#hypertale!val

[hypertale-au]

Hypertale - The True Pacifist Run (Chapter 9: A Bone-afide Mess)

It had been quite some time since Andrew and Val had known what freedom had felt like, since not only were they under Toriel's house rules (which they personally didn't mind), but they were trapped in the mountains, seemingly with no hope of escape. But now, they were on their way, the first step towards freedom. They were walking through a long hallway. Andrew and Val were following Toriel, and Napstablook was following close behind. They were headed to the cold air's origin, as this was surely a step towards freedom and peace towards monster-kind. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Flowey popped up from the ground, causing them to stop in their tracks. Andrew reacted, "Flowey? How did you get here? I thought the rocks back in the Ruins blocked you off."

Flowey told him, "I thought they did, but I can go through the ground. Looks like you made a couple friends," he gestured to Toriel and Napstablook. Andrew asked Val, "Hey, do you have anything we can put Flowey into? I want him to come along!" Val checked her inventory. Sadly, she didn't have anything. "It's okay, I don't need to come along. I'll be checking on you throught your quest. You oughta be lucky. In this world, if you're not careful, you'll die from invironmental impact," Flowey explicitly told them. Toriel said, "Well, I do hope this won't happen to us." Flowey responded, "Oh, me too. Anyways, I need to be off, who knows what the humans up there are planning? Bye-bye!" And with that, he headed back into the ground. Then, they were off into a cold, snowy, and desolate forest.

Andrew and Val needed to huddle up against Toriel just to keep warm. Napstablook felt nothing, because, well... ghosts couldn't get cold. They were kinda... incorporeal like that. However, that didn't stop him from walking, er, floating right next to them, presumably as some sort of comfort. However, the blanket that Toriel put on them had blew away. Toriel then said, "It's okay, my children, I will keep you warm." And then, she began to light her hands on a magical fire. Although this fire wasn't harmful to Andrew and Val. In fact, it gave them a warm, comforting feeling that seemingly brought their HP up without them realizing. As they continued to walk, they saw a dog run up to them, wearing some sort of black hood.

The dog was sniffing for something, and when his nose landed on Andrew and Val's scents, the dog got angry and barked at the group, they had to go another way. As they went back to the door, Val then noticed something peeking out of the bushes. Peeling back the bushes revealed a camera. A broken down camera, but a camera nonetheless. It was seemingly put there by somebody to keep track of the entrance to this forest should a human had come. They decided to walk back again, and the dog was still there, barking fiercely at the two humans who were being warmed by Toriel. Toriel then gave the dog a glare, a glare only a mother would make. If looks could kill, the dog would've dropped dead then and there.

The dog ran away, yowling and barking as if Toriel had tried to murder them. Val said, "Wow, Toriel... That is one chilling glare." Toriel realized that the two humans had saw, and reassured them, "Oh, do not worry about that, Val. It is something I do when someone is giving my children a hard time." Andrew told her, "Oh. Okay, then," and went back to walking, Toriel still close to them. They ended up at a bridge. This certain bridge had some sort of gate, with bars too wide to stop anybody. Andrew thought to himself, "Man, whoever built that must really not want to stop anyone." And as they were walking, Toriel's soul turned a bright blue, and as if by magic, she was whisked away from the humans. Napstablook rushed to save her.

Andrew suddenly got an orange soul, and he couldn't stop moving, and he rushed to save Toriel as well, "Tori, I'm coming!" This left only Val, as she turned to see the cause of this sudden event. Two skeletons. One tall, one small. One wearing a hoodie, the other wearing some type of battle armor. One having a blue right eye, the other having an orange left eye. One of them then spoke, "HUMAN. IF YOU DO NOT WISH FOR YOUR LIFE TO END, YOU WILL STOP IN YOUR TRACKS THIS INSTANT!" The smaller skeleton looked up to the taller one in what appeared to be disbelief, "Papyrus, are you kidding me? You think that'll get the human to stop?"

The taller skeleton, now confirmed to be Papyrus, talked down to the smaller one, "SANS, I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE! LET ME FINISH MY COOL SPEECH BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO MESS AROUND WITH THE HUMAN!" Sans growled, and looked at Val, his blue eye glowing brighter, "And who are you, then?" Val responded, "My name is Val. And I believe you are Sans and Papyrus?" Papyrus held his hand to his chest, "BUT OF COURSE! I USED TO BE THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BUT NOW... NOW I'M JUST PAPYRUS. AND OF COURSE, SANS IS MY LAZY BROTHER, AND WHEN WE GET OUT OF HERE, WE SHALL SEE THE SUNLIGHT FOR ALL IT'S BRIGHT GLORY AND--WAIT A SECOND."

Sans stopped Val with some sort of blue magic before she could get away, and brought her closer to Papyrus. "WHY, YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL, YOU HAD ME MONOLOGUING! VERY CLEVER..." Sans pinned her down as Papyrus summoned a bunch of magical bones, "BUT NOT CLEVER ENOUGH!" The bones came flying at Val with very quick speed. Suddenly, a barrage of flames came in and turned the bones to ashes, making the bones turn to ashes. Papyrus yelped, "NO, MY BONES! LUCKILY I STILL HAVE MY SPECIAL ATTA--WHERE DID IT GO?!" Papyrus reached in to pull something out, but it wasn't there. It turned out to be the dog from earlier, without a hood, gnawing on the bone.

The dog looked up at Papyrus with shock, and ran as fast as their little legs would carry them. "HEY, GET BACK HERE WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK, YOU SLY DOG!" Sans went up to Papyrus, who was seemingly exausted from yelling, "Hey, calm down, bro. We still gotta deal with the human." Speaking of the human, Sans turned to see Val, with Andrew, who looked out of breath. Sans looked shocked, "Two... now there's TWO humans?!" Sans' eye glowed as bright as it could. Sans picked up Val and Andrew, carried them over to him, and summoned bones around their necks that would crush them at his command, "Give me one good reason why I SHOULDN'T kill you, you filthy humans!"

