Chapter 27: History, Part 3

It took Frisk a moment to find the way out of that neighborhood, but soon enough they were on the path once again, taking a brief detour to visit the local shopkeeper- a very old turtle monster. He was dressed like an explorer, but given his age he likely hadn't done any exploring in years.

"Wah hah hah! You must be Frisk the human! C'mon in, kid, have a look at some of this junk I've got for sale!" he exclaimed in a wizened voice.

They stared at him, bewildered.

"You know my name?"

"'Course I do. Undyne told me all about you. Ah, wipe that weird look off yer face, she's nowhere around here."

Frisk was hardly put at ease.

"How do I know you won't try to attack me, or call for her?"

The turtle just smiled and laughed.

"A cautious one, eh? Always wary of trouble. I like that. Well, as you can see, these old bones of mine are in no fightin' condition. And Undyne's a smart lass, she's the Spear of Justice! If she can't track down a human by herself then she sure ain't deserving of that title. The name's Gerson, by the way."

"How do you know so much about her?"

Gerson winked at the human child, leaning forward to whisper even though they were alone in his cave.

"Thing is, I used to be a famous hero too. 'Gerson, Hammer of Justice' they called me. Undyne followed me around everywhere as a little girl, tryin' to help fight crime. Although, she'd normally just end up attacking a mailman or something… anyway, I helped train her to become as strong as she is now!"

Frisk was intrigued to say the least.

"You say she told you about me?"

"Damn right she did. I'd watch my back if I were you, kid… or maybe buy some items to keep me safe! Wah hah hah!"

"Yeah, she seems pretty serious…"

Gerson's expression got even giddier, which looked rather strange on such an old turtle.

"Now, here's somethin' funny… keep it between us, will ya? When she came by to tell me she found a human… she was all sorts of excited! Kept goin' on about how her training would finally pay off, and she'd make me proud at last. Bless her heart, I don't think she'd ever act like that around anyone else…"

That description was quite a far cry from the merciless armored titan who'd stabbed Frisk to death, but they decided not to think about it too much.

"Right… so, what've you got for sale?"

"Ah ha! Why not take a look, human?"

Gerson set a few items down in front of them. Various rusted trinkets and the like, none of which were familiar at all to Frisk, created something of a mess on the ground. The only two things they could recognize were an old, tattered notebook and a pair of dusty glasses. Their soul emerged and pointed them out as a weapon- how a book would be good for attacking was beyond their comprehension- and a piece of defensive gear, respectively.

"Best keep that heart hidden, kiddo," the turtle said with another wink.

Frisk got a better inspection of the items. The notebook, according to their soul, wasn't very strong offensively and was therefore not worth being used as a weapon (they decided to buy it anyway; having something on hand to read could at least be entertaining). The glasses, meanwhile, would apparently make it easier to predict where enemy attacks would strike. Frisk paid for the items and slid the glasses onto their face. It was somewhat disorienting, as they'd never needed them before. Still, anything to make fights easier… too bad it added yet another layer to their garish outfit of a bandana, tutu, single pink glove, and ballet shoes.

"Lookin' good there, kid. Maybe Undyne won't recognize ya! Heh heh…"

As they were turning to leave, they noticed something painted on the wall of Gerson's cave. It was a strange black symbol: three triangles lined up in an alternating up-and-down pattern, with a black circle above them and what looked like two wings sprouting from the circle. It looked very familiar to Frisk, but they couldn't quite determine where they'd seen it before.

"Hey, what's this thing?"

"Oh, that? It's the Delta Rune… the emblem of the Kingdom of Monsters. Yeah, that's really what our kingdom's called. Ol' Fluffybuns in the castle can't name for beans, I tell ya!"

"…Fluffybuns?"

Gerson chuckled.

"King Asgore. There's a story for why he's called that, but… I can't seem to remember it. Maybe come back some time, I might've figured it out by then."

Frisk nodded, acknowledging that King Dreemurr and Asgore, as Toriel had mentioned, were apparently one and the same. "What does the Delta Rune mean, then?"

"You know… that's a good question. It's been around so long, nobody's really sure what its original meaning was. Not even the King, and he lived to see its creation! Some people think it's a prophecy of some kind… those triangles represent the monsters trapped underground, and that there circle with wings is an 'angel' who has seen the surface world and is here to free us all. Others think the 'angel' is actually an angel of death, descended to liberate monsters from the mortal realm. Either way… the underground will go empty because of it."

Gerson was silent for a moment. He let out a sigh and grinned at Frisk.

"Well, I've taken up enough of yer time. Better hurry on out, before Undyne comes lookin' for ya."

"O-okay. Thank you!"

They exited his cave and continued walking, finding even more ancient text on the walls. Frisk, by now, was both unnerved and enthralled with monster history. They squinted in the growing darkness of the caves to read.

"Defeated and fearing for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. They forced us into a cave beneath this mountain, upon which seven of their greatest wizards cast a powerful magic barrier to seal us inside. Anything can enter, but only a being with a phenomenally powerful soul may leave through it."

Frisk remembered Papyrus saying something to that effect before leaving Snowdin. The thought occurred that they should give him another call sometime.

"There is but one way to reverse this spell, according to research: if a combined power equivalent to seven human souls attacks the Barrier, it will be destroyed. But this cursed place has no entrances or exits… no human could ever come here. As such, we shall remain trapped forever."

Clearly, humans could enter through that hole at the top of Mount Ebott. And there was allegedly a way out at the end of King Asgore's castle. Judging by what Toriel had said, Frisk hadn't been the first human to fall down, either.

They wondered how many had come before them, and whether or not those humans were still alive…