Frisk met their friends in Snowdin Town's plaza, all three dressed in heavy winter clothes. Though Spring was around the corner, it had gotten very cold throughout the Underground. It was likely winter's last surge before giving into spring.
'So what are we doing today?' Frisk asked.
"Maybe we could check out some areas in Waterfall?" Noelle suggested.
"Nope," MK denied. "I have a great idea how to start the day. And it's in Snowdin Forest."
"Really? What is it?" Noelle asked.
"It's a surprise," MK said cryptically. "C'mon!" He started running for the rope bridge that led out of town, his two friends behind him. He led them all the way through the forest, past several puzzles that Papyrus had been maintaining for the past few years, along with all the sentry posts.
MK led his friends deeper and deeper into the forest, into areas they barely recognized. Last time they had been this deep in the forest, Toriel had been carrying them because they were too weak from getting shot to walk on their own.
Eventually MK lead them past a familiar sentry post with bottles of relish, mustard and ketchup inside.
"Um, MK, are we almost there?" Noelle asked nervously. "I've never been this far into the forest before."
"Almost," he answered.
Frisk had a sinking feeling in their gut they knew where MK was leading them. As they crossed a bridge with a gate that had bars spaced too wide to stop anyone, Frisk realized where they were going and stopped.
'MK, this is a bad idea,' they signed, using their magic hands so MK could see.
"Dude, you don't even know where we're going," MK said.
'You're taking us to the Ruins,' they signed, Noelle freezing up when she read that. 'We're not supposed to go there. Dangerous humans live on the other side of those doors.'
"But the doors are sealed, right?" MK asked. "Your mom enchanted them so no one could leave."
'It's still dangerous,' Frisk iterated.
"Don't worry, dude. We're not going in," MK assured. "This is what I want to start the day with; a dare. We're going to go and knock on the doors."
'That's it?' Frisk questioned.
"That's it. We each knock on the doors," MK explained.
"Isn't that kind of simple for a dare?" Noelle questioned.
"Well, your moms would kill me if I made you do anything more," MK explained. "So, we're just going to knock." He resumed walking with Frisk and Noelle following. After a short while the large purple doors loomed over them.
MK stood before them. "Okay, here we are," MK declared. "Doors are still here, so clearly the humans are on the other side."
"MK, I've got a bad feeling about this," Noelle said.
"Come on, dude! After what we saw in the doc's lab this is tame!" MK shouted. "All you have to do is knock on the door. At least two taps."
'This is still dangerous, MK,' Frisk signed.
"Ugh. I guess I'll go first then. Crybabies." He walked up to the door.
Asriel appeared next to Frisk. "This feels wrong," he said. "Whatever you do, be careful. I can't shake the feeling something bad's going to happen."
Two taps came from the door as MK slapped his tail on it. After that, he walked away. "You're turn," he said to his two companions.
"Um… a-are you s-sure t-this is s-safe?" Noelle stuttered. She was quivering all over.
"Come on, Noelle! You're braver than this. I know you are," MK encouraged. "Just two taps on the door with your knuckles. That's all."
Noelle gulped as she walked to the door. She was only a foot away when she raised her hand. Shaking like there was an earthquake, she rapped on the door twice with her knuckles, producing two loud taps. She turned and bolted back for her friends. "Never make me do that again!" she yelled.
"Your turn, Frisk," MK said, gesturing to the door with his tail.
Frisk still had a bad feeling that this wouldn't end well. They walked forward until they were within arm's reach of the door. Then they raised their hand and tapped the door, making two very muffled taps. After that, they turned and went back to their friends. 'Can we go now?'
"What are you guys so afraid of?" MK questioned. "After the doc's lab, this is nothing."
"That doesn't mean we liked it, MK," Noelle said. "Being this close to humans, even if they're on the other side of a large door, is scary."
'You do realize I'm right here?' Frisk reminded.
"You don't count, dude," MK waved off.
"What?" Frisk protested.
"What I mean is that you're a Monster, dude, so it doesn't count in that way," MK nervously defended.
Frisk still looked cross. 'Let's go.'
"How about to Waterfall?" Noelle suggested. "There's that room with all the crystals in the ceiling. We could go there!"
"Sure!" MK agreed. He led the way again. "After that, we could go to New Home. I heard that there's a new park they just opened. We've got to check it out!"
