Before leaving the ruins, humans wondered if their choices were the right ones. After the reset, he wasn't so sure of his choices. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded, sighed heavily on the floor, paced back and forth in his tiny cellar, pulled out a toy knife, squeezed and unclenched the handle, and debated whether or not to leave. He was alone in the cellar, but he was too busy arguing with his many voices of distrust, worry, and doubt to feel lonely and alone.
After a while, the human finally made a decision, shook off the negativity with difficulty, and gingerly stepped out into the snowy outside.
The human's LOVE rating for leaving the ruins was 1.
* * *
The human poked his head out the door and looked around. Outside the ruins, thankfully, no one was waiting for him, but that didn't ease his mind. There were too many unpredictable things in this maddening underground, too many.
From being impaled on bones and rolling on the ground as soon as you left the ruins, to the endless creativity of how to kill others, to the most bizarre ways to take your own life, humans had learned that the stalactites of Waterfall were the dullest of all the underground stalactites, and that falling into the magma of the Hotlands didn't kill you instantly. Some "save points" were lost permanently as a result. No matter how squeamish you are, and no matter how much you take your life for granted, it's not easy to shrug it off and pretend it never happened.
Humans were nervous as they walked through the forest, never knowing when or where an attack would come at them. It wasn't that he feared death or pain. It was more like the uneasy tingling sensation you get when you forget something you carry with you everywhere. It had been so long since I'd roamed the underground with my love that I wasn't easily reassured.
The doubt that creeped into my mind was wrong, and I thought to myself, I should go back and post LOVE.
I heard the snap of a branch behind me. It hadn't been a long time since I'd heard the sound of a creature down here that liked to ambush the unwary. I turned around, but there was nothing but a broken branch in the well-groomed path, and no one had broken it. The human pushed forward, clearing his throat, which had stiffened with tension, and turned at the sound of footsteps. No one was there this time, except for a glimpse of the black inyoung. The human pursed his lips. He was nervous, just as he had been the first time he'd walked this path.
As he paused on the bridge spanning the pit, a figure approached slowly from behind. He sensed no hostility in the slow pace, but his heart instinctively pounded with the memory of so many deaths. He dismissed the idea of raising his toy sword and clenched his fists hard. His palms were sweaty and slippery. He paused in his approach and heard a low voice over his shoulder.
"Human, don't you know how to make new friends? Turn around and shake my hand."
The words brought back old memories. A thought flashed through my mind. No way... was the key to not posting any LOVE? Was the answer to just not killing anyone? If so, what was the point of all my attempts? The human stifled a laugh and turned around.
There was Sands, dressed in his dirt-free clothes, and a wave of relief washed over him, for he lacked the odd glow that had characterized his less-than-intact mind. He took the hand Sands held out to him and laughed, the familiar fart cushion sound emanating from his hand. The human responded to Sands' words, vowing not to kill anyone for real this time. Whether it was luck or a solution, the underground was finally back in one piece, and he was determined to end it once and for all.
* * *
The humans made their way to Snowdyne, killing no one. He had killed countless people across countless timelines, but he hadn't forgotten how to solve puzzles or deal with monsters. He solved the puzzles without a single stumble, and dealt with the monsters without a single hesitation. His steps through the snowy forest were brisk.
