So, longest chapter so far, and our first piece of action. Enjoy :)
Things were really not going according to plan, if the armed humans and angry glares were anything to go by.
Originally, the plan had all been an act, a constructed crownquest in which Asriel would have had to save his parents and friends, when in truth they had never been in danger at all. A ruse, a lie she admitted, but it had been for a good cause.
But that didn't go as planned. Someone had been waiting. An ancient enemy, the foremost foe of monsterkind.
Toriel looked around with shame. Asgore, Undyne, Papyrus and Alphys all laid bound and gagged, and it was all her fault. She had convinced them to go along the scheme. She had let them into the trap.
In front of them, on an elevated pedestal, upon an opulent and evidently ancient throne, sat their enemy. A human whose mere existence flew in the face of what was just and physically possible. The human leaned forward, looked at Asgore, and said in a mocking tone "Howdy! Long time, no see".
–-
Asriel ran as fast as he could, past confused monsters, well-kept gardens and down freshly paved streets. His claok trailed behind him and he figures that he would have looked absolutely ridicolous if he was anywhere else than Ebott Village.
He figured he could have taken a taxi, but in all honesty, he could probably make the 10 kilometers faster on foot. For the first time in his surface life, Asriel felt grateful for all those morning runs Undyne had pressed him into
"WATCH OUT! CAR!" Flowey suddenly shouted in his head. Asriel instinctively jumped back, clearing a good 2 meters in a single jump. He looked around, there's weren't any cars in sight, in fact he was running down a dirt road, away from the streets.
"Ha! Tricked ya!" the flower mocked him.
"Dang it! Not now, Flowey. I have to hurry"
–-
Asriel had made good time. He arrived at the docks with several minutes to spare, and had already bought a ticket. Expensive, but there were perks to being born into royalty. The Ebott dock weren't that big, so finding the correct ship had been no trouble. He took a deep breath. Los Suenos wasn't a especially happy place for monsters to go. They had history there, and so had the current human residents. It was safe to say that there was only few reasons for monsters to go there; the sun, the beaches and the mukva, a delicious food Ariel had had the pleasure of sampling, a few years ago.
He made his way towards the boat when a familiar voice suddenly rang out.
"Yo, Azzy! That you? Wait up!" Asriel spun around, and found Monster Kid running towards him, a big grin on his big head. Just before he made it to Asriel, he performed his signature trip and faceplant. Asriel chuckled. Usually he'd lend a hand to the fallen monster and ask if they were ok, but he knew Monster Kid, he probably had the toughest noggin in the world.
"Nice to see you too, MK" Asriel said, still chuckling. MK got up, no worse for wear.
"Yeah, likewise. So what're you up to?" MK asked.
Asriel looked over his shoulder at the boat. "Well, uhh, I'm going on a trip to Los sueños actually" he replied. Should he tell him? No, better than as few people as possible got involved, MK most of all, he wasn't a fighter.
MK's eyes went wide "No way! Isn't that, like, where all monsters used to live before the war!?"
Asriel chuckled happily again "Thats how the stories go, yeah"
"Oh man, that's so cool! Can I come with you!?"
Asriel took a step back, flustered "I-I'm not sure that's such a good idea, ehhm, wha-what about your parents?" he asked, shaking.
"Nah, ma and pop got into some kind of spat about where to go for vacation. They can go on like that for days, but if you're going for vacation as well, I can just come with you, right?"
Asriel sighed. He knew the trip would likely be very dangerous, and bringing someone like MK along would probably only get them both in trouble.
But truthfully, he didn't want to go alone. He had already been alone for far too long. He liked MK, he had always been a bit of a stickler, and always needed someone to look up to. First Undyne, then Frisk and ever since he had beaten Billy the Bully, Asriel.
"You know what? Sure! You can tag along"
MK jumped with joy. He tried to word out how excited he was, but it sounded more like a squealing piglet
"Well, lets get going then!" Asriel said and headed for the boat.
"Yeah uhh, about that" MK started and looked at the ticket booth
"Could I bum some change offa' ya?
