AUTHOR'S NOTE:

(THIS IS A CROSSOVER BETWEEN BRANDISH (NIHON FALCOM) AND UNDERTALE. THERE IS NO BRANDISH CATEGORY, SO HERE IT IS.)

I originally published this fic in it's entirety (11 chapters) on AO3 through the week of September 6th, 2021. That version of the fic has it written in it's proper format (2nd Person POV, not accepted on FFN), features music embeds, and has a follow up in the works. If you like what you read in this sample, I highly encourage you to check out the full version at /works/33610717/chapters/83520841 on AO3. The fic was written by me over the course of the summer of 2021 and, in its entirety, is over 100,000 words.

Long ago, during a time that HUMANS no longer remember, a grand kingdom, populated by magical creatures known as MONSTERS, stood atop the highest of the world's mountains. Its king, ASGORE, aimed to keep the world around his people under his dominion for absolute security and peace. But this lofty goal came at the cost of cooperation with humanity; monsters and humans waged a brutal war, with neither side able to push back hard enough to gain the upper hand.

While humans were more resilient and numerous, monsters were more powerful spiritually, and could take human SOULS to empower themselves further. Even with casualties mounting higher and higher on both sides, neither exposed their weaknesses long enough for an end to ever come.

ASGORE, fed up with the lack of progress, commissioned an ambitious project: the CORE, a power center unlike anything dreamt up prior, capable of providing the entire Monster Kingdom with miraculous energy, in such high quantities that humanity wouldn't have a hope of replenishing their own resources in tandem. However, the CORE triggered a series of catastrophic tremors, that opened the Earth under the kingdom, and dragged it far underground. Their oldest enemies having destroyed themselves, humanity placed a magical barrier over the land where the kingdom once stood, to ensure that the monsters would never return.

Monsterkind was forgotten over the course of a millennia…a distant myth that fewer and fewer humans believed each time the story was told…eventually being forgotten altogether.

Until two humans uncovered the bereaved race by accident…

Dela: "I have you now, Varik!"

A sorceress dressed in revealing mage's armor, with a red ring on her left index finger, stands before Varik. Her name is Dela Delon, and she's been chasing him across the world for years. She's tailed him across continents, across the ocean, through a shipwreck, and now to this unexplored mountaintop. She has now cornered him on a ledge overlooking the side of the mountain.

Dela: "You murdered my master and ran like a coward! Now, I'll have my satisfaction! Your life ends here!"

She raises her staff into the air, a brilliant orb of light manifesting above it. It crackles with arcane lightning, charging up for what must be an exceedingly powerful attack. With nowhere to run, Varik brandishes his shield, and prepares for the worst.

Dela: "Take this!"

Dela pulls her arm back to cast her attack, but before she can, the orb of magic begins to vibrate wildly. It flashes multiple shades of yellow and orange, and begins making popping noises; Dela looks up in confusion at her own spell.

Dela: "What? What is this?!"

An ethereal wall, curved like a dome, begins flashing in and out of sight as the orb bounces off it over and over. Dela pulls the staff down away from the dome, but it continues flashing.

Dela: "A magic barrier? Here? We've crossed it…and now it's overcharged!"

She turns back to face him, a mixture of confused fear and hatred in her eyes.

Dela: "Did you plan this, Varik?! Do you plan to take me with you?! Because this won't stop me!"

Dela charges up her spell once more.

Dela: "Die!"

She thrusts the staff towards Varik, and the orb flies off its fixed position, traveling towards him. He raises his shield to block the projectile, but before it reaches him, it detonates, sending out a shockwave that pushes him back over the ledge. Instead of falling over, however, he rebounds off the flashing dome, which has now materialized behind him as well. Varik bounces back onto the ledge, landing on his knees. Dela looks incredibly angry.

Dela: "Dammit!"

The world around them begins shaking violently. The flashing of the dome gets faster and faster, bolts of arcane lighting striking the ground intermittently around Varik. Dela loses her footing, and falls to her knees as well. Large cracks in the mountaintop begin to form between the points where the magic lightning touches down, sending chunks of the earth falling away. A massive bolt strikes a point between all of the cracks, and the ground fully opens beneath Varik and Dela. The light of the sunrise illuminating the sky is pulled out of view as they drop into the massive hole, Varik's heavy armor pulling him down into a head-first freefall. Dela, also falling, is lost from his view as the darkness of the interior of the mountain envelops him; he grips his sword and his shield tightly, twisting his head around to find any point of reference. As he cranes his neck to face what's below him, something comes into view. Varik has barely a moment to process it before he hits the floor. A maze lined with tall stone walls that seems to stretch on forever, a tall structure in the distance that is quickly obfuscated, and the last thing he sees before everything goes black once more: a bed of golden flowers.

