Chapter 41
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Q stayed stealthed, doing his best to stay out of trouble as he worked his way toward Serli. He knew that wherever her mother was, Mojo was bound to be close. Apparently Clan Sai had a back-up plan, because they had brought out their heavy hitters. Two of the Jol elders were grievously wounded. Q picked up the pace as they closed on Serli. 'Where the hell was Mojo?'
************
*I wish you were me*
Instantly Leah replaced Serli, the Dark Elves were taken completely by surprise.
*Sunburst*
Leah fled as none of the Sai clansmen had managed to resist the blinding.
*Blink*
Q unstealthed and appeared behind Leah, he quickly wrapped her up, getting a elbow in his stomach for his trouble.
*Return*
Q managed to hold to to Leah long enough to get out of danger.
"Q!" Her eyes were apologetic as she surveyed the area. "Raven and Zephyr are this way!"
The arena had confirmed an unfortunate thing, his NPC immunity seemed to completely fade here. "We need to find Mojo first Leah!"
Leah stopped and nodded. "Serli is with Raven now, if we find Mojo we can start a retreat."
"She'll be in the thick of it, don't go outside of my blink range." He grabbed her hand and put the stealth ring in it. "I need you to follow me stealthed. Use burst when if we are attacked."
"No Q, you keep the ring and I w--"
"Did that sound like a request Lieutenant?" Q stared at her.
Leah nodded, "right, I understand." She took the ring and immediately stealthed.
"We'll look for stragglers as we go." Q felt a hand grab the back of his armor. "Good.. stay close."
****************
Mojo hid against one side of the arena wall, she was completely surrounded. "Damn, I lost track of Q." There were eight members of the Sai clan close to her. They were all facing outwards protecting Taiga Sai, the mother of the twins and Clan Matriarch. She stared at Taiga's back in anger, 'if I killed her, then it doesn't really matter what happened to me afterward.'
Arena Announcement: All spectators and participants exit the arena immediately, permanent Death Clause is in effect.
Grimly she stalked closer to Taiga Sai.
********************
Onion crouched low behind his shield. They had been without a healer until recent events. Rhapsody had been filling in as a back up, until Leah had disappeared from their midst only to be replaced by a cleric from Clan Jol.
"We are part of Fora, please stay with us." Onion glanced at her, it was hard to say her age, Dark Elves didn't seem to age much physically until they got very old.
"I'm Serli from Clan Sai, at your service if you need a healer." She smiled at Onion and then did a double take as two spider queens moved beside her. There was a Dark Queen who was designated as Spider Queen Moa, next to her was a white demonic spider named Spider Queen Iris. "Fora didn't slay Moa? She's working for you?"
Spider Queen Moa glanced at her and nodded. Her dark hair and pale skin were offset by mischievous green eyes that seemed out of place. She whispered to the white queen who was standing next to her, "look at these babies! No wonder she didn't wear a top."
"Focus girl. Or we could both end up rerolling." She waved her hands and a dozen smaller white spiders skittered in front of her.
"Jealous.." She glanced back at the cleric, "did Leah switch with her to get closer to Mojo and Q?"
"It's a good guess, lets push forward. They could be in trouble." Jinn sent the small spiders out in front of them.
Moa moved forward slowly. Quickly spotting a group of four Sai, she faded into the arena sands only to reappear in the middle of them.
Iris has cast *Rapture*
System Message: An AE buff is in effect. +50 to ATK, +50 to Defense.
Iris has cast *Enthrall*
All four dark elves swayed while standing, their eyes unfocused.
Phoenix has tagged Lyco Sai with Ranger's Mark. Minus 100 to range weapon defense.
Moa has activated *Nature's Fury* Critical hit for 18864 damage, one poison counter applied.
Onion leaped forward slamming the wounded dark elf with his shield. Both rogues from Zephyr appeared directly behind him.
Lyco Sai has been stunned.
Accel has Backstabbed Lyco Sai for 1400 damage.
Craven has Backstabbed Lyco Sai for 1600 damage.
*Bullseye* Critical hit 6430 damage.
