Call me a wizard one more time I double dog dare ya Chapter 43
The clouds were a deep, roiling grey, and thunder boomed from the horizon, though the rain was just a light drizzle for now. On their way out of town, Frisk explained what she'd seen to her new friends. They could make about as much out of it as she could, which was not a lot. She couldn't make sense of how Papyrus had looked, but he seemed okay, at least. She wondered if that was due to whatever weird thing her father had mentioned. But could that really make his bones change colour and give him a weird tattoo on his face? She guessed anything could be possible. She also hoped she was right that it really was her Papyrus. It had certainly felt like him. Also, though she didn't give voice to the thought, she was pretty proud of herself for not crying like a baby afterwards.
.
She was extra grateful that just the hint of Sans's foresight had returned to her— it let her skim the book she'd received as she walked without tripping over rocks in the road. Whatever the paper was made of didn't absorb water, so that was a bonus. The pages were filled with music; spells. They didn't have descriptions, though, and titles were in a language she couldn't understand. The pictures were nice, though. The design of orbital paths showed up an awful lot in there. Sometimes, the sun was inked in with bright red.
.
"This is kinda a lot, huh?" she mused.
"I was gonna say," Vera joked. "Honestly, though. I never seen so much weird stuff happen in a day, I don't think."
"Day's not over," Frisk said. "…Sorry. I-If anything else weird happens. I, uh… I kinda seem to bring it with me?" She looked up at the skeleton and couldn't help the apologetic furrow in her brow. "You guys are really great, honestly. If you, um, get sick of me—"
"Frisk, we are not sick of you," Zapf said.
.
"I still can't believe we got that close to a DB," Vera said. "And that it touched ya! What'd it feel like?"
"…A hand?" Frisk said blankly.
"Bah! That's so normal," the skeleton said. "Well. At least one thing sorta checked off on your clue list, right?"
"Well. I hope so. But I'm not really sure if this gets me closer to finding my brother or not."
"Show the book to the Boss," she suggested. "She's the smartest monster I ever met."
"She is a composer," Zapf said. "She can craft Dirges, even. If there's anything hidden in there, she's sure to find it."
"Are Dirges super tough?" Frisk asked.
"I think they're definitely some of the hardest," Vera said. "Some of them are so tough you need at least two Lords to cast 'em."
"Dang." Frisk carefully stashed her new book away. "I tried casting, um… Well, last night I guess? This morning? I dunno. Just, like, baby spells, but I couldn't do anything."
"It's rarely possible for humans, as far as I've seen," Zapf said.
"Oh." Frisk pouted. "So Dirges are out, huh?"
"I'd stay away from those most of the time, regardless," he said.
"Right. I have a book my dad had of them, actually, but I can't even really read it," she said. "It's in Creatlach. Well, and a skeleton script, but I got a sheet to match it, which, uh, I guess doesn't super help if I don't know the words."
"Your father must be very powerful," Zapf said quietly.
"He is, I think," Frisk said.
.
"Oh, hey, curious: your da from the west or the north?" Vera asked.
"Uh. I dunno," Frisk said.
"Does the first character of your name look like a star or a pointing hand?" Zapf asked.
"The hand," she said.
"West!" Vera said brightly. "Me too! Zapf's from the north, originally."
"Are we in one of those places now?" Frisk asked.
"Er. I mean, west, I guess?" Vera shrugged. "We're definitely headin' west. It's a big place, though. Y'really don't know, huh? Man, that Snowdin must be really far."
"Yeeeah, probably," Frisk said.
"What about your ma, she from the Capital?"
"I dunno, to be honest," Frisk said.
"How old are you, Frisk?" Zapf asked curiously.
"Ten-ish? Almost eleven."
"Damn," Vera said quietly, her eyes wide.
"I know, I'm, um, pretty small." He face flushed. "And I… maybe should know some of that stuff, but I—"
"Ah, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant," Zapf said quickly. "It's just… You're doing very well. For someone so young. And in a strange place. But. I'm glad we found you."
"Me too," she said brightly. "…Sorry again for running off. I just…" She sighed as the skeletons both looked at her with concern. "I'm used to just… having to make things happen on my own. And… A-And I, um…" She clung tight to her book. Her fingers were shaking. "This is really important to me. And if I, um, space out or anything, sorry. It's just… It's been a really long week."
.
The cousins looked at each other worriedly.
"You okay t'keep going?" Vera asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, of course," Frisk said.
"It's still a long walk," Zapf said.
"It's okay, I climbed a mountain on my own before," Frisk assured him. "I can deal with it."
xXxXx
It took two hours before the rumbling thunder storm caught up with their little group. The skeletons didn't mind the downpour, but it was no good for the kid. It was a good thing, then, that Zapf's shield could double as an umbrella.
.
When the storm began to clear, the sunset encroached upon them. According to the skeletons, their Boss's place wasn't a great distance away, but at once was too far to reach before darkness settled in. Travelling at night was less than ideal. It was the prime time for a bandit attack, and they were usually humans, travelling in groups down the unlit, forest-sheltered roads. Humans liked to do dastardly deeds at night if they could, Zapf explained. Kept their bad actions out of the sun's view, or so they claimed.
.
Luckily, the road they traveled was not so out of the way that it went unused. The group hitched a ride on the back of a monster's cart under the now clear sky and the bright moon, until a crossroads where their paths diverged. There was a small, wooden house there. It had no door and a campfire crackling outside— a waypoint house, Vera explained. A place for travellers to spend the night. Since the roads had become more dangerous lately, they usually were left vacant, with people electing not to travel in the dark at all. Still, though, it was definitely better than nothing. The fire outside wasn't exactly safe, though. They put it out as a precaution.
.
There was a small family of rabbits already inside by a smouldering hearth, and they welcomed them warmly. If they noticed that Frisk was human, they didn't say anything about it. Their kids were younger than her— the spotty baby one insisted on flopping on her lap, which she honestly had no problem with.
