Azazel, Warlock Level 58 and his group of two other Warlocks, an Assassin and a Priest appeared at the mouth of the Assassin's Path. The narrow passage cut through a rocky mountain and was said to be an assassin's paradise. It was designed by Lazarus and could only be assessed via acceptance of the Gate Keeper's quest. The innocent looking road ahead was full of lurking dangers waiting to ambush and kill the unsuspecting Player.

"Is this the right place?"

"Yes, my Lord. No one has ever succeeded in taking Lazarus's Orb yet. They say you have to think like an assassin to get through but until now, even the most skilled assassins have failed."

"The thing is ..."Azazel drawled thoughtfully, "... not to think like an assassin but to think like a Lazarus. That's where you come in Nyx." He turned to the assassin in the group.

Nyx, Assassin Level 55 smiled acknowledging her team leader. They were depending on her assassin's senses to get a feel of the Trial. Also, she was a big fan of Lazarus and had followed all his exploits, so she might have some clues to his style of thinking.

"Now all we have to do is invoke that Gate Keeper for the Trial. He cannot refuse. We are all eligible."

"Ready?" Azazel asked his group and raised his voice. "Gate Keeper, we have come for your Portal Orb. We demand to take your Trial. What is your quest?"

Usually an NPC lookalike dressed as the original Player would be on standby and would materialise if the Player did not appear within 5 seconds. After all, the Player was only human and could not be online twenty four seven. If a challenger wanted to try the Orb Trial, the Lazarus NPC look-a-like would have a standard script describing the trial. It would allow any who was eligible and politely deny access to those who failed the set criteria.

However, Lazarus tried to be there personally. Some questions could not be answered by an NPC ... and he liked to see the Players' reactions when they realised it was really him. It was fun. It kept them on their toes and made the Game experience more engaging. Simtrixx appreciated his efforts and so did the Players. It made his Trial very popular indeed. Some came just to look or talk to him, not take the Trial at all.

"Over there!!" a Priest shouted pointing with his staff to the opposite wall.

Lord Lazarus dressed richly in black and silver appeared on a high ridge jutting out the rocky wall. He looked every inch the deadly enigmatic assassin he was supposed to be. A gentle breeze blew at him, lifting his long dark hair playfully. He watched them quietly for a while assessing the group below him.

"It's an NPC, it just appeared."

"No, I think it's really him. He must have ported in."

Azazel stared at the familiar dark figure. Up close, the legendary avatar was even better than the promotional posters, advertisements and videos. Everyone who played Orc Wars was familiar with the five winners from Season One.

How the hell could Lazarus look so relaxed and lethal at the same time? Azazel had heard the assassin kept various weapons hidden on his body. No one knew how many exactly, there was always one more than expected. The Warlock knew he was a good Player but he had no doubts the assassin before him could kill him in an instant. Lazarus was known for his speed and accuracy.

There was just something about him. The legend on the ledge emanated a deadly confident aura. He just stood there, unmoving, assessing them. It unnerved Azazel.

The Warlock clenched his teeth. He should keep his cool in front of his group. As their 'leader' he shouldn't show them how awed he was. Lazarus made an imposing figure indeed.

It couldn't really be him. Could it? Azazel sneered at the figure, "Showing off?" He didn't really expect a reply. NPCs only responded if a quest related question was directed at it. That was it's function.

Lazarus shrugged, "It's what you guys do all the time. I thought you would appreciate it."

Oh! It was the real Lazarus.

The group looked at each other uneasily. How did Lazarus know they liked to port in and out of places? Porting saved time, energy and indicated that they were well off ... rich enough to spend on teleports. Normal Players don't like to waste their hard earned gold on teleports. Most spend on horses, they were cheaper and was the standard mode of transport.

"Anyways, you should be prepared for anything at all times, right, My Lord Azazel?" the assassin asked smiling innocently.

Azazel snorted rudely hiding his discomfort. "What is your quest? Just tell us so we can get your Orb and get out of here."

Lazarus lifted an eyebrow at the bold statement. Does this player think he had the demonic powers of the fallen angel just by taking his name? Hmm, we'll see.

"Okay. It's easy. All you have to do is get through the Assassin's Path, find my Orb at the end and take it. Pretty straightforward isn't it?"

"That's it?" Nyx, Assassin Level 55 blurted disbelievingly before she could stop herself.

Lazarus turned his attention to the slim pretty girl. His eyes sparkled appreciatively when he realised she was also an assassin. She caught her breath and felt her cheeks flush as his silvery grey eyes bored into her.

"Yeah, that's all milady. I'm a tragically simple guy." He bowed slightly to her.

Nyx blinked, her heart skipping a beat as the handsome Gatekeeper straightened up only to give her a crooked smile. The rumours about Lord Lazarus were true. The mysterious assassin was more than met the eye. Simple guy? She didn't believe that for a second, not when he was looking at her like that. His charming demeanour hid a sneaky brilliant mind.

