Hide the Pain Harold

AS I STOOD THERE, I LOOKED AT MYSELF. MY CLOTHES COVERED IN A WHITE DUST. IT WAS THE DUST IF WHAT COULD OF BEEN FRIENDS. THE DUST FROM CREATURES RANGING FROM FROGS, TO GOATS, AND EVEN A SKELETON. IN MY RIGHT HAND I HAD A KNIFE. IT TO WAS COVERED IN DUST. AS I STOOD THERE, I LOOKED STRAIGHT AHEAD. HE STOOD THERE. I QUICKLY WENT TO A BOX AND GOT WHAT I NEEDED. 3 CHUNKS OF A SNOWMAN, A SLICE OF PIE, A PACK OF INSTANT NOODLES, AND SOME STEAKS. I QUICKLY STRUCK MY HAND OUT, AND WAS FILLED WITH *D E T E R M I N A T I O N* AS I WALKED UP TO HIM, HE SAID HIS SPEECH ABOUT EXP AND LV. "HEYA. YOU'VE BEEN BUSY, HUH? ... SO, I'VE GOT A QUESTION FOR YA. DO YOU THINK EVEN THE WORST PERSON CAN CHANGE...? THAT EVERYONE CAN BE A GOOD PERSON, IF THEY JUST TRY? HEH HEH HEH HEH... ALL RIGHT. WELL, HERE'S A BETTER QUESTION. DO YOU WANNA HAVE A BAD TIME? CAUSE IF YOU TAKE ANOTHER STEP FORWARD... YOU ARE REALLY NOT GOING TO LIKE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT," HE STATED. I TOOK ANOTHER STEP IN HIS DIRECTION. "WELP. SORRY, OLD LADY. THIS IS WHY I NEVER MAKE PROMISES," I SAW THE ROOM FLICKER FROM COLOR TO BLACK AND WHITE. "IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY OUTSIDE. BIRDS ARE SINGING, FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING... ON DAYS LIKE THESE, KIDS LIKE YOU...' SUDDENLY, I WAS FORCED TO THE GROUND, GETTING HIT SEVERAL TIMES FROM BONES. EVERY TIME THE BONES HIT ME, IT HURT LIKE A THOUSAND BULLET'S WERE GETTING SHOT AT ME. I BARELY SURVIVED THOSE, BUT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY GOT BLASTED. "YOU CAN NOT GIVE UP NOW... CHARA! STAY DETERMINED" AN UNFAMILIAR VOICE SAID. I FELT MY SOUL SHARED MOMENTS BEFORE THIS, BUT WITH DETERMINATION I WAS BACK AT THE POINT WHERE I LAST WAS FILLED WITH DETERMINATION. I WAKES BAD TO MEET HIM AGAIN, AND HE SAID "HEYA. YOU LOOK FRUSTRATED ABOUT SOMETHING. GUESS I'M PRETTY GOOD AT MY JOB, HUH?" I KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT THIS TIME. AS HE SAID HIS LINE, I WAS FORCED TO THE GROUND AGAIN. THIS TIME HOWEVER I JUMPED OUT IF THE WAY. I THEN DODGED SOME MORE BONES I HOWEVER SAW HIS OTHER METHOD OF ATTACKING CALLED THE "GASTER BLASTER" I DODGED THEM WITH EASE, AND HE SAID "SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL HUH. ALWAYS WONDERED WHY PEOPLE NEVER USE THEIR STRONGEST ATTACK FIRST" HE SAID SHRUGGING. I WENT TO ATTACK I SAW WHY HE ONLY NEED 1 HEALTH POINT. HE COMPLETELY DODGED THE ATTACK "WHAT? YOU THINK I'M JUST GONNA STAND THERE AND TAKE IT?" I DODGED HIS ATTACKS AND HE DODGED MINE AGAIN AND AGAIN. "OUR REPORTS SHOWED A MASSIVE ANOMALY IN THE TIMESPACE CONTINUUM. TIMELINES JUMPING LEFT AND RIGHT, STOPPING AND STARTING... "UNTIL SUDDENLY, EVERYTHING ENDS HEH HEH HEH... THAT'S YOUR FAULT, ISN'T IT? YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS FEELS KNOWING THAT ONE DAY, WITHOUT ANY WARNING... IT'S ALL GOING TO BE RESET. LOOK. I GAVE UP TRYING TO GO BACK A LONG TIME AGO. AND GETTING TO THE SURFACE DOESN'T REALLY APPEAL ANYMORE, EITHER. CAUSE EVEN IF WE DO... WE'LL JUST END UP RIGHT BACK HERE, WITHOUT ANY MEMORY OF IT, RIGHT? TO BE BLUNT... IT MAKES IT KIND OF HARD TO GIVE IT MY ALL ... OR IS THAT JUST A POOR EXCUSE FOR BEING LAZY...? HELL IF I KNOW ALL I KNOW IS... SEEING WHAT COMES NEXT... I CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO CARE ANYMORE. UGH... THAT BEING SAID... YOU, UH, REALLY LIKE SWINGING THAT THING AROUND, HUH? ... LISTEN. I