“T-thanks for coming! Have a seat, w-we’re just waiting for Sans, Toriel and Papyrus.”
You stepped inside the house and took a long, hard look at Alphys. She was dressed up. In what looked to be some kind of…cloak? And a fake beard. You had no idea what to think at this point, not when she seemed so happy. So, biting back the words you wanted to exchange with her, you followed her over to the main table where all of this would take place.
Alphys was a huge nerd. You knew that already. But what you didn’t know was that for as long as you’d known her, she and Undyne had a shared love for tabletop rpgs.
It made sense, you told yourself, settling down in the chair as they prepared for a long night of adventure. They had an interest in out of the norm stuff. Maybe it was in their nature to seek out things that were largely ignored or dismissed by everyone else, but you could appreciate how up front they were about their feelings and interests. While the two of them were giant dorks, you knew that they put their hearts and SOULs into appreciating things that were whimsical, fun and teeming with imagination.
You glanced around at all of the little character sheets that Undyne passed around. She was concentrating hard on making sure everything was perfect. You didn’t dare laugh at her own costume considering she was the one that probably stitched it together.
“WE…HAVE…ARRIVED!!!”
“FINALLY.” Undyne grinned ferally. She practically hopped on top of the table with excitement. “You NERDS ready for this?!”
“eh, could be readier.” Sans shambled in and shot you a grin. “heya.”
“Hi. I’m surprised you’re actually here.”
“heard there were gonna be cute girls here.” He hopped up on the chair without saying anything else, knowing you were rendered immobile with his blatant flirting.
Ugh, he always knew how to rile you up! You pouted and slipped into your own seat while Papyrus and Undyne talked about things that had gone on since they last saw each other. Alphys waddled out with some giant mugs filled to the brim with…what looked like beer, but you knew was probably soda, considering the girls weren’t really interested in drinking. Being a fish monster, Undyne had quite the low tolerance for alcohol and any small amount could mess her up. And Alphys just made a complete ass out of herself when she did suck stuff down, so they opted to just ignore it all for now.
“S-so before we start, we need to roll for our characters!” She placed some die on the table. “These will help us figured out w-who we’re going to be playing. This is normal for a lot of things, s-since it wouldn’t really be fair to have everyone pick the same r-race and class.”
She plopped it in your hand and you glanced around the table. It was kind of a lot of pressure since everyone was waiting with bated breath on your every decision.
“A-and what were your three numbers?”
“Four, twelve, and fifteen.”
“Oh!” Toriel squinted at the massive resource sheet she had. “It seems that would make you…a human mage.”
“FUFUFUFU! BO-RING!” Undyne howled. “Out of all the races and classes you could get, you end up with THAT? Make her reroll!”
“N-no rerolls, the die has spoken!” Alphys cried from her spot at the table, hands flat on the surface as she lifted herself up from her seat. “B-besides, I think it’s cute. It’s like a…self-insert! S-she can make all of her decisions like it’s her really playing the game instead of making a character. If she wants, of course. Or she c-could create someone entirely new and then live out her wildest fantasies behind someone who has the same features as she does for the most immersion!”
You all stared at her while she tried to catch her breath.
“A-anyway, what about you, Papyrus?”
It went down like this.
Papyrus ended up being an elven bard. Which was incredible, because the entire time after he received his character traits, he ended up singing all of his rebuttals and sending the table into fits.
Sans was some kind of…orc tank, which he nicknamed a “boar-rior”. Awful. He specialized in two-handed weapons and was some kind of tank, which was just hilarious. The Sans you knew was too lazy to do his laundry before his clothes started to give off that rank, unwashed smell, let alone power through massive swarms of enemies with major bloodlust.
Alphys ended up being a dwarven assassin. She was supposed to be nimble and cut her enemies throats through deception and manipulation. You thought it fit more than she probably realized, but you would never say it aloud.
And Undyne? She was a gnome archer. Which was the funniest fucking thing and had the entire table laughing while she went red in the face. You really thought she was going to explode from anger, but it turned out that she gave in and joined you guys in making fun of her result. Her character was meant to be weak and cowardly, something so far removed from her own personality that it really through you for a loop.