–-
MK was casually strolling down the cabin area hallway. He was usually more energetic in his movements, but the ships tossing and turning really didn't help with his already poor sense of balance.
Still, he didn't want to think about the 4 plates and 1 window his tripping escapades had already crushed, Asriel was his bro and he got him covered.
The thought quickly got him excited. Asriel, the lost prince, the one who shattered the barrier, the only monster to ever posses a human SOUL was his bro, and he was going on a vacation with him!
MK was practically bouncing down the hallway now, completely lost in thought about the adventures they were going to have.
The ship suddenly lurched sideways and MK's rambunctious rampage came to a halt. He lost his balance and banged his head against the steel wall. He quickly got up, no worse for wear. Ever since his mom dropped him down a flight of stairs as a baby, he had always been told he had the toughest noggin in the family, which, it turned out, had been quite a boon.
He gave the wall a quick look, a small crater had formed where his head had impacted.
"Hmm, 3,4 centimeters deep, sorry pal, you don't quite make the top 3" he muttered to himself, and continued down the hallway.
Finally he reached his goal, cabin nr. 53, Asriels Suite, he could hear his voice from within
"617...618...619"
Without a seconds thought, MK opened the door.
"Yo Az, whatcha' doing?" He asked as he stepped inside. He found Asriel in the middle of his apperantly 620th one-handed handstand pushup.
He suddenly stopped, standing completely still for a few seconds. Then, slowly, he got to his feet. When he spoke, it was with a growling voice, dripping with malicious intent.
"You dare encroach on the royal cabin?"
"What? Uh, yeah, I guess" MK answered, flustered.
"Your insolence will not go unpunished. I sentence you to..." Asriel said slowly, while calmly walking towards MK.
"Yo, I'm sorry! I-'ll knock next time, I swear!
MK had heard the stories about human SOULS and the effect they could have on monsters, and Asriel, as the only monster to ever have one, was proof of the validity of those stories. While he did look quite toned and muscular, MK knew he was actually way stronger than he looked, both physically and magically.
"Extreme... ruthless... interrogation!" Asriel leapt towards MK, his hands engulfed in flames.
"I'll tell you anything! Just don't - AHHHH!" he yelped as he curled together on the floor, awaiting the fiery punch. But nothing came, instead he could hear Asriel chuckling.
"I'm just messing with you, here, get up" Asriel reached out his hand to MK, he held it there for a few seconds before he remembered MK didn't have any arms himself.
"Oh, sorry" Asriel said, feeling awkward.
MK slowly got up "Az... that... was... AWESOME!" he burst out and started bouncing up and down.
Oh really? Looked to me like you were almost ready to cut and run" Asriel said, smiling.
MK looked down and kicked his feet in response. "Yeah, well, I wasn't scared. Not really"
"Haha, I bet. But, uhh, about the "interrogation", what are doing here MK?" Asriel asked.
MK looked up.
"Yo, just came say they're serving breakfast down on the sundeck right now. I had a, ahh, "run-in" with one of the waitresses, she told me" MK said, gesturing outside with his head.
"Neat, I'll be right down then" Asriel answered and went to pick up his robes.
"Allright! I'll go get us a table, see ya there!" MK quickly fired off, before turning and running out the door. He subsequently tripped on the carpet edge and faceplanted once more onto the hallway steel wall.
Asriel couldn't help but chuckle as he heard the familiar "Clang" from behind him, even more so when he then heard MK whisper "Man, only 2,3. I'm off my game today"
Asriel walked back to his bed to pick up his robes. "Happy now, Flowey?" he asked out loud.
"Not even close. Back in my day, we would've ripped him apart one limb at a time. That there was just a sad display, partner" The disembodied flower answered.
Asriel sighed "Don't calle me that, and look, the deal was i'd indulge you once, and then you'd keep quiet for the rest of the trip"
"But you didn't. I don't feel "indulged""
"No, I'm not going to hurt anyone just because you say so"
"Then I guess the deal is off" Flowey said, sounding somewhat pleased
–-
The cafeteria on the sundeck wasn't exactly packed, but then again not a whole lot of people ever sailed to or from Ebott Village. Usually it was only monsters going on vacation or humans coming over to see the strange new monsters. In truth, the boat was way too large, but the royal committee had had a lot of money to spare when they build Ebott Village, and had splurged on an almost Cruise-ship sized ocean liner.
