I didn't mist this Chapter 23:
Every minute that went by, Frisk worried more about Asriel and the others. She was sure they'd be fine, but she couldn't help the knot in her stomach. Her soul felt restless in her chest.
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Sans looked unperturbed as usual. The kid watched him curiously as he lazily clicked around the computer, doing some technical stuff she didn't really understand. Something about the tired expression on his face was mildly unfamiliar to her. Maybe the way one brow raised more than the other in his boredom. She found something reassuring in that, though she wasn't sure why.
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A heavy, solid thump on metal made Frisk jerk to look back to the door that lead to the west. Her eyes were wide and frantic. "Th-That's probably nothing, right?" she said. "I mean nobody can get in but Alphys, right?"
There was another thud, and then another. The kid clung to Sans's sleeve for only a second before pulling away sharply and rushing over to the door. She pressed her ear against it; jerked back when someone thumped on it again from the outside.
"I-Is there any way to see out?"she asked.
Sans vanished. The kid gulped heavily. At another bang, she backed away.
"Aaaaah, I hate that," she said to herself.
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Sans reappeared beside her and he took her shoulder and pulled her back. "Uh. It's… probably fine. But, uh, maybe stand back, just in case."
"Why, what's out there?" she asked.
"Oh. Y'know. Typical angry mob," he said.
"What?!" she squeaked.
"Don't sweat it," he said. "They, uh, probably can't get in."
"What if they go around the other side, though?" she said.
Sans sighed. He vanished again. When he wasn't back within a few seconds, cold nerves haunted the kid. Another slam on the door didn't help.
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Skittering away, Frisk rushed to check the other side of the lab. The door was locked. Just as she was wondering whether to peek out or not, something told her to move. She wasn't quite quick enough to avoid the door swinging back and knocking her into the wall. She fell down, dazed, and rubbed her sore face as the monsters barrelled inside.
"Frisk?!" Asriel yelled.
"Here. Ow." Frisk rubbed her nose and stumbled towards them.
"Oh, shit, did we just slapstick the heck outta you?!" he demanded.
"Guess so," she said with a weak laugh.
"Aw, no, your magic is leaking out, let me help!" Papyrus plopped to the floor from Asriel's shoulders and ran to her, cupping her face with magic glowing bright. "I am the super great healer Papyrus, so I know I can take care of it for sure."
"Thanks." She was already feeling better. "Have any trouble?"
From nowhere, Sans handed her a tissue. She wiped her bleeding nose.
"Small blockade but we, um, talked 'em down," Asriel said.
"Yes, Az was really cool and good," Papyrus said with a smile. "And nobody got hurt so that's good, too!"
"Blockade?" Frisk asked worriedly.
"Like, some monsters wearing kitchen stuff on their heads tried to block the road." Asriel shrugged. "Like I said, all worked out." He grinned as her brow furrowed. "C'mon, sis, don't gimme that look."
"Fiiiine." She folded her arms.
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Alphys hurried to lock the door again and stared across the room nervously as she caught the loud, metallic banging. She edged closer but stopped short, as if something physical blocked her path. She shook her head quickly and went for the computer. As soon as she laid her fingers on the keyboard, she froze up and stared at the screen. "Ah…! Sans! This i-is really good work, it looks like this redirect is really s-safe, actually! Then we j-just have to, um, activate the holding g-gate, right?" She winced at another bang. "Sheesh, I wish they'd stop."
"Gotta toggle some junk in the CORE," the skeleton said, shrugging slightly. "Then the gate. Then these kids should be on their way."
"Aw, so soon?" Papyrus asked worriedly.
"They gotta be helpin' their brother, kiddo," Sans said gently.
"I know…" He pouted and hugged onto Frisk's arm. "I just like you guys is all."
"It's mutual," Asriel said with a sympathetic smile.
"I knoooow…" Papyrus whined. He looked at Frisk with glittering eye sockets. "Do you feel better, at least?"
"Oh! Yeah, for sure," she said.
"This doesn't go, though," he said worriedly, cupping his hand over the scar on her face.
"Oh! Yeah, I know." She held his fingers and shot him a fond smile. "S'okay." A tingle ran up her spine. She thought she saw something at the other door. "Guys—!"
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In an instant, it gave way in an unexpectedly bright burst of cyan magic. Frisk grabbed Papyrus tight and edged backwards a little as Sans seized on Alphys's soul and dragged her back across the room, where Asriel puffed himself up and placed himself protectively between everyone and a mob of monsters rushing in. Several had pitchforks.
"There they are!" a rabbit shouted loudly.
Asriel snorted out a puff of flame, but the tension was swiftly doused when Undyne shouldered her way through the crowd, followed by an armoured old turtle with a lazy, confident stride.
"Is that Gerson?" Frisk asked under her breath.
"Everyone alright?" the turtle grunted, squinting at the group cautiously. His eyes were squinty and yellow, and he looked rather casual despite the rowdy gang of creatures around him.
"Uh…" Asriel looked behind him and then at the incoming monsters. "Y… Yeah?"
"Where's that armour thief?!" Undyne growled. "Is he here? You guys okay?! He lock you in?!"
"He s-said he w-was in the CORE?" Alphys squeaked.
"WHAT?! When?" she barked.
"A-At the end of the b-broadcast?" the lizard said.
"Buuuhhhh, I missed that," Undyne grumbled. She looked back at the mob. "Sorry, guys! Thanks for your help, though, great emergency rescue smashing!"
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The gaggle of monsters all started to look relieved. Asriel eyed them up and down cautiously.
"Wait, so you're…? Oh. Okay," Asriel said. "You guys didn't believe him?"
