Exodus: The Assassin's Path 87 Gathering Allies

Tal was putting the finis.h.i.+ng touches on a breakfast tray while Ren and Pops sat at the kitchen island finis.h.i.+ng theirs. The island hud blinked, signifying that someone wanted to visit, Pops reached over and activated it, it was Onion and Daze.

Pops couldn't even pretend to look cheerful, "come on in guys."

A moment later the TAP avatars of Daze and Onion appeared on the stairway landing. Together they walked into the kitchen, Daze took a chair while Onion stood behind her.

"How's Quinn?" Daze was worried about her former cla.s.smate, the events of the past half day were crazy.

Tal shrugged as she poured some orange juice. "He got up real early, went for a run then took a shower and climbed back into bed."

"I had my halfling do another Kubrite experiment. If you have a soul gem in your inventory, you can immediately recover at the nearest resp.a.w.n point, even with a Kubrite pin still stuck in you." Onion had felt helpless at the Pern camp, he was too late to help his friend.

"Let's corner the market on soul gems." Tal glanced at Pops, "start buying them up, Dad. Make up a reason to quell any rumors. We don't want the other two camps to catch wind of what we are doing."

The amount of Kubrite they found in the camp was limited to a half dozen daggers, a few hundred arrows and two swords. The treatment for fusing kubrite to weapons died with the blacksmith.

"Did you see the forums this morning?" Anna spoke as she was coming down the stairs from her room.

Em heard Anna and walked out of the room she shared with Ren, "there's a panic in TAP right now. No one wants to leave the towns. Someone posted anonymously saying that this Kubrite weaponry was invented for the sole purpose of a power grab by the Covenant. They also spilled everything regarding Tuli, Pern, and Zohai."

Anna nodded, "yeah, that was me. Quinn asked me to post everything last night when he returned."

Em looked up toward her brother's door, she really wanted to go up there and see him. "There were seventeen high-end users in that camp last night, that is going to cripple the Covenant. Plus now they've p.i.s.sed off Quinn, who leveled up to 70 from all the a.s.sa.s.sinations."

Daze shook her head, "looked like a slaughterhouse."

Ren finished the last of her breakfast and turned toward Em, "could you do a quick braid for me?" She handed her a hair band she had placed around her wrist.

Em Obreen had been staying with Renri since she arrived in Las Vegas, although there was a big difference in their ages, they had become great friends. "Sure thing."

"Oi... shouldn't breakfast in bed be served before I get out of bed?" Quinn shouted from his room.

Tal's lips curved in a smile. "Back later."

Ren watched as her mom walked up the stairs, abruptly she got up and headed for the door. "That's my cue to go on a walk."

Em nodded, "yep, right behind you."

Pop's grabbed his walking stick and followed, "let's get some ice cream."

Daze watched as Anna started putting her shoes on. "Where's everyone going?"

Anna grinned at the couple, "you probably want to find somewhere else to go for a bit."

Daze's face was bright red as she pulled Onion back toward the table hud. "Let's head to the Songbird and check on Nightingale.

********

Quinn stretched in bed, his thoughts finally calmed. He looked at the framed photograph on his desk and sighed heavily. A warm body pressed against his side caused him to turn. He smiled at the naked blond, "You going to lay in bed all day? Shouldn't you be out building something?"

Tal propped her chin on his chest, "hmm? I'm pregnant you know. The extra rest is important."

"Oh, I see, going to start milking that now?" Quinn leaned forward and kissed the top of her head before rolling free of her. "Enough!! I have man-stuff to do, can't have you keeping me in bed all day."

Tal's laughter caught up to him as he walked into the bathroom, "you have a very jaded sense of reality Little Q."

"Thanks for breakfast Tal, and the um... pep talk." Quinn put some paste on his toothbrush and started brus.h.i.+ng.

After he finished he slipped on the VR suit that he kept hung on the bathroom door and walked out. Tal had already slipped her clothes back on, "good idea about buying up all the soul gems Tal."

"I've been thinking about that too." Tal finished straightening out the bed and grabbed her VR discs from the bedside table. "Soon as we take care of the other two camps, we should publicly destroy all the Kubrite weaponry and let everyone know about the Soul Gem."