Phoenix has slain Lyco Sai.
************
"Leah, do you see that Elder being guarded by Sai Clan? She's the key here, if we can ..."
The Sai Clan leader suddenly collapsed in a heap, making Q skid to a stop.
Mora Jol has activated *Pierced Heart* Critical hit 44632 damage.
Taiga Sai has been Slain.
"Shit!" Q forgot about caution and sprinted toward the group, "too far away!"
*I wish you were me*
Leah switched places with Mora, the attackers stopped in surprise.
*Sun burst*
Five of the attackers bent over in agony, the remaining two closed on Leah. One stealthed while the other charged in.
*Pins and Needles* Critical Hit Eyes: 2150 damage
Nomi Sai has been permanently blinded.
*Backstab* Kimo Sai has critically hit Leah Fintree for 23540 damage.
*Blink*
Q appeared behind Leah, picking the barely conscious girl off the arena floor.
The group that had been blinded turned toward them, enraged they charged in with weapons raised.
*Shield*
Q stared with hatred as they struck at his shield.
*Backstab* Kimo Sai has critically hit Q for 17840 damage, bonus damage 14340.
"Shit," he grimaced in pain, feeling the arena start to darken around him, he lost his grip on Leah.
*Return*
Q appeared back beside Mojo, staggering to his feet, he stared helplessly as the body of Leah Fintree faded away.
"You killed her!" Q screamed at them, his voice full of pain.
*Blink*
Q appeared in the middle of the group, digging his foot into the sand he kicked up a cloud. He spun and blocked with both daggers when he spotted Kimo Sai attacking again.
*Return*
Q grabbed Mojo's arm and dragged her into a full retreat.
Kimo Sai was the only one who hesitated, the experience rogue sensing danger. "What is that?" He stared at a small metallic object the size of a dinner plate, it was laying on ground where Q had appeared. "RUN!"
*BOOM*
The Arena shook as bodies flew in different directions, before disappearing completely. Everyone in the arena covered their ears as the shockwave slammed outward in all directions.
The remaining Sai Clansman stared at the crater where their Elders had been standing a moment earlier, they immediately turned toward Q who was barely conscious on the ground. "Kill him!"
Q and Mojo were thrown to the ground by the explosion. Q recovered first, half carrying Mojo as she tried to escape Q's grip.
"They killed her!" Q, let me go!" Mojo's face showed her anguish, the tears running down her face.
Q brought up his hud, a moment later the white demon spider Queen looked back at him. "Full retreat, get out of the arena before we lose anyone else!"
"Q? Did we lose someone?" The red spider eyes stared at him, Q cut comm immediately, not answering.
He climbed out of the arena dragging Mojo further away. "I didn't retreat… just stayed in the arena like a fool."
"This is my fault, she switched places with me. I attacked Taiga," Mora collapsed to her knees sobbing quietly, no longer trying to walk.
Q bent and picked her up before continuing to flee, "today's events are my doing. I alone bear the consequences."
A dark figure watched from a nearby alley, had Q been able to see into the darkness he would have recognized her right away. She waited until they left and then opened her comm. A man dressed in bright colors answered immediately.
"Crimson Rose… this is unexpected." Jangles stared at his former colleague. "Is there something I can do for you?"
Her dark eyes glittered as she walked toward the portal to Fenway. "Yes, there is. Lets meet right away."
Jangles stared at his hud, that had just gone dark. "What the hell was that about?" He glanced over at Sparrow who had been sitting next to him.
Sparrow shrugged, "there's no telling with her."
**************
A few hours later, the remnants of the Fora Development Group had made their way back to HQ. The Songbirds had returned and were talking with Yayia and Remmy. The mood was especially somber. They had allied themselves with the Dark Elves of Zohai and managed to put Clan Jol into power, but the price was too high to bear. Mora Jol and Q were no where to be seen. All ten members of Zephyr had followed them back.
"Where did Q go? He disappeared right after we returned." Sinful Jinn was sitting next to her friend, the pretty dryad had cried several times on the way back from Zohai. Jinn didn't realize she would take it so hard.
