Chapter 1: Back At It Like a Crack Addict
Broken. The barrier was finally broken. The event that every monster underground had long awaited had finally transpired. Now everyone was able to go free and enjoy the sunlight, the fresh air, and the friendly humans that awaited them in the surface. Yes, everyone's hopes and dreams could finally be realized.
This was due cause for celebration. The king would undoubtedly launch a gala event in the human's honor. The monster could see it now: Sergio's name illuminated in large lights, the celebration extending throughout the entire Capital. While they were celebrating right now, the next few days was sure to see a massive influx of monsters in the human world.
Despite the widespread nature of the observance, one particular monster chose not to take part in this. In fact, he distanced himself as far away from the Capital as possible; it was bound to get noisy there. But where he was, it was calm, peaceful, reminiscent of the tranquility that existed before...before everything happened.
He was at the ruins, approaching the golden flowerbed. It was quite a long distance to walk here from the Capital; fortunately, the resident river...person was able to give him a ride from Hotland to Snowdin. Sergio certainly had a journey since he fell here. But the distance wasn't the monster's biggest problem. He only hoped that the other underground inhabitants wouldn't recognize him. It simply would have been best for everyone to keep thinking that he wasn't around anymore. It was a good thing that he got a dark cloak from his closet before leaving for his destination. As far as he knew, the "disguise" worked.
He sat crosslegged in the flowerbed, his hands folded across his chest. He closed his eyes and willed himself into a meditative state. His breathing became slower and deeper as he reflected on his past.
"It sounds like it came from over here..."
"Mom, Dad, this is Tobias."
"So he's the one who fell..."
"We welcome you to our home..."
"I fear that I won't make it. Please, just...take my soul."
"I can't just do something like that, Tobias...What if something worse happens to you?"
"Please...all I ask is that we try. If we don't try, we are destined to fail..."
A floating heart was within the monster's grasp. He watched as Tobias's eyes began to close, his body slowly losing its warmth. It was now or never. The monster tentatively held Tobias's soul and brought it to his chest.
And that was the last thing he remembered before re-awakening as that...that THING.
He didn't make many regrettable decisions in the past, but his biggest one was linked to that event. The first human who had fallen down here was treated with warm hospitality. However, his influence and the monster's ignorance had ignited a fierce hatred of humans among all the monsters. Although the monster's experience with humans was limited, he knew that not all of them had to have been terrible. Sergio may not have been the friendliest person he met, but he could detect decency within him.
The monster just hoped he could have more quickly discerned Tobias's true intentions...
All of the strife everyone down here suffered was because of the monster. All it took was his rejection of Tobias's last wish. He wouldn't have dared to think about it before, but he knew now that it was best for Tobias to die then and there. Otherwise, the other six humans who had fallen here wouldn't have had to die so mercilessly. However, without that decision, the barrier may never have been broken. Was it worth it to keep hundreds of thousands of monsters in this prison just to save a few human lives?
Was it destiny? Or was it simply adolescent naivete? There were prophecies that told of one child sent to liberate them all, a child who felt sympathy for the monsters and had a genuine desire to help them. But if you asked the monster, the prophecy was a bit off the mark.
"I don't care if you a flowa or a goat, you still gon' get this work!"
He doubted that "sympathetic" would have been the word to describe the last human who came here. But there was a desire to save monsters, for sure. Without one, the monster doubted that Sergio would have survived what he put the human through.
Prophecy or not, the barrier was still broken. Things seemed to turn out right for everyone else. The only way he could help maintain the peace for Sergio and his friends was if he was never recognized in public. The only person who knew of his continued existence was Sergio, after the monster reverted from his godlike form.
When he looked back at his battle with Sergio, he was left confused. It felt as if he exerted all of his energy in an effort to kill the human. The monster remembered every detail about the battle and the fury that burned within him. Yet at the same time, part of him was restraining himself from completing the act. As a result, Sergio emerged victorious from the battle. The monster felt so much rage because he confused Sergio for Tobias. Aside from clothing and speech patterns, the last human to come here was a spitting image of the first human.
But now he knew the current situation. Sergio was alive, and Tobias was not. Technically, the monster shouldn't have been alive, either. He figured that Tobias's soul was within him, and that the human was giving him control of his body so that he could properly think about what he'd done.
