Ruto-sai (RMIN Recording Transcript): It's funny you know, watching how everyone reacts to word of a Color attack. It happens, people get uppity for a few days, then as soon as the dust settles everyone just sort of forgets about it. Until you get one guy who creates an article with details from the attack and everyone loses their minds all over again. All of a sudden the poor schmuck gets bombarded with guilt-trips, death threats, and the like. Almost like, town council actively hushes up anyone who tries to bring the topic of Colors up.
The reason I'm bringing this up at all is that I'm actually interested in what people are doing to circumvent this practice. People online are starting to refer to Colors as "Puppets", a term from this new comic that's controversial right now. I believe it's called "Into the Inverse" or something like that. I don't know, it ain't really important. The reason I bring it up is that apparently the comic even has a guide about how to pacify a "puppet". Truth is, given what I read, it seems to mimic what that weird old man I'm doing community service for is doing. I wouldn't be surprised if some impressionable kid tries to follow that guide on a Color. And if they do I wish the fool the best in the world. Anything beats what we usually do.
In fact I believe if the guide does tell how to pacify Colors, we all may have a big problem to deal with. The Auxiliary had authorization to slay them without question for centuries. Good luck trying to sweep that under the rug, s'all I'm saying.
Ruins – Boss pt.3
The cloud generated by the explosion wafted out of the overlook like a phantom, coating the room and the cavern beyond in a dark grape-colored mist. The cloud brought a deafening silence that placed the activity on the streets below to a screeching halt. The silence was quickly shattered by panicked screaming from the room leading to the overlook as the blue flames dissipated from the entrance.
"Guys, this the opposite of what I wanted to happen!" Ed wailed as he slithered face-down onto the floor, unintentionally taking Frisk down with him.
"(The children of my flies will feast on your corpses Shadow Beasts!)" Vi exclaimed hopping madly in the entrance but not actually attempting to enter the overlook.
"We're doomed!" Claire repeated like a chant as she laid in a puddle of her own tears. "Dooooooooooo-"
The voices coalesced together into a miasma of discontent and fear that got louder as it went on. Frisk was forced to cover their ears a few minutes later. When that didn't work they wiggled out from under Ed. "Guys!" They yelled as they got up to their feet. "Guys!" They repeated with a clap. This didn't pierce the yelling so they gave a loud whistle that did the job pretty effectively. The sharp staccato froze the group in place. "We need to pull ourselves together and finish what Toriel started!"
"(Yeah! Tell 'em kid!)" Vi cheered.
"Frisk, that puppet just turned Ms. Toriel into popcorn!" Claire stammered as she floated shamefully out of her puddle.
"Giving buttery goodness to the afterlife!" Ed added with a sob.
"Ok first of all, we don't know if she's actually gone yet," Frisk pointed out. They then gave a side-eye to Ed. "And secondly, Ed, that is really innuendo-y. Please don't say that again."
"You like Playstation instead?" Ed asked blowing his nose.
Frisk jerked awkwardly and grabbed Ed by his shoulders, "Ed, focus on me, focus alright? I know things are sad right now but I need you buddy. I'm running blind here."
Ed gazed deeply into their eyes and started calming down. "You have me."
Frisk's expression softened. "Ok, you said something about exorcism right? Can you still do it?"
Ed nodded. "She needs to be captured first or at least distracted enough that she won't notice me destroying her connection to the puppet master in her head."
Frisk's mind was racing. They didn't know how experienced Ed really was on the matter, but the evidence of the minutes prior didn't give them much time to weigh options. From what they could observe of the witch's mannerisms they believed that if Ed and them just went out swinging they probably wouldn't make it. And they believed running was not really an option because that would be giving the puppet access to the rest of the Underground. My kingdom for a shine flower. They thought discouragingly as they briefly glanced up at the ceiling.
Vi's eyes widened and his temper settled into a deep concern. "(Oh man, Ms. Toriel's not looking too good.)" He croaked.