"I'm guessing they would speak with Leah's family." Rhapsody sniffed loudly, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
*********
Tal waited patiently outside the entrance to HQ, he would come sooner or later. It was less than an hour later when she caught sight of Mojo and Q. They were walking side-by-side, but Tal could see that the distance between them grown.
Mojo nodded coldly and entered HQ, while Q stopped in front of Tal.
"How did it go?" Tal had been an officer in the army, she knew the difficulties of giving bad news to families.
"It went about how'd you expect."
"Sorry, that was a dumb question." She stepped closer and wrapped him up in a hug. They stood there for a few minutes, Tal stroking his head while they spoke.
Q stepped away and headed toward the door, pausing when he reached the entrance. "I'll see you at home Tal."
"Okay hun, I'll be waiting." Tal watched until he entered HQ, then she logged off.
Q walked in, the room fell instantly silent. Mojo was consoling Remmy, holding the crying gnome who had been the last to find out.
"Everyone, I'd like to say a few words, then I'm going to log." Q inhaled deeply and faced his friends. "This is my fault. I was caught in a bad situation, without any sort of plan. This has cost me.. cost us… someone whom we loved dearly." Q paused for a moment, his voice thick with emotion as Mojo approached him.
"This isn't something that can be blamed on you or any of our allies Q'Ikah." She grasped his hand and turned toward the group. "We've lost someone, let's take a few days and grieve properly."
Q nodded and cleared his throat, "I'll see everyone in a few days." He caught Lara Sy's eye, "we'll talk about Innisfrae then."
Lara nodded, "we must be able to recover from this. Leah worked too hard for us to fall apart now."
Yayia joined Q at the front of the group, "It was Leah's nature to protect others. When I was training her, I had been trying to teach her the 'blink' ability." Yayia smiled sadly as she recalled, "it changed into 'I wish you were me.' An ability so completely foreign, none of us had ever seen it. I can see now that it was her nature that changed it."
She lay a gentle hand on Mojo's shoulder. "She would protect her friends, regardless of the consequences."
Q took a deep breath. "Zephyr, get settled into the barracks. You must continue training and leveling up. We have less than three months til Exodus arrives."
He approached Jinn, "I was wondering if.." He was interrupted when she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.
"I"m sorry Q, she left us without warning, we were slowed down by Clan Sai." Jinn's voice was muffled, her face being buried in Q's chest.
"I was wondering if you are available to travel to Vegas for a few days." Q looked over at Rhapsody, "you as well."
Jinn took a step back, "travel? I've an Aunt in California I promised to visit next year." Jinn considered her plans carefully, "I'm really not doing anything pressing."
Q nodded, "Contact Anna and she'll help you arrange things." He stepped away from them. "I'll be out of touch for a bit. Take care. Log Off Tap."
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Q stayed stealthed, doing his best to stay out of trouble as he worked his way toward Serli. He knew that wherever her mother was, Mojo was bound to be close. Apparently Clan Sai had a back-up plan, because they had brought out their heavy hitters. Two of the Jol elders were grievously wounded. Q picked up the pace as they closed on Serli. 'Where the hell was Mojo?'
************
*I wish you were me*
Instantly Leah replaced Serli, the Dark Elves were taken completely by surprise.
*Sunburst*
Leah fled as none of the Sai clansmen had managed to resist the blinding.
*Blink*
Q unstealthed and appeared behind Leah, he quickly wrapped her up, getting a elbow in his stomach for his trouble.
*Return*
Q managed to hold to to Leah long enough to get out of danger.
"Q!" Her eyes were apologetic as she surveyed the area. "Raven and Zephyr are this way!"
The arena had confirmed an unfortunate thing, his NPC immunity seemed to completely fade here. "We need to find Mojo first Leah!"
Leah stopped and nodded. "Serli is with Raven now, if we find Mojo we can start a retreat."
"She'll be in the thick of it, don't go outside of my blink range." He grabbed her hand and put the stealth ring in it. "I need you to follow me stealthed. Use burst when if we are attacked."
