Chapter 5: This is our reality
Macie meets her savior.
She learns of of a history which humanity chose to forget.
She learns the hard truth about a human in the Underground.
She wants to forget.
"Toriel, right-?" Macie's voice came to an abrupt halt.
Her entire body turned to stone, stiffer than the ancient walls on either side of her. Her tongue felt heavy. Her throat was tight. She couldn't even breathe. Every fiber in her being screamed at her to turn and run. But she stood still. Frozen.
An enormous beast stood before her. Stunted horns protruded from its forehead. Crimson eyes shined brilliantly against the darkness of the corridor. It shifted, taking a moment to look behind itself. It stood in front of a great stone door, blocking it, though Macie could not begin to fathom why. The door dwarfed this hellish creature. The hellish creature dwarfed Macie. She felt so small. Pathetic. Powerless. She'd die before ever getting close to finding Frisk.
The horned beast flashed its teeth, lips curving into a fanged sneer. Terror ignited in Macie's body. That desperate feeling to run away came back in full force. Her legs twitched. But her mind stood still.
Thoughts of running away were squashed by a calm that she could never have created. Panic was replaced by something, someone telling her not to be afraid. But she was afraid. The feeling begged her to take another look at the creature before her. That she was safe here, with it.
Macie stifled those thoughts. Mentally ushered that insanity away. She would not let herself turn into a willing victim for this monster. She was not safe here, no matter what this "Toriel" wrote. "Toriel" who kept a vicious creature in their basement? Lethal and untethered. Whoever "Toriel" was, they were not to be trusted. But that niggling feeling refused to be silenced, telling her she should give this trust to the stranger who saved her.
Macie pulled a heavy foot from the ground and managed one miniscule step backward. The enormous beast moved towards her. Macie's heart stuttered. Her eyes flashed up toward what would surely be the gaping maw of this hellish creature. Only. It was not gaping. It wasn't even sneering like she'd initially perceived. It was… smiling? At her?
The beast reached out with one large, clawed hand. Light glinted off the stunted nails.
Macie shuddered, shaking her head, stretching both of her own hands out to protect herself. As if her own pathetically small fingers could halt the monstrous thing from coming to her.
She stumbled backward slightly, turning her face toward the door. If she could just get away. If she could just run...
Do not.
The voice echoed from the back of her mind. Stolid. Determined.
Who was that? Who could tell her what to do? Force her body to move- or not move, in this case.
"Oh, my dear!" The high voice was soft, lilting. Macie saw that it was the horned creature who spoke in this way. It should have growled. Snarled at her. Instead, its clawed hand retracted to cover its mouth. The smile that creature had presented flipped upside into the shape of concern.
Macie swallowed. Hard.
A distant recollection that was not her own fluttered in the back of her mind.
"Y- you're… Toriel, r-right?" Macie couldn't help the stutter. The concerned frown melted back into just the echo of a smile, then a nod. The beast- no. Toriel kneeled down, setting the pair at eye-level. Again, it held out a clawed hand- though, internal fear subsiding, Macie saw that it looked more like a paw than anything else.
Something urged her to reach for that hand and hold it. But Macie held herself back. She didn't know what was going on. Where she was. What was happening. She squinted, trying to get a better view of the enormous creature- of everything- around her. Macie just wanted things to make sense.
In that extended palm, the fingers flexed a ball of flame into existence. It flickered with life, hovering just above Toriel's grasp. Macie found herself staring in absolute wonder. None of it made sense. The light danced around them, basking the two in a warm, orange glow.
The breath in Macie's throat hitched, struggling back into existence. How long had she been holding her breath? Toriel stared at her, patiently. She had horizontal pupils wrapped in amber irises, like a goat. Large, white ears flopped down the sides of Toriel's face. A short snout complimented the entire look - making Macie think of that familiar, bleating farm animal. But a farm animal didn't wear flowing robes emblazoned with unfamiliar insignia. A farm animal did not walk around on two feet somehow unmarred by the dirt of the earth it trotted across. A farm animal did not make her feel so small.
Macie could feel hysterical laughter welling at the base of her throat. She let it die there. It would not do her any good. Instead she opened her mouth, let out a strangled wheeze, and closed it. Her body trembled slightly. She was quiet.
It was the goat-like behemoth who finally broke the uncomfortable silence that had settled over the two.
"Yes, my dear... I am Toriel." The voice was feminine. Warm. Gentle. Regal, even. But more than anything, that voice was concerned. "I watch over the Ruins," she began cautiously. "I found you alone out there. I healed you. I brought you to my home."
The goat threw the ball of fire up, and it shattered into a dozen little flaming pieces. Each piece darted away from them, each piece finding an unlit lantern along the dark hallway to ignite. The entire length of the basement had lit up in that same warm glow that blanketed the cozy home Macie had so recently wandered through.
"I am so very glad you are awake! I did not expect it to be so soon." She smiled broader, fangs seemling less pronounced to Macie now that her fear was dwindling. "- things are a little… untidy. Do forgive me." Toriel tutted and moved toward Macie again. The young woman forced herself not to shrink away from the enormous goat creature. But she could not stop her eyes from growing wide, indigo irises sucking in every bit of new light that the now-lit halls provided. "I did not expect it to be so soon! I hope you are feeling well?"
