"So you think this'll work?" Asriel asked as he passed through the barrier.
Asriel and Chara had been plotting this for several months. First, Chara had to slowly poison herself with buttercups. This was, surprisingly, the easiest part of their plan. It involved introducing a leaf or two into her water every few days, and slowly increasing the dosage. This allowed her to gain a resistance to the toxic flower. They would then lay off it once she had grown tolerant to it. Once her body had recovered, they would give her a massive dose. This would put her on the brink of death, but not quite there thanks to the previous doses.
Then, Phase 2 would begin. This consisted of Asriel's job. He, while she was close to death, would snatch her soul and use it to get across the barrier. They would then go to the nearby village, according to Chara's directions. They would then use the poor excuses for humanity to charge and destroy the barrier. The plan seemed sound to Asriel. Asriel was itching to get revenge for all of the pain that Chara had to endure.
'Of course dipshit. I wouldn't poison myself for any damm pointless reason.' Chara said tersely
Ah, Asriel hadn't thought of that… still…
"I guess…" He replied unsurely as he purposely ignored the colorful manner in which Chara spoke
'Ya might want to stop talking to me out loud. When ya do, It comes echo-y.' Chara chided in a kinder tone, sensing his unease
See she did have a heart.
'Oh! Right. Sorry…' Asriel mentally spoke as he shoved some shrubbery away
They then fell into a comfortable silence as Asriel made his way through the forest. He would occasionally get off course, but was quickly corrected by Chara. He thought of many things, as he stared at the blue sky. He wondered when the stars would show. They made significant progress short hour that they walked. According to Chara, they were only an hour or two from said village. It was at this time that Asriel felt the slight sting of worry. What if they died? Surely with the power of a human soul, he would easily outmatch them…
'You're worried.' Chara stated matter of factly
'Of course I am! I'm going to be… killing… I don't know if I can handle this…' Asriel said in short quick gasps
Asriel's hands shook as he stopped and took a short rest on a nearby rock. His breath fell short as he shakily sat down. Now wasn't the time to be chickening out! He quickly smacked his cheeks, turning them red through the fur.
'WHAT?! You're telling me you can't do this,' Chara yelled before her tone rang again, but softer, 'I… I'm sorry for putting this kind of pressure. Just take a rest and get your bearings. Then you'll be fine.'
'O… okay. Thanks, I understand this must not be easy for you either. I just need a moment. You know me. Mr. Can't Do Shit.' Asriel said a loud smack boomed along the small area they occupied
'Did… you just cuss?' Chara asked barely containing a squeal of delight
"NOPE! DEFINITLY DIDN'T!" Asriel practically screamed as he straightened his posture
'I think you did~' Chara teased as she chuckled
'…Shut up.'
'Ooooh, one cuss word and we're badass I see.' Chara further teased
'I don't shink I'm badrass…' Asriel muttered out to cover the second slip in under a minute
'Okay big boy, no need to get all hurt. I was just teasing'
'Mmmmkay…' Asriel mumbled out of embarrassment as his cheeks flushed a deep crimson
'Good. I know I'm not… ya know, the kindest?' She explained, unsure of how to word it 'but I'll try to be a bit better.'
Asriel almost gasped in shock. Chara seemed to be coming out of her little shell. It made him happy to see Chara warming up a bit more to the family. His heart warmed as he sat up from the rock, filled with Determination. He shifted his cloak in such a way that it didn't encumber him. As he cut his way through the nearby bushes, he felt the soft glow of gratitude fill Chara's soul. He felt his chest heat up as he couldn't stop the grin that had persuaded its way upon his lips. They were going to be fine!
'Soo… any dreams about what you want to do when we free the monsters?'
The question caught him off guard, but he replied as quickly as he could think of one… which happened to occupy a whole two seconds.
'I don't know. I guess I could rule like Dad?'
'You got to have some dream. You're a Dreemurr after all.'
'Don't you start with those dang puns again… no one likes them, but you and Sans.'
'They are the pinnacle of funny.' Chara defended in an upright manner
'…'
'What? Is it something I said?'
