Chapter 25: The Spy

Neeeext~

Game Start

"Let's go train some more!"

It was finally time. He had been with Caelus for the past two months. With all of the weird happenings going on Odd Squad had been asking Doll about what he was doing but all she would tell them was that it was a self-appointed mission. Harry didn't even leave the palace anymore. He just constantly played Second Life. His level had hit one hundred the day before after almost non-stop grinding and he had received a godly ability in return.

Ameterasu. (AN: Sorry I just had to go there. This ability is freaking amazing and shows up in multiple manga and anime!)

A heavenly fire that never stopped burning and Harry could completely control it. The only problem was that it used all of his MP in one go no matter how much he had at the time, though there had to be a minimum of at least 500.

Raze had reached level 95 and was equipped with a power stone in the first bump on the handle. It made sure that all attacks that hit were double the power if someone had less than half of their HP.

But now… it was time to go. The Dictator had called upon Caelus to leave a message and get Harry back into the midst of the players. It was decided that Harry would be a part of the message because his immortality ability would keep him alive. So Caelus had Harry fight a mob of over twenty level 100 nymphs. At the end he was beaten bloody, one of his wings was twisted and half torn from his back and Dolor was dead asleep in his pouch from exhaustion.

"Are you ready my beloved?"

"Only if you are," Harry wheezed with a weak grin.

Caelus gave a tremulous smile in return but Harry knew he was not looking forward to giving the 'finishing' blow to his lover.

"Then let us leave."

"Long time no see, Prince."

The blood elf turned with a gasp and couldn't help but gape at the sight of Caelus floating above him holding a black bundle in one arm.

"Caelus?"

The nymph's face turned dark at the sight of Prince stepping in front of Doll with his sword drawn. He would never hurt his lover's sister. Just like he thought he would never hurt his lover…. Though he knew Harry would survive. It was still painful beyond belief.

"Do not worry. I am only here to pass on a message."

"What message? From whom?"

"The Dictator of Life." The one who was trying to save everyone. But Caelus did not voice that thought.

"What's his message?"

"Humans, this tragic fate you have created for us, it will soon become yours. We refuse to continue to suffer in silence. We will defy fate, defy you! We want to live!"

He heard Prince announce their self-aware status and had to stop from scoffing. They weren't just self-aware, they were alive!

"We can talk about this after we capture him."

"There was one more part to his message," the boss stated softly.

Everyone's attention turned back to Caelus. Slowly, with his free arm he reached to the bundle he was holding and found his husband's throat. Gently, but with enough pressure to make Harry moan, he lifted him in the air so he was now dangling.

"This human aimed to take the life of the Dictator. This is what shall happen to you!"

Energy gathered in Caelus' hand, enough to blow off the cloak's hood, and he plunged it into his beloved's stomach. It went straight through and with a grimace he had to pull it out again.

"Gege!"

"Savior!"

Harry grunted as he hit the floor, the rest of his HP draining rapidly.

Prince roared in anger and the other players followed. "GET HIM!"

As they threw spells at him uselessly he spotted Doll dragging her brother to safety and couldn't help but say one last goodbye. He flew over and around the players, dropping in front of Doll. If they thought he was after her then he could use it to his advantage.

"Wait for me. I promise you will be by my side once more," Caelus purred as he caressed Doll's face. Both of them knew who the real recipient of those words was, though. "Farewell, little one," he said actually addressing Doll this time.

Harry was only just awake enough to hear his husband's words before he passed out with a smile on his lips.

It was a few hours later, Wolf had managed to get Harry back to full health again. He explained his surviving as one of his abilities, which was truth. Though, explaining why he went after The Dictator would be much harder to just shrug off. Especially after Lolidragon's explanation.

"The Dictator of Life is the game's final boss. There are many boss ranked NPCs who developed self-awareness through their high level of intelligence. The most serious of these cases is that of the Dictator of Life. He has the ability to evolve, and is capable of altering the game itself. This is a result of the game company's desire to create a self-sufficient world in Second Life."