"Captain Gerson said he was full of it!" announced a buff capricorn creature.
"He is, indeed!" the old turtle said with a rough, loud laugh. He put his hands on his hips. "As if my Lieutenant and all the lab workers would get brainwashed by a human, of all things! They don't even have hypnosis eyes or nothin'! I bet there ain't even one here."
Frisk quickly pulled her hood up. Undyne stood up very straight.
"NOPE," she announced loudly.
"S-So you…?" Alphys peeked around Ariel with a cautious smile. "Y-You guys were all coming to help us in c-case Gaster had gone off the deep e-end? Th-That's really brave."
"What about what he said about the King, though?" the rabbit asked.
"Yeah, we were really worried about the King," echoed a blob.
"Did he do something to him?!" demanded the capricorn. "Is it totally a coup?!"
"Doctor Gaster's strong, but he ain't that strong," Gerson said. He smiled wryly at the worried faces of the other monsters. "But… What's say we all go check on him, huh?"
The crowd erupted into excited agreement, and with a wave of his hand, Gerson directed them, pitchforks and all, out the other side of the lab in a rabble.
"Ah, they don't h-have to worry too much about th-that, though," Alphys mumbled. "A-Asgore has me on speed dial anytime s-something goes wrong…"
"Shhhh, he's gettin' them outta here," Asriel hissed.
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Undyne plunked herself beside the little lizard, whose scales instantly flushed.
"I'm, uh, gonna catch up soon, sir," Undyne said with a salute. "I just wanna make sure these, uh, citizens are doin' okay."
"Alright, Lieutenant. You gonna handle the good Doctor, or d'you want a little help?"
"I got this! Sir," she assured him with a determined frown.
"Good work," the turtle said. He bowed to Alphys. "Sorry for the intrusion, Doc. Glad you're alright." There was a knowing glint in his eye as he turned and wandered out.
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Alphys fell on the floor as she let out a deflating sigh. Frisk huffed and Papyrus hugged her tightly, while his older brother just laughed. Undyne rubbed her claws through her hair and growled.
"What the hell is wrong with that guy, seriously?!" she demanded. "If I wasn't meeting up with the Captain right then, those guys were totally gonna jump me! And I wouldda had to punch 'em into the lake! What gives?!" She looked down at Frisk. "Does he really hate you that much?"
"He doesn't hate her. He doesn't care about her at all," Sans said bluntly. "He wants to study her powers or take her soul, and he doesn't care who gets hurt to get what he wants."
"Oh. Wow. That's messed up," the big monster said. "What made him like that?"
"It's not new," the skeleton said with a cool laugh. "New target though."
"So what do we do?" Asriel asked.
"Nothing," Frisk said.
"Nothing?" He raised his brows high.
"Nothing," she said again.
"NGAAAH I GOTTA DO SOMETHING THOUGH," Undyne said, punching her fish fist hard into her palm. "I gotta arrest that crazy guy and he friggin' TOOK my ARMOUR and it only mostly fits him."
"You're n-not going to meet him alone, are you?" Alphys asked worriedly.
"Well, yeah, duh, it's my job," Undyne said.
"But he's a boss monster," Asriel said.
"So?!" Undyne said.
"He already beat you once."
"SO?!"
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Frisk looked up at Asriel and her brow furrowed. He smirked.
"Reneging already?"
"I don't want her to go alone," she said. "So how do we do this without heading straight into obvious trap?"
"You don't gotta do anything, short stuff, this is literally my job," Undyne said.
"But what if you get hurt?" Papyrus asked, reaching up to take her hands. "We don't want that!"
"Would you wait for Asgore?" Frisk asked. "Or at least for Gerson to come back?"
"Uhhhh, but I told him I'd handle it," Undyne said. "Man, he's busy with whatever else this bozo messed up."
"Bone-zo," Sans said under his breath.
Papyrus scoffed very loudly.
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A deep thrum of magic swept through the air and the lights flickered. Alphys yelped and tossed herself towards the computer, hitting a big button on its side. It lit up with pale rainbow and white magic and a white lock appeared over a dimmed screen. The lights flickered again. Papyrus whined and covered the sides of his head. Frisk sighed deeply and put a hand to her forehead.
"Okay. Straight into the stupid trap, then," she said. "Who's coming?"
"I-I guess… I should go," Alphys said reluctantly. "I, um… I f-feel kind of… like I should."
"Uh, and me, I guess, since I gotta go anyway," Undyne said.
"That's why we wanna go," Asriel said with a laugh. "Not letting you deal with that loser on your own. And don't you dare complain about it."
"Okay I guess," the big monster said with a shrug.
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"Gonna sit this one out," Sans said, his eyes darting to his brother. Even so, there was a tinge of guilt on his face.
"What?! We're not going?!" Papyrus yelped. He stared at his brother with big, shocked eyes. "But I want to help."
"It's dangerous," Asriel said.
"So?!" Papyrus grabbed his brother's sleeve with desperate, clinging fingers. "I want to help them."
Sans shrugged. "Probably helpful to not be in the way."
"I'm small! I won't get in the way, I promise!" Papyrus said, clenching his fists and looking at them pleadingly. He turned on Frisk and grabbed her hands tight. "C-Come on, you have to let me come! What if someone gets hurt?! I can heal really well, I promise! I'm really, really good at it, I can be useful!"
"But Paps, I don't want you to get hurt," she said gently. "Nobody does. You don't deserve to get all stuck in some fight that has nothing to do with you."