Frisk was about to sign when Asriel popped up next to them. "I think I just heard something snap," he warned. "Someone's nearby."
Frisk was about to say something when they heard another branch snap nearby.
"That was a lot closer," Asriel said.
'Guys, we should pick up the pace,' Frisk suggested.
"Why? There's no one else here," MK pointed out. "We're the only three here in this part of the woods."
Then Frisk heard another noise. One they hadn't heard in so long; it took their mind a while to process where they had heard it before. It was the sound of a gun being loaded. Which meant only one thing.
"Run!" they shouted, grabbing Noelle's hand and sprinting away from the doors. MK was surprised when Frisk passed him, but quickly started to keep pace, understanding that Frisk was scared by something.
Frisk turned a corner and nearly ran into someone. Someone carrying a long piece of metal. Noelle screamed as she saw this new person and MK turned on his heels and started heading in a different direction, Frisk and Noelle not too far behind.
"Was that a human?!" MK questioned Frisk. They weren't able to answer, still holding Noelle's hand and unable to focus enough to give a proper response. Then another person stepped out from behind the trees, a small pistol in their hand. The three quickly turned and started running in yet another direction. They only got a few feet before a small patch of snow exploded in front of them. Frisk turned and bolted, Noelle almost tripping at this point, MK not far behind.
Belatedly, Frisk realized that they were being corralled. By the time that came to their mind, a fourth person stepped before them, brandishing a long rifle. MK turned to flee, only for the other three to surround them, each one carrying a different type of gun.
Frisk recognized each face, but it was clear they didn't recognize them. These were the same humans who they locked in the Ruins years ago. 'Don't mention my name,' they signed to their friends with their magic hands, only to get cut off as the snow exploded in front of them again.
"No magic," one of the humans threatened, gun still raised.
"Looks like we caught a few kids," the second human they came across said.
"They all look different from the ones back in those ruins," the third said.
"They're Monsters, you idiot. Of course they all look different," the first snapped.
"Quiet," the fourth ordered. He then knelt down to look at the kids more at eye level. "Well, we were just out looking for some more supplies. Who would have guessed we came across some hostages?"
Frisk felt Noelle stiffen as they glanced at each of the humans. It was only now that they realized how gaunt they looked. They were slimmer than Frisk remembered and appeared less healthy.
"W-what do you want with us?" MK asked, stuttering, which surprised Frisk and Noelle.
"I'm sure we can figure something out," the fourth said. "Maybe barter with someone for more food."
"Why not just kill and cook them?" the third suggested. "I heard you can eat deer and that one looks like a deer." He pointed at Noelle, who shrunk behind Frisk.
"M-monsters can't be eaten," MK stammered. "W-were just dust and magic. N-no meat."
"Well, that's a shame," the third said. "Guess we'll just kill you." He raised his gun and pointed it at MK.
"Ah! Why would you do that? I thought you were going to barter with us?" MK asked.
"I doubt it'd be worth it," the third said nonchalantly. "We're strained with supplies as is. We don't need a few extra mouths."
Frisk was about to conjure some fire when they remembered what the humans first said. Not worth the risk. They needed to talk their way out of this, but Frisk didn't trust their voice enough to speak clearly and none of the humans knew sign language. But MK did and he was brave enough to talk.
They waved their hands to get his attention and asked him to translate. Frisk wasn't sure what to say, but they had to come up with something. 'Just let us go. We promise we won't say anything,' they signed, MK translating.
"What's this white thing doing with its hands?" the second asked.
"Not sure, but I think it's communicating with the lizard," the fourth said.
"Whatever. Let's just kill them. Dead men tell no tales, after all!" the third said, still aiming with his gun. Before he could fire, he got shot in the arm by the fourth.
"We leave the kids alive for now!" he ordered. "I'm the leader here, so you obey my orders."
"J-just let us go. Like…" MK trailed off as he tried to think of something to call Frisk. "Like the prince said, we won't tell anyone!"
"Prince? That thing's a prince?" the fourth said with a devilish smile. Frisk slapped their forehead.
'Thanks, MK. You just made things ten times worse.'
The fourth grabbed Frisk by the arm and held them at gunpoint. "Is that true? You're the prince?"
Frisk decided to nod. In a way, it was true.
"Well, this is perfect," the human leader said.
"How so?" the second asked.
"Think about it! A prince means a king. And a king means a kingdom. And a king is going to protect his heir. With this prince as our bargaining chip, we could get whatever we wanted from him!"
