Valentine retrieved a scroll from his Inventory and handed it to the Witch. "Can you check through this?"

"What isss it Ghosst Lord?"

"It is a copy of Sharak's notes. It details how to brew the antidote to the Bello's Annozzosh."

"The Banisshed One?"

Her eyes widened. The Ghost Lords truly had gathered everything including the way to brew the Annazzosh's cure. She was impressed. She scanned the document. "We have everything except ... what isss the 'Water of Life'?" she asked.

"Kalthu has the herbs, Laz and I have the 'Water of Life'. I will give it to you later."

"Now we go get the Lifestone?" Kalthu asked.

"Only one isss allowed in the lake at any one time. Thosse are the rulesss," she cautioned. "If two or more entersss, the Lifesstone will not be found."

Valentine made a face. So, Simtrixx didn't want a group of Players swimming and diving around in there, huh? All the quests in this realm had mostly been group quests. Maybe they thought everyone would have died at this point or maybe they wanted only the main Player to enter. They had designed a solo quest to test the remaining survivors ... and probably kill them one by one as each took their turn in the deceptively calm lake he thought darkly.

"I will enter. Kalthu, you cover me from above," instructed the Hero.

The Warlord nodded. "No problem. I will do so Ghost Lord."

"T-take your time, I'll be here. I'm not going a-anywhere."

Valentine rolled his eyes at Lazarus' droll sense of humour. Idiot!

"Good luck Ghosst Lord. Be careful of the Ssentinelsss."

"Wait what? What Sentinels?" asked Valentine.

The Witch bit her lip. Was she revealing too much? Suddenly she closed her eyes losing all animation.

-----

Override Witch programming. Allow additional information on Sentinels to Player Valentine, Player Lazarus and all NPCs in Bello lake map. ENTER!

The Games Master hit the Enter key with fervour. That should speed things up. The gate keepers were cutting it close, Zen thought to himself as his eyes glanced to the Stronghold screen and back to the Bello's lake. His star player's Health was already down to 6 per cent max. Thankfully, they were working together albeit on different maps. He leaned back in his oversized swivel armchair and continued his Virgil. It wouldn't be long now. The next few hours were crucial. The Game would culminate to an awesome exciting ending or it would fail miserably leaving an incapacitated Gate Keeper.

-----

The Witch twitched a few times, her eyes fluttering wildly showing her whites.

"Ummm, it's o'kay if you don't want to answer. Don't have to glitch like that. It's freaking me out!" Seriously! Was the Witch possessed? Valentine thought nervously.

Suddenly she opened her eyes and stared blankly at Valentine. "I ... can tell you?" she blinked in confusion. "Yesss, I can tell you."

"The Ssentinelsss are the ssource of the Lifesstone. They alsso help the Bello guard the sstone from theft. Ssince the Bello hasss been ssubdued by the dark one, that leavesss only the Ssentinelsss for you to deal with."

"The source? What do you mean?"

"Their prince'sss tearsss from a long ago losst love is the sseed of the Lifesstone ... but that isss another sstory. Hisss ultimate ssacrifice for her isss the essssence of the Lifesstone. It isss very preciousss to them."

"Umm, okay, if you say so," said the Thief wondering how someone's tear could be the core of a magical life giving stone, even if he was a prince. It didn't make sense, then again ... he shrugged. Guess he would find out when he got the gem.

"I ssuggesst you arm yoursself before going in. You will need ssome protection if you want to get near the Lifesstone."

Valentine unbuckled his baldric (shoulder belt) and sword belt putting his various weapons down carefully. Next came the other hidden weapons on his body. Kalthu's mouth hung open and the Witch's eyebrows shot up as Valentine unloaded and the small pile grew. The Ghost Lord would surly sink with all those on him! Finally the Gatekeeper stripped leaving only his pants on. He kicked off his boots and stretched his toned body, arming himself with only his Inventory pouch and a long dagger. He strapped the Items to his waist. A sword would hamper him in the water.

"Will that be enough?" Kalthu asked eyeing the lone dagger doubtfully.

"I've got you right?" Valentine said and winked cheekily.

Without another word the blond Gatekeeper entered the water and when he was deep enough, dove into the crystal clear lake. The Warlord spied a large outcropping rock which hung over the calm water. Perfect! Quickly he positioned himself and nocked an arrow, ready to defend the human. The water was so calm and clear that from his position, he could see Valentine clearly. The human was swimming towards the centre, the deepest part where the Lifestone was supposed to be.

"Bello?"

"I think the fair one might jusst manage it with the orc'sss help."

"Bel-lo, bello."

