Chapter 6: The Marsh- Part 1
Even the Marsh in The Underground appeared pure and clean. Or, at least, relative to Frisk's experience. There were no trash piles or dead carcasses, no foul odours of dying plants or dirty, acidic water.
Just damp moss and foliage.
After some time, just over half an hour if Frisk could recall, the fog began settling in, making it even harder to see much further than a few feet from the boat.
She looked at her two companions, sleeping at the other end of the long, self-sailing boat. Both of them looked, oddly enough, comfortable tangled up like they were.
So the newfound silence gave Frisk enough time and space to think. And think a lot, she did. Maybe more than her own good. On the other hand, she didn't want to waste her phone's precious battery.
Frisk peered from the boat whenever boredom took over. This clearness often made her too nervous to look for more than a few moments, her sense of superstition fearing that she would see something in the water, even if, whenever she peered closer, she just saw thick seaweed and underwater moss. Never any fishes or any other hints of marine life. And, of course, she saw her own reflection, with the distant cavern crystals in the background.
The crystals were very few in this area, almost non-existent. This little light reminded Frisk of the night skies back home.
Home. That's where all her thoughts eventually lead.
How would she be able to live when she came home? Would she stay awake all night, fearing that the mountain would open and Mickey and The Hunt would come through storming, bringing their wrath to the rest of the world? That is, of course, assuming she'd ever get home in the first place-
No.
Frisk refused to ponder that suggestion further. Whatever happens, happens. She would get home, definitely so if her strange ability still worked.
And it wasn't like humanity would be helpless against what The Hunt would offer. Right?
Or was it merely a case of waiting until humanity would be too weak to put up a good fight? Just what were they planning, exactly, with hunting and capturing humans?
At this moment, it dawned on her she had been doing nothing but stare at the marsh for minutes.
The silent marsh, at first, uneased her, but right now, it didn't seem that bad.
A summary of my experience down here, Frisk thought.
Any shadow or silhouette she saw always turned out to be just small trees or foliage, so the scare factor quickly faded.
But then, she spotted one curious shadow. Something that seemed four-legged, like a small animal, looking at her from a distance.
Frisk peered closer, slowly and carefully.
It seemed to vanish quickly behind some foliage. When Frisk spotted the strange shadow again, it was on a small hill overlooking her. Seeing it in a clearer image, it looked almost like a white, fluffy dog, staring at her, panting with its tongue out.
"What the fuck?" Frisk muttered to herself.
"Yo, what are you looking at?" said MK tiredly.
"Oh!" Frisk exclaimed, turning to them.
"Shh," MK softly replied.
They nudged their head toward the sleeping flower.
"Oh, sorry," Frisk whispered.
She turned back to the fog, and, to her surprise, the dog was gone.
"Did you see something?" MK inquired. "You look pretty shocked."
"I… I don't know," Frisk said. "I thought I saw something, maybe."
"I've never been this far from Snowdin," MK said calmly. "Didn't even know this place existed."
"Yeah…" Frisk replied, leaning with her back on the edge of the boat. "I expected Waterfall to be the wettest area."
"Oh, it's pretty wet," MK said. "I think. You've missed a lot of it."
"Mmhm," Frisk said. "How are you holding up."
"Fine," MK simply said.
"You can be honest with me."
MK looked a bit thoughtful for a moment.
"On second thoughts," Frisk said. "That's maybe a bit hypocritical coming from me."
"Eh, I get it," MK said. "My parents taught me not to lie. But…"
"You lie a lot?" Frisk asked.
"Eh," MK said, looking embarrassed. "I don't know."
Frisk grinned a little.
"That was a lie, wasn't it?" she asked.
"Yeah…" MK replied, head down. "I tend to lie sometimes. A-a few times. Not anything major, but-"
"Heh, it's ok," Frisk replied with reassurance. "Most kids lie all the time. Of course, lyings not ok. Sometimes. Like 90 per cent of the time. But sometimes, I'd say it's necessary."
"Like you did. With the human thing."
Frisk turned a bit thoughtful again.
"Can I… can I ask you something?" she asked.
"Erm, ok?" MK replied, looking worried.
Frisk quickly shook her head.
"No, no, never mind," she said.
"No, what is it?" MK inquired.
Frisk sighed.
"Ok, do you promise not to lie?" Frisk asked. "When I ask, that is."
"Erm, sure. Ok."
Frisk closed her eyes a bit, thinking of the best ways to word the incoming question.
"Are you scared of me?" she asked.
She opened her eyes again and saw MK looking thoughtful and worried.
"Don't," Frisk said. "You don't need to answer, ok?"
"A… a little," they whispered.
Exactly as Frisk expected.
Something like this had never happened to her before. She didn't know how to feel. She almost wanted to laugh.
"N-not by much-" MK quickly added.
"Nah, it's ok," Frisk replied, faking a smile. "You were honest, and that's what matters."
