Ringo checked her hud; It was nearly 1700. Everyone was accounted for except for QJ; she had made a Troupe Master and wanted to show him. Then, a movement above caught her attention; a winged person was approaching quickly. She couldn't stop the silly smile; only one of the Ba'Avriel had pink wings, Remmy.
The cute pink-winged gnome landed a few meters from their group; she dismissed her wings and scanned the crowd. Ringo and Lotte were the only ones who used their natural looks, so Remmy spotted them right away. "Heya, GnG friends!"
"It's nice to see you again, Remmy." Ringo shook the hand that the little gnome offered her. "Haven't seen QJ have you?"
"Yep, he'll be along in a moment. He's picking up the gun Tal made him." Remmy was wearing a single holster with a sleek-looking handgun. She noticed Ringo staring at it. "You like it?"
Ringo nodded. "Really nice. Did you make this one?" To her surprise, Remmy pulled it out of the holster and handed it to her.
[Defender]
Engineered: Custom Glock
Description: Polymer-framed,
short recoil-operated, locked-breech
semi-automatic pistol designed by
Grand Master Engineer Tal.
"This isn't a six-shooter. It's a 9 mil." Ringo held it like it was a dragon egg, "Tal made this?"
Remmy nodded. "Before she was a TAP engineer, she was a Captain in a super strong army. Our Fora Defense militia has things that would scare the crap out of you."
Lotte had been listening. "Why would QJ have guns? He told me you must be a gnome or an engineer to fire them."
Remmy turned her head sideways, "Everyone in his family has a deviant ability. They are abilities given because of natural talent. QJ will have one, also. Their whole family is super gifted."
Sato joined the group while they were talking. Unexpectedly he had made a halfling Hunter. Everyone knew who Remmy was, but this was his first time seeing her in person. "I'm Sato. You're beautiful, Remmy."
Remmy looked at the young man, her face turning pink. "I'm pretty?"
Sato nodded. "Yep, you're a pretty girl."
Unexpectedly Remmy raised both hands over her head and cheered for herself. "Yay! Remmy is a pretty girl!"
Lotte and Ringo were laughing so hard they couldn't speak. Sato just stared at the little gnome; for once, he was utterly speechless.
His halfling character had curly red hair and a face full of freckles; it was as if his real self had been miniaturized.
"Better not let any gnomes see you hitting on Remmy." QJ had walked up behind them while they were talking. "It's lights-out for you if they do."
The pink-haired gnome immediately nodded. "Yep, Quinn's the only boyfriend of mine that they won't bother." Remmy gave them an innocent smile. "Mostly because they are terrified of him."
"That's QJ's dad, right? Sorry I haven't followed TAP history at all." Sato crossed his arms in front of him. "Want to go with me to the Apple Festival?"
Remmy nodded. "Sure, but don't say I didn't warn ya." She pointed at the statue behind him.
In the center of the market was a statue of a man wielding dual six guns. On the plaque at the base of the statue was a brief biography. As a group, they walked over to read it; even QJ was curious.
"That's just the stuff that people know about." Remmy glanced at Sato, giving him a sweet smile. "Things start around 1900. I'll find you then."
*Ba'Avriel*
Remmy flapped her pink wings once and took off into the sky.
QJ and the rest of the GnG group were all staring at Sato.
"You asked Remmy out?" Ringo shook her head in disbelief. "You've got some guts, Sato."
QJ laughed at the look on his face. "It will be fine; we can always rez you."
Ringo's eyes dropped to QJ's holster. "Did your mom make you a gun?"
QJ nodded. "Yep, she sure did." The young man stopped talking, his face turning serious. He would have made an account years ago if he had realized how much it meant to his mom. She had been waiting all this time to show him her work in TAP. QJ had to admit, the scope of it was amazing.
[Quinn James] Bound
Handcrafted Six-Gun: Engineered
Description: Painstakingly crafted by
Grandmaster Engineer Tal.
Description: Uncannily Accurate
+20 Accuracy, +20 Range
Additional Effect: First Hit is always critical.
"It's bound. Too bad you can't take it to GnG." Ringo noticed another group approaching theirs; she picked out Dessi's blonde hair leading the way.
