Pre-Chapter Notes: Well, it's about that time, wouldn't you say? After about six chapters of build-up it's finally time for the climax of this arc. Not much else before we get into it.
Just a small note: Warrior Inside by Leader might be a good song to listen to during the fight, just saying (wink wink).
KikiRukata: Thank you guys so much for your patience! We've had a very hectic last 2 months! I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 21: The Spear and the Shield
The howl of wind echoed through the cavernous depths of Waterfall, setting Frisk's shirt and jacket into a flutter. The boy was motionless as he stared up at the figure standing upon sharp crags above. Her form was stark white against the darkness of his sight, the plume of her helmet billowing like an argent flame. She was turned away from them at the moment, but that didn't make him feel any safer. The iron scent of fear within his nostrils told him that Lily must have felt the same way.
"Why… why are you doing this?" The boy spoke, his voice barely audible above the wind. "Haven't you realized that we don't want to hurt anyone?"
A few tense moments passed in deathly silence. The two children had no idea whether the question had gone unheard or if the imposing Captain was simply choosing not to acknowledge it. His mouth opened to speak once again, this time at the will of Lily. However…
"...Seven. Seven human SOULs. With the power of seven human SOULs the Barrier may be shattered and we will be set free.." A voice echoed beneath the mass of thick steel, silencing whatever the girl had been about to say. "Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Through your seventh and final SOUL, our king… king Asgore Dreemurr will become a god. With that power, the world above will be transformed… and humanity will know the suffering and pain that we have endured."
Asgore… It wasn't the first time they'd heard that name. With a heavy heart, Frisk recalled the warnings Toriel had given them some time ago… and the fear and worry her words carried.
"You naïve child… If you leave the Ruins, they… Asgore… will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?"
"Asgore… you mustn't let Asgore take your SOUL. His plan… cannot be allowed to succeed."
The boy's mind swam as he wrestled with the implications along with what he now knew. The two children could not have known the reason for her fears at the time. Yet now, here it was before them… the horrible truth that she'd tried so desperately to spare them from.
"As- Asgore… Dreemurr…?" Lily mumbled, her voice hushed.
It was enough to break Frisk from his own mind for a moment, sensing a struggle within the girl not entirely aligned with his own.
"What's wrong?" Frisk asked her internally.
"That name…" The girl answered. "It sounds… familiar?"
"Yeah, it's the same person Toriel warned us about." Frisk mentioned. "But… that's not what you're talking about, is it?"
The boy could sense her nodding within his SOUL. "Yeah… just like before with the Echo Flowers and those shears... I recognize it."
"But… why now? You didn't seem to notice it back in the Ruins." Frisk pointed out, and immediately wished he hadn't. As much as he hated bringing back the painful memories surrounding their departure from that place, something always seemed to draw it out.
"I don't know. I know it's important to me but…" The ghostly girl replied. "It sounds wrong. When I think of that name, it sounds strong… but also warm and gentle. It's nothing like how Undyne describes him… or Mom. I don't get it."
"But, if you actually know the king, then-"
"Do you understand, humans? This is your only chance at redemption…" Undyne, oblivious to the internal conversation, cut off the red child's response. "You must atone for the crimes your people have inflicted upon ours."
Frisk could hear the sorrow and cool anger in the knight's voice. Nevertheless, he stood his ground.
"We've read the history, Undyne…" the child spoke, swallowing his fear. "We know what happened before… how you all were sealed down here. I wasn't born then… I didn't even know Monsters existed before I fell. I… I'm sorry. I know that doesn't mean much… but I want to make it right."
"Is that so…?" Undyne spoke, turning slowly. Her pale yellow eye bore down upon them. "Then prove to me that your regret is sincere. Give up your life and your SOUL. If you do, I'll make it quick."
"What…?" Lily gasped, incredulously. "You can be serious… we-"
"Lily…" Frisk stopped her, taking back control of his voice. "It's okay."
"Frisk, no…" the specter pleaded with her friend. "You're not actually agreeing with her, are you?"
The boy sighed. After everything they'd learned, he couldn't say her animosity towards them wasn't justified. Her declaration, Toriel's warning, the plaques in Gerson's cave. He may not have had all the pieces, but it wasn't hard to fit together the ones he did have. A pointless war… a people persecuted… a kingdom begging to be free… a king who would become a god. After everything they'd been through, why wouldn't they see humankind as - for lack of a better term - so decidedly inhuman? Why wouldn't some of them crave revenge?
There was no record of any of this on the surface, at least none that he knew of. It was like they'd all forgotten… or perhaps they had been made to forget. There was no other reason to create such a superstition centered around the very mountain the monsters were sealed under. But why hide the truth to begin with? Did humanity truly fear these people or… was it out of shame? It wasn't for Frisk to know.
With all of that, it was easy for him to understand why giving up his SOUL might be the right choice. However…
"I'm sorry, Undyne. I can't do that." The boy said finally.
Frisk could hear an internal sigh of relief from Lily. "Don't scare me like…"
"I don't know what happened back then. I do know that monsters don't deserve to live like this though." Frisk continued. "But… this isn't the way."
The yellow eye narrowed beneath that fearsome helm. "Then I suppose I'll just have to tear it from your body." Undyne said darkly.
Frisk lowered his head sadly… it seemed she wouldn't be convinced.
"But before that, as is customary for those who make it this far, I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started, long ago…"
Frisk returned his attention to Undyne, as he and Lily listened intently. Perhaps if they listened to her tale, there might be an opportunity to talk her out of this. Undyne stared off toward the factory looming in the distance, and the two imagined a wistful expression across the face hidden beneath that armor. They waited for her to begin, the howling of the wind, the only thing cutting through the silence around them.
They waited…
…and waited…
…and waited some more.
"Um…" Lily began. By this point the pause had gone well passed dramatic and straight into awkward.
"No, you know what?" The warrior began. "SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL THAT STORY… WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE! NGAAAAAHHHHH!"
"Ah!" The two children cried in unison, startled by the sudden change within Undyne.
Crouching low, the Captain of the Royal guard slammed her fist into the rocky ground beneath her feet. An echoing crash resounded throughout the large chamber from a blow forceful enough to dislodge a couple of stones hanging above the cave just below. A cloud of stone and dust was kicked up from the impact, obscuring Undyne's form within.
"Look out!" Lily cried, noticing something fly out from the cloud and towards them.
Frisk instinctively threw up his arms in response to the warning, but it proved to be unnecessary. The object in questioned struck the ground a good few feet away with a metallic clang. Turning instinctively toward the sound Lily had just enough time to see the terrifying visage of a helmet staring back at her before it slipped from the nearby cliff.
They quickly returned their attention back to the thick cloud of dust as it slowly began to settle and reveal the form within. She was turned from them again, but already they could make out a few distinguishing features: the scaly, azure hued skin as well as the fin-like appendages on the sides of her head. A tail of flowing crimson hair - what they had once thought to be the plume of her helmet - swept to the side as her head turned, revealing that same yellow right eye they'd come to know while a bit of faint scarring peaked out from beneath the black patch covering the other.
"Her face…" Lily gasped. "Frisk… she was on that photo."
"The one in Sans' workshop?" The boy asked, sensing her confirmation he gave a faint smile. "Then there's hope…"
"YOU!" Undyne sneered, revealing two rows of shark-like fangs. "You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys' history books made me think humans were cool with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen. BUT YOU? You're just cowards! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again!"
"That's not true!" Frisk began.
"Yeah, you even saw us!" Lily added. "We saved-"
"Oh yeah, that two-people-in-one-body thing? Did you think you could surprise me with that? Nice try, but I've spent a long time learning what humans can do." Undyne cut off their protests. "And let's not forget your wimpy, goody-two-shoes schtick! Ohhh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!' You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD! That's right, humans! Your continued existence is a crime! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom!"