"But it has everything to do with me! And Sans! Gaster is our mean not-dad-guy and… A-And…!" His cheekbones flushed and his eyes welled up. He wiped them indignantly. "Nyeh! And it would be really bad if he hurt you."
"Kiddo, it's gonna be okay," Sans said, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.
He shook his head insistently and pouted. Tears dripped down his cheeks.
"Ah, jeez, Papyrus, don't cry!" Frisk said shrilly.
"Aw, dang, he's so young…" Asriel said quietly.
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"Did you see something?" Sans asked Papyrus quietly.
The little skeleton grimaced and folded his arms tight, staring rigidly at the floor. Sans tilted his head.
"C'mon, bro, you can tell me, you won't get in trouble," he said.
"D-Did, um… Did Gaster t-tell you any of his pl-plans, little guy?" Alphys asked gently. She came close and squatted down. "Hey. It's okay."
He shook his head. His eyes darted up to look at Frisk and then he stared at his feet. "I-It's stupid."
"It's never stupid," Sans said.
"What if she thinks I'm stupid, too?" he whispered.
Frisk's eyes went wide. "Paps, I'd never think you're stupid! What's wrong?" She offered her hands. "Come on, dude, it's okay."
He looked up hopefully, and then looked to Sans; he nodded. Papyrus took a deep breath and held onto her.
"Nyoo, I saw you get your bones hurt in a fight in the CORE," he said. "It was…! It was really bad! N-Nobody here can h-heal a human yet except me."
"You saw it?" Asriel said, brows raised. "…In a dream?"
"Yes! Yes, in a dream," he said. "It's not stupid, right? It's not just m-my mind going all over the place b-because I'm a ch-child filled with wishful thinking, and I'm not an idiot, right?! I…"
Frisk sighed and pulled him into her arms. He squeaked and she hugged him close for a few seconds before drawing back, cupping his face and holding his gaze seriously.
"Gaster said that to you, right? 'Cause that doesn't sound like you, that sounds like him," she said. "You tried to tell him about a dream and he ignored you until—"
"R-Right before Sans took us away," he said sheepishly. "Y-You… You believe me, right?"
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Frisk gulped. This was very different than she'd expected. She brought him forward to gently bump her brow on his. "Course I believe you."
"Oh good! I… I knew you would!" he said, though his voice shook.
"That's why you kept bringing up not going to the CORE alone, right?"
He nodded quickly. "I saw you alone. I saw… your arm… Just please, be very very very careful, okay? I-I just… I just w-want to be helpful!"
"Ah, shit, Paps, I hate seeing you so upset," Asriel said. He had to sit on the floor to get closer to his eye line. He plunked a big paw on his head and patted him reassuringly. "C'mon, dude, you don't gotta be like that, you know you're great."
"Y-You really think so?" The little skeleton's eyes lit up.
"I didn't r-realize he was s-so hard on you," Alphys said softly.
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"So, wait, you guys sayin' this kid has physic dreams or something?" Undyne asked. "That's pretty hype, actually."
"Whaaaat?! You think so?!" Papyrus grinned wide. "I-It's not every night. A-And my brother has them, too. But…! But I think it's pretty cool!"
"I bet!" Undyne scooped him up under his arms and held him up against her shoulder. She looked at Sans curiously. "Hey. You're from the Snowdin patrol, right? You sure you don't want in?"
"As much as I'd like to see that guy gettin' what's comin' to 'im…" His eyes darted to his brother. "Paps… How 'bout a compromise? We'll go to the hotel near the tower, so if somethin' does happen, we won't be too far."
"You mean it?!" Papyrus smiled. "Thank you!"
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Undyne whooped and, grabbing Alphys, rushed towards the door. "YEEEAH, WE GONNA GET HIM."
Asriel smirked slightly. He shoved his hands into his pockets, raised his brows, and wandered calmly after her. "Welp. Hope you got a plan."
"Nnnnope," Frisk said.
He laughed and beckoned to her. She rubbed her brow.
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She got only a couple steps forwards before she dug in her heels and turned to look at Sans worriedly. He was quiet and had a cold air of brooding around him. She backtracked and put a hand on his arm.
"Hey. Don't worry," she said. "It's gonna be fine."
"Uh… No hard feelins, right?" he said.
"What?! About what?!" she asked.
"Y'know. Hangin' back. It's nothin' personal, I just gotta make sure Papy is—"
"Whoa, whoa whoa, you don't gotta explain," Frisk assured him. "You've been super cool. And I'm really happy you trusted us. But this isn't your problem and I feel really bad you and Paps are in it so much already. I came here knowing Az and I gotta deal with whatever happens, so that's what we're gonna do."
His face was solid and unexpressive but for a slight bend in his brows. He dipped his head. Frisk patted his shoulder, smiled, and jogged off after her brother. The skeleton followed sluggishly, dragging his slippered feet, clenching his fists into his pockets.
xXxXx
The tower of the CORE stretched upward into the mountain, its higher levels and plethora of platforms disappearing in a white, wafting haze. The bright blue spire of metal was unusual between deep, gritty stone, the friendly hotel before it, and a pathway lined with fluffy shrubberies that guided into its main hall.
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The only lights on the CORE'S tower were blinking red, casting stark shadows out and away. Looking up at it, feeling exceptionally small, Frisk pushed down a lump of apprehension. The hotel just at their backs, however, was out of power. The skeletons hung back there, safe inside despite the mild chaos. Some of that crowd that stormed the lab was left in there. Maybe they were scared of the dark.