Varik returns to consciousness after an unknown amount of time, groggily sitting up to inspect what's around him, and himself. He doesn't seem to have sustained any injuries; he lacks bruises, fractures, or even any cuts under the armor. It appears he's landed on this flowerbed, surrounded by green grass, in the middle of a room made of stone brick. It's very rustic in appearance, with weeds and vines sprouting from the cracks between them. Looking up, Varik sees an empty black void, lacking anything but the dim light of that Tower, which he can barely see in the distance. Despite the lack of candles or lamps in the room, it's somehow illuminated well enough for Varik to see everything around him.

Varik stands up and checks possessions; he was traveling light when Dela found him. A short sword, steel armor, leather shield, and a single healing potion, along with a paltry 100 gold pieces. Had he known what would befall him this day, he would have scavenged more from the shipwreck. Nonetheless, this is what he's working with. Varik packs everything back up in his knapsack, tightens his armor straps, readies his sword and shield, and takes a deep breath. Ahead of him is a single reinforced wooden door that appears to be unlocked. He opens it and step through.

The door leads out into more labyrinthine hallways, opposite the direction of the Tower. There is now a roof over the rooms and hallways, where he cannot see the dark void above him. Varik decides to make the Tower his goal. It's the only major landmark he has to reference right now, and if anything will lead back above ground, it will be there. Varik begins traveling the labyrinth, looking to move in the direction of the Tower. Stepping in and out of rooms, he finds that most of them lead to dead ends or more doorways. Varik travels to a few rooms, tracing back to the one he started in to explore as much of the area as his can. In one room, he finds a chest; opening it reveals a silver key. He takes the key and heads back to the flower room once more to ponder where to go next. As he steps into the doorway, he sees someone kneeling over the flowerbed. Dressed in a purple robe with white sleeves, and a hood pulled up over their head, one detail indicates their non-human nature: the fluffy white paws at the end of their arms and legs. It appears they haven't noticed Varik. He hears them mutter something under their breath, a feminine voice forming the words.

?: "Why would they be flattened like this? There's no one else on this floor…"

Varik decides to quietly start walking away, past the door and down a hall he hasn't explored yet. As he does, however, he takes a step onto a section of floor that suddenly gives way, revealing a pit hidden under the thin dirt layer. He falls in, pain shooting through his legs as he hits the bottom, and his armor clangs from the force of the drop. Varik ignores the discomfort and make himself jump back up, grabbing onto the edge of the pit and pulling himself out. As he does, his eyes meet somebody else's; the figure from the flower room has stepped out, likely to investigate the noise he made. Varik pulls himself to his knees and looks at the figure directly.

Under the hood, her face is that of a goat's, with snow white fur, red irises, and two small horns adorning her cranium. On her robe, a mystic-looking rune is embroidered into the fabric: A small circle with wings, and three triangles beneath it, all kept inside the shape of a shield. One triangle is placed beneath the other two, and the triangle on the right in the top row is upright while the other two are inverted. Her eyes go wide, and she cups their hands over her mouth. A moment later, she takes off down another hallway, moving with urgency like that of a worried mother. Varik rises to his feet, not pursuing her. Reaching into his knapsack and taking out the health potion, he debates using it to treat the injures he sustained in the fall. He decides against it; he needs to save it for a more critical time. Varik puts it back and makes his achy legs work as he jumps across the pit.

Varik presses on through another door, stepping into yet another room that looks like all the others: grassy floor, stone brick walls. In here, however, stands another mobile creature. It appears to be a skeleton, no life in its eyes, ambulating around in seemingly random directions, carrying a severely damaged sword in one hand despite having no muscles. As he steps into the room, the skeleton suddenly begins stumbling towards him, raising its sword and bringing it down hard. Varik blocks the blow with his shield and swings his short sword twice. It connects both times, and the skeleton falls apart into a pile of bones. At the same time, a door to his left opens, and the goat-monster lady steps through. She has a nervous look on her face as she realizes he's in the room, but her expression straightens as she looks at the skeleton before him. She purses her lips, then raises one of her paws, palm open and facing outward. A fireball appears in her grasp and flies forward, striking the pile of bones and incinerating it. The flames barely miss Varik, and the ash pile left behind scatters in the grass. He looks back over at the goat lady, and she meets his gaze, looking a little friendlier than before.

