VOXISTALE: Season 1

by TheOneTrueComic

Once upon a time… A human fell underground. Beneath the surface, they made friends. Made enemies. Made mistakes. Made things right. After a long time, the human decided to stay, calling the underground home. The monsters, her family. One day, the underground was destroyed, but the monsters were able to escape, thanks to the human. For years, they have lived on the surface.

20. Daybreak: Part 2

Frisk could feel her gut tightening in anticipation. Chara knew why, had already been poking at her about it. The simple idea of having this little loophole around 'not killing'. Frisk could deal the damage, and the others, especially Mettaton, could take the lives. Mettaton wasn't afraid to kill, never had been, so that could be used to their advantage. Some of the lieutenants, like Ember, had a chance at redemption. Magnum, Mosu, and Truck were proof of that. But these leaders?

They'd fight to their dying breath. So die they would. Three leaders were on the agenda, but so was saving some captured individuals who hopefully weren't dead yet. Terrence, Grillby, Greg's team, and to figure out what the hell Greg himself was doing as well.

They navigated through the snow, and in no time the tall form of Obatech Industries could be seen. Frisk shivered, hugging herself. The jacket she wore wasn't really doing much, so maybe the HQ would be warm inside, make for some less unbearable battles.

"Where's the entrance at!?" Frisk asked slash yelled as the snow blew sideways at them. She looked toward Magnum, whose pink hair was basically white, not to mention her eyebrows were pretty covered in snow as well. Frisk probably looked much the same.

"Plain sight!" Magnum replied. "Mettaton, remember that base you and Papyrus infiltrated!?"

"Hard to forget, darling," Mettaton replied, voice light as he simply amplified his volume.

"Same idea; the elevator works the same! Open the panel and select the only option, it'll take you down to the lobby!"

Frisk felt that was a pretty lame thing, and probably not useful for the Messiah HQ, but Obatech Industries did seem to have a lot more elevators than necessary. Maybe that was the compensation for quick travel between HQ and the surface.

As they reached the large glass doors that led inside, they were opened by a figure in a heavy rain coat, holding a police cap to his scalp, squinting at them.

"You're just in time!" he yelled. Frisk blinked, momentarily confused, before she recognized who this was. Carl Stanton, the officer she herself had earlier mentioned. After helping everyone evacuate about two days ago, he'd disappeared. Possibly Gerson's work, if she was being honest with herself. That old turtle liked to think ahead.

"Officer Stanton!?" Frisk called, looking for confirmation. He waved them inside in response.

"We'll talk inside, the main building's lobby is empty!" Carl assured.

Even though she knew they were about to head into the most dangerous battle of their lives, Frisk felt a great deal of relief the moment she stepped into the building, the teeth-chattering cold replaced by a temperature that at least felt pretty warm by comparison. Carl Stanton had a very grim expression on his face, watching as the group recovered from their trudge through the snow.

"It's no secret that the Messiah has had a firm grip on the entire city," Carl informed them as he stared on, his arms folded over his chest. "Undyne might've been the only officer who didn't know about the, uh… 'bribes' our chief took from them. The higher-ups of the news stations are always getting paid off too. And the Messiah get away with it because nobody can stop them," he said, before pausing. "At least… until now. Not sure how, but you've pushed them. Hard," he directed his attention to Frisk.

"I know it's risky," she admitted, "but something has to be done, right?"

"Of course. But once you go forward, Frisk, know that there's no going back. If you are to succeed, it might be the biggest step toward freedom and safety this city has ever seen. If you don't… then I'll do everything in my power to evacuate everyone. After being cornered by your rebellion, there's no telling how dangerous the Messiah has become."

"… You're a good cop, Officer Stanton," Frisk told him. "Thank you. I'm glad you were Undyne's partner."

"I do what I can," Carl smiled, which looked a bit goofy in contrast to the speech he just gave, especially with the bits of snow in his unkempt beard. "I sent some of my good men to help out Gerson, so he should be showing up soon enough. Good luck, Frisk. Good luck to all of you."

Frisk led the approach toward the elevators, feeling a certain kind of gravity with each step. Things had built up to this, and she could recall the same feeling befalling her as she began to ascend the steps in the castle, nearing Asgore's throne room, somebody she used to fear. Now, he was her father.

The ending to this story tonight, however, wouldn't be like that. Nor would it end in any other way she'd seen before. People would die on both sides, but she'd be sure to put herself in harm's way before any of her friend's lives were claimed.

"No way." Magnum scoffed from beside Frisk, who re-focused her attention. One of the elevator doors had just opened, and standing there holding it open was a face Frisk herself hadn't seen much of, but she recognized him as one of the Messiah lieutenants who'd turned tail and ran.

"Please," he spoke, eyes appearing as tired as though he'd joke woken up, "don't pull out a harmonica." Magnum responded by throwing her arms around him tightly, earning a hint of a smile from the man as he patted her back. "Yeah, yeah, I'm back. Let's not get too sentimental. I wouldn't even know about this if that turtle hadn't told me."

"Raptor," Frisk said, both as a statement and as a greeting. Even though she didn't really know him, she definitely respected him. He'd been put through a great deal, and the fact that he'd still shown up here today meant quite a lot.

"Hey," he responded, giving her a nod. "You're doing a good thing, kid, with the whole rebellion. Let's keep it going strong." Frisk couldn't agree more. The arrival of this new ally gave her a bit more confidence. Power in numbers, after all, right?

Magnum, on the other hand, seemed overjoyed. He was pretty much the only friend she had from the Messiah that had defected alongside her. It was comforting to have someone she'd known a long time in their corner. Everyone quickly entered the elevator alongside the man, including the still-silent Fuku, but even she had a look of determination on her face. Maybe her dad would be here.

The elevator doors closed.

It was kind of cramped in here.

"So... you fought Undyne twice, didn't you?" Mettaton spoke to Raptor as Magnum opened the panel to the buttons to lower them to the correct floor. Raptor glanced toward the robot, offering a nod.

"When I was still with the Messiah," he stated.

"Twice?" Frisk asked. "I thought that time she captured you was the only time."

"I was uh... sent to your place that night," Raptor replied, "to collect some stuff. Maybe I just didn't notice a little flash drive sitting inside that hole your mother stashed her intel in."

Frisk stared at him for a moment, somewhat conflicted. He was the one who'd snuck up on Asgore and Undyne and messed them both up- and he was admitting to have intentionally left behind that flash drive Asgore had found?

The whole situation had been messed up but... if that were true, a lot more people might have died if Raptor had grabbed that one, small piece of equipment too.

"You're good at getting the jump on people," Frisk noted. "Which of the leaders are you most interested in bringing down?"

While he'd spoken, Raptor had stared forward, but at this, he locked eyes with Frisk. "The Russian," he replied without hesitation. "All I need is to get close. Last I heard he got pretty messed up by Undyne, and she basically bodied both myself and Warmth. She spared me. Nikolai turned me into this. He killed her," he held up his hand, showing off the deadly talons of his fingers. "I've got plenty of motivation to cut him down."

"He was the one who allowed those scientists to…" Frisk's voice quickly trailed off as she realized that it wasn't the greatest topic to bring up to someone who she'd technically just met.

"Let's not give scientists a bad name by lumping those guys in with them," Raptor huffed, but he didn't really seem to mind Frisk's words. "Nikolai's a skilled torturer, so maybe it's just natural that he oversaw that project. The guy's heartless, at least he tries his damn best to be- unless you're his crazy ass protégé."

"He'll be all yours then," Frisk assured him. Raptor seemed satisfied by that answer. Hopefully he'd actually be able to handle the Russian- the guy was both an unstoppable force and an immovable object, after all.

With a ding, the elevator doors slid open, freeing them from the cramped chambers, allowing them to enter the lobby. It was spacious and almost seemed like a regular room, but something was off, it was silent… way too silent, paired up with the fact that this was where the Messiah operated from.

"Kind of nostalgic," Magnum nudged Raptor. "But like, in a really shit way, y'know?"

This earned a small nod from the man. "You can say that again."

"First thing's first; freeing our friends," Frisk stated.

"Right, just this way." Magnum nodded, pointing down the stairs that led to what seemed to be a hallway of sorts, a pair of double doors before them. "This leads to the mess hall, but to our left are... a lot of other things." Magnum continued as she took the lead, heading down the stairs and moving left down the hall.

The hall split off here or there, and Frisk was quickly beginning to lose track of this place, feeling very thankful she had two ex-Lieutenants here to guide her. She felt a worry pricking the back of her mind at the emptiness of this place. Not very many grunts had been encountered earlier that night, and she'd been assuming they'd face an army down here. After all, she'd seen their vast numbers not that long ago at the Kingdom of Hopes. Something wasn't adding up…

After about a couple minutes, Magnum came to a stop. "Just past this right is the detention hall, and uh... well, we might want to be prepared. It's one of Krashna's favorite hangouts since he became a leader, and considering he got his butt kicked by your friends the other night, he's probably not willing to toy with us much if he's there."

"Yeesh. That's not good to hear," Raptor blinked. "Don't think that little punk's ever actually had anyone swing back at him before and live. He's probably pissed."

"Yeah. Even the old Krashna wouldn't have taken too kindly to that. The new one… well, my expectations are pretty high."

"We can handle him," Frisk assured the two. She didn't want to sound cocky or anything, but she wasn't about to let some kid shake her confidence like that. Maybe he was strong, but it was unlikely he had quite as much experience as her.

"Is everyone ready, then?" Mettaton approached the doors, maybe even as eager as Frisk to get this one underway. With no objections, he pushed the doors open, and was quickly greeted with a sight that made Frisk's blood run cold, colder and colder the further she processed it.

On each side of the room sat rows upon rows of steel cells, most of them empty… but a few of them were occupied. Papyrus and Lesser Dog had been placed in the same cell, the latter collapsed on top of the former's body, which had taken its share of damage. Truck, meanwhile, was on his back in a massive pool of blood, his chest rising and falling very slowly- but all of them were alive, and that was what mattered. What was more alarming was the fact that all three of them had a large object hovering just above their heads, steel anvils in fact. The only thing keeping them from crushing the victim's skulls was a few small platforms of golden magic.

And that brought Frisk's focus to the opposite end of the room- there were three connected balconies. Gregory was standing at the left one, the palest Frisk had ever seen him, and on the right was an older woman who bore great resemblance to him. In the center was none other than Krashna, his golden, cat-like eyes flickering through the darkness. His expression was one twisted by hunger for bloodshed, obviously taking an immense amount of satisfaction in this.

