Being Human - Act I - Chapter 12
"I thought getting out of the woods was supposed to be a good thing." Frisk marches across the snowy cliff of Snowdin Forest. Ever since leaving the caves, he found many harsh reminders they weren't as terrible as he initially believed.
From frigid air that keeps his arms working hard to stay warm and the frozen ground that keeps him light on his toes… the one improvement is that the rocky terrain does not agree with trees. Without a roof of greenery to blot out the Underground's already limited lighting, Frisk finds his visibility fair. The horizon remains a mystery, but anything to help him spot monsters before they reach him is an advantage he could not afford to waste.
Frisk scans with a vigilant stare, searching and hoping he will find nothing on the path to Snowdin Town. Under this careful watch, he finds it difficult not to be impressed and pleased by the serene and quiet beauty of Snowdin Forest. The fields of trees and snow come together to knit a blanket of green and white. Yet Frisk remains afraid to check under this winter's bed for monsters lurking in the shadows.
Despite his friendship with Maribel, his fear of Monsterkind remains alive and well. Yet the irony of traveling to Snowdin Town to find safety is not lost on him.
Am I really doing this? I'm going to a town filled with monsters. Might as well put up a giant billboard that says: 'Here I am! Come look at the Human before he can gets taken away forever!' Maybe they'll sell tickets, Frisk thought, but he could not bring himself to think poorly of his new friend. Her mere memory is enough to bring him warmth.
Maribel said she wanted to help me and I need all the help I can get. She's probably the only one who wants to. What if she gets into trouble for helping me? I don't want that. Frisk rubs himself to stay warm, bringing his attention to his bones and his mind wanders to another bag of bones.
And Sans… He seems nice, and anyone who makes puns can't be that bad, but I just can't shake this feeling that he's hiding something from me. Definitely know Papyrus isn't gonna give up. Would Sans pick a human over his brother? And why is all this even happening at all? Why do they want to capture me so bad? Frisk continues his reluctant march into the heart of this frozen winter wonderland.
His teeth clatter and bones shake as breezes of cold air hit him like cannonballs in sudden bursts. He knows his journey will not end well if he remains out in the open. "Well, Snowdin it is."
Asgore and Undyne. They're probably gonna be my biggest problems. Hopefully, I can find a way out without running into either of... "Them!" Frisk shuts his mouth before he can make any more noise. He scans side to side in a frantic search for any kind of coverage to hide behind, but there is nothing. With nowhere to hide or and nowhere to run, a confrontation is unavoidable.
Frisk takes a desperate stand as the mysterious figure approaches his position.
Okay calm down. It's just another monster. You've beaten every monster till this point. You can deal with this one too. Please just don't be too... Wait a second, is that who I think it is? Against the endless white and grey backdrop, the emergence of red and orange stands out as the stranger comes closer.
"I know you." A large and impressive grin comes across Frisk's face and a flare of excitement explodes inside of him. Had it not been for his desire to stay warm, he would be unable to stop himself from bouncing his way to the stranger with open arms. Details are difficult to make out, but one thing is clear, this person is not a monster.
"Hey! Over here!" Frisk waves his hands in the air, swiftly moving towards the stranger. As the distance closes, distinct features become visible: her messy brown hair tied into a ponytail by a blue hair ribbon, the red and orange striped sweater, and her bright hazel eyes… It leaves no question in his mind to who she is and that she could be trusted.
I knew I wasn't alone! I knew there was someone else, too! I'm not crazy! Frisk thought until he recalls their first encounter in the Ruins and her fits of hysterical laughing cries which left him speechless.
Okay, she might be a little crazy, but I don't care! Oh, boy, this is going to be the best thing ever! Frisk reaches the human girl who stops a few feet away, greeting him with a pleasant warm smile and sparkling hazel eyes.
"Man, I can't say how glad I am to see another human face down here! You're the girl from the Ruins, right? Sorry if I freaked you out, if it helps you got the jump on me too. My name is Frisk by the way," Frisk says so fast his mouth struggles to keep pace with his excitement, his hands wrapped around his shivering torso.
"Hello. How wonderful to finally meet you," The strange girl says with a curtsy and giggle. Frisk finds her voice sweet like sugar and is overcome with relief at no longer being alone. "I do have a teeny bit of a confession to make. I have been watching you and your journey for a while now. I wasn't sure what to expect from you, but I have decided to help you." She returns to her idle stance with her hands clasped over her still chest in an elegant and cute fashion.
Okay… that doesn't sound creepy at all. Well, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Kind of weird the monsters don't know about her. Guess that shows how good she is at hiding; just what I needed, Frisk thought.
