Chapter 8: The Determined Child
"They've never returned."
"Monsters got them."
"Monsters always get naughty children and take them away."
"No one has ever heard from those lost children again."
"Beware the mountain, for it holds the bodies of the dead children."
"If you're not good, they'll come for you."
Frisk lost count of how many times he had heard people say those lines to the point that they sounded like broken records. He had also heard the stories so many times that he could have recited them by heart. Six children had gone missing in almost 50 years and they were never found and all had been lost to the Mt. Ebbot monsters.
Mt. Ebbot itself was the place where the Underworld began and no one ever escaped. It was no doubt the opening doors to a bad place. Some people claimed they could hear the crying and wailings of the children who had died there. Their souls wandered over the mountain to try and warn others not to approach. The police could never confirm if the children were dead, but after so many years, they had to assume that the six children had died.
But there were some whispers among the elderly people that the children were alive, but in a place filled with magic, magic that kept them alive because the monsters were made of magic. Frisk had listened to these stories and asked how the children could be alive if the monsters killed them. One elderly lady said that the monsters could have turned the children into monsters themselves, but because they never came out of the mountain, no one really knew.
Now trudging up the sidewalk with a heavy backpack on his back, Frisk entered the house that he was staying in with his foster family. The ten-year-old boy cautiously looked around, finding the house empty for a change. Usually, the lady who owned the house would demand he get to his room and stay there as she didn't want to see him for the rest of the evening, and that was on a good day. On a bad day, he would be locked out of the house, no matter what the weather.
The man who also owned the house wasn't any nicer. In fact, he had often told Frisk that he was a naughty child and didn't deserve dinner. When that happened, the boy would try to sneak some food from the school lunch to take home so that he would at least have something to eat.
He continued looking around and was surprised to find the house completely empty of people. Curious, he kept looking, but found he was really alone. As this was unusual, it also gave him the chance he had been looking for to escape the abusive home. He had actually learned to deal with the neglect, but the night before, the man had actually hit Frisk the moment the boy had returned home from school and the lady had hit him too, saying he wasn't worth the check they got from the state.
Frisk had decided the first chance he got, he'd escape and it looked like now was his chance. Going into his room, which was really the size of a closet with some old rags for a bed and a suitcase that held nothing in it, the boy set down his backpack for a final time. He wouldn't need it where he was going. Seeing as he really didn't need anything except the clothes on his back, he closed the closet door and quietly snuck out the back door of the house. Without anyone spotting him, he slipped quietly into the joining backyards of the homes nearby, using the hedges or bushes for cover until he got to the very edge of town. There was a fork in the road with the right road leading to another town while the left road went to Mt. Ebbot.
There was a huge wooden wall that had been built by the town in hopes of keeping the monsters cut off from town if they came out of the mountain, though some argued that a wooden wall wouldn't stop someone with magic. But the wooden wall did have a loose plank and that was Frisk's saving grace. Pushing the plank inward, he slipped underneath it, turning around and pushing the plank back into place. He then looked up at the mountain that was just a few feet away. In the darkening sky, it looked ominous and he could see that no one had taken care of it for a long time. The grass was as high as the boy was tall, but there was a stone path leading up and he took it, stepping off of the path when it ended near the top. Stepping carefully, he decided to climb to the top, but then his right foot went down and he sank through the tall grass with a yelp, a cry of fear escaping him as he continued falling into what looked to be a deep hole.
"Hold on! I'm coming!"
The sudden voice startled him and he tried to look around, but he was falling too fast to see who had spoken. However, it was a moment later that arms caught him and someone grunted in surprise as they both hit the ground rather lightly. Frisk was a bit shocked and slowly sat up, wondering who had caught him.
"Hey, are you okay?"
The same voice was now behind him and he turned to find a girl would couldn't have been much older than him looking at him in concern. "Are you hurt?" She asked, her green eyes filled with worry.
Frisk took a deep breath and was still for a moment. "No," he said finally, looking at her. "Who are you?"
"I'm Carmen," she said.
The boy gasped. "You're one of the missing kids!" He said in shock.
"Missing kids?" Carmen asked in confusion.
"Yeah. There's been stories about how six children vanished into the mountain and were never heard from again. The police said they were dead."
The brown-haired girl shook her head. "My siblings and I aren't dead," she said. "We've been down here for a long time, some of us longer than the others."