The humans returned their attention to the overlook. The cloud finally lifted enough for Toriel to be seen. She was sprawled out against the wall, covered head and toe in long slender cuts that leaked out small wisps of gray smoke. Her head was down, and her breathing was labored to the point she was nearly gasping with each intake.
"Goatmom-" Ed murmured lowering his head. The rest of the group felt the sorrow in the boy's mannerisms as he lowered himself to the floor and covered his head with his hands. "Th- this is all my fault."
Frisk felt pangs in their heart. Ignoring the parallels they connected to past experiences, they lowered down to the Ed-boy's level and started rubbing the back of his head as he sobbed. "Ed, you didn't do anything wrong."
"Yeah," Claire fluttered close to the boy and started rubbing his back. "Ms. Toriel chose to fight, it had nothing to do with you."
"(As much as I want to join in the consoling session, I need to point out the problem we still need to deal with,)" Vi said nudging Ed to look back up. Toriel's opponent was standing beside her, weapon poised a few centimeters above the Caretaker's neck. The witch had by the looks of it receded her needles to place her free hand over her stomach wound. Despite the damage, the witch stared down at her opponent with a cocky smirk.
*I- have to give you some credit Soul-hunter. You certainly did better than the others that tried to kill me today.
"Soul-hunter?"Frisk repeated to themselves quietly as they observed the witch gloat. They then felt a deep chill crawl down their back as they felt Ed rise to his feet slowly. They looked up and found something off about his eyes. They seemed to shine with an unusual intensity through his tears.
Step 2 Caviar: If capture is deemed too dangerous to others, the purifier may attempt to drive the puppet-master out of their charge by force. (Refer to macro 1275aq) Ed recited internally.
The witch gave a small laugh and raised her weapon.
*I appreciate the distraction, I was starting to believe this whole campaign was fruitless. If you held off, I would of left and the opportunity to save everyone would of slipped through my fingers.
She rested her blade on her shoulder.
*So as a reward, I'll spare you goat. You deserve that much for surviving my special attack at any rate.
A feeling of relief filled Frisk's heart. And they wanted to share it. "Guys, The puppet is sparing Toriel." Vi and Claire just looked at the child in confusion.
"How do you know that?" Claire asked cocking her head to one side.
This question in turn made Frisk confused.
"She- just said that she would," Frisk lightly pointed to the witch for emphasis.
Vi looked between the witch and the child. "(She didn't say anything though.)"
"W-what?" Frisk didn't compute Vi's simple explanation.
"Are you feeling alright Frisk?" Claire asked lightly touching the child's forehead. Frisk shook causing the moth to retract. Frisk looked at Ed and tried to ask for validation.
"Ed did you understand what she's sa-"
Frisk was interrupted by the sudden creation of another barrier between the group and Ed. Who, during the odd conversation walked into the overlook with a bright shine in his eyes. The barrier unlike the previous one was pure white in color and appeared as a series of white rectangular waves rapidly moving toward the center.
"(Ok, you need to check with me before you randomly create walls Ed,)" Vi grumbled a few moments after calming himself down from the shock.
"Ed created the HoJo wall?!" Frisk and Claire yelled simultaneously.
"(Yeah,)" Vi said nonchalantly. "(His eyes shined when it formed. I didn't think the two things were connected then.)"
The group was not the only ones surprised by Ed's ability. Toriel was able to see the barrier's creation first-hand. If she wasn't completely numb, she would of been shaking her head in disbelief. Did- Ed just- create a pure barrier? B-but I thought it- took 7 humans for that!