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The CORE's inner hallway was lit in red and yet the top of the stairs reaching upwards was shrouded and nebulous. The lower stairs seemed to reach down into a dark pool. There was an elevator as well, but it was bleak and unwelcoming, and the doors were unwilling to budge. Undyne stomped her way over to the upward-reaching staircase and put one foot up before whirling on the others, folding her arms, and scowling around.
"Plan?" she asked sharply.
"Find Gaster, I guess," Asriel said. He put his hand on Frisk's head and his mouth twisted to the side. He looked down at the kid, the nervous, sweating lizard, and then over to the Lieutenant. "And then…?"
"Um… I-If I can get to one of the c-consoles in a puzzle room, I c-can hook in and analyze… Um… I c-can maybe find where something h-has been going on," Alphys volunteered. "I-It's, um, a closed s-system, so… A-Actually, I should probably f-fix that, that's, um… n-not safe, I guess."
"Okay. Get the short nerd to a dumb puzzle, I guess," Undyne said. "Uh. What's that do?"
"Um, well, I sh-should be able to get the power back up properly, at least," she said.
"And we really gotta explain to Gaster that he's gotta stop," Frisk said. "No matter if he gets arrested or whatever. Is that okay?"
"Doubt he'll listen," Asriel said apologetically.
"As long as I warn him," she said.
"Alright! Good enough for me!" Undyne said. She pointed up the stairs and puffed out her chest. "NERDS, MOVE OUT!" She bounded up two steps at a time.
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The sharp scent of ozone began to tickle their noses the more flights of stairs they climbed, and wafts of white fog seeped in faint tendrils under the doors to new floors.
"Where did he say he was again?" Undyne shouted down the stairwell— she was at least two floors ahead of the others.
"Top floors, somewhere!" Frisk called back.
"NGAAAHHH, THAT'S TOO VAGUE!" Undyne yelled.
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Her heavy footsteps reverberated around the tower as she stomped ever upwards. Frisk took a breath and paused, grabbing Alphys's sleeve as she tried to pass.
"Oh! Y-Yes?" she asked.
"Do you think Gaster is more… like, schemey, or more smug?" Frisk asked.
"Uhh… I'm not… I-I mean, he does alway think he's r-right about everything," she said. "Does that… help?"
"The very top, then," she decided.
"Think so?" Asriel wondered.
Frisk shrugged and smiled sideways. "We can always jump down."
xXxXx
Undyne reached the top a long while before the others and was already scouring the length of a blue and silver platform, boots clunking heavily on the metal. One side was up against the tower while the other was exposed to open air and, from experience, Frisk knew it branched and wrapped around other platforms as well. White mist formed a bright, pillowy veil between where they stood and any sign of what was below. It wafted over the path just a few metres ahead, obscuring most of the way.
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Alphys was a sweaty, panting mess, doubled over and holding her knees. It was a good thing the air up at the top was cool and refreshing. Frisk was a little tired herself, but she wasn't letting it slow her. She stuck close to Asriel and squinted around.
"See anything?" he asked.
"Nope." She looked up at him skeptically. "So. Walk into a trap or nah?"
"I think we should try to reverse it on him," he said.
"Won't get to do a thing if you guys just stand around chattering," Undyne scolded. "Come on!" She beckoned to them and stomped on ahead.
Asriel stared after her, ears lifted, lingering his gaze on her feet. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and followed her. Alphys huffed and trudged along.
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There was an electric feel in the air. The hair on the back of Frisk's arms prickled. She followed the others, listening carefully and trying to let her soul stay receptive to any notes of magic that she recognized. That wasn't exactly easy though— the whole CORE was buzzing. She could have sworn she saw a faint flash of blue in the corner of her eye but nothing was there, only fog. Her vision flickered suddenly, large squares of altered colours and vanished fog— maybe a figure across on another platform. Frisk winced, her breath getting short, and she rubbed her eyes frantically. The visions faded as quickly as they'd come. She looked up ahead for Asriel. She could see his shape through the clouds but he'd paused, head bent. Before she could call out to him, he straightened up and continued forward.
"C'mon, Frisk, keep up, will ya?" he said.
She nursed her head for a second longer as he vanished into the mist. "Coming."
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A few steps forward and creaking chilled her. She thought she saw something warp— a bend in the metal as if it were twisted rubber, and she paused to hold her temple for a moment. The metal beneath her feet shifted and she stumbled onto one knee with a yelp. There was a commotion of voices and she was sure her name was being called, but she was too busy trying to stay upright as the platform swung out quickly and there were no railings to grab. She tumbled over when it clunked to a halt and she quickly got to her feet.
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"Frisk?!" Asriel called, his voice distant and echoing.
"I'm okay!" she said. "You?"
"I'm fine! Stay where you are!"
"There's the trap, I guess!" she said.
"WE'RE GONNA FIND YOU, KID!" Undyne sounded even farther away than Asriel did.
"Got it! I—" Her vision pulsed and a flash of energy stung the corner of her eye.
Something coming fast. She jumped backwards, a white spear sailing by as a harsh note of magic buzzed the air. Another shot out of the mist and she twisted out of the way. She saw the glow of green eyes hovering in the white. She grimaced and braced herself, her soul coursing warm energy through her body.
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The tall skeleton, hand extended, marched forward, a halo of sharply pointed bones hovering around him and aimed right at her. He was wearing Undyne's armour, but was a little too tall for it. His wrists and knees were awkwardly exposed. Even so, he looked kind of cool.
"So. You came." He drew bones up at his fingertips. His hum spiked the air, though it didn't conjoin with hers to begin a battle. A sparkle of red tinted his fingers. "You're as foolish as I thought."
