Surprise, The Surface Sucks: Chapter 4
The chill caverns of Waterfall were a relief! The burning heat was just a bad memory and they tried not to think about how they would have to backtrack if they wanted to go home eventually.
Now, they stopped to enjoy the water. It stunk of sulfur and probably had nasty secrets hidden below, but the water was still better than what was naturally found above.
Frisk decided to jump into a river that ran along a path they would have to walk anyway. They knew how to swim—it was a must know for all children.
Swimming without hair and skin was an entirely different experience, however. The water felt colder than before and the marrow in their bones was poor at retaining heat.
The fear of freezing solid was very real, but Frisk refused to get out and walk.
Determination pushed them forward. Waterfall would be the perfect place to relearn out to swim.
The magical hologram gave them buoyancy, as well as the core holding their bones together. It was like swimming after eating a bunch of balloons and Frisk felt like they were flying over the water instead.
Frisk had to work against the river current. At first it was weak but eventually it turned into a losing battle. They got out of the water then, happy they didn't bother with the sweater from before—it would have been soggy and gross.
The walk continued and Frisk paused, floored by what they saw. Up ahead was The Dump.
Valleys and valleys of garbage lay in their wake. Frisk jaw dropped, simultaneously amazed and disgusted. They could tell by the smell they had traveled the area before, but actually seeing what they likely stepped through made their non-existent guts churn.
Frisk was very happy they hadn't been swimming for long. They certainly needed another bath.
Trash, mainly of the plastic variety bobbed in the water. It was just like how the ocean was, full of bobbing garbage.
It ruined the mystic of the place, comparing it to home. Frisk regained a sense of adventure when they continued onward, however.
The ceiling and walls gave way to crystals and bioluminescent mushrooms. The atmosphere was the prettiest and calmest they've ever seen a place, apart from in old media. Unlike the other places, Frisk took their time walking.
They passed by a cave with a store sign plopped in front and so Frisk just had to see inside!
"Whoa there! I've got stuff for sell, like always!"
Gerson greeted them at a counter. The tortoise had been memorable enough and his voice was enough to remember him by.
Frisk tried to look polite, as they discreetly stared. He looked positively ancient and his skin was taut like a mummy's. It was as unsettling as it was fascinating.
Right, this monster had been in the war. Well, Frisk certainly believed him looking like that.
"Do you have any clothing?"
The idea was spontaneous. Frisk itched their ribs. They couldn't be left bare forever.
Gerson eyed them, keenly. Obviously he noticed their scars and he leaned back, mulling something over.
"Hrm, little snapper. Where'd you get all those marks?"
Frisk chuckled. "No idea! Too many to remember."
At that the tortoise nodded solemnly. He could relate, though clearly he was distribute he could on that level with a child.
"Well, ahh…hate to say this but any clothing I did have up got eaten up by moths and all sorts of vermin ages ago. I have nothing I could give yah…sorry."
Frisk grumbled. It was worth a try.
"But hey, check this out!"
The tortoise spun around, showing his shell. Deep cracks and grooves marred the surface. The entire thing looked like it had been caved in with a hammer—it was even more remarkable the guy was alive.
"Yep, this shell is one of the reasons I'm still kicking—wha ah ah!"
Frisk nodded and then an idea came. "No clothes but…do you have any armor?"
Gerson stopped laughing. He frowned as he regarded his stock of weaponry.
"Sorry little snaps, we don't make armor for children down here."
Frisk sighed—figures.
"Tell you what, I'll give you a discount—say 25%." He gestured to a shelf lined with general goods, mainly tea and biscuits.
It appealed but Frisk still lingered on the weapons.
"I'll take that knife."
Gerson did a double-take.
"Wha, nah ah little snaps. I've got a strict 'no selling weapons to children' rule."
Frisk scowled.
It was too good to be true.
Frisk turned to leave the shop.
