The Warlord had heard the exchange between Constantine and Valentine. When Constantine attempted to scalp the first cursed orc, the field dweller had died. How were the ghost lords ever going to complete their mission if they couldn't save the lost ones?

"Something is not right!" Kalthu growled as he neatly dispatched two fanged elk-like creatures. It seems even herbivores became carnivorous when they were under the place's curse. "Were you lying to us Witch? How do we save them if they die before we can?"

"That isss for you to figure out Warlord."

"Stop speaking in riddles Witch!" Kalthu bellowed. He raised his battle axe angrily to point it warningly at her.

"Wait!! Warlord!" When the orc ignored him, Lazarus raised his voice, "Kalthu!! Don't harm the Lady. We need her!"

"Lady? What Lady?" he roared. "That is no lady!!"

"No, wait! Seriously!" Lazarus jumped in between them. "We just have to ... to, umm," he tilted his head thinking aloud.

"Think faster Laz! It's getting pretty crowded out there!"

Valentine twirled his sword as he darted out to attack more dwellers. The orcs around them had their hands full. Anya too was busy. She had pounced on one forcing the creature down with her weight and had proceeded to tear at its neck.

"Orcs! I see more orcs!!" yelled Constantine. "Laz! What's the plan?!"

"We ... we have to scalp the cursed ones without killing them? YES! Yes, that's it."

"What?" Kalthu asked throwing Lazarus a disbelieving look as he crushed a skull. He knew his human friends were a bit mad but the ghost lord's statement really made no sense. Attack without killing? Not do your best when facing enemies? That was the very purpose of combat! Didn't he know that? "How do you do that?"

"Quick! I see another one."

"Constantine, use half force. Stun him first! Whatever you do, don't kill him!"

"Ah yes, I get it." The Red Warlock ran to the nearest orc striking him. Red electricity crawled all over the orc. He fell down paralysed with a thud. Constantine was immediately on him.

"There are more! Everyone, get to work The faster we collect the thirty scalps, the faster we can get out of here."

"Thirty?" the Captain asked whipping his head around to confirm the number with his commander. Did he hear the ghost lord correctly?

Kalthu grunted affirmatively. "Thirty." The Warlord hoped the humans knew what they were doing. He was positive the new information did not come from the Witch. She was no help at all other than giving them bad news. Kalthu did not know where the ghost lords got their information from but it was usually right. "Trust them."

"Right." The Captain shouted new instructions to his warriors. He did not really trust the humans but he did trust his Warlord. "Kill everything except our fallen brethren. Tell the humans where. The destroyers will save them."

Valentine's eyebrows shot up. He smirked in amusement at the Captain. The destroyers will save them? How ironic. Did the Captain realise what he had just said?

"Hah!! I got it!!" came Constantine's triumphant voice. "I got the first scalp!! Tell me I am awesome!"

LifeStone Group Quest Phase One : Field of Corpses

1/30 complete.

Lazarus and Valentine turned to look. Constantine was holding up a thick lock of hair with a thin piece of bloody skin still attached. The paralysed orc's face was screwed up in pain. Black ichor was dripping from the exposed flesh on top of his head into his face and down his neck. Muffled whimpering grunts came from him.

Aware that the paralysis was wearing off, Constantine hastily returned to the group. The air around the scalped orc shimmered for a few seconds before a blinding white flash forced everyone to look away. It was somewhat different from the 'death' explosion. When they looked back, the orc had disappeared.

"So, is he saved? Is he back outside the mists?"

"Yesss, he is." The Witch stared into the distance for a while before speaking again. "The green one has appeared at the edge of his foresst home where he blundered into the misst ssome time ago. He will not remember hisss time here but will have a sstrong compulssion to sstay away." She paused, her forked tongue flickered out and back into her mouth again. "The othersss will find him ssoon. Hisss mate will be relieved and happy with hisss return."