Ok, dust-up wall up. Ed wiped his eyes, ignoring the awestruck reactions occurring around him. And now for the macro.
b3MucnVuTWFjcm8oMTI3NWFxKTsKLi4uCi4uLgpwcm9jZXNzaW5nLi4uCi4uLgouLi4KLi4uCmltcG9ydChwdXJpZnkuYmF0KTsKY2hyIHQgPSBvcy5zZXRUYXJnZXQoVVNFUi5pbnRlcm5hbFZpc3VhbChMLFIpLm1haW5Gb2N1cyk7ClB1cmlmeSBwID0gbmV3IFB1cmlmeSgpCnAucnVuUHJvY2Vzcyh0KTsKV0FSTklORzogUnVubmluZyB3aXRob3V0IGNhcHR1cmUgcHJvY2VkdXJlcyBpbiBwbGFjZSB3aWxsIGNhdXNlIHVuaW50ZW5kZWQgZWZmZWN0cy4KRG8geW91IHdhbnQgdG8gY29udGludWU6IHkKLi4uCi4uLgpwcm9jZXNzaW5nLi4uCi4uLgouLi4KLi4uCkJlZ2lubmluZyBwcm9jZXNzLi4u
The witch might as well of seen the devil with how fast she started shaking. Not so much because of the wall but because Ed's eyes were still shining.
And the fact that her long-destroyed heart started to race in her ears again.
Causing distant echos of the past to form in her head.
*No-
The familiar pain of stabbing herself against her will.
*No-
Feeling her body rot while she was still conscious.
*No!
And finally, getting forcefully removed when she was finally found.
*PROGENITOR!
She couldn't remember much about who caused all that.
Only that the perpetrator had almost the same soul signature as Ed.
That was all the justification she needed.
*I WILL NOT GO BACK INTO THE VOID AGAIN! NOT BY YOU, NOT BY HER, NOT BY ANYONE!
She charged with both hands on the machete's handle. Ed pulled out the santoku knife and held it like a samurai sword.
"You have hurt too many people already. You playtime ends here Shadow Beasts!" Ed roared as he pushed forward. He decided to go straight for the proverbial throat. Exorcism without Capture. "PURIFICATION IN PROGRESS!"
Ed's health: 1/20
Fun: active
Q29uc29sZQ==: active
? health: 140/700
Purification?: 1%
…
"RUN AWAY!" Ed yelled as he ran around the overlook. A massive wave of needles narrowly whizzing behind him. It wasn't even 5 minutes into the fight when everyone in attendance realized that:
A: The witch had much more experience in fighting than Ed.
And B: Because they were unclear of what exorcism really is, No one had any idea if Ed was actually purifying the witch or not. Nonetheless they were willing to give encouragement.
"Duck and weave Ed! Duck and Weave!" Frisk called out. They were practically sweating bullets as they watched Ed dance with death.
"Go Ed! We're all rooting for you!" Claire added with a cautious enthusiasm.
"(He's actually really good at dodging those things. It reminds me of my older brother when the dodge-ball fad was in,)" Vi mused as a coating of needles bounced off the barrier making a slight noise akin to coins falling on a wood floor.
Luckily for Ed, the witch had started their fight with the strains and wounds from her previous bout, if her increasingly haggard breathing was any indication. The residual burning sensation in her arm and stomach was still very present. Which, compounded by her belief that her opponent was dangling a guillotine over her throat pushed her to more desperate tactics. In this desperation, she was ignoring the other element in the room.
Unfortunately due to the toxin coursing through her, Toriel was forced to watch the events unfold with no ability to move let alone assist in any way. Ed what are you doing? Fight or Run away, there's no way to solve this otherwise. She thought as she tried desperately to talk. The only thing able to squeak out being a short light bleat. The outright embarrassment and uselessness of her current state riled up her nerves more than anything. Oh what am I doing? I can't help him like this. She closed her eyes and tried a silent check command on herself. The results were about what she expected: almost all her magic was either rendered immovable by the toxin as well, or already being tasked with keeping her wounds from getting worse. The thought of tempering with that immediately crossed her mind. Ok, best case: I have enough to get some ley energy out and healing before I lose the rest of my HP. Worst case: I turn to dust immediately. Great odds. She sighed. It wasn't really a choice. It was a risk she would of accepted for all her children if she had the chance to do so. And this child would not be an exception. Ed, just give me a bit of time. I will help you out soon. After another deep breath, she steeled all her resolve together and rolled the dice.
Toriel's health: 18/440
Toxin: 100%
Ensuna: active
? health: 129/700
Purification?: 15%
*You think you can outlast me? I've slayed my way outta death, I can slay you too!
