It doesn't take long for Frisk to lose sight of her companion. She walks through the maze of dead wood and seaweed, and slowly she feels herself relax.
"I-I doubt that crazy guy'll find me." She quietly says. "Who even was that? I mean…" She puts her hand over where one of the holes once was. "So… I… I can't really die, can I? It still hurts though… Like, really, really hurts." She lets out a long sigh. The ocean waves beat against the sand, and the smell of the sea fills the air. Frisk slows her walk as the calming sounds flow through the air around her. She reaches out and runs her fingers over some of the wood for a few moments, then her hand drops back to her side.
"Thought you could run?" Frisk freezes. "Let's end that, now!" Frisk dives to the right, and see can see some spears hit the sand where she had been standing. She quickly gets back on her feet and starts running. Over and over she hits walls and shacks as she attempts to flee. "Get back here!" Frisk sees a blue glow in front of her, and she jumps to the left of it. Spears shoot up from it.
"Stop it! Please!" Frisk shouts as she turns a corner. She skids to a stop as the blue lights cover all of the ground in front of her. Spears shoot up, creating a wall.
"This is it! You dirty little murderer. I'll make sure you pay for ki…"
"I didn't kill Papyrus!" Frisk spins around and glares at her attacker. "In fact, he almost killed me! But he changed his mind, and he gave me his scarf! He said it was his mom's…" She grabs the scarf with both hands. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"You expect me to take the word of some human?" Frisk grits her teeth.
"Yes! He trusted me!" A spear appears in the attacker's hand. They then lunge at Frisk, but she dives under them, getting a face full of sand. She scrambles to her feet and starts running the way she came. However, she slips into one of the tiny buildings and hides back in its shadows. She sees the armored pursuer run past, and listens to the clank of metal as it gets further and further away. Finally, when she can no longer hear it, she crawls out of her disheveled shelter. "I… I don't know how to deal with this." She once again makes her way through the driftwood forts. Suddenly, she hears a ringing. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a phone. "Uh…" She answers. "Hello?"
"FRISK! GOOD, I FINALLY GOT A HOLD OF YOU. I'VE BEEN DIALING ALL SORTS OF NUMBERS TRYING TO FIND YOURS."
"P-Papyrus?" Frisk stops. "You…"
"YOU KNOW, I THINK I MISSED A CALL WHILE I WAS TRYING NUMBERS EARLIER. I KEPT HITTING CALL AND END CALL THOUGH, SO I'M NOT COMPLETELY SURE."
"P-Papyrus! I… I'm being chased by some crazy guy in armor!" Frisk shouts. "I… I don't know what to do! They think you're dead and that I killed you and they keep throwing spears at me, and…"
"WAIT, FRISK, HOLD ON. THAT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE… WHERE ARE YOU, EXACTLY?"
"I-I'm in the driftwood forts."
"LISTEN, I'LL COME TO YOU. DON'T GO TOO FAR AWAY FROM THEM, OKAY? THE MONSTER AFTER YOU IS UNDYNE, CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD. I'LL GIVE HER A CALL, BUT… AS I SAID BEFORE, IT'S PART OF MY JOB, AND HERS, TO CAPTURE ALL HUMANS AND TAKE THEIR SOULS… I… WILL DO MY BEST TO HELP YOU. STAY SAFE UNTIL I GET THERE."
"O-okay." Frisk is quiet. "Hurry, please."
"I WILL." She hangs up, then continues her quest to escape the wooden maze. When a loud noise scares her, she hides in the nearest shelter, until she finally feels comfortable enough to leave. Eventually, she breaks free of the forts. However, she stays near the exit, occasionally going into one of the forts along the edge. After a while, she starts walking a little further away, going closer to the water. She walks just up to it and squats down. As a wave rolls in, she reaches her hand out, letting the water envelop her fingers. When it recedes she giggles and shakes the water off her hand.
"This place is so overwhelming sometimes." She stands up. "I wish I could just relax out here. I kind of want to go swimming in that, too." She turns just in time to see her armored attacker walk out of the driftwood forts. The two look at each other a moment, then Frisk starts to run.
"Enough running!" Suddenly Frisk's feet feel so heavy she can't run anymore. She's almost glued to the spot.
"Wh-what?" She tries to move, but she can barely lift her feet.
"No more running!" She turns, with some effort, and watches as her attacker takes off their helmet, revealing they're a blue woman with some small fins on their face, an eye-patch over their left eye, and red hair.
"P-please! Leave me alone!" Frisk shouts.
"Listen here. Humans are a threat to monsters, and I will not tolerate your existence. I also can't stand cowards! Look at you, running every time we meet! Now though, using my magic, your soul is unable to leave. You'll be forced to face me so long as your soul is imbued with green magic."
"Wh-what? Green… Wait…" She looks at Undyne, then at her hands. "Green magic, a magic of healing and defense alike. Also known as basic support magic…" A few spears appear on either side of Undyne. When they shoot at Frisk, she holds her hand up, and a green shield appears. The spears disintegrate when they hit the shield. Undyne looks surprised, but then she smiles.
"Look at that! You've actually managed to use a shield! But can you block this?" Spears appear on all four sides of Frisk, and they shoot out at different times. Frisk moves her hands blocking the spears as they come at her. She struggles to turn in time to catch ones behind her, but still, she manages to save herself from any injury from this wave. Move spears appear though, and they continue to shoot at Frisk. However, she spots a different colored spear coming from in front of her, a yellow one. It distracts Frisk, and one of the spears manages to get past her shield. She leans to the side, and it skims her arm.
"This is really no…" She watches the yellow spear suddenly circle around her and shoot at her back. She manages to turn and block it, though only just in time. "No fair!"
"You don't call things fair or not fair in a fight for your life! Grow up!" Frisk grits her teeth.
