Act I: Opening
START
During the way back to Snowdin Syphus was rather silent, much to Monster Kid's displeasure. At first the feathered reptile had seemed friendly and patient, but he hadn't said a word since they started walking back, no matter what was said. It was rather awkward and a little bit unsettling, and the way Syphus frowned and narrowed his eyes all the time didn't help. The mood was stuffy and foreboding, Monster Kid felt compelled to look behind himself every once in a while, just to see if Syphus was still there.
Fearing his failure to lead Syphus to the right point had made him angry, Monster Kid chuckled nervously. ".Yo, can I ask you a favor?"
"Hm?"
"Please don't tell anyone I was taking you there, dude" Monster Kid turned his head around, Syphus seemed to be paying attention "She wants me to keep it secret"
"Is that so? Nice"
"...you're not listening to me" the kid muttered, discouraged from talking any longer. Trying to take Syphus there was looking more and more like a bad decision. This was definitely something he'd not tell Ananas later. At the time it had seemed like a good idea – knowing about the cowboy hat was a sign he knew Ananas, right? – but now it felt like breaking the promise to Ananas had been a horrible idea. Maybe it was good he had gotten confused and didn't take Syphus there!
Syphus indeed hadn't been listening. He was aware Monster Kid had said something, but he was too busy taking a gander at his memories. Something had changed and it explained the strange Social Link that had been created not too long before. So the game started... As a piece, Syphus knew he was fated to only be an extension of his master's will, and therefore anything he Sisyphus the witch wished him to do was bound to happen. For the moment there were two instructions:
One: Create Social Links, or find a way to improve the ones he had started already.
Two: Find Frisk.
That second instruction was completely new, though. Had the child fallen into the Underground already? While Syphus was busy wondering that, a sudden bright flash blinded him momentarily, making him stumble. The flash vanished almost immediately, making Syphus see dots. After blinking a few times to clear his sight, the piece noticed something had changed:
On the wall there was a bright blue door, identical to the one in the Ruins, the door that was supposed to lead to the Velvet Room. Syphus stared at it in awe, unsure if he should go ahead and try to open it. "Hey! Over here! Let's go!" Monster Kid called, walking back towards Syphus and completely ignoring the blue door. Either that or he couldn't see it.
Syphus noticed he had been staring with his mouth open, and closed it while glancing at Monster Kid. Must have looked very stupid, blankly watching a random wall, as far as Monster Kid was concerned. "Uh, yeah, about that...I think I'll stay around here for a while"
"Fine. See ya" Monster Kid sounded a bit relieved to leave Syphus behind, but the piece didn't pay attention to that. Once he was sure Monster Kid was far enough, he extended his hand and touched the door. It felt smooth, polished, completely different from the rocks that formed the cavern walls. After a moment of hesitation, Syphus pushed the door open, disappearing from the universe without being noticed.
Monster Kid continued his way towards Snowdin, not paying much attention, although along the way he encountered a deer monster, walking into Waterfall. Who else but a deer monster would have such large antlers? Ciruel didn't acknowledge Monster Kid, either.
-ooooo-
Indeed, that was the Velvet Room, but there was something critically different: Igor was gone. Instead Alphonse was sitting in his usual armchair, looking straight at Syphus. It was as if he had expected the piece to arrive right at that moment "So this is that place..."
"Welcome to the Velvet Room" Alphonse said, extending his hand. There was a blue key in it. "This is the key to this place. As our esteemed guest, you shall be allowed to enter anytime"
"Neato" Syphus mumbled, taking the key and examining it closely. It was small and blue, of the same color than so many things in the Velvet Room, but knowing how things didn't seem as straightforward as they should be, Syphus expected the key to be more than just a key.
"We set up several doors in the Underground" Alphonse informed "Once you obtain some Personas come back and we'll work on fusing them. It's in your best interest to make use of our services" For some reason, the last few words were said in a rather ominous tone. Syphus instinctively stepped back a bit "I'm not threatening you, it's merely a statement"
"...please don't say that again" Syphus motioned with his head towards the empty spot where Igor usually was "Where's Igor?"
Alphonse glanced there for a moment "My master – wait, give me a moment" Alphonse took a deep breath and leaned back on his armchair, relaxing considerably. Since they were alone they felt like they could let their true personality shine a bit more "Igor isn't here. It's for the better, I'm not sure he'd allow me to give you this too"
The attendant took out of his pocket three tickets, crudely made on common paper and written with bad calligraphy, sliding them towards Syphus. The piece took one of them, trying to read the text. "What are these supposed to be?"
"I call these 'The Velvet Room tickets'" Alphonse grinned enigmatically "Since we placed doors in several places of the Underground, I thought these could come useful to you.
I'll allow you to use the Velvet Room as a hub of sorts to arrive to other places"
"That's great!" It could actually be useful in the right circumstances! But something as convenient as this couldn't come free, or be as good as it seemed to be at first glance. Syphus frowned, giving up in reading the scrawls on the tickets "What's the catch?"
"Wow. Someone offers you a gift and you reply with that? That's a bit rude" Alphonse tilted their head "The catch is that I'll only give you three tickets. The Velvet Room isn't a commuting station, Syphus"
That seemed like a rather harmless caveat. Even if it was just three times for the whole game, it could come rather useful, as long as he used those wisely. Or maybe... "I want to use one right now"
Alphonse raised their eyebrows. "To where?"
"The Ruins" It was a good starting point to look for Frisk. Since the Velvet Room door was near the golden flowers grave, he wouldn't have to deal with Royal Guard 047 and try to sneak past him. Besides, if the flowers weren't crushed, it meant he could wait for Frisk to fall down, and that'd be all. It was a perfect plan. Sure, it was enabled by Alphonse's suspiciously convenient offer, but who was he to look at the gift horse in the mouth?
You received 2 Velvet Room Tickets
Alphonse stood up and opened the Velvet Room door, showing what was behind it. The purple stone walls of the Ruins showed it was true, there was the offer. "Just so you know, since the Velvet Room is in a different plane of existence no time has passed in the Underground. It's like teleportation! Cool, right?"