Suddenly, a ring of flames surrounded Sans, and tripped him up, causing Andrew and Val to be released by the magic and bones. Toriel then rushed to their aid, giving them another chilling stare. Papyrus was in shock by the glare, and began to rattle, "SANS, I'M SCARED, HOLD ME!" He jumped into Sans' arms, and he too was shocked, but not by the glare. But by the fact that two humans had managed to befriend a monster, and seemingly live with them, as Toriel was acting like a mother to the humans. In fact, Sans was so shocked, he couldn't form words, "You... but she's... but how...?" Toriel looked up at Sans, "These humans have promised not only freedom and kindness to monsters, but also to other humans who may have fallen in here..."

Papyrus was scared again, "...MORE? THERE ARE MORE? SANS, WHAT DO WE DO?" Andrew spoke, "I swear I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want monsters to live in harmony with humans again." Sans and Papyrus were more than convinced now. Papyrus ran up to Andrew and Val, and gave them a hug, while the humans hugged him back, "HUMANS. I'M SO SORRY FOR TRYING TO HURT YOU, PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I HONESTLY DIDN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE BAD HUMANS!" Sans was reluctant, but then sighed, "Fine... I'm sorry too." Andrew and Val stood up, and Sans walked up to Andrew. Andrew flinched and closed his eyes, but when he opened them, he saw that Sans was handing him something. "Here ya go, kid."

Andrew reluctantly grabbed it out of Sans' hands. It was some sort of donut, with edible spider decals all around it. On the donut had a plastered note, "Sorry. From, Sans." Andrew took the note off and ate the donut. He felt a rush of health that he didn't think was possible. It was as if his health had been maxed out, plus one! Andrew thanked Sans, and he nodded. He then said, "Say, Mr. Skeleton, do you and the other skeleton want to escape?" Sans said in a creepy tone, with both of his eyes pitch black, "Who doesn't want to escape? And, call me Sans. That's my bro Papyrus over there," He pointed to Papyrus, who waved at him, "HI, HUMAN!" Andrew then decided to introduce the others, "Well, this is Val," she waved. "This is Toriel," Toriel waved to Sans and Papyrus, "Hello, skeleton brothers," and then Andrew looked around, "Napstablook should be here somewhere..."

Napstablook then appeared in front of him, it seemed he had finally gained some sort of visible form, while still being as incorporeal as ever, "Oh... that would be me. Hi, guys..." Papyrus waved to the ghost, while Sans slowly blinked. Andrew then went on, "Well, let's go. I'm sure we'll be able to escape soon." And so, he was off again with Val and Napstablook, Toriel warming them once again. Papyrus smiled and followed suit, while walking with his brother, not wanting to leave him behind. As they were walking through the forest, they noticed some traps that had seemingly been left to rot. "I WAS GOING TO USE THOSE FOR HUMANS, B-BUT THEN THEY GOT DESTROYED," Papyrus told them. And as they went on, they saw rotting corpses of dead monsters who tried to fight for their lives during various tremors and gassings.

The more corpses that Andrew saw, the greener in the face he got. Not only was the look of the corpses getting to him, but the smell of them was setting in. Andrew's walking speed had been cut drastically in half. Toriel stopped walking, looking at Andrew with a worried expression. Concerned, Val asked, "Andrew, are you okay?" Andrew said, "Y-Yeah, I'm fi--" He then held his hand to his mouth to block vomit, confirming that statement to be a lie. Papyrus and Sans ran up to him, "HUMAN! DO NOT WORRY, I HAVE A SOLUTION!" He then reached into Sans' hoodie and pulled out something that looked like some sort of dog bowl, "VOMIT IN HERE, IT'S MUCH BETTER THAN THE OTHER OPTION I HAD." He did as Papyrus asked, kneeling down and blowing chunks straight into the dog bowl.

Toriel wrapped her arms around him comfortingly as he vomited, concerned for his well-being. Sans went up and began to pat his head as he vomited, "There, there, kid. Let it out. There ya go." Soon, he had emptied himself, and he was barely able to stand. Toriel asked, "Andrew, are you going to be alright, my child?" Andrew assured her, "Yeah, don't worry... the dead monsters just got to me." Sans said, "When you live in a place like this, you oughta get used to it." Val angrily told Sans, "That doesn't help." Andrew got the strength to walk again, and so he did. Val, Toriel, and Napstablook followed him. Papyrus emptied the dog bowl free of vomit and followed suit with Sans.

Soon, they were at some sort of town. Monsters dead, and luckily, alive, were walking freely, doing mundane tasks, such as talking to each-other. Papyrus exclaimed, "HUMANS, WELCOME TO SNOWDIN TOWN! DO YOU NEED ANYTHING?" Andrew said, "I just want a place to rest." Papyrus said, "OKAY, A PLACE TO REST IT IS! FOLLOW ME!" Papyrus then headed into an igloo, and came out of another one farther away. The rest of them followed suit, and they saw a house. Despite the tremors, it was still in some sort of pristine condition. That is, it wasn't falling apart at every corner. That was until a chunk of roof fell down.

Papyrus said, "WE'VE... HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO TAKE THE BEST CARE OF OUR HOME BECAUSE OF ALL THE TREMORS, BUT I HOPE IT'LL DO FOR NOW." They then walked into the house. It looked, basically just as it did on the outside, almost in pristine condition. Keyword being "almost," as it seemed as though half of the chair was somehow ripped off. "What happened here?" Andrew asked. Sans told him, "You can blame the dog for that. When we first got him, he got a bit too hungry. He's much better now, but now we only have half a couch. And we'll have to renovate the "Human Capture Area" as a guest room. So, guess you'll have to find out what to do." Sans said as he walked into the kitchen.

Toriel followed him in. Papyrus walked in as well, "SANS, YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN RUNNING LOW ON SPAGHETTI." Val and Andrew managed to find comfortable positions with the couch. Andrew sitting on the only half, Val lying down next to it. They then both began to sleep, and in this dream, they both were at the odd hallway that Andrew was in before. Only this time, when they got to the end, the being that awaited them there wasn't a sillhouette, but a human. "Who are you?" Andrew asked, and the human only began to laugh. He then spoke in some strange accent he couldn't comprehend for the life of him, though Val seemingly understood everything, "You won't get away with this, you monster! I know you're the one who's secretly gassing them!"