Toriel beam. “As the dungeon master, it is my pleasure to say that we are now exciting the game! How exciting! Let me just grab my reading glasses…”
Long ago, there was a powerful witch that lived on top of the mountain. Whenever people needed something, like a bountiful harvest, they would bring her a single gift. The token depended on the person itself and was only revealed to them through a desperate prayer at midnight. Although many people refused to turn to her for help, as her aid came with a high price, the witch was always straightforward with her blessings and never deceived a single person.
As the years passed, the village blossomed and grew. The witch grew old and weak. Not even her magic could halt her body’s natural decay. In her last years, she begged anyone from the village to prove their worth to her and receive the last of her powers.
No one managed to impress her. So she locked away the last of her strength in a tiny box at the top of her domain, waiting for anyone brave and talented enough to avoid her traps and claim it for themselves. The villagers know that it’s still there, waiting for its rightful owner, granting the person the ability to manipulate and bend the world at whim, but no one has been successful in reaching it.
“Sans, this is your backstory! As a mercenary, you know that the only way to get work is to look for it. Normally you would post up in a town, but this part of the country is highly prejudiced against you and refuses to let you stay indoors for extended periods of time. It was in one of the villages that you met the human mage and her trusty elven companion. The three of you clicked well over being discriminated against because of your talents and race, and decided to form coalition to protect anyone in need. Undyne and Alphys came along last, as the former was injured on the road and you managed to save her from the brink of death, earning the trust of both.
“Your party has been traveling very far and are low on coin, but you have enough food to last the next week. It is here that your journey begins!”
It was tepid outside, enough that the wind blew right through you. Between the heavy cloak and the company of your friends, it was easy to stay warm, but the thought remained: you needed shelter. Staying in the forest had been okay at first, but you wanted cold ale, a warm bed, and some good food to help you forget all about being forced to walk the lands in search of those who so desperately needed your help.
Sans shrugged. “we should probably find the nearest village. any ideas?”
“I’M NOT SURE. PERHAPS THERE IS A PATH IN THIS FOREST.” Papyrus hopped on top of the nearest rock, peering over the horizon. “WHAT DO I SEE?”
In the far distance, there was a break in the trees and a giant wall. It was better than nothing.
“Let’s check it out.”
“It LOOKS harmless, but why would a village need a wall? To keep people out? Or IN?” Undyne growled, prowling around with her weapon drawn. She was already on edge. “We might as well keep our guards up, right, Papyrus?!”
“CORRECT! LET US HEAD IN THE DIRECTION OF THE VILLAGE!”
The path turned from grass to stone and you found yourself on the edge of the village. It looked damp and desolate. Even the guard’s armor was rusted and cracked, as if he was standing on his last limbs trying to make sure this place was protected.
“LET’S APPROACH HIM CAUTIOUSLY. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT KIND OF PERSON HE IS. AND IF THE RUST SMELLS STRANGE, IT MAY BE DRIED BLOOD! SCARY!!!”
Alphys agreed. “W-we’ll try to talk our way out of it, first.”
Undyne called out for the guard. He stirred and shifted in his seat, but didn’t move from his spot.
“S-should we even try again? He might get mad if we bother him…”
“If we slip in undetected, he’ll think we’re intruders,” you offered. “I say that we try one more time. Let me.”
You approached the guard and your stomach clenched. This was…a lot tougher than you thought it would be. From the way he was described to you, he was massive in stature and with enough strength to snap your body in half if he so desired. He continued to snooze on despite everything and you cleared your throat, readying yourself for the next step.
“Hello? We’re looking for a place to stay, can we enter the village?”
The guard snapped awake and jumped from his chair, lunging at you.
Roll to dodge!
Fumble!
He grabbed you by the throat and held you high above his head. The others sprang into action.
“I GRAB MY LUTE AND PREPARE A SONG FOR HYPNOSIS!”
Roll. Critical!
The guard shuddered and fumbled with you still in his grip, still disoriented, but didn’t budge. He still had his feet planted firmly on the ground. You were losing air, the oxygen escaping your lungs, face turning blue. His grip on your neck was tight, and you felt yourself kick the air in desperation.
“I-I’ve got it! He needs a weak spot in that bad armor! I’ll assess the situation with my high p-perceptive assassin skills!”
Alphys darted around him and surveyed his form. Roll for agility to avoid his blow! He almost made contact, but at the very last second, she managed to skid backwards and he missed! She darted around his staggering form and noticed, with her sharp eyes, a gap between his chest piece and his gauntlets.
