King: And so we return. Like I say, it'll be slow going over all, but I'm working on it pretty much every day. That said, I am having a little hiccup. The eventual shipping is still on my mind and not helping where I'm going with it. I have five ideas now and I don't know which to do, because I like all of them. (Obviously). So... I decided to list them out after this chapter and judge responses. It's not a vote, just let me know what you think, please. Let's get into it then.

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Jaune stepped through the door and instantly felt at ease. It was quaint inside, a simple home that branched off in two directions. To his left appeared to be some kind of study and the delicious smell of the pie Toriel had mentioned. Likely a kitchen further in. To his right was a hallway with various doors. Probably the bedrooms or personal area. Jaune was pretty confident he wasn't going that way. What did catch his eye a little was the clear stairway in front of him leading downward to a possible basement. It was blocked off for some reason with a chain and lock. He wouldn't poke that bear unless he had to, so he just followed Toriel in silence.

As the goat woman reached the study, she turned back to him, "Feel free to sit for a moment. I have plenty of books to pass the time while the pie cools a bit."

"Okay." Jaune didn't want to press the issue yet, but knew he had to. "But I'd rather we talk like we planned. Something's off and I'd like to figure out what."

Toriel nodded and sighed lightly. "I suppose that would be best." She led him to a pair of chairs in the corner and motioned for him to sit as she took a seat across from him. "It would be best to start with what we both know about the situation."

Jaune nodded as she spoke. "At this point I think that's the barrier."

"Right." Toriel confirmed as she continued. "What that talking flower you mentioned said was technically correct. There is a magical barrier separating us from the surface. It can allow things inside, but prevents anything from leaving. What it failed in telling you, however, is that EXP and LV are acronyms for EXecution Points, and Level of Violence. These, in theory, could break the barrier, but that isn't something we'd like to test."

Jaune easily understood. If that were true, it would likely mean hurting people, if not outright killing them. "I'd like to avoid that…"

Toriel seemed to relax again and her smile softened. "That's good to hear." Her tone returned to the more serious form before. "The only other way to break the barrier otherwise is with the power of seven human souls."

Jaunse wasn't a fan of the implications, but spoke without thinking, "you mean like that heart thing that appeared when the flower attacked me?"

"It what?!" She shouted like a mother who was just told her own child was assaulted.

"It's gone now! It ran away. I don't know what happened, but it's gone. It tried attacking me with flying petals, but it only hurt when they hit that heart thing."

Toriel was still tense, but slowly returning to a normal state. After a few deep breaths, she returned to the task at hand. "Then it would at least seem to be weaker. Those 'petals' were likely magic attacks. Weaker magics can only do harm to other magical beings, i.e. monsters. Humans are more resilient, and thus monsters created a secret skill, forcing the human soul to a vulnerable state in battle. It allowed monsters to even the playing field, however the human soul is still resilient and we often find it difficult to win such a battle." Toriel clearly felt uncomfortable about this subject, but knew it was best he was aware going forward.

Jaune nodded, finally understanding why that flower was so insistent he catch those petals with the heart… his soul. That's still weird to think about.

Toriel took in a breath and tried to move on, hoping for a nicer subject. "If you wouldn't mind, what are these Grimm you mentioned?"

Jaune tapped his knee with his hand before gripping the surface. "That's… hard to answer."

"In what way?"

"It's just…" Jaune paused, "no one really knows what they are. Before coming down here, I'd have called them monsters."

Toriel's eyes narrowed slightly, "I'm assuming that does not mean the same thing as when I say that."

"To be fair, I've never heard about anything like you." Jaune wasn't sure if that was insulting in anyway, but it was true. "Sorry if that's insensitive in any way. For as long as I've ever known, monster meant things like the Grimm."

"I see. Would anyone above consider me a Grimm, then?"

"No." Jaune shook his head. "The Grimm are beasts, big creatures with black fur and a white mask with bone sticking out from them. All they want is to kill people. They're pure evil."