Whoa, the NPC had a backstory? Did all the NPCs here have back stories? Surly not! Valentine shook his head in astonishment. Someone at Simtrixx sure had a lot of time on their hands.

"Val!! Get the orc over there! I've got this one!" Lazarus raised his voice. Valentine turned back to see Lazarus pulling out his sharp hunting knife to Speed run towards a fallen orc. The cursed one had an arrow through his leg. The next instant the orc had been scalped neatly. Before the scalped dweller could vanish, the Assassin had raised his head looking around for new targets, his bow out again.

LifeStone Group Quest Phase One : Field of Corpses

2/30 complete.

"Right!" Without wasting any more time, the Thief bounded over to the downed orc that Lazarus had indicated. It was nearer him and had one of the Assassin's arrows stuck in his shoulder. Hmm, why didn't the orc just pull it out? It was only one arrow. Orcs were tougher than that. It usually took three well aimed arrows to take them down, four to kill. Valentine approached cautiously with his sword up, maybe it was faking serious injury trying to catch him off guard. The orc eyed him making angry helpless noises but it did not move much. It seemed tired? Too tired to move? Exhausted? The word came to mind unbidden.

Valentine frowned. The orc's situation reminded him of something. Something he had experienced only once and never wanted to experience ever again. The orc was extremely listless and helpless like Laz when the poison hit! It was a truly horrible feeling. The Thief glanced at his friend in shock. Did Laz really coat the poison's lethargic inducing component onto his arrows? He knew that Lazarus had obtained samples from Sharak's work room. The Banished One had somehow managed to separate the nauk dzi-vras' different elements into its distinct extreme effects. Laz had given some to Isis for analysis.

The Thief felt a sudden ache in his heart. This stupid game was changing his friend. It was taking away his innocence and making him more ruthless. He understood it was necessary to survive the poison, still ... it was not like him.

Whatever, he thought sadly. He would ask Laz about it later. Now, he had an orc to scalp.

Valentine leapt into action. He took hold of the orc's topknot and sliced it off. The orc yelped in pain but had no strength to retaliate. After completing his task, the gatekeeper backed away stowing his gruesome prize.

LifeStone Group Quest Phase One : Field of Corpses

3/30 complete.

The group was completely surrounded by now. The Warlord's warriors were fighting fiercely, killing the field dwellers with abandoned glee. There had been a few casualties but the rest were still bashing and hacking enthusiastically.

"Ghost Lord! Here!"

"Here too! There are two here!"

The warriors called the humans to save orcs in their area.

LifeStone Group Quest Phase One : Field of Corpses

5/30 complete.

6/30 complete.

"Constantine, you take those on the right and front! Val, front and left! Holler if you need help," shouted Lazarus as he darted to cover Kalthu's area at the back. Each gatekeeper was assigned an area approximately 120 degrees, neatly dividing the area outside the rough circle into three parts. Each human would concentrate on scalping the orcs in their zones.

The gatekeepers went to work. Now and then there was a prolonged flash as melee weapons were used to thin out the crowd. On the right, red lightning lighted up the Red Warlock's sector. Bright blue flared from Valentine's sector as he threw out small explosives to blast areas devoid of orcs.

Lazarus too was busy with his bow. "Barbed, steel tips, bone ..." he muttered under his breath in concentration, changing the type of arrow tips according to his targets. Some had skin and matted fur whilst others had thick hides and scales which was harder to penetrate. The Assassin's hands blurred as he cleared his area. Orange and yellow radiated from the dying ones.

"Orc!!" a warrior called out.

Lazarus sighted the target. "PP on steel tip," he instructed his bow as he aimed and let loose. One was enough. Isis had assured him that her new special Paralyse Potion (PP) was very strong and could even stop orcs in their tracks for short periods with just one shot. She was right. The first orc he had shot in the leg, went down in seconds.

Working together, the number of scalps the ghost lords gathered rose steadily. However the crowd of cursed creatures were never ending. It was good for them, for now at least, Lazarus thought. Chances of finding orcs in a bigger crowd were better.