“we gotta distract him. leave it to me.” Sans grinned and stepped forward. “hey, big guy. pick on someone yer own size, will ya?”
He lumbered forward and drew his axe from its position on his back. The slightsching of metal startled the guard and made him roar in frustration, but Sans stood his ground. He flipped the weapon around to position the blade toward himself, using the blunt end to smash against the guard’s skull. With his hands full, seeing as how he was still trying to squeeze the life from your body, he took the full hit and was disoriented for the slight second that they needed for a combined attack.
“U-Undyne! Your arrow!”
Roll!
Critical!
It whizzed through the air and planted itself deep into the guard’s flesh. The head of it sank into his skin and drew a startled scream that frightened some of the birds in the nearby tree. His grip on you loosened to the point where you felt him release you, gulping and gasping for sweet, crisp air while you hurdled toward the ground.
Roll!
Papyrus caught you. Cradling you in his arms. Making sure that you were okay, staring down into your eyes. Patting your cheeks and begging you to stay awake.
The guard went down in a giant heap, sending the earth quaking with the force of his fall. As soon as he hit the ground, his body collapsed in a heap of dust.
“O-oh my god???”
“What the HELL is that?! He just…what, exploded into nothing?! Was he a monster? DID WE KILL ONE OF OUR KIND???”
“U-Undyne, calm down. W-we’re just playing…”
Toriel huffed. “No breaking the fourth wall, please.”
“F-fine. Um. W-we need to investigate. M-maybe it was just an enchanted set of armor?”
You and Papyrus were busy making sure you didn’t have any injuries. Aside from the red marks along the expanse of your neck, you were fine.
“I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT HE WOULD BE DANGEROUS. I SHOULD NOT HAVE LET YOU PUT YOURSELF IN DANGER. NYOO HOO HOO…”
“Oh, Paps. It’s okay. Really. I’ll recover from this.”
“LET ME SEE IF I HAVE ANY HEALING ITEMS IN MY INVENTORY, I SWEAR I WILL USE ALL OF THEM IF IT MEANS YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE SUFFER THROUGH ANY MINOR DISCOMFORTS!”
After making sure that you were okay, all of you bent down to investigate the body.
You saw a strange symbol printed on the back of the guard’s helmet while Undyne went to retrieve her arrow.
“What is this?”
“we should check this book he had on ‘em.” Sans bent down and scooped up what used to be underneath the sentry’s chair. “looks like some kinda fairytale.”
You scooped it up and rifled through. The outside of it was worn with age and use. Although the writing was near illegible, you were able to decipher bits and pieces of the text. Maybe it was because it was thrumming with magic. Maybe it was because it somehow felt like it was a part of you. But the words lifted from the page and danced in the air.
“W-what does it say?”
You read the passage out loud. “Whosoever takes possession of this tome will now and forever be bound to serve Her for as long as they shall live. This is…a binding contract…and read aloud…will activate the spell.”
Oh.
Shit.
“OH MY GOD??? YOU JUST DID IT!!!”
“T-this isn’t good. Maybe we can s-still throw it away!!!”
You made a move to toss the book when it reared back and hit you in the face.
“Ow!”
“you ok?”
“I’m…fine…” You rubbed your nose profusely. “Guess this means I’m…stuck with it.”
“BUT WHO…IS ‘HER’? AND WHY DOES THIS BOOK MEAN SO MUCH?”
“W-we need more answers. We n-need to get inside that village.”
All of you agreed to enter the place quietly. You almost fumbled and made a noise that could’ve alerted the entire village, but you narrowly passed the stealth check so you could enter without a sound.
The entire place looked deserted. Broken. As if people here hadn’t done anything to take care of their home in decades. Trees were wilting, the streets were empty, the buildings were crumbling, and there was the stench of death in the air. You moved closer to Sans, seeing as how he was the one with the giant weapon that he could use to defend you, nearly bumping into him until he flicked his eyes to you.
“heh. you, uh, need somethin’ from me?”
“What? No. I’m just following you.”
“kinda close. might as well hold hands at this rate.”
“Pffft, what? What does that have to do with anything?”
“You GUYS. Quit flirting and help me find somebody!” Undyne snapped. “This place is like A…A…GHOST TOWN.”