"Fine then! Bring it!" More spears appear, several of them yellow. Frisk takes in a deep breath, then slowly lets it out. "I can do this." The spears fly at her, and she continues to block them. On occasion, one will slip past. However, she usually manages to dodge, and never allows a spear to hit any vital spots. After a few rounds, Undyne creates a spear in her hand and waves it before throwing it at Frisk. As Frisk prepares to use the shield, she finds it doesn't appear. She looks at the spear flying towards her face, then she dives to the ground. Her feet are light once again.
"Thought I'd leave you like that forever? Ha! What sort of battle would it be if I left you to only defend? Come at me, human! I'll show you the power of monsters!" A blue circle appears below Frisk, and she rolls away just in time to avoid the spears that shoot up from the ground. She scrambles to her feet, then jumps to the side to avoid another spear. Frisk looks at Undyne, then glances around herself. "Come on! Attack me! I dare you!" Frisk starts running for the street. "What? Get back here!" She gets just past the last bit of driftwood when her feet suddenly fail her once again. Instantly she turns and puts up a shield, and she watches as a spear disintegrates in front of her face.
"Th-that was close." She smiles nervously. "I-I really could do without the risk of death."
"You don't get to run away from this fight! You either face me, or…"
"UNDYNE!" Papyrus runs from the road towards them. "I HAD HOPED TO GET HERE BEFORE YOU FOUND THE HUMAN, BUT…"
"P-Papyrus? But…" Undyne looks from Papyrus to Frisk. "Your scarf?"
"I GAVE IT TO THE HUMAN, AS A PROTECTIVE CHARM FOR THEIR JOURNEY. UNDYNE, YOU CAN'T KILL THIS HUMAN. FRISK ISN'T EVIL. I CAN SEE IT, SHE'S KIND, AND SHE LOVES MONSTERS." Frisk smiles as Papyrus.
"You… You can't be serious! Papyrus, you're a member of the royal guard! You can't let a threat like a human just…"
"NO!" Papyrus creates a bone in his hand. "I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO HARM HER ANY MORE! I… I BELIEVE IN THIS HUMAN, UNDYNE. I BELIEVE IN FRISK." He places a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "I NEED YOU TO TRUST ME, UNDYNE. PLEASE. I BELIEVE IN THIS HUMAN, LIKE MY MOTHER BELIEVED IN HUMANS. THEY CAN BE GOOD IF THEY TRY, AND SHE'S CERTAINLY TRYING. I AM HAPPY TO CALL HER… FRIEND." Frisk feels some tears in her eyes as she looks up at Papyrus.
"Y-you can't be… This is crazy! Papyrus, you know…" Undyne stumbles over her words. "Papyrus, a human is the reason your mother is dead! You know that!"
"I DO… BUT THAT HUMAN AND THIS ONE ARE NOT THE SAME. I REFUSE TO LIVE WITH FEAR… I REFUSE TO LET OUR MISCONCEPTIONS AND PAST KEEP ME FROM ENJOYING THE PRESENT, AND STRIVING TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE. YES, I'M A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, AND AS A MEMBER OF IT I FEEL IT IS MY DUTY TO PROTECT EVERYONE, INCLUDING THIS HUMAN WHO LOVES US SO MUCH."
"P-Papyrus…" Frisk sniffles. She quickly hugs him, and he smiles and hugs her back.
"You… Really feel strongly about this, don't you?" Undyne sighs. "I… Okay, Papyrus. Okay. I still don't trust this human, and I'll be keep a close eye on them." She glares at Frisk. "But… Just this once, for you… For your mom."
"THANK YOU, UNDYNE. YOU WON'T REGRET THIS."
"I better not." She walks up to them. "Kid, you hear me? If you harm a single monster, if anyone at all is killed because you got too full of yourself, I will personally hunt you down and destroy you, understand?"
"Well, given I don't plan on hurting anyone, I think I'll be fine." Undyne walks past them, heading up towards the road. Frisk looks up at Papyrus. "Thank you, really. I don't think I could have survived without you."
"NO WORRIES. WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR?" He reaches down and adjusts Frisk's scarf. "I HAVE TO RETURN HOME NOW. I MUST PATROL AND ENSURE THE CITIZENS STAY SAFE. FROM HERE ON OUT, I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REACH YOU IN TIME IF YOU GET INTO A FIGHT. PLEASE, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. THIS SCARF HAS SEEN ONE LIFE END, IT DOESN'T NEED TO SEE ANOTHER." Frisk nods.
"I'll do my best."
"GOOD. PERHAPS, ONCE SHE HAS COOLED OFF, YOU AND UNDYNE COULD BECOME FRIENDS. YOU HAVE MY NUMBER NOW, AND I HAVE YOURS, SO WE'LL HAVE TO KEEP IN TOUCH. EVEN IF I CAN'T GET TO YOU, YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL ME. PERHAPS I'LL BE OF USE STILL."
"Alright. Thank you, Papyrus. I… I really appreciate this… everything."
"GOODBYE FOR NOW, MY FRIEND."
"Goodbye, friend." The two wave as they part ways. Frisk continues her journey along the beach, while Papyrus heads back towards his home.
"Hey! I saw that! All of that!" Frisk stops and sees the monster kid running out from the forts. "That was so cool! You're a human? Well, I know you're supposed to be my enemy, but… But even Undyne let you go! I knew you were cool!" They smile. "I've gotta go home before my parents realize I've left, but… I had fun walking with you. And I even got to see Undyne in action! So cool! Well, see you around!" They turn and run back into the forts, laughing as they go. Frisk lets out a sigh, but continues to smile.
"Alright, guess it's just me again." She continues on her way, feeling a little lighter, and a little more determined.
