Everyone in the Control room clapped and cheered. They had done it, Lazarus and Valentine. They had completed Dungeon 80. Zen was delighted at the ingenious way the two gatekeepers had solved the dungeon. They had help from Constantine, of course. It paid to have a knowledgeable friend like the Red Warlock but in the end, they were the ones who had thought it out.

Jared was smiling broadly. It had been an exciting show. The two really were innovative and had excellent teamwork. The Assassin and the Thief both complimented each other well. The Heroes were attractive, charismatic and entertaining. He now understood the pull they had on the gaming community. They proved solving difficult dungeons were possible, they made other players want to try it for themselves. They show cased their avatars' class's strengths and weaknesses wonderfully. Even now, he was wondering if he should play, not competitively like them, of course, but casually, maybe? He doubted he would be able to control an avatar on screen very effectively, but still, it would be interesting ... if he had the time. It was an entertaining thought.

Jared made a mental note to check out the other gatekeepers. They were of different classes and seeing them in action would provide a better understanding of their dynamics. Overall, he was satisfied with the Game, the product was good and deserved more attention from Head Office.

Aria was beaming happily, her friends had bested the difficult high level dungeon.

The only person in the room who was not happy was Nadine. She was in a panic, the two gatekeepers had managed the difficult dungeon on their second try. She knew when Lazarus attempted a dungeon, he would keep running it until he was satisfied with his results. Dungeon 80 should have delayed them from crossing over and given her a bit more time. She had hoped he would take at least four or five time consuming runs like in Constantine's Orb Trial, not in two tries! She had expected it to stump them for a while.

Impulsively she reached for the keyboard and started tapping in a string of commands. In her frenzy, she forgot the CEO was in the room. All she could think of was stalling the gatekeeper. After tapping incessantly for a few minutes, she pressed 'Enter' and looked up at the screen.

The two Heroes were coming out of Dungeon 80, walking slowly, triumphant and in good spirits. The Vampire Boss had dropped some rare and valuable Items. Valentine was supporting Lazarus, Anya hovering protectively near them. Tania limped behind them. They had stopped to consume potions and were healing nicely. Lazarus's face and hand had stopped bleeding, his wounds closing. Valentine was walking better now, regaining his strength and Energy with every step. His broken arm no longer stuck out at an odd angle.

Suddenly Lazarus moaned and started shaking violently. Blood dribbled from his nostrils and he swallowed convulsively, eyes squeezed tight. He heaved painfully, clutching his chest and collapsed heavily onto the Thief. The Assassin's sudden dead weight made Valentine stumble. The exhausted Heroes went down in a heap.

"What did you do to them?" Aria asked shrilly, her dark eyes darted to Nadine and back to the screen. Lazarus was still shaking uncontrollably on the ground, Valentine was frantically accessing his Inventory for a Health potion. In an instant, a small bottle appeared in his hands. The Thief unstopped the vial and poured the green contents into the Assassin's mouth. The wolves were whining anxiously crowding the two Heroes.

"Huh?" Nadine shook herself. "Nothing, I just did what I had to do. We need more time to prepare the orc realm. He shouldn't have cracked the dungeon so fast."

"What did you do to Lazarus," Aria asked again in a dangerous voice.

Nadine looked at the girl. Who did she think she was? "He is not dead," she said evasively. "See?"

On screen, the Assassin had calmed down and was breathing easier. The Thief was helping his friend into a sitting position. The wolves were on guard. Their chosen were vulnerable now.

"Answer her," Jared said quietly.

The Director brought up Lazarus' status on a side screen, She pointed to it, "Nothing much. I just advanced him to Stage Four."

"Stage Four? What's that?"

Nadine smiled. "He was poisoned by an Orc in Season One. It has affected only his Health, stamina and endurance. The other components of the avatar, Skill, Speed, Agility and the rest remains unchanged. Stage Four means his avatar's Health will be capped at forty per cent."

"Only forty per cent?" Aria gasped. "That's not fair. How will he play?"

Nadine shrugged. "We need more time to complete the Orc map. He can't cross yet," she said stubbornly. "He can always cancel his contract with us or create a new avatar if he wants to continue playing. Of course the new avatar will not have the special concessions which Lazarus and the other gatekeepers have."