Toriel, a hopeful pacifist, wanted to try to argue things. "Come now, surely they can't be pure evil. It's more likely they're just animals, or something similar."

"That was a theory for a while." Jaune's head sunk as his eyes fell to his now folded hands. "But we figured something out about them. They don't need to do what they do. They don't need to eat or destroy. They just… do. They're drawn to negativity, finding humans and faunas in order to kill them." Jaune paused for a moment, "There's nothing natural about them. Just soulless…" he caught himself this time, "... beasts."

Toriel was too stunned to respond. Soulless? Even the humans above hadn't called monsters soulless. What were these things? "I… I see."

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Unbeknownst to either of them, Flowey was hiding just outside with a small vine acting as a wiretap to listen in on their conversation. Once Jaune mentioned the Grimm and their nature, his grin expanded into a malicious smirk, "Interesting~"

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Jaune took note of her tone and tilted his face to the side, "Sorry. It's just… the Grimm almost killed a lot of people I know. If not for my dad and the other Huntsmen, I don't think I would be here either."

"Huntsmen?"

"Yeah." Juane cheered up a bit, a far kinder topic than the Grimm. "They're the people who go out and protect us from the Grimm."

"They kill them, then?"

Jaune nodded. "It's just how we've had to live at this point. It's like having a soulless army that wants you dead, always just outside your home. And if you don't kill them fast enough, they get better at killing you. That's why we have Huntsmen. They protect us, risking their lives for us."

Toriel wasn't sure what to believe about such things. Still not certain 'soulless' creatures could exist like that.

Jaune could notice this and turned away again, embarrassed, "It's kind of hard to explain. It's the only life I've ever known."

Then Toriel picked up something. She had to ask, "How long has this been the case?"

"What?" Jaune took a moment then registered the question. "Oh! Uh… always? As long as humans have existed, anyway."

Toriel's state changed. Now she seemed more confused than ever. "But those were never… that is to say we…" She was having a hard time putting what she meant into words. "We were on the surface alongside humans, and we've never heard of Grimm."

"Well… I've never heard of Monsters like you."

There was a tense quiet that hung over the two now. This was a strange situation, more so than either had believed before. It was as if two separate histories existed between the two of them, where one simply couldn't be true. And yet, neither felt the other was deceitful. How could such things both be true? To one, the Grimm have always existed and there were no Monsters. To the other, Monsters existed and there were never any Grimm. Even if everything else made sense, and there were ways to make it do so, this one thing seemed the breaking point of sense.

Toriel sighed and stood again, "Okay, I believe something strange is at play here."

"I agree." Jaune remained seated for now, watching as the goat woman started to pace around the room.

Toriel muttered to herself as she circled around the room. "Neither of us seem to be lying. But neither of us understands what the other is really talking about. Normally, situations like this would be easy to explain with cultural or geographic differences, but that wouldn't explain a complete divergence in history. We couldn't have been down here long enough to completely flip a global paradigm."

Jaune was taking a moment to figure out what she was saying, but he got there eventually. He might not be strong, but he wasn't dumb.

Toriel's mutterings became inaudible as she suddenly stopped in the middle of the room. "I can't say I understand how such a thing is possible. The best bet to solve this is likely the Royal Scientist."

Jaune stood up hearing this possible solution. "Where can I find them?"

Toriel seemed hesitant. She looked toward Jaune with a gaze clearly looking beyond him. As if she was reminded of someone else. But soon, she did answer. "Hotland. It's in the core of the Mountain and likely to be guarded by powerful Monsters. You'll be in danger out there. Especially with…" she looked away, her words fading out quickly.

"With what?"

Toriel knew she couldn't hide this. If he were a young boy, she might have chosen to do so to protect him. But, every mother knows that such feelings cannot last forever. The time would come when they have to leave, he just had a head start. She sighed and looked him dead in the eye, her serious tone making it clear this was important. "Do you remember the method I told you about for Monsters to escape?"

Jaune nodded. "Seven human souls."

