Wordcount: 6,774
* Once upon a time, two races ruled over Earth. HUMANS and MONSTERS.
* One day, war broke out between the two races. Eventually, the humans were victorious.
* They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell.
* Many years later... MT. Ebott, 201X.
* Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return...
Frisk woke up in a bed of golden flowers. To say their head hurt was a gross understatement. It felt like all the hangovers in the world were currently staging a rave party behind their eyes. They could barely understand where they were, or even why they were.
Worse than the headache was the inescapable thought that they had broken nearly all of their bones. When they tried to move, burning hot pain shot up their spine, forcing them back to the ground. Though they couldn't see it, they felt that they had broken a few of their ribs and perhaps a few bits of their spine too.
After the headache lessened, Frisk made another attempt to drag themselves to their feet. They took it easy, biting their lip in order to distract themselves from the metaphorical fire crawling on their back. There was an unpleasant pop as they straightened up, vertebrae clicking back into place. The pain still remained, but it felt less savage than before, save for their hammer-smashed ribs.
They briefly took in their surroundings. Sunlight was dripping from a huge opening in the ceiling above. The walls were made of some kind of grey brick. The air was cold and musty. There was a huge, arched doorway at the end of the hall.
They reached into their pockets, withdrawing a fresh cigarette and used gauze. It was slightly sticky. Disgusted, they put the items back. Smoothing out their purple and blue striped shirt, they headed towards the doorway. It was embellished with a strange emblem. A circle with wings. Below it, three triangles, the one in the middle pointing downwards.
Strange... thought Frisk. I've never seen that one before... Without another thought, they walked through the doorway.
The room they were in now was round, shaped like a dome. There was another arched doorway at the end of the room. A lone golden flower sat in a small patch of dirt in the centre of the room.
"Howdy!"
Frisk looked around dumbly, trying to find the source of the voice. A short cough echoed throughout the room.
"Down here, friend."
Frisk looked down at the flower, who was smiling.
"As I was saying..." said the flower, "Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!"
"Plants can't talk..." said Frisk, more surprised by the sound of their voice than the talking flower before them.
"Well, this one sure can!" replied Flowey, poking his tongue out. "You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha?"
"We're underground?" asked Frisk.
Flowey looked a little annoyed. "We sure are, pal. We're in a mountain. Ebott Mountain, to be precise."
"Are there more like you?"
Flowey's look of annoyance grew further. "Not that I'm aware of."
"Hmm..."
Flowey coughed, obviously eager to get back to what he had been saying. "Anyway, you're new here. Someone'll have to teach you how things work around here! So, I guess little ol' me'll have to do."
Frisk felt a strange feeling of foreboding. "Ready? Let's do this, pal!"
They felt a sickening tug in their chest as a red heart was forced out of their chest. "See that thing right there?" Frisk nodded. "That is your soul. The very culmination of your being!"
"And my soul's shaped like a heart?" asked Frisk. Flowey chuckled.
"'Course it is! All human souls are heart-shaped. Monster souls are the same, but upside-down."
"Monsters?" asked Frisk. Flowey acted as though he didn't hear them.
"Your soul starts off weak, but if you grow stronger, your LV increases!
"What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE of course!"
LOVE? thought Frisk. Sounds like something I can get behind.
"Down here, LOVE is shared through..." Five spinning white pellets appeared above his head. "Little white 'friendliness pellets'.
"You want some LOVE, don't you?" He winked. "Don't worry, I'll share some with you! On one condition..."
"What's that?"
Flowey cleared his throat. "Empty your pockets."
Frisk's heart (or... soul?) skipped a beat. "S-sorry, what?"
Flowey, losing all pretence of politeness, turned on them, his face twisted into an expression of pure hatred. "EMPTY YOUR POCKETS!" He shrieked. A stream of friendliness pellets shot at Frisk, who quickly dodged them. "I know you've got it on you!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"The fertiliser! I've been trying to find some ALL WEEK! I need that high!" The flower screamed. "Did she send you? Did she find out I've been taking it?" He sent more friendliness pellets at Frisk, who dodged most of them, but felt one skim their arm. They winced, feeling a sharp stinging sensation on the graze mark. The pellet must've been laced with some kind of poison, their movements becoming more sluggish. They struggled to breathe, a task made more difficult by their cracked ribs. They fell to their knees, wheezing for breath, one hand grasping at their throat.