?: "Greetings, human. Forgive my reaction earlier. It's not often I find new people here in the RUINS, let alone…humans."

?: "I am TORIEL, the caretaker of the RUINS. I suppose I've become accustomed to the presence of these soulless husks…My apologies for not warning you."

Toriel walks over to him, keeping a few feet away from Varik at all times.

Toriel: "Another thing I'm used to that you wouldn't be are those pitfalls. I'm impressed by your ability to climb out of them unassisted. Are you a soldier?"

Toriel: "…A bounty hunter. I see. Well, perhaps I can stop apologizing and act instead. Here."

Toriel raises both of her paws and extends them towards him. He notices her hesitate as she does so. A gentle glow radiates from his body. Varik feels the pain in his ankles fade away completely, and all his other aches soothe over.

Toriel: "I don't think that the human kingdoms have placed any bounties down here. I doubt they remember us. What is your purpose here, bounty hunter?"

Toriel: "…Fallen into the underground, like all my people before. I'm sorry for you, truly I am."

Toriel: "The RUINS are the deepest part of the underground as well. Your chances of returning to the surface are…slim."

Toriel: "But you seem stalwart…I am certain you will be okay if you press forward."

Toriel: "Don't feel the need to repay me for the healing spell. I'm…happy to see you safe."

Toriel stands there for a moment; neither of them say a word.

Toriel: "Hmm."

Another moment passes.

Toriel: "I have other business to attend to in the RUINS."

Toriel: "I like to keep it as clean as I can and remove the husks when they appear."

Toriel: "If you need anything then…come and find me."

Toriel: "Farewell."

Toriel quickly walks out of the room, closing the door behind her. Varik looks around a bit more before continuing. A metal sign hangs on ones of the walls. It reads:

"Testing something before committing to it is always a wise choice."

Varik exits the room through the door Toriel went through; she's nowhere to be found. He navigates the labyrinth of the Ruins, jumping over spots of the floor out of paranoia for more pits. He finds a chest in one dead end of the labyrinth. Inside, he finds a small bag full of steel balls. Going further into the Ruins, Varik comes across a wide room, barren of any markings and with a single door on the other end. Suspicious, he reaches into the bag of steel balls and tosses a few out onto the floor in front of him. Nothing happens, and he retrieves the balls. He does the same thing with the next section of the floor. Instantly, the surface gives way, and the balls fall into the pit. He turns to the floor to his left and repeats the process; the floor does not give way. He keeps this up as he finds his path around the various pits, reaching the other end and continuing on.

More time passes as Varik pushes further into the Ruins. He's ascended a few floors, and the so-called "husks" have become more prevalent. In addition to mobile skeletons, he finds himself accosted by gelatinous slimes, rabid bats, and frighteningly large wasps. Varik senses a certain lack of lifelessness within all of them as he carves through them, the skeletons reconstituting themselves shortly after he strikes them down, and everything else dropping limply onto the ground like ragdolls. However, his equipment does begin degrading, and as he runs between rooms, dodging attacks and revealing and avoiding more pits, he feels the blade of his sword begin to loosen as he lands blow after blow against his adversaries. Varik spots an unusual door, marked with a red sign with a white symbol on it, and as he approaches it, another wasp rounds the corner behind him and charges, stinger at the ready. He turns on his heel and blocks the blow, trapping the wasp's stinger in his shield, then slashes his sword across its abdomen. As the wasp perishes, Varik's blade finally snaps, and he's left holding what is little more than a slight pointy hilt.

Varik walks up to the door and inspect the red sign; the white symbol on it appears to be in the shape of an arachnid. He decides to investigate, despite lacking a proper weapon, opening the door and scanning all around him for threats as he steps inside, and the door shuts behind him. Varik finds himself standing before a table like one would find in a marketplace, with a variety of goods stashed in a pile on a stool next to the wall behind it. He feels tempted to simply take what he needed, but he also feels he might not get away with it in this room. As Varik walks up to the table, a small spider hops up on it. It remains there, immobile, as if waiting for him. He looks up and notices a sign, listing various items at different prices, hanging from the ceiling.

