QJ spent a few minutes glancing through the maps and available quests that Anna had compiled. Then, a knock at the door caused him to glance up.
Gonna log in and play QJ?" Anna smiled at him over a steaming mug of coffee.
"Might shower and turn in early to play. This curse has me playing catchup." QJ closed his hud with a swipe of his hand. "Thanks for all the help."
Anna took a small sip from her mug, closing her eyes like it was heaven's ambrosia. "Your mom makes the best coffee. It's girl's night, but we'll try and keep it down."
QJ tried his best not to smirk openly. That meant Jinn, Ro-Ro, Naomi Gajendra, and his mom would stay up late 'socializing, which was code for drinking and sitting in the hot tub; it was never quiet. "Have fun."
"Log-On Exodus Gaming Hub."
[Welcome to Guns and Gore, the Phoenix Server.]
Location: Setters Canyon, 18km SE of Laredo.
Time: 1944 hours
Server Population: 7,828 Your current level is 2.
[Guild Message of the Day] Have you checked out the forums? An official post from GnG is going viral. It features a video of a certain Wrangler absolutely slaying Bumblebee. Gunner Phoenix killed 87 players ten minutes before QJ walked in and ended up with a date.
[OP: QJ] Heya! What's this craziness about a date?
[OP: Breeze] Gunner asked you to play the next time she comes to town. That's a date!
[OP: QJ] No, it isn't.
[OP: Lotte] Sounds like one.
[OP: Sato] Just accept it.
[OP: Ringo] Definitely a date.
[OP: QJ] I'm not showing up.
[OP: Ringo] Don't forget about the attached poll. Can someone link it?
QJ frowned as a forum poll was posted into the guild chat. A screenshot of him sitting at the piano was followed by a survey.
[Would you date Mozart?]
[Yes] 17,877 votes
[No] 69 votes
[OP: QJ] There are so many things wrong with that post I wouldn't know where to start.
[OP: Lotte] Name two things!
[OP: QJ] Sure. Bumblebee was written by a Russian composer named Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, not Mozart. And two, there'd be many more 'no' votes, but they are obviously following the '69' rule.
[OP: Breeze] What's the 69 rule?
[OP: Sato] Whenever a poll stops at 69, it's bad luck to keep going.
[OP: Ringo] Really?
[OP: Lotte] Why?
[OP: Sato] That's just the rule.
[OP: QJ] Going dark for a bit.
QJ turned off guild notifications and glanced at the cave entrance.
[System Message: You will receive no more guild notifications until you turn it back on.]
The sun was just setting, but many of his guildmates had been playing for several hours. His earlier glance at the guild interface told him Sato, Lotte, and Ringo were already level 5. Breeze had made level 6.
"Damn, I'm getting smoked already. Display Current Stats."
QJ (Cursed)
Wrangler: Level 2
Agility 30
Perception 30
Stamina 22
Wisdom 9
Strength 20
Command 5
Total BR: 7.5/12
Skills
[Phoenix Bullets]
Pistol 65/100 Level 2
Shotgun 45/100 Level 2
[Show Stopper]
The amount of XP you
need to reach level 10
has been tripled.
15,300/18,000 You need 2,700 XP to reach level 3.
"Better gear really boosted my stats."
*Fade*
You have faded from view.
QJ checked out the Fade buff icon. "The duration is 8 minutes, not bad. Let's see how effective it is."
QJ reached over his left shoulder, smoothly drawing his shotgun. He walked down the passageway and peaked around the corner. There was the Elite Ant from earlier. Carefully he approached, the ant took no notice of him, and he was able to pass by without incident.
QJ proceeded deeper into the cave while planning his strategy. Within a few minutes, he reached Keku, the named Elite Ant he had killed earlier in the day.
The cavern was quite large; dozens of huge stalactites were hanging from the ceiling. QJ had taken note of this earlier while considering his options. Initially, he had thought to aggro everything in the caves and then draw them into the cavern.
