I know that the Humor .hack fanfics are the only ones who get a lot of reviews, but come on, folks! I want to hear your opinions.

Short chapter, I know…

.hack/OMEGA

Chapter 8

Reaper Speaks

Go to Forgotten Watered Wasteland.

That was all the message said. But, it didn't matter; Ikardis still followed it. Morgonna's company was not wanted by Ikardis any longer…ever since she made him a part of The World. When he entered the field Forgotten Watered Wasteland, Ikardis tilted his head.

The sky was filled with ash. Bones, animal and human alike, blanketed the ground. You couldn't see the ground underneath the bones; the bone blanket was that thick. This ground of bones and ashy sky was what the field was, and went on for miles.

But, there was one thing that didn't fit in with the field. A lake. Right there was a lake. It had no bones in it, but instead, the lakebed was filled with pebbles. The water had no ash, but was the clearest anyone could ever want. Its only imperfection was the gray surface from the gray sky.

A long, curved blade cut open a gash into the water from what seemed underneath the water. But, it was indeed a gash, and not a blade just jutting out from the water. Water poured into the gash while it rose out. A cloaked skeleton rose from the gash, a scythe with a twelve-foot long blade resting over its shoulder. The wraith spoke, "Ikardis…" It was not words, but rather hisses; snake-like screeches.

"Are you the one who messaged me?"

"The same…"

"What do ya want with me?

"To warn you…. Danger comes…"

"How many insane people must I deal with?"

The wraith's eye sockets had a red pupil flicker on like lights. "I am Reaper, keeper of old, new, and now… I have chosen to speak to you for your own good…"

"And what about?"

"Those blades…" Reaper vanished, reappearing beside Ikardis. It drummed its skeletal fingers on the Infection blade. "If you continue to use these two, you risk your own life… Give them back… Give them back…"

Ikardis slapped the hand away from his weapon, and took two steps back out of Reaper's reach. "And give up the key to being the strongest player of The World? Ha! As if, man."

"Do you want to be held responsible for the death of every player?"

"Death isn't real. Everyone will come back, so it isn't a big deal if I kill everyone."

"For you, death is real… You are part of The World… Pain, you feel…food, you taste…sights, you truly see…death… Death for you is death… And, if Morgonna has her way, it will be the same way for every player…"

"Morgonna doesn't have that type of power."

"When she has Sorma, she will…"

"Sorma? He wouldn't work with Morgonna if his mother told him."

The red pupils of Reaper's grew larger in size. "You still don't know…" Reaper's teeth chattered together as it let out a laugh. "Morgonna doesn't want you… Morgonna doesn't want second best… You are a tool… Once you infect Sorma, you will be discarded… You will be tossed into the bowels of The World…like I was… Once Sorma is hers, Morgonna will announce her war… The War of the Omegas! Morgonna, and her army of Infected players and monsters will be led by Sorma into battle against all players of The World…"

Ikardis only picked up on the part important to him. "What do you mean by discarded?"

Reaper's cloak disintegrated into particles of data. The skeleton had a purple orb floating there in the rib cage where the heart should be; the orb pumped purple blood through Reaper's veins, which strangled each bone. "You will become Fragmented… You will be dissolved into the lowest of The World's scum… We who are Fragmented manage all data…" Reaper looked down at its chest. "I was once a toy of Morgonna's… She gave me the Scythe of the Eclipse, and then made me a NPC… I had a family… I was getting married… I did not deserve this… I did not deserve this! You who had life does not deserve this! Give them back! Give the weapons back! Do not kill Sorma! Do not kill Sorma…"

Insanity strangled Ikardis' brain now. He was reduced to his knees, cowering. "This can't be happening… Why me? Why…why did I have to accept her offer? I don't want this… I want to see my friends again… Why can't I leave this game! I have no options… I have no choices… There is no way to fix this…"

"For the well-being of The World, you must give up your life to Sorma… Sorma's weapons are the only ones capable of breaking through the shields your weapons sometimes randomly throw up…"

"But then, I will die!"

"It is the better of two evils. Sacrifice yourself, or be responsible for the death of millions…"

Ikardis sniffled. He stood slowly, tears drowning the bones below him. Ikardis gated out.