Breeze pushed through her classmates and threw an arm around QJ's shoulders. "We're taking it easy, right? I don't feel like grinding levels in a game I'm only playing for three days."
QJ nodded. They had been grinding levels non-stop. "Let's go shopping; there are a lot of shops in Q-Town."
He grabbed Lotte and pulled her away from Breeze. "You were supposed to feed me today!"
Lotte's lips curved in a small smile, "I did say that. Fine then, lunch is on me."
"Um... well, lunch is on me, and so is shopping. Unexpectedly I've received a boatload of credits." QJ pulled her towards the armor shops.
"Let's tag with them; QJ's paying." Ringo smiled when she said it; she was surprised when he nodded in agreement.
Sato and Breeze gave each other a nod and invited themselves.
Sato kept looking toward the sky. "Do you have wings too?"
QJ shook his head. "How the heck would I have wings?"
"Right, you just got here." Sato walked along quietly, his little halfling legs taking two steps to each of QJ's.
QJ explained to the small group about the Legacy Account and the reason for his sudden generosity. "Did you know that in 1200 miles of Aqueducts, their margin of error is .001 degree? That's crazy, right?"
The rest of the group stared helplessly at QJ while he started talking about slopes and the relative margin of errors. Then, secretly they decided among themselves to keep nodding pleasantly until he was done.
They stopped at the fish market, where they sampled some fresh cod. Halflings were everywhere, selling different chowders and 'catch of the day.'
Breeze clapped her hands. "Fish and Chips sounds good, right?"
QJ spotted a familiar sign. "Let's go here then. There's outdoor seating."
The group turned into the small pier restaurant known as Turo's. QJ didn't recognize any halfling workers, but they were escorted to a lovely table overlooking the harbor. The wind was warm coming off the water.
A short while later, a cute halfling with curly black hair approached the table. She had a notebook in her hand and was smiling. "Greetings, customers! I"m Tepi, and I'll be your waitress."
QJ smiled at their server. "Hi, Tepi. Is Turo around?"
"Turo? No, he's out fishing." She leaned closer, her brown eyes full of mischief. "Do you know Turo?"
"Yes, I've known him and Ro-Ro my whole life. I'm QJ."
"Little QJ?" She pursed her lips as if thinking about his words. "Turo is my uncle."
"Ecaterina?" QJ remembered that Turo was from a large Portuguese community on the east coast.
"Bleh." Tepi made a face at him. "That's my brat cousin."
QJ thought about it a bit more, "Yavina?"
Tepi sighed, "my older sister."
QJ slapped the table in front of him, making everyone jump. "Celia!"
Tepi grinned and nodded, "that's quite the memory you have, QJ."
He shrugged apologetically. He had been introduced to all of Turo's family when they visited years ago. "Fish and Chips for me, Tepi!"
"Oi... now that you know my name, go ahead and use it." Tepi wrote down his order and then took everyone elses.
After eating, they continued to stroll through the market area. Sometimes the group would break off into two or three people, but eventually, they would reform. QJ was by himself for the first time all afternoon when he felt a pair of hands cover his eyes from behind.
"Guess who?" A voice full of laughter asked.
"Anya... How are you feeling?" Instead of releasing him, she hugged him from behind.
"As good as new." Her warm green eyes stared at him. "Did you use the vial I sent you?"
QJ turned in her embrace and hugged her back before stepping away. "Yes. We will move ahead with the alliance; Anna has the paperwork."
"I just bought this dress. Do you like it?" Angel spun once, her pretty face serious.
"Hmmm..." QJ scratched his chin, noticing she was wearing the crown that enabled her human form. "Beautiful, the Spider Queen looks stunning."
Angel smiled happily. "As expected, you know exactly what to say. Do you know anything about my GnG world being closed for a few days?"
QJ nodded. "I found out today. This your time to rest up."
Angel slid an arm through his as they walked down the narrow aisles. "You've been getting stronger; already, you have been given a title and a Keep."
"How do you know all of that?" QJ noticed his hud was blinking; he answered to see Gin, the Mohawk girl from Naomi's lab.
"Hey QJ, Dr. Gajendra asked if you could stop by her house after you log off today."
