"It's called commandeering," Nimda stood on the dock with Robin, his calloused hand resting on the silver saber he wore around his impressive waistline. The old, balding pirate was dressed in a white shirt and pants with black, knee-high boots that had been polished until you could see your face.
An older redhead led the large group that flanked the TAP pirate. Triss tossed a large bag of coins to the captain of the ship they were taking. "Use that to get a new boat. You and your officers have five minutes to vacate."
Nimda scowled at the payment, tapping the grip on his saber while hoping the captain would refuse. He asked Triss to accompany him since she was better at negotiating. His original plan had been to hire the ship out and then stage a mutiny at sea.
A short while later, the captain and his officers left the Wave Dancer, leaving behind a skeleton crew to operate the vessel under its new leadership.
Nimda was the first to board; walking toward the helm, he immediately began barking out orders. Robin and Triss followed behind; the Songbird stopped to lean against the rail, keeping herself out of the way as the deck swarmed with activity.
"The dock area is surprisingly clean," an olive-skinned woman with dark hair smiled politely as she joined the Songbird in studying their port of departure. Her dark hair was pulled back in a single braid that exposed a long scar that ran parallel to her hairline. "We haven't met officially; I'm Sally."
Robin kept her face free of expression, as anyone who met the young woman, their first thought was, 'How could Nimda have such an attractive daughter?' "I'm Robin, an old friend of your dad."
Sally smiled mischievously. "And you're QJ's girlfriend!"
Robin laughed goodnaturedly. "Please tell me you're not one of his fans."
Sally shook her head vigorously. "Nothing like that. I have quite a few friends in the Silverleaf family. He's quite popular among them, despite his reputation as a troublemaker."
Robin snorted; QJ spent his youth pranking the Ravenwood community, herself included. Nevertheless, she kept tabs on his growing list of admirers, not out of jealousy but rather a sense of self-preservation. In addition to the normal friendships, QJ seemed to attract women of influence; Annabelle the Spymaster, Morgan the Gypsy, and Chancellor Ivy. "And, of course, Sierra Sandhealer," Robin spoke the last name aloud.
[Meanwhile, at the Exodus Academy]
QJ watched the timer expire as his team won the third Captured match in a row against Nina and the 3rd years. As customary, the two groups lined up and shook hands at the end. The two captains were the last in line; unexpectedly, Nina hugged him.
"Thanks for the match, QJ. I'm really learning a lot." Nina ignored the stare of Maya, who was directly in front of her. Although the 3rd years competed with QJ's class, the 'purple-haired fiend' was good friends with their officer core.
Ringo and Dessi approached the two teams; both were satisfied with the performance but for different reasons.
"Take an early lunch, 1300 hours, meet back at the Keep," Ringo stated. "Do you have anything for me?"
QJ rubbed his hands together. "Can't wait to see what a City Fort looks like."
"Same here," Ringo flashed him a smile before abruptly logging out.
QJ scratched his head in confusion; his instructor looked like she was going to say something. Instead of worrying about the mystery that is Ringo, he decided to head to Briar Rose.
Exodus was bustling; the shouts of different raid leaders recruiting Strikers seemed loud when compared to the relative quiet of the 'Captured' field. QJ opened the door of the Songbird, freezing in place as he stared at the woman behind the bar.
Lark turned at the sound of the door opening, her pale face blushing slightly. "I take it Robin didn't tell you."
QJ shook his head. "Nope, this one is a surprise." Lark dyed her hair to match Robin's light orange coloring. Although he knew his girlfriend was heading toward Basara, the resemblance had stopped him in his tracks.
"She did that on purpose." Lark rolled her eyes. "We discussed it and decided that most people wouldn't realize the switch. So I'm going to assume her duties as Commandant and your protector."
QJ grinned at the later comment. "Does Robin protect me?"
Lark shrugged her shoulders. Her hair was a bit shorter than Robins, but their delicate wood elf features were similar. They both carried themselves with the presence of an end-game rogue. "Do you like the color?"