The witch gnashed her teeth and called out her blade.
"Ed! Melee!" Claire yelled out. Ed's eyebrow rose in confirmation and he drew out his knife. Just in time to duck a forward slash that was aimed at his throat. In response the witch brought her machete down. Ed bounced out of the way and with his Santoku in the grip of his mouth ran on all fours to gain some distance. It was here that he started noticing small squares appear around his opponent's body.
The Inverse has shown itself already? Ed narrated to himself after rising back to his feet a good distance away. I'd better take advantage of that. With a determined glare he stood at the ready as the puppet closed the distance. With a yell she swiped at Ed's chest. The Ed-boy countered by swinging his knife up, parrying the machete mid-swing. A distinct clang of metal echoed through the overlook as the witch lost her momentum. Which was capitalized by Ed slashing a few centimeters away from her chest, cutting a few of the semi-translucent squares that hovered there. Doing so caused the witch to make a curt scream as her body seemed to split apart in squares before reforming a second later. The cut he left behind appeared as a thin line of bright light.
"Home delivery!" Ed yelled as he, without pomp and circumstance, just jammed his fingers in it.
A strong outburst of violet-colored light and dust erupted through the room. The spectators to this whole sequence blocked their eyes from the light until it dissipated. The flash only lasted a few moments leaving behind much to everyone's surprise: the witch laying face-up near the wall on the opposite side of the room and no Ed in sight.
Toriel, Frisk, Vi, and Claire had similar reactions. Eloquently summarized by this next statement:
"What the hell just happened?!"
...
A vast darkness and the light sensation of blowing wind graced Ed when he opened his eyes. He immediately shook hastily to get rid of the tingling sensation, and then took in the dark nothingness around him with confusion. "Huh? The comic never said anything about this. Frisk? Are you in my head again?" There was no response. This causing him to look around more alertly. Suddenly, a small cluster of squares appeared out of the dark and assembled themselves into a small child. Ed was too preoccupied to notice this happen, so the appearance of the child shocked him a little bit when he looked back.
"Oh Frisk, there you are," Ed said in relief. "I like your Inverse clothes."
Indeed, the child had enough characteristics to be easily assumed to be Frisk's twin. The "twin" had the same clothes Frisk wore as well but with different colors: Green with yellow stripes for the shirt, and Dark gray pants. The differing factor was their red eyes and a faint flush at the near top of their cheeks.
The child eyed the Ed-boy and smiled. "Well, well, what do we have here?" The child asked with a airy giggle. "If I knew I was going to have a guest. I would of spruced the place up more."
Hearing the slightly different voice, Ed asked. "Did the Inverse change your voice too?"
The child narrowed their eyes but their smile didn't waver. "Oh, I think you must be mistaking me for my partner. Don't feel bad, it happens all the time." The child then bowed. "Greetings, I am Chara."
"Hello," Ed made a small bow back. "I'm Ed, it's a pleasure to meet you, Yousuke."
At this the child rose with a look of surprise. After peering at their guest for a few moments, their smile faded. They sighed disappointingly and started forming a chef knife in their right hand. "You threw your hat in with that old lady, didn't you?"
"Who?" Ed asked. The child sensed the genuine confusion in the boy's voice.
The child stared at Ed's chest with a confused look. The aura signature the boy's soul was emitting felt familiar. The child couldn't make any real recollection about where they felt it before. Only that it was enough to have the child wanting to hold off sending the knife through the boy's neck. They discreetly dismissed their cutlery and decided to entertain their curiosity instead. "What brings you here, Ed?" They asked trying to be as polite as possible.
"I was exorcising a puppet being controlled by cosmic forces and- I ended up here after I tried to break the first connection," Ed replied patting his chest. "Do you know where that is in here?"
"Puppets?" The child asked before grasping at a brief connection from their brief times on the surface. "You mean like- Colors right?"
"Shhh," Ed shushed the child suddenly. "You'll get in trouble if you say that out loud. It's better to call them "Puppets"."