Toriel responded with a single nod, her heart heavy, "Right now, six human souls are being held by the Monster King. Your soul would be the seventh to reach the Underground. You will be hunted and killed so that we could be free."

Jaune hadn't really felt the inherent danger of the seven souls method until now. He was the seventh, the final piece to their freedom. It was harrowing, and not something he's entirely okay with. Yeah, there was that small part that knew it would be for a good cause, if Toriel was representative of the rest of the Monsters, but that would also mean dying and he wasn't okay with that.

Toriel let out a light sigh as she fell back into her chair, her fingers rubbing over her temples. "I'm sorry I had to bring that up. If you were younger, I'd have tried to avoid the topic." And she'd likely try to avoid letting him leave for fear of his life. It sounded pretty bad out of context, but she meant well. But as things are now, she knew she couldn't stop him if she wanted to. The best she could do was what any good mother should, prepare him for the inevitability beyond that door. "I apologize, but it may also be the only option now."

"What do you mean?"

Toriel looked conflicted, but after a moment she shook her head. A decision had been made and she had to stick to it. "It will be dangerous to move forward. It goes against what I had hoped, but I cannot in good conscience send you out into the Underground without some sort of test. To prove you have what it takes to survive."

Jaune didn't like the sound of that.

Toriel seemed to hesitate before shaking her head. "I'm sorry. But I know I can't truly stop you from leaving. You, no doubt, have a family. A life above on the surface. I can't keep you from that." It was all justifications to herself. She knows that, were he younger, she'd try. But a grown, likely soon-to-be-adult human wasn't someone she could stop if she tried. Unless he tried to outright kill her, she couldn't lift a finger to truly prevent him from returning to his home. She stood up and spoke again, "If you would please come with me, I'll formally test you before you put your life at risk beyond the Ruins."

Jaune knew it would probably be best to get some kind of experience given his situation. He stood up and nodded once. "Okay. Lead the way."

Jaune was led to the center area again and watched as Toriel used a pair of keys to unlock the chain attempting to close it off. Toriel led him down a flight of stairs to a long hallway with no doors or windows. Just the light of several, presumably magic, torches. Eventually, they reached a larger room with a massive door exactly like the one he'd used to enter the ruins. That must be the way out, he thought.

Toriel stood before the door with her back to him. She took a deep breath, her shoulders noticeably rising and falling, and turned back to Jaune. "This is your test. I don't want to hurt you, or be harmed in return. So, you must get passed me. Many monsters beyond this door will try to kill you. You must either make me drop my guard or escape passed me as though you were running away."

Jaune took in thr instructions and nodded. "Okay. I think I've got it then. I'm ready."

Toriel gave one nod of her head before raising both her hands to either side, palms pointed upward. After a moment, a spark lit and flames erupted from her hands and formed into balls of fire. "Begin!" She swung her hands in front of her and the flames spewed forth like a pair of waves.

Jaune, to his credit, was able to avoid them both by falling to the ground. A short roll later and he was on his feet, making a b-line for the door. He was able to duck between two fireballs but ended up taking a third to the face, knocking him back and away from the door. It didn't hurt as bad as he expected, with seemingly no burn marks. He chalked it up to it being magic and not hitting that heart. Then again, it didn't pop up this time. Maybe because she's not trying to kill me.

Meanwhile, Toriel let another wave fly with concern on her face. It doesn't make sense. The manifestation of the human soul is supposed to be automatic. Even if I'm not trying to do permanent damage, it should still appear. Why hasn't it? She reared back her hands and slammed them forward, creating missiles of fire that flew off in an arch toward Jaune. As one of them struck his shoulder, she swore she saw some kind of shimmer. Something's off. This time, she moved the soul-manifestation spell from passive to active. With a hand held up, she forced the heart to pool and appear over his chest. He seemed surprised for a moment, concerned and afraid. But it was what followed that surprised Toriel the most.