"Yes," QJ hid a frown. It felt wrong letting Robin travel to Basara while he remained in Maelstrom. "If she's not back in a week, I'll go get her."
[Songbird: Lark] Closing up the Songbird and assuming Robin's Commandant duties.
[Songbird: Thrush] Girlfriend duties too!
[Songbird: Oriole] Pardon?
[Songbird: Wren] She may have to kiss him a few times; otherwise, no one will believe it.
[Songbird: Thrush] Hold hands, share meaningful glances...
[Songbird: Oriole] Veto! No meaningful glances!
[Songbird: Thrush] Right... I'm ready to step in if she can't handle the mission.
[Songbird: Lark] If it's just a kiss or two, I can handle it...
[Songbird: Nightingale] You guys realize that QJ is a member of this channel?
Lark glanced at QJ; he'd stayed near the door and was waiting. His handsome face was expressionless as if deep in thought.
[Songbird: Lark] It doesn't look like he's monitoring.
[Songbird: Oriole] Of course he is. Don't let my brother's innocent face fool you!
[Songbird: Thrush] What did Robin use to say about him when he was younger?
[Songbird: Wren] Angel's face and Devil's heart.
"Ready to go?" QJ asked while pulling the door open. "I'm looking forward to seeing our new digs."
[Welcome to Guns and Gore, the Phoenix Server.]
Location: Briar Rose
Time: 1240 hours
Server Population: 61,002 Your current level is 51.
"Sweet Mother..." QJ stared at the City Fort.
The Keep portal now brought them outside a 10-meter-high stone wall with enormous wooden doors and steel portcullis. There was a line of NPCs extending as far as you could see.
Two dark elf guards who were stopping everyone else waved them through the north gate.
Entering the City was enough to make you stop and stare; pristine cobblestone streets, rows of shops and businesses. The entrance led to a large open square featuring a three-tiered fountain that shot water high into the air. From there, three wide streets extended west, east, and south.
Dessi, Ringo, and Sato gathered on a nearby corner, obviously trying to take everything in.
QJ whistled loudly as he approached them. "So... the city fort is actually a city."
Lark brought up the city map and zoomed in. "Everything is empty at the moment. We have dozens of empty shops for businesses, a residential area, and even a small walking park."
Dessi and Ringo exchanged glances, both realizing that the Songbird talking wasn't Robin but neither wanted to ask.
"Oh god... What about my shop?" QJ felt a moment of panic when he remembered all the materials he had left there.
Lark grabbed his hand, pulling him. "It looks like the previous Guild Keep is now located in the central part of the city. Let's walk together."
Sato watched as QJ left with the orange-haired rogue. "Did Robin cut her hair or something? She seems different."
Dessi's pretty face broke into a wide smile. "Right? It's like she's a completely different person." She shared a smile with Ringo and then fell in behind the small group.
"With something this size, we will have to recruit leadership outside of OP." QJ adjusted to walking with Lark. To him, there were dozens of obvious differences between the two that had nothing to do with looks. Robin always leaned against him when they strolled together, while Lark was less comfortable like she was walking someone else's dog.
"I'll start looking into different leadership structures; I'm assuming you want to use people you know?" Lark wiped a bit of sweat from her brow with a free hand. Although it wasn't hot, her first few minutes as Keep Commandant felt stifling.
Ringo sped up until she was walking on the Songbird's left side. "There's a lot to go through. City leadership should remain separate from OP."
QJ glanced at Dessi; she hadn't smiled much since the incident with Dover and Boci. "How are the tents working out?"
Dessi smiled suddenly. It was easy to get caught up in the success of OP. Although Gunsmoke didn't have its own City Fort, it did have an impressive HQ thanks to the land they were leasing from Briar Rose. "We going to start the [Caravaners] quest line. Our intent is to provide a wayside rest for travel to Maelstrom and OP."
Ringo stared at her vice-commander, a slight smile on her lips. He always seemed to know what to say to put someone at ease. "Let's head to the Keep and get started."
