"QJ..." A soft voice called to him from the darkness.

He turned at the sound, Ringo stood in the shadows, leaning back against an apple tree. Her usual attire had been replaced with a pale red dress. "Where is everyone?"

She shrugged in reply. "Come here, QJ." Her voice barely carried to his ears; she waited patiently while he walked toward her.

"I was expecting a bit more festivities." He glanced around, not saying a word when she grabbed his arm and pulled him behind the tree. "What's going on?"

"I-I am hungry." Her red lips parted to show fangs; dark eyes moved closer as she pulled him in.

"Sure," he rolled up a sleeve but then froze in place when she pushed him against the tree, soft b.r.e.a.s.t.s brus.h.i.+ng against him.

"No... that's not enough anymore." Without a word, she gripped his head with one hand and pushed it to one side before sinking her teeth into his neck.

"Holy s.h.i.+t..." QJ pushed at her, but her vampire strength pinned him against the tree, her hips pressed him back while she moaned against his neck...

Ringo tore open his s.h.i.+rt, her cold fingers sliding down past his waistline. "Why resist so much?" She pulled back and stared into his eyes, licking the blood off her lips while slowly encircling him with her hand. "Let's go QJ."

QJ bolted upright in bed, gasping for air while looking around at his empty room. "d.a.m.n..." He ran a hand across his neck and shuddered. "That was ... holy s.h.i.+t."

"Did you hear me, hun?" Tal's voice called from the kitchen. "Let's go... time to eat."

He had decided to take a short nap before dinner to recharge since it was still early. A glance at his clock told him he had only been sleeping for half an hour. "Right... On my way." A small detour to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face had him feeling better.

Anna was laying out silverware when he walked in. "Anything I can do to help?"

Anna shook her head, "have a seat. We are ready to go. Quinn won't be joining us."

QJ sighed and sat in his chair; his recent dream still distracting him as they joined hands.

"Thank you for the meal."

"And G.o.d bless Quinn." Tal smiled to herself when she said it.

Anna was smiling at him. "Your first Apple Festival, right?"

QJ nodded, "I'm looking forward to seeing it."

Tal was smiling widely, "I can't wait. This year will be something special."

Anna elbowed QJ, "that means don't plan on any romantic interludes."

QJ shrugged, "no promises."

************

"Log On TAP."

TAP Interface Acquired.

Synchronizing character data...

Welcome Back QJ, find your path!

QJ logged into Q-Town and then immediately took the portal to Talon. The original starter town was vastly different then it was before Fora came into existence. Although it was a thriving city, it lagged behind Q-Town and Innisfrae.

Robin was sitting near the fountain when she spotted QJ. She had been thinking of that day years earlier when the Songbirds had helped Q. That moment was a significant moment for the Songbirds. They gave themselves entirely to the cause. The orange haired rogue smiled when he approached her, she stood, and they hugged like close friends.

"You look beautiful tonight, Robs." QJ had to admit she always looked ravis.h.i.+ng in white.

"Sweet words..." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and stepped back. "I know you are here with your cla.s.smates, but perhaps we'll run into each other."

"You know where I live, pop in any time." QJ didn't notice Robin's secret smile, several of his cla.s.smates called out to him, causing him to be distracted.

"Cya later hun." She watched him walked away. "Time to push things along between us," she whispered.

Ringo waved at her student as he made his way toward them, the usually reliable QJ seemed to be chronically late when in TAP. She waited until he joined them, and then she started walking toward the front gate.

The Orchards were a few minutes walk from Talon, thanks to the fame of the Apple Princess; the festival enjoyed a much wider audience than typical TAP events. People from all over Exodus joined the annual festivities.

"QJ! This way!" A balding man with a portly build waved frantically at them. He was dressed entirely in white and wore a silver cutla.s.s strapped to his waist. He was standing next to three large round wooden tables that were marked reserved.

QJ grinned at the old bandit. "Uncle Nimda!" He was wrapped up in a bear hug for a moment before being put back on the ground.

"QJ, Nimda has reserved some tables for you and your friends." He gave the young man a toothy smile before pulling out a chair for him.

"Thank you, Uncle." QJ took a seat and motioned for his cla.s.smates to join him. It didn't escape anyone's notice that he was treated differently than everyone else.

