The three Gatekeepers and the alien Boss emerged into the rubble of the ruined orc city.

Constantine, Warlock, Level 96

Valentine, Thief, Level 93

Lazarus, Assassin, Level 92

Bello, Boss (NPC)

Behind them, the whirling darkness slowed down, stopped and faded away as the Portal deactivated. Its middle disappeared completely leaving only an empty pearly grey frame. The solid pentagon was cold and empty again. The five identical niches at each juncture were also empty.

"What happened to the Orbs?" asked Valentine.

"I don't know. Maybe it was used up when we activated the Portal to go through. That way others who come along will have space for their Orbs, yes? They cannot cheat and use ours and go through the activated Portal, no?"

"That makes sense."

Suddenly the sky lighted up with notifications.

Congratulations! You are the first Group to return safely from the Orc Realm successfully.

LIFESTONE GROUP QUEST : COMPLETED (2/2)

Find the Lifestone : COMPLETED by Lord Valentine

Return the Lifestone to the Ghost Lords' Realm : COMPLETED by Lord Lazarus

Group Reward : 500,000 XP points, 1,000,000 gold coins, One Familiar Slot unlocked, Destroyer Skin, Warrior Box Set (Please check your inventory)

A sense of euphoria enveloped the trio.

"Wow! Just wow," sighed Valentine in satisfaction. He had a huge smile plastered on his handsome face. "I guess the Lifestone in your blood also counts," he said clapping the Assassin on his back.

"We did it, yes?" Constantine jumped and high-fived Valentine. "We really did! We are the best! We are so awesome!!"

Lazarus glanced at the awestruck Bello beside him. The purple Boss was still quiet for now. She was clinging tightly to him and surveying her surroundings curiously. She sniffed the air experimentally.

"We sure did. Thanks guys," the Assassin's voice cracked with emotion.

Lazarus couldn't believe it. With his friends' unwavering help, loyal support and constant encouragement, he had done it. They had helped him in the impossible task of regaining his Health, without which he would have been forced to quit the Game. In doing so, they had also helped him complete the Lifestone mission.

Valentine cleared his throat noisily and pretended nonchalance. "What for?"

"You know, for helping with the Bello quests, fighting Mallarg and figuring out the antidote to cure me. I couldn't have done it without you two and the others. Your Familiars died there too."

"Hey, I only followed for the adventure, yes?" said Constantine blatantly ignoring the fact that he had badgered Lazarus into letting him go along in the first place. "I wanted to see the orc realm without having to do all your tedious Trials, yes? I told you so at the beginning, no?" But the Red Warlock was blinking rapidly and looking everywhere but at the Assassin.

"And I only went to orc land with you cause ... cause fighting monsters there would enable me to level up faster. You know dungeoning there gives much more XP and besides you needed a bodyguard. You were so weak and ... and ..." The Thief was cut off by a bear hug from the Assassin. The Red Warlock too was pulled into the impromptu group hug.

"Bel-lo?"

The alien Boss eyed the hugging humans. Oh! Was it was a human ritual when coming back to their home world. It looks fun. She must do it too!!

Without ceremony, large purple tentacles enveloped the three Heroes and squeezed.

"Chu-uuu~!! Chu-uuu~!!" crooned the happy Bello. Although her species were basically solitary beings, seeing her human happy with his small shoal of humans was a nice feeling.

"Let go! Let go!!" gasped Valentine. "Laz get your monster in order!"

"I can't breathe!" choked Constantine. "Help!"

"Bello! Not so tight!" wheezed Lazarus urgently. They were being crushed under the tightening masses of coils.

Suddenly an angry piercing cry sounded high in the sky. It reverberated loudly in the abandoned orc city. A furious red falcon dive bombed the purple Boss, intent on saving his Chosen.

"Xico! No!" yelled Constantine.

At the same time, Lazarus who was alert for potential ambush from hostile Heroes upon their return flung out and activated the Item which appeared in his hand. "Shield!!"

The Shield flared activating in mid-air. It quickly expanded to form a small protective globe around the four on the ground.

Xico, the majestic red falcon crashed heavily onto the sudden barrier squawking in indignation.

"Ughh!!" groaned the Assassin upon impact. The Shield held.

Not giving up, Xico flapped and scratched at the shimmering wall before flying high again. He dive bombed again and again trying to get through.

"Sisters!! Help protect your Chosens! That beast is eating them alive!!"

"Grrrr!! I am here Chosen!" howled Tania appearing from the rubble. She attacked the purple beast, fangs bared, claws extended.

"Anya!! Do not attack! It's the Bello! I brought her back here," Lazarus mind-spoke Anya urgently. "Arrgghhh!! She is not attacking us."

Anya stopped dead in her tracks to digest the information. The huge purple beast is the Bello monster? She was not attacking her Chosen? But it had totally swallowed all three humans. A low uncertain growl issued from her throat.

"Chosen?"

Meanwhile the Assassin was frantically trying to get the situation under control.

"Bello, get off us! It looks like you are swallowing us whole, get off!!"

"Myutt! Myutt!" replied the Bello. "I am not eating you! You will not taste good. I am just doing your ritual thing."

"O'kay, it's done," Lazarus spoke aloud. "You can let go now."

"Bel-lo," she said sweetly. She backed off withdrawing her limbs to expose the live Heroes. Such a short ritual. Humans were so strange.

Xico was wild with worry. The falcon was strong. Each time he crashed into the Shield, Lazarus winced. Tania too had taken to biting and clawing the barrier snarling ferociously.

"Gods, seriously! Val, Constantine, get Tania and Xico to back off. They are literally killing me."

Valentine rolled his eyes. "Don't be dramatic. That's Constantine's job. A few taps on your Shield is nothing compared to what you've survived."