There came an awkward pause between them, and Frisk wasn't sure what to say or do. The silence was almost unbearable. There wasn't even the whistling of the wind.
"Can I ask you something?" MK then said.
"Sure, go ahead," Frisk replied.
"What's the thing with your foresight?" MK asked. "Like, do all humans have these abilities? Is that why we lost the war against humans so easily?"
"Erm, truth be told, I don't know. Mine didn't manifest until I came to the underground."
"Do you know anyone who does have it? On the surface?"
"I… I don't-no. I don't think anyone-"
There came an audible yawn at the other end of the boat.
"Ah, good morning," Frisk said. "Or night. Whatever time it is."
"I had the loveliest dream," Flowey said, smacking his "lips". "I was a lovely god, and you were there, I think? My mom and dad were there, so were you, MK- oh, I think pretty much everyone was there."
"Mom and Dad?" Frisk inquired. "Huh. I didn't know you had parents. How does that work with you, exactly? Is your mom like a bee or something?"
"Eugh, it's a complicated matter," Flowey said. "But yes, technically, I had- or, rather, have parents. I don't know the full current status of things, sorry. Are both of them dead or alive? No clue."
"Oh, how were, ahem, are they like?"
"Man, they're great," Flowey replied, smiling. "Mother's kind but fierce when she needed to be, and dad… my dad was this huge friendly guy. Hairy as well. They both were, now that I think about it. Very hairy family indeed."
"Don't you have a brother?" Frisk quickly asked.
Flowey's cheery exterior turned quickly uneasy.
"Wh-what makes you say that?" he asked.
"You… you said something about that," Frisk answered. "Back in Snowdin, after you fainted. You spoke in your sleep."
"Oh," Flowey replied, looking down. "I did that? Why didn't you say so?"
"I… I don't know," Frisk said. "I'm-I'm sorry, I-"
"No, no, no," Flowey said. "Remember what I said about that? With you apologising too much?"
"Erm, not really, sorry," Frisk said.
Flowey rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I had a sibling too," he answered. "What about it? Lots of people do? Frankly, though, I'm not really sure if he was a brother. Sister, maybe? I don't know."
"What does that mean?" Frisk asked curiously.
"It means, can we not talk about this?" Flowey asked. "At least not right now? I literally just woke up."
"Erm… right. Sor-"
"Don't," Flowey quickly said, eyes closed, a single vine in the air. "You apologise way too much."
"Geez," Frisk muttered, leaning back.
"Hey, Frisk, what about your parents?" MK suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Frisk asked, feeling thrown aback.
"Since we're getting to know about them right now," MK answered. "You, erm, told me your mom died. But you had to have someone else. Right?"
Frisk sighed, leaning back.
"I have dad," she simply said. "He's an asshole and a junkie. That's about it."
"Oh…" MK replied. "That's, erm-"
"So, Flowey," Frisk quickly said. "What can you tell me about this area?"
"Eh, there's not much to say," the flower answered. "We're pretty much at the edge of the kingdom. Go a little bit north, and you hit the cave walls. Few people know about this place because there's really not much to know about it. And fewer live here if anyone."
"Who would live in this place?" MK asked curiously.
"Mostly someone trying to hide," Flowey answered. "Like us."
"Suggesting we build a base here or something?" Frisk asked in jest.
"Well, I suppose there are worse places to hang out," Flowey humoured. "But if The Hunt sniffs us out… then there's not much help we can get."
"How would we even build a home here?" MK inquired. "What would we eat?"
"Maybe we better start getting used to eating soil like Flowey," Frisk joked.
"Hey, I don't eat soil," Flowey protested. "Not always."
Frisk gave a small smile.
"God, have I asked how food even works with you? You eat with your mouth, but you don't have a digestive system?"
"I think you already asked. Frankly, I really don't understand it myself-"
Something hard hit the boat, and it wobbled heavily.
"What just happened?" MK asked worryingly.
"I… I think we hit land," Flowey said. "Yeah, we're at the end of the ride."
"Really?" Frisk said with confusion.
She looked around, seeing nothing but more fog and wet moss.
"Doesn't look much different," MK pointed out.
"Well," Flowey said as he lifted himself off the boat.
He landed with a soft splash of water.
"Gah!" Flowey exclaimed. "Freaking- ugh…"
"Grumpy today, aren't you?" 'Frisk replied.
"Yeah, I am," Flowey replied while he shambled to shore. "Thank you for noticing."
"I thought flowers liked moisture," MK stated.
"We do, occasionally!" Flowey replied, annoyed. "But you wouldn't like it if someone threw a bucket of water on you unprompted- oh. You were joking, weren't you?"
"What?" MK replied, grinning. "Are you that sensitive about it? No really. Are you? If so-"
"I'm not sensitive-" Flowey said before stopping himself. "I'm just going to let it go. They're just a kid. Just. Let. It. Go."
Frisk jumped off-board, carefully aiming for what looked like ground.