Asriel scanned the deck for MK, and found him waving with his head at him a few tables over. He went to move over to him, but quickly noticed the looks he were getting from the other passengers. It was to be expected really, the purple color of his robes and shoulder cape, and the emblazoned delta rune did make him stand out quite a bit, and as he moved towards MK, the attention he was drawing became ever more evident.
"Good morning your highness!"
"OMG! Bratty, look! Thats, like, totally the prince!"
"Off to business with the humans, are we?"
"Woah! Mom! That's the guy! The hero who saved us!"
Asriel responded with nods and polite remarks, all the while blushing more and more.
It felt... nice, to be recognized and with such fondness even.
"Fun Fact Flowey here! Did you know you've killed everyone here at least once? 'cept for the humans, of course" The flower suddenly said.
Asriel winced at the painful reminder and stopped up" Of course I do... I remember every single one" Asriel whispered, he felt damp around his eyes.
"Hehe, hey now, don't get too sentimental, people are watching. Gotta keep up appearances..."hero"" Flowey said mockingly.
Asriel let out a deep breath "You're a real jerk, you know that?" he whispered.
"Takes one to know one. But come on now, you're starving! I can tell" The flower answered.
Asriel clenched his hands hard enough that his left-hand claws drew blood. Someday, he would get rid of this weed for good. He regained his posture and resumed his walk towards MK.
He arrived at MK's table, a plate of steaming snails already waiting for him.
"Yo, check it, I totally got you your favorite dish!" MK exclaimed practically beaming with pride from across the table.
"Hah, that's awfully nice of you MK" Asriel responded and raised an eyebrow "But, ehh, how did you know snails was my favorite?" he asked.
"Oh, that? Well, mom always used to say I got eyes as thick as my skull, I'm a good observer" MK responded, and laughed softly.
Asriel joined in, as to not make the conversation awkward "Hehehe... wha-what does that mean?" Asriel asked, eyebrow still raised, but a friendly smile on his face.
MK tensed up "Ehh, nothing, nothing at all, just, ehh, y'know... say, how're the king'n'queen doing? Still kicking butt internationally? MK quickly fired off.
Asriel looked down, apprehension building in his chest. He had to come clean at some point of course, but how to explain it?
"Well, you see... I haven't been completely honest with you MK. My parents, they- woah, hey are you ok?"
MK had taken on an almost greenish hue, his eyes were watering and his lips curled inward.
"Yah, I'm fine" he wheezed, sounding as if he was anything but.
"You sure? You look... sick" Asriel said and began rising from his chair.
"I'm fine! Just, hurry up and say what you have to say, I might pass out any minute now" MK whezzed again, his voice almost sounding like it was bubbling.
"Wha- Pass out!? MK, what's wrong? Do you need help?" Asriel asked with worry.
"Urrgh... well, I'm actually, y'know, kinda... slightly... allergic to snails...?" MK whezzed out, almost melting into his chair.
"Then why are you eating it!?"
"Because... you're like, y'know, cool... and you like it, so I thought I..."
"Oh, for crying out loud, MK! We need to get you to the restroom ASAP. Here, can you stand?" Asriel asked and offered his hand.
NO! I'll do it myself!"
But MK..."
"No, it's alright. I'll be *burp*right back, ohhhh"
MK got to his feet and bolted for the restroom, doing his best to hold back the floodgates. As was his want, he knocked over 3 tables and a waitress before tripping and faceplanting just 2 meters shy of the mens restroom.
Asriel collapsed back into his chair and sagged. Why did people around him always end up like this? He knew MK would probably be fine, but his was just the latest example. Ever since monsterkind had returned to the surface, their mortality rate had risen dramatically; mostly due to human attacks but also because of new diseases and not realizing that surface animals lige tigers and crocodiles weren't just other monsters with a foul mood.