He could sense it coming. He was losing his sense of this reality and moving on to the next one. This time, he would not try to change fate. If he was to suffer as a soulless flower for the rest of his existence, so be it...
But nothing happened. The monster was still himself, a teenaged white goat monster with a stomach in place of a stem and hands in place of petals. What had obstructed the form-reverting process?
He suddenly felt a dark presence within him. He was all too familiar with this sensation. He felt this way only when he first absorbed the first human'ssoul. But it couldn't be. He was supposed to be dead. The other human souls had vanished when Sergio destroyed the barrier. There was no reason why Tobias's would have remained!
However, his mind's eye saw the flowerbed where Tobias was buried, not far from the barrier. It was a clear, sunny day in the surface, which contrasted with a dark-skinned, dirt covered human hand shooting up from the ground. As the human fought its way out from the ground, the monster could hear him clearly proclaim, "I am alive."
No! The monster opened his eyes, standing up from his own flowerbed. It made too much sense now. It was clear that he wasn't turning back into a flower anytime soon, which meant that Tobias, the person with whom the monster shared a body, was still alive as well. Now that Tobias was back, he was apt to wreak havoc on the monsters once more. Given Tobias's abilities and actions while in a floral form, the monster was in nowise reassured as to what the human would do in his natural form.
He shuddered when he realized something: Humans were usually buried in wooden coffins six feet under the ground. A body to reanimate and claw its way out without suffocating sent more warning signals in the monster's mind. Whatever Tobias intended to do, he was hell-bent on seeing it through. Not even death could stop him.
It was clear now that the only way for the monster to rectify his past mistakes was to ensure that nothing happened to anyone in the underground or the surface. Tobias had come back for an unknown purpose, but sharing a body with Tobias did shed some light on what the human intended to do.
The monster pulled the hood over his head and dashed toward the ruins' exit. He needed to inform the necessary personnel before it was too late.
Who is his best connection? thought the monster, other monsters' images flipping through his head.
. . .
Meanwhile...
The human felt naked without his hoodie or a pistol in his waistband. He felt as if he had to get rid of both for his mission.
Both of those items were related to his past crimes. He didn't have to worry about what he had on his person the last few days because of where he was; nobody underground knew what either of these concrete symbols denoted. They were just more secrets for him to take to the grave.
A wall of armored figures stood in a line, initially blocking the human's path. The faint sunlight creeping into the area was reflected on their gleaming shoulder and chest plates. Their clothing vastly contrasted with the human's clothing, him merely wearing a black T-shirt and cargo pants. Upon recognition of the human, some of the figures in the middle dispersed, allowing the human to pass. The figures moved quite swiftly, either out of respect or fear. Why the latter would have been true, the human had no idea.
He was in an underground cave, stony walls surrounding him in the current room. There were even more armored figures surrounding him, all carrying medieval weapons such as axes, maces, and flails. The weapons stood out from the ones the human knew, as all of them had shone brightly, even without exterior light. The figures stood rigidly, silently vigilant. From the few features their armor didn't cover, the human could see that they were all different subspecies, with diverse heights, builds, and skin types. While the figures had fur and scales, the human merely had dark-colored pigment to his skin and short black hair.
The human approached the back side of a house, which was protected by two more guards, interlocking their axes across a door. He felt fortunate enough that there wasn't so much security in the locale the first time he'd been here. He nodded at the two guards, who then opened their axes and permitted him to enter.
He entered a throne room with a mostly floral ground, a golden flowerbed immediately surrounding a large purple throne. A table sat in the middle of the room, with another armored figure leaning on one edge. The figure stared back at the human with a yellow eye, the other eye covered in an eye patch. Unlike the other armored figures the human saw, this one didn't have a helmet equipped. The human could see the figure's fishlike face, yellow teeth protruding from her top jaw. Her long, red hair was arranged in a ponytail.
"He's back, Asgore," the guard called in a gruff voice, addressing whoever was sitting in front of her. The throne creaked as someone rose from it. This figure was a tall, white, goatlike creature with a golden mane, horns, and a purple cloak covering everything from the shoulders down. Golden shoulder plates complemented the small crown on his head.
The goat warmly smiled at the human. "Good evening, Sergio. How was the trip back home?"