"No Q, you keep the ring and I w--"
"Did that sound like a request Lieutenant?" Q stared at her.
Leah nodded, "right, I understand." She took the ring and immediately stealthed.
"We'll look for stragglers as we go." Q felt a hand grab the back of his armor. "Good.. stay close."
****************
Mojo hid against one side of the arena wall, she was completely surrounded. "Damn, I lost track of Q." There were eight members of the Sai clan close to her. They were all facing outwards protecting Taiga Sai, the mother of the twins and Clan Matriarch. She stared at Taiga's back in anger, 'if I killed her, then it doesn't really matter what happened to me afterward.'
Arena Announcement: All spectators and participants exit the arena immediately, permanent Death Clause is in effect.
Grimly she stalked closer to Taiga Sai.
********************
Onion crouched low behind his shield. They had been without a healer until recent events. Rhapsody had been filling in as a back up, until Leah had disappeared from their midst only to be replaced by a cleric from Clan Jol.
"We are part of Fora, please stay with us." Onion glanced at her, it was hard to say her age, Dark Elves didn't seem to age much physically until they got very old.
"I'm Serli from Clan Sai, at your service if you need a healer." She smiled at Onion and then did a double take as two spider queens moved beside her. There was a Dark Queen who was designated as Spider Queen Moa, next to her was a white demonic spider named Spider Queen Iris. "Fora didn't slay Moa? She's working for you?"
Spider Queen Moa glanced at her and nodded. Her dark hair and pale skin were offset by mischievous green eyes that seemed out of place. She whispered to the white queen who was standing next to her, "look at these babies! No wonder she didn't wear a top."
"Focus girl. Or we could both end up rerolling." She waved her hands and a dozen smaller white spiders skittered in front of her.
"Jealous.." She glanced back at the cleric, "did Leah switch with her to get closer to Mojo and Q?"
"It's a good guess, lets push forward. They could be in trouble." Jinn sent the small spiders out in front of them.
Moa moved forward slowly. Quickly spotting a group of four Sai, she faded into the arena sands only to reappear in the middle of them.
Iris has cast *Rapture*
System Message: An AE buff is in effect. +50 to ATK, +50 to Defense.
Iris has cast *Enthrall*
All four dark elves swayed while standing, their eyes unfocused.
Phoenix has tagged Lyco Sai with Ranger's Mark. Minus 100 to range weapon defense.
Moa has activated *Nature's Fury* Critical hit for 18864 damage, one poison counter applied.
Onion leaped forward slamming the wounded dark elf with his shield. Both rogues from Zephyr appeared directly behind him.
Lyco Sai has been stunned.
Accel has Backstabbed Lyco Sai for 1400 damage.
Craven has Backstabbed Lyco Sai for 1600 damage.
*Bullseye* Critical hit 6430 damage.
Phoenix has slain Lyco Sai.
************
"Leah, do you see that Elder being guarded by Sai Clan? She's the key here, if we can ..."
The Sai Clan leader suddenly collapsed in a heap, making Q skid to a stop.
Mora Jol has activated *Pierced Heart* Critical hit 44632 damage.
Taiga Sai has been Slain.
"Shit!" Q forgot about caution and sprinted toward the group, "too far away!"
*I wish you were me*
Leah switched places with Mora, the attackers stopped in surprise.
*Sun burst*
Five of the attackers bent over in agony, the remaining two closed on Leah. One stealthed while the other charged in.
*Pins and Needles* Critical Hit Eyes: 2150 damage
Nomi Sai has been permanently blinded.
*Backstab* Kimo Sai has critically hit Leah Fintree for 23540 damage.
*Blink*
Q appeared behind Leah, picking the barely conscious girl off the arena floor.
The group that had been blinded turned toward them, enraged they charged in with weapons raised.
*Shield*
Q stared with hatred as they struck at his shield.
*Backstab* Kimo Sai has critically hit Q for 17840 damage, bonus damage 14340.
"Shit," he grimaced in pain, feeling the arena start to darken around him, he lost his grip on Leah.