.
Once again, Vera's stories entertained the group. Zapf, though, resumed looking a little grim and worried, staying quiet most of the night, with the exception of when they all shared food. Frisk doled out the last of her peanut butter and jam sandwiches from back home, which seemed to instantly become the taller skeleton's new favourite food.
.
Though Vera passed out and slept like a log— and the bunnies did, too— Frisk couldn't bring herself to. Her legs were a little sore and achey after everything, but a dab of Papyrus's turquoise potion definitely helped. Zapf also sat up, tending the fire with that same melancholy expression. Everything was crazy, wasn't it? She'd probably be the one sleeping for a week when she and Asriel got home.
.
After trying to read Hymns in the dark for a little while longer, figuring out melodies in her head, Frisk got up from between Vera and bunnies and quietly slipped over to join Zapf. He shot her a small smile, though his spiky brow was furrowed with puzzlement.
"I thought you were asleep," he said quietly.
She shook her head. "Kinda been having trouble with that."
"…You're too anxious," he said.
She nodded. "You, too?"
"Don't worry," he said quietly.
"Zapf, c'mon," she said. "Something's been bothering you since lunch."
"Oh. You… noticed, did you?"
"That's what I do, I notice stuff." She smiled sideways. "…It's not me, is it?"
"Well… In a sense. It's what that human said," he said. "It concerns me." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. If I had realized there was one of them nearby, I would have hidden your glow."
"Wasn't your fault," she assured him.
"Normally I… have a little foresight when it comes to danger," he said. "I… I'm fairly perceptive, I mean." He frowned. "Do you know why he was so fixated on you?"
"Some wizard garbage, sounded like," she said, hugging her knees.
He nodded. "I heard… rumours. It may not be true. Us monsters, we live fairly separate from humans. I know almost nothing about their systems or politics, anything like that. But I have heard that all wizards work for their human King. Even children. So, that may have been his motive."
.
Frisk gulped. "G-Great, am I on a kidnap list now?"
"I'm sorry."
"It's… It's fine," she said. "That's… scary. But I'll be okay. Guess it's not the first time."
Zapf grimaced. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Frisk…"
"Oh! I mean, it's okay! It's fine. We dealt with it." She flinched. "Asriel was there, though, he was really helpful."
"You miss him. I'm sorry."
"I… I'm gonna find him," she said. "I think that's what part of this is for. Gotta be. Right?"
The big skeleton frowned, his expression drooping in a boney version of a pout. "I wish I had answers for you."
"I know, sorry." She laughed. "Guess I'm just thinkin' out loud."
.
The kid stretched. She settled in to watch the flames. The warm light looked pretty dramatic cast over the bones of the cautious skeleton. She snapped a photo of him and then scooted closer to show him. His face flushed and he chuckled.
"I do look rather worried, don't I?" He rolled his shoulders, popping his spine. "Well. We're close to the Boss's place. It should be safe there. Once the sun rises, we can be on our way again. I don't think it'll take more than an hour."
"I'm kinda excited," Frisk said. "What kinda monster is the Boss?"
"A skeleton, like us," he said. "She's a Lord. One of the last of the skeleton Lords. She's always been very keen on humans and monsters being friends, so I imagine you'll get on very well. She's also very kind. She's been good to Vera and I." He shot her a reassuring smile. "I don't think it will be any trouble at all to get her to help you on your quest. She may even be able to help you with your magic as well, if you ask."
Frisk smiled. "That'd be nice." She tapped her fingertips together. "I hope somehow I can make it worth it for you guys."
"…The peanut butter was already worth it," he said quietly.
Frisk snorted and grinned wide. The big skeleton snickered. He patted her on the head.
"In all seriousness, meeting a human like you, with your red soul, and yet you're… kind. That's worth it for me," he said.
The kid nodded sheepishly. She was glad, but she wished it didn't have to be like that.
xXxXx
Frisk didn't sleep, but she closed her eyes and let herself rest for a while. She had offered to trade places with Zapf, but he wasn't having it.
.
She tried to realign her brain with this new place, but was sure she'd get some stuff confused with the last one when she returned. She hoped that grey skeleton had been right when he'd said time wasn't passing much over there. She hadn't expected Pidge to be such a reassuring presence but now she missed her a lot. She even missed the other Papyrus and Sans. She hoped she wasn't making them worry.
.
"Frisk?" Zapf asked quietly.
"Yeah?" She blinked and rubbed her eyes. "What's up?"
"Ah. Sorry. Did I wake you?"
She shook her head. "Just resting."
"…You didn't hear anything just now, did you?" he asked.
"No, not really."
He frowned to himself. "Probably nothing," he muttered.
"I'll keep an ear out," she said.
He nodded, but he got to his feet, slowly and quietly pacing the room.
.
Frisk watched him for a moment before turning to her phone. She brought up her message chain with Papyrus. No reply. She hadn't expected one. She hadn't opened Sans's since he'd fainted. The last thing they'd texted about was the CORE. Must've been when he'd found Gaster. She sighed. She left him a heart before going back to their brother.
.
Soooo I kinda ended up in a totally different world again
.
She grimaced. She quickly added an asterisk and a we to correct herself. She hated to lie, but she hated to worry him even more— on the off-chance he'd even get her messages. And how could Frisk ever have her mom know that she'd lost her son again?
.
Its pretty nuts. I'm super sure its the past of somewhere but i dunno where
I mean i guess it wouldnt be the past to them lol just to me
I told you about that grey skeleton that looks like sans right? he sent us
I still have no clue what his deal is but he feels kinda like hes a safe guy? I dunno
Hey if you get this can you tell mom we're ok? we miss her!
and dad too!