"It is. I wish I had more tickets" Syphus peeked outside the room. There was no one around.
"Get going already, you have someone to meet" Alphonse pushed Syphus out of the Velvet Room, grinning impishly "By the way, don't tell Igor about the tickets! I broke one or two rules by giving them to you" then, standing up at full height and looking as serious as possible, they made their best imitation of Igor's voice "Until then, farewell"
Bam! The door was closed. Alphonse leaned against the door, slumping slightly against it and sighing. They felt guilty. They knew Syphus was trusting them without any question, and while they were glad about that, at the same time it made them uncomfortable.
"How did it go, Alphonse?" Igor asked, having appeared in his seat without warning. Alphonse jumped in the air a bit, immediately stammering in surprise.
"M-Master! I-I-I...when did you get back here?!"
"Calm down, Alphonse. You have done nothing wrong" Igor's grin faltered a bit, which was rather unusual. He closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. While he didn't approve Alphonse's insubordination and extensive meddling into the guest's affairs, he understood why they were doing that. "Are you sure you're doing the right thing?"
"I must do it. It's the right thing to do" Alphonse murmured, looking at the floor.
"Tell me about the person that's giving you instructions. Are they someone you should trust without question?" Igor's voice had gained severity, making Alphonse raise their head and nod emphatically.
"I can trust them. I know what I'm doing, master. It'll all be okay"
Igor's interlocked fingers got a bit tighter. Alphonse was a rather kindhearted person, he felt it when he created the vessel for the SOUL, and such kindheartedness could be rather harmful if he poured their trust into the wrong person. Now that the assistant was trying to go behind Igor's back to do this stuff...a warning could be a good idea. "Remember to be careful. You can't know for sure if our guest is the kind of person you think he is" Alphonse wasn't like the other attendants that usually worked in the Velvet Room, their existence was radically different.
The warning wasn't well received, though. Alphonse narrowed their eyes, looking away "I know what I'm doing"
It was useless to try to argue with someone unwilling to listen.
-ooooo-
Royal Guard 047 wandered again in front of the fence, but his gait didn't have the usual firmness everyone who had seen do his job complimented him for. It was so different the few tourist guides and the couple guards who had passed nearby had asked him if there was something wrong.
There was nothing outright wrong, but he wasn't able to focus on his job. That snake-faced monster he had talked with a couple hours before had brought up thoughts Royal Guard 047 had managed to bury in his memories long ago, but now they were repeating over and over in his head. He was sure: there had been someone inside that room under renovations.
Of course anyone would get curious about it. One day, when Toriel had been away, Royal Guard 047 had gone to the door of the room and tried to open it, and when that didn't work, he put his auditory membrane against the wood of the door. Nothing sounded: not even a gasp, or anything that could indicate someone was inside and trying not to make any noise. As the guard was someone who prided himself on his acute sense of hearing, he didn't question it at all: no one was in there.
What had been that song from before, then? He was completely sure a little girl had been singing in there. There was only one conclusion: Queen Toriel was hiding something.
"Next time I see him I'm going to kick him in the shins" Royal Guard 047 grumbled without really meaning it, shaking his head. Why did he have to remind him of this? He didn't want to mistrust Toriel, but now...now he felt the need to find out more, if only to convince himself the queen had done nothing wrong. If a human girl had been once there, where was she right now? Was she okay?
...she wouldn't have harmed her, would she? The guard immediately chastised himself for even thinking that, and did something he hadn't done ever since the moment he had been assigned to the fence in the Ruins: he left his spot way before it was time for him to leave.
Queen Toriel was nowhere to be seen right when Royal Guard 047 entered the house. The guard stopped in the entrance, closing his eye and listening carefully. It sounded like there was only one person in the house. Was it the Queen? It sounded like the person in the house was in one of the rooms in the hallway.
He felt he should go check, but his upbringing and general moral sense stopped him from going to a place he shouldn't mess with. "Your Majesty? Are you here?" he called, figuring that seeing where the queen was – if it was her – was enough. After all, he had come here to talk with her.
Indeed, it had been Toriel, and she came out of the room at the end of the hallway, the room supposedly under renovations, but she didn't look at him. It seemed she hadn't heard him. Taking advantage of that, the guard stepped forward and entered the hallway, his armored greaves clanking.
"My!" Toriel gasped, startled, just when she had been locking the door of the room under renovations, dropping the key by accident. When she saw Royal Guard 047 her expression calmed down "I'm sorry. Did you need something?"
"...Your Majesty, I have something to ask you" if he didn't ask it now, when would he? "Can we go somewhere we can talk in private?"
"Of course. Please, follow me" Toriel smiled serenely and picked up the key. Royal Guard 047 noticed she was behaving rather naturally. It was possible she had acted surprised just because she hadn't been expecting anyone to be there, not because she was doing something wrong. The way she moved with fluidity, without showing any signs of being tense, it was all the behavior of someone who was doing nothing reprehensible...or thought she was doing nothing reprehensible. The guard slapped himself lightly. No! Stop that! Queen Toriel knows best for everyone. I shouldn't doubt her.
"Are you okay?" Toriel asked from the door, eyebrows raised. The guard's reaction hadn't gone unnoticed, apparently. Royal Guard 047 nodded briskly and went to her side, the two of them going towards one of the many viewing platforms that gave a great place to watch most of the purple buildings in the Ruins.
None of them noticed the door of the room under renovations had been left incorrectly locked.
-ooooo-
Perfect! The golden flowers were still intact; Frisk hadn't fallen down yet! Feeling the excitement bubbling in his chest, Syphus held back a grin and looked upwards at the hole in the ceiling. Having a plan made him feel like nothing would stop him, like finding a way to shatter the Barrier was actually a doable goal and not a flight of fantasy only an idiot would have.
Frisk's help was the first step towards the goal, as far as he knew, after all, the child always played a big part in every other timeline. They'd be of help. Of course, it wasn't as easy as strolling to Frisk and saying 'hey, so, want to help me shatter the Barrier?' Earning the child's trust was vital for the mission, and that was something much easier said than done. Stopping Frisk's fall should help get their approval, right?
