Chapter 01, Don't leave me... Please
Frisk's eyes blink open to meet her usual blindness. Did I die? Her body didn't ache like she had just fallen miles underground, her injuries from her frantic sprint were gone as well. However, she could still feel her hands and feet. Slowly sitting up she felt the ground around her to see what she had fallen on, are these... flowers? the texture was soft, smooth and feathery, like flowers.
An echoing screech filled my ears, causing a pounding in my head, cringing in pain I brought my hands to my ears to try and block out the sound "Please stop" I whispered weakly from the pain in my head. The screeching sound slowly died down, allowing my head and ears a break from the pain. "Thank you" I mumbled quietly clutching my head.
"Your, awake... Um... need some help?" A female voice said softly in front of me. I give a weak nod in response, my head hurting too much to properly form words. I feel a hand grab hold of mine before roughly bring me to my feet.
I wobbled a bit, not letting go of the girl's hand. "Th-thank you, um..."
The girl gives a deep sigh of annoyance "It's Chara my name is Chara"
"Oh thank you Chara, my name's Frisk. Um... C-could you please d-describe where we are?"
"Why not just look for yourself?" I could hear the agitated tone in her voice, causing me to flinch back a bit.
"I-I can't... I'm b-blind" I didn't hear Chara say anything, instead, I heard footsteps start walking away from me. "P-please don't leave me... You don't have to do anything just please don't leave me" I felt tears start falling down my face in desperation. "I don't want to be alone... Please don't leave me."
Chara's footsteps stopped, I said nothing more as I curled up on the floor crying. A heavy exhale, and Chara's footsteps got closer. "We are in a dark cavern, with a really tall ceiling. You probably fell landed on the bed of flowers which is located at the centre of the cavern." My tears stopped falling, as I slowly uncurled myself. "You can come with me, and I will explain your surroundings to you but, that's it. Don't expect anything else." I nodded quickly as I wiped my tears away. Standing up, I started walking to where I had heard Chara's voice. I felt a hand grab onto mine before roughly pulling me to my right.
"Thank you" she doesn't reply before I feel her start walking forward. I start walking with her. "Where are we going?" I asked timidly.
I feel her shrug "I don't know, but we can't stay here forever... We are approaching some pillars, that form an entrance to a new room."
"Thank you," I say meekly.
"Howdy! I'm Flowey, Flowey the Flower!" The sudden voice startled me causing to let out a scream of terror. What did this voice just say he was a flower, he definitely sounded very short... Maybe the fall had actually killed her.
"Oh... Good lord this is going to get annoying fast. It's a flower, sitting in a patch of grass. It has a face, and it's smiling."
"Hm... You're new to the underground, aren'cha? Golly, you look so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do." Frisk raised an eyebrow. This flower was incredibly friendly, too friendly. She could hear the stress the flower put in his voice like it wasn't truly real. "Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do." I start to feel a little uncomfortable and tighten my grip on Chara's hand. "Ready? Here we go!"
Wait ready for what? I thought before I felt my heartbeat quicken, as my whole body felt like it was being crushed. A-ah! What is he doing?! I gasp clutching my chest with one hand. The other squeezing Charas hand tightly. Soon the soul-sucking feeling seemed to ebb away, as I fell a something smooth and soft pulsating every few seconds in my hand.
I look to Chara for an explanation, "The room has gotten a lot darker, and in your hand is a red heart."
"See that heart?" Flowey spoke again his voice seeming far to ardour after what had just happened. I hear Chara give a slight chuckle at Flowey's choice of words. "That is your soul, the very culmination of your being!" Frisk fear start to swell inside as Flowey continued. "Your soul starts off fragile but can grow stronger if you gain a lot of LV. What's LV stand for?" He asked, pretending to predict one of my questions. "Why, Love, of course!"
"You really don't want any LOVE, It's a misleading name," Chara says, as I look at her confused.
"You want some Love, don't you? Don't worry, I'll share some with you! Down here, Love is shared through... Little white...'Friendliness pellets. Are you ready? Get as many as you can!" The sudden sound of whizzing caused me to flinch back a bit, as Chara tugged me to the right, I winced as I felt a 'Friendliness pellets' graze my ear.
"Hey buddy, you missed them," Flowey said in a more darker and agitated voice, as I started to feel scared.
