OFF/Undertale
The world of humans is, statistically, pretty boring. Sure, we have wars, technology, Youtube videos of different animal species acting like 'best friends', etc, but when one truly boils it down… we don't have much to offer. Now, it's true that humans could stand to be a bit more interesting; however, the worlds connected to ours couldn't be more fascinating if they tried. There are countless universes directly interacting with our own, but two in particular are extremely linked.
One is directly underneath our feet. This is the Underground.
The other is inside your computer screen. This is OFF.
These two worlds could not be more similar, and more different. The Underground is like home. Even in the biting cold of Snowdin, it has an earthy, familiar vibe. OFF is not. The vibrant colors, lack of nature, and entirely fabricated world cause its residents to be permanently set on edge.
In OFF, there are four Zones. Zone 0 is mainly nothing. It's very small, and holds only a few structures. Its purpose is highly unknown. The only resident of this Zone is a white cat.
Zone 1 is an important Zone. It's solely responsible for four of the five elements in OFF. Smoke creates life-giving air. Metal, which is used for tools, and to create the ground itself. Meat, of course, is used for eating, prompting one to believe that the diets of OFF aren't too diverse. Lastly, plastic, which creates the world's water, as well as more tools. This Zone, and the other three Zones, are populated by Elsen, which are small, timid, easily frightened workers.
Zone 2 is the entertainment Zone. A huge, expansive library fills a good portion of the Zone, filled with books about everything one could desire. Curiously, however, many of the shelves are fake. There is also a shopping mall, where residents can buy anything they want, presuming it's made from metal or plastic. An amusement park would be a fun addition- if Elsen weren't so afraid of the rides. Lastly, a residential location takes up the remaining area, though with a huge library, mall, and amusement park, Elsen don't exactly get much room to grow.
Zone 3 is a confusing Zone to those who aren't privy to what goes on. This Zone manufactures the last, secret element- sugar. Sugar doesn't affect the members of OFF like it does humans. Instead of providing energy or sweetness, sugar is a drug. Elsen, in particular, are susceptible to this addiction. Sugar helps a troubled soul bear reality, and eases their pain, or discomfort. However, when the drug is taken away, the addicted soul can get very, very violent. The entire Zone is dedicated to this. How is sugar produced? The process is simple. The bodies of dead Elsen are burnt in a fire. The remains are used to make sugar.
Each Zone is protected by a Guardian. Zone 0 has the Judge, Zone 1 has Dedan, Zone 2 has Japhet, and Zone 3 has Enoch.
Together, these four Zones are OFF. This is the entire world, the entire universe. Mostly populated by Elsen, the only deviants are the Guardians, specters, monsters, a very mysterious merchant, and-
The Batter.
Our first main character was in Zone 2, stepping off a pedalo. Pedalos are, of course, duck-shaped boats that are used to traverse watery areas. The Batter exited the duck, leaving it to vanish without a trace behind him. Then, he started to walk.
At first glance, it would be obvious that, even though he was shaped like a human, the Batter was not a human being. The way he moved was stiff, automatic, and extremely controlled. One might say robotic, though with the advances in technology, there were probably quite a few robots with an emotional range greater than his.
He was tall, with broad shoulders that tapered to a thin waist. There wasn't an ounce of fat on his body, just muscle and bone. His style of dress was strange, and very unlike any other resident of OFF. He wore a baseball's uniform, complete with a white tunic and pants, black undershirt, athletic shoes, and a baseball cap. This cap cast a shadow over half of his face, leaving only the lower part of his nose and his mouth visible. Curiously, no matter what angle, or in what lighting one saw the Batter, this shadow was always present. His skin was pure, paper white, with no blemishes or scars.
Of course, no baseball uniform was complete without a bat. It was clutched in his left hand, a simple, wooden bat, though in a world entirely without trees, it was questionable where he got it.
It was questionable where he came from in general, in fact. The Batter didn't seem to fit in with OFF at all. The bright, glaring colors and stressfully busy atmosphere bounced off his monochromatic appearance, and left him unscathed.
