Exodus: Guns And Gore 9 Crowned

Anna shook her head. "It's odd too. There is a small write-up concerning who she is and where she works but no mention of her ever offering a quest."

"Makes sense I suppose." QJ was having a hard time looking her in the face; technically he had seen her naked for a few moments before Jezi had changed 'channels.'

"How's that?" Anna grabbed a slice of pizza and bit into it.

It's a starter town, what are the odds of a new player having platinum dice? Perhaps that's the trigger for a unique quest." QJ walked over to the fridge and grabbed two beers; he handed her one and sat back down.

"Right. I should research dice quests then." Anna took a long drink of her beer. "Thanks. Hey, I sent a bunch of maps and quests to your hud. It should update when you log-on."

"Thanks, Nan." He leaned back and stared at the pizza, "maybe just one more."

"Sure... because four pieces of deep dish pizza aren't enough."

Anna's cute smile reminded him of the tattoo parlor; he felt his face heating up. "Maybe I'll wait a few minutes and see how I feel."

"You okay there QJ?" Anna's pretty face showed her concern. She was one of those women who seemed ageless, her lightly tanned face was without wrinkles of any kind.

"Yep." QJ threw caution to the wind and grabbed another slice, "hey Nan, you ever regret coming here?"

"I was mad as h.e.l.l at your dad at first." Anna smiled at the memory, he had tricked her. Then she had got to know them. "I absolutely cherish this place, this family and this home. Your mom is like a sister to me."

QJ laughed, "maybe dad saw that you'd fit, and that's why he tricked you."

Anna nodded, "I wouldn't be surprised."

The two finished eating and then cleaned up the kitchen in companionable silence.

"Night Nan." QJ headed to his room, pausing outside his doorway.

Anna was sitting on the couch, she had multiple huds open. "Night hun. I will contact you in the game if I receive any good tips."

"Log-On Exodus Gaming Hub

QJ donned his gear and starting walking toward the Exodus Gate. There were Raid leaders everywhere shouting for fodders.

Exodus System Message: Access Guns and Gore?

"Yes."

Welcome to Guns and Gore the Phoenix Server.

Laredo 8 PM, Player population 5,176. Your current level is 2.

QJ was standing in the cave entrance. The sun was just setting. He checked his guild interface, most of the cla.s.s was already on. Thalia, Lotte, and Ringo were already level 5. Breeze had made level 6.

"d.a.m.n, 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

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."

*Guild Speak QJ* Heya!

*Guild Speak Lotte* About time QJ!

*Guild Speak Ringo* Welcome back QJ.

*Guild Speak Breeze* Hey QJ, Keep at it!

*Guild Speak QJ* Thanks! Turning Guild Notifications off. Ciao.

"Turn Guild Chat off."

System Message: You will receive no Guild Notifications until you turn it back on.

*Fade*

You have faded from view.

QJ checked out the Fade buff icon, "duration is 5 minutes, incredible." Let's see how effective it is."

QJ reached over his left shoulder, smoothly drawing his shotgun. He walked down the pa.s.sageway 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 pa.s.s by without incident.

QJ proceeded deeper into the cave until he reached Keku, the named Elite Ant he had killed earlier.

The cavern was quite large, there were dozens of very large stalact.i.tes hanging from the ceiling. QJ had taken note of this earlier while planning a strategy. Initially, he had thought to aggro everything in the caves and then draw them into the cavern. Breaking off stalact.i.tes with his shotgun might be effective. However, ants were really good climbers, it possible that they could catch him.

QJ backed up to the far end of the cavern and dropped fade. "I should kill Keku and then do them one at a time. Although I killed him last earlier, he may draw everything into the room if I attack."

QJ stepped away from the cavern wall, surprisingly it took effort. QJ turned back to the wall, it was smoother then if should be. He touched it with his fingertips. "Real sticky too." QJ smiled when he tasted his fingertips, it was honey wax. He took some of the larger pieces and stored it away, maybe it was useful or valuable.

He picked up a sharp stone and started shaving off large chunks of the wall, it took a few minutes but he was able to carve out a circle large to crawl through. The wall was six inches thick, as soon as he broke through he started hearing the 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, there 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 a fluorescent looking crystal, it covered the entire cavern and gave off an eerie glow. There was a small circular hole in the crystal through which daylight filtered.

QJ studied the opening "That must be one of the entrances." Everything in the cavern was elite, levels six through eight.

He moved slowly towards the center, directly under a large stalagt.i.te that was a dozen feet thick, he roped and outcropping and pulled himself up. QJ tied the knot more securely and then slid back down, leaving it in place.

"Okay...I'll try shooting Keku from the hole, draw them into the bees nest and then blast away at the crystal. "Hopefully it's a brittle as it looks."

QJ stood at the opening he had cut out of the wax wall. He 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 p.i.s.sed 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.

The ant charge the hole, QJ fired three times as fast as he could pull the trigger.

*Snapshot*

Keku has been hit for 900 damage.

*Snapshot*

Keku has been hit for 845 damage.

*Snapshot*

(Head-Shot Bonus x Critical Hit)

Keku has been hit for 1,500 damage.

Keku slammed into the wax wall, instantly breaking off a piece.

