Dance of the Damned

Decisions, Decisions

"Nameless is the one to make this decision," Micah said, looking at him with a slightly serious look on his face. "Either you let it being tomorrow and meet this person or we do it next week."

"What if I do not choose tomorrow?"

"Then you just carried out a death sentence on them," Micah said with a kind tone. "But no one will hold it to you, Nameless."

"Why don't I just choose tomorrow then?" He asked, "There seem to be no consequences."

"There will be consequences," Thunder said, frowning. "Heavy, heavy consequences. To prepare for that is to come it taking a while. I have been preparing but two days is hardly enough."

"What will happen if I do choose tomorrow then?" he asked, looking at Micah who seemed to shiver slightly.

"You will risk the deaths of hundreds of people of this kingdom," Micah said, still putting on a smile though it faltered slightly. "Though you all may make your individual choices as well. On what you will do in regards to this."

"This is a tough decision," Ourd whispered to Teri. "I wouldn't know what to choose."

"If I may ask." Corey piped in. "Why is one person seemingly as important as hundreds of people of this kingdom?"

"You will have to ask, Nameless for that," Micah said, smiling sadly at him as the man began to step back.

"You don't mean-"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Micah said, shrugging. "Who knows?"

"You. You dare make me chose?!" The man shouted, walking to Micah as Carvill and whoever was in front of him blocked his way. "What do you think you are doing?!"

"Let him through," Micah said, walking to the man, eyes forward as he grabbed him by the collar and began to shake him.

"Roshi!" Heris and Clover ran to them but Teri stopped them as the other Masters stopped the others while Micah stared at him blankly.

"You said- you said that you would save her! You said that you would be able to do that for her! Why?! Why is the decision falling on me then?? Why??"

"Let me ask you this, Nameless," Micah said, looking into his eyes as the warehouse fell into silence. "Did you do what I told you to?"

"T-told me to? What the hell did you tell me to do-?"

"Could you be talking about the gambling addiction Nameless has?" Lotus asked, still holding the fan over his face.

"I- I gave that up!" the man shouted when Angel suddenly burst into a laugh.

"Give that up?" She asked, laughing even more. "Please, I am going to die from laughing this hard!"

"What are you talking about girl?"

"You are so far in debt that you have to borrow money from me." She shouted and then pointed to Teri. "You have been borrowing money from her for so long too! Have you returned it?"

"He borrowed it for his daughter." Teri defended the man. "Who am I to say no and he can take as long as he wants to return the money."

"That is what you told her?" Soul asked, voice booming. "You said that your daughter left you and you are trying to get the money to bring her back. That is why you borrowed my money."

"W-what?" Teri asked, looking at Nameless. "But, he said that his daughter is sick and that sh-"

"He has a daughter, that part is true," Nepto said turning to his sister.

"But it is also true that she is not with him at the moment."

"I ... I don't understand," Teri said, looking around the room in a panic. "Then, what did he use the money for?"

"He has a gambling addiction," Carvill said turning to Thunder. His majesty has tried to help him before by giving him a house to live in for free until he could establish himself."

"He sold the house." Thunder said annoyance written all over his face. "I did not tell anyone this but I suppose it has to come out sooner or later."

"That is not true, is it, Nameless?" Teri asked, turning to the man as he hung his head in despair.

Removing his mask, he showed his face and bowed his head to the ground, "I am sorry! It is true. Roshi told me to quit gambling the moment I joined this guild.

"I ... I didn't listen to him. My daughter left me to make a better life for herself. It would seem that she went to the neighbouring kingdom. Please! Let me save my daughter!"

Everyone stayed silent as they stared at the man on the ground, head bowed to Teri who turned to Heris and Clover.

"I ... what do we do?" Heris asked as everyone started to whisper amongst each other.

"What do you think, Division Master?" Heris asked, turning to Teri.

"I don't know." She said, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "I don't know anything about him, and to have been lied to ... I took out savings from my own money. I just."

"Doesn't he deserve to be happy?" Clover asked looking at the man still sobbing on the ground. "It is his daughter."

"No. Not at all. But, besides that, we are talking about hundreds of lives in exchange for his daughter." Heris said, frowning.

"Should his daughter suffer because of her father's mistake?" Clover asked again.

“If we agree, we will have those people’s lives on us as well,” Heris said, turning to Clover. “Are you going to be ok with that?”

“It would be great if the decision never had to be made.” She said, softly. “But, in all honesty. I would prefer the daughter die as compared to people in the kingdom.”

“Maybe we can save his daughter.” Corey said, looking at everyone, “We will be able to save the people if we spread out, don’t you think so? Roshi will be able to tell what is going to happen and where.”

“If we can do that then I am for tomorrow,” Ourd said, softly, looking around the room.

“As am I,” Soul said. “Just say the word and my men will be ready.”

“Then me to-“

“I hate to interrupt you all but, as much as that is a nice sentiment, it will not work. None of you knows what is going to happen if we go for tomorrow.” Thunder said, frowning at everyone. “I know, because I am in charge of starting it. It will not be enough.”

“Why don’t you just not do it at all then?” Worth asked, genuinely confused. “Why does this need to happen?”

Everyone turned to Micah who stood there with a sigh, “The disaster will happen, either way. If you want to prevent too many causalities, you need to work with the loopholes in the timeline.

“If something happens a little earlier, then you will be able to control it and be prepared for it.”

“If you know it is going to happen then you don’t you just try to stop it?” Nameless asked, as Carvill and many of the Masters began to grow angry at him.

“I did,” Micah said sadly and pulled his shirt up, showing his back as Carvill took a cloth and began wiping at the skin to reveal a nasty burnt scar that ran all the way up his back.

Gasps filled the room as Micah pulled his shirt down and turned to them, smiling. “As you can see … it did not work too well. I apologise for my shortcomings.”

“Roshi,” Teri said, looking at him sadly as she could feel the air around the people grow solemn.

“You have two choices. Either you save his daughter or you save more people.” Carvill said, standing in front of Micah as though to defend him.

“I don’t need protecting, Carvill,” Micah said, grinning at the man. “But I believe that everyone should know this since they are the ones who will suffer the most losses.”

“What do you mean?” Lotus asked, frowning.

“All of you, will lose more than half your men.” He turned to Teri who felt chills running up her spine. “And you Teri, you will lose both Clover and Heris trying to protect the girl.”

“Maybe this time will be different!” Nameless shouted, looking around the room. “Roshi knows more, right? So, he should prevent it.”

“Roshi is not a tool for you to use whenever is benefitting you!” Madam Lottie shouted. “You got yourself into this mess and you expect us to clean up for you?! I chose to continue as planned.”

“As do I.” Thunder said. “But I have always been for that.”

“I am against it too." Soul boomed. "I am sorry. I cannot sacrifice my men for one girl."

One by one they all began to vote for the original plan, distress coming on the man's face until all that was left was Teri.

"Y-you will help me, right?" He asked, looking at her with inspiration written all over his face. "My daughter."

"Clover asked me if his daughter should suffer for her father's mistakes and I have to disagree. She should not." Teri said as the man began to beam brightly.

"I knew you wo-"

"BUT, there is this question I would like to ask. Should innocent people that have nothing to do with this suffer because a man did not obey from the beginning?"

Nameless's face fell as Teri's eyes grew cold, "I am against this as well. I have given you everything I could, I am not giving you the lives of those entrusted to me. I am sorry."