Her rescuer stood. She was more than large. Taller than Macie by at least several heads. A flowing purple gown draped over her in an elegant wave. Long lilac sleeves wrapped around her arms, stopping at furred wrists.
The goat took another step towards her, away from the stone door.
"How are you feeling?" Toriel finally asked, using her hand to move a curled lock of hair from Macie's face, tucking it behind her ear. The human thought of Frisk. Her heart ached for the small child. She was filled with worry, panic. But she lied and said,
"I'm o-okay."
Toriel tilted her head, detecting the lie immediately. Rather than calling Macie out on her facade, the monstress folded her hands together and gave Macie a patient smile. She did not probe the human any further. But she would wait until the human willingly continued to speak.
Macie clenched her teeth, willed herself still. She gave the tall figure a strained look, opened her mouth once more,
"U- uhm," It came out like an awkward squawk. "Er- I am… very- Confused? The Ruins? Found me 'out there'? I fell, right? Into Mount Ebott? I fell into a hole…" I was chasing after someone. Though, she did not speak that final thought. It made her feel crazy. She didn't need a monster of all things to confirm those feelings.
"Mount Ebott? Is that what humans call it now?" The large goatly woman gave Macie a sage nod. "Ah, you must be so confused. My dear, you have fallen into the world of Monsters. Welcome. To the Underground."
World of Monsters. The Underground. Goat-people that could spontaneously generate fireballs in their palms. Macie mulled over the new information. Things made less sense now. She had so many questions and no idea what to start asking about.
"My name is Macie." The human said, not quite sure what else she could say to a giant. goat. monster. lady. Because apparently those were things that existed.
Toriel clasped her two pawed hands together in delight at the introduction. "I am so happy to meet you, my dear Macie. This in my home-" a flourished hand wave was given, "-within The Ruins. I take care of things here." She spoke fondly of her duties. "It can be quite lonely, but someone must do it!" Toriel looked towards Macie, watching the human's poor attempt at appearing unafraid. Macie trembled despite her best efforts. "You are safe here, with me, if you choose it."
Macie stared back along the lighted hallway. There was a warmth filling the place, now that it was lit by fire. "...what was... that?" She gesticulated towards the closest lantern. "You made fire out of thin air."
"Ahaha… Magic." The monster rubbed the back of her head shyly when Macie cocked her head in disbelief. "It has been some time since the humans sealed us down here, has it not? I am not surprised you have forgotten about magic. Such things are not innate to your kind."
"I mean… there are legends, you know? Spooky stories kids tell each other at night. About weird stuff that shouldn't physically be possible. And monsters that eat kids." Toriel looked aghast at this revelation. Macie realized her implication, and quickly tried to double-back on the unintended insult: "They're just- stories though! To scare each other- for fun!" The tall monstress looked more incensed.
"Well-!" She shook her snout. Macie wanted to kick her own teeth in. Or eat her boot. Not that she wasn't already doing that, by accusing the tall monster of eating infants.
Macie felt her stomach emit a long, shrill, poorly-timed whine. Of course.
Toriel gave her a pointed look, "Perhaps it is best we find you something to eat. We monsters certainly have things more exciting than human children for consumption." Toriel laughed at Macie's expense. The young woman was very much red with embarrassment. "Let us go."
Toriel held out her hand once again. This time, Macie took it.
The monstress guided Macie back towards the beginning of the hall, lit by fire and echoing with the incessant growls from Macie's traitorous stomach.
"So… it's not just spooky stories, then? It's history. Monsters and Humans- the War. It all happened. It all exists. Humans forgot. But it all happened." Macie scrunched her face up in thought. She glared at the donut in her hands. A spider-donut. Courtesy of Toriel's wallet. Or pouch. Monster currency came in little coins called "G's". At least, Macie had gathered as much when she watched the monstress drop several golden pieces into a spider's web and acquire both a steaming mug of cider and a luxuriously over-glazed donut.
Macie took a bite from the donut, and felt it crumble in her mouth. Incredible.
Toriel leaned against the balcony railing that overlooked her ancient city. Home. The Ruins. They were one and the same. An occasional monster wandered by the duo, up the old steps that led down into Home. Most scurried passed the moment they saw Toriel. Nervous. Fearful. It made sense. The monstress was so much bigger than all of them.
In Toriel's grip, the mug of cider steamed. Spider-cider. Made by, for, and of real spiders. According to the storefront that had taken their G's. Spiders were tastier than Macie had anticipated.
Toriel pulled away from the view of Home, faced Macie. "I am not surprised the Humans have forgotten us. After we were cast Underground."
"You said something like that before." Macie quipped, "Humans trapped the Monster's underground?" Saying the words out loud birthed an unexpected guilt in Macie's heart. She felt responsible. She knew she had not part in the monster's sentencing underground. But- couldn't she have at least known about it? Couldn't humans have remembered?