The cherry on top of the sundae was the fact that several Messiah grunts stood on each side of the room, guarding the steel cells from any intruders.

"You took too long. I almost got bored and killed them all," Krashna called to the group, spreading his arms. "Welcome to Messiah HQ, rebels! This is as far as you'll go, unfortunately, but we appreciate your visit greatly," he leaned against the rails, his grin stretching from ear to ear. "I'm afraid Mr. Obaseki is just too busy to see you at the moment. Too bad. Hey Frisk, if you leave quickly I'll send you some of your boyfriend's remains, deal?"

"Greg," Frisk called. The boy flinched slightly at his own name, but tried to appear as though it hadn't phased him. "What are you doing?" the girl asked.

"YOU'RE TALKING TO ME!" Krashna screamed, slamming his fists against the rails, the golden magic wavering over the three trapped individuals, threatening to release the anvils on them.

Krashna clearly didn't like being ignored like that, and glared down at Frisk for a moment longer before he stepped away from the rail, running a hand through his hair as though to straighten it.

"Our dear, mutual friend, Gregory..." he spoke, intentionally calmer than before, "turns out he had brains after all, was playing double agent the whole time. He'll still get his reward for hitting me in the head with a baseball bat..." at the last few words, Krashna's words were spoken through his teeth like a hiss, but as before, he regained his composure. "I even had his old lady here to kill just to prove a point, but nope! Messiah runs in his veins. My protégé, it seems, wasn't such a bad choice after all. But you guys?" he laughed. "You guys? Raptor? Magnum, specifically..." his smile switched into a scowl as quick as a blink. "Traitors," he spat. "I always knew you were trash, Trinity, but now I see we should have put you with the compost. All you did was rot this place with your stench. And the bird brain? You're an ungrateful swine. After everything Nikolai did to make you better than ever, and you choose this?"

His grin was back as he laughed, throwing his head back for effect. Frisk shared another look with Gregory, who shook his head at her. That was all she needed to know.

"Well, there's at least one good thing coming out of this, I guess," the boy yawned, clasping a hand over his mouth, his golden magic intentionally wavering as though about to fail, teasing at the lives he held in his hands. "This whole business is about to end. Your rebellion is over, and I, Krashna! I will crush you once and for all!"

Frisk felt the rumble before anyone else, save for Mettaton. Instinctually, she slid backwards as golden tendrils erupted from the earth, swinging wildly and trying to curl around victims. It was successful at grasping onto Raptor, Magnum, and Fuku, proceeding to yank them halfway into the earth like corkscrews with a spin as Krashna cackled.

Mettaton, with his precognition tech, had detected the incoming attack just as Frisk had, leaving the both of them as the only able combatants for the moment.

The two free tendrils waved in the air, swaying from side to side like cobras, ready to strike in the blink of an eye. The Messiah grunts all had raised their weapons as well, ready to fire on demand. Frisk spared a glance toward Greg once again, who shook his head a second time. Defense it was.

A shield manifested on Frisk's wrist, large enough to cover almost her entire form as Mettaton raised his gum-arm, which clicked and whirred, forming into its own metallic shield, though smaller than Frisk's.

"What's our plan, darling?" he asked.

"Keep the kid busy," Frisk replied, "we can't risk him harming the others. Free Magnum first, if we can."

Magnum and her portal magic would be outstanding in this scenario. If left uninterrupted, Magnum could get each of their friends out of harm's way, then the real work could begin.

"Oh Friiisk," Krashna called from the balcony, mocking her with every word like Witch had as the detention hall was swarmed with golden tendrils, attempting to ensnare her and Mettaton just as they'd ensnared everyone else. "You think you can keep up with me? You're nothing. And neither are you, scrap metal," he taunted the mechanical monster as well, his words laced with unrelenting malice.

Frisk's heart dropped as the anvil above Truck's head was suddenly released from Krashna's magic, falling down toward his head… only to be recaptured when the golden platformed reappeared a moment later. He was toying with her, trying to distract her, and it was working. Frisk shook her head; she had to keep him busy, not the other way around.

A spherical shield appeared all around her body as the grunts surrounding them opened fire. The bullets didn't have too much effect on Mettaton as he crossed his arms in front of him, and they didn't come close to breaking Frisk's shield. Krashna's magic on the other hand…

The tendril ripped its way out of the ground right in front of her, slamming down against the shield, seemingly having no effect. Frisk felt good about her defense, until the tendril rose back into the air, lifting her shield up with it- along with her inside, too. Krashna moved the tendril backwards, before tossing Frisk straight into the nearest wall, her body being thrown against the back of her shield. She huffed, shaking her dizzy head, feeling like a hamster in a ball that'd been kicked down the stairs.

Holding onto the back of her head, she wasted no time rising back up to her feet. The goal was simple; free Magnum, she couldn't afford these distractions.

Dissipating her shield for a moment, Frisk regained her bearings before forming another basic barrier as Mettaton was pummeled by strikes from a multitude of tendrils, pushing him back with rapid hits, metal slightly denting with each one.

Her shield deflected more bullets as the goons tried to get a quick kill during her brief moment open. "Come on, kid," Frisk muttered, glaring toward Krashna, "try it again."

As tendrils erupted behind her, Frisk formed the ball shield around her again. Krashna let out a laugh, clearly expecting to get a kick out of tossing her around again, but as she allowed herself to get thrown into the air…

The spherical barrier condensed back into a shield, one with a razor's edge and she spun at the arc of her ascent, her shield tearing through a tendril intending to slap her into the wall.

A second shield formed on her other arm to block another strike, this one knocking her off course, spiraling her toward the cells.

Swiping her second shield through the air, Frisk sent it hurtling toward a tendril, cutting it in half. It didn't stop there, severing right through the first tendril and tearing apart the one holding Magnum down as Frisk landed, bringing her first barrier up to deflect more bullets.

Just like that, Magnum was free- at least for now. She seemed completely dazed and exhausted though, meaning Frisk would probably have to provide cover for her until she could recover a bit. She still wasn't at a hundred percent after her encounter at the warehouse, and deflecting all the bullets that were pounding against her shield while also avoiding being thrown like a rag doll by Krashna… and now with the added responsibility of Magnum…

Luckily, Mettaton took that responsibility out of her hands, rushing to the half-conscious woman's side and lifting her up, turning his back to the Messiah enemies to spare her from the bullets. That left Frisk to keep Krashna busy, otherwise, she didn't know what he might do. He'd even stated earlier that he'd nearly killed her friends out of boredom.

"Ugh. Why even struggle? There's no point," Krashna stared her down, a look of disgust on his face.

"Because you're going to lose," she replied matter-of-factly, even if she wasn't totally confident in that answer. Once Magnum could move those anvils, or the victims, this would all be so much easier. Frisk began to move closer toward the balconies, but just as she was reaching the halfway point of the detention center, a golden line appeared on the ground.

"If you cross that, I'll drop them. Your friends will die," Krashna said calmly, as if the topic didn't at all disturb him. "I don't want your kind anywhere near me."

Gritting her teeth, Frisk fought back the usual unsavory urges, taking a few steps back to continue deflecting more bullets, the goons taking turns to spare ammunition.

Of course... Frisk furrowed her brow, eyes darting to each grunt. Six in total, all with limited ammunition. Take away their ranged weapons and they'd be forced to enter the fray… Mettaton, of course, seemed the most likely candidate for this sort of thing, as Frisk could focus on freeing Fuku and Raptor, and Magnum could do her thing.

"Mettaton! Think you can get rid of the grunts?" Frisk asked the robot as she backed up far enough to be within speaking distance to him. "I've got Magnum," the girl assured.

"Thought you'd never ask, darling," Mettaton winked, neon wings sprouting from his back as he took off toward the grunts just as fast as the bullets they were firing. Frisk enlarged her shield to provide cover for Magnum as well, the girl now glaring daggers up at Krashna.

"Our friends, think you can get all three in one go?" Frisk asked, swiping her hand vertically, sending a burst of scarlet energy out of the barrier into an approaching tendril, tearing it apart.

"Am I the only person in this room who can get anything done?!" Krashna shouted from above, pounding his fists into the railing once again. Golden sparks rippled across the steel, steam pouring off of it.

"I can do it," Magnum confirmed to Frisk, her breathing pattern shaky as she began to work her magic. Frisk watched, very pleased as three portals appeared just below the anvils threatening her friends' lives. Magnum then rapidly lowered all three of said portals before Krashna could drop the objects, swallowing up the victims without any trouble.

Having lost all his leverage in the blink of an eye, Krashna's irritation seemed to grow to blinding levels. His eyes continued to flicker with malice, hungry for death- the death of the rebellion. But now Frisk felt more comfortable actually attacking Krashna, now that he couldn't kill three people at a moment's notice…

Bashing a tendril apart, Frisk took a step back as another slammed her way, more erupting upward to begin relentlessly pummeling her. Bullets still whizzed through the air, but that wasn't much of a problem now. Mettaton too, didn't have Papyrus' life on a line to hold him back, his shield converting back into a cannon, he took aim and began firing back.

"You're all useless!" Krashna screamed. "Useless! USELESS!" The multitude tendrils were making their presence known, trying to batter down Frisk through sheer force alone, making her knees buckle with each strike.

"Get me close," Frisk muttered. Magnum gave a nod, plunging her fists into the metal ground below- and ripping open a hole. Directly behind Krashna, something the boy hadn't yet noticed.

Before he had a chance to react, Frisk had slammed her shield against the back of his head. Krashna lurched forward, nearly falling face-first off of the platform before he regained himself, spinning to avoid another bash from Frisk. The rail was torn apart by her strike as Magnum's portal disappeared.

"Nowhere to-" Frisk began, but a burst of untethered golden energy burst from Krashna, knocking her back, the platform shaking under the force, threatening to break. "SPEC Soldiers!" Krashna roared, swiping his hand against the wall- and a panel opened up, revealing a passage behind. "Wipe them out while I dispose of the boyfriend!" he sneered toward Frisk before sprinting off.

Immediately, Frisk knew he was talking about Terrence, and this was not an enemy who seemed like he'd hesitate to kill if he meant it. She wanted to stay behind and support her friends against whoever the SPEC soldiers were, but she found herself sprinting off after Krashna automatically, her body acting on its own.

