So this is an odd idea I had that somehow got written ahead of all the other ideas bouncing around in my head. (I tried to think of a better name but Shieldtale was taken by an AU)
I'm not sure what point in time Naofumi is taken from and neither is he (memory issues) but it is sometime after Vol 9 of the LN, so there are some Season 2 spoilers for anime-only people.
I don't own Shield Hero or Undertale they belong to their creators: Aneko and the annoying dog (aka Toby Fox)
Chapter 1: Ruins
What's going on? Where the hell am I?
Naofumi got up and looked around and saw that he'd been lying in a bed of flowers in some sort of underground cavern. He tried to think about how he got there but only came up blank. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't remember, but considering how he felt he must have fallen.
I guess having high defense helps with falls.
"Howdy!"
"What?!" Naofumi looked around for where the voice came from.
"Down here." Naofumi looked down and saw there was a small flower with a face on it a few feet in front of him. "I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!"
"A talking flower..." Naofumi considered the possibility that he had hid his head harder than he thought.
"You're new to the Underground, aren' tcha?"
Naofumi shook his head a few times to clear it but the flower was still there talking to him.
"Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here!"
"No thanks." Naofumi started to walk away, but the flower burrowed up from the ground in front of him.
"Hey, it's rude to walk away when someone is talking to you."
So he decided to check if he had any herbicide in his shield. That was when he noticed that it was different and not just his shield but the entire layout of the interface as well. While looking at it three characters were all it took to give him a good idea of what happened: LV 1.
Am I in another world? And no wave timer...
"You want some LOVE, don't you?" Naofumi was brought back to the flower's speech when he got a bad feeling. "Don't worry, I'll share some with you! Down here, LOVE is shared through… Little white… 'friendliness pellets.'" Five small white pellets floated above the flower and Naofumi instinctively took a step back. "Are you ready? Get as many as you can!"
Naofumi wondered if the annoying flower thought he was stupid or just didn't care. Either way he moved out of the way when the pellets started flying towards him.
"Hey buddy, you missed them." The flower's face changed to hide its displeasure. "Let's try this again."
More pellets came. Naofumi evaded again.
"Is this a joke? Are you braind-"
"Shield Prison!"
Naofumi used the time he bought to check the shield for herbicide while hearing a few bangs come from the prison. It didn't have any but he was able to set it to craft some. Unfortunately it would take a few minutes to finish and the skill wouldn't last that long.
"I don't know how you did that, but down here it's kill or BE killed." The flower made a ring of the bullets surround Naofumi and had them slowly close in. "Die."
"You first!" Naofumi raised his shield to block the bullets in front of him as he charged towards the flower.
"What?!" It was so surprised that Naofumi broke through without being hurt that it was barely able to dive back into the ground when he went to pull it out.
"Is someone here?"
Naofumi turned to look where the voice came from, deeper in the cave. There, something that he assumed to be a goatlike beastman came running to him. Her concerned expression made Naofumi feel like she wasn't likely to attack him, but raised his shield all the same.
"Ah, do not be afraid, my child." The goat woman spoke to him. "I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place everyday to see if anyone has fallen down."
"Naofumi Iwatani."
Toriel opened her mouth to continue but stopped when Naofumi spoke. She didn't seem to know how to respond.
"My name is Naofumi Iwatani, and I'm 20, so I'd rather not be called a child."
"Oh, forgive me, but you are the first human to come down here in a long time and they were all children. Then again, 20 is still quite young compared to an old lady like me."
As Toriel spoke, Naofumi slowly lowered his shield. He still didn't have a full grasp on the situation, but it didn't seem like she wanted to hurt him.
Is she really old enough to call herself an old lady?
"Come, I will guide you through the catacombs."
"And if I don't want to go with you?"
Toriel frowned. "I will not force you to come with me, but where else could you go?"
"I could climb out that hole back there."
"I am afraid that will not be possible, Naofumi. You passed through the barrier when you fell and nothing can get out."
"Hold on, what's this barrier and why would it only work one way?"
"After the war, the humans created the barrier to hold all the monsters underground and we have been trapped inside ever since. It may have been made to allow those outside to enter so they could throw in any monsters that were still outside. Or it may be that doing it that way helped conserve magic."
"Can you prove that this barrier you're talking about is there?"