"Sure can." Naomi lived with Ren, Em, and Hashtag, who was visiting family in Samoa. Her house was on the far side of the cul de sac, right next to Jinns.
"My Remmy keeps me up on the latest news. Which, of course, is why I'm here." Angel pulled him into one of the darker corners of the shop.
QJ frowned at her. "You better not put spiders in my mouth."
"I need some hidden reserves. I want to leave some fighters with you as part of your forces."
QJ raised an eyebrow. "What you mean is that you want me to train up your fighters in the event that one day you need a trump card."
"That makes it sound bad. They'll help defend your Keep unless I require them." Angel stepped closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. "Five hundred seasoned Ant Soldiers."
"Won't that weakens your forces too much?" QJ understood this was an important time for Angel; she would be vulnerable until she established her power.
"A bit, but I will have to take a chance." She held both of his hands with her own.
QJ shook his head. "Give me a thousand of your weakest troops. Your enemies are bound to notice the disappearance of elite forces. Don't suppose you have any bee drones?"
Angel tilted her head to one side. "I have a lot of drones. They're just cannon fodder QJ. They are the weakest of my forces."
"I'll have them ready to go when you need them." QJ bent forward and kissed her forehead. "How many times have I led you wrong?"
Angel smiled. "Never QJ. Fine, we'll do it your way."
QJ smiled when she stealthed, the sound of her footsteps walking away. "Cya Anya."
A light touch of soft lips made him jump. "Gotcha again, QJ!"
Her laughter faded in the distance, and QJ kept his guard up just in case she returned. Angel was a born trickster.
QJ found Breeze and Lotte sitting down by the pier. They both turned when he started toward them.
"TAP really is beautiful, QJ." Breeze had her hair untied for once, blowing in the gentle coastal winds of Q-Town.
"We were discussing something interesting." Lotte winked at Breeze. "There's a pretty big lake next to our new Guild Base."
QJ nodded in agreement. "A big chunk of land is also attached to the Guild Base. Tell me you aren't thinking of starting a fishery?"
Breeze shook her head. "Waterslides, amazing ones that make you scream."
QJ scratched his chin. "You're not serious, right? Bring this up again after we can handle the Doubler Canyon Raid without using Striker accounts."
Ringo and Dessi showed up a few minutes later, holding several bags.
TAP goods were almost all Exodus compliant. There were even some items that could be brought into GnG. Using your hud to scan an item would tell you which game it could be brought in. QJ had scanned the jetpack he had received. It said TAP and Exodus Arena only.
Ringo opened up her hud and sent a message to her class. "Official Events are over for today. The Apple Festival tonight is not mandatory. Meet in Talon at 1900 if you are attending. Tomorrow afternoon at 1400, meet at the TAP Academy Platform in Exodus. Saffron Daybreaker will be giving us a tour."
Lotte noticed the smile on QJ's face. "Do you know Saffron?"
"Of course, I attended TAP Academy for three years. She's the Professor of TAP history and Politics."
Sato snorted. "Isn't TAP a four-year institution? Did you flunk out? It's okay... Happens to everyone."
QJ wasn't sure whether or not Sato was joking, so he set him straight. "Tested out of all my classes by the end of my second year. My parents made me stay on as a TA for an additional year."
Surprisingly Dessi nodded in agreement. "I heard the same thing through the Exodus grapevine."
QJ picked up the bag of items he had purchased. "Going to log out. He glanced at Lotte. "I'm going to visit a friend of mine if you'd like to tag along."
Lotte nodded, "Since I can't grind levels, I might as well let you entertain me."
Breeze scowled. "I'm gonna visit you soon, Lotte."
Lotte patted her back. "She's from Arizona, QJ."
"I can use my dad's truck. We can road trip out to see her," QJ suggested.
"To Arizona?" Nina chose this time to show up. The purple-haired menace was carrying a half dozen packages. "I live pretty close, Shoshone, California."
Breeze made a face. "Hey, no third years allowed."
QJ laughed at Nina's expression. "Flagstaff is four hours away. We could all meet there."
Nina frowned at Breeze. "Me too?"
QJ covered Breeze's mouth with his hand before she could answer. "Yes, you too. We could stop by Henderson and pick up Sato on the way."
