:-"Unexpected Re-Onionsan!"-:
The dawn of the fifth day that the group has been travelling. It's Tuesday, April 4th, 2045.
In the distance, they see a large grey stone building. It almost looks like a castle, if you could call something the size of a small mountain a castle. From their position, they can see about five, maybe six, intricate towers rising from the colossal building. Each one seems to have a tall pointed roof of a different colour, similar to SOUL colours. The building looks to be approximately… 25 stories tall, but the closer they get, the more stories it seems to have.
Assuming everything goes smoothly, they should reach the Sanctum by the end of the day.
It helps that, at some point last night, everyone received a strange boost of Determination. The horses, the guards, everyone felt more at ease and full of energy. Old and new aches went away, and the horses stopped showing signs of weariness; instead they seemed to show a willingness, no they were Determined, to keep going.
The previously injured guard claims they have a guardian angel looking after them; some agree with him. Barnard, Marceline, Deborah, and Kevin are more aware of why they felt that feeling, having been closer to Frisk as they fell asleep. It was as if they were so Determined that they were unable to contain it all, and the excess spilt out.
Two of the three horses were removed from the cart, so that they can be used to keep an eye out for danger ahead of the group. Each horse has two guards on it, rather than one. Anthony is on the horse pulling the cart, with Deborah, Kevin, and Bernard remaining in the cart.
Fortunately, no danger has been spotted yet. There are plenty of incapacitated abominations along the way, but no signs of what knocked them out. The fact that they are not dead, however, puts the guards and Anthony at ease.
Though there are many abominations that are quite hostile, there are some that, for one reason or another, stop their assault when their prey is unconscious. Why this is the case, no one knows; but they don't really care if it means they will survive.
While the group may be feeling relatively well, given their situation, everyone is still on alert.
The bugs stopped chirping some time last night, and strange, otherworldly, howling has been heard in the distance. It seems to be the baying of one or more large wolves, but it pierces straight to their very SOUL. If not for their boost of Determination, they would have slowed, or even stopped, due to fear.
While not messing with the SOCDev, to see if they can fix it, Frisk takes time to appreciate the scenery.
The forest in this part of Ebott Valley is very pretty. The usual Oak trees have some some other trees, that Marceline calls "Birch," interspersed among them. The sight is quite interesting, especially now that Spring is in full swing, and the trees are all covered in young spring leaves.
Dull brown being replaced by spring green is always a pleasant sight.
Frisk's only regret is not bringing some lemon/lavender/thyme oil to repel the pesky blood suckers flying around. It also smells nice, which would be a welcome change to their current… odour.
Frisk is just glad they got all the rust mixed with dirt so no one would ask… The blood stained into their clothes is less of a problem to explain, since… well, there's no need to remember that right now. They wince as flashes of the fairly recent event flick through their mind. They have been having a harder and harder time keeping all of the bad memories out of their mind.
All in all, Frisk can't wait till they can take a nice bath. Warm, cold, boiling, or even freezing… at this point they just want to be clean.
They don't understand how all the village kids can run around dirty all the time.
Opting to think less about all the kids back at the village, who would constantly tease them, Frisk watches the passing scenery, while holding Chara's SOUL container in a way that would let them see too.
Frisk isn't sure Chara appreciates it, but they are trying their best to be considerate.
After hours of travelling, the group decides to take a brief rest. The Sanctum towers over them in the distance, and the details on it are more clear… the towers seem to have large chains that connect to the rest of the Sanctum, and they appear to be bobbing, ever so slightly; it is probably just a trick of the light.
The horses have to drink, and that means the party must set up near the river… This time, they keep a vigilant watch up and down the river.
Marceline takes the opportunity to boil some water and sets up a privacy tent to wash up in. Unfortunately, they do not have access to the necessary equipment to thoroughly wash delicate fabrics; the most she can do is work the fabric with her hands to get out as much grime as possible.
When she is done, she has Frisk change into their old black and purple dress. She also takes Sans' jacket so it can be washed as well. Frisk takes longer to clean due to the extra dirt, blood, and rust, so Marceline ends up having to help scrub it all off their face and out of their hair.
Finally noticing a discrepancy, Marceline notes, "Well, it seems that your hair is growing much faster than expected, you already have an inch of black hair. Oh well, all good things must come to an end."
Frisk shrugs. At this point, their hair colour is the least of their worries.