“UNDYNE DON’T SAY SUCH NONSENSE. GHOSTS ARE FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL MONSTERS.”
Something crashed in the distance.
“What is that?”
“I-It looks like…a mist!”
“Miasma?!”
You had to roll to make sure you were out of its way, but you fumbled. Crap! At the very last minute, just before you were swallowed up and forced to choke on its toxic presence, Papyrus managed to grab you and use his special ability, an speed rush, to get you out of there. You weren’t sure why he would waste that ability on you – not when he had to wait a whole ten turns to get to use it again – but you weren’t complaining when you realized that it essentially ate away at everything and stripped it bare.
All four of you ended up outside the gates. Huffing to yourselves.
“Was the…guard meant to…save us from that village?” Alphys asked, voice quiet. “H-He hurt you, yes, b-but…it seems like he was bound here so no one would go in.”
“If he was bound to serve as a guard, then what’s my role?” you asked. “I don’t understand this at all. There must be more to this.”
“L-let’s regroup. We…can’t stick around here. We should make camp and look over the b-book some more for clues.”
The place you chose for camp was far enough away that you felt safe. You were the one that started the fire after Papyrus and Sans gathered some wood, using a little bit of magic in order to light it up. Alphys and Undyne decided to scout the area to make sure that everyone was safe.
You grabbed a piece of bread from the bag and broke it, handing a piece to both Papyrus and Sans. They were too busy staring at the fire to nibble on it.
“Something wrong, guys?”
“I AM…WELL…WE WERE…JUST WORRIED. ABOUT THE BOOK. AND WHAT IT MIGHT MEAN FOR YOU.”
“yeah. kinda weird. you read a spell and now you’re under a contract.”
“I DO NOT LIKE THIS. I DO NOT WANT ANYTHING BAD TO HAPPEN TO YOU, EVEN IN A…” Papyrus trailed off, hesitating to break the atmosphere fully. “IT IS SILLY, I KNOW! BUT WE SHOULD CERTAINLY LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITIES. MAY I SEE THE BOOK?”
You stood up to hand it to him and he…
“Toriel?”
“Uh, yes, one moment.” She chuckled. “Papyrus’ hand slips and he grabs your chest instead.”
“WHAT????” He gasped, horrified. “WE ARE NOT EVEN DATING!!!”
Undyne cracked up. “Wait, so you WANT to do it?!”
“I…WAIT, THAT IS NOT WHAT I IMPLIED! DO NOT TWIST MY WORDS, YOU ARE NOT EVEN AT THE CAMP!!!”
So now you were in this awkward situation. Where Papyrus somehow went to grab the book and he ended up with a handful of something else. Your face went red and so did his, a tense, long, awkward moment of silence where he stammered out something akin to an apology.
“oh my god, bro. your game is strong tonight.”
“IT’S…NOT A GAME!!!” Papyrus cried. “I WOULD NEVER DO THIS ON PURPOSE AND WITHOUT HER PERMISSION! AND YOU ARE ONLY DEFLECTING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE THE ONE TO SQUISH HER!”
Whoa.
Your face went red. You scooted back in your chair and left the table to grab a glass of water. Toriel hooted with laughter and when you came back, Sans’ eyesockets had gone black from sheer embarrassment. Papyrus had his face buried in his hands while Alphys and Undyne were too busy doodling things to each other on their character sheets. No doubt some pickup lines or notes on your guys’ interactions.
You sucked in a breath and rejoined the game.
“I-it’s okay, Paps. I know you didn’t mean it. Here’s the book.”
“THANK YOU…”
He found an inscription on the very back cover. A name.
Alphys and Undyne returned just in time for the latter to scrutinize it. She had a background in all sorts of different languages and runes, and even had a little booklet that she carried with her for just an occasion.
“Fufufu…”
“What’s so funny?”
“The ANSWER to all of our questions is in here! It says that this stupid BOOK is part of some DUMB ancient legend about a witch on top of the mountain! If we RETURN it, we can make sure that you’re not in any danger!!!” Undyne grinned and slammed her little notepad shut. “So you know what THAT means?! We’re going up…to the top…of that MOUNTAIN!!!”
