Chapter 12: Another medium
Mom's pancakes were the best. There was no question about that. But those giant stacks of fluffy pancakes that the capitol made were ok too, edible and utterly delicious. And maybe if Chara chewed on them long enough, they wouldn't have to go on with their day and everything it entailed. The child sent a glance towards Frisk, who munched on a bowl of what seemed like brightly colored cereals. The collar around Frisk's neck gleamed in the soft morning light. Chara's own repressor weighted down on them, heavy as ever. If it weren't for those blasted collars, Frisk could turn back time again and again. They could just stay at this table forever and ever.
"Did I mention that my son is the best one in his class at math? He's such a bright child. And brave."
Oh, yeah, there was Linda. They'd have to endure their escort for all eternity too. Still worth it.
"Does he fight in an arena against a bunch of other kids who try to kill him?" Chara didn't bother to look up from their pancakes as they asked.
Linda made a small sound through her nose. "No, he's of pure blood. In fact, he's got a bit of royal blood on his father's side. You can see it by that beautiful, healthy skin he's got."
"If he doesn't fight, how is he brave then?" The child took a moment to savor the slightly bitter taste of syrup against the sweet, fluffy taste of pancakes. Every pancake that they ate wouldn't go to a Brittanian.
Linda made a sharp motion with her spoon that took Chara's eyes off their food for a moment. "There is more than one way to be brave. And he is brave in a more," she pursed her lips "intellectual way."
Chara really didn't like that woman. And their food would pay for it. The swallowed another huge bite, washing it down with a big glass of chocolate milk.
"hey kiddo ya think of slowing down any time soon?"
Chara dug into their next bit of delicious fluff. "Nope."
Sans leaned over in his chair, eyes lazily finding their way to the tribute. "you might want to you know. big day today. you guys get to train with the other tributes. show off a bit."
The child plunged their fork into the food, only to pull it out and stab the baked dough again. "But I don't wanna." They looked dully down at their plate. "Besides, what would I even show off?"
Sans chuckled softly. "heh, i get that you're tired of TRAINing after your last ride but it's as good an opportunity as any. you can observe your opponents if nothing else. besides you did a pretty good job on butchering your breakfast."
Chara looked at the mess they'd made. "I guess." Maybe there was some hope left for them. Now their enemies just had to turn into pancakes.
As Chara stepped into the elevator, they critically assessed their reflection. A child in a grey shirt and grey training pants stood before them. A big 12 was painted on the front and back. They seemed even smaller in that outfit.
Sans slouched in next to Chara, closely followed by Frisk. It calmed Chara down a bit that they were not the only one who seemed to drown in that training outfit. They preferred their sweater. Its wide cut hid their thin frame way better than this silky shirt. Chara looked way less frail in their sweater, less vulnerable.
A skeletal finger pressed against the down button and off they were. Thankfully, their elevator didn't pick up any other passengers this time. Not that it mattered much now.
Light swished by in steady intervals through the cracks of their elevator's doors. In the reflection of the walls it reminded Chara of the way the barrier let light radiate in waves over ones features.
"training is not that bad, y'know" Sans commented over the soft humming of machinery.
Chara followed another sliver of light gliding over their reflection with their eyes. If they blended out the collar around their neck, they could almost imagine standing before the barrier back home. "If you say so."
Sans led out a small breath at their remark. "i slept through most of mine back when I was in your place."
Chara felt their collar's vibration against the vibration of the elevator. They tried to ignore the unnerving feeling. It was strange thinking of Sans as a tribute. It was a surprise that he ever managed to put in enough effort to survive. But that was a long time ago.
"napping through that just gave me a bad time in the arena" Sans continued, his voice a casual monotone. "tibia honest with you, going down there, facing the people that will try to make you fall and that you will have to face eventually, it takes a lot of spine."
The skeleton winked at Chara in that annoying way. "you two stand here now with your head held high. so you definitely have the spine you need under that skin of yours. don't worry about it."
Sans let a hand fall on Frisk's head, ruffling the already messy hair. "you'll be fine. both of you."
A small ding indicated the end of their journey down. Chara turned away from their mentor, heart pounding frantically in their chest. It was ok, they could do this. Just like the parade yesterday. With little effort, their face glided into that familiar smile. Scared people don't smile. With that, the doors opened.
It smelled like the tall caverns of Waterfall. That was the first thing that came to Chara's mind as they stepped out of the elevator into a large room. Concrete walls stretched multiple stories up to a point were thick rafters blocked some of the light. A wide panel made of glass was embedded in one of the walls. The light reflecting kept the child from looking in. Just a few feet away, a thick, yellow line stretched through the room from wall to wall, separating the space they were standing on from the larger part of the room. A thick line of fake, steel trees rose high behind the line, accompanied with a variety of what looked like an oversized playground.
