Chapter 7
Dealing With A Devil
They had spent hours upon hours scouring every inch they could of Mount Ebott, looking for Chara, or any signs that he was there recently, but none were to be found. If Chara was there at any point, it wasn't for quite some time.
"Damn it... I had really hoped that I would have gotten the chance to crush him here and now." Undyne growled as she slammed her fist into the palm of her other hand in anger. "Oh, if he was here to get my hands on, I'd make sure he'd get a lot more than a dunking."
"Seems like the kid isn't going to be making things any easier for us." Sans said as he looked at the sunset. He had done a lot more work than he would have liked to have done in his entire life, looking for some sign of Chara nonstop with all the others for straight hours. He wasn't used to this kind of work, and he never wanted to be used to it.
"He doesn't appear to be here..." Papyrus said as he looked up at the peak of Mount Ebott. "...Is there a chance that he could be in the Underground?"
"I-if he w-was in the Underground..." Alphys started. "I... w-wouldn't think... he could find Frisk so quickly... he h-has to be somewhere up on the surface... we just don't know where."
Frisk remained quiet as she looked up at the mountain. She remembered the time that she had fell into the Underground... what seemed like a disaster at first actually led to something spectacular, making friends with so many different monsters, and freeing them from the prison they had down there. She gave a shudder as she remembered the ambition that had driven her to go up there in the first place. She kept it to herself the whole time, and even now, nobody knew why she went up there that day.
"We're starting to lose the sun." Sans said as he gave a little yawn. "...I think that for now, our best bet is to rest here for the night, see if we can find him somewhere else later."
"Why sleep here?" Papyrus questioned. "Wouldn't it be a lot safer for us to go back to one of our houses to rest?"
"Aside from Chara and whatever magical creatures he can summon, who exactly would we have any issues with if they start something?" Sans asked. "Besides, it doesn't matter whether or not we go to someone's house or not. Chara was able to find Frisk within less than two hours after she left Toriel's house, so no matter what we do, he's eventually going to find us..." Sans gave another yawn and stretched. "I just want to rest here because I don't feel like walking all the way back to our house."
"Sans, you're so unbearable lazy." Undyne said with a roll of her eyes. "Sometimes, it really amazes me how you and Papyrus are actually brothers."
"W-well... S-Sans may have a point, Undyne... I mean... a-at least about Chara... f-finding us no matter where we go." Alphys said as she looked around. "M... maybe we could... set up some kind of c-camp here?"
"It might just be our best option." Sans said as he looked over his shoulder to Asgore and Toriel. "Yo, Asgore. Toriel. What do you two think?"
Neither Asgore nor Toriel replied. They just kept their backs turned and kept to themselves as they both stood away from the rest of the group. "...Hello? Earth to Dreemurs? You two in there?"
Asgore gave a sigh and a nod. "Yes... we'll make a camp here... if you please..." he said as he remained with his back turned.
"...Those two doing alright?" Papyrus questioned. He was about to go over and check on them, but Sans immediately grabbed his hand and stopped him.
"Leave them alone for now, Papyrus." Undyne said. "...I think the two could use a bit of time to themselves."
Asgore and Toriel were, meanwhile, standing there and looking at all of the golden flowers that laid there. They were some of Chara's favorites. "...Do you remember his last days alive, Toriel?" Asgore asked. "...He wanted to see the flowers of his village again... he wanted to have a final glimpse at them before he died..."
Toriel gave a somber sigh and looked on. She remembered those days far too well. "...Yes... I remember." she said. "...I remember having a bar of chocolate in the fridge for him... waiting and silently hoping for the day that he would get better from his illness... I would let him have the chocolate as a sign of celebration that our son had come out, alive and well..."
Asgore nodded and sighed. "...I remember the day that they once made me that butterscotch cinnamon pie..." Asgore said with a little sad chuckle as he could feel his hands trembling. "...They mistook the cups of butter part of the recipe to be buttercups, and put the flowers in my pie instead... they were so... excited to give it to me... and I remember... taking a... bite of the pie... and... I..." The king of the monsters could no longer take it. He fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands and began to cry.
