Before Frisk could say more, the sound of soft footsteps echoed from the passage ahead.
A silhouette emerged, tall and elegant, wearing a neat purple robe. She stepped into the glow of the cavern, her demeanor that of a benevolent noblewoman walking through a garden.
What was unusual, however, was that she was not human, but a humanoid monster resembling a goat.
With soft white fur, she had a pair of curved horns on her head, and in her hand glowed another sphere of conjured fire, ready to be unleashed. Despite such an appearance, she did not look menacing.
"What a terrible creature," she said, her voice gentle and soothing, "to torture such innocent youths..."
I squinted through the pain, immediately recognising the goat mommy herself. From my memories, she was the wife of the king of monsters, Asgore!
Toriel!
She approached, eyes sweeping over the scorched flowerbed and the debris from Flowey's ambush. Her gaze softened the moment it landed on us.
"Do not be afraid," she said kindly, crouching down beside us. "You are safe now."
I don't know how, but when she raised her hand, a mysterious light emitted out of her palm and my wounds began to heal.
I felt the pain dull before it soon disappeared.
I also found myself involuntarily relaxing in her presence.
Unlike Flowey, she was a monster I deeply trusted despite having only just met. She was a very kind person who would do her best to protect humans from monsters. She had even divorced her husband as he had wanted to kill humans who fell to the Underground, an idea she rejected fiercely.
Moreover, I knew Chara had essentially been adopted by her and her family when she had fallen into the Underground and had injured herself. The Dreemurr family had helped and looked after her. Thus, she's essentially my mother in law.
Once I realised that this place was where Chara had disappeared to 3 years ago, I felt a mix of emotions, however, I also felt some relief knowing she was being taken care of.
Though, understanding the cause of her death and her desire to free the monsters, my emotions turned slightly bitter once more.
But I calmed down after seeing Toriel's gentle and worried expression directed at me and Frisk.
Naturally, I couldn't treat my mother in law badly. What kind of boyfriend would I be?
Thinking about the Dreemurr family, my thoughts also drifted to that little flower.
After pondering briefly, I then shook my head before thanking the goat mom who had finished healing my injuries.
"Thank you," I said, letting go of Frisk and taking a moment to catch a breath from the intense situation we faced.
Toriel gave me a warm smile, eyes filled with the gentleness of a mother, "You are most welcome, my child."
She then turned her attention to Frisk, brushing a strand of hair from the girl's face with utmost care. "Are you alright, little one?"
Frisk nodded slowly, though she still looked a bit shaken. "Y-Yeah… thank you, miss…"
"Toriel," she answered gently. "That is my name. I am the caretaker of the Ruins. I come here every day to see if anyone has fallen down."
Her expression grew more serious, the warmth in her eyes dimming slightly as if recalling some tragic memories. "You are the first humans to come here in a long time..."
"Please," she continued, "come. I will guide you through the Ruins. There is danger still lurking, and I will not allow either of you to be harmed again."
Toriel turned and began walking ahead.
We both lingered back for a moment, puzzled at the sudden turn of events and having a goat mom look after us. Frisk was likely extremely confused.
From trusting a monster, to getting betrayed, to having another monster help us out, she likely didn't know what to think of our situation.
Frisk then looked at me with a complex gaze of gratitude, guilt, and softness. "Are you okay? Do you want me to help you walk?"
I pushed myself to my feet, testing my balance. Despite the pain being gone, my body still felt a bit sore.
"I should be fine walking by myself. Thanks for the offer." I smiled at her, though her expression showed her scepticism and worry.
As she had a look that say's "I don't really believe you," I walked up to her and gently patted her head to reassure her.
She gave a cute reaction much to my amusement – immediately flinching from surprise. Her face then quickly heated up in embarrassment.
But she didn't resist. If anything, she leaned slightly into it.
I suppressed the urge to tease her further.
...
As we followed Toriel deeper into the Ruins, my mind was already racing.
I had two main objectives:
1. Revive my girlfriend.
2. Protect Frisk.
Why?
Well, it's quite simple. Objective 1 because she's my girlfriend, and objective 2 because she's cute – oh, and the minor bonus of her being the protagonist. But being cute was the main part.
Toriel guided us through a few puzzles and spike traps with ease, occasionally offering bits of advice in her ever-so-gentle voice. She even taught us how to strike up a friendly conversation with a dummy!
She continued leading us further into the Underground, until at one point, she turned toward us with a fond smile. "I must attend to some matters, and you two must stay alone for a while. But I would like you two to both stay here and wait for me."
"Wait here...?" Frisk asked in a worried voice.
Toriel chuckled softly. "I will not be long. I promise."
She then placed a hand on both our shoulders.
"You two must not wander off and stay safe. I'll be very sad if anything happens to you two," she spoke with a small sense of melancholy
Seeing her expression, I felt some pity towards her.
She had likely done this many times, desperately trying to save every human who fell down here. However, she had never been successful, with each human leaving the ruins and eventually being killed, and their souls being taken by Asgore...
"Oh I know!" Toriel's expression suddenly lit up. "I can leave you two with a cell phone in case of any emergencies!"
She then handed me a cell phone.
Damn.
They even got phones in the Underground, sweet.
Once she left, I let out a long breath and slumped against the nearest pillar.
Frisk sat beside me, fidgeting. "Do you… think she'll come back?"
I glanced at her. "She's not the type to lie. But…"
I stared ahead into the dark corridor.
"...this place is dangerous. We need to be prepared. Next time it won't just be a crazy flower."
Frisk had a worried gaze. From trying to stop someone from committing suicide, to falling into a deep hole, then finding out that they were in a place filled with monsters...
In less than an hour, she's been through quite a lot already.
Of course, I was facing all of this together with her. But even I had memories of another life to guide me. She was experiencing all of this stuff for the first time.