The bones launched at her, stabbing down and up through the metal with sounds like heavy pistons. Frisk jumped back, weaving the pattern, scraping by the sides of it easily. It was a lot like one of Papyrus's bone waves, and she'd become fully accustomed to dealing with those.
"I don't wanna fight you," she said. "I came here because you're making a really bad mistake doing what you're doing. And, um, Undyne wants her armour back."
"It's no mistake," he said stoically.
"Uh, yeah, it is," Frisk said, frowning. "You're going to make everything worse if you keep pouring energy through that hole. And also if you put more of that determination juice in yourself."
"Worse for whom? You? Please."
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With a broad wave of his hand, Gaster threw a wall of spiked femurs at the kid. She hopped backwards and stretched out her hand, freezing two for just long enough to form a gap. She dodged between them, only to have to jump a second wave piercing up from the floor. She pressed up against the wall, took a breath, and ducked more bones aimed at her head. Her mind was racing. Two options. Back, into the mist, or forward and under the skeleton. He'd made a mistake coming out where she could see him. Backwards was still a narrow corridor, putting the attacker at the advantage. If the path continued forward like she expected, it would connect to a wider room. She gulped. He still hadn't engaged a proper battle. Easy.
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Frisk braced herself, juked around another round of spears, and then sprinted straight at the skeleton. He recoiled, wincing, and she hit the ground, skidding under his legs. She stumbled upright and ran into the white mist, extending one hand to keep to the wall.
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The fog lifted as she careened into a room of blue and silver metal. There was a mist-blocked opening opposite, and a laptop and some other gadgets plugged into the wall, including a crumby old camcorder. Frisk took a worried glance over her shoulder and then ran for the laptop. The screen showed a similar program running to the one Sans was using early to reroute magic. However, this one was aiming to do the opposite. It also was flashing a large red word in both the skeleton script and in plain text: OVERRIDE.
"Aaah, crap," she said quietly.
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Footsteps thumped heavily on the metal and Frisk spun to face the oncoming skeleton. Magic bristling in the air and a dash of blue in her peripherals announced his attack, and the kid squeaked drawing back and reflexively lifting the laptop. A bone plunged straight through it and it shorted to the alarmed, angry yell of the skeleton in the vacant doorframe.
"Look what you've done!"
Frisk danced out of the way of his next attack, clinging tight to the busted computer. "Look, sorry! But you're the one who—!"
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She squeaked when he seized her soul in blue and yanked her off her feet towards him. She threw the computer at him and it clunked him in the chest, enough to startle his grip loose. She hurtled into him and they both tumbled to the ground in a heap. Frisk was up first and running, hopping to the other end of the room.
"You've ruined everything," he grunted.
"I don't think it's that bad," she said.
"I don't know why you insist on talking back to everything I say," he grumbled as he heaved himself back up.
"That's how a conversation works. Which is kinda what I'd like to have," Frisk said. "See, what you're doing, it's—"
"Frankly, I don't care to hear a single thought from your vapid human head."
"But don't you understand that you're gonna hurt your own—!"
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He grabbed her soul in blue again and tossed her hard into one wall, and then into the other. Dazed and aching, she threw her hand up, catching his in a pocket of reversing time. His grip faltered and she clunked onto the floor. He tried to move forward and couldn't— grimaced and grabbed onto his own arm and tried to push it.
"What have you done?!" he demanded.
"Like I said," she panted, getting her feet under her and stumbling upright. Her vision was scrambling again, chunks of colour and shadows of bodies couldn't see flicking all around her. She gulped back nausea and tried to ignore it. "I don't wanna fight, I wanna talk."
"I have nothing to say to you," he said.
"That's fine. You need to hear this," she said. She winced; her head was aching. "You need to slow down your time experiments because—" She faltered; dropped to her knees and threw up ice-cold, black sludge. Her vision blurred and she saw stars, then a big, sheer warning in blue.
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Bones punctured her like javelins. Shoulder, side, and leg. He hadn't gotten frequency wrong this time. She collapsed backwards in a heap. She thought she heard someone yell. Her ears filled with stark silence, and then a note or two of red magic.
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Next thing, she was on her back, and Gaster was trying to draw the red from her chest with his long, boney fingers. Her constellation points flickered pitifully.
"S… Stop." Her voice was soft and vanishing.
Maybe he didn't hear her. He didn't react. She thought she saw a flash of white in the corner of her eye.
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The skeleton was rammed off her in a blur, accompanied by a violent slamming sound. She heard him yell and an animalistic roar. Her head spun and grey snow pressed in the corners of her vision. She put a weak hand over her soul spot. There was warmth in her hand but cold everywhere else. She was afraid to look. Everything hurt, but the kid forced herself upright and onto her knees. She took a deep breath. There was only a little blood on the ground. That was good.
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She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles and looked up, squinting at the commotion that had tumbled out onto one of the walkways. She couldn't see much, but bursts of fire dyed the mist and shocks of white and blue cut it in parts.
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With shaking fingers, she snatched a candy bar out of her phone's storage and bit off a chunk. She felt a little refreshed. Enough to run, at least. She took off into the mists and stumbled hard into the leg of a skeleton just a few steps in. He grunted and tripped over himself, and was quickly bowled over again by a blur that had to be Asriel. The two of them rolled back into the room and Frisk chased them. The big goat monster was on top of Gaster now, sharp teeth bared and flames seeping from between them.
.
All of a sudden, his soul lit in blue and he was tossed just hard enough to send him rolling off into the nearest pathway of mist. Frisk sprinted past the skeleton, who was struggling to push himself to his feet, the edges of the armour smouldering. Asriel roared, his voice dropping away. Frisk dropped to her knees and threw out her magic, hoping desperately to grasp onto him.
