A/N: Sorry these first couple of chapters are a little short. I just didn't want to write the play-by-play of everything that occurs in this first part of the Ruins. I promise it will get much more interesting from the next chapter! Until then, please enjoy and let me know what you think!
Becca glanced back behind her to make sure Frisk was really following before she turned the corner into the empty room. Much like the others, there were vines growing on the walls. She already knew that the lighter stones on the floor formed the pattern needed to get through the spikes in the other room, but she paused long enough to let Frisk look around so that they could guess too. Frisk turned slowly in the room, still looking as bedraggled from their fall as earlier, and then turned back to Becca when they were done, waiting for her to continue. She suspected they hadn't noticed the floor. Didn't matter. She could lead them through.
She heard a scuffle and her head immediately turned towards the noise, but she didn't see anything. Her hackles were raised as Frisk walked over to join her, so she moved on into the short hallway separating the solution room to the puzzle spikes. She only had time to feel Frisk grab her shirt before she felt a battle initiate, her Soul being pulled from her chest along with Frisk's as the battle formed.
A Froggit was attacking. Frisk's Soul hovered nervously, startled to see a monster for the first time. Becca was calm and waited for her turn. She wondered what Frisk would do while she glared at the Froggit. It was really rude of it to interrupt their travel. Sometimes monsters really just liked to jump the gun on these things.
Frisk continued to hesitate, and Becca was about to tell them to do something before Mercy was triggered automatically, when the younger human said, "You look very nice today."
The Froggit didn't seem to understand what Frisk was saying at all, but it seemed flattered anyway. All intentions to fight seemed to leave it as it preened a little. Becca chose Mercy, and soon after so did Frisk. The Froggit bounded away cheerfully. Becca glared after it. It wasn't often that monsters came this deep into the Ruins. There was no point. There was nothing down here for them.
Frisk touched the sleeve of Becca's shirt and gazed at her hopefully. She could see the question in their face. Honestly all of this would be a lot easier if they had just remembered their first trip through. It was annoying having to explain all of the functions in the Underground and such. But she would be patient because she actually liked Frisk. And she would make sure that this time they were better prepared for what she guessed was their power.
"Good job." She praised them and showed them to the spikes. Frisk froze at the sight and looked around for a switch of some sort. Becca couldn't help but tease them. "Did you figure out the puzzle? I'm afraid I just don't remember this one."
Frisk shot her a confused, but not suspicious, look. Becca felt a little bad now. They were proving themselves to be insanely trustworthy. She was worried about Frisk. The younger human ran back into the other room to look around. Becca decided that this would be a good time to test the human. It would be good to see if Frisk was smart enough to solve the puzzles in the Underground. Becca wouldn't always know the answers to all of them. Hopefully Frisk thought to read the sign between the rooms. It was quite obvious, but then again she had met dumber children here. She moved through the correct spots on the spikes until she made it to the other side, and then she waited for Frisk.
Frisk ran back into the room and gaped a little to see her on the other side. She waved at them. Frisk's face fell, but then hardened with determination. They steeled themselves before taking the first step onto the correct platform of false spikes. Becca waited and watched as the human moved slowly but with some confidence to all of the correct platforms until they were even with Becca. She smiled at them in praise.
"You figured it out. Some would just take the water," she motioned to the water on either side of the bridge of spike platforms, "but you could get sick that way. Anyway." She pointed out the next room as they entered it. It was just an extremely long room without much point at all. There were pillars and more vines near the walls, but Becca never found a purpose for this room. "Past this hallway is where most of the monsters are. We'll probably have to battle some of them, so keep your stick handy." Frisk nodded.
Exiting the long hallway led them both into a room with leaves gathered in various places. Becca ignored the piles and eyed the Froggit that was instead chilling there. However, the Froggit didn't seem to want to attack. Becca was about to move on, but Frisk stopped to chat with the Froggit instead, smiling at the monster. However, they didn't seem to understand the creature. Becca remembered their own struggle with understanding some of the monsters and made attempt to translate.
"'Hello human.'" She told Frisk. She startled at the greeting and almost confronted the monster, but it continued and so she had to continue as well, "'I have some advice for you about battling monsters. If you Act a certain way or Fight until you almost defeat them, they might not want to battle you anymore. If the monster does not want to fight you, please. Use some Mercy, human.' They already knew that." Becca snapped at the Froggit. It flinched, gazing at her with wide eyes. Frisk grabbed Becca's arm, but she shook them off.
"Why do you think they're a human?" She demanded.
The Froggit ribbited nervously before responding, "Because they look like Their Majesty Chara when they were young." So this was an older Froggit. Becca took a step back, horrified. That wasn't good at all. She trusted that the monsters in the Ruins wouldn't say anything to those outside of the Ruins, but how would monsters react to Frisk when they decided to leave the Ruins as well? She looked at Frisk, worried, before she nodded thanks to the Froggit. She grabbed Frisk's hand and tugged them around the corner to a room that had nothing in it but an area to drink for those who were thirsty.
"Becca . . ." Frisk asked in their soft voice, "who is . . .?"
Becca shook her head, glaring at the water. "Later. I'll explain later." She promised. She had to explain it to all of the children, and Frisk would be no different. She had never suspected that Chara and Frisk would look anything alike. Most of the monsters couldn't tell if the children were human, but maybe that was because a lot of them only had one frame of reference. Of course Frisk would have to be the weakest link. They would have to be careful.
Frisk eyed her, but again their squinted gaze held no judgement. Becca was starting to feel uncomfortable with all of this trust. She hadn't felt this since the other human fell down. The kind one. Instead Frisk asked, "You can . . . understand the monsters?"