"What happened to her?" Frisk wondered aloud. "It's like she's a completely different person."
"Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment!" She declared, swiping her spear to the right and clutching a fist before her. "But we're not nervous at all! When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose!"
"If you're so sure about that, then listen to them!" Lily countered. "Then you'll understand what we're trying to do!"
"Ha! You might have fooled everyone else but those tricks won't work on me!" Undyne shot back. "Now, humans! Let's end this right here, right now! I'll show you just how determined monsters can be. Step forward when you're ready!"
"Frisk… I don't think she's going to listen." Lily said, staring at the warrior watching from above.
"I know…" The boy responded. "…but we still have to try."
Using his stick for guidance, the boy made his way to the nearby precipice, and placed a hand over his SOUL.
'It worked before…' He thought. 'If there was ever a time for it to work again, this is it.'
Undyne was determined, that was for sure. It was easy to see just how much she believed in her convictions. But she wasn't the only one: Frisk knew that feeling well. It was as plain as the color of his SOUL. He focused, drawing deep of the feelings within his heart. The memory of the photo, the coolness of the metal frame, the smooth glass, and Lily's description of what it showed. All of it meant nothing if they let themselves be stopped here. For the sake of everyone, the friends they'd made, the ones left behind, and even for Undyne herself… he couldn't let that happen.
Within him, he felt Lily's warm presence filling his heart.
"You've got me, too…" She said gently, adding her resolve to his own. "Don't forget that."
"Yeah." The boy responded with a smile, focusing all of that determination on a single point.
A glimmering golden star appeared before them.
"What the…" Undyne began, staring at the peculiar display. "What did you just do?"
Her right eye blinked a few times. For a second, she thought she noticed some kind of magic but it was gone in the next instant. Did she imagine it? The Captain of the guard tightened her grip on her spear, ready for whatever tricks her opponents might try.
"Just preparing ourselves." Lily responded as Frisk placed his hand over the star.
"We're ready." He said, stepping forward.
"Fufufufu… That's it, then…! No more running away!" Undyne laughed eagerly. "HERE I COME!"
The piscine knight kicked off of her perch and soared into the air, forcing Frisk to crane his neck back to keep her in sight. With a menacing smile, she raised her spear before thrusting it down in their direction. Like a bolt of lightning, she split the air, rocketing down toward where they stood.
The red child took a desperate leap back, avoiding the dangerous weapon with but a few inches to spare. Undyne's heavy form crashed into the ground, the force of the impact throwing the unbalanced boy from his feet. She wasted no time, surging forward to capitalize on the opening she had created for herself. Frisk wasn't out yet, however. With a bit of help from Lily, he managed to roll to the left, narrowly avoiding a powerful thrust aimed at his chest before scrambling to his feet.
"That… was too close." the girl sighed.
A sigh that turned to a gasp when she noticed the strange green magic that began to pulse from her right hand. Undyne glanced back at them before turning around, and holding her spear aloft. That same greenish glow spilled from her fingers and enveloped the spear. The hum of powerful magic resonated within the children's ears.
"What… is that?" Frisk wondered, staring in an odd mixture of fear and fascination at the glowing weapon, its emerald hue piercing even his SOULsight.
"This feels like…" Lily began. She'd seen magic like this before, and back then… "Don't let it touch you!"
"En guarde!" The warrior cried, rushing toward them again before she'd even finished speaking.
Within less than a second, she was upon them again lashing out with sweeps and thrusts from her glowing spear. Frisk - spurred on by Lily's warning - worked to keep his distance, desperately trying to avoid every attack that came his way. It couldn't last, as he soon found himself standing on the precipice of a cliff, only managing to avoid tumbling off by Lily taking momentary control of his legs.
With the only escape being through Undyne, the children made a split-second decision and threw themselves forward, hoping to get passed her and avoid the spear at the same time. Twisting to the side, Frisk's small body dipped beneath the knight's ironclad arm and distanced themselves from the cliff.
However, any relief to be had was short-lived as Undyne, having expected this move, swept about with her spear. Frisk and Lily watched in horror as the boy's crimson SOUL was grazed by an emerald spear tip.
There was no pain, and no change to the boy's HoPe. Confusion struck while they watched a mote of greenish magic coil outward from the place the spear had struck until eventually the entirety his SOUL was encased in a shell of viridian light. And yet… unlike the weightlessness he'd experienced when Sans had done something similar, this time he felt no change at all.
"Now!" Undyne cried as a magical spear formed above her free hand, and was hurled in the boy's direction.
Instinctively, Frisk turned to his body, hoping to sidestep the projectile and gain some distance at the same time.
"Wha-" He gasped, before his surprise was interrupted by a hiss of pain. The spear hadn't struck him, but it had passed close enough to leave a small cut on his cheek.
"Frisk!" Lily cried, feeling an echo of the sting from her place within. It was a light wound… barely enough to make a dent in his HP, but that wasn't the main concern.
"I… I can't move!" He cried desperately, struggling against the strange force holding him in place.
That wasn't entirely true. He had full control of his legs, and could change direction just fine. Yet, if he tried to move from where he was, his body refused to respond. It was almost as if a set of invisible shackles were fastened to his ankles, rooting him to a single spot.
"Could it… is it because of that spell?" Lily breathed, as their shared eyes stared at the crimson SOUL encased in green.
"Good guess!" Undyne replied with a toothy grin. "You won't be able to run from me now!"
She raised her hand once again, summoning a group of seven arrow-like spears behind her back. Her arm dropped forward and so did the spears, their sharpened tips aiming directly at the defenseless boy.
With a flick of her wrist, the spears shot forward all at once. They arced through the air, curling outward before suddenly changing course and rocketing downward. The spears struck the ground in a circle around the boy. He raised an arm to shield his face from the bits of dirt and stone kicked up in their wake.
"Argh!" Frisk cried, as a much more severe pain shot through him from the back of his left shoulder.
* Frisk - HP: 16/20
His free hand immediately moved to press against his wound… he could feel the warmth seeping from beneath the torn fabric of his jacket and shirt where one of the spear tips had bit into his flesh.
"Are you alright?!" Lily shouted, unable to speak through his mouth due to his gritted teeth.
"Yeah…" He managed to force out. "It only grazed me."
"That HP loss is a little more than a graze, Frisk…!" She challenged. "You can't take many more of those."
Through an eye of glowing crimson, the spectral girl glanced about at the shafts of the luminous lances that surrounded them. One by one, they dissipated into motes of raw magic and vanished from sight. Frisk's arm lowered again as the two turned joint looks of fear and confusion toward Undyne who remained where she was, that confident grin still spread across her blue-scaled face.
"Don't you get it?! As long as you're green, you can't escape! Unless you learn to face danger head on… you won't last a SECOND against me!" Undyne declared. "But… I guess a weakling like you isn't capable of that."
"Just stop for a minute, Undyne!" Frisk said through the pain in his shoulder. "We just want to tal-"
"Talk? Ha! Even after all this, you still think its the time for words?!" Undyne cut him off. "Did humans try to talk when they killed so many of us during the war? Did your kind 'talk' before sealing us all beneath this mountain? I don't think so!"
"We aren't like those people!" Lily countered. "You were there! You saw us save Kidd! Why would we do that if we wanted to hurt anyone? We could have left him there when you showed up but we didn't! Are you really so closed-minded that you can't see that?!"
"Fufufufu… just more human lies! Papyrus might have fallen for that act but it won't work on me!" Undyne scoffed.
She wasn't listening… it would be almost impossible to get through to her. She was fully convinced that all humans were evil and that any act of kindness was simply a means to an end. Lily didn't remember much so she couldn't say how accurate those beliefs were, but even if they were she knew in her heart that Frisk was the exception to that rule.
