In the darkness Frisk could hear a faint voice speak to her, a voice that sounded that is was that of a child. She could hear a music box playing faintly accompanying the voice. It was the same one that she had heard come out of the statue.
"It sounds like it came from over here… Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you… Are you okay? Here, get up… Frisk, huh? That's a nice name. My name is…"
A bright and blinding light dissipated the darkness as she opened her eyes, she could see the bottom of Asten's helm and the top part of his breast plate as he carried her through knee high water. She could feel the cold metal cradling her as he continued to walk, his eyes straight ahead.
Through a meek voice she managed to say something.
"A?..."
Asten looked down, she could see the concern he had in his blue eyes as he continued to carry her. Her short, brown hair was draped over his forearm and her legs were hanging limply off of the other. She gave him a small, weak smile.
"I'm okay… I promise… I just need to rest my eyes for a bit…"
With that she closed her eyes once again and passed out. Asten quickened his pace with Frisk in his arms and the heavy black-iron great shield he had strapped to his back.
When Frisk awoke again her eyesight was blurry and her head was still pounding from the hit she had taken to the back of the head when they fell.
The first thing she noticed was that she was laying on cold wet earth. The second thing she noticed was that in front of her was a bridge, with Asten to the side closest to her and the black knight on the other side, its glowing eye meeting her gaze. In the middle of the bridge was the same monster kid that they had both seen earlier, hanging off the bridge by his teeth.
Frisk was confused with what was happening and let out a meek reply.
"Kid?..."
In her blurry eyesight she could make out Asten running over to the kid and quickly picking him up and onto the bridge. There seemed to be a short standoff between him and the black knight before it took a couple steps back and started walking away. At this, Frisk passed out again.
When she awoke again, she saw Asten's face again, his blue eyes still showing a glint of worry, as he was setting her down on a blackened rock. She meekly spoke again.
"A… what's going on?..."
She looked back into Asten's eyes, even though no words were spoken she could almost understand him just by the way he looked at her through the slits of his light grey helm. It was an unspoken, 'please stay here while I deal with this' sort of look he gave her.
They were in an open area, finally out of the cave they had for so long been accustomed to. Jagged black rocks sprouted upwards towards the fire, red sky that turned to a purple haze, and finally to a dark black stratosphere. Only one or two large towers stood against this sky, its long shadows casting downwards onto the area around them. A mountain with a large gaping cave laid in front of them and atop that mountain, on its farthest-reaching peak stood the black knight with its back turned on the duo, their red plume waving in the howling wind. A large wood of burnt black tries laid behind Asten.
The knight began to speak and, to Asten's surprise, had a woman's voice to it.
"Seven…"
There was a pause and only the wind could be heard.
"Seven human souls, and King ASGORE will become a god."
The knight turned, revealing a profile shot of itself as it continued to stand atop the mountain.
"Six…"
There was another pause.
"That's how many we have collected thus far."
She turned and looked down at Asten, her glowing eye staring right through him.
"Understand? Though one of your two's souls will make it the final one to transform this world."
There was another pause as she continued to stare at Asten.
"So… who's it going to be?..."
Asten took a step forward towards the mountain as Frisk attempted to reach out to him and giving a faint reply.
"A… wait!"
Undyne continued.
"Very well… First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far… I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people."
She shifted her gaze once again, staring off into the distance.
"It all started, long ago…"
She stopped again before suddenly looking back at Asten.
"No, you know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE!? NGAAAAAHHHHHH!"
She screamed as she ripped off her helmet, a golden glimmer coming from her one good eye. She had a blood-red ponytail that served doubly as her plume, blue scaled skin, fish fins on either side of her head, and a sharp toothy smirk that she gave directly to the metal figure below her.
"YOU TWO! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphy's history books made me think humans were cool… with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen."
At this Asten perked his head forward and squinted his eyes in confusion as to what this fish woman meant by 'robot' and 'flowery swordswomen'.
"BUT YOU? You're just a coward! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again! And let's not forget your friend's wimpy goody-two-shoes-schtick!"
With this she pointed at Frisk and began speaking again in a mocking tone.
"Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!"
Undyne then proceeded to sneer at Asten again.
"You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU TWO WERE DEAD! That's right, humans! Your continued existence is a crime! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose!"
She then proceeded to summon her blue, transparent magic spear and started pointing it at Asten.
"Now human! Let's end this, right here, right now. I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready! Fuhuhuhu!"
Just as prompted, the knight stepped forward, taking his great shield off his back and placing a gauntleted hand firmly onto the black curved helm of his sword.
"That's it then! No more running away! Here I come!"
With this Undyne jumped, her spear out in front of her and its pointed head aimed for the top of Asten's helmet. He quickly jumped backwards as the spear stabbed into the black earth.
He readied his shield and almost pulled out his sword when he remembered something.
'You're a good person too… even if you don't think you are.'