Checking his coin bag, he find that he's accrued 2058 gold pieces from his escapade, along with more potions in his bag, and his bag of steel balls. Deciding to test this apparent center of capitalist interaction, Varik places 200 gold pieces on the counter, the listed price for a sledgehammer. The spider moves over to the little stack of gold and uses its tiny body to push it behind the table. Moments later, a sledgehammer falls handle-first against his leg; out of the corner of his eye, he catches the image of many tiny creatures scuttling around. He does more business with the spiders, trading and buying tools and weaponry. By the end of it, he's sold most of his potions to grab a new iron shield, traded his old shield in to buy two new short swords, and still has 1102 gold pieces left over, along with his one original health potion.

Exiting the spider shop, Varik continues wandering the Ruins and fighting creatures, one sword sticking out of his knapsack. All of the doors he can find don't lead anywhere new, and he's starting to run out of options. He comes across a wall with a few cracks in the foundation; it appears much weaker than the other walls of the labyrinth. Hefting his new sledgehammer, he brings it down on the wall, causing it to crumble on impact, creating an opening to the other side. He passes through the new entrance, finding two more doors and a stairway leading further upward. One of the doors open, and Toriel steps through. He hears her mutter something under her breath.

Toriel: "(How did he get here?)"

She looks stunned as her eyes fall on Varik and she realizes what he's done.

Toriel: "T-that wall! Why did you-?!"

She seems genuinely frustrated.

Toriel: "These RUINS are ancient! They must be treated with care!"

Toriel: "To rebrick that wall is as much of an insult to its history as you destroying it!"

Toriel: "You can't simply…DO that!"

Toriel: "You…human-!"

The sound of footsteps are heard somewhere on the floor above. Toriel turns to the stairwell, and peers up it.

Toriel: "Another? Who else is here?!"

Toriel: "Show yourself!"

The footsteps above move away from the stairwell. Toriel looks at Varik, pointing firmly.

Toriel: "Remain here. I have choice words to give to you once I've dealt with this."

Toriel: "I am quite serious. Stay. Here."

She narrows her eyes and points hard at the floor as she speaks, then takes off for the stairwell. Varik stands there for a bit, before going over to inspect the stairwell. Untrusting of the way Toriel has been acting, he grabs some more steel balls and tosses them past the base of the stairwell. As they land on the first step, a tiny rune appears beneath each of them, and the steel balls visibly heat up to their melting point. It seems Toriel trapped the stairs with magic as she ascended them to keep him here by force. He investigates the other doorways around the room, one leading to a dead end, and the one Toriel came through, which is locked. The wall next to this door, however, is visibly crumbling, with a massive crack running across it from the floor to the ceiling. Ignoring Toriel's disapproval towards his first time breaking down a wall, Varik swings his sledgehammer and do it again. The wall falls even easier than before, and he sprints through the opening, not wanting to risk an even angrier goat woman catching up with him from the stairwell. The hallway before him is full of husks, and he pushes himself through the horde, carving up the creatures with his blade.

Varik continues blitzing through the labyrinth, finding more treasure chests with varying contents from the useful to the diabolical. He opens one and find himself with an arrow lodged in the chest plate of his armor. Pulling it out, he uses it to prop open the lid of the chest to prevent it from firing again; inspecting the contents, he finds a pristine rapier lying within, wrapped in a velvet cloth. His recently purchased short sword already beginning to wear, he eagerly takes the blade out of the chest, cloth and all, and slide it into his scabbard, placing the cloth in his knapsack. He finds another stairwell leading further upward into the Ruins; checking a small hand drawn map he's begun keeping, Varik believes that this stairwell moves in the direction of the tower. Optimistic to his chances, he ascends.

As he reaches the top of the stairwell, Varik finds himself in a large room with a cleanly wooden floor, and wallpaper instead of brick. As he steps in past the doorway, a smell like that of a fresh-baked buttery pastry fills his nostrils. The interior of this area seems like that of a common home, complete with furniture, a fireplace, and what looks to be a kitchen from beyond one of the doors. He steps lightly as he continues inside, walking down one of the hospitable hallways, which leads to a few doors, and a mirror placed between them. Inspecting the mirror, Varik sees his reflection clearly, his eyes still hidden behind his long, dark auburn bangs, the contours of his face stained with dirt, and his armor bearing various scorch marks from the battles he's engaged in on his way up here. Varik moves towards one of the doors, reaching out to open it, when he hears a familiar voice from the other side of the home.

