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Once he defeated Kirk's phantom invader, Leontius wasted no time and finished cleaning out Toriel's home. After shutting off all the home's lights he briskly left for the Ruins exit and sealed it off once more using the spell Toriel taught him.

If Kirk was somehow making his way through the Ruins, Leo would have some time before the other undead managed to get close enough to send another phantom, as well as the time needed to recover after having it banished before, however, Leo found that these self-assurances did little to actually clear his mind.

'Not even in this place will I have peace… but Kirk will not get far. If I cannot convince him to leave willingly, I will find him and send him back to his last bonfire in pieces, or perhaps I could just end him with the Dark Hand... how will I tell Toriel about this…' He decided to cross that bridge when he came to it, and be truthful about it. The recent events also reminded him of the river person's warnings.

One thing was certainly becoming clear, he wasn't quite free of the surface yet; he'd have to take responsibility for leading that maniac to the Underground… and whatever else may come after.

After testing the door to see if it was sealed, Leo was satisfied that it had worked and began his journey back to Snowdin. 'I will have to warn the sentries to get back to town… with Kirk in the Ruins, these woods are not safe. Perhaps it would be best to deal with him as soon as possible…' He finished the long walk from the door to Sans' post, and passed the empty sentry box…

'...So much for easily falling into a calm and civilized life with employment.' He passed the dimensional box area and noticed a pair of monsters standing together ahead. They looked avian, with light-blue and white fluffy feathers and ornate looking head crests. The slightly larger of the bird monsters was wearing a pair of eyeglasses and a bowtie; he was talking at the smaller one, who looked rather abashed despite only having a beak to make expressions with.

As Leo approached, he caught the conversation. "...I was so worried son! I'm lucky I managed to get your friend to tell me where you were, he hardly listens to his elders to begin with…" The bird looked away from his son when he noticed Leo out of the corner of his eye and he looked at the human oddly.

"Um… good evenin'?" The bird monster's son looked at Leo as well but was silent since he was still too ashamed with himself.

Interaction with normal people, and strangers at that… Leontius felt this could be a slight challenge. "Hello. I was just at the Ruins, and I am on my way back to Snowdin. There is… something very dangerous in the Ruins, and... it... may get out."

The father looked concerned yet skeptical, and the son seemed a little scared at the mention of danger. The father looked between his son and Leo and decided he needed some clarification.

"I may not come out here 'offen, but I know just as well as any other monstah that the Ruins've been locked for a long time." -The monster gave Leo a sideways look- "How'd you even know if anything was in there if you can't get in?"

Leo shifted his stance a little, he was feeling his anxiousness under the scrutinous look of the crested bird, enhanced by the fact that there very well could be a phantom madman in the woods at any moment. "I was sent there by the previous guardian of the Ruins to retrieve something. I unlocked the doors… went in… and encountered a dangerous being. Of course, I resealed the exit once I handled the thing and my business there, but the being is not defeated quite yet. I would suggest leaving these woods as soon as you can. I will be telling anyone else I meet out here the same, so if you see anyone… please make sure to pass on the message. Especially to any sentries; they cannot stay out here, that thing is far too strong for them."

Judging from the father bird's reaction, that seemed to convince him. "Alright mistah… we'll be getting outta' here then. C'mon Snowy, let's go."

The smaller bird nodded, a look of fright accompanying his muted "Yeah, dad…" in response. The two went off into the woods, seemingly taking their own path. Leo continued on, he'd stick to the way he'd been taking on the beaten path. A short ways ahead he came upon the Rogue Dog's post, still devoid of the guard in question. He made doubly sure by checking behind the counter, remembering his first encounter with the monster.

'Better keep moving. It won't be long until Kirk will be able to send phantoms again.'

Past the maze and golf-course… just ahead was the dog couple's sentry posting, which was unmanned(or undogged?). Continuing on, the hidden switch puzzle… past that, the X/O puzzle, and finally the strange-necked dog warrior's post. The last time Leo came through, he wasn't paying much attention. He somehow managed to walk right past the dog while he was building snow sculptures of all things.