'You actually used a three syllable word…'
'Hey! Just because I don't use my vocabulary doesn't mean I don't have one…' Chara pouted
They both laughed at that, and thus they continued on their trip to the village.
Kiore Village was a peaceful village on the surface. The farmer farmed, the baker baked, and the merchant sold. It looked quaint and not queer in any manner. Today was a unique day out of the year. It was Offering Day. See, once a year the townsfolk would offer up one major possession on this day to support the Church that was in the center of town. While most just offered simple items like hay or salted meats, there were some in the village that were forced to more extreme measures. While the truth is available to any outsider, it was not so apparent to the townsfolk.
The simple people were being threatened into this by fear of monsters and demons. So, should anyone resist Offering Day, the church would claim them possessed. In this era, people tended to not be open minded as they should, this lead to the burnings. Once every year or two there would be a lone protester but try as they might, they never escaped the burning. This continued until a lone orphan with nothing left to lose chose to defy the church.
Said orphan was a small girl only 6 or 7 at the time of her resistance. She tried and tried to convince the town that there was no demons, only to have her words thrown back at her face with names like 'devil-spawn' and 'devil-worshiper'. She continued until the Day of Offerings, only to be met with smiles. She thought her dreams came true until the church came knocking, in a metaphorical sense.
They pulled her off the street, and chained her up in a cage. The cage was cold and supported by strong iron bars. It felt no different physically to the street outdoors, but it was in many ways worse. It held a sense of dread and a weight held onto the air, as if it could at any moment rip it out of her lungs.
She knew this was her end. She was going to die like all the others…
At the stake.
Days Later…
The girl felt her stomach rumble. She was hungry sure, the real problem was thirst. Her lips were cracked and bleeding, her throat like sandpaper, and her mind throbbing. Her eyes were bloodshot from sleepless nights. She cringed at the awareness in her mind. She just wished that they'd kill her and end this suffering.
She was surprised to hear a faint jingle of keys and slow clack as one of the Clerics approached the door to her cage. She would have jumped for the door if she had the energy, but opted for simply raising her head. The Cleric approached her and softly whispered.
"While I am of the church, I frown upon the killing of such so young. I will give an option to escape, but your only chance is also the most risky. Can you save yourself?"
Unable to speak, she just nodded… barely.
"Okay, they will approach you in an hour. When they take you to the stake, there will be a bucket on a shelf along the way. Crash into it. That is all I can say."
He handed her a small plate with just enough food to get her going. It had a mug containing water on the side. She just looked at him with shock.
"The potatoes are the key to a balanced meal." He simply stated as he rushed out of the cell
Chara barely saw the tails of his cloak exit the room before she tore into the food, leaving the potatoes for last. Once she finished the meal, with the exception of the potatoes, she put the potatoes, which were baked, in her hand and tore into the first one. She finished it like normal, but the second was a bit different. Halfway through, she hit something hard and muffled out a cry as she bit into a hard metal thing. She decided to stick it in the side of her mouth as she felt for what it was… it felt almost like a… key?
What was she supposed to do with tha- ooooh. The key was for her shackles, but after trying to unlock the ones tying her to the floor, she realized that it wasn't for her current shackles. Then it had to be for when they changed them… during the walk to the fire pit….
"Shit."
It was the first cuss word she'd said in her whole life, and definitely not the last.
One Hour Later…
Chara, after eating had decided to hide the key in her mouth. It was the best place she could think of. She briefly considered where she would run. There wasn't much in the way for her to go. Sure there was the forest, but that was crawling with wolves… There was always the desert, but that stretched for miles, so she'd probably die from lack of water. That left the last option: Mt. Ebott…
She mentally cursed.
Ebott was known for a myth about monsters. That wasn't something she wanted to deal with, but she'd rather face myth than reality.
It was at this time that she heard the door to her cell click, and open. She looked up to see a town guard in the grim. His face, though young, showed deep sadness and regret.
"It's time."
'You okay Chara? You've been really quiet.'