"guess i'll be elevating your spirits now by going back up" Sans commented as he slouched next to Chara. "you guys will be alright. and if not, just come back to my napping space."
Chara huffed, eyeing their mentor with a queasy feeling at the prospect of staying here. "You nap everywhere."
Sans kept on grinning. "that i do. play nice." And with that he turned and shuffled back to the elevator in his pink slippers.
The child stood there for a moment longer, watching him go. It felt like their first day of school all over again: Being alone in a new place, feeling powerless. Back then, mom had planted a kiss on their head and told them "everything is going to be all right, my child". And it had been. It had been all right for six years. And now it wasn't.
Chara looked over at Frisk. The other child looked as unconcerned as ever. Not one emotion could breach that stoic face. Chara tugged a loose strand of hair behind their ear, discreetly feeling if their smile was still in place.
Trying to collect their courage, the child turned towards the small group that they had tried their hardest to avoid thinking about. The other tributes were already seated in a large cycle on the ground. With their grey training outfits, the tributes seemed to almost blend into the concrete floor. Only their numbers seemed to catch Chara's eyes.
The child stepped forward, Frisk following their lead besides them. A few heads turned at the noise. Chara tried to emanate confidence the way mom and dad did when they spoke to the public during a crisis.
They noticed the unsteady spacing of the occupants of the circle as they approached. While some tributes sat close to the other tribute from their own district, others seemed to make a point to already sit with a good distance.
Chara chose the biggest opening to seat themselves, letting Frisk sit down closely besides them.
Opposite to them, an adult was the only one remaining standing. She was a burly woman with a hard look and an intricate outfit that was clearly meant to be used to exercise. Small conversations bubbled around them in hushed voices. Chara tried to remain calm. Were the other tributes talking about them? Were they already being accessed?
Sweat began to form on Chara's forehead. Did they already mess up?
No, they couldn't afford to think like that. It was silly. They had been here for a mere minute or two. But the child couldn't deny that the quiet room was getting to them. At least it seemed like most tributes were already here. It couldn't take that long for whatever-this-was to begin. Chara sent the big woman a glare that the adult ignored. Come on. Why didn't they start already?
A soft swish was heard as the elevator's doors opened again. Out stumbled a girl with shimmering, dark hair bound in pigtails and a big 8 printed on the chest. Righting herself just before she hit the floor, the teenager rushed over. "SorrythatI'mlateItriedtobeontimebutmyshirtcaughtontotheelevatordoorandIcouldn'tgetitoutand-" the girl sunk to the floor nearly on top of another tribute who hastily moved out of the way.
The burly woman held up a hand. That effectively stopped the rambling. "I do not care for excuses. You are right on time. Try to be here a bit earlier next time if getting into in elevator is that much of a challenge for you, though." Her hard eyes glided over the assembled circle before her. "That applies to all of you too. Training will begin at 8 pm each morning for the next seven days. At midnight you have to be out of here. Lunch will be served over there," she pointed at a large doorway on their current side of the yellow line, "between 12 and 14 pm."
She turned back towards them, crossing her arms. "Use these next few days wisely. For most of you, this will be the first time to use and explore your abilities." The Britannian woman pointed towards the yellow line a few meters away. "Where that line begins, a field of sensors around here will send a constant signal to your repressors."
The child craned up their neck to try to spot the sensors, but only found concrete walls and a bland ceiling.
"This signal will suppress your repressor's main feature within the assigned area."
Chara perked up at that, as their heart beat faster in excitement. "So we'll be able to use our powers again behind that yellow line?"
The woman sent Chara a sharp glare. "There will be room for questions later."
"Will our powers activate when we walk across the line?" A girl with wide brown eyes and a 7 on her chest chirped excitedly. "Or will we have to activate them ourselves. Oh! Do we have to say a magic phrase or something?"
The burly Britannian turned to the girl. "I will get to that if you stay quiet and wait."
The other tribute from 7, a small boy with a shocking resemblance to the girl, raised a tentative hand. "Does the signal the sensors send out have consistent intervals or could there be a moment where the signal breaks and we suddenly get zapped?"
"Enough!" Chara unconscionably shrunk back a bit at the woman's shout. The Britannian raised a hand to her face, rubbing the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "No, the signal won't break as long as you stay within the area marked by the yellow tape. It is the same technology that allows you to use your powers in the arena, so it has been well tested. And how your powers activate depends on each of you individually. There will be plenty of room for questions over the next few days. So do not. Interrupt. Me!"