After they are done, Frisk runs around and asks the guards if they would like some water to be boiled so they can clean up. The guards opt out of bathing, not wanting to impact their vigilance.
:-:
As the group prepares to leave, one of the guards watching the south shouts in alarm, "Something is approaching! Get ready!"
The others prepare. As Frisk turns to look down the river, they catch a glimpse of what appears to be a human face covered in dirt… but it is gone as soon as they see it. Looking upstream of Ebott river, Frisk recognizes the unmistakable shape of…
"Onionsan! Guys! Guys! It's OK! It is just Onionsan, they are nice!"
The guards opt to remain at the ready, just in case Frisk is wrong.
Rising from the river, which is about as deep as the rivers in Waterfall, but keeping their distance, Onionsan looks absolutely happy to see Frisk and waves with one of their tentacles, saying, "Hey! I caught up to ya, y'hear!"
Frisk smiles slightly and waves, asking, "did something happen in the village?"
Onionsan replies cheerily,
"I don't know! I left with a bunch of my friends to go live in the lake. When I saw you guys I sped up to follow you, y'hear!"
Frisk, despite the warnings of the guards, gets closer to the river to speak with Onionsan better, and asks,
"have you been keeping us safe, Onionsan?"
Onionsan thinks for a moment,
"maybe, huh! I kept running into some really rude monsters! They didn't seem to like being around me though, so they all ran away! Y'hear!"
With a slightly visible smile, Frisk replies, "thanks, Onionsan. How are the Red Hot Chibi Peppers?"
Onionsan replies with extra sparkly eyes, "Wow you remembered, huh! That's cool, huh!"
They take a moment before continuing, "I started to practise singing, y'hear! And some of my friends joined! Y'hear! !"
One of the guards cut in,
"not to rush this… heart warming reunion, but we need to get going if we want to make it to the Sanctum before nightfall."
Excited, as always, Onionsan comments,
"Oh, you're headed to the Sanctum! Huh! That is cool, huh! I'm gonna keep following you till you make it there, if that's OK, y'hear!"
Frisk gives a thumbs up, and Onionsan returns to the depths of the river, waving.
Instead of waiting for their clothes to dry, Marceline clips them to the side of the cart so that they can depart.
The group finishes cleaning up the area and departs for the Sanctum.
:-:
Excited, and unable to keep calm, Alphys runs through the manor yelling, "ITSDONE!THEAIRCRAFTISDONE!OhmygodIcantbelievehowlongthattook! !"
Papyrus, not being able to fully understand what she is saying, kneels down to her eye level and places a concerned hand on the rapidly vibrating lizard-scientist with baggy eyes, whose smile is almost wide enough to escape her face, and whose eyes are the magic equivalent of bloodshot and tired. "ARE YOU OK ALPHYS? YOU ARE CONCERNING ME…"
Alphys tries to calm down a bit before replying,
"The aircraft! ! I'm done! We can test it today! ! OhmygodIhopeFriskandthemareOKIhaventheardfromtheminforever! ! !"
Undyne approaches the scene… She is fairly concerned as well.
She lifts Alphys over one shoulder and takes the exhausted, still-slightly-vibrating, scientist lizard to her room for some well deserved rest.
Elder Puzzler walks by and huffs, "Bah! Kids these days! Can't stay up for a couple days without going crazy. Back in my day we NEVER slept!"
Papyrus steps out of the way of the ornery elder, before walking to Sans' room.
A quick series of knocks on Sans' door is followed by no response.
He tries again… but there is still no response.
Papyrus decides to simply enter… but the room is empty.
Frustrated, Papyrus yells out,
"SANS! ! STOP MOVING YOUR ROOM THROUGH ALL THE ROOMS IN THE MANOR! IT IS GETTING REALLY CONFUSING!"
After huffing in frustration, Papyrus leaves the empty room and goes to a different room.
He knocks on all the doors, hoping Sans answers one of them…
Eventually he is back where he started, and so he decides that Sans is probably finally sleeping.
He walks to Frisk's playroom and hears the sound of some large metallic thing falling over, onto other metallic things, before he enters the room.
When he enters, he sees Sans putting together a large… thing. Papyrus isn't sure what it is supposed to be. It is as tall as, or even slightly taller than, Asgore, and looks like the DT Extractor… except more human-like and with a large open-mouth like section and two large cylinders on the sides. Wires and large cables are strewn about like some techno-spider's web, making it near impossible to see what goes where without magic.