I saw somethin really weird tho, i dunno if it was real? actually i saw a bunch of weird stuff
dad tried to contac me right? is he okay? he looked like goo
he better not be goo again like for real or im gonna kick his butt
also i think i saw you? was it you? if it was, dude you were so bright! what was that mark on your head? it was kinda cool tho
you dont even know how good it was to see you even if it just was a weird vision dream or somethin
.
She sighed quietly. She really didn't like feeling so confused, but she was getting pretty used to it anyway. Zapf settled back down near the hearth, but he looked a lot more alert than before. Frisk tapped her thumb on her screen absently for a few seconds. It was still keeping time somehow. Three in the morning.
.
lol i dont know why im asking i really dont even expect you to get this
but i guess it kinda helps me to think that you will
nyway i met more skeletons again
theyre way more helpful then i disserve lol
they said theyre gonna take me to their boss who knows a bunch of cool magic stuff
she's one of the last skeleton lords they said
I wonder if she knows our gr
.
Frisk froze. Her ears got hot and her throat went dry. She quickly deleted that last message and said a quick goodbye with a bunch of hearts. It might be nothing. It might not be the right world or time. But, those blue flowers caught in her mind and she couldn't help her imagination from racing away with her. In fact, thinking back on it, there was a certain tapestry— one that showed three distinct skeletons in its centre. Two of which were a tall one with horns, a spear and shield, and another, shorter one with horns as well. Frisk's heart thunked hard in her chest.
.
"H-Hey, um, Zapf?" She turned to the skeleton with a question on her tongue, but his stiff, glowing-eyed expression gave her pause. "What's wrong?"
He got to his feet quickly. "We should go."
Frisk was confused, but she nodded. "O-Okay." She stood on sore legs, only to freeze with shock at the sound of a whoosh and dull thunk on the floor.
.
A glob of fire danced where it should never have been. A second arrow tipped with flame sailed in through the open doorway and plunged into the wall. Zapf yanked it out and stomped it down, and Frisk rushed for the first and set her magic aglow. She pulled the hot arrow out and reversed the embers on its bundled tip until it was dull. The scent of smoke was already in the air, and Zapf rushed to wake the others. Frisk cautiously peeked out the nearest window. She couldn't see much, but pinpricks of flame lit up a cloaked form. Wasn't monsters, there was no way.
.
"Bandits, yeah? A-Are they tryin' t'kill us or smoke us out?" Vera was up, eyes glowing as she helped the groggy, confused rabbits to their feet. "Man, we ain't even good marks!"
"What do we do?!" the mother rabbit squeaked.
"We're definitely surrounded," Zapf said. "…I could—"
"No, no way, if anyone goes out, it's me," Frisk said.
"But you're just a kid!" Vera barked.
"And you guys can't take that many hits!"
"If it's an arrow, it won't matter either way," Zapf said hurriedly.
Frisk sighed. Her mind raced for a plan. Didn't know how many guys. Didn't know the area. Didn't know what would happen if she got killed in this place. Wasn't sure what they wanted, except maybe an easy target. "G-Get out. Through the window." She pulled out Papyrus's orange potion and took a swig before capping it and tossing it to the mother rabbit. "Take this. Speed potion. It's really strong so be careful. I'm gonna go out and I'm gonna yell; you guys make a run for it."
"Wait, what?!" Vera barked.
"I'll meet you somewhere! U-Up the road or something!"
"But little one—!" the rabbit yelped.
.
There was no time. Frisk booked it out the door. The moonlight was enough that the world looked blue and she could at least tell where she was going. Road all around, grass beyond; and then forest just a few dozen meters away. She brought a red glow to her hand and stuck it in the air before shoving two fingers into her mouth and whistling as loud as she could. She heard the voices of adults and she sprinted for the trees as fast as the potion would take her.
"OH NO I'M TOTALLY ON MY OWN, WHAT AM I GONNA DO!?" she shouted. "AAAAH, I'M SUPER SCARED AND DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM!"
.
Her boots skidded in the mud and rocketed her beyond the tree line, where she stumbled and bonked into a tree trunk. She hurriedly regained her footing and dodged around it, shouting pathetic nonsense and delving into the shadows of foliage. Her speed tripped her up again, her momentum combined with a toe stuck for just a second too long on a tree root sending her summersaulting down an incline through bracken and bushes.
.
She whined and grumbled to herself, nursing an aching head. The bandages on her left arm had torn. The red band on her wrist was showing too brightly. She tried to breathe slow so she could listen. It took a moment to hear through her heartbeat. Boots. Men's voices. At least they'd followed. She dimmed the glow she could control and hunkered down as far as she could into the dirt and branches, folding her red arm under her chest. She was small, she told herself. It was still dark out. As long as she wasn't shining, she shouldn't be found. This wasn't the first time she'd had to vanish from adults chasing her. Plus, there was often a lot less cover in the human cities. A forest in the dark like this was a breeze compared to that.
.
She concentrated on her breathing. In and out. Keep it steady. Keep it low. Don't move. Don't peek. Feel the earth and listen.
.
She could feel creepy crawlies walking on her. A spider almost as big as her hand crept up onto the back of it. She hoped it wouldn't bite her. It looked back at her and raised a little arm to its mandibles. She hoped she wasn't imagining it and nodded very slightly. Its eight eyes glimmered and it crept away around her. She did her best not to move.
.
What felt like forever probably wasn't more than five minutes. The feel of footsteps faded, and she couldn't hear any clunking about in the underbrush anymore. By the time Frisk sat up, that large spider had replaced the rip in her bandage with silk webbing. It held out a little claw and Frisk snorted in amusement. She gladly gave it a gold coin.
"Good hustle," she said quietly.
The spider saluted and then disappeared back into the bush.
.
Without the orange potion, it took the kid some time to trek back the way she'd come. Her legs— and most of the rest of her— hurt even more now, but she'd deal with it when she was safe.
.
