Dance of the Damned

Begin Operation Eggs

The two watched them disappear into the darkness, not one sound coming from the hooves of the horse.

“Well, that is that.” The woman said, taking her mask off, showing her deep purple eyes, almost crystal-like under the street lights. “It was fun. Don’t you think so?”

“I got to meet him.” The man beside her said, a dazed look on his face as he pulled out his mask revealing a birthmark that covered the entirety of his right face, even his eye. “He is everything I thought he would be and more.”

“You are completely smitten, aren’t you?” She nudged him on the side as bits of his blond hair fell over his eyes while he held the mask close tightly in his hands.

“Who wouldn’t be?” He gasped, looking at her like she was an i***t. “When I was hiding with the man, we did not make one noise but he still found us and he looked so happy I couldn’t run anymore.”

“Even though he was covered in blood and gaping wounds with a knife in hand?” She teased, pulling a sack from the satchel on her horse.

“He looked like an angel.” Heris giggled like a schoolgirl with a crush, grabbing a sack from his horse’s satchel. “Even if he were to use me as bait, I would die happily.”

“You sound just like a lot of them.” The woman said, shaking her head as she shoved the body into the sack. “I guess the newer ones that joined are mostly fans of Roshi.”

“It was tough getting into The White Tears of the Lion.” He said, shoving the other body into his sack carelessly like it wasn’t just a living human minutes ago. “Really, really tough. But for tonight. Everything was worth it.”

“You were infamous, if I remember correctly.” The woman said, looking at him with a tilt of her head. “Everyone kept recommending you to us.”

“Yeah.” The younger man said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

“I heard so much about you and over-exaggerated descriptions that actually seeing you was a huge let down.” She laughed when Heris pouted at her.

“Division Five Master, Teri!” He whined. “I am the newest member of your division. Shouldn’t you be treating me … better?”

“You are the newest.” She nodded. “But you have been with us for more than six months now. You aren’t getting any more special treatment.”

“Fine.” He sighed. “Coming with you tonight was worth it. We should do it more.”

“Look here, child.” She placed a hand over his shoulders. “Where are we right now?”

“The Capital city of the kingdom of Kloham?” He asked, looking around him. “Well, this is really the outskirts of the capital city anyway.”

“Yes. So let me ask you this, all the people in the group, do you think they are just ordinary people?”

“Ye…. Nnooo?” The young man asked again, judging her expression to determine the correct answer.

“Many of us are from the Capital city itself.” She said, sitting on the ground and stared up at the sky, sighing. “Belonging to noble families and all that nonsense.”

“But, doesn’t it go against everything the White Tears of the Lion stand for?”

“Just call it Lion. That name is too long it’s annoying.” She sighed, picking the sack with the body in it up and throwing it over the horse as the man did the same.

"The answer is yes and no. The Lion was not what it is now. Roshi appeared one day and turned this small, unknown guild upside down.

"The only ones that knew what happened that day are three of them. One being Carvill. I don't know about the other two.

“The guild was hated in the community because they tried to play judges to anything they deemed unjust. If they did not see it as unjust, they will not bat an eye at it.

“From what I heard, he laid waste to the guild and its members before building it from the ground up. I heard that there is a king’s bodyguard in the guild. How he was able to get all these people, is beyond me.”

"But he personally came to you, right?" Heris asked, looking at her with envy as she nodded. "I'm so jealous. What did he say to you?"

"I usually hide my face from the public and there are no records of me in my family so I am non-existent. But he knew where I was going to be at what time and gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He offered to give back everything that should have been mine.

"Once I joined, I could not leave. Not because I wanted to, quite the opposite really." She said, smiling at the boy then turned to the last body on the ground. “So that is my story.”

“Wow.” The man said, looking at her blankly. “You told me so many things without telling me anything at the same time. This conversation was completely useless.”

“This kid.” The woman scoffed, staring at the man as she picked the last man’s body by the leg and shoved him into the sack, being even rougher than he was with the other body. “Jealous?”

“Why would I be?” The man asked, tying the sack to the tail of the horse. “I feel nothing. Roshi can do as he wishes.”

“Right.” She said, looking at the sack on the tail before going to her horse. “Let me ask you this, do you think he is too kind?”

“Yes!” The man answered too quickly, pursing his lips as though he could not believe he just said that. “I mean- I am worried someone might take advantage of him.”

“Rule number one and the most important rule of all.” The woman said, holding her finger up. “Never underestimate Roshi. That is an insult to him and to us as a guild.”

“How does he do it?” The man asked, frowning as he stared at the stone road. “I don’t mean to sound like I am doubting him, I would never. Especially after what I saw today. But I just can't understand it.

“When I … when I first heard about him, I thought he may be faking this blindness to make people lower their guard around him but that isn’t it at all.” He said, climbing onto his horse. “Do you know?”

“There are many, many things we do not know about Roshi. He did not seem of this world to me when I first met him.” Teri climbed onto her horse, stroking its hair. “He still feels like that to me. Something about him felt older than he was and yet, he behaves younger than his age. Really a contradiction.”

“He is incredible.” The man said, holding the mask in his hands as they heard voices beginning to rise, the two exchanging knowing looks.

“Exactly as he predicted,” Teri said with a defeated laugh while putting on her mask. “How does he do this?”

“I think it just adds to his charm,” Heris answered, putting on his mask as the two prepared to ride away.

“Agreed.” She said, staring up at the houses all along the pathway beginning to light up as movements could be heard all around. “On my mark.”

The voices grew louder as people peeked out of their houses, noticing the two. They stared, not wanting to go outside but not willing to take their eyes off them either.

“Now?” Heris asked, noticing more eyes on them growing by the second.

“Not yet. Patience.” Teri said, looking straight ahead as she remembered the meeting the night before in the Lion’s guild. "Now!"

The two took off on their horses, like the wind, passing the people and the lights until they disappeared.

_______________

After four and a half months passed with no word from the boy, she suddenly received a message from him. All that was written was, “Emergency meeting. Tonight.”

She rushed to the guild as quickly as possible, making sure not to be spotted and saw the other ten division masters waiting in the meeting room.

The room with a long table in the middle of the hall for every division master to sit on and some more spaces for if they kept expanding.

She remembered thinking of how the guild grew so much in just three years that it needs eleven separate divisions to maintain order and yet, it is still able to be in the shadows. Almost unknown to the common people.

They were as confused as she was but didn't have to wait long as Roshi walked into the guild as they watched the blind boy with his walking stick walk without any problems to them.

He counted every step he took like he was playing a game of hopscotch, in a singsongy voice and a bright smile on his face.

No one took their seat until he got to them and sat, even then, they waited until he told them all to take their seats to finally ... well, sit.

"Thank you all for your patience." The boy said, holding a box of chocolates and passing it to everyone as they took a piece. "Operation Eggs start now."