An explosion sent water showering down on the king and the other soldiers in his landing craft. His fur was soon flattened to his body as he grit his teeth. Piercing whistles from the constant gunfire rang in his ears. The landing craft struck sand, and mechanical tracks took over, pushing it up and out of the ocean. Asgore faced the drop ramp, letting a magic shield materialize in his left hand, while he drew his sword in the other.
He put the shield in front of him just as the ramp dropped. Almost instantly one of the soldiers on his craft was blasted into dust, while a human body collapsed on the exit. Asgore led the frantic charge off of the boat and onto the soft beach ahead of them. All along the shoreline masses of soldiers, both human and monster, poured out of their own crafts onto the white sands of Klazun.
Bullets continued to slam into Asgore's shield, slowing his push forward. He let out a grow of frustration, then a gasp of shock. Splinters and cracks ran along the shield. Spying a small ditch in the sand, he charged for it. His shield dropped, and he grunted as two shots met their mark, metal pings echoing as they glanced off his armour.
He fell into the ditch, feeling around to make sure they hadn't punctured his armour, and let out a hearty laugh when he realized they hadn't. One of the human soldiers, a sergeant, slipped into the ditch beside him, his platoon setting up alongside him. The human noticed the bullet marks on the armour.
"Are you alright, your majesty?!" he shouted over the din. Asgore nodded, beating a fist on his chest.
"This armour was forged through much sweat and toil. Magic surges beneath it! It will take more than a few meager bullets to punch through it!"
Another explosion rocked the beach, this time sending sand spraying in all directions.
"Well, that might do it for you, but those mortar pits are going to be a real big problem if we don't knock them out!"
Asgore glanced back to the naval armada sitting off the coast. "What about them?! Why can't they bomb them?!"
"Too risky! They're within range, but without a visual on the mortars, they won't know where to fire! It's more likely they'd end up hitting us!"
Both their gazes darted left as suddenly gunfire shifted away from their general position. The king could see a figure sprinting across the sand, the bullets kicking up grit around the soldier.
Undyne dove head-first into Asgore's ditch, rolling out of the dive and skidding to a halt. She planted her back against the wall, nodding to Asgore.
"Your highness!"
Asgore nodded in return. "Captain. Alright, this isn't working! We need to find a way to keep moving forward! If we get bogged down here, we'll be pushed off this beach and we'll never be able to get our momentum back!"
"I concur! What do you suggest?!" the sergeant asked.
For just a moment, Asgore dared to poke his head out of the ditch.
"To the right of the ridge, there's a few old sets of stairs. Likely they were set up for tourists before all of this. They to be in a blind spot of the guns. If we can get over there, we can get up there and knock out the bunkers. I propose an all-out assault on the ridge heading for those stairs!"
Even Undyne was shocked. "With all due respect, your highness, have you gone stark raving mad?! Those guns will tear us apart! Even if we make it there, the number of casualties will be immense!"
Irritation was evident in the huffing sound he made. "If you have any other ideas that don't involve our ships attempting to blind fire at those mortars, I'm open to ideas!"
His only answer was silence. He nodded. "Right. Ready the troops, we'll rush the guns."
Hesitantly, the soldier got out a radio, making the call. All at once, the troops surged from the sand trenches, into the onslaught. It didn't take long before the bodies began to fall, and choking dust filled the air. Within seconds, it became apparent that getting to the stairs would be much more difficult than first believed.
A small pop sounded, and Asgore's eyes darted to the source. A mortar shell, incoming. He materialized another shield, dropping to one knee below it. Why he did such a thing, he couldn't say. He knew it would not be enough to stop the explosion. The violent noise of the explosion made him jerk, then he dared to open one eye, mystified as to how he could still feel, and why he had never even felt the force.
His eyes flicked left, then right. A magic dome had been materialized, and he could see the black smoke from the explosion clearing. In the center of the dome stood a hooded figure, one white furry hand outstretched. The Riverperson glanced down at him, before pulling back his hood. Asgore nearly passed out.
"G...G-Grandfather?"
Ausgrid nodded warmly. "On your feet, your majesty. I will explain everything later." Asgore clambered up, still staring at him in shock.
Ausgrid looked past him, calling out.
"Asgrid! Do look after your children, I did not come here to be a babysitter!"
Asgore followed his gaze, and sure enough, there was his father, shielding Undyne from harm. He let out a laugh.
"Oh, please, you were good at it with me!" Asgrid stumbled towards the edge of the dome.
"H...H-How is this possible? Father...y-you're dead! I watched them kill you!"
Asgrid gave a somber nod, then shook himself. "It is as your grandfather said. We will explain all this later. Right now, we need to take that ridge."
Ausgrid nodded. "Indeed. Gaster?! You're the physicist among us, where do those cannons need to fire to soften them up?!"
Asgore's disbelief continued to grow, and for a split second he actually thought he had died. He stumbled outside the dome, and another bullet bounced off the plating on his shoulder, coaxing the king back into cover. His old friend looked up from the ditch, eyeing the emplacements on the ridge. Asgore grinned when he saw the flickering in his friend's eyes. It was a look of thought that he had sorely missed. The skeleton pointed at a soldier with a mobile phone.
"You there! Call out to the closest battleship, tell them to train their cannons due southwest at 78.192 degrees, and fire!" That soldier nodded, picking up the phone from the box. The order was given in, and a few seconds later, more explosions echoed, this time from the ocean. All eyes watched as the shells soared through the air, slamming down straight onto the bunkers on the top of the ridge. With nothing further to worry about for now, Asgrid and Ausgrid dropped the domes.
The soldiers began once more to push for the staircase. In the mix of them all, Asgore could even see the red-headed fox, Terrowin, also sprinting for the stairs, alongside the monster he had once called a king. Asgore had never gotten to see Terrowin, having been born long after his death. Still, the way he and Asgrid ran in sync, it was no wonder they had worked well together. He glanced to his grandfather.
"How many others are there?"
Ausgrid smirked. "Look again." Asgore followed as he continued to gaze out over the soldiers making for the stairs. Sure enough, darted all around were several uniforms from the old kingdom. Monsters that had come and gone, and now had come again. Before he knew it, his feet hit the wooden stairs. The metal clomped against the wood as he made his way up the stairs to the top of the ridge.
As he crested the top, he gazed out over the sprawling plains head of them. The others were already taking control over the mortar pits. The king slowly reached up, taking his helmet off as he gazed around, shaking his head as he panted.
"This…" His voice trailed off. He slowly looked to Ausgrid, their eyes meeting.
"The way father described you when I was a child…" A grin spread over his face. "...he made you sound so elegant...I thought you would have been a bit taller."
Ausgrid let out a snicker, then broke out in laughter. "Oh, trust me, I am aware that's what you might have thought."
Asgore chuckled wearily, then asked, " Are you going to stay? Help us fight the battle?"
Ausgrid's laughter died in a heavy sigh. "If only. Unfortunately, both myself and several of the others will need to return to our own world. It takes a lot of our energy to appear in your world. Though...there are many, like your father, Terrowin, and others that have been saving their strength for centuries, just so they could aid you in the final battle. These will be the ones to stay with you. Before I go though...you are correct. You deserve an explanation."
Asgore nodded, looking over the now quiet battlefield. "Well...where to begin?"
Ausgrid chuckled. "You might want to take a seat. There is much to discuss."