"Asriel?!" She felt a weight like she held it in her hands, but had no idea what she was doing. Dizzy pressure set upon her, but she could hear Asriel's hum in her mind.
"I'm okay!" he called from somewhere.
.
Frisk let out sigh of relief, gripping tight to the edge of the walkway. The corner of her eye shone with blue and she jolted backwards in alarm, only to be seized by the neck and hefted into the air. She squeaked and was pinned to the wall with blue magic and met with a disgruntled, battered skeleton glowering at her.
"Honestly, if this soul was not worth the trouble, I would have tossed your body off the ledge," he grumbled as he brushed himself off.
"Why you such a jerk?!" she grunted.
"Silence," he said, pulling off the gauntlets.
They dropped to the floor with a heavy clunk. He reached into his pocket and produced a clear capsule and, when he tapped the bottom, it grew into a large jar.
"With the amount of useless assistants I've had and those boys' stubborn stupidity, it's a wonder any of this worked at all."
"Sounds like you just like to hear yourself talk," Frisk muttered. "And they're not useless, you're just—"
He covered her mouth with his hand. "I said, be silent. There is no use being so chatty, you've clearly lost and I have w—"
The kid bit down on his fingers. He yowled and staggered back, his magic flickering out as he shook his hand as if to shoo the pain away.
.
Frisk slumped onto the ground and tried to steady herself. She got to her feet in a hurry, ignoring the ache through her body, and tried to keep herself light on her toes despite her left leg weakening under her. "S-Sorry! But I'm not gonna let you just kill me! It'd cause a lot of problems." Even so, she felt nauseating guilt for even doing that small amount of damage to him. "Look, we don't have to fight, just let me explain what's going on and—"
"I understand perfectly," he said, bristling.
"I don't think so, 'cause you won't let me tell you!"
He sighed, rolled his eyes, and fired off another circle of javelins at her. She juked along the wall and saw them pierce right through. For a fleeting second, she didn't feel so bad for having bitten him.
"Will you stop it?!" she demanded.
He attacked again and she slid out of the way. He frowned, gritted his teeth, and increased his pace. The only way to go was back down the foggy path. Frisk gulped and ran for it.
.
The mist pressed in close. Magic flashed through it and she ducked low; flattened herself to the ground. Bones pierced the air above her, aimed straight at where her head should have been. She could hear the skeleton's footsteps heavy on the walkway. After a few seconds, arm out, still firing, he strode right over her. As soon as he faded back into mist, she got up and ran the other way. She heard him spin in place, but she had no intention of waiting for him.
.
Frisk booked it into the mist down the opposite pathway out of the sturdy room. She faltered in the fog. She thought she caught a glimpse of a familiar, short skeleton ahead. A blink and the shape was gone.
.
All of a sudden, the path shifted beneath the kid's feet. She let out a yelp and slipped where she stood. She hit the ground and clung hard, feeling it spin quickly under her. Her mind screamed that it was a trap. As soon as it jerked to a halt, she edged backwards. Just as she thought, he'd realigned it to a dead end. She sighed. Decent move. Her body was starting to shake and the pain was catching up with her. Deep breaths. In and out. She'd been through worse.
.
"This is pointless, human," Gaster called, his voice echoing over the distant gaps in the metal. "You must surrender now. You may have brainwashed the others, but you cannot pull the wool over my eyes."
"But you're going to wreck your own universe if you keep going!" she shouted. "It's gonna blow up on you and it might hurt people! And you might bring in more people than just me and my brother, and they might actually want to hurt you!" She heaved herself upright. "You could get Alphys or Asgore, or Sans and Papyrus killed! Come on, I know you gotta care about them a little, you had Sans's birthday as your—!"
.
A sharp spike of bone shot up out of the floor before her like a shark breaching. Frisk squeaked and skittered back as far as she could, and another pierced upwards, closer but not quite enough. There were more in the fog. She grimaced and her eyes darted to the edge. She wondered if she had enough strength to go over. She patted the inside of her pockets. Her heart sunk when all she could find that wasn't a phone was her pen. She grimaced and pressed her back to the wall as bone attacks blindly pierced everywhere but where she stood, it seemed.
.
She stuck her arm out over the edge and dropped the pen straight down. After a few seconds, she heard it clunk lightly onto something. The attacks ceased for a moment and Gaster's green eyes floated in the fog. Her stomach dropped and she jumped off the edge.
.
She was blinded by a white cloud of mist and then abruptly smashed into a lower walkway and rolled, dazed. She felt her legs dangling and she grasped with all her strength to the floor and heaved herself fully up onto it. She panted and staggered to her feet. Her ribs hurt. A fleck of red caught her eye. The pen had rolled towards the wall. She scooped it up before running away.
.
The setup on whatever level she was on now was almost exactly the same as the one above. She wondered if Asriel was there or lower. Her breath was getting short and her leg was fighting her. She fumbled for Gaster's cellphone and put her shoulder to the wall to hold herself up. Too bad that side was sore, too. Magic sparked along the ceiling and she winced and limped as fast as she could. She dialled for Alphys, who picked up with a confused wheeze.
"It's Frisk," the kid said quickly. "I jumped."
"W-W-WHAT?! Are you o-okay?!" Alphys demanded.
"Fine. I'm just one floor down. I think." She kept going, a wide room opening up before her with a stairwell on one side and elevator in its centre. "But Gaster's trying to kill me and I…"
The numbers on the elevator lit up. She gulped hard.
"H-Human?" Alphys squeaked.