Overall, the device is very menacing for some reason.
Worried, Papyrus asks, "WHAT IS THAT SANS...? SANS, YOU ARE SCARING ME. WHAT IS THAT?!"
Now showing obvious signs of sleep deprivation, Sans turns sluggishly to Papyrus and wearily replies,
"nothin', don't worry 'bout it" then returns to screwing parts together and hooking up cables.
But Papyrus is not backing down, "NO SANS… TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE MAKING! LET ME… LET ME HELP YOU! !"
Sans sighs, and a long silence follows before he responds, "i figured it out, paps. i finally figured it out. and now… i'm making it."
Hesitant, but very worried, Papyrus reaches out to try to stop him and says, "BUT… WE PROMISED-"
Shrugging Papyrus' hand away, Sans continues working and says, "i know. but i have to. i have to try."
Feeling that Sans has already passed the point of no return for the project, Papyrus doesn't try to stop him; but he does ask,
"PLEASE GET SLEEP, BROTHER… AND, PLEASE REMEMBER, THAT KIND OF TIME TRAVEL IS FICKLE."
No response. Sans is putting his focus on the device.
Papyrus takes off his small cape and puts it on his jacket-less brother.
"LET ME KNOW BEFORE YOU GO, SO I CAN RECORD THE CHANGES WITH THE INTER-TIMELINE CHRONOGRAPH IN SNOWDEN."
No reply. Papyrus waits for a while before leaving. He's worried about his brother, and his friends… it seems everyone is working themselves to the bone, in the literal and not funny way. He can't help but smile a little at the unintended pun, though.
:-:
Asgore and Toriel guide the monsters tirelessly to make their new Home Town as comfortable as they can. They are focusing on infrastructure, and the most important buildings, first. Toriel has become more heavy handed lately with her orders, wanting to get things done as fast as possible, so she can finally leave the role of being Queen and be a teacher instead. In contrast, Asgore has softened… to the point of being overly kind; and a bit of a pushover. It makes Toriel feel as though she will forever be stuck cleaning up his messes. It frustrates her to no end.
She decides it would be best if they remained separated.
Unless by some miracle he changes, it is probably for the best.
When it was found out that some monster children tried to sneak into the Human village, the TEM PEATSA SHOP was also found to not meet any of the building codes; as a result, it was taken down. The plot was claimed by some monster named "Ice-E" -a distant relative of Mr. and Mrs. IceDrake- and apparently they plan to put a new pizza shop there, having been inspired by the one the Temmies made.
They also got a rather strong anonymous suggestion for it… their original idea was to open an ice themed pasta shop.
All in all, Home Town is turning into a nice place. Soon enough, it should be large enough to support all of the monsters that are staying. Many of the older monsters have been expressing a desire to reclaim Dreemurr Peninsula, now that they are free from the barrier and Humans are still being aggressive.
Everyone is suddenly put on edge, as a strange sound, like a colossal piece of glass fracturing, echoes through the air in the wake of a sudden light breeze.
:-:
As Frisk's group gets closer to the Sanctum, it becomes more apparent that the Sanctum is much larger than they thought… and that the towers are not actually connected to the Sanctum; they are floating, and the large chains seem to be holding them in place.
There are six towers that float on the outer edge of the Sanctum, which each have intricate patterns that seem to embody the Aspect they represent, and a larger seventh tower in the center being an intricate combination of them all. The six towers float roughly two stories above the rest of the Sanctum, are each six stories tall, held by two giant chains, and their circumference is similar to the Librarby in Snowden. The red, highly intricate tower, is seven stories tall, appears to be floating about four stories above the Sanctum, and has six chains holding it instead of two. The Sanctum itself, magical floating towers excluded, is roughly 500 feet wide, 750 feet tall, and appears to have a large empty space that could house the entirety of Staghill within.
There is also a large part that has a domed roof, right at the front of the castle.
The group also comes to the realization that half of what they thought were fields of grain are actually fields of golden flowers. Even where they are, there are large patches of golden flowers under the trees. The guards who haven't been to the Sanctum before feel far more nervous now… The only guards in the party who have been to the Sanctum are Bernard, Anthony, and Deborah.