Jest like I expected, nobody was waitin' fa me. But the human wouldn't worry them about his personal issues. "Eh, ain't nothin' much ta report." Sergio pulled out a street map of New York City from his lower cargo pants pocket, laying it on the the table. The goat and fishlike creature stood on either side of him, staring at the map.
"This is much more elaborate than I thought it would be," Asgore commented, eyeing the intricate nature of the maps.
"How do you find your way around?" the guard said.
"Heh-heh, wait till ya see the real deal," Sergio said, a cocky grin on his face. "Aight, so I fell down 'round here," he pointed to Upper Manhattan, "and walked all dis way to where we are now," he traced his finger down the borough. "Where the barria was broken, and where I jest came from, that'll take us down ta Lowa Manhattan. It's a centa fa business and whatnot, kinda like what yo' Capital is."
"If it's a business district, that must mean it's highly populated," Asgore concluded, stroking his beard.
Sergio nodded in confirmation. "The undaground's exit'll take us ta Kennedy Park, which always gets a lotta visitas. So if y'all plannin' on gettin' outta this place, y'all gon' be exposed the second ya do."
"Sneaking's for chumps! Why don't we just rush in there and make a name for ourselves from the get-go? If they have a problem with it, they'll have to answer to me!" said the armored guard, slamming the table. Both Sergio and Asgore regarded the outburst with mild surprise.
"I appreciate your passion, Undyne, but we only have one chance to make a good first impression. We want to show some respect for the humans' homeland," Asgore said.
"But Sergio said the surface was dangerous, even for him!" retorted Undyne. "Why would we be immune to attack, then?"
"I never said we would. However, we'll be calling enough attention to ourselves just by walking out there. We wouldn't want to overwhelm the humans by having half the Royal Guard with us when we make our expedition," Asgore asserted.
"Yeah. We in luck, though. Lowa Manhattan ain't nearly as bad as Harlem, so safety won't be as much of an issue. Plus, if ya wanna get ta the centa a' city government, the City Hall ain't too far from here. Jest a couple blocks, and you'll be there," Sergio explained, pointing to the location on the map. "Only problem is, it's closed right now, and it won't open till the mornin'. Now the question is, who all's goin' up ta the surface?"
"We'll need at least five or six guards to protect Asgore while we're up there. I'll round up a few soldiers and tell them of the assignment," Undyne suggested.
"While I agree that security is important, we want to look as if we're extending an olive branch, not launching a military occupation. In the political realm, looks make up about sixty-five percent of what people take away when meetings are over," answered Asgore. "The way I see it, we'll either look peculiar to the humans, or threatening. I would prefer the former."
"So, you wanna risk security for appearance?" Sergio pressed.
"For the initial meeting, we may have to. As for personnel as a whole..." Asgore gestured to the two other people. "This is it. I'll make the negotiations, Undyne can act as a sentinel, and you can lead us to where we need to go, Sergio. That way, we can be secure without overdoing it."
Sergio nodded once, satisfied with the solution, but Undyne shook her head. "I don't like it one bit," she said, briefly balling her fists. "We have no idea what waits for us beyond the once-existing barrier."
"Good thang ya got me," Sergio pointed out.
Undyne's intense eye stared into Sergio's brown eyes. "I'm trusting you, Sergio." She conveyed the sentiment without a trace of threat or irritation, which was certainly an improvement since their first meeting.
"So, it's a plan, then? We three take the surface by dawn?" Sergio asked.
"Yes. Once we've confirmed that the surface is relatively safe, and when we have official plans for settlement, the monsters will begin making their new homes," said Asgore.
"Oh, and one thing, Asgore?" Undyne pointed out. Asgore's eyes shifted to the guard. "When we do go to the surface, don't call our settlement 'New New Home.'"
Asgore scowled slightly. "I was thinking 'New Home 2.0.'"
"Why not 'New Home 2: Electric Boogaloo?'" Sergio proposed with an impish smile.
"Ugh..." Undyne sighed with exasperation. Sergio and Asgore bumped each other's fists.
. . .
Meanwhile...
A white, fur-covered hand knocked onto a wooden door, the monster eyeing the decorative wreath in the middle of it. He has to be here; he has no obligation to watch over him anymore...
