NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"We lost Red….She\'s not dead, but we couldn\'t get her," I continued, while looking on the ground. "Hunter and I aren\'t strong enough to face Alice….Alice is a monster!"

"I know...Is she a traitor to our forces?" Kouran asked, while pondering from the words I said. "I just want to be sure.

"No!" I shook my head in displeasure. "Alice manipulated her, which caused us to split. Red hasn\'t done anything bad, actually. And if I were in her position, I would have done the same thing."

Kouran believed my claim and replied, "Very well, Fenrir. Let\'s head over to the main hall and discuss everything we need. We\'ve found a lot of things around the place, including the new base they\'ve set up."

"New base?" I asked. "For what? What do you mean new base? I thought that the Mainland got destroyed by the death game\'s war?"

The document I read before going inside the game also had that thing. And since Asimov would enter this game, Mainland would be their base. However, I lost track of time and didn\'t know when that would happen. And I wasn\'t sure if the pamphlet said the right thing or the other way around.

"I believe a man named Asimov is behind the new building," Kouran said, as we proceeded inside the room.

We passed by various elves and other NPCs doing their job inside the shelter Kouran made. All of them prepared themselves for a fight, since Kouran announced my arrival. The elves who knew me greeted me with respect, while the rest continued to their job. That dark elf girl even brought some friends for this meeting. She mentioned that these leaders would help us fight against the players.

Kouran already knew that Doctor Warner Asimov was inside the base. But she didn\'t know that person was the one who created the game. 

My eyes widened when I heard the name "Asimov" from Kouran\'s mouth. As soon as that name emerged from our conversation, we headed towards a secluded room.

We didn\'t include anyone else besides some few representatives of NPCs. Our team didn\'t want anyone hearing our plans, since there could be a spy among us. It would make our jobs arduous if we had to deal against those traitors while fighting the soldiers. 

Upon entering the place, Kouran locked the door and proceeded with our topic. Five people attended this meeting, including Ryoshi and me. Those two other representatives were leaders of their clan and field. If my guess was right, one was the head clan of the demi-humans, while the other was the chief of mercenaries. 

"I will go first. We lost the Obelisk and Red, who was also holding those stones. Those stones were the only thing I knew to complete this game and to win your freedom against those players," I narrated, and concluded my explanation.

Kouran nodded at my story and answered, "What happened to Red? Did she betray you? Or was she taken by those soldiers?"

I didn\'t want to give Kouran my answer, since it was far from the truth. However, Kouran was still part of our team, which we would need to fight against players. 

"Alice manipulated her and forced Red to leave Wonderland and use behind. But she\'s still on our side….We just don\'t know what happened to her."

The other two NPCs reluctantly agreed to my story. Kouran helped them understand the context, since they didn\'t know about Red or me. After learning what had happened, we immediately proceeded to the conversation\'s heart, which was the base and Asimov.

"But before anything else, we found those villagers and other warriors near the forest. Are those people our allies? What happened to them?

Kouran shook her head and replied, "Those villagers you saw were just survivors from the Mainland. We wanted to invite them over to our organization, but those people were persistent enough about fighting the soldiers. Some of them also had a breakdown, which eventually led to their death."

"I see."

After Kouran had answered my question, we moved on to our topic. Kouran cleared her throat and stated everything her team found from the base.

"Within weeks, those soldiers heavily guarded the area and built a structure. The building you\'ll see from the \'base\' is just the surface...Literally. Those players also have an underground facility, governed by the same officials of those managements. And from what the team of scouts had discovered, a name called Asimov resides in that area. We do not know who that is, but…"

"It\'s the creator of this world," I interposed, and stared at everyone\'s orbs. "He\'s the one who created this game. It\'s the person who made everything in this place."

"Do you mean he\'s our god?" the demi-human\'s chief asked, as she stroked her fur.

"You could say that. Asimov is a cruel man who would kill anyone to achieve his goal," I answered.

"And what was that?" the mercenary leader asked. 

"To end this game and to delete this world. I don\'t know why Asimov is doing it. But we will get to the bottom of that once we meet him."

The demi-human chief continued asking me a question after I had answered, "What about the players? Who are they? And why are they killing us?"

My sweat flowed from my skin as I heard those questions through my ears. I opened my mouth and thought about different things that could keep me alive. But if I concealed my identity, these leaders won\'t trust me. 

Kouran trusted me because I saved the elves against those soldiers. And when I saved Eve and Elina, Kouran and the dark elves respected me. When La Finta trusted me, these elves did the same and placed their bets on me.

But I doubted that would ever happen again. 

"Players are the ones playing this game. They are also people from the surface and used some kind of machine to enter this game. Those players use and create their own character and appear just like any other person here. The adventurers and protectors that magically appeared before were the players we are facing right now," I said, and heaved out a sigh. "I am also a player."

Those two NPCs gritted their teeth at me as soon as they met my eyes. The two NPCs exchanged words, claiming about the terms I used. They blinked a million times after hearing the word "game" in this world. That pair of NPCs believed that it was a farfetched story, and considered this place as real. And when I disclosed that I was also a player, everyone had lost their minds. Well, everyone except Kouran.

"If we\'re dealing against a god who created this place, how can we win against that? Even my people won\'t have any confidence going up against someone superior than us," the demi-human chief said, as she slammed his hands against the board. "If what you\'ve said is true, we were meant to die without having any chance of fighting. I propose that our people would evacuate from this place and avoid conflicts. We want nothing out of this fight! I want to protect my people, and clashing against those would just mean suicide to my clan!" the demi-human continued. "And I cannot believe that we\'re scheming against the players when we\'re talking to a player! Do you have any idea what we would think if we ever thought about it?"

"And I second the motion. I believe that we can\'t hold hands against the players if you are a player yourself. We would consider your offer if you\'re one of us! If what you\'ve said is true, you need to be an NPC. But as long as you\'re a player, our fate would go elsewhere than you," the chief mercenary yelled, and glared into my eyes. "Don\'t get in our way! We can never listen to a player like you! Those people are scums! They killed our people even without doing anything!"

However, before they could finish their sentences, the knock on the door shattered our thoughts. And when Kouran shouted at the person behind the door to leave, the knock subsided… for now.

After a few seconds, the gate turned into a million shards and burst open. Those people behind the door created some sort of smoke that concealed their identities. We even thought that the players had already breached our place. However, the timing didn\'t connect the puzzle, since the NPCs were still working. If something absurd had happened, all the people inside this base would have already panicked.

But within a moment, that fog disappeared, revealing the people behind the destruction. 

"I see the demi-humans have yet changed, hm? And Kouran, aren\'t you forgetting something?" the person behind the smoke had a recognizable, feminine voice. "And you, Fenrir! Why are you so soft against them when you literally annihilated five hundred players from before?"

"Hey, I told you to keep it down! Those NPCs are now staring at us!" another girl whispered, as the two marched their way inside.

"I know, I know. But I can\'t help it, since Fenrir needs our help."

"Are you....Elina? And Eve?" I asked.