Toriel: "I know you're here, bounty hunter. There's no need to avoid me."

Toriel: "Come to the kitchen, please. You'll have no difficulty finding it."

Varik holds off on entering the room, and follows Toriel's voice. Passing through a living room, and stepping into the kitchen, he finds her standing over a stove, wearing glasses and with her hood dropped, revealing the extent of her goat-like features with two white, floppy ears. Up close, he sees a scar running up the side of her face, stopping just underneath her eye. It looks like she was slashed with a weapon long ago, and the mark never faded. On the inert stove rests a pie, fresh out of the oven and cooling. She seems rather calm compared to the last time he saw her; he suspects premeditation, but he decides to play along for the time.

Toriel: "It's quite a perilous environment, is it not?"

Toriel: "I've wandered these RUINS for so long, sometimes I make my rounds without opening my eyes."

Toriel: "It can become lonely at times, sure, but I've found security in the assurance that nothing surprising will upset the routine I have here. The few monsters who are here are company enough for me."

Toriel: "But I can't control what fate throws my way."

Toriel picks ups the pie with oven mitts, and places it on the counter next to the stove.

Toriel: "It's not your fault that you fell down here. I doubt any human would come here of their own volition."

She uses a blunted knife to take a slice out of the pie, and places it on a plate. She turns to Varik.

Toriel: "So, I apologize for being cold. You'll be here for quite some time, and there's no need to be hostile about it."

Her eyes fall onto the rapier in his scabbard. Varik swears he sees her eye twitch as she does so. She extends the plate towards him with a smile on her face.

Toriel: "Let's give it a fresh start, then. This is my own recipe. I've spent ages perfecting it, but I've never had a human try it before. Tell me what you think!"

Varik takes the slice of pie. Warning bells are going off in his head as he examines the dish. While he is quite hungry, he can't help but feel that Toriel's attitude towards him has only worsened the longer he's remained in the Ruins, and this pie could be very much the thing that ends him. However, he also considers that if she truly intended to kill him, she would have done so with magic already. Even if this pie is detrimental, he doubts it'll be fatal. Steeling himself with questionable bravery, Varik picks up the pie, and takes a bite out of it. It's quite sweet, with a mix of butterscotch and cinnamon flavoring. Toriel looks pleased as he continues to enjoy the delicacy. Then, all at once, his hesitancy is vindicated. He feels his tongue go numb, then his face, then his limbs, and her daintily fall over onto the floor. Before his tongue falls asleep, Varik recognizes another taste, one resembling escargot, with an acidic tang to it. Toriel catches him by the arm before he hits the floor, and as he drifts off, he sees her expression. It's not one of malice or even smug pride. Instead, she seems oddly concerned, despite her actions. Varik blacks out on the kitchen floor.

Varik awakens on the floor of another room in the Ruins, back to the same stone walls he's spent so much time trying to escape. He feels well rested, but sluggish, and he's racked by a pang of anxiety when he realizes all his possessions are gone, save for his armor. He's resting on top of the velvet cloth he recovered with the rapier; it seems to be the one other thing Toriel left for him. There is a door on the opposite side of the room. Getting up to go open it, Varik finds that it's locked. He pushes against the walls of the room, looking for a way out, but has no luck in doing so. He picks up the cloth and wrap it up, trying to figure out what he'll do next. A strange mannequin stands in the corner by the door; he can't think of any way he'd use it to escape in his current situation. As he looks around the room for any kind of weakness or method of escape, Varik spies a small hole in the wall, not big enough for him to reach any of his fingers in. He can't decide what he would do with this opening, so he looks elsewhere.

Varik sees something scurrying along the wall. It's another spider, flitting from spot to spot with no apparent destination. Looking at the pattern the spider is moving in, he recognizes it as creating the shape of the letter "V". Varik ponders on its meaning, until he correlates the letter with the material of his one possession, the velvet cloth. He extends the cloth towards the spider, who lands on it and begins picking at a loose thread. The spider begins unravelling the thread, and jumps down into the hole, taking the thread with it. Some time passes, and Varik suddenly feels a shift in the weight on the other end of the thread through the hole. He gently pulls it back through to him, and find an absurdly small key tied to the end of the thread. Looking over at the door to his little cell, he spots an absurdly small keyhole right in the center of the door. Inserting the key and turning it, the door shoots open, rising so fast that it snaps the key in two as it enters the ceiling. Varik ducks and rolls out of the cell before the door is pulled back down by gravity, locking once more. In the process, he accidentally bumps the mannequin, causing it to topple into the doorway. As the door slams shut, the mannequin is bisected by the force, cotton spreading all over the ground. Varik has escaped, but now he's unarmed.