"I don't have any," they gasped out. Flowey's face contorted horribly.
"LIAR!" A vine erupted from the ground, ensnaring them. He lifted them upside-down, shaking them relentlessly like a misbehaving infant. Frisk tried to tell him they only just got here and couldn't possibly have been sent by anyone he knew. They instead screamed hellishly as they heard something snapping, followed by their nerves joining their choir of agony. It felt like they were on the receiving end of a battery-acid embalming.
"PLEASE I SWEAR I DON'T KNOW HER!" they screamed, eyes screwed shut, but tears streaming down their face anyway. "PLEASE STOP!"
He didn't stop for what felt like the longest time, but eventually, he did. He dropped them without a care to them. Their head was spinning, the room was just a blur and Flowey barely in focus.
"What's this?" asked Flowey, a smaller vine holding up something they couldn't make out.
"I-I don't know..." they whispered.
"Bullshit," he cackled. "Nobody carries this kind of shit and doesn't know wh—"
He stopped. He looked at them. They could vaguely make out his expression to be one of incredulity. He started laughing. Not cruel or mocking laughter, but like he was an audience member on the set of an early 2000s' sitcom.
"Oh, golly, you actually have no idea!" he wheezed. "Oh my God, you idiot. That's hilarious."
A circle of pellets surrounded them, spinning fuzzily in the corners of their eyes.
"Sorry, kid, but you've just hit your last dead end," he said smugly, commanding the pellets to close in on them.
Frisk shut their eyes, bracing for the end. It had to be better than whatever torture and pain awaited them.
Suddenly, a comforting sensation of warmth washed over them. The pellets vanished, and their blazing nerves were soothed.
Flowey gasped, outraged. "What the... how did you...?"
Before he could continue, he was uprooted by a well-aimed kick.
Frisk gave a hazy sigh. I don't know whether I should kiss you for saving my life or kill you for not mercy-killing me.
As they blinked away their tears and tried to rub some sight back into their eyes, they heard a voice from nearby.
"What a miserable creature... torturing such a poor, innocent child..." It sounded feminine, maybe late-forties or early fifties? They forced themselves to look, seeing what resembled a bipedal snow-white mountain goat dressed in a two-tone purple and white robe (which, oddly enough, was adorned with the same symbol as the one they'd seen earlier)
Her eyes found Frisk's, which must've been terrified, considering their response. "Ah, do not be afraid, my... child. I am... Toriel, caretaker of the Ruinssss. I come here every day to ssssee if anyone has fallen down."
Frisk tried to put distance between themselves and her, though it was difficult when their body was as badly broken as it was. "What, you gonna try and kill me too?" they spat, almost daring her to.
Toriel's eyes drifted to the flower which was currently mumbling curses a metre or so away. "I hope you will not... judge all of us b... by his actions. I promise you, I am trustworthyyyy."
They didn't know what to do. She didn't seem antagonistic, but then again, Flowey played good cop initially, too. Still, it's not like they had any other choice other than to die, and on second thought, if this lady could help them out, maybe they should just run with it.
"I... alright, then. I trust you," Frisk said hesitantly.
Toriel gave a sigh of relief. "Thank yooou," she said, her expression quickly turning concerned. "You are not ill, aaare you?"
"No, nothing like that. I only broke a few bones," they replied, biting sarcasm masking the immense physical pain they were in.
Toriel gave a surprised gasp and started towards them. Frisk felt like they should back away, but the moment they tried, the pain flared up again, badly. They gave a gratuitous, self-indulgent "Fuck!"
"Language," said Toriel, screwing up her face immediately after. "My apologies. Time and place." She placed a fuzzy paw on Frisk's chest, the other on their spine. They could almost feel their bones clicking back together like some kind of calcium jigsaw puzzle. It was the most out-of-body feeling they'd ever had, sensing every shattered fragment of bone flying back into place.
She let go of them. "I have done the best I can," she explained.
They nodded, not really knowing what she just did. "Uh, thanks. Miss, uh...?"
She giggled stupidly. "Please... just call me Toriel."
"Sure thing, Tore-e-ell," they replied, over-pronouncing each syllable.
She cleared her throat. "Now, shall we go?"
Frisk slowly got to their feet, a general feeling of ache and malady still hanging over them. They noticed the cigarette and gauze lying on the ground. That must've been what Flowey was showing me, they assumed. They didn't hold any sentimental value, but they still felt like the two items they'd woken up with might come in handy later on. They scooped them up and put them back in their pocket, abandoning Flowey and following Toriel to the next room.