"Now wait just a minute, don't go—"
The disappointment was palatable. Frisk grinded their teeth in frustration. They were sure that tortoise would have understood their need for a weapon, it was ridiculous.
Frisk walked briskly, edger to get some distance from that old fart.
The tunnel that lead to Snowdin was in front of them. Frisk shuffled their feet, a bit nervous.
What were they doing?
Frisk wanted to go home, but each step took them deeper into the underground.
They weren't sure what they wanted anymore.
The path into Snowdin was rather scenic. A river that carried cubes of ice along its current was to the right. On the left a collection of pine trees and sparkling rocks dusted with snow.
Frisk had no problem admitting everything looked very pretty.
The house of the skeleton brothers was the first building passed, which they did so quickly. Frisk wasn't up to chatting, which was bound to happen if either Sans or Papyrus spotted them.
The general store and the inn was their stop. Frisk entered the store, sure to find clothing.
A selection was in the back and Frisk balked at the choice. Very few outfits were on display. Everything consisted mostly of rolls of fabric and stitching supplies.
It made sense—monsters had diverse needs so making their own would be the most practical.
Of course, Frisk had neither the time or skill to make something. Whatever they could manage would just fall apart within the day.
There were sweaters, but Frisk was plenty sick of it.
The shorts they had on also had to go.
Frisk sighed and facepalmed.
Alright fine, they would try to make something!
If it meant Frisk didn't have to wear another sweater, things would be fine.
They looked over the materials. Most of the fabric looked unfamiliar. Frisk could only guess what the best uses for them would be.
A brown leathery material stood out. The label read, "Moulted Fresh."
Weird brand name.
It was apparently some kind of reptile skin with patches of thick scales. It was thinner than normal.
Frisk guessed it was shed skin rather than taken from a killed animal. Monsters were too nice down here for anything more, right?
Neat.
Frisk also got plates of metal, wire, sewing needles, along with other general goods and tons more. It turned out Asgore had been rather generous with his gold.
A purple rabbit was at the checkout.
"Welcome, nice of you to stop in again! Find everything you need?"
Frisk nodded. The rabbit remembered them, but Frisk didn't.
Of course, Frisk didn't bring attention to the fact.
They walked out with a warm plate of cinnabunnies. It wasn't a healthy dinner and boy was Frisk looking forward to it!
The inn keeper was nice enough and Frisk got a comfy room. After a few cinnabunnies and making a note to brush their teeth, Frisk set to work.
They laid out everything they had onto the bed, anxious to start but had no clue how.
Frisk shrugged. They would wing it.
The end result was a dark brown, asymmetrical biker's jacket. Frisk also had tied the material to their ribs with strips of the skin and copper hooks. Their shorts were discarded in favor of slacks made from the same material.
Frisk looked into a mirror and figured they would violently cringe when they looked back at this moment.
The outfit sucked.
They didn't bother with a shirt. It was a good thing to show off scars, their dad said. The more someone had, the more people left you alone—that seemed great!
Frisk went to bed—right after brushing their teeth.
Morning wasn't welcome as Frisk slapped themselves awake. They ate the rest of the cinnabunnies and were well sick from all the sugar.
Being in the underground without being hunted was a nice vacation. They could sleep in without worry of having to beat a storm, or to be bothered by some rando attacking. Frisk dared say they were at peace.
Now what to do?
Frisk never had gone on vacation. People were supposed to have fun on those, right?
Well, they got up. Looks like they'd have to go hunting for it.
Frisk went out of Snowdin, towards the Ruins. It was the last place they had to visit-might as well get it over with.
Coming across puzzles was normal if memories were correct. Frisk didn't remember dying from any of them so they were able to pass by them easily.
Frisk waved at passing monsters, mainly dog and rabbit ones.
They saw some children playing in the snow and realized they've never seen it so clean.
Snow on the surface was always toxic and this was some pristine stuff. Frisk excitedly made a pile of snowballs. They remembered vividly cartoons of characters playing in the snow.