The cabin was soon plainly visible, even through the shadows of the woods. It was burning up like a bonfire. Squinting between the trunks, Frisk thought she could see some larger forms near it. She gulped and stashed herself behind a tree, but then used her phone's camera to zoom in on the scene. One figure was a raggedy man in a cloak. He looked familiar. She frowned and a horrible, sickening anger roiled inside her. It was the same creep from back in town. The other was some guy in armour and a bucket-shaped helmet.
.
Frisk's heart sunk and she gulped. She couldn't bear to think that everyone hadn't gotten out. She'd never reversed a monster from a pile of dust before, but there was no way she wasn't going to give it a shot if something had gone wrong.
.
A crack in the branches startled her. Her eyes darted around. Just the wind. She gripped her fingers into the bark of the nearest tree and tried to steady herself. Couldn't stay here. If the humans were searching, at least some of them would probably return the same way.
.
Lurking back from the tree line, she stayed quiet and kept moving, prowling like a cat through low bushes and ferns. She checked the sky far above— the constellations she saw looked familiar, much to her relief. A bright star glowing for north was easy to see, and just a bit farther, Frisk found a band of three stars together— an easy way to find west.
.
The forest was a bit disorienting. But, with her focus shifting between the stars, the distant, ever-shrinking road, and where to put her feet, Frisk wasn't making bad time. Nausea was her main concern, but even that abated when she picked out a familiar turquoise-green glow in the trees alongside the now narrow dirt road that barely cut the forest.
.
Spurred on, Frisk rushed through the foliage and almost bumped smack into Vera before grasping her tight in a hug.
"Sh-Shortie?!" Vera lifted her up off her feet and crushed her close. "Ooooh my stars, never ever ever ever ever do that again, okay?!"
"No promises," Frisk said apologetically. "Did everyone get out?"
"Y-Yeah! Yeah. It's fine. Everything's fine. That drink really helped, especially with those bunbuns. We gottem on their way," she said quickly. "Do y'know what happened?"
"Humans," she said grimly. "I saw the one from town with them."
Vera's expression of incredulity quickly shifted to an angry grimace. She was instantly rambling and cursing in Creatlach, shaking her head quickly and angrily, her magic flaring around her shoulders.
.
"Calm down, cousin." Zapf emerged from behind a tree, his eyes glowing a distressed pink, but a weak smile lit his face. "That was smart. And also foolish. And so dangerous. Are you hurt?"
Frisk shook her head. Both skeletons breathed a sigh of relief. Zapf blinked, trying to dull his glow, and he nodded his head back the way he'd come.
"I doubt that's the last of them. They must be bounty hunters. We'll stay off the road for now."
"R-Right!" Vera hurried to follow him, still clutching Frisk tight.
"You c-can put me down if you want," the kid said.
"Nope! Not until we're safer!" she insisted.
.
The skeletons picked up the pace. Zapf strode ahead, pulling branches out of the way for them.
"Not much farther." His voice was strained. "Once we get to the wall, we should be alright."
"These guys are crazy," Vera grumbled.
"B-But what if they don't stop?" Frisk asked shrilly. Her stomach flipped and her mind began to race. What if she were pulled away? Yanked off to some human kingdom? What about them? What about Asriel? What about home? "H-He… He followed…" Her voice cracked. It was hard to breathe. She clung to Vera with shaking fingers and her vision started to get grey and snowy around the edges. "H-He…"
"Whoa, shortie, relax, it's okay," Vera assured her, wide-eyed. "I got you, okay?"
"No, no no no, he wanted t-to take me, he— I can't…" Her throat tightened. She was dizzy. "I'm g-gonna get you k-killed. They're g-gonna try to—"
"Shhh, shh." Vera hugged her close. "It's okay! It's okay, we'll be fine!"
"I-I can't…! I can't, I can't go, I c-can't l-l-let them—!" She couldn't breathe. "I-It's m-my f… fault. It's m-my…! My…!" She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hide her face against the skeleton. "I'm g-g-gonna faint, I'm gonna… I'm g-gonna… I can't…"
.
Something was coming. Blue screamed through her. She could still hardly see. "L-Left!"
"Huh?!" Vera barked.
Zapf grabbed them both and yanked them out of the way as an arrow plunged into the tree beside them. With her arm seized tight, he ran, dragging his cousin through whipping branches. More arrows whizzed behind them and dark shapes pursued in a single-file line from the narrow road, gaining too quickly for comfort.
"A-Are they on horses?!" Vera barked. "Man, that ain't fair!"
"H-H-Horses?!" Frisk croaked.
"Well! Since they already know we're here…!" Vera turned slightly and her eyes flashed. She raised a bone wall behind them, then another and another, spearing up out of bushes and between roots. She shoved Frisk into her cousin's arms and grabbed them before setting the ground to erupt with wide bones beneath their feet, surging forward like a wave and shooting them through the forest as her barriers behind them scattered into glittering dust.
.
Frisk panted, clinging tight to Zapf. She was so dizzy. She felt like she didn't even have a hold of her own body. Every breath she took felt shallow and useless, and every inch of her ached. Her skin hurt from shaking. She blacked out for just a second before snapping back in a confused, panic-stricken haze.
.
The big skeleton was going fast. Dark trunks shot by in a blur. The were rushing deeper into the woods. His four-fingered hand cradled her head and his magic reached into her brain and tried to soothe it despite his own obvious distress. A little air registered in her lungs. Her eyes began to focus again, but she saw arrows that weren't there, blazing a sharp trail as if on a string of light. Then, there it was— she reached out a hand and grabbed it in red; reversed it to its origin as quickly as it had arrived. Over her heartbeat, she heard a brittle wooden crack and a man's voice swear as the blunt end probably knocked back into him. She could still see the shapes gaining. Why were they still gaining?
.
She blinked. The footsteps sounded heavier. The gliding of magic shocked her mind. She looked around, trying to figure out where they were.