"Gah," she muttered on landing. "Oh, thank god for these boots."
"Wow, good for you," Flowey muttered while squeezing water out of his vines like a wet handkerchief.
"Alright," Frisk began, holding her arms out towards MK. "Come here-"
Before she finished, MK had already jumped passed and landed with their feet on the soft ground beside her.
"Thanks, but I'm fine," they replied.
Frisk decided not to think much of it and quickly shrugged instead.
"This doesn't look like much of a stop," MK said.
"Yeah, it must be one of those old abandoned boat ports," Flowey explained. "From the time when only shades lived here. There are very few remnants of that time left, but they're there. They're there."
"Like the boat?" MK asked.
"Like the boat," Flowey explained.
Frisk felt herself step on something wooden. She looked down and spotted an almost rotten signpost partly consumed by moss. The old, non-human language written on it was now faded and unreadable.
"Why is the boat still here, though?" MK asked curiously.
"Shade's boats are special," Flowey explained. "Partly alive. That's all you need to understand because I sure as hell- I mean heck, don't get it much further myself."
"Flowey," Frisk said. "Where do we go now?"
"Yeah, good question," the flower said. "I don't know."
"Try to remember," Frisk said.
"It's not just that," Flowey explained. "I'm not even sure I am forgetting. Or maybe not due to the selective amnesia."
"What does that mean?" MK asked.
"Look around and try putting any of this place to memory," Flowey said grumpily. "As far as I see, there's just moss and fog, and if we head in one direction for miles, you can bet I'll also see just moss and fog. I can't even tell North from East or West right now."
"So we're stuck?" Frisk asked, concealing her worry. "For real this time? Perfect."
"Ugh, don't worry," Flowey said. "Let's just follow this road and see where it leads us."
"What road-"
And just as she turned to look, she spotted a small, nearly unnoticeable trail coming from the dock.
"That road?" she asked and huffed some air. "Can you even call it a road? You can lose the trail by just blinking."
"It's better than nothing," Flowey said.
"Is that a good idea?" MK asked with worry. "I thought the plan was to be off-road. Y'know, so that we'd be inconspicuous."
"Oh, and chilling with that farmer was being inconspicuous?" Flowey asked sarcastically. "I thought that we threw that idea out a while back. Well, if you don't like it, then fine. Maybe we should, oh, head that way, maybe?"
He pointed his vine in a random direction.
"Jesus, what's up with you today?" Frisk asked with worry.
"Ugh, I don't know," he replied. "I guess I'm just tired of the diversions. Or maybe this morning something just- I don't know, let's go down this road unless you're suicidal."
"Or adventurous," Frisk stated.
"That's the-"
"The same word got it. That's what you were going to say, right?"
"Well, sorta. What I was going to say was that's the same word. Just from different perspectives."
A chill began to set in the farther the trail took them, and so far, it didn't seem to be leading them anywhere but towards oblivion. Flowey walked in front, like a mother duck guiding her ducklings. Following him was Frisk, with MK just a few feet behind and never out of sight or mind.
Wet moss, trees and foliage, and watery puddles were all that they spotted for what felt like miles. Eventually, the fog revealed a hill beside the road, and to the group, it felt like a magnificent, unbelievable sight.
Frisk sighed tiredly. She looked up the hill, hoping for any sign of life or change. All she saw was a single dead tree. And a strange, very familiar, four-legged silhouette on top, looking down at them all.
"Does anyone know how to whistle?" Flowey suddenly asked.
"Wuh-what?" Frisk said, looking back on the road.
"I never could learn to whistle," Flowey explained. "As in, I tried, but I don't think I'm literally able to. It doesn't seem to be in my biology."
"Sorry, pal," Frisk said. "Why, though?"
"No reason," Flowey replied, shrugging. "Just something to drown out this dreadful silence."
"I don't mind the silence," Frisk said.
"Well, good for you, but I do," Flowey said. "When it's silent, I begin to think. And, well, I don't like to think."
"I can sing," MK suggested. "Does that count? My moms taught my sister and me some tunes I can't get out of my head."
"Great," Flowey said. "Please don't."
"Sure, I would like to hear it," Frisk said.
"Nah, it's fine," MK said. "I'm not that good either way."
"How do you know?" Frisk asked. "I mean, I haven't heard you sing. Taste is subjective. Maybe I'll like it."
"No offence, kid," Flowey began. "But I am not in the mood right now."
"Yeah, I'm not sure I am either," MK said. "It's really freaking cold here."
Frisk finally noticed how their body shivered so. The cold didn't bother her. Nor did it bother Flowey, from the looks of it.
"Oh, right," Flowey said, strangely sympathetic. "You're a reptilian? Cold-blooded. Darn, didn't consider that."
"Yeah," MK said, trying to put on a smile. "G-gosh. D-don't worry about me, though. I'm from Snowdin, remember? I'm pretty much used to cold. Lived in it for years."