Quinn gave her a quick kiss and then opened up the VR chamber, "then Pops can jack up the prices on Soul Gems."

Tal nodded as she took a seat on the bed, "you know he will. Love you, hun."

"Love you too Tal," Quinn pulled the VR door shut and slid the neural hood in place. "Log-On Exodus."

A few moments later Quinn walked into the Painted Lady Tattoo parlor. Jezebelle actually smiled when she saw him. "Don't take anything today Quinn."

"Brought you something to make up for last night." Mara Shadetree had dropped a pet, owners.h.i.+p was wiped free when she died. It was really just a useless thing, but Quinn had a feeling. "He handed her the small collar."

Jinki

Pet: Spirit Animal, Feline Cla.s.s

Description: A common

household cat.

She grabbed it and examined the collar, then immediately summoned it. Jinki was a Siamese Cat with standard light brown and black coloring. Jezebelle held it up to her face and peered at it, the cat purred and climbed onto her shoulder. The Tattooist gave him a quick nod. "Fine Quinn, I'll forgive you."

Quinn left the parlor and walked over to the Songbird, Pops had ordered the place closed for the day. Only the Songbirds were seated at the bar.

Lark was the first to notice his arrival, she immediately popped up from her chair and threw herself at him. She hugged him tightly as the rest of the Songbird also rushed him. For the next few minutes, he was hugged and kissed several times.

"Okay... Okay guys, sheesh I just came for a beer." Quinn finally pulled himself away and took a seat at the bar. "Where is Lara?"

Robin poured him a beer from the tap. "She's upstairs Commander, she won't come out."

Quinn took a long pull from the cold beer, "d.a.m.n... there really is no difference. Well, I suppose I should roust her out then."

The Songbirds all started talking at the same time.

"Room 211, Push her down Commander!

"Make sure you say sweet things, Sir!

"Three wives isn't enough for an important man like you!"

Quinn stopped at the bottom of the stairs, "I want everyone to move into the upstairs rooms. Leave the two Suites empty and pick what you like from the rest. I don't want my Op team living in the HQ bunkhouse anymore."

He found 211 easily enough and knocked on the door. There was no answer, after a few seconds he knocked again and then entered.

Lara Sy was sitting at the desk next to the only window in the room, she didn't turn at the sound of the door opening. "Sorry sister, I'm not up for any company yet."

"I may be many things, but sister isn't one of them." Quinn grinned as her head jerked around to face him.

"Commander!" Lara's light blue hair had been cleaned of blood, the burns and cuts on her body had been treated. There was a sadness in her light brown eyes that Quinn didn't like.

"I have something for you Lara." Quinn had looted more than a dozen high-end users the night before. He decided he was carrying around too many things.

Royal Gryphon Egg

Embryo: Legendary

Description: A Black-winged

Royal Gryphon.

"This is for me Commander?" Lara held the egg in her hands, it was quite large, with light blue coloring and brown specks.

Quinn nodded, "just keep it someplace safe and warm."

Lara gave him a small smile, "is it okay for me to accept this?"

"Ten of us received Gryphons for the Ravenwood Quest. I'm saving one Egg for Ren, this one is for you." Quinn watched as she took a basket from her inventory, placed a soft towel inside and then lay the egg on top.

"Hmm... then I will accept your generosity in this matter Commander." Lara turned back toward him, leaning against the desk behind her.

Quinn frowned at the familiar looking sketchbook on the desk. "Where did you get that from?"

Lara felt her face turn red, but she calmly shut the book. "Leah lent it to me, she is really very good."

"There are nude drawings of me in that sketchbook!" Quinn tried to reach around her to grab it, but Lara blocked his reach.

"This belongs to Leah, so I can't let you have it, Sir."

"Whatever... Leaders.h.i.+p meeting at the Fora HQ, I expect my Op Leader to be there." Quinn started for the door. "I'm gonna burn that thing one day."

"It is just art Commander, you are a beautiful man." Lara face slowly started to lose the sadness.

"...." Quinn.

Lara laughed as he closed the door. "Now that's a nice face."

The smile stayed on her face, but slowly the face started to change, her eyes growing vacant. The pale blue hair turning silver, while her pointed ears rounded off and the light brown eyes darkened. "Such a handsome boy, you look like your father." The change lasted only a handful of seconds before slowly reverting back.

