The four-person group entered GnG and followed an uneventful ride to Yaron, where they approached the gate to Junebug. Chainy pulled up short and answered her hud. After a few moments, she closed it and addressed the group.
[Group: Chainy] That was Maric. The riders are all doing the 2nd-tier class quest together, and he cornered the mob we need to kill. It's a rare spawn that appears in random locations in Maelstrom.
[Group: QJ] Get going; it's better if all four of you take the step together.
[Group: Chainy] I'll make it up to you guys.
[Group: Enju] It's okay. We got to kick some butt.
[Group: Sato] Thanks for the back-up in the arena.
[Group: Chainy] Thanks, guys. Invite me again sometime.
[Whisper: QJ/Ringo] Chainy left for her class quest. Would you like to join us? We're at the Junebug gate.
[Whisper: Ringo/QJ] You know I do. Give me five minutes, and I'll be there.
The group hung out for a few minutes, waiting for Ringo to catch up. Enju was rewatching the RH match that someone uploaded to the forums. She shared the video with QJ and Sato.
[Group: Enju] Galaxia uploaded this.
The video started with the 2nd years standing around after being handily trounced by RH.
**
"I'm sorry, everyone." Galaxia's rainbow hair was splattered with blood, as the battle effects had yet to fade.
Damon shook his head slightly. As an experienced medic, he understood that his lateness contributed to the degree to which they were beaten. "I'll take the hit on this one. I put Galaxia and the rest of you in a bad position because I got caught up in an Exodus faculty meeting."
"Even so," Roman was staring at the ground before him, his face etched in a deep frown. "That doesn't excuse our complete lack of offense."
The video continued as the four-person group from OP approached, and QJ offered them a few words of encouragement. After leaving, the group watched as OP prepared.
"So that's the infamous QJ? Goodness..." Galaxia flashed a brilliant smile. "Anyone know if he's taken?"
Ellen Yi nodded. "I know for sure that he's with that orange-haired Songbird, Robin. There's a rumor that Lotte is also close with him."
"So there's a line," Galaxia said jokingly. "That was pretty cool though."
Roman nodded in agreement. "I thought he'd be arrogant, but he was chill."
The feed turned to the start of the match; most of their comments were drowned out by the screams of rabid fans. Afterward, the video turned back to the group from Basilisk.
"This guy..." Roman stared as OP was declared victorious.
"He's impressive," Damon agreed. "Send me a copy of that feed, Gal."
Galaxia nodded. "He took both slingers by himself like he was slaughtering chickens."
Ella Yi pursed her lips slightly. "Notice how Sato affected the fight? He feinted toward the medic, causing the healer to retreat. It was so subtle."
"He has good instincts," Damon turned back toward his team. "Let's try this again. I'll be on heals; Gal will watch and record us."
**
The feed ended, and Enju smiled at Sato. "Ella Yi said something nice about you. From what I hear, she's mostly very unpleasant."
Sato nodded. "And scary."
"You're a much better scout than her," QJ grinned at his roommate; Sato always stepped up when the chips were down.
[System Message] Ringo has joined your group.
The sound of a horse approaching pulled the group's attention south. Ringo flashed a smile. "Thanks for waiting." She leaned from the saddle and fist-bumped QJ.
[Group: QJ] Welcome, let's take the gate to Junebug.
[Group: Sato] Is this a shareable quest?
[Group: QJ] Yes. Now that Ringo has arrived, I'll share it.
Missing Person (Group Quest)
After being notified that the rest of the group was able to add the quest, QJ shared what he knew.
"Samantha Trahern gave this quest. I received her character card when we completed the heist."
"I'm so jealous; she really knows her stuff." Ringo grinned suddenly. "You thought she was an assassin."
"What? That's crazy," QJ denied. "At any rate, she handed me her character card. The quest is to find her parents; the only clue we have is the name of the woman who dropped her off when she was a baby, Lazun."
"Did you have Wu look into it?" Sato asked.
"Yes, there is no mention of a Lazun," QJ replied. "Not only that, but Sam isn't listed as an NPC for the heist quest on any of the other servers."
Ringo whistled softly and walked her horse through the gate, waiting until everyone was through before continuing. "She could be another sole survivor like the Queen. More new content, perhaps."
"Maybe," QJ said noncommittally. "If that's the case, how did it get triggered? Dixie triggered the Lili quest, but I don't see a connection here."
A few miles south of Junebug, the terrain changed slightly, becoming less arid as the desert gave way to plains.