"Why aren't you a TAP player QJ?" Breeze looked around the crowded seated area; there were at least five different people with serving trays, watching their table. "I'd never leave this place if I was you." She placed an arm on the back of her chair and smiled at him, "I'm glad you did, though."

QJ was sitting between Breeze and Ringo. Lotte, Nina, Sato, and Dessi were also seated at his table. There was one empty chair next to Sato, Remmy was almost always late.

The fresh smell of hot apple pie lingered in the area as the Talon's Baked pies made their way to the tables. A pretty dark elf stopped next to QJ and served him some pie, "please enjoy QJ."

"Kylie? Why are you serving pie?" QJ let the surprise on his face show; Kylie was a well-known rogue in the Jol clan.

She smiled at him while dis.h.i.+ng each of his friends a piece of the pie. "I volunteered Cousin."

QJ nodded as he understood, a glance around showed that there were several other members of the Jol Clan present.

Ringo leaned closer and lowered her voice, "protection?"

"Yep, lots of it by the look of things." QJ closed his eyes as he bit into the hot apple pie, by any standards it was complete heaven.

A flash of pink announced the arrival of Remmy. Several tables clapped and waved as she walked by. She gave them a pretty smile and continued toward her table; a large brown sack slung over one shoulder. She stopped and smiled when she saw Sato. "Sorry, I'm late for our date!"

Sato grinned, his freckled face turning red as he jumped up and pulled out her chair. Even with his curly red-hair sticking straight up, he was slightly shorter than Remmy. "What's in the bag?"

"Male Gnome repellant." She gave him a sweet smile, "quite effective, you'll see."

The sound of music floated on the night air marking the start of the procession. QJ glanced at his friends, "better cover your ears. I've heard it gets loud."

System Message: World Event...Broadcasting

World Broadcast: Fora Buff in effect, plus 10 to all stats.

Breeze slyly took a bite of his pie, since she had already wolfed hers down. She turned toward the direction of Talon, which is where the procession would start. "That's your sister, right? She's totally OP. Um... but, this isn't loud."

A confused QJ listened to the pleasant sounds of a flute playing, "that's definitely Ren, but why is everyone so quiet?"

The quiet atmosphere lasted a few moments longer, then slowly, the cheers started. It gradually built in volume as the people from the surrounding tables began pounding on their tables.

QJ nodded happily as the cheering crowd roared. "We should be able to see her soon."

He spotted the Red hair before he saw her, instead of jumping to his feet and cheering; he stared in surprise. The beautiful red-head strolled through the tables, a crown of apple blossoms on her head. Her hands were folded in front of her as she stepped carefully with her bare feet. Her young face was flushed red with excitement.

Lotte was clapping loudly, "hey QJ, that's not Leah!"

QJ's face split in a wide grin. "Nope, that's Sasha." He jumped up and down waving madly and added to the noise while his little sister made her way to the stage. She slowed down near his table and smiled at him. QJ turned back toward the stage and noticed that his dad was seated next to Leah, Tal, and Mojo. All four of them waiting for their daughter to arrive.

Finally, the Apple Princess made her way to the stage. She sat on an elevated chair folding her hands on her lap. A moment later, Nimda climbed up on stage and announced in a loud voice. "Please accept our quest to save the apple harvest! Farmer Bolan's piglets have invaded the Orchard. Please capture as many as you can."

Special Event Announcement: Talon is having a contest, please accept the quest. Collect the most tokens and win fabulous prizes!!

Ma.s.s Quest: Here Little Piggy!

Group Event

Turn-in 1 greased Piglet

Reward: 1 apple token

Repeatable

Time Limit: 30 minutes

"Teams of four? Lotte, me, Remmy and Sato." He glanced apologetically at the rest of the table, "sorry, I want to win this!"

Remmy jumped up and grabbed her bag, reaching inside she pulled out three empty bags and handed each of her teammates one, then she gave them each a long stick.

Lotte shot Remmy a questioning look, "we aren't going to hit the little piggies are we?"

The pink haired gnome shook her head, "those cute little things? No way, these are for our gnome friends."

Sato looked around, "I don't see any, perhaps they forgot?"

A loud bang, followed by a huge cloud of smoke drew everyone's attention. QJ stared in disbelief, "that was a flashbang and smoke grenade?"

