Valentine groaned as he regained consciousness and tried to move but he couldn't. Something heavy was on him. He cracked an eye open and whacked the body on top.

"Hey!! Get off me."

He tried to push the body off but it was too heavy.

"Laz? Laz!!"

A door burst open and guards rushed in.

"Who goes there!!"

"Ughh!" Valentine tried pushing Lazarus off him again. Immediately, two swords were at his throat.

"Someone, call the Battle Master!! We have been breached!!"

"Call the Keeper too!!"

"Who are you? Do not touch Lord Lazarus again or you will run through, understand?"

Dimitri rushed into his lord's chamber and stopped short. The soldiers behind him bumped into each other at their leader's abrupt stop.

"Stand down! Put your swords away. That's Lord Valentine," Dimitri bellowed.

Before he could move further into the room, a white blur streaked past him. Anya sniffed at her Chosen and whined. The 'wrongness' on the blood stains soaking her chosen's clothes were stronger. It was getting worse. Why wasn't he getting up? Anya bit into her Chosen's collar and pulled him off Valentine freeing the Thief. She whined and fussed over Lazarus, licking his wounds.

"Wake up Chosen! Wake up, wake up, I'm sorry. Please wake up!"

Anya ignored everyone else in the room as she fussed frantically over the motionless assassin.

Valentine sat up slowly, dazed.

"Help Lord Valentine up! He is Lord Lazarus's most trusted friend," Dimitri instructed the guards authoritatively.

The Battle Master sighed inwardly. The only problem with the fantastic spawning/training rate Lazarus had achieved with the soldiers to grow his army was the fantastic spawning rate. He had to instruct the new units on the finer points of humanity. Only the older ones had seen and recognised Lord Valentine during their earlier campaign against the orcs. These newbies however needed an introduction to the loyal Thief. Wait until they see him in action, thought the Battle Master.

Dimitri wasn't disappointed.

Valentine recovered quickly getting his bearings. His eyes narrowed at the imprudent guards who dared put a sword to his neck. In an instant, he kicked out at them and jumped away. Flashes of silver flew in the air and the two guards cried out in pain, little daggers embedded in their sword arms. Their weapons clattered to the floor. The thief landed neatly beside the Anya and glared at them. He did not want to kill them and waste Lazarus's troops even if it were only two miserable level twenty guards. Point made.

"I don't need their help to get up."

The two guilty NPCs saluted and backed out the chamber hastily at their Battle Master's urgent covert gestures.

Dimitri bowed to Valentine. "Please forgive them my Lord. They are, umm ... new. They were just performing their assigned duties."

"Hrummmpphhhh."

Valentine ignored all of them and checked his friend over. They were safe in Lazarus' City that was for sure, he recognised Lazarus's private chambers. He had been here often enough, planning with him, Dimitri and the Keeper.

Lazarus's clothes were still wet from his blood, but there were only pinkish scars on his chest. His mangled shoulder was also healing nicely, the wound was already closed and the flesh mending.

Valentine winced remembering how Anya had attacked Lazarus when she was possessed. She had clawed her Chosen and bitten his shoulder savagely. It could not have been long since they had gotten out of that tomb. He wondered what had happened after that. He frowned, he could not remember anything after ... after ...? Suddenly a strangled sound came from his throat. Tania!! Tania had killed Anya, then she was possessed and he had killed her. He had killed Tania!

"Tania!!" he cried in panic.

Just then the Keeper bustled into the room with a few maids trailing behind her. She was all business.

"You! Wolf! Go to Lord Valentine." She shooed a large tawny wolf into the room. The huge predator padded over obediently to her Chosen who hugged her. "I found her slinking outside the gates. That wonderful creature mind spoke me," the Keeper explained to the guest's questioning look as she busied herself.

The Battle Master frowned at her. Letting in an unknown familiar into the secured city was not a good idea.

"I wouldn't have let her in if not for the confirmation from Lord Lazarus's white one." She jerked her head towards Anya. Dimtri nodded satisfied and relaxed.

"Now you take care of Lord Valentine. I've got things to do."

"Oh! Thank God you're okay!" Valentine buried his face into her soft fur. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I killed you, I'm so sorry!" Tania licked his face and all was forgiven.

"Umm, Lady Keeper? Be careful of him. He is armed and dangerous," an over cautious guard cautioned her from the door. Both Valentine and the Battle Master glared at him making him quail.

"Nonsense! Lord Valentine wouldn't hurt a fly," she paused thoughtfully. "Unless that fly happened to hurt him or Lord Lazarus or one of his own that is," she amended.

"Don't just stand there, help me get the boy in bed."

Under her competent supervision, they got Lazarus into bed and the room cleared of unnecessary people. Quickly, she stripped off her lord's torn shirt and vest, throwing the bloodied rags into a basket.

Anya whined worriedly.

"It's worse!! Why won't he wake up?"

"It's okay. The humans will help him," Tania tried to comfort her.

"It's my fault. I attacked him." She whimpered, pacing the length of the bed.

"And I you sister. Do not blame yourself. You were not yourself. He knows and will not blame you."

Valentine stroked Tania's head comfortingly oblivious of the conversation between the two familiars.