Syphus leant against the rocky wall and stared at the bed of golden flowers, twitching with impatience. The wait was stressful, in a way. It was true Syphus had watched the events of the timelines countless times, but the advantages he could have gained from that were countered by the many unusual properties this so-called 'hopeful timeline' had. The fact he also couldn't measure at what time the important events would happen didn't help, too. While Syphus could recite many, many things about how the Underground events would develop, he couldn't know exactly when they'd happen...if they happened at all.
Narrowing his eyes, Syphus stepped away of the wall and peeked into the passageway towards the Ruins. Flowey was still nowhere to be seen. That was worrying and encouraging at the same time. Was he watching right now, scheming his own plans for this timeline?
While Syphus was doing distracted looking into the next room, a sudden whooshing noise echoed behind him. He didn't even have time to turn around before the nasty, dreadful sound of something crashing against the ground resonated. "Oh, fuck" Syphus muttered, wincing, when he noticed the person among the golden flowers.
He had barely stepped forward when Frisk raised their head, noting the strange monster's presence. The child gasped and immediately scooted towards the opposite direction, they seemed to be unharmed. At times like this Syphus really wished the illusion Lucia had created wasn't so unsettling and weird. Not everyone would take in stride a snake-headed monster with feathers and claws. Syphus raised his hands in what he hoped was a harmless gesture. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not—I'll stay over here, see?"
Reliable. Soothing. Someone that can be trusted. That's what he needed to be now.
Frisk wasn't feeling like Syphus was a dependable person right now, though. They stared intently at the unknown monster, not understanding what was this drastic change to something that was routine to them already. "My name is Syphus, I'm just a monster living in the Underground. Don't be scared, I won't hurt you" It was true Lucia had said he needed to be assertive and a tad aggressive, but in his opinion that wasn't a good idea right now.
For a moment neither of them moved, until Frisk decided to take the initiative. Slowly and without looking away, Frisk stood up. They haltingly closed the distance between Syphus and them, the distrust in their face was almost hurtful.
"...who are you?" Frisk asked once they were close enough.
"I, uh, I said I'm Syphus" he replied although he had the feeling Frisk meant something deeper than a mere inquiry for a name "Do you need help? I could guide you through the Underground, you should be okay wi—"
"No" Frisk's tone was scathing. Syphus grimaced, this was not a good start. Having noticed Syphus's hurt expression, Frisk shook their head and lightened up their voice "I can go by myself"
"Are you sure? The Underground is no place for a human, there could be trouble and—"
"I'll be fine" Frisk smiled forcibly and walked towards the purple arch that'd lead to the Ruins. Once they got there, Syphus stepped forward to follow Frisk from a distance, but the child ran back, gesturing Syphus to stay put. "No"
"...alright" So much for making a good first impression. High five, me.
After asking Syphus to stay behind, Frisk returned to the arch and peered inside. There was no one in the small clearing. Not letting that deter them, Frisk walked inside and stopped just to the side of the circle of sunlight, hopeful. Nothing happened. Syphus, who had stealthily approached until he could see inside the room, waited to see what'd happen.
It took a couple minutes for Frisk to realize there was more anomalies to this timeline than an unknown monster's presence. They paced around the circle of light, nothing happened. A bit discouraged, the child decided to wait for the next event they knew would happen. Anytime now Toriel would come by and find them. It was something that, no matter how many times it happened, always made them happy, so they looked forward to meeting her, smiling with anticipation. They looked at the other side of the room, at the arch towards the Ruins.
Nobody came.
The more time passed, the less cheerful Frisk looked. Dragging their feet, they went to the wall of the cave and stood against it, seemingly counting the blades of grass on the ground. Syphus wasn't sure how much time passed, it could have been just ten minutes, it could have been an hour. All he knew was that waiting any longer wasn't going to be of any help, neither for Frisk nor for him.
Syphus slowly advanced, until he was just a couple steps away from Frisk. "Are you okay?" Frisk didn't reply. The way Frisk refused to look at him, or even to talk...it reminded Syphus of the first time he had met Frisk, forty-six years before, in a timeline that didn't exist anymore in the fabric of the universe. It had been more or less the same, and the way he had managed to get Frisk to talk was...to earn their trust. "I could take you through the Ruins"
"...are you the caretaker of the Ruins?" Frisk mutedly inquired.
"No, I'm just one visitor more. The Ruins get a decent amount of traffic from outside, you know!"
That got Frisk to raise their head. "That's strange..."
"It isn't so strange. The entrances to the Ruins are wide open, anyone can come in or out, anytime. That's how I got here" Syphus shrugged livelily "People like abandoned purple places, I guess! We monsters are very weird"
"I thought the Ruins were abandoned—" Frisk said to themselves before realizing they may be talking a bit too loudly. Syphus pretended to have not heard that part. He understood very well why Frisk was so confused, it was rather discomforting to see such drastic differences between what they were used to and what was actually happening, even worse when they didn't know why it was happening.
"There are crowds of monsters around and the Ruins are like a labyrinth. How about I guide you to a safe spot? Would you like that?" Syphus smiled. Frisk didn't seem very convinced, they were frowning. The child was practically irradiating distrust.
"Do you mean out of the Ruins?"
"No, I don't mean that. I mean...uuuuh..." would it be a good idea to appeal to something familiar to Frisk? It was worth a try "I know someone who could help you. She's the kindest Boss Monster you could ever hope to meet" If anything, Frisk would be a way to get Toriel to talk about other humans.
The mention of Toriel got Frisk's attention immediately, their eyes brightened up. Encouraged by the reaction, Syphus pointed at the way towards the Ruins. "I can take you there! Stay close to me and you should have no trouble at all"
Frisk was silent for a while, thinking if they should deviate from the established routine and trust someone who clearly didn't belong in the usual events. They had no way to know if Syphus had good intentions, or if he planned to kill Frisk and take their SOUL. Despite the nagging feeling of alarm they felt, did they really have any other option? If Flowey and Toriel's absences meant the timeline was drastically different to usual, wouldn't it be better to accept any help they could get?
"...okay"
Frisk reluctantly decided to give you a chance.
You feel a faint bond forming between you and Frisk.
Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana
Frisk extended their hand. Syphus pretended not to see it, not wanting to ruin the illusion of his form, and quickly went to the passageway. Frisk stared at their hand for a moment before following him. The fact he hadn't even tried to take their hand didn't exactly encourage them to trust him. To be frank, they planned to leave him behind as soon as possible.
Royal Guard 047 wasn't anywhere nearby, much to Syphus' relief. He didn't have to make a distraction! Frisk followed him, with a carefully neutral expression.
"Okay, get over this fence. This area is restricted, so we need to leave as soon as possible" Syphus climbed the fence with agility, and waited for Frisk to imitate him.
The child stared at the fence that was just a bit taller than them. "Why were you in a restricted area?"
"...oh. Right. I was curious what was over there" The lie was satisfying enough for Frisk, who simply acknowledged the excuse with a nod.
Syphus had said the truth, the Ruins really were open to the public. Although the usual population of Froggits, Whimsuns and other familiar monsters did continue filling the place, there were other people walking around, people Frisk remembered seeing in areas like Waterfall and Hotland. It was also true there were guards, too. While Syphus distracted them with chatter and senseless questions, Frisk took advantage of those moments to sneak past. Syphus also insisted on hiding Frisk when someone was passing nearby, even the most harmless monsters. All the puzzles Frisk remembered from the thousands and thousands of times they had traversed the Ruins were gone, too, all that remained of them were platforms and a couple spots where the floor was still crumbling away.
For the first time in years and years of continuous repeating timelines, Frisk felt disoriented. A relatively familiar place felt like unexplored terrain now, it almost felt like the very first time they had fallen into the Underground.
Seeing Toriel's house gave them some hope, meeting someone they loved would be of help. Syphus hurried to get to the door, telling Frisk to wait a moment. The feathered reptile peeked inside, listening thoroughly. If there were any monsters in the house besides Toriel, Frisk would be immediately found out. Wouldn't everyone, especially the guards, be alert to see anything that could be a human? Once Syphus made sure there was no one inside the house – not even Toriel, much to his displeasure – Frisk was allowed to enter. Everything looked almost like they remembered. Maybe some things looked a bit more disorganized than usual? But it was undoubtedly Toriel's house, and that was enough to make them feel more at ease, although they continued having their guard up near Syphus.
"Here we are! Quite a nice house, isn't it?" he said, smiling encouragingly. Frisk's expression continued to be completely neutral. "There's a room where you can rest in" Syphus pointed to the first door in the hallway "You can stay in there for as long as you need. I'll be here in the living room, so tell me if you need anything"
"Where is Toriel?" Frisk really wanted to call her Mom, it felt odd to say her name.
"...she isn't here. I'm sure she'll be back later" Syphus opened the bedroom door so Frisk could see inside "She should be back soon"
Frisk didn't reply to that. They stepped inside the bedroom, looking around to see if there was anything different here. It was exactly like they remembered it should be like. A bit unnerved by Frisk's lack of trust, Syphus stayed in the hallway. "I know I'm no more than some weird old monster and you have no reason to trust me, but if you ever need help you can count on me, okay?" There was no reply. After a pause, Syphus muttered: "Want me to leave you alone?
"I'd like that" Frisk said immediately. Syphus winced. He knew that he was behaving kinda off, and personally he couldn't blame Frisk for mistrusting him, but part of him couldn't avoid feeling hurt. In the timeline he had lived in before its near-destruction he had gotten along with Frisk to the point of almost considering it a friendship, and the child had come to count on him as an adult figure. The difference with the actual Frisk was jarring and, although Syphus told himself it was to be expected – he truly was no more than a stranger, as far as Frisk was concerned – it still hurt.
"I bet you're hungry. I'll bring you something" Syphus said and went towards the kitchen. He didn't notice Frisk watching him from the doorway, waiting for him to be out of sight. The kitchen looked rather normal, and there was a note pinned on the fridge.
'Take anything you wish, dear visitor.
-Toriel'
Having received approval from the owner of the house, Syphus looked inside for anything Frisk could like. There was nothing a child would like, other than a large pie, untouched and fresh. A quick examination showed it to be made of snails. It's better than nothing! After taking a slice for Frisk, Syphus returned to the bedroom.
Frisk wasn't there anymore.
Alarmed, Syphus left the pie slice aside and checked the other doors in the hallway. Toriel's room was locked – maybe since people passed through the house all the time she had started to lock it? It was unlikely Frisk had gotten inside. The next door was the one under renovations, one Syphus knew was locked, so he left it alone. In a moment of panic Syphus looked outside of the house and shouted: "Frisk! Frisk, come back!" The child didn't come. Syphus had been about to go outside and look for Frisk when he remembered there was one other place Frisk could have gone into
Syphus descended the stairs to the basement, jumping over them to be quicker. The sound of wind echoed in the passageway, but there was something else, faint and garbled. After listening for a moment, Syphus thought he distinguished what it was: it was Frisk, near the exit, and they were calling for Flowey. Syphus hurried down the passageway, his steps resonating and alerting the child he was coming closer. The calls stopped, replaced by the pattering sound of a pair of small feet running away. "W-Wait! Frisk, you shouldn't go outside! Wait!"
It was too late. Once Syphus arrived to the room just before the door that led to the snowy areas of the Underground, Frisk was long gone. Catching up with them would be difficult, the child was way ahead of him, and since Syphus hadn't gotten any fitter since following Monster Kid earlier before, it was unlikely he'd ever reach them. Really hoping Frisk would be okay, Syphus returned to the house. Well that was one resounding failure. So much for being reliable and soothing!
The situation wasn't all bad, though. Frisk's journey always had the possibility of ending with the Barrier breaking. It was true that without SOULs it'd be unlikely to be that simple, but maybe it was a good idea to let them do their thing, and use Frisk's actions and influence on other monsters to his advantage. Meanwhile, Syphus would make alternative plans, ones that didn't rely on Frisk being successful.
Immersed in those thoughts, Syphus ascended the stairs back into the house right when Toriel was entering the house. "Oh!" she stopped in her tracks when she saw Syphus. After a moment of looking at him, she sighed "Syphus! What a pleasant surprise. Are you going to visit the Ruins again?"