MK and Noelle paled when they realized what he meant. "Sorry, dude," MK whispered.
The leader let Frisk go then grabbed MK by the scruff of his shirt. "You look like a fast one. I'm going to let you go to deliver an ultimatum to your king." He made sure MK was looking at him. "Tell your king that if he wants his prince alive, then he is to surrender this part of his kingdom to us, along with five years of food and supplies. We'll be waiting just outside those purple doors. We expect him in twenty-four hours. If he is late, we'll kill your little friend here. If he does not meet our demands, we kill his prince." He tossed MK to the snow. "Start running."
MK stood up and glanced back to see the humans grabbing Frisk and Noelle. He turned and started sprinting, heading for Snowdin Town.
"Let's get back to base," the leader said. Frisk and Noelle were roughly shoved by two of the humans, back to the Ruins. "You two better hope your friend gets to your king in time and that your king agrees to our demands. Otherwise, come nightfall tomorrow, you'll be dead."
Toriel was sitting in her chair, trading jokes with Sans. While Frisk was out playing with their friends, the skeleton would often come over to keep her company. It reminded her of her time in the Ruins, sharing jokes with her friend on the other side of the door. Only now, she knew her friend's name and she had many more people to keep her company.
"so, how's your kid been doin' in school, old lady?" Sans asked.
"Oh, very well," Toriel answered. "They learn fast and their friends are a huge help."
"i heard they were hanging out with the hoofed girl and that lizard kid that idolizes undyne," Sans said.
"Yes. I think both have been a good influence on Frisk. And Frisk has been a good influence on them in turn."
"yeah, king checks on the girl every couple weeks. told me she's doin' much better since frisk came into her life."
Toriel tried to brush off the mention of Asgore. She still didn't like that he kept tabs on her and her child and that Sans was something of a middleman in that regard as well.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Then the door burst open and MK stumbled in. "Mrs. Dreemurr!" he shouted before falling on his face. He got right back up though and ran to Toriel.
"Goodness, are you alright?" Toriel asked, noting the look of distress on MK's face.
"They got Frisk! The got Noelle!" he shouted.
"Who got them?" Toriel asked, standing up at the mention of her child.
"Humans!" MK shouted, which caused Sans to bolt up as well. "We were in the forest when we were ambushed! They threatened to kill them!"
"Humans? How?" Toriel demanded. "They are supposed to be sealed in the Ruins!"
"I don't know! But they had these scary-looking weapons that made loud noises and made the snow explode in front of us! I think they were guns!"
"Guns? How do you know about those?" Toriel asked.
"Is that really important right now?!" MK shouted. "They threatened to kill your kid and Noelle! I need to talk to the king. They sent me with a message for him!"
"why would they need to speak to the king?" Sans asked.
"I messed up and said that Frisk is the prince, so they want things from the king!"
Sans tapped a bony finger to his chin as he thought.
"As loathe as I am to ask for his help, it seems I must," Toriel admitted.
"And we need to hurry, too. If they don't see the king by morning tomorrow, they're gonna kill Noelle first!"
"then let's not waste any time," Sans decided. He placed a hand on Toriel and MK and in a flash teleported to the castle.
"What the…!" MK exclaimed.
"king's here somewhere," Sans said.
"KING ASGORE!" MK shouted at the top of his lungs. He started running towards the house built into the castle, only to trip again. He picked himself up and resumed his run, only to slam right into the king.
"Golly, what's wrong?" he asked.
"I messed up and now my friends are in danger!" MK said.
It took MK about an hour to go over everything. He had to answer a few questions and admit that both he and Noelle knew about the surface and who Frisk really was, which slowed the story down a bit. But once all that was cleared up, he explained everything as rapidly and as clearly as he could.
Once he was done, Asgore stood up from where he had sat to listen. Toriel was aghast, her hand covering her mouth and she was fighting back tears.
"How did the humans escape?" he asked MK gently. "Did they say at all? Did you see anything?"
"No," MK answered. "The doors seemed intact. I don't know how they got out."
Asgore hummed in thought. "Well, I suppose it matters not. The bottom line is that they have a way to leave. What do they want in exchange for the children's lives?"
"Um…" MK struggled to remember what the humans had said. "They want the entirety of Snowdin, along with five years' worth of food."