"You sound like a masochist kid," Flowey said. "How the hell- I mean… eh, screw it. How the hell do you even survive in that cold place?"
"Hehe," MK simply said, smiling. "Guess the company keeps me warm. Plus, my parents never let my sis or me be out longer than an hour."
"How long have we been in this area? Frisk asked.
"Ever since we got to the Valley?" Flowey began. "At least more than an hour."
"Huh," MK said, grinning. "I g-guess understand why I'm so cold now."
At that moment, Frisk had an idea.
First, she unzipped her hoodie and undressed, revealing her plain, blue t-shirt underneath.
"MK?" she asked, holding the hoodie in her arms. "Here."
She carefully put the oversized hoodie on MK's shoulders, and then she used the hoodie's arms to tie it to the best of her ability. Once it finished, her hoodie looked more like a colourful cape on the smaller monster kid.
"Erm, thanks," MK said awkwardly.
"No problem," Frisk said. "Do you want the hoodie or-"
"Nah," MK said. "This is fine enough. What about you? Aren't you cold too?"
"Heh," Frisk began, grasping her bare arms. "Truth be told, yeah. But I think you need this more than I."
She felt herself shiver.
"Huh," Flowey suddenly said, looking at her.
"What?" Frisk asked.
"I think you've lost weight," Flowey replied. "A lot less chub on you since I first laid eyes on you."
"What?" Frisk replied. "Why… have you been keeping an eye on my weight?"
"Erm, no?!" Flowey quickly said, looking insulted. "Just an observation, shut up. Stop trying to, erm, twist it, geez."
Frisk proceeded to chuckle a bit.
"To be fair, I have been walking a lot," she began. "And running. Just a whole lot more than I used to. The last time I went to anything close to the gym was- I don't fucking know. My school's gymnasium last week."
"Yo, your school has a gymnasium?" MK asked.
"Yeah, is that weird?" Frisk inquired.
"I never went to school," Flowey said. "So I have no clue."
"Yo, you never told us you went to such a prestigious school, Frisk," MK said.
"I-it's not prestigious," Frisk said. "It's fairly small and… normal."
"Oh," MK said. "Well, humans are lucky, at least."
Frisk sighed. It was a sigh of longing and nostalgia.
"God, I can't believe I miss school," she muttered.
Behind her, she heard MK give deep breaths as if preparing for something.
"Oh, boy," Flowey muttered. "Here we go."
"My moms didn't have many songs," MK said. "But here is one they picked up. A human song, they said. I don't remember much of the lyric, but I think it fits what's going on."
"How come?" Frisk asked.
MK gave out a short cough.
First, they began by humming a quick beginning tune. One Frisk felt as if she almost knew. Then, they finally began:
"I don't want to wait anymore
I'm tired of looking for answers
Take me someplace where there's music and there's laughter.
I don't know if I'm scared of dying
But I'm scared of living too fast, too slow."
"Regret, remorse, hold on, oh no I've got to go."
They stopped suddenly at that point.
"Eh," Flowey replied. "I'll be gentle and say it wasn't bad as I expected."
"I can't remember what comes next," MK said. "My mom said this song came from one of those small human music boxes they found in the trash that flows down here."
Wait, I know this song, Frisk thought. Is it? It can't be.
"Sadly," MK began. "I can't remember its name or the rest of the lyric-"
And Frisk, unable to stop herself, began to sing softly:
"I hear a voice calling.
Calling out for me."
"These shackles I've made in an attempt to be free."
"Be it for reason, be it for love.
I won't take… the easy road."
MK looked up at her, awe glittering in their eyes. Meanwhile, Flowey gave her a glair that said: "Not you too, Frisk.".
"Sorry," Frisk replied, feeling awkward and embarrassed. "I just-"
"Yo, you know that song?!" MK exclaimed.
"Barely," Frisk said, smiling. "It's a super old song. My brother loves classical music, especially some of the obscure ones. You're lucky you met maybe one of the only two humans on this planet who still knows it."
"What's it called, though?" MK inquired.
"I can't really remember… I don't know," Frisk said. "Something, something, Silver Lining- hang on."
She quickly pulled out her phone.
"What are you doing?" MK inquired.
"I think…" Frisk said, scrolling through her tiny song list until she found it. "Aha!"
She pressed "play".
Immediately, a very familiar song started playing.
"Yo, holy crap!" MK said. "Your phone has a music box?"
"Eh…" Frisk began. "Kinda. Sorta."
"Well, good for you," Flowey said, looking back. "Another thing to annoy me."
MK gained a sudden gleam in their eyes and looked up at Frisk, who nodded, a similar one in her eyes.
"Oh no," Flowey muttered, noticing it. "Please don't. Not more, I-"
And together, following the song playing from the phone, MK and Frisk began to sing along:
"I hear a voice calling.
Calling out for me."
"Is this hell?" Flowey muttered to himself.
"These shackles I've made in an attempt to be free."
"Yeah, this is hell."