"Now that's what I wanted to hear; glad to know you're on my side. Listen, I know the monsters after us can be real scary. But if we work together, I know we can beat them, escape from this hole, and get back to the Surface. Heck, they think that I'm the only human, they don't even know about you. So, whatever you got to say, I'm all ears,"
"Splendid! I cannot tell you how delighted I am to hear that. I have been down here for quite a long while, and it's very important you follow what I'm going to tell you." She claps her hands together to show her approval and Frisk eagerly awaits her instructions. "Because after everything I've seen, I can say with full confidence the best thing you can do is to give up," she says like she is giving him a birthday gift and not a crushing cold coal.
"Whoa, time out! What's that supposed to mean?" Frisk makes a T with his hand before returning them to his shivering sides. He cannot believe she said those words. He rewinds them inside his mind in case he misheard her, or to find any trace of a joke, but finds nothing.
"Seems pretty simple if you ask me," she says with that warm smile, but Frisk no longer finds it inviting.
"Call me a dummy, if you want. Why do I have to give up?" Frisk demands. He does not mean to be so blunt, but he didn't expect the same from her either.
"Well, to be honest, you don't have any chance to succeed. You can try as hard as you like, and I'm sure you will, but it's not going to make any difference in the end. Your journey was doomed to fail before you took your first step. So, you might as well give up before things get bad," she says, her voice reassuring and nurturing like an older concerned sister.
"Gee… Thanks for that amazing advice." Frisk could not have disagreed more. A piece of him is dismayed to hear those words straight from the strange girl's mouth.
"Nice to know we are on the same page. Honestly, I wished someone told me that a long time ago. It would have saved me plenty of trouble."
"Hold on, I'm not interested in playing hide and seek with monsters for the rest of my life. If I'm going to give up, which, for the record, ain't gonna happen, I need a better reason than that."
"Oh, there are so many reasons to give up, every one more fabulous then the last! I couldn't begin to list them all," she says, almost giddy and excited at the prospect.
"Yes, good fortune and your initiative have managed to bring you this far, but the path ahead is only going to get deadlier and more dangerous. Do you really believe you have the bravery to face what the Underground has in store for you?" She speaks with clear concern, but her tongue drips with a quiet poisonous dread turning Frisk small and bare before her.
"Of course; I'm not scared at all," Frisk says, afraid of what she will say next.
"Truly?" She says, unconvinced, along with a sly roll of her eyes.
"I have seen many things here in the Underground. Would you like a taste of what's waiting for you? Oh, do not bother answering; I will tell you anyway." He wants to leave, but at the same time, he needs to know what is coming for him, not that she gives him a choice. Plus, a piece of him refuses to leave this strange girl gazing at him with a sharp, penetrating stare, almost like she is looking inside his soul.
Frisk cannot tell if the sparkles in her eyes are stars or the tips of blades.
"There are deathtraps disguised as puzzles that cannot be solved; monsters that will reject your mercy and hunt you down like a criminal— and in this world, all humans are guilty. Monsters that may wear a friendly face, but will use you to get what they want; and they will never stop, not until they finish you; funny how things are like that." Frisk sinks as her words come crashing down on him like a hailstorm, leaving Frisk uncomfortable and a piece of him in confusion.
"Even if you manage to overcome all that, you will have to face the truth that I have already told you. You're just going to lose in the end. So, tell me, how do you feel?" Frisk is speechless. Her words inspire imagery that torments his psyche, leaving him paralyzed.
This can't be true. Okay, Flowey is bad, but there's no way the rest of the Underground can be that bad! She has to be lying or talking big. But then again, I haven't seen half the Underground and she's been here longer than me. Could she be telling me the truth? Frisk stares at her hoping to find any sign of deception or honestly, but her body language is unreadable. All he can do is stagger, unable to escape the dread inside his mind and heart brought upon by this strange girl.
"That's what I thought. If you are not brave enough to face the truth, then you may as well stop here and now." She crosses her arms together over her chest, projecting a confidence and strength Frisk knows he does not have and he cannot conceal that truth.
"Fine. I'm a little scared, but what the heck am I supposed to do if I give up? We'll be running and hiding from monsters for the rest of our lives. We'll never see the Surface or other humans ever again!" Frisk says, hoping to convince her they should at least try when they may have a greater chance working together.
"From my experience, it's not so bad once you get used to it. Besides, if sanctuary is what you desire, I'm certain Toriel will have no complaints accommodating you at the Ruins. Trust me, she loves children; human or monster, makes no difference to her."
"Toriel told me not to come back," Frisk says in haste.