"So that means the Dictator of Life is like the God of Second Life," Yu Lian questioned hesitantly.

Harry snorted as Lolidragon answered. "Yes. And he's now out of control like a virus that can't be removed. As of now the only thing Second Life can do is isolate him to the Northern Continent."

That was actually a hell of a lot considering Dictator's abilities but Harry said nothing.

"That's right. Wu Quing said the players who were killed in the Northern Continent… their characters vanished, right?"

A few people turned to stare at Harry and he scowled at them.

"The company has already received no less than a hundred thousand complaints."

"The company? What's your relation to the company," Wolf asked.

Harry would actually like to know the answer to that too.

"Lolidragon is a hidden GM," Prince stated. Everyone gaped.

But Lolidragon didn't leave it at that. "Sorry, but not only am I a hidden GM, I'm also the company President's daughter.

"The pr-president's daughter!?"

Even Harry was surprised as he stood straight from his slouching posture.

"My dad kicked me out because he said I don't understand the hardships of the people. So that's why I became a hidden GM," the thief continued.

Prince blew a gasket over being the spokesperson since Lolidragon was the one that forced him but she brushed him aside.

"The Dictator has created a fearsome program named HD, meaning human destroyer. Once you are killed by an NPC programmed with HD, all of your character data will be erased. The Dictator of Life is currently confined to the Northern Continent but in doing so we can no longer enter via the system."

Well the program was actually news to him but it wasn't really a surprise. It was probably what was keeping the players from logging back on.

"What if this problem can't be resolved? What then," Gui asked softly.

"Then the only solution would be to erase Second Life's core program, shutting down the game once and for all," the theif replied gravely.

Harry was not the only one to protest, though for different reasons.

"Can't we just… live in peace," Prince asked sadly.

"Prince, mankind cannot bear the consequences of that. If he uses the network to spread out beyond Second Life, the effects would be disastrous."

But Harry would not allow this to happen. He had souls to save and a dying man to heal! If only he could find the man…

"Or perhaps he just wants to live…"

"I agree. The NPC's… they won't get to wake up in the real world if this game is shut down. What about them," Harry chided softly.

The group started muttering amongst themselves but Lolidragon shook her head and continued, "Dad has given me a deadline of twenty-one days to destroy the Dictator of Life. If it can't be done he'll shut down the game."

"No way! Second Life can't disappear," Fairsky yelled. "I don't want you to disappear," she cried flinging herself onto Sunshine.

Everyone looked even more apprehensive.

"I won't let either of you disappear," Prince stated with passion gazing upon the two NPCs in the room.

"Then what do you plan to do? Kill the Dictator of Life," Kenshin retorted.

"That's right!"

"If killing others is the sole reason for my existence, I am willing to accept death."

Harry frowned along with many others. Though the others seemed to be in confusion.

"Mind telling us what's going on?"

Prince looked nervous. Harry shook his head. He'd bet his friend had forgotten. Luckily for the sweating elf Sunshine decided to explain.

"I'm an NPC! An NPC with self-awareness. I'm Prince's humanoid pet."

"Well, that was a blunt way to put it," the wizard muttered under his breath.

Another bonding moment between Fairsky and Sunshine evolved and Harry smiled lightly. He was fighting for this. For him and Caelus. For Arctic Fox and Kenshin's companionship.

"Lolidragon we must absolutely defeat the Dictator of Life!"

"Didn't I just say we have no way of doing that? Even Savior couldn't beat him. Speaking of… Why did you go after him?"

Harry groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I first left because I was having an internal battle over whether or not to stay in the city. If I had stayed here you all would have influenced me so I needed to get away and look at everything objectively. But I ran into a problem. It was the Northern Continent that I had… fled to," he said haltingly. "I hadn't been there before and decided exploring was the best way to go to help me think. I ran into a fiery boss that was self-aware… he put up one hell of a fight but eventually he had managed to activate my immortality ability. It intrigued him that no matter how much damage he did I wouldn't die so he took me to the Dictator of Life…"

"Eh? Didn't you say that ability ran out eventually?"