She whirled around dramatically and pointed at the ominous structure in the distance. Seeing the faint sparkling lights at the top of it was enough for your stomach to twist up. You could’ve sworn that you could hear the clap of thunder and catch a glimpse of a spark of lightning.
All of you ate together and got ready for bed. It would be the start of the new day, but…
“It seems that during your scuffle with the guardsman, you dropped your bedroll and forgot to pick it up. Now you have to share with someone else.”
“TORIEL.”
“Shhhh!”
You glared at her but returned to the game, feeling your cheeks warm up. “Then I’ll just bunk with Alphys and Undyne!”
“No WAY, dweeb! We deserve some alone time after that TRAUMATIC experience. You just find a way to squeeze in with the bros!”
So this was what it came down to.
You and the brothers. Sharing a tent. In the middle of the forest.
“Are you guys sure you’re okay with this?”
“I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER AND IT IS A LITTLE FUNNY THAT YOU WOULD ASK BECAUSE WE ARE FRIENDS AND OF COURSE THIS IS WHAT FRIENDS DO!!!” Papyrus cried. He rolled over and buried himself in the blankets to face away from you.
Sans settled in next to you with a grin. “uh. wow. didn’t think i’d get you in bed so quickly. kinda figured you’d wanna take it slow.”
You snorted out of nervousness. “Shut up.”
“yer kinda lookin’ uncomfortable there. aren’t you cold?”
“I’m fine,” you stressed, trying not to take his bait.
It was a long, awkward night. Toriel made sure of that. She tried to throw some curveballs at you, like a mysterious noise that you had to investigate and you somehow got separated from Sans and Papyrus. Eventually you found your way back to the tent. You were so overwhelmed that you ended up failing a check and slipping in a random puddle, which caused a bunch of discussion about whose clothes you had to wear in order to keep warm and where you would change.
With the destination in sight, you, Sans and Papyrus decided to take the more direct path to the mountain. Alphys and Undyne left for the more jagged and dangerous route, seeing as how they wanted to make sure you weren’t being followed by anything malevolent. It was hard to tell what kind of dangers the book would bring, since you were positive that it was more powerful than you initially thought.
“WHEN WE GET TO THE TOP, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL. MORE CAREFUL THAN EVER BEFORE. I HAVE A BAD FEELING.”
As soon as he said that, the ground gave way.
Roll!
“I TRY TO SUMMON A MONSTER TO CATCH HER LANDING!”
Fumble.
“i jump after her and hold her on the way down.”
Success.
You were surprised that Sans would spring into action like this. His arms wrapped around you, a mischievous grin on his face. The both of you tumbled down the sudden hole together, Papyrus’ voice growing distant, the lights disappearing as you succumbed to the heavy darkness that swallowed you both up.
“hey.”
“Sans?” You couldn’t see his expression, but you guessed it was smug. “Why’d you do this? Why would you risk your life for me?”
“what can i say…” He chuckled. “guess this really means i'm…fallin’ for ya, huh?”
Ugh. Moment. Ruined.
He laughed and refused to let you go despite your protests to just let you fall the rest of the way alone. It felt like forever with the way that Toriel described it. How long did this tunnel go, anyway?
You jerked to a stop in midair. Inches above the ground. Sans was the one to set you on your feet and the both of you heard a strangled scream come from up above.
“NYOO HOO HOO! PLEASE BE OKAY!!!”
Roll!
You suspended Papyrus in midair and gently set him down. Phew. It was a spell you could only use on other people, and you were glad that you did it for him. He flushed at the amount of kindness you showed him and approached you with a dark redness to his cheekbones.
“THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME. I WAS WORRIED I MIGHT BREAK A BONE!”
“That sounds like it would be really painful, all things considered.”
“I HAVE NEVER DONE IT BEFORE, BUT I ASSUME IT WOULD! WELL, WHICH DIRECTION SHALL WE GO?”
Alphys and Undyne were off doing their own thing, and you had to pretend like you didn’t know what it was. It was nice to hear that they were interested in spending time alone. You, Sans and Papyrus, on the other hand, traversed through the mazelike tunnels and made sure not to lose each other by summoning a wisp to light the way. It bobbed up and down and guided you past the dangerous stalagmites and stalactites that hissed with poison and acid, taking you away from the low growls in the darkness.
“i reach out and hold her hand.”
Roll for charisma.
Fumble.