She let that sink in for a few seconds before moving on. "Over there, you will find an array of training stations. Each one specializes in a different skill. They range from combat to obstacle and survival stations."
The woman made a heavy step forward into the circle, looking at each of them as she spoke. "There is no combat allowed between tributes before the arena. You'll have plenty of time to take out any animosities on each other there."
Chara had no idea what animosities were, but it sounded bad. They made a note to try to control their temper. A little bit.
"If you do any of that here, your repressor will be manually activated immediately. Got that?"
There were soft nods all around, accompanied by the occasional pain stricken face. Everyone had already experienced the collar's painful shocks one way or another. And no one seemed all too keen to experience it again.
"Good. Wait for your turn at any of the obstacle and combat stations. You'll go into that arena whether you're a healthy tribute with all your bones intact or not. So take care to not get injured and don't do anything stupid."
She took a deep breath, easing up on the heavy glare a bit. "Lastly, do not dismiss the survival stations. Even if your impurity turns out to be the strongest to have ever existed, there is still a good chance that you won't be immune to poisoned water or able to obtain food with whatever you can do."
Chara had to grudgingly agree that their ability wouldn't be helpful with any of this. Honestly, their ability wasn't helpful, period. Still, their magic craved to be used again. The child sent a longing glance towards the yellow line separating them from that beautiful feeling that would make the world a tiny bit better again.
"There is also a high chance that some of you won't be able to use your impurity at all. While your blood may be tainted, such abilities can lay dormant for generations. So take special care on your survival and long range weapon skills."
The Britannian's face turned into a grim smile. "Whenever you have a question or need advice, you can ask me. As long as you do not interrupt me, of course." The woman sent a sharp glance in Chara's direction, who had a hard time showing no weakness under the accusing gaze.
"I will be your head trainer for the duration of your time in the capitol. While I cannot help you with your impurities, I can help you with your physical strength and survival skills. There will also be experts at each station to teach and assist you."
The trainer took a step back. "Now, are there any more questions?"
There was a tense silence as no one wanted to call the group's attention onto themselves. Chara sent an impatient look at the yellow line and obstacles that lay beyond. The sooner they were over with this, the sooner they would get their power back. Now, if everyone just stayed silent, they could be off in a moment.
"Do I get to take my wand into the arena?" It was the same energetic girl asking that Chara had met in the elevator yesterday; the tribute from 1.
Chara felt their teeth smash together behind their smile at the unwanted holdup.
The trainer, however, nodded at the question. She directed her attention to everybody. "That is a valid question. Your impurities fall into different categories. Some of you, declared under the wizard type, will find it easier to channel your ability through an object. However, for most people in that category it is not needed to access your power and only proves as a crutch in battle." The trainer looked towards the girl. "I believe your wand is not physically attached to you?"
The girl shook her head, sending strands of golden hair flying into her face. She clumsily blew some of it out of her line of sight. "Nope." One of her hands reached into her pants' back pocket, producing what looked like a clunky globe with wings stuck on a stick. "It's my mom's old wand." The girl beamed. "She says it has been passed down from queen to queen for generations."
"Then send it back to her" the trainer said with a nonchalant flip of her hand. "You can use it in training, but in the arena you'll have to do without it. So I'd advice to get used to manifesting your impurity properly without it. There is no need for wands and queens in your future. So do not waste your time on that."
Hearing that, the girl seemed to sink in a bit on herself. A pinprick of joy blossomed in Chara's heart at the thought that the career would actually have a disadvantage, despite years of training.
The woman unfolded her arms, letting her gaze drift over the rest of the group. "Anyone else?" But the crowd remained silent.
Chara bit their lip, as their muscles seized with anticipation.
The trainer nodded, apparently satisfied. "Then that's all for now. Go on then. And may the strongest rise above."
As soon as the last word left the trainer's mouth, Chara was up and itching to sprint into the training field. It felt like years had passed since they were last able to use their powers. They hadn't even thought about it that much back then. It was just so natural to use their power every day; until it wasn't there anymore.
Their eyes followed the light haired boy with a 1 on his shirt as he strode towards the field. As much as Chara wanted to just rush in, living with a magical barrier all their life had taught them to be weary of any energy fields and lines. They giddily shifted their weight from one foot to another, as the tribute from district 1 lifted his foot.
And then he was through. The child gave it a second, but the boy didn't look like he would keel over immediately. That was a good sign. Chara grinned from ear to ear as they rushed after him. Unlike the barrier, they didn't even feel the change as they stepped over the bright, yellow line. The child stopped besides a fake tree that indicated the beginning of a metal forest.