"Yes… but it's a high enough level that it takes over half an hour to wear out now. The Dictator of Life also found my ability intriguing. He wanted me to help. He explained how the NPCs would be wiped out eventually if things kept on the same track and I agreed… But I couldn't bring myself to betray my friends." Not true… he could. Was doing it right at this moment actually… "By then my ability had worn off and he was going to kill me so I wouldn't be able to help anyone but I was faster than he thought. I was able to get several potions down to increase my health.

But he… he was able to warp the game to his advantage. Almost nothing I did could harm him… when I finally managed a critical blow all the NPCs that he had gathered became enraged. They," here Harry's voice cracked. "They tore and tore. There were so many that I couldn't do anything. My immortality activated and they still clawed and bit and froze and burned…

Eventually the Dictator called them off. He had decided to use me as a message. They waited until my ability wore off and had Caelus take me…"

"That doesn't explain how you survived," Wicked whispered.

Harry turned his poisonous black and green eyes on everyone and bared his teeth. "The Dictator of Life misjudged my abilities. I wear this band," he said pointing to a small leather band with intricate designs on it holding his braid. "And it gives the ability of Regen."

"Ah!" Prince smashed his fist into his hand in understanding. "So, by waiting until after your ability wore off you had time for some health to recover! And when you got hit again it only reactivated the Immortality."

"That's right."

"Well, aren't you a lucky one," Nan Gong Zui said petulantly.

Harry flinched. "Please don't say that. It has a habit of becoming a jinx around me…"

Some people snickered. Harry just sneered again.

Gui who had been pensively staring at the floor finally looked up and asked, "What if… we made use of the HD program created by the Dictator of Life? HD can erase a player's data, so, if we slightly modified it, we can change it to ND. NPC destroyer."

Harry twitched imperceptibly. How would this affect his plan for saving the souls…?

And so after the NPCs' rebellions began more people volunteered for battle from all over.

Harry gazed silently upon the gathered army as Zui and Prince discussed ways of getting to the North with so many people. Lolidragon and Lan Lan's brother came back and reported there was absolutely no way over. Every death for the players was a loss but NPC's could revive endlessly.

But Harry knew with the new program they wouldn't be able to, even with the Dictator's interference. The winged elf's lips pinched together. This was just getting more difficult by the minute. When Harry had told Dictator about ND he had been absolutely furious before the most pitiful expression befell his face. He had begged Harry to save any self-aware NPC that got hit by the program. Harry had only said that he'd try.

"We don't need victory!"

Harry glanced back at Gui who was holding a map.

"We can divide our troops. Let's say the Dictator of Life is at the Floral Capital near the Southeast coast, the troops can split up and land at the East, South and, West coast. And after that the main group can land at the Southeastern coast. There is a very high chance of encountering the Dictator of Life if we successfully infiltrate the Floral capital. The troops need not win but delay the bosses. This will give us a chance to take down the Dictator of Life."

"Great plan Gui," Lolidragon yelled tackling the bard.

Yes. A great plan but it made it infinitely more difficult for Harry. How was he supposed to be at several places all at once to make sure he could save the souls… looks like he was going to have to talk to the Dictator again.

Lolidragon had the game designers turn the stadium into a training ground after the plans were made and players leveled up fast defeating the mobs. Not once did Harry die but he also never really helped too much. He didn't need the experience as he was already at max level. After a while he decided to help with the boats. It would give him the time needed to speak with the red haired Dictator.

Eventually he got away and was able to have a chat.

"Dictator of Life?"

The mirror in his hand blurred until the Dictator appeared. "Another report," he asked with his ever-present frown.

"Yes… I know their battle plans." And so Harry explained the plans and his problem and the God of Second Life promised to send something to help but Harry hesitated to give the last bit of information.

Dictator sighed. "Is what you want to say really so bad?"