"Please, surely you can do better than that," she speaks with a scoff.
"And what about you?!" Frisk asks, bringing a curious look to her face and an inquisitive finger to her lips.
"Umm… I suppose you could say there have always been exceptions to the rule, and I'm exempt from all of them! But I know she would welcome you with open arms and a piece of hot butter scotch pie. Sounds nice, when you think about it." She paces in front of him and words spill out of her mouth like maple syrup.
"A nice, safe, and warm place you can call home. Friends ready to be there for you when you need them. And a family that loves and accepts you just for being you." She takes a long pause before stopping to stare into Frisk with her hazel eyes, a deep mixture of green and brown like the forests on the Surface.
"Isn't that what you really want? To be happy and to be not alone… I know I would love to have all of that stuff. And I promise you, it's not going to happen if you stay on your current course." Her voice starts giddy and excited before taking on a serious sullen sternness. Words fail Frisk. He can see the blade hidden within her lips, but to his confusion it's made out of cheap plastic. Along with her words, so sweet and tender he almost wants to eat them; but their taste is terrible.
All that stuff is really great, and Toriel would do it. But… Mom! I can't give up on her. If I give up… Frisk stutters at the thought of never finding his mother.
"That was some nice stuff you said, but my answer is no. I can't give up. Not ever!" Frisk says and stands with as much defiance he could muster. A mild breeze would have knocked him over.
"So that's your choice. Well, at least I tried. If you want to stay out here with monsters, that's fine. But you should know, I cannot guarantee your path will not break or change you. You will not see the truth where you stand now, much less in one piece. Are you willing to take that risk?" She says in a voice that manages to be both endearing and intimidating.
"Yeah, I am. I'll do whatever it takes. I won't give up and I'm not going to change my answer," Frisk stands before this living puzzle. He does not know how or where to start solving her, and is afraid of the solution that he will discover: A helping hand, or a blade in his back.
"Well, like your answer, mine has not changed, either. If you continue the way you are now, you will find failure and then you will find yourself back where you started."
Frisk can feel his blood rising, but keeps it contained. "You really don't have any faith in me. I'm just a lost cause to you."
"Yup! You don't stand a chance alone." She declares with almost joyous delight.
"Fine, I won't do it alone." Frisk extends his hand to her.
Really wish I could be stuck here with anyone else, but you're all I got, Frisk thought, no longer sure if he wants her assistance or presence. But if her words are true, he will need all the help he can get to reach the Surface. Help he knows will not come from the monsters, and if he cannot get along with a human, then what chance does he really have?
"Listen, I don't know what made you like this, but you don't have to be like this anymore. If we work together, I know we can find a way to escape. I'm sure there's someone on the surface who really misses you or you miss them. Just like me. Maybe I'll lose alone, but together, we don't have to lose. We can win together!" Frisk hopes to banish this despair within her and gain her cooperation, but she continues to stand stolidly with her soft smile.
"I remember when I thought like you do now. I believed if I tried hard enough, I could find a way. As long as I never gave up, I would be happy again one day soon. I never stopped dreaming about what I wanted and I never stopped hoping one day my dreams would come true," she says with her head bowed towards the ground and her hand wrapped around her hair ribbon.
"Then, one day, I went too far… That was when I learned the truth." She lets go of her ribbon, and Frisk notices her retracting her foot back away from him. "It happened to me, and it will happen to you. Then you'll end up just like me." Her voice starts sweet but ends sad.
"You don't have to be alone. We could be partners," Frisk begs, hoping she will take his hand, only to be met by an exhaustive sigh.
"If you truly want a partner, you are speaking to the wrong person. I gave up a long time ago. Besides, you seem fine with the partner you already have. It could use some work, in my opinion of course." Her words douse Frisk with a shower of cold water.
Wait, she knows about Sans or Maribel? How long has she been watching me!? Okay, human or not, I've had enough. This is getting way too creepy for me, Frisk thought as he steps away, hoping to escape her company.
"Well, if you really want to stay down here, then fine! I'm not going to stop you. I fell down here in a hole. All I gotta do is find one I can climb out of. I've come way too far to give up now!" Frisk declares and walks away with shut eyes to avoid her penetrating gaze.
When I come back for Toriel with Mom, hopefully she'll be in a better mood. If she's made it this far without me, she'll be fine a little while longer, Frisk thought.
"You really will not give up? You are quite determined, aren't you?" She speaks with a teasing manner.