Sans reached for you and second guessed himself. He ended up slapping your arm instead and caused a cry of pain from you. Despite the nervous sweat dripping down his brow, you understood his apprehension and wanted nothing more than to reassure him it was okay.
The three of you came across a door with a narrow path suspended over a large lake of lava. Papyrus was the one who said he wanted to go first, but you refused.
You took a step.
Then another.
It creaked and cracked, but didn’t split enough for you to go tumbling down.
“It’s safe, guys. Just take it slow and easy, okay?”
You watched them start toward you and encouraged them the best you could. Sans cracked some kind of lame joke and Papyrus yelled at him to stop. Their banter made it easier to ignore the sweltering heat that rose from down below and threatened to swallow you up.
You reached the other side and glanced back at the both of them. Pausing just a moment before you braced yourself and pushed through the door to the next room.
It was quiet for a moment. Until a white figure appeared at the top of the staircase and gazed down at both of you. The wisp snuffed out and all you could see in the pitch black darkness was the ethereal glow of a cloaked woman. She was eerily quiet, made absolutely no move of acknowledgment, yet you knew that she was directing all of her attention on you.
“Are you the one that bound me to this book?” you called out to her.
She lifted her head and gazed at you with pupil less eyes. A wretched grin on her mouth.
“I…I WILL PROTECT YOU!” Papyrus cried.
Roll to dodge her attack! Pass!
You weren’t sure what happened to trigger her, but she swept down with a barrage of spells aimed to kill you. To slaughter you in front of the two people you cared for the most! You let out an indignant cry while readying your own spells.
Drawing her attention to you.
Her jaw dropped open and she screamed.
The walls shattered and so did your willpower. All three of you went down for the count. An unavoidable attack that left you clinging to life with just one hit point. Sans and Papyrus were rendered immobile, completely paralyzed, while you struggled against the invisible bonds that snaked around you after she swept her arms out. Her magic was heavy and thick, but you refused to crumple just yet, trying your best to struggle and resist despite the obvious difference in power.
She dropped down with a hard swoop and ended up next to you. Gripping your face with her clawed hands, nails digging into your cheeks, glancing at the marks on your neck and squinting hard at the expression on your face.
“What are you feeling right now?” She asked with a hiss, her breath foul and hot against your ear. “Is it fear? Or relief?”
You weren’t sure what you wanted to say, but you felt bolder than usual. “I’m not afraid.”
“Liar,” she cackled. “I can see it! All over your face! You can’t deceive me!”
You knew you could call her bluff, but opted not to.
“I don’t care what you do to me. Just don’t touch the brothers and let them go.”
“No.”
She dropped you and whirled around to them. You watched as she sent them both in flames, the fire bursting from the center of their ribcages. A scream came out of your throat reflexively as Toriel described, in great detail, the two of them turning charred and weak from the sudden onslaught of magic. The two of them crumpled and went lifeless, their bones disappearing into nothingness, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes while you begged her to leave them alone.
“And what is your wish?” She prodded, returning her attention to you after flicking away their remains as if it was nothing. “What do you desire? You may have one thing from me for lasting this long.”
You didn’t even hesitate. Everyone at the table waiting with bated breath.
“Take me instead. I know you can do it. Turn back the clock and punish me for intruding on this place. I never should have come here, I just wanted to save myself! But I put them at risk, and they died for it! I don’t want this! Please, just make it so that they never met me! So I’d never cause them a single second of pain!”
Your heartfelt speech caused a break of silence between you and the figure.
“NO!” You heard Papyrus’ voice from faraway, just distant enough to know that it wasn’t real. “I DO NOT WANT THAT! I…DON’T CARE HOW MUCH YOU MIGHT HURT ME! OR WHAT SUFFERING WE GO THROUGH! BECAUSE I WOULD SPEND A LIFETIME DOING IT IF IT MEANT JUST A SINGLE MOMENT TOGETHER!”
“Papyrus…”
“NO. I REALIZE THIS IS JUST A GAME TO YOU, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT. I DO NOT…I DO NOT WANT YOU TO FEEL AS THOUGH YOU MUST BEAR THE BURDEN ALL ON YOUR OWN! IT’S NOT RIGHT!!!”
Sans chimed off from the side. “yeah. livin’ without loving…ain’t as good. y’know? things have changed for us. n’ we’re not going to hold it against you, no matter how tough it gets.”
