From War to Science {UNDERTALE}

Lessons

                Days passed.

Well, he guessed it was days, at least.

Regardless, despite being fully healed and cleaned up, he still wasn't permitted past the cave entrance. No one else had even tried to get out aside from him. Why? Were they in quarantine? That was his first thought; after all, the meager few monsters here couldn't be all that was left. There had to be less than two hundred. And the other skeletons had to have made it down, right? He couldn't be the last one.

Right?

With the passing time, though, it seemed that quarantine was the less likely answer for their situation. The monsters were slowly recovering from their shock; a few had used their fire magic to light the cave and give it warmth. Meager bits of food were pooled together to feed those in the cave. Gradually, groups drew together, began talking to each other. Not that W.D. could understand a word of it. He stayed huddled by the cave entrance, waiting for the guard to lose their focus, just for a moment. Just for him to get out and find the others who had to be stuck somewhere out there. He couldn't understand them, either, but...well, he just didn't want to be alone.

He leaned against the cave wall, idly rubbing his cheekbone. There was a faint crack there now, left over from when he had hit the ground. Probably not enough to see, but he felt it all the same. His face was just one more unfamiliar thing in this mess. He shut his sockets with a sigh. This was hopeless. If the humans hadn't—

He jumped as someone tapped his shoulder, immediately moving back. A monster was crouched beside him, holding out a bowl. They smiled and held it out to him, saying something. He looked at them tiredly, not even bothering to shrug. Another round of this, then. The monster says something, he stays silent, the monster gets mad and—

Wait.

This one wasn't mad.

They, or maybe she—the voice was light, but he had no way of telling what gender monsters were—shook her head, long, fluffy ears fluttering slightly, then frowned, as if she was trying to remember something.

"Arial?" she finally asked.

He blinked, taken aback. How did she know Arial?

"A little," he said, hesitantly. She smiled again.

"Me also." She held the bowl out to him. "Here."

His browbone furrowed, but he took the bowl and sipped from it. He nodded in thanks. She looked at him for a moment, then held up one clawed finger.

"Wait," she said, then got to her feet. He watched her go, then gulped the soup down. Skeletons could go quite a while without food—since they, well, didn't have organs—but he was still massively drained from the fight.

He had long finished by the time she returned, though he did follow her instructions and stayed put. She gave him a big smile as she held up a book, and his mouth twitched in return. She held it out as she knelt beside him, chattering excitedly before she remembered he couldn't understand her. She smiled sheepishly, then nodded down at it.

"Here." She pushed it toward him. He glanced up at her, then took the book and flipped through. He stopped at the first page, sockets widening. He understood this. Well, some of it. Arial was on the page, along with what he assumed was the monster language. He glanced up at her, then pointed at the words. She nodded.