The Imperial orc guards led the two Gatekeepers through a maze of hallways and down a few flights of stone steps. Constantine threw Lazarus a worried look. Not good, not good at all. Downwards was not a good direction to be heading in enemy territory. It might be a trap. The Assassin winked, keep your head, His crooked smile and confident demeanour said 'We are not helpless'. Lazarus was right. They were not helpless, they were awesome fighters and if all else failed, they could always port away, Constantine thought.

The Red Warlock had discovered the teleports still worked in the orc Realm. However, it only worked within the realm they were currently in. That meant they would be able to port to another location within the orc realm. Well, at least they had the means of escape. If all else fails, they could always log out and figure something out before logging back in.

Finally they came to a stop. The guards threw open a set of wide wooden doors and ushered the two gatekeepers into a musty chamber.

"The Banished One's work room," an Imperial guard announced before saluting and exiting the room. He went to join the other three guards stationed outside, leaving the doors open.

The Red Warlock and Assassin exchanged glances. The Imperial guards were keeping an eye on them, probably under Mallarg's orders. No matter, they had access to Sharak's works now. Communication did not have to be verbal.

Suddenly, Lazarus swayed and staggered over to the work table in the middle of the room. He lowered himself painfully onto the work bench, sitting down carefully. It would not do to fall over with the orcs listening outside.

"Hey, you o'kay? You don't look so good, my friend."

"Damn it," Lazarus muttered under his breath. He hated feeling so weak and vulnerable. Hopefully this attack will pass soon. Seriously, the seizures were becoming more intense and frequent. "I ... I just need a minute. You go ahead and start searching."

The Assassin closed his silver eyes grimacing to control the stabbing sensations in his chest. The severe constrictions were building up, making it hard to breathe. All at once the tightness exploded. Lazarus cried out in pain. Slumping over coughing violently, he gripped the table for support.

"Hey, hey Laz!" Constantine rushed to his friend's side. He cast a surreptitious glance at the door. The orc guards outside continued to stare straight ahead seemingly not noticing anything.

Lazarus wiped dark blood from his mouth and held up a trembling hand worriedly. His strength had all but drained from his body. The numbing pain in his chest was receding. It was replaced by the intense chills which had become a constant companion since Stage Three. He could barely move and was pretty useless at the moment. If the orcs decided to renegade on their deal and attack them in the chamber, he would be of no help at all.

"Your hands are so cold and ... Owww!! You are burning up!" Constantine snatched his palm away from Lazarus' forehead. The Assassin swatted away the Warlock's hand. "Stop that!"

"Constantine, I think ... I am going to log out for a bit," he said weakly. He would let Laz ride out the poison attack in 2D, then re-log in when he could regain some control of the avatar again. He felt hot and cold at the same time. The ice in his veins permeated his whole body making him shiver uncontrollably.

"Log out? And leave me here, all alone in the orc Stronghold, surrounded by thousands of blood thirsty, weapon wielding hulking orcs? In case you have forgotten, we are in the heart of enemy territory! Oh no, NO, no, no, no, my friend. Do not leave me here alone!" Constantine shuddered. "And what are you going to do if I die and can't spawn back here?"

"Don't be so dramatic. I know you can handle yourself. You are the great and mighty warlock after all, I just ..." Lazarus trailed off wincing at the pain in his chest as he doubled over and swallowed. The metallic taste of iron and rust was strong in his mouth. Ughh!

"Aiyayayayaii, again?" Constantine patted Lazarus awkwardly on the back. "Breathe slowly, you will feel better in no time, Easy does it. Breathe in ... breathe out ... breathe in ..."

"Ahhh, seriously Constantine," the Assassin gasped when he could talk again.

"Don't leave me?" The great Red Warlock batted his eyes at his fellow Gatekeeper. "Please ...?"

Lazarus couldn't help it, he chuckled weakly at the top ranking Player. Who knew Constantine could be so clingy? Resolutely, he retrieved a special brew and downed it. "I'm good now. You start searching. I'll join you in a minute."

"You sure? Ahhh, o'kay. That is good." With that, the Red Warlock turned to start searching the room for clues.

"Ummm, by the way Laz,, what are we searching for?'

"Notes, journals, experiments ... anything that might give us a clue to what Sharak was doing and what he may have discovered when he was here." Lazarus paused taking a breath, "I'm sure he was onto something or else he would not have sent Kalthu to our realm."

"How can Sharak be working if he was poisoned?"

"That's what puzzles me. The story doesn't quite fit does it?"

"Val will find something out from the girl orc. Maybe the Banished One ..." Constantine's words became unintelligible as he moved into an adjoining room to investigate.

Lazarus shrugged and let his eyes travel Sharak's cluttered work table as he regained his strength. There were many weird contraptions set-up in unconventional structures. What was their purpose he had no idea. Misshapen tools of various shapes and sizes littered the table. A huge rough wooden cutting board sat in one corner. In the middle was a notable depression with many deep grooves. It was stained reddish black with what looked like dried blood. Orc blood? Or others? He made a face and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Numerous vials and jars lined several shelves along one side of the chamber. Laboriously, Lazarus pushed himself up to take a closer look. Neat symbols labelled each container. Unfortunately, he could not read orc. Hmmm, maybe he should take a screen shot and send it to Isis, he thought. All the herbs, potions and poisons were right up her alley. The Priestess might recognise some of this stuff and be able to glean something with her specialised knowledge.