She should know, she had seen all his quests, fights, behind the scenes training and planning. He always managed to save himself except that time when Silhouette the Rouge had killed him by mistake. Even then, he had made the calculated move to save his friends. He played to win didn't he? Or he wouldn't be one among those who guarded the portal orbs. But damn, he was good-looking!

"Lady Nyx? Goddess of the Night ... I like that," he continued.

She couldn't help but feel pleased at his approval. He knew what her name meant.

Lazarus tilted his head at the group and continued. "Perhaps I should mention that the Assassin's Path is full of deadly traps and if you get past those, take my Orb if you can. It is hidden in plain sight. But take heed, you will be able to use it only once with the other four Orbs." His tone was neutral but somehow it was clear he didn't think they could do it.

"You can use any Skill or Item to help you complete my Trial ... except teleports. That is the standard rule for all Trials. It wouldn't be fun if you all ported to the end, right?"

Lazarus touched the air in front of him and a prompt appeared above the group. He turned back to Azazel, the leader. "You may complete my Trial as a group but only one can claim the Orb at the end. Do you accept my quest, Lord Warlock and team?"

GateKeeper Lazarus, Assassin, Level 75, Portal Orb Trial

Accept / Reject

"We will have your Portal Orb within the hour, no problem." The Warlock growled as he touched the Accept button. When the Warlock looked up again, Lazarus was gone.

The air around them shimmered as the Quest Shield was lifted for the approved Players, allowing them access onto the Path. Other Players not on the team would not be able to enter the Assassin's Path without accepting the Trial. It was a locked zone.

"C'mon, let get this over with."

The group moved slowly, alert for any traps. Azazel led the way using his orange mage light to brighten the way. The Assassin's Path was cold and shrouded in shadows. It was actually a deep narrow Pass cut through a high mountain. The sunlight blocked by the rocky walls on either side gave the place a sinister feel. Sparse vegetation dotted the landscape. There was not much to see, except the rocky walls and the sandy floor.

"Get down!!"

The whole group flattened themselves on the ground as arrows shot out from both sides. They stayed down a full minute whilst arrows whizzed harmlessly over their bodies. Anyone caught standing would have died and been eliminated immediately.

"Okay, everybody up," Azazel said in a shaky voice.

"That was close."

"Keep your eyes open."

They started moving forward again. Thankfully the path widened allowing them to spread out.

"What was that?"

"What? I don't see anything?"

"Careful!!" Harlock, Warlock Level 57 shoved Nyx backwards just as an arrow shot past the Assassin to land some distance away. She stumbled, regaining her balance.

"Thanks."

"That crazy Gate Keeper, what's this?"

Arrows now shot randomly from both sides at irregular intervals keeping them on their toes. The arrows shot upwards, downwards, backwards and from the front. The Heroes kept turning checking their surroundings, ducking and dodging the random arrows. Progress was slow. There were no specified targets. Some of the angled shots were even loosed into the sky.

They did not notice Lazarus in the shadow of a high ledge, watching them. The random arrows made the Priest hop, another made a Warlock sprawl awkwardly on the sandy floor. The Assassin grinned. His trial was not really designed to eliminate them. It was to test their reaction and speed.

Tsk, tsk. Lazarus shook his head as a stray arrow grazed the Warlock Harlock on his arm. How careless, the Warlock should have been faster. He probably depended on his magic to get this far. Harlock clutched his wounded arm as red stained his sleeve.

"Does he think he can kill us randomly? He must think us easy targets or ..."

Azazel didn't get to finish his sentence as Harlock yelled and Nyx screamed. The sandy ground suddenly gave way swallowing Jazebel, Level 55, the third Warlock who had forged ahead. The Priest was sinking and was already waist deep in the sand.

"Hang on Zett!" Azazel shouted at the Priest. Zetton, Priest Level 56 nodded nervously as the ground came up to chest level. He was sinking fast but didn't dare move a muscle.

Azazel muttered a spell and waved his arms pointing at the stuck Priest. The air around the trapped Player shimmered. Slowly, Zetton rose from the sand. It made disgusting sucking sounds as it gave up its prize. The Warlock continued muttering, beads of sweat running down his face as he gently guided his floating friend to stable ground.

Meanwhile, Harlock had saved himself by a floating charm and Nyx had lashed out her whip desperately. It coiled onto a nearby shrub and the Assassin managed to drag herself out of the quicksand before sinking in too deep.

Jazebel was nowhere to be found.

The four of them looked at the ground in shock. The spot where the Warlock had disappeared was glowing. Jazebel must be suffocating underground. The sand started smoking, emitting a foul stench as the Warlock burned in death. It turned black then started melting at the intense heat. Soon it was over. A dark smooth glass spot marked Jazebel's grave.