Lara shook her head as if to clear it, "zoning out just because the Commander came to see me. What am I thinking?" She closed the sketchbook and walked toward the door. She knew without looking that her friends would be downstairs waiting for her.

********

Quinn sat at the conference table of Fora HQ, all Fora and Raven leaders were in attendance.

"We need to move on these two camps now. Zohai and Tuli both are aware of what happened in Pern. Right now they think they are safe, let's show them they aren't."

Tal had drawn up a two-p.r.o.nged attack, one that required them to split their forces. She brought up her hud and zoomed in on a 3-D map of the Zohai foothills. "Remmy, Mojo and I will take the repurposed Guns.h.i.+p and accompany Vess, Merci and Crow as they attack the Zohai camp."

Mojo looked at the map of her homeland, her blood boiled at the thought of all the trouble the Covenant had stirred up. "Let's make sure we utilize the Kubrite we have, some will slip through but as long as we raze the camps to the ground and manage to permanently kill the leaders.h.i.+p, we will never see them again."

Quinn was reading the briefing that Tal had written up. "Merci are your people ready to go?"

"We could use another week, but as long as we are going in at night, we will be fine."

He took one last look at the brief and then leaned back in his chair. "Dagger, Orion and Gryphon Flight will be with Mojo. Silverleaf, Songbirds, and Raven will come with me to Tuli. Brief your people, the guns.h.i.+p to Zohai leaves within the hour."

Lara Sy had been standing behind Quinn carefully listening. "Commander, will we be utilizing the Zi'Fendyl city portal?"

Quinn nodded in reply, "Lucky will have a Zeppelin waiting for us when we arrive. So our team will leave in a few minutes."

Tal closed her hud and looked around. "Questions?"

Quinn looked around the room. "We didn't start this fight. This group has been sowing discord among the NPC races and has caused the death of thousands who have been caught up in their war. Let's finish this so we can resume our mission of improving Fora."

After the mission brief, Quinn grabbed Mojo and pulled her aside. "I have something for you."

Mojo's lavender eyes focused on him, "you know I like presents."

Quinn smiled, "I got you a Mata Ru present."

Nightcaller Ringlet

Desorai Artifact: Primal

Description: Call your chosen

allies to your side in time of peril.

Uses: 2/2

Allies: Sinful Jinn, Tormented Rhapsody, Q.

Mojo stared at the ringlet Quinn had placed in her hand. "Quinn... where on TAP did you get this?"

"Mata Ru Challenge." Quinn had asked for a drop of Jinn's and Ro-Ro's blood to activate it.

"This is Desorai's Ringlet?" Mojo quickly gave it back to him and then put her hand out expectantly. Several smiling faces watched as the embarra.s.sed Quinn slid it on her hand. "Desorai was the first Dark Elf Queen."

Quinn smiled at her, "isn't this the way it should be then?"

"You've already blooded it?" Mojo examined the artifact closely.

"Yep, I went with a well-rounded trio." Quinn had to bribe Ro-Ro for a drop of her blood, however, Jinn had jumped at the chance.

"I will get ready, be safe Quinn'Ikah." she kissed him quickly and headed toward the exit.

"You also Mojo," Quinn watched her go and then turned back toward the conference table. Remmy had just arrived and was talking with Tal.

"Quinn, you should come with our team! I'm going to be dropping special gnome-presents from the air," Remmy smiled sweetly at him.

Quinn laughed at his little friend, "is that code for blowing s.h.i.+t up with bombs?"

Remmy nodded and hugged Quinn tightly.

"We took those Kubrite arrows you found and cut them up for shrapnel." Tal waited until Remmy released him and then she stepped close and gave him a quick kiss.

"Hmm... Kubrite laced bombs?" Quinn forced a smile at the two women, engineers were scary in times of war.

"Time to go Quinn." Leah stopped long enough to hug both women and then pulled Quinn toward the alcove where the a.s.sault team waited.

"Everyone ready? Time to go then." Quinn caught Lara's eye and motioned her through. After the Songbirds left, Jinn took Raven through and Quinn, Leah, and Silverleaf brought up the rear.