The ghostly girl thought hard as Frisk's fingers pressed tighter against his wound. She knew he was scared… she was too. She'd felt the tips of those horrible bullets herself. Of course, to her it was more of a vague recollection than an actual memory. Still, that fact alone proved something…
Maybe there was something she could do to help after all…
The Captain of the Guard swept her arm before her, calling forth even more of the bluish spears than before. This time they were spread wider and far more irregular than the first group, but each one had the same destination.
"This attack won't miss…" Undyne said, drawing her thumb across her neck. "Say goodbye, HUMANS!"
The piscine knight gave the command and one after another, her magic spiraled forth. Some flew straight on, while others curved an arc as they sliced through the howling wind, converging on a single point.
Frisk watched, the spears bleached white against his sight. In his mind, he knew it didn't matter. It would hurt for a moment, then there would be nothing… and pretty soon he would wake up again next to his SAVE point. Then he would try again… and again, until he got it right. It was how he'd gotten this far, despite Undyne's relentless pursuit. It didn't matter if he died once, or a hundred times… eventually, they would find a way.
And yet… all the times those spears had struck him were still clear in his mind. He could still feel the burning in his chest, back, and neck - echoes of the deaths he had suffered thus far. Usually, it was but a prickle against his skin but if he thought about them long enough…
It was that pain that he feared most.
"Stop!" He shouted, desperately throwing his right arm before him and shut his eyes as if this alone would be enough to protect him from the ensuing onslaught.
It was useless. Of course it was useless. He could hear the magic cutting through the air, a herald of what he knew was coming. Still, every part of him hoped for a miracle… some way to escape it. But nothing came. The shimmering crash of the spears echoed within his ears. His nose was filled with the scent dust from the ground up stone beneath his feet. The pain would follow shortly… then darkness.
A second passed… then two.
The fear in the red child's heart was superseded by confusion. He felt no pain… no numbness of his limbs nor the warmth of blood apart from that on his shoulder. That was strange… could Undyne's attack have been so precise that it severed his life before his mind could process it?
"It's gonna take a little more than that…!"
Lily's voice. That wasn't right... besides the figments, he was always alone in that realm between life and death and they only spoke when he touched the obelisk. He shouldn't be hearing her voice now.
So why was he?
Cautiously, he rose his head and lowered the arm he had risen in that vain attempt to defend himself. To his shock, Undyne was there before him still standing with her arm outstretched. More immediate, was the one that stood between them.
It was Lily.
The girl's back was turned to him, her earthen garb and short, light brown hair waving in the magic-infused wind. In her small hands she clutched one of the luminescent spears in a tight grip. The boy glanced about to see the rest of the projectiles scattered haphazardly about before fading into nothing. His shuttered gaze returned to his friend, even as the spear she held shattered just like the others.
"Lily…?" He said, barely above a whisper.
The girl stumbled forward slightly as her center of balance suddenly shifted back to where it normally lay. Made of pure magic, Undyne's spears weren't exactly heavy but they were rather large and awkward. Even still, she managed to right herself before she tumbled into a strange non-gravity version of a face-plant.
"Are you okay, Frisk?" The girl asked, glancing back toward him.
"Yeah but..." The boy began, more than a little confused. "How did you…?"
"I didn't know if it would work…"Lily explained. "…but it looks like that magic doesn't stop me from getting in and out."
"So that's how it is…" Undyne said from across the area. The form of another human flickered briefly before the first. "Honestly, I was wondering how you did that whole two-in-one thing. That light in the little punk's eye was you, wasn't it?"
"What…?" Frisk muttered, realizing what the knight was saying. "How? Other people shouldn't be able to see you."
"She can… at least a little bit." Lily informed him. "I noticed it when she attacked us the first time."
"What's the matter?! Can't talk?" Undyne called out. So, even if she could see the girl to a degree, it seemed she still wasn't able to hear her. "Whatever. That wasn't bad! Looks like at least one of you has some guts!"
Lily sneered at the not-so-subtle insult towards her friend, but forced her anger aside. "Stay back, Frisk."
"But… but if she attacks you…"Frisk began fearfully.
"If the worst happens, you can just bring me back right?"She said, and Frisk could feel the warmth of her smile, even if he couldn't currently see it. "We made a promise to protect each other, right? Let me… let me do my part. I'll be your shield, okay?"
Yes… that promise. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't all that long ago. Though, with everything that had happened since, it might as well have been another lifetime. It was only a couple of days after he'd told her his name, and given her one of her own. Things were so much simpler back then: living in the Ruins with Toriel, making friends with the monsters there, with the only care being to be back home on time. Sitting amongst the toys, a stuffed lion resting in his lap he'd locked his little finger with hers as they made that vow.
"Okay…" He said, standing up and tightening his grip on his stick. "But don't think I'm letting you do this alone. We're in this together."
"Looks like you're ready to go now!" Undyne cried, sounding almost pleased by that fact. "NGGGAAAAH! Alright then! Enough warming up! I don't care how many of you there are! I WON'T LOSE!"
Her shark-like grin widened as she slammed a fist into the ground, and launched into the above them. The children's eyes followed as she soared overhead before conjuring a single spear and hurling it downward towards Frisk. The boy raised his stick to fend off the attack, only to watch it vanish in the midst of a yellow-green blur as Lily snatched it from the air.
Undyne landed on the other side of them, before immediately thrusting her fist toward the sky. A multitude of spears formed around her before rotating around a central point and shooting off in multiple directions. The children followed their movements as they positioned themselves, as if born by invisible soldiers.
"They're coming from the sides too!" Lily warned, noticing some of the spears breaking off from the rest.
Frisk nodded, watching carefully from where he stood, still rooted in place by Undyne's magic. Like silvery comets, they turned on their axes and positioned themselves to strike. The next moment, they screamed forth, cutting through the howling wind to descend upon their targets.
Lily swung her own spear in a wide sweep, knocking two of them off course while Frisk held his position and raised his stick to deflect a third. Their course thwarted, the projectiles spun away and shattered like glass upon the ground.
"Whoa!" Lily yelped, barely managing to bat a particularly fast spear away. "Careful, some are faster!"
"Got it!" Frisk replied, turning to another that had started coming his way.
"Don't you see?" Undyne taunted them, moving to the right and calling forth another salvo. "For years we've dreamed of a happy ending, and now sunlight is almost within our reach! I won't let you snatch that away from us!"
Two spears rocketed through the air before descending upon children from two different directions. If there was any interval between them it was incredibly slight. For one person, it might have been impossible to deflect both at that same time.
"Which one?" Frisk asked.
"I'll take the left!"
"'Kay!"
The aquamarine missiles surged forward, bearing down on the children in a pincer attack. Still, they were ready for them. Frisk's stick and Lily's repurposed spear moved as one, striking the two flying javelins at the same instant. Thrown off course, the two projectiles spun into the air above them, blown to magical smithereens before they even hit the ground.
A flash of green drew the boy's attention to his SOUL. The emerald prison that encased it flickered weakly before splintering into motes of magic, setting free the crimson glow within. As its normal hue returned, Frisk's legs immediately felt freer.
"Hey, I think I can move again!" He said hopefully, shifting his feet a little to prove it.
"Seriously? That's- Eep!" Lily found her response cut off as she was forced to dodge another spear that was hurled her way. "Okay, I am getting really sick of being interrupted like that…"
Undyne didn't give the girl much time to dwell on that frustration. Crouching low, she used her free hand to launch herself forward. Her spear arced downward, aiming at where the stolen piece of her magic hovered in the air ahead. The bluish simulacrum of her favored weapon shot to the side in reverse, but remained above ground. Knowing she'd missed, the knight gave an irritated click of the tongue before shifting her momentum back to the more visible human further on.
"Frisk, heads up!" Lily called out. "She's going for you now!"