*Return*
Q appeared back beside Mojo, staggering to his feet, he stared helplessly as the body of Leah Fintree faded away.
"You killed her!" Q screamed at them, his voice full of pain.
*Blink*
Q appeared in the middle of the group, digging his foot into the sand he kicked up a cloud. He spun and blocked with both daggers when he spotted Kimo Sai attacking again.
*Return*
Q grabbed Mojo's arm and dragged her into a full retreat.
Kimo Sai was the only one who hesitated, the experience rogue sensing danger. "What is that?" He stared at a small metallic object the size of a dinner plate, it was laying on ground where Q had appeared. "RUN!"
*BOOM*
The Arena shook as bodies flew in different directions, before disappearing completely. Everyone in the arena covered their ears as the shockwave slammed outward in all directions.
The remaining Sai Clansman stared at the crater where their Elders had been standing a moment earlier, they immediately turned toward Q who was barely conscious on the ground. "Kill him!"
Q and Mojo were thrown to the ground by the explosion. Q recovered first, half carrying Mojo as she tried to escape Q's grip.
"They killed her!" Q, let me go!" Mojo's face showed her anguish, the tears running down her face.
Q brought up his hud, a moment later the white demon spider Queen looked back at him. "Full retreat, get out of the arena before we lose anyone else!"
"Q? Did we lose someone?" The red spider eyes stared at him, Q cut comm immediately, not answering.
He climbed out of the arena dragging Mojo further away. "I didn't retreat… just stayed in the arena like a fool."
"This is my fault, she switched places with me. I attacked Taiga," Mora collapsed to her knees sobbing quietly, no longer trying to walk.
Q bent and picked her up before continuing to flee, "today's events are my doing. I alone bear the consequences."
A dark figure watched from a nearby alley, had Q been able to see into the darkness he would have recognized her right away. She waited until they left and then opened her comm. A man dressed in bright colors answered immediately.
"Crimson Rose… this is unexpected." Jangles stared at his former colleague. "Is there something I can do for you?"
Her dark eyes glittered as she walked toward the portal to Fenway. "Yes, there is. Lets meet right away."
Jangles stared at his hud, that had just gone dark. "What the hell was that about?" He glanced over at Sparrow who had been sitting next to him.
Sparrow shrugged, "there's no telling with her."
**************
A few hours later, the remnants of the Fora Development Group had made their way back to HQ. The Songbirds had returned and were talking with Yayia and Remmy. The mood was especially somber. They had allied themselves with the Dark Elves of Zohai and managed to put Clan Jol into power, but the price was too high to bear. Mora Jol and Q were no where to be seen. All ten members of Zephyr had followed them back.
"Where did Q go? He disappeared right after we returned." Sinful Jinn was sitting next to her friend, the pretty dryad had cried several times on the way back from Zohai. Jinn didn't realize she would take it so hard.
"I'm guessing they would speak with Leah's family." Rhapsody sniffed loudly, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
*********
Tal waited patiently outside the entrance to HQ, he would come sooner or later. It was less than an hour later when she caught sight of Mojo and Q. They were walking side-by-side, but Tal could see that the distance between them grown.
Mojo nodded coldly and entered HQ, while Q stopped in front of Tal.
"How did it go?" Tal had been an officer in the army, she knew the difficulties of giving bad news to families.
"It went about how'd you expect."
"Sorry, that was a dumb question." She stepped closer and wrapped him up in a hug. They stood there for a few minutes, Tal stroking his head while they spoke.
Q stepped away and headed toward the door, pausing when he reached the entrance. "I'll see you at home Tal."
"Okay hun, I'll be waiting." Tal watched until he entered HQ, then she logged off.
Q walked in, the room fell instantly silent. Mojo was consoling Remmy, holding the crying gnome who had been the last to find out.
"Everyone, I'd like to say a few words, then I'm going to log." Q inhaled deeply and faced his friends. "This is my fault. I was caught in a bad situation, without any sort of plan. This has cost me.. cost us… someone whom we loved dearly." Q paused for a moment, his voice thick with emotion as Mojo approached him.