A couple of the guards swear that they occasionally see a flower with a face on it, but the others just shrug it off like a bad prank; after all, it was that nut job Derrick who first started talking about a golden flower with a face on it.
From their current location, they can also see the barrier much easier.
It has what looks like dark cracks all over it, but they form and vanish so quickly that Frisk isn't sure. They decide that it's just some cool magic effect, caused by the magic used to make it.
That is, until a particularly large spiderweb-like pattern appears; as if something within is smashing against it with incredible force. The air around the barrier visibly shifts, followed by a small shock wave, visible because of the grass being disturbed, from around the crack.
The group stops to prepare for the shock wave, fearing it may be as bad as the first one they experienced.
The sound of a giant crystal cracking, almost sounding like the crack of a giant lightning bolt, follows the shock wave and resonates with their bones in a particularly unpleasant way; beyond that, however, the horses are just pushed around slightly.
Though not all of the guards know why Frisk and Marceline are headed to the Sanctum, nor why it requires Bernard to go with, they are all aware that the barrier is trapping something very dangerous. It, seemingly, threatening to shatter at any instant makes everyone feel uneasy.
Marceline gathers the, still slightly damp, clothes from the side of the cart as Anthony decides, without warning, to speed up the horses to a full gallop.
Frisk looks to the river and sees Onionsan waving goodbye, unable to continue following since the river is starting to bend westward to the lake in the forbidden plains.
They make a promise to Onionsan, in their head,
'I'll go visit Onionsan when all of this is over. Maybe I can help them find a way to get to the Ocean… Someday…'
With the horses galloping at full speed, it becomes more apparent to a few of the guards that they are being followed by something. The trees have thinned out a bit, and some unnatural movement is spotted consistently. They are worried that they are being stalked by a group of Wälder beasts.
The guards silently agree that they cannot stop until they reach the Sanctum, they will have to push the horses to go for as long as they can…
:-:
It is almost sundown by the time the group arrives at the first defensive wall of the Sanctum, which has a large field of golden flowers outside of it, and is very damaged.
Now with the Sanctum towering over them in the not-so distant distance, they can take in its absolutely colossal size.
The grey stone walls of the Sanctum are occasionally accented with green moss and oak beams, but are otherwise in better condition than the defensive walls that have been set up. A total of three defensive walls surround the Sanctum to help defend against the aberrant beasts that roam the land. They are obviously worn and seem to have been made after the Sanctum.
Their cart is not stopped by the patrolling guards, since it is obviously being ridden by humans and the only other settlement, that they know of, is Staghill village.
Tiredness is replaced with excitement, as Frisk looks with awe at the mountain sized building named "The Sanctum of the Seven Sages."
As they approach, Frisk can feel the hum of magic radiating from the walls of the building getting stronger.
Seemingly out of place, or perhaps exactly where it should be, Frisk notices a croissant in place of one of the rocks in the last defensive half-wall… It seems to be holding better than the stones around it.
* Thinking about how brave the croissant defending the Sanctum is, fills Frisk with Determination.
* A NEW SAVE STAR APPEARS IN FRONT OF THE SANCTUM.
* FILE SAVED!
* FRISK FEELS REJUVENATED.
:-:
After seeing the croissant, Frisk's stomach reminds them about how hungry they are. 'Just a little longer, stomach, we're almost there…'
The group makes a slow stop in front of the heavily fortified front gate of the Sanctum.
On each side of the gate are huge imposing statues. Though the statues are made of various types of stone -such as marble and granite-, the clothing is fabric… Frisk wonders why. On the left is a statue of Asgore, wearing his usual royal attire, and on the right is what Frisk assumes is a human, wearing a red hooded cloak that reaches just above the base of its stand. Both statues are looking down at the path in front of the gate. Asgore's statue looks imposing, is holding a red granite trident in both hands, and has menacing glowing eyes; the left eye is glowing Cyan and the right is glowing Orange. The hooded figure appears to be entirely unarmed, but Frisk can't help feeling as though it is pointing countless invisible weapons at them; both of their eyes are glowing red under their impossibly dark hood.
The statues seem ornamental, but Frisk feels as though they are living. They hum with magic in a rhythmic pattern that adjusts for a moment as the group approaches, but returns to the previous pattern after a few moments.
In fact, a lot of the designs of the Sanctum seem overly ornate at first, but studying them more makes Frisk realize that they are more than meets the eye; many of the designs remind Frisk of some of the patterns on their pendant.