The paths before Varik in the Ruins don't follow any of the routes he's pushed through on his first time through, indicating that he's in a new area. He doesn't waste any time in opening more doors, determined to find his way back up to Toriel's home to confront her properly. As soon as he steps through a door, however, he once again falls into a pit. Sheepishly, he pulls himself out, only to flop onto another fake floor, falling into another pit. Varik pulls himself out again, this time landing on firm ground, and lies on his side, waiting for the pain to go away on its own as he rests. It seems like the time passes very quickly, and his ankles are in walking condition once again. With a newfound hatred of large holes, Varik slowly makes his way across the room, and through another door. Standing before him is another hostile form: the voluptuous and deathly serious Dela Delon. She smirks as he walks through the door.

Dela: "Aha! I've found you, Varik, and without so much as a dagger in your grasp!"

Dela: "Truly, the heavens are no longer looking upon you with fortune."

Dela: "Do not think our circumstances here have adjusted my intentions. Your life is still mine to take!"

She produces a spell book with the icon of a raging fire on the cover.

Dela: "I have you now!"

She takes a step towards Varik, opening the book and preparing to perform an incantation. However, the floor before her is yet another pit, and she falls in.

Dela: "Gah!"

The spell book falls out of her grasp and lands at the edge of the pit; Varik steps forward and picks it up. The spell Dela intended to use seems remarkably simple in its instructions. While it's been a while since he's used magic, Varik is certain this is within his capabilities. Dela pulls herself out of the pit, and up onto the side of it she was standing on beforehand. He's seen her perform remarkable feats of acrobatic ability and strength like this before; she's no enemy to underestimate. A blank look forms on her face as she realizes he's holding the spell book, and she begins to back away. Looking at the instructions in the spell book, Varik extends his hand and mimics the diagrams within, aiming towards Dela's feet. A fireball erupts from his hand, traveling forth and scorching the grass in from of her. She grits her teeth and runs away; Varik decides to go on the offensive, jumping over the pit and pursuing her.

While she's swifter than himself, Dela fails to close any of the doors behind her as she retreats, and he follows the path laid before him by her split-second decisions on where to go. He hears a few magical blasts ahead of him, and he charges forward through the next door. Varik sees Dela looking back at him, daggers in her eyes, as she finally shuts a door behind her. He's now standing in a room full of disassembled skeleton piles. He is ready for what happens next; the skeletons reconstitute themselves, rusted and broken weapons at the ready, and assail him. Using his new spell book, Varik propels fiery projectiles at each of the skeletons, eradicating them permanently. As he turns to deal with the last skeleton, he feels an overwhelming sense of enervation as he repeat the incantation once again. It seems he's pushed the extent of his body's ability to wield magic as far as it can go for a time, while the skeleton bares down on him. Varik tosses the book at the skeleton, striking it in the chest to stumble it, then clenches his fist and punches the creature, over and over again, his fingerless leather gloves ripping as shards of bone splinter off with each strike. The adrenaline takes over, and he ignores the pain as he indulges himself in the bare-handed carnage; Varik keeps striking the skeleton as it falls to the ground. He grows tired of it, however, and the adrenaline subsides, his now stinging, gloved hands bleeding as he stands over the shattered pile of bone and marrow. He walks over to the spell book, pick it up, and with a feeling of replenished magical energy, casts another fireball to finish of the husk completely. He takes a moment to calm himself, and continues onward.

With the spell book at his side, Varik gradually finds his way back through the Ruins, reaching the staircase leading back up to Toriel's home once again. He cautiously ascends the steps once more, scanning the domestic environment as he enters the home. A small frog creature, with what seems to be another, smaller creature clinging to its chest, stands beneath it. It speaks to him as he walks around the house.

Froggit: "Ribbit. (Ah, another human. Truly, things are changing faster than any of us down here would expect them to.)"