LifeStone Group Quest Phase One : Field of Corpses

13/30 complete.

Almost halfway! Constantine glanced at the numbers in the sky. "Aiyayayai! So many silly creatures actually ventured into the mists and got cursed! Really!" Every time he cleared a space with his melee lightning, more would surge in to take up the space in seconds. Ahhh! He made a face, it was not the residents of the orc world who blundered their way here and got cursed, it was Simtrixx who planted these poor NPCs in this wretched place. Tsk, tsk, tsk. He the great Red Warlock would free them all. Yes!! That is what he would do! With that, he renewed his efforts.

"Arrghhh! Captain!! I got bit! I got bit!" a grey warrior cried out in terror.

The Captain immediately dragged the injured orc inside the protective circle. Quickly he checked the warrior. Black ichor was dripping from a gaping wound on his shoulder, a chunk of grey flesh torn from his body. The thing that bit him had already been slain by one of his comrades.

"Steady! Steady now, Krolock," the Captain tried to calm him down. "I am here."

The orc gripped his Captain's arm and shook in terror. Fighting and dying in honour in the battle field was expected and even welcomed but dying by changing into the mindless zombified beasts he had just been fighting was terrifying. He could feel himself changing already.

"Kill me, kill me Captain! Let me die with honour! Don't let me change into that!" His eyes widened in fear as his whole body spasm. "Uughhhh! Hurry Captain, KILL ME!"

"Warlord!!"

"I got this!!" Valentine yelled.

The gate keeper rushed to the Captain and the fallen orc. "I've got a better idea," Valentine said as he caught the warrior's attention. The Captain was trying his best to calm him down. Before their eyes, dark blotches started to appear on the warrior's grey skin. Clumps of hair fell off his head until only a patch was left; the mark of a cursed orc. Valentine blinked, it was enough.

Valentine slapped the fallen warrior hard. "Listen! Listen to me!"

Bright fevered eyes met the Thief's. The human gatekeeper spoke slowly, "Krolock? I will save you. I am going to cut off your hair, understand? Hang in there. You will be saved."

"Saved?" He turned to his Captain, hope in his black eyes.

The Captain got the hint. Quickly, he gripped the warrior's shoulders. "The ghost lord will save you by scalping you. It is the only way. When you find yourself at the mist at the cliff, return to the Stronghold. Report to the Overlord. Understand?"

"Stronghold? Report?"

"Yes!!" The Captain took a token from his belt, checked that it was the right one and pressed it into the warrior's big palm. "Hold this and trust in your training!"

The warrior took one look at the token and nodded understanding. "Sir!! Thank you!" What was a little bit of pain compared to being saved and given another chance to fight and die in glory another day?

The Captain signalled Valentine. Before the orcs could change their minds, the Thief had scalped the fallen warrior.

Kalthu glanced over when his warrior was enveloped in a bright shining light.

"Damn it!" cursed Kalthu. His brave warriors were getting killed. Only one out of seven had been saved. The other six had died before the humans could reach them in the chaotic battle. The only way to end this was for the humans to obtain their scalps quickly.

"How many more? Lazarus?!!"

Lazarus was breathing heavily. His arms were getting tired, the skin on his fingers were torn and bloody. The boss spider silk bow string was cutting into his raw flesh. There was no time for potions. The ring of warriors defending them was fewer and the situation had become more urgent. If they didn't make it through this, the group quest will be over.

Kalthu's loud bellow made the Assassin jerk his head upwards for a quest status update.

LifeStone Group Quest Phase One : Field of Corpses

22/30 complete.

"Eight more! We need eight more, then we make a run for it!" replied Lazarus elated. "Val! Constantine!" He took some time searching for his friend before he spotted them.

Valentine had bright red blood running down his face and his attacks were slightly slower. Lazarus called worriedly at the Thief, "Careful Val! Don't get yourself killed!"

