Jicker watched the battlefield rush by as Oda ran, having quickly resigned himself to his fate. While none of the defenders seemed to target them directly, they still ended up having to roll and dodge out of the way of random shots and explosions that blocked their path. As they got closer to the walls, the fighting became more intense, both sides desperate to control the breach in the walls. Warriors battled desperately to keep the undead at bay, the army becoming a mindless horde as they pressed in on the defenders.

Jicker saw that as the battle had become more hectic, the discipline the zombie had been instilled with began to break down as weapons were discarded and replaced with teeth and clawing hands. It made them less effective soldiers, but to the defenders it was a psychological weapon in its own right. It was one thing to face off against a force of soldiers trying to cut you down, but another if they were trying to cut you into bite sized pieces.

As the zombies rushed towards the breach at an alarming speed, a number of the skeleton champions had hung back, waiting for their arrival. Slowing down, Oda gave a signal to the armoured warriors who began to move in, drawing their blades and holding them at the ready.

“So what’s the plan?” Jicker asked from his less than dignified position.

“We go in and open the gate,” Oda said without taking his eyes off the breach.

“That seems more like a goal than a plan.”

“Do you have a better one?”

“...No. so how are we going to get the skeletons inside? They aren’t exactly stealthy,” he said, looking at massive figures loping along beside them.

“They’re not coming in; they just need to make it look like they are.”

“You’re wasting some of your best units on a distraction?” Jicker exclaimed.

“The more you commit to a feint, the less likely it is that anyone will actually think it is one. Now quiet for a minute, this parts going to be a bit tricky.”

Like an icebreaker, the champions crashed into the defenders line, both them and the zombies nearby being thrown back by the impact. Size didn’t mean everything in battle, and very few of the defenders seemed fazed by fighting something twice their size. But an opponent swinging around almost ten feet of sharpened steel will cause anyone to think twice, and the fight began to slowly push its way towards the breach.

However while they were closing in on their target, it didn’t look like they’d make it in time. Huge slabs of stone had already been pulled from the ground and merged into the walls, shrinking the gap. Oda, having hung back from the initial collision, kept to the side as he watched the fight closely. As one of the defenders moved back to begin casting something, the assassin apparently spotted his opening and raced forwards. As the spell went off, it let off a massive burst of energy that bathed the area in brilliant light that burned the undead. Oda launched himself above the fighters who were momentarily blinded, moving quickly enough that by the time the light faded away they were already several dozen yards past and getting into cover.

“And that’s how you infiltrate a city that’s under siege,” Oda said proudly. They’d wasted no time in going further into the city, and were currently positioned on a roof several blocks away from the walls. From here they could see the city’s defenders organising their supply behind the walls and their troops being positioned at strategic points. The breach had been sealed off completely a few minutes after they’d gotten through, though a detachment was still standing nearby in case it was attacked again.

“Okay, well done. Now what?” Jicker asked.

“Now we...open the gate.”

“Again, that’s a goal not a plan. What do we do?”

Oda stared at him flatly but he refused to break eye contact. Eventually he gave a tired sigh and looked back to the walls.

“I have no idea,” Oda said. “we had plans for lots of things, but we also knew that no plan survives contact with the enemy, so we never came up with a way to accomplish this part. I figured I could come up with something.”