Mettaton had things handled, right? Frisk wouldn't be gone long. She just needed to take care of this brat and then she'd be back to help. She just had to make sure Terrence was alright first…

Except Krashna was fast, and as he ran he left behind golden footprints. A strange method of using magic to speed oneself up, but it was certainly working… Frisk decided that she'd apply it herself. Focusing her magic into her feet, she could feel the warmth of her own power gathering beneath her shoes, aiding her by carrying her just a little bit further with each step. Slowly but surely, she was gaining ground…

Until she went around a corner, and a wooden crate shattered against her face, having been shoved into her full-force by Krashna's magic. "You stay away from me!" he shouted from a few yards away, flicking his wrist. The entire wall behind him caved inwards, a mass of crates and other pieces of furniture being pulled from the next room over to slow Frisk down.

With a grunt, she formed a larger shield, pushing both arms out to block the attack. The thought of this brat getting to Terrence... it made her fingers tingle, itching and aching to hold onto a knife in that moment.

With a growl, she used her magic to force back the crates, even as she had to close her left eye from the blood falling into it, that box having cut open her forehead and left plenty of splinters.

Krashna was off again, sprinting down another hall. With a huff, Frisk shoved the distraction back, and sprinted after the boy once more. While she was gaining ground, it seemed he'd already reached his destination. Another platform, much larger than the catwalk he'd been on previously, and hanging from chains just past the platform over a pit that descended into darkness?

Terrence.

All he wore were his pants, cuts running all across his body, his body held up in a way that no doubt kept him from sleeping. His blonde hair stuck to his face, matted with blood as his hazy eyes stared exhaustively downward.

"I can cut these chains," Krashna grinned, tendrils sliding from the wall to wrap around one of the four chains holding Terrence up. Frisk slid to a stop, panting as she glared daggers at Krashna.

"Take one more step, and he's a dead man," the younger boy smirked.

That strategy again- Frisk despised it so much. Forcing her not to proceed any further, making her efforts remain stagnant, all the while leaving the life of someone dear to her hanging in the balance. It was a painfully effective strategy, and Frisk hated it.

"What's wrong Frisk? Does that seem unfair to you?" Krashna taunted, leaning back with a casual grin, taking his sweet time catching his breath, knowing fully well that she couldn't do a thing to stop him. "You're so disgusting. Why do people like you even bother living when you're just destined for failure? Your stupid uprising was doomed the moment it started, and thanks to you, every single person you love is going to die too. They'll join your pathetic mother, Frisk."

That struck a nerve, a blood-red knife immediately bursting to life in Frisk's hand, the blood that oozed from her several cuts seeming to glow. Her shield dissipated. She wanted to fight so badly, she wanted to punish this boy for his cruel words, but…

Terrence. Right. If she attacked now, Krashna would get exactly what he wanted. The satisfaction of killing Terrence while also being able to blame it on her… what a twisted human being he was. The feeling of dread and anger he gave her was so intense that Witch, in hindsight, was a damn picnic.

Slowly, she forced the knife to fade, leaving her completely open, something Krashna seemed to notice as his eyes lit up. "Giving up?" he asked. Frisk stared back, saying nothing. After a few seconds of silence, Krashna scoffed. "Pride. Something so worthless shouldn't have it yet here you stand, too prideful to admit defeat. I've locked you in a stalemate, Frisk. I hold both of your lives in my hand."

"I... can see why you're a leader," Frisk spoke, her strategy shifting. This made Krashna raise a brow. Terrence opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He was too weak to speak.

"Oh yeah? Do tell," Krashna sniffed, leaning casually back against the railing.

"You're weak," Frisk stated, shrugging her shoulders callously. The smirk on the boy's face twitched, but he kept up his confident facade. "You prey on the weaknesses of others because it's the only thing you can do. It's honestly pathetic..." Frisk took a step forward, a strange shadow seeming to pass over her face. "I know what power is. You couldn't even begin to comprehend it. All three of you leaders are weak, too afraid to fight for fear of losing. You couldn't even beat a group of untrained kids."

Her crimson eyes flashed ominously as she took another step forward, a coldness seeming to fall over the room. "So what makes you think you have the power to beat me?"

"Shut your mouth!" Krashna growled. "If you're so powerful, why did you have to rely on the leaders' former underling just to save your friends? If you're so powerful, how come your boyfriend is about to die and you can't do a thing about it?!" he demanded. "You're in this position because I knew every step you'd take before you took it! Because you're nothing but a predictable nuisance!"

"Do you think you're stronger than me?" Frisk asked, to which the boy just scoffed, prompting her to take another step forward. "I asked you a question. Do you think you can beat me?"

"Ugh. Don't come any closer," Krashna ordered, his face scrunching up with each step she took. "Of course I'd defeat you in battle, you dumbass! What, you need me to prove it by killing you? Because that can be arranged."

"An actual fight? Fine by me," Frisk said, satisfied that she'd been able to talk him into a fair battle… or… well, maybe. She doubted he would fight honorably, but this was moving in the direction she wanted. "And if I defeat you, I'm taking Terrence with me," she added.

"You're not in a position to make such demands," Krashna replied simply, and just like that, Frisk could feel herself rising into the air, a pillar of gold intending to crush her against the ceiling.

"I am stronger than you could ever hope to be, Frisk," Krashna's eyes lit up with bloodthirst. "My magic isn't limited to shape. It can be whatever I so please. It can become the air you breath and the very ground you walk on. Your friends may have gotten lucky against me once, but right here… right now… there is no defeating me. Die!"

While having unrestrained magic was powerful and nigh limitless, it had a very blatant disadvantage. It crumbled easily, and Frisk had some of the most powerful strikes out there.

She decided to put more weight to the way she performed this fight. She wanted to scare Krashna. To intimidate him. Talking him down wouldn't work, and playing by his rules was a gamble.

An old form came over the girl, something that would make even Sans shudder as the knife appeared, and Frisk slashed, ripping apart Krashna's tendril like a hot knife through butter.

She fell back to the ground, landing heavily. She could see a bead of sweat already lining at his temple. "You brute," he growled, "you think acting like a tank will scare me?" She didn't answer, instead slashing apart a set of two tendrils swiping her way as she walked forward. "You think you scare me!?" Krashna repeated, yelling it.

Still, she didn't respond. She could see the uncertainty in his eyes. He knew something was off here.

"Don't take another step," Krashna ordered, his eyes gleaming with anger as Frisk continued to approach him, "Or I'll turn you into even finer dust than your mother," he added.

Even in such a situation, it seemed he couldn't resist taunting her, but Frisk had no intention of listening to him anymore. She slashed with her blade, a line of red flying toward the white-haired boy, threatening to bisect him. He ducked in time to avoid it, but this gave Frisk ample time to prepare another attack. She charged toward him with a scarlet barrier in front of her, ramming straight into the boy and crushing him against the wall. If he'd been standing just a little further to the left, he'd have been thrown right into the abyss he threatened to toss Terrence down.

The barrier vanished and Frisk's dagger pressed against Krashna's neck, his eyes going wide. "You need to get away from me," he ordered.

"If you release my friend right now, I might consider not slitting your throat," Frisk whispered in response, pressing it deeper into his skin, one simple motion and he would surely be dead.

"I said GET AWAY!" his voice boomed painfully against her eardrums, making her freeze up. The feeling of a thousand arms simultaneously grappling onto her and yanking her backwards, her body flying down the hall and crushing into the wall of crates and furniture Krashna had set up earlier, splintered wood digging into her skin.

"I can't stand being around people like you," Krashna's voice hissed, the hall itself seeming to spin as every surface was cloaked in gold. "I hate you. I hate everyone like you. I don't want your kind near me! Just die already!"

No response from Frisk as she stood back up, feeling an intense stinging all over her skin, but brushed it aside for now. Her dagger remained firmly gripped in her hand, an all too familiar burning red.

Ignoring the growing pit of despair gnawing at her innards, Frisk knew her current strategy was working. Krashna seemed to have completely forgotten about Terrence, the golden tendril having abandoned its post. All she had to do was keep the kid's attention completely occupied until she could take him down.

Then there was the issue of staying in the fight herself. Frisk was aware of just how powerful she could be, but her talk of power had been somewhat of a bluff. She had experience and skill on her side, but legitimate power? Krashna's magic wasn't the type that was weak to Determination specifically, like Demon's had been, and while his magic was formless and easy to break, it was designed to be overwhelming.

'People like you' made no sense, since Frisk felt pretty confident she was just acting how most members of the Messiah would. Confident, brash, and deadly. At least she had the capabilities to back up most of what she was saying.

Extending her free hand forward, she closed it into a fist, a crimson dome materializing around her as she did this, glinting with a hard, crystalline surface.

With a scream, Krashna unleashed his full, unbridled power in a tidal wave of gold from every direction, attempting to crush Frisk through sheer ferocity and abundance.

Her shield held, however, rattling as it was pummeled by Krashna's attack. There were a few moments of an endless surge of Unity barreling down on the dome, but it prevailed, and when the dust settled, Krashna's look of shock and terror was priceless.

The dome splintered before it shattered, dissipating away into nothingness, a form of magic not many could master, something Krashna was aware of. Undoubtedly he was feeling completely out of league here, but he wasn't out of options. Recovering quickly, the boy scowled, tendrils erupting from the walls to wrap around each of the chains, beginning to constrict.

"You survived my Golden Storm," he huffed, glowering.

"Survived?" Frisk asked, cocking her head slightly. "Didn't even come close to touching me. Face it, kid, you're better off surrendering. There's nothing left for you here except echoes. The Messiah is beaten, you're just too dumb to see it."

"SHUT UP!" Krashna gripped his fists, veins practically bulging at his temple as one of the tendrils crossed the chain, before elongating to grasp Terrence's arm, who let out a strange grunt of pain, unable to do much more than that.

"I hold your boyfriend's life on the line! The cards are in MY favor and I'm laying them down! You stand there calling me dumb!? I can tell you've never so much as glanced in a mirror- oh, who am I kidding? Of course you have, you're vain and whiny! You just misunderstand the concept of them!"

The boy was getting back into a groove of sneers and insults, but before Frisk could so much as make any counters, sudden streams of water burst into the room like lasers. The pressure was hard enough for the three tendrils grasping the chains to be severed by it.

"Guess I should probably spend less time flexing in the mirror! Ehehehe!" Gerson chuckled as he stroked his chin, limping in, leaning against his wooden cane. "Then you wouldn't be hitting home so hard right now!"

"Oh, how nice," Krashna grumbled under his breath. "Even though you're a freak, you still have to rely on a geezer to stand a chance against me, isn't that right Frisk?"

Frisk knew she didn't need Gerson's help to win this… at least, she didn't think so. She was confident in her power, even if she was tapping into something she didn't like to tap into. But… his sudden appearance made her feel strange, as if she'd just woken up from the strangest dreams. She was refreshed, reminded of her goal, all of her anger setting itself aside. If she didn't go about this calmly, Terrence would still be in danger, just by her own hand instead of Krashna's. Her fighting style when she went to that place wasn't the safest.