"This isn't something that can be blamed on you or any of our allies Q'Ikah." She grasped his hand and turned toward the group. "We've lost someone, let's take a few days and grieve properly."
Q nodded and cleared his throat, "I'll see everyone in a few days." He caught Lara Sy's eye, "we'll talk about Innisfrae then."
Lara nodded, "we must be able to recover from this. Leah worked too hard for us to fall apart now."
Yayia joined Q at the front of the group, "It was Leah's nature to protect others. When I was training her, I had been trying to teach her the 'blink' ability." Yayia smiled sadly as she recalled, "it changed into 'I wish you were me.' An ability so completely foreign, none of us had ever seen it. I can see now that it was her nature that changed it."
She lay a gentle hand on Mojo's shoulder. "She would protect her friends, regardless of the consequences."
Q took a deep breath. "Zephyr, get settled into the barracks. You must continue training and leveling up. We have less than three months til Exodus arrives."
He approached Jinn, "I was wondering if.." He was interrupted when she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.
"I"m sorry Q, she left us without warning, we were slowed down by Clan Sai." Jinn's voice was muffled, her face being buried in Q's chest.
"I was wondering if you are available to travel to Vegas for a few days." Q looked over at Rhapsody, "you as well."
Jinn took a step back, "travel? I've an Aunt in California I promised to visit next year." Jinn considered her plans carefully, "I'm really not doing anything pressing."
Q nodded, "Contact Anna and she'll help you arrange things." He stepped away from them. "I'll be out of touch for a bit. Take care. Log Off Tap."
Q stayed stealthed, doing his best to stay out of trouble as he worked his way toward Serli. He knew that wherever her mother was, Mojo was bound to be close. Apparently Clan Sai had a back-up plan, because they had brought out their heavy hitters. Two of the Jol elders were grievously wounded. Q picked up the pace as they closed on Serli. 'Where the hell was Mojo?'*************I wish you were me*Instantly Leah replaced Serli, the Dark Elves were taken completely by surprise.*Sunburst*Leah fled as none of the Sai clansmen had managed to resist the blinding.*Blink*Q unstealthed and appeared behind Leah, he quickly wrapped her up, getting a elbow in his stomach for his trouble.*Return*Q managed to hold to to Leah long enough to get out of danger."Q!" Her eyes were apologetic as she surveyed the area. "Raven and Zephyr are this way!"The arena had confirmed an unfortunate thing, his NPC immunity seemed to completely fade here. "We need to find Mojo first Leah!"Leah stopped and nodded. "Serli is with Raven now, if we find Mojo we can start a retreat.""She'll be in the thick of it, don't go outside of my blink range." He grabbed her hand and put the stealth ring in it. "I need you to follow me stealthed. Use burst when if we are attacked.""No Q, you keep the ring and I w--""Did that sound like a request Lieutenant?" Q stared at her.Leah nodded, "right, I understand." She took the ring and immediately stealthed."We'll look for stragglers as we go." Q felt a hand grab the back of his armor. "Good.. stay close."****************Mojo hid against one side of the arena wall, she was completely surrounded. "Damn, I lost track of Q." There were eight members of the Sai clan close to her. They were all facing outwards protecting Taiga Sai, the mother of the twins and Clan Matriarch. She stared at Taiga's back in anger, 'if I killed her, then it doesn't really matter what happened to me afterward.'Arena Announcement: All spectators and participants exit the arena immediately, permanent Death Clause is in effect.Grimly she stalked closer to Taiga Sai.