The soul rippled before expanding, flattening out over his body. Soon, it became like a field around him, no openings to be found. His soul, somehow, enveloped his body. Was this some strange power of his? Or perhaps it was simply that powerful of a soul. But something didn't sit right. She fired another barrage, weaker than before. It seems normal, but weak enough to not deal without really striking the soul. What surprised her again was that she noticed he took damage, despite striking his shoulder. The damage dealt was miniscule, but it was there.

As Jaune charged through another attack, intent on finishing this challenge. He needed to get back up to the surface. He charged past another barrage, leaping forward with his arm stretched out. A loud tone rang out, making them both pause. Jaune's hand was pressed against the stone door. Toriel was pushed lightly toward the side, surprise on her face as she fell off her balance and was forced to a sitting position on the floor. Jaune moved away from the door and over to help her up.

As she returned to her feet, she brushed the dust off herself and turned to him with a smile. A bittersweet smile, like a mother who has to watch her child leave home. "You passed my test. I'll admit, I was a little surprised. But I did notice something. And it would be best for you to know it."

Jaune nodded. "Okay." He felt like he was back at school, being given recaps by his teacher.

Toriel then explained her findings, "Your soul is… odd. When Monsters do battle with humans, the human soul is drawn out almost automatically. However, I had to draw yours out actively. And yet, it faded back out and seemed to cover your body."

"Uh… is that good?"

"I suppose it could be. Unfortunately, it means lesser magical attacks can harm you. Thankfully, for some reason, the damage you take is mitigated. It's odd, but it does mean you're vulnerable from all sides. It was best to warn you in this situation."

Jaune nodded, stumbling a bit but catching himself on the door. "Sorry. Guess I'm a little out of it."

"Not surprising. Your HP is quite low."

This made Jaune pause. "HP?"

"Yes. We monsters use that to refer to the state of your soul. Your soul's power can grow as you rest, eat, or just generally relax. But, your soul can be damaged and doesn't recover by itself. Thus, monsters created recipes to recover our HP. We can't see the exact values, but I can tell you're hurt. The pie I mentioned should be cool enough to enjoy now if you like."

Jaune would admit to wanting to get home sooner rather than later. But he also knew that everyone probably thought he was dead anyway, so what's the rush? Better to get back alive than rush forward doing something stupid. "That sounds nice, actually."

Toriel smiled and helped him to stand upright again. As she brushed off some dust from his shoulder she nodded once, resisting the urge to lead him like a child. "Back this way then."

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As they reached the top of the stairs, Toriel pointed down the other hall. "There's a restroom down the hall. Second door on the left. Best to wash your hands there."

"Thank you." Jaune followed the directions as Toriel made toward the kitchen. As he entered the bathroom, he looked around. It was a pretty basic bathroom without any real decoration. It was purely for utility. Definitely prefer this over mom's floral patterns. No offense to mom. He made for the sink and started to wash his hands. Indoor plumbing Underground. Helpful.

But as he cleaned his hands from the ruins' dust, he caught something in his peripheral vision. Looking up, he saw something that nearly gave him a heart attack. Another person standing behind him. Nearly jumping out of his skin, he spun around, ready to fight them off, but there was no one there. "What the-?"

He looked back over to the mirror, allowing him to notice the details he missed in his panic. It was a girl, for one. In his age range, but it was hard to tell much else. She wore what looked like a ragged sweater with green and yellow stripes, a pair of black shorts, and some old brand of sneakers. Her brown hair was cut short and barely reached her shoulders, but it looked like it was cut in a rush and without a sense of aesthetic. Her eyes were a concerning draw, though. They were blood red, glowing like a dim flame. She just smirked at him, as if she was taunting him for something he didn't understand.

He rubbed his eyes, as if to wipe away whatever showed her. Surprisingly, it worked, and she was gone. Jaune stared for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm just seeing things…" With that, he finished washing and left the room, the image of that girl never too far from his mind.

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King: Here's the list, in no particular order:

Undyne

Alphys

Chara (A more paranormal option)

Frisk (Warping things more than I have)

Muffet (I'll need to add an extra story bit to justify this)

King: Right now, I'm leaning toward Undyne, but that's personal preference.