Toriel sighed. "Very well." Then she walked back the way Naofumi had come. He followed her until they reached the bed of flowers that somehow didn't show any signs of him having landed on them. "It is easier to see it at night when sunlight isn't passing through, but you should be able to see a light/dark pattern moving above us."
Naofumi squinted as he tried to make it out. There was something there. Then Toriel created a ball of fire that went up until it collided with it. The way the flames moved made it clear where the barrier was.
"I guess climbing out really isn't an option."
"If it was, we would have done so long ago," Toriel replied. "As you have seen, you won't be able to return to the surface. I am sorry you had to find out this way… You do not seem to be very distraught over this revelation."
"Well I'm not from the surface of this world to begin with. So it's not like there was anything up there for me to go back to. Plus this isn't exactly the first time I've been stuck somewhere that's supposed to be inescapable."
Toriel seemed confused by Naofumi's statement.
"What do you mean 'of this world'?"
"I mean that this is a different world than the one I'm from. This isn't the first time I've been stuck in another world, but the status screen here is different from those ones."
"I...see."
Toriel realized that Naofumi was likely suffering from delusions due to hitting his head when he fell and looked at him with pity.
"Don't worry it will all be alright."
Toriel attempted to heal Naofumi, but his HP was already full. Toriel was confused by this.
"So… any idea why a talking flower attacked me? I guess he realized he wasn't able to beat me since he disappeared just before you showed up, but does he attack everyone like that?"
Naofumi didn't know why, but he felt he could trust Toriel.
"That dreadful thing attacked you and you made it out unharmed?"
Toriel was surprised that Naofumi was so strong as well as concerned about how he managed it.
"That thing aside, I have to ask you not to fight any of the monsters you may encounter in the ruins. As a human living in the Underground monsters may attack you. But if you simply strike up a friendly conversation you should be able to stall for time and I will come to resolve the conflict."
It's not like I could hurt them even if I wanted to, but is she seriously asking me to just talk to something that's trying to attack me so she can come in and save the day?
Nafoumi scoffed, "Yeah, right."
"I think we'd best be going now. Please come along."
Toriel walked deeper into the ruins and Naofumi decided to follow her. They eventually came to a room with six buttons on the floor and a locked door ahead of them.
"Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." Toriel walked over some of the buttons before flipping a switch on the wall that caused the door to open. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."
Naofumi followed Toriel into the next room. There was a sign next to the path, but Naofumi couldn't read it.
Another world, another new language to figure out.
"To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labelled the ones that you need to flip… Eh? It seems that the labeling has worn away. Oh dear. This might be far more challenging than I anticipated."
Toriel walked along until the path led to a bridge and she stood in the way.
"The first switch is on that wall."
Does she really think I need her to explain something like this?
Naofumi pulled the switch, and he noticed that the light area on the floor extended out to it, probably faded from being walked on frequently. Toriel continued down the path. When she stopped there were spiks on the floor of the doorway to the next room and two switches on the wall. Naofumi pulled the one the light area led to.
"Oh? I didn't even need to explain which one to press."
Toriel continued to lead him through the ruins.
Why is it that she sounds so much like a puzzle game tutorial… Toriel… Tutoriel… You have to be kidding me.
Naofumi slammed his palm into his forehead due to both the poor naming and the fact that he didn't realize it sooner.
"Is something wrong, my chi- Naofumi?"
"No, I'm fine."
"That's good. Now, as I mentioned before, when you encounter a monster it is best to talk to them. Practice talking to the dummy."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"No. Why would I be joking about this?"
"It's a dummy. It can't talk back. Besides, we've been talking. So, what's the point of talking to an inanimate object?"
"Oh... I suppose you're right."
Toriel looked back at the dummy, which seemed a little sad, before continuing forwards.
As they continued on, a large frog leaped at Naofumi, but landed on his shield as he blocked. Naofumi and the frog spent a few seconds looking at each other before Toriel scolded the frog, apparently called froggit, for attacking him.
"I guess there are frog-like monsters in this world too."
"What do you mean, Naofumi?"
Toriel seemed confused.
"I've seen monsters that look kinda like those before."
"Really…? What about other types?"
"Well in the world I was in before, most monsters were basically just animals that looked a bit different. But really there was everything from balloons to dragons and even some walking trees. A few were even intelligent and could learn to transform to look like humans."
"Monsters transforming into humans?"
Toriel's eyes went wide.
"Well, not quite human. They still had a few differences like wings. So I guess they looked more like demi-humans than humans."