However, the Batter was not alone. With him were three rings, larger than his head, and silver in color. They seemed to glow with energy and power, and emitted a soft hum. These were add-ons, barely sentient creatures that fought with their current owner. One floated above his head, and the other two hovered over each shoulder, making sure to stay out of his way in the meantime. They were capable of a multitude of attacks, and despite looking rather harmless, should not be taken lightly. Alpha, Omega, and Epsilon were their names, though how they got these names was unclear.
After exiting the pedalo, the Batter and his add-ons headed down a pathway. It seemed as though he had a destination in mind, walking with determined, purposeful steps. He didn't look at the scenery around him, though the bright pink walls weren't too exciting anyway. He just stared forwards, and marched.
Truth be told, nothing interesting happened. OFF was only exciting in certain areas. The other areas were dedicated to work or travel. The path he was currently on was one that connected the library with the shopping mall, and it was a rather narrow path indeed. These Zones were very obviously overcrowded. The number of Elsen was steadily growing, and wasn't going to stop anytime soon. However, all Elsen were male, so… their methods of reproduction weren't exactly clear.
Then, suddenly, something interesting happened. From literally nowhere, three white, floating creatures appeared, hovering menacingly above the Batter. Each had two black eyes and a mouth full of teeth. They were ghosts, that was obvious, and their intentions even more so. The Batter and his add-ons didn't seem fazed. This happened almost obnoxiously often. He simply stepped back, holding his bat in a ready position. The rings' hum turned into a buzz, like angry bees, as they lined up beside him.
The fighting was short. The white-faced man and the add-ons had different attacks they could use, with varying damage. The man swung his bat violently, hitting a spectre squarely. White dots exploded around them, running into the Batter's target again and again. It twisted, shrieked, and… vanished.
The other two ghosts were dealt with by Alpha, Omega, and Epsilon. The Batter chose what attacks they'd do, and obediently, they did it.
It truly was a very simple, routine occasion. A battle that could have been tense and exciting, if the Batter wasn't so… monotone. He showed no emotion during the fight, remaining entirely blank faced.
There had to be something else going on here, something other than a man accompanied by rings, fighting ghosts in a technicolor world.
Correct. But that's an explanation for another time.
The Batter had finally reached his destination, pushing open a door, and stepping into a small shop, followed by his add-ons.
"Zacharie." said the man. His voice was deep, expressionless, and strangely… French accented? How was he French?
The shop was simple, with small crates and bags piled here and there, and a semi-clean countertop off to one side. From behind this counter popped up the second character in this story, Zacharie.
"Oh, buenos dias, my friend. You arrived far quicker than I anticipated. Shame, Batter. You can't get ahead of the script." He was French, too, despite his Spanish greeting.
Zacharie was a far more interesting character than the Batter, by way of appearances, of course. He was short, with an average, perhaps slightly stocky build. Strangely enough, not an inch of uncovered skin could be seen. A cream-colored sweater with a red heart adorned his torso, while black gloves hid his hands. His pants were black, and too short, ending just above the ankles. Bright blue socks were easily seen, which led down to sturdy walking boots.
A mess of black hair was the only thing visibly organic about the merchant. His entire face was covered by a large, white mask. It resembled a frog, with two large black eyes and a strangely downturned mouth. His facial expressions were hidden, but Zacharie had the type of voice that conveyed emotion very well. Normally, he sounded as if he was grinning snarkily, as if he knew some juicy secret. The merchant wasn't a fan of speaking more than he had to. He didn't enjoy blethering on, and usually kept things strictly professional.
"I need supplies." said the Batter, obviously not much of a conversationalist.
Zacharie chuckled. "Of course, my friend. Presuming you have the credits, that is."
Credits were the currency in OFF, and the Batter always seemed to have a great deal of them, which was probably why the merchant liked him so well. It certainly wasn't because of his shining personality.
Leaning against the counter, Zacharie watched his customer browse through the items he had for sale. "Or, perhaps your inventory is getting full? You know I'm always looking to buy."