"Be it for reason, be it for love.
I won't take… the easy road."
And for the next few minutes, the silent marshland was filled with song. It felt like barely a few seconds passed when it ended. Afterwards, Frisk and MK proceeded to laugh loudly together.
"Man," MK said with a smile.
"Man indeed," Flowey replied, his face looking completely lifeless. "Just hope we didn't alert the entire underground with this, erm, fun endeavour-"
"WHO'S THERE!" an unfamiliar voice cried out.
The entire trio stopped instantly. All looked around yet could see no other soul through the deep mist.
"Hello?!" Frisk called out, nervous.
"S-SHOW YOURSELVES!" the hyperactive voice called out. "WHO ARE YOU?! ARE YOU G-GHOSTS?! SOME SINGING SPECTERS COME TO H-H-HAUNT or KILL or INVADE ME FOR MY SINS! OR… DO YOU WANT SOME MONEY?! ALRIGHT, GHOSTS, I DON'T HAVE ANY M-MONEY! Well, ok, some money. Just not-not-not-NOT MONEY I WANNA GIVE AWAY! SO SHOO!"
"It's alright," Flowey replied. "We can't even see you."
"You can't see me?!" the stranger replied. "Erm… shoot. Can you at least hear me?!"
"Yeah, we can," MK replied.
"How would we be answering if we didn't hear you?!" Frisk pointed out.
"Erm…" the stranger said. "I don't- I DON'T KNOW, SH-SHUT UP! SHUT, SHUT, SHUT, SHUT UP! I heard you singing, I heard you singing, I HEARD YOU SINGING, I KNOW YOU'RE THERE!"
"Geez," Flowey whispered. "This guy has issues."
"N-now, COME OUT!" the stranger shouted. "IF YOU MEAN NO HARM, COME OUT!"
"W-we don't even know where the fuck you are!" Frisk cried out.
"Ok, erm, that's a good point, a great point!" the stranger said. "Alright, first question. DO YOU SEE A ROAD!"
"If you're talking about this tiny trail, then yeah!" Frisk cried out. "We're walking on it!"
"OK, GOOD! GREAT! JUST FOLLOW THE ROAD WEST, AND YOU SHOULD SEE ME!"
"We don't even know which way west is!" Flowey called out.
"OK, OK, OK, OK. ERM, HAVE YOU SEEN A HOUSE?! If you were heading east, you would've seen a big, ERM, BIG, WOODEN HOUSE JUST BESIDE THE ROAD NEAR A POND!"
"We've not seen a house!" Frisk called.
"GREAT, THEN JUST KEEP GOING THE ROAD LIKE YOU WERE!"
"Ok, thanks!" Flowey called out. "Thanks a lot! Weirdo."
The group, nervously trying to pretend as if nothing had just occurred, continued. After a few steps, they saw a strange humanoid silhouette standing in the middle of the road.
"Alright," Flowey said, hurrying forward. "Now look here you- oh?"
The group stopped again as the first thing that exited the fog was a scaly arm holding a rusty revolver. Holding it was a scaly humanoid with the giant head of a trout. He was practically naked, wearing nothing, save for what looked like a torn potato bag for pants and a rope for a belt, showing his uncomfortably malnourished, scaly torso, and his stomach with two sets of large gills opening and closing rapidly. Frisk thought she could almost see the innards when the gills were open.
Instead of arms or legs, the trout-man had what looked like four flippers on sticks, with one "arm" awkwardly grasping the rusty, ancient revolver clearly not made for him.
"S-stop!" the gunman said, gun arm shaking wildly. "Stop, stop, STOP!"
"Alright, fine!" Flowey said, quickly rooting himself to the ground.
"What is that he's holding?" MK whispered.
"It's not good," Frisk replied.
"Wh-w-w-who are you?!" the fish-man said. "What are you do-do-doing out here?! This is my spot, MY SPOT!"
"We are, erm, travellers," Flowey said calmly. "Just a bunch of travellers who are lost."
"Yeah, what he said," Frisk said. "Sorry that we bothered you with the music, we-"
"Shut up, a-a-ape girl!" the fish monster yelled. "I didn't ask you. I-"
"Hey, hey," Frisk said. "We mean you no fucking harm, ok? I'm Frisk, and these are my buddies, Flowey and Max or MK. Like my buddy said, we're just a bunch of travellers-"
"W-w-wait, did you say Frisk?!" the fish monster said, sounding strangely confused.
"Look, mister," Frisk began. "We-"
As she took a step forward, the monster suddenly looked aghast.
"What?" Frisk inquired. "Is something wrong-"
Suddenly, the monster grasped his head as if suffering a headache.
"Oh, Gods," he muttered.
He backed away, slowly, further into the fog, before suddenly turning into a sprint and running away.
"Hey!" Flowey yelled. "Come back here. We ain't done with you!"
"I think we are," Frisk said, putting her arms back down. "But seriously. What the hell was that?"