"Oh, Asgore..." Toriel said as she put her hands on his shoulders and knelt with him, trying to console him, even though she was just as sad and broken as he was.
"...I feel like I could have done much better..." Asgore said in a broken voice between sobs and cries as he mourned over the memory of his sons. "...I was their father... I tried my best to love them and care for them more than anything... was it not enough?... Where did I go wrong?..." He continued to cry on his knees. He had held this sorrow of his in for a very long time now, and now that Chara was alive, but much more sinister than ever, he could no longer hold these emotions back.
"...It's my fault. It's all my fault... if only I had been there for his life... if only I could have helped him through the illness..."
"There was nothing more you could have done than what you did." Toriel said and gently leaned him to her in an embrace. "...We both raised and loved him with all of our hearts and souls, just like Asriel... I don't know what could have driven Chara down the path he takes now... but you're not to blame for it... none of us are..."
Asgore hugged Toriel close as the two shared a well needed comforting embrace. The two of them actually seemed to be getting back together through this whole predicament.
"...Tori... is there any hope left... for Chara, I mean." Asgore started as he took the bud of a flower and gently held it in his strong hand. "...Is there... any chance... we could bring him back into our family?..."
"...I don't know, Asgore... I truly don't know..." Toriel said. "...All we can do now is wait... and hope that Chara can give us the chance to do that..."
Frisk remained silent as she heard the whole conversation while she continued to stare up at that mountain. She felt like she had caused her friends and family so much pain and suffering today... and at the same time, she didn't have any clue as to why it was happening... this deal that Chara keep referring to... is what Chara says nothing but lies, and just an attempt to gain Frisk's soul?... Or was what Chara said really true?... Either way, Frisk knew that somehow, the dreams that she had been having the past couple of nights before today and Chara were somehow connected.
Were the dreams some kind of vision to the future of what will happen when Chara gets what he wants? Were they just little mind games that Chara had been sending her throughout the time period to try and mess with her and weaken her state of mind? She really didn't know... she had to find out some time... but she didn't want any of her friends hurt in the process.
They ended up setting up camp, if that could be called so. All it really was was just a couple of pillows and blankets, along with a campfire. At the time they were sitting at the fire, waiting for dinner, it was night time, and the stars were gleaming brightly, while the moon shown its light in its crescent shape.
"Ok, everybody!" Papyrus said as he got the pot out from the fire. "Who's ready for some of Master Chef Papyrus's Blueberry Ravioli?"
There was a bit of silence from just about everybody. Papyrus gave a chuckle. "Ah. By your silence, I can tell that you've never heard of such a mouth-watering dish before. Well tonight is going to be a night to change all of your lives!"
"If we even live through supper that is." Sans muttered quietly with a chuckle. He took a plate and had Papyrus give him some. He began to eat it to make sure that Papyrus didn't feel bad.
Papyrus also got some for Undyne and Alphys. Undyne gave a little shudder at hers. "You know... I've learned a neat trick about t-tasting things." Alphys whispered quietly to Undyne. "If y-you don't breathe through your n-nose while you eat, you won't t-taste it as much."
"Have you ever tried that with Papyrus's cooking?" Undyne questioned.
"...Well... no... but..." Alphys looked at the ravioli. It was ravioli with bluish-purple spots all over it, which was supposedly the blueberry, and covered in regular ravioli sauce. The smell of the sauce didn't really smell right, though. "...F-first time for everything... right?..."
Asgore and Toriel both got their blueberry ravioli. "Thank you, for making this meal for us, Papyrus." Asgore said with a polite nod. He and Toriel both looked at each other, knowing that neither of them was really going to be eating that.
"Not a problem, Asgore. I made sure to use the finest ingredients I have. And trust me, you won't believe what's inside of the ravioli. It's going to blow your mind and change your perceptions of master cooking forever. Nyeh heh heh heh!"
Undyne got a piece of ravioli on her fork and was about to see if what Alphys told her was true, but then glanced up and looked at Sans. Sans was eating the food to make sure his brother didn't feel bad, and it was clear that he hated it. The sight of every single agonizing bite that he had to take, and every single piece of ravioli that he forced himself to choke down was almost as stomach wrenching as the food itself.
