Orc Wars 2 : Lazarus

Chapter 73 - Outrage

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?"