“So we’re winging it then. Ok, we have a goal, and a bag of explosives. We can work with that I suppose.”

~~~~~~

It had been several hours since they’d made it inside the city walls. The node had been fired a few more times since they’d entered but each time the defenders had fought desperately to rapidly reseal the damage to the walls. So far they were holding out, but their people were dealing with each breach a little slower than the last. In theory, the Rising Moon would wear them down enough that they could get in without any subterfuge, but that was never the concern.

Already armies from nearby cities were mobilising and getting ready to come to Ardenvale’s aid, and millions of players were watching the reports on the siege, many of whom wanted to get involved. If they took the city before they got here, then by the rules of the game it would be theirs, and unable to be sieged again for one month. In that time they’d be able to reinforce the defences and people would probably just accept it was theirs now. But if they were still outside when the reinforcements came...

So the only way to take the city in time was to take control of the gates and keep them open, Jicker thought as he looked out over the city. Only a few weeks after the games initial release, rules had been put in place to stop people being able to magically seal city gates with magic, after some people had locked a city full of new players inside. Since then, they had become the only guaranteed way to get through a city’s walls, and the primary target of every siege.

However a city this size couldn’t get by on just a single gate, people travelling to and from it in every direction. There were four main gates around the city, and while the army was pressing towards one at the moment, they were slowly spreading around and encircling the city. Soon they would be attacking from every side, which had given Jicker the idea.

“Okay, everything’s in position. Are you sure this is going to work?” Oda said from behind, appearing suddenly on the roof top.

“If things go the way we think they will, it should be fine.”

“Well, I've gotten word to Mary about the plan, so I guess we wait a few minutes and then get started.”

It was nerve wracking, watching people run around below them, knowing that if a single person managed to spot them not only would the plan be done, but they wouldn’t make it out alive. They squatted down, trying to avoid casting a shadow that could be spotted by the enemy, though with Oda’s abilities it wasn’t a huge concern.

“What level is your enigma stat anyway?” Jicker asked out of curiosity to kill time.

“Well, it’s rude to ask about another man’s stats, but I don’t actually have enigma anymore.”

“Wait, what? But I've seen you using it.”

Oda smirked. “What you’ve been seeing is the upgraded form, insubstantia.”

“You actually managed to upgrade one?” Jicker asked in surprise.

Oda simply smiled and turned away. While the base stats could be increased endlessly, once a players selected stats reached a cap of fifty, any further increase would cause them to upgrade into a superior version at level one. Not only would it be an improvement of the previous level, but would take on new properties. Jicker suddenly realised why his ability made people more likely to ignore him, while Oda’s started to actively alter people's memories of his actions. He was going to ask what level his new stat was, but Oda spoke first.

“Okay, that’s five minutes. Let’s do this.”

~~~~~~

Genesis was an amazing feat because of the realism it provided, the accuracy letting a person loose themselves in the game. But no amount of graphics, AI integration and physics engines could change human nature, so while the siege raged and people died on both sides of the walls, the markets were still in full swing, the workshops still trying to hit their deadlines. Since death meant nothing more to players than a setback, those who had things to do just kept going. If the defenders held the city, then business would go on as normal, and if they failed and the city was taken? Then the city would still need trade to function, and they’d go on as before, if with a few different names on their tax files.

So despite the soldiers moving through town to reach their positions and the occasional scare of artillery style magic, Jicker hadn’t had any problem securing the pieces he’d needed for the plan to work. A few pieces of copper wire, some small crystals and a bit of acid to etch them was all he needed. He didn’t have his old tinkering skills that showed him exactly what he had to do, but he’d built enough remote triggers as Maser that he could do it by memory. They were crude but efficient devices that would send a signal to activate the device their counterpart was attached to.

So when Oda hit the one in his hand, the others received the signal, and the piles of explosives that had been set up around the gates went off. Three explosions occurred simultaneously around the city, each sending up clouds of fire and smoke over the city. The army outside had been told to expect it and immediately pressed the attack, and had sent forces to attack the other gates that had been hit.

“Think it’ll work?” Jicker asked Oda. The two were currently hiding in an ally, watching the forth gate that hadn’t been hit. Several squads of soldiers had been relaxing around it, no other gates having been attacked yet. But as soon as the explosives had gone off they’d snapped to their feet, looking around anxiously.

“Like I said before, the more you commit to a feint, the less likely it is that anyone will actually think it is one. And in this case, it’s not entirely a distraction, since Mary’s probably committing enough forces to at least one of the gates that they’ll have a decent chance to get in regardless of how this goes. But it’s a pretty simple choice to move troops from a safe position to reinforce where the fighting’s thickest.”

“I get that, but do you think it will work?” Jicker repeated, still doubtful.

“Well, I guess we’re about to find out. Here comes a runner,” he replied, point down the street.