"It's rude to talk about someone standing right in front of you, kiddo," Gerson chuckled, eyeing the boy up and down.

"Your vile species does not deserve an ounce of respect. The fact that you're even speaking to me is a sin. Now perish in the hope that you'll be reborn as someone who deserves to exist."

A large ball of golden aura began to grow in his hands, Gerson holding his arm out, motioning for Frisk to get behind him. The magic proceeded to condense into a sharp, spear-like object, but still ultimately remained shapeless as it sparked and spasmed uncontrollably. With a mighty throw, the bolt-like weapon crushed into a water barrier that was quickly manifested by Gerson, instantly turning it to a wave of steam and then dissipating across the ground.

Swiping his hands as though he were a water bender, the water conformed to Gerson's movements. "Get my boy to safety," he said calmly to Frisk, winking her way, "can ya do that for me?"

"Stop whispering to each other," Krashna rolled his eyes, raising both arms to form two more of the bolt-like weapons, launching them toward Gerson. The old turtle swept his left leg over the ground, and the water spat through the air with a mesmerizing intensity, severing the bolts in half, much to the chagrin of the Messiah leader.

Frisk blinked, staring at Gerson as he continued to calmly and fluidly wave his arms, summoning spouts of water to deflect or block Krashna's strikes, which were beginning to become more frantic and furious. She could be wrong, but the way he'd said that... it was almost as though he…

"The others need ya out there, too," Gerson grunted to her. "Get my boy and help them out!"

She was snapped from her thoughts, merely nodding to the monster's back, feeling odd. Not just from being pulled out of her earlier stupor, but at his words.

He spoke as though he wasn't expecting to live past this confrontation.

Frisk wanted to protest, because she knew Terrence would never approve of such a sacrifice. Gerson was powerful and was frighteningly sturdy for someone thousands of years of age… but, and as much as she hated to admit it, Krashna was a wildly dangerous opponent. Even with the enemy worn down by the power of Determination, Gerson would be…

Shaking her head, Frisk chose to honor his wish. It had all happened while she was busy with other things, but she was well aware that Gerson and Terrence had established a strong bond during their brief time training together. It was like Terrence had finally found the right family, one old turtle monster. No wonder Gerson was willing to put it all on the line.

Frisk had to be willing to take risks too, so she charged forward, rushing toward Krashna now that he had a new opponent to focus on. She leapt forward, soaring through the air until her knee collided with the golden boy's forehead, sending him staggering backward against the nearby wall. A red platform appeared below her, the chains around Terrence's wrists quickly being severed by her hand. Now, to get him to safety, and to help the others. Gerson had provided her with an opportunity, she had to take it.

Frisk caught her boyfriend, tugging him into a supported stance, one of his arms around her shoulder as she leveled them away. Krashna let out a strange sound, like something between a grunt of pain and a scream of frustration, swiping his hands furiously through the air to send tendrils lashing their way from every angle of the room. Gerson's clever water manipulation, however, proved to be the better fluid against Krashna's magic, severing through the tendrils as though the streams of water were sharp as knives.

"YOU CAN'T WIN!" Krashna bellowed, his own body convulsing as golden magic seemed to phase through him, congregating throughout his form like waves, his eyes burning intensely. "So stop. Running," he huffed, slashing out his arm, forming a shimmering blade to materialize in his hand, knocking back a stream from Gerson.

So it seemed his magic could withstand some force after all.

The hallway was quickly cloaked in a veil of steam as the water continued to collide with Krashna's Unity magic, which vaporized the liquid the moment contact was made. The intensity of the attacks from both sides was beginning to grow. The blade that had appeared in the young leader's hand seemed particularly dangerous, the magic within wildly sparking about.

"I don't need to win," Gerson chuckled in response, which only further ticked off his opponent.

"You're just making everyone suffer even more," Krashna spat as the entire hall began to shimmer, prompting Gerson to manifest a circular water barrier around himself. "I'll recapture that boy. I'll torture him within an inch of his life, then kill him. And you'll die right now, and never be at peace."

Hundreds of golden projectiles began to pour out of the walls, some of them having more shape than others, particularly the ones that resembled spears, while some simply remained as orbs of unfiltered power. The barrier quickly began to thin, and the barrage wasn't letting up.

"And will you be satisfied?" Gerson pondered aloud, Frisk having retreated with Terrence back where they'd come from. It was just the two of them now.

"More than that, I'll be gratified!" Krashna laughed darkly.

"Nah. You won't," was the turtle's response as he took a deep sigh, before he lowered his arms, the barrier dropping away.

The gesture was enough for Krashna to halt his barrage, glaring in confusion as Gerson scoffed in humor, then lowered himself to the floor, seating himself on his knees. He set his cane down in front of him, then smacked his lips.

"You're a good kid aimin' to please the wrong people," the turtle stated with such certainty that it was enough to keep Krashna from still striking, completely thrown off by this. "With the right hand, maybe you coulda been a symbol of hope. That SOUL you have- it means somethin'," Gerson nodded, "somethin' you never got the chance to learn. Nobody's ever too far gone, no matter what they've done. So..." with a grunt, and a sigh, Gerson closed his eyes. "Do what you will, and live with the consequences. I won't fight back. These last few weeks have already drained every bit of energy outta me."

"Didn't you listen?" Krashna grit his teeth, his eyes dimming, a wave of uncertainty washing over his face, even for just a moment. "You'll never be at peace when I'm through here."

Gerson let out a chuckle. It sounded incredibly relaxed. "I already am."

"You're annoying. You don't get to come in here and try to play mind games with me, old man, I'm a damn leader of the Messiah! I'll kill you without hesitation!"

"And yet you haven't made the killing blow," Gerson pointed out. "And before you do, I ask that you humor this old man by answering a question."

"Tch. It's a trick," Krashna huffed, his golden blade morphing forms, transitioning into another mighty spear. It sizzled against the surrounding air, charged to the maximum with force.

"No tricks here. Just one question is all," Gerson insisted. "Why do you view the world the way you do? Nobody is born hateful, young man."

"My actions are justified by the sins your people have committed against humanity, and the threat you pose. Monsters are beneath humans, they always have and they always will be. Besides, I'm doing this to protect what matters most to me."

"And that is?" Gerson raised an eyebrow.

"You asked for one question," the boy retorted, earning a hearty chuckle from the monster.

"Fair enough. Then it is time to make your decision, young man."

"It's already been made," the boy raised the spear into the air. "Not a battle, but an execution."

And thus, the projectile was sent hurtling through the air, a piercing howl of energy radiating off of it, before bitter silence filled the hall.

It was a silence that Frisk felt she could hear, as dumb as that sounded when that thought crossed her mind. Chara seemed to agree, clicking her tongue behind Frisk as she moved. Terrence was gasping for air, and to see him up close...

Her blood boiled at what she saw. That asshole back there had done this. Had broken down her boyfriend in a way she'd never believed possible. He was too weak to make any of his usual 'witty' remarks, or even say anything at all.

A thought crossed her mind in that moment, different from the first.

Once this was over... there were still other sects to deal with, right? That's what Magnum had said. That meant this chore wasn't over.

Frisk would need to shoulder off as many weaknesses as she could in order to take down the cult in full.

… that was later, she had issues to deal with now. Shaking her head to clear it, Frisk tugged Terrence along, the sounds of fighting reaching her ears. The Messiah protégés were still standing, it seemed. She'd known Greg wouldn't really turn on them, he wasn't the double agent type. That nod earlier had been all she'd needed to know his motive.

But his goal seemed contrived now, considering nothing had happened until she and the others had arrived. What had he been hoping to accomplish anyway?

Frisk supposed she could discuss it with Gregory later, assuming they both survived this ordeal. His actions didn't make a lot of sense, but Frisk had to consider that Gregory wasn't a trained fighter or anything. Maybe he'd just made a split second choice in order to avoid dying at the hands of whoever he'd been up against back at the bar.

As the sound of battle erupted against her ears, Frisk sat Terrence down against the nearest wall, her heart breaking at the way he practically went limp without support, his consciousness fading. Maybe she could afford to spare a minute in order to give him a bit of healing… but then again, if she left him here and went to help the others, Krashna could appear once more and drag her boyfriend right back to those chains. She had to get T to safety, keep her word to Gerson. While navigating through a few more Messiah lieutenants at the same time.

Frisk reappeared on the balcony Krashna had initially been standing on, and she was greeted with a sight that made her incredibly nervous. Mettaton was missing an arm, and was currently being held in place by a towering man with deep blue hair and a stare almost as cold, distant, and heartless as Ember's. Meanwhile, a second enemy attacked the machine from afar, rapidly firing off arrows of brilliant white light. They repeatedly collided with Mettaton's chest and stomach, the circuitry within him making many unpleasant noises as a result.

Where the hell was everybody else!? Frisk's eyes scanned over the room to see Raptor leaning against a wall for support, a gash in his leg. It seemed he'd just returned to his feet. The woman firing arrows had her foot on Magnum's throat, the pink-haired girl's face an unnatural shade of purple as she struggled against the boot.

Fuku was nearby in a heap, hopefully knocked out and not dead. Frisk had never actually killed her or Grillby before, so she wasn't sure how a flame elemental could perish. She was going to go with 'knocked out'. Gregory was crouched, leaning against a body- which Frisk realized was his mother's with a twist in her gut.

She didn't have much time to wonder what had happened. A glance back confirmed Krashna wasn't coming just yet, so she pulled Terrence off to the side. So long as he was out of the way, she could aid.

Relinquishing him to lean against the wall, Frisk held out her hand to brandish her knife- before she paused, her lips forming a thin line, and she pulled her arm back, a shield materializing.

"I'll be right back," she promised Terrence. With that, she hurled herself over the busted rails.

Although it pained Frisk to have to choose between which friend to help first… technically, Magnum was more at risk of actual death than Mettaton. A ghost could always get a new body, but once a human died, that was it. She raced toward the arrow-firing woman just as another beam of light was fired directly into Mettaton's stomach, his wiring completely exposed and billowing smoke unpleasantly. The large man tossed the battered body aside with little remorse, directing his attention to Frisk.

One big shove with an explosive barrier, and Frisk was able to make the woman's foot separate from Magnum's neck, forcing her to leap out of the way or be knocked to the ground. Upon realizing how powerful Frisk's magic was, even the hulking figure of the other lieutenant took a step back- walking right into a mighty slash from Raptor's claws, digging deep into the man's back and rapidly creating a pool of red on the ground.