The child's eyes lit up. An inkling of an idea crept into their head. "Oh I see, you're trying to purify puppets. In that case I do know about connectors, but- the process will take a long time if you try searching for them. I can give you an easier way if your interested."
"You know how to exorcise?" Ed asked surprised.
"Of course I do, I'm here aren't I?" The child tilted their head with a wink.
Ed couldn't argue with the child's logic. Those that can travel the Inverse were considered more powerful than the exorcists according to Ed's comic."Sounds legit to me. What do I do?"
"All you need to do is take the puppet's soul when you enter the realm again," The child shrugged with a sly grin. "If there's no soul, there's no control."
"Hey, that rhymes," Ed pointed out with a grin.
"That's how you know it's legit," The child added. "I'll even help yo-"
A crack of light broke through the darkness. Surprising both parties.
"I think I spent too much time here," Ed concluded looking at the rapidly fragmenting atmosphere. He turned back to the child staring angrily at it. Ed gave a reassurance. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll see each other again."
The child glanced back at Ed. Then their smile returned, "I believe so too. Give my regards to my partner for me."
"I will, until we meet again!" Ed yelled happily as the light started engulfing him.
The light faded leaving the child alone again.
However the child wasn't too bothered by it.
Their encounter caused the flames of their determination to burn brightly again.
They immediately started brainstorming a way to capitalize on their new game piece.
They needed more information.
They needed to talk to their partner.
Comedian be damned.
…
Anomaly Rating has been reduced.
Current rating at 37% and holding.
...
The sound of broken glass erupted through the overlook as Ed fell backwards onto the floor. The small outline of squares that marked his entrance, or rather, his exit swirled and disappeared as quickly as they appeared. Ed slid to a stop with the top of his head touching his barrier with a grin on his face. "Hi guys!" He greeted with a guffaw. "What'd I miss?"
He didn't take account the stunned expressions of his friends. Frisk was practically white in the face. Vi and Claire were hiding behind them trembling. And Toriel was, well, still kind of numb so reaction was not really possible for her yet. But internally she was having a "Screaming Game".
"Ed- what- what are you doing?" Frisk asked as they edged closer to the mystic wall.
"I'm expanding my knowledge of Exorcism!" Ed exclaimed with his arms out-raised. Ed's failure of reading the situation made Frisk bang their head against the barrier.
"That's not what I mean," Frisk replied, frustration growing in their voice. "What are you doing to cause this to happen?"
Ed glanced at his armband nervously. Then looked at Vi and Claire as they wandered closer to the barrier again. Ed then scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm learning Human Magic."
The group looked at him with shock. "(Humans can learn magic?!)" Vi asked.
"Vi, that's why we're down here," Claire whispered.
"(Oh, right,)" Vi acknowledged with an embarrassed laugh. "(Sorry, it's been a long day.)"
There was only one thing on Frisk's mind. "Wait, doesn't dabbling in our magic cause people to go insane though?"
Ed shook his head lightly. "Not if you don't think about it."
"Mmed!" Toriel's slurred alert called Ed back to attention just in time to watch a seething witch barrel after him with blade held high. Ed, thinking fast, dug his fingers into the ground around him and pulled. Two large pieces of lavender stone cracked out of the floor at the same time as the witch stabbed her sword down. Ed slammed these pieces against the blade, catching it just a few centimeters above his chest.
"Hey!" Ed yelled out. "You already showed the class what you can do. It's my turn for show and tell!" He pushed the girl away with his feet. Inadvertently kicking the wound in her torso. She skid still on her feet a good distance away. Instead of leaping back in, she doubled over and howled.
? health: 100/700
Purification?: 45%
The squares around the witch intensified in the time Ed took in the Inverse. Her heartbeat was more liken to war drums by that point as well. The fact she was still standing at this point was starting to boggle the minds of the group.
Ed dropped his rocks and spotted Toriel. Who in stark contrast was faring much better now than before Ed dived in. She was standing again with her more grievous wounds rendered almost non-existent. If it wasn't for her wobbly stance and slurred speech, no one would of thought she was still afflicted by the witch's toxin at all.