"Yesss, I know the Ssentinelsss can be nassty," replied the Witch remembering some of the violent fights between the Vogeruks and the Sentinels when the skeletal unicorns got too close to the water. "Perhapsss you would like to keep watch too?"

"Bel-loo," the hybrid agreed in her melodic voice. She loosened her coils around the Assassin but kept him within her grasp. If need be, she could now move at a moment's notice. "Bello," she was ready she announced.

Valentine held his breath and dove down into the crystal clear water with strong clean strokes. He was a good swimmer. He made his way to the deepest part keeping alert for the Sentinels. It was not long before colourful fish came to explore the strange creature, butting him with their heads and kissing him with little cautious pecks. They were weird and exotic looking, the signature of Simtrixx's creative team. Their style was displayed extensively in the Game's scenery, NPC and avatar design.

No problem. They were not aggressive, merely curious.

Valentine continued forward until he saw a several beds of corals clustered together. It was alive with all manner of fish, prawn, clams and other creatures. He even spotted an octopus or two ... hey wait a second, weren't octopuses salt water creatures? This was a fresh water lake wasn't it? It seemed Simtrixx dispensed with reality norms for the sake of variety, colour and beauty.

He went forward, "There is a large coral reef here. All kinds of creatures live in this habitat including a mix of fresh water and salt water," he reported in the mind link.

"The Life stone should be there somewhere. It's some kind of pearl," Lazarus responded.

"Pearl? I see some big clams and mussels. I'll go up for air and come down for another look."

Valentine headed up to the surface. He gulped down some air and gave Kalthu a wave indicating he was o'kay. Before he could finish waving, he felt something pull hard on his leg. Ooowww!! He vaguely heard Kalthu shouting something before he was submerged under water again.

A sudden pain ripped into his calves as sharp claws dug into his flesh. The clear water churned below him becoming red. Valentine kicked wildly trying to dislodge whatever had clamped onto him. His leg was released when his foot hit something. A slivery glint flashed past him disappearing into the depths.

"What the hell?"

"What?" Lazarus asked anxiously.

"I think the Sentinels have shown up."

Quickly Valentine surfaced. He wanted to refill his lungs before the next attack. He took a few deep breaths, downed a potion from his Inventory pouch and dove, dagger in hand. This time he was ready.

The silvery beings rose from the depths in a group. He almost gasped aloud underwater but fortunately managed to stop himself from losing his precious breath. The Sentinels were beautiful! Well, he assumed they were the Sentinels. Only they would have a reason to attack, right? The other lake inhabitants had been peaceful.

The Sentinels resembled slivery mer-folk, the mythical mermaids and mermen. They had humanoid tops and huge powerful platinum sliver tails. The human parts were perfect, as handsome and beautiful as any avatar he had seen on Orc Wars. Their hair were all the palest shades of silver and platinum blonds, complementing their greyish metallic tails nicely.

"Oh my God, they are mer-people!! This is so awesome. I wish you could see it!"

Ahhhh! The mer-prince's tear was the seed of the Lifestone? Now the Thief understood. Simtrixx had taken the myth that mer-peoples' tears became pearls. If a small exotic solid jewel made its way into a giant oyster and got coated by magical nacre, he guessed it could become a life source, right? And not just any old mermaid's tear but a royal one produced by true love's heartbreak. Valentine grinned, cheesy but acceptable if one used gaming logic he supposed. It was another excuse for Simtrixx to add more action and dungeons to the game. He didn't really care as long as he could get the component for the Annazzosh's antidote.

Bring it on!!

The Sentinels attacked as one, like a well-coordinated school of fish. At an unheard signal, they closed ranks to charge Valentine, clawed hands swiping at the Ghost Lord. He dodged, twisting his body gracefully underwater. He grinned internally, no problem. In real life, he had won a few medals and had represented his high school's swimming team, among other things. He loved sports and was an excellent swimmer.

Valentine counter-attacked with a melee weapon. The little ball he hurled at the attacking Sentinels exploded in an eruption of spikes. Two Sentinels at the forefront were gravely injured. Multiple injuries from the iron slivers leaked a milky substance. Their opened mouths screamed in silent agony as they died in a burst of bubbles. Undeterred, the others regrouped for another charge. This time they spread out in a loose formation encircling the Ghost Lord.

Uh-oh, he was in trouble.

Bulging muscles flexed on broad shoulders as the males glared menacingly at Valentine, their handsome chiselled features stern and forbidding. Even the females were tough he noticed. The mermaids' silvery fish scales rose all the way from sexy hips to their shapely chests. However, the grim visages on their flawless faces discouraged any thought of friendship or romance. On the other hand, their expression and stance were very hostile. They were all definitely trained warriors and held their positions effortlessly in the water.