The blue-haired fellow didn't utter a sound, instead turning to grab Raptor, both hands grappling the ex-lieutenants wrists and squeezing. Raptor grit his teeth as his hands shuddered, turning purple- and the man's face slammed against Raptor's, whose eyes rolled back as his nose spouted blood.

Frisk thrust up with her shield and a charge, jamming it into the SPEC's side with enough force to knock him aside.

"AGH!" Frisk cried, feeling a sharp pain in her shoulder, followed by a warm sensation running down her arm. The woman had fired one of her arrows at Frisk, not just scoring a hit, but a look at the wound confirmed that it had gone clean through, leaving a gaping hole. Frisk bit her cheek, accidentally drawing blood as she forced herself quickly back to her feet, eyes stinging as she summoned another shield on her good arm, blocking a second arrow.

The man took advantage of her now bad arm, thrusting a fist forward to knock her shield out of the way before striking forward with a follow-up punch. Frisk darted backward, avoiding it initially. She silently cursed herself for leaving herself open for that attack. It wouldn't happen again.

"These are the leader's protégés," Raptor informed Frisk with a grunt, his nose pouring with crimson blood as he looked over toward Magnum. Her face was slowly beginning to regain its original color, but she was still having some trouble breathing. They had to defeat these two quickly and provide her with some medical attention. In response to his words, the blue-haired man turned back toward Raptor, kneeling down slightly and grasping the smaller man tightly by the throat. Raptor began to choke, and Frisk almost intervened, but the ex-lieutenant handled it just fine, his talons wrapping around the protégés' forearm and yanking back, driving his claws into the larger man's forearm, reducing it to bloody ribbons on the exterior. The SPEC was quick to release him, shaking his forearm, but still not showing any other signs of pain, his face seeming to register mild annoyance.

"Ugh. You're yesterday's news, Draegan. Just can it and we might give you a painless death," the female SPEC suggested to Raptor, pinching her thumbs and index fingers together, before pulling her hands apart, a large arrow growing between them. Frisk attempted to run forward and bash the woman with her shield, but this was thwarted when the woman shot off a smaller arrow from her free hand, sniping Frisk right in the kneecap.

Dropping, Frisk let out a sharp cry. Above all the pain, however, she felt confusion. How in the world were these two handling them so well? Sure they had good teamwork skills, and her side was a bit exhausted, but getting their asses kicked this hard?

The same thing seemed to be crossing Mettaton's mind, who darted forward to slam his body against the man, the protégé stumbling back as the robot blasted a charged beam toward the man. The woman used her arrow to counter it, striking the beam head-on, but it wasn't quite enough. Mettaton's beam ripped through the arrow before pummeling into the man, flinging him into the far wall.

"Ravager! Get up!" the woman yelled, flicking her wrist to spawn an arrow above Mettaton that immediately shot downward, piercing through Mettaton's cannon- immediately engulfing the robot in an explosion. This was enough time for Frisk to return to her feet, fighting out the surging pain in her shoulder and knee, and darting forward to bash her shield against the woman, who pushed back against it.

"Never seen a Balance SOUL at work, have you?" she asked, her SOUL misleading her magenta-colored eyes, and to Frisk's surprise, her crimson shield seemed to be absorbed into the woman's hands as she produced another arrow, this one crimson in color.

"Huh. You brought me some tough magic. What a nice present," the woman smiled, firing off the scarlet arrow. Frisk almost immediately created another shield, but not as powerful as the one that had just been absorbed, and so it was pierced. To be struck by her own Determination was quite painful and draining, and not only that, but the projectile seemed to linger for awhile, pushing hard against Frisk's forearm and forcing her backward, pain spiraling up from her knee.

Once the red arrow finally dissipated, a flurry of white ones followed, and they were almost just as painful. Frisk could feel her magic being stolen- it was only a matter of time before another red arrow manifested, and while she could maybe take those, nobody else here could.

Then it ended.

Opening one of her eyes, Frisk stared at where the woman was to find she was clutching her throat, gurgling for breath as blood poured down her front, squeezing through her fingers as though desperate to escape her body. Behind her stood Raptor, nose still bleeding, fresh blood staining his claw. Blood not his own.

Frisk stared as the protégé gasped for air, her eyes wide, unfocused... before she collapsed, falling still as her own gore pooled beneath her. The white SOUL formed above her, lingering for a second, before it shattered, dissipating completely.

Frisk turned her gaze toward Ravager, who seemed to have been knocked out by Mettaton's attack, the man lying limp against the wall.

She let out a shuddering breath, realizing just how close a game over she couldn't come back from had been. Had they really just been fucked up by those two? It almost seemed surreal.

"…never done that before," Raptor admitted, obviously referring to the killing. He looked a bit pale as he stared at the lifeless body of the SPEC he'd just slain.

"Don't you guys have to kill someone to earn your titles?" Frisk questioned.

"Nah. You just have to do something to impress the leaders, prove that you're worthy of being 'above' other people. Most people get their title by killing someone the leaders want dead, or winning a dead pool match. I guess me surviving those experiments was enough to impress them, though."

Frisk looked all around at the bodies strewn about. "That is impressive," she admitted. "Then you've only killed for the right reasons. That's more than anyone else in your position would be able to say."

"Guess you're right," Raptor nodded. "Still doesn't feel 'right' though. Outside of all the Messiah bullshit, she wasn't a bad person. Those two really cared about each other, at least. Maybe a little too much. Guess it doesn't matter now, though."

He looked up at the balcony. "Can you walk?"

"I think so," Frisk glimpsed down at her knee. It was lucky that the woman hadn't gone for her leg using that red arrow, otherwise… yikes. That could have been the end of the rebellion right then and there, or close to it.

"Go get the blonde kid then and get him down here," Raptor suggested. "Let's try and patch him up. Trin and Mettaton, too," he looked toward the battered body of Mettaton and Magnum, who was still gasping for air.

The strikes Frisk had taken probably would have wound up killing most people. "Lesser" people, she supposed. She hated to think of it like that, but it was impossible to deny that Frisk was "superior" to most. How else was she still here after everything?

With a grunt, she pushed herself up, forcing her magic to envelop her body, spreading it out to try and cover all bases as she applied its healing properties. It wouldn't be a permanent fix, but hopefully it'd stop any bleeding, maybe seal up most of the wounds if not all. Best she could do given their situation, not to mention Krashna was probably about to pop up at any moment.

Rising unsteadily to her feet, Frisk took a moment to continue healing a little as Raptor applied his own healing magic to Magnum. Only now did Frisk see the dent in the girl's throat that popped back into place upon Raptor's healing. Despite everything that had happened to him, he still had the SOUL of Kindness and the abilities that came with it. Lucky them that he hadn't been targeted by the protégés specifically.

Mettaton was still mostly together save for that missing arm and a few strewn parts. A tube was sticking out of his gut, leaking what looked like oil, to which he paid no mind, his face betraying annoyance and dissatisfaction. Frisk gave him a nod as she approached the ladder rising to the platform, where Terrence, Greg, and Gregory's mother were.

Right. In the midst of that battle, Frisk hadn't even been thinking about Gregory's mother. What had happened to her, anyways? She'd just assumed that Greg and his mom would be alright as long as they just stayed quiet and not interfered with the Messiah's battle. Did that mean Arrow or Ravager had attacked her for some reason?

She ascended the ladder, trying not to focus on how terrible their situation was. They'd just have to make the most out of it and heal whatever damages they could… frankly, Frisk sort of wanted to keep up her current pace, even if it meant going forward alone, but that would be reckless. She was powerful, but if she did go through with battling the next two leaders alone… well, she couldn't just SAVE and LOAD anymore. Overestimating herself could lead to permanent consequences, not to mention her friends still needed her. It was her responsibility to make sure they were okay after she'd started this rebellion.

"I'm sorry,"

As Frisk had approached Gregory, a limp in her step, he'd said this aloud. His back was to her as he sat on his knees, his mother still lying limp in front of him- though she knew he was speaking to her, and not his mother.

"I thought... maybe..." he continued, his head bowed, "when Arrow and Ravager attacked us, they made an offer. Give everyone up or die. I hoped that... if I could get back on the inside I could... do something..."

Frisk listened, staring at the back of his head as he spoke. So Arrow was the woman's name. She and Ravager had been the ones that had leveled that bar from earlier. Doggo had mentioned Gregory betrayed them, so this is what the context was.

"I... was naive," the boy stated. "Everything fell apart when Krasha revealed mom. She wasn't even part of it after all, just an... informant. That's what he said, at least.

"Is she...?" Frisk asked, moving closer to get a better look at the woman. Her features were so much like Gregory's, they were almost identical save for the obvious difference of gender and age. Crimson stained her middle, ruining the magenta sweater she wore.

"She's still breathing," Gregory muttered in response. "Frisk, I've spent the last few years hating this woman, or... telling myself I did. When you went after Krashna, I tried to help the others. Hit Ravager in the back of his head but... well, you can imagine how well that worked out for me. Knocked me away and Arrow shot at me. Then..." he lifted his head slightly to look at his mother. "I thought she felt the same way for me. My mom, I mean. Then she goes and... takes the hit for me. We never said we loved each other, but... I do love my mom, Frisk."

"...I need you to get yourself, her, Terrence, and Mettaton out of here. Right to the nearest hospital," Frisk patted Greg on his back as gently as possible, her eyes scanning over Gregory's mom for a moment longer before she pulled back.

"Yeah... is it safe?" Gregory asked, clearing his throat as he wiped at his eyes with his sleeve.

"Safer than it was," Frisk replied.

Gregory was clearly in shock, but conveniently, the nearest hospital wasn't far from here. Once everyone was healed up a bit, it would be a bit more manageable of a task to get everyone there. And that would leave… just Frisk, Raptor, maybe Fuku, and Magnum, who was finally beginning to look normal again as green magic continued to do what it could to reverse the damage to her throat.

"Greg… I knew you wouldn't betray us," Frisk told him. She wasn't sure why, but maybe she just felt he should know that. They were friends, and friends looked out for each other, had faith in one another, even in situations like this one.

"Thanks, Frisk. Doggo was pretty pissed at me though," he admitted with a small smile, but he was clearly still a bit in shock and trying to mask it with a joke. Maybe Terrence was rubbing off on him a little bit.

"Let's get your mom and Terrence down there," Frisk suggested. "I'll try and seal her wound on the way."

"Right," Greg nodded, taking Frisk's hand as she offered it and rising to his feet. Frisk then began to limp her way toward Terrence, glancing toward the open door into the dark hall, fully expecting Krashna to burst through at any second, but he didn't.