-- What happens next? Who is the strange human? Tune in next time and find out! This special chapter was written solely by TheCommentingGeeky, and the next part will be solely written by D the Hedgehog, before then returning to normal turn-based chapter writing with the both of them. --

[hypertale-au]

Hypertale - The True Pacifist Run (Chapter 8: Cold, Colder, Yet Colder)

It had been a long while since Toriel first let Val and Andrew into her home. She also seemed to embrace Napstablook's presence as well, as on the odd occasion, something rose up gently, then landed as gently as it risen. While Andrew had forgotten if time was even passing, Val had made a mental calendar, and on a notebook that she borrowed from Toriel, she decided to write down each passing day. And today, it would be a special day, in more ways than either of them could ever figure out. The first part of this special day, was that in Val's mental calendar, it was June 17th. Two months since she fell in, and the day of her birth. She didn't bother to tell Toriel yet, but she was talking to Andrew, and Toriel could overhear some parts that seemed... peculiar to her.

"...he kills them all. Tori could be next soon." "Oh, god, he fell in here too?" "Exactly, he'll be waiting for us, for you. He told me when I was working with him." "But, no, I don't want him to kill anyone, after all they've been through." "I know, I know, just give me some time, I'll figure this out..."

Hearing them speak purely on accident, she seemed a little concerned on just who or what they were talking about. Maybe it didn't concern her at all. But there was no way to find out, and probably thought that forgetting about it would be for the best. Later, Val decided to go up to Toriel, "Excuse me, Ms. Toriel? I've been looking through my mental calendar, and realized it was my birthday today..." Toriel yelped, "O-oh! You caught me off guard there. Birthday, you say?" She jumped, having looked at her with a startled expression. Val said, "Y-Yes, today is my birthday. I thought that I would tell you, since... is-is something wrong?" Val noticed that there seemed to be an expression of... dread on Toriel's face.

"Oh, erm, no! You just might be seeing things. Anyway, would you like to continue?" She asked her, trying not to look as nervous as she was before. Val simply assumed that she was, in fact, seeing things, and went on, "Anyways, I thought I would tell you, since it's been so long since we fell down here." Toriel said, "Oh, well... It's a shame I cannot get you anything as a gift. But, whatever you would like, I will try to give to you!" Val denied the request, "Oh, no, no, no! You do not have to give me anything! In fact, I would like to give you something." What Toriel didn't seem to notice, behind Val's back lied a picture she had drawn inside her notebook. She had torn the page out, and then, she handed it to Toriel.

The picture had included Toriel, holding beside her Andrew and Val, with Napstablook in the corner, though in the picture, he was labelled as "NB." At the top of the picture, the space was filled in with the words: "To the best monsters we ever met! -- <3 Val." The picture seemed crude, almost childlike, but anyone could tell that it was made with love. "Oh! Thank you for the picture..." Toriel took it without any repercussion, thinking the art was amazing in itself. "You know, I believe I can make a cake for you if that is what you want!" She set the drawing down onto the table.

Val thought to herself, "A cake? Could she really make that? I'm not sure we have the ingredients." She took a while before deciding, "If we have the ingredients needed, yes, I would like that." She did indeed have a couple of things laying around that could help, and wanted to make sure Val could at least enjoy herself here, unsure of what her type of fun could contain given their current living situation. Meanwhile, Andrew was by himself, in his room. He was laying on the bed, and was about to drift off into sleeping. Andrew found himself inside a dark void, the only thing showing any semblance of light being the floor, leading into what seemed to be an endless hallway.

The hallway seemed to stretch on for what looked like miles and miles of a distance, no end in sight and even looked like it started to get thinner. When Andrew began to walk through the thinner ends, it was almost as if he was trying to actually squeeze through, trying to get through and make it in one piece. But, his body was shifting with him as he moved, like it was getting thinner with little to no effort. And the pathway seemed much shorter than it was. Like he was moving at an incredibly fast speed he couldn't feel the effects of. Sooner, or later, he was at an end to the path, something he thought he wouldn't see for a while. He began to see something materialize out of what appeared to be the darkness surrounding him. It was a white silhouette, in the shape of something that wasn't moving.

Andrew didn't have a clue as to who the white silhouette was, he didn't know what to say or do in a situation like this to begin with. The ambience didn't help the surroundings either, since it was nothing but pure silence. Finally, Andrew managed to break the silence with: "Who are you?" The shape didn't respond, no movement at all. Andrew assumed the only way to get a response from this crazy shape, was to go and touch it. As soon as he touched it, however, his entire vision cut out, like a instant switch. Andrew was shocked, and didn't know what to do. His first assumption was that he had to go find a light switch of some kind to turn the light back on.

He couldn't move, like something was blocking him from resuming this dream. He needed to wake up. He woke up, and he could see that Val was shaking him awake, "Andrew, Andrew, come to the main room, it's a treat, you see!" Val went out into the main room. Andrew, not knowing what happened in the dream, decided to follow suit. Toriel had been busying herself with the last couple touches on the surprises she had to make. When they came into the main room, nothing was inside. Well, nothing they could see anyways. It was if some odd force (possibly Napstablook) had blinded them, as to not spoil this strange surprise. Said odd force was in fact the ghost, who had dressed appropriately by having a blanket Toriel kindly donated to him.

"You may let them see again!" She called to him, and at once, their vision came back as he floated away. At first their eyes needed to adjust to the sudden light, but when they did... They saw what resembled a banner and a few decorations, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VAL!' written across it in elegant writing (possibly Toriel's). Andrew thought that the decorations were beautiful in of themselves, but the thing that struck him the most was the wrting, signifying that it was, indeed, Val's birthday. Andrew didn't remember what month it was, and yet somehow, it was her birthday. "Happy birthday, Val! I tried to do as you asked...!" She beamed, proud of herself for making the lovely decorations.

Val was amazed at all that was done for her, and all because it was her birthday. She never expected this, and for that, she was especially thankful. Andrew, on the other hand, was simply confused. He tried to go back to his room to think about it, but his confused stumbling accidentally led him into the basement instead. As he fell and tripped in, the fall took him down under the house where the only exit out of the Ruins laid. Could it still be covered up by rocks after all this time? He lied there, unconscious, for a good five seconds, before suddenly regaining composure. He decided to check the door to the Ruins. Still clogged with rock, it seemed, but there was noticeably lesser blocking the way than before. More light from beyond was shining through...

