Chapter 24: A Decision

Shade and the rest of Team Shadow Liege quietly sat around a small campfire while they had dinner. It was now nighttime after a very eventful day.

They had managed to defeat the White Claw which made the area a lot safer than before. However, one thing remained stagnant across their minds. It was the appearance of soldiers from the ME Organization.

Everyone had heard the conversation between Shade and Kaiser. This included the warning that Shade was given. It was very troublesome given that they would all get dragged into it if nothing was done.

"So..." Began Celia to get the droopy mood out of the air. "...why isn't anyone talking? We've barely exchanged ten words since Kaiser and his soldiers showed up."

Shade then released a bothered sigh before responding.

"I know the reason why you're all so quiet. Kaiser said that if I didn't stop prying into the ME Organization then he would kill all of us. If you have a problem with that then just say so."

Slowly, Maria then began to raise her hand. She was the one who was most troubled by this.

"Then I have a problem... I think we should listen to Kaiser's warning! We already have enough to worry about with this death game that we're in! Tackling the ones who created the game would be biting more than we could chew!"

Shade did not give an immediate response. Rather, he continued to wait to see if anyone else had anything else that they wanted to say. This was when Rondo began to speak

"I somewhat agree with Maria on this one... You saw how strong Kaiser was, didn't you..? How are we supposed to defeat a guy like that! I don't believe that there's much reason for us to pursue the ME Organization."

Once again, a moment of silence passed as they all awaited Shade's response. Calmly, he then released another bothered sigh before speaking.

"I have more than one reason why I must go after the ME Organization. These reasons are more than enough conviction for me. However, I won't force anyone to follow me. If you believe that it's too dangerous then you're free to leave."

"Then I'm sorry..." Began Maria. "Rondo and I needed a team but not one that would place us in any more danger than we already had to deal with... So-"

"Before you go any further, let me give you a warning," interrupted Shade. "If you leave my team then that means you could become a threat further down the line. This also means that I'll be forced to kill you the second you decide to leave."

A state of shock then shot through everyone present. Shade's death threat was not expected.

"No! That's ridiculous!" Suddenly shouted Maria as she picked herself up. "If you're going to kill us for leaving your group then we don't have a say in the matter! We die anyway! That's not fair!!"

"I've already made up my mind. If you're going to leave then you have two choices. One is to take me on in a fight and kill me or wait until I'm asleep then make a run for it. However, I promise that whichever you choose, I'll make sure to kill you."

Maria couldn't believe her ears. She looked up at Celia hoping that she would do something to help her. However, Celia simply avoided her gaze with a hint of guilt.

"We just can't do this! It's unfair, damn it!"

"Maria!" Suddenly interrupted Rondo with an aggressive shout. "Shut up. What did you expect? We're in a death game for crying out loud! How naíve would Shade be to let us simply walk out of his group knowing that we could be threats later? It was our decision to join them in the first place, remember that."

Maria bit her lip in frustration as she sat back down. She knew that Rondo was right.

"Okay then," began Rondo. "Before I completely make my decision, I want to know what Celia and Arora think of Shade's decision. Once I've heard their thoughts then I'll decide what we'll do next."

Shade then remained quiet as he allowed Celia and Arora to exchange a look of assurance among themselves.

"I'm with Shade on this one," started Celia. "I haven't been with him for that long but I can still say with certainty that Shade has never once failed us as a team. He's smart, composed, and always makes the right decision. Most of all, he cares for you once you're a part of his team. So I'm sure that he'll cover for us despite the dangers that will come after us."

"I see... And Arora, what about you?" Asked Rondo.

"I agree with Celia. At first, I was just a timid girl who could barely even defend herself. I was sure that I was bound to die. However, when I met Shade, he slowly encouraged me to move forward and to face my fears... If it weren't for him then I'm certain that I wouldn't be here talking to any of you right now. I trust him and his decisions despite how dangerous they might seem. He might be reckless at times but he isn't stupid. I'm sure Shade knows what he's doing."

Shade was slightly surprised to hear Arora speak with such confidence. She had truly begun to change into a braver version of herself. He had made the right decision in keeping her by his side.

On the other hand, Rondo pondered. He realized just how much Celia and Arora trusted Shade. He too could tell that Shade was a good leader. Even though Celia acted as Team Captain, it was clear that Shade was the true team leader. He was somewhat like a shadow leader.

"I see... I'm sure your trust for Shade didn't develop overnight. And I must agree that he led us well during that fight against that field boss earlier. All of us saw how easily a team of eight players was defeated, yet, with Shade's leadership, we were able to defeat it with almost half that. So I'll agree to stay with the team," decided Rondo.

"So what do you say, Maria? Are you still eager to leave the team?" Asked Shade.

Maria took a moment to respond. She still had her doubts. However, since even Rondo was willing to trust in Shade, it was only fair if she gave him a chance as well.

"I still think all of you are crazy... But I'll keep going with you guys for now. I don't understand how you can all be so anxious to take on the ME Organization though..."

"Well, as Shade said, he has his reasons. But looking at it now, if we're somehow able to take down the ME Organization then I believe there's a chance we can win the game without completing all 20 Stages of bloodshed. It's worth a shot," noted Rondo.

Team Shadow Liege had made their decision. They would continue to pursue the dangerous ME Organization despite their odds. However, this would be the beginning of something very dangerous.

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