She was confused by this, unsure if he was waiting to make his entrance, or if... well, there were a million possibilities, weren't there...

Then there was another issue, outside of there still being two leaders to take care of. Grillby hadn't been here, or in the room where Terrence was being held. She hadn't seen Fuku get back up yet, but considering she'd still been where she was, it was safe to say the girl wasn't dead yet.

"Hey there," Frisk spoke softly to Terrence as she bent down to wrap his arm around her neck again. He grunted in reply, offering a faint smile back, his eyes staring blankly forward, though they appeared tired despite their clear damage.

"Let's get you out of here."

Terrence very slowly opened his mouth to make an attempt to speak, but no words came out. It seemed he lacked the energy to even muster a reply. The torture he'd enduring had to have been grueling, as much as Frisk despised the mere though of it.

"Save your energy, please," Frisk asked, which was enough to make the boy cease his fruitless attempt. "I promise I'll catch you up on everything later. Once you're recovered. You really took a beating, I was worried sick," she sighed, mostly out of relief. "I'm glad you're alive."

Soon enough, Terrence, Fuku, and Gregory's mother were all lying on the ground, so that both Frisk and Raptor could be a bit more efficient with their medical aid.

"Are you gonna keep going?" Frisk asked the avian-themed man. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to face the other leaders after that."

"Not to sound edgy or anything, but I've felt pain a lot worse than what those two gave me back there. I'll be fine. Besides, I told you I'd stick around for Nikolai at the very least, and I'm a man of my word," Raptor assured her.

Frisk gave a nod to him. Mettaton stood nearby, still appearing quite annoyed, though he was silent. Magnum folded her arms from her spot beside Raptor as he continued to work his healing magic. "Where's Krashna?" she asked, eyes darting toward Frisk.

"He fled." the girl concluded, to which Magnum narrowed her eyes.

"That... doesn't feel like it checks out. You like... saw him take off?"

"He hasn't returned," Frisk replied, moving her hand over Fuku's body, projecting crimson healing magic into the girl. "Until he does, I'm assuming he fled. We still have Nikolai and your dad to deal with, we can't afford to go on a goose chase."

"Right," Magnum sighed, closing her eyes as she held her arms more tightly to her chest. "Then we should probably get moving. Greg and Mettaton are well enough to get them out of here, and everyone else is in the lobby up top."

So that's where Magnum had sent them.

There was no doubt that, as tense as things already were, they would only be getting tenser from here on out. The battle against Magnum's father was getting closer. The battle against the man who had Raptor's SOUL carved into was getting closer. The battle to relinquish the Messiah's hold over Voxis and Germany as a whole.

"Will you be okay?" Frisk asked Gregory and Mettaton, the latter of which was the first to respond with an exasperated nod. Greg's nod was much calmer in comparison.

"I'm..."

Frisk felt quite shook at the warm, almost dangerously hot, hand grabbing onto her wrist. She looked down to Fuku as the girl slowly pushed herself up with a grunt. "I'm going too."

"You took a hard hit," Frisk replied.

"Yeah, but I still don't see my dad," Fuku replied quickly, her flames burning a little brighter as she rubbed her head. "I'm not leaving this place unless it's with him," she asserted. Frisk gave a brief nod before helping Fuku to her feet.

"Then go ahead with Magnum and Raptor, you guys help get everyone back up top."

"And what about you?" Raptor asked, dried blood still caking his lips, though it had since been wiped from his nose and upper lip.

"Gerson," Frisk replied simply.

"Gerson? He showed up?" Magnum raised an eyebrow.

"He saved me. Krashna… he really knew how to get under my skin. I almost lost sight of what I was supposed to do there. If Gerson hadn't shown up… things would have gotten really ugly."

"And… he's… is he still fighting Krashna?" Magnum glanced over at Raptor, the two of them sharing a knowing look.

"He asked me to let him handle it so I could get Terrence to safety," Frisk swallowed. "I didn't want to leave him behind."

A momentary silence followed. "I don't know whether checking up on him is a good idea or not though. Not that I don't have faith in the guy, but…" Magnum frowned. "You sure, Frisk?"

"Yeah. I just have to know for sure if he's… um… you know," Frisk replied.

"And if he's not? You're facing Krashna alone," Magnum warned. "One of us should go with-"

"No. You have your jobs," Frisk shook her head, turning away. "I'll be fine."

With that, she made her way back up the ladder, Magnum sharing a look with Fuku.

Upon returning to the room, torture chamber or whatever it was, Frisk found that it was not only deathly quiet, but also empty. Her eyes scanned over her surroundings, noticing the dust hanging in the air.

It made her stomach twist in a knot. She and Gerson had never exactly been close, but they'd always held one another in high regard. Losing him was like losing a grandparent. Cringing, she tried to ignore the dust drifting about. Krashna was nowhere to be seen, but it didn't look like there was a second exit in the room…

"On your left."

Chara muttered to Frisk, who followed the advice feeling certain Chara had already said that today, gaze turning to the left side of the room. It was just a flat wall that... she blinked before narrowing her gaze. One of the panels on the wall was slightly mis-colored. Only about a shade off, easy as hell to write off and dismiss, but it was there. Another secret door? Messiah seemed to really like those, so it was pretty fitting if it was.

A blade appeared in Frisk's hand, much smaller than one she'd use for combat, almost like a scalpel. This one was just to slice through whatever material this was to see what was on the other side. Maybe a second, much worse torture chamber. Once the panel was sliced off of its resting place on the wall, a secret passage was revealed, leading to…

The building's main hallway. That was relieving, until she noticed the footprints on the ground. Golden ones, meaning Krashna had used his magic to speed up his run… magic strong enough to burn into the floor and linger there for some time. Frisk supposed she may have scared him away, which was completely fine by her. One less problem to deal with, and now she could regroup with the others. After all this… she'd make sure that nobody forgot about Gerson.

Krashna was still out there, a menace to be encountered again, but so long as victory over him was clear at his departure, it was satisfying enough... despite what was lost.

Entering the main hall, Frisk jogged back to the elevators to await the others. After only about a minute, the whirring of machinery sounded, and her three remaining compatriots reunited with her by returning through the elevators.

"Alright, two to go," Frisk greeted. "Any idea where we'll find them?"

"And my dad," Fuku interjected. Frisk hadn't meant to gloss over that, but it did make her inwardly cringe at not adding that bit as well. Really made her seem like she only cared about the fight, and not saving her friends.

She nodded. "And Grillby," Frisk agreed.

"Wasn't in the cells, so..." Raptor stroked his chin. "It's a stretch, but I used to hear other lieutenants sometimes mention how to torture different breeds of monster."

He noticed their faces.

"I didn't indulge them, of course, this was back when monsters first returned to the surface. Anyway, it was agreed that sticking a fire elemental in cold storage would be the best form of torture. It's located in the medical wing."

"And the leaders?" Frisk asked, turning her gaze toward Magnum. The pink-haired girl rubbed her arm. "Baena and Raptor mentioned something about Nikolai being hurt by Undyne, maybe he'd be in the medical wing, also guarding Grillby. As for my dad..."

Her gaze grew distant for a moment. "...the assembly hall. It's where people would meet with the leaders, or where they'd make announcements. It's symbolic for the seat of power in this sect of the Messiah. My dad's all about symbolism, so I think that's where he'd be."

"And… Do you think he's waiting for us?" Frisk asked, a question which seemed like it might remain unanswered as Magnum's gaze fell and rested on the ground for a few long, tense moments.

"My dad… he's always been the kind to wait for other people to get to him. That's how a lot of Messiah leaders are, I guess. They're considered so above everyone else that they don't usually take initiative and handle problems with their own two hands."

"So we don't have to rush this," Raptor noted. "Uh… aside from that rescue, of course," he quickly added, which made a stressed-as-all-hell Fuku calm down a bit.

Grillby was the number one priority, so to the medical wing they went. All things considered, Frisk was excited that this chapter of her life was seemingly about to end. She was so determined to mow through these leaders that her thoughts kept drifting away from the whole reason she'd started the rebellion in the first place. To save everyone. She was a pacifist at heart… that's what she was right now, and it wouldn't be changing again if she could help it.

"Follow me. Medical wing isn't too far from here if we hurry," Raptor motioned for them to get a move on.

She wished Toriel could see where she was now. How far she'd come. Things could have been a lot worse if Toriel had never gathered all that evidence. If Raptor hadn't left that drive behind. If Asgore hadn't found it. It felt like a lifetime ago when Frisk had been worried about somebody watching her from outside her window. She hadn't revisited those memories in a while, but she felt pretty confident in assuming that figure had been of the Messiah.

Everything had built to this. From rekindling her relationship with Terrence, from taking driving lessons from Undyne, from going dress shopping with Sadie, from solving ancient puzzles with Papyrus... all to this.

They passed by what seemed to be a kitchen, the hall then descending down a set of short stairs, and along another hall that split off to what looked like bunks. They came to a stop at an intersection after, the hallway splitting off to the right and also continuing forward.

"Medical wing is down here," Raptor pointed to the right. "Assembly hall is dead ahead."

The medical wing was more of a priority than the assembly hall, for obvious reasons. Fuku was already making her way to the right, and Frisk wanted to protest so they could devise a better strategy, but… well, she understood. If it were Asgore, she wouldn't be that hesitant either.

"Nikolai's not just gonna let us save Grillby," Frisk pointed out, noticing the way Fuku's flames seemed to brighten up. "We're gonna have to be smart, and-"

The walls interrupted Frisk by emitting a deep rumbling noise, and above them, the ceiling was rapidly cracking and crumbling, bits and chunks of it falling down all around them. Fuku glance downward, noticing that one of the panels of flooring she'd stepped down on had sunk down ever so slightly. A trap.

"Shit!" Raptor yelled, diving toward Fuku and pulling her out of the way as Magnum did much the same for Frisk- the other direction. The rumbling and cracks had been heralding the explosion that soon went off, forcing dust to cascade around them.

Coughing, Frisk found herself lying on the ground, squinting through the dust back to the intersection only to find it had been busted down.

"Make a portal," Frisk ordered, climbing to her feet. Magnum extended her arm in response before she paused, appearing uncertain. Noticing this, Frisk turned to her expectantly. "What's the matter!?"

"This is what he wants," she stated, glancing at Frisk. "My dad, I mean. To split us up like this."

"Are you telling me that he knew he could split us up... specifically like this...?" Frisk furrowed her brow in total skepticism, earning a shrug from the pink-haired girl.