KNOW YOU DIDN'T ANSWER ME BEFORE, BUT... SOMEWHERE IN THERE. I CAN FEEL IT. THERE'S A GLIMMER OF A GOOD PERSON INSIDE OF YOU. THE MEMORY OF SOMEONE WHO ONCE WANTED TO DO THE RIGHT THING. SOMEONE WHO, IN ANOTHER TIME, MIGHT HAVE EVEN BEEN... A FRIEND? C'MON, BUDDY. DO YOU REMEMBER ME? PLEASE, IF YOU'RE LISTENING... LET'S FORGET ALL OF THIS, OK? JUST LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPON, AND... WELL, MY JOB WILL BE A LOT EASIER," I THOUGHT OF HIS OFFER, ONLY FOR A MOMENT AND ATTACKED HIM WELP, IT WAS WORTH A SHOT. GUESS YOU LIKE DOING THINGS THE HARD WAY, HUH? SOUNDS STRANGE, BUT BEFORE ALL THIS I WAS SECRETLY HOPING WE COULD BE FRIENDS. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE ANOMALY WAS DOING THIS CAUSE THEY WERE UNHAPPY. AND WHEN THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED, THEY WOULD STOP ALL THIS. AND MAYBE ALL THEY NEEDED WAS... I DUNNO. SOME GOOD FOOD, SOME BAD LAUGHS, SOME NICE FRIENDS BUT THAT'S RIDICULOUS, RIGHT? YEAH, YOU'RE THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO WON'T EVER BE HAPPY. YOU'LL KEEP CONSUMING TIMELINES OVER AND OVER, UNTIL... WELL. HEY. TAKE IT FROM ME, KID. SOMEDAY... YOU GOTTA LEARN WHEN TO QUIT AND THAT DAY'S TODAY CAUSE... Y'SEE... ALL THIS FIGHTING IS REALLY TIRING ME OUT AND IF YOU KEEP PUSHING ME... THEN I'LL BE FORCED TO USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK. YEAH, MY SPECIAL ATTACK. SOUND FAMILIAR? WELL, GET READY. CAUSE AFTER THE NEXT MOVE, I'M GOING TO USE IT. SO, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE IT, NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO DIE WELL, HERE GOES NOTHING... ARE YOU READY? SURVIVE THIS AND I'LL SHOW YOU MY SPECIAL ATTACK! YEP. THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S LITERALLY NOTHING. AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ANYTHING, EITHER. HEH HEH HEH... YA GET IT? I KNOW I CAN'T BEAT YOU. ONE OF YOUR TURNS... YOU'RE JUST GONNA KILL ME. SO, UH. I'VE DECIDED... IT'S NOT GONNA BE YOUR TURN. EVER. I'M JUST GONNA KEEP HAVING MY TURN UNTIL YOU GIVE UP. EVEN IF IT MEANS WE HAVE TO STAND HERE UNTIL THE END OF TIME. CAPICHE? YOU'LL GET BORED HERE. IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN BORED ALREADY, I MEAN. AND THEN, YOU'LL FINALLY QUIT. I KNOW YOUR TYPE. YOU'RE, UH, VERY DETERMINED, AREN'T YOU? YOU'LL NEVER GIVE UP, EVEN IF THERE'S, UH... ABSOLUTELY NO BENEFIT TO PERSEVERING WHATSOEVER. IF I CAN MAKE THAT CLEAR. NO MATTER WHAT, YOU'LL JUST KEEP GOING. NOT OUT OF ANY DESIRE FOR GOOD OR EVIL... BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU CAN. AND BECAUSE YOU "CAN"... ... YOU "HAVE TO." BUT NOW, YOU'VE REACHED THE END. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU NOW. SO, UH, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION... THE MOST "DETERMINED" THING YOU CAN DO HERE? IS TO, UH, COMPLETELY GIVE UP. AND... (YAWN) DO LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE." AS HE COMPLETELY DOSED OFF, I SLOWLY MOVED MY SOUL TO FIGHT. I STRUCK OUT AS HE COMPLETELY DODGED "HEH, DIDJA REALLY THINK YOU WOULD BE ABLE- " I STRUCK OUT A SECOND TIME, FINALLY HITTING HIM. HE LOOKED DOWN, SEEING HIS BODY COVERED IN BLOOD. "... ... ... SO... GUESS THAT'S IT, HUH? ... JUST... DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU. WELP. I'M GOING TO GRILLBY'S. PAPYRUS, DO YOU WANT ANYTHING?' AS HE SLID OFF, HE TURNED TO DUST, AND MY LV WENT TO 20... CHECK THE DESCRIPTION FOR A STORY