He decided to try picking up one of the rocks. Somehow, due to what seemed to be snow coming through the door, the snow melted into the rocks, causing the material to wear out, and the rock to become much less heavy than before. Something to do with what could possibly be acidic in the snow, or rather just the rocks being extremely weak to cold water leaking through the small space between them. Andrew decided to go with the latter, and before too long, the rocks had become cleared, something that Andrew never thought he'd see in quite some time. But before he could take a step back to marvel at what had happened, the cold air blasted full force, pushing Andrew back tremendously.

Val noticed the cold air coming from the basement almost immediately, and, ignoring her birthday, went down to check if anything had happened. She was completely flabbergasted at what she saw: Andrew, trying his hardest to stay warm while the door, free of rocky terrain, had swung itself as wide open as it had ever done before. The way out. Extremely dim, for some reason, and it didn't let up with the cold air. Could it be possible to close the doors before the entire place got too cold to stay? Andrew got up, and tried to move towards the door to shut it, while Val followed close behind, but every time they got too close, they were pushed all the way back again.

Val exclaimed, "Andrew, how the hell did you move all the rocks?" Andrew exclaimed, "I don't know! They weren't as heavy as before!" Toriel hurried down the steps as she followed Val, in shock over the fact the doors had looked blown open. Just how did he do it in the first place? Andrew manged to get up and noticed Toriel, "Tori? What are you doing here?" Toriel was shocked, "How did you manage to... do that?" She shivered a little as she couldn't take her eyes off of the path before her. Andrew said, as he tried reaching for the door again, "I think snow came in and the rocks were weak to it, so I could move the rocks easier."

"Are you tired at all...?" She questioned, unsure of him being really weak. "Well, yeah, they were still kinda hard to move, but not as impossible as last time." Val said, "I didn't know that the rocks were weak to water." Toriel speculated, "Maybe they are different to the elements on the outside..." Napstablook appeared next to her, still under the rag. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the winds calmed down. And they had a choice, should they stay, or should they move on to freedom? Val speculated, "Toriel, this is it, our first step towards freedom, is it really true?" Toriel reasoned, "I believe... it is. If we leave, we might be able to go further than before... I have never seen what lies outside of this place." Andrew said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get out of here!" Toriel agreed, "At once," and spared no time to walk ahead and out. Andrew and Val followed suit, wondering what could be waiting for them...

-- Made it out of the Ruins! What's next for Andrew? Will he be able to save more monsters? Tune in and find out next time... --

[hypertale-au]

Hypertale - The True Pacifist Run (Chapter 7: The Thing About Ghosts...)

A couple months, or at least, that's what it felt like, had passed. Andrew had been going out every few hours in a day, to check on that weird puddle thing, Napstablook. But right now, he was just sitting in his room, with a dazed look, thinking to himself. Val walked in, and began to talk to him, "You've been sitting in here for an hour and a half, is something on your mind?" Then Andrew said something that he himself thought was outlandish, "So I've been talking to this weird puddle thing, right?" She frowned. "Weird puddle thing, this again?" This was something she had heard from him before. "Yeah, I swear it's real. You're free to come with me and look if you don't believe me," he said. "You sure it'd be safe for that? What if Toriel gets suspicious?" She asked. Andrew thought about it, "Hmm, well, maybe we could ask her?" She pat his shoulder, "That should be fine, I guess. You ask her first." Andrew got up and decided to go to Toriel. First, he decided to gently knock on the door, to see if she was in her room.

She was currently in her room, and called from behind. "Come in!" She said, busy with something. Andrew entered the room, "So, Val and I were wondering if we could go... outside for a while." Toriel said, "Go where? The Ruins are not completely safe, remember. You have never been out the home without me... I fear for if you get hurt again." Andrew said, "I promise to be absolutely careful. I'm only just going outside to meet this weird puddle I found." She asked, curiously, "Are you sure you would want to go there?" Andrew assured Toriel, "Yeah, I don't think he would hurt me. I was as nice to him as we were to each-other." Toriel asked, "It is a person? A thing?" She seemed much more interested, thinking he was running off with imagination as well. Val came in, "I think he was telling the truth. I did see him a couple of times talking to some strange creature." Toriel said, "You did, now? Well. I suppose that is proof enough..." She took that as fact, and decided to let them go. "Go, but be safe... Your lives are special to me."

"Do not worry, Mrs. Toriel," Val said, "We'll be back as soon as we can. You are special to us as well." And with that, they were off. "Safe travels!" She called out, going back to what she was doing. Within a minute or two, they were at the spot where the puddle was. It laid dormant, as if it were sleeping in that one same spot. Andrew decided to poke the puddle, "Excuse me, Mr. Napstablook? I brought a friend along..." The puddle bubbled slightly, as something resembling an eye popped up, looking him and Val over. Val said, "...You've never told me about this, Andrew." Andrew looked back at the eye, "How... How are you doing? I know it's been... a while since we last talked, but..."

Popping silently, the liquid remains of what used to be a monster tried to gets its face visible, but it was proving to be a tough challenge. Val stepped back, "Andrew, this monster seems to be in serious pain. Perhaps we should get Toriel?" Andrew denied, "No, no, we don't need Tori... yet..." It spoke, bubbling a bit more than usual, "H-hi, again... Sorry about not being able to come out sooner......." Andrew said, "Are you okay, Napstablook? You seem to be in more pain than usual." Napstablook said, "Fine, fine... just trying not to let go just yet...." Val looked at Andrew, before reluctantly asking, "Let go of what?"

"Myself....." He responded, rippling a bit. Val was reluctant to say anything, and so was Andrew. A full minute passed before Andrew finally spoke, "If you want, you can let go." "If I do, I'll die......" He sighed, trying to hold on with what little strength he had left. Val said, "But doesn't this hurt for you? I'm sure dying will bring you peace. I know it seems harsh, but I'm sure it really is for the better." Andrew couldn't help but nod at that fact. Andrew then said, "It's for the better, Napstablook." "If you're sure...." He sighed, one of the bubbles popping as he let his strain on the current form go, his face beginning to fade away. After a minute, there was nothing. Just that puddle. Andrew was mourning the loss, sure, but deep-down, he knew it was for the better. Val said, "Let's go, Andrew, Toriel might be getting worried." And with that, they began to walk back home.