Lily's warning went without saying, as the boy could already see the armored fish barreling towards him. Undyne's spear spun about as she shifted her grip mid charge, the glimmering metal tip poised forward like an absurdly sharp battering ram. Frisk moved to the side as it was thrust toward him with enough force to impale bedrock. Undyne wasn't finished yet… she turned quickly forcing the boy to duck beneath a high sweep before continuing her assault.
* Frisk - HP: 15/20
* Lily - HP: 17/17
"Heh… I'll admit, you're tougher than I thought." Undyne praised as her spear struck out at him. "But even if you could beat me, no one has EVER made it passed Asgore! Honestly, killing you now is an act of mercy!"
He grit his teeth against the pain as her spear scratched at his arms. Her attacks never struck him directly but the boy knew that even one slip would result a huge loss of his HP at the very least. It was all he could do to keep evading her, but that wouldn't be enough for long. Slowly but surely, she was whittling him down.
He didn't have a chance to think about an avenue of escape however, as his foot caught inside one of the shallow holes the Undyne's earlier magical barrage had left behind. His free hand shot forward, trying desperately to correct his balance but hit was too late. He fell back, landing on his haunches in the dirt. A menacing grin spread across Undyne's piscine face as she turned her spear downward, aiming for the fallen boy.
A fearful gasp escaped Lily's throat as she saw the danger her friend was in. She darted forward, gripping the magical spear she held with both hands. Her vision tunneled in on Undyne as the warrior raised the arm that held Frisk's doom. Straightening her spectral body, she quickened her flight, praying that she would reach them in time.
"So…" The knight began, victory glinting in her single eye. "STOP BEING SO DAMN RESILIENT!"
Undyne's spear fell… and a rippling crash resounded over the howl of the wind as it was met by its magical counterpart. The force of the blow was such, that the latter shattered instantly upon impact. The resulting blast set Lily's entire world into a spin as she was flung into the air, tumbling through end over end like a ragdoll.
Undyne wasn't faring much better. The violent clash had send particles of magic flying into her face, temporarily cutting off sight from her uncovered eye. It was enough to send her spear off course, leaving it planted firmly into the ground nearby rather than the chest of a certain human boy. Frisk took the opportunity, throwing himself forward and crawling between the warrior's legs to safety.
Lily struggled to regain control of her limbs, spreading them wide to stop herself from flying any further. Her head was swimming both from the force of the blow, and from having just taken the worst merry-go-round ride she could think of.
* Lily - HP: 10/17
'Ow… good thing I had that spear.'
The powerful burst of magic had rattled the spectral girl more than she expected, and she blinked a few times to clear the fog. Reorienting herself, she returned her attention back to the battlefield. She'd been blown some distance, but could still see the large figure of Undyne standing near the center, clearly in a daze. Relief swept over her when she noticed a small crimson speck merging from beneath the warrior's armor. With her friend in sight, Lily pushed her ghostly form forward to return to his side.
Frisk shook his head, pushing himself back to his feet. He didn't have much time to contemplate what had just happened before a small hand seized his own, and pulled him into a run.
"Come on!" The familiar voice of his friend ordered.
"Lily, are you-" Frisk began, but stopped when his gaze fell upon the girl. "You're hurt!"
"Don't worry about that right now!" The girl replied, hoping to allay his worry. "We need to run while we have the chance!"
Frisk followed after her without protest. He didn't have much room to argue, being only a little better off than she was judging by their HP levels. It was clear at this point that Undyne was not of the mind to talk, nor could they count on outlasting her. She wasn't Captain of the Royal Guard for no reason… they were dealing with a warrior. Hoping to tire her out would have been an exercise in futility no matter how determined they were. Even more so, when her own determination burned nearly as bright.
The only way to overcome her directly would have been to fight, and Frisk refused to do that. The only option left was to run. It wasn't ideal, but it was all they could do to buy time until a better way presented itself. Perhaps if they got away, kept helping the rest of the Underground… she would hear about it and be more receptive later? Maybe if Papyrus kept talking to her, he could eventually convince her of their sincerity. It was all they could do.
"What the… Are you running away again?!" An incredulous voice called from behind them. They didn't stop. "NGAAAAAHHH! GET BACK HERE!"
"I… think we made her mad." Frisk said, chancing a glance behind them only to see Undyne wrenching her spear from the ground and turning to pursue them.
"Oh, you mean she wasn't mad before?" Lily quipped, leading the boy onward. "There's a tunnel under the rocks. Maybe we can lose her in there."
The spectral girl made a beeline for the mouth of the tunnel with Frisk in tow. The wind from outside died away almost instantly as they slipped inside, hampered by the stone walls that now surrounded them. It was darker in here without the light of star-like gems to guide them, but not so much that she wasn't able to see where she was going.
The clank of iron armor rang in their ears as they moved deeper into the cavern, Undyne hot on their heels. A flash of silvery light arced across Frisk's vision as another spear soared over his head but struck nothing. Keeping pace with Lily, he turned back to Undyne again, who was already in the process of conjuring another magical javelin to her hand. More than that deadly magic however, the red child was more concerned with Undyne herself and the fact that she was already much closer than when they'd started.
"She's gaining on us!" Frisk shouted, even as he was forced to duck his head to avoid the thrown spear.
"Crap…!" Lily muttered.
If things kept going like they were, then it wouldn't be long before she caught up to them, and unlike most places in Waterfall, Lily couldn't see any branches or side paths that they might be able to use to get away. At this rate, she'd even have been happy with that creepy dark tunnel near where they'd found the quiche. She shuddered to think about it, but at least Undyne's bulky armor would keep her from following them into a place like that.
Alas, there was nothing like that to be found. The only thing she could see was a wooden structure set up at the corner where the path bent to the right. It stood alone amidst the empty stone, its roof covered in a few inches of snow.
'Wait… snow?' Lily thought.
"Good timing, Sans!" Undyne yelled from what must have been only a few feet away. "Gimme a hand here!"
"SANS?!" Lily shouted incredulously before looking back towards the now rather familiar sentry station.
Sure enough, he was there: round white skull, blue hoodie, and that ever present grin. He sat there, watching from where he sat behind the station, completely unmoving despite the noise echoing down the tunnel. By this point even Frisk could see him as a white speck on his SOUL-sight. Hope began to fill the boy… Undyne still didn't know that he was helping them. Maybe he could do something…?
"Help!" The boy cried desperately, even as a spear crashing down behind him caused him to stumble slightly.
"What are you doing?!" Undyne called out to the short skeleton again. "You're a sentry, get out here help me capture these two!"
"Why the hell isn't he doing anything?!" Lily wondered aloud.
With spears crashing into the ground around them, Frisk and Lily continued to flee through the tunnel to where the blue skeleton waited. Still, he didn't move. He had no reaction at all even with the sounds of pursuit that were rapidly approaching his station. The boy gazed ahead at the colorless form he took against his sight. Half of it was cut off, likely obscured by whatever he stood behind. Still, his face was clear. The normally wide, black sockets were covered in a layer of calcium that might have resembled eyelids.
"Is he… asleep?" The boy observed.
"Oh for…" Lily began. "Are you freaking serious?!"
"Hey! I swear, if I find you sleeping on the job again…!" Undyne shouted. "And you two… STOP RUNNING AWAY!"
Sensing a surge of magic behind him, Frisk glanced back just in time to see the piscine knight's spear coating itself in the same greenish magic from before. She raised the weapon high before striking downward with a thrust, no doubt hoping to use that magic to root him in place again. Frisk wasn't about to let her have an easy time of it though, and nimbly shifted his small body out of the way as he followed behind Lily.
"I can't believe you're sleeping at a time like this!" Lily ranted at the form of Sans, still peacefully dreaming behind his station. It wasn't like he could hear her, but right now she really didn't care. "We could really use your help right now!"
"That's IT! As soon as this is over, I'm SO docking your pay!" Undyne shouted angrily. "Just what the hell are you doing?!"
