DarkerTale (crossover fanfiction)

Chapter 4

The Duo
A duo, a mysterious alliance of two, united in silent symbiosis, merges into the shadows of their shared destiny.

The warmth is palpable even from a distance. As they approach the volcano, the heat becomes more intense. The air shimmers with the heat, and they can feel it penetrating their skin. The sun shines more intensely, and the temperature rises rapidly.
There are lava streams stretching across the landscape, and the earth gleams in various shades of red. The sky is darkened by ash and steam, casting a mysterious light over the surroundings.
They can repeatedly hear a deep, rumbling roar that seems to emanate from the volcano. The volcano is active.
"It's active!?" Chara shouted, "You never said it was active! You're leading us to certain death!"
"Calm down, Chara," said Ink, but he too looked up at the volcano, towering above them. "I didn't know it was active myself."
"I should never have given you the map."

"Stop arguing, both of you," Frisk tried to calm them down. "The volcano has been active for a long time, so we shouldn't worry about it erupting now."
"You never know. We should just find the heart as quickly as possible; it's damn hot here," raged Chara, pulling up her sleeves. "Where to, Ink!?"
The skeleton had already moved ahead. "We probably need to go up." The whole group looked up at the volcano, from which only steam billowed. Chara could almost hear the hot lava boiling. And so, they set off on the rocky path towards the summit of the volcano.

"Hey hey, look at what I seeeee!" giggled a playful voice, handing the telescope to their companion.
"Why are they going straight to the volcano? Are they suicidal?" asked their companion, puzzled. He had a very deep voice compared to the playful one.
"Who cares, look at what they have!" She aimed the telescope at the map held by the skeleton.
"A map?"
"A Necrorelic. If we have that, we can find any treasure we want! We'll be rich!"
"Hm... Then let's grab the map."

The heat rises with every step they take.
"What's wrong? You both look all sweaty," Ink remarked as he glanced at his two companions.
"Keep your mouth shut," Chara began. "Just because you don't have skin doesn't mean you can't burn in lava."
"What are you trying to say? You wouldn't push me into lava, would you?"
Chara's eyes lit up slightly, "Want to bet?" Ink swallowed and remained silent.

Suddenly, the ground shook, and small stones tumbled down the walls.
"A rockslide!" Frisk screamed in shock as she saw the massive boulders hurtling toward them.
"Quick, keep going up!" Ink shouted, running further up the path. Chara followed, but noticed someone was missing. Frisk. She looked back and saw her in a state of shock, just staring as a boulder approached. Damn it, Chara growled in her mind. She wondered if she should save Frisk, but why bother? Frisk chose to join this adventure, so she should save herself. As Chara was lost in thought, someone zoomed past her—it was Ink. A cloud of dust formed in front of Chara as the boulder slammed onto the ground. She didn't know if Ink and Frisk were okay. Confused, she looked around but couldn't spot either of them.
No time for that, she needed to save herself from the rocks. She noticed a small cave not far from her and climbed inside. The brunette sat down, relieved to be in the safety of the cave. But what about the others? Regardless, they can handle themselves. But Ink had the map—what should she do without it?

Chara waited in the cave for a few moments until it finally became quiet outside. The rockslide had stopped, and she climbed out of her hiding place.
"Ink?! Frisk!?" she called, but received no response. Okay, she was feeling SOME concern for them. BUT only a little. Or? Then she heard someone calling. She looked in the direction of the sound and spotted Frisk waving. Soon after, Chara ran towards them, but what she didn't expect was a hug from Frisk.
"I thought the rocks got you!" Frisk lamented.
Chara leaned slightly away from her, "Yeah, me too..."
"How could you, Chara?" Ink began, his expression darkening as he glared at the brown-haired girl. This was new—seeing the usually laid-back Ink with such a face gave her an uneasy feeling. "You saw Frisk in trouble. Why didn't you do anything?"
"I did want to do something, but you were just faster," Chara explained, recalling the moment when Ink raced past her.
"Of course... Even if you're not so helpful, you can at least look out for Frisk," he said before continuing up the path.
"I'm not here to babysit," Chara retorted.
Ink sighed irritably, "Fine, but next time, PLEASE make sure at least Frisk is safe." Chara only rolled her eyes in response.
Frisk watched the two of them silently. Maybe it was a mistake to come along? She had never been on an adventure before, and she can't fight... Chara was right; she didn't want to be babysat. Next time, she'll be able to take care of herself.