'It's fine, just going over some memories…'
'Okay…' Asriel replied hesitantly
Silence reigned over the two for a few seconds before Chara spoke again.
'What do you think will happen once we break the barrier?'
'We'll live on the surface of course. We can stay up every night to look at the stars, and we can also see the sunsets. I've always wanted to see one…'
'I hope that happens too Az.'
'Az?'
'It was kinda a spur of the moment thing. I'll stop if y-'
'I like it.' He said simply
'Oh.'
With that, they fell into another comfortable silence, each of their minds filled with Hopes and Dreams for the future.
There Chara was, walking through the halls of the church. Her… escort… was dragging her along. It wasn't soon until they passed the side dorms for the priests. Chara slowly brought her head up to see the man from before. Due to the length of the hall, his footsteps came into hearing distance after the guards got sight of him. The guards ignored him and brought Chara forward at an increased pace. This continued until the man finally approached the guards, bucket in hand. Chara got a short glance in it before the man crashed into the group, bucket going flying.
"AH, you damned priest! Watch where you're going!" The guard Chastised angrily
"I'm sorry sir, I've been carrying Monster dust. I am nearing the end of my shift, so I must've dosed. I severely apologize."
"You better. We store these traitors to the church; the least we demand is some respect."
What the Guards did not notice was that a good bit of the Grey dust had found a home into her clothes. She nearly gaged at the smell. It didn't help that she was basically wearing several dead monsters…
She briefly blocked her nose as best she could.
'Why would he throw the stuff on me?' She asked herself, thinking a moment
She gave up on that thought as she felt her arms being dragged harshly forward. The whole trip to the stake was hastened even further as she played with the key in her mouth carefully enough not to clack it against her teeth. They finally made it out of the enclosure and into a small courtyard. It seemed as though it would be a peaceful place if it weren't for the dozens of large, black, ashy circles that littered it. Dividing her attention, she took in her surroundings. She made sure to take in anything that could be of use to escape. She found a small hole in the wall that seemed to be barely big enough for her, and decided that was the best option as of yet.
Now, she had to find survive the burning.
She contemplated the importance of the dust that was now ground into her clothes. Sure, they probably had some magical properties… but that wasn't going to help her here. Monsters generally weren't fireproof. So, what was the point? After a few seconds of thought, she could swear hearing that Fire based monsters like Torch Nymphs, or Phoenix. They were constantly on fire so they had to be fireproof… right? Even if they were, does that carry to their dust?
She didn't know, and that worried her.
In Mt. Ebot, Hot lands, Core
"you sure this'll work?" A younger, but much more mature Sans asked
"It has to. We cannot fail." Dr. W.D. Gaster answered steadily
"that's a comforting thought." Sans mumbled out
"It is not supposed to be comforting. If the Core fails, we lose all of monster kind with it."
"i know that, i just got a bad feeling about this."
"Scientists don't rely on feelings. We use evidence." Gaster responded with distaste
"you didn't make me as a scientist, i'm supposed to judge those deemed evil. having blue magic would be pointless otherwise."
"I know I taught you better than that!"
"yeah i know… i'm supposed to not be some stupid brute in order to judge correctly."
"Quite correct my dear Sans."
They walked quietly through the various catwalks that littered the maintenance levels of the core. Sans frequently glanced around, developing a sense of Déjà vu. It was as if he had done this thousands of times before. He ignored it as he kept following. It was probably just a side effect of his blue magic. Making an artificial human soul, though significantly weaker, was bound to have side effects.
"so, what exactly are we doing here, and don't give me that 'saving monster kind shit'." Sans asked as he cracked his neck, producing annoyingly loud pops
"As you should already know, I built the core for two reasons. Do you remember which?"
"yeah, i do. first to filter all the magic that monsters breath out, and second to turn that magic into free usable energy for the underground."
"But… did you know that there is a third?"
"what have you been keeping from me gramps?" Sans asked scrunching his eye sockets together
Gaster walked a few more feet, and glanced at Sans, piercing blue and orange dots that made for eyes seemingly staring through him. Gaster blinked before turning to a nearby console, and typing on it. Gaster's hands flew across the keys as text, and menus danced across the screen. This all was finished by a dramatic stroke over the ENTER key.