Froggit: "(It seems like you have a chip on your shoulder. Do you have a quarrel with the caretaker?)"

Froggit: "(She's not as cold as she may seem. On occasion, she even allows those like us to dwell in her home when the RUINS grow too cold.)"

Froggit: "(Her home's staircase is enchanted; husks cannot navigate it. She offers the most security to those who live here, and we all admire her for it.)"

Froggit: "(But you seem…driven. I won't stand in your way.) Ribbit."

The frog monster has an aura of liveliness not expressed by the husks in the labyrinth. They're distinct, like a person; they are most certainly the kind of company Toriel referred to before. While the frog keeps its eyes on Varik, it remains true to its word, not making any movements to impede him as he walks through the house. He returns to the hallway with the mirror in it and goes to enter the door he'd meant to on his first visit. The knob turns, and he steps inside. He finds himself in a bedroom, constructed for a single person, with a single bed on which rests the rapier he recovered earlier. His knapsack is propped up against the bed; inspecting the contents, his short swords and sledgehammer are gone, but his shield, scabbard, pouch of gold, remaining health potion and bag of steel balls are present. He wonders why Toriel would keep the rapier if she discarded the other weaponry. Picking up the blade and inspecting it, He notices an engraving on the guard he didn't see before: a cursive "A", colored green. He recovers his scabbard from his belongings and sheathe the rapier once more.

Looking around the bedroom, Varik ascertains that in its current state, it likely hasn't been used in quite some time. Books of varying size, covering topics from fantastical stories to do-it-yourself construction projects, line a bookshelf made of polished wood. A dark leather jacket, sleeves embroidered with yellow stripes and that same rune Toriel wears on her robe stitched on each shoulder, is draped over a chair in front of a desk. The desk is covered with old ink stains; opening a drawer built into the desk reveals piles of what appear to be design drawings for blades, with outlandishly exotic designs Varik has never seen in anything he's wielded. One drawing catches his eye, an image of a traditional longsword with an exotic guard and hilt, covered in bluish spikes with yellow decorations of dragons, and one massive spike on the pommel. Examining the drawing further, he finds multiple references to the blade being depicted as the "Planet Buster" and what he can gleam from these notes indicates that it's not a creation of the illustrator, but a preexisting weapon of human origin. Whoever created this seems to revere the weapon, in such a way that certainly doesn't line up with what he's seen of Toriel.

Varik returns his attention to the leather jacket. Despite its casual appearance, the leather is remarkably well tanned, almost impossibly so. Dragging his fingernail across its surface, pressing into it, not a single mark is left on the material, and it feels like his own nail has been worked down afterward. Inspecting his own dinged-up armor, it actually feels weaker in comparison. In a moment of ego, Varik takes off his battered armor and put on the jacket; it fits him very well, and as he takes a couple practice swings with the rapier, he finds that it provides excellent maneuverability, and the remarkably tough leather makes him feel just as protected as before. He decides he's spent long enough in here. Gathering his belongings, save for the abandoned armor, and heading for the door, Varik hears multiple footsteps running throughout the home and up a flight of stairs. He waits until they pass by completely before stepping out. Investigating where the footsteps trailed off to, He finds a stairwell leading upwards towards an area above the home. He readies his shield and begins moving up the stairs, leaving the rest of the Ruins and Toriel's home behind.

As he ascends the stairs, it becomes dimmer and dimmer as Varik leaves the lighting of the home behind. Only the occasional candle lights his way as he climbs higher and higher. Eventually, the walls next to the stairs stop, and he finds himself with a clear view of the entirety of the Ruins. The massive complex of old, stone walls stretches as far as he can see in every direction, the darkness of the void above them resembling a starless night sky. No matter how hard he looks, Varik can't see any ceiling, but he does see the Tower, directly connected to the stairs he's traveling up now. He feels determined to rise to the highest point these stairs will carry him, and then further beyond that. The amount of ground he's covered and retread to get here has built up his preparedness for whatever comes next; he marches up the stairs, two steps at a time, as the Ruins becomes less and less distinct, far beneath him.

Varik reaches the top the stairs and finds himself in a darkened chamber. Ahead of him, standing a massive archway made of carved marble, is Toriel. She faces away from him, hood down, breathing heavily, the digits on her paws clawed up with patches of fur seemingly singed away. An uncomfortable silence settles over the chamber as she steadies her breathing, and she slowly turns around. Her irises fluctuate as she examines Varik's new attire, and her expression is even more vicious than what he's seen before.

