Chapter 15: Being Hunted
Kia studied the plank on the wall as Frisk observed the watery gap between land masses. Kia looked around the corner of the wall to see multiple buds planted in the soft soil. Walking over to it, it was as large, like some of the giant varieties of lily pads. Using one hand to gently lift the plant off the ground, it gave way easily. Poor plant. Kia gently placed it into the water and watched it float to the other side. Frisk grabbed the next plant and held it above their head, it made a squeak noise. Kia giggled. Frisk grinned. Between the two of them, they made a bridge of pretty pink flowers.
Like almost all things, Kia didn't trust this flower bridge. Kia went first. She cautiously placed a foot on one of the petals. It gave a little. Kia pulled back a bit hesitantly. She couldn't exactly swim anymore since her buoyancy had decreased, a lot. Kia clenched her jaw in worry. Frisk suddenly came bouncing along the flower bridge. Kia's heart just about stuttered into dust. Frisk gave a cheeky peace sign to their mom. Kia just gaped at their child before grinning as well.
"You cheeky little monkey, alright, I'm crossing! Please, be more cautious."
Kia laughed. She stepped more firmly on the flower. Unlike what she thought, it didn't sink under her weight too much that she would have to struggle across. Once she was safely across, she ruffled the giggling Frisk's hair. They were coming upon a wooden bridge this time when something splashed out of the water. It looked like a very muscular man with a horse head. Kia was already uncomfortable as he eyes both her and her child.
He started to flex and a battle begun. Kia was excluded from the area. Kia shuffled foot to foot in worry as she watch Frisk flex at 'Aaron?' Their SOUL was the only spot of color in the battle field. Kia squinted at their child's SOUL. It could be a trick of the light, but it seems like there is a coat of brighter red drenched around their child's SOUL. It had a dark aura surrounding it. Kia's brow bones pinched together in worry.
Kia winced when Aaron flexed and hit Frisk. Kia's hands were on the barrier surrounding the BATTLE. This is her first time witnessing her child BATTLE. She was very proud of them. Their form was good, their dodging was greater. Kia watched Aaron's sweat hurt Frisk. Frisk's HP lowered again. Kia clenched her jaw and fists. She so badly wants to interfere, to protect Frisk, but doing so would smother Frisk's abilities and confidence. Kia relaxed when Aaron flexed himself out of the BATTLE and back into the water.
Immediately after the barrier fell, Kia went to her knees to check Frisk over. They had a few bruises and a couple of burns. Kia made worried noises. Frisk giggled and held one finger to halt Kia's worrying. They reached into their little pouch Kia just now noticed to produce a Bisicle. Pulling it apart, Frisk gave Kia the other half as they ate theirs to full health. Kia giggled at Frisk's pose of full health. Kia bit into her frozen treat too. She blinked. It tasted like some kind of berry. It was good. Ping! Her health rose a bit. Thu-thump … Thu-thump … Thu-thump .. Thu-thump . Thu-thump! Kia gasped for air and coughed. Her knees hit the ground at an unexpected weight. Her chest felt heavy. Kia breathed deeply to get used to having lungs again. She felt the little hands of her child on her shoulders. Kia glanced up to see them worried. Kia smirked a bit.
"I'm fine. Just, that was enough to give me two lungs full of air."
They nodded in understanding and gave a rueful smile. Frisk grabbed their mom's hand and lead her across the bridge to the next area. This time there was a bell like flower on the wall to recall the bridge flowers. So far, they had reached the sign on its little island, found a hidden bench with a quiche under it, and go to the other side of the gap to the doorway. Kia was cautious about taking the quiche. It didn't look too old and as far as Kia saw, no bugs were in the Underground. Frisk took it anyways. Kia grumbled but let it pass just this once. She didn't exactly have enough gold to buy anything to eat.
They were across the newly formed Bridge flowers when a phone rang. Kia was puzzled. She patted both of her back pockets. She didn't have her phone. It was back at Camp on the surface; she realized. Kia turned towards Frisk as they pulled out a plastic brick of an ancient phone. Now that she thought about it. Kia raised her phalanges for her inspection. She wouldn't be able to use her touch screen phone anymore anyways.
Kia waited for Frisk's call to end before asking who it was. Frisk signed that is was Papyrus who called. With the obvious way he was talking, Papyrus was hinting for them to change their armor, er clothing, so his friend wouldn't recognize them. Only problem is that they didn't have anything else to wear that had a higher defense. They passed through the doorway.
The Wishing Room
Frisk dashed towards the first Echo Flower.
"A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling…"
Now, Kia felt bad for these creatures. Kia listened to wishes the echo flowers produced as Frisked poked at each one more and more sadly. They were almost to the telescope to check that out when a creature attacked Kia with a flung bar of soap. After fighting Woshua, Kia was shining in her newly cleaned form. Kia is contently smiling as a freshly washed Frisk crumbled the wall to the next area. They came upon some kind of docks. Along the wall opposite of them, there were old tablets written on with Ancient Texts, surprisingly still readable.
