Warrior & Queen

4. Pecuniam

4. Pecuniam

Some say that money is the root of all evil... others say that the lack of it is...

If one can love physical possessions more than mental possessions, one has touched the surface of insanity.

"What a beautiful love story... told by a fool" Said Utagai as Warrior carried him up the stairs toward the Central Command Station. Utagai, had found a different way of realm jumping, and he now sought to attack NarrowThinker. This was actually an effective strategy because he could change the whole course of the story by realm jumping and taking his fight to another area in which he had more power. "You're lucky Agape doesn't want me to kill you for some reason." Replied Warrior. Utagai was still weak and Warrior continued to carry him up. As they reached the top of the steps Warrior noticed that the door to the heart had already been opened, someone was inside already.

He delighted at the thought that maybe it was Queen, maybe her and Ominidell had returned and was now going to make things right from the inside. As he neared the door and tried to take a look inside he was struck hard in the stomach. As he hit the ground and released Utagai, he glanced upward to see Jiko Kiritsu. "You fool! Have you no sense? Were you really going to let a stranger in here? You don't know that girl!"

Jiko Kiritsu struck Warrior again, this time with a swift kick to the face. Warrior attempted to crawl to his feet but Utagai tripped him; landing him face first on the ground and opening him up for a stomp to the back of the head from Jiko Kiritsu. "Stand up Warrior! stand up now! What a disgrace you are!" Yelled Jiko Kiritsu. Warrior was confused, he thought that he recognized his attacker's face from the court of Agape... he was unaware of what had happened to Kiritsu. He could not endure many more blows, but he remembered Ominidell. As he called for Ominidell in his mind, he observed Utagai's confident grin. Utagai could read thoughts and he knew that Ominidell would not show this time. "He's not coming... his time is up. In fact, I have my own little dragon that I want you to meet now hahahaaa." He scorned. Warrior had never felt fear since his inception, so he did not know what that feeling felt like and he had nothing to compare it with. But as he felt the gust of wind and observed the shadow of a rather large creature encompassing him, he was beginning to understand what fear felt like. This was not Ominidell... This dragon used the shadows to encompass most of its body, it slithered like a snake and its gaze was almost human, it was confusing to look upon because it was hard to make up its shape and even looking at it for too long began to hypnotize and hurt the mind. This creature was beautiful and terrible at the same time, starring at its magnificence brought pleasure to the eye but it was so disorderly and confusing to look at that one could feel its very presence eating away at the mind's eye.

Fear felt like being out of control.... like not knowing what was going to happen... fear felt like the opposite of love... like the opposite of knowing that everything was going to be okay....

Warrior was created to eliminate fear, but as Utagai and Jiko Kiritsu held his hands down... fear breathed fiery new life into his heart... his eyes were burned in the process but he retained his vision... only now he saw things in a new light. After he had embraced the fear he rose to his feet with a fiery, dangerous look in his eyes. He stared right through Utagai and Jiko Kiritsu. "She's not coming back is she?" He asked in a monotoned, deeper voice.

"She was never really here friend." Replied Utagai.

"Okay... good, now let's go after the real joy." Warrior replied. Utagai and Jiko Kiritsu exchanged grins as they followed Warrior into the main Control Room of the heart.

As Warrior navigated the body in search for riches- his thinking once again drifted towards Queen and Ominidell. He wondered where they were and what had happened to them. Since Utagai could read thoughts he knew Warrior was thinking about Queen and Ominidell. He could at any point signal Jiko Kiritsu to knock the thoughts right out of Warrior's mind, but he decided to wait and gather every bit of information about Queen and Ominidell as possible from the thoughts of Warrior, this way if they ever were to return he would know how to crush them once and for all. Warrior had learned Utagai's style of fighting and he felt the inquisitive mind of Utagai upon his thoughts. He knew that Utagai underestimated him so he continued to think about Queen and Ominidell but masked his goal in thinking about them. Since he was aware that Utagai was reading his thoughts he decided to deliberately think in a way that would bring fear upon Utagai, and since he knew that Jiko Kiritsu would most likely attack him if Utagai expressed his concerns, he subconsciously prepared for that fight as well.. sub-conscious thoughts were harder to read.