Toriel's health: 77/440
Toxin: 35%
Ensuna: active
"Goatmom, are you ok?" Ed asked lightly as he walked up to her. The monster's answer was to pull him into a warm hug with a sigh of relief.
"I mam mow," She cooed rubbing Ed's back as she felt him nuzzle his cheek against her shoulder. There wasn't much time for reunion and respite however as the witch rose her nettles to begin another shooting round. Toriel quickly rose her left hand with a glare, and the heat of the witch's wounds intensified. White mist bellowed out of the witch's arm and gut, causing her to finally drop to her hands and knees. The violet light within the witch's chest started to glow brightly again as she screamed.
? health: 70/700
Purification?: 55%
V2l0aGluIENhcHR1cmUgUGFyYW1ldGVycw==
V2l0aGluIFJFTU9WRSBwYXJhbWV0ZXJz
"Wait!" Ed blurted out, pulling himself out of an impromptu nap. "I can't save the human inside if the puppet gets destroyed!"
"Med, that's mot a muppet," Toriel replied as firmly as her goofed up enunciation would allow. "That is a damgerous spirit mose only desirem is death mand destruction."
"Her desirem is death mand destruction now yes, but that isn't what she really wants. That's what the Shadow Beasts want. When I purify the controller out of her she will want to be a good person," Ed pleaded.
"Med, I-," Toriel was about to retort but she immediately had to shake her head. The magic of her Розділяй і володарюй was starting to awaken again. And no matter what she did, she couldn't remove her gaze from Ed's bloodstained shirt. The events that just transpired weighed against her as well when she tried looking away. Especially the square kaleidoscope slowly engulfing the ailing witch. Warily she returned to her eager child and asked, "Have you- mone this- purmification before?"
"I've seen it done before," Ed said. "And I just got some good advise when I was in the Inverse." He then smiled. "Don't worry, there is no way this will fail."
He's jinxing himself. Frisk and the others thought simultaneously.
He's definitely confident, but I can't tell if this is because of hope or naivete. Toriel closed her eyes and ping-ponged the options for a few moments. She then gulped and reluctantly gave her decision. She lowered her arm and released Ed from their embrace. "Ok, I'll let you do whatever you're planning. But- if she tries to pull a fast one I won't hesitate." Her eyes turned downcast as her heart filled in the rest. I thought I lost you before, I wouldn't be able to handle it if I did now.
"It won't come to that," Ed replied warmly. "I know it."
His sincerity may of seemed foolhardy to Toriel. But she was also deeply impressed with Ed's ability up to that point so she was willing to swallow her protective instincts just this once. "Just- be careful, alright?" Toriel asked with a smile candy-coating her worry.
"I will. Thanks Goatmom," Ed just nodded with a content smile. He then turned to the downed witch. "I'll be back in a little bit! Love you!" He looked back with a cheerful wave.
Toriel wanted to reply but her voice got caught in her throat. A huge smile crept across her face. Keeping her emotions in check she just simply said. "Love you too."
Toriel's health: 104/440
Toxin: 10%
Ensuna: active
Ed's health: 1/20
Fun: active
Q29uc29sZQ==: active
? health: 30/700
Purification?: 72%
V2l0aGluIENhcHR1cmUgUGFyYW1ldGVycw==
V2l0aGluIFJFTU9WRSBwYXJhbWV0ZXJz
With the witch completely unable to move in her pixelated veil, Ed walked with purpose up to the front of her and knelt down. Then with his knife he slashed into the squares over the witch's chest again. Ed's determination grew as he inserted his fingers into the seam. He closed his eyes as the light engulfed him. He then re-opened them when he felt the wind. Only for him to face-plant onto the cement of what looked to be a rooftop for a high school. Under a sky that seemed to stutter visually like a broken video recording.
Seeing the Inverse just as he saw in his comic and the descriptions from his former caretaker filled Ed with determination.
RUINS SEQUENCE END
INVERSE (VIOLET) TANGENT BEGIN
HOME SEQUENCE BEGIN