[Group: Sato] Is that it? Talk about remote.
In the distance, a small cluster of buildings that appeared to be a barn, house, and corn silo broke the desolate landscape. Within a few minutes, the group rode past the first of many recently harvested fields.
A voice called out when they were within fifty meters of the farmhouse. "Stop right there, no sudden movements."
"Sam Trahern sent me, my name is QJ." QJ kept his hands in view.
"Sam sent you? What's her secondary job?"
"She's a masseuse," QJ replied.
"Okay, come on in." An older man stepped onto the recently painted wrap-around wood porch. He held a double-barreled shotgun over one shoulder.
[Group: QJ] Do not engage if he opens fire. I'd rather retreat than tell Sam we hurt someone she cares about.
"That's far enough," the old man said when they were within ten meters. "Stay on your horses."
QJ nodded; he had already been shifting his weight to dismount. "I promised Sam that I'd look into the woman who left her here when she was a baby. All she told me was the name Lazun."
The older man smiled. "I'm Trevor, her Papa. Sorry for being so cautious. The soil is great for farming here, but we get many of the bad elements from Junebug."
"No worries," QJ replied. "Did Lazun leave anything else, a keepsake perhaps? Or even a baby blanket?"
"There was a blanket, but it was a common one you could buy at any General Store." Trevor leaned the shotgun against the rail and sat on the top step of his porch. "Come on down, young man. The rest of you can stay where you are."
[Group: Sato] Really?
[Group: Ringo] He probably gets robbed or threatened regularly. Junebug is entirely lawless.
QJ dismounted and climbed to the top step before sitting next to Trevor. "Was there anything else about the woman? How old was she? Did she have an accent?"
"Her eyes were the color of the sky at sunset, nearly pink in color. She was also dark, but in an odd way, like a deep gray."
QJ brought up his hud and showed him a picture of Mojo. "She looked like this woman?"
The old man smiled. "Just like that, though, without the scars. And I couldn't see her ears, but a bit of her hair was visible. It was white as snow, just like that picture."
[Group: QJ] She was a dark elf.
[Group: Sato] What does that mean?
[Group: Enju] I thought all the dark elves in GnG were part of OP.
[Group: QJ] TAP LAIs have been able to explore the other Exodus games since before I was born.
[Group: Ringo] Sam could be an LAI? That would explain her absence on other servers.
[Group: QJ] It would, but she could also be a foundling that a dark elf wanderer found and saved. If that's the case, then she might have died on the other servers.
[Group: Enju] Wait, the Phoenix server wasn't up yet.
[Group: QJ] That's the kicker...
"You playing some kind of game?" QJ stared at the old man for a moment. "You're from TAP."
The old man's wrinkled face split in a wide grin. "What makes you say that?"
"Those events you claim couldn't have happened here, meaning you migrated from another server." QJ felt the man was hiding something. "Only an LAI can jump servers."
Trevor nodded in agreement. "Our farm was razed to the ground on Legends just before Phoenix opened up. Sam couldn't find work on Legends, so I brought her to the Phoenix server and helped her apply to the railroad."
"That makes Sam an LAI, too," QJ responded.
[Group: Sato] You didn't recognize her?
[Group: QJ] Do I know every TAP LAI?
[Group: Ringo] You've been looking in the wrong game.
[Group: QJ] Yep. I've been looking in the wrong game.
[Missing Person] Quest Updated.
"Yeah," Trevor admitted. "Everything I told you is accurate. I've never actually seen a dark elf, but I figured she was one of them when she rode up with a baby."
[Group: QJ] Shit... We're on the wrong server, even if we could look for clues. None of Sam's life events happened here, except her dad getting her a job with the railroad."
"Can you tell me anything else about Lazun?" QJ was already regretting taking the quest. "Which direction did she go when she left here?"
Trevor smiled and used the rail to hoist himself into a standing position. "She had business at that Tower. Beyond that, I don't know anything else."
[Group: Enju] The infamous Junebug Tower? The one you said is a bordello?
[Group: Sato] Man, my head is going to explode. Isn't visiting the Tower on this server a waste of time? Since this happened on the Legends server?
[Group: Ringo] Maybe.
[Group: Enju] Yes?
[Group: QJ] Not necessarily. Say that you're an LAI and are aware of how servers work. If you found something valuable on the Legends server, would you not check the other servers to multiply that opportunity?
[Group: Ringo] If Lazun had gone to the Tower on other servers, might she have also come to this one?