A large well-formed male raised his clawed hand. His long pale hair floated around his head like a halo. The silvery gills behind his ears flared in anger as his hand balled into a tight fist and punched trice signalling his fellow guardians.

Eagerly the remaining Sentinels swam forward for another go at the human.

Valentine tensed gripping his dagger. Please don't let me die here and spoil everything, he prayed. Please don't let me die, PLEASE DON'T LET ME DIE HERE! He chanted silently as he faced the oncoming enemies.

Suddenly, a Sentinel squealed as he was pierced by an arrow. The lethal shaft lodged deeply in his shoulder puncturing his heart from behind. Milky substance leaked from his fatal wound into the clear water. A moment later, he burst into bubbles. After that, arrow after arrow shot into the water from above. The force behind each shot was so strong that it could hit its underwater targets without any trouble. One, two three died in front of Valentine's eyes and dissolved into nothingness. The others scrambled frantically breaking ranks to address the new threat from above.

Kalthu!! Thank God!! At that moment Valentine wanted to hug the big ugly orc.

The alert Warlord had seen the silvery mer-folk aiming for the gatekeeper. However, the puny human was badly outnumbered. It was time to even the odds.

Carefully Kalthu took aim squinting his beady eyes. Sighting a target, he let loose. Without waiting to see if his arrow hit its target, he sighted and let fly another and another. Kalthu kept up the assault confidently knowing that his arrows would not run out thanks to Constantine's enchantment.

He gave a short satisfied laugh when the fish folk exploded. The water around Valentine soon became milky white obstructing his view. The calm waters of the lake churned with the action below. Bubbles floated up breaking the surface continuously as Sentinels died. Kalthu grunted. He could not get a clear shot anymore. Never mind, he knew where Valentine was. He would continue shooting anything that strayed into sight.

The human was a true warrior indeed, he thought impressed. He could fight on land and under water.

Below, Valentine had taken advantage of the Sentinel's distraction to attack them. Before they had assessed the new threat, the Thief had disposed of another two who were nearest him. He plunged his dagger into a solid scaly stomach, slashing savagely upward to cut open a chest. Using his legs he kicked the shocked mermen away to gain momentum to another target.

Valentine then caught a powerful tail. Quickly he shredded the tail's fluke and hacked at the peduncle severing the beautiful elegant fins from the main tail. The Sentinel wailed in horror too shocked to react. His tail! His beautiful tail!! By the time he pulled himself together, it was too late. The Ghost Lord had already sunk his sharp dagger into the base of its fishy flesh and pulled upwards roughly. His actions sliced the silvery tail lengthwise killing the Sentinel.

A female guardian lunged at him, her flawless face screwed up in murderous hate. Expertly she flipped around to hit Valentine hard with her strong tail. He was thrown backwards arms flailing awkwardly for balance. Red blood stained the water when she attacked him again, this time using the natural knife-like fins growing along her arms. The Thief yelled automatically in pain, losing precious breath. He tried to back away from her but she was too fast. She attacked him viciously again and again, not giving him a chance to recover.

He had to get some air. His lungs were bursting! Desperately, Valentine reached into his Inventory pouch and grabbed a melee weapon. Flinging it at her, he angled his body for the impact. It detonated sending a strong outward wave. Everything was pushed away from its core. The Sentinel was sent hurtling into the depths of the lake whilst the gatekeeper was blown out of the water.

"Whoaaaaaaaaaa!!" Valentine screamed as he flew into the air. Quickly he sucked in a few deep breaths before he fell back into the water.

Kalthu looked up in surprise at the flying Ghost Lord. He had actually blasted himself out and away from harm. "Hahaha!!" Kalthu chuckled shaking his head. Crazy human. After a moment's amusement he went back to the battle at hand.

Gathering his wits, the Warlord shot furiously into the water. This was the best time to kill as many of the fish people before the human plunked back into the lake. Now, there was no chance of accidentally hitting Valentine. He pulled and released, working his orc bow to the maximum. More white froth muddied the clear lake as Sentinels bled and died.

A few seconds later, Valentine, the dashing handsome high level blond Ghost Lord did a forward dive. He spun gracefully twice in the air before entering the not so crystal lake with minimal splash. With freshly filled lungs and adrenalin pumping through his veins, Valentine got to work.