"Sans!"
"Sans!"
"WAKE UP, LAZYBONES!" Both fish and ghost shouted at the same time.
Yet for all the commotion, Sans didn't budge. He simply remained behind his station, still as a statue even as Lily rounded the corner with together with Frisk. As they passed by, the boy took a moment to glance back at the sleeping skeleton. It was only then that he thought he noticed the white lids part. The pricks of light within the sockets stared back for just a moment before the left closed again in some semblance of a wink.
It all happened in a split second… to the point where he wasn't sure if it even had, before Undyne's towering form blocked him from seeing anything else. He turned his focus toward her even as her spear took on that emerald glow once again. She arced the weapon about in a sweep but the boy ducked beneath it, forcing her to give ground while she regained control of it.
Frustrated that they'd escaped her reach again, Undyne changed tactics. Instead of continuing pursuit, she halted in place and called her magic to her empty hand. Another magical spear formed and she brought its point to that of its physical twin. The emerald glow drained from the latter as it was transferred to the former, setting it ablaze with power. At last she took aim, and waited. She would only need a second…
The ground had steadily grown less sure the further the children ran. What was once a solid, wide path had become broken and narrow. Sheer drops to either side fell into a deep darkness from which a number of large stalagmites emerged. It looked like it might fall away completely before they even left the tunnel… but what other choice was there than to keep moving forward?
A sense of uncertainty had begun to fill them when they heard Undyne's heavy steps fall silent behind them. They knew better than to assume she'd given up. Someone like Undyne would not simply stop now, after having pursued them for so long. But then… what was she planning?
They didn't have much time to think about it before Frisk's foot caught on a stone, and sent him stumbling forward. It wasn't nearly enough to knock him from his feet… it barely even slowed them at all before he could recover.
But…
Even as he witnessed the emerald spear soaring into the unseen depths ahead of him he could feel its power seeping into his body once again. As before, he felt nothing from it on a physical level and so couldn't be sure if it had hit him directly or simply glanced him like last time. It didn't seem to matter however as the oppressive magic found its way to his SOUL all the same.
"Wait! Lily!" He tried to warn the girl as his pace suddenly ground to a halt.
The girl gasped as her arm was suddenly pulled taut, and she was flung back into the boy's chest. As one, they toppled over, landing heavily on the hard ground beneath them.
"Ow… what…?" Lily began before her eyes fell upon her friend's SOUL, once more encased in green.
"That was a clever trick, humans." Undyne spoke, twirling her spear about before brandishing it toward the boy. "But you've escaped me for the LAST time!"
"Sorry." Frisk turned to Lily and apologized. "I guess I messed up a little, huh?"
"It's okay…" Lily shook her head, as she pushed herself off of him. "We just have to hold out until you can move again, right?"
"Yeah…" Frisk agreed, as she helped him to his feet. "I don't think she can keep this spell up for long."
"HEY!" Undyne shouted, gritting her teeth. "I'm standing right here, you know?!"
"Um…" Frisk turned his attention back to the rather offended looking knight. "S- sorry…?"
Undyne's brow rose at that.
"What. You're not supposed to…" She shut up, shaking her head to clear the momentary confusion. "NGAAAHHH, DAMMIT STOP MESSING WITH ME AND FIGHT!"
The armored fish rose her left hand and summoned her magic once again. A cluster of about a dozen spears appeared behind her, spinning outward one at a time before flying for the two of them. It was the same kind of attacks she'd used before and by this point, they'd gotten used to it. Frisk was able to deflect the first of the spears alone, giving Lily a chance to take another one to use against the rest.
"Ha, you're good! If you were a monster, I might consider training you alongside Papyrus." The knight complimented. "It's a real shame that you're human…"
Despite her words, the knight was grinning from ear to ear. Frustrated as she seemed, it actually looked like she was having the time of her life. Raising her left hand before her, she exhaled slowly. The telltale shimmer of gathering magic began to manifest over her palm.
"It's not every day I get to use this attack. Most of the wimps I deal with don't last long enough…" She said as the shimmering grew brighter, and began to reshape. "I think you brats have earned a taste though. You really should be honored!"
The gathered magic coalesced into her ironclad palm lengthening into the shape of a spear. It was different from the others though… more sleek and intricate. The most telling thing about it however was its color. Most of Undyne's spears had been either white, or a kind of blue distinct from either that of the dog clan or Sans' without the strange effects either of those held.
This spear however shone in a brilliant yellow.
"Yellow?" Lily questioned. "What kind of magic is that?"
"I… I don't know." Frisk replied, staring with concern at the spear. "It feels… different."
"Now…" Undyne said as amber spear rose into the air above her, followed by a new group of 'normal' ones. "Let's see how you handle THIS!"
With a sweep of her arm, it fell upon them: shimmering lances surged forth in a concentrated assault designed more for overwhelming power than accuracy. A number of them crashed harmlessly to the ground beside them, or otherwise flew wide of their mark, but enough were on target to force Frisk and Lily to concentrate all their efforts on repelling them. Frisk managed to deflect two of the projectiles while shifting his upper body just enough to narrowly avoid a third. Lily meanwhile decided to take the initiative, weaving her weightless form between them while smashing her own spear into as many as she could.
It was at that moment that a streak of yellow darted passed her peripheral vision. The strange spear sped through the cloud of its lesser brethren toward the shackled human trapped at its center. It was fast… faster than the others by a wide margin, but Frisk seemed to notice and readied himself to deflect it. The boy raised his stick to defend himself, only for the amber lance to suddenly change course, turning its point upward and rocketing into the air above.
"I got it!" Lily exclaimed, pushing herself into the air and chasing after the projectile.
It spiraled upward in a way that made it hard to keep track of, but the girl managed to keep pace as it climbed into the upper reaches of the cavern. She intercepted it as it tried to change direction again, and struck out with her own weapon. Again the spear changed course, darting behind the girl before suddenly lashing out with a strike of its own.
* Lily - HP: 8/17
"Agh!" She'd managed to avoid a direct hit, but the javelin's magical edge still managed to cut her arm. "You piece of…!"
She didn't finish the insult, punctuating it instead with a retaliation of her own. Again, the nimble missile avoided it but this time she was ready, following its path and slamming her spear downward. The impact split the xanthous spear in half, dispersing the magic from both of them.
"Be careful, Frisk…" She warned, ignoring the soreness creeping into her spectral form as she returned to the boy's side. "Those things fight dirty."
"Impressive." Undyne spoke. "But you're never going to beat me if you don't even fight back!"
"I don't want to beat you, Undyne!" Frisk pleaded. "I can't just give you my SOUL… I know there's another way. I want to help if you'd just let me!"
"You're really sticking with that even though I'm trying to kill you?!" Undyne retorted before flashing a fanged grin. "Jeez, Alphys told me humans were determined… Now I see what she meant by that."
"Then you'll give us a chance?" Frisk asked hopefully, only to have that hope dashed when the knight shook her head.
"Sorry, punk… not falling for it! See, I'm determined too!" The Captain replied as more spears materialized behind her. "…Determined to end this RIGHT NOW!"
"Here they come again!" Lily shouted, watching carefully for an opportunity to replace her lost weapon.
Undyne's attacks surged forth, in greater numbers than any before. A wave of aquamarine light spread through the gloom of the cavern, broken here and there by the occasional shock of yellow. One by one they fell upon the children, gradually at first and then quickly increasing in both number and speed. Lily seized one early, doing what she could to defend Frisk's back while the boy focused on those ahead of him.
"...RIGHT NOW!"
The warrior leapt from the narrow path, landing nimbly on one of the many stalagmites jutting from the murky depths of the cavern. Her heavy armor did nothing to throw off her balance as she moved between them, each time adding more spears to the amassing cluster that hung above the heads of the children. The space between them grew narrower and narrower until it became nearly impossible to to determine where one ended and the next began.