"What is a demi-human?"
Naofumi looked at Toriel for a few moments, completely dumbfounded.
"Aren't you a demi-human?"
"No… I am a monster. I thought that was obvious."
"Uh… How to explain this… Where I'm from, or in the other worlds I've been to at least, someone like you would be called a demi-human or beastman. Some humans considered them the same as monsters and treated them as slaves. But those guys are just racists and religious fanatics, most died when they tried to start a war."
"Demi… humans? And another war? I do not understand how, but have you really encountered monsters in another world?"
"Yeah."
"And… what is your opinion of them?"
"My opinion on monsters?" Naofumi was surprised by the question, but realized it should have been obvious when he considered that Toriel was actually a monster. "It depends on the monster, I guess. I got along fine with some of the smarter ones, and the ones in the village liked me." Naofumi saw Toriel was still trying to determine what to make of him and added more to his answer. "If the monsters here can be reasoned with then I don't have any reason to fight. Honestly I generally rather avoid fights if I can. The problem is when other people try to force me into them.
Toriel was not sure what to make of Naofumi's story, but she felt that he was being honest.
The next room contained a floor full of spikes with the ones in the correct path retracting as they walked across. Toriel wanted Naofumi to hold her hand, but he decided to just follow close behind. Then Toriel said something unexpected.
"I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. You may have experience with monsters, but it can still be dangerous to explore by yourself. I have an idea. I will give you a cell phone. "
"You have cell phones here?!"
Naofumi was surprised that something from his modern world existed in a fantasy one.
"Yes, Naofumi. We may be trapped underground, but that doesn't mean our technology hasn't advanced. If you need anything, just call."
Toriel gave Naofumi an old looking cellphone and left down the hallway they were now in, moving far faster than before. Then she came back.
"Oh. And if you do happen to encounter a monster. Please remember what I said about talking to them."
Toriel left again.
Naofumi checked the phone and saw that the only number in it was Toriel's (and that the format was different than the phone numbers he was used to), then he decided to look through the changes in his status screen more carefully.
First was the shield.
"Legendary Shield" - Weapon AT -99 DF 999
Cannot be unequipped.
Even though it is "Legendary" no one here knows anything about it.
So now it is actually reducing my attack into the negatives. And is that flavor text?!
Naofumi scowled at the shield and saw that its new form was similar to the one he started with in Melromarc but was mostly white and the gem had changed into a heart shape.
Upon considering that he didn't know what he might be facing and the situation with the monsters in this world may mean he wouldn't be gaining many levels, Naofumi decided to upgrade his current shield to the best of his ability.
"Legendary Shield (Awakened)" - Weapon AT -999999 DF 99999999
Ignore scratch damage. Cannot be unequipped.
Even though it is "Legendary" no one here knows anything about it.
The perfect "weapon" for defense.
No scratch damage, huh? Does that mean there's normally a minimum amount of damage you can deal? And did upgrading it actually make my attack drop? What the hell?!
He then checked his armor.
"Other world Armor" - DF 0
Great for staying warm and looking like a bandit, not for surviving a fight.
May scare away timid monsters, but others may take it as a challenge.
Great, even the flavor text thinks I look like a bandit.
Out of curiosity Naofumi checked what it said about a few of the items he had in the shield.
"Herbicide" kills plants
Why would you need this? It's not like the flowers are evil.
"Bioplant seed" creates a fast growing plant that may mutate depending on the environment
DO NOT USE!
"Healing Medicine" Heals 20 HP
Other world pharmaceuticals really work.
"Soul-Healing Water" Water for the Soul.
No seriously, what is this? Water that ghosts can drink?
After seeing everything he wanted to, Naofumi continued deeper into the ruins and came to a room where the path split. There was a froggit next to a door to his left. He walked passed to see what was in the next room but...
"Excuse me, human."
Naofumi was surprised to see the froggit speak since the last one didn't utter a word, or make any frog sounds for that matter.
"I have some advice for you about battling monsters. If you act a certain way they might not want to battle you anymore. If they don't want to fight you, please show mercy human."
"I'll keep that in mind."
The froggit was surprised that it could understand Naofumi without having to use magic to translate.
So the monsters really are intelligent. I wonder why the froggit from before didn't say anything.
Naofumi looked through the doorway and saw a bowl of candy sitting on a pedestal surrounded by leaves.
Nope.