Their thoughts are interrupted as a guard approaches the cart, takes a brief look over everyone, attempts to hold in a grimace after seeming to count the number of people, and then shouts out, "Addamses incoming, but there were casualties! Open the gates!"
Frisk is surprised the guard knows that there were more people, and that they and their mother are Addamses.
Bernard sees Frisk's confusion and comments, "we sent out a bird a day before we were supposed to leave, so they would know to expect us after a certain number of days, and to send a search party if we didn't arrive three days after that."
Frisk nods and gives a thumbs up, seeing the wisdom in Bernard's actions.
All of these new people are making Frisk feel… uneasy, so they have taken on their classic apathetic look and have subconsciously decided to speak less; only those familiar with Frisk will be able to see the subtle shifts.
A few moments later and the giant gates begin to open, revealing a long stone corridor that seems to open up to a courtyard at the end.
When the group enters and goes down the corridor, they are greeted by more people at the end and Marceline starts to get out of the cart; she indicates for Frisk to follow.
Curious, Frisk does as instructed. The people take their things and the horses… Frisk looks up to their mother, subtly confused.
Her only response is to give a sly smile and hold her hand out for Frisk, who takes it.
Frisk looks around the new room… it is wide enough to fit their manor snugly, but at least fifteen times taller. The center has grass, bushes, flowers, and one giant tree. Clouds, somehow, have also formed in the domed roof. Frisk can see round stone balconies from the upper levels.
Around the ground level of the beautiful courtyard are columns to separate the large circular hallway, which seems to lead to three more hallways; one to the north, east, and west.
Frisk feels their mother pulling at their hand, and hesitantly looks away to walk with her.
They walk around the courtyard to the hallway on the left, which has a sign above it that reads "Residences," in fancy curved lettering, on a background that looks like carved buildings. There are two people at the entrance, and one is harshly waving a piece of parchment around and shouting incoherently.
One of them looks to be a young man with pasty white skin, official looking robes, a leather satchel on their left, and some rolled up parchment in loops on the right side of their belt; they appear to be wearing sandals. Frisk thinks they are a scribe.
The scribe appears to be getting yelled at by a feminine individual with a well worn, but open, lab coat, goggles that seem to be used more as a fashion statement off on the side of their head, caramel skin, and long, wavy, black iridescent hair that ends in semi-curls. Their shirt, and pants, are covered in dark spots, and their leather boots look like they have walked across Firma, at least three times, without being cleaned. They are very obviously a mad scientist… emphasis on mad. Frisk suppresses a giggle at their pun.
The scribe has an unamused expression on their face as the other is shouting at them.
"God fucking dammit Jeff, I've told you a thousand times,'they!' Not 'she,' not 'her,' 'THEY.' Please, show me the same decency I show you."
The scribe, named Jeff, mutters, "(right, just like all those times you set me on fire 'for science…')" but then notices the Addamses and clears their throat before pointing to Frisk…
The other turns around, still clearly upset; they look about ready to yell at whoever they see next…
But when they see Marceline, then look down and see Frisk, they begin to panic, "Shit, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were there kiddo!"
Marceline raises an eye brow… and Jeff responds, "Kathryn, language…"
Taking a moment to think… Kathryn realizes their error and replies, flustered, "Fu-! Shi-! Godda-! Ahem… Sorry, I swear like a mad scientist…"
An awkward silence fills the air… Frisk wants to giggle at the shared pun, but they're hesitant.
Kathryn says something else after a bit, "So uh… you from Staghill? Kathryn's the name, science's my game… and this is Jeff, he's an AssSSSS ...OCIATE! Of mine…! An… Ass-sociate… yea…"
Taking a moment to collect themself, Kathryn continues,
"Anyway… He works the records department…" turning to look at Jeff again, they yell, "AND HE KEEPS FUCKING UP MY RECORDS! ! !"
Jeff looks at Kathryn in an even more unamused manner than before, and points at the Addamses again.
Realizing their error, again, Kathryn turns back around and rubs the back of their head with an awkward, nervous smile and replies,
"Ah, sh-amone! Did I swear again…? Sorry 'bout that. I'll uh… just see myself out. I'm done here anyway!"
They give Jeff a hard stare, pointing their fingers at their eyes then at Jeff, before leaving to walk across the courtyard.
