Chapter 2:

"Wait, how long have you lived down here?" Marinette asked, trailing behind Master Furiel. He turned and gave her a smug smile.

"What do you mean, child?"

She recoiled for a second. "Um, well, you know... you seem like an older kinda guy and I was wondering if you fell in the same way I did."

He chuckled good-naturedly. "My dear, there is so much you must learn before you can receive answers. Such as navigating puzzles and encountering monsters."

Marinette's shoulders curled. "Monsters like Billy?"

Master Furiel nodded. "He isn't the only one you'll run into down here. There is a reason they call the Underground the realm of monsters. You were told those stories when you were a young child, correct?"

Her eyes widened and she nodded. "Y-yes, my mama would tell me the adventures of Bridgette to me when I couldn't sleep at night."

"Ah, so you know all the old myths. That's wonderful. Over my many years, I've discovered that those stories are the easiest ways to explain this monster-infested world." He stopped at the base of an archway and turned around to face her. "Now, we're about to enter a puzzle. I need you to follow in my exact footsteps or you'll trigger one of the many pressure pads. Understood?"

Marinette's heart pounded against her chest, but she gave him a confident nod. Smiling, he turned around and stepped through the arch. Once he stepped inside, the room lit up with a purple hue. Marinette gasped, taking in the purple pressure pads that filled the entire room. They weren't what she had been expecting. She had been imagining them like a dance game, but it was the exact opposite. The floor was lined with spikes, some so tall that they could have scraped her knee easily.

"Follow me," Master Furiel reminded her before taking an unwavering step onto one of the spikes.

"Wait-" Marinette cried out but stopped when she saw the spikes slip down into the floor as soon as Master Furiel put his foot down. He looked back at her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked like he was casually asking if she had cold soup.

"I... n-no. No, nothing's wrong," Marinette stuttered out. Master Furiel turned back around and continued to walk, zig-zagging back and forth across the room. Marinette realized she had to move before she lost his step pattern. Cautiously sticking her foot out, she stepped down on one of the spikes. A small section of them slid down into the floor without question. Taking another step, Marinette slowly made her way across the room, trying to remember the exact places Master Furiel had stepped.

She was halfway across the room when her guide reached the door on the other side. He turned back to look at her, smiling and resting on his stick-like cane. She was about to take a misstep, but he called out: "To your left, child."

He assisted her every time she was about to make a mistake, which she was both grateful for and miffed about. She was old enough to make her own steps. Then again, to him, she probably was just a lost child.

By the time she had reached the other side, Master Furiel was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his cane laid neatly beside him.

"Congratulations, my child. I am very proud of you."

Marinette scrunched her mouth up into one corner. "You were the one who told me where to go. I was just obeying orders."

"Ah, but that's the trick down here." He gestured to the spikes. Marinette turned, partly to amuse him but also because her curiosity was brimming. Her eyes widened. The path from this side was clear. It was as if the spikes she had stepped on weren't even there.

"Sometimes," Master Furiel said, "you just need to have a little bit of perspective."

Marinette turned around to say something to him but found that he was gone. She gasped and looked around frantically. A few feet away, Master Furiel was standing by the door that led into another long hallway.

"Come along, my dear. There is much you need to learn."

Her mouth hung open, she could feel it, but she didn't exactly want to close it. This was insane. There was so much to this man that she didn't know. What did any of this mean?

Obediently, she trotted after him. The pair made their way through the hallway-like tunnels. Though Marinette had no clue where she was going, she had a sneaking suspicion that this dude wasn't going to hurt her. She knew it was odd, but she trusted him. She had a sneaking suspicion that there was something more to this man than met the eye.

They walked for a long time, long enough for Marinette's feet to start hurting. It wasn't an enjoyable experience, but she figured it would be better than dealing with Billy again. She was so on edge that it sounded like Billy was right behind her, but when she turned around to check, there would be nothing there.

Master Furiel only began to slow when the pair reached an open cavern. It was brighter than most of the other ruins, though there seemed to be no sunlight coming from anywhere. Marinette raised her hand to block the light, squinting as she tried to see her surrounds. After a moment, her eyes adjusted and she gaped in awe at what stood before her.

It was a house. It didn't seem very old, but Marinette knew that had to be ancient. A patch of red flowers was on each side of the front door with a simple window above them. Marinette looked at Master Furiel, then back to the house.

"Do you-"

"Live here?" he finished. "Yes, my child. This is my home." He gave her a welcoming smile before gesturing toward the door. "Please, go inside and make yourself at home."

Marinette glanced at Master Furiel once more, but he was only giving her a big smile. Cautiously, she made her way toward the door.

It wasn't like it would be too weird in there, right?

* * *

"Plaaaaagg, can you please stop?"

"What, Tikki? Are my puns grating on your nerves?"

The creature named Tikki groaned and put her head in her hands. "We're supposed to be putting up traps, not laying around doing nothing."

"Who said I wasn't doing anything?" Plagg leaned back in the snow, stuffing his hands into his oversized green and black hoodie. "I'm keeping an eye out for any humans."

"By just sitting there?"

"Got that right."

Tikki sighed and set down the ball and spikes she had been carrying. "I don't understand you, Plagg. Can't you see the beauty of traps?"

Plagg laughed out loud, crossing his feet and wagging his green slippers. "I don't think I have the same passion for it. Why don't you explain it to me?"

Tikki got a far away look in her eyes and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Puzzles and traps build character! They give the person who goes through them a whole new view of the world. Strength isn't always the answer, sometimes it's intelligence! Other times, it takes courage or even bravery!"

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. Needless to say, I'm feta-p with your obsession."

She snapped out of her trance and glared at him, her wings flicking irritatedly under her red scarf. He only gave her a cheesy grin and winked. Tikki shook her head.

"I can't believe I fell in love with a lazy butt like you."

He shrugged, his black tail swishing back and forth. "I don't regret loving you."

"I didn't say that."

The two of them shared a smile before Tikki turned away and puffed out her chest. "Alright! Let's get to work! We have a lot of traps to set!"

Plagg groaned and pulled himself to his feet. He brushed himself of snow as he said, "Tikki, you know humans don't come down here anymore. You're wasting your time."

"Aw, are you being a grumpy kitty?" she teased and stuck out her bottom lip. "Come on, it'll be fun! You never know the surprises that can come with a good trap!"

Plagg rolled his eyes but followed Tikki anyway. The two traveled further into the forest, the wind becoming chillier and harsher. Tikki didn't seem to mind, though. She skipped along the path, dragging ball and chains behind her like it was no big deal. Though he had been set in charge of carrying the fire torches, Plagg trudged down the path with the torches floating around him like green balloons. Sometimes levitation came in handy.

As the two Kwami monsters traveled through the forest, little did they know they would meet something very, very strange.

---

Ah, finally! I got some inspiration for this part from some AWESOME Undertale music.

And, if you didn't already notice, I've attached some Undertale music to this chapter to help set the mood. *wink*

(PS: I am so excited to write Tikki and Plagg. Like, you guys wouldn't even believe how excited I am. It's gonna be so great!)

And, like in Miraculous Games, I'm going to be choosing my favorite comments!

Favorite Comment:

By: ASilentMelody

*starts humming megalovania*

I know you're excited, but we haven't gotten THAT far yet haha.

And, (we're changing it up a little bit), Stay Determined!

Here, have some cute Toriel!