Syphus bowed slightly. Royalty was always tricky to deal with, better safe than sorry. "Yes, queen Toriel"
"Please, go ahead. I'll be around if you need me" she smiled tensely. Despite her cordial tone, she seemed to be in bad mood. Toriel went into her bedroom. The noise of drawers being opened sounded from there.
If there was a time to be assertive, it was now. Be aggressive. Don't take a no for an answer. Make sure to have the upper hand. Sure, Toriel may not be in mood to reveal anything, but he wasn't willing to wait for a later moment. Syphus took a deep breath, steeling himself and making the most no-nonsense allowed face he could make, and positioned himself in front of the open door.
Toriel was picking a cape out of her wardrobe, making the clasps fit on her shoulders. Syphus knocked on her door. "Toriel, we need to talk"
"I'm not in mood to talk, dear" she replied without turning around.
"Sorry, your Majesty, but I mean it: we need to talk"
Toriel made sure the cape was well placed and turned around, again smiling tensely. "Can it wait? It's not that I don't want to talk with you. It's just that I had a rather upsetting conversation with a guard"
"I insist"
The queen ignored that. "You may know him. He's part of the Royal Guard" she sounded pleasant but Syphus got his guard up "He mentioned you. It seems you have been talking with him about some rather...delicate topics?"
Syphus' feathers bristled. "I know it's not easy to talk about but we need to. Please, Toriel, tell me about the humans"
"There hasn't been humans in the Underground since the time my children were alive" she said bluntly, her smile vanishing. It seemed to Syphus she really didn't like to mention such times. It just hurt too much to talk about it "That's all there's to say about the topic"
A different approach could be useful, then. "What's the room under renovations for?"
"It's as the sign reads: a room under renovations" Toriel exited the bedroom, glancing at the end of the hallway "Some visitors spend a long time in the Ruins, so I want to provide them a place to sleep in. Someday it'll be ready"
"If you talked to that guard then you also know there was someone in there once...don't you?" Syphus narrowed his eyes, but Toriel wasn't intimidated. Instead, she unconsciously stood up straighter, looking even taller than she already was.
"I don't like the game you're playing"
"Look, all I want is some answers. I know there must be humans here in the Underground, and if there's someone who knows about them it's you, and only you"
Toriel pressed her hand against her forehead, gritting her teeth slightly. "Young man, I don't have the time to talk about this. Please step aside"
"No! Your Majesty, I need to find them! Please, tell me—"
"I have nothing to tell you!" she shouted, baring her fangs. It was easy to forget that, behind the maternal and soft-spoken air Toriel had, she was the queen for a reason. She wasn't the type to let anyone walk over her, and those who dare to overstep their boundaries would see she wouldn't back down.
Fearing maybe he had overdone his so-called assertiveness, Syphus gulped and stepped back, hunching over, the feathers on his back puffing up underneath his jacket. Toriel didn't hesitate to get out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her and locking it. She walked away, adjusting her crown, but before descending the stairs towards the tunnel to exit the Ruins she sighed.
"...young man, please come with me" she said, going towards the kitchen. Syphus followed her, finding Toriel putting a teapot on the stove and lighting up the appliance with fire magic. While the tea brewed, she opened the cabinets, taking two large teacups. "I'm sorry for shouting at you"
"It's fine, Toriel. I shouldn't have pressured you so much"
Toriel shook her head slightly. "That's no excuse for me to have shouted at you. It's just that humans are a delicate topic these days. I'm sure you're aware of the war declaration, aren't you?"
"Of course I am. Seven SOULs, and no progress on that. Hard not to know about it"
"The more time passes; the more desperate monsters will get. I'm not saying there are humans in the Underground, but if there were any...I don't think they'd survive" Damn it, Frisk, you just had to go alone, didn't you?
"Not even if you do something? Toriel, you're the queen. There must be something you can do"
"Being the queen doesn't guarantee people will think the same way I do, young man. I don't want any humans to die, but I fear someone will try to take their SOUL"
"Don't you trust your people?" Syphus wasn't sure exactly how to feel about that. There must be something else the queen can do besides hiding them! What was holding her back?
Toriel took the teapot from the strove, filling the teacups. "Of course I do! But it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, Asgore isn't being of help. He refuses to back down on the war declaration no matter what, and I'm tired of trying to convince him"
The queen took the teacups to the table, finding the slice of snail pie on there. She turned her head around, glancing at Syphus with a questioning stare, who just shrugged apologetically. Toriel sat down, taking the slice for herself. "I'm at a loss of what to do. I wish our peaceful world hadn't reached this state...but there's nothing to be done.
The best we can do is endure it with a smile and try to keep it from getting any worse, because it won't get any better"
You feel you have seen a glimpse of Toriel's conflicted despair
The Toriel Social Link has reached Rank 2!
Your power to create Personas of the Empress Arcana has grown!
Despite her words, she wasn't smiling at all. The two stayed in silence for a moment. A heavy atmosphere filled the room, brought by the topic and by Toriel's feelings of uselessness. Should he continue talking about it? It was clearly something that made Toriel uncomfortable, but he felt he didn't have enough information yet. "Did you try talking this with the king already?"
"Of course I did. Asgore didn't listen to me" Toriel furrowed her brow "He has his reasons to continue this foolish war, and I can't overturn the declaration. He started it, he ends it. That's how it is" her voice was blunt, carrying a request: 'Let's stop talking about this'.