Papyrus got to Frisk and was ready to serve her the ravioli. "Your plate, Frisk?"
"...No thank you." Frisk said as she looked up at him. "I'm not hungry right now." She didn't really sound very enthused or happy. In fact, she sounded kind of regretful.
"Hey... what's the matter?" Papyrus questioned as he put the pot down and sat down by her. "You seem a little down."
"...Well... I've been doing a little thinking..." Frisk started as she looked at all of her friends as they sat around the fire. "...And... I've been thinking... maybe... you guys should go back home... maybe... I should look for Chara by myself."
Immediately, the atmosphere of everybody around the campfire changed. Once everybody heard what Frisk said, everybody looked at Frisk. "...Come again?" Sans said as he put his plate down.
"...Guys... I know you all are just trying to help me... and I can't thank you enough for that..." Frisk gave a sigh and looked at the fire intently as she went on. "...But... I don't want any of you guys getting hurt... Chara's after me... not any of you... me... and you guys might only get hurt in the process... so... if I go alone, then I won't have to worry about-"
"Frisk..." Asgore started. "...Child... I know that you only think for our good when you say that... but what you've just said is something that we're not going to allow."
"But... Chara just wants me... he doesn't want any of you..."
"I wouldn't really say that." Sans said with a little shrug. "I mean, after I kicked the crap out of him that one time, I'm sure he would love nothing more than a piece of me."
"And I'm not going to go without ripping that brat apart." Undyne said as she gripped the fork on her plate tight. "That son of a bitch messes with any one of us, than he messes with me too, and that's a mistake I'm not going to let him live to regret."
Alphys looked down nervously. "I-I don't know what I w-would be able to do to help... but I'm with all the o-others... I won't leave you... n-not when somebody is threatening any of my friends."
"Ai. We aren't going to let anybody mess with our pal and get away with it, I promise you that." Papyrus said as he patted Frisk's shoulder.
"What we're saying, Frisk, is that all six of us are with you... no matter what happens, or what we have to go through to put a stop to our adoptive son... we'll go through all of it together." Toriel said.
Frisk sighed. "...Thank you... all of you." she said as she looked at her hand. "...I'm sorry I have to cause you so much stress... if only I knew what Chara was hunting me for..."
"Whatever reason he has, it doesn't matter." Undyne said. "All I care about is if he fucks with one of us, he's gonna pay for it."
Sans gave a nod. "Yeah. The next chance I get to teach that brat a lesson, I'm going to make sure that I don't let him go."
Frisk gave a nod and a little smile. She was happy to have her friends with her to support her through this, though she was genuinely afraid for them.
"Alright, everybody... let's not get sour faces." Papyrus said as he got himself a plate of his own blueberry ravioli. "Let's all sit back and enjoy Master Chef Papyrus's famous blueberry ravioli." He took a bite of his own cooking and froze up.
All heads turned to Papyrus as he just remained frozen in spot as he got a taste of his own cooking. "...You ok, Papyrus?" Toriel asked.
"..." Papyrus gave a little shudder and forced himself to swallow the ravioli, but dumped the rest of what was on the plate back into the pot and shuddered. "Alright... that wasn't a very successful recipe experiment." he said.
Sans gave a chuckle and patted Papyrus's shoulder. "Yeah. Might not want to make that again any time soon."
After that little mismatch of a dinner, everybody would do their own thing, if not going to bed then and there. The only ones that really decided to sleep right after that were Sans and Frisk.
Frisk laid on the ground with her pillow under her head and her blanket over her body. She gave a sigh as she tried to think of any answer as to this deal with Chara, but couldn't find any. Having no clue as to what to think, she just closed her eyes and let herself drift off in her sleep.
She opened her eyes slowly and looked around the surroundings of her location. She was still at Mount Ebott, but everything seemed misty and wavy, like some kind of dense fog was distorting the entire world.
She got up and looked to and fro, but couldn't find any sign of any of her friends. The campfire was gone, her friends were nowhere to be seen, and the only thing that she could see was mist and golden flowers.