"I should've told you," Flowey said. "There are some mighty strange monsters in this kingdom. Heh, you should meet the Temmies. Or don't, on second thought. For your own sake."
"Huh," Frisk said. "Guess we now know not to sing so loudly."
"Maybe not make any more loud noises from here on out," Flowey pointed out.
"Great point. My bad."
"Erm, should we go after him?" MK inquired.
"Hmm," Flowey replied, thinking. "Nah. Let's just keep off the road for now."
"But where to then?" MK inquired.
"That's a good question," Flowey replied. "I don't see the fog dissipating anytime soon."
"That fish guy said there was a house nearby," Frisk pointed out. "Think that's a good place to look? You know, as a marker?"
"How do we know he's not holding up there?" MK asked.
"We don't," Flowey said.
"Eh, we'll just have to trust my foresight," Frisk pointed out, slowly stepping off-road.
"Oooh, are you having one right now?!" MK asked excitedly while jumping onto a patch of rocks. "What's it saying?"
"Erm, not sure," Frisk said awkwardly, too focused on her footings. "But for now, I have a good feeling."
"Good feeling?" Flowey said snarkily, crawling onward.
"It mostly worked out so far," Frisk said.
"True," Flowey answered, looking onwards. "Or we were lucky. Then again, through this thick fog, how are we- oh, there it is."
At first glance, Frisk almost thought it was an elaborate art piece. It looked like two and a half shacks forcibly crammed into each other. It wasn't clear if it had three or two floors due to how crooked the walls were. The most visibly stable thing about it was the rail-less, curvy plank bridge over the large pond by the entrance.
Through the crooked windows, one could just barely see faint, flickering lightbulbs, and inside the small greenhouse just beside it, there were hints of electric bulbs and equipment.
"Huh," Frisk simply said, pausing to look at it. "That sure is a house."
"I wouldn't go that far," Flowey replied.
However, before they stepped onto the bridge, they saw another light in the fog. A tiny light in front of the house moved in the air back and forth like a firefly.
"Is that who I think it is?" Frisk asked.
"If you're thinking tuna, then yes," Flowey said.
Then the fog dissipated a bit, revealing the familiar fish-man, quickly walking back and forth, nervously, a lit Baron's Breath cigar in hand, revolver in the other. His fin-arms were close to his chest like he was hugging himself. Frisk figured he must be freezing being shirtless like that.
"Ok, he hasn't seen us," Flowey whispered. "Let's use this chance and tackle him."
"Yo, yo, yo," MK said quickly. "Are we sure? He doesn't look that bad."
"He just threatened us with a gun, kid," Flowey stated. "Not a lot of decent people do that."
"Oh," MK replied. "What is a gun?"
"Huh," Flowey replied. "Nevermind."
"Seems more deeply troubled to me at least," Frisk replied. "Besides. I don't think he was going to do it."
"What makes you say so?" Flowey asked. "Bad or not, I'd rather be around a bad person with a gun than an unstable one, thank you very much."
"Oh, that's like a human thing?" MK whispered.
"It looked like a hundred years old or more," Frisk said. "I doubt it even works at this point."
"Well, if you're so optimistic, take the first step," Flowey stated. "I'm not even going to risk getting another hole in me. Trust me, have you ever been shot? Those things hurt. I know from experience."
"Not that I can remember, no," Frisk said. "Somehow, I've been lucky."
She took a deep breath and took a step on the plank bridge.
"Be careful," MK asked.
Frisk snorted.
"When am I ever?" she replied.
She took another step. And then another. Frisk saw the fish monster, still wandering back and forth, reaching into his pocket and pulling an old-looking phone. He grabbed with the hand still carrying the lit blunt, practically squishing it between his fingers. After a second, the still lit tip hit his finger. He yelped and almost threw his phone in shock.
"Oh gods," he said. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon."
Whoever he was trying to call, it seemed he couldn't reach them. The fish monsters wailed before throwing his phone into the mud, eyes filled with horror.
He bit another blunt from his pocket and tried to light it with a lighter. He proceeded to use his gun-holding hand for assistance very clumsily while making the noise of an anxious dog.
Finally, the fish monster looked in her direction. He yelped and dropped everything except the revolver, which he clung to very tight.
"St-st-st-stay b-b-BACK!"
"Easy," Frisk said like she was trying to calm an angry animal.
"D-d-d-DON'T talk to me like that, girl?!" the fish snapped at her. "It's… it's f-f-f-FUCKING demeaning."
Frisk quickly paused her step.
"Alright, I won't talk to you like that," she said. "Got it."
Suddenly, the fish-man appeared instantly calmer.
"I'm s-sorry!" the fish-man said. "I'm sorry, miss, erm, Fish! FRISK. Frisk, Frisk, Frisk, not fish, I'm sorry. Err, I don't have any fish. I'm a fish, er, partly at least. But if you came for fish, then I don't have fish fish. Like, erm, your people eat fish, right?"
