Jace and Ash were waiting for the next class to start. Students were slowly filing into the lecture hall. Two girls made a beeline to them, one dragging the other.

"Hi Ash ... Jace."

"Hi Chloe. What's up?"

Chloe sat down opposite them gesturing for her friend to do the same. She glanced at Jace noticing he was plugged in. "Still in his own world huh? What is he listening to now?"

"Instrumental rock covers of his favourite tracks. He has gone international. I don't recognise some of them." He rolled his eyes at his friend's weird taste in music. "Tell me you didn't come all this way just to ask me that." He pretended to look crestfallen. Chloe winked at him and indicated her friend.

"This is Aria. She is new here. I thought I'd introduce her to everyone."

"Hi Aria, nice to meet you."

"Hi," Aria smiled at him but after a second her eyes strayed back to Jace.

Aria was new. She had transferred in recently and lived with her grandfather guardian who had pulled some strings to get her transferred here. Within a week the friendly happy-go-lucky Chloe had taken her under her wing and initiated her into her large circle of friends.

Aria looked lingeringly at Jace. Unfortunately he had his eyes closed and was drumming his fingers on the table to a beat that only he could hear. He didn't notice they had company.

Ash grinned, she was here for Jace not him. She blushed. Ash reached out to yank out an ear bud.

"What ...?" Jace's eyes flew open as he searched for the person who interrupted him. "Is Mr.Mason here already?"

"Nope. Aria and Chloe wanted to say 'Hi' before class starts," he added mischievously.

"Huh? Who?"

"Chlo-eee you know and this is Aria, she is new here."

"Oh hey, Chloe, Aria."

Jace flashed his trademark half-smile at the two girls. Chloe the bubbly good natured chatterbox and match-maker he knew. Ash kept losing friendly bets to her on a regular basis. It was common knowledge Chloe was sweet on Ash and Ash ... well, Jace had a sneaky feeling that his friend's losing streak was not all chance.

The other girl ... he took in the petite form of the new girl sitting in front of him. Straight black hair with blue highlights fell in perfect symmetry over her shoulders. Heavy black eyeliner enhanced her dark brown eyes. Her full lips shone with a hint of pink lip gloss on a pale face. She was clad in dark fitting clothes but hid her figure with an oversized leather jacket. A Goth girl. A rebel ... or someone trying to hide a painful past.

"Ash said you guys are into that new MMORPG game, Orc Wars. Aria plays too, so I thought she could talk to you. I'm introducing her to everyone I know who plays. I just started so I'm still learning." She winked at Ash.

Jace took a closer look at Aria, interested. She blushed. A gamer goth girl, and she played Orc Wars at that. Her pink lips curved up into a shy smile.

"You play? Cool."

"Been playing long?" Ash asked.

"Ever since the Game was out. I saw the Reality Show and was hooked. I had to try it for myself and have been playing ever since."

"Aria is obsessed with Orc Wars. I bet she knows everything about it." Chloe caught Ash's eyes, "Ask her anything about the Game, I bet you she knows!"

"Bet?" Ash grinned. He glanced at Aria. "I doubt she knows more about Orc Wars than me. I'm an expert."

"Really?" Chloe smirked challengingly. "She is obsessed with it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Stakes?"

Just then, Mr.Mason walked in. He went straight to the lecture podium and switched on the mike, tapping it, signalling the start of class.

"We will discuss stakes later!" Chloe pulled her friend to grab seats nearer the front. Aria followed her but turned back for a quick look at Jace.

Ash leaned over to Jace. "I think she likes you."

Jace shrugged, "Nah. She is probably just checking out other Players in the Game."

"I bet she likes you. The mysterious good-looking guy who always sits at the back of the class, who refuses to go on dates even when there are legions of girls all dying to go out with him," Ash dipped his voice dramatically gesturing wildly with his hands.

Jace shook his head in amusement at his friend's exaggerations.

"You seriously have to spend less time with Chloe. You are starting to sound like her."

Ash burst out laughing and settled down as the lecture begun.

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

The four of them had lunch together. Aria had been shy at first letting Chloe do all the talking. The lively conversation was carried mostly by Chloe and Ash. Jace was also more reserved compared to his extrovert friend.

Only when the topic shifted to the MMORPG game, Orc Wars did Aria come alive. She was really into the Game and knew a lot. Jace exchanged a quick look with Ash. Careful, don't give too much away. It may amount to revealing insider information. They were sort of employees now, Simtrixx was paying them to play, and very well too. Non-Disclosure clauses had been prominent in the contract they had signed with the company. They had to be careful.

"So where are you at?" Ash asked Aria.

"I've completed all the beginner's quests, upgrading my city and Hero. I've done most quests to level up. I'm having trouble with the Orb Trials. They seem impossible."

Orb Trials! Ash sat up at that.

"Which ones?" Jace raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"We found two Gatekeeper's locations so far, Lazarus and Valentine. My team is working on Lazarus's but it's hopeless."

"Why?"

She sighed. "He has so many traps and we keep dying. His ninjas are too fast. They are impossible."

"Ninjas? I don't recall any ninjas."