"we can't agree to that," Sans advised from the wall he was leaning against. "we're crowded as it is. give up a quarter of our space, displace hundreds of people and things are going to get worse."
"But what about Frisk and Noelle? They threatened to kill them!" Toriel reminded.
"I'm not ignoring that," Asgore assured. "But Sans is right. We can't give up Snowdin. Perhaps if we bargained with them, tried to find a middle ground."
"I don't think they'd agree to that," MK said. "W-when that one human grabbed me, I could feel the hate in his heart, but also the desperation. They looked sick and half-starved. I don't think they're gonna bargain. You either agree to their demands, or…" He didn't finish that sentence, not wanting to think about it.
Asgore drummed his fingers together in thought. He needed a way to save Frisk while also giving the humans what they wanted. But their demands couldn't be met. He wasn't going to give up an entire region of the Underground, along with so much food for two children. And he was in no position to bargain, either. The humans had all the power in this instance.
Or did they?
"MK, you said they looked sick," Asgore turned to the child. "How sick?"
"Um… they looked kinda pale, skinny," MK supplied. "They were tall, but not as big as most adult Monsters."
"Then perhaps we may have an advantage," Asgore decided. He pulled out his phone and texted Undyne, telling her to come at once. "I will not agree to their demands and we may be able to get them to bargain with us."
"How? They have hostages and humans are much stronger than us," Toriel pointed out.
"Ordinarily, yes," Asgore agreed. "But I'm willing to bet that these humans are malnourished and while they may still be able to cause harm, it will not be as much as we fear. And, as MK said, they are desperate. So if we arrive, but make it clear they have to negotiate on our terms, they may be willing to concede."
"so we're going to do what, exactly?" Sans asked.
"I'll get the guard together," Asgore answered. "We'll make it clear to the humans that we will not stand for their threats."
Toriel was impressed by Asgore. It sounded like he really cared for Frisk. She glanced at MK and she could see he was still trembling. She walked over and laid a hand on his back. "Why do we make some tea to calm your nerves? You have been through a lot."
"Thanks, Miss Toriel," MK said.
"And just so we are clear, I will be telling your parents about this when this is over."
"Yeah, I figured," MK bemoaned.
A while later, Undyne was in her full armor at Asgore's house, Papyrus by her side. He was telling the captain about his idea. She and the guard would be at his back as he arrived at the meeting place. They would make it clear to the humans that the Monsters would not be toyed with. It would give them a position of strength.
"I like it, but I also have an idea," Undyne suggested. "In case the humans don't agree to your concessions, I set up the guard to ambush them. I'll send a few of the new recruits ahead and place them in strategic positions around the area, so that if it devolves into a fight, they can swarm the humans before they know what hits them."
"BUT WE DON'T WANT IT TO BECOME THAT, RIGHT?" Papyrus asked. "WE'RE NOT GOING TO INTENTIONALLY KILL THEM, RIGHT?"
"We will try to avoid violence as much as we can," Asgore assured. "But it doesn't hurt to have a backup in case the humans prove unreasonable."
"BUT THEY SHOULD AGREE. IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE IN ANY POSITION TO DEMAND ANYTHING ELSE," Papyrus pointed out. "AFTER ALL, WE OUTNUMBER THEM BY A GREAT DEAL."
"Sure, Papyrus," Undyne said, trying to be sincere.
"Perhaps they would be more willing to listen if we offered something," Toriel suggested. "A show of goodwill."
"I agree," Asgore said. "Papyrus, you're a strong lad."
"INDEED I AM!" Papyrus preened, one hand to his chest which he puffed out in pride.
"We shall load up a cart with some food and medicine and you can transport it to the doors," Asgore decided. "If the humans see it, they may be willing to listen to our concessions."
"Which are going to be what?" Undyne asked.
"We will not give them Snowdin," Asgore decided. "But we will be willing to share our food stores with them. I can arrange it so we have a regular transport of needed food and remedies to the Ruins entrance. They can keep that area to themselves."
"We're going to be sharing our food with them?" Undyne asked.
"This is a dark time in our collective history," Asgore reminded. "The humans are almost gone and as I have said before, this group may be all that's left of humanity. If we can ease their suffering, they may be willing to survive with us. If we stand together, we will overcome this."
"I don't like it," Undyne said. "But I won't argue with you."
"Thank you," Asgore said. "Now let us see what we can spare for them. I don't suppose any of you know how many there are?"