.
They stumbled into a small, grassing clearing, and Vera raised bones around behind them like a wall. They were shattered by a thrown javelin that hit the skeleton and knocked her clear off her feet.
"Vera!" Zapf raced to her and put Frisk down as he bent to help her.
She grimaced and huffed, looking sweaty as she sat up, but not significantly worse for wear. "Damn, they were ready." She winked and grinned weakly. "I'm alright. Armour took it."
Zapf grabbed the short spear and drove its point into the dirt. He stood up straight and took out his weapon and shield. The kid followed his gaze. Her heart dropped. She could see the men. Could start to see their features, even if only by bright moonlight.
.
"Wh-What are you doing?!" Frisk yelped.
Zapf looked over his shoulder and nodded at his cousin. "Take her. I'll stay."
"What, no!" Frisk shrieked. "Don't be crazy, they'll kill you!"
"Take her to the Boss," Zapf said to Vera. "…We will do our duty."
"What duty?! What's he saying?!" Frisk looked at Vera with sharp, frantic eyes.
The other skeleton's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were glowing. "This isn't fair. W-We're supposed t'stay together."
"I know. Sorry." His eyes glowed brightly and an aura of pink glittered over his bones. "It was good to meet you, Frisk."
Vera grimaced, but she nodded. "Love you."
"Love you, too," he said.
.
Vera seized Frisk tightly by the arm and yanked her away, running as fast as she could into the woods.
"Wait! Vera, no, we c-can't!" she yelled. She stumbled over roots and bushes; tried to dig her heels in but to no avail. "We gotta go back! Zapf! Don't! Come with us!
"I'm sorry," the skeleton said. She whisked bones up under them and hurled them ahead through the woods.
Frisk yelped and clung to her as they rocketed between the trees as if surfing on magic. She couldn't focus. This couldn't be happening.
.
"Are you on a tapestry?!" she demanded.
"What?!" Vera barked. "No?!"
Frisk grabbed her arm and tackled her, and the two were sent sprawling to the bumpy, root-laced ground. Vera whined and heaved herself up, rubbing her spine. Frisk jumped to her feet.
"Shortie, no, c'mon, we gotta—!"
"NO!" Frisk yelled. "You skeletons are so ready to d-die over…?! No! You're…! If you're not on a tapestry, you're definitely not supposed to die yet!"
"What?! I don't… I gotta get you t'the Boss!" Vera said. "I'm not lettin' them grab you and sell y'off t'their damn King! We can't let 'em get another red, don't y'get it?!"
"Of course I get it! But I'm not letting something happen to him because of me!" She turned to run and the skeleton reached out and snagged her by the leg.
"Kid, no, it'll be for nothing!" she said.
"I-It's already for nothing!" Frisk said shrilly. "If I weren't here, they wouldn't have kept coming!"
Vera grimaced; didn't know what to say. The kid yanked her leg out of her grasp.
"I'm going after him," she said. She took off running. She heard Vera call to her but she had to ignore her.
.
Her heart beat hard in her ears. There was no way, not in a million years, that she was letting this happen. Couldn't.
.
Back in the break in the trees, she found Zapf's moon shield discarded, glittering in the grass, along with the now broken javelin and a few cracked bows. Her heart sunk and she rushed to touch the metal. She saw a flash of before— of the shield being wrenched away from him as humans overwhelmed him. She gasped for breath and followed the direction he'd been pulled. No dust in the grass, but blades torn up. She hefted his shield up over her shoulder and quickly skimmed the area. She knew better than to call out. She listened intently instead.
.
Wind knocked the tree branches, clicking like bones against each other. Water blurbed somewhere not too far from her. The faintness of Vera's voice called to her through the woods. She thought she heard another voice, though. Male. A dull, metallic thump. She perked up and dared to hope, and ran in that direction as fast as she could.
.
A small river cut through the woods, rimmed by shallow dirt embankments and slick, water-worn stone. Dark figures gathered at the water's edge. Frisk stuck to the trees and crept up to watch.
.
It was the group of humans. Bounty hunters, Zapf had said. Six of them. Three standing guard and three more looming over Zapf. He was jammed into the stones with the cloaked man from the town standing with a foot on his neck and an armoured spearman crushing his arm. One of his horns was broken and oozed a glittering pink magic. The biggest human in the fanciest armour kicked the skeleton hard in the ribs. Frisk flinched.
"Who is she?! Where did you take her from?!" he demanded.
"Didn't," Zapf grunted.
The cloaked man spit on him. The one on his arm stomped down. Zapf exhaled sharply but gave nothing more. The biggest human dropped to one knee and grabbed the skeleton by his intact horn.
"Listen, monster, and listen well," he said. "That child is ours. Your scrawny friend isn't going to get far. You thought you could keep a red away from us? It'll go to the King, like all the others, and one by one they're gonna rip your kind to shreds." He grinned though his expression resembled disgust more than mirth. "Things like you aren't worthy of even touchin' us. You're dirt. You're made of filth. And I'm gonna wash you off my hands in the river like you never even existed."
.
Frisk gritted her teeth. Her soul flaring bright and her eyes stinging with tears, she rushed from her hiding spot and held out her hands. She clung desperately, freezing the man in place. It hurt. She could feel his anger and hot hatred echoing back.
"You stop right now!" she yelled, her panicked voice cutting the air. "Don't touch him! What the heck is wrong with you?!" She rewound the man and he stumbled back, then tripped and fell, unable to keep his balance when she released him.
"What the in the hell was that?!" he spluttered.
.
All eyes were on Frisk. She suddenly felt tiny and her throat tightened as a cold sweat hit her. The guy in the bucket helm pulled out his blade and took a step, but she shot him back, too, forcing his sword away. He struggled to pull it out again but his arm locked in place.
"Chief, I-I can't—"
"That's the wizard," the heavy one said. "Must be."