"...Hello?... Anybody?" she called out as she began walking to find somebody. "...Asgore?... Papyrus?... Anybody?..."
She walked all around, searching to and fro until she came to the foot of the mountain and looked up at it. Something about that mountain was giving her a strong urge to scale to the top of it again. A burning sensation in her heart was drawing her to the peak of the mountain. She didn't know what to think of it, but she knew that she wasn't going to get any answers by just standing there and thinking about it. She began to slowly climb up Mount Ebott.
With each inch she crawled up the mountain, she felt a familiar sensation of when she first came to the mountain; feelings that she had long since abandoned after her adventures in the Underground were starting to crawl back upon her. She tried her best to ignore them, but with each inch she scaled higher, the stronger those feelings felt. They were getting slowly too much as she began to approach the peak.
When she got there at the peak, she was standing at the very top of the mountain, looking down at the hole that led to the Underground, the exact same hole that started it all with her adventure. She was reminded about the time she first fell into the Underground, the first time she met Asriel in the form of Flowey, and her entire adventure that would eventually lead to her befriending the monsters and freeing them from the prison that they had been sealed away in for years.
She stared at the hole in the top as her heart began to race and her breathing getting a little bit clammy. She stared down into it as she remembered the day she fell in all too well. The feelings of the past were starting to become overwhelming to her. She was slowly spreading her arms out and closing her eyes, as if she was getting ready to hurl herself off of the edge.
"Feeling reminiscent, are we?" The familiar voice speaking snapped Frisk right out of her trance.
She glanced over at the other side of the peek, and who else would she find besides the same boy that had been trying to take her soul all day today? He wore a red and black striped tuxedo, and also wore a black business hat on his head. The only real way to tell that it was him were those eyes of his and his rosy red cheeks, which was a trait uncommon in any boy.
"Chara!" Frisk exclaimed as she began to back away a bit.
"Calm yourself, Frisk." Chara said with a sigh as he held his hand out to gesture her to stop. "...I didn't come to kill you or take your soul... this time, at least."
Frisk stopped backing up when Chara said that and looked at Chara as he just stood there, looking at her. "...Well... then why did you come here?" she questioned. "Better yet... where am I? Where did you take me?"
"Nowhere, really. At least nowhere that you've never been to, before." Chara said with a hum as he walked closer to her. "This is what you may consider your subconscious. In the night, when you go to sleep and shut down your for the night, your subconscious remains on throughout the whole time. I've merely made my way into your subconscious to have a little chat."
"...And I take it you're the one that's giving me this dream?" Frisk questioned.
"Well... actually no." Chara looked down at the hole as well. "The reason you're having this dream is because of the mountain... it's reminding you of a couple of memories that you've been trying to hide from yourself."
Frisk remained quiet and looked back at the hole. Her having this dream because of her past experiences, and now being there at the mountain...
"...You know... whether or not you realize this, we're not exactly that different, you and I." Chara said as he sat down, his legs hanging off the edge of the hole. He took of his hat and tried to fix his hair, as it was standing up a bit from the hat. "Ugh... dang hat... messes up my hair."
"...And how do you come to that conclusion?" Frisk questioned as she hesitantly sat beside him.
"Because my hair was fixed and combed before I put this on." Chara said as he pointed to the hat in his hand. "And every time I take this thing off, my hair stands up a little bit-"
"No. I mean what you said before that." Frisk said with a little sigh. "I mean what makes you think that you and I aren't so different?"
"Oh... I knew that." Chara lied as he got his hair fixed and sat the hat by him. "Well, we both have our determination, and both of us just really don't know when to stop." he said. "We both have had our bad experiences in the past... and we both came up on the mountain and went down into the Underground for the same reason."
Frisk felt her fists tighten when she heard that. What Chara just said struck a little nerve with her, and Frisk very rarely got irritated. "...Don't you talk as if you know." Frisk said. "...You have no idea and would never understand why I went up here that day... you wouldn't know anything of why I went down there."
"Oh, is that what you think?" Chara questioned. "Hmmm... interesting... you'll find the truth soon enough."