"My people?" Frisk asked, confused.
"Apes!" the strange monster yelped. "Apes, of course. I'm talking about Apes. Apes eat fish! I, erm, I don't suppose I'm right? I c-c-c-c-could be wrong. I'm just saying what I've read online. When I HAD online, that is."
"Erm, I suppose it's true," Frisk stated.
"YES!" the fish monster replied in joy before his face looked strangely apologetic. "Erm, if that's true, then d-d-d-d-don't eat me, please?"
"Of course not," Frisk said. "I-"
"Oh, gods!" the fish monster suddenly wailed.
He grasped his head as if trying to stop his brain from leaking out the ears. The maddening charade in front of the human girl was almost overwhelming. She had been through monsters, magic, and odd dreams. Yet she could make no sense of whatever madness had grasped this person.
"Any closer to getting him yet?" said the familiar voice of a flower beneath Frisk.
"Jesus," Frisk said, startled. "Didn't notice you two coming here."
Her two companions were now standing on either side of her, both unable to move their eyes away at the fish monster grasping his head and shaking wildly like stuck in invisible chains.
"Yo, what's wrong with him?" MK asked.
"Erm," Flowey stated, looking very worried. "Doesn't seem you should've said that out loud. But if I had to guess, he seems to be a severe drug addict."
"Seem like it," Frisk replied.
In an exaggerated fashion resembling a man breaking from chains, the fish monster released the grasp on his head, stumbling a few feets backwards.
"Gah!" he cried out.
With seemingly a miracle, he managed to quickly make himself stay still with his arms spread open. He took a deep, relaxing breath that formed a big smile. It quickly faded as he looked at the people in front of him.
"Ahem!" Flowey muttered with his vine forming a fist in front of his mouth.
"Oh, erm, sorry," said the fish calmly as he seemingly could. "I just, erm, have some issues."
"Yeah, no surprise there," Flowey rudely said.
The fish monster quickly forced a clearly fake grin. Suffice to say, the human-like teeth on a fish head looked very unappealing.
"Hmm, ok," he continued. "Ok. Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok. Sorry. It's a weird t-tick I picked up from my uncle. A weird st-st-STUTTER. Ah, sorry, did I scare you? I didn't mean to. I get really loud occasionally when I… when I… f-fu-FUCK! FUCK! Oh, erm, sorry!"
He threw the broken revolver onto the ground and grasped his head anxiously.
"Hey, hey," Frisk replied. "Are you ok there?"
"Yeah!" the fish man replied with a joyful smile. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. Like I said, s-stutter. From my uncle. He's a clam, by the way. Like, literally. Like my mom. But he's a big clam. A big clam head. BIG. Erm, not that it has anything, err, anything to do with, mmm, oh, Gods, with anything."
The trio all proceed to give each other an awkward glance.
"Ok, ok, ok, ok," the fish-man said. "I understand I'm w-w-weird. Speak weird, I mean! But, erm, my name is F-F-my name is F-F-FINRICK. Yes, my name is Finrick. Hard to say sometimes, but erm, I thought you should know."
"Finrick?" Flowey repeated uncomfortably in a whisper.
"What is it, Flowey?" MK inquired.
"Nothing," Flowey replied. "Just… an odd feeling is all."
"Alright," Frisk said, anxiously walking forward. "Nice to, erm, meet you, Finrick."
"Oh, erm, you too, I guess," Finrick said with a joyful smile returning. "You, erm, wanna-wanna-wanna come in?"
"Oh?" Frisk said with surprise.
"Erm," Flowey started, ready to protest. "Wait, is that your house?"
"Y-yes!" Finrick quickly said. "Made it my-m-myself. It's a great piece of work, isn't it!"
As he stood there, smiling with arms wide open, a loose nail fell out of one plank with an audible clink as it landed.
"Erm, I had some help," the fish added. "I think."
"I don't know about this," Flowey stated.
"Ugh, fine, I know," Finrick said, glumly. "I know. I know, I know, I know, I know. Not the b-b-best place. And it requires a lot of maintenance. B-b-b-but it's not that bad. Once you get inside, it looks much better. Cement walls, cosy bed and, erm, other stuff, YOU NAME IT!"
He spread his arms wide open to his side, like a showman introducing a new act.
"P-p-p-pretty please?" he asked with a pleading smile.
Frisk gave her companion uncertain glances. They all seemed to share the same indecisiveness, and Frisk expected Flowey to refuse without a thought. Perhaps he was too scared to say "no" in this case.
"I have, erm, food?" Finrick said. "I have, erm, I have, erm, some soup. Some good ol' sea-weed soup. It could refreshen you, I guess. Heh, you've probably been out for a long time here. So why not h-h-have a shelter for a bit, and-"
"Look, mister," Flowey began. "I'm sure you're nice and all-"
"S-sure," Frisk quickly answered, hiding the discomfort. "I'm sure we can stay. Just a bit."