The Batter ignored him, but his statements were rather odd. Mentioning the 'script' and 'inventory'. What did it mean? Zacharie knew things. He knew many, many things. He knew that their world wasn't what it seemed, in more ways than one. And, he knew that the Batter wasn't what he seemed, again, in more ways than one.
The merchant knew that his monochromatic friend was being controlled by a being known as the Puppeteer. This all-knowing creature used their world as a playground, and had been doing so for as long as OFF had been around. Perhaps they'd even created OFF. They, however, were not a character themselves. They needed a vessel, someone to carry out their biding. So, they'd been assigned to the Batter, to help him carry out his mission.
The Batter, too, knew that he was being controlled, but he didn't seem to care in the slightest. He often introduced himself with a simple, 'My name is the Batter, I'm being led by the Puppeteer'. Nobody besides Zacharie and one other creature truly understood what that meant. Of course, nobody knew what the Puppeteer was. After being introduced to the Batter, the pair were let out at Zone 0. That's all the information anyone had. The Puppeteer couldn't speak or interact with the residents of OFF themselves. However, they could see and hear everything, as well as guide the Batter as if pulling the strings of a puppet, hence the name.
Of course, the Batter still knew what was going on around him, and he was able to control himself, as well. It was a complicated symbiosis, one that Zacharie didn't understand.
Well. It wasn't like he needed to understand. He was just the merchant, after all. The items merchant that every game needed. Because that was all this was, wasn't it? A game. The Puppeteer's game.
"Zacharie."
The Batter's voice cut through his thoughts, and the merchant snapped to attention. "Apologies, amigo. Did you find something you simply couldn't live without?" It was a bit of a pun. Zacharie sold healing items, after all, as any good game merchant should.
"Yes. I need 3 Luck Tickets. And a new bat."
It totaled to 160 credits. The Batter handed over the money, Zacharie handed over the goods, and that was that. No haggling, bargaining, or in-depth conversation. That was how their relationship worked. Both creatures weren't fond of excessive talking, so it was comfortable for them. Of course, one was simply lazy, while the other was little more than a robotic puppet.
"Need anything else?" inquired Zacharie, counting the credits he'd just received. His customer responded in the negative, turned around, and left. Simple. Easy. Same as always.
Except… this time, it wasn't, oddly enough. The Batter and his three add-ons exited through the door they'd entered. Then, from outside, there was a loud, sudden noise. Zacharie had never heard anything like it, and that put him on edge. He knew everything about this world. He'd gone through the exact same story multiple times, sold the same items, had the same conversations, and nothing ever changed. So… He wasn't a fan of this, whatever it was.
What came next, however, was what prompted him to vault over the counter and rush towards the door.
"Unhand me! Unholy spectres, let me go! Release me, I command you!" yelled the Batter, from outside. When Zacharie opened the door and peeked out, he spotted something rather odd. His blank-faced customer was currently being… stolen? Stolen seemed like an appropriate word. A portal had opened up, directly in the middle of the walkway. From this portal, strange mist was curling outwards, wrapping around the Batter, and pulling him in.
There was a certain smell in the air, something Zacharie had never experienced before. The smell of water. Pure, fresh water, untainted by plastic or meat. It was almost sweet, a smell that nearly made the merchant want to follow his customer into the portal. A gentle sound accompanied the scent, like a musical tinkling.
The brief moment of tranquility only lasted for a moment, however. Then, the stillness was shattered. The misty fingers suddenly turned solid, grabbing the Batter around his waist, and harshly yanking him into the portal. The add-ons, ever the faithful companions, followed dutifully, not knowing or caring what they were getting themselves into.
The entire thing was over in a few seconds. One moment, the Batter was there, and the next, he'd been violently kidnapped by a large tear in reality.
As soon as it had appeared, the portal vanished, closing in on itself within a few milliseconds.
Zacharie stood in the entrance to his shop, staring in bewilderment, his shock evident even though his face wasn't visible. Nothing truly surprised him anymore, so this was new.
Slowly, he turned his face towards the sky, the scent of fresh water still lingering in the air.
"…That wasn't in the script."