Breaking off stalactites with his shotgun might be effective. However, ants were excellent climbers, so the possibility of him being caught was likely. Also, since they were elites, he didn't feel optimistic about taking on more than one in such a cramped space.
QJ backed up to the far end of the cavern and dropped fade. "I should kill Keku and then take them one at a time. Although I killed him last earlier, he may draw everything into the room if I attack him first."
QJ stepped away from the cavern wall; surprisingly, the movement took some effort. He turned back to the wall, noting that it was smoother than it should be. He touched it with his fingertips. "Real sticky too."
After noticing the scent of something sweet lingering in the air, a quick taste of his fingertips confirmed his suspicion; honey wax.
A few small pieces of the wax flaked off in his hand when he clawed at it with his fingers, but when he found a sharp stone to use as a scraper, he was able to break off several large chunks. QJ took some of the larger pieces and stored them away, thinking they might be helpful or valuable.
"This isn't a dead-end passage. On the contrary, the wax is deliberately sealing something off." QJ used his makeshift tool and started shaving off large chunks of the wall. It took a few minutes, but he was able to carve out a circle large enough to crawl through.
The wall was about six inches thick, and as soon as he broke through, his ears were filled with the steady drone of buzzing.
"Seems like the wax wall is an effective sound suppressant." QJ stepped into a well-lit cavern. This one was much larger than the first. In the middle of the cavern were dense honeycombs filled with crawling bees.
*Fade*
You have faded from view.
QJ spent half an hour scouting out the cavern. The ceiling was constructed from a fluorescent-looking crystal lit up by a small hole through which daylight filtered in.
QJ studied the opening. "That must be one of the entrances."
Everything in the cavern was elite, levels six through eight.
QJ moved slowly towards the center, directly under a large stalactite several meters in diameter. He roped the outcropping on his first attempt and pulled himself up. Then, after securing a better knot around the base, he left the rope in place and slid down.
"Okay...I'll try shooting Keku from the hole, draw them into the bee's nest, and then blast away at the crystal. "Hopefully, it's as brittle as it looks."
QJ returned to the opening he had cut out of the wax wall and held his hand out palm up. "Come."
Three tiny spiders skittered out, once again, he experienced a sense of warmth and belonging. "Dad is gonna be pissed if I turn into a spider."
He crouched down on one knee and took aim at Keku.
*Aimed Shot*
(Head-Shot Bonus x Critical Hit)
Keku has been hit for 2,300 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 460 damage.
The ant charged the hole, and QJ fired three times as fast as he could pull the trigger.
*Snapshot*
Keku has been hit for 900 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 180 damage.
*Snapshot*
Keku has been hit for 845 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 169 damage.
*Snapshot*
(Head-Shot Bonus x Critical Hit)
Keku has been hit for 1,500 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 300 damage.
Keku slammed into the wax wall, instantly breaking off a large portion of the barrier.
QJ holstered his pistol and drew the shotgun. The drum spun as he triggered three shots directly into the ant's face.
*Point Blank*
(Head-Shot Bonus)
Keku has been damaged for 2,300 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 460 damage.
*Point Blank*
(Head-Shot Bonus)
Keku has been damaged for 2,225 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 445 damage.
*Point Blank*
(Head-Shot Bonus)
Keku has been damaged for 1,955 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 391 damage.
*Keku has been stunned*
Keku fell partway through the passage; QJ could see the ants swarming toward the hole behind him. "Shit! Here they come!"
QJ holstered the shotgun and ran for the rope he had left hanging. He scampered up the rope, tieing a knot around his waist about two meters from the ceiling.
Keku recovered and burst through the hole, instantly widening it as the wax barrier collapsed into the bee cavern. He spotted QJ near the ceiling, calmly aiming his pistol.
QJ waited until the ants were below him and then took aim at the crystal. The bullet struck the pale smooth surface, barely scratching it as the entire cavern echoed with the sound of humming crystal.
He shot again before the vibrations caused him to cover his ears in pain. His pistol clattered on the floor below.