"I'll get it!" sounded a self-important, somewhat childish voice. No! The monster just remembered that his person of interest had a brother, and that they both lived in the same residence.
He heard muffled footsteps from the other side. The door swung open, revealing a tall skeletal figure dressed in a white chest plate, a red cape, gloves, and boots. The skeleton exhibited a toothy, charismatic smile towards the other monster.
"Greetings, stranger! How may I help you?" asked the skeleton, appearing not to notice that the monster had his entire face covered.
"I need to speak with your brother," said the monster.
''Sans! You have a visitor!" the skeleton called out. "He'll be here in a moment. Please, come in!" The resident monster opened the door wider, allowing the cloaked monster entry.
After wiping the snow off his feet, the monster viewed the house's interior. It was a modest abode with few vanities inside, such as a loveseat and a high-definition television. He stood on a soft, bluish carpet, and the far end of the house had an upper level.
He heard another rattling of bones from upstairs. A shorter skeleton wearing a blue hoodie and black shorts was yawning and stretching. "Didn't think I'd get a visitor tonight." The one called Sans stared down at the monster, somehow knowing exactly where his eyes were. The monster felt slightly uncomfortable, as if Sans was investigating his inner intentions and thoughts. Scarier it was to find that Sans kept the same nonchalant expression if that were the case. The monster reached for his hood, about to pull it down, but Sans shook his head. His hands fell to his sides in response to the skeleton's command.
Sans looked over to to his brother. "Why don't you get us a couple drinks, Pap?"
"Of course!" The taller skeleton turned on his heel and walked toward the kitchen. Just when he was about to pass through the doorway, he froze, as if time had stopped altogether. Beneath the monster's hood, he furrowed his brows at the sight. What was happening?
He looked over to Sans, who was still moving across the upper level towards the staircase. In his deep, accented voice, Sans said, "'Kay, now you can take your hood off."
It was unbelievable. Sans's apparently had an ability to stop time in order to keep conversations discreet. The skeleton must have known something that the monster didn't. He took his hood off, revealing his goatlike face.
Sans had descended to ground level. "Have a seat," he offered, gesturing to the loveseat behind the monster. The goat obliged. The skeleton began pacing in the middle of the living room, keeping an eye on the other monster. "Aren't you Toriel and Asgore's kid?"
Curses. He knew. Well, there was no point in lying now.
"Yes," the goat said, clenching his teeth. "Which is why I have the cloak on."
"Huh...Aren't ya supposed to be dead? Like, long dead?" Sans asked quite casually.
The goat's black eyes flicked back to the skeleton in response. He really didn't have an answer for that question. Of course, people assumed he was dead, and his body had vanished from this realm. Or so people thought.
"Well, you're here now, I guess," Sans said, shrugging. "You trying to keep a low profile makes a bit more sense. Now, there must be a reason why you came to me."
The goat nodded. "You're the only one who wouldn't have freaked out at the sight of me."
"Eh, what can I say? I'm usually a chill guy."
If Sans's brother had seen what the goat looked like under the hood, he would have immediately connected the goat to his mother and father. Everybody else would have. But seeing Sans had triggered a strange feeling of familiarity within the goat, and that feeling was most likely reflected towards the skeleton.
A calm atmosphere would have been best considering the gravity of the situation.
"So, what can I do ya for?" Sans asked, his skeletal hands in his hoodie pockets.
"I need to contact Sergio. I have an important message for him."
"Really? That's it?" The skeleton blinked at the goat. "Where do I come into play?"
"Sergio and I have...history," the monster said through slightly gritted teeth. "The way I see it, he may respond negatively to meeting with me. I request that you act as a mediator when we speak."
"Meaning, I make sure that nobody gets hurt," Sans translated. The skeleton was shrewd as he was lazy. He chuckled. "Listen pal, I know when someone's trouble or not. And you..." The skeleton paused, as if for dramatic effect. "I can sense the good in you. Plus, you're Toriel's kid. So, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
That explained the goat's feeling of being internally searched earlier. The skeleton was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Even though this was the first time he saw this sort of power in the goat's memory, he couldn't help but think that this was why Sans had struck such a chord within him. Even though the goat was a lifelong resident of the underground, he was still being surprised every hour.