Opening drawers, he found some loose notes with drawings and symbols on them. Ahhh! A tome!! He couldn't believe he actually found the orc's thick heavy journal. Flipping the pages showed diagrams, scrawled writing and a rough hand drawn map? There was a single orc word in the middle followed by a question mark.

The Assassin's eyes widened in hope. Maybe it was another clue! He would check it out at leisure later. Quickly, he saved the precious Item into his Inventory along with the loose notes and a few more thin work books. If it was so easy to find, why didn't Mallarg take it? Surely he could make out the notes and use it to continue the research. The Necromancer had clinical and medical skills too didn't he? It would be basic knowledge to know the extent and effects of what his spells had on the lifeforms here. Something felt wrong, he would have to check it out later.

Lazarus moved to the back of the chamber. Bowls of all shapes and sizes covered another worktable. Some were empty but some still had drying liquids, mush and caked powder in them. He picked up one and sniffed cautiously. Immediately he jerked his head away as a wave of dizziness swept over him. Ugh!! Lazarus set it down and reached for another container. Carefully, he brought it to his nose. He almost dropped the small bowl when strength drained from his body.

Lazarus frowned speculatively. Did Sharak really manage to separate the different symptoms of the poison? Each bowl seemed to contain a different mix of the main poison. If he did, the Banished One was indeed a genius!

One more, the assassin thought to himself, to confirm his suspicions. The gatekeeper picked up a small metallic box which seemed to be holding something more important. Inside was a pasty grey residue in it. He blanched as his chest constricted painfully. Argghhhh! It was definitely part of the poison. The poison was milky white, so why was it grey ... his silver eyes widened at the sudden insight. Oh Gods, it was grey because it was mixed with orc ichor. Sharak had probably taken the sample from the young prince.

Suddenly he heard a crash and Constantine's loud cursing.

"What? What is it? Hold on, I'm coming!" Lazarus went into battle mode, his long hunting knife appearing in his hands and opened the door to the next room. Immediately a strong putrefied stench assaulted his senses making him retch. Covering his nose and mouth, he ventured further in. Constantine might be in trouble.

"NO, no, NO!! Don't come in here, Laz," came the Red Warlock's muffled voice. "DON'T COME IN HERE!!"

Too late, Lazarus tried not to gag at the horrible smell as he went into the next room. Bags of food were lined against the wall. There was shrivelled dried up hay in bundles, pallets of various sizes and wet spoiling mush with happily feasting maggots. Food? For what?

"Constantine?" he choked out his friend's name. The Assassin followed the horrible smell and saw shelves fallen over at a small opening. That must have been what had caused the crash. Was that another secret room? How many rooms and side chambers did Sharak's work place have? Lazarus crawled under the shelves.

"Hey? You o'kay in there? Constantine?"

"Oh my God, oh my God. It is horrible. Poor Laz, poor, poor Laz. He must not see this." Lazarus heard his friend's moaning.

"Hey, Constantine?"

"Huh? Laz? I'm coming out! Don't come in here!"

The Assassin stopped dead in his tracks as he spied the Red Warlock shuddering and hugging himself. Constantine turned at his friend's voice and immediately moved to block him. "No, don't come in. Get out! GET OUT OF HERE!!"

"Why? What is it ...?" Lazarus trailed off as he saw the grisly scene Constantine was trying to hide.

Sharak's experiments.

Behind the Red Warlock were numerous cages were stacked high upon each other. Some were blackened and empty but some held pitiful dying creatures.

Miraculously, some were still alive. They did not growl, bite or hiss as they normally would at the intrusion. The creatures were bleeding from all orifices. Blood trickled from jaws, eyes and ears. A few lay tiredly panting, whining and mewling on their sides, waiting for their inevitable end. Others lay curled up shivering, not caring for their surroundings. Maybe these had lasted longer due to experimental cures Sharak had been working on, or like the special health potions Isis made for him, the though came unbidden to his mind.

The lucky ones had died, Lazarus thought. That would explain the empty blackened cages, burnt and scorched upon the demise of the creatures within it.

Suddenly one shivering creature gave a piteous wail and started trashing about in its cage. It twisted its body wildly into unnatural positions, unable to stay still. The poor animal hit the wired sides of its confinement over and over, ignoring fresh cuts which started bleeding green slime. The physical pain was probably nothing compared to the torture that came from within its small body.

Constantine and Lazarus stood frozen, mesmerised by the gruesome scene. The furry animal finally fell over panting to its side exhausted. It shivered helplessly for a few more minutes before exploding into tiny hot pixels.

The gatekeepers stared in shocked silence for a moment at the now empty cage. Then the legendary Assassin paled and stumbled back, covering his mouth. The rotting stench of the dying and the dead finally overpowered him. The gruesome images and piteous sounds of dying creatures, burned into his mind.

This was what was in store for him if he could not get rid of the nauk dzi vras poisoning his body. This is how he would die.

Lazarus turned to lean against a wall and promptly threw up.