Becca gave them a somewhat sad smile. "I've been here a while. You pick up on things. Now come on."
Frisk followed her back out, but they decided to go through the leaves rather than following the path. They smiled as they hopped in the pile playfully, and some of the worry they had been carrying in their face melted away. Becca waited patiently and watched them as they paused and came to some conclusion. Their face clouded over for a brief moment, and Becca felt that strange sensation of the world stuttering for just a moment before everything returned to normal as if it never was. She was certain that was Frisk's power, the child forming a "SAVE". Just more video game logic, Becca thought. She wondered how she would explain to Frisk their power when even she wasn't too sure of how to voice her knowledge.
Frisk hurried over to rejoin her then as they moved into the next room. As they moved through the Ruins, Becca began to notice that Frisk would do that every now and again. They would stop and stare at something, and then they would form a SAVE. If it was anything like a video game, that meant if the child died at least they wouldn't have to go through the whole spiel again. It would be nice if the human remembered when they died, though. She wondered if they had more powers.
Frisk didn't like to Fight. They were confronted by a number of monsters, but Frisk always managed to Act in a certain way to get them to leave them both alone. Becca allowed Frisk to do what they wanted, instead choosing to sit back and watch them. She never fought, but she did heal Frisk with some of her few food items when they needed it. It was fascinating watching them take hits and not want to hurt the monster in response. Becca certainly had not been so kind, as terrified as she had been when she had first arrived. But she knew these monsters were not too bad, so she didn't want to Fight.
It was only when they came across a monster that Becca had rarely seen did she get nervous. It was a ghost, laying on a bed of leaves. She shuddered a little. Could monsters be ghosts? Were all ghosts monsters? She didn't like the idea. Frisk pointed at the monster while looking at Becca curiously. The girl hung back.
"Uh . . . I don't know. Try talking to it?" She suggested. She hoped that a battle wouldn't start. She didn't want to fight a ghost. She wasn't so sure she could hit it.
Frisk turned to the ghost and waved a hand in front of its face, completely fine with the fact that they were facing a ghost. "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . ." The ghost said, "zzzzzzzzzzzzz . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . . " The ghost was saying the letter 'z' repeatedly, as if pretending to be asleep. Becca made a face. Why were monsters so weird sometimes? The ghost mumbled something else, but she didn't quite catch it. "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . ."
Frisk looked back at Becca and motioned her over. She reluctantly rejoined them. "Help me move it?" They asked.
"I'm not sure we can touch it." Becca muttered in response, but together they tried to move the monster. Instantly a battle started, pulling out both Frisk's and Becca's Souls. Becca instantly knew the name of the ghost. "Here comes Napstablook." She warned Frisk. If she had to describe the ghost, she would have to say it looked kind of pathetic and pitiful. It gazed at them with a hopeless look in its eyes, as if it expected them to attack and hurt it. Becca gripped her toy knife, but didn't pull it out yet. She wasn't sure if she would need to. She waited to see what Frisk would do. The kid had some pretty good intuition.
Frisk thought for a moment before they said, "You look boo-tiful today."
Napstablook gave a chuckle and appeared a bit cheered up. Becca covered her mouth and tried not to giggle. Oh no, she would not laugh at these stupid jokes. But she needed to remember that one for later if she possibly saw her friend again. She was sure that one would earn quite a giggle.
Napstablook began to cry, and the large magical tears dropped close to both of their Souls. Frisk and Becca both dodged, although Frisk's movement was much more loose than Becca's was. She couldn't move her Soul nearly as freely, but every now and again if she paused, the attack would go straight through her Soul and miss.
It was her turn now. Frisk waited to see if she would use Mercy, but Becca could sense the ghost wasn't appeased. She decided to Act and gave the ghost a patient smile. Napstablook smiled just a tiny bit back, huffing another laugh. Becca prepared herself for another tearful shower, but some ghostly words appeared in front of them instead saying, "REALLY NOT FEELIN UP TO IT RIGHT NOW. SORRY."
"Aw." Frisk murmured, looking a little saddened. Becca wondered why this ghost was so sad? Who had hurt it? She felt bad just for even contemplating about how she would Fight it if she had to.
Napstablook did seem to be in a better mood overall, though. Becca was certain Frisk had really chosen the best path on their first shot this time. In retrospect it made sense to try to cheer up such a sad monster. Frisk decided to Cheer for the ghost again, but Napstablook hesitantly cut them off, wanting to show them something.
"let me try . . ." The ghost murmured before tears leaked from its eyes again. Becca only had just enough time to wonder how the hell the monster was breaking the battle system to attack when it wasn't its turn when the tears floated upwards instead to coagulate into a watery top hat. "i call it 'dapperblook'. do you like it . . ."
Frisk clapped and smiled at Becca, seeing that it was her turn. Becca gave a tiny smile at Napstablook as it eagerly awaited her response as well. She nodded. "It looks very dapper." She agreed.
"oh gee . . ." Napstablook whispered as tears slipped from its eyes and the magic on Becca's and Frisk's Souls was released. Their colored vision returned to both of them. Napstablook returned to laying on the bed of leaves, apparently too overcome to even stand up. "i usually come to this part of the Ruins because there's nobody around here . . . but today i met some nice people . . ."
Napstablook continued to gaze somewhat cheerfully at the ceiling. Frisk and Becca shared a look before Becca said, "Um, sorry, but we need to get past you . . .?"
"oh, i'm rambling again. i'll get out of your way." Napstablook faded away, making Becca's skin jump uneasily. She didn't like the thought of monsters being able to appear and disappear whenever they wanted to. Frisk appeared to be in a good mood though and pointed onwards. Becca huffed a laugh and followed the child. Really now, who was the leader here?