*You have been stunned*
*You have taken damage*
QJ watched his health drop to half within a few seconds; his head seemed like it might split. Covering his ears barely made a difference.
"Sweet Mother..." QJ noticed the creatures below were in a similar state. He accessed his inventory and hurriedly pushed a bit of bee wax into his ear; immediately, he felt some relief and did the same with the other. In seconds, he went from agonizing vibration to relative silence.
He slid down the rope and started stuffing a bit more wax in. Then he picked up his pistol and started shooting the ceiling. He could vaguely hear the vibration, but it never went beyond that. Apparently, the sound-suppressing quality of the wax was very high.
An Elite Ant Soldier has been slain. You have gained 600 XP and 50 credits.
An Elite Ant Soldier has been slain. You have gained 600 XP and 50 credits.
An Elite Ant Soldier has been slain. You have gained 600 XP and 50 credits.
Keku has been slain. You have gained 1,800 XP and 200 credits.
*Ding* Level 3
An Elite Drone has been slain. You have gained 1200 XP.
An Elite Drone has been slain. You have gained 1200 XP.
An Elite Drone has been slain. You have gained 1200 XP.
The slain and XP notices scrolled down his hud; QJ ignored them, reloading and continuing to fire. Eventually, the last scattered handful died.
An Elite Drone has been slain. You have gained 1200 XP.
An Elite Drone has been slain. You have gained 1200 XP.
A Queen Bee has been slain. You have gained 24,000 XP.
It took a few minutes for the vibrations to stop; QJ kept the wax in his ears just in case survivors popped up.
"Display Stats"
QJ (Cursed)
Wrangler: Level 5
Agility 30
Perception 30
Stamina 22
Wisdom 9
Strength 20
Command 5
Total BR: 6.5/12
Skills
[Phoenix Bullets]
Pistol 8/100 Level 3
Shotgun 4/100 Level 3
[Show Stopper]
The amount of XP you
need to reach level 10
has been tripled.
45,500/63,000 You need 17,500 XP to reach level 6.
QJ whistled when he saw his level. "Better grab the loot before things start to respawn."
He looted the Queen Bee; she was a generic Queen, not a named, so he didn't expect much from the unidentified glove. Keku dropped a scroll, also unidentified.
After gathering all the wax he could, he was about to activate his return token when his three little spiders crawled onto his arm. The emotions coming off of them were much stronger than before. He turned back toward the Queen's corpse.
"Display Cider Spider Stats."
[Evolving Cider Spiders]
Level 9
HP 15/15
Strength 10
Agility
10
Stamina 10
BR:1
"Evolving, huh? Even your BR went up; okay then. Eat up."
QJ pointed at the corpse, and the three tiny spiders started eating. He turned away quickly, "yeah... I don't need to see that."
QJ checked his hud while he waited; the standard respawn for elites in beginner zones was three hours unless they were named, then it was six. "I'll let you three finish your meal."
QJ decided to explore the Bee domain a little more. After searching for about ten minutes, he found a second entry point that was only accessible if you could fly. A hundred-meter sheer drop was a deterrent to anyone thinking they might attempt to climb in.
After retracing his step, QJ found a third exit about 15 meters off the canyon floor; fortunately, several large boulders masked the entrance.
"This should be the best entry point next time I come here." The sound of fighting pulled his attention away from the cave entrance. Being naturally curious, QJ crawled to the edge and peeked over.
A group of four players in the canyon was in trouble. Two wranglers, one Rider, and a Gambler. The Rider and gambler must have already reached level 8; otherwise, they would have stayed in their starter territory.
QJ watched as the shallow water suddenly turned deep. Initially, both Wranglers pulled mobs at the same time. Then, instead of luring one away and feigning death, the gambler managed to aggro a third add by retreating a few steps too far.
QJ shook his head in disgust when three of them charged through the line, leaving the last wrangler with no choice but to use Feign Death in the middle of a dozen roaming mobs.