"Frisk said there were ten a while back," Toriel reminded. "Let us assume that there is still that many."
"Good. Undyne, do your part. Figure out who should go where. We must have this ready by daytime tomorrow."
Any other time, Frisk would have been happy to be back in Toriel's old house in the Ruins.
Not this time, surrounded by humans with their hands bound together.
They were in the living room and Frisk was getting a good look at the people they spent eight years of their life with. It was odd, Frisk had to admit, being around other humans after so long. They hadn't missed one part of it.
They were sitting beside Noelle who was trying to suppress tears. They did what they could to reassure her, but there was only so much they could do, as their voice wasn't strong enough and their hands were behind their back.
Asriel, on the other hand, was walking around his old home, getting his first good look at other humans. On occasion he would look at something in the room, which brought up old memories.
"It's weird coming back after all this time. We moved to New Home a couple months after Chara fell, you see," he said. "Most of my memories are from here. I remember sitting in this room being read to by my dad before falling asleep. So much of my life is coming back to me…"
Frisk tried to tune him out. Ever since they stepped in Asriel had rambled almost non-stop. Frisk was pretty sure the reason was an information overload and it made it impossible for him to hold it all back, so he just spout out whatever random thought or memory came up. Right now, Frisk needed him coherent to help them out. The humans kept making threatening moves and gestures, but made no effort to act on them.
After a while, two more humans came up and Frisk recognized them instantly. They were Frisk's parents. Fortunately, they didn't recognize their child.
"These freaks are what's outside this damn place?" Frisk's dad asked, gesturing to the two kids.
"And at least one other," the leader said. "A lizard, whom we sent to the king with a message. That white one there is the heir to his kingdom."
"That could be useful," Frisk's mom said, with an unpleasant grin. "I assume you've already asked for terms?"
"Indeed."
"While you were out there, did you see Frisk?" their dad asked.
"Nope. No sign of your brat," the leader responded.
Noelle looked up in surprise. "Why are you looking for them?" she asked.
"They ran away three years ago," the dad said. "We followed their trail down here. Can't believe they didn't tell us about this place."
"Are you… worried about them?" Noelle asked tentatively.
Frisk scoffed quietly.
"Don't be ridiculous," the mom said. "They ran away and need to be punished accordingly."
"On the plus side, they did find this place," the leader said. "It's protected and safe, but lacking in rations."
"Hold on," Frisk's dad said, squinting at Noelle. "How do you know Frisk?"
Noelle clammed up, but it was too late.
"You've seen them!" he realized. He grabbed Noelle and hauled her off the floor. "They're somewhere outside those massive doors, aren't they? Where?"
Noelle shook her head.
"You better tell me, freak," he demanded. "Or you're gonna be smelling blood."
Frisk's eyes widened. That was bad. Monsters were rather fragile when it came to physical attacks. Noelle wasn't the strongest and Frisk knew their dad had enough hate in him to dust her with one strike. They needed to say something to stop him before he accidentally killed her.
They stood up and put all their effort into their voice. "Care," they managed to get out. "Monsters fragile."
Their dad glared at them. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I-it means t-that we a-aren't able to t-take hits l-like y-you can," Noelle stuttered out, realizing what Frisk was doing. "I-if you h-hit me, a-and want me dead t-too badly, y-you'll kill me i-in a s-single h-hit." She was brought to the man's face.
"You're bluffing," he hissed.
"Or they're being honest," the leader said. "If it turns out they're lying, then we just hit them. But for now, put the girl down and step back."
Frisk's dad put Noelle back down rather forcefully then stepped away.
"Now, one of you tell us; where is Frisk?"
Noelle shook her head again, while Frisk glanced back defiantly.
"Come on, it's not that hard a question," the leader said. "Just tell us where the kid is and when the king comes to get you, we'll send you back, no problem."
Frisk didn't believe that for a second. They looked at Noelle and shook their head again. She understood and remained silent. Their heads snapped back around when they heard a gun being cocked.
Frisk's dad was holding a rifle at them. "Tell us where the kid is. Now."
Noelle hunched next to Frisk, pressing her face into their chest.
A gunshot went off and Frisk heard the floorboards crack from the shot. Noelle let out a small 'eep' but still remained silent.
"You keep this up and we won't send you back to your family, girl," the leader said. "In fact, once the exchange is done, I might just have my men shoot you."