Naofumi chose to go the other way. He came to a place where the floor was full of cracks and seemed unstable. Naofumi put one foot on it and slowly applied some weight until part of the ground there fell away, luckily he just had to shift his weight back to avoid falling. After thinking about it for a few moments Naofumi used Air Strike Shield as a platform to walk over the pitfall.
The next room contained a rock, what appeared to be a pressure plate, and a row of spikes.
*RING*
Naofumi answered the cellphone.
"Hello? This is Toriel. For no reason in particular… which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch? "
Naofumi was surprised by the question, but figured that Toriel was planning to bake something.
"I don't really have a preference, they both taste fine."
"Oh… I see."
*Click*
Naofumi looked at the spikes and once again used Air Strike Shield to pass over the puzzle with ease.
*RING*
"Hello? You do not have any allergies, do you?"
"No, why?"
"Huh? Why? No reason… No Reason at all."
*Click*
Naofumi now felt slightly suspicious of Toriel, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
The next room Naofumi came to looked like the entire floor was ready to collapse.
How did Toriel even make it through here?
Naofumi judged the distance to the other side of the damaged floor and decided he should be able to make it. First he used Air Strike Shield and jumped over to it. Then he used Second Shield. Finally he used Dritte Shield. As he jumped across the final gap he landed on the cracked part of the floor and rolled to the floor he could see was safe. He had been ready to use Shield Prison under him if the floor had given way but it didn't, so he left.
The next room had more rocks, pressure plates, and spikes, as well as a river that Naofumi could easily swim through to avoid the spikes. But that would mean getting wet and it was easier to just use Air Strike Shield again.
Naofumi passed through a hallway that had a disgustingly old piece of cheese stuck to a table.
Naofumi used Air Strike Shield to walk over a "sleeping" ghost.
Once again there were two options on where to go. Naofumi chose the way that wasn't full of spiderwebs. This path led him past three froggits that didn't say anything as he walked by and he was honestly happier that way.
*RING*
"Hello? I have a question. You like things other than butterscotch or cinnamon… do you not? Oh what am I asking. I will keep looking"
*Click*
Naofumi looked at the phone for a few moments before putting it away. It felt odd to him that Toriel called, asked a question, then decided it was pointless and hung up before he could even say anything.
Naofumi then proceeded to use Air Strike Shield to bypass every puzzle he encountered. Though he couldn't figure out how 4 identical rooms that turned 90 degrees and should have formed a square led somewhere different without having any noticeable slope to them. When he came to the next split he chose the path that didn't have a dead-looking tree in the middle of it, but it was a dead end overlooking an abandoned cityscape.
Naofumi backtracked and walked to the tree. Behind it was… a house? Toriel came out as Naofumi was walking up to the doorway (there was no door).
"Oh? How did you get here, my ch- Naofumi? Are you hurt?" Toriel quickly looked Naofumi over. "Not a scratch… Impressive!"
"I told you before that I can handle myself, didn't I?" The truth was that the entire time Naofumi had been attacked by various monsters whose appearances ranged from a meaner version of Froggit to flying insects and a few things Naofumi didn't even want to think about. At first he had tried talking to them, but they just continued to attack him. However none of them were able to damage him. Once he realized that, he ignored their attacks and just walked through the ruins.
"But still… I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible for me to try to surprise you like this. Err… Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come."
Toriel went back inside. Naofumi still felt like something was off, but decided to follow her. For all he knew the rooms with the candy bowl and spider webs were deadends like the one he had just seen and he had no idea where else to go anyways.
"Do you smell that?"
Naofumi sniffed the air. Toriel had certainly cooked something. Naofumi tilted his head as he subconsciously tried to identify what. There's definitely a crust… and inside… meat? Sniff Not beef, pork, chicken, or fish…
"Er, I assume that expression means you do. S… Surprise. I have baked a snail pie."
Snail pie?
Naofumi had never personally eaten snails before, but as far as he knew the most common way to eat them was Escargot. Using them for a meat pie was possible.
"I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here."
Toriel's assumption that Naofumi was going to be living with her was something of a red flag to him. "What did you just say?"
"Here, I have another surprise for you." Toriel walked down a hallway to his right. "This is it… A room of your own. I hope you like it!"
"Hold on a second."
"Is something burning? Um, make yourself at home!" Toriel ran off before Naofumi could argue.