The room was built of beautiful purple bricks. There were two stairways that curved up to meet the doorway, a large pile of autumn leaves grouped between the two. A small, twinkling yellow star sat in front of the leaf pile. It felt only reasonable for Frisk to reach out and try to touch it.
The moment they laid their hands on it, they heard a voice inside their head.
* The shadow of the Ruins looms above, filling you with determination. HP fully restored.
* File saved.
Did I think that, or have I already gone crazy?
They didn't have time to reflect on this thought, because Toriel was already talking. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusionssss between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room... Please... adjust yourself to the sight of them," she said, though Frisk wasn't paying much attention. She stepped on four floor buttons, then pulled a lever on the wall. The doors opened.
"I shall be waiting in the next room," She bowed clumsily, before leaving.
There was a sign on the wall. It read: Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both not walk the middle road.
So, basic puzzle-solving. Sounds like a real workout.
The next room had two wooden bridges crossing small rivers. There were weeds snaking up the walls. There were three switches, two labelled with a somewhat excessive amount of arrows.
"I have labelled the switches you need to press," Toriel said. Frisk followed her as she walked to the end of the room, the doorway being blocked by spikes. Frisk pressed the two switches, and the spikes retreated into their hiding place.
Toriel seemed pleased. "Sss...splendid! I am proud of you, little one." Thanks for the obvious heightism, Tori. "Let us proceed to the next room."
The next room was small, shaped like a backwards L. A training dummy stood before them. "As a human living in the Underground," said Toriel. "Monsters... may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this... possibility."
Frisk didn't say anything.
"However, worry not! The process is simple," Toriel gestured to the training dummy. "When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight. While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation."
Frisk stared at Toriel. Was she insane? Strike up a friendly conversation in the middle of a fight?
"Stall for time. I will come and resolve the conflict," She continued. I'd be more worried about how she resolves it, thought Frisk. Toriel was swaying slightly on the spot.
"Practice talking to the dummy."
Frisk was a little confused. Talk? Would there not be any actual training for if they had to fight?
Toriel apparently sensed they were hesitant. "Do not worry, you may say anything you like too it. After all, it is onlyyy a dummy."
"Alright then," they muttered, approaching the dummy.
* You encountered the Dummy.
* DUMMY - 0 ATK 0 DEF
* A cotton heart and a button eye, you are the apple of my eye.
* The Dummy does nothing.
Okay, guess I should talk to it.
They cleared their throat, snorting a little as the thought popped into their head. They threw their head back and swore. For no particular reason. After all, they may say anything they like to it. Toriel gasped. The Dummy didn't react. At least, it didn't for a few seconds.
Then, staring mistrustfully into them, it floated up, up and away out of a hole in the ceiling.
And just like that, it was over.
Toriel was staring in shock at what had just happened. All she said before leaving was: "The next puzzle awaits."
"There is another puzzle in this room. I wonder if you can... solve it...?"
As they followed Toriel down the hall, they felt something brush against their leg. A battle initiated.
* Froggit hopped close!
* FROGGIT - 4 ATK 1 DEF
* Life Sucks - Froggit.
A few flies scattered around the room. Frisk dodged them easily.
* Froggit hops to and fro.
"Uh, you want a puff or something?" asked Frisk, a little confused by the creature's aloof behaviour.
* It didn't understand what you said, but agrees anyway.
Unfortunately for Froggit, it never got that puff, because Toriel edged closer, giving it the most extreme death glare they'd ever seen. It cringed underneath her intense gaze, running off.
* You won! You earned 0 EXP and 2 GOLD.
Frisk bent down to pick up the two circle-shaped pieces of gold the creature had dropped. Wow, these weirdos are rolling in dough, thought Frisk. They wondered if they could buy anything with it around here. Toriel stopped in front of what appeared to be a sea of spikes.
"This is the puzzle, buuut..." Toriel trailed off. She seemed deep in thought for a moment, before saying: "Here, take my hand."
Frisk did so. For a moment, they thought they were actually going to walk on the spikes, but were relieved when the spikes in their path deactivated as they walked. After they got to the other side, Toriel scratched her chin for a moment.
"Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now," She said, before entering into the next room. Frisk was a little worried that she'd hurt herself. After all, she hadn't seemed in her right mind the whole time. How were they supposed to entrust her with their safety?