[Group: Sato] Lazun could be a made-up name she used once when she dropped Sam off.
[Group: Enju] The name shouldn't matter; we know she is a dark elf.
[Group: Ringo] Head to the Tower and see if a dark elf has ever visited.
[Group: QJ] It may run dry from there, but now we know Sam and her biological parents are TAP LAIs.
"Thanks for your help, Trevor," QJ faked a sincere smile since he wanted to punch the old timer in the face.
"No problem, tell Sam to visit us sometime." Trevor picked up his shotgun and returned to his house.
[Group: Sato] To the Tower?
[Group: QJ] Yeah, this was fruitful.
Ringo glanced at QJ. "Fruitful, how? Didn't we raise even more questions?
QJ shook his head, enjoying the ride as the group rode through the grasslands. "Lazun doesn't tell me anything, but once he mentioned a dark elf, part of that name becomes relevant; Zun is a dark elf surname."
"You think Lazun is a combination of Zun and another name?" Ringo asked.
QJ nodded. "People use what's familiar." He brought up his hud and sent a query to Anna; her smiling face popped up almost immediately.
"I missed when you used to call me all the time." Both of Anna's dimples showed. "Is Wu stealing my business?"
QJ nodded, throwing Wu under the bus. "Yes, at least in the GnG world, but I need TAP information."
"Wu needs to disappear." Anna steepled her fingers. "I'll have to stage something, make it look like an accident."
QJ laughed. Anna was the least intimidating person he knew. "I have a clue on a quest we're following. The name is Lazun. There's a dark elf related to the quest, so someone from the Zun Clan could be involved. Also, a man named Trevor Trahern. He recently migrated from the Legends server."
Anna's nose twitched. "Not much to go on."
"No?" QJ paused while considering the clues. "Tag anyone associated with adult entertainment."
"That changes everything!" Anna's sharp mind worked while she copied the information: "A Zun who is exploring TAP, off the top of my head, I'd say Ora Zun. She's the assistant to Madam LeiLani, the umm... well, Madam. I heard she's branched out on the GnG servers."
QJ smiled suddenly as the picture came into focus. "Lazun is a combination of their names, Lei(La)ni and Ora (Zun). "That's them; where can we find them?"
Anna shook her head. "No idea, I'll ask around; that group wanders quite a bit. I'm running a list of their known associates. I got a hit on a Trevor Johann, a known conman who fled TAP to keep out of jail. I'm sending a picture."
QJ grinned when a younger image of Trevor Trahern popped up on his screen. "Gotchya... This is our guy. Anything else?"
"You owe this girl lunch." Anna smiled sweetly. "I'll find out the Madam's current location."
"Agreed, thanks, Anna." QJ closed his hud and shared the new information with his group.
[Group: Ringo] Between Wu and Anna, you know everything.
[Group: QJ] Or at least a lot. I'll have Wu investigate Trevor Johann/Trahern while Anna runs down Madam Leilani.
[Group: Ringo] I've never heard of Leilani, but that's pretty impressive if she runs business on all the servers. She's basically emulating what the big guilds have done.
QJ used his hud to send a quick message.
[Group: QJ] I have a plan. Let's play this one close to the vest. I want everyone to change their settings to anonymous.
QJ didn't bother with the settings since his [Dark Stranger] hat accomplished the same thing and more.
[Group: Enju] We undercover, boss? This is so exciting. Thanks for bringing me.
As Junebug grew more extensive on the horizon, the group of four detoured enough to skirt the city and approach the Tower. A dark elf sat calmly on a black horse, smiling when the group approached.
QJ grinned and embraced his sister when she flung herself at him. "Sara!"
[Systems Message] Sara has joined your group.
[Group: Sara] Thanks for inviting me! I'm excited to be here, but give me a quick brief.
[Group: QJ] We're searching for the parents of my companion, Sam Trahern. Our clues have led us to believe that Madam Leilani and Ora Zun may be involved, although that is speculation.
[Group: Sara] Madam Leilani? What kind of quest is this? Is this a naughty quest?
[Group: QJ] Focus... We believe that Zun dropped off the baby and then visited the Tower. Keep in mind that this happened on the Legends server.
[Group: Sara] I see... You're hoping the Tower is important to them.
[Group: Sato] How'd you pick that up so fast?
[Group: Sara] If they still need to make contact on Phoenix, then we're out of luck.
[Group: QJ] Mostly. If they have, you'll need to do some acting. Unless they are on-site, then we may end up fighting.
Sara snorted.