The doors parted and Frisk could see those green eyes before anything else. Her throat dried.
"Aah, he found me," she said. "Gotta go."
.
Frisk turned on her heel to run for the path she'd come on, only for a wall of bones to form before her. She winced and spun around to face the skeleton. She could feel the shiver in her legs but she refused to waver. It was for Sans. She'd battle for him, if she had to. She tightened her grip on the phone.
.
Without a smug word, the skeleton hurled bones as her from left and right, trying to pin her in. She dodged as best she could, but a jump was foiled by the knick of sharp, jutting attack from below and she stumbled to the floor. She dropped to a knee and rolled, but the second she was up, she was knocked back against the wall, a whack to her hand sending the phone flying and making her fingers go numb. She was trapped at the needle-points of sharp magic femurs. She gulped hard. This was a bit too familiar.
"Do not try me again, human," he said. "I w—" His words jerked to a halt at the sound of a high-pitched shout.
.
"Nyeeeeeeeeeh!" From the staircase came Papyrus, who ran for the man's legs. He grabbed them and forced him to stumble. "Let her go, let her go, you're being awful, let her go!"
"What on ea…? You little…! Get off me this instant," he snapped.
"No, you have to stop fighting!" Papyrus insisted.
"Ugh, honestly." He lifted the little skeleton in blue and whisked him away to the elevator.
"Hey! Leave him alone," Frisk said sharply.
Gaster rolled his eyes. The elevator doors closed despite the small skeleton's protests, and the numbers on the top of it began to run downwards.
.
"You can't just throw him around like that," Frisk said, glowering.
"I can do what I wish with him. I created him," he said. "It's not your concern."
"Not my—?!" She squeaked as the bones closed in on her. She grimaced and readjusted her weight. She held her right hand with her other. She was pretty sure something was broken. "Of course it is. And you're a pathetic weirdo for thinking that you can just do whatever you want with them. Sans told me all about you."
"And the fact that you put stock in the words of someone like that doesn't speak very highly of your intellect."
"Blah blah blah. Everything is about that with you, huh? You just wanna be better than everyone in the room," she said. "I know you think he's smart. Why else would you write that stuff about needing his help?"
"It is what is in his soul I needed. And what is in yours."
.
The bones moved in sharply. Frisk pulsed magic out and rewound them, red dancing on their lengths. Gaster frowned and pushed on them, but they simply jerked and retracted in a loop more quickly. They vibrated, caught in time, and then shattered into sparkling, magical dust. Gaster recoiled, eyes wide. Frisk took a deep breath.
"You need to stop," she said. "You drank that stuff in the vial, right? You can't, it's gonna wreck your body. Determination isn't gonna help you now, it's only gonna hurt."
"As if you would know—"
"I travelled through the time void to get here! My dad was killed by this stuff," she insisted. "This junk you're doing, the stuff with the CORE, it could kill or vanish anyone, you don't know! It's not just about my world and the mess there, it's about here, too. You're pushing it too hard and you're gonna get people killed."
The skeleton didn't flinch. "Your scientists may be fools, but I am not. It's for the greater good."
"No! You don't get to choose that for someone else!" she snapped. "Who the heck do you think you are?! The greater good. You think these guys don't have lives?! You think I don't?! You think I just came here for fun and I don't have anything else going on?! Other people out there counting on me?! That I'm just some…" She grimaced. "That I'm some nothing with a red soul and no life? I-I'm not."
He stared back at her cooly. "It doesn't matter if it advances the pursuit of—"
"Of course it matters! What's wrong with you?! You think just because you sacrificed your own junk you get to just throw other people away, too?! It doesn't work like that!" She glared at him defiantly. "Just because your p-priorities are totally messed up doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want to other people and just blow crap up!"
"Enough." He grasped her soul with a crushing blue grip and hefted her off her feet again. "It's pointless to argue. Frisk, you said? I'll try to remember to jot your name down somewhere."
.
Frisk's breath caught in her throat as his magic turned icy, choking her. She was sure that she felt Asriel roiling somewhere; heard his roar of rage far in the distance. Her energy flashed over red in her hands and she jerked the skeleton backwards. His body reversed a few steps and so did the blue magic, dropping her heavily down onto the metal floor. She coughed and heaved in a deep breath, and forced herself onto her feet. Her leg wasn't having it; she stumbled back down to one knee. He reached for her again and she froze his arm and energy as it grasped at her soul, red magic dripping down her fingers. Her eyes were blazing.
"You stop. Right. Now," she said hoarsely. "I won't hurt you. But if you keep going your arm might break."
He gritted his teeth and tried to push through. Pressure was building in the kid's head but she didn't give. Just like she thought, his bones did before she did. He drew in a sharp gasp at the equally sharp snap and reeled back, clutching to the bones in his forearm.
"You little brat," he hissed.
"I told you. I'm not gonna fight you," she said. "But I'm gonna stop you. You can't just do whatever you want to people. A-And even if you're a jerk, I'm not letting you turn yourself into a determination puddle."
.
The red magic was a wall. He braced himself on the metal floor, the magic in his eyes flaring so brightly they looked like they might become flames.
"I should have destroyed you outright," he growled through gritted teeth.
Frisk's heart hurt. She winced. She saw a flicker of white and blue behind Gaster and she sighed. "Yeah. That's usually the mistake, right? I don't know much about fighting, but I kinda know one thing. It's okay. I'm not good at it either."
He looked at her incredulously. She smiled and shrugged as two massive, draconic skulls appeared over his shoulders, grinning down at him with eyes flaring blue and gold.
"Always open with your best attack," she said.