He had given them the surface back, but at what cost and consequence?
And here was Monster Kid, who had been nothing but cheery and helpful, and how did he repay him? By lying to him, and now by apparently just liking snails.
Sometimes it felt like whatever he did, he just ended up doing more hurt than good.
"Prince Asriel Dreemurr?" A deep voice suddenly came from behind.
Asriel turned to face the voice. Behind him stood a tall, smirking, muscular dark-skinned human wearing a black T-shirt, beige cargo pants and shades.
Asriel got up from his chair and put on a friendly smile, despite his mood "That's me, can I help you?" He greeted the human, offering his paw.
The man nodded "Yes, I believe you can" He sat down in MK's chair, ignoring the paw-shake, across from Asriel. For a full 15 seconds he just sat and probably stared at him, it was hard to tell with him wearing shades.
Asriel shifted awkwardly in his seat "So, ehh, wh-whatcan I do for you?" he asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.
The man smirked and chuckled "You know, you look just like your dad did when he was your age"
Right now though, Asriel just looked like a big question mark.
The man leaned back in his chair "But, to the matter at hand. I work for a powerful individual that would very much like to see the monster royal line discontinued"
Asriel blinked a few times and shook his head a bit. The whole conversation had taken a very weird turn. He had expected an invitation to a human noble family dinner, or perhaps even an interview which was the usual whenever humans approached him. He really hadn't seen this coming.
"I-I'm sorry, but-" Asriel started before he was interrupted.
"Come now, it's not like you actually want to be king, right? And even then, your royalty don't hold any real political power so it's not like it would change anything if you gave up on your crownquest" The man said almost sympathetically.
Asriel looked away. This was getting very tense. It was all true, Ebott village and the land it was build on were still technically the property of their host country, and his dad was pretty much a king in name only.
But how did this man know about his feelings on the matter? And about the crownquest? And was this whole escapade his? He hadn't even considered that.
"In return, we'll release your parents and friends" the man subtly added, almost as an afternote.
Asriel's head snapped back to him. The man was still smirking, clearly enjoying himself. What did he mean by "friends"? Had all the others been taken as well?
"What?" Was all Asriel could muster.
"Quite simple, you refuse the crown, meaning the royal line ends with your father and we give you your friends and family back"
Asriel stared wide-eyed. He felt his lips curl back in anger, but he kept himself in check. Honestly, it sounded like a pretty sweet deal. He would surely make for a poor king and now he had the option to make sure he never would be, and save everyone in the process, 2 birds with 1 stone really.
The answer was obvious.
"Not a chance, buddy" he said with steely determination, surprising himself with the confidence with which he said it. He suspected someone else was helping him.
The man, however, looked completely unfazed save for his smirk. He nodded understandingly and rose from his chair.
"I was honestly hoping you'd say that. You see, I was ordered to ensure you would never reach Los sueños" He put his hands together and cracked his knuckles "By any means necessary"
Asriel looked up angrily at him "I'm not going to fight you, and nothing you can do is going to make me give up on this" He got up from his chair and made to leave.
"Raul, you got the lizard in your sights?" The mans voice suddenly came.
Asriel froze and looked back. The smirking man was staring at him and holding a finger to his ear. Asriel noticed he had a microphone stuck to it.
"Do it"
Asriels eyes went wide with fear. He leapt at the man and reached his hand out "NO! WAIT!" He yelled.
The man took a step back and help up a finger at Asriel "Belay that, Raul" He looked at Asriel with an ever-widening smirk. "So, come to your senses yet?"
"Leave Monster Kid out of this! It's me you got a problem with, right?" Asriel growled angrily.
The man shrugged his shoulders "Technically, we got a problem with all of monsterkind, but you know the saying "Cut the head off and the body dies"... It's something like that"
Asriel didn't answer. He could feel his anger rising. If this guy had so much as thought about hurting his friends, there'd be hell to pay.
"Follow me, your highness" the man said tauntingly, and made a mocking bow before turning around and walking towards an open space on the sundeck.
Asriel followed. The sundeck had gone quiet and he noticed how all the other passengers, mostly monsters, were watching them.