"Why won't he wake up, Keeper? He has healed hasn't he?" Valentine asked worriedly.

The Keeper checked the motionless figure. She wiped her lord's torso, cleaning off the blood and gore.

"He will be alright. He just bumped his head." She took Valentine's hand and held it to Lazarus's head. "Here, feel it?"

"Yeah," Valentine closed his eyes in relief.

"He should come round in a while. Nothing to worry about now," she said convincingly.

"Okay."

For a moment he had the horrible thought that Simtrixx had rendered Lazarus useless, cruelly cutting short his time in the game. Not dead but unable to function properly, unable to continue with the search for his cure. They were so near. If Lazarus had managed to clear Constantine's Trial, that would mean he had the amethyst scarab, right? Ughh, he was dying to know if Lazarus has managed it. He did not want to do the Trial again.

Valentine looked around the room. Anya and Tania had settled down laying side by side near the bed. Anya had her head in between her paws, nose pointed towards her Chosen. Her eyes stayed on his still form. Lazarus's Battle Master and Keeper were conferring quietly by the bed stealing surreptitious glances at their lifeless Lord.

After a quiet discussion, the Keeper went to a solid chest and took out a vial. Without a word she went to her Lord and emptied the contents into his mouth.

"What did you give him? Will it work?"

"I don't know but Lord Lazarus told me to make him drink this, if ever he ..." she stopped with a catch in her voice unable to continue. Only then did Valentine realise how worried she truly was under her calm facade. Suddenly he was afraid again.

"He won't die will he? I mean he will wake up, right?"

No response.

The Thief turned desperately to the Battle Master. "Right?"

"I don't know lad. None of us do. We can only try."

"What?! What do you mean, you don't know?" he cried in a panic.

Valentine whirled around and grabbed the pale assassin by the shoulders. "Get up! Get up you idiot!" He started shaking Lazarus violently. "I swear I'll kill you, if that is what it takes to wake you up!! Wake up!" he roared.

Anya jumped up growling at Valentine, hackles raised. Tania reacted, claws extended facing Anya. Sister or not, she was going to defend her Chosen if she attacked Valentine. Dimitri grabbed the crazed gatekeeper, trying to drag him away from Lazarus. "Calm down, everyone! Boy! I mean Lord Valentine, let him go!"

The Keeper was hanging onto Lazarus who was half dragged from the bed in the tussle. It was a weird tug-of-war.

"Ughh! Oh Gods! What are all of you doing?" Lazarus croaked. "Let me go, you nut! And you too Keeper," he batted at her hands feebly which was locked around his chest.

They were literally tearing him apart. He couldn't breathe! He started choking, strangling and gagging sounds coming from his mouth.

"Anya! Anya! Get them off me!! They are killing me!!" he yelled in his mind desperately.

At once Anya leaped into action. She pounced onto the bed, snarling and biting anyone not Lazarus. Valentine released his hold on the assassin with a yelp. The Keeper snatched her hands back but she too bore the fury of the frenzied wolf. Long scratches decorated her hands as she staggered back. Dimitri caught the Keeper in his arms before she fell.

Tania growled at Anya, but the white wolf stood protectively before her Chosen. She bared her fangs daring the tawny wolf to attack. She was ready to kill anyone who threatened her Chosen, friend or foe.

"Down Tania!" Valentine called. He had regained his senses. Lazarus was awake.

"You're hurt. I will rip out her heart."

"Grrrr!!"

"Go Grrrrr yourself!!"

"It's okay Tania, it's only a scratch. No need for any heart ripping."

"She can try!" Anya taunted Tania, her bright blue eyes still on the growling golden wolf.

Valentine rolled his eyes. "You're beginning to sound just like him," he said to Anya. "Move out of the way, I'm going to check Laz."

"Grrrrrrr!! No!" she snarled.

"Seriously! Laz!!" he yelled for his friend's help.

Lazarus was in no position to help anyone. He was too busy coughing and gasping for breath, his whole body spasming uncontrollably. The damn nauk-dzi vras was acting up again.

Valentine lost his temper. "Keeper!! Get me more of that potion!! You!! Anya, out of my way!! Bite me and God help me, I am so-ooo going to bite you back!!"

The Thief, in full battle mode rushed to Lazarus's side mindless of his ferocious furry guard. Anya snapped at him but Valentine flipped dodging her smartly. He smacked her deftly on her sensitive nose with the flat of a blade which magically appeared in his hand. The tap shocked her but did not really hurt the familiar.

"Do that again and I will slit your throat," he warned, scowling at her.

A familiar was no match for a crazy immortal Hero looking for a fight.

Valentine caught Lazarus who had gone limp again. There was blood trickling from his lips.

"Laz?"

"Chosen!!"

"It's okay Anya. You snapped him out of his frenzy. Now, he is helping me," the weak mind-link came through. "You did good."

"I did? Really?"

"Yeah. Thank you. Now let the nut takeover."

"Where is that damn potion?! What's taking so long? Keeper?!"

Another bottle of potion was pushed into Valentine's waiting hand. Without hesitation, he poured its contents into Lazarus mouth and waited.

"This better work."

A tense minute passed before the assassin recovered enough to sit up. "One day, you guys really are going to kill me."