On any other day, Frisk would've just said, "Nope!" and quit right then and there. But, there wasn't much of a choice. Between a psychotic flower and a geriatric goat lady, they knew which one they'd pick. Sighing, they trudged onward.
"You have done excellently thus far, my chiilld... Howeverrrr..." She blinked. Her eyes were a little glazed, but Frisk didn't think she noticed it. "I have a... difficult... request to ask of you..."
Frisk stared cautiously at her. Her cheeks were rosy and she seemed to be having more trouble than usual speaking. "I would like you to walk too the end of the room by yourself...
"Forgive me for this."
"Uh... what?"
She spun around, and seemed to be getting ready to run away. But, in her haste, she tripped and fell. She landed face-first on the ground and didn't try to get up again.
"T-Toriel!" cried Frisk, rushing to her aid. She offered no resistance as Frisk lifted her up, albeit with much difficulty. She mumbled a near-incoherent "thank you". She was still wobbling quite a lot. Frisk wrapped an arm around her, supporting her as they walked down the unnecessarily long hallway. She leaned against the wall, mumbling to herself for a few minutes.
Eventually, she spoke to Frisk: "I've got... business to attend to..." She slurred, her eyes shut tight. "It's... dangerous to explore by yourself... I hate to leave you here, so... here's an idea... I will give you a cell phone... if you..." She looked as if she would throw up for a moment. "need anything, do not hesitate to call me..." She pressed a flip phone into Frisk's hands, before hugging them. "Be good, won't you?" They could smell alcohol on her breath.
Then, she stumbled out of the room, leaving Frisk alone. They were practically rooted to the spot.
After a few minutes, they decided to open the phone. They called Toriel's number. It rang once, twice, three times—
"Hellooo? Thisss is Toriel..."
"Uhh... hello!" they greeted.
"Youuu... wanted to say hello?" She cleared her throat. "'Hello!' I hope that... sufficesss. Hee hee..."
She hung up. Wow, that was awkward, they thought. I was hoping for maybe a longer conversation than that.
Frisk called again. "You wanted... to say hello again? 'Salutations!'. Isss that enough?" Before Frisk could get another word in, she hung up. "Oh my God..." they muttered. "I'm not lettin' you go." They dialled her number again, and the moment she picked up, they cut her off. "Tell me about yourself!"
"Hmmm...? Youuu... wanted to know more about meee? Well... I'm afraid there is not much to sssay..." She giggled. "I am just a sssilly old ladyyy who worries too much!"
Irritated by her lack of effort in this conversation, they spun it around. "I love a woman who worries about me," they replied sarcastically.
Toriel made a noise of surprise. Frisk almost felt disgusted with themselves. "Oh, heh.. heh... Ha ha ha!" Phew. Thought she was gonna kill me for a second there. "How adooorable... I could pinch your cheek...! You can certainly find better than an old woman like me..."
She hung up. Frisk inhaled as deeply as physically possible. This is a waste of my goddamned time.
They supposed it was time to quit. Plus, they had a sneaking suspicion she had dementia or something along those lines, and could potentially be endangering herself. Someone had to stay with her to make sure she was alright...
I guess that 'someone' will have to be me...
No sooner had they stepped foot outside of the room, their phone rang. They answered it.
"Helllooo... This is Toriel... you... have not left the room, have you? There are a few puzzles I have yet to explain... It would be.. dangerous to try to sssolve them yourself... Be good... alright?"
Yeah, that's not happening. What if she's passed out in a river? What if she's fallen over and can't get up?
As they entered the room, they noticed a Froggit sitting there. It just sat there, watching them. Deciding it was friendly, Frisk knelt down and spoke to it.
"Excuse me, have you seen—"
"Ribbit, ribbit," The Froggit said, cutting them off. Frisk was about to scold them, but the Froggit continued speaking.
"(Excuse me, human. I have some advice for you about battling monsters.)"
"Alright, what is it?"
"(If you ACT a certain way or FIGHT until you almost defeat them... They might not want to battle you anymore.)"
So, in other words, manipulate them or beat them into submission. Good advice.
"(If a monster does not want to fight you, please...)
"(Use some MERCY, human.)
"Ribbit."
Frisk rolled their eyes. Is everything a one-way street with these people?