"Oopsie..." Remmy noticed that Sato had disappeared. "Dratz QJ, it was a diversion."

Lotte pointed at two small gnomes running into the orchard; they were carrying a large bag wiggling bag over their heads. "Over there!"

QJ hefted the stick Remmy gave him, "let's get him back!"

Breeze watched them run off, just as her group was forming up. She was with Dessi, Ringo and Nina. "Hey, bas.h.i.+ng bad gnomes with sticks seems like more fun!"

QJ headed directly into the orchard, Lotte and Remmy following closely.

Remmy laughed while she ran. "Follow them, and I'll get a fix on them."

*Ba'Avriel*

*Hunt*

In a flap pink wings, Remmy shot into the air, her eyes glowing red.

QJ and Lotte were quickly gaining, suddenly the gnomes disappeared. "What the h.e.l.l?" He brought up his hud, and Remmy's face smiled at him. "Head west, you are close!"

QJ turned the corner and spied the culprits ahead of him. He flung his stick at the fleeing gnomes. It caught the first gnome at the ankles causing both of them to go down in a pile. QJ grabbed the bag they dropped on the ground, while Lotte started wacking them on their b.u.t.ts with her stick.

The howling of gnomes echoed in QJ's ears as he tore open the bag, he glanced inside and frowned.

System Message: You have captured three of Farmer Bolan's piglets.

"d.a.m.n it Remmy. It's pigs." He handed the bag to Lotte who stopped hitting the gnomes and headed toward the turn in with the bag in hand. "Find me more !"

"North toward the pond!" Remmy's laughter was apparent as she gave QJ directions. "Lotte is good at wacking!"

QJ nodded as he sprinted toward the pond, "yep, a hidden talent."

He arrived at the pond just as two gnomes were about to toss their bag into the water. "Hey, you two idiots!"

The gnomes tossed the bag in the pond and ran away in opposite directions. QJ jumped into the water and grabbed the bag before it had a chance to sink. "Those little b.a.s.t.a.r.ds..." He waded to sh.o.r.e and started untieing the bag. An out of breath Lotte arrived while he was opening it.

"They tossed Sato in the water?" Lotte hefted her stick in her hand, "okay then, no more playing nice."

QJ pulled a smalled greased pig out of the bag. "d.a.m.n..."

System Message: You have captured four of Farmer Bolan's piglets.

"Keep looking!" Lotte grabbed the bag and headed back toward the turn-in.

QJ sighed heavily, "where to Remmy?"

Remmy pursed her lips, "well... head back toward the tables."

High overhead, Sato smiled at Remmy who was carrying him. "Why aren't you telling them you found me already?"

Remmy giggled and circled back toward the tabled area. She had found Sato right away; her infrared vision could tell the difference between a bag with piglets and a bag with a halfling in it. "I want him to hit a few more of those pesky b.u.g.g.e.rs first."

Sato laughed at her expression. "I don't mind. It's fun flying."

Over the next few minutes, QJ and his partner wacked three more groups of gnomes. Even the gnomes didn't realize that Sato had already escaped their clutches. His face showed his disgust as they headed back toward the tables, "I can't believe those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds were able to get away."

Lotte elbowed him and pointed towards their table, Remmy and Sato were sharing a piece of apple pie.

Sato waved with his fork when they sat down. "They let me go finally!"

System Message: The time limit for [Here Little Piggy] has expired.

Sash Riley stood and walked to the edge of the stage; her lightly freckled face was smiling. She turned toward Nimda, who approached and whispered something in her ear before handing her the results. "Thank you for helping us save this year's apple harvest, my friends. I will now announce the groups that won prizes."

Breeze plopped down next to QJ, she drank all of her Apple cider in one gulp and then finished off his also. "Running around like that, it's for the birds. I don't think we did well."

QJ nodded, "we are all level one. Gotta remember some of these people are already level tens and enjoy elevated stats."

Ringo was grinning and held up a small bag in her hands. She had kept one of the pigs. The entire table was staring at her. "What? I was going to turn it in, but this one has a name." She held up the s.h.i.+ny piglet for everyone to see.

Choo

Unique: Spirit Animal

Description: This little piggy disappeared shortly

after eating all of Farmer Bolan's radishes.