"The black clad fighters we have to fight at the end. Have you done it?"

"I have actually, several times," Jace said truthfully, his green eyes sparkling with mirth.

"I haven't tried the Assassin's Path yet but I have done Valentines' Trial successfully." Ash grinned at Aria's awed reaction, exchanging an amused look with Jace.

"Oh my God!! How?! If only I could get at least one Orb, it would be a start!" she cried in frustration. "I want to get through the Portal."

"The key is to keep moving and being prepared," Jace said helpfully.

"Why do you need to go through?" Ash asked curiously. "What's the big hurry?"

She looked at him incredulously. "You don't know? That is the main purpose of Orc Wars isn't it? To run dungeons, fight the Bosses, level up and grow strong enough to find our way through to the Orc Realm. Then we get to fight the evil orcs there and find the Life Stone which they stole from our realm."

Jace kept silent, digesting the information. There were no more orcs in their realm, well, not many left. The reality game's purpose had seen to that. The Uprising was a resounding success, the Portal had been closed after the traitorous Lord Commander and what was left of his army was banished back to their Land. Their fate left in the hands of their orc Prince, Kalthu. Only a few orcs were left behind, scattered throughout the Realm in hiding for their lives.

The five Gatekeepers were appointed, each guarding an Orb, keys to the Portal. Only when the five Orbs were in place within the Portal frame, could the Portal be activated. They were tasked to prevent such a thing from happening for fear of another invasion. Well, that had been the initial plan.

Since there were not many orcs left to fight, Simtrixx had introduced Dungeons and Wild Bosses to liven up the Game. But Players clamoured for orcs, this was after all, Orc Wars. They wanted to experience facing the orcs, to test their strength against the fabled enemy. So Simtrixx devised a plot to get the players over to the orc realm. A quest to find and bring back the powerful Life Stone that was supposedly stolen by the orcs. Whoever retrieved the Life Stone and returned it to its rightful place in the Mystic Mountains, healing the lands will gain unimaginable rewards. Simtrixx was suitably vague to get people's imagination running wild. Jace had come across a whole forum debating what the rewards were.

"The Life Stone ... even if you managed to pass through the Portal, you will still have to search for it. It is said to have been lost over the years as the orcs fought over it and each victor hiding it in a different place."

"We have to find the Life Stone and bring it back. Only then will our Land be healed, restored to its former glory and we can live in peace."

Ash rolled his eyes. She was reciting the Game. He cleared his throat.

"To go through the Portal, you need all five Gatekeeper's Orbs. Only Heroes above level 50 and who have completed certain quests are eligible. You need to be Skilled and strong enough to have a chance of completing the Gatekeeper's quests."

"I know and I am so close. I just need to practice my fighting Skills to make it through, maybe research my health to increase my endurance a bit more."

The others were nodding in agreement. Encouraged, she continued, "I actually prefer to collect and trade stuff, it's easier to earn XP points via transactions and level up that way ... not necessarily the fastest way, but its still safer."

"It's also a good way to get rich fast. It's amazing what people are willing to pay for some of the stuff especially Items with boosts. I get some from dungeons, can't buy everything you know ..."

Aria continued, her eyes glazing over as imagination took over, " ... and besides, who knows what else is over there in orc land. Other wonderful creatures, magic, powers, weapons ... there must be more rare and valuable Items there. If I can get them to trade ... Ahhh, I'll be even richer."

"Shhh, she is in dreamland," Chloe giggled nudging Ash. He grinned back, nodding his head in Jace's direction. "They both are."

"What else is over there ... what else is over there?" Jace echoed softly staring at Aria intently.

Suddenly Jace slammed the table. "Of course! It's over there! Oh my God ... I'm so dense!"

"What? What is over there?" Ash asked in alarm.

"The cur ... umm, Life Stone, the Life Stone is over there," Jace ended lamely but his grey green eyes were sparkling with excitement. He grinned openly at Aria and looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time.

She caught her breath and gulped at the sudden attention. Oh my God, he was looking at her. Suddenly, Aria's heart was pounding wildly in her chest and she was certain it going to burst at any second. Why was he staring at her like that? Why was she feeling flushed and hot all of a sudden?

Ash narrowed his bright blue eyes. "Of course the Life Stone is over in orc territory, what else is new?"

Jace blinked, controlling his excitement and forced himself to relax. Steady. He smiled crookedly at the flustered girl. "Thank you Aria. You are a life saver. I mean it."

"Huh?" Aria swallowed. "What did I say?"

"Sometimes all we need is a new perspective," he said vaguely. "A new angle to solving a difficult problem opens up possibilities."

She looked thoughtfully at him, then recovering, smiled. "At your service, My Lord."

"What?" Ash cut in looking from Jace to Aria. Chloe shrugged and sipped her drink. "They are both mad."

Jace shrugged nonchalantly, but his enigmatic eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. After that, Jace kept quiet letting the others talk. He busied himself with his drink and listened to Ash giving pointers on the game to the girls but he couldn't help stealing glances at Aria. His mind was racing like crazy.  

She had given him hope.