"What a shit show."
*Fade*
You have faded from view.
QJ tied his rope to an outcropping and lowered himself down. Then, he walked towards the wrangler, carefully avoiding the roaming mobs.
QJ stopped in place, nearly deciding to return when he recognized the Wrangler. It was the third year with purple hair. He approached silently, keeping his voice down to a whisper. "Stay calm, and don't drop Feign Death."
QJ grabbed hold of her collar and started to drag her between the mobs. They stared at the dead corpse moving by itself but didn't attack. Finally, after five minutes, they cleared the respawn zone, and QJ released her.
Nina finally dropped Feign Death and sat up. "A Scout? Thank you so much for your help. I'm Jigsaw."
"Nice to meet you, Jigsaw." He smiled at her expression; the usually angry-looking 3rd year was smiling for once.
QJ bent and gave her a peck on the cheek before slowly backing away. Nina stared opened mouthed, her face slowly turning red.
By the time he had climbed back to the hidden entrance, QJ was chuckling. He returned to the Queen's corpse and gathered his three spiders. They were bloated from eating and could barely scamper up his arm. With nothing better to do, QJ took a seat and waited patiently.
After three hours, the Drones began respawning, and a quick check of the ant cave verified that the ants also had; however, there was no sign of Keku or the Queen Bee. QJ had only been planning on clearing it one more time before logging, so a few hours wouldn't make a difference.
QJ found a quiet corner away from any possible aggro and busied himself by reading through the piles of information Anna had sent him.
Finally, after another three hours, it was time to clear the caves again. QJ stepped into the opening of the wax wall, hoping to see Keku. What he saw instead caused him to back up a step.
[Circa, the Ant King]
"I have a bad feeling," QJ whispered as he crept silently back to the bee chamber. "Holy... that's not the bee queen."
[Sajana, the Wasp Empress]
QJ carefully retreated back to the opening in the wax wall. Their names were dark gold, meaning they were Nemesis rated; not only were they named, but also titled.
"Hell with it; I didn't wait six hours to turn tail and run." Instead, QJ retied his rope over the Stalagtite in the middle of the bee chamber and then retraced his steps to target Circa.
"Worst-case scenario, I kill all the elites and then get eaten by one or both of the Nemesis."
He stuffed bee wax in his ears and took aim at Circa.
*Aimed Shot*
(Head-Shot Bonus x Critical Hit)
Circa has been hit for 120 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 24 damage.
QJ abandoned any further shots and ran for the rope; he scurried up quickly and tied himself.
The entire wax wall exploded outward as Circa appeared in the cavern. His mandibles clicked loudly in a challenge that QJ could dimly hear through the wax. However, Circa didn't even glance at QJ; Sajana had been alerted by the disturbance and had immediately advanced.
The two Nemesis collided beneath him as ants flooded the cavern from the entrance.
The drone bees responded by attacking, which quickly escalated into a massive turf war. Once QJ was sure both sides were vested in the battle, he took aim at the ceiling and fired.
QJ fired into the crystal repeatedly; he kept firing and reloading, not looking at the damage that scrolled down the hud. The two Nemesis carried on the battle alone long after their entire armies were dead. Sajana's stinger had pierced Circa several times, but in the end, Circa managed to grip her neck with his mandibles and removed her head. The King reared up on his back legs in victory before collapsing next to the dead Empress.
After waiting for a hundred count, QJ slid down the rope and approached the two corpses. Right away, he felt the hunger from his three little friends. "Didn't you guys just eat?"
QJ turned them loose, and all three moved toward the King. After a moment, one of them slowed and then turned toward the Empress. "What's the matter? Too many choices?"
A soft glow from the Empress's corpse drew his attention. He quickly looted the glowing chest that had appeared.
[Crown] Unidentified.
[Hatchet] Unidentified.
[Domain Deed] Unidentified.
QJ looked for a second chest, but there wasn't one. Circa, the Ant King, was apparently a cheap-ass bastard.