"Let's try again, okay?" I nodded fearfully, not liking where this was going. Again the sound whizzing passing her ear, but Chara yanked her out of the way sound as it passed my ear along with the rest of the pellets.
"Is this a joke? Are you braindead? RUN. INTO. THE BULLETS!" Flowery yelled, then noticing his mistake he added, "I- I mean Friendliness Pellets!" I jumped at the sudden demonic change in his voice. So their bullets... meant to kill... not... 'Friendliness pellets.
"You know what's going on here, don't you?" I couldn't reply as I felt, terror and pain override my desire to talk, tears started to leak through my shut eyes Charas hand slipped throw my shaking hands, as I crumbled to the cold stone floor.
"You just wanted to see me suffer." I shook my head as my shoulders started to shake, as my face was raked with tears. I tried to say something but I felt my voice fail as I had become overcome with fear.
I kept shaking in fear, as I felt arms close around me from behind and a head on my shoulder, causing me to freeze in fear. "Shh... It's ok, everything is going to be ok, I-I will protect you" Chara wisped comfortingly. I felt my fear start to slowly ebb away as Chara continued to whisper words of protection in my ear. The sound of whizzing noises filled the air.
"DIE!" With that word, cruel laughter and whizzing noises filled the air.
I braced myself for the incoming attack but was met with nothing. Feeling confused I asked Chara in shaky breath what had happened. The sound of crackling flames caused me to shriek in surprise as I froze up in fear again.
"Hey, it's alright Flowey was attacked by some sort of fire magic and left underground" Chara explained, soothingly as she got up, before helping me to stand.
The sound of muffled footsteps caught my attention. I take a step back before a gentle voice calls out "What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth..." I flinch, this voice sounded concerned, compassionate, and even genuine, but after what had just happened I wasn't sure what wanted to kill me and what didn't.
"Um, yeah. A lady in a purple dress is here. She has long goat-ears, and is covered in white fur," I hear Chara say from behind me? "She won't try to kill you...".
"Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins." I eased up a bit when she mentioned that she was a caretaker. The word seemed to have reminded me of the caretakers in the orphanage, specifically the nurse who had held the same compassion in their voice as Toriel.
"I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time." her footfall came closer and closer, I stood my ground, Toriel's footsteps seemed to be slightly muffled on the stone floor. Like she was wearing socks? Her footsteps stopped. "Come! I will guide you through the catacombs." Trusting Chara that she wouldn't hurt me I hesitantly reached my hand out towards the voice. I felt myself-flinch slightly as a fuzzy hand grabbed mine. Before gently pulling me forward, I stumbled behind her "This way."
Wait where was Chara! I Was about to shout out to her when I felt her hand on my shoulder, telling me that she was still here. I continue to walk forward being lead by Toriel, as I heard the sound crunching underfoot, I make a confused sound which seems to alert Chara.
"Oh, right you enter a new room, the walls are purple, and the floor is also purple. There are some dead leaves on the ground, and ahead of you are some stairs that lead to the entrance some ruins." Chara says as we continue into the Ruins.
The sound of crunching leaves and Chara's voice fills my heart with determination.
After I almost tripped up the stairs, we walked into a third room. "Welcome to your new home, innocent one. Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." Toriel said as she let go of my hand. The sound of clicking noises echo around the room, I start to feel scared that Toriel was going to attack me. Five clicks, on the last one she heard a door open.
"It's alright, she just walked over some tiles and flipped a lever, Everything is still purple, oh and there is a sign on the wall." Chara states.
"The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys." Toriel says completely unaware of my little panic attack. "One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them"
"Yes, oh blind one, adjust yourself to the 'sight' of them" Chara snickered much to my dismay. "Toriel has left the room by the way."
"What does the sign say?"
"It says: 'Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk, not the middle road.' It's the key to the puzzle. You can't step on the middle tiles" Chara says when I look confused. "Can we continue now?" I give a timid nod in response as Chara takes my hold of my hand and leads me to the next room.
"This room has vines on the walls, with two signs and some marking on the wall, there are three switches, a bridge over a river and Toriel is a few steps in front of you." She says as we enter the room.
"To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches."
"Like I said, don't expect anything else" Chara chuckled, as she let go of my hand.