Besides, they did have morals. They weren't a murderer. Still, they'd rather not get attacked by a random monster, so, if beating someone into submission was endorsed by the locals, that sounded good enough to them. So, without another thought on the matter, they set off...
...or would have if they hadn't been distracted by a mysterious doorway. They entered the room. Two small streams on both sides, and in the middle of the room, a pedestal full of brightly-coloured candies.
* It says 'Please take one'.
* Take a piece of candy?
Some candy would be great, thanks. Their hand emerged from the acid trip that was the candy bowl, possibly a dozen individually wrapped candies in their grasp.
* Unfortunately, you are a bad boy, and it's plain to see.
* Eleven Monster Candies acquired. Truly despicable.
Frisk snickered, popping one of the candies in their mouth. It had the texture of liquorice, but it tasted more like a sherbet lemon. At least it was a cheap pleasure for the moment.
Alright, I really need to get going. Who knows how far Toriel's already gotten?
They returned to the room with the Froggit. Another yellow star they hadn't noticed before was sparkling in a pile of leaves. Approaching it, they heard the voice again:
* Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination. HP fully restored.
* File saved.
I didn't crinkle anything, random voice.
Continuing down the path, they suddenly stopped, feeling their SOUL wrench itself from their body.
* Whimsun approaches meekly.
* WHIMSUN - 5 ATK 0 DEF
* Ooh, he's a sensitive one.
"I have no choice..." Whimsun whispered. A ring of moths surrounded Frisk, sizing in and out. It seemed like an impressive attack, except for the fact Whimsun hadn't a hope in hell of damaging Frisk that way. They would've had to run right into it. And of course, they didn't do that.
* It's starting to smell like lavender and mothballs.
"Hey, look—" they started, before Whimsun burst into tears. "I know! I'm sorry!" He ran away, bawling his eyes out.
* You won! You earned 0 EXP and 2 GOLD.
"I was gonna say everything's gonna be fine!" they shouted after him. They sighed. "Fuck."
They left the room. A hallway lay before them. There was a cracked tile floor in the middle between two chutes. The floor looked as if it'd give way if someone stepped on it.
So, of course Frisk stepped on them. And of course they fell down, although the fall was not too far, and it was cushioned by a leaf pile. Thank God for these super-convenient piles of leaves.
They climbed into the rightmost chute, finding a ladder inside. They climbed up the ladder, emerging on the other side. They quickly left that room.
The next room held a rock, button, and sign. The sign read: Three out of four grey rocks recommend you push them.
Frisk pushed the heavy rock onto the button, the spikes blocking their path deactivating. Too easy, they thought. However, the next room was not.
It was a large, cracked tile floor section. Thankfully, they received a helpful hint when the floor gave way. Leaf piles marked out the correct path to take. Despite knowing this, they still failed at this many, many times.
After this, Frisk was nearly at their limit. They didn't want to solve any more puzzles. They just wanted to take a break.
In the next room, there were three rocks, each needing to be pushed onto buttons. Frisk pushed the first two onto them, but was surprised when the third rock stubbornly refused to move.
"Hey, who do you think you are, pushin' me around?" It said indignantly.
"What the fu—?" They stopped. Inhaling, they laughed a little. "Yeah. Of course the rocks talk. Hey, little buddy," they said, kneeling to the rock's height. "Mind movin' over a little?"
"Huh? Move over? Ehhh, I guess I could make an exception for you."
The rock moved a little. "A little more."
The rock moved again. "A little more."
He moved off the path. "No, no! Back on the path!" said Frisk, exasperated.
"Okay, I think I've got it."
He moved onto the button, and the spikes deactivated. Just as Frisk was about to step past the spikes, they shot back up. They stumbled back, surprised. Then, seething, they went to give the rock a piece of their mind, likely fractured in the fall, thus why they were hallucinating talking rocks.
"Hey! What's the big idea, trying to kill me like that?" shouted Frisk. "Stay on the button until I get past the spikes!"
"You're givin' me a real workout, kiddo," The rock said, moving onto the button again. That was the end of their interaction.
The next room was a hallway with a table on it, a mouse hole opposite. A plate of cheese sat on the table, a SAVE point twinkling nearby.
* Knowing that the mouse will one day leave the hole and retrieve the cheese fills you with determination. HP fully restored.
* File saved.
Frisk rolled their eyes. How does that fill me with determination?
As they continued walking, they stopped. Right there, in a leaf pile, was something that looked like a child's Halloween costume. It was blocking the path.