Undyne's voice broke his train of thought.
"En guarde!"
With this she raised the spear above her head, ready to attack. Asten tightened his grip on his shield, making sure there was nothing lose about it.
Undyne began her attack sending a volley of magic spears into the air, all of them landing directly into Asten's shield center.
"For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending… And now sunlight is just within our reach!"
A hail of spears came rushing from the front and blocked, from the sides and to the rear, all blocked within seconds of piercing him.
"I won't let you snatch it away from us!"
The volleys became more and more violent and quickly in all directions, prompting Asten to even need to quickly roll out of the incoming arrows.
Undyne's breathing became more and more sporadic as she grew exhausted from the waves of spears, she was summoning towards this metal ballerina.
"Alphy's told me humans were determined… but I'm determined too… DETERMINED TO END THIS RIGHT NOW!"
With this Undyne readied herself to release the most violent volley she had yet and Asten stared intently at her hands, trying to telegraph where the next wave of spears would come from next.
But, out of the woods echoed a strange voice. It was a voice that Asten had not heard in a long time, and it prompted the two fighters to look in the direction that it was coming from.
Out of the dark, black trees came the voice.
"Ahh… there you are… the lost lamb who wandered too far away from the light of the bonfire…"
The pointed metal helm was the first thing to step out of the shadows, followed the rest of Hawkwood's lanky form. His great sword sat rested upon his shoulder, his dagger swinging with the movements of his arm in the other. His cape flowing with the howling wind, he stepped out of the forest and continued.
"No matter… I shall take you back into the fold…"
Hawkwood began his slow walk towards Asten as Undyne stared at the figure in both disbelief and confusion. She began to quickly walk over to Hawkwood herself as she spoke.
"Who the… WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!"
Hawkwood continued to ignore her, his eyes firmly set on Asten as he continued his approach.
Undyne intercepted him and tried to speak to him again.
"Listen buddy, I don't know who you THINK you are but…"
She was cut off as Hawkwood suddenly plummeted his dagger into the dirt and proceeded to spin like an insane gymnast, the sword connected with Undyne's leg, shattering it on the spot. If it hadn't been armored it would have surely been cut at the source.
She reeled back in agony as Hawkwood continued his approach, speaking in a low tone through his collared mask as he did so.
"Now… enough of this foolishness…"
Asten quickly unsheathed his sword from its scabbard, letting the blade rest upon the ridge of his shield. He knew what Frisk had said, but he also knew that Hawkwood was not of their world, he was of his own world. And in that world, he knew that violence between two undead did not end in a pleasant conversation and an offer of friendship.
Asten allowed Hawkwood to make the first move, as he raised his sword into the air Asten caught it with his shield and proceeded to swing the sword towards Hawkwood's midsection.
Hawkwood jumped back and dodged the swing and returned with his own lunge, swinging his dagger towards Asten's throat.
Asten rolled to his right, as he came back up, he underhandedly swung the sword upwards, hoping to catch a piece of Hawkwood. But, as the sword came upwards, it was parried by Hawkwood using his dagger, and proceeded to attempt to land a killing blow with his great sword.
Asten reacted quickly and raised his shield, knocking him backwards but saving him from the killing blow.
The two began to circle one another, both attempting to regain the strength they had lost in the previous bout.
Asten quickly attempted to use his estus flask, as he was still hurt from the fall he had suffered earlier when Undyne had cut the bridge.
As he was pulling out the flask Hawkwood immediately seized upon the opportunity.
He lunged forward and planted the dagger right into the knight's collar bone, a small weak spot covered by a tattered brown and dark blue scarf. He twisted it before forcibly tearing it out and placed the dagger back onto his belt.
Asten fell to his knees before being lifted back onto his feet. Hawkwood's metal helm covered his eyes, and his leather mask covered his face. He spoke to him once again.
"You were always nothing more than a nameless… accursed undead… unfit even to be cinder… now… allow me to take what is rightfully mine!"
With this, Hawkwood arched his arm back, his great sword aimed directly towards the center of Asten's chest. But before Hawkwood could finish his work, a young woman's voice pierced his ear.
"HEY PINHEAD!"
Hawkwood turned to the sound of the voice to receive a stick planted firmly into his eye. He reeled backwards and began to scream as Frisk quickly grabbed Asten's limp form and rested him on her knees. He was unresponsive and appeared to have lost a good amount of blood from the stab he received.
She held Asten's head in her arms as tears started swell in her eyes.
"Asten! Please wake up! You're supposed to be here with me remember?..."
Frisk continued to cradle Asten's seemingly life-less form as Hawkwood pulled the stick from his eye and began to slowly walk over to the them.
He began to raise his large great sword when a wall of blue spears jutted out from the ground, forming a fence between him and Frisk.
On the other side of the spear wall was the fish woman, snickering at him through sharp teeth as she spoke.
"You're going to have to do better than THAT…"