Andrew walked home with Val. If Toriel could see him, she would see a definite sadness being displayed in his movements. If only he could've done something to prevent Napstablook's death. If only... If only... The only thing they could have possibly done to prevent it is if they'd tried to move him. But, his presence was still with them. They just didn't know it yet. Val entered the door first. Andrew, arms slunched forward and eyes looking downwards, came in second. As they did, a chilling breeze shot past the two, like something was following them. They thought it was just a cold breeze at first, but they went into the living room, where there was a poorly-constructed fireplace, and it persisted even there. "Andrew, I didn't think it would get this cold," Val stated. Andrew retaliated, "It's not usually this cold, even in here. Something's wrong," Andrew tried to look behind him to see the cause of this.

Toriel had no idea of the breeze since she remained inside her room, taking a short nap as the two came back in. Though the wind was chilly, it was sort of like an annoyance, since everywhere else was warmer apart from their space in the room. "Maybe we should go back to our room," Val suggested. "Yeah, I think so," Andrew said. However, it seemed like it hadn't revealed what it was; just staying stagnant and around them. Andrew and Val looked around. Val asked, "Should we tell Toriel about this?" Andrew said, "I'm not sure. But I'm kind of nervous now, maybe we should." Val went up to Toriel's door. At first, she was considering gently knocking on the door, but then she wondered if that was really the best course of action.

Little did Val and Andrew know, however, this was more than just some minor breeze. This had the potential to be something much more... ghastly. It was here where it was trying to attain itself a new form, trying to levitate and move things around the room that wouldn't break so easily. Andrew said, "V-Val, what's going on?" Val didn't say anything, and she tried to run back to the kitchen. Andrew followed her, "Val, what are you doing?" Val said something, one sentence, that sent chills down Andrew's spine, "Where are the knives?" They were currently suspended in mid-air, eerily floating nearby. Though, the sharp ends were turned away from them. Val stared and said, "...What the hell?" But Andrew was not in her sight, and in fact, he was hiding in his room, scared out of his wits as the objects around him began floating and landing.

This wasn't a random sort of things lifting and being put down, but more of a selective pattern. As if it missed things right next to itself and drew other things closer. Andrew noticed this odd pattern, and while still freaked out, began to wonder if this... ghostly creature, was choosing something. And so, without second thought, he said to what seemed like nobody, "Why not choose me?" Before long, the force set down what objects it was using to make something, and instead shot itself right out at Andrew. The force seemed to overtake Andrew, and Val came in to see what had happened. Val noticed that Andrew's eyes had become blackened, with bright-white pupils that seemed to glow a bit. "Andrew, what the Hell happened?"

"A-Andrew? Oh, he's this one... It's me, Napstablook..." He spoke, having possessed his body to speak to her physically. "N-Napstablook? But... how? I thought that you were... were... dead," Val said, not believing who was really speaking. Val stared at Andrewblook's eyes, she couldn't believe it. Andrew had been... possessed. Was this of Andrew's own choice, or was this a sign of... unfinished business? This was a sign of Andrew allowing him to take the chance. "I'm not here to cause any damage... Just here to say I'm not dead..." Val stepped back, "But... why did you possess Andrew? Why did you need to possess things?" Napstablook pointed out, "It takes a long time for corporeal forms to come around..." Val said, "But Toriel is going to find out. How are you so sure that everything is going to be okay?"

Napstablook pointed something else out, "I can leave him at any time..." Val began to back away. She didn't know what to do or who to call or if she was supposed to--BAM! That's when she bumped into something, or someone. That was Toriel in question, having stood there as she'd been watching the scene for a couple minutes. Val slowly looked behind her, to see Toriel standing there. "This is it," Val thought to herself, "It's all over for us." Toriel asked, "Just what is actually going on...?" She seemed confused for the most part, looking at the two of them there. Val didn't know what to say. She knew that if she told the truth about Andrew that maybe, just maybe, it could be over for the both of them. She had to think of something, what could she do? Toriel came towards the possessed human, kneeling down to look at him directly in his eyes, mostly drained of colour...

Andrew, with still some semblance of his former self, looked Toriel directly in the eyes. He could tell that something was up. "What has happened to you...?" She spoke softly, mesmerised by his faded expression as she turned his head. Andrew was able to speak by himself for a brief period, "Napstablook came in... he's changing me." Toriel said, "Changing you? How so?" Her eyes widened, unsure of what he was exactly explaining. Val explained, "We were walking home because Napstablook had let go. We were both sad, but we knew it was for the best. Soon afterwards, a breeze started to follow us in any room we went. Things got worse as objects started floating up and down through the air, and then it all culminated into... well, this," she looked at And--Napst--Andrewblook.

"I-I can leave his body! But it'll take a while for my form to return..." Napstablook explained, causing Toriel to jump in shock from him suddenly speaking up. For a moment, she seemed pretty shocked, but nodded as he flew backwards and let Andrew become himself again. Andrew fell to his knees, and began to shiver. Overall, he WAS fine, but he seemed to not only have chills, but also a slight amnesia on what had transpired. "V-Val? Tori? W-What happened?" Val ran up to Andrew, "Andrew! You're okay!" She gave Andrew a hug, to his surprise. But, Andrew did return the hug. Napstablook remained as a gust of wind, but a small outline was visible so people could know where he was at. Still not at full strength though. Val and Andrew didn't notice Napstablook, as Val suggested, "Maybe we should just... go to bed." Andrew nodded, and went up on the bed.

-- Well, after 5,000 centuries, Part 7 is finally released! Stay tuned for Part 8 of the True Pacifist Run! --

[hypertale-au]

Hypertale - The True Pacifist Run (Chapter 6: Chilled to the Bone)

"I believe more rest for Val is good... but, I suppose we should focus on this obstacle in our way." Toriel spoke. Andrew said, as he was putting Val to sleep, "Yeah. Maybe we should find a way to get ourselfves out of here." Val was grumbling, not wanting to be in this situation, but it didn't seem as though she had a choice. "I do not know how much time it will take for us to get out of here..." She warned, as Val simply closed her eyes, annoyed. Andrew walked down into the basement, looking at the hole in the wall that was still unable to be walked through. Andrew sighed and thought to himself, "God, I just wish I could find a way to clear those rocks!" There was no way out of it for now, and it was going to take some immense strength to get out of this one for sure.