"ZzzZzzZzzZzzZ... ZzzZzzZzzZzzZ... (are they gone yet...) ZzzZzzZzzZzzZ..."
* This ghost keeps saying 'z' out loud repeatedly, pretending to sleep.
* Move it with force?
You know it! thought Frisk, attempting to shove their way past the 'ghost'. Naturally, they were surprised when their hands phased through it. Though they were more surprised when the 'ghost' was facing them, deep black sockets boring into theirs.
* Here comes Napstablook.
Frisk narrowed their eyes. So he really was a ghost...
* NAPSTABLOOK - 10 ATK 10 DEF
* This guy doesn't seem to have a sense of humour...
"Oh, I'm REAL funny," he said, voice quiet and repressed. Tears fell from his eyes, wriggling all over the place. The attack's intensity came as a complete surprise to Frisk. They supposed they shouldn't have underestimated him, and were now paying the price for it.
Despite their best attempts, they could not avoid the attack well enough. The tears were made of some kind of acid, and burned like fire on contact. They gasped, dropping to their knees.
Was that... regret on Napstablook's face? He shrunk away from Frisk, who was gritting their teeth as the burns continued stinging. He didn't say a word, instead choosing to stare at the ground.
Getting up again, Frisk decided they were going to need to make this Debbie Downer lighten up.
"Hey. Hey. C'mon. Cheer up, bud."
Napstablook looked at them, a pained expression on his face. He forced a laugh. "Heh..."
Some words appeared out of thin air, as if written by an invisible oversized pencil. REALLY NOT FEELIN' UP TO IT RIGHT NOW. SORRY. They did nothing asides from sit there, before disappearing after a few seconds.
Frisk continued. "You really met my exspectretations." They weren't sure if a pun was going to help, but hey, it was worth a shot.
"Heh... heh..."
More tears, though these were easy to avoid. He seemed less willing to fight then before.
* Napstablook wants to show you something.
"Let me try..." Tears floated up from his eyes, forming a top hat that floated above his head. "I call it 'Dapper Blook'... do you like it..."
Frisk gave him a smirk, curling a hand into a finger gun. "You give me shivers, dapper boy."
"Oh gee..." Two tears fell from his eyes, wriggling away from them. Seems like he doesn't wanna fight me anymore? Or... did he even see this as a fight in the beginning? Agh, whatever.
"I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody around..." Napstablook was explaining. "but today I met somebody nice... oh, I'm rambling again. I'll get out of your way." And then he disappeared.
Frisk waved at nothing. "Later." Weirdo.
The path ahead was where they went first. There were two spiderwebs, one small and one large. The sign in front of them read: Spider Bake Sale. All proceeds go to real spiders.
Frisk approached the smaller spiderweb.
* Leave 7G in the web?
Frisk raised an eyebrow. This better not be a scam or these spiders are gonna die.
They deposited the gold in the web. They waited for a moment. Then, some spiders descended from a crack in the roof and handed Frisk a doughnut. Frisk stared at the thing. There was something... off about it. It felt stickier than it should have, and appeared to be coated in a thick black icing.
* You got the Spider Doughnut.
* Spider Doughnut - Heals 12 HP - A doughnut made with Spider Cider in the batter.
Frisk blanched, despising themselves for their generosity. Well, maybe I can pawn it off on Toriel. I heard goats'll eat anything...
They headed back to the room Napstablook had been in, choosing instead to go through the other doorway now. This seemed like the correct choice because there were more Froggits that seemed peaceful, and there was another doorway at the end of the hall.
The first Froggit said: "Ribbit, ribbit. (I heard you can skip over an enemy's dialogue by pressing X.)"
Frisk's eyes widened a little. "That's a little... meta, isn't it?"
"(You are wiser.)"
The next one seemed to be having an existential crisis about the meaning of a button. "Ribbit, ribbit. (I heard that you can go full-screen if you press F4. But what does F4 stand for?)"
"It stands for—"
"(Four frogs? Although I have only seen a maximum of three frogs in here. This is most troubling...) Ribbit."
Frisk shook their head. Mad. As they continued walking, the third Froggit stopped them.
"Ribbit, ribbit. (Hello human. Thank you for showing mercy to our fellow monsters.)" It said.
"Uh... thanks, I guess?"
"(If a monster's name is highlighted yellow, it means you can SPARE them. Was that helpful?)"