Still, the two were focused, the bond they shared giving them a level of coordination that went beyond any normal synergy. When a spear would approach from beyond Lily's sight, Frisk was there to intercept it. When the attack came from too many angles for Frisk to handle alone, Lily would cover his openings.
One of the yellow spears broke away from the rest, spiraling toward Frisk like a bolt of lightning amidst a storm. After dealing with a couple of the more normal projectiles, the boy focused his attention on the new threat. Stick raised before him, he waited until it was in range before moving to parry it away. As expected, the amber missile turned sharply, weaving around his small body to instead strike at his back where Lily waited.
"It's coming around to you!" The boy warned her.
The girl nodded, waiting until that telltale shock of yellow entered her sight. The moment it did, she released her grip on the spear she was currently holding, and seized the new one instead. The gleaming javelin stopped short, vibrating lightly against her spectral hands as if in protest at having been thwarted. Lily gave it a new purpose, turning it back toward the cloud of its aquamarine brethren and hurling it with all her might. It spun about, carving a drunken path through the air as it attempted to correct its course before smashing into the wall of blue. The forceful collision resulted in another violent rupture of magical energy, scattering those fortunate enough to not be caught in the chain reaction.
"Ha! How do you like it?!" Lily shouted at the hole it left behind.
"You're yelling at spears." Frisk pointed out, while knocking another one away.
"I know! Just let me have this, okay?" She replied with a bit of a pout.
The boy didn't respond, quickly finding himself a little too preoccupied to tease her about it. Despite Lily's attempt, the attacks only seemed to grow more frequent, and he knew he was already nearly at his limit. He could hear Lily behind him too, her voice becoming more laborious as she did her part to fend off the countless attacks. They wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, but with his SOUL still shackled in place there was little else they could do.
"...RIGHT… NOW!" Undyne shouted, as she continued to weave about cavern and add more fuel into her relentless assault.
Fortunately, it sounded like they weren't the only ones. Undyne's voice was straining too. Keeping up such a persistent attack while maintaining the binding spell couldn't have been easy even for her. At this point, it was simply a matter of which side would be first to falter.
More spears descended upon the two children. Their arms ached as they fought desperately against them, finding it more and more difficult to properly defend themselves. Some of the attacks managed to slip just beyond their guards, leaving shallow cuts along their bodies before continuing passed. None hit directly, but even still they could feel the light nicks and scratches slowly whittling down what remained of their HP.
Were the attacks getting faster…? Or where the two of them simply getting slower?
"Ha… Ha…" Undyne before gritting her shark like teeth. "NGAAAAHHH! JUST… DIE ALREADY, YOU LITTLE-"
Her sentence stopped short as a crack resounded through the cavern, and everyone's attention was drawn to Frisk's SOUL. For a moment, the two children thought that one of Undyne's attacks had finally taken its toll. However, the carnelian heart itself was still holding strong. The emerald shell surrounding it however was not so lucky, shattering like glass but a moment later.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Lily shouted, wasting no time before taking Frisk's hand and pulling him into a run.
Frisk knew exactly what she had in mind as his squinted eyes fell upon a patch of darkness amidst the glaring sheen of Undyne's magic.
The rift that the stolen yellow spear had carved into the cloud was still there. It was shrinking rapidly, a diminishing flaw in an otherwise perfect prison. The boy quickened his pace, batting away a few wayward spears that drew a little too close. The constant struggle had royally messed with their sense of direction, and there was no telling what was on the other side. It could have been solid ground or bottomless abyss. Still, it was their only chance.
Lily's body straightened as she flew straight for the rift, squinting her eyes against the blinding magical light that surrounded her. A moment later she was through. The girl immediately turned back to the deadly cloud of spears, fearing what she might face only to gasp as Frisk's small frame passed through the gap in the next instant. His falling body was stopped by the firm earth that stretched beneath it, his momentum setting him into an awkward roll. Quickly regathering her senses, the girl hastened to his side and hoisted him to his feet.
"Go go go GO!" She spurred, grabbing his hand again and pulling him onward along the path.
"Are you freaking serious?!" Undyne raged as she watched the small body bathed in crimson light slip free from her attack. "I'm sick of this little game… you brats are DEAD!"
Lily didn't bother looking back, her mind focused solely on getting the them to safety as quickly as possible. Frisk however, did and his face paled at what he saw. Rather than dissipating like the shell surrounding his SOUL, the magical storm instead became as a wave, rising and falling over itself as it lurched after them. A multitude of spears tore passed them, striking the ground around the boy's feet and kicking up clouds of stale-smelling earth. They weren't nearly as accurate as before, likely meant more for overwhelming a stationary target rather than a moving one but the sheer volume still made them dangerous. That, however was not the most unnerving thing about it.
Where was Undyne? The red child frantically scanned the area behind him, ignoring the headache that had begun to form due to the glaring argent tide that roiled there. She hadn't gotten ahead of them, that much was certain by the fact that Lily was still pulling him along. He looked up, expecting to see her soaring overhead to attack from a different angle, but he saw no sign of her distinctive armor. Where did she go?
A sound like the shattering of hundreds of panes of glass mixed with the trickle of water provided the answer. His attention shifted immediately back to the wave of spears, just in time to watch it split down the middle and a familiar fanged, flowing-haired form emerge. Her physical spear crashed into the ground where the small human had stood not even a second before, even as the countless magical simulacrums behind it melted from the sides of the path like twin falls before dispersing.
The sound, as well as the concerning jolt against her arm drew Lily's gaze back to what was going on behind her. Her eyes widened as she noticed their assailant so close behind, having narrowly whiffed another attack. As the angry fish ripped her spear from the ground and continued pursuit, the girl quickened her pace, fighting through the warm air that prickled against her incorporeal body.
Wait… warm?
It was… it was warm: far warmer than anywhere else in Waterfall. What was more, the temperature was growing rapidly with every step (figuratively in her case) that they took. It was such an abrupt change that her fear was momentarily tempered as she looked ahead, curious instinct driving her to seek out the reason.
A hazy orange glow radiated from the rapidly approaching exit to the tunnel. It was there the heat came from. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the change in lighting cast by a sign glimmering with multicolored lights that stood in greeting at the cave's exit. What it said, filled her with an entirely new kind of fear and worry.
'WELCOME TO HOTLAND'
"Oh no…" She trembled, as they passed beneath the sign and the exit to the cavern.
It was like stepping into a twisted mirror of Waterfall. The cool air became a dry, almost oppressive heat and the flowing streams and lakes were replaced by rivulets of molten rock and bubbling magma. The damp earth beneath them transformed in an instant into hard cracked stone devoid of any sort of moisture. An acrid scent played across the girl's nose and she knew in that moment that Frisk must have noticed the same thing.
"Frisk… whatever you do…" She began slowly, almost pleadingly. "…do not panic."
Frisk barely even heard her. He'd noticed the change almost as soon as she did… and he knew what was around them now. His steps became unsure… slowed. He forgot completely about the danger of Undyne behind him. She was insignificant, nothing in the face of the horror that surrounded him. He couldn't see the flames… but he could feel them, grasping, reaching. The smell of smoke… of danger. It was all he could smell. They hated him… he knew it. They hated him for escaping, for surviving… and now they wanted to take him again.
"No… nonono…" He murmured through trembling lips. "Get them away… Don't… don't let them get me…!"
"Don't think about it…" Lily said, trying to maintain as much calm as she could even in the midst of his own growing dread. "I know its scary, but right now we have to run."
Run…? Yes, that's right. He had to run… had to get away. If he didn't, the flames would catch him. They'd finish what they started with his eyes.
"Frisk!" Lily cried.