For a few seconds nothing happened. Sans was about to ask as to what was going on, but was stopped in his tracks by an hydraulic hiss from the wall.
"This is what I've been hiding." Gaster gestured to a corridor that opened up to a small control room with a few computers lying around
The room was obviously very makeshift. Wires were everywhere; some were even hanging from the roof. As Sans entered, he noticed control cabinets lined with thousands of blinking buttons to his sides and a small desk with a chalk board lined up in the corner. The desk was crowded with seemingly thousands of sheets of paper. The chalk board was similarly crowded with equations.
Though, this was nothing compared to the center stage. A large crystalline structure was displayed, it's pinkish red color seemingly drawing Sans' soul in. The structure was surrounded in many rings and was apparently hooked up into the core, as the wires hanging from it suggested. Sans had only one question:
"what's all this for?" Sans asked in awe
"Determination." Gaster spoke, "It's for determination."
Gaster walked into the room and typed in a console, as several screens flashed warnings. Gaster seemingly ignored them.
"I built this to produce determination, 1 unit a day to be exact." Gaster continued, "As both of us know, the average human soul contains 125 units, and the average monster soul contains 5 units. You Sans, contain 85 units. I contain 7 units."
"you're trying to break the barrier?" Sans asked
"No, this generator would take too long to be of any use. I have different plans."
"then how are we going to get the determination to break the barrier?"
"Asgore's plan is a sound one. We'd collect determination faster with his plan. This machine is to help that plan along."
"by doing what?"
"We shall give you a soul stronger than that of a human."
"we can't, i'm already nearly bursting with determination."
"I know. That is why I have chosen to work around your limitations."
"how?"
"You have taken a liking to my blasters have you? I have mad something of similar design that you may enjoy."
"this isn't funny. tell me what's going on!" Sans yelled angrily
"Fine. I have a… suit. It is easily capable of outmatching 20 humans. It just needs the determination to fuel it and an… intelligence to run the systems. Sadly, I can't finish it."
"then why are you even telling me about it?" Sans asked tersely
"Because, I still want to finish it. There is a way to do so, but my body shall die. It shall be stored in the void along with the many monster souls used to store the determination."
"the void?! are you crazy? you know that souls never escape there!"
"I know it must seem crazy, but you can attempt to convince me otherwise once I finish getting myself ready. I know that the king will not be able to kill the humans. That is what the suit is for."
"you want me to kill any human that the king cannot?"
"You are the judge of that." Gaster said solemnly
Asriel reached the clearing that Chara had described to him. It was rocky Cliffside clearing that served to overlook the husk of the formerly bright town of Kiore (Kee-ore). It was now clouded in the black smoke of the frequent burnings that occurred there. The air was now filled with a stench of feces and burning flesh, which made Asriel gag.
'Chara… is that where you used to live?' Asriel asked in disbelief
'Yeah, same shitty smell… literally…'
'How could you even sand being within a mile of this place?'
'Didn't have much of a choice.' Chara said over the link, giving Asriel the impression that she was shrugging
"This place is an abomination."
'Look who's using the big words now.' Chara commented sarcastically
'Don't ruin my hero moment now!'
'Fiiiiiiine…'
'Let's get those souls and free monster kind!'
'Alright Az.'
A/N: That is the first chapter of On This Trail of Dust That We Walk. Wow, that's a mouthful. I also would like to let you guys know that the bits with Chara in Kiore Village are flashbacks to her time in there and a bit of setup for what's going to happen there.
I'd also like to let y'all know that Asriel and Chara will be surviving their attack, but will not be breaking the barrier. This Story will mostly focus on Asriel as he matures and develops with the guilt *SPOILERS* Killing Chara's body indirectly. This Asriel will eventually return to the underground where I plan for the story to actually pick up.
I am also posting concept art for some characters as they will appear after *SPOILERS* Asriel's return to the underground. (T. O. D. = Trail of Dust)
Well, see ya next time,
Peace.