Noelle pressed herself further into Frisk's side and they could feel their shirt getting soaked with tears.
Another shot, another crack in the floor and Frisk heard the shot ricochet by them.
"Put the gun down," the leader ordered. "I saw that shot almost graze the prince. We want him in once piece."
"Fine." The gun was tossed to the ground.
"Might I suggest something that doesn't pose as much of a threat?" Frisk's mom suggested. She reached to her belt and pulled out a hunting knife. She pointed it at the kids and once more, Noelle pressed herself into Frisk's side. "Where is the kid?" she demanded.
"N-n-no," Noelle squeaked out.
Frisk's mom stomped closer, flashing the knife. "Wrong answer. Where is Frisk?"
Noelle shook her head. "No," she said a little louder.
The knife got closer, but Frisk could see their mom wasn't going to actually touch them. "Where is he?!"
Noelle shook her head again.
Asgore walked through Snowdin, Toriel at his side, the skeleton brothers and Undyne behind them, Papyrus pulling a cart filled with non-perishable foods and medicines. MK was sitting in the cart, looking kind of downcast.
"Undyne, are you certain the guard is positioned right?" Asgore asked the captain.
"We went over the plan yesterday. They're all positioned in key places where they can strike from a distance," Undyne assured. "When I give the word, they attack."
"Frisk and Noelle will be unharmed in the scuffle, right?" Toriel asked.
"Don't worry. RG 03 and RG 04 are tasked with that. They'll make sure nothing happens to the kids and to pull them out instead of engaging in battle," Undyne assured.
"and what about their weapons?" Sans asked. "frisk died from one of them."
"Alphys came up with a solution for that," Undyne said, tapping a watch-like device on her wrist. "We'll be safe from the eight hundred mile-per-hour copper pellets."
"BEST NOT TO GIVE THAT AWAY," Papyrus suggested. "WE ARE ALMOST AT OUR RENDEVUS."
They passed Sans' sentry station.
"Sans, how did you not see my child and their friends walk past you?" Toriel asked.
"Sans wasn't there, ma'am," MK explained.
"yeah, think i was at your house at the time," Sans answered.
Toriel sighed.
"It doesn't matter what happened, it happened," Asgore said. "Now, on your guard. We can't be certain the humans haven't set up an ambush of their own."
All conversation ended with that, the only sound being the cart rolling on the ground. Eventually, they arrived at the doors to the Ruins. But there was no one there.
"ARE WE EARLY?" Papyrus wondered.
"Seems so," Toriel acknowledged.
Undyne looked into the trees and saw a few indistinct shaped among the branches. One waved at her, the signal for all-clear. "No one's here yet," she said.
They waited a few minutes before the humans arrived, shuffling through the trees.
"Early? Interesting. Didn't expect you knew how to read a clock," the leader said.
MK hopped out and ran to the king's side, tapping him to let him know to kneel down. "That's their leader," he whispered into Asgore's ear.
"Thank you," Asgore whispered back before standing up. "We come in peace," he said to the humans. "Before anything is to be done, I need to see that the kids are alright."
The man gestured to the trees and two figures stepped forward, Frisk and Noelle being dragged behind. Frisk's eyes widened when they saw Asgore and Toriel there.
"My child!" Toriel said relieved, a hand over her trembling heart. "Are you alright?"
Frisk nodded to answer.
"Kid said that they're really fragile and that hitting them could kill them," the leader said.
"It is true. Our children are not very resilient to trauma that comes from a hateful being," Asgore confirmed. "I am grateful that you showed restraint."
"Wow, big words guy," one of the ten humans snarked. All of them had weapons, either in hand or on their belt.
"Have you given thought to our terms?" the leader asked Asgore.
"Yes and I'm afraid I cannot agree to them," Asgore answered. "My people are too populous as it is. Taking away a quarter of the kingdom is too much."
"What a shame," the leader said. "Because if that's true, then I suppose I can help relieve that problem by killing two."
With that, a woman held a knife to Frisk's throat.
"No!" Toriel screamed. "Please, do not kill them!"
"You must be this thing's mother," a man said. "Then tell your husband there to agree to our terms."
"Now, now, there's no need to be hasty," Asgore said quickly. "While I can't give you Snowdin, I can allow you to have the Ruins. You already occupy it. I also have brought a gesture of goodwill." He motioned to Papyrus, who pulled the cart forward a few feet. "Despite our population issue, food is not a problem. I would be more than happy to share our supplies with you. In addition to the food, there is also medicine that I can see you plainly need."