********************Onion crouched low behind his shield. They had been without a healer until recent events. Rhapsody had been filling in as a back up, until Leah had disappeared from their midst only to be replaced by a cleric from Clan Jol."We are part of Fora, please stay with us." Onion glanced at her, it was hard to say her age, Dark Elves didn't seem to age much physically until they got very old."I'm Serli from Clan Sai, at your service if you need a healer." She smiled at Onion and then did a double take as two spider queens moved beside her. There was a Dark Queen who was designated as Spider Queen Moa, next to her was a white demonic spider named Spider Queen Iris. "Fora didn't slay Moa? She's working for you?"Spider Queen Moa glanced at her and nodded. Her dark hair and pale skin were offset by mischievous green eyes that seemed out of place. She whispered to the white queen who was standing next to her, "look at these babies! No wonder she didn't wear a top.""Focus girl. Or we could both end up rerolling." She waved her hands and a dozen smaller white spiders skittered in front of her."Jealous.." She glanced back at the cleric, "did Leah switch with her to get closer to Mojo and Q?""It's a good guess, lets push forward. They could be in trouble." Jinn sent the small spiders out in front of them.Moa moved forward slowly. Quickly spotting a group of four Sai, she faded into the arena sands only to reappear in the middle of them.Iris has cast *Rapture*System Message: An AE buff is in effect. +50 to ATK, +50 to Defense.Iris has cast *Enthrall*All four dark elves swayed while standing, their eyes unfocused.Phoenix has tagged Lyco Sai with Ranger's Mark. Minus 100 to range weapon defense.Moa has activated *Nature's Fury* Critical hit for 18864 damage, one poison counter applied.Onion leaped forward slamming the wounded dark elf with his shield. Both rogues from Zephyr appeared directly behind him.Lyco Sai has been stunned.Accel has Backstabbed Lyco Sai for 1400 damage.Craven has Backstabbed Lyco Sai for 1600 damage.*Bullseye* Critical hit 6430 damage.Phoenix has slain Lyco Sai.************"Leah, do you see that Elder being guarded by Sai Clan? She's the key here, if we can ..."The Sai Clan leader suddenly collapsed in a heap, making Q skid to a stop.Mora Jol has activated *Pierced Heart* Critical hit 44632 damage.Taiga Sai has been Slain."Shit!" Q forgot about caution and sprinted toward the group, "too far away!"*I wish you were me*Leah switched places with Mora, the attackers stopped in surprise.*Sun burst*Five of the attackers bent over in agony, the remaining two closed on Leah. One stealthed while the other charged in.*Pins and Needles* Critical Hit Eyes: 2150 damageNomi Sai has been permanently blinded.*Backstab* Kimo Sai has critically hit Leah Fintree for 23540 damage.*Blink*Q appeared behind Leah, picking the barely conscious girl off the arena floor.The group that had been blinded turned toward them, enraged they charged in with weapons raised.*Shield*Q stared with hatred as they struck at his shield.*Backstab* Kimo Sai has critically hit Q for 17840 damage, bonus damage 14340."Shit," he grimaced in pain, feeling the arena start to darken around him, he lost his grip on Leah.*Return*Q appeared back beside Mojo, staggering to his feet, he stared helplessly as the body of Leah Fintree faded away."You killed her!" Q screamed at them, his voice full of pain.*Blink*Q appeared in the middle of the group, digging his foot into the sand he kicked up a cloud. He spun and blocked with both daggers when he spotted Kimo Sai attacking again.*Return*Q grabbed Mojo's arm and dragged her into a full retreat.Kimo Sai was the only one who hesitated, the experience rogue sensing danger. "What is that?" He stared at a small metallic object the size of a dinner plate, it was laying on ground where Q had appeared. "RUN!"*BOOM*The Arena shook as bodies flew in different directions, before disappearing completely. Everyone in the arena covered their ears as the shockwave slammed outward in all directions.The remaining Sai Clansman stared at the crater where their Elders had been standing a moment earlier, they immediately turned toward Q who was barely conscious on the ground. "Kill him!"Q and Mojo were thrown to the ground by the explosion. Q recovered first, half carrying Mojo as she tried to escape Q's grip."They killed her!" Q, let me go!" Mojo's face showed her anguish, the tears running down her face.Q brought up his hud, a moment later the white demon spider Queen looked back at him. "Full retreat, get out of the arena before we lose anyone else!""Q? Did we lose someone?" The red spider eyes stared at him, Q cut comm immediately, not answering.He climbed out of the arena dragging Mojo further away. "I didn't retreat just stayed in the arena like a fool.""This is my fault, she switched places with me. I attacked Taiga," Mora collapsed to her knees sobbing quietly, no longer trying to walk.Q bent and picked her up before continuing to flee, "today's events are