"So you'll help me?" asked the goat.
"Sure. If it's as important as you say, I'll help in any way I can. Just remember something, kid." Sans blinked again. When his eyesockets opened again, one of his eyes disappeared, and the other eye flashed a bright blue and yellow. "Don't make me regret my decision."
The image of San's face like that elicited a primal, inexplicable fear within the goat, but he wouldn't let it show. "I won't."
Sans nodded, his eyes returning to normal. "Good. Now, tell me what kind of 'history' you have with Sergio."
. . .
Meanwhile...
"I can take shots without guns,
And the state cops I outrun,
It's ya boy Serge wit some choice words,
When the bass drops, I got clout, son!"
Sergio had posted a video on the underground social network of him rapping. After the fight he had with a murderous talking flower...thing, he noticed a significant surge in his MonsterNet follower count. He scoffed at his phone. A bunch of these monsters weren't doing anything like this prior to the barrier's destruction. But to criticize the monsters for acting in such a way would have made him a hypocrite; he did the same with his friends.
He smirked at the phone screen as he scrolled through MonsterNet posts, walking towards Alphys's lab. He had just remembered the promise he made to the resident scientist that he would watch some anime with her. It was the least he could have done for all she'd done for him.
"This is undaground rap, got the game down pat..." Someone was calling him, Papyrus's picture appearing on his screen. He answered it.
"Yo," he said. He expected an enthusiastic voice that sounded a bit like an out-of-tune trumpet.
"Hey, kid." Instead, Sergio heard the essence of Brooklyn on the other end. It was Sans. "I'm calling from Papyrus's phone."
"Okay...So wusgood?"
"Are you busy with anything?"
"Nah, I jest handled my bidness wit the king. I was jest walkin' ta Hotland."
"Ah. Listen, we need to talk, bud." The skeleton suddenly sounded serious. "Can you take the river person's boat to Snowdin?"
With how Sans conveyed his message, Sergio figured the anime thing could wait. "Yeah. I'mma be there in two shakes." Click!
A thousand questions ran through his mind, a feeling he knew all too well in the underground. Was there trouble at a time like this, where every monster and his mother were on cloud nine? Did something else fall in here that should have stayed out? Or did Sans know something about Sergio that the human didn't want him to find out? He thought he was completely alone when he disassembled his pistol in the garbage dump area of Waterfall...
He took a detour in his path, walking toward Hotland's river instead of the laboratory. A bell hung from a cane-like post from the ground. He rang it to summon the river person, who shortly arrived near the land platform. The river person wore a dark cloak that concealed his or her identity. The boat looked normal except for the dog face in the front of it.
"Tra la la," said the river person in a singsong voice. "Good to see you again, dear. Where are we headed today?"
"Snowdin," Sergio replied, stepping onto the boat. He'd taken this mode of transportation enough times to disregard the lack of handles on the boat. The boat rose from the water, sprouting legs from what the human could see. It skipped along the water in a quick rate, splashing water behind it. Despite the manner in which the boat was moving, the ride to Snowdin was relatively smooth.
"Tra la la. The water is quite dry today," said the river person during the ride.
As soon as he reached Snowdin, he immediately regretted his decision to stash his jacket. He certainly didn't miss the stinging, bitter cold of the region, especially after just being in Hotland. The urgency in Sans's voice caused Sergio to forget to gain an extra jacket from Asgore's house.
Whatever the skeleton had to say, Sergio hoped it would be quick.
After the river person bode him farewell, he walked toward the main square in Snowdin, the snow crunching under his feet. The first time he was there, the area had been buzzing with monsters. Now, however, it was somewhat vacant. Either most people were asleep at this time, or people were just in their homes, preparing to move out from the underground to the surface.
But at least one monster was there, and it was the one who'd summoned him. A cordial grin spread across Sergio's face.
"'S-s-s-sup, S-S-Sans?" the human greeted, shivering.
The skeleton in front of him laughed. "Where's your jacket?"
"I done lost it b-b-back at the Capital." It was half-true; it was in the Capital where he put the jacket in a drawer where nobody would find it, but the purpose of that he would keep to himself.
"Wanna borrow mine?" Sans took off his blue hoodie, holding it out for the human.
