The following is an excerpt from a fan-fiction based on the video game, Undertale, a role-playing game for PC and Mac. The story is a you-insert, meaning you, the reader, are the main character. The writer, a UT student, has chosen to remain anonymous and go by their pseudonym, EvergreenEmerald.
Grillby came as close as he could possibly stand to the garbage dump. He was especially on edge and jumping to every sound being made in Waterfall. Water is not his best friend, but he wanted to see if he could find anything he could use for the bar he was planning to open back in Snowdin. Grillby clutched onto his umbrella as he cautiously moved junk around; still nothing salvageable. He sighed, giving up for the day. He turned around and started making his way back home when an avalanche of junk started to pour down.
Grillby turned around and back pedaled away from the overflow. He looked up where the new garbage came from, amazed that so much came from the surface and curious to what is still up there. Grillby jumped when he heard someone groan. A human slid slowly down the pile in front of him. Their body was extremely damaged; the fact that they survived that fall is close to a miracle. He came closer to them and reached out his hand, but retracted it.
There is a war on humans right now; Asgore decreed to kill any human that comes down here for their soul to break the barrier. He has already managed to collect four. Grillby bent down to check their condition before finding someone from the Royal Guard. He can see that, unlike the previous humans, this one was full grown, older than the rest were.
Their eyes fluttered open, probably curious about the light that he was giving off. He prepared himself for them to scream but instead they just stared at him with eyes that were full of awe. He was taken aback from the beauty of it. They whispered softly. “Pretty…” They reached up to touch him, but they winced in pain. They fell asleep again. Grillby started to feel conflicted to what he should do.
~~~~~~
You woke up completely sore everywhere. None of your limbs would do what you wanted and felt like they were being held down by bricks. You see that you are lying in a foreign bed and covered with a blanket tucked up to your chin. You try to remember what happened to you.
All you remember is being forced to go to a party on Mt. Ebott with your friend. Well, kind of your friend; they were just a person you used to hang out with in high school. They came back to town from college on vacation while you were still working at the same bookstore, living in the same house with your parents. It’s not like you didn’t want to go to college too, you just didn’t know what you wanted to study yet. You sigh and try to sit up again. You are sure that your family must be worried about you.
You try to move your legs to the side of the bed, but pain shot up your leg causing tears to swell up in your eyes and a scream out your mouth. A door swings open and someone comes rushing in. You yelp again when they come into view. “Aah, you’re on fire!” You looked at the person engulfed in flames, completely horrified.
They raised a hand, also covered in flames, and covered their mouth as they let out a deep crackling chuckle. “No… I am made of fire…” He whispered; his voice came out sizzling. He pulled up a chair next to you. “How are you feeling?”
You continued to stare at him. This man was made of fire? You must have really hit your head hard or something because uh…. No, not possible. He waited for you to speak, patiently. You notice that he was wearing a plain white button up shirt and began to wonder how that wasn’t bursting into flames from being against his skin. He cleared his throat; your face becomes warm from embarrassment. You forgot that he had just asked you a question while you were staring at him. “O-oh, um, I feel… sore and heavy, and my leg is killing me.” He nodded in understanding.
“Here…” He unwrapped something and held it up to your mouth. You looked at it suspiciously. “It’s monster candy, it should help…”
“Monster candy?” He nodded, still holding the food to your mouth. You slowly open and he slides the candy in, his warm fingers slightly grazing your lips. Odd. You chew on the candy and you feel some of the throbbing pain in your leg subside, making it more bearable. “Where am I?”
“The underground… remember falling?” You shake your head.
He watches you as you try to remember what happened before. You remember being at the party in the junkyard on the mountain, not having the best of time and deciding to explore. That’s it.
“What is this place? What are you?”
“Do you not know about the mountain?” He tilted his head.
“Just the legend that if someone climbs up Mt. Ebott, they will never be seen again… nothing about people made of fire…” You blinked at him. You just noticed he was giving off a very pleasant warmth, like a fireplace. It was making you slightly sleepy again.
He chuckled again. “It seems humans have forgotten about us…” He scooted his chair closer to you, making you feel even warmer. “You see, long ago, two races ruled over Earth…”
To continue reading this fanfiction and to find more by EvergreenEmerald, go to archiveofourown.org/works/7554829/chapters/17182642