Ringo glanced at Dessi, who nodded at her. "If you guys are serious since our server is down, we can give you some time for a trip. This kind of thing is great for team building."
Nina smiled at her teacher. "I just have to let my roommates know."
Breeze shrugged. "I live with my older sister; she won't care a bit."
QJ opened his hud and sent a quick note to Anna. "Let's push forward and see if it works with our schedules. I'll contact everyone later."
"Log-Off TAP."
QJ levered the chamber door, and it opened with a hiss. Using the chamber really did have a lot of advantages. Having used both ceramic discs and the chamber, he definitely preferred the VR chamber.
QJ stepped into the bathroom and rinsed his face with water. Reading his dad's plaque had been a sobering event. "He started with nothing but himself and then surrounded himself with friends he could count on." QJ spoke to himself in the mirror. "That's the key part right there."
QJ grabbed a blueberry bagel from the pantry bin and heaped a generous portion of peanut butter before grabbing a water bottle. From his kitchen island seat, he could see Lotte wheeling toward his front door. He opened it just before she stopped. "I was coming as soon as I finished eating."
Lotte had her hair up and was wearing a short sleeve shirt for once. Her jeans emphasized her slender build. "Peanut butter on a bagel?"
QJ nodded and closed the door behind him. "Doesn't peanut butter go with everything?"
Lotte shook her head; her lips curved in a crooked smile. "I don't think so."
"Bite." QJ held his bagel in front of her, refusing to move it until she sampled it. "What do you think?"
"Hmm... I guess I'd eat that." She smiled when QJ moved behind her to push her chair. "I think you like driving this thing more than I do."
"Safe bet." QJ noticed that she was smiling a bit more. "When should we road trip?"
"Tomorrow, maybe? I think if we wait too long, the server will come back up." Lotte spent a lot of time chatting with Breeze on her hud; the Chero was one of the funniest people she'd ever met.
"I'll see if I can use the truck."
"Do you know why the servers went down in the first place?" Lotte was surprised to learn that it would be going down after the restart. "Was there an issue with updates?"
QJ nodded. "It was actually related to our Quest. I believe the unique situation of the NPCs involved in our quest caused an LAI to evolve, maybe two."
Lotte turned her head and stopped the wheels with her hands. "Is that even possible, QJ?"
QJ nodded again. "The first known LAI evolved in a similar circumstance. It was only after trial and error that we learned to recreate the process."
Lotte rang the doorbell when QJ stopped the chair in front of it. A moment later, a lovely blonde-haired woman opened the door. "QJ!"
QJ didn't get a chance to say anything before Ren hugged him tightly. His sister was a petite version of his mom. A lovely woman with pale blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She could play a half dozen different instruments expertly but was famous for her work with the flute. "Hey Ren, you remember Lotte?"
"Brought a date to my house?" Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Yep." QJ pushed passed her and wheeled Lotte into the house. "Can we use your room to make out?"
Ren's laughter followed them into the room. "Of course; what are big sisters for?"
"I used to ask myself that question all the time," QJ replied.
Naomi was sitting on the couch and had several huds open. She looked exactly like what QJ thought a scientist should look like. "Thanks for coming, QJ. Who's your friend?"
"This is Lotte. She's a classmate of mine and our new neighbor." QJ moved from behind Lotte and sat in the chair beside her. "This is Dr. Naomi Gajendra. She's an expert in LAI development, and just about anything else you could think of."
"Woah... nice introduction. Just call me Naomi, please." She quickly closed her huds and grabbed her coffee cup. "I spoke to my friend at GnG."
"I bet he's done already, right?" QJ smiled at Naomi. She was a startlingly attractive woman; to his knowledge, Hashtag was the first and only man she had ever dated. Although on the outside, they seemed like an odd couple, the truth was that their temperaments matched well.
Naomi didn't bother asking why he thought that; the Riley men were impressive problem solvers. "You were right; both of those NPCs have developed enough cognitive reasoning to be classified as LAIs."
"Really? Now that is interesting." QJ glanced at Lotte. "NPCs in GnG aren't LAIs. The easiest way to classify them would be to call them Virtual Intelligence. They respond and act according to a predetermined set of parameters. There's no reasoning, or thought process involved."
