Jace came out the shower, pulled on a pair of faded jeans and a comfortable oversize T-shirt. Toweling his hair dry he walked into the room. He felt much better.

His phone was ringing. He raised his eyebrows as he picked up his phone. There were dozens of notifications from Orc Wars. He answered the call first, he would have to make it quick. His heart was already hammering anxiously in his chest. What the hell was happening in Orc Wars?

The 'Nutter' was calling. He slid the screen.

"Hey Ash."

"What took you so long?"

"I was in the shower. Sup?"

"Come out for a bit. I'm with Chloe and Aria. Dinner, then we are headed for some fun at the carnival that just opened."

"Umm, I'll have to pass. I've got something to do."

"What?" Ash challenged. "What on earth could be more fun than dinner and a good time with two pretty girls?"

Jace smiled as he heard excited giggling in the background.

'I'm going virtual. Something is happening in there."

"Something is always happening in there, so what? Come out and have some fun. Don't be anti-social."

"No. I'm serious. I've just received literally dozens of notifications from Orc Wars. I'm under attack."

"Really? Who in their right mind would attack you? It's probably just Laz's Orb Trial. O'kay. Go settle the dispute or whatever oh mighty Hero. I'll give you an hour then I'm coming over to pick you up. No excuses. You should be done by then."

"Laters."

Jace hung up the phone and scrolled down the notifications.

You are under attack. Please log in.

You are under attack. Please log in

You are under attack. Please log in

You are under attack. Please log in

Your City Shield is at 95%

You are under attack. Please log in

Your City Shield is at 90%

... etc

Oh Gods! It was not his Trial, someone really was attacking him. Dozens of notifications from Orc Wars confirmed it. His city's Shield's integrity was down to 75%. He started sweating.

Jace snatched his ipad and checked his status. Better to get check things out before jumping in blindly.

Hero status check

Lazarus, Health 49 per cent (max 60 per cent), Energy 60 per cent.

Why was his Energy so low? Oh yeah, the Shield drew Energy from the Hero to remain stable. Quickly he topped-up his Hero's Health and Energy.

City status check.

Lazarus City Level 70, 6 Farms Level 65, 6 Mines Level 65, 6 Logging Camps Level 65, 6 Quarries Level 65 and 6 Town Halls Level 63. 1 Catacomb. Expanded area 105 tiles. Shield 100 per cent.

Not good. Although he had topped-up the Shield, it was just a matter of time before it's integrity was eroded by the continuous assault .It would soon have to pull from his Hero again. He would have to get in there and settle this mess as soon as possible.

Who the hell was attacking him and why?

Jace exited to world map view. He would check out the enemy's identity, level, strengths and power, then he would know how to deal with him. Was it someone out for revenge or just a newbie trying to get attention by attacking a gatekeeper?

His jaw dropped and he stared stunned at what he saw. Was this real? What the hell? He enlarged the screen disbelievingly and looked at the area around his City. The west and southern plains were covered with soldiers. He slid the screen, the woods in the north showed some activity. The enemy were also in there. Only the impregnable mountain in the East was clear.

"Whoa, seriously?" His eyes bulged. "Who?" Slowly he counted the attacking Heroes, they were other players! One, two, three .... Eight, nine ... oh gods, there were twenty players attacking. "You got to be kidding me," he muttered to himself. What was going on?

"They don't really think killing me is a secret quest do they?" he mused. If all twenty Heroes all killed him at least once, he would lose five million XP and level down. Damn! He cursed himself. Allowing Althea to kill him in public was a mistake. It had sparked off misconceptions in the game ... and Simtrixx seemed happy to let it be. He had thought that player he warned the other day would have spread the news that it was a false quest. Death would only welcome these who tried to kill him. They would get nothing for their troubles. It seems that word hadn't spread fast enough. Well, time to stop this nonsense.

He typed out a message and sent it to the twenty Ghost Lords.