The red child's hand frantically ripped from her spectral grasp and turned back the way they came… only to come face to face with an azure spear spiraling toward him. There was no need for Undyne's strange green magic. Caught between it and the fire, his own fear was enough to lock his legs in place as it drew ever closer, death carried upon its tip. His lidded eyes shut fully, unwilling to witness his final few moments of life. Even in this they failed him however, the image of the missile burned into his mind by something more than sight.
Distantly he felt himself stumble backward pulled by something his panicked mind couldn't recognize. With a cry, he found himself falling away, watching as the spear passed by from… overhead? He couldn't tell.
A heavy impact forced some level of awareness back into him as he hit the ground, and his SOUL-sight focused on the image ahead of him. Undyne, fangs clenched strode forward, her milk-white form drawing ever closer. She wasn't even trying to run after them now. The loud scraping of her spear against the ground rang in his ears, merging with the ominous growl of the flames around them. Undyne's empty hand raised, and a silvery manifestation of magic formed within. With a flick of her wrist, it flew forward, intent on succeeding where the last had failed. Instinctively, he raised his stick to defend himself.
Clutching her arm, Lily watched in fear and worry. She'd managed to defend get him away from the first spear, but there was no way she would be quick enough to react to the second. The arm bearing Frisk's stick shot up in an instinctive effort to defend himself. Miraculously, wood met magic once again, throwing it off course and prolonging the life it protected.
That momentary relief was short-lived.
In horror, she watched as the stick was flung from the boy's trembling fingers, and sent spinning through the air.
"No!" She cried, springing up to intercept it.
She reached out, flying after the branch with its still green leaf. It bounced along the smooth stone before rolling from the edge of the cliff overlooking the vast lake of bubbling magma. Her hand shot out, closing over the wooden guardian that had fought so hard to defend her friend. It was to no avail, as its solid form slipped through her ethereal grasp.
Hanging from the edge of the cliff, she watched as the stick tumbled downward, flames bursting from the dried wood before it even met the burning ocean below. Within seconds, it was gone. Nothing remained to be consumed by the hungry liquid flames but the faintest of embers.
"Frisk…" Lily muttered, reminding herself of the more immediate concern. She couldn't do anything about the stick, but she needed to protect its owner.
She rushed back to his side, taking his hand and wrapping an arm around his back. He was shaking worse than he ever had. Even during their first fight against Toriel, she'd never seen him this afraid. Her coppery eyes settled upon Undyne with a defiant glare. By now she'd long exited the tunnel and was now but a few paces away. Her teeth were bared in a victorious grin… and yet, the spectral girl could sense something was wrong. Her slouched form, looked as if it was struggling just to move.
"Is she…?" Lily spoke, but closed her mouth as if to speak it would destroy that last grain of hope.
"Ha… Ha… Looks like… I win." Undyne spoke through heavy breaths. "Now I'll… I'll…"
She never got to finish her sentence before the spear fell from her hand, and her body crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud. The girl watched for a few silent, disbelieving moments but the Captain did not move.
"We… we did it…" Lily mumbled, taking a moment to process what had happened. Then, a celebratory grin spread across her face. "Frisk! We did it! We beat her!"
The happy expression fell when she finally turned her eyes back to the boy. Frisk's body was pulled inward, legs held against his chest. His hands, white knuckled, clawed against the sleeves of his jacket while fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.
"It hurts… it hurts…" he sobbed, desperately. "Make it stop…"
"Frisk…" Lily muttered, moving around to his front. "It's okay. Just let me handle the rest."
Prying his hands free, Lily brought them together and closed her own around them. Frisk's small head lifted and was met with the calming image of his friend. He nodded silently, understanding managing to pierce the veil of fear, and opened his SOUL to her. The last thing he saw was of her body dispersing into magic before retreating into the safety of his own mind.
Crimson light spilled from both slits of the small child's eyes, the right significantly brighter than the left. Small hands wiped away the remainder of the tears, before pushing the body to its feet, and turning to leave.
"...hugh…"
A rasping breath sounded behind them, drawing Lily's attention back to the third presence. Undyne was still conscious… her gauntlet-clad hand reaching in the direction of red child.
"Seriously?" she scoffed, staring at the warrior with contempt. "Even after all that, you aren't done?"
Undyne didn't respond and merely continued to reach forward. If she still meant to capture them, it was useless. She was too far away to catch them, and it didn't look like she had the strength to call on any more magic either. Yet, as Lily continued to watch the fallen knight, she noticed something strange. She wasn't reaching for them. The girl followed the path of Undyne's arm to one end of the promontory they stood upon. She was forced to lift a brow when she saw the oddly conspicuous water cooler that sat there. It wasn't the strangest thing in the Underground but it was certainly up there.
She turned from the cooler and looked back at Undyne, then to the cooler again. Silently she walked over to it, took one of the paper cups from the receptacle and filled it from the tap. Undyne's yellow eye, glazed and unfocused followed as she slowly made her way back.
"You know, you've really made life hell for us." She chastised from her position above the warrior. "You've chased us from the moment we got here, hurt us and tried to kill us several times. You forced my best friend into something so traumatizing that he literally just shut down. All of this because you hate humans so much that you couldn't accept that maybe there was one that wanted to help you. After everything you've put us through, I really shouldn't give this to you…"
Nevertheless, she crouched down in front of Undyne and poured the water over her dried scales. Undyne's eye closed as the cool liquid ran over her, hydrating her parched form. Lily moved Frisk's body back to the cooler and retrieved a couple more cups of water, gulping one down herself before returning to the Undyne with the second. By the time she arrived, the knight was already pushing her heavily armored body to its feet.
Without saying a word, Lily pressed the flimsy water cup against her chest, causing a bit to splash against the metal plate. Undyne looked at the small human, more than a head and shoulders shorter than her and barely a third as broad before hesitantly taking the cup.
"Why…?" She asked in disbelief.
Lily shrugged, not bothering to look her in the eye.
"I don't know. Maybe because I know it's what Frisk would do, and he'd be disappointed if I just left you there. Maybe because I don't think you deserve to suffer for doing a bad thing when you're desperate." She listed, before finally craning her neck up to meet the captain's scrutiny. "Or maybe because somewhere deep down… if it was anyone but Frisk, I feel like I might agree with you."
Undyne didn't respond, so Lily simply turned around and started to walk. "I'm going home. If you're not going to attack us again, would you tell me if there's an easy way back to Snowdin?"
"There's… a boat." Undyne said, still reeling from both the heat and the human's words. "A little ahead, and to your right…"
Lily was a little surprised that she'd even responded to her request, let alone give directions. "…Thanks, I guess."
She continued walking, leaving the confused knight behind as she walked onward along the risen stone paths of the region known as Hotland. After a bit of travel she came to a four-way intersection. The path immediately ahead of her seemed to end at a large, white colored structure with seemingly no entrance despite the circular windows. A haze of heat obscured whatever lay at the end of the path to the left, but Lily could make out the silhouette of an enormous mass of twisting metal far beyond.
The girl took a quick look behind her to make sure Undyne wasn't following and noticed that she had disappeared. Shrugging, Lily decided to trust her gut and the knight's words and turned down the path to her right. Crude stone steps lead her down from the promontory, and she could feel the temperature falling again. In time she reached the end, stepping into a lower outcropping of land overlooking a stream or small river.
There was indeed a boat here. A simple thing, brown wood with raised sides. It was hardly different from the one she and Frisk had used when they first arrived in Waterfall. What stood out was the boatsman themself whose unremarkable appearance only made them stand out more.
"Tra la la…" They sang in a voice that hung in the balance between masculine and feminine, before glancing up at the new arrival from beneath the plain black cloak they wore. There was a moment of pause before they spoke. "Oh, hello there. I am the riverman… or, am I the riverwoman? It doesn't really matter."
"Uh… hi." Lily said awkwardly. "Someone told me your boat could take me to Snowdin?"