"I'm sorry, Toriel. I didn't mean to bring up these touchy topics"
"Let's drink our tea, shall we?" Toriel smiled tiredly, taking her teacup and sipping the content. Judging by how she grimaced and swallowed with hesitance, the tea wasn't very good. "My! I must have done something wrong"
Syphus pushed his tea away without even trying it. "Everyone has something they're not good at. Maybe yours is making tea"
"Certainly! No one makes tea like my husband" Toriel's eyes lighted up with nostalgia "He has a way to make every cup special, even without trying. When we met, he gave me a cup. He said it was his way to say he wanted to know someone better. Even back then he knew what to say to catch my attention" the nostalgia faded away, replaced by a cold disdain "Too bad things have changed. We may still be married, but I feel like we don't get along anymore, not since the war started"
"Sounds to me like something you should talk with him"
"I don't want to talk to him. I don't want to see him, even if I have to go and give the monthly address at the capital today" Toriel sighed "No, that's wrong...I want to fix it, but after a century of this, how am I supposed to do that? When I see Asgore I want to grab him and shake some sense into him, but at the same time I want to apologize, and I think that maybe I'm the one in the wrong, and I just-" Toriel shook her head, standing up. "Sorry for saying all that, young man. You must be bored with the ramblings of an old woman like me"
"I don't mind" Syphus quickly said. It did seem to him Toriel hadn't intended to tell so much about her feelings, but something good could come out of that, one way or another.
"I must leave to New Home now. Will you stay here for a while?" Syphus replied he planned to be in the Ruins for a while, so Toriel took out a long list from a drawer, giving it to Syphus "I need you to do me a favor: in a few minutes it'll be time for a few Royal Guard members to rotate their turns. Please wait for them and..." she gave a series of logistical instructions. It was a rather simple task, one Syphus didn't mind to do, and not only because Toriel offered some gold in exchange of the favor. I have an excuse to stay and take my time to break into the room under renovations.
"How long will you be away?" Syphus asked, just in case.
"The monthly address should take a couple hours. Will you be okay?" A couple hours should be more than enough time to find a way to bypass that lock! It's perfect. "Oh. One more thing, Syphus"
"Yes?"
Toriel made sure he was looking straight at her. "Don't talk about that room with anyone. I'm serious about this: you must keep it as a secret. Do you understand?"
Although Toriel didn't raise her voice higher than usual, Syphus felt her authority weighing on him. She definitely meant it. No talking about it ever again. "I-I understand"
"And please avoid talking with your guard friend. He'll be here for his turn to end, but he also has been relocated to another area of the Underground. Don't look for him"
Syphus gulped. Toriel made sure her cape was well placed, and left the Ruins, leaving Syphus with the list and his new duties as temporal Royal Guard supervisor. A few minutes after the queen left, Syphus went into the hallway towards the door at the end, softly pushing it with his hand.
It was closed. No such luck as it being ajar or anything like that. Syphus grabbed the doorknob and slowly twisted it, expecting to meet resistance. Much to his surprise, the doorknob kept moving. It's...it's unlocked!
Before he could push the door open he heard steps entering the house. Syphus gasped and let go of the doorknob, stepping away of the door before whoever came in noticed he had been about to enter that room. Luckily for him, the guard who arrived wasn't paying attention in that direction, but it seemed it'd be a while before he would be able to take a look inside the room. "Hey! Wait! I need your patrolling route and number" Syphus shouted, grabbing the list Toriel had left him. With some luck all the guards will arrive and go away before Toriel returns. Come on, throw me a bone, universe, will you?
-ooooo-
After a long while, the list Toriel had given him was completely filled.
Just like she had said, Royal Guard 047 passed by, but he didn't say a word to Syphus besides the information Toriel needed. He seemed rather peeved, and as soon as he gave his information, he went away, not without first glaring at Syphus with scorn. Oops. In a way, in Syphus' opinion, it served to confirm Toriel really was hiding something rather important. Why else would she take such measures to protect the secret of whatever was in that room?
Syphus waited a few minutes, in case someone was going to enter the house, and hurried to the end of the hallway. The quicker he got done with this, the better. He was almost sure that the moment he tried to enter the room under renovations, someone would arrive and he'd once again be forced to leave it for later. In matter of seconds Syphus opened the door, entered the room and closed the door with a slam, holding it with his back and marveling at the fact that he was finally in. He had done it. Finally!
Now that he had managed to sneak into the closed room, he had the time to see what exactly was inside. It wasn't under renovations, that much was for sure, but there weren't that many things either. It seemed the room was meant to be a temporal stop, not a place to house anyone for long.
There were only three objects in the room: a bed, a large wardrobe and a very old-looking television. Other than that the room was barren, although kept clean. At least it meant he wasn't going to spend long looking for anything useful. The strangest thing in the room was the television, so Syphus approached it to take a better look.
Indeed, it was a rather old model. It was made of some kind of coppery-colored material, dull and smooth. The television was plugged in, so Syphus pressed the button to turn it on. It didn't work. After fixing the television through liberal use of the percussion method, the now-slightly-dented television turned on.
The static-y image showed some sort of news set, featuring a rectangular robot wearing a red suit. It said 'MTT News' in a corner. Although there was a video showing what seemed to be a live reporting of the monthly address, Mettaton was right in front of it, filling 70% of the screen. While the television's distorted sounds filled the room, Syphus started rooting through the rest of the room, listening attentively. Seeing how Toriel was in New Home, Syphus relaxed a bit, he would have time to search to his heart's content.
"...the 100th anniversary of the war against humanity! King Asgore's speech brought tears to everyone's eyes and a heavy weight to all our wonderful hearts, as everyone's hopes for a future over the surfaces continue plummeting..."
Syphus looked underneath the blanket of the bed, as if he expected to find something like maps or written stuff there. There was nothing like that. Under the bed the only things to be found was a bug or two, skittering away into the cracks on the wall.
"...queen's passionate words tried to lift everyone's spirits!" Mettaton gestured dramatically "Let's hear a few words from those who attended the monthly address..." The monsters interviewed mostly expressed support to Asgore and respect for Toriel, although all of them agreed on one thing: that things looked very grim after one century of no progress since the war started.
The wardrobe was rather large, but it was normal. Several drawers in the lower part of the furniture contained blankets and bedsheets, along with a couple shoes way too small for Toriel. Syphus took one of those, storing it in his pocket. It could come useful in some way, he hoped.
"...but let's not despair, dear viewers! Not everything is grim. We still have the MTT Products to brighten up our lives!" Mettaton announced, the video feed behind him vanishing away "I'm proud to announce a new addition to the programming: the MTT Shopping Program! Selling the best MTT products for your enjoyment..."