"You do know some people can literally see the future, right? People that answered to him? That's beside the point, I just have... a feeling that we need to keep going."

"Keep going!? I'm not giving your dad what he wants," Frisk asserted. "We'll take them out better together."

"And if my dad decides to aid Nikolai?" Magnum asked. "The two of them together would be way too hard. We'd be destroyed."

Frisk swallowed, unsure if she should follow Magnum's 'instincts'. "... Fine. Fine." She shook her head. Magnum was the one with portal magic, and that rubble looked way too thick and time-consuming to try and hack through. "We'll do it your way, but I'd better not regret this."

"If things get too bad, I'll create a portal so we can escape," Magnum assured her, though this didn't do much to ease Frisk considering that implied they'd be defeated. She was already practically fighting through sheer force of will, her energy nearing spent, so the fear that they would be overpowered was just… weighing down tremendously on her right now. She had a last gasp of Determination within her, she had the power to do this, but every second that passed, she felt more and more drained, like all the pain she'd endured was laying in at once.

On the other side of the rubble, morale was equally low. Fuku had quickly risen to her feet, and was attempting to burn through the wall of rubble that had formed, a fruitless effort.

"That's never gonna work," Raptor told her, coughing as he pushed himself up to his knees, having inhaled some of the dust created by the rubble.

"Then what else are we supposed to do?!" Fuku snapped, turning toward the man as he got back up, brushing a coat of dust off of himself.

"The only thing we can do," Raptor responded, remaining fairly calm, all things considered. "We go save your old man. Unless you wanna stay here and wait for those two to get over here. The fact that no portal has appeared yet means…" his words trailed off. Hopefully Magnum hadn't gotten hurt. "We're on our own for now."

---

Nikolai Vaspetin found himself leaning more and more into meditation. His injuries were grievous- or to make it clearer, his injury, singular. Undyne, whatever had been coursing through her, had packed quite the punch. Not once in Nikolai's long life had he ever known the experience of his skin being pierced, let alone his entire abdomen being impaled. To make matters worse, the wound was magically held open for reasons nobody seemed to understand. The only thing holding his guts inside his stomach was the cloth and cast structured around his waist. At least the bleeding could be contained, but even so, he'd lost so much blood...

Never had he felt so weak. It was frustrating to feel this way when one spends their entire life being the top dog. Being unchallenged. Being physically superior to all. Undyne had been his match, he was certain of it. He'd never felt so alive, so excited- and he'd won.

Now Jonathan asked he guard the fire elemental withering away in cold storage, chained to the wall. Torture was pointless without purpose, Nikolai understood that. It was Krashna who had insisted the fire monster endure this. There was nothing to gain, but Nikolai had not argued. He had other things to worry about.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Nikolai could hear the sound of approaching footsteps, moving quickly to the medical wing, where the leader sat alone. Slowly, he took a deep, long breath, and exhaled equally as long, and equally as deep. The purpose Jonathan had placed him here was for this. To await the arrival of the traitor and the child. That's what the Father had called them. Wasn't hard to guess who they were.

Rotating his shoulders, Nikolai rose from the cot he'd been sitting on. Save for the baggy pants covering his waist and legs, and his bandaging, he was naked, his scarred body on full display. "YA zhivu kak umirayu..." he muttered to himself, grabbing a half-smoked cigar from a nearby footstool and the lighter beside it, proceeding to light what he presumed to be his final smoke.

"Bez raka legkikh."

"Nikolai," a voice emerged from the hall that acted as an entrance to the medical wing. A voice coming from none other than one of Nikolai's former underlings, former experiments, and the only one that had managed to live long enough to come back and bite him in the ass. The leader let out a puff of smoke from his lips, which lingered in the air for a moment as he spoke.

"Nakonets-to ty pribyl, predatel'," the leader spoke quietly. Fuku couldn't understand what he was saying, but Raptor could. Everyone in the German sector of the Messiah was forced to learn Russian, only so that they could understand him.

"You know why we're here," Raptor spoke, deep green claws elongating from his fingers, appearing more jagged and sharp than earlier. "Tell us where your hostage is."

"Vy umny," Nikolai replied, taking a long drag from the cigar. He closed his eyes as he held the smoke in his lungs, some drifting out of his nostrils before he let out a sigh. "Ty znayesh' gde," opening his eyes, he tossed his cigar to the ground with the flick of his wrist.

"What's he saying?" Fuku asked, looking between Raptor and Nikolai.

"Your father," Nikolai spoke in broken English, his heavy accent leading his voice. "He is fire too, no? Fire not like cold," he gestured with his thumb to the large metal door, separating the medical wing from cold storage. "Zamorazhivaniye," he placed his foot down on the cigar, calmly snuffing it out. "Ty prishel ubit' menya, Raptor?" the leader asked, tilting his head to the side, audible cracks and pops sounding.

"That obvious?" Raptor asked sarcastically in response, his claws glinting as Nikolai rotated his head the other way.

"Zatem sdelat' yego," he challenged.

"Hey," Raptor turned toward Fuku. "Go get your dad. The sooner the better," he suggested, stepping toward Nikolai. Fuku was quick to do just that, moving toward the metal door. Nikolai took a step toward her, but immediately backed up once Raptor took a step of his own.

"Not used to having a weak spot, eh?" Raptor grinned widely. "Undyne really got you good. Guess all I'm doing is finishing what she started, then."

"Mne ne nuzhno byt' na pike vozmozhnostey, chtoby pobedit' tebya, Raptor," Nikolai grunted, and the battle was quickly underway. Raptor was the faster of the two, and as he rushed forward, it was quite clear to him just how weakened his former leader was. He'd seen the big man in action before, and in comparison, this was nothing.

That being said, even if he was at ten percent of his maximum power, battling Nikolai was like battling a train. Raptor ducked beneath a punch that would break an average human's neck, slashing forward toward the bandages that held the man's organs inside of him. Nikolai backed up just in time, only the first layer of bandages being cut away.

Raptor made to dive forward with another slash, only to find his attack was blocked by Nikolai's forearm, the brute of a man using that same arm to shove Raptor, who went tumbling away just as Fuku reached the door, about to attempt to pull it open when a cot suddenly slammed into her, launching Fuku back, sliding against the wall.

"Me, first," the Russian scoffed, cracking his knuckles, standing where the cot he'd been on earlier once was, now lying on top of Fuku. "Prize... later," he suddenly raised his forearm, blocking another strike from Raptor as he launched in, trying to get the jump on his opponent while he was distracted.

Raptor proceeded to lead with a flurry of strikes and blows. Those of which Nikolai didn't block to protect his bandages, he allowed to simply bounce off, remaining in place- before he pushed off from the ground, bursting forward with his knee raised.

Raptor felt the air leave his lungs as Nikolai's knee slammed into his gut, and once again, the traitor was sent flying, coughing and trying to refill his lungs with air. Nikolai sniffed, taking a step forward only for a ball of emerald flames to explode against the side of his face. The fire licked against his skin before dissipating, sizzling away some of his facial hair. Slowly, he turned toward the girl, flexing his hands in preparation for a counter.

"His skin is fireproof," Raptor grunted out to Fuku, who pointlessly fired off another inferno directly against the man's face. It succeeded in nothing other than making Nikolai's beard look more unkempt than it already was. She had to go for the weak spot, just as Raptor had. The Russian came charging toward Fuku like a stampeding bull, crossing his arms over his bandages to block a fireball as it attempted to burn his organs to a crisp.

Fuku wasn't as vulnerable to physical attacks as humans were, or most other monsters for that matter, but judging from the man's confidence in attacking her like this, he probably had some method of doing damage. Or he'd stuff her in the freezer too, which would probably be even worse.

Nikolai leered down as he grabbed onto Fuku's arm, hurling her against the wall on the other end of the room. She hit the steel and fell to the ground, groaning in agony at how forcefully she'd collided.

The leader began to charge toward her once again, but Raptor was back to his feet, lunging forward and evading a backhand from Nikolai. The ex-lieutenant was quick to latch onto the much larger man's back, like a piggyback ride but with more murderous intent. Nikolai attempted to grab onto him, but Raptor found his hands much easier to evade from up here. Instead of attempting to throw him off, Nikolai backed up against the nearing wall, bashing his back- and Raptor- against the wall hard enough to make the ceiling above them crumble. All the while, the pair of claws were furiously attempting to rip at the bandages, many layers coming undone, but Nikolai kept swatting them away before they could be fully severed.

The Russian brought his elbow back in a jab. Raptor gasped as he felt one of his ribs shatter from the force, finally relinquishing his hold as Nikolai grabbed him by the leg, and flung him aside. This left him open for a split second, in which a lime-colored ball of fire slugged into his side, burning through a good portion of the bandages and cast, nearly exposing the weak point.

Nikolai let out a laugh, a spark in his eyes as he stomped toward Fuku, throwing a punch that she backed up from, raising her fists as her face steeled in resolve. She slid back from a second fist as it slammed through the wall beside her. Nikolai's hand was embedded- but far from stuck. With a grunt, he ripped a massive part of the wall out, exposing the dirt hidden behind. With his section of wall, he proceeded to steam-roll it toward Fuku.

She was clobbered by the massive piece of steel attached to many chunks of hardened soil, stumbling backwards and ultimately falling to the ground. Nikolai didn't seem to want to stop there, however, as his strong grip once again found its way around her arm, and she was airborne once more, this time colliding against Raptor, who was climbing to his feet, instead of a wall, which effectively took them both out.

Raptor's vision was blurred, but it was impossible to miss the towering Russian that made his way toward them. They were being thrown around like ragdolls, and all that stood between them and victory was one stupid layer of bandages. Blood completely soaked the formerly white wrappings, and the floor was covered in drippings of it.

Raptor carefully moved Fuku, who seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness, off of himself. She was steadily getting herself back up, but until then, he'd have to buy her some time so she wouldn't take another hit like that. Easier said than done, but… he'd been waiting his entire life to have a chance like this against Nikolai. It couldn't slip through his fingers, not with everything on the line.

"Ty mne vsegda nravilsya, Raptor," Nikolai stated, stopping about ten feet in front of the ex-lieutenant, who readied his claws, shaking away the dizziness as best as he could. "Stal'nyye nervy. Nerushimaya reshimost'. YA ozhidal, chto ty budesh' stoyat' zdes' segodnya s glazami, polnymi nenavisti i mesti."

"You ruined my life," Raptor spat back. "You turned me into a monster."