Dread filled me, when Chara said this, "Do not worry, I have labelled the ones that you need to flip." Great. I felt one of Toriel's soft paw-like hand take mine, as she leads me forward, the sound of wood underfoot, and the light trickling sound of running water indicates that we were on a bridge. "Alright child, flip the switch." Toriel lets go of my sweaty palms, leaving me to start panicking silently. Gulping I nervously put my hands out in front of me as I cautiously walk forward.
"M-My child... the switch, Is the other way. Oh, dear did I not mark it enough?" She mumbled.
I heard Chara started to laugh hard at this, as my face flushed with embarrassment and I turned around, I started walking again be for my hands hit a rough stone wall, living my hands on the wall I started walking to my right in search of the switch. I kept walking for a bit my hand got caught on some vines, I heard Chara laugh again as I unhooked my hands. I want to curl up and cry at how humiliating this was, but I held back my tears and kept looking for the switch. Soon I felt a switch with a chalky like substance on it. I start to pull the switch Chara's words came to mind, there were three switches what if I want supposed to pull this one but one of the other three. Deciding against pulling it, I kept going but I felt no other switches. I kept going forward until I slipped on a rather wet piece of ground and fell into some shallow water.
I felt my eyes prick with tears, as Chara's laughing filled my ears, and with it similar memories, of other kids making fun of her. "Oh, oh dear, you were so close... are you alright?" I heard Toriel's muffled footsteps hurry over before she pulled me out of the water. I nodded shivering as I felt my wet close cling to me. I heard Toriel sigh "Let's... just skip this one." I heard Toriel walk away before I heard a click and she returned taking hold of my hand. I sneezed and sniff loudly as I brought a hand up to get rid of the tears that felt like they were going to fall.
"Do not be upset my child, I'm sure you'll do better on the next one."I forced a small smile at her words before, I felt Toriel started to walk, I followed her as she led me over the water I had just fallen in and let go of my hand once we reached the end of the bridge.
"There are two switches, one of them is labelled, pull that switch, my child." I felt Toriel gently nudge me in a direction, taking that as a hint to start in this direction. I felt my uneasiness from earlier return.
"The switch is over here!" I heard Chara say in front of me. I looked in her direction and was about to walk towards her when I the sound of her laughter filled my head, doubt-fills me, as the laugh continued to echo in my head. She's just trying to get me to do something dumb again, isn't she? I thought as I started walking to the right of her voice instead.
I felt the cool hard surface of the rock wall, as I started searching it for a switch. "It's not that one" Chara said as my hands ran over a switch.
Ignoring Chara's voice a started to pull before Toriel's voice stopped me "No no no, you want to press the other switch..." I blushed in embarrassment.
"Idiot I told you it was over here." I whimpered at the harshness of her voice before I followed her voice over to the other switch. I kept walking forward until I felt Chara's hand roughly grab onto mine before bringing it over to another switch. "Here press this."
I give a timid nod before pressing the switch, a click filled the room, as Toriel's muffled footsteps approached me. "Splendid! I am proud of you, little one. Let us move to the next room." Toriel said, with a small underlying tone of worry. I heard Toriel's muffled footsteps start walking away from me.
Chara still holding my hand leads me after them. "As a human living in the underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy," There's a dummy? I felt a slight pain in my chest like what had happened with Flowey but this was less painful. Before It stopped and a soft beating heart-shaped object was in my hands as the 'fight' commenced.
"You encounter a dummy," Chara said dryly amused.
"U- um, hello? How are you doing, today?" I stuttered slightly unsure what to talk about. My face felt hot from embarrassment. A silence ensured after before the sound of clapping caused me to jump.
"Ah, very good! You are very good," I feel happy at my small victory. Before Chara starts pulling me along to another room. How many rooms are there? I started shivering slightly. And when was my cloth going to dry? I asked myself as I clenched the heart to my chest, as it glowed with heat. I felt the heart soon retreat into my body, taking its glorious heat away with it, leaving me colder than before.
"There is another puzzle in this room… I wonder if you can solve it?" Toriel mumbled as they entered another room.
"There's a path on the floor, and a sighing saying 'The western room is the eastern rooms blueprint.' There's a floor made of spikes in front of Toriel,"
After taking a sharp right turn I heard the sound of a frog croak, and my heart appeared in my hand. Does that mean this frog? (being down here without the ability to see who knows what it is) is a threat? I felt something sharp and painful hit my arm, causing me to cry out in pain.