'Quite a large detail to miss…' He approached the dog from behind and gave him a tap on the shoulder, getting a confused "Aroo?" and an unnatural looking head turn in response.

'Still somewhat disturbing for a dog… monster. That would explain the abnormality.'

He cleared his throat and put aside the oddity, and decided to try to communicate with the dog. He was still unsure if he and the large dog were capable of understanding him. "Good evening. I would like you to come back to town with me, there is something dangerous in the woods and I do not want to see anyone get hurt."

The dog stopped building his sculpture, which caused the head to promptly fall right off as soon as it lacked his support. The dog didn't seem to mind though, he was certainly curious, and Leo was expecting some kind of answer.

"Well…?"

No response, just panting and a steady staring look. With a huff, Leo decided to just try to give the dog a pat and see if that would convince him. The second his hand moved, the dog got just as excited the first time they met, and he seemed to be actually listening now and was nodding his somewhat elevated head as a yes.

"Good. Let us get going then, your comrades deeper in the forest appear to already be in town, judging by their empty posts." The two then went on with Leo in the lead and the happy dog guard behind him, dragging his long kite-shield through the snow by the top of the rim. They carefully crossed the ice ahead and walked by the final guard's post, not finding the giant-armored dog in his doghouse/post, or anywhere in that vicinity. Not even the snow poffs held him in hiding. The bridge to Snowdin proper was ahead.

Leo gave the dog a pat to get his attention away from searching the snow poffs, the larger dog certainly wasn't here. "Come on, we need to keep moving, or-" That feeling again… Kirk was preparing to send a phantom. He had moved deeper into the Ruins, he must be at least before the exit or worse, actually somewhere in the woods. He was breaking seals and traps, somehow. Leo pointed to the town across the bridge now that the dog was awaiting his command.

"Go! Get across the bridge, it is here! I will handle it, when you get over there, just… stay!" The dog didn't so much as blink before taking the command, picking up his shield and getting across the wood-and-rope bridge as soon as he could, disappearing into the town.

With the dog safely out of the situation, Leo unhooked his box and opened it up to root around for a shield. He didn't like how naked he felt with just his blade and lightly-armored coat, what with one of the most dangerous invaders being this persistent.

He found a suitable piece, the grass crested one he wielded alongside his vanguard armor. Leo closed his box and replaced it, drawing his claymore and retreating across the bridge to wait for the invader. He reasoned that Kirk would have less room to fight and dodge if he was confined to a bridge's width to work with, as long as Leo kept the pressure on to prevent him from getting off it.

The second his boots touched the ground on the townside end of the bridge, he heard it. On the other side, the invader manifested and released its haunting noise, rising from the snowy ground and straightening out as Kirk took control of the avatar. Kirk already had his weapons at the ready.

Kirk's head snapped to Leontius' direction, before cockily slow-walking across the bridge to him. It seemed his attention was solely on his target, he didn't seem to even care about the background of the town behind the other undead. As Kirk approached, Leo held his claymore and shield up, blade ready for thrusting attacks and shield prepared to block and parry.

For a moment, Kirk stopped, a safe distance from Leontius' blade, yet still in combat range. He finally looked away, seeing the buildings behind his target. Kirk seemingly froze. He saw the distant and undefined shapes of the monsters in the town, happily going about their business. Not one was aware of what was about to happen just outside their town.

"Kirk!"

The invader's attention was back on Leontius, more strange behavior. For all Kirk had known thus far, this target was some mute undead behind a mask, he had never uttered a word before this. In fact, he had never seen the face of his target. He only knew him by his equipment, that mask and sword specifically. No name to him, just that he was a strong source of humanity and soul power he'd yet to take down. But now he was speaking, unarmored, and seemingly… guarding an underground town of some sorts.