Val sighed to herself, looking up at the ceiling while she rested. The only reason she was able to heal herself faster was because she kept some leftovers of the pie that Toriel had made. Andrew walked back in, "How're you feeling, Val?" Val responded, "About as good as I'll ever feel in here, I suppose." Andrew sighed and sat down on the bed next to her, of course, minding the spring. "I just wish we could find some way to lift those rocks, y'know... I'll be going out." Val sat up, "Wait, where are you going?" Andrew responded, "I'm going to see if anyone needs help."

Toriel's door was always open, but nobody really came into her home from the Ruins, since they were all busy trying to survive. Andrew walked out of the door, and walked through the desolate Ruins before him. He was a good ways away from Toriel's house, when all of a sudden, he seemed to step in something. A weird, ghostly puddle. It looked like it was bubbling a bit, not much of anything to go by. Other than a couple of shreds of fabric, it looked useless. Sad, in a way. Andrew stared at it, why was it bubbling? What was happening? Maybe if he waited a little longer, he could find out. Not too long after, something that resembled a face had started to appear... Could it speak?

Andrew said, "Hello? Who are you?" Andrew began to slowly back up. The puddle spoke, "n...napstablook......" That was the only word to make out from it. Andrew began to wonder what was up with this puddle, "Are you okay, Napstablook?" He couldn't say anything, since it hurt to even move in his current state. He couldn't float, or anything to make himself convey expression. Andrew began to back up slowly, "I'll just... check on you later." The face faded away, going back to the most stable state. Andrew thought, "...Maybe that's enough walking for today." Then he started walking back to the house. On his way, a cold wind blew through, coming from some of the crevices.

Andrew began shivering, "Brrr... Why is it so cold? I could've sworn it was at least a little warm when I started walking..." The reason for this was because of air, maybe indicating a room or something behind it. Andrew didn't have time to think about, he started walking into the door. It seemed even colder in the house. "What in the world is happening?", Andrew thought this was insane. The reason for this was because from the outside, a strong wind was coming up from the rubble. This happened a lot here, but Toriel was sort of immune to it with her fur. Of course, Andrew didn't have any fur, so he was visibly freezing.

In the room, the two were there, trying to keep warm. Val was speaking through shivers also, "What the hell? It was... never this cold. What... happened?" Andrew told Val, "I don't know. It's like it just... became Winter all of a sudden. If I knew it was going to be this cold, I would've brought my hoodie along." Toriel seemed to be fine, but gestured for Andrew to come closer. "Hold onto me, if you wish..." She suggested, wanting to make sure he wouldn't catch a cold. Andrew did exactly as he was told, and he came over, getting into a fetal position, gently grabbing onto Toriel with one of his arms. She held him closely, smiling as she did. Andrew, while shivering insanely, began to smile as well.

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Stay tuned for Chapter 7!

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Hypertale - The True Pacifist Run (Chapter 4: My Beloved Bother)

After for what felt like a long time, Andrew and Val started to wake up. Val managed to slide out of the sleeping bag. Andrew got out of bed. But as he sat up, he almost scraped his leg on the spring that poked out. Then Val looked at Andrew, "So, how was your sleep?" Andrew said, "Oh, uh, it was nice." Suddenly, they noticed something as they went to stand up. Two slices of pie laying on two plates, neatly sliced and everything. Andrew was so suprised by the slices of pie, that he forgot that the spring was poking out as he stood up. A sharp end of the spring scraped and cut the back of his ankle. Val immediately rushed to him, "Andrew, what happened?" Andrew panicked and said, "I forgot there was a spring, that's what happened." The back of his ankle had begun to bleed, Val reached into the pockets of her ripped pants, hoping to find something, anything to help her. Not much luck, all she found were her chains from before, though shruken down to fit in her pocket somehow.

Toriel was fast asleep, however. She wouldn't wake up for at least a while more. In the bedroom the two of them resided in, there was a small, dusty box on one of the shelves, which had a strip of plasters they could use. Val took the box and used one of the plasters. The plaster had a tiny heart on it. After a minute or two, Andrew was calm, and stared at the plates of pie that rested there. Val spoke up, "What the heck? What kind of pie is that?" Andrew joked, "If anything, I'd call it Floor Pie." Val picked up one of the plates, and took a bite of the pie. She suddenly started to squeal with delight, something she hadn't done in quite some time. Andrew covered her mouth, though. "Val, are you nuts? Tori could hear us! What the heck is in that pie anyway?" Val stuttered, "It t-tastes like H-Heaven..."

Andrew's health had gone up by a singular point. But, with Val, her health shot right up immediately with just a single bite! It was as if her pie could render them invincible, what with her skills in baking them all the time. Val said, "You must try it, you will absolutely adore it!" Andrew said, "Okay, whatever you say..." He took a bite, and he pratically exploded with delight! "Oh, my gosh! This is incredible!" Andrew and Val hugged each-other and were filled with delight, while simultaneously wondering how Toriel hadn't woken up from all of this yelling and cheering. However though, this eventually did rouse her from her sleep, as she grunted a little to see what all the ruckus was about.

Slowly, she got out her room, and carefully opened the door to the guest bedroom. Suddenly all the cheer had stopped like that. Val and Andrew slowly turned their heads to Toriel, afraid of what they just did, afraid of what might happen, and pondering just why they decided to do what they did in the first place. "How did this happen? Why do you express such joy?" She asked, wondering what had just happened and why they had been like this. Andrew tried to explain, "W-Well, you see... It's because of... uh... Well... It's kinda..." Val slowly picked up one of the already eaten slices of pie as proof of what happened. She then showed it to her, "This is why we express such joy."

"Oh! You ate my pie! That must explain why, then. Have you been hungry the whole time?" She asked, thinking if making more for them would be a good idea. Andrew and Val looked at each-other, then Andrew spoke, "Heh, I guess we were kind of hungry, to be honest." Toriel said, "Shall I make one each for you two?" Val said, "Yes," while Andrew nodded the fastest that he could. "I have not heard anyone ask for a pie in so long!" Her eyes filled with excitement as she set to work in the kitchen. Val and Andrew poked their heads out of the door before walking out.