Did I walk into an echo chamber or something?! Frisk thought with growing irritation, opening his eyes to find the strange girl walking ahead of him with her face turned to him. Frisk tries to escape her, but no matter how fast or slow he moves; she is always ahead of him like a moving mirror. With the limited space and one way forward, there is no way to evade her.
"Your Determination is impressive. Misguided, but impressive."
"Wow… You really know how to talk to people," Frisk says, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.
"No one tells me anything anymore."
Gee, I wonder why. Who wouldn't want to have a ray of sunshine and rainbows like you around? Frisk thought as she continues her lecturing.
"Let me tell you something about Determination. Yes, it can be a great and powerful force that can bring you to the things you want. But the more you give yourself to your determination, the harder it is to turn back. Now, this doesn't always have to be a bad thing. But eventually you might reach a point where you have to ask yourself, are you really in control of yourself? Is this really worth all the hassle?" She asks and Frisk could feel his skull splitting in half.
"Of course it's worth it. This is what I want and I'm completely in control of myself! How much clearer do you want me to be!?" Frisk shouts, losing control of his rising temper.
"Did I strike a nerve? I'm sorry. I'm trying to help you, after all," Her voice is sweet, but Frisk finds the flavor of her words beyond bitter and sour.
"Well, you have a really weird way of helping me! You say that I have to give up, but then you say I can't be scared and have to be brave. I can't do both things at the same time, so what are you trying to say to me!?" Frisk shouts, no longer caring if any monster finds them, he will be glad to be rid of her.
"Since you are going to continue, you will eventually learn the truth. Of course, it will crush you, but there is no harm in being prepared. I certainly wasn't. And once you learn, we'll finally be on the same page. I'm looking forward to it already!" She declares with genuine glee.
Okay, I've had enough of this! Frisk thought, his blood boiling.
"Well since you know everything. Why don't you just tell me right now! If you really want me to give up and it's as bad and scary as you say it is, then spit it out right now!" Frisk shouts, hoping to silence the girl and leave her behind.
For a few moments, it does seem to work as she goes silent. "What did you know about monsters, before you fell down here?"
"Just answer my question," Frisk demands.
"I am. Seriously, think about it. Do you not find it strange how no one on the surface knows about these Monsters or Magic? And here is another question: if escape is as easy as you claim it is, why are all of them still down here?" Her words place him in an awkward position.
Okay, that is kind of weird. I kind of assumed this was their thing. But why wouldn't they go to the surface? Being down here for a week would be enough to drive me crazy; but then again, Maribel said she's been here for years. How long have they been down here? The only way that makes sense is if they… Frisk crashes into sudden realization.
"They can't. But how?" Frisk asks, and stares into her smug, satisfied face.
"Getting warmer, but not quite there. This is your last chance, are you sure you want to know?" Her voice goes sing-song, and Frisk stands at a standstill, wanting to know but afraid to ask. "Too scared? Don't worry; I'll make the choice for you. Because even if there's a mountain on top of us, it is zilch compared to the real Barrier keeping us trapped down here."
"A Barrier?" Frisk says in growing confusion, and she nods.
"Ding, ding, ding! Yes, for all your imprisoning needs, use our special patented magical barrier. You cannot see it, you cannot hear it, and you cannot touch it. You'd swear it doesn't exist, but it does. Want to get rid of some unpleasant company for the rest of eternity? No problem! It's completely impregnable and indestructible; just toss those nasty monsters and any humans dumb enough to fall inside and they'll never go back to surface ever again. Call now, and we'll throw in shipping for free," she says like an overly animated car salesman.
"I kid, but seriously, you and I are gonna be stuck here for the rest of our lives. We may as well get used to each other. Maybe we can even be friends! I would like that a lot, wouldn't you!" She says in a cheerful voice and claps her hands.
Meanwhile, Frisk could not have been anymore devastated. "That can't be true." Frisk's heart and world shatters to pieces, knowing the Surface is forever beyond his reach.
"Oh, but it is true. You get to be trapped down here forever with the rest of us, and there is not a thing you can do to change that. I don't know where this barrier came from, but it's quite good at its job. Sure, things can go in, but once you get inside, there's no going outside ever again!" If Frisk was not preoccupied with processing this life destroying revelation, he would be disturbed by how much satisfaction she is taking in this situation and his suffering.
"Toriel never mentioned any of this to me. She would have told me about this!" Frisk tries to hold himself together as he struggles beneath this newfound hopeless reality.
"She probably wanted to protect you from the truth. I mean, would you have left the Ruins if you knew it was pointless? That's what Toriel does. She protects children like you two. But I don't share her priorities. The cold hard truth is always better than a white lie that come back around to bite you in the butt."