QJ hud dinged, and he picked it up to see Aji's serious face. "Did you receive the shipment, QJ?"
The shipment was code for his share of the proceeds from the casino's opening night. After paying everyone, he still received three million credits. "I did. Thank you, Aji. We will stop by later to go over your combat training."
Lark leaned close so that Aji could see her. "Please make us some pasta! QJ said you are an amazing cook!"
QJ closed comm just as their Keep came into view. He whistled softly at the sight of what could only be called a palace. "We're going to need a lot more guards."
Ringo nodded in agreement. "I'll leave that to you and your connections."
A wide set of stairs shaped in a semi-circle led to an arched doorway with two ornately decorated gold doors that stood open. Stepping inside, they were treated to a view of two long marble-floored halls with vaulted ceilings leading in either direction. Directly ahead was a wide wood door with the words [OP Guild] carved into it.
Ringo stopped to touch her hand to the carved words. "This must be our meeting hall?" She grabbed the door's handle and pushed it open.
Somehow, Sato managed to nudge his way past the OP guild leader, abruptly stopping to stare open-mouthed. " It's a fricken theater."
One hundred very comfortable-looking chairs set into five rows of twenty with tiered stadium seating overlooked a small stage with a podium and curved screen that took up the entire wall.
[OP: QJ] The new guild hall is in the central part of the city. Enter through the double doors and then go straight through another door.
Ringo was already at the podium. "This is the control interface for everything." She made a few adjustments, and a bird's eye view of the city flashed onto the screen. After a moment, she zoomed out further to include a map of the continents. "Going to mess with this for a bit; you guys staying?"
QJ and Lark went their own direction, holding hands while they walked toward the Commandant's new office.
According to QJ's hud, the Commandant's office was on the third floor. Since his shop was attached, looking in that direction made sense. A winding staircase brought them to the third floor, where the luxury of the Keep was on full display. Large marble tiles lined the hall; every sixth bore the OP insignia with large gold lettering. As before, the hall was lined with doors on either side. However, as QJ and Lark walked its length, he noticed that the doors were larger and much fancier than the previous version.
"This is me," QJ stopped outside of the last door on the right and pushed it open before he had a chance to feel nervous.
Although the room was more spacious, it was mostly the same. His tools and lathe were carefully placed in a crafting area with workbenches, vises, and a drill press. A cooling sink and a small open-flamed smithy had been added next to a larger kiln.
"Wow... This was literally everything I wanted to add eventually." QJ grinned suddenly, the relief on his face evident.
"Very nice, dear." Lark leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'll get settled in my office. Stop by when you're ready to go." She exited through their connecting door, leaving QJ to contemplate his next move.
[Several hours later]
It was dark; QJ sat quietly on Scorch and waited as the man approached. QJ handed him a small black-bound notebook. "These are your targets for the next week. Caravan schedules, trade routes, and even bank hours. A few things you need to remember. You aren't freelancing. You work for me. Don't kill anyone during these missions, and don't take it upon yourself to broaden the scope of these jobs."
Lark unstealthed behind the man, causing him to nearly fall down. "We are trying to weaken our enemies; if you alter the missions, you may undo what we are trying to accomplish."
QJ smiled pleasantly at the man. "You keep all the profits, but I demand results within my set parameters. Failure to do that means a return trip to the gallows."
The man nodded and then faded into the darkness. Lark smiled at QJ and then hopped in front of him in the saddle.
QJ tried not to laugh at his situation. Lark was bent on copying Robin's routine, even down to riding double. "Let's head back. I'm going to do some crafting."
Lark nodded. She leaned back against him, it had felt awkward at first, but QJ lightened the mood with a well-timed joke. "You are starting a cartel? What else have you been up to in GnG?"
"As my girlfriend, shouldn't you already know?" QJ blew Lark's hair out of his face; he never had that issue with Robin because she always tied it up.
Lark smiled warmly into the night air. "Now I know about your crime cartel and the gypsy black market."
Right... But not about the casino and its information network, QJ thought to himself. "Logging Off. Have a good night."