"Yeah, it sure was. Thanks, Kermit."
"(Sparing simply means that you do not want to fight anymore. One day, you may have to spare even when the monster's name is not yellow.) Ribbit."
Huh. That's... interesting. "I'll keep that in mind," said Frisk.
They kept going, not noticing the ant-sized fourth frog's eyes watching them from a crack in the wall.
There were some cracks in the floor and spikes blocking the doorway in the next room. Frisk used the cracked floor, because, in their experience, whoever designed the Ruins puzzles really liked people having to fall to complete the puzzle.
The room had a small root sticking out of a pile of leaves. They tugged on it, and needless to say, was surprised when the vegetable came out of the ground, opening its eyes and smiling widely. Oh boy, here we go again.
* Vegetoid came out of the Earth!
* VEGETOID - 6 ATK 6 DEF
* Serving Size: 1 Monster. Not monitored by the USDA.
"Farmed Locally, Very Locally," drawled Vegetoid. Vegetables came flying out of nowhere. Frisk was incredibly lucky to have avoided any of it in a room that small.
* Vegetoid's here for your health.
Before Frisk could even open their mouth to speak, Vegetoid cut them off with a snide "Plants Can't Talk, Dummy."
Carrots that could've doubled up as knives descended from the ceiling. While sidestepping one, Frisk felt one jab them in an aggressive sort of way.
Amazing. Vegetables hurt me. How ironic.
* You pat your stomach. Vegetoid offers a healthy meal.
"Eat Your Greens," said Vegetoid.
Various vegetables began falling again. A green carrot hit them on the head, and the mild ache the previous carrot Vegetoid had chucked their way had left dissipated.
* Vegetoid cackles softly.
Frisk quickly raised the prospect of locally-farmed mercy that Vegetoid seemed to like. Frisk sat down, resting against a wall. They were so worn out... They just wanted to rest. But the thought of Toriel kept them going. Now they didn't even know whether getting beaten up by a bunch of monsters was worth it. What did Toriel care anyway? She'd probably forgotten who they were, or was passed out drunk somewhere.
Frisk tried to direct their thoughts away from this. There was no use getting worked up about it. And Toriel was the only person who could guide them. So, they had to at least find her and make sure she was safe.
Frisk took a Monster Candy out of their pocket. They ate it quickly, before going up a small set of stairs.
They tried stepping on a different piece of cracked floor. This time, they fell into a room that Napstablook had obviously taken refuge in.
"Help... I've fallen and can't get up... go on without me..." He groaned. "Wait, I'm a ghost aren't I... I can just float..." Then he disappeared again.
The next room they fell into held nothing but a small black necklace with a skull on it.
* Skull Necklace (+5 Defence)
* The perfect emo accessory! Something of a rarity these days.
Frisk scowled at it. Wear this thing? Don't be ridiculous... Still, if it's rare, I could probably get some sweet greens by selling it. So, they took the necklace, stowing it away in their pocket.
The next piece of broken floor was more successful. Lo and behold, this room had a switch in it. They pressed it, and heard the spikes retract. I could really use a break from these damn puzzles...
The plaque in the next room said that: The far door is not an exit. It simply marks a rotation in perspective. There didn't seem to be any puzzle though. They just walked right past where the spikes should've been. The plaque here read: If you can read this, press the blue switch.
Frisk checked behind some of the pillars for the blue switch. After finding and pressing it, some more spikes deactivated. The next plaque urged them to press the red switch. The third told them to press the green switch. After pressing that one, it seemed that the puzzle was over.
The next room had two doorways, one north, one east. They decided to take the eastern path first. Inside the room was another doorway, and a Froggit.
"Hey, Frogger," said Frisk. "Have you seen Toriel around here at all?"
"Ribbit, ribbit," replied the Froggit. "(Keep it quiet, but I saw Toriel come staggering through here a few minutes ago. She was carrying some bags. I didn't ask what was in them. We're all too intimidated to talk to her.)"
"Huh... do you know anything about her?" asked Frisk.
"(I've heard she has a drinking problem,)" said Froggit, giving an eerily human laugh.
Okay, fuck this shit. I'm outta here.
The next doorway showed a beautiful view of what Frisk assumed to be the rest of the Ruins. A tight, black leather glove with razors embedded in between the knuckles lay on the ground near them. They picked it up, examining it. It had dried blood on the blades.