Toriel: "That other human…she kept saying the name 'Varik.'"

Toriel: "That's you, isn't it?"

Toriel: "Tell me, Varik."

Toriel: "What kind of person are you to take my possessions and approach me, wearing them as if you've always owned them?"

Toriel's brow furrows and she clenches her fists.

Toriel: "As awful as it may be to say, I did hope that you'd be lost to the RUINS."

Toriel: "That'd you give up and let the husks claim you, so I could return to my routine."

Toriel: "I didn't hate you, but I was wary. I'd thought you didn't deserve death."

Toriel: "There's no way for you to get back to the surface. When you didn't give up, I knew you'd try to escape. And your callous behavior in doing so has been unacceptable."

Toriel: "I never supported ASGORE's foolish war against humanity. He was driven by ego and a misplaced sense of purpose."

Toriel: "But I saw what humans did to us as well…his actions do not exonerate humanity for their cruelty to my people."

Toriel: "I know what people like you are capable of, Varik. I'll already have to pursue that young woman and ascertain her nature. But you…"

Toriel: "She called you a murderer. And I believe her."

Toriel: "Your lack of hesitation in destroying the RUINS. Your indifference to combat, even only against husks. This is just the beginning of what you'll do. I've seen it before."

Toriel extends her arms to her sides. Palms open, she creates two fireballs.

Toriel: "If you get past me, you'll start down a path to eradicate monsterkind for the sake of your own freedom. I won't allow that."

Toriel: "Not again."

Toriel attacks, sending a storm of fireballs towards Varik. He manages to block a few with his shield, but others reach him, scorching his skin and hair. He notices that the ones that strike the jacket seem to evaporate on impact, leaving no injury or marks behind. Lifting his shoulder along with his shield to block more of the attack, he lunges forward, drawing the rapier from his scabbard and swiping it at Toriel, slashing her robe and striking her. She winces and steps out of the way, his follow-up thrust whiffing as she creates another wall of fire to send at him. The struggle between Varik and Toriel is grand, as he dodges around her attacks, blocking what he can, trying to get in close and land as many precise strikes as he's able to. He keeps up the assault, intending to out-endure Toriel, his years of combat experience lending well to his efforts. Varik thrusts his rapier once more, deliberately aiming for the area above Toriel's right shoulder to fake her out. She falls for it, overcompensating her dodge, and moving close enough for him to follow up with a kick to her left hip, breaking her stance and making her balance uneven. He completes the combo with a thrust of his rapier, striking her in the chest, creating a tear not just in her clothing, but seemingly in her form itself, not so much a cut or gash as just a separation. It looks like she doesn't bleed as humans do. Toriel, at her limit, falls to her knees, gripping at her chest, wheezing with each breath.

Toriel: "A .. ASR-"

Toriel: "Varik."

She keeps talking, her eyes closed, her movement becoming shakier.

Toriel: "I've…failed."

Toriel: "Again, I've failed to protect my people."

Toriel: "Such a poor excuse for a queen."

Toriel: "Perhaps I deserve this."

Toriel is at her weakest point. A single strike would be all it takes to finish her off completely. Varik stands above her, battered, but alive. He grips the rapier tight in his hand. A moment passes, neither of them moving, or saying anything. He takes a step towards Toriel, then another. Then he takes a step around her. Without looking back, he continues to the archway, passing through it into the darkness beyond. He hears the light shifting of clothing behind him as he continues on; he doesn't look back to see if she's okay or not. As he keeps going, he's never confronted by footsteps chasing after him; it seems he's "won" this fight.

In the darkness, Varik loses all sense of where he's headed and where the walls are. Unfettered, he presses forward, taking step after step in search of whatever comes next. Eventually, his eyes, now adjusted to the dark, pick up a faint outline of a half-circle directly ahead of him. He extends his hand outward as he approaches it, reaching a solid surface with the texture of wood. Varik pushes forward and light rushes into the passageway, and he raises his hand to shield his eyes as he adjusts to the illumination. He lowers his hand, and gazes upon the new environment in front of him as he steps through the door completely. He's certainly in the Tower now, and it's a lot snowier than he expected.

Go to /works/33610717/chapters/83520841 on AO3 to read the fic in it's entirety! Thank you and have a great day! ~ W.T.L