"Don't just sit there move!" Chara yelled, as the sound of whatever had hit me before filled the air. The sound of the frog croaking filled me with dread. Just how big was this thing? Pain shot up my back, which caused me to trip over my own feet and land face first on the ground clutching my 'heart' to my chest in fear. Bracing my self I waited for the inevitable pain. Nothing came. Lifting my head I heard the sound of Toriel's soft footprints walking towards me.
"Thank you," I said as I picked my self off of the floor.
"You surrender too easily" Chara grumbled. She was right I am utterly helpless down here. I'm such a baby.
"Are you alright my child?"
"Y-yer I-I'm fine," I said, trying to ignore, my feelings of uselessness. I felt Toriel grab my hand, before gently pulling me forward.
"There is a puzzle but... I think I will guide you through it." Toriel said as the smell of steal filled my nose. We kept walking till a shink nose filled the air. We are walking on spiked pressure plates! This thought filled me with fear as I tightened my grip on Toriel's hand. It wasn't until the sound stopped, and the ground felt like stone and not metal, that I loosened my death grip on Toriel's hand. "The puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now..." I hear Chara scoff at this as Toriel lets go of my hand.
"Oh yes, these puzzles have been so difficult. It's so hard to flip a few switches and the frog and dummy, oh my, how hard." Chara remarks snidely.
"You have done excellently thus far, my child. However… I have a difficult request to ask of you…. I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this." Suddenly the sound of Toriel's muffled steps took off and I couldn't figure out where she was. I stood there for a few seconds the fear of being alone starts to creep up her spine again.
A few tears threatened to fall as I stood there. "Don't be scared, you baby. Just walk forwards." Chara says starting to grow rather frustrated. "There is nothing in front of you the room is completely bare," Chara said her annoyance at me increasing. I nodded before running forward blindly before I lose my balance and fall over flat on my face. "What the hell, there's nothing there!" Chara started laughing. I do nothing but lay their pathetically, "Come on" Chara said before picking up one of my hands and leading me to my feet, I grip her hand a bit tighter as she leads me across the room.
"Toriel came out from behind a pillar," I explain, relief fills me. Toriel hadn't abandoned me.
"Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exercise… To test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself" I felt my anxiety from earlier. (As much as she was glad Chara was there she wasn't exactly the kindest person), and also the fear of a monster or worse Flowey finding her scared her. Maybe I could see if I could go with her? I was about to voice my thought before Toriel cut me off "... I have an idea." The sound of rustling cloth caught my attention for a few seconds. "I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call." The feel of smooth plastic landed in my hand.
I opened it quickly to find out that it was a simple flip phone. It's not in braille... How am I supposed to use this? I could ask Chara... "and I will explain your surroundings to you but, that's it. Don't expect anything else."... I could guess where each button was that was if it followed the regular number format and that the large square button at the top was 'call'.
"Be good, alright?" I nodded, as the sound of Toriel's steps quickly left.
"She's gone," Chara says plainly. I look down disappointed before starting to sit down where I was standing. "What are you doing?"
"Um... Sitting" I ask confused
"I mean why"
"She said to stay here," I said
"And yet, we're obviously not doing that,"
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not waiting for her. And I will leave you if you don't follow." Chara said before her footsteps started walking away from me. Please don't go... "I'm going" Chara calls faintly... "And I'm gone"
I sit there quietly as I felt the atmosphere start to crawl up on me. Dripping, cracking, and other noises, increased my growing anxiety. "Wait I called out..." Springing to my feet I ran in where I thought she had gone. It didn't take long before I ran into something soft and fell forward.
"Ouch... That hurt" Chara said her voice sounded annoyed and amused. It took me awhile for me to figure out what had just happened. In my desperate attempt to chase after Chara I had run into her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you... Just please don't leave me" Desperation had crawled into my voice as I clung to the girl.
"Hey, I wasn't going to leave you, and I don't plan to anytime soon," Chara said soothingly rubbing my back. We lay there for awhile Chara's hand stroking my back as I cried into her, we stayed like that until I had calmed down and slowly crawled of off her. "Come on let's go" I nodded timidly. Chara took my hand and led me to the next room.
Chara's soothing words fill my once scared mind with determination.