"Frisk?" Flowey replied.
"OH!" Finrick said with sudden ecstasy while smiling maniacally. "Erm, sorry. I just haven't had a lot of company recently- GOOD company. Erm, hope it's not a bother."
"Nah, don't worry," Frisk said, forcing a smile.
"Excuse me, Frisk?" Flowey repeated. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Erm," Frisk began while looking at Finrick. "Sorry, can you wait a second?"
"Oh, is it me?!" Finrick quickly asked anxiously. "Am I too much? Gods, of course! Of course, I'm too much! If only-!"
"Just a moment, please?"
Frisk kneeled down, looking at her old companion, with MK joining in.
"I don't know," Flowey whispered. "He looks a bit shady."
"You think everyone looks shady," Frisk said.
"I know," Flowey replied. "It's just-"
"Is it 'cause he talks weird?" MK inquired. "Lots of monsters do. Ever seen a Temmie."
"Ok, just what the hell are Temmies?" Frisk inquired.
"Not the time," Flowey replied. "Alright, no, MK, it's not because he "talks weird". I just don't have a good feeling about this, ok?"
"You thought the same thing about the dragon guy," Frisk said. "You thought the same thing about almost everything in the forest."
"You know I can hear you three!" Finrick cried out.
"I know, kid," Flowey said, ignoring the hermit. "But-"
"Eh, screw it," MK said. "I'm tired of walking in this freezing swamp."
They quickly ran up to Finrick, who looked both anxious and excited.
"S-sorry, I don't want to, erm, I don't want to be a burden," the fish monster said to them in the distance.
"Well, MK seems to trust him," Frisk said. "More than me, I suppose."
"Nah, the kid trusts you a lot, Frisk," Flowey reassured. "Don't beat yourself up about it."
"Well," Frisk began, looking at Finrick and MK. "I, myself personally, have a good feeling about this."
She quickly stood up.
"Frisk…" Flowey replied.
"I'm t-t-terribly sorry," the fish-man continued speaking to MK in the distance. "I've just been f-feeling lonely."
"Don't get a lot of company?" MK inquired. "Funny. We just met someone like that, actually. You two might get along."
"Oh, I do get people here regularly. I have people. My, erm, workers, for example. All of them have j-j-j-just left home for the weekend. So, it's just been me for a while."
"I just want to be careful," Flowey said to Frisk. "Who knows how far behind The Hunt is. We may have wasted far too much valuable time already by staying with Vladi."
"Flowey," Frisk said while looking down at him. "Look, I get it, ok? But luck has done us favours with strangers so far. Plus, I could really go for some lunch. Or dinner. Whatever."
Flowey turned thoughtful, looking over at the dilapidated shack. Just in front, MK and the hermit stood and chatted, seemingly already getting along.
"So you're like a business owner?" MK asked. "Ooh, you must be super rich then."
"Erm, not really," the fish-man said. "I'm more of a, erm, herbalist. Yeah, an herbalist."
Flowey turned back to Frisk, who put up a reassuring smile. Flowey looked away, almost as if he couldn't stand it.
"C'mon, just a few minutes, ok?" Frisk asked. "Then we're off again."
After a moment, Flowey quickly rolled his eyes.
"Aw, to hell with it," he cheerfully said. "Why not?"
Author's note:
Song used in the chapter: watch?v=sNNYtm2XJGc
In case you haven't noticed, this fic just got new cover art!
(It's on the very first chapter, the "prologue" one titled "Somewhere deep down" here on AO3)
Commissioned by me and drawn by the lovely SkyBr1ght on Deviantart, please give them a look:
skybr1ght/art/Commission-The-Royal-Hunt-915650712
Don't have much to say about this one. If my plans go right, as they rarely do, it'll be the shortest chapter so far, and the most interesting I can think of at the moment is that it was actually going to be called "The Swamp" at first before I changed my mind because a marsh is more accurate.
A lot of it was literally built on the spot, including the "singing" portion. I wasn't even planning it, I just wanted the conversations to "naturally flow" and, somehow, there's where I ended up. Honestly, that song I picked was no real coincidence, IMO. I heard it first in the game "Tales From the Borderlands", and when I realized I was about to make MK sing, I chose it because, honestly, I kinda see it kinda as "Frisk's theme" in this AU.
We're also introduced to a new OC I really enjoyed writing, Finrick(many more of you meticulous readers have hopefully connected together something with him ;)). Part of me considered using "The Mad Dummy" for this role, but I chose not to for reasons that'll hopefully become clear. Now, if anyone is worried this will be a repeat of The Valley chapter(the gang meets a lonely stranger who seems weird but ultimately is friendly, they stay at his place and befriend him, but eventually have to say goodbye).
I don't want to spoil much, that's all I will say.
Either way, hope to see you soon, and please leave a comment or review.
Edit: just read over this chapter again and noticed SO MANY errors, Jesus. So I fixed some of them.