Naofumi decided to investigate the room before confronting Toriel about whether he would be staying or not. Inside he found a child's room. There were toys, stuffed animals, a drawing, and… multiple pairs of shoes of various sizes and styles.
Just how many children have passed through here? … And what happened to them?
Naofumi left the room and checked that Toriel wasn't nearby before checking the others. One seemed to be Toriel's and didn't have anything suspicious in it. Just a larger bed and various books that Naofumi couldn't read. The other room was locked and had a sign on it. Naofumi started to consider staying long enough to learn how to read the language.
Naofumi walked to the room opposite the hall, making note of the staircase going down, and found Toriel reading by a fire.
"Hello there, Naofumi. The pie has not cooled down yet. Perhaps you should take a nap."
Naofumi was so stunned by Toriel's suggestion that he take a nap that it took him several seconds before he could start to form a response.
"Toriel… I'm not a little kid, I don't take naps."
"Oh, well then we can chat while waiting for it to cool then."
"May as well." Naofumi turned around one of the chairs from the table so he could sit facing Toriel in her armchair.
"I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here." Toriel smiled softly. At least Naofumi thought that was what it was, anthropomorphised goats aren't exactly easy to read. "There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education."
"Could you slow down for a second?"
Toriel seemed like she had more to say but was curious about what Naofumi had to say.
"Oh, I'm sorry, it has been a while since I've had a real conversation."
"I can see that. Anyways, while I appreciate you letting me stay here, you need to realize that I'm not a kid. I already went through school in my world, so all I'd really be learning is things specific to this one… Okay, I'll admit that knowing how to read the language you use here would be helpful…"
"You don't know how to read?" Toriel looked surprised.
"I can read Japanese, but the writing on the signs I saw in the ruins is completely forign to me. Hell, I probably wouldn't understand a word you said if my shield didn't translate for me."
"Your shield translates for you?"
"Yeah, it's a long story but for now let's just say it's magic and leave it at that."
"Well that is… interesting. I know some monsters that use magic to translate languages, but I have never heard of it being applied to an item before. Anyways, I would be happy to help you learn to read. Here is one of my favorite books. It is called '72 Uses for Snails.'"
Suddenly, the concept of a snail pie made much more sense to Naofumi.
Toriel jumped straight into teaching Naofumi to read and the pie had cooled before they knew it. It was a little burnt, and a bit of an acquired taste, but it wasn't bad. Most importantly it didn't cause the shield to give him any poison warnings.
By the end of the day Naofumi had managed to remember all the characters used in the writing, but didn't get the chance to ask his other questions for Toriel. Granted it was probably a better idea to wait until he learned all he could this way before asking the difficult questions. He'd seen more than enough anime to know how a sweet old lady might kill anyone who finds the skeletons in her closet. And while his experience with this world's monsters so far suggested that Naofumi would be able to survive, he didn't want to ruin things until he had to.
Naofumi slept in the room he was given. But he didn't get much sleep since he still felt a bit anxious about being in unfamiliar surroundings and an unknown situation.
The next day Naofumi woke up when he heard a door close. It took him a few moments to remember where he was, after which he got up and opened his door. He heard something coming from the main part of the house. Naofumi walked over and found Toriel in the kitchen.
"Oh, Naofumi. I was just starting on breakfast. Would you like to assist me?"
Naofumi had no reason not to. And even he knew it would be rude not to help at all. A lot of the ingredients she was using were the same as the ones he knew from earth, but there were also some that were completely foreign to him. He was surprised that Toriel used fire magic to cook with instead of the stove, but not as surprised as when he saw the size of the snails that substituted breakfast sausage. Of course he learned all the flavors and how to use them quickly enough and Toriel was impressed with how their meal turned out.
After breakfast they resumed Naofumi's language lessons. He still wasn't able to read on his own yet, but with Toriel's help he had managed to learn 15 of the 72 uses for snails.
Later, Toriel went out to check if anyone had fallen, something she really did seem to do daily, and Naofumi decided to join her so he could see how the traps are supposed to be passed. As they walked Naofumi would ask questions about the ruins and Toriel would happily answer. He learned things like how the ruins were hundreds of years old and the city he saw was actually named "Home". However there were some times where Toriel would start to answer a question but cut herself off. From what Naofumi could make out of what she let slip, either there was a way out of the barrier or there is more down there than just the ruins. He also learned that the candy wasn't booby-trapped.