my doing. I alone bear the consequences."A dark figure watched from a nearby alley, had Q been able to see into the darkness he would have recognized her right away. She waited until they left and then opened her comm. A man dressed in bright colors answered immediately."Crimson Rose this is unexpected." Jangles stared at his former colleague. "Is there something I can do for you?"Her dark eyes glittered as she walked toward the portal to Fenway. "Yes, there is. Lets meet right away."Jangles stared at his hud, that had just gone dark. "What the hell was that about?" He glanced over at Sparrow who had been sitting next to him.Sparrow shrugged, "there's no telling with her."**************A few hours later, the remnants of the Fora Development Group had made their way back to HQ. The Songbirds had returned and were talking with Yayia and Remmy. The mood was especially somber. They had allied themselves with the Dark Elves of Zohai and managed to put Clan Jol into power, but the price was too high to bear. Mora Jol and Q were no where to be seen. All ten members of Zephyr had followed them back."Where did Q go? He disappeared right after we returned." Sinful Jinn was sitting next to her friend, the pretty dryad had cried several times on the way back from Zohai. Jinn didn't realize she would take it so hard."I'm guessing they would speak with Leah's family." Rhapsody sniffed loudly, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.*********Tal waited patiently outside the entrance to HQ, he would come sooner or later. It was less than an hour later when she caught sight of Mojo and Q. They were walking side-by-side, but Tal could see that the distance between them grown.Mojo nodded coldly and entered HQ, while Q stopped in front of Tal."How did it go?" Tal had been an officer in the army, she knew the difficulties of giving bad news to families."It went about how'd you expect.""Sorry, that was a dumb question." She stepped closer and wrapped him up in a hug. They stood there for a few minutes, Tal stroking his head while they spoke.Q stepped away and headed toward the door, pausing when he reached the entrance. "I'll see you at home Tal.""Okay hun, I'll be waiting." Tal watched until he entered HQ, then she logged off.Q walked in, the room fell instantly silent. Mojo was consoling Remmy, holding the crying gnome who had been the last to find out."Everyone, I'd like to say a few words, then I'm going to log." Q inhaled deeply and faced his friends. "This is my fault. I was caught in a bad situation, without any sort of plan. This has cost me.. cost us someone whom we loved dearly." Q paused for a moment, his voice thick with emotion as Mojo approached him."This isn't something that can be blamed on you or any of our allies Q'Ikah." She grasped his hand and turned toward the group. "We've lost someone, let's take a few days and grieve properly."Q nodded and cleared his throat, "I'll see everyone in a few days." He caught Lara Sy's eye, "we'll talk about Innisfrae then."Lara nodded, "we must be able to recover from this. Leah worked too hard for us to fall apart now."Yayia joined Q at the front of the group, "It was Leah's nature to protect others. When I was training her, I had been trying to teach her the 'blink' ability." Yayia smiled sadly as she recalled, "it changed into 'I wish you were me.' An ability so completely foreign, none of us had ever seen it. I can see now that it was her nature that changed it."She lay a gentle hand on Mojo's shoulder. "She would protect her friends, regardless of the consequences."Q took a deep breath. "Zephyr, get settled into the barracks. You must continue training and leveling up. We have less than three months til Exodus arrives."He approached Jinn, "I was wondering if.." He was interrupted when she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly."I"m sorry Q, she left us without warning, we were slowed down by Clan Sai." Jinn's voice was muffled, her face being buried in Q's chest."I was wondering if you are available to travel to Vegas for a few days." Q looked over at Rhapsody, "you as well."Jinn took a step back, "travel? I've an Aunt in California I promised to visit next year." Jinn considered her plans carefully, "I'm really not doing anything pressing."Q nodded, "Contact Anna and she'll help you arrange things." He stepped away from them. "I'll be out of touch for a bit. Take care. Log Off Tap."