They glanced back at Frisk. The other child followed them at a slower pace. Other tributes streamed in besides them, some tentative, others confidently. The girl from 7 rushed in with a wide grin, her long, brown locks bouncing with every step. Her male counterpart, on the other hand, hung back, eyeing the yellow line wearily.
With their back touching the metal bark, Chara felt deep down inside of them. It was just like when their brother had showed them, so many years ago. Right after he found them. The child closed their eyes, a hand touching their chest, feeling for the energy coursing through their veins. For just a moment, a memory of pain at activating their powers flashed before their minds eye. But years of experience banished it in just a blink. There it was. Their fire to go on. Their magic. Chara let it rush through them, glowing outwards.
As they opened their eyes, the colorless shades of grey of the capitol vanished. And once again, the world was colorful.
Chara let out a long breath that they didn't know they were holding. The first thing they saw was red. Frisk had come closer now. And there it was, that familiar glowing red soul in Frisk's chest. It shone bright against the colorless walls and floor of the room. Seeing that Chara was looking at them, Frisk waved towards the other child.
Lowering their gaze to their chest, Chara could spot a similar, heart shaped soul floating inside of their body. The child grinned. Magnificent. It seemed like they were back to their old self.
Chara caught a golden light out of the corner of their eye. The next second, they were no longer looking down but up at Frisk. The other child waved at them, several feet back. Familiar noises from only seconds ago poured in all around them, giving Chara a strange sense of deja vue.
The first fallen child smiled up at Frisk. "I guess this means you've recovered your power as well?"
The small human nodded.
Chara turned, satisfaction flowing through their body as they took in the surrounding with new eyes. The obstacles were still there, bland like before. But there were specs of color now, all around. Most were formed like the little heart shaped souls that floated in Chara's and Frisk's chest. But the child could also spot some different ones. Small deviations from what a human soul should look like. They saw a yellow soul embedded in a short boy's chest. Blue magic seemed to wisp around it, like a gentle ball of flames. The boy didn't seem to mind as he climbed up a net towards a platform high above.
He was an exception, exploring like that. Most tributes stood at one spot or another, tentatively eyeing the obstacles, unsure of what to do. Others confined themselves to watching their fellow enemies first, like Chara did. There were only one or two already confidently testing out their powers. Tributes from the career districts, no doubt. A nearby cluster of tributes stumbled back, scattering as the girl with a two on her chest began to spark near the combat station. Chara looked on in awe as orange energy emerged from her soul in a powerful array of lightning bolts. The lightning sprang out towards a dummy nearby. It was charred in seconds. The child gulped. So that was the power of a career tribute.
A new dummy popped up and the charred one vanished into the ground. Chara couldn't help to think of mad dummy back home. These ones didn't seem to feel any pain, though. And if they did, the dummies didn't show it. But maybe they just didn't have enough time. The second one was burned inside out before it could even scream. Chara shuddered. Frisk was their ultimate reset, but going down like that dummy couldn't be pretty; maybe even worse than buttercups.
Trying to distract themselves from their own imagination, Chara let their gaze drift around the training center. The underground facility must be stretching on for at least a mile to fit all of these stations. Some of the obstacle courses seemed to only exist far up by the ceiling, with no other way to reach than flying. Others stretched on down below, with all kinds of terrain mimicked by rocky surfaces and deep pools of water. The survival section was partly obscured by the fake forest. And beyond that, a field filled with targets and dummies lined the floor. There were also lots of weapons and weights. The child could spot an array of bows and even a few tridents. Next to them, all kinds of sword were displayed. And the sight next to that made Chara's eyes gleam. Oh yes. They definitely knew what they were going to be training today.
Chara turned with a wide grin towards Frisk. "I know something really cool to try out. Say, have you ever fought with a knife?"
-o-
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This was supposed to be a small christmas surprise. And it still is! Just a late one, unfortunately.
Anyways, happy holidays everybody!
Enjoy the cold, rainy or hot season (depending on wherever you are) and take a minute to relax a bit from everyday stress. I'm currently doing just that by writing up a few more chapters for you lovely readers. Currently, there aren't that many in stock, but that's just cause those future chapters are a bit longer than the usual ones. So that's kind of a good thing.
Btw, if anyone happens to catch a spelling or grammar error, feel free to let me know in the comments. There's currently no beta for this story. Even though I try to proofread every chapter before posting, some mistakes tend to slip though every so often, especially when it comes to grammar.
Thank you for reading!