Another oddity he noticed was that a lot of the monsters they encountered looked different than the ones he saw when he first made his way through. Many were similar, but it was like the difference between a monster at the start of a game and its endgame equivalent, with the ones he saw the first time being the end game monsters. Of course they still jumped at Naofumi, which only served to annoy him since they couldn't hurt him even with his barbarian armor being left in his room. Toriel was quick to scold them for attacking Naofumi, who hadn't done anything to them. However she was surprised to learn that Naofumi could easily communicate with even the monsters that had their own language and required magic for her to talk to. It was only after he reminded her about his shield, which he also said didn't normally translate monster sounds, that she realized that many of the incredible things he had mentioned about his past may actually be true.
Naofumi was a little disappointed with how simple most of the traps were. Even more so when he found out that the signs he couldn't read said how to pass them. Worst of all was that they were actually supposed to fall down the first cracked floor and climb up a shaft on the other side.
When they arrived at the first room with the switches, Toriel brought out some chalk and started making marks around the two correct ones. Naofumi couldn't help but laugh at just how obvious she made them, but Toriel didn't mind since it meant that even a small child would be able to understand. After seeing that no one had fallen they headed back, then Naofumi's reading lessons continued.
They continued like that for about a week. Naofumi learned where everything was in the ruins and met some of the monsters that were more willing to talk. One of which being the ghost that had been pretending to be asleep before. Then there were the spiders having a neverending bake sale. They didn't like that Naofumi didn't have any money to buy their spider-based drinks and pastries.
Some days Naofumi chose to stay at Home and continue studying while Toriel checked if anyone fell. Of course this was just an excuse so he could poke around while she was out. First was the locked door. It took him a few minutes to translate but it seemed that the sign said the room was being repaired. Obviously Naofumi wasn't going to just believe that, so he picked the lock. Or he would have if there was a lock to pick. Since breaking down the door would have been excessive (and obvious) he decided to move on and check the basement instead. It was a long hallway. Then a door and another long hallway leading to another door. It sounded like someone on the other side was using it to make knock-knock jokes. At that point Naofumi decided to turn back since he didn't want whoever it was to tell Toriel he was down there, at least not until he knew more.
Naofumi had also been making good progress with his reading. After the book about snails he read some about the history of this world and how monsters ended up in the underground. The strange thing was when he came across something about the power of human souls compared to monster souls and how they were connected to magic.
As magic was a complex subject in any world, Naofumi decided to ask Toriel about it.
"Hmmm…. Magic is a rather complicated subject, Naofumi. Monsters are able to learn it more easily due to our nature, but humans take quite some time and with great difficulty. Are you sure you wish to try?"
"Even if I can't use it, I'd rather know what's out there."
"I see. In that case we should start by seeing what type of soul you have."
"My soul?"
"Yes. You see, your soul determines what sorts of magic you can use."
Naofumi thought about it and it did make sense, in a way.
"So how do I see what sort of soul I have?"
"It is really quite simple. Please hold still for a moment."
Toriel placed her hand (paw?) on Naofumi's chest. It felt like something was flowing within him and then a green heart appeared on his chest. Somehow what naught Naofumi's attention most wasn't the color, but the thin black cracks encroaching from the edges.
"Oh, it seems you are a truly kind person." Toriel smiled gently.
KIND?! It took everything Naofumi had not to burst into laughter at that.
Toriel looked at Naofumi confused. "Is something wrong?"
"No, it's just… if you knew the things I've done there's no way you'd say I was kind."
"Even if you don't see it in yourself, a green soul like yours is an indication that kindness is the strongest trait. But the black…" Toriel looked concerned, "what has the world done to you to make you feel such hatred?"
"What hasn't it done?" Naofumi spat out with contempt. "How does any of this relate to magic anyways?"
"The magic you are most capable of learning can be seen by the traits of your soul. In your case that means healing and barriers."
This time Naofumi couldn't suppress his laugh. "I could already do that."
"You already knew how to use magic?" Toriel was both surprised and confused.
"I learned some spells the first time I went to another world, all healing and support. Maybe my affinity in that system has to do with how my soul looks in this one."
"If that is the case, why ask to learn about magic?"
"Part of it was hoping to be able to learn a different kind. The other reason is because with how protective you are, I'm guessing there are stronger things out there than froggits that might want to kill me. And it would be good to have an idea of what they might be able to do."
Toriel felt a combination of fear and shame. "They won't if you stay with me!"