This act of consideration certainly wasn't out of character for Sans, but, "Won't you get cold?"
"Eh, don't worry. Skeletons don't get cold." Technically, it would have been true if Sans and Papyrus didn't have any nerves. Something told the human that Sans didn't care about being cold, as long as the human stayed warm.
He accepted Sans's offer and put on the jacket, which was slightly oversized. He instantly felt much warmer, his shivering ceasing as soon as he put his arms through both sleeves. "Thanks, fam."
"No prob, bud. Follow me." Sans led him to the outskirts of the main square.
"So, who you takin' me to, Sans?" Sergio asked, breaking a short silence.
"I don't know, he didn't give me a name. He said he knew you, though."
Sergio stopped in his tracks. "You serious?"
"Is there a problem?" Sans turned to the human.
"Some guy comes ta you, sayin' that he know me, and he withhold 'is identity from ya? Don't that seem the least bit sus?"
He looked at Sergio, as if considering his words, before chuckling. "One thing you've gotta learn about me, kid, is that if someone had a bone to pick with you, and I'm around, they wouldn't be able to touch you. You have my word on that. Not only that, but if you can defeat a monster who absorbed six human souls and survive, I don't think this guy has a chance at beating you. Besides...you've got magic on your side now."
Sergio brought a hand in front of his face, opening his palm. He thought of the intrinsic rage he always possessed from surviving what he did before falling underground. He focused all of his energy on his palm. His forearm warmed up significantly, the temperature rising until a flame appeared over his hand.
As far as he knew, Sergio was the only human who could summon magical powers in the modern day. Nobody in his circle of friends was more shocked than he was when he discovered this ability.
Still cain't believe it took a fight wit oldboy ta disover 'em...
"Yeah...I think you're set," Sans commented.
The two went to Grillby's restaurant, then went behind it. There, Sergio found a dumpster, a short path to the ice-cold river, and a strange cloaked being standing amidst the snow.
Already, Sergio knew something was up. This shady creature wasn't even trustworthy enough to show his face when he had some important news for the human. He focused more on Sans, whom he saw in his peripherals. This betta not be a setup...
"Ay, take ya hood off and show ya self!" Sergio demanded.
"...As you wish," the monster obliged. White hands came out of the monster's pockets. As soon as the hood came off, Sergio saw that the monster had a goatlike face, black eyes, droopy ears, and a pair of fangs. "Hello, Sergio."
The cloak and dagger aspect of this meeting now made sense!
"Aw, naw!" Sergio crouched defensively and felt energy forming outside the palm of his right hand. Instead of a fireball, a bright, four-foot spear formulated in his hand. He brought the spear back, preparing to throw it. Before he could release the spear, a bony hand caught his arm, the spear disappearing from his hand. Sergio cocked his head to Sans.
"Serge, what are you doing?" Sans asked, his voice only slightly altered from his normal tones.
Sergio hardly heard the skeleton as he formed another spear in his left hand, refocusing on the goat in front of him, who seemed calm during this exchange. Just before he could throw it, Sergio felt himself being shoved aside, almost completely immobilized. Once again, the spear evaporated from his hand.
What was going on?! Was this meeting supposed to be a setup?! Sans was keeping the human from showing the goat monster what was good! Suddenly, it came to him; nobody but Sergio remembered the form the goat creature possessed prior to looking as he did now. It would seem like the goat to withhold his identity if it meant getting closer to the human...
"Sergio, calm down," Sans stated, his tone and countenance utterly solemn now. One of the skeleton's eyes vanished, the other one flashing blue and yellow. The strange eye had to be connected to Sergio's current immobility.
"Do you know who he is, Sans?!" Sergio looked at the goat. "This is the sucka who nearly killed me afta absorbin' y'all souls! This is the guy who used ta be the flowa! This is the one supposed ta be dead! And I'mma be the one ta fix that!"
"You think I don't know all of that?" Sans responded. The skeleton's answer staggered Sergio. "He told me everything. It was how I was able to trust him enough to start all of this."
"Figured I could save you the trouble," said the goat, shrugging. His expression was devoid of the malice and spitefulness that still burned within Sergio's memory.
