Gene. Sys. by Aaron Denius (best ereader for comics txt) 📕

a sanjiegun, and as he holds the triple staff by the middle, with the two sides hanging from a chain, I know it was a wise choice. Lastly, Fe has chosen a weapon that completely dispels her innocence—a sledgehammer.

“Alright. We are going to split into two groups of three and flank them from the front and back. K, you and Sodi are with me. We will make our way down the middle and try to cut them off. The rest of you make your way around the perimeter until you reach the opposite side and then meet up in the middle. Stay tucked away until you see all six of their team engage.

“Remain close to each other so that you can communicate. If you can’t see each other, you can’t work as a team.” I look out toward the battlefield. “Be patient. Let them make the mistakes.”

The alarm to the countdown goes off and, without having to say anything, Cal, Al, and Fe take off toward the left. K and Sodi look at me to make the first move.

“Stay tall, keep your peripherals open, but always make sure there’s a tree directly in front of you.” I walk at a quick pace. Sodi walks a few feet to my right and K to my left. Once I feel we are about a third of the way in, I hold my hand up and signal them to hide behind a tree.

I hear a noise up ahead, and I peer around my tree to get a quick glimpse. There are two figures about twenty feet in front of me, and I see the movement of two more off to my right. I can only assume that Ev is also trying a flanking tactic, but she’s attacking with two up the middle and two to each side.

The best way to counter this approach is to go after one of the side groups first. I signal K and Sodi that we will charge to the group on the right on my three-count. I have to trust that Cal and his group have had enough time to get into their position.

We wait as the three pairs snail their way to us. They are on alert. Just as I feel the groups are a dozen feet away, I count down. Sodi, K, and I charge at the group to our right, consisting of Sil and Hydro. Hydro has her trusty staff, and Sil brandishes a pike.

I know that the second the other two pairs see us, they will converge, so we must take care of Hydro and Sil as quickly as possible. Hydro is definitely the more skilled of the two, so I square off to her. “You two take Sil!”

They both turn toward Sil, and I see him back up as he is outnumbered. Hydro spins her staff over her head with great ease, and in a quick swoop, she swings it at my head. I react by holding my chain up and catching the staff. I wrap the chain around the staff to make sure she can’t swing it back, but she counters that by pushing the staff through the wrapped chain.

The end of the staff connects hard with my chest and knocks me back. My left hand lets go of its end of the chain as I stumble back. I see that Sil is still standing, but he is only fighting K. Sodi has been disposed of.

My focus returns to Hydro, who is spinning her staff over her head again in the same direction. I know that I need to take her out fast because Ev and the others are only a few feet away. I hope that Cal, Al, and Fe are right behind them.

Hydro swings her staff as she did before, and this time I let it hit my side. The impact stings, but I catch and grab the staff with my left hand. As she struggles to pull it away, I swing my chain, and it wraps around her neck. Her hands let go of the staff and instinctively reach for the chain. I quickly focus all my energy on my legs and jump into a half flip, half-spin that allows me the momentum to pull her to the ground.

Her head hits the ground hard, and she gets knocked out of the simulation. I run over and unwrap the chain around her neck. When I turn to look for K, I see that Cal and his group have arrived and are engaging in battle with the rest of Ev’s team. Al has been knocked out, but so has Mag.

I look around to see who needs my help the most, and I spot Ox running at K. I sprint toward her. “K, behind you!”

K doesn’t turn, however, keeping her focus on Sil. She hits him in the head with the butt of her scythe, and as he stumbles back, she turns the scythe around and slices it into Sil’s side. He falls down, knocked out of the game. The second she accomplishes this, Ox hits her in the back with his double ax and knocks her out.

He turns his attention to me. This is a much more level playing field than the last time we met here, when I snuck up behind him. Ox holds his ground, waiting for me to make the first move. As good as he is with an ax, I know that it is a lumbering weapon, so I have to rely on my speed.

I look just off to his left and smile. “Now!”

This pulls his focus away as he takes a quick glance over his shoulder at the tree I just yelled at. In a flash, I whip my chain low, wrapping it around his legs. I pull his feet out from under him, and he falls to the ground, dropping his ax. I run over and place my foot on the arm that’s reaching for the ax. I bend down, grab the weapon, and slam