Alright, so sorry it's been so long, but here it is! This fic is going back in motion full-swing! I'm going to add some cover art tomorrow, and hopefully I'll have the ability to work on the next chapter over spring break, but I may not. Glad to be back!
Homestuck belongs to Andrew Hussie and Undertale belongs to Toby Fox.
Now, onwards!
Chapter 9
It had been about fifteen minutes since Eridan had bumped into the Woshua, things were much calmer now. Eridan had cleaned his face up with a small portion of the gallons of water available, until what had once been a bloody mess was now just an oddly-colored scratch. His clothes were slightly stained from a few stray drops, but they were hardly noticeable against the dark fabric. Kid has at first been nervous of the colored liquid draining from his new friend's face, though as time passed and nothing bad happened, he eventually gave up, his worry being overtaken by his curiosity.
"So, what is it?"
"None of your concern."
"Why is it purple, is it supposed to be purple?"
"It's vviolet."
"Heh, wiloet. You have a cool accent, Eridan."
This went on for a while, and to the young prince, each second was growing less and less tolerable. He knew in the back of his pan that he would have to shed a little blood eventually, and according to what he knew about monsters, that would be a nightmare to deal with. At least this was less of a ruthless interrogation and more so just a child's mind wanting answers. Nothing simple responses couldn't fend off from prying too deep. Annoying, nevertheless so.
"So, howw much farther until wwe get to the end of this place?" he inquired.
"Oh, well, we're about halfway through Waterfall. Up ahead there's this place that's always raining, and by then you can catch a glimpse of the capital!" They kicked at the rubble surrounding a small statue. "Yo, do you mind grabbing one of those umbrellas for me? I can't really because, you know." He gave a small shrug, should moving without arms.
"Sure." Eridan grabbed one of the umbrellas, specifically choosing one of a color closest to his own, unfurled it, and let it's shaft rest upon his shoulder. Kid jumped under it, and they continued walking.
Sure enough, as soon as they walked into the next room, a faint pit pat could be heard, and not much later, the world was engulfed in the sound of rain. drops leaked from stalagmites covering the ceiling, all a dark and deep indigo, like the end of twilight.
"Howw is it rainin if wwe're under the planet's crust?"
"Uhh, I think this place is under a lake in the aboveground, so it leaks through he rock until the water reaches us!" A small patch of semi-aquatic plants stood unmoving to the left of a rocky hole in the cave wall. Kid, grinning widely, ran ahead. "C'mon, you gotta check out this view!"
The lighting turned from a deep indigo to a dim teal, misty and dull. The air was cooler and crisp, but still. Kid, shadowed out by the darkness, was still visible in silhouette. Small footsteps echoed out, bouncing off the craggy terrain. One set fast and loud, the other slower and hushed.
"Look at this."
Far off, covered in mist and shrouded in darkness, a kingdom loomed. Handfuls of small buildings sat, rectangular and made of stone. They looked old, and corroded. Many were swallowed by the expanse of the underground, and invisible to the eye. Only those high enough on the wide plateau of rock could be seen. In the center of it all, a grand set of stairs lead up to a great doorway, leading into what was possibly the largest castle he had ever seen. Two smaller towers sandwiched the pinnacle of the structure, consisting of three spires, each with elaborate windows and blue tile roofs. As huge as it was, it definitely wasn't very fancy. The building was made of raw stone, and while detail was hard to make out, it didn't look as if it held anything along the lines of fancy carvings or statues. Any at all looked as if they were washed away with time. As mighty as the structure was, it was a bit saddening to look at it's scars. Eridan made sure to not let his face show it, though.
"It's certainly dated."
"Yeah..."
"So, this is the capital?"
"Yeah, that's it! it's a great view, right?"
"Hmm."
Kid shuffled his feet a bit. "You're not much for conversation, are you?"
The troll didn't tear his view from the far off sight. "Sometimes."
"Oh, okay then." The seadweller began to walk down the hallway again. Hey, wait up!"
The next room led back into the secluded abyss of dark walls, a tall ledge restricting access. The troll swiftly hurtled the barricade, grabbing on to the rough ledge and hoisting himself upwards.
"Yo, dude, that was wicked! Hey, I'm gonna go find another way to get around, alright?"
"Wwait, you-" But Kid had already ran off in the other direction.
Probably coulda hoisted him up here, but oh wwell.
The prince walked down the hallway in silence. He probably wasn't too far away from his destination, if it was visible from where he was. The underground was so small that he would probably arrive at the capital before daybreak. Or at least before when daybreak would have been if the sun was visible. But then what? He honestly had no reason to go there, and the chances there was something he was looking for there were slim to none. So why was he? The only reason he could think of was that is was a valid distraction from what was going on. This scenario he was in, it was just so...bizarre. What had caused him to end up here, where here was, why here of all places and why he wasn't dead were questions with no clear answer at all, or at least answers he was probably never going to find out.
A creaking sound cut through his thoughts, rickety and slightly waterlogged, causing him to was on a bridge.
"Wwhat the fuck..."
The bridge branched out into a maze of routes, all overlapping and twisting at right angles. Another bridge, slightly less awkward in construction, laid a floor below. Both lead to only one path.
Wwho in the hell built this monstrosity?
He began winding down the unnecessarily abstract bridge, making sure to take the most efficient route. It was redundant, and quite ridiculous. After many twists and turns, he eventually ended up at the end.
"Alright, wwho the fuck decides to build an elaborate fuckin bridge, obviously knowwin howw to make one more linear, and leads it to nothin!" He huffed, walking to the edge of the wood and kicking at an imaginary stone. It didn't make any sense, who would-
Something bright, and very well thrown, rocketed towards his shoes, knocking him off the edge.
Alrighty! Fell free to comment, they all mean a lot, and constructive criticism is welcome! Hope you all have a wonderful day! Or night. It's night for me.