Dessi stared at her friend, her hand's itched to hold the little piglet. "That's a named NPC, holy c.r.a.p."

"Third Place and winner of a one week stay at the Ravenwood Inn, Beryl Caviat and friends.." There was a scattering of applause as the group made their way up to the stage. The audience was shocked at the third place prize; everyone wanted to see Ravenwood.

Ravenwood Certificate

Unique Item

Description: Bearer of this certificate

will receive a one week stay at the Ravenwood Inn.

The item may be exchanged for 5000 credits

Sash waited until the third-place group returned to their seats. "Second Place and winner of this finely engineered speedboat, my big brother and his friends from GnG!"

Pond Hopper

Transport: Water Type

Description: This boat has been engineered to

work properly in all Exodus games. Be careful,

it's swift.

The item may be exchanged for 10000 credits

QJ shrugged at the smiling Lotte and slowly made his way to the stage. "I guess we have a boat now."

Sasha handed him a small boat the size of a pop can before QJ could leave she hugged him close. "Good Job, QJ!"

QJ hugged his little sister and patted her head gently. "What an amazing surprise! I'm very proud of you."

He ignored the grumblings of the crowd.

"Hands off the Apple Princess loser!"

"I want a hug, Sasha!"

"You must have cheated!"

QJ very nearly escaped, the crowd was deathly quiet when three G.o.ddesses stood up and trapped him between them.

Tal ruffled his hair and kissed his cheeks. "So handsome QJ!"

Leah sniffed softly, "just like your dad and hugged him tightly.

Mojo smiled at his discomfort. "Just put up with us for a while, my beautiful son!"

His cla.s.smates watched QJ from their table; they were used to the attention being QJ sometimes brought. For once, each of them felt the pressure when countless eyes fell upon their table.

By the time QJ made it back to his table, the first place prize had already been announced and claimed; he had missed all of it thanks to his moms. He handed Lotte the speedboat and sat back in his seat. "Here's the first piece of your Waterpark."

QJ noticed the time and stood up. "Me and Lotte have a prior engagement." Remmy had already left while he was on stage.

"Time to go QJ?" Lotte jumped up and followed him as he walked quickly back toward Talon.

They took the Talon Portal directly to the Academy Entrance. It hadn't been more than a few weeks since he had visited. As a TA (Teachers a.s.sistant) for both Tal and Kora, he enjoyed nearly unlimited access to the TAP Academy.

He spotted the two security guards at the front gate. They straightened up and saluted when they noticed QJ approaching.

"Young Master QJ!" The older guard smiled pleasantly. He had been one of Saffron's bodyguards during her time as a council member.

"Mr. Toca, very nice to see you again." QJ bowed slightly and grabbed Lotte's hand. "Is it okay if we go in?"

Guardsman Toca nodded, his blond topknot bouncing slightly. "Go right in!"

QJ pointed out the different buildings as they made their way to the Science department. "Dr. Gajendra's lab in on the 5th floor. Generally, it's off limits."

Lotte walked into the building, "wow, this place is something. You use to study here?"

QJ nodded and led her to the elevator. "I spent almost eight years here, six as a student and the two as a teaching a.s.sistant."

Lotte followed him into the elevator; the 5th-floor b.u.t.ton was red and required a hud scan. "You were a TA?"

"Yep, good times." He smiled at her, "go ahead and ask."

"Okay... why would you leave this place? With your connections and ability, you'd probably be running this place in a few years."

QJ laughed, "aren't I already the Dean at the Exodus Academy?" He paused for a moment, watching the floor lights turn off and on. "Ever since I watched my dad beat Chained Lightning, I've been crazy about GnG."

Lotte watched his face, he usually didn't let his expressions show, but when he liked something, it became very obvious. "That really was amazing. Your dad... He's nothing like I thought he'd be."

The elevator stopped, and QJ led her down a white-tiled hallway. "Down to earth, right? Want to know his secret?"

Lotte nodded as she fell in step with him.

"He surrounds himself with people he trusts." He glanced at her, she usually would make sure her scars weren't facing him, but recently, she had stopped doing that. "I do the same thing."

Lotte smiled, she felt her face turning red, but it didn't matter. He had stopped to punch some numbers into a keypad. "We make a good team, right?"

He opened the door and held it for her, "Yep, I think so."