Lotte wasn't a science buff, but she was a bright girl with a keen interest in the virtual world. "You're saying that Lilly has become an LAI? Like Remmy?"
Naomi nodded. "According to my friend at GnG, QJ was right on the money."
Lotte turned toward her classmate, "You discovered it?"
QJ shrugged. "I only noticed some changes in behavior. They would have figured it out without me. Those developers are super smart."
Naomi's raised eyebrow showed her doubt. "I don't think so. How do you think they solved the issue?"
"Well... If an NPC changed classifications to an LAI, then they'd have to act according to the LAI Accords. The higher functions would have to be reduced; also, the data would need to be localized."
Lotte stared at her classmate. "What's that mean in understandable terms?"
"If left with higher functions, it could outthink and perform everyone else. In a relatively short amount of time, it would take over everything." QJ frowned at the thought. "Imagine being able to draw your weapon and one-shot kill anything from any distance."
Lotte's eyes widened. "Like a god cheat?"
QJ nodded. "If you didn't localize the LAI data, it would quickly gain unimpeded access to every Virtual System imaginable."
Naomi watched QJ with interest. "Exactly right. It makes you wonder how we've managed to avoid such a thing happening."
"What makes you think we have? If something like that existed, do you think it would show itself? Wouldn't it slowly work behind the scenes and establish a proper power structure instead?"
Naomi sipped her coffee while trying to keep the horror look off her face. "You're scaring the crap out of me, QJ."
Lotte glanced between QJ and Naomi. "I'm going to have nightmares tonight."
Naomi watched as QJ stood up and moved behind Lotte. "We are extracting Lark tonight; are you going to be around, QJ?"
"I should be around. Going to stop by the Apple Festival first, but after that, I'm free."
"My lab at 2000 hrs. You already have the passcode." Naomi started opening up multiple huds again. "Oh, and bring Lotte with you."
Lotte glanced at the Doctor in surprise; she hadn't expected to be included. "I'd like that."
QJ noticed the strained look on Ren's face; Lark's disappearance had been hard on her. "It'll be great to have Lark back."
Ren smiled at her little brother. "She's going to be angry if you don't give her that bracelet back."
"Been saving it for her." QJ had taken some items to Lark for identification. The Lightbringer was a common item, but Lark had accepted it as a gift.
Naomi enlarged one of the huds she had been working on; a skinny man with brown hair and eyes that darted everywhere looked at QJ with interest.
"I'm Felix Soma. I oversee game development at GnG." The man was sitting behind a very expensive-looking desk.
"Nice to meet you, sir. I'm QJ." He gave Lotte a sly glance. "Is there any in-game reward for saving the world from a runaway AI?"
Felix kept a straight face even though he could tell Naomi was laughing behind her hand. "Definitely. What do you want?"
"How about a truck?" QJ said with a serious look.
Felix raised an eyebrow. "A truck in GnG?"
QJ nodded. "Too much? How about a T-Rex, then?"
This time the developer smiled, "I'll see what I can do."
Lotte leaned closer to QJ, "you should have opened with the T-Rex."
QJ shot her a deadpan look. "Was the truck too much?"
"How would you feel about helping us with something?" Felix leaned back in his chair, watching the young man carefully.
"You've discovered another candidate, haven't you?' QJ had been wondering why Naomi would invite him over and why a GnG developer would happen to be on the hud. It had seemed like a set-up from the start.
"What makes you say that?" Felix glanced at Naomi, who only shrugged.
"If the scenario can be repeated in the same environment, then you have a viable way to create LAIs. One that is substantially less complicated and much cheaper than the current method." QJ glanced at Naomi; she had a very readable face, which is why QJ loved playing cards with her.
"He's already on to us, Felix." Naomi laughed at the developer's face. She had told him that QJ would figure out what he wanted. "I should have bet money."
Felix gave her a friendly smile before moving his focus back to QJ. "We are asking you because you already know what's going on and have a character in the game."
"I don't mind helping. Send me everything I need to know." As someone who had grown up in the virtual community, QJ was fascinated by the idea of a new LAI process."
They chatted for another hour before QJ and Lotte left. He escorted his classmate back to her house before heading to his room.