Lazarus : Hi everyone, there seems to be a misunderstanding. If you are all here to kill me for the rumoured 'secret quest', please be informed there is no such thing. Killing me will gain you nothing. There is no bonus, special Items or any other rewards. You can confirm this in the official Orc Wars page. Leave now and I will not take any action against you. Thanks.

Beeps sounded off as the twenty players received the message simultaneously. They were aware of the rumour. Juicy tips and gossip traveled fast. They turned to Zen who was watching.

"Games Master? What do we do?"

Zen smiled. Lazarus was online but not virtual. Amazingly the Ghost Lord thought the attack was prompted by that ridicules rumour floating around. He was keeping his cool and had not reacted quite as expected, preferring to sort things out rather than jumping straight into the fray. Usually, players would panic and immediately go on the defence playing recklessly. If he had done that, their plan would have succeeded flawlessly and he would probably be at their mercy within the hour.

The Games Master was on secretly on Lazarus's side. He did not approve of this manipulation of the game. He glanced nervously at Nadine. She flicked a finger, signalling they should proceed as planned.

"Everyone standby. Frostblade, tell him you will raze his city to the ground and kill any NPCs you see. You will get his Death's XP for your troubles, that should get his attention."

The team leader paused in confusion. They all knew who Lazarus was. Everyone who played Orc Wars, even if they were Simtrixx employees, held the five gatekeepers in high regard. They were Players who had proven their mettle. This gatekeeper was friendly and sensible. He was not hostile at all. It was not their function to threaten and abuse their status in the game. They played to find and fix glitches, in order to maintain a smooth gaming experience, aid new players and answer any gaming question the other Heroes might have.

"But Sir, it's twenty against one."

Zen walked and stood behind Frostblade, well aware of the Director's presence. "Do as you're told or you will be replaced."

In the end , the team leader had no choice but to follow his superior's command. "Yes, sir." He got into character before responding to Lazarus's message.

Frostblade : Lord Lazarus, take heed. We will break through your Shield and burn your city to the ground. Your subjects are as good as dead. Surrender now and we may leave some buildings standing.

Lazarus : We? Why are you doing this? Who are you?

Frostblade : I'm sorry. We have our orders.

Jace's eyebrows rose at the reply. We? Orders? So they were together. Those gathered outside his city gates were a team! They were not random players. There was someone directing them and it was not the apparent leader, Frostblade. They meant to break through and kill him at all costs.

Quickly he scanned the enemy. Twenty Heroes, all above level 55. All six classes were present, a nice balance of three/four to a class. They were positioned in their group classes, Assassins, Paladins, Thieves, Priests/Priestess, Berzerkers and Warlocks. They were led by Frostblade, Paladin Level 65.

He wondered how long he could hold out against them, It really was not fair.

Message to Keeper : Get all civilians into the catacombs. You too, Keeper. No exceptions. Leave everything, save everyone. We are under siege.

Keeper : Yes, My Lord!

Message to Battle Master : Dimitri, you are in charge now. The city is now under military control for as long as the seige. This is your chance to test out the new fighting units. Get the Infantry and Calvary units ready. Beasts on standby. Station the Machines along the perimeter.

Battle Master : Yes, My Lord. What about the (Super Naturals) Wraiths and Bloodguards?

Lazarus : Keep them hidden for now. We will use them if all else fails.

Battle Master : I will do so. When will you come? Morale is low. Everyone is afraid.

Lazarus : Soon. I'll meet you out front.

Assessing the situation, Jace stocked-up on Energy potions. He messaged and managed to buy more Health potions from Isis but did not elaborate or stay to chat. He had something urgent to do and will talk to her later. Then he started 'training' more units, he needed more of both offense and defence. Hopefully it would be enough until the other players gave up on the idea of killing him.

When all was ready, Jace put on the gaming gear and went virtual.

Log in.

Zen looked up and caught Nadine's eyes.

"Okay!! Everyone Ready! Lazarus is virtual!" he yelled getting the waiting players' full attention.

"I repeat LAZARUS IS VIRTUAL!!"