"What are you getting at? I'm sensing there's more to this," the leader asked.
"Perhaps we could be neighbors?" Asgore suggested. "You may keep the Ruins you occupy and we'll find a way to regularly supply you with whatever you need to survive." He took a step forward. "I know you are desperate and that the surface is not what it once was. We are in this together, so I hope we can survive this apocalypse together. Just return your prisoners and we can work something out."
Frisk was a bit surprised Asgore was willing to do that. But they knew the humans weren't going to agree to that.
"You expect us to agree to such ridiculous terms?" the leader said scathingly.
"They are very generous," Asgore retorted. "I do not wish to worsen your fortunes."
"Then agree to our terms."
"I cannot. I'm sorry, but I must consider my people first," Asgore insisted.
"What a shame."
Frisk felt their mother's grip tighten and the knife pressed further into their flesh, threatening to break skin. A brief squeal from Noelle told them that their father was doing the same. As Frisk felt the cold metal touch their skin, they could feel something else. It was an overpowering rage and hatred that was directed straight at them. They remembered that since a Monster's body is made of magic, they are vulnerable to the intentions of their opponent's physical strikes. And Frisk could feel it from their mother. She wanted them dead so badly, that if she so much as scratched them, they'd die.
Toriel shouted again, taking a step forward. "Please, don't!" she screamed.
"Want your kid to live?" the woman said with scorn. "Then tell the king to fork over this part of his kingdom."
"I cannot," Asgore denied. "Please, do not harm those children. Their deaths will gain you nothing."
"And leaving them alive is just as pointless," the leader retorted.
Undyne stepped forward. "Look, humans, I'm warning you," she seethed. "If you so much as hurt those kids…" she summoned a spear and pointed it at them and the humans responded by pointing their guns at her. "I'm gonna tear each and every one of you to shreds!"
"And you really think you can get two feet before we fill you with lead?" the leader mocked.
"Oh, I'll power through like it's a stiff breeze," Undyne boasted.
Frisk felt the knife pressing into their neck lessen its pressure.
"THERE'S NO NEED FOR THAT," Papyrus said, coming forward. "I'M SURE THERE'S A WAY TO RESOLVE THIS WITHOUT ANY DEATH."
"and without giving up a quarter of the kingdom," Sans added, walking up.
"There's only one term we're willing to accept," the leader said. "If you will not agree, then you leave us no choice." He pulled out his own gun and aimed it at Frisk. Toriel let out another shout.
Undyne summoned more spears in response, hovering to either side of her. "Drop it," she threatened. Several guns were cocked and aimed at her.
"THERE'S NO NEED FOR THIS!" Papyrus begged. "PLEASE, WE DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU PEOPLE. THERE'S BEEN ENOUGH DEATH. CAN'T WE JUST GET ALONG?"
"Why would we ever consider living with you?" the man holding Noelle retorted. "You're abominations! Freaks of nature!"
"says the man unable to see a reasonable end to this conflict," Sans said sarcastically. "look, pal, i think we can all agree we're tired of war and suffering. we're offering you all an easy way out. you really should take it."
"And co-exist with your kind?" the leader said like it was an offence.
"pal, the way i see it, you got no other options," Sans stated. "we either live peacefully, or as peacefully as we can while keeping our distance, or we kill you. there's no middle ground this time."
Everyone was so focused on each other, no one saw a vine snaking around the legs of the humans holding Frisk and Noelle hostage.
"It would appear so," the leader agreed. "Well, if that's your stance, then it seems there's nothing further to discuss." He nodded to the couple and they changed how they held their knives to rake them across the kids' throats.
"No!" Toriel screamed, Asgore holding her back as she tried to run forward.
Just before either one could kill their hostage, their legs were yanked out from underneath them, causing them to pitch to the side, the knives falling from their grasp.
Frisk reacted to that quickly, grabbing Noelle's hand and sprinting forward, releasing a wall of fire from their free hand. The explosion of red flame forced the humans to scatter lest they be burned.
"Now!" Undyne shouted, tossing her spears at the leader. He managed to roll out of the way before he could get struck. At that moment, several Monsters leapt from the trees, engaging the humans in combat. RG 01, 02, 03 and 04 tackled one human each, while Bratty and Catty engaged one together. Undyne sprinted for the leader, summoning another spear for a weapon.