QJ glanced at the two corpses; his tiny spiders were still eating. "You've got an hour, guys, then I have to log."
The sun was just rising when QJ sat on the rocks near the entrance. "Display Stats."
[System Message] You have earned a Title. Do you wish to equip your Title?
"Yes."
[System Message] Kingslayer +5 Agility, +5 Perception.
Kingslayer QJ (Cursed)
Wrangler: Level 8
Agility 35
Perception 35
Stamina 22
Wisdom 9
Strength 20
Command 5
Total BR:5.5/12
Skills
[Phoenix Bullets]
Pistol 35/100 Level 5
Shotgun 24/100 Level 5
[Show Stopper]
The amount of XP you
need to reach level 10
has been tripled.
109,500/135,000 You need 25,500 XP to reach level 9.
"My BR drops as my level increases. I need better gear again." QJ stared at the Title; a title of any sort in GnG usually was very handy. This one came with two stat bonuses. He opened up his hud, and Angel's face popped up a moment later.
"How's the hunt going, QJ?"
QJ took out his shotgun and reloaded it. "Good, can you come find me? I'm at the entrance of the cave you dropped me at."
Angel's face looked worried. "You in trouble?"
"Nope, got something for you." QJ cut comm and looked over his shoulder; he could feel their approach. "All you guys do is eat."
Spider Bee
Level 14
HP 150/150
Strength 20
Agility 25
Stamina 15
BR:4
Incider Spider
Level 14
HP 100/100
Strength 15
Agility 15
Stamina 15
BR:2
Incider Spider
Level 14
HP 100/100
Strength 15
Agility 15
Stamina 15
BR:2
QJ laughed when he saw them, "I guess you two are the poor cousins."
The third spider had developed tiny transparent wings, and a small stinger was barely visible underneath its carapace.
It crawled up his arm and stayed on his shoulder.
"She has really changed." Angel dropped stealth right next to him, smiling slyly when he jumped.
QJ stood up, dusting off his pants. "It's a she?"
Angel nodded and laughed, "she said they will protect you."
"Oh... well, good then. I could use a bit of that." He reached into his inventory and took out the crown. "Take a knee, Anya."
Angel stared at him, "I don't think so."
QJ sighed, "I won't give you something nice then."
"Fine, but I reserve the right to beat you up if you trick me."
Angel knelt down on one knee, looking up at him.
"See? That wasn't so hard." QJ carefully placed the crown on Angel's head.
[System Message] By gifting this crown to Angel the Spider Queen, you have involved yourself in a battle for succession. Do you wish to proceed?
QJ frowned at the message for a moment before nodding. "Yes."
Immediately Angel's body glowed, and a wave of power exploded outwards, knocking QJ over the ledge.
*You have died*
[System Message] Do you wish to recover your corpse here or in the nearest town graveyard?
"Here, please."
QJ appeared over his corpse and quickly recovered it. He wasn't level ten yet, so there was no penalty. He looked up to see Angel flying down. "Take note, my first death in GnG was lame.
The golden crown on Angel's head glowed brightly for an instant. Then, shortly after, both of her wings disappeared.
"I shouldn't have stood close to the edge, I guess."
Angel stared at him. "Thank you, QJ." Her voice was gentle, her warm eyes brought a smile to his face.
QJ noticed that her wings were gone. "You have a human form now?"
Angel nodded and linked the crown.
[Crown of the Empress]
NPC Only: Grants Human form to the
Insect Queen.
"That's it? Where's the rest of it." QJ shook his head, plainly feeling wronged.
Angel laughed and skipped around him, hugging him close and kissing his face. "I'm definitely going to get you something nice, QJ."
"We're even. You power-leveled me by wrapping up those elites earlier." QJ glanced at the crown on her head. Why would an NPC item drop? That didn't make sense. "I'm going back to town and head out through the Exodus Gate."
Angel watched as he activated his token, "keep getting stronger, QJ!"
He nodded and disappeared with a wave.