Nyssa
Not for the first time, Nyssa questioned the construction monsters' judgement as she and Adrian crossed to the rocky crags she could just barely see on the other side. The dock was narrower than any she'd seen before and on either side was a steep drop, the water lost to clouds of mist. Wind swept all around them, making Nyssa crouch low and feel as if she would be blown down to her death at any moment.
"Yo!"
Nyssa yelled and nearly lost her balance.
"I–I know I'm not supposed to be here, but I need to ask you something," Monster Kid yelled over the whistle of the wind. "M-man, I've never had to ask anyone this before, but are you… are you…" he swallowed hard. "Are you human?"
"Y-yes," Adrian replied.
Monster Kid forced a laugh. "Yo, I… I knew it. Well, I know now. Undyne told me. So… um… I guess that makes us enemies now. But I stink at that–being mean. Yo. Why don't you just. Say something mean. So I can hate you."
Nyssa set her jaw. "No. I'm not going to lie."
"All right then… I'll have to do it then? Yo… uh… I… um… hate your guts?" Right after the words left his mouth, he started to tremble. "No… no, I can't… I'm sorry… man, I'm such a turd… I'm… I'm going home now."
He whipped around and ran.
"No!" Adrian yelled. "No, not on this bridge, no! Get back he–"
The child slipped. A wayward piece of wood sticking out from the side caught on the collar of his sweater, dangling him over the precipice.
"N–no… help! Help! Somebody!"
"Monster Kid…!" Nyssa cried, crawl-running towards him. A spear slammed into the wood in front of her.
"Get away from the child," Undyne commanded. "Now."
Nyssa reached out to help Monster Kid back up and stood. She locked eyes with Undyne, surprising herself with the sheer boldness that had suddenly overtaken her. The Captain of the Royal Guard watched Nyssa incredulously as she pulled the spear out of the bridge and dropped it over the side, never once breaking eye contact. Even Adrian drew in a sharp breath behind them.
"Yo," Monster Kid stammered. "If you want to hurt my friends, you're going to have to get through me, first."
Undyne stared at him, whipped around and strode out of sight.
"Man.. now that's over… I guess we'll just have to be friends, huh? Being enemies was just… a nice thought. I should be going home now." Carefully this time, he turned and left.
Adrian
"Six."
Adrian jerked his head upwards. Undyne stood on the highest crag of the stone structure they'd seen, silhouetted against the red light of whatever lay ahead. Her ginger hair whipped behind her, a scarlet flame. Spears slammed into the ground behind the humans, blocking their escape route.
"That's how many human souls King Asgore has collected thus far," Undyne continued. "Understand? Through your souls, our world will be transformed. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far, I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people– ah! Screw it! Why should I tell you that story when you're about to die?" In her rage, she tore her helmet off her head and dashed it against the rocks at her feet. Adrian guessed she wouldn't need it anyway.
"You, humans… you are standing in the way of all monsterkind's hopes and dreams. Alphys's history books made me think humans were cool. Admirable, with their giant swords and flowery swordswomen…"
Despite the situation, Adrian and Nyssa exchanged a glance. Alphys? History books? Flowery swordswomen?
"But you… you're cowards. Hiding behind that child just so you could run away from me again. And let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes schtick! 'Ooh! I'm doing you such a favor not killing you with my amazing powers!' You know what? You'd be more valuable to everyone dead. Your lives are all that stand between us and our freedom!" Undyne took a breath. "Right now, I can feel everyone's souls pounding together. All our two thousand years down here have been leading up to this moment, and I will not allow you to take it away from us. When everyone puts their hearts together, we cannot lose. Let's end this. Right here, right now. I'll show you how Determined monsters can be."
Was that capital-D Determined?
Adrian knew that he certainly was. He could feel it, an adrenaline rush of it charging every molecule of his body to maximum capacity as the wind howled around him. For the first time since the almost-battle against Flowey in Snowdin, Adrian felt his soul marks activate.
He wasn't backing down before a fight.
ATK 70, DEF 0.
Nyssa
Even Undyne was surprised when she pulled Nyssa and Adrian into battle, the familiar laser-straight edges of a rectangular prism drawing themselves in the air around them. Sealing them in.
"What's wrong with your souls? And your hands…?"
The humans said nothing.
"Ah, it doesn't matter," Undyne spat. Her spear flashed through the air, leaving a streak of green behind it. "En guarde!"
Defen–
The wave of green magic passed through Nyssa mid-sign, and suddenly she was back to back with Adrian, holding a shining, transluscent shield in front of her. Panic rose inside her when she realized it was magically bound to her–she wouldn't be able to free her hands.
"As long as you're green, you can't escape. Unless you learn to face danger head-on, you won't last a second against me!"
No no no no no no no no no–
Not at a time like this, no no no–
"Nyssa!"
She turned just in time to see three shining spears streaking towards her and Adrian. Thinking fast, she swung the shield between herself and the weapons. They sparked and disappeared.
Undyne flashed a menacing smile. "Don't get too sure of yourselves."
Adrian mustered the will to say something. "Undyne, we're not trying to fight you," he called to her. "If you would just–"
"I told you: there is no way out. You have been cowards for too long. This is long overdue."
The next barrage of spears was upon them, and Nyssa whirled around desperately, just barely blocking each one. This attack took longer than the first–much longer. There seemed to be no end.
Was this it? Was she going to die here, soul taken in this desolate region of Waterfall with her murderer and the rushing water her only witnesses? After hearing the news of two humans' deaths, the Gasters would be able to connect the dots in an instant, and they would grieve their father–and the friends they had come to know–for the second time. Nyssa would never see the light of the Surface again, and neither would monsterkind. Without her and Adrian to warn the monsters ahead, Xandre would be free to continue his killing spree.
Undyne thought she was strong enough to defeat any human. So did Sans. So did Asgore. But Nyssa knew they were all wrong. She and Adrian alone understood the raw power of EXP, discovered by Wing Gaster all those years ago. It was a secret he had taken to his grave with him for fear of the chaos it would spread through the Underground.
We have that knowledge, and we cannot lose.
We can't afford to.
(Hope you liked that one-and-a-half chapter! PLEASE leave reviews! I can tell people are still reading this, but I'd really prefer if you told me what you were thinking about it. I know I say this every single chapter but it's because nothing has changed in the review section.)
Anyway, as I was saying in the first part of this chapter and a half, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, UNDERTALE!
Confession time: when I first heard about Undertale, I wasn't all too keen to join the fandom. I was still an avid fan of Minecraft at the time, and was mostly just annoyed about some indie game rapidly stealing everything else's spotlight. Then I decided, for whatever reason, to give it a chance, and I am so glad I did. Giving Undertale a chance led me to discover a new fandom, a new community, and a new range of beauty and creativity that is vastly underappreciated on the Internet. It even led to this: Shattered, my first "serious" long work. So in a way this amazing game even started my writing career.
Before Undertale, I never believed something as simple as a video game was powerful enough to bring people together from all across the globe, inspire some of the most beautiful artwork and writing I have ever seen, and even teach us a little piece of the meaning of life and how to live it. Now I know it will always be a part of my childhood.
Dear Undertale fandom: you are amazing.
Dear Undertale fandom: just because there are a few perverts in your midst does not mean the rest of you are not brilliant, creative, and talented.
Dear Undertale fandom: please keep being the way you are. I love you all, and all of you have added to my life–and I hope I have added to your lives too, in my own small way, through my writing and my art.
Now, on 3.
3...
2...
1...
THANK YOU, TOBY FOX!