To see a figure acting so lovingly towards them warmed their hearts. But Val was still a little concerned, "May I ask you something, Andrew?" Andrew nodded, and they went back into the guest room, and hid themselves from the light of the door, so Toriel wouldn't be able to see them right away. Val whispered to Andrew, "Why is Toriel acting so nice to us?" Andrew responded, "Because I know she truly cares for us, I don't really know how this works." Val looked at the crevice in the door frame, "It just doesn't seem natural, but..."

Andrew asked, "But what?" But before Val could respond, something occured to her, maybe she should save it for later. Toriel kept making two pies at once, sprinkling what remains of cinnamon and butterscotch she had left. "But what?", Andrew asked again. Val said, "I-I'll tell you later. For now, I just don't know what to say." Soon enough, Toriel came back in holding two platefuls of pie, smiling. "Here you are! Two fresh made cinnamon and butterscotch pies for you each!" She beamed, setting them down on a cracked table. "Thank you, Toriel," Andrew said politely. Val was reluctant, but she spoke up, "Toriel, may I speak to you, please?"

"Yes...?" She diverted her attention to Val, looking right at her. While Andrew began eating the pie, Val spoke, "I didn't know the words to convey this to you, but, having you take care of us like this. It makes me feel like... you're our mother." Andrew stopped eating, and gave Val a look that said, "Why on Earth would you say something like that?" Toriel said, "A mother? I have not heard such a word in a long time..." She looked away, not even sure if she could be confident enough to show herself to them, as she had started to shed tears, memories flooding back to her about her past life. Andrew was concerned, "Mrs. Tori, are you okay?" Val was concerned as well, "What's happening?"

"I-it is nothing that concerns you... I am fine..." She sniffled, lying to them about her own son, the one she had never seen again... While Andrew was still concerned, he still said, "Alright, I'll just, uh..." He didn't finish his sentence, and he just slowly went back to eating the pie. "Fine... I shall tell you... About someone I used to know..." She turned back, wiping her eyes and sitting down in front of them, crossing her legs. Val sat up, "Hmm?" Andrew kept eating, but his full gaze was now on Toriel, wondering about what she was about to say. "There was a time, a time when humans did not have to ransack us for who we were... It was a quieter time, and I was married to the king of what used to be the UNDERGROUND: Asgore." She began.

Val and Andrew stared quietly. "He was nice at first, and together, me and him gave birth to our only child: Asriel. We do not know where he could have gone, because when we were pushed in and your kind did their cruel things... He left me to die here, taking Asriel." Val covered her mouth, while Andrew tried to close his now gaping mouth, as some pie was still in it. "I have not seen him, nor my child in a long time. I wish to never forgive him for it..." Andrew swallowed and said, "T-That's terrible." Val said, "My gosh, I am sorry for what had happened to you."

"I know it is a lot to take in. I cannot escape this place, even if I tried. I cannot muster the strength to unclog the blockage that covers the exit." Val and Andrew looked at each-other, then Val said, "Whatever it is, we will help you escape, no matter what." Toriel said, "I could not have asked for better friends. Your determination is very strong." She smiled. Andrew and Val stood up and stretched their arms out, as if to ask for another hug. She held her arms out and pulled them in, cuddling them tightly in her embrace. In Andrew's and Val's memory, they would forever remember it as the best hug that they had ever felt in forever.

-- It was a bit longer of a wait than usual, but hopefully, it was worth it. Thanks for reading! --

[hypertale-au]

Hypertale - The True Pacifist Run (Chapter 3: Hope for a Ruined Soul)

"Do not harm them any further if you value your worth..." The voice finally revealed itself as a cream-coloured goat, though her gown was rugged and scratched up along the edges. One of her horns were missing, and she looked quite annoyed to see someone, a human, to be exact, try to hurt something. All she could really see was the flower, and then laid eyes on Andrew. "Humans... Two humans?!" Andrew said, "Yes, two humans." Val looked at him with a dark stare, then looked at the goat, "So, uh... who are you, anyways?" Val patiently waited for the goat to answer.

"The one who shall take back what did not remain. Human life." It was clear she had a grudge against any and all humans for doing what they did to their mountain home. She made the flames grow in both strength and temprature, now keeping Andrew enclosed in a ring of fire. Val turned to Andrew, "Uh... If you have any bright ideas, now would be the time to use them." Andrew tried to ACT. Not bothering to look at the options, Val picked one randomly for him. She pressed "Check." With pressing Check in the ACT menu, the following showed up:

* ??? ATK 20, DEF 100 * A strange goat monster. * Seems somewhat motherly.

Andrew saw a fireball head towards Val, and went in front of it to protect her, but he took a hit. He fell down onto the cold, purple floor, now only at 1 HP. Val was furious, "How dare you?" Val tried to attack, but Andrew grabbed onto her leg, stopping her attack in the process. The goat shot a fireball right towards Val, too, not hesitating to let up any sort of human pass her. It landed, but the other human ended up with 3 HP instead of 1 point like Andrew. Her clothing provided a resistance factor to the fire, but only just. It was Andrew's turn again, Andrew went to press the MERCY button, but a fireball shot right through it, leaving a giant hole, but it was still usable. He pressed it, and hit Spare.

Luckily for him, sparing caused something to stir inside her. "Why do you plead mercy? Why do you not resist?" She looked confused. Andrew told the goat monster, "Because I'm not like the other humans, I'm peaceful! I help, not hurt! I can help you too! I know there are humans out there that feel the same way. Right, Val?" Something stirred inside Val too, "S-So what's it to you?" The goat growled, keeping her distance, "How do I not know these are twisted words?" Val stepped up, "Because I had fought him, because I thought otherwise. I thought that he was an idiot, that monsters couldn't be saved, but maybe I've been wrong this whole time." The goat stepped backwards, staying on-guard. "You possibly could not have changed your mind this quickly." Val said, "Well, at first, I was skeptical of this change of mind. But I see something inside the other human. Something positive."

Andrew managed to stand under his own power. "Please, you have to believe us, I can find humans that feel the same way deep inside. I know they can be positive, I know that monsters can be freed!" Never had the goat monster heard anyone speak like this, coming from a human, no less. She quickly set about, and cooled her flames off, a smile starting to appear on her face. "Forgive me for if I caused pain unto you." She walked closer, and now looked much more reserved and gentle. Andrew walked up to her, and gave her a hug. Val was reluctant, but she gave one to the goat as well. "By the way, my name's Andrew," he said, introducing himself. "...I am Val," she said, introducing herself.