Constantine grinned. But even as Valentine was talking, the crimson falcon and the golden wolf had stopped their attacks. Instead they had taken a watchful stance outside the Shield with the white wolf.

"Everyone back off. Show that you are unharmed."

Each Gatekeeper mind-spoke his familiar. They had to get the situation under control.

"My Xico loves me, yes?" the Red Warock said proudly and gestured to the watchful predator. Then he mind-spoke his familiar to put him a ease. "I am o'kay Xico. This Bello is no match for my greatness, yes? She was only hugging us. See? I am fine."

"Hugging?" The great falcon tilted his head and blinked. "Did it hurt?" he chirped.

"No love," laughed Constantine. "But you came just in time. I missed you."

"I miss you too Chosen!" Xico shrieked and took to the skies with powerful beats of his wings. "Now you are home and we are together again!"

His Chosen was safe. His Chosen was home.

"Tania! It's o'kay. No biting the Bello. Laz brought her back."

"Awwwww," Tania licked her nose disappointed. "Just a little bite? It's so-oooo purple. I want to see what it tastes like. It looks squishy."

"Don't. She is bigger and has more arms than you have paws," grinned Valentine.

Anya and Xico had spoken to her. Their respective Chosens had confirmed that the monster was a friend. Now that she was convinced that her Chosen wasn't in danger, she was fascinated by the Bello. It had so many of those tantalizing, long, wriggly things. Her head followed the moving tentacles and she unconsciously got into a hunting stance. She crouched down choosing the nearest limb and got ready to pounce.

"Lazarus wouldn't like it if you hunted his friend."

"Friend?" Tania froze. "Hunting mate? Pack mate?"

Anya snorted and shook her coat. "My Chosen says, she is the newest member of our strange pack. She ranks lower than me but maybe the same as the hoofed one. We shall see when they meet."

"Then she ranks lower than me too," replied Tania satisfied.

"No hunting her. She is the monster who helped cure my Chosen," stated Anya.

Suddenly she sat down on her hunched and howled. She howled long and hard, her wolfy heart happy and relieved. Her Chosen is alive and well. He will live. He will not leave her all alone as she had feared. She will not have to exist until she faded away.

Anya padded over to the edge of the Shield. She scrutinized the Bello intensely with her unblinking blue eyes for a few seconds before catching Lazarus' attention.

"The Bello saved my Chosen. I will adopt the purple one," she announced openly so that all the GateKeepers and familiars could hear. Even Kirana and Isis would know and so would their familiars. "From now on she is under my protection."

Her announcement stunned Lazarus. It effectively elevated the monster's status. Anyone who hunted the Bello would pay a steep price indeed, may it be another Hero or NPC.

"Wow," breathed Valentine.

"What does this mean?" asked Constantine. "Is this allowed in-game? I've never come across anything of this sort happening anywhere."

"I don't know," replied Lazarus. He was just as confused. Orc Wars was proving to be more and more multi-layered as it evolved and upgraded. The relationship between Heroes, familiars, Bosses and random NPCs were already complicated. This was a whole other level. Who knew what it meant and how it would affect the algorithm of the NPC.

"I guess it's safe to remove the Shield now."

Lazarus reached out to touch the air. The cancelled Shield shimmered and vanished.

Anya padded over to the Bello. She sniffed a purple tentacle and looked up straight into the Bello's human face.

"Bel-lo." The Bello lowered her human half. "Bel-lo?"

Anya gave a short bark and wagged her tail. "Welcome purple one. You are now one of our pack."

"Bello."

The Boss stayed still as the snowy wolf touched noses with her pert human nose. When Anya finished, it was her turn. Tania stayed still as purple limbs traced her muscled canine body and touched her fur.

"Bel-lo," crooned the Bello. Her human's white creature was furry and soft. There were also teeth and claws, and she did feel strong muscles of a fierce hunting predator underneath but they were not for hurting her. The human said so. On the other hand, he also forbade her from hurting or eating the furry one.

"Myutt, myutt!" she huffed. "I wouldn't eat her or the others. They will not taste good ... like the kivhs."

Lazarus laughed. He was relieved that Anya and the Bello had accepted each other. The other familiars will follow her lead since the Bello was associated primarily with him.

"Let's go home."

"Xico! Come!" the Red Warlock called his loyal familiar, holding out an arm for the falcon to land.

Before Valentine could command his beautiful golden wolf, she yipped at him. "Chosen, let's go home. I'm hungry and you owe me meat."

"Ahhh, you didn't forget." Valentine turned to the other two Heroes. "I'm porting back home then I'm logging out. My bladder is killing me."

"Feed me first ..." Tania snorted.

Valentine patted Tania. "Of course, Tania, my wonderful brave wolf."

Without another word the handsome Thief activated his port and disappeared. Tania licked her muzzle and vanished after her Chosen.

"I'm going too. We need a break, yes?"

Lazarus nodded and waved to the Red Warlock.

"See you."

Constantine gestured and faded away. Xico launched himself into the air, shrieked once and disappeared.

"Come," said Lazarus. He beckoned to Anya and the Bello. "Anya, show her the way home. I can't port with her."

"Yes, home," echoed Anya. "Follow me purple one. I will show you the way."

"Bel-lo," agreed the Bello. This four legged one was no match for her but was authoritative. She would humour her for now. This home promised to be where her human lived so, there must be food there. She wondered if the food here was different. Berries and nuts would do but she hoped he had saved some delicious kivhs for her.

"Bello?" she asked the wolf politely. Anya replied by wagging her tail and bounding off.

"Bello!" The Boss clapped her hands in delight and moved after the familiar.

The Assassin gave an amused smile to see his two friends' communication. He did not worry about the Bello. She would follow Anya who would in turn lead her to his Keep.

Satisfied, he took out a port and activated it.

"Home."