Frisk looked at her. "But...you went missing all those years ago," he said.
Carmen nodded. "Mom said the magic in the Underground makes us age much slower than on the surface," she said. Seeing the boy's confused look, she smiled. "Come on, let's go inside. Mom's going to wonder where I am."
A bit wary, the boy followed her inside the Ruins and into a kitchen where a goat woman was setting a table with place settings and food. "Oh, Carmen, there you are," she said. "I heard you cry out and rush out the door so suddenly. What happened?"
"Sorry, Mom, but this boy was falling from the surface," the girl said, stepping aside to reveal the boy behind her. Toriel gasped when she saw him and the state he was in. The boy's clothes were filthy and she could see the handprint of a hand on his face from being slapped.
"Oh, you poor child," she said, going up and kneeling down in front of Frisk, who looked very nervous and stepped back slightly. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."
Carmen felt it was a good time to get her siblings and so went and gathered them up into the kitchen. The other five children were surprised to see another boy had fallen and they gathered nearby. Seeing them, Frisk saw that there were six children altogether, counting Carmen. "The lady was right then," the boy said. "Except for the turning you into monsters part."
David blinked. "Turning us into monsters?" He repeated before scoffing. "No way. Mom's nicer than that."
"She took us in and doesn't ignore us," Julie said.
"She feeds us too," said Thomas.
"And makes sure our clothes are good," Nathan said.
"And she healed us too," Sarah said.
"She's been a better Mom to us than our own birth or foster mothers," Carmen said.
Frisk could instantly see that the children had been through similar circumstances that he had just escaped from. He looked at Toriel, who smiled gently. "Let's see about getting you healed up and then you can join us for dinner," she said, her hands glowing green. Placing her hands on the boy's shoulders, she smiled and Frisk began to instantly feel better with the healing magic kicking in.
A few moments later, they were all sitting down, eating a meal of vegetable stew and garlic bread. Frisk observed the other children as they ate and as Toriel doted on each child, who hugged her happily. As he ate, he felt Toriel gently ruffle his hair. "How are you feeling, my child?" She asked.
"Much better," he said. "And the food is really good."
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "What is your name?"
"Frisk," he answered.
"Well, Frisk, you may stay if you wish," Toriel said. "I'll gladly take you in."
Frisk was surprised. "You will?" He asked.
She nodded and he hugged her suddenly. "Thank you," he said as deep down, he had been hoping to ask her if he might stay after she had healed him.
"You're welcome," she said warmly.
He looked up at her. "What do I call you?" He asked.
She chuckled. "You can call me 'Toriel'," she said gently.
He shook his head. "How about...'Mom'?" He asked.
Toriel smiled and nodded. "If you wish to call me that, then you may," she said, though she was happy on the inside that the boy accepted her as she had accepted him.
Her arms tightening around him a little in a hug, the goat woman did a check on the boy.
Frisk
Age 10
Strongest trait: Determination
Attack: 1
Defense: 5
LV: 1
Doesn't give up easily and tries to always find a way. Doesn't like to fight, but will defend himself if he has to.
She nodded to herself as she realized all seven of her children had the seven traits needed to break the barrier. She had originally hoped that she would introduce the children to Asgore, but she now felt she couldn't without putting the children in danger. She grew afraid and decided she would either have to keep the children in the Ruins or tell a monster she trusted to keep an eye on the kids if they decided to venture beyond the ruins.
She sat down, watching her now seven children playing together and smiled, her motherly instincts kicking in again.
Outside the ruins, the same monster who had been watching them for a while also felt the same concern Toriel had. "It's too risky for the king to know about the children now," he said to himself. "Hopefully Toriel can keep them safe or even convince someone she trusts to help her keep the children safe."
He wished he could do something, but he currently couldn't. "Well, I'll just do what I can," he decided before it hit him. "Of course. I must get in contact with the children. If I can get to them, then perhaps they can tell Toriel."
Nodding, he vanished again, having to wait for his strength to return before he attempted such a thing.
Well, it's now seven children, but never fear, this story is far from over. :) Also, for those of you wondering who the mystery person is, it's not Sans, but that was a good guess. The mystery person's identity will be revealed in the next chapter. :)
Please leave a review, but no flames!
GoldGuardian2418