They turned to look as a lightly armoured figure sprinted towards the soldiers, who were all nervously handling their weapons.

“New orders!” the runner said, wheezing as he stopped in front of them.

“What’s going on? We heard the explosions a minute ago.” One of the soldiers said, the others muttering things to similar effect.

“The other gates have come under attack. The council has issued orders that you are to immediately send aid to the other gates since you currently have spare manpower.”

“But what’s going to happen if they attack this gate once we leave? We can’t just leave it undefended.”

“Obviously. Send three quarters of your people out to assist as soon as you can move them.”

“But-”

The runner apparently wasn’t in the mood for back talk and cut him off. “Look, if this gate is attacked it could be bad, but we’ve got hundreds of zombies pressing in on the other gates right now. If you don't like the orders, then hope we win so that you can take it up with the council.”

There was still grumbling but the officers silenced them quickly enough. It only took a few minutes for the troops to get themselves ready to move, and suddenly the gate had turned from heavily defended, to lightly held.

“I think we can safely say the plan worked,” Oda said as he reached for something. “You got any of those gas grenade things you used before?”

“The choking clouds? Yeah I've got a few, why?”

“One of the first rules of being a sneaky bastard, if someone pulls out a trick you haven’t seen before, either, copy it, steal it or plan for it. And since I'm not much of a brewer, I went with plan.” Pulling something out of his pocket, he revealed it to be a thin white mask that stretched around to cover his entire head, leaving him completely featureless.