She tensed up at the sudden hug, but relaxed as her eyes began to well up with tears. It had beem a very long time for her without a hug, and now that two came at once, she was overcome with joy. "M-My name is Toriel... I promise to take good care of you both!" She sobbed, squeezing them tightly. Andrew said, "And we promise to take care of you too." Val did nothing, but give an affirmative nod, and released her hug. She released the both of them, as well, rubbing the tears out her eyes as she turned around, heading off to her home. "Come, this way. You will be safe from any danger other humans create with me..."

Andrew and Val walked with her, and waited for Toriel to walk inside first before coming with her. The home looked... like it had seen better days. Val walked as carefully as possible whichever step she took, for fear that the floorboards were broken down too. Some of them were darkened, looking weaker than other boards. There weren't any holes, though. Toriel walked right into her living room, seating herself in a chair. That too, looked like it needed some care. Val quietly told Andrew, "After a long, gruelling struggle with... whatever just happened, I need to find a good resting place." Andrew nodded in agreement, and they went into a hallway to find a bedroom of sorts. There was one bedroom behind a door, but that only had one bed.

Then they went to the second door. This bedroom had one bed as well, but peeking into it also let them discover an old sleeping bag. Val told Andrew, "You can take the bed, I've always found sleeping bags to be more my taste." Andrew shrugged and said, "Okay," then they went in quietly. They shut the door as quietly as they could. Then they went to sleep. Andrew got in bed, but there was a spring poking out. Luckily, it was on the side, not on top of the bed. Val got into the sleeping bag, but it felt as if she was sleeping in a bag of ice. "Goodnight, Val," Andrew said. "Goodnight to you as well," Val said.

Toriel heard them go away, and this obviously drove her suspicion. She got up and looked over to see whatever was going on with them by creaking the bedroom door open to see them sleeping there. Val was sleeping on her side, quietly breathing as she slept. Andrew was on his back, quietly snoring as he slept. She looked at them for a few moments, and silently closed the door with a smile on her face, going to her room to take a nap herself for a while. As long as nothing bothered her, she was fine by herself.

-- Next time on the True Pacifist Run... something happens. I don't know what'll happen, but... --

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Hypertale - The True Pacifist Run (Chapter 2: Ruined Trust)

The human had walked closer to Andrew. “Good evening. My name is Val. I believe you know someone I work with.” Andrew started backing away, but Val kept coming closer and closer. “W-Who are you talking about?” Val responded with, “Gordon, you idiot. But, I suppose it doesn’t matter, he wants you dead.” Andrew gasped, “N-No, that’s not true! Why does he want me dead?” Val didn’t say anything more, and pulled out a pair of rusted chain links. Andrew’s soul appeared from his body. “No, not again,” he thought. Thankfully, he still had all the buttons. But he didn’t have any items. He tried ACTing. The options were: Convince, Plea, Beg, and… Flowey? “Wh-What in the,” Andrew didn’t have time to think about it. Val had tried to attack him through the ITEM button, and he was certain they would attack again.

He plead, “Please! Stop this! What you’re doing isn’t right!” Val didn’t say anything, and began to chain him up. Suddenly, his soul turned into another color. Purple. “W-What are you doing? Let me go!” His soul couldn’t move. Well, it could, but it could only move left or right. And trying to move up or down would link it to the next chain. But Val’s attacks wouldn’t let up. They were vertical, horizontal, diagonal, and any other -al type of angle you could think of. Soon, he had been reduced to nothing but a mere 5 HP. Finally, it was his turn again. He selected ACT again. Low on options, low on time, and definitely low on health, he selected the nearest option he could pick: Flowey.

Flowey had suddenly appeared right next to Val, not even sure what the heck was going on. “What am I doing her–” He got cut off when looking at Andrew’s current situation, and then sent a few pellets off to surround his SOUL, acting as a shield. Val was suprised by this outcome, “What the–How did that happen? …Well, that’s first-timer’s luck, you won’t fool me again.” She tried to attack from under the soul. Flowey wasn’t as trusting, but was happy to help out the human in this way. “You can move those pellets around…” He gave as a tip. Andrew moved the pellets around to block the attack from under him. Val was now getting frustrated. What would it take to make this human perish? Andrew tried to spare her. Even if she was trying to kill him, he knew that deep down, there was a bit of care.

Val sneered, “What? You honestly think sparing me is going to work?” Val sent an attack onto all sides of him. There was no chance in hell that he was going to fool her this time. The pellets had shattered from that last attack, and the flower had not enough willpower to try and make more. “I-I’m sorry!” He cried, straining to aid him. Val was ready to attack, but… she could not do it. Somehow, some way, she didn’t have the ability to do so. What was it? There was something about Andrew that… struck her. His peacefulness resounded in such a way that… she just couldn’t take it. “W-What is it with you? Why are you so nice? Don’t you know that in this world, it’s kill or be killed?” Andrew couldn’t agree, “No… That’s not true. You’ve been living in a lie.”

“A lie?” Flowey felt that this phrase was familiar… but he couldn’t place his finger, or vine on it. “It is a lie… isn’t it?” Andrew told Flowey, “Yes, it is a lie. Humans don’t need to kill monsters, they can live in peace.” Val struggled to talk back, “W-Well, you–shut up! What’s with you? Why can’t I kill you?” Not too far away, a certain gatekeeper had noticed the small fight going on, coming closer to see just what was going on with whoever they were and what they were doing. There was something about Andrew’s soul that was different to any of the others… Val let go of her chains. She tried to run, but somehow, her legs were frozen in place. She couldn’t move for long, and she fell. Luckily, Andrew caught her in time. “Are you okay, Val? What happened?” Val tried to push him off, “Get off me, I don’t need your help! I just need to get away.”

The air started to get warmer around Val, as a ring of flames started to surround her legs. This was what was holding her in place. “Val, your legs are on fire,” Andrew said as he tried to stand Val up. Val struggled slightly, but eventually, she managed to stand under her own power. “Who is burning my legs?”

“That would be me.” A feminine voice called out. It sounded demanding, yet soft…

– What’s about to happen next? Tune in next time on Dragon Ball–Wait, sorry, I meant The True Pacifist Run! –