The man reached the middle of the open space and turned around. "So, here's how we're gonna do it. I'm going to beat you until you either A) accede to our demands, or B) Die. Either way suits my objective" he said nonchalantly.
Asriel felt a lot of things: Anger, fear, panic, excitement. He could easily reach out with his hand and destroy the man with a quick burst of magic. But no, he was done with killing forever. He would have to fight him, but no matter what, no one was going to die here. He would make sure of that.
Asriel raised his hands.
"Alright, I accept your terms" He said and assumed a stance.
The mans smirk turned into a full-blown smile. "Excellent, I hear you're no pushover so this should be fun"
The man took off his shades. To Asriels surprise, his face and eyes looked deeply saddened and angry.
"I can't believe you! I thought you Dreemurr's were honest folk!" the man suddenly shouted "First you evict my family from our house so you can build your castle there! Then you arrest my friends when they try and protest and now, now you're telling me humans aren't even allowed aboard this ship anymore!?" The man was now practically in tears.
Asriel was stunned. What the heck was this all about?
"What are you talking abo-" Was all he managed before he noticed the mutterings coming from the other passengers, along with disapproving and disappointed glares.
"Would they really do that? Figures. The whole construction did go surprisingly fast"
"Mom! I read on the internet that the Dreemurrs have a private torture chamber in their castle! Is that true!?"
"Eww, I never would have guessed the prince would be such creep and a jerk... still, good-looking, though.
He turned to look at them. "No! I'd never-" A heavy blow landed square on the side of his muzzle and he recoiled back, his one hand nursing a split lip.
Asriel looked up at the man.
"I'll make you pay for all you have done! You evil creature!" The man shouted. He looked absolutely livid, but beneath the tears Asriel noticed a triumphant smirk.
The bastard was trying to turn his people against him.
"Hey, Azzy, as much as a like watching you getting your clock cleaned, may I remind you that I'm in here as well? You can worry about your audience later, for now just focus on the actor here" Flowey suddenly said from within.
As much as he hated it, he had to agree with his alter-ego. He returned to his stance and gave the man a more thorough look.
Smirkman
ATK: 70 DEF: 70
A Smirk not even a mother could love
Remember, it's always kill or be killed
Asriel shook his head in surprise. 2 voices had just appeared in his head. One was clearly Flowey, but the other one was one he hadn't heard in many years. Could it be...
He regained his focus. The mans feet were placed at shoulder-width distance from each other. Right foot at the back pointing right, while his left foot was more in the front, pointing forwards. Both placed at a near perfect toe-heel alignment line from each other
His hands were raised in 2 curled fists. Both thumbs tucked deeply in between his other fingers so the thumb knuckle became more extruded.
His arms were placed well in front of his face which was was looking slightly downwards. Well protected by his guard and forehead.
Conclusion: The smirking man was a trained boxer.
Undyne had told Asriel about the humans and their so called "Martial Arts". At first, Asriel had been confused, why would anyone develop so many different ways of fighting when peace was much better? Monsterkind really hadn't anything to compare it with, seeing as fighting was a mostly foreign concept to most of them. Luckily, Undyne had studied up on most of these "arts" when they had reached the surface and had passed that knowledge onto Asriel.
"Are you going to teach me any of these, Auntie Undyne?" He had asked "Sure am, squirt" Undyne had replied.
"Golly, but there's so many! I don't know which one I wanna learn... or if I even want to. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt because of me"
"Listen here, punk. I'm only gonna teach you one, and that's your own. In the end, all you really need to know is how to throw a punch and how to duck a punch. All these humans and their martial arts might talk about how theirs kicks the most ass or theirs is the most refined. But there's one thing they all forget. Learning and fighting with judo, boxing, karate and what have you might make you a stronger fighter, but..." Undyne had leaned forward and looked Asriel straight in the eyes "It Also makes you predictable"
Asriel remembered the lessons about boxing. Fast, quick but powerful punches supported by precise and elegant footwork. He would have to watch his arms for attacks, but if he could read the mans leg movements, he might be able to predict him.