Syphus opened the large wardrobe doors. Inside there were cloaks, and nothing more than that. The cloaks were all of the same gray color and had different sizes, ranging from small child-sized cloaks to some Toriel could wear easily. Syphus looked among them, in case there was something else hidden in there.
"...news program is over! MTT News apologizes for resorting to using a recording of the monthly address instead of a live feed..."
"Wait, what?"
Syphus' head turned so fast towards the television he almost sprained his neck. It was not a live feed? It was a recording? Then Toriel may not be in New Home right now! It took him a moment to realize he had frozen in place. Once he realized that, he quickly left the cloaks aside, turned off the television and slightly opened the door of the room, intending to listen if there was someone in the house. He clearly heard the sound of steps, it sounded muffled. Someone was ascending the stairs towards the house.
He acted immediately. The piece closed the door instinctively and facepalmed. Idiot! Why didn't you step into the hallway?! At least that way he could have pretended he hadn't entered into the room, but he had lost his chance. The noise made by closing the door was way too loud, too. There was no way Toriel wouldn't hear it! Syphus was sure it was Toriel, judging by the muffled steps. Someone large and with padded feet was ascending the house, and it was likely it was her.
Syphus looked around the room, frantically, looking for a place to hide. The open door of the wardrobe showed him a good enough option, it was either that or hiding under the bed. He took a decision, hurrying to the wardrobe, getting inside and closing the door, huddling into a corner of the wardrobe, under the hanged cloaks. Syphus could feel his heart beating rather fast, the adrenaline of maybe getting caught making him want to run away as fast as possible. Sitting inside a dark wardrobe was much more stressful than he expected, looking at the darkness and trying hard to listen outside.
It wasn't long before he heard the noise of the door of the room opening. Syphus immediately covered his mouth, trying to stifle the sound of his breathing. Didn't goats have a great sense of hearing when it was about low sounds? He could feel his muscles tightening, the sweat gathering on his forehead. Slowly, the piece moved one hand and opened the wardrobe door just enough to see what was outside.
Indeed, it was Toriel. She was taking her time, pacing around the room. Clearly she had suspected something wrong when she found the door unlocked, that is, if she didn't hear the noise he made not too long before. It was matter of time before she opened the wardrobe and found Syphus inside. She's not going to like this at all! If merely talking about the room had made her angry, how would she react by finding him inside that room, snooping around? Right in that moment Toriel turned her head towards the wardrobe. Syphus pressed himself against the back of the wardrobe when she started approaching, her hand about to open it. Shit!
That's when he remembered that one object. Just when Toriel opened the door, Syphus pressed the firefly brooch he had pinned to his green track jacket, deactivating the monster illusion and showing himself as a human. It was risky, but he had to try it, and if it didn't work...damn it, he hadn't made a SAVE point since Waterfall! He didn't want to have to relive the last few hours.
The wardrobe door was completely opened. Toriel looked at the human adult inside the wardrobe, who was blinking in response to the light. "Oh! A human!"
"P-Please, don't hurt me!" Syphus covered his head with his arms, pretending to be scared. The less threatening he looked the better, and what better for that than looking like he was fearing for his life? It was a tad humiliating, someone of his age begging for his life and covering his head like a child as if he expected an attack, but if it was necessary so Toriel didn't suspect a thing then Syphus was willing to do it.
"Don't fear, young man, I won't hurt you" Toriel stepped back, leaving a lot of space for Syphus to get out of the wardrobe. Syphus stared at her for a moment with what he hoped was a distrustful expression, and slowly exited the wardrobe, always looking at her. He was trying his best to look lost, afraid, everything a human would be in a situation like this. "Are you hurt?"
"No, I think I'm—I'm okay..." Syphus said, looking away.
"How did you fall down into the mountain, young man?"
"I don't remember much...I think I fell into a hole? And when I woke up I was in a weird purple place" Syphus pretended to have goosebumps for a moment "I got here, and found that door open, so I went in and then...heard someone going up the stairs"
Toriel nodded and closed the door of the room. Afterwards she went to the bed and sat on it, mulling something. Syphus waited, looking around with nervousness that wasn't entirely fake, until the queen finally said something:
"How did you make yourself look like a monster earlier, Syphus?"
Syphus turned his head around. "...what...?"
"I know it's you. I didn't think you'd break into this room, though. Maybe I should have suspected you would" Toriel chuckled, surprisingly not tense at all. She actually sounded genuinely amused! Syphus relaxed a bit, daring to drop the act.
"How did you know it was me?"
"You're wearing the exact same clothes that monster I talked with earlier was wearing, including that nice brooch on your chest"
Oh. Right. The illusion didn't change the clothes. It was to be expected, now that he thought about it. Syphus smiled sheepishly. "I see. My bad"
Toriel nodded, her amusement dropping a bit. "Why were you disguised as a monster earlier?" she asked again.
This wasn't how I thought it'd go. It was better than nothing, though. Toriel didn't seem furious, in fact, she sounded more patient than anything else. After weighing the pros and cons of being somewhat honest, Syphus shrugged. "I have heard the legends, so I figured monsters may not be happy to see a human wandering around"
"Is that why you were asking about other humans before?"
"Precisely! I deduced there must be a human village somewhere, so I wanted to find it. It must be a safe place for someone like me"
The queen seemed to believe the half-lie, nodding while listening. It made some sense, anyone who was lost among a species that could turn hostile against him at any moment would be eager to find a safe haven, and Toriel indeed was the best lead to find that. In a way, he asking her directly should have made her suspect he was desperate. Could she trust him, though? If a human could convincingly disguise himself as a monster, wouldn't the opposite be true, too? Was Syphus a human or a monster? That's what she wasn't sure yet.
"How did you disguise as a monster?" Toriel asked slowly. That was the final question, the one that'd define if she could trust him. Syphus didn't look at her, though. He seemed to be deep in thought again. The more she waited, the less she liked the situation. She had to think of what to do if she decided Syphus couldn't be trusted. It was to be expected Syphus would keep searching everywhere. How could she convince him to stop?