"Stop the kids!" the leader shouted, trying to get his gun up to shoot Undyne. He aimed his weapon and fired, but true to her word, the bullet did nothing. He didn't even hear it ping against her armor, but something fell to the ground at her feet as she ran. Undyne swung her spear, the human raising his rifle to block it, but he found himself buckling under Undyne's strength.
The other humans tried to shoot their opponents, but found their guns worthless as all the bullets fell to the ground an inch away from the Monster's body.
Frisk pulled Noelle along, the girl obviously not comprehending how she was still alive. Frisk wasn't bothering to think about that, memories of their past and survival skills kicking in. They heard the leader's shout and saw one human raising their weapon out of the corner of their eye. Without thinking, they sent a fireball their way and the scream told them it connected.
"Heads up! One behind you!" Asriel warned.
Frisk turned and saw the last free human raising their weapon and aiming at Frisk. They readied another fireball, but then a vine grabbed the human's leg and flung him into a tree. There was a loud 'crack' and the human slumped to the ground.
Frisk kept running, pulling Noelle along until Toriel scooped them up into her arms.
"My child," she said relieved as she hugged them and showered them with kisses.
Meanwhile, the battle was going in the Monsters' favor. Undyne had trained the guards well and were joined by the Snowdin Canine unit, tipping the balance in their favor. She quickly realized that the humans were over-reliant on their guns to the point where they didn't know how to fight without them. And when Papyrus joined the fight, it quickly became clear that the humans were going to lose.
"Retreat!" the leader shouted, disengaging from Undyne and bolting for the Ruins doors, the other humans following suit. It didn't escape the captain's notice that they were leaving their dead comrade behind. They went through the doors, which sealed behind them.
"Let them go," Undyne ordered. "We have what we came for."
"Wait," Noelle said. "There's a tunnel hidden in the trees. It's how they got out."
"We'll deal with that," Undyne assured. She dispelled her spear and walked up to the kids. "Hey, you two okay?"
Frisk nodded. 'Just a little shaken,' they signed.
"But they didn't hurt you, right?" Toriel asked.
'Almost. But I managed to get them to back off. Well, Noelle did, since they can't understand me.'
"Frisk, Noelle!" MK came running up. "You're okay! I was so worried."
"We're fine," Noelle assured.
"I'm so sorry," he apologized. "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have challenged either one of you to that stupid dare."
"You still put your friends at risk," Toriel said sternly. "And it almost got them killed."
"I know," MK said sadly. "It's my fault and I am sorry."
"I am tempted to tell you to stay away from my kid after this," she said.
'Don't,' Frisk signed. 'He screwed up and he knows it. But Noelle and I are equally to blame. We knew this was dangerous and should have been firmer with him. But mom, if it hadn't been for this, we wouldn't have learned the humans had escaped until it was too late.'
"kid does have a bit of a point," Sans said, coming up. "look, i'm not gonna defend the squirt but maybe go easy on him. i'd say beating himself up over his own screw up for the past day, worrying non-stop about his friends is punishment enough."
Toriel sighed. "I suppose. Carol is not going to be very pleased about this, however."
"I've already spoken to her," Asgore informed "And I agree with Sans. I think MK's been punished enough as is."
Toriel nodded. "Very well. But I will be speaking to his parents about this as well."
"Yeah, I know," MK said despondently.
"I will let you off the hook this one time, but pull another stunt like this again and there will be consequences," she warned. "And just to be clear, this is my punishment for endangering my child, not your parents or Carol's."
"I understand."
Toriel set Frisk and Noelle down. "Now then, shall we?"
'I'm ready to go home,' Frisk signed. 'This whole thing was scary.'
"Yeah, real scary," Noelle agreed.
Toriel took the kids by their hands and walked back to Snowdin with Asgore and Papyrus and Sans behind them. Undyne and the guard were staying to find the human's escape route and plug it up.
"Well that was certainly something," Asriel said, his spirit walking next to Frisk. "You almost died. Though, I'm curious. What happened? They almost cut open yours and Noelle's throats. What happened and where did those vines come from?"
Frisk had no answer to that. They couldn't sign back to Asriel with Toriel holding their hand. They thought it over, trying to find an answer but came up blank. None of the guards they saw had that kind of magic. So, who had saved them?
End of Chapter 19