The man launched forward again, but this time Asriel was ready.
The man unleashed a series of combos and punches. He was fast, but not as fast as Undyne's training spears, and Asriel neatly dodged, ducked or side-stepped all of them. Undyne had repeatedly stressed the point that he should try, if at all possible, to avoid blocking a human attack. Humans generally had a high amount of LOVE and a single slap, even if blocked, could potantially break his arm.
Noticing he was not making an impact, the man made a small jump backwards, guard still raised.
"Hey Azzy, you're gonna have to domore than just play the defensive game if we're gonna win this! Let me take the wheel for a minute, I'll make this guy cry for his mommy in a minute!" Flowey offered.
"No thanks" Asriel muttered under his breath.
He had him figured out. The man was a quite formidable fighter, but he had made one mistake.
He had a pattern.
He would focus his strikes on Asriels face, and then work his way downwards towards his stomach, making Asriels switch his focus lower, and then, when he was concentrating on dodging attacks aimed at his lower body, the human would make a quick lightning jab towards Asriels now undefended head.
It hadn't worked yet, Asriel had dodged it all, but he was still trying.
Asriel just needed to make him give it one more attempt.
"What's the matter? You like "hitting" on goats or what?" Asriel taunted, channeling a bit of his inner flower.
The man sneered in contempt and quickly stepped forward to resume his assault. Just as Asriel had hoped, the man fell into his pattern again, faster and stronger now, but that would only work to his advantage.
There it was, he lightly turned his body away from a right hook aimed at his ribs, followed by a left jab going for the area around his belly button.
The man suddenly shifted his feet, threw his left shoulder back and launched a lighting haymaker aimed straight at Asriels face. It was fast enough that Asriel couldn't possibly have dodged it... if it weren't for the fact he knew it was coming.
Asriel leaned his body to the left, he could feel the wind on his cheek as the mans outstretched hand sailed right past his head.
Asriel quickly responded with an uppercut that went under the mans assaulting limb and then upwards, smashing squarely into his chin.
The man staggered back, but was quickly struck again, this time in the face by a heavy right hook from Asriel.
The man recoiled even more backwards but quickly regained his posture. He managed to somehow look both surprised, angry and scared at the same time.
Asriel relished in his small victory, but he knew he had to be careful. If he punched him with all his strength, he could easily knock his head clean off.
"GAH! FUCK YOU!" The man screamed.
He took a big step forward with his left leg, and that was all the information Asriel needed. The man would use the momentum garnered from his step with the left leg to launch into a far-reaching right-hand strike. A move called a "Stinger" if he remembered Undyne's lessons correctly.
Asriel took a quick steep to the left and was once again rewarded with a gentle breeze on his cheek. Asriel responded with a heavy punch to the mans ribs.
The man gasped in pain and doubled over, completely stunned from the impact. Asriel promptly grasped the back of the mans head and pushed it downwards, right into Asriels rising knee, which collided with the mans forehead.
The impact was hard enough that a crunch could be heard across the entire deck, as well as making the man fly almost a full meter into the air before landing hard on his back. He stayed on the floor completely unmoving and without breathing.
Asriel gasped and his hands flew to his mouth. Panic started to fill him, he hadn't meant to put nearly as much power into the knee as he had.
"Hey, we we're going to beat his ass anyway, I just sped the process up a bit. You can thank me later" A happy sounding Flowey quipped.
Asriel felt a deep dark pit in appear in his stomach, and tears started to fall freely from his eyes.
"No...no... not again... I'm not a murderer... I didn't mean to..." He fell to his knees, whimpering. He could hear the other passengers.
"Oh my god... what has the prince done!?"
"Mom, why did Asriel kill that poor human?"
"Looks like the apple fell far from the tree"
"Did you see that Catty!? Asriel straight up murdered that guy!... Hey, you think I can have his SOUL?"
Asriel crawled towards the man, he had to do something! He to save him somehow! He picked up the mans hand and felt his wrist.
No pulse.
He put 2 fingers on the mans throat
No pulse.
Asriel felt a deep despair build within him.
He had once again murdered someone.
