silk shirt before checking his pockets. He carried nothing of note except for a carefully folded piece of paper. 

"I'll take that..." The sound of a gun being cocked sounded like thunder in the sudden silence that enveloped the dock. 

Robin glanced up at the man who was pointing a shotgun at her. He wore a black stetson and a familiar long-sleeved shirt and vest. "Sure..."

A gun appeared in the free hand that had been empty a moment earlier as her target's head disappeared in a blood mist. 

[Hideout Gun]

(Headshot/Critical Hit)

Robin has hit the target for 300,045 damage.

Yul Stannis has been slain. 

Robin moved slightly, and the weapon vanished as if it had never been there. "Anyone else?" 

Nimda appeared beside her, his cutlass drawn as he scanned the crowd. "I only looked away for a moment... How did I miss the excitement?" 

Robin knelt by the second corpse and rid him of his R/H patch. "Looks like our friends from Righteous Hand are getting froggy again." 

"What did you hit him with? His head is missing." Nimda scowled at the mention of the GnG guild. "I'll be sure to mention them in my report." 

*********

"They just arrived at the port," Sarah wore black raven armor that made her look more like a rogue than a cleric. Her white hair was worn in a top-knot, accentuating her delicate features. She smiled at her companion as they walked the perimeter of the Sandhealer compound. 

Ra felt a pit in her stomach but forced a smile. "That means they'll be here tonight or early tomorrow." 

When Ra and QJ returned from the Ancestor City, the Sandhealer faction reaped the benefits of an alliance with the palace and the prestige of both the Water Wielder and the Water King. The compound that had been run down was rebuilt from the ground up. 

"You worry too much," Sarah smiled warmly. "Everything will be fine." Her hud buzzed suddenly before Robin's face appeared in front of her. "Is something wrong?" 

The Songbird was riding on top of a large wagon; someone was singing offkey in the background. "QJ was right. We've sprung a leak somewhere; Righteous Hand was waiting for us when we docked." 

The dark elf grimaced slightly. "Don't worry, we're ready if something happens." 

Robin smiled, her brown eyes glancing at the woman walking beside Sarah. "You must be Ra."

Ra nodded. "I'm looking forward to your arrival, Sister Robin."

"Same here," Robin replied. "Old Skool is in the final stages of finishing the Portal Activation questline. It won't be more than a few days before we can move back and forth between our two continents." 

*************

Mr. Damon, 

One Problem is transporting a high-value container from Maelstrom to the Basara continent. Intercept them in Leto, take possession of their shipment, and load it onto the Dark Horizon. 

Zekial

QJ studied the note flashed onto his screen through the alliance channel. He closed his hud a moment later and grinned at his companion. "Great job, Wu. Robin took this off of her attacker's corpse." 

Wu flashed a wide grin. The night before, he had uncovered the plot between Zekial, the former Queen's brother, and one of the Righteous Hand's officers. The discussion occurred in one of the corner booths of the Phoenix Casino. "I'll forward the name of the ship involved, Dark Horizon, to Old Man Crane." 

"Another ship for Old Skool's growing fleet." QJ took a moment to clean up after his breakfast. "Great job, Wu! We'll go over the Venture packet tonight."

Wu tapped the counter with the spoon he used to stir his coffee. "What about the leak?"

QJ gave him a deadpan look. "There is no leak." 

Wu stopped his tapping and sat the spoon down. "Now I'm confused." 

"Right... I had our gypsy friend Morgan offer the intel to Zekial for five million credits." 

Wu stared for a moment. "Why would you do that?"

"Two reasons," QJ replied. "One, I wanted to test our spy network. We passed with flying colors."

Wu exhaled slowly, unsure how he felt about the revelation. "And the second reason?"

QJ grinned suddenly. "Five million credits, cha-ching." 

Wu fist-bumped him. "So we are good then. You're the leak."

QJ nodded. "Yep, I'm the leak. Half goes to you since you were able to ferret it out." 

Wu's face lit up. "Really? Feel free to test me whenever you want!" 

A few minutes later, QJ closed the door of his room's VR chamber and reclined comfortably. An instant later, he arrived at the entrance to the OP Guild Hall. 

[Welcome to Guns and Gore, the Phoenix Server.]

Location: Thunder Keep

Time: 0645 hours

Server Population:77,545 Your current level is 52.

[Guild Message of the Day]

The next few weeks are going to be busy. Mid-Term Tests start tomorrow after lunch! Classroom review begins today; you may skip the morning roll call if logging into the Academy. 

QJ pushed open the double doors, half expecting an empty room. A quick glance verified that most of OP were present. "No one is concerned with mids?" 

Breeze and Lotte hovered around the pastry table in the left aisle. 

"Saved you your favorite!" Breeze flashed a brilliant smile and handed him a blueberry bismark. 

"Nice try, but that's your favorite," QJ replied. 

Lotte handed him a small plate with the last bismark on it. "QJ likes raspberry." 

"Boom," QJ accepted the desert. 

Breeze took a bite out of her bismark, unconcerned that a large portion stuck to the sides of her mouth. "Right, it's your second favorite." 

Lotte shook her head. "That would be lemon." 

"Blueberry is my favorite!" Sato approached while they were talking, frowning at the empty platter. 

"Oh..." Breeze handed him the half-eaten bismark. "I saved this for you." 

Sato accepted the handout and immediately wolfed it down. "Thanks." 

QJ noticed that Ringo and Dessi entered through the lower entrance next to the podium. 

[OP: QJ] Take your seats. We'll give a quick brief and then turn you loose. Take a look at the leaderboard. 

[Top Guild Level]

1) One Problem 48.8

2) Old Skool 44.2

3) Chupa Lupa 43.9

[Class Leaderboard]

Range Rider: Sexy Dexy-Lvl 45

Gunfighter: Oldman Crane-Lvl 50

Brave: Solo-Lvl 47

Tracker: Carlotti Hottie-Lvl 49

Shaman: Shonie-Lvl 49

Field Medic: Dessi-Lvl 48

Wrangler: Kingslayer QJ-Lvl 52

Scout: Sato-Lvl 48

Commanchero: Breeze-Lvl 48

Cavalry: Lil Jack-Lvl 47

Raider: Devil Woman-Lvl 46

Gambler: Luca-Lvl 46

[Top Five OverAll]

1) Kingslayer QJ

2) Old Man Crane

3) Carlotti Hottie

4) Shonie

5) Ringo

[OP: Ringo] I wasn't expecting to be here, but since no one opted for reviewing this morning... I hope you are taking these tests seriously. 

QJ scanned the members of OP, no one seemed overly concerned. His train of thought derailed when his wrist hud buzzed; he disconnected the call without looking. An instant later, it buzzed again. This time, it was text only." 

[Exodus Messenger: Barti/QJ] Sundown street, behind Bizarros. I'm being followed.

[OP: QJ] Emergency! Lotte, please take over the morning brief. Ringo, Dessi and Sato, with me. 

Without waiting for a reply, QJ ran for the door leading to OP's Exodus Portal.