"I told you, that's the girl from Grotto," the cloaked man said.
"Shut up!" The man in the fancy armour scrambled upright and stared her down. "What did you do, kid?!"
"That's no child, that's some demon in human skin," the one in black snarled.
"All the better," the fancy-armoured man said. "Take 'em. Alive."
"Run," Zapf croaked, only to get hit in the face with the butt of the spear.
.
Frisk yelped and jumped back; counted six men. Three were headed for her: a heavyset guy, the man in black, and the one in the bucket helm, pulling the sword from his waist. The cloaked man had eased up on Zapf and pulled a long knife out of his belt. He circled around wide. Her high ground wouldn't last long.
.
Fifteen blue warnings in her head left her little option. She ran straight at the black-clad man who was first to put his leg up the incline and shoved her shoulder against him as he bent to snatch her up. That small force was enough to upset his balance and send the two of them tumbling down onto the river stones. She scrambled away, nimbly sidestepping his hand as it groped for her leg. She grabbed him in red and flung him back up the hill, knocking over the heavyset bandit that was closest to catching up with them, too.
.
Her heart pounded hard in her ears. She felt sick from the effort. It was already too much. Three on their feet, the armoured one and one with a spear still on Zapf. The cloaked man in the corner of her eye. Bucket helm running at her. Footing was bad. She grasped the shield tight. She'd fought a grown man on a riverbank before and it had not gone well. That was a long time ago, though.
.
The second that helmeted man swung for her, she spun him backwards, frozen in place, and sidestepped out of the way as she tossed the shield up and locked it, too, releasing only to allow his momentum to run him face-first into the metal. He stumbled and staggered into the river, and was swept off his feet. The spearman and the leader of the bandits looked at each other as their companions struggled to right themselves. Frisk was sweating. Her pulse thudded in her temples.
"Get away from him," she said.
"How are you doing that?" the armoured bandit pressed. "You're already a wizard, aren't you? Strong 'un, too, for someone so young."
"I said get away from him." She frowned defiantly, assuming a cautious, braced stance. "I'm not asking again. Please. I-I don't wanna fight, but you have to stop hurting him."
.
They laughed. Frisk felt nauseous. A red-hot anger flared in her chest.
"You think this is funny?!" she asked incredulously.
"Look, I'm not afraid of some child throwing a tantrum," the armoured man said, "Wizard or not."
Behind him, the spearman dragged Zapf up by his horn. It was clear from the way the skeleton's sleeve and gauntlet hung that his left arm was gone, and his face was laced with uncomfortable cracks. He still wasn't resisting. He looked at her pleadingly, his eyes quickly darting to the side. He still wanted her to flee. She was revolted by the thought.
"You're really crying over this thing?" he asked.
.
The clear leader of the humans extended his hand to her. "You're a wizard. Have t'be. I don't know what they've told you. Or what they did to you. But if you come back to the capital with us—"
Frisk took a deep breath. "Get off my friend. Tell him to get the hell off my friend."
"They broke 'em," the spearman said. "Just grab 'em."
.
Disgusted wasn't a strong enough for what she felt. Red burned under the kid's skin. She tilted her head and her irises flared, darting around as the men she'd chucked up the hill finally began to get back down. She could hear footsteps behind her splashing slowly in the swift river. The armoured bandit took a step towards her and she raced to figure out her next move.
.
Another blue warning. She moved, but wasn't quick enough as a hand from behind clamped around her arm and yanked her off her feet, the cloaked man's dagger at her throat. Red overcame her and she shrieked, the determination beaming from her in a scorching torrent. The humans around her bent and buckled, bodies cranking backwards with jerky, uncomfortable movements. Her mind flashed through their histories so quickly she went numb, barely able to process it, save for a couple fragments. One had broken an ankle last year. Another had only recovered from stab wounds because he'd stolen the healing potion off the belt of a badger monster trying to help him, before he dusted her. They'd all had food poisoning at an inn a few days prior.
.
The world shimmered and cracked as if lightning had seared the air before them. The humans collapsed, retching and choking with acute nausea. Zapf stumbled away from the spearman as he toppled and threw up. The skeleton weakly reached out his hand for her. She was frozen in horror where she dropped on the ground. She looked at the hot magic flaming from her palms. A wizard? No, a nightmare.
"F-Frisk," Zapf croaked.
Her eyes, sharp, bright red, flicked up to him. He looked insistent. She snatched his shield and grabbed his hand, and they clambered up over the rough embankment together.
.
A glimmer of red sparkling like tinted glass stained the air just a few feet away. As soon as they crossed it, the world snapped again. Behind them, the humans began to recover, though some were still dry-heaving.
.
Zapf bent down and scooped her up in his remaining arm and he ran as fast as he could. He caught sight of a dip in the land— a small ravine, and dove into a bush down there. He laid flat amongst the bracken while shielding the kid under him, furling his mantle out over them as best he could. He tilted his head to keep his one remaining horn low.
.
Frisk looked up into his cracked face and flickering pink eyes and couldn't help the sob the escaped her. She hurriedly covered her mouth and tried to quiet herself.
"It's alright. It's alright," he told her gently.
.
They stayed still for a long while. The clinking of armour— the coughing and swearing— came and went, but did not return. Zapf kept still and quiet for a while. When he finally sat up, he looked around curiously, eyes flickering.
"…We're safe," he said quietly. "Frisk, I—"
The kid threw herself at him, hugging him tight. He sighed and held her.
"You should have run," he said softly. "…But thank you for staying."
"Shut up, of course," she said with a weak laugh. Her soul flared red again. "H-Hang on. D-Don't move much, okay? I can f-fix you, it's just gonna feel weird."
"Oh, Frisk, it's alright, I…" He went quiet as her magic seeped through his body, warming him but fully locking him in place.
.