That gave Naofumi confirmation that he was right about there being more and about Toriel being desperate for him to stay. At the moment she looked like she was on the verge of doing something reckless.
"Something happened to the others, the humans that came before me, right?" Naofumi asked, but Toriel didn't answer. "You said they were all children and that bedroom is made out for one, but there isn't any sign of them growing up. Toriel, what happened?"
Toriel was trembling. "They…. He…. I have to do something."
The goat monster ran out of the room and practically flew down the stairs. Naofumi had seen enough of the ruins to figure out that the hallways down there likely led to somewhere outside them and he knew that whatever Toriel was planning couldn't be good. So he ran after her. At some point she had slowed to a walk and he managed to catch up.
"Toriel, what are you doing?"
"Ahead of us lies the end of the ruins." Toriel spoke in an almost dead voice. "A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it."
"Why?!"
"No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be good and go upstairs."
"No. Not without a real explanation and not while you're planning to do something like that."
Naofumi moved to block Toriel's path. She stopped and looked at him.
"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die. If you leave the Ruins… They… Asgore… will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?"
"I'd be a pretty lousy shield hero if I wasn't able to protect myself."
"Go to your room."
Naofumi didn't move. Toriel breathed deeply in an attempt to gather her courage.
"You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself… Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."
Toriel held out her hand and a ball of white flames appeared before shooting towards Naofumi.
"Hold on. Aren't you the one that always said it was better to talk things out than fight?"
Naofumi dodged the fireball. Toriel said nothing as she conjured over a dozen more to send at him.
"Air Strike Shield!"
The shield blocked all of the fireballs and caused them to send a blast of heat back the way they came.
"A barrier like that won't be enough to keep you safe."
A row of fireballs appeared on each side of Naofumi before moving in. He blocked as many as he could but some still hit him. That was when he realized that not even Toriel's attacks were doing any damage to him.
Is she going easy on me because she doesn't know how high my defense is?
The Air Strike Shield wore off and Toriel started walking forwards again.
"What are you doing?" Toriel continued her attack.
"Keeping you from making a mistake." Naofumi continued his defense.
"What are you proving this way?"
"That nothing you do can hurt me."
"Attack or run away. You cannot survive by only defending," Toriel created a particularly large fireball to send straight at Naofumi.
As the new fireball approached Naofumi prepared himself and hit it with the shield just right to send it back.
"What!?"
The Toriel was hit by her own attack and fell to the ground covered in burns. Naofumi walked over, bent down and hoisted her up so her arm was draped over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking you back upstairs so we can talk without me having to worry about you trying to bring the ceiling down on our heads."
"But… you wanted to leave."
"There's a difference between wanting to know what dangers there are and wanting to run headlong into them. Seriously, I'd have to be an idiot to go looking for fights when I can't attack."
"You… can't attack?" Toriel was nearly left speechless by that revelation.
"That's the thing about being the shield hero. I defend people not hurt them. Think about it, the only thing I could do to you is make you hurt yourself."
"I… I'm sorry, Naofumi." Toriel began to cry as they walked up the stairs.
Naofumi got her over to her armchair before sitting her down in it.
"Zweite Heal."
Toriel's wounds were almost completely healed and she gasped in surprise but her tears still continued to flow. Luckily the exhaustion remained so she wasn't likely to run back to finish the job. Unfortunately Naofumi barely had enough MP to cast a Zweite level spell so he was completely drained by it.
"Now just rest while I make something to help calm your nerves. Then we can talk about what just happened."
How the hell did things come to this?
Naofumi moved through the kitchen and started brewing tea. He had learned where everything he needed was over the past week, so it didn't take him long, but it did take some time for the water to boil without Toriel's fire magic.
By the time Naofumi returned to Toriel with the tea she had cried herself out and didn't move until Naofumi handed her the cup. She trembled as she accepted and took a sip. Naofumi waited a bit for the various calming ingredients of the tea to start working before he began asking Toriel about what happened.
Naofumi had somewhat expected some of the things Toriel told him from what she said before. Like how she had been a mother but her children died or that the six previous fallen humans chose to leave to find a way home but were eventually killed. What he found surprising was that she was married to the king, had adopted the first human to fall, and everything about using souls to cross or destroy the barrier. Throughout this conversation (interrogation?) Toriel had regained some of her composure and apologized multiple times for her rash actions. And then an obvious question popped into Naofumi's head.
