"Whoa!!" Jace yelled and jolted up, pulling off the VR set. He was sweating. "That was insane! I had forgotten how painful dying was."

"One ..." Ash counted, holding up a finger, "... Lazarus versus Valentine's cursed warrior, Valentine wins." He was sitting cross-legged at the edge of the mattress watching the fight online on his ipad. He could monitor it as it was his trial. "Even watching you is painful. I'm glad I'm not fighting him."

Jace placed a hand on his wildly beating heart trying to calm himself down. He took a deep breath shuddering at the terrifying memory. He got up for some water, walked over to the sink and splashed his face. He felt better.

"Ahhh, I lost 250,000 XP points. Dying is costing me."

"Told you. No one has beaten him yet ... except me of course."

"Where do you find these people?"

Ash laughed. "Give up?"

"No way. That was only my first try." He walked back to the mattress. "Again."

"Okay. It's your funeral," Ash sniggered. "Literally."

Jace took another deep breath, braced himself and logged in. "Here we go."

Lazarus died.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Ash watched as the wounded Assassin lay panting on the ground. He couldn't get up. His leg was useless. A deep cut ran along his right thigh, cutting through muscles and bone. He threw a couple of daggers at the swordsman, one caught him in his shoulder. It did nothing to slow him down. The cursed zombielike warrior barely took notice of his injury and continued his advancement on his enemy.

Warning. Health 9 per cent.

Lazarus grimaced in pain. He had lasted longer this time. Using his hands, he tried to crawl to his fallen sword. Unfortunately, he did not crawl fast enough.

He felt the cold kiss of the cursed saber as it sliced into his exposed back. His body arched in pain as the warrior finished his action swinging his deadly weapon up and out of his victim.

The next thing the Assassin felt was the burning sensation of death. Not again, he mourned even as he trashed helplessly on the ground.

The gaunt warrior waited until the final sparks of his foe had disappeared, then turned and shuffled slowly back to his hut.

Jace groaned as he pulled off the VR set and shuddered with reaction. He took deep breaths to calm himself down. Ash was grinning his head off.

"Five ... that's five times you've died already." Ash ticked off his fingers. "You know, I think you've just set a new record for Orc Wars. Most consecutive deaths in one sitting."

"Shut up."

"I want steak and potatoes for dinner tonight," Ash smirked.

He stuck out his tongue at Ash. "Fine."

Jace ran his hand through his wet dark hair getting it out of his face. "There must be a way," he muttered.

-----------------

The three sat in the open-air steak house. Ash gave a satisfied wide smile as he burped loudly and reached for his drink.

"You're terrible," Rose giggled at Ash.

"Always tastes better when someone else is footing the bill."

Jace gave him a half-smile. "You're welcome. We will come here again when I win. Then you'll be the one paying."

"Yeah right, in the mean time I will enjoy all my free meals. This is going to be a great week."

"Who says I'll take that long to pass your Trial?"

Ash shook his blond head pityingly at his friend and winked at Rose. "You should have seen him dying. He made a new record dying so many times."

Rose's eyes widen. "How many times?"

"Five at last count. He has already lost 1.25 million XP and levelled down his Hero to Level 74. At this rate he will be levelling down all the way to a noob."

"Ouch. Virtual or ipad?"

"Virtual."

"Oh my god." Her hand covered her mouth in shock. Her eyes misted over as she remembered the first time Lazarus had died. She had caused his death and had held him as his body disintegrated in her arms. She still had nightmares about it. The feeling of guilt lingered on. "It must have hurt ... a lot."

"Hey, it's okay," Jace leaned over to Rose. "I got this."

"You do?" Ash raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"I've got a few ideas," he replied defensively.

"Whatever you do, please, please don't die again. I know it's a Game but you know ... you feel everything when you're in virtual." Rose was near to tears. "Can't you kill him on ipad in 2D?"

"I guess, but we don't get paid if we play on the pad. It only counts when we login virtual. Besides, I have better control in virtual."

She sighed. "Is there any way I can help?"

"Hmm, nope, not unless you know of a way to kill a crazy cursed warrior."

Rose looked at Jace thinking, "What have you tried so far?"

Jace shrugged, "Well, first off I tried to reason with him." Ash grinned and snorted, rolling his eyes at Jace's naiveté.

"Well, that obviously failed. He just attacked me."

"What else?" Rose asked. She was an experienced gamer too and had finished in the top ten of Orc Wars, Season One.

"I tried offense, surprising him with unannounced attacks. He is strong and tireless. I tried them all, the sword, throwing knives and blades. Then I shot arrows at him, long ranged. I thought I could kill him and then claim the saber. He just advanced on me like a zombie porcupine, ripping out my arrows from his body like it was nothing. He didn't seem to feel a thing. His health bar didn't budge much. It was really creepy."

"Cross-bow?" she asked naming her favourite weapon.

"Longbow, my special bow then when that didn't work, yeah I tried the crossbow too. Stronger impact and at closer range. He cut me down, Rose. He cut me down even as my arrows were still hitting him," Jace said shaking his head.

"Oh my God."

"It's true, whoever wields the cursed saber is invincible. The saber protects its owner and boosts his Recovery and Health rates to crazy levels. He recovers and heals instantly. Any damage I inflict on him is undone almost immediately. He never gets tired. That's why it's impossible to kill him."

"Jace, Laz is an Assassin. He is supposed to kill for a living."

"Yeah, how ironic is that?"

Ash grinned, "Give up?"

Suddenly Rose sat up, "Jace!! I've got it!"

"What?"

"You don't have to kill him, you just have to get the saber from him, am I right?" Her hazel eyes were sparkling with excitement. Her cheeks were flushed and her rosy lips were slightly parted waiting for his response.

"Uh-huh." Gods, she was so beautiful, he thought distractedly.

"Then take it from him. Don't kill him."

Jace cocked his head at her letting her words sink in. "You mean trick him and steal it from him. Then I won't have to fight him."

"Well, Valentine is a Thief. His speciality is stealing." She smirked confidently at Ash.

"I don't steal," Ash said affronted, "I borrow, mostly without the owner's knowledge and for an undefined period," Ash said.

"Once that poor man is separated from the Item, he would forfeit all it's boosts," Rose continued. She turned to Ash, "Right Ash?"

Ash shrugged non-commitally, not giving away any secrets.

"Then he won't be invincible," she finished. "Jace, what do you think?"

Jace already had a faraway look on his face. His stormy green eyes were unfocused and his dark brows knitted together as he thought of possibilities.

"It's worth a try. Better than dying pointlessly again."

Ash grinned at Rose and winked at her. She smiled. Jace looked so serious when he was working on something.

"I could kiss you right now and he wouldn't notice."

"I heard that! Keep your hands and your lips to yourself!" Jace growled.

Rose muffled a giggle behind a hand as Ash laughed openly at Jace.

"He's alive!" Ash exclaimed in mock horror.

Jace made a face at Ash, his expression softening as he turned to Rose. "Let's get you safely home, away from this Casanova. Then I can think in peace."