This, at least, she'd done enough now— fixing the fallen or injured back home— that it wasn't trouble. The number of wounds didn't matter. She turned him back just a few minutes. With a glimmer of red and the sparkle of magic along his bones, Zapf's arm had appeared, his cracks had vanished, and his horn had fully returned. He fell out of her stasis and blinked at the tearful kid blankly. Cautiously, he looked at his regained hand, and then reached up to touch his horn.
"O-Oh. I… I may faint," he said sheepishly.
"D-Don't you dare, I can't carry you," she said.
"How did you…?" He huffed out a rough laugh and rubbed her head. "Later. We… We should find Vera."
"Yeah." She was shaking. She carefully gave him back his shield. "L-Let's go, I never wanna see those guys again."
.
The large skeleton helped her out of the bushes and picked her up again as they began to travel, keeping alert for any sign of life.
"How is it that you defeated them like that?" he asked. "I was so worried about you."
"I… I'm… I dunno how it happened," she said, her stomach knotting. "I… I panicked." She gulped heavily. "I d-didn't mean to, I was just so mad and I f-freaked out and I—"
"Frisk." He cut her off with a solid, long stare. "I know. It scares you. But. I am very grateful for what you did. It was a good idea."
"O-Okay," she squeaked.
He cracked a smile. "It is alright to be a nightmare for your enemies."
She blinked. He really could read minds a little, couldn't he? "I don't wanna have enemies."
"I know. But there are times when you may be ineffably at odds with someone," he said. "It's admirable. To want to avoid battle. But when he grabbed you… You did the right thing. You have to protect yourself if no one else can."
.
Frisk gulped. Zapf's words reminded her of her of what Sans from the other world had said to her: some creep picks you up and you kick and bite and yell as much as you have to. She guessed that could include bursts of magic, sometimes, too. She'd been more used to that kind of thing before the mountain. Now, she abhorred it.
.
"I n-never want to hurt anyone," she said quickly. "Never. I just wanted t-to stop them."
"You did. They weren't injured when we left, did you see?" He smiled sideways. "Though maybe we could have done with at least some sprained ankles."
"I have to be more careful," she said quietly.
"You can practice being more careful when you are not about to be abducted, Frisk."
.
Her heart was still pounding and she certainly didn't feel good, but she nodded. The big skeleton smiled at her fondly.
"And. Thank you. For saving my life," he said.
"It was my fault they even chased us to begin with," she grumbled. "And don't say it's not true."
"You're right." He smiled sideways. "But. That is still their fault, not yours."
.
They moved carefully and quietly and after just a couple minutes, they came upon the clearing where Zapf had been overwhelmed. He gently put Frisk down and she tried to feel steady in the grass. She wiped her eyes. The red in her irises dulled, but still left the brown of her eyes tinted warmer.
"We should wait here, if we can," Zapf said.
"Huh? Really?" Frisk said.
He beckoned to her and she joined him where he knelt. He pointed out a symbol like a star with the lower point extending longer than the others carved in the dirt.
"The first symbol of Vera's name," he explained. "She was here. She'll come back to this spot after a little while." He stuck a finger up to emphasize a point and said, "If you are ever lost, Frisk, it is often best not to move. Let the searcher come to you."
.
It was sort of funny to her to hear him say that. Sans from first place they'd gone to had told her the same thing. She wondered if skeletons often got lost.
.
She took a few moments to catch her breath. Zapf called up his spear and slung it over his back.
"Do they… always talk to you guys like that?" she asked.
"Like what?" he wondered.
"Calling you… filth. And dirt," she said quietly. "…Saying stuff about how they don't even want your dust to be found?"
"People don't necessarily say the nicest things to those they're trying to kill, right?"
"Zapf."
He sighed. "Well. I'm glad where you've come from, you don't know these things. They've called us the dirtpeople. Filthmade. Unworthy of the sun. For as long as I can remember. The idea of fully erasing us seems very appealing to many of them. I… don't think it was always like that. But it's been like that for a long time, now."
.
Frisk again felt a roiling anger that she didn't like. She took a deep breath. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering into Sans's memories. How helpless he was to prevent Papyrus's murder out in the snow at the hands of abhorrent anomalies. How most of the time their brother's dust was lost amongst the glittering snow, unrecoverable. She almost choked.
"That's messed up," she said in a small voice.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he said.
She shook her head. "And… And what's a demon?"
"It's… Ah. It's complicated."
"Please," she said.
He winced. "They sometimes call monsters who have killed humans that. A cursed creature. It's a death-mark. But, to call another human that… To them, it means a heretic. A human possessed by a monster's soul. The most horrible creature they can think of."
Frisk frowned to herself. "I dunno if that makes sense to me."
Zapf took a moment to think about it. "Like… a traitor. On a very deep level. And being a wizard makes it all the worse."
"How can I be a traitor if I was never on their side?" she asked incredulously.
"They believe sides are decided when you're born." He sat in the grass with her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"Not really," she said.
"I… I'm sure you're not the first," he said. "I mean, not the first to not be alright. Not the first to… be a wizard and not… I mean, we've just never hear of a wizard that wasn't… Ah. I'm sorry, I'm babbling, aren't I?"
"I don't wanna be a wizard," she grumbled.
He rubbed her back with a consoling hand.
.
She perked to the sound of steps in the trees and quickly jumped to her feet. Was too big and heavy to be Vera.
.
Zapf stood and drew back to gain a bit of space. He pulled his spear and shield, putting a leg in front of Frisk as the human man in the bucket helm staggered out of the foliage. He hadn't noticed them for a moment, but when he did, he jerked back and yanked his sword from its sheath, but there was a shiver in his fingers and his gauntlets clattered.
.
"Just move along," Zapf said.
"Where's that child?" the man asked.