"But there has to be a way. There has to be a way out of this place!" Frisk speaks with growing desperation.
"Perhaps, but I doubt it. The monsters have tried everything to reach the surface and all their attempts were in utter vain. Anyone else who tried failed and lived a wasted life, for themselves and anyone else they foolishly involved." Frisk gasps deeply as the gravity of the situation forces him onto his knees. Unable to contain his anxiety, his body quivers and he holds his torso to keep himself from falling. A piece of him is stunned with disbelief.
It can't be true! There has to be a way out of here! I have to be- no, I need to be able to escape. This has to be some kind of trick or lie! Frisk thought as he becomes a raging whirlpool of emotions, thoughts, and concerns.
"Oh, and before you think I'm lying, go ahead and ask literally any monster. They all know this to be true. You see they all accepted the truth a long time ago and gave up, just like me! So, what would you like to do now?" She says in an almost whimsical manner, taking some sick and twisted delight in his anguish with her bountiful smile.
If it is true, then that means I can never go back to the surface! I can never see… Mom! Frisk grabs his head as it feels like a vice squeezes and presses him like a walnut. He tries to free himself from a truth that will not stop crushing him until he becomes dust.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" He says along with looking up at her smile, sinister in his eyes, it quells his tormented emotional storm until only sadness and anger remain.
"You were the one who asked. I'm just telling you what you were going to find out sooner or later. Consider this my mercy,"
"What kind of Mercy is this?!" Frisk shouts and punches the ground, the cold numb under his rising temper.
"I'm sparing you from wasting your time and energy. I know you must be mad or sad, but there's no need. Like I said, your journey was doomed before it started. Now you can join me." She says, casting her stare down at him as if he is some kind of insect far beneath her.
"But I need to find my Mom." He pleads.
"Wow… You're doing all this to find your parent? What a childish dream." Something breaks inside Frisk. Something he didn't know was there or could be broken. From this wound, surges a bloody, nasty feeling that festers across him like a poison. All his confusion and fear disappear, replaced by a burning anger.
Frisk leaps from the ground to throw himself at her. She avoids him with a slide to the side and sly smile on her foxy face, giggling beneath her breath. "So, you want to keep fighting?" She asks and Frisk turns around in a fit.
"No! I'm not going to fight and I'm not going to stop! I don't care about the barrier or how impossible you say it is. I'll find a way to escape the barrier and get back to the surface. I won't give up on my hopes and dreams!" Frisk is breathless, surprising even himself with the strength of his voice. He awaits her response as she stands with her back turned to him.
"So nothing can stop you. Well, no one cannot say I didn't try. Very well, you can do whatever you like. We'll just have to wait and see who is right in the end. Hopefully we will see eye to eye once that happens."
"That definitely will not happen! I'll do whatever it takes to prove you wrong! And that's a promise!" Frisk shouts at the girl. Even behind his anger, he notes how she holds onto her blue hair ribbon.
"Really, you want to prove me wrong that badly? How about we make things more interesting? There is a weak point in the barrier. It lies in the heart of the Underground, in the capital where King Asgore is. I'll be waiting for you, will you promise to meet me there?" Her words bring a small smile to his face, a drop of hope in this sea of despair, but accompanied with a bit of confusion.
"Wait, how the heck are you gonna get there?"
"I have my ways. You don't have to worry about little old me."
Oh don't worry about that! Frisk thought with a scowl.
"So, are you willing to brave through the obstacles of the Underground, no matter how perilous they become? In spite of whatever truths you come to learn? Will you do anything to prove me wrong?" Frisk breaths and thinks, not sure what she is asking of him or what he is agreeing to. "Do you promise me you'll be there?"
"I'll bet my life I'll be there."
"Good. Very well than, I'll be going now. I wish you two the best of luck. Goodbye for now, it was nice meeting you… Frisk." She walks away from him.
A weak point is all I need to reach the surface and find Mom. Doesn't matter what you or anyone else… wait a second.
"What's your name?" Frisk asks, and the question does make her pause and hold her stance, it is only when Frisk approaches her, that she speaks.
"They called me Amy." The Strange girl runs faster than before, spurring Frisk to pursue after her.
"Hold on, I have so many more… questions?" Frisk stops when he gazes upon the ground, not believing the sight. He rubs his eyes to remove any possible debris from them, but there is no change when he opens them again.
"No way, that's impossible. How did you-?" Frisk turns up to see nothing. He is all alone on this cliff side. He scans in every direction for a sign of her presence and finds nothing. "What are you?"
Frisk returns to the path, leaving behind a trail of footprints in the snow.
The only trail on the entire path.