"Any other Heroes besides the five gatekeepers will not be paid for gameplay as we do not have the rights to use their games ... except of course those who sign up for Season Two in a a few months."

"You can't do that! Cancel it!" Aria demanded. She was shaking with anger.

"I'm sorry, I can't." Nadine replied, looking in surprise at the girl. Why was she so emotional? The Game and image of Simtrixx came first, not one Hero. She couldn't let the public see the unfinished Orc realm. "The only way for Lazarus to regain his maximum Health is to be rid of the poison in his body."

Aria gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Right now, she really hated the Director. She had to tell Jace. Poor Lazarus. Poor Anya.

"We can't jeopardise Orc Wars just for one player, right Mr.Cruz?" she asked the CEO. "The company is more important than a mere player."

"It does," he narrowed his eyes, "but there are more than one solution to every problem. The Hero's poison should progress naturally for him to have a fair chance at survival according to the Game. It will be more realistic that way." Jared Cruz gave her a speculative look. "Accelerating his condition may only spur him on or make him quit altogether. In which case, I will hold you personally responsible for losing our star attraction."

"Do not abuse your power again," he warned her.

She stared at him taken aback.

"Your job is to complete the Orc Realm before the Player crosses over, not stall him. You should focus on that to maintain Orc War's integrity. Ensure quality and completion on time, Nadine," he said sternly. "I will not tolerate any further interference with gameplay. Remember, all Players are our customers."

With that, the CEO turned his back and walked out. Jared Cruz had discovered what he had come to confirm. He had seen enough.

--------

Lazarus sat up with the help of Valentine.

"Thanks. I owe you one."

"No problem, but I get to keep the vampire's teeth and one vial of dark vampire's blood. I'll leave the other vial of blood and other Items to you."

"Take whatever you want, Val. I don't really need them."

"Nah, you take the rest. Who knows when those Items will come in handy."

Anya pushed her head against Lazarus. He laughed and hugged her tight. "I'm alright, Anya. Thanks to Val."

"Thank you, Chosen of Tania."

"You're welcome. Just returning the favour, he did the same for me in Constantine's tomb trial."

Anya wagged her tail, he had not forgotten. Tania rubbed her head against Valentine, making soft rumbling noises. Her Chosen was awesome.

"Hey, now that we are done with the vampires, want to look for a dungeon with werewolves? I bet Simtrixx has one somewhere. Maybe it's Dungeon 81," Valentine asked enthusiastically.

"You got to be kidding me," Lazarus muttered.

"But you said you wanted to get back in virtual shape."

"I'm o'kay. I think I'll pass."

"B-b-but ..."

"I don't relish the thought of getting bitten or mauled by a werewolf."

"C'mon, imagine what rare Items a werewolf Boss would drop. It will be awesome."

Lazarus laughed and shook his head clapping his friend on the shoulder. Then, he tried to heave himself up, but fell back to the ground gracelessly. "Oommphh."

"Umm, maybe we should rest here for a bit."

All his physical wounds had healed but his body was still pretty weak. He looked at his Health bar, maximum forty per cent. What!?! His eyebrows shot up in shock. It was simply ridiculous.

Wordlessly, the Assassin took out another bottle of potion and down it in one gulp. Ths called for another strategy.

"I've had enough of this," he said wearily. "I'm logging out."

-------

Later that evening, Jace bought and upgraded Lazarus' tattoos and equipment. He continued with his city's rebuilding, which thank the Gods was almost complete. Production was almost back to normal.

When he was done, he opened the equipment editor. The only way he could think of making Lazarus last longer is if he helped himself. True, the others were there to back him up but he was not one to rely too much on others. He did not want to be a burden to his teammates.

Jace checked Lazarus' arsenal for all his weapons. Nodding to himself, he started his ambitious project. He wanted to add healing runes to all his weapons, long-ranged, hand weapons ad melee weapons. That way, whatever the gatekeeper used, he would at least have some additional healing buffs and buffers to aid him.

In the silence of the hospital room, he worked quickly and silently. After all, Lazarus had many, many weapons.