"Ring, ring-"
As the two chatted, Frisk's phone suddenly rang.
[Frisk... For the future of humans and monsters, you must keep moving forward!]
The voice on the phone was one she had never heard before, yet somehow, it sounded very convincing.
"Honestly, I don't think sitting here forever is going to get us anywhere," Linde urged from beside her.
Frisk thought for a moment, then nodded. "That could work. We could catch up with Toriel... Oh, right. What do we do if we run into monsters?"
"We'll figure it out as we go. I think the monsters seem pretty friendly, anyway. If we talk things out with them, we should be able to avoid fighting... All right, let's go, let's go!"
Linde pulled Frisk to her feet and led her onward.
Just then, the Froggit Toriel had scared away earlier appeared in front of them. This time, he didn't attack, but spoke instead:
"Ribbit, ribbit. Humans, let me give you some advice. When you encounter monsters, you'll try talking or attacking. Whatever method you use, when the monsters no longer want to fight, please show them mercy."
"Okay, we'll keep that in mind."
After saying goodbye to Froggit, the two continued onward.
Another Save Point appeared ahead. Frisk had just saved there when Toriel called.
[Hello? This is Toriel. You haven't left the room yet, have you? There are still a few puzzles ahead that I need to solve. It might be too dangerous for you to try solving them yourselves. Be good, all right?]
With that, Toriel hung up.
"Say, Frisky... Ow, ow, ow!"
Her face flushed, Frisk grabbed Linde's ear. "Call me that again, and I'll pull your ear off!"
"Ow, ow, ow... I won't, I won't, I won't!" Once Frisk let go, Linde backed away a few steps. "Ha! I'll do it again next time!"
"Get back here!"
They had only run a short distance when a monster suddenly appeared in front of them-
[Moldsmal] [ATK 5][DEF 0] [This monster is too sensitive and timid to be good at fighting...]
"Wait, Frisk! Don't chase-"
Before Linde could finish, the flying-insect barrage summoned by Moldsmal grazed Frisk's calf...
HP -5
"Hiss-" Frisk sucked in a sharp breath as a soul-deep pain erupted from within her.
Ow, ow, ow... It hurts so much... Back when Linde saved me, was it really... this painful...? And why does my heart hurt when I got hit in the leg?!
"Wait!" Linde rushed over and planted himself between Moldsmal and Frisk.
"Uh... You're... Moldsmal, right...? I just wanted to say... Though I don't know why you're so sad... please believe that... life is... uh... full of hope... Everyone... ah, no, every monster has times when things don't go their way... But that doesn't mean we can't change our situation... As long as we stay positive and optimistic, and work hard to find solutions to our problems, we'll eventually have a bright fut-"
Before Linde could finish, Moldsmal fled, wiping away hot tears.
"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Linde helped Frisk up.
Frisk stood up silently, then suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around Linde.
"Thank you. You were hurt so badly when you saved me back then. It must have hurt so much..."
Finding that he couldn't break free of Frisk's embrace, Linde smiled helplessly, worked one hand loose, and gently rubbed her little head.
"Why dwell on that? I'm still alive, aren't I? All right, all right. Let's keep going."
As he spoke, Linde discreetly took out a piece of Monster Candy he had grabbed while running away earlier, unwrapped it, and popped it into Frisk's mouth.
As the candy entered her mouth, sweetness washed over her taste buds. Frisk's soul rapidly repaired itself, and the candy vanished in her mouth.
Blushing, she let go. "It's not like I don't have hands. I don't need you to feed me..."
Linde grinned. "Okay, okay. I'll remember that next time."
The two continued onward and began solving a rock-pushing puzzle in the Ruins.
Just then, a monster shaped like a bread roll wriggled up to them. "Gurgle, gurgle..."
[Moldsmal] [ATK 6][DEF 0] [Typical impression: a shapely body and plenty of charm, but no brain.]
Moldsmal's bullets were diamond-shaped, splitting into eight fragments in every direction once they drew near the pair.
Frisk narrowly dodged the barrage, then looked over at Linde...
"Uh... What are you doing...?"
Linde had curled into a ball and was wriggling around, imitating Moldsmal.
"Eww-" As Frisk voiced her disgust, Moldsmal left, perfectly satisfied.
Afterward, the two rested where they were for a little while.
Frisk lay in a pile of fallen leaves, gazing up at the ceiling.
"Hey, why do we get hurt even when that soul in our chest doesn't take a direct hit?"
"Heh. The soul is spread evenly throughout every part of the body. That heart is just there to make it easier for us to identify."
Linde answered with a smile. Seriously, do you think you're Reimu Hakurei, able to get hit everywhere except that one tiny point and still be perfectly fine?
"Yeah, that makes sense." Frisk nodded in agreement.
The two got up and continued onward.
Meanwhile, within a certain gray, unstable space, a certain being was watching the two humans.
[i□er□ting, v□y ve□ in□rest□g.]
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