Chapter 2: Cold and alone
"*Fills you with hope" The metallic words still vibrated in my eyes. What just happened? Time had seemed to slow down, and I noticed Toriel was almost upon me. The dappled shadows that had once had been sunken in the corner tamely now flared up widely, seemingly engulfing my body. I knew I was probably invisible, but OH DEAR GOD IT FELT SO WEIRD. I resisted the urge to both pass out and faint as the darkness seeped into me, whispering incoherent messages. Watching in near agony as Toriel seemed to go slow-mo, she finally rounded the corner, and I collapsed on the floor, as the dark tendrils retreated back to the corner.
Involuntarily wincing at the sound I made, I decided my best bet was the stairs, considering both options were unknowns anyway. I hit a stone floor once I reached the bottom a strong, bitter cold wind blowing through the area before dissipating at the stairs behind me. Clenching my teeth and ignoring the snapping frost, I pushed on and wove my way around the long corridor, reaching a large purple door after a few minutes of walking.
I looked straight up at the foreboding object, seemingly leaking the coldness that plagued the area. With a mighty shove, the door creaked open extremely loudly. There was no way Toriel and the girl DIDN'T hear that, so I got moving. Surprisingly, the next chamber over was mostly the same except for seemingly inexplicable cold.
I shivered slightly, before hearing faint voices back in the direction I came from. Not wanting to explain the situation yet, I increased my pace, walking down the long purple hallway. Once I had reached the end, an area much like the first greeted me; a dark chamber with a single patch of grass illuminated by a beam of light. I half expected something to jumpscare me as I made my way through the chamber. I was unimpeded, however, and I was able to make it to another purple door, equally as impressive as the last. The cold seeping through was much more strong, stinging my skin on contact as I pushed against the huge door open.
A snow forest greeted me as my eyes adjusted to the brightness. Despite there being no visible sun, the whole area was lit up as if it were daytime, the snow amplifying the effect. I just now noticed how hungry I am, my stomach growling in protest as I had ignored it the entire trip. Digging myself deeper into my flimsy hoodie, I set on the path as it started to lightly snow. My teeth were chattering by the time I reached an outpost (though that gate made me question the guard's capabilities) and I ducked gratefully inside the abandoned building.
For whatever reason, it was filled with assorted condiments and… hot dogs…? Well they looked like hot dogs, so I gave it a try. It definitely was NOT a hot dog, but I was really too hungry to care. I didn't even notice when I started drifting off to sleep. I woke up groggily later when I heard voice outside the shack.
"Quick, behind that very conveniently-shaped lamp!" I heard someone say. I peaked out from my own hiding spot to see the girl from before hiding behind said lamp, and a stubby skeleton also in a hoodie standing around with a wide grin on his face. Shortly after, a much taller skeleton appeared from the forest path, quite obviously annoyed at something.
"SANS! IT'S BEEN MANY DAYS AND YOU HAVE YET TO RECALIBRATE YOUR PUZZLES!" It exclaimed, tapping its foot disapprovingly. "WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?"
"Checking out this lamp. Wanna look? I can give you a hot dog while we're at it." Sans replied, grin never breaking.
"HOW WOULD THAT HELP AT ALL!? WHAT IF… A HUMAN COMES THROUGH! I MUST BE READY TO CATCH THEM!" The tall one replied.
"Sounds like you're working yourself… down to the bone. Perhaps if I wasn't such a bonehead, you would probably be getting a skele-ton of work done right now." Sans said.
"SANS!" The other said.
"Come on Papyrus, you're smiling!" Sans said, grin growing even wider.
"I AM AND I HATE IT!" Papyrus said. "WHATEVER, I'M GOING TO RESET MY PUZZLES. AS FOR YOU… PUT A LITTLE MORE 'BACKBONE' INTO YOUR WORK! NYEH HEH HEH!."
"Okay, kid." Sans called out. "You can come out now. Better get going before he comes back… or you'll have to listen to more of my hilarious puns."
The girl nodded and started to walk away before Sans called out to her "Actually, do you mind if you do me a favor? Seeing a human will make Papyrus' day. He's not dangerous, even if he tries to be."
She smiled and nodded once more, and continued on her path. I ducked as Sans glanced over to my spot, and I could almost FEEL his eyes boring through the wood structure.
"Ya know, whoever you are, it's rude to listen in on conversations." Sans said, snow crunching as he made his way over to the stand. I started to panic, I couldn't be seen yet… it would ruin my element of surprise. Resigning myself to what I was about to do, I took a deep breath before melting into the shadows formed by counter. Ignoring the sickly feeling worming its' way around my body, I concentrated on Sans. He had rounded the corner, his smile wavering for only a moment.
"Huh. Coulda sworn there was someone here." He said, reaching for a bottle of ketchup… directly behind my head. I sat, deathly still as his hand phased through me and pulled out one he had his prize. Bringing it up to his mouth, he began to drink it and walked away. Waiting a good extra minute or two, once I was sure he was gone, I collapsed onto the wooden floor, sweat pouring down my face as I gasped for air. This time it felt like I was being burned with ice with my insides exploded and splattered acid all over my body. Dragging myself shakily to my feet, I shook off the light layer of snow that had coated me, and proceeded into the forest. It was really amusing watching the girl and Papyrus interact as they went through silly puzzles that really didn't pose an actual threat. Sans occasionally looked around, as if aware of my presence, and I made sure to make this a one-way view. Once they had reached Snowdin, the girl was enjoying herself more than being threatened by the puzzles. After the trio had passed, I noticed a bright yellow star-like object just sitting outside the inn and shop. Curiosity peaked, I went over and touched it lightly.
*Seeing such a friendly interaction fills you with HOPE. HP restored.
Shaking my head, I had yet to have been really noticed yet, so I decided to explore the town for a little before finding the girl again. After all, Papyrus probably had more puzzles to show her before they went anywhere.