“This mask prevents any air or gas based effects, so feel free to fill the area with those. Now, are you ready to get to work?”

~~~~~~

There are many problems with relying on poison as a main means of attack. There are many things that either ignore its effects, or react in an unforseen way. But the biggest one, and the one Jicker was trying to deal with now, was that it wasn’t instant. Any attempts to try and hit them from afar and wait for the poison to do its job would give them plenty of time to get word to others and the gate would be reinforced before they could get it open.

Instead, they were going to pick off who they could, then hit hard and fast before they were discovered. The gas vials would help reduce the chance of them getting off a signal, but the moment they were used, the element of surprise would be gone. Oda was going to come from one side first, more likely to be able to take out several before being detected. Once they’d caught on that they were under attack, Jicker would join in.

Giving him a final nod Oda slipped away, somehow managing to hide in the shadows despite it being the middle of the day. Moving around to his own position, Jicker wondered how long it would take before he got the go ahead, but soon realised it wouldn’t take long. Whether someone had been particularly observant, or Oda had messed up, only moments had passed before there was a call to arms.

Rushing forwards, Jicker found himself frozen for a moment as he watched the assassin fight. When they’d come across the seekers, he’d struck with surgical precision, attacking high value targets before escaping again. But now he had thrown away that strategy and moved through the enemy like whirlwind of death, blood and body parts being thrown in every direction, fighting for the ambush to succeed, rather than just to survive. He still moved with the same near impossible speed, but he didn’t bother with accuracy, slashing and hacking at whatever was close enough. Any plans or defences the soldiers tried to use were quickly destroyed, unable to keep up with the speed and savagery of the assault.

Collecting himself, Jicker threw out a handful of vials of the choking clouds, yellow clouds rapidly covering the area. Where Oda had found equipment to handle the gases effects, he was relying on his own natural poison resistances. The air still irritated his eyes and skin, and his lungs felt like they were scraping against themselves, but it was merely painful instead of debilitating.

The mages who had pulled back to prepare spells to fight back didn’t fair so well, having given up casting as they coughed violently as the poison got into their systems. It wouldn’t have any lasting effects, and wouldn't do much apart from interrupt them, but it gave him time to reach them with his blade drawn. With the gas burning their eyes and covering his approach, Jicker had no trouble getting in position to plunge his blade into the chest of one of the enemy.

In Genesis levels matter, and skills and equipment are just as important. Beyond that is personal skill, something beyond what the game can help you with, the part of a person that lets them use what they have available to them to the best of its ability. But none of that, no numbers or talents, will help a person deal with a foot and a half of steel through their heart. Striking upwards through their ribcage, the scalpel passed effortlessly through both their robes and flesh, dropping them in a single strike.

You have unlocked the Small blades weapon skill!

Current level: 1

Allows for greater damage, effectiveness and use with the selected weapon.

Current effects: increased armour penetration, increased accuracy, +1 damage

Dismissing the notification, he got back to work, withdrawing his scalpel and moving on to his next opponent. With the element of surprise and the mages inability to cast as effectively, Jicker had no problem dispatching several more before they started fighting back. As he pulled his weapon back from his latest target, a blast of force struck him from behind, stripping away almost half his health and sending him sprawling onto cobbled street. Knowing that staying still was a death sentence he sprung back to his feet, ignoring his body’s protests.

Moving further in to the fight, he hoped that the clouds of gas would be enough to hide his presence enough that they wouldn’t be able to pick him off at range. Hearing someone casting behind him, he dropped low as a wave of fire rolled over him, striking several other soldiers in the process. Jicker grinned to himself as he pulled out his blowgun, an idea coming to mind. Anger could be useful in a fight, driving a person onwards, but fighting angrily was no different than fighting dumb.

Keeping low, he moved back towards the mages and took aim, loading both a poison pellet and a battle drop. The pellets struck their target in rapid succession, a mage who had been gathering bolts of lightning around him, now dispersed as he flinched.

“I’ll get you, you bastards!” the mage screamed blindly as they started throwing blasts out randomly, hoping to hit a target they couldn’t see. Jicker laughed aloud, happy with the effect, which only goaded the mage further. Pain and irritation, combined with a surge of strength and adrenaline, left the target angry and wanting to lash out at the enemy, or at whatever they could consider an enemy. It was a useful technique, and apparently the game agreed.

Mother of invention!

By combining the effects of two opposing potions, you have created a new formula with an original effect.

Recipe: 1 battle drop & 1 poison pellet

Item type: Pill (1)

Grade: Uncommon, created by Unknown

Effect: Target becomes irritable and uncontrollable and will begin attacking at all nearby targets, 15% physical damage resisted, 20% movement and attack speed increase, 15% mana and stamina regeneration increase - duration 3 minutes

Do you wish to name this item?

“Frenzy,” he said loudly, inspiring another round of blasts in his direction that he narrowly avoided.

Name accepted. Creator will remain unknown.

Apothecary level has increased by 1! Current level: 4

With frenzy now at his disposal, his strategy shifted again. With clouds of gas still masking the battlefield, it was easy to pick out the stronger fighters and unleash them on their surrounding allies. It would hardly work in a one on one scenario, but in a murky and confusing ambush they wasted no time in cutting down people they would have defended moments ago.