* Razor Glove (+3 Attack)
* The perfect emo must-have! Appears to have been used...
Despite their inner voice suggesting they leave it, they took it anyway. Somebody will buy this crap, surely... Frisk was thinking as they slipped on the glove. No way they were risking cutting themselves with some dirty blade. They left through the northern doorway.
This lead to a house. There was a large, leafless tree at the entrance to it. The house was made of the same purple bricks around the Ruins.
"My goodness... that surely took a lot longer than expected," Somebody was saying. Frisk knew who it was right away.
"Toriel!"
She looked up, blinking. "Huh? My child, is that you?"
"Yes."
She sighed, dropping to her knees. Frisk approached her. "Are you okay?" She asked.
Frisk felt that they should be the ones asking that, but did not voice this thought. "I'm alr—"
"Not a scratch... Impressive! But still..." She was mumbling.
"It wasss... irresponsible to try to surprise you like this..."
Frisk raised an eyebrow. "Surprise?"
She blushed, although it was hard to tell as her cheeks were already incredibly rosy. "Err... well, I suppose I cannot hide it from you anymore... come with meee..." She stumbled off into the house. This is Toriel's house? thought Frisk. I hope it's not as messy as her alcoholic status suggests...
There was another SAVE point in the leaves near the door.
* Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins gives you determination. HP fully restored.
* File saved.
They entered the house, where Toriel was waiting. "Do you smell that?" She asked.
Frisk sniffed the air. A gaseous, thick smell greeted them. They gagged. "Ugh, God. What is that?"
Toriel blinked. "Oh, that... that is the basement. Do not go down there, it is... full of mould."
Frisk thought that didn't smell like mould, but then again, they had no idea what mould smelt like.
"Come here," said Toriel, taking their hand and leading them into the living room. Now they could smell presumably what she had been talking about. Strong and buttery, striking an odd balance between sweet and bitter.
"Surprise!" said Toriel, smiling. "It is a butterscotch and cinnamon pie!"
"With all due respect, that doesn't smell like butterscotch or cinnamon," they replied.
Toriel rolled her eyes. "Sssure it does! I put in butter... and I put in scotch..." She trailed off. O-kay...
"I thought we might celebrate your... arrival." Toriel said, clearly struggling to speak. "I want you tooo... have a nice time living here..."
Nice time? It sounds like I'll have a bad time.
"So, I will hold off on snail pie for tonight..."
Frisk didn't bother to hide their look of disgust. Snail pie? I'd rather eat that Spider Doughnut thing...
"Here, I have... another surprise for you..." Before Frisk could protest, she grabbed their arm and lead them down a corridor, stopping in front of a door.
"A room of your own!" She said, practically gushing. "I hope you... like it!"
Like it? How can I if I haven't even been inside yet?
Toriel ruffled Frisk's hair. She seemed so... happy to have them here, despite barely knowing them. Maybe that was just a symptom of being old.
"Is that something burning...?" Toriel wondered in a faraway voice. She flinched all of a sudden. "Uh... make yourself at home!" She then quickly raced off into what Frisk assumed was the kitchen.
They quickly dropped the doughnut on the table near the door, then entered their room. There was a bed in the right corner, a desk, a cupboard, and various other items you'd expect to find. They peered inside a small box filled with children's toys.
* Look at these cool toys! They don't interest you at all.
Finally, you got something right.
They pulled off their boots and climbed into bed. In a few minutes, they were fast asleep. As a result, they didn't notice when Toriel drunkenly staggered into their room, placing a slice of "butterscotch-cinnamon" pie on a plate near their bed. She smiled at the sleeping human, before quietly closing the door.
Hey, glad to see ya here, and glad to see ya made it to the end!
Wanna hear some obligatory Facts About This Chapter in the form of Biscuit's Chapter Trivia™? No? Good! Let's go!
1. The Cigarette replaces the Stick, and the Gauze replaces the Bandage.
2. The "butterscotch-cinnamon" pie is exactly what you think it is.
3. A lot of the story IS altered. It's not just Undertale where everyone's on some kind of drug, it's also got different story, and some characters are related even if they aren't in the original game. In other words, things will be very different.
4. Yeah. A "bad guys" reference. I'm not sorry.
5. "Life Sucks - Froggit" is a reference to an old video series MamaMax made. Your life'd suck too if you never got that puff.
Well, I think that's all for now.
Toodles!
- offbrandbiscuit