When the line between justice and vengeance blurs

Chapter 1: Justice is needed

As I make my way up the mountain a cold wind smacks me in the face and I firmly hold onto my hat so it doesn't fly off my head. I pull out the missing poster, a grim reminder of my mission. Five missing children, all last seen heading towards Mt Ebott and never heard from again. Everyone knows the legend that those who climb the mountain never return. They can't just disappear though, something had to have happened to them. Even if it's unlikely that they are still alive I still have to find them. Justice is needed.

I see a cave on a higher level of the mountain, perfect. I've been climbing for quite some time now and I think it would be good to take a break and catch my breath. It's been getting a little hard to breathe this high up.

I reach the cave and right as I'm about to sit down I see something of interest. A hole, it's relatively deep and it looks like there's a walking path at the bottom. Strange, are there people down there? Suddenly, something clicks in my mind, the missing kids! It's possible that some or maybe all of the kids fell down this hole. It's probably my best lead anyway, they were nowhere to be found on the mountain itself.

I jump down the hole without thinking about my own safety. I guess it's possible I could die from this fall but I doubt that will happen. Humans have survived worse things than a steep fall. Our determined souls don't shatter too easily, as long as there is a will to keep going we will keep going.

I finally hit the bottom with a loud thud. Pain. It shoots through my entire body. I feel like I'm simultaneously being torn apart and set on fire. I've never been in this much pain before, no injuries from back home were anywhere near as bad as what I'm currently feeling right now. I scream and cry out for help.

And somebody came.

I finally hit the ground with a loud thud. It hurts but strangely, I almost feel like I was expecting the pain, like I experienced it before and could brace for impact this time around, odd. I get up and examine my surroundings. All I see are the golden flowers I landed on, and a path leading to a door.

I go through the door and it leads to a large black room with a patch of grass in the middle. Also in the room is a large frog creature with a second face under its legs. It looks nothing like any frog I've seen before. Could it be a monster? I always thought monsters were a myth that parents told their kids to keep them from wandering too far. I feel like I should be more shocked about the fact that monsters might be real but instead I feel like it's something I already knew. I know I've never seen this creature before but it feels familiar, that the idea of monsters existing feels familiar. I don't understand what's going on but I don't get a chance to dwell on it as the frog monster hops towards me. A threat. I pull out my gun and fire a warning shot. It looks a bit hurt but not deterred, instead it looks like it's about to attack me back. Before it does though, another monster shows up and glares at the frog. The frog looks intimidated and hops away.

Now I'm left alone with the new monster. This one is much more human-like. It walks on two legs and wears clothes. The monster looks like some kind of goat creature. It's also really tall. The frog was pretty big for a frog but this thing is tall even for a human, it towers over me. I'm not scared though, in fact, I feel calm around it. It kind of reminds me of the feeling of being around my mother, during the rare times when she came home and wasn't angry. To my surprise, the goat creature talks.

" Oh dear, are you okay my child? Do not be afraid, I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place everyday to see if any Human has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a while. Come, I shall guide you through the catacombs." The way she says this sounds like she's rehearsed this, like she's said this numerous times before. She also mentions that I'm the first human to fall in a long time. This confirms my guess that at least one other human passed through here before, probably one of the five I'm searching for. I'm about to ask her some questions but she's quick to leave.