It was bewildering to think that Asriel, the creature behind the "flower incident," had survived his battle with Sergio. It was even stranger considering that after Asriel took an L big time, his first order of business was to convene with Sergio. He was just as confusing as his mother.
"Now, I'm about to release you. I'm gonna need you to promise me that you won't attack him once I do," Sans concluded. Sergio didn't like this one bit, but Sans had never led him to a trap before the barrier was broken; there was even less reason for the skeleton to do so now.
"Aight," said Sergio, the affirmation tasting like vinegar. He maintained a scowling gaze toward Asriel. Then, he felt himself gain full control of his body. He immediately balled his fists out of instinct, but restrained himself from summoning more magic.
Asriel stood his ground, as stiff as a board. Sans kept watch over the two of them, both eyes returning to their original condition.
"What are you doin' here?" Sergio asked the goat, his voice tinged with ire. "Is this yo' chance ta say 'sorry?'"
Asriel let out a shallow laugh, only showing a ghost of a smile. "There's hardly a chance you would have accepted an apology. No, I come with an explanation...and a warning."
"You expect me ta believe anythang ya got ta say?"
"I don't. I expect him to." Asriel gestured to Sans. Sergio looked over to the skeleton, who nodded at him as if to reassure that the human could trust him.
Maybe it was a good idea to have Sans here after all.
"What do you know about the first human who fell here?" Asriel began.
"He died, you absorbed 'is soul, and you died tryna take 'im back ta the surface. Somehow along the way, flowas got mixed up. And the rest is history."
Asriel nodded. "That is a summarized version of it. Yes, I absorbed his soul for that reason. I had no idea of the effects this would bring. When I became Flowey...I had little emotion for anything."
"Ya felt soulless, and ya thought it was a good idea ta cross me." The more Asriel talked, the more opportunity the goat had to spew more lies. "I don't care 'bout ya sobstory. Jest tell me what the warnin' is."
Asriel huffed, as if a little hurt by Sergio's retort. "Our battle was supposed to leave me dead, but here I am, walking. Which means that Tobias is still around somewhere."
"And why would I care 'bout Tobias?"
"He was the driving force behind the aggression in Flowey. We were more powerful than what you saw during our battle. While he applied the pressure, I held back his will to the best of my ability."
"I'mma stop you right there. You tellin' me that it was Tobias, a human, that set out ta kill me? So why you kept callin' me Tobias?"
"He made me think that you were him, the one who had brought this fate upon me in the first place. Before my body had...shattered, I finally realized that you couldn't have been him. I had wanted to apologize for my actions during this realization, but it felt as though Tobias had control at that moment..."
It was bad enough to see that Asriel was still talking, but how much sense the goat was making was worse. Sergio remembered Asriel's last words before vanishing in light: "You have done well...Sergio." Those words were spoken in a voice the human had never heard before. If what Asriel said was true, it was entirely possible Sergio heard Tobias's voice at the battle's end. In itself, it didn't mean much, but that fact added into the whole scheme of things turned this situation on its head.
Nevertheless, Sergio needed to take this information with a grain of salt. This was the same monster who told him that magical attacks were "friendliness pellets" and nearly coffined him.
"You believe all a' this, Sans?" the human asked.
"So far, he hasn't told a single lie...knowingly," the skeleton added, an eyebrow raised. "I can detect if someone willingly gives untruths. But this doesn't account for honest mistakes in retelling events. The way he saw things might differ from reality."
This reinforced Sergio's doubt. Asriel's jaw clenched.
"Let's jest say, fa argument's sake, that youtellin' the truth, and that Tobias is still out there. What's that mean fa me?"
"You've seen what he did during our battle. He may not have magic, but he still has an invisible power within him. He influenced the entire underground at one point, just as you do now. With the barrier gone, and knowing what he did when magic was within his grasp, there's no telling what he'll do, not just to you, but to everyone."
Asriel may have been a punk, but his logic, for the most part, seemed infallible. Despite this, Sergio kept his mental defenses high in case the goat slipped up.
"So what I'm supposed ta do if I see this fool, if he alive?"
"He needs to be sent to prison for his crimes against the underground. If possible, we need to capture him while-"
"'We?'" Sergio scoffed. "Ain't no 'we' involved, playa. I ain't chasin' afta no ghosts. If you wanna run around and get ya Peta Venkman on, go 'head. Jest don't expect me ta play along."