Frisk wasn't about to let an opportunity for fun to slip by. Mimicking a cartoon was something exciting and new!
A target was acquired and a snowball was let loose. It hit a drake who twisted around, a surprising amount of fire in his eyes.
"Hey, who threw that?"
He charged and stopped in front of Frisk. He puffed up his feathers, which consisted of transparent ice. His wings flapped and the feathers shimmered in a show of glitter.
This monster was so pretty!
"EYEcie you, human!"
A huge snowball to the face brought Frisk back to attention. Their hologram flickered and snow got into their sockets.
It ironically burned.
Frisk's hologram no longer held up and their bones shown in all their glory.
Apparently, they were too glorious as all the monster children shrieked and the drake back-peddled.
They all ended up running away with horror-stricken faces and Frisk was left scratching their cranium—simply stupefied.
Weird.
Frisk didn't think turning into a skeleton was weird though. In fact, it was the least weird thing down here.
All humans were skeletons after all. Why didn't they know that?
Frisk shrugged. It wasn't their problem. They returned to their pile of snowballs. Tossing a few around, they weren't sure what to do.
A snowball began rolling and got a bit bigger.
Of course!
Frisk began rolling the ball with gusto.
They would make their own monsters to play with.
The pace was quick and soon Frisk was carving a smile into their new friend.
The snowman was given a makeover. Branches were stuck erratically all over its body.
Oh boy was it ugly.
Frisk imagined it was a tentacle monster—specifically one that wanted to consume them whole.
Sometimes the plumbing on the surface got infested with those sorts of critters.
Several more tentacle monsters were made—just one wouldn't be enough for what they planned.
A particularly hardy branch was selected for a weapon and Frisk engaged in battle.
An army stood before them. Their stick raised, turned a mighty staff as their magic sparked at the tip.
Sizzzzz!
One by one the monsters were cleaved in half.
Thwock!
Frisk parried with the tentacles and each broke with a stratifying snap.
Soon Frisk was stomping any remaining piles down, glee evident on their face.
Good god was snow fun!
It's a shame there weren't any other kids to play with. Frisk frowned as they couldn't help but remember their family. Mom adopted a lot of kids so Frisk had a lot of siblings.
They couldn't wait to rub it in their faces about finding this place!
Frisk began making more snowman, but the novelty was wearing off. The stick was raised.
Snip.
It broke.
Frisk gritted their teeth and the rest of the stick was crushed.
If only Gerson had let them buy a weapon!
They used their fists to impact the snow, but their hands just became uncomfortably cold.
Clap. Clap. Clap!
"WOWIE, those were some COOL moves!"
Frisk spun around, eyes wide in terror.
Only one guy had such a memorable voice.
"I never knew there were OTHER skeletons in the underground—especially babybones!"
Oh wow, it was Papyrus.
Frisk stared. Neat, he'd looked just like they imagined—save for that outfit…
Papyrus was dressed in white robes with golden lining. An emblem for the royal family, a blue delta rune was on his chest. He also had a long red scarf around his neck, flowing behind like a cape majestically.
"Babybones allow me to introduce myself. I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL PAPYRUS! MONSTER AMBASSITOR EXTRAORDINAIRE, TO THE HUMANS ON THE SURFACE!" He struck a dramatic pose, "Also, it's very nice to meet you!"
He bent down to Frisk's level, looking mighty ecstatic.
"Your sparing skills leave some things to be desire but WORRY NOT! The great Papyrus will provide an excellent example!"
Papyrus seemed in his element as he danced across the snow.
"BEHOLD, my SPECIAL ATTACK!"
He did a flip as he summoned an explosion of bones from the snow—shaped to spell out "Cool Dude!"
Frisk admitted. He was a cool dude with an attack like that.
"Now you try!"
Huh?
Apparently, Papyrus had been talking while doing his attack. Frisk hadn't heard a word.
"…What?"
"Do your special attack, silly!"