"Yes. There is a barrier that keeps us here. Once that cannot be crossed or broken without a sacrifice." Toriel recited the words like a history lesson. "Monsters. Humans. Those who enter, they cannot leave."
Dread settled over Macie. She was trapped here? How would she rescue Frisk if they were both stuck Underground? If Frisk was even Underground. Macie shuddered at the memory of wind wrapping around her body, it had tricked her. She thought she heard laughter. But it was a lie. The wind just wanted to drag her into this darkness. Frisk had to be here, too. No. She knew they were here. They had to be.
"What sort-of ...sacrifice?"
"It takes a strong soul to leave." Toriel sighed. "Stronger than any single human or monster. Macie… for humans to leave, they must take the soul of the strongest monster down here. A boss-monster." Toriel handed the mug to Macie, avoiding the human's gaze during their cider-donut exchange.
Toriel took a sizable bite from the already half eaten donut.
"You're saying I need to kill a monster to leave." Macie sipped from the cider. It's warmth leaked into her. Spiders were fucking delicious. She'd rather drink a hundred more of these ciders than contemplate the murder of a monster for its, what- soul-power?
Toriel gave a single, solemn nod.
Macie took another sip. Cursed. "Heh, when I woke up… when I looked outside... I thought it was dark because it was nighttime, or something." She laughed bitterly. "I didn't realize I was underground. Trapped underground. ...Are there others down here, humans, I mean?"
Toriel looked at the human for a moment. She seemed to be thinking of a way to form her words. Finally, she admitted, "There is another way through the barrier." What did that have to do with other humans?
Macie tore her eyes from the horizon of Home and looked hard at Toriel. Another way. One where she didn't have to kill a monster. She needed to hear this. Information about other humans be damned. Hope birthed in her chest, growing steadily as the silence from her companion dragged on. Macie waited, staring at Toriel expectantly. "Seven human souls can break the barrier."
"Oh." That newborn hope in Macie's chest died. Souls meant dead humans.
"Monsters have six souls already." Six dead humans.
"Oh…" A new dread was conceived. It felt cold. Hollow. Sat heavily at the pit of her stomach and sent miserable tendrils throughout her body.
Macie took a long sip from the cider, hoping the warm liquid would stave off the cold she felt gnawing at the base of stomach. She could kill a couple monsters to free herself and Frisk. Or she could die to free Frisk and all of Monsterkind. Or monsterkind could kill Frisk to free themselves.
She needed to find Frisk. Before the monsters found them.
A thought struck her.
"Why didn't you kill me, Toriel? I could be the last soul to monsterkind's freedom."
A grim, distrubed look shadowed the goat-monster's face. "There has been enough death." She whispered furiously. "ASGORE." The name was coated in venom. "He declared war on the humans. When that barrier is broken, there will be more death. He wants to kill them all. I… cannot. I will not. Help. I will do nothing. I will stay here."
Macie should have felt gratitude for Toriel. Having been found by one of the few monsters who would spare a human in this underground prison had to be more than just luck. "Asgore is the last boss monster. Humanity is not safe while he lives." Toriel stated and gave Macie a pointed look.
She was telling her to kill him.
The spider-cider suddenly lost its appeal. Macie abandoned the mug on the balcony-railing. She needed to get out of here. She needed to find Frisk. They had to be in the Underground. She could feel that they were. But there was only one bloody ticket out. And Macie needed two.
And Macie needed to change the subject.
"Hey- Toriel, when I fell, did I.. was there a bag? A little knapsack?" This was a good direction. Lost bags were much easier to talk about than regicide.
Toriel ate the remainder of the spider donut. Glanced at the abandoned spider-cider and took to finishing that off as well.
Home's ceiling was dark, covered in a deep purple haze.
"I- ...yes." She nodded, eyes closed in concentration, willing her solemn mood away. Suddenly, as if the conversation of murdering kings never happened, she was bright. Glowing, even. "It must be with my basket of snails. We should go back for these things, yes? I would very much like to make you a more appropriate meal. Donuts and Cider are not appropriate sustenance for a growing human."
Macie forced a grin. "Heh, uh. I drink way too much coffee to ever worry about growing. But, uh… I look forward to any home-cooked meal. Especially the ones I don't cook."
Toriel brushed her paws together, dislodging any remnant crumbs from her fur. She giggled. The tense atmosphere had vanished for her. "Well, Macie. I look forward to making you a home-cooked meal. I am... quite happy to have your company." The regal monster stood to her full height and stretched her paw towards Macie.
"Let us find what we have left behind."
Macie put her hand in the monster's grip. It didn't feel right. She hadn't meant to leave Frisk behind. To lose him. She needed to find him. Not her bag.
"Yeah, I'm uh- always leaving things behind. Let's go 'em."
Author's Note:
I made the horrible mistake of re-reading my previous chapters. They have so many typos. So many... failed copy-pastes when I shifted dialogue around. I'm going to be using the next two weeks to edit those instead of editing and posting my next chapters.
Thank you for your patience!
~T.T