"Ah, splendid. I do so love to ride in my boat." The river… person… answered. "Tra la la, if its hot or cold, you can count on me!"
"Oh, thank goodness…" Lily sighed. "How much would it cost to go there?"
"No need for any of that. Just climb aboard and we'll be there before you know it." The figure said, their cloak moving as if waving a hand.
"Hear that Frisk?" Lily spoke to her friend. "They're gonna take us back. You can come out if you want."
"Really?" The boy's voice sounded from within, as the left of his two glowing eyes faded to nothing. "T-thank you…"
The river person simply watched as the small child climbed his way into the boat and sat down inside.
"Then, we're off." They said simply.
That's all it took to get the boat moving. There were no oars nor anchors to be seen, and no adjusting of a rudder. The cloaked figure did not move from where they stood, and yet the boat began moving as if driven by a will of its own. The light humming reached the children's ears from their epicene voice, a simple tune but pleasant as the boat began to coast along the featureless river.
"Hey… mind if I try to come out?" Lily asked after a moment.
"Oh. Yeah, go ahead." The boy responded.
"Okay… just let me know if it starts to hurt." She said.
"Why would it-" Frisk began, but then remembered what happened the first time they attempted something like this. "Oh yeah… okay."
They concentrated on separating her consciousness from his SOUL, ready to break the attempt if something went wrong. It took some time, the injuries they'd suffered and the general exhaustion from the fight making it somewhat difficult to synchronize their focus. In the end, it worked, and Lily's spectral form materialized without much problem. The girl settled herself down next to her friend, her weightless body feeling oddly heavy at the moment. She sighed.
"Thanks."
"Shouldn't I be saying that?" Frisk asked, turning to her. "Lily, if you weren't there, I… I don't think I could have done that alone."
"I guess we really do make a good team, huh…?" She said softly. "I'm just glad that I could finally protect you… like you did for me when we first met."
"What about that dummy you told me about?" Frisk asked her. "You protected me then, didn't you?"
"That was different. I was mostly blowing off steam, and even then I was just piloting your body." She dismissed. "Besides… I probably kinda started it anyway by punching him in the face."
"Wha-" Frisk was torn between amusement and disbelief. "You forgot to mention that part."
"It was a training dummy. It was made to be punched." Lily asserted. "How was I supposed to know there was a ghost monster living in it?"
"I guess." The boy relented.
The two fell silent, simply listening to the steady burble and the river person's quiet song. After a few moments, Lily felt herself growing a little dizzy and she slumped against Frisk's shoulder. A dull shudder of pain rippled through her left side.
"Ow…" She said weakly, but didn't bother to move.
"You okay?" Frisk asked, feeling a bit worried as he turned his attention to her.
"I'll live…" She said jokingly. "I just don't think I'm quite used to fighting like that."
Frisk studied her for a moment. He felt sore all over after the encounter with Undyne, and the unwelcome brush with his phobia had left his nerves completely out of whack. Yet, even then that didn't seem to come close to what was going on with his friend. Her form was stable… nothing like how it was after their first encounter with Flowey so he knew there was no immediate danger. Yet, she looked exhausted. Frisk himself had always been fond of the occasional nap, but Lily looked like she could have passed out at any moment.
He decided to take a quick look at their HP.
* Frisk - HP: 4/20
* Lily - HP: 2/17
His own wasn't in the best of shape, but hers…
"Two points…" He muttered. "Your HoPe is down to just two points?"
"It's fine…" She said tiredly. "You would have died if I didn't get you away from that last attack. I had the extra to spare anyway, right?"
"That 'last attack'?" Frisk responded, slowly putting two and two together. "You mean when I…"
When he panicked and tried to run, only to be intercepted by Undyne. When he just stood there, frozen by his own fear when she threw that spear at him. Lily saved him then… of course it had been her, even if he didn't realize it at the time. And in doing so, she…
"I'm sorry…" He said, filled with regret. "You got hurt because of me. I-"
"Stop that." Lily admonished him. "I knew what I was doing. Like I said, I had the HP to spare and if I didn't do it you would have died."
"But, I…" Frisk began but Lily silenced him, raising her head to look him in the eye.
"No buts. This is nothing… a little monster food or a SAVE point and some sleep and we'll both be back to normal." She said decisively. "I kept you safe and came out in one piece. That's what matters. You don't get to feel guilty about this one, Frisky."
The boy stared at her for a moment but said nothing. Even in the wake of her obvious exhaustion, the way she spoke made it clear there was no room for arguments. A smile spread between her rosy cheeks, filled with contentment, affection, and a bit of pride. That smile was enough to extinguish any misgivings he might have had.
"Okay." He said finally, wiping away the tears that had begun to form in his guilt. "Then, thank you. For protecting me…"
Lily's smile widened, and she let herself settle against Frisk's side. The boy shifted his arm to make her a little more comfortable, for which she was grateful. The boat continued to coast lazily along the quiet river on its course back to the snowy town. It felt like ages since they'd been back there… so much had changed over the last few days. Right now though, all they really wanted to do was return to the home of the skeleton brothers. To laugh at Sans' jokes… to do puzzles with Papyrus… to have a hot meal at Grilby's… and to just take it easy for a while.
"Can't wait until we get home." Lily said, giving voice to that sentiment.
"Me too." Frisk agreed.
"Tra la la…" The river person sang. "A name is a precious thing: hard to lose, and even harder to find."
Frisk and Lily looked up to the cloaked figure, who stared out along the water.
"Huh? What's that mean?" Frisk asked.
"Oh?" The figure spoke, glancing back toward them. "Hmm… don't worry about it."
Authors' Notes: Well that was a wild ride wasn't it? Undyne's fight is easily one of the most hectic in the game. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it.
In the game, Undyne's fight functions a bit like a rhythm game, but obviously that wouldn't work quite as well in book format. Considering that Undyne is basically anime incarnate, we instead tried to invoke that in the battle: exciting, tense, and over-the-top, with a big slice of ham, and a dash of humor. It was incredibly fun to write.
Lily's quote when she enters the fight - "It's gonna take a little more than that…!" - is an echo of a line Undyne speaks in both Neutral and Genocide routes of the game. It also coincides with a major step in her character development.
Hotland… we haven't really had much of an opportunity to address poor Frisk's pyrophobia have we? Many of you probably saw this one coming. The kid's going to have to work through a few things before he can brave this place.
As for the stick… yeah, it's gone.
The intent behind Lily chastising Undyne was meant to be more admonishing than condemning. She was truly acting with the best intentions… but good intentions don't necessarily make one 'right'.
Another arc has come to a close. It'll be nice to ease things up a little in the coming chapters, after the emotional roller coaster of Waterfall. Its been amazing writing this story, and seeing just how many people have come to enjoy it.
On that note though we need to let you guys know that, at least for a little while, chapter releases might be a little more sporadic. You see, we're going to be demolishing an old house fairly soon and we're likely going to be devoting a lot of time and effort into getting things in order. It isn't far from where we are now, but it will need some work before anything else can be done with the property.
This does not mean we're going on hiatus though. We want to stress that here and now. We will still be working on this during the process as time and energy permits but it might take longer than usual to get chapters done… especially if they're as long as this one ended up being. This is simply to let everyone know what's going on on our end and why there might be some delays. We'll keep everyone posted both in these notes and in the discord server on our progress.
Speaking of the Discord server, if you'd like to join just follow the link here: https:(double slash)discord. gg /jfYHvw2 (Remove the spaces add the symbols in the parenthesis).
We've gotten a few members recently and we're always glad to meet more of our readers so do stop by if you want to chat with us.
And of course, we love hearing your opinions on the story, so please leave a comment/review and let us know what you think. It really helps us out. :)
Anyways, these notes are running a little long so we'll see you all in the next chapter, now that the kiddos can take a break for a change.