"Well… they've finished the ND program but it's glitched just like the HD. Whoever uses it gets erased as well but you know the players can't be brought back... Prince is determined to use it on you…"

Harry swore he saw Dictator's bottom lip quiver before the mirror abruptly went back to normal and Harry was gazing into his own intimidating features.

Harry, still finding no use in the training grounds and getting bored of the ships, decided to help around Infinite City. It was only a day and a half later that masses of NPCs descended upon the city. He smiled happily, making sure not to let any of the players see, when he saw Caelus. His husband haughtily announced that if anyone attacked the Northern Continent all of the peaceful NPCs would turn vicious and raze Infinite City to the ground.

It was actually slightly entertaining (and slightly scary to see Doll with no life in her eyes) to watch Caelus throw a temper tantrum over not getting to spend time with the real Doll. Eventually the boss went straight to Prince, who'd arrived a few minutes earlier, and asked to see his little one. It was cute that Caelus had already accepted his sister.

Harry actually chuckled when Gui and Doll arrived and Caelus flung himself at her like he had done multiple times to Harry. Doll's first reaction though was to smack first and ask questions later. Caelus looked confused and Prince asked why she had slapped him.

For a moment Doll looked panicked but it was gone in a flash and she replied in a very innocent voice, "Doesn't he like it when I slap him? That's why I did it…"

Harry actually snorted and Dolor peeked out from behind Harry's braid.

"Prince, your Highness what is the situation?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him," the white haired elf said pointing at the nymph.

"Prince-Gege is asking you, speak!" Then Doll flicked her eyes to Harry and Caelus' gaze followed. The NPC's eyes shined brightly when they alighted on his husband who was hiding in the shadows but had his hood down and he bounced up with a resounding "Yes!"

"Those are NPC sent by the Dictator of Life to monitor you all. Once you make any unusual moves, these NPC will attack."

"These are all NPC with self-awareness?"

"No," Harry cut in. "Their movements are too mechanical…"

Caelus' nostrils flared but he agreed. Harry smirked and the nymphs eyes darkened but he showed restraint. He didn't want to give away his lovely. Harry turned his eyes back to the data clusters called NPCs and thought it was a rather good counter attack.

"Caelus is the Dictator of Life a warrior or a mage?"

"I don't know… I've never seen him make a move before." Which was a lie because Caelus had seen the boss attack Harry. "He could be a mage because he always tosses me around in the air."

Well that was a new tidbit of info.

"Tosses you around? Is he very bad tempered," Prince asked curiously.

"Nope, the Dictator is very calm," except because he's even tempered his anger burned that much hotter when released, "unlike the others."

"The others," Harry questioned.

"That's right. The Four Heavenly Kings. I think there's Poseidon, Zephyr, Inferno, and erm… one called…"

"Clay!"

"Yes! Yes! It's Clay!"

"Seriously, I'm the one you get along with the most…"

Ah yes, Harry remembered the triplets and their younger brother. Poseidon was an ass, Inferno a hothead, Zephyr was an ass but more impish about it, and Clay was the most grounded. Heh… considering he was a boss that controlled Earth Harry guessed it was a good thing.

"Seriously, why is it only me you can't remember?"

AN: Yay! I hoped you like this one~! It's getting closer to the time where Harry starts extracting the souls! Woot! And I might actually go over the thirty limit… Hmmm… For those of you that don' know what Regen does, it slowly restores health instead of instantly restoring it. (And yes the band was from Caelus~!) It doesn't last forever and before some of you complain about the immortality ability… Harry has to reach a certain time or health before he can reactivate that ability. In this case his health was high enough to use the ability again.

Omake: The Prince (Couldn't find a place for this either… But it does happen while Harry is still in the vicinity of the training grounds)

Prince pulled Harry to the side and looked around for eavesdroppers. Seeing none he turned to the elf with a very serious face.

"If Doll is the real life Princess and you are truly her older brother, aren't you The Prince?"

Harry chuckled nervously and scratched his cheek. Why did he have the feeling those words were said with capital letters…?