Incredulous, Asriel blinked. "Sergio, please..."
"You done had ya chance ta be taken seriously, bruh. What you sayin' make sense, but I'mma believe this nonsense 'bout Tobias when and if I see 'im." Sergio crossed his arms, keeping a firm glare on the monster.
Asriel turned to the skeleton. "Sans?"
He raised his hands resignedly. "Well, you already know what I think. Can't exactly change Serge's opinion, though."
The goat's shoulders slumped, as if Sans was his last hope to convince Sergio. His expression hardened. "Just stay vigilant, Sergio. And when you find Tobias, tell me."
"And wheneva you wanna catch anotha L, tell me," Sergio snapped back.
Asriel sighed, shaking his head. He put on his hood and vanished into the Snowdin wilderness.
. . .
"Can ya believe that dude?" Sergio addressed Sans as they unboarded the River Person's boat in Hotland. "Afta tryna kill me twice, he jest like 'Oh, it wasn't me, it was Tobias.' What kinda crap is that? And you sure he was tellin' the truth, or was you jest humorin' 'im?"
"Well, his claims do seem far-out," Sans agreed. "But I still stand by what I said. I believe he was telling the truth to the best of his ability."
"How can ya know if he was, though? It was hard ta read 'is blank expression."
"The same way I know that you didn't just 'lose' your jacket." Sans's assertion floored the human, causing his mouth to hang agape. "Look, kid, I know you hate the guy, but consider this: During all the time I'd seen him...like this, he hasn't withheld the truth about anything. You, on the other hand, didn't tell me the full story about your jacket or, more importantly, the strange, LV-like sense I get from you. However, you've never killed anyone down here - even when you think you did - so I figured you weren't as dangerous as you want to appear sometimes."
"Yeah, but you ain't know 'im as long as you did me," Sergio defended.
"So are you saying that the more I get to know you, the more truth you'll keep from me?" Sans came back, raising an eyebrow.
"N-no! I'm sayin'..." Sergio fumbled for a subject. "Look, rememba when you was talkin' ta me 'bout talkin' flowas back at Grillby's? Don't that make Asriel jest a bit mo' suspicious?"
"I remember that. But, last I checked, the kid wasn't a talking flower." Sans's answer left the human speechless. Every time Sergio thought of something to add, he nixed bringing it up. The skeleton took advantage of the silence to say, "I'm not gonna say I know everything about the situation or that you should follow him into a valley of death. But I know that there's goodness in your heart, and I see the same thing in Asriel. It wouldn't be fair if I gave you a chance and disregarded him."
"You had a promise for Toriel when it came ta me, though."
"And if Toriel knew that her son was actually okay, she'd ask me to take good care of him, too."
Sergio breathed a bit noisily as he pondered the words the two had exchanged. "So you sayin' trust 'im?"
"It's like what I said when we first met at Snowdin: There are people down here who want to help you. Remember that, after surviving...whatever happened between you two, the first thing he did was to warn you about Tobias. If I was him, I'd want to see my family first thing. What he said must be real important." Sans closed his eyesockets. "Eh, I'm sure you'll figure it out. I'll be around."
With that, Sans walked away from Alphys's lab, disappearing in a strange darkness before Sergio's eyes. Sergio was left with his thoughts as he stood there, alone in the red, rocky clearing.
Sans's arguments all but shattered Sergio's preconceptions about Asriel. Looking at the circumstances objectively, he knew that Asriel was certainly a different person outside of his flower form. While Flowey wore his heart upon his sleeve (in a figurative sense), Asriel was rather detached as he gave the rundown of what he thought was happening. Also, since there was less reason for Sans to betray Sergio because of the open barrier, there was less reason for Asriel to try to deceive him.
Unless he still tryna get revenge like the snake he is...
It was certainly a lot to think about as he entered Alphys's lab, especially since he, Papyrus, and Undyne were to watch anime the whole night.
Hello, reader. Welcome to New York State of Mind. Whether you are a returning reader or a newcomer to the SergioTale saga, I thank you for reading the first chapter of the newest installment. I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be released, but I can guarantee you that this story will entertain you if you've made it this far. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a long ride of treachery, political intrigue, and magic.