Say my name!

"Okay love." Zeke said, taking a deep breath. "Love, I can do this." Zeke put his hands out towards Scarlet's hand and attempted to experience the emotion of love. He strained and focused until water began to pour from his hand.

"Water?!" Scarlet screamed, jumping up from where she was to not get wet. "I guess it was better than fire."

"I'm sorry." Zeke said. "I don't know what happened."

"This unit's analysis of subject fifty-one's emotion at the time of spell cast indicated the emotion of fear." Sara explained. "Love is the emotion you are after. Fear is your water magic apparently. You can do it fifty-one!" She cheered again in her different voice.

"Gods, I wish you would stop doing that." Zeke said. "It's just creepy." He tried to focus again. [Alright love I can do this.] He thought to himself. [Let me think about my mom, I loved my mom.] He thought of the time he had spent with his mother, but unfortunately his mind quickly raced to the day that she died, and his heart became filled with sadness. Chilly air began to emit from his fingertips as the air around him became frigid.

"Zeke, stop it!" Scarlet yelled, feeling the icy freezing air on her skin. "That's so cold it hurts."

"I'm so sorry!" Zeke said. "I was trying to think of love, but then I kept thinking about how everyone died. I was overtaken by sadness."

"I know Zeke, I miss them all too." Scarlet said. "Let us just give up for now. I really do not want to end up drenched, frozen, or burned. I will be okay. My hand only hurts a little, I can make it through the pain."

"This unit can heal the nonessential's hand." Sara said.

"You can?!" Zeke asked. "Why didn't you say so?!"

"This unit was not asked." Sara coldly replied. She held out her hand. "Please surrender your hand nonessential."

"My name is Scarlet." She said as she gave the android her hand.

"Yes, I am sure that it is." Sara replied. "Please remain still until the spell has completed its function, nonessential."

Scarlet let out a deep sigh while she waited from the android to heal her broken hand.

She watched as the android's other arm became a blade. Sara raised the blade up to slice off Scarlet's hand.

"Stop!" Scarlet screamed.

"Stop Sara!" Zeke screamed as well.

Sara lowered her bladed hand and converted it back into a hand. "This unit does not understand." Sara said. "If this unit removes the nonessential's hand it will no longer be broken and therefore healed."

Scarlet yanked her broken hand back from the android. "I would like to keep my hand, thank you!" Scarlet yelled.

"Let's just move on." Zeke said. "Maybe we can find an item that will heal or a potion or something. That is something that happens in labyrinths, right?"

"I mean sometimes you find items." Scarlet said. "But they were just items that local monsters stole and carried them back here with them."

"Hopefully one of the monsters carried a potion down here then." Zeke said. "I vote we leave this chamber before the kraken returns." Zeke and Scarlet left the cavern and found their way back to the split path. Sara followed closely behind them.

"This unit recommends the center path." Sara said.

Zeke and Scarlet looked at each other and said in unison, "Left." Neither of them trusted the android after everything that had happened.

"This unit believes that to be a bad idea." Sara said. "The left path may result in nonessential's death."

"I can take care of myself!" Scarlet yelled. "Hanging around you already might result in my death! And for the last damn time my name is Scarlet! That is S, C, A, R, L, E, T, Scarlet!"

"This unit understands." Sara said. "Nonessential Scarlet."

"Just Scarlet!" She demanded. "Drop the whole nonessential."

"This unit cannot do that." Sara said.

"And why can't you?!" Scarlet yelled.

"Because you are nonessential to the mission." Sara said. "There is no value you offer fifty-one, towards becoming a true hero."

"So let me get this straight." Scarlet said, still fuming with anger. "You think not having a friend with him is better than having a friend."

"You are not fifty-one's friend." Sara.

"Hey now." Zeke said. "Of course, she is. We go way back."

"Did you ever meet with fifty-one outside of store hours?" Sara asked. "Did you offer to ever help him when he told you a problem? Did you ever bring him gifts or snacks at work? Did you even ever talk when fifty-one was not at work?"

"No…" Scarlet said softly.

"Some friend." Sara smugly said.

"Okay so we aren't the closest friends." Zeke said. "But she was always super nice at the store. She couldn't ever hang out with me; she had a boyfriend."

"Nonessential." Sara continued.

"Can you please just call her Scarlet?" Zeke asked.

"This unit will do so under the following parameters." Sara explained. "Parameter one: Nonessential becomes essential to the mission. End of Parameters."

"Honestly, it is like talking to a rock." Scarlet sighed. "Still, I don't trust her. I say we stick with our decision to take the left path."

"I agree." Zeke said. "Plus, you know these tunnels way more than I do, as many times as you have been down here."

"Well yes and no." Scarlet said. "The tunnels change. I don't know what type of magic they are enchanted with but the two always lead to five separate locations. You never know which is going to lead where. It seems random at best."

"Wow." Zeke said. "I had no idea. So, what are the five places."

"One is just more cave." Scarlet said. "One is a dungeon, another is an old mine, another an old mansion, and finally the last is an old castle. They each have different monsters, but the castle is by far the most difficult."

"Well might as well see what we get then." Zeke said as the trip began walking down the left path.