“OUR SAFETY AND HEALTH IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS YOURS. PLEASE DO NOT THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY!”
“That’s what you’re doing!” you argued, knowing it made absolutely no sense. That the specter as still watching and waiting for your response, that she was essentially spying on you to figure you out. “You’re throwing it all away for me, and I’m not worth it! You tried to save me earlier and I couldn’t do anything to protect you!”
“whoa. is that…really what you think of yourself? that you’re a burden.”
You pursed your lips. “You…deserve better than me. Both of you do.”
“no offense, but…i think we know what we want. and what’s good for us.”
“IT IS YOU.”
The three of you gazed at each other silently.
Alphys had stars in her eyes. Undyne was grinning.
Toriel cleared her throat.
“If we may continue…”
The witch came close and the hard edge to her faded. The glow to her pallid skin returned dissipated, her wild hair settling around her shoulders instead of thrashing in the air like serpents. She shut her eyes and, when she reopened them, they were a soft, warm color that reminded you of home.
“You pass.”
What?
“I will take this from you.”
She plucked the book from your hands and a pedestal summoned from thin air, materializing in the center of the room. She placed it under the glass case and the atmosphere completely shifted. The heavy humidity of the earth’s core just miles beneath your feet faded away. The décor of the room went from simplistic and barbaric to grandeur and delicate. Even the way you felt, the settle stirring in your gut, was washed away with the soothing and familiar feeling of healing magic.
You swallowed hard as she stepped backwards. Her figure fading.
“One last thank you. From me…to you.”
Whiteness.
You heard your name. Something sweet.
“you there? c’mon, wake up, will ya?”
“ARE YOU CONSCIOUS? ARE YOU OKAY?”
You stirred. Looked up. Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus and Sans hovered over you.
“What happened?”
“You passed out after that guard choked you. We took care of him.” Undyne thumbed to his unconscious body. “Alphys said he was under some kind of spell, but once you were out cold, the entire village went up in this…WEIRD, rainbow light!!! It was crazy!!!”
You shifted and sat up. The girls were the ones to steady you.
“W-we were really worried. I-it was weird…I had this vision t-that you were being attached by some kind of…witch? But then it faded and I remembered that w-we were here.”
“Hey, I had that, too!” Undyne’s face twisted up. “Better not worry about it right now, not when she’s still out of it. Hey, you need water or something? Let’s look for a canteen in my backpack!”
As the both of them rummaged through their stuff, Sans and Papyrus dropped down to your level.
“i kiss her.”
Charisma roll.
Critical.
He cupped his hands around your cheeks and planted one on you. It was full of passion and longing, his eyesockets sliding closed when he angled himself to press even harder against you. You whispered a few words of confusion along his mouth but he silenced you with peppering smooches, again and again, until he was fully satisfied with your breathlessness.
“I KISS HER.”
Charisma roll.
Critical.
Papyrus went for your forehead first. Soft. Then your eyelids. Softer. He kissed along your temple and made a trail all the way down to your nose and then lips, laughing your name under his breath when you made a noise of surprise. He made sure to hold you in place so you didn’t fade away, and when he pulled back, he rested his forehead on yours with a bashful expression.
“Way to GO, PAPYRUS!” Undyne whooped. “Way to REALLY seduce her!!!”
“W-WHAT? NO, I’M BEING GENUINE IN MY…” He stammered. “THAT IS NOT FUNNY!!!”
“heh heh heh. oh my god. she’s bright red.”
“B-because you KISSED me in the GAME!” you shot back at him, burying your face in your hands.
Alphys giggled wildly. “O-oh my god, Toriel, it totally worked??? You got the confession and the smooch of love!!!”
You didn’t bother getting angry at them. Undyne, Alphys and Toriel planned this all along. They wanted things to move forward between you and the two brothers, and orchestrated this entire adventure just to make sure it happened.
But…
Despite the trick.
Despite being a little bit of a pawn for their own devices.
Despite inheriting some kind of weird, omniscient power in a box that would no doubt cause problems in all of your future games…
You’d won this round.
And, judging by the ecstatic and bashful expressions on the brothers’ faces, they thought they’d lucked out, too.
You could see why people liked to do this after all.
Next week was going to be amazing.