Leontius' stance became more aggressive, he was poised to strike soon. "Kirk, you had best listen, and listen well. I am no longer going to participate in what goes on above. I have a home now, and you are threatening it. You being here is a danger to these people… and I shall not allow you to bring harm to them. Walk away, dissipate your phantom, and homeward to your last bonfire. Then... never return here."

Kirk gave Leontius a sideways look, trying to see past the protective undead.

"This is your only warning, Kirk. Do not take it lightly."

Kirk's phantom remained there for a few moments, staring at Leontius and shifting on the bridge.

Kirk was… somewhat speechless. Literally, because phantoms cannot speak, and figuratively because he'd just discovered that his target actually had an end goal similar to his own, protecting something. In his target's case, it turned out that he was trying to protect this strange underground place. Kirk may be an invader, yes, but he could see when he had to give up the trail on a target. And this was a valuable target. Was. But Kirk wasn't like most invaders, he has something- or someone- else other than self-gain behind his actions.

And so did this undead. Slowly, carefully, he tied his sword back to his side and went to return his shield to his back mount… before his phantom form was lifted up into the air by an unseen grip.

Leo watched in confusion as the invader's phantom seemingly levitated, its body going limp. Suddenly, a massive vertical black tear opened up on the phantom's midsection, as if he was pierced by a monstrously large, yet invisible blade. No phantom blood was leaking.

'That is an actual wound that just happened to Kirk's true form. His phantom is reflecting what is happening to him...'

Leontius' jaw dropped at the sight, and his weapons slowly lowered as the limp form of Kirk's phantom was slammed to the bridge's deck, yet it was no longer interacting with the world on a physical level anymore, it was just a reflection of Kirk's real body. The wound slowly decreased in size, then suddenly was almost a tiny line, as if the weapon was just pulled free. The phantom then dissipated, leaving a short-lived red cloud in its place.

'Something else is out there. Something far larger. Kirk is certainly done for, he is likely back at his last bonfire already…' Feeling slightly numb at the prospect, Leo sheathed his blade and turned, heading back into town, to Toriel's house.

'I am going to have to get ready for someone- or something- far worse than Kirk. But what has a blade like…'

The River Person's warning came to the forefront of his thoughts. 'Of course. The knight on wings with eyes of red. He wields a massive blade if I remember correctly; it could certainly make that wound. And he is also a magic user… the Ruins will not hold him for long at all.' Leontius went from a slow trudge to a brisk run through town, bearing both Toriel's possessions and grim news.

vvv

With a satisfying screech of wrent metal armor and undead bone, the Pursuer easily pulled his hulking greatsword from his latest quarry's now unmoving body, which vanished in a wave of ash in a non-existent wind. Lucky, that this particular undead had ended up going the same way as him, and led him right to the mountain's entry. It took some destruction getting through the previous area, particularly that house above, to get to his target.

Unfortunately, the undead was invading someone else and was stationary. An easy- and wholly unsatisfying- kill. But that's not what The Pursuer came here for. He came here to investigate that immense influx of power… fleeting, there and gone for what seemed to have been a single moment.

Many of the denizens of the kingdom felt it. Despite the enormity of his weapons and armor, the Pursuer, with his great eagle, was the fastest of those who felt it to get to this mountain. This undead must have been coming here for- and invading- someone else. Someone through these great, stone doors…

Another target in his path on the way to find that power.

The Pursuer straightened up, his customized suit of Vanguard armor producing plated steel wronks and screeches as he did so. The purple stone doorway before him was barely wide enough for him… but it would be enough. He charged up his sword, then thrust the glowing blue blade into the crack between the double doors. The magically charged blade effortlessly smashed the door to pieces. The seal was a complete afterthought and did little to even slow him.

A cold forest lay before him. His prey was somewhere ahead, and so was that power that he'd be taking soon enough. The huge knight levitated off the ground and glided through the ruined doorway, past a bush with a camera… past an "empty" sentry post… and into the woods ahead.

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