Orc Wars 2 : Lazarus

Chapter 69 - Dungeon 80 Vampires Part 1

A shout of excitement stopped any further conversations.

"Look! Lazarus and Valentine are online!"

All turned to look at the indicated screen. Zen brought it up to the main screen. The gatekeepers had come on at the right time, he thought excitedly. Now he could show the CEO what he was talking about, not just describe or show him previous videos of them. He would be able to see the raw uncut interaction of the gatekeepers. It was so much more fun before editing. Editing did a great job, but their focus was to promote the Game and the Heroes in an exciting dramatic fashion. Sometimes they had to cut out the byplay between the Heroes.

Lazarus, Assassin Level 84.

Valentine, Thief Level 81.

"Lazarus and Valentine are good friends. They often run dungeons together. The other two gatekeepers, Constantine and Kirana are lovers. That leaves Isis, but she prefers to level up by honing her creative Skills at the moment. She plays casually now and usually logs on longer on weekends," Zen explained to his new friend. He smiled at the screen like a proud father.

Jared raised his voice slightly so that it would reach Nadine at the other end of the room, "Lazarus? Is he the one in your report?"

"Yes, Sir. He is the one who completed all the Orb Trials and is now eligible to go through the Portal."

"Ah, excellent. Now we will see how good he actually is." Jared folded his arms and waited. He expected a good show.

The CEO gave a sidelong glance at Aria. His grand daughter was barely holding in her excitement. Her face was flushed and her eyes were shining brightly. Jared turned back to the screen with renewed interest, it was the boy she had told him about, Jace. One of her friends who had welcomed Aria at the new school and helped her overcome her trauma. The one his grand daughter had been going to the hospital to see and spending a lot of time with. The one who made her smile prettily when she talked about him.

The boy had helped his grand daughter and now he was unintentionally helping Simtrixx, via his participation in Orc Wars. The Gaming industry was cut throat competitive. There were new Games being released every other day. 'New' games became 'Old' very fast if there were no updates, improvements or failed in any of the gamer's expectations. Competition was stiff. Nadine had hoped for Season Two to continue Orc War's popularity. Season Two was a few months away. Anything could happen in that time.

However, this Jace/Lazarus's unprecedented actions and charisma had managed to sustain and even increase interest in Orc Wars. At this rate, Orc Wars will soon be level with the industry's other few long term Games. It would be an automatic Game to play for all serious gamers.

Jace Carter.

Jared made a mental note to look up the boy and do a background check on him.

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Valentine raised an eyebrow at Lazarus. They were in a bleak setting. The place around them was dark and dank. Withered trees with dry branches reached up to the sky like desperate claws, stretching out for the impossible. The cold dead air did nothing to hide the subtle stench of rotting bodies.

"I don't like this place," Anya stated in their heads.

"Me too," came Tania's reply. She had flattened her ears against her furry head.

The Thief patted her reassuringly. "Dungeon level 80? Are you sure about this?" Valentine asked as he peered through the tall rusted iron gates in front of them.

"I've got to get back into virtual shape before we crossover," Lazarus shrugged. "And we should pick something of a challenge, right? ... or would you prefer one of the lower dungeons."