The skeleton frowned and gritted his teeth. His soul pulsed and an energy in yellow shone from the human. He snorted and stretched out his arm. Zapf stomped the butt of his spear into the dirt and an aura of pink glittered up around him, shimmering a crackle of sparks across his bones. The man rushed Zapf and the skeleton shoved Frisk back as he pushed his shield forward to deflect. The blade bounced and the human struck again, piercing Zapf's tunic through his side but hitting nothing. A flash in the skeleton's eyes set a torrent of white bone projectiles erupting from the ground like a seismic wave. The man was forced to give them space, juking out of the way.
.
Zapf raised his spear and swung it in an arc. Purple shimmered off the tip and shot out in a crescent. It struck the human hard and thunked him to the ground with a band of sealing magic around his waist. He grappled with it but was stuck sitting where he fell.
"I offer you mercy," Zapf said.
"Piss off, bonemeal," the bandit snarled.
"Oh my god shut up!" Frisk yelled. She stormed out into the battlefield between jutting bones.
"Ah. Frisk you shouldn't… interrupt a battle," Zapf said sheepishly.
"I don't care! They didn't care when it was six on one!" She glared at the bucket helmed man. "Take your mercy and go! Just leave us alone! Nobody wants to deal with this crap today, alright?!"
The man froze. "Wh—?"
"They don't even have anything that valuable on them; there's nothing worth stealing! And I'm never going with you in a million years! So just take the mercy and leave! Go back to your dumb bounty hunter bandit cave or wherever the heck you idiots live and stop jumping people and burning stuff down!"
"B-Bounty hunter?!" the man repeated incredulously. "Boy, I'm not a bounty hunter!"
"Wh…?!" Frisk's confusion was overrode by her anger. "Then stop acting like one!"
"Also, she is not a boy," Zapf interjected quietly.
.
"I'm not a bounty hunter," he grunted again. He pulled his helmet off to reveal the sodden, unusually pale face of a young man, nose bloody and crooked. His dark hair was soaked and plastered down against his forehead. His fingers shuddering, he pulled up a medallion on a chain from around his neck: on it was a circle divided into four quadrants, with eight spikes around the outside, resembling a sun. "See? I'm a Knight."
The symbol meant nothing to Frisk, but Zapf narrowed his eyes. The kid folded her arms and scowled at him.
"I thought Knights were supposed to help people."
"We were patrolling the road."
"They're our roads," Zapf muttered.
"No they ain't, they belong to the King," the young man snapped. "Ugh, why am I even bothering… Girl, come to the city with me. You don't belong with these things. You're red. Your place is with the King."
Frisk tilted her head back, an incredulous look on her face. "You don't know anything about me. And don't call them things."
"Get out of the way." He smashed the pommel of his sword against the purple shell of magic holding him and it shattered, and he started to push himself to his feet. "Let's finish—"
Frisk's eyes flashed and she reversed the man back to the ground and held him, limbs frozen in a timeless, red haze. He stared back up at the tiny kid that somehow towered, his jaw dropping.
.
"Y-You're strong." He lowered his voice. "Look, they can't make you do anything, you're gonna be more powerful than any of them, why—"
"Why won't you listen to me?! I'm telling you, you don't know what you're talking about," she said sharply. "You're d-disgusting, you know that?! All of you and your stupid knights. You grown-ups are like talking to a wall. A dumb wall. How many times can I say this?! Take his mercy and leave!"
"You're brainwashed. No normal human would stay with these dustbags."
.
A new song shocked the air around them and a half-circle of needle-pointed bones surrounded the man from nowhere. With a yell, Vera crashed out of the trees, surfing on a giant, pointed femur. It slammed to the ground right behind Frisk before she jumped off, pointing her sword at the human.
"Hey. Duine brisg. Back down, yeah? If you guys ain't gonna play by the rules, we don't have to, neither." She grinned her pointed teeth but her brow was hard and furrowed. "We understandin' each other?"
.
The young man's eyes darted between the three of them. Frisk's heart was pounding and her mouth had gone dry. She wished she could have been tall and imposing like Asriel. Strong enough to pick this guy up by the scruff and toss him into the trees.
"You're chosen," the human insisted, focusing on Frisk. "The sun picked you."
"Please just go," she said.
"This is wrong. Why would a wizard stick her neck out for these…? It doesn't make sense."
"I don't h-have to explain anything to you." Frisk folded her arms. "And don't call me a wizard."
"Then you're a demon," he said incredulously.
Vera winced. Frisk puffed up her tiny frame and glared at him.
"Y-Yeah. I'm a demon," she said. "Deal with it."
The skeleton broke into a grin. "Yeeeeah, deal with it!" she echoed.
.
The human seemed utterly baffled. He stared at the resolute little kid silently for a few long moments. Finally, he slumped. "F… Fine."
Zapf nodded and the battle's resonance fizzled out to nothing. He beckoned to them and Vera grinned and put two fingers to her eye sockets and then pointed them at the human as she walked backwards, only to begin to bounce and give Zapf a tight hug. He snorted out a quiet laugh and lifted her to squeeze her tight. Frisk let out a sigh of relief. She released her grip on the human and joined her friends, only to pause when she heard an odd retching sound from behind.
.
The young man had managed to get up on his knees, but his nose was bleeding and he was shaking so hard that he couldn't stand. Frisk frowned. The skeletons looked at each other.
"C… C'mon, Frisk," Vera said quietly, beckoning her along with them.
Frisk hesitated. She huffed out a loud, annoyed sigh, and returned to the human. She stuck her hand against his unpleasantly damp, bruised forehead and froze him in time. "I'm gonna fix you. Then you leave and never come back here." Though the effort made her dizzy, her red wrapped around him dragged him backwards a half hour before spitting him out again.
.
He flopped onto his rear and blinked back at her with surprised. She glared at him and mimicked the gesture Vera had done before she scampered off to join the skeletons. Vera snickered and patted her head, and Zapf gladly lifted her up in his arms to carry her off. The young man did not even try to follow.