The Sentinels were demoralised. Within the first attacks, many of their comrades had died from the wily intruder. Then the deadly arrows had killed more of their kind. They had not expected such fierce resistance. The mer-guardians had been programed for only one high level enemy at a time. That was how the Players were supposed to search for the Lifestone; one at a time.

Valentine and Kalthu made short work of the remaining Sentinels. The orc-human teamwork wiped out the Lifestone's guardians in a fierce coordinated battle. The disheartened Sentinels were overwhelmed at the (unfair) help the human received from above. Soon the Sentinels were no more.

Valentine came up for breath breathing hard. He gasped wincing at his fiery lungs. The various wounds on his body stung and the deep gash along his stomach was making him weak. Hastily he drank several potions to top up his Health and Energy. In a few minutes, he recovered fully.

"Now, for the Lifestone," he muttered. He took a deep breath and dove down.

Searching the sandy floor and coral reef, he finally found large oyster-like creatures in a bed of spiky corals. Its shells were wide open, thick strings of mucus-like slime hanging from the upper shell to the lower one. However much he looked around, his gaze kept returning back to an extra large multi-coloured oyster. This must be it.

Carefully he swam nearer.

The giant oyster's outer shell was covered in green slime and brown seaweed. Valentine shook his head in amusement; imagine, seaweed in an obviously fresh water lake. Then again weren't mer-folk salt water creatures too? Popular myths all pointed to them living in the sea.

He inspected the creature maintaining a careful distance. The insides were immaculate and gleaming with the iridescent nacre sheen. The Thief tensed, yup it was definitely alive, he could make out the barely noticeable movements of the fleshy meat inside.

Oh, hang on. What's that? A quick flash caught his eye. Valentine floated nearer. He could make something out underneath the thick cream-orangey flesh; there was a smooth round object the size of a baseball. It disappeared from view when a bit of meat slid over the strangely translucent ball. Ahhh! He jerked back in alarm when the thick adductor muscle twitched. His blue eyes widened and he backed away some more. It was a trap. The oyster was waiting for him to get near enough to snap him up!

Hmmm, he needed a plan or something strong enough to prop the shell open while he worked to get the Lifestone pearl. He could easily drown and die if he got trapped in the oyster. Gah! If only Laz was 'healthy'. This was a job for him. Lazarus could easily dislodge and take the Lifestone even before the creature could blink its numerous eyes. Laz was that fast.

Valentine went up for air. By the time he had refilled his lungs, he had made a decision. The Boss was like a bear trap and the Lifestone was probably the trigger. He did not have anything in his Inventory that could withstand the obviously strong clamping shells of the trap. His only choice was to kill the creature or render it helpless. He needed to keep the two valves open.

Dagger in hand, Valentine neared the waiting monster. Locating the 'bump' under the meat, he readied himself for the first part of his plan. Carefully, he retrieved a small octagonal Item from his pouch. He flung the 'Stun' weapon at the live meat. Upon impact it imploded sucking in 'Energies' within a radius of one meter. Without 'Energy' to attack or move, the oyster Boss was effectively stunned for 30 seconds.

Immediately, the Thief initiated part two of his awesome plan. He swam directly into the gaping jaws. Working quickly he severed the top adductor muscle and pushed the heavy solid valve open all the way. The unsupported shell fell backwards with a thud, smashing unfortunate dainty corals that were behind it. He needed to be fast. Laz's super Speed would be so welcomed now, thought the gatekeeper again.

No time to waste. Valentine dove for the Lifestone. Bracing his legs against the lower shell, he lifted the paralysed meat until the 'Pearl' came into view. Carefully he positioned himself, shouldering the hefty meat in order to free his hands. He dug at the sparkling globe until it came free. Grabbing the large pearl he stuffed it into his Inventory pouch.

Valentine backed away just as the stun effect wore off.

The revived oyster became extremely aggressive. Its exposed meat spasm wildly, feeling the pain of its severed muscle. It elongated like a jeering tongue trying to attack the human but it was too late.

"I don't want to fight you," mouthed Valentine. "You are bigger and badder than me but I'm smarter. Adios oyster Boss. Thanks for the Lifestone!"

With that Valentine swam for the surface leaving the furious injured oyster Boss in its bed of broken corals.

A loud chime sounded and the sky flashed a message.

LIFESTONE GROUP QUEST : 1/2 Complete

Find the Lifestone : COMPLETED by Lord Valentine

Return the Lifestone to the Ghost Lords' Realm : INCOMPLETE

Everyone looked up at the cloudless sky but only the paralysed Ghost Lord saw and read the message. His silver eyes widened, hope stirring in his chest. Valentine had done it! He had obtained the Lifestone!