Jeff waits for Kathryn to be out of ear shot before saying,
"Their records are fine, I just make these fakes to get under their skin… for repeatedly setting me on fire… for no valid reason."
Another awkward silence… but this one is shorter since Jeff recognizes it sooner. "You must be the Addamses. I'm Jeff… as my hot-headed friend pointed out. Nice to meet you. I can take you to where you will be staying, follow me."
Marceline curtsies, "thank you, Jeff. I am sure Frisk has heard all of those swear words before, but we appreciate the effort."
She looks down at Frisk, who looks up and nods in confirmation.
Frisk glances back to see if they can still see the hot headed scientist… They are interesting to Frisk.
Jeff shrugs, "eh, anything that can make them a little uncomfortable is great for me. A few more weeks and my revenge will be complete. I swear, they don't even notice any of my records unless something is wrong with them… Anyway…"
He takes out some papers from his leather satchel, flips through them a bit before putting them back, then points and starts walking, saying, "this way."
The Addamses follow him… Frisk wonders where everyone else went, but then conclude that they probably went to some place where all the guards go.
Following the young scribe, they go to a strange hollowed out stone room… It doesn't seem very large, but the use is immediately made clear when Frisk sees the buttons next to the door; some of the buttons appear to be inoperable, but it is a magical elevator. The Scribe presses the button for the 45th floor, and they wait…
The elevator is remarkably fast, as it seems to reach the top floor within just a minute, but they never have the chance to notice when it starts to move, or when it stops; it puts the Hotland elevators to shame.
Once out of the elevator, the group makes their way through the hallways and past several doors before eventually stopping at one marked "Addams."
Now at their destination, Jeff turns around, gestures to the door, and says,
"here we are, your apartment. I have work I must attend to, but if you see me and have any questions, feel free to ask."
Marceline Curtsies, and the two walk into their apartment.
The first thing that catches Frisks attention is a person in armour, standing inside at the entrance…
They seem familiar…
When the mystery person lifts their visor, Frisk instantly recognizes him and is filled with pure joy, causing them to shout, "KATSURO! ! !"
Katsuro also appears very happy to see Frisk.
Frisk runs and jumps up to give Katsuro a tight hug, on the verge of crying, while ignoring the fact that he is wearing armour.
Happy that Frisk is so excited to see him, Katsuro hugs them back while saying,
"Aww, did that mean ol' grump Bernard get to you too?"
Frisk shakes their head, and replies, failing to hold back their tears,
"N-n-no.. I *hic* thought you were dead! We had a-a fun*hic*eral and e-v-e-r-ythiing!"
Marceline and Katsuro are surprised to hear this, but put the pieces together fairly quickly.
Calmingly, Marceline, runs her fingers through Frisks hair and whispers, "oh, sweetie… that funeral wasn't for Katsuro, it was for Johnathan… He was killed by a Wälder beast when he ran up the path, alone, after you arrived. He thought the monsters were going to ambush the village."
Frisk slowly regains their composure, though still upset over the loss of life.
Putting the pieces together, Frisk realizes now why Bernard seemed to be insincere in his speech. Johnathan wasn't gentle, nor a fine warrior… the family must have demanded him to make a speech for some reason… come to think of it, his family is also very Anti-monster…
Katsuro helps Frisk put more of the pieces together, "When we were searching for you, I was very upset and looked tirelessly. When minutes became hours, however, Bernard called off the search. I know it's standard to do that, but… it felt wrong. I knew you were out there somewhere… We just had to keep looking. So, I kept looking. Bernard got angry with me, saying that I was 'risking my life' and that 'if you were still alive we would have found you by then…' So I took a horse and left for the Sanctum. I know he was just as upset as I was, if not more… but he did a really good job of hiding it."
Frisk replies, more calmly, "I should've figured it out… I feel bad for never noticing that Johnathan wasn't around any more…"
Katsuro puts Frisk down, and pats their head, "don't be too hard on yourself, Johnathan wasn't the easiest to get along with…" Katsuro stops briefly to think, puts on a huge grin, and continues, "Anyway… When I heard that you and your mom were on your way here, I was very happy. You can bet I sent Bernard a reply letter saying 'TOLD YOU SO! !'"
Katsuro and Frisk giggle together, then Frisk curtsies and replies playfully, "well, thank you, brave knight, for never giving up on me…" Then suddenly realizes that they forgot to bring Chara with them.