Frisk shuffled in place before reaching down to pick up a broken stick. It fell apart as they picked it up but Frisk still made a show of throwing it a full half-meter, breaking into a pathetic puff of splinters. Special attack done, Frisk clapped a little in approval. It was very hard not to laugh.
Papyrus had the most horror-stricken expression. His hands raised to cover his mouth in mortification.
"WOW, ok. GREAT WORK! We can work with this babybones!"
Frisk frowned at the usage of "babybones." What a strange, demeaning word.
"Please don't call me that."
"Hrm?"
"Babybones, just don't."
Something came over Papyrus. His dark sockets burst into balls of light from surprise.
"ARGH OH NO! It turns out I was SO excited to find another skeleton that I FORGOT my manners! Babybo-*ahem, tiny skeleton please do me the honor of telling the great Papyrus your name."
The name "Frisk" almost left their teeth, but then they reconsidered. Papyrus obviously didn't recognize them…though it was understandable with their terrible outfit.
They rattled as they choked down laugher, though Papyrus saw it as excitement.
"Fear not, tiny skeleton! Though the great Papyrus is an amazing name, any name you give is sure to be great too!"
"My name is…Ksirf."
Frisk almost face-palmed. Ksirf was just Frisk backwards and it certainly didn't sound like a real name.
"Kur—sive?"
They nodded in approval. Papyrus put more effort into the name then they did.
"Wowie, how exotic!"
Papyrus offered a handshake which Frisk returned.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance young Ksirf! The great and powerful Papyrus is always delighted to meet new friends."
Friends already, huh?
He was a funny guy, genuine too. Maybe Frisk could trust him—but just a little.
Mom said always said be prepared for anything.
"So Ksirf!" He summoned a bone in his hand, "Do you know any bone attacks?"
They shook their head—no.
The horrified expression returned, though Papyrus seemed in deep consideration over something.
"Here, you can go ahead and borrow mine!"
The bone was placed in their hand. It was small even for their proportions.
"Thanks."
"Of course—you're welcome Ksirf! Now the great and powerful Papyrus will commence his mentorship!"
Papyrus ran ahead and marked an X into the snow.
"Alright, now do your attack—try to hit here on this X!"
Frisk threw the bone. It bounced off Papyrus's skull and he shot them a look just on the verge of looking incredulous.
"Wow, ok NOOO. Ksirf, try again with magic this time," His voice got notably lower, "You know how to use magic, right?"
Frisk nodded. Papyrus looked visibly relieved.
The bone was taken again and this time Frisk focused in their red magic. The bone soon glowed a bloody concentration.
But a glowing bone wasn't enough.
They imagined the weapon they wanted—the one Gerson refused to sell them.
One side of the bone warped and grew pointed. It was a deadly spike as it flew and Papyrus only narrowly avoided it. The spike pierced near the X and the snow exploded. A demonic pink crater smoldered where the bone impacted.
For once Papyrus was briefly left speechless.
"WOWIE! Good job Ksirf! That was cool enough to be your SPECIAL attack."
Frisk shuffled their feet, a bit bashful. It was only a simple charge grenade. Everyone knew that attack.
"Alright Ksirf I think that finished up our training lesson—unfortunately, I have somewhere to be."
Papyrus pulled out another bone—a slightly larger one this time.
"Here you are. Sad as it may be, you can use this to practice with in the meantime!"
Gosh, Papyrus was so sweet.
"Now Ksirf, the great and powerful Papyrus would be honored if you would accompany him to his house—and to perhaps stay for dinner?"
Papyrus's face was silently pleading.
"After all it's not everyday I meet another skeleton!"
Frisk suspected Papyrus would make spaghetti. Their non-existent stomach churned at the idea. As nice as Papyrus was, his cooking could kill.
"Sounds good."
Ahh, why did Frisk say yes?!
Frisk had no time to regret their decision as Papyrus picked them up and began a brisk jog towards his house, a cloud of snow left in his wake.