"I vy prinimayete eto. Vy vstupayete v soyuz s monstrami po sobstvennomu zhelaniyu, a ne potomu, chto vas bol'she nigde ne prinimayut," the Russian replied, shaking his hands as he prepared to re-engage in combat. "Ty imenno takoy, kakim ya khotel tebya videt'. Tak ubey menya. Dokazhi mne, chto ya ne potratil vse eto vremya na sozdaniye iz tebya ideal'noy mashiny dlya ubiystva bez vsyakoy prichiny."

Having heard enough, Raptor darted forward, swinging his body into a horizontal flight, kicking at Nikolai, followed by a slash from both claws with a yell. Nikolai deflected as he had, with a single raised forearm.

He took a step back, slamming one of his fists against his chest with a crack, further challenging Raptor to do as the Russian had demanded. Raptor darted forward, attempting an uppercut, aiming to cut apart the final bandage and expose Nikolai's gore. It was blocked as the man grabbed the claw- but wasn't expecting the second to slash like a cat attempting to escape capture. The claws raked across Nikolai's final protective layer, tearing the bandage away while simultaneously digging deep, undoubtedly tearing open multiple organs.

Nikolai let go of Raptor, his eyes widening slightly as his other hand made to hold his intestines, which threatened to spill out of the gaping hole in his gut. He let out a chuckle. "Heh..." he coughed, blood staining his teeth. "Heh heh... Molodets..."

Nikolai stumbled back, falling onto his rear against the wall, face twisting in pain that didn't seem to conform well to his face.

"Nikolai," Raptor growled, his hands trembling with anger, although he was trying as hard as he could to suppress it. "Everything I am- everything I do- it's not thanks to you, it's in spite of you. You can take credit for turning my body into this, but not the person I am today."

Nikolai listened to these words carefully, letting out deep breath after deep breath as heavy spurts of crimson continued to seep out onto the ground…

Raptor turned away from the silent Russian, leaving him to bleed out. There was no chance the man would get up from that one anyways. He didn't deserve a painless death. He deserved to sit there, bleeding, thinking about all the hurt he'd brought upon others. But knowing the coldness of the leaders, maybe Nikolai had no regrets at all.

"Come on. Let's get your dad out of there," Raptor chose to dedicate his attention to the more urgent cause. Fuku was still dazed as hell, but perked up slightly at the mention of her dad.

He could only hope things with the big man himself had gone as... 'smoothly'...

---

The Assembly Hall extended high, high into the air. A balcony sat at the end, overlooking it all, a door at the end of the room that probably led up to said balcony. Save for that and four tall pillars extended to the ceiling, this room was rather bare.

Bare, aside from one individual. He stood in the center of the room, one arm cast in a sling, his back to the girls as they slowed their approach, coming to a stop.

"Ah. You're finally here."

His tone gave the impression they were about to discuss company sales over coffee. He turned to face them, the dim light of the room not allowing much of his face to be seen, though from what could be determined, he was looking pretty messed up. Asgore had really done a number on him, but after all that, to see the guy standing firmly on his two feet was impressive.

"I assumed you would go for the kill after my embarrassing failure against your father," he admitted, speaking to Frisk, not having acknowledged his daughter yet. "It's what I would have done, had I been in your position. I commend you for the initiative, Miss Dreemurr. I always saw that in you, since the first time we met. Do you recall?"

"I'm not here to reminisce," Frisk replied stagnantly, her crimson shield materializing.

"Of course not. I'm merely attempting to delay the inevitable, as one often does when faced with total defeat."

Frisk glanced toward Magnum, who was glaring forward, her face clearly daring her dad to even glance her way, to acknowledge her in any form. Frisk decided, if Obaseki wasn't going to fight... then it was time to learn a thing or two from the top man himself.

"Magnum's with me."

"I am aware," Obaseki nodded, his body remaining stiff as he stood in place. "She always was more of the rebellious sort. Perhaps in another life, I was as well."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," Magnum barked at her father, stepping past Frisk toward him. "The Messiah is over. Finished. We win."

"You do. I concede and admit that your efforts have proven fruitful," the Father replied coolly. He seemed oddly content.

"It's not that easy. It's never that easy," Frisk shook her head, not buying it for even a second. This situation vaguely reminded her of one that Sans had put her in once upon a time… back then, she'd fallen for it. A few times, actually, embarrassingly enough. Once, she'd even fallen for it on purpose to test if she could survive Sans' surprise attack. She could not.

"It's just as my daughter said, young ambassador. The German sector of the Messiah has been brought down. You have defeated the lieutenants this organization has spent so long training, and even brought down the other leaders. Fighting would not amount to anything for either side at this point. And that is why… I am surrendering. You have won."

"Does that mean…?" Magnum glanced back behind her toward the way they'd come from.

"Correct. Nikolai Vaspetin will soon be drawing his final breath," Obaseki nodded.

"…Raptor, you crazy son of a…" Magnum let out a shaky breath of relief.

"Why…?" Frisk demanded, still refusing to let her guard down. "I… I have so many questions. About all of this."

"I'm willing to answer them while there is still time," the leader of the Messiah offered.

"Why fight so hard, why let so many people die..." her breath shook as she recalled the last time she'd seen Toriel. Her humming as she cooked one of her delicious meals... "If you were just going to surrender!?"

At this, Obaseki didn't have an immediate response. "I… understand you, like so many, lost people you care about," he stated. "Nothing I can say will help you understand, let alone sympathize, with my motives."

"Try me," Frisk had to keep her arms from shaking.

"I... very well," Obaseki bowed his head. "The Messiah is very old and powerful. I'm sure Trinity has explained a great deal to you. About the various sectors. While we have fallen, the others remain. For the four years after monsterkind returned, the other sects pushed me to make a move. To strike against the monsters the moment they returned."

"So why didn't you?" Frisk wasn't entirely sure where the Father was going with this. If he was answering her or somehow trying to make her empathetic toward him. Fat chance of that.

"I saw no reason to. While many have forgotten or simply neglect the principles of what the Messiah was built on, I have not. Before it was a cult, this organization was sworn to protect the innocent. Over time, sworn to protect only humans. Give or take a few hundred years and the message had become "neutralize all potential threats". We had grown bloodthirsty by allowing the hateful to lead."

"You're no better than them," Magnum interjected. "What about my mom, huh? You can't stand there and tell me you're really just a kind guy when you killed her in cold blood!"

Once again, Obaseki was silent. His gaze diverted from theirs, staring off in the distance. "I loved your mother," he said quietly.

"No you didn't!" Magnum yelled back, pink magic swirling about her hands.

"I did," The man replied swiftly. "I loved her so much that the only way I could save her was..." his voice trailed off.

"I don't want to hear it! You killed her, and nothing you say can change that! And… and I had to grow up in this stupid cult my entire life, and even when I was able to finally make some friends, you took them away from me too!"

Frisk wanted to say something, to ask another question, but Magnum had a lifetime's worth of anger to let out right now. It was only right to let her get whatever closure she could before trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Trinity… my daughter. I know it's hard, even impossible for you to understand why I've done the things I do. Your life may have not been a good one, but it was one of never going hungry, having people who cared about you. Had I chosen a different path, we'd all have died long ago."

Her bottom lip trembling, eyes swimming, Magnum clenched her fists so tightly it seemed her knuckles might burst through her skin. "All I ever wanted… was for you to love me," she gasped out. "I don't care what you say. You had your chance… for eighteen years," she wiped at her eyes, her magic dissipating. "Don't try to make excuses," Magnum hissed out through grit teeth.

A silence fell as Magnum closed her eyes, silent tears running down her cheeks, turning her face away. It was Obaseki who broke the silence. "Personally, I had hoped you would lead her to this, Frisk. To help become the person she chooses to become. Not me."

"You really seem to not like the Messiah for the guy leading it," Frisk replied, still not sure if this was all some kind of elaborate ruse to lower their guard. The Father merely let out a tired sigh.

"You couldn't begin to comprehend the truth. Not yet, at least. What matters is that you won. What matters is that I am no longer held as the leader of this sect. If there's nothing else to talk about... do what you will with me."

"There have been moments where I've fantasized about killing you," Frisk admitted. "All three of the leaders, actually. For what you did to my family. To my mother. To my friends. I can understand that not all of you are evil, but the Messiah's put everyone through so much… whether you wanted to or not."

"And that is completely understandable. You have every right to despise me and those who stand by me. Many of the choices I made were heavily influenced by the other sectors, but they were still choices I ultimately had to make. I take full responsibility. And with my defeat… I am at peace. So once more, I'll say, my fate is your choice."

Frisk looked toward Magnum, who was still turned away, her fists still trembling as much as her lower lip, clearly not about to respond to her father's words. It didn't feel… right, to kill an opponent who was acting this way, no matter who they were.

"…you know what?" Frisk looked away from him. "Voxis City has a police force that we can actually trust now. I guess the right thing to do would be… to let them put you away for good."

"You're… sparing me?"

There was genuine shock to his tone. Clearly he'd been expecting something else- anything else.

"That's one way of putting it," Frisk replied, still trying to ignore the sheer exhaustion coursing through her. "Men like you don't deserve the easy way out. Sitting behind a cell, reflecting on everything for the rest of your life? That only seems at least somewhat fair."

"I... see..." the man nodded, his gaze growing distant.

Magnum turned to face Frisk, jaw still trembling, eyes still red, but didn't look at her father. "I'll run ahead and clear the rubble," she grumbled. "If I'm near this man ever again for the rest of my life, it'll be too soon."

With that, she stalked off. Frisk could understand where she was coming from. That kind of relationship was leagues more complicated than Greg's with his mom, which was already fairly toxic in of itself.

"I'll admit," Obaseki spoke. "Everything you've done up until this point, I expected. Predicted even. But sparing me... that, I didn't see coming…"

Frisk stared back at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "Then you don't know anything about me."

Frisk didn't really want to be here any longer, but since Magnum had left, someone had to stay there until the police arrived to make sure Obaseki didn't make a last-ditch effort to escape. The two of them stood there, in almost complete silence. Obaseki had made the phone call to the police himself, and Officer Stanton would be arriving shortly.

Frisk was… completely wiped out. All the rush of battle had worn off entirely, and knowing that Grillby was safe… Terrence was safe… Papyrus was safe… Lesser Dog and Truck… everyone… and the Messiah was truly defeated, the sector that had been ruining everyone's lives in Voxis City, at least.

It was finally over.

Carl Stanton entered the assembly hall with his gun raised and a group of officers behind him. Obaseki was silent, his good hand raised high above his head, and Frisk began to fade in and out of consciousness as the burden was lifted out of her hands. They'd won.

They'd really won.