There was silence as both of them remained sitting by each other. It was honestly the first time that Frisk could remember that Chara and her were met with each other without Chara trying to kill her. Frisk decided that Chara was telling the truth, since if this really were a trick and Chara just waiting for her to get off guard before he attacked, he would have done so by now. Nevertheless, she kept a vigilant eye out, just in case he tried something funny.
"...You know, I've been thinking earlier today." Chara said. "...I've been thinking that perhaps I've been trying to reach you the wrong way... I mean... why bother just trying to get everything from you by force? We're reasonable people, right?"
Frisk remained quiet and looked at Chara. "...Ok, maybe I'm not the most reasonable person in the world, alright? Bite me." Chara said. "But I am reasonable enough to know when a tactic of mine isn't working... and when that time comes, perhaps it's time to change my tactics."
"...And I suppose you're going to try to convince me to just willingly come to you." Frisk said. "...You expect me to just listen to what you have to say and walk right over to you?"
"Well... close." Chara said. "No, what I'm here to bring up is... how you say... an offer."
Frisk kept her gaze intently on him. "...An offer, hm?... Alright, Chara. You've got my attention."
Chara gave a nod and went on. "Well, thinking about it in hindsight, I believe you and I can come to a reasonable understanding... you want nothing more than to make sure your friends don't get hurt... I want nothing more than to wipe out all the humans that live on this planet... and you would be willing to do anything for your friends."
Frisk didn't reply. He had a good point, and she felt like she had an idea of what exactly he was going to say next.
"...Here's the deal." Chara said. "...You come to me... by yourself... and willingly cooperate with me... and I promise... I won't harm any of your friends in the process. Any of those monsters that you deem to be worthwhile keeping alive for your soul... I won't lay a single finger on the hairs of their heads... or some other part of them, if they don't have hair."
"...You'll spare all of them?... Even Sans?" Frisk questioned.
Chara gave a little grimace and looked down, grumbling at the thought of not harming Sans. He wanted so bad to rip him apart for humiliating and seriously hurting him in there meeting.
"...Yes." he said. "...ALL friends that you would want me to spare will not perish... not even Sans."
"...And just how do I know you'll keep your word?" Frisk questioned as she looked at him deep in the eyes. "Once you have my soul, you won't have anything to worry about from me... so how do I know that right after you take my soul, you won't go on and harm my friends?"
"Hmhmhm. You really do think of everything, don't you?" Chara questioned.
"Not really, no. I'm just smart enough to know that villains have a tendency to say anything and make any promises to get what they want." Frisk said.
"Hmhmhm... well, I guess in that regard, without taking my word for it, you wouldn't know... plans DO have a habit of changing, and nothing is ever set in stone..." He gave a hum and stood up as he took his hat.
"...You don't really expect me to take that deal, do you?"
"That's another thing that makes you and I similar, Frisk... you're unpredictable... I don't really know what to expect from you." he said as he put the hat back on. "Part of me hopes that you'll take my offer and end this here and now... but another part of me... really wants to crush your friends and kick your ass... so no matter what decision you'll make... I'll be happy."
Frisk gave a sigh and a nod. "...If that's the case, if you'd be happy with destroying my friends... then why bother offering this deal to me?"
"...Let's just say... you've got friends looking out for you." Chara said as he began to slowly disappear. "Think about everything I've said, Frisk... I'll talk to you later... believe it."
After Chara faded away and Frisk closed her eyes, she opened them again to find her back laying in the field of golden flowers.
It was still dark out, and when she looked around, everybody was there. Sans was sleeping quietly with the back of his head resting on his hands, Alphys and Undyne were snuggled close to each other in their sleep, and Asgore and Toriel were sleeping close to each other.
Papyrus was standing guard of the camp and looked to and fro. He was on the look out for Chara and any of his pals that might come by to pay them a visit. They would be ready if they came that night.
Frisk gave a sigh and looked at the sky again. "...Just a dream." she said quietly as she put her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes again to try and get back to sleep, making sure that she kept the words of Chara fresh in her mind.