Only a few minutes had passed since the first cry had gone out from one of Oda’s victims, but almost all the defenders had been beaten. The gas was beginning to disperse and give people their first look at the fight since it had began. Blood ran like rivers over the cobbles, pooling and flowing around the dozens of bodies on its way to the cities sewers. Several bodies were a good distance from the main fight, but by the look of the daggers buried in their backs, Oda had kept an eye out during the bloodbath.

Only a few defenders remained standing, several of whom were coming down off the effects of frenzy, their weapons held loosely. They seemed to be in a degree of shock, unable to understand why they’d attacked their friends and comrades. With their guards lowered, Oda had no trouble cutting his way past the ones in between him and Jicker. What had once been a black suit was now drenched with blood, dying it a deep crimson red, though whatever properties the mask had seem to include stay clean, as it remained perfectly white.

“Nice new trick you’ve got there,” he said, breathing heavily as he surveyed the remaining opponents.

“Nice...killing spree,” Jicker replied, looking at the devastation behind him.

“No time to play nice today. I’ll finish up here; you go check out the gate. There should be a lever to get it open.”

“On it.”

Running over to the gate house, he looked around rapidly for whatever would open the gate. Checking behind one outcrop almost cost him his life however, as a fighter that had been keeping back leapt out at him, their sword missing his neck by an inch, instead cutting deeply into his shoulder. Hissing in pain, Jicker readied his blade to fight back only to see a handle sprout from the man’s forehead. Turning, he saw Oda drawing another dagger before gesturing for him to get back to it.

The warrior had apparently been the last line of defence, the outcrop he’d been hiding in also containing the lever to open the gate. Pulling down on the handle, it caught and Jicker had a moment of fear that after all of this he wouldn’t actually be strong enough to open the door. But whatever had jammed came loose and the lever clicked across, the counterweights beginning to move. Slowly the gate swung open and the portcullis rose up into the walls, leaving Jicker face to face with hundreds of skeletal faces. The invading forces wasted no time in entering, drawing their weapons and moving in on him emotionlessly.

“Disengage from the target and move in,” called a voice from behind them.

Immediately, the undead stopped threatening him and began to ignore him instead, moving past him towards their destination with unthinking efficiency.

“Sorry about that, they’re programmed to take out anyone not in the guild,” Mary said as she walked through the gate and looked around. “Wow, you two seriously let loose didn’t you.”

“It was mostly Oda, but we got the job done. How are the other gates going?” Jicker replied as he watched the skeletons move in, dispatching a couple of survivors that Oda hadn’t gotten to as well as some wounded who had been playing dead.

“They pushed us back at all three, but we made them pay dearly for it. Could’ve gone better if we’d sent in more champions, but I decided it was better to keep them for this part. Now, next part of the plan is to-”

“Mary Mary Mary!” called another guild member walking through the gate, this one dressed in bright red robes unlike the rest of the guild.

She sighed. “Yes Lucy?”

“Can I have the blood? It’s currently going down the drain so could I...?” the figure asked eagerly as she shifted from foot to foot.

“Fine, but don't waste it.”

Raising their hands, they held them above their head as if they were lifting a heavy weight. Like someone had hit rewind on a movie, the blood stopped running towards the drains and instead began moving back towards the woman in red. Thin trails of blood began to break away from the pool on the ground and flew towards a point above Lucy, rapidly collecting into shimmering crimson sphere. By the time she was done, there wasn’t a drop of blood left on the battlefield, and Jicker doubted there was much left in the dead bodies either. Even Oda’s clothes had been cleaned, every drop pulled off and reclaimed, returning them to their normal black as he approached them.

“Glad to see you made it Mary. Nice clean up Lucy, what are you going to do with it?” the assassin said as he looked up at ball above them. A few feet across, it spun gently as they all looked at it.

“Fights not done yet,” she replied. “I’m pretty sure I can find a use for some heavy weapons.”

“You can and will. We need to too take the eastern watchtower before they fortify it and use the elevation against us. Lucy, Oda, you two take a few dozen champions and go clear it out, and hold it until I send word. Jicker, you’re with me as we circle around to the next gate, while they’re still trying to recover after being hit by our previous assault. Any questions?”

“Got something to eat? I’m starving and I don't have time to raid the market.” Oda asked as he peeled his mask off. Mary shook her head at him and pulled a few apples from her pack, throwing them to him. Catching one in each hand and the third with his teeth, he dropped to one knee and put his arms up in celebration, Lucy shaping the blood above her into several scorecards.

“Yes yes, you’re very clever,” Mary said as she rubbed her temples. “Now go, we don't have time to play around just yet.”

Pocketing the fruit, Oda stood back up and went to collect a few of the knives he’d thrown during the battle. Once he’d gathered what he could they gestured and portion of the skeletons shifted stance and began to head towards them.

“So who’s Lucy in the guild hierarchy?” Jicker asked as she and Oda headed off.

“She’s not on the council, but she’s our best blood mage by far, one of our heavy hitters and she’s done a lot to drain and preserve bodies for us over the years. But here’s a quick word of warning that we give anyone who deals with her.” Mary replied as she gestured to her minions, having them fan out and check the alley ways.

“What?”

“Avoid making any period jokes. Best case scenario, she'll joke back before she kills you. I swear I’ve had to raise Gabe from being killed by her more than anything else.”

“That’s...fair. I’ll do what I can to not bring up shark week around her.”

She stared at him before groaning. “I’m going to need to raise you as well aren’t I?”