"'The War of Humans and Monsters.'"
"Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster… just to equal the power of a single human SOUL."
"But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death."
This was alarmingly familiar to Kia. From what Kia could learn during her time with the MageScientists, they were after the understanding of the human SOUL since Monsters were originally on the surface and back then, humans could use magic. They wanted to know what made up the SOUL, how it functioned, how monster and human SOULS were different, why can only Monsters can absorb Human SOULS, why genuine human magic disappeared into cheap or elaborate tricks of the mind, and if they could use their SOUL's magic again.
One in particular scientist, the one that noticed her, wanted something more than just knowledge. He wanted to know why human or powerful SOULs stayed around after their hosts' died. He wanted to know if a host could last just as long as a powerful, a determined human SOUL could. There are reasons why there are ghost stories … and those could last for centuries though word of mouth or written in text.
"If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL… A horrible beast with unfathomable power."
Kia didn't bother to look at the last tablet with the illustration. Just imagining an image from the descriptions was enough to scare her. It felt very … accurate.
Kia looked at the one panel walkway. She didn't want to lose Frisk in case they wanted to suddenly explore the darkness. An idea lite itself inside her skull, Kia turned around while pulling her hair forward and knelt in front of Frisk. Soon enough, she felt the weight of her child settling on her back. With a flick of her radius and ulna, Kia's hair became a curtain surrounding Frisk. Lifting Frisk higher on her back, Kia began to walk down the narrowly lite path until she came to some more docks next to a stone pathway with large pillars.
A loose hold and some sleepy mumbles told Kia that Frisk had fallen asleep. Kia absently hums a lullaby as she walked along. Suddenly, a neon light blue spear lodged itself in front of Kia. Newly formed lungs suddenly couldn't get enough air as Kia ran with all her might, away from the knight coming after her and her child. During her flight, Frisk had woken up and clung to their mom with all their might in fear.
Kia turned her head to see where their attacker was coming from the shadows. In the corner of her eye socket, she saw something darker blue and shadowed white hidden between the cattail like plants in the marsh below the docks up head. Her attention was diverted by a flash of blue magic sparked the shadows behind the columns. The lite features of a merciless knight helm gave Kia chills enough to rattle her bones. As the multiple glowing spears formed in front of their assailant, Kia came to a turn in the docks. She couldn't dodge the attacking magic in time. She made a leap over the dark space to the rest of the docks.
She could feel the killing intent.
The attack was going to hit Frisk!
Kia made to turn midair.
She turned her head to see the spears coming closer. Her eye lights started to turn gar-
Suddenly, a wall of bones formed as a barrier between her and the hidden knight. Kia felt the wood of the docks collide with her pelvis and tail bone as she landed, leaning forward desperately so Frisk wouldn't be crushed under her weight. Kia gasped for breath but scrambled to keep running with all her might. Eventually, she came to some tall grasses. She tripped again on something unseen. Kia's skull clunked onto the ground harshly. Frisk fell off her back and scrambled to pick up Kia's shoulder as their mom panted for breathe. Kia was only able to crawl a short distance to see she had tripped on Monster Kid again. Kia's normally beating heart froze.
There was Undyne stalking through the grasses. Kia reached out and grasped Frisk in a hug. She curled around her child to form a protective ball. Monster Kid looked at her in concern and weirdly. Kia's SOUL suddenly felt light as she was forcibly moved over to the side as Monster Kid came up to her to see if she was alright. Instead, he was roughly grabbed by the side of his face by Undyne. He suddenly forgot them as he smiled at his hero. Undyne sighed in frustration and let him go. She left without a single word.
Kia released her hold on Frisk and collapsed on the ground next to them. Frisk's little hands found themselves on Kia's skull, gently brushing way their mom's hair. They need to know their mom was alright. They paused as they saw red residue turning their mom's features sharp and feral. Kia's eye sockets were closed but opened to show garnet eye lights slowly fading into their normal warm scarlet. Frisk couldn't even think of anything about this new development in their mom. Was, was she turning into one of creatures here?
Then the magic was gone, leaving her usual soft features. Relief filled their mom's expression. Kia shifted to lift a skeletal hand, intending to cup their child's cheek in affection and reassurance. Then she saw Frisk's expression. She drew in a sharp breath as her tears flooded her darkening eye sockets. She closed her hand and climbed to her feet.
A sharp crack snapped through the air and Kia collapsed again with nary a sound. She hacked and coughed up dust onto the bed of grass. Frisk rushed up to their mom. They felt terrible. Why did they think their own mom would end up turning on them? Tears built up in their eyes. Neither noticed Monster Kid awkwardly shuffling before leaving. Frisk gently placed a hand on their mom's shoulder. Kia only glanced briefly at them in sorrow before getting up once more and offering her hand to her child. Fisk gave a weak smile and clasped their hand with hers.
Another SAVE point disappeared in the Underground.