Into The Underground (Starlo X OC)

Chapter 1

When Blaze started to climb the mountain, he certainly was wondering if this was the right decision. Unlike the world he was leaving behind, Mt Ebbot was peaceful. He liked it. Still, he knew the second he returned home, it'd just be the same. His father would just continue to beg him to find humans for him to feed on him. He knew the stories of the monsters being sealed away, but it seemed a few monsters went unnoticed. The more humanoid ones, of course, given his father was a vampire. The only sign they weren't human were the pointed ears and fangs. And well, the drinking of blood. But that was less obvious to most people.

That's why he was here. He knew that most people who came here would never return, presumably killed by the monsters or the fall from the mountain itself. Blaze was tired of helping his father, tired of knowing that innocent people were dying. It wasn't like he could just say 'no' to his father either, then he'd just be attacked and be fed on. As much as Blaze wanted to die, he wasn't planning on letting his father use him for his own personal gain. Hence Mt Ebbot, a way to die peacefully and hopefully never be seen by his father again.

Still, as he stood, staring into the hole into the mountain, and the long drop, Blaze had to admit. He was scared. Part of him didn't entirely want to die, but it wasn't like he had anything else to live for. His father was a vampire, just using him for his own personal gain; his mother hated him, and had even shot him when all he wanted was comfort, and Phantom... He wasn't sure what to think of Phantom. The experiments with the monster souls had fused them, in a way, and Phantom was always there. At first, that didn't go well, with Phantom lashing out at any human who got to close, often taking over just to attack them. But now? The two were at relative peace. Coming to an agreement of sharing his body took a while but still. Phantom was encouraging this, saying he wanted to go home, to see his family again.

"Well, this is the end, then..." Blaze sighed, before closing his eyes and jumping.

"I really doubt we'll die." Phantom scoffed, his voice clear in Blaze's head, "All the rest of those humans survived, and they were just kids."

Blaze just grunted in response, finally opening his eyes, watching as the ground came nearer and nearer. This seemed to be taking longer than he anticipated, but at the same time, that could've just been adrenaline.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Blaze hit the ground. It took a mind a second to catch up, but he quickly realised that he was unharmed, lying on a bed of yellow flowers. Sitting up and rubbing the back of his head, he looked around.

"Guess you were right, Phantom. We really are alive..." Blaze muttered, rolling his eyes as he slowly stood up. "At... Least we're away from father. They won't find us here."

Phantom made what sounded like a grunt of agreement but didn't say anything. Blaze sighed in response, slowly beginning to walk down a dark hallway. He paused, noticing a grand-looking archway standing before him. Considering how empty this area was, it was certainly a surprise that it was in good condition. Perhaps those flowers were important. Maybe a burial sight of some kind, and whoever lived here visited regularly.

Shaking those thoughts aside, Blaze walked through an archway. At first, he thought the room was empty, but as he began to walk, a frog jumped in front of him, making him yelp in surprise. Everything turned black-and-white, and Blaze felt... lighter than normal. It was weird, like he had become separated from his body, almost like Phantom was in control, but Blaze could already tell he wasn't.

"What... What is this?" Blaze asked, staring at the frog in front of him in sheer confusion.

"It's a fight." Phantom answered simply, like Blaze was supposed to know what that meant. After a second, he sighed in annoyance, "Right. Down in the Underground, monsters can initiate fights. It'll separate your soul from your body. That's a Froggit there, they're mostly harmless".

Nodding vaguely, Blaze stared at the Froggit. "You know, you're kind of cute." He remarked, not really thinking of what he was saying.

The frog monster paused, tilting its head to the side, almost seeming like it appreciated that remark. Still, before Blaze could relax, he quickly noticed what seemed like flies moving towards him. Instinctively, he jumped away from the flies, which were almost definitely trying to come towards him. Then without warning, the flies stopped.

"That was an attack. Just dodge it and you'll be fine." Phantom scoffed, "You can spare the Froggit now. See that menu beneath you? Just press spare."

"Huh? Okay..." Blaze muttered, doing as Phantom told. Everything went back to normal and the Froggit hopped away, leaving Blaze alone. Running a hand through his hair, Blaze continued on forwards, coming into a fancy-looking room. Unlike the previous rooms, it was a bright and vibrant purple with a white staircase on each side. Strangely, despite the lack of trees, there was a large pile of red leaves between the two staircases.

"Hm. Looks like this is the Ruins. I never came here much." Phantom remarked. Blaze didn't say anything about it, just walking up one of the staircases and into a nearby room.

Unlike the previous rooms, the door was closed, seemingly sealed shut. Blaze frowned at that, glancing over at the buttons on the opposite side of the room. It was clearly some kind of puzzle. Grunting in annoyance, Blaze walked over to the nearby sign, hoping it'd provide some information. But before he could even begin to read it, the sound of the door opening made him flinch.

"Fu-" Blaze cut himself off when he saw who was at the door. While she was clearly a monster, with white fur and horns that made her look like a goat, she didn't seem hostile. Instead, her eyes widened at the sight of Blaze, clearly not expecting him.

"Oh my!" she gasped, "Are you alright, young one? You must've fallen from the surface... I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through here every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are... the first in a long time. I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner..."

"Don't worry about it..." Blaze muttered, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, "I'm Blaze."

Toriel hummed in response, "It's nice to meet you, Blaze. Come, I shall guide through your new home."

"My... new home?" Blaze asked, surprised at the notion. Toriel nodded her head but didn't say anything just yet. Deciding not to question her any further, Blaze just began to follow Toriel, as she led him through the now open door.

The next room was the largest of the rooms Blaze had seen so far, with it being some kind of hallway. He could see three levels, two of which had writing surrounding them.

"Is this another puzzle?" Blaze questioned.

"Ah, yes. The ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys, they must be solved to move from room to room." Toriel explained.

"That seems highly impractical." Blaze remarked.

"I suppose it is..." Toriel muttered, before shaking her head, "However, you must learn to grow used to them if you are to stay here. Try and solve this puzzle. In this room, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labelled the ones you need to flip."

Blaze nodded at that, glancing at the nearest lever, which was surrounded by yellow arrows. Not bothering to read the writing surrounding it, Blaze flipped the switch, earning him a smile from Toriel. Toriel moved aside so Blaze could see the next two switches. Only one was labelled.

Humming in response, Blaze walked over to the labelled switch and pulled it. He looked over at the spikes blocking the door, frowning when he noticed they hadn't retracted.

"Are you... sure this is the right switch?" Blaze asked.

"It should have opened by now..." Toriel muttered, sounding like she was talking to herself, "I am sure I labelled the correct lever... Ah, do not worry, young one! Try flipping the other switch."

Hesitantly, Blaze went over to the unlabelled switch and pulled it. The ground crumbled beneath his feet, sending Blaze plummeting through the ground. With a cry of pain, Blaze hit the ground, feeling himself losing consciousness.

"Oh my! Are you alright? Oh dear, I'm afraid I cannot meet you. I must leave for a moment. You will stay there, will you not? Do not wander, many monsters are unfriendly towards humans. Fret not, young one, I shall protect you. Please... Wait there." Was the last thing Blaze heard before he finally lost consciousness.

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