"Magic" he blurted out, interrupting her ponderings "It was magic, just an illusion. I don't know how it works, I just..." Syphus pressed the firefly brooch, turning it on. Toriel saw how in an instant the monster she had met earlier appeared right in front of her, completely different to a human. Syphus extended his hand towards her "See? It's an illusion! I'm actually human" Toriel took the hand, squeezing it in her paw. The hand looked scaly, rough, with short and fat fingers, with long sharp claws, but none of that was real. Toriel passed her own claw in the space where Syphus' black claws were supposed to go, noting how her fingers went through them. His claws just didn't exist.
"I had never seen something like this before..." The magic monsters used was rather impressive in its own right, but she couldn't recall something like an extensive illusion like this one. At least it did answer the question: the human body was the real, physical one. He really was human. After letting go of Syphus' hand, she opened the door "I'll take you to the Hidden Village, but there's something I need you to promise me"
"What is it?"
"Promise to me you won't leave it to explore the Underground" she said, sounding very firm about that "I know you have a convincing illusion, but you must not leave the Hidden Village"
So humans really were locked in a place, just not with a door and lock. The humans were isolated into an area of the Underground, forbidden from leaving. In a way, it was what monsters were currently going through. Did Toriel realize it? Syphus pointed it out. Toriel's shoulders slouched, she looked very tired now.
"It's for their own good"
Syphus wasn't sure how to feel about that. It felt so...wrong, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Did the humans really accept it so easily, though? Human nature dictated some of not all of them wouldn't just sit around and stay in the same place for the rest of their lives. It was likely some would indulge in escaping the village without Toriel being aware of it, if only to walk around Waterfall. If so, it was a miracle no human had ever gotten caught.
"I promise" What other option did he have other than accepting such condition, if only verbally? He wasn't going to stay in that place, that was for sure. He was going to let Toriel take her there, assess the situation, make sure all the humans were okay, and then...
...then he'd do something else. He wasn't sure yet what to do after that. I'll cross that bridge when we get there.
-ooooo-
Undyne burst through the laboratory doors, almost ripping it off the hinges. "I'm back!"
Alphys, who had been sitting in front of the console, watching Undyne go through Waterfall and back to the laboratory, didn't even turn her head around. She was used to Undyne's rather energetic behavior, this was something that happened practically every day. There was something about the double doors towards this area of the laboratory that made Undyne want to cross it with a tackle or a jump. After making a mental note to check later the doors weren't about to fall down in any moment, Alphys instructed to put on a nearby table the object she had asked Undyne to bring.
It was a camera. Since some months ago, one of the many cameras in Waterfall had showed absolutely nothing, just a black void where a large cave should be shown. Alphys hadn't been in a hurry to fix it, though. She hadn't even bothered to try to retrieve it, she didn't like the idea of going outside for it. After all, it was likely she'd encounter people, people with expectations, people that talked about her and told her they had high hopes for her work. It had been a very long time since she was named the Royal Scientist.
Alphys had done absolutely nothing useful since then.
It wasn't to say she had done nothing at all. It was more that, when it was about the task of finding a way to break the Barrier, she had done no progress. Thankfully, monsterkind had been rather patient about it, mostly because Asgore's war declaration keep them focused on that and not on her struggle. Asgore had shown to be rather understanding about the lack of progress, and although Toriel had expressed her disapproval once or twice, she had also said she was willing to let Alphys work on her own pace.
Alphys was glad about all that, but having nothing to show, having people maybe think she didn't deserve the spot and that she was doing nothing more than leeching on the laboratory, the job and everything it brought...it made her queasy, to say the least. If she had to describe how she felt during the nights, when she was forced to stare at the ceiling while she waited to fall asleep, she'd say it all made her want to scream, to announce aloud she was a liar, that the SOUL in the robot she had made and presented was a ghost monster. It was tearing her apart.
At least she was able to keep those feelings suppressed, most of the time. "T-Thanks, Undyne" Alphys smiled sweetly while Undyne left the camera on the table. The fish woman sat slipshodly on the couch beside Alphys while the scientist examined the camera's exterior, looking for obvious damage. Not finding any dents, the lizard scientist took it in her claws, turning it over and checking it with expert eye.
"What's the diagnosis, doctor?"
"It's just m-mud..." Alphys mumbled in disbelief. That was all the camera had wrong! Someone had smeared mud on the lens until nothing could be seen through it. Ridiculous! It could have been fixed long ago just by cleaning the lens. In hindsight, procrastinating this for months was kind of silly. She told Undyne the results. Undyne scrunched her face, bemused.
"That was it? Who would do something as silly as this?"
"I don't know...b-but I can fix it in a second" Alphys took a nearby screwdriver "M-May as well check everything's in order..."
Undyne stood up from the couch, taking it over her shoulder with absolutely no effort at all. "Take that over here. I found this in the dumpster!" she took out something: a DVD, so faded she couldn't see what it was supposed to be. Alphys' eyes widened slightly.
"What's it about?"
"I don't know! So let's find out" Undyne left the couch against the wall and near a large TV, and put the DVD in the player while Alphys brought over the camera, as well as a few tools. She set the camera on the table in front of the couch. While she removed the outer cover of the camera, Undyne returned, slouched on the couch and grinned. As usual, watching anime with Alphys was one of the few times both could just relax and enjoy each other's company without any pressure from anything else. Both cherished this type of moments dearly.
Alphys huddled against Undyne, starting to work on the inside of the camera while the contents of the anime DVD started.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Fool - Frisk - RANK 1
Magician - ? - RANK 0
Priestess - ? - RANK 0
Empress - Toriel - RANK 2
Emperor - ? - RANK 0
Hierophant - ? - RANK 0
Lovers - ? - RANK 0
Chariot - ? - RANK 0
Justice - ? - RANK 0
Hermit - ? - RANK 0
Fortune - ? - RANK 0
Strength - ? - RANK 0
Hanged Man - ? - RANK 0
Death - Cornio - RANK 1
Temperance - ? - RANK 0
Devil - ? - RANK 0
Tower - ? - RANK 0
Star - Lucia - RANK 1
Moon - ? - RANK 0
Sun - Papyrus - RANK 1
Judgment - ? - RANK 0
Aeon - Syphus - RANK 1
Jester - Alphonse - RANK 1