[Group: Sara] Do you think a Zun would attack me? Even if they had a thousand lives to spare, they wouldn't dare. And if they touched you, Gram would invade all the GnG servers at once and hunt them down.
[Group: Ringo] All the servers at once? That would take quite a force.
[Group: QJ] The dark elf legion consists of 200 thousand Commandos.
[Group: Sara] And if my other moms found out... But don't worry; we won't end up fighting.
[Group: Sato] Why did you have to say that?
[Group: QJ] What's the worst that could happen?
[Group: Sato] Bruh, you two are drowning us in death flags.
[Group: QJ] Would you look at that...
The approach to the Tower was straightforward. Once in the drab sandstone down of Junebug, it was a straight shot to the Tower.
QJ paused long enough to take in the multi-story building. "Gnome-built." He quickly opened his hud and contacted an old friend. A moment later, a smiling gnome answered.
"QJ!" Remmy was up to her elbows in spare parts, a smear of grease on her nose completed the picture.
"What can you tell me about the Tower in Junebug?" QJ asked.
"Everything," Remmy answered with a smile. "I've built many of them, six on each server so far."
[Group: Sato] Huh?
[Group: QJ] Someone is helping themselves to a slice of the pie.
[Group: Ringo] Our pie.
[Group: Enju] Unacceptable... Right?
[Group: QJ] Right.
"How many have you built on the Phoenix server?" QJ asked.
"Just the one so far," Remmy answered.
"Are these commissioned by Madam Leilani?"
Remmy nodded happily before frowning. "Is this going to cause you problems on the Phoenix server?"
"I'd prefer that she remained content on the other servers and leave this Phoenix to OP," QJ stated clearly.
"Right... that's your backyard. I won't build anymore on Phoenix." Remmy declared.
QJ smiled but shook his head. "Build them for OP; we'll match whatever you were offered previously. And I'll owe you one."
Remmy pursed her lips. "Okay, could you make some special ammo for Reaper?"
QJ nodded. "Of course, thank you, Remmy."
[Group: Ringo] Does this make sense now?
[Group: QJ] Yes. On the outside, it looks like Leilani's in the sex trade. That may be true to some extent, but her real profit probably comes from selling information.
[Group: Ringo] Remmy said six towers throughout the Berg continent exist on every server except Phoenix. It's an information network.
[Group: QJ] Let's put that aside; it's as good a theory as any.
Up close, the Tower looked like an archaic mini-skyscraper. It was made from brick and rose nine stories into the air, overseeing all of Junebug. The small group approached the building's single exit, marked by batwing doors. The first floor was covered with a thick burgundy carpet and littered with an assortment of sofas, loungers, and heavily padded chairs; spanning the room was an impossibly long bar that divided the area in half where a dozen scantily dressed bartenders worked.
An older woman in an elegant blue dress smiled when they stepped inside. "Welcome to Nora's Tower. I'm Nora.
[Group: QJ] Test her.
Sara stepped forward and removed the hood that had been disguising her heritage. "Nora...."
Dora's face paled visibly beneath the caked-on makeup. "Dark Miss, our last payment was only a few days late. I was told I'd be given some leeway until we make things official."
Sara's beautiful face remained undisturbed. "Unacceptable."
Dora bowed low, her voice tinged with fear. "I'm not skimming anything; profits have been low."
"Show me the books," Sara focused her chilling gaze on Dora. "Or I'll burn this place to the ground with you inside."
"Of course, please follow me to the top floor."
Sarah stepped beside Dora while the rest of the group trailed behind.
QJ noticed the large binder she had tucked under one arm. "What are you carrying?"
"These are my employees; some customers like to peruse them before choosing a companion," Dora replied.
QJ snapped his fingers. "Let me see it, I've got some free time."
Dora handed the binder to QJ, stopping beside the Tower's only elevator. "Guests and workers take the stairs, but since you are VIPs, we won't waste time."
QJ opened the binder, turning the pages slowly as the elevator moved upward at a snail's pace. He stopped on page five. "Stop here; I'm getting off."
[Group: QJ] Ringo, you're with me. Everyone else, stay with Sara.
The elevator stopped suddenly on the fifth floor, letting QJ and Ringo exit.
Ringo smiled wide. "See? This is why we shouldn't separate. How else would I get to experience this?"
QJ didn't reply; his focus was on the curtained doors. "We're looking for number 36."
"Here," Ringo stopped beside a blue curtained door with the number 36 above it. "After you."
QJ nodded and stepped into the room without hesitating.