.
With the deep thrum of magic, white lasers burst from the skull's maws straight onto Gaster's head. He disappeared into the stark light. Frisk had to shield her eyes. When they vanished, the skeleton was left, dazed and smouldering on the floor. Frisk let out a sigh of relief, wilting in place. She closed her eyes to catch her breath. A cool, boney hand rested on her shoulder and then went under her arm to help her stand.
"Jeez, kid, you got pretty low, huh?" Sans said.
"Y-Yeah." She looked into his face and smiled. "Paps got sent back down the elevator."
"Ah. Good. Was kinda chasin' him," he admitted. "Glad I didn't miss the show. Good line, by the way."
"I felt like a cool guy for like two seconds thanks to you," she joked.
.
She cringed as she tried to stand on her own, and she limped slowly over to the unconscious old skeleton on the floor.
"Uh. Kid? Whatcha doin'?" Sans asked.
Frisk gently picked up Gaster's shattered arm. "Can't leave him like this."
"Sure you can," he said.
She shook her head. With a frown, sweat beading at her forehead, and a little backwards push, Gaster's arm reassembled itself. Hadn't been very long at all. She sighed. Her eyes welled up and she wiped them quickly.
"What a mess," she muttered.
.
A massive thump made her jolt with surprise and Sans was at her side, pulling her up quickly. However, when a huge white paw breached the mist and grasped onto the walkway just behind them, both of them let their apprehension go. Frisk limped over to meet Asriel as he hefted himself up onto the floor. The first thing he did was pull the kid into a tight hug. She winced in pain but she hugged him with her good arm.
"I felt… Shit. Your… everything?! Your hand? How is it?!" he demanded.
"Not great," she admitted. "You felt it, huh? Sorry."
"Don't you dare." He pulled back and gently lifted her arm.
Her fingers were bent funny. She smiled weakly, forgoing another shrug because it hurt quite a bit. His eyes raced over her and he held her gently. Though none of her clothes had been torn, they were stained with a bit of blood.
"You okay?" she asked.
He dipped his head. He got to his feet and looked cooly down on the unconscious skeleton. "What the hell happened to him?"
Frisk pointed at Sans, who shrugged widely and grinned as he pocketed Gaster's cellphone.
.
The lights flickered above their heads and and magic pulsed in the air. The thrum of an engine speeding deep inside the tower rumbled and the whole room brightened. Sans looked up, pleased.
"Ah. She got it," he said.
Asriel circled the man cautiously and then returned to his sister to carefully pick her up. "Guess his LV is pretty high."
"High enough." Sans winked. "I called the guards. That fish girl should be—"
.
"NGAAAAAH!" Undyne crashed through the mist and stormed into the room, spear out; fangs bared. She took one look around at the scene and grinned. "Heeey, you got 'im! Nice work. I'd promote ya if you worked for me." She knelt down and poked Gaster with the blunt end of her cyan spear. "Who did it?"
Sans and Frisk each pointed at each other. Undyne guffawed. She hefted the skeleton up over her shoulder.
"I'll bring him to Asgore. Nice work, citizens!" She headed for the stairwell.
"Hey, uh, you know he tried to kill that kid, right?" Sans said.
"What, like, in a battle? That's kinda normal," Undyne said over her shoulder. "We are at war and junk, right?"
Sans shook his head. "Didn't synch it. She didn't have a fair shot."
Undyne's face darkened and her eyes seemed to glow. Though her brow was furrowed, her grin became wide and unnerving, like an angler fish with eyes upon her prey. "Oh really?! Hm. Asgore'll have somethin' to say about that. Hey." She pointed at Frisk with the hand holding the spear. "Get some rest. That's an order and I'll totally arrest you if you don't." She stormed off down the stairs, clunking the whole way.
.
Frisk deflated against her brother. Her chest hurt and she was overcome for a moment. She quickly wiped her eyes. "I h-hate fighting like that…"
"You did really good," he said.
"I bit him, though," she muttered. "I never—"
"You what?!" Asriel burst out laughing. He kissed her on the head as she looked up at him, bewildered. "Do I wanna know?"
"W-Well, I mean, h-he tried to put his hand on my face to make me stop yelling at him. I d-dunno…" she said, face flushing shamefully.
"Kid, that is a hundred percent the right thing to do," Sans said. "I told my brother the same thing. Listen. Some creep picks you up and you kick and bite and yell as much as you have to. And it's not like you did any damage."
"What, really?" Frisk said shrilly.
"Nah, didn't wanna hurt him, no real damage." Sans smiled and tilted his head towards the stairs. "C'mon. Let's find Papy and get you some rest before you get thrown in the slammer, huh?"
xXxXx
They found Papyrus at the base of the tower, pressing the elevator button over and over again at record speed, a determined scowl on his face. Sans beamed.
"Hey, bro," he said.
"Nyeh!" Papyrus spun on his heel, cheeks flushed, and broke into a grin when he saw them. He sprinted to Sans and hugged him tight. "S-Sorry for running off but I had to—"
"S'okay. Everyone's safe," Sans said.
"But! New friend…!" He looked up at Frisk in Asriel's arms. "He got you, didn't he?" He pointed at his own arm.
"Ah… Yeah. Goofed up a bit," she said. "You warned me, huh? Sorry."
"Here." Sans held out a key with a numbered tag attached to a ring. "Got a room while we were waiting. Thought someone might need it." He patted Papyrus gently on the shoulder. "Meet you guys there, alright?"
"Sure thing, big brother!" Papyrus smiled sympathetically up at Asriel and Frisk. "I'm sure I can help you!"