Panicking, they turn to their mom and say,
"mom! ! Chara got taken with all our stuff by those weird people! ! I'm such a bad friend… How could I forget them?!"
Curious, Katsuro asks, "Oh, what's this? Frisky has a friend that isn't one of their beheaded dolls, or a guard?"
Frisk sticks out their tongue, and replies, "yea! Chara is the best! They were with me the whole time I was in the Underground."
Marceline comments, "Chara is a disembodied SOUL, and was the adopted child of the King and Queen of monsters."
Slightly grimacing, but trying to hide it with a smile, Katsuro says, "ah, so, Frisk is haunted. Well, at least they have another friend! Wait… King and Queen of monsters? How did their adopted child's SOUL get attached to Frisk if they are all trapped behind the barrier? Where is the Underground?"
Frisk looks to the floor, embarrassed, and says, "I… uh… was exploring when I fell down into the mountain. I ended up saving all the monsters."
Becoming very embarrassed and flustered, Frisk realizes that they blurted out Chara's name… and that their mom knows who Chara is…
Marceline notices Frisk's embarrassment and says, with a sly smile,
"little angel, you didn't think you could keep them a secret from me forever, did you?"
Insincerely, Frisk replies with an exaggerated and playful "nOoo…" while playing with their feet and continuing to look at the floor.
Katsuro begins to speak again, but then yawns, as does Frisk, and says, "well, it's getting pretty late. I should get going… I'd stay and catch up more, but I have to wake up early for my new commander… I really don't like that guy, but beggars can't be choosers."
Curious, Frisk asks, "Why don't you go back to the Sanctum with Bernard and them?"
Surprised and slightly panicking, Katsuro replies, "wait wait wait… Bernard is here?! Oh man I am in DEEP trouble! I said some pretty nasty things in that letter, which I started to regret after sending it…"
Katsuro paces in a small area while thinking, then starts to leave, "thanks for the heads up, Frisk. I'll get ready for the worst lecture of my lifetime… Never mind having to go on early morning guard duty, Bernard is the scariest thing in the world when he's upset!"
Frisk opts not to say goodbye, deciding instead to say, "see you later!"
Katsuro waves in response and leaves in a hurry.
:-:
Making his way down to the barracks, Katsuro can't help but look around nervously… he is expecting Bernard to pop out of nowhere.
Fortunately, however, he makes it to the barracks without incident.
Getting into his room, however, is a different story.
After opening up his door, Katsuro sees Bernard sitting on the foot of his bed; Bernard is holding a letter.
Cautiously, Katsuro asks, "I… guess you got my letter?"
Bernard nods, and holds it out, it's unopened. "We stayed a day late because Frisk wanted to say their goodbyes, so we got the letter before we left. I haven't opened it. I think, perhaps, I already know what it says."
Katsuro rubs the back of his head and looks away, "well, uh, I immediately regretted sending it. So, thanks for not reading it I guess…"
Bernard stands, and walks over to Katsuro with a stern face… no, he's holding back. He's disguising his sorrow with a stern look.
Wrapping his arms around Katsuro and giving him a firm hug, Bernard apologizes, "I'm so sorry, Katsuro… Son, you were right. They were alive, and had gone beyond the barrier. When they returned, they brought Mosnter-kind with them."
Katsuro opts to not tell Bernard that Frisk already told them that they saved the Monsters.
Despite his efforts to remain stern and collected, Bernard can't stop the tears from escaping his eyes.
Continuing, Bernard says, "I'm sorry I drove you away, Katsuro… for being so cold."
Katruso hugs Bernard back, and replies, "you old coot, don't you know I love you? I forgive you… I… was wrong to storm off. I know prolonged searches always result in more people dying, but I couldn't-"
Bernard interrupts, "I know… it broke my heart when I had to make that call, but every one else depends on me; I can't play favourites and put everyone else's lives at risk… That's why I decided to teach Frisk how to defend themself, despite them being so young. You know I was always over protective of them, especially after their brother died…"
Katsuro doesn't reply, instead he simply nods.
Letting go and stepping back, Bernard wipes the tears from his face and collects himself.
Holding out the letter once again, Bernard says,
"I got you off the hook for tomorrow so you can spend time with Frisk, you can thank me by coming back to Staghill."