In response, the blond gatekeeper waved his bloody sword and slashed at another foe. "You too!! CONSTANTINE, BEHIND YOU!!"

"Hah!! You think you got me, fiend? Huh? HUH?? Neverrrr!!" Constantine taunted. The Red Warlock swirled, his cape flaring out dramatically as he turned to deal with the monster sneaking up on him. "Thanks Val!" he thanked the Thief and laughed. "I have slain him."

"Crazy humans," Kalthu said.

Near him, Anya growled warningly. Her white muzzle was matted with all kinds of disgusting fluids. She spotted some superficial wounds on her body. The crazy humans the Warlord was referring to included her Chosen.

The huge Warlord gave the wolf a sidelong glance. "What? You know it's true." With that, he dismissed the predator to continue his hacking.

The lost ones were many and the warriors were alerting the ghost lords almost continuously now.

"Orc!!"

"I'm on it!" cried Constantine.

"Here!" A warrior yelled as he bashed a body to find an orc behind it. He dodged and knocked the orc on his head with his war hammer, stunning him. Valentine was next to him in an instant.

"I got it!"

"Human! Over here!"

"Yeah, I see it. Thanks!" Arrows flew to the right and left, killing three creatures near his target. The fourth sank right into the orc's thigh. He went down in a heap. Lazarus wiped his hunting knife as the orc vanished.

LifeStone Group Quest Phase One : Field of Corpses

29/30 complete.

"That makes twenty-nine. One more, we need one more!!"

LifeStone Group Quest Phase One : Field of Corpses

33/30 complete.

"No, that makes thirty-three!! I got two more."

"Me too. I am so awesome! I fried two at the same time and cut of their hair in the speed of light!" crowed Constantine gleefully at the celebrating Thief.

Lazarus gave a small laugh at his friends suddenly feeling grateful for their presence. What would he do without them? Even in his dire situation, they had time to laugh and remind him to have fun. Orc Wars was a Game, and they were having some serious fun playing it.

LifeStone Group Quest Phase One : Field of Corpses

COMPLETE.

Path to LifeStone Group Quest Phase Two : Frost Trolls is now open.

No one noticed the Witch smiling secretly to herself. These humans might just free her after all.

"C'mon. Now we make a run for it. KALTHU! Time to go!!"

The Warlord roared out an order to fall back. All the remaining warriors closed ranks, tightening the circle around the others.

"Captain! Lead the way!"

"Sir!" The Captain barked out new instructions. "Formation!!"

Seven of the thirteen warriors left spear headed the run to the next border with the Captain. Battle axes, war hammers and broadswords cleared the way forward. The other six guarded the rear with the Warlord. The precious humans ran in between, still shooting arrows, lightning and throwing small explosives. Anya pounced and ripped out throats and hamstrung dwellers on the run. There was no need to kill them, only to get them out of the way.

The Witch followed languidly, enjoying the live party's feverish desperation to stay alive and make it to the border. She was in no hurry; the field dwellers did not bother her. None of the creatures within the Bello's defences dared harm the Guide.

They made good progress and managed to reach the challenge without losing anyone else.

"Look! Over there!"

"We made it!

"C'mon! Another fifteen, twenty meters!! I can see it!"

The odd group could see the clear boundary between the two challenges. Their side was black, burnt and twisted whilst the other side was white, cold and glistening invitingly. It was like night and day.

"Oh wow!"

The grand sight revived the tired group. Everyone renewed their efforts and charged forward.

"Gwaaar! Gaawaarr!"

The field dwellers chased their escaping preys desperately as they were programmed to. Turn ten trespassers and you will be redeemed. There were still more than ten of them in the escaping party. Even if the spoils had to be shared, at least they would be one step closer to redemption! No! They were getting away!

A roar of disappointment went up among the zombified creatures as their prey crossed the challenge boundary and collapsed. The field dwellers stood at the blackened edge, clawing and snapping uselessly at the thin air.