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

*Point Blank*

(Head-Shot Bonus)

Keku has been damaged for 2,225 damage

*Point Blank*

(Head-Shot Bonus)

Keku has been damaged for 1,955 damage

*Keku has been stunned*

Keku fell partway through the pa.s.sage, from behind him QJ could see the ants swarming toward the hole. "Here they come!"

QJ holstered the shotgun and ran for the rope he had left hanging. He was scampered up the rope, tieing a knot around his waist about ten feet from the ceiling.

Keku recovered and burst through the hole, instantly widening it out. He spotted QJ near the ceiling, calmly reloading his rifle.

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, 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 so he did the same with the other.

In a matter of seconds, he went from the agonizing vibration to relative silence. He slid down the rope and started stuffing a bit more wax in. Then he picked up his rifle 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

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 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.

He gathered up all the wax he could carry and was about to activate his token when his three little spiders crawled out 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. QJ turned away quickly, "yeah... I don't need to see that."

QJ check his hud, standard resp.a.w.n for elites in beginner zones was four hours, unless they were named then it was eight. "I'll let you three eat-up." QJ decided to explore the Bee domain a little more. He found a second exit about ten minutes later, it lead to a cave exit that was only accessible if you could fly. There was a two hundred foot drop if someone wanted to try and climb up.

He retraced his steps and found a third exit that was only about 50 feet off the canyon floor. Several large boulders masked the entrance. He could hear the sound of fighting, naturally curious, QJ crawled to the edge and peeked over.

There was a group of four in the canyon that was in trouble. Two wranglers, one Rider, and a Gambler. The rider and gambler must have already reached level 8, otherwise, they couldn't have left their starter territory.

QJ shook his head, three of them charged through the line, leaving the last wrangler alone. The wrangler had used Feign Death and now lay in the middle of a dozen roaming mobs. "Not good."

*Fade*

You have faded from view.

He tied his rope to an outcropping and lowered himself down. He walked towards the wrangler, carefully avoided the mobs that were roaming.

QJ stopped in place, nearly deciding to go back. It was the third year with the purple hair. He approached silently, keeping his voice down to a whisper. "Stay calm and don't drop Feign Death."

He 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. After five minutes they had cleared the resp.a.w.n 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. QJ bent and gave her a peck on the cheek before slowly backing away. She stared opened mouthed, her face slowly turning red.

By the time he had climbed back to the hidden entrance, QJ was chuckling. He hurried back to the Queen's corpse and gathered his three little friends. They were bloated from eating and could barely scamper up his arm. QJ took a seat and waited patiently.

He waited four hours, the Drones had resp.a.w.ned and a quick check of the ant cave verified that the Ants had also, 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.

He busied himself reading through the piles of information Anna had sent him. After another four hours, he decided to clear the caves again. He stepped into the opening in 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 to himself and walked back to the bee chamber. "Holy... that's not the bee queen." Sajana the Bee Empress.

He carefully retreated back to the opening. Both of their names were dark gold, which meant they were Nemesis rated. They were not only named, but also t.i.tled.

"h.e.l.l with it, I didn't wait eight hours to turn tail and run." QJ retied his rope over the Stalagt.i.te and then walked back to the opening. "Worst-case scenario, I kill all the elites and then get eaten by one or both of the Nemesis."

He secured the wax in his ears and took aim at Circa.

*Aimed Shot*

(Head-Shot Bonus x Critical Hit)

Circa has been hit for 120 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. He mandibles clicked loudly, QJ could dimly hear it through the wax. Circa didn't even glance at QJ, Sajana had been alerted by the disturbance and immediately attacked.

The two Nemesis collided beneath him as ants flooded into the cavern from the entrance. The bees responded by attacking. It escalated into a ma.s.sive turf war.

Once he was sure both sides were fully in the cavern he took aim at the ceiling and fired. QJ fired into the crystal over and over, he kept firing and reloading not looking at the damage that scrolled down the hud.

The two Nemesis carried on the battle by themselves, long after their entire armies were already 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 and then collapsed next to the dead Empress.

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?" He turned them loose, all three of them moved toward the King. One of them slowed and then turned toward the Empress. "What's the matter? Too many choices?"

A soft glow from the Empress corpse drew his attention. He quickly looted the glowing chest that had appeared.

Crown Unidentified. Hatchet Unidentified. QJ looked for a second chest, but there wasn't one. Circa the Ant King was apparently a cheap a.s.s b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

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 coming up when he took a seat on the rocks near the entrance. "Display Stats."

System Message: You have earned a t.i.tle. Do you wish to equip your t.i.tle?

"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

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 t.i.tle, a t.i.tle of any sort in GnG usually was very handy. This one came with two stat bonuses. He opened up his hud, a moment later Angel's face popped up.

"Hows 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 clear 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 that 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, Angel."

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. Immediately her whole 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 no penalty. He looked up to see Angel gently float down, the golden crown on her head glowing. "I shouldn't have stood close to the edge I guess."

Angel stared at him, "thank you QJ." Her voice was gentle for once, 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

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 cheek. "I'm definitely going to get you something nice QJ."

"It's fine Angel, about time for me to log. I'm going back to town and head out through the Exodus Gate."

She watched as he activated his token, "keep getting stronger QJ!"

He nodded and waved as he disappeared.