Katsuro takes the letter gingerly, and replies, "thanks… dad. I… I'll return. They have plenty of guards here. The only reason I wasn't sent back is because they seem to be preparing for whatever is behind that barrier."
Thinking, Bernard replies, "hmm… well, Frisk is here because of some prophecy… so perhaps they have more information than they are telling anyone? I understand not wanting to spread it though. From what I understand, it is a doomsday prophecy… Anyway, I should get going, I have to wake up early tomorrow."
The two hug again briefly, before Bernard leaves Katsuro with the letter he regrets writing and his thoughts.
'that old man… I bet he took my place to get me off the hook. I'll have to get ready for him to complain about his feet hurting.'
:-:
With the excitement of finding out that Katsuro is alive, Frisk hardly feels tired at all.
Now being less distracted, Frisk can take a good look at the living space…
The living room is a decent size, has old dusty furniture, bookcases, and knick-knacks all over; but there's no fireplace. There are four bedrooms, three of which are spare rooms and one is the master bedroom. The bathroom is well accommodated, as is the laundry room… the water pressure is surprisingly strong, despite how far up they are. Despite being old, the soap still seems usable… They can probably ask someone for some new soap. The kitchen is large, as is the dining room. Everything looks like it was taken out of the manor and put here… except it all looks older somehow, not to mention extremely dusty. They have a window out to the front of the Sanctum, but it's too dark out now to see anything clearly; Frisk is sure the view will be amazing tomorrow morning.
Frisk finds a piece of cloth and uses it to dust everything off, while Marceline starts cooking.
While they are cleaning, Frisk feels magic pouring into their SOUL… They look at the pendant and see that it's glowing brightly.
'So much for keeping it a secret… mom probably already knew anyway.'
They begin to wonder why it suddenly started to regain magic, and why it's glowing, but they are too distracted with everything else to go further down the train of thought.
After a late dinner, Frisk helps their mom clean and do the laundry; feeling more responsible now that they are on a sort of adventure.
A knock on the door gets their attention, and Marceline answers.
Stepping out of the way, Marceline allows a few people to walk in. They are carrying wooden boxes.
When they leave, Marceline tells Frisk, "they took our things to make sure nothing bad was attached to them… not all dangerous creatures are large. This should be our clothes and our other things."
Frisk nods in understanding, and asks, "Do you think Chara is in one of these boxes now?"
Marceline shrugs and shakes her head, "I am not sure, it is likely the science or magic departments would want to take a look at them. If we don't find them we can go ask tomorrow, OK?"
Frisk nods and begins going through the boxes… but Chara is nowhere to be found.
Taking their things, Frisk gets ready for bed and lays down.
They are worried about Chara, but all the good news is weighing out the bad.
'Maybe the science guys will fix the SOCDev? That would be really convenient!'
Clearing their mind, trying to sleep, Frisk lays there as still as they can…
Eventually, they doze off.
* Knowing that Katsuro is alive and well fills Frisk with DETERMINATION!
*A NEW SAVE STAR APPEARS IN TH E APARTMENT AT THE SANCTUM!
* FILE SAVED!
* FRISK FEELS REJUVENATED.
:-:
Chara's SOUL container is sitting in one of the hidden magical labs in the Sanctum, and humans are not the ones researching it. Strange silhouettes move too quickly for Chara to make out any detail, but they are obviously monsters. The Artifact lies next to them, but it has been taken apart. Among the six intricate pieces, a seventh one, shaped like a heart, lies in the middle. It seems the six pieces were hiding the seventh.
"What now, Sigmund?"
"I reached out to an old contact. Well, I guess they are still a new contact right now."
"So, are we just going to… wait?"
"Yes."
"Perfect… I'm guessing Frisk won't be able to find me here?"
"No, sorry for the inconvenience."
"Why do I get the feeling that you are secretly evil?"
"Because the lights are out, and I'm the only one you can talk to without the SOCDev."
"… Fair enough. How do you plan to get Asriel here?"
"We wait."
"Right… well… you have fun with that, I'm going to take a nap."
"You're just saying that because you think I'm going to do evil things to you in your sleep."
"… Great minds think alike, I guess."
"… I wouldn't call our minds great. Damaged, or cynical, maybe… but great? No."
"Why do you have to take the fun out of everything?"
No reply…
"Sigmund…?"
No reply…
NOTE:
Correction made to description of the towers floating above the Sanctum. There are Seven towers, but I failed to specify that.