"If a monster needs seven human souls to destroy the barrier but all it takes to pass through is one human soul and a monster soul, why hasn't Asgore just absorbed one of the souls he already has and gone out to take the other souls he needs?"
"That is the question no one asks," Toriel sighed. "If he really wanted to free us all he could have done as you said. I think he hopes that no more humans ever fall, even if it means letting everyone else live in despair."
"Then why the hell did he kill any humans in the first place?"
"I wish I knew." Toriel looked down and shook her head. "I tried to make him see reason but… *Sigh* He has changed so much."
"And that's why you left him."
Toriel nodded.
Naofumi sighed. "Why is it that there are always trash kings out to get me?"
"What?" Toriel looked at Naofumi confused.
"Doesn't matter, just something from the world I was in before."
Toriel continued looking at Naofumi
"Fine. The king hated me from the start just because I was summoned as the Shield Hero, which he had a grudge against. His daughter framed me and he had the whole country trying to hunt me down. Not too different from this king, Asgore, wanting to kill me just for being human."
"So that's why you have so much hate." Toriel finally felt like she understood Naofumi a little better.
The two didn't talk much for the rest of the night. Toriel had gotten up without a word and reheated a couple of slices of snail pie for their dinner. But other than that they just sat there in silence until Naofumi finally decided to speak.
"Why is the door a one way exit anyways?"
"What?" Toriel was startled by Naofumi's sudden question.
"I've been thinking about it and there has to be a reason that it only goes one way, right? And how would you have gotten here after… the stuff that happened with the king?"
"Oh, of course. I needed to prevent Asgore from sending anyone after me or any humans that fell so I made it so the door could only be opened from the inside."
"So you chose to isolate yourself. I can't really blame you there. I would have run from my problems too if I could've."
"Oh?" Toriel looked at Naofumi curiously. "You do not speak much of your past, but would you truly have been unable to escape pursuit?"
"Being hated was only part of the problem. Every month the heroes were all teleported to fight the waves. If my name had never been cleared they probably would have jumped me as soon as the next one hit."
"But if it happens every month, does that mean you will soon be taken from here?" The concern was evident in Toriel's voice.
"No, I haven't seen a wave timer anywhere in my status screen since coming here, so I should be fine."
"That is a relief. I know it may seem selfish of me, but it can get quite lonely here."
"Even though there are plenty of other monsters in the Ruins?"
"Yes, well… You may have noticed that they are not all particularly good conversation partners. In addition, they see me as both the Queen and the person that locked them away from the rest of the Underground."
Naofumi sat thinking for a few moments before an idea started to form in his head.
"There aren't many monsters stronger than you, right?"
"What?" Toriel was caught off guard by the new line of questioning. "Only Asgore, to my knowledge. Why?"
"You weren't able to lay a scratch on me in our fight earlier. If Asgore isn't too much stronger then there is a good chance that he won't be able to hurt me either."
"Naofumi, where are you going with this?"
"What do you think would happen if a human showed up that never hurt anyone even as they tried to kill him?"
Toriel tried to form a response but couldn't find the words.
"Do you think they might come to realize that they don't need to kill humans and it would be safe for you to open up the Ruins?"
Toriel smiled as a tear ran down her cheek. "You really are too kind a person, Naofumi."
"Not really. You said it yourself that the Ruins is small, boring, and lonely. It only makes sense to find a way to be able to interact with the rest of the Underground without having monsters chasing me for my soul all the time."
Before I get a bunch of comments about how Naofumi should be trying to get back to Raphtalia, I have an explanation: Memory Issues. The full extent of the memory problems and the cause may or may not be explained in story, but for now lets just say they are enough for him to have forgotten Raphtalia.
About Naofumi's soul. Before Malty's betrayal he was actually an incredibly nice guy (as can be seen in Reprise), and even after he was far nicer than most people probably would have been even if he tries to rationalize it away. In Undertale Kindness means a green soul, which just so happens to match Naofumi perfectly with the healing and barriers thing, plus matching his cape, eyes, and shield's gem. And just to make it even more fitting, the green soul is connected to the frying pan and apron, two cooking themed items while Naofumi is a cooking prodigy (even if he denies it).
Also, the thing about the hate he feels becoming black in his soul isn't quite part of Undertale canon but is in a lot of AUs and I liked the idea of the stuff he's been through leaving an actual mark on his soul.
Congrats to anyone who figured out Naofumi is playing on hard mode.