:):
The correct answer was Gerson~
And just like the old historian, I'm about to drop some lore into this story. :)
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Grandpa Gerson
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"It sounds like it came from over here..."
Golden flowers blew gently in the breeze, their colors blurring together as the scene drifted in and out of focus. The sound of hurried footsteps came from not too far away as someone came into view. They were small - a child maybe? Their face, however, was too blurry to make out.
"Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you? Are you okay...?" Holding out a white fur covered hand, the child bent down. "Here, let me help you up..."
Now at eye level, the young monster tilted their head as if listening. "Chara, huh? That's a nice name."
"My name is..."
...
Fearia released a sudden gasp as her amber eyes snapped open. Bringing her small hand to her throbbing chest, she sat up in a rush. Almost instantly, the little girl winced as she became acutely aware that with every tiny movement she made, her entire body ached. That was probably a good sign, though, she thought grimly to herself. At least she wasn't dead. Looking up, she spied a large hole in the ceiling directly above her. She must have fallen through there on her way down.
Soft petals tickled the child's bare feet as they fluttered in a dank updraft. Where were her boots? It was only now, did Fearia realize that she was yet again sitting in a clump of golden flowers. They must have broken her fall somehow. She felt bad for the ones that she had accidentally crushed beneath her weight.
Getting back to her now bare feet, the small child carefully vacated the flower patch. After scanning her immediate area, she was astounded to learn just how lucky she had been. The entire cavern was flooded and the only dry spot was where she had fallen. Bits and pieces of the broken bridge floated all around her.
Up ahead, past all of the dirty water and debris, she spotted a larger swath of dry land. Frowning, Fearia stared down at the rippling liquid surrounding her tiny island. "Wonder how deep it is..." She mumbled quietly to herself.
Testing a floating chunk of wood had been a mistake, the little girl belatedly realized as it slid forward causing her to lose her balance. Falling into the water, she flailed madly for a few seconds until her bare feet touched the cave floor. Gasping and sputtering, she stood up as tall she she could, the filthy water coming up a little past her shoulders.
That was scary!
Grimacing, Fearia latched on to a large chunk of wood for support. She really hated it here! She hated Waterfall! She hated all this water! She hated caves and dark drops! She really really hated being chased by someone hurling spears. But... more than anything though, she hated being alone...
Sniffling, the miserable child made her way through the water and to the other side. Stepping up onto a metal grate, she was relieved to find a healing star waiting for her. Reaching her hand out, the floating star flashed brightly, illuminating the giant waterfall crashing down in front of her. Golden tendrils of light wrapped around the injured child and began to work their magic.
A few minutes later, the light finally dimmed. Satisfied that her aches and pains were now gone, Fearia stared at the waterfall. She'd noticed tiny glittering objects randomly tumbling down from the gushing water. Lowering her gaze to the crystal clear pool beneath the cascading falls, she found hundreds of sparkling gems littering the ground. There were coins too, but mostly gems...
"Ooo..." Getting down on her hands and knees, Fearia fished out a nearby crystal. It was a beautiful shade of green. A glowing light from within caught her attention, and with it, a grim understanding. "Oh..." The little girl murmured solemnly. She then placed the gem back into the water with as much respect as she could.
Respect for the dead.
Wading through the polluted water, Fearia weaved past the mountains of strange garbage. On a better day, she might've felt inclined to dig around, but right now she just wanted to get out of this place as soon as she could. Walking past a beat up training dummy, the small child paid it no heed.
Until...
"Hahahaha...!"
Startled, the little girl spun around just in time to see the dummy come to life right before her eyes! It was cackling madly as it rose up into the air. Water dripped from the soggy burlap that consisted of its torn and stitched up body. Advancing at a drunken pace, the training dummy glared down at her, its mouth twisted in a menacing smile. Fearia gulped and took a few steps back, the water rippling around her. She didn't want any trouble... What did she do wrong?!
"Too intimidated to fight me, huh?! Gonna try to run away? I know that's you're thing." The training dummy jeered as it started bobbing in the air above the scared child. "I am a ghost that lives ins.. -Hey! I didn't mean that literally! Get back here!"
Narrowly dodging a dull looking knife that had been thrown in her general direction, the little girl attempted to make a quick escape. Angry shrieking of "PATHETIC PATHETIC PATHETIC!" followed after her as the dummy took chase. Fearia, panicked beyond belief, splashed through the shallow water as fast as she could. She was NOT up for whatever he had planned! Her bare feet made contact with damp ground as she hauled her small body out of the dirty water.
Strange music echoed hauntingly off the walls in the next cavern. It was the weirdest music she'd ever heard but Fearia didn't have time to stop and listen. Branching off in different directions, there were quite of few paths to choose from. Not wasting time, she chose at random, taking the nearest cave to her right. Was that dummy still chasing her? She wasn't going to slow down to check.
Looking over her shoulder proved to be an error in judgment on the child's part as her small body collided with what felt like a brick wall. Letting out short "oof!" Fearia bounced off and fell back onto her bottom. Looking up, she gasped. What the heck was that?! A horse... fish... man...?
"You okay there, little... um..." Expression turning decidedly apprehensive, the ripped hippocampus looked to his friend. "Uh... Wash, you hearin' this?"
The shorter monster, who resembled a bucket of water with a face and feet, looked downright ill as they listened to the tune permeating the serenity of the cavern. "...what the HECK is that music?"
"I-I Dunno, Dude, But It's Spookin' Me Out!" The bulky horseman exclaimed, as he involuntarily winked an eye.
"...this is worse than Shyren." Washu despaired. They wished they had hands right now if only so they could cover their ears.
"No way!" The larger monster snorted. "Shyren is way less scary." He suggestively winked a couple more times for no good reason.
Giving their friend a look of disgust, the bucket monster rolled their eyes. "...if you're so scared, why do you keep winking?"
"These Are Winks Of Fear!" The hippocampus defended with yet another wink.
"Forget it... This beat is too... Filthy." With that said, the clean fanatic walked away, water sloshing as they went.
"Wash! Wait! Don't leave me." The muscular horsefish reflexively winked a few more times at his departing friend. "Is this my punishment for being creepy?" *wink wink* "Please... stop... I'll never creep again! *wonk* Sighing, he gave a hefty shrug before looking down. "At least you're still here... huh?"
Escaping mid-discussion, the small child booked it the hell outa there. Nearly tripping over her own feet, she took a hard left from the narrow cave artery she had run into. A tiny dim cavelet speckled with thousands of small luminescent gems lay before her. A few feet away, an old tortoise monster stood behind a makeshift counter examining something with a strange glass object.
Was he safe? He looked safe...
Without much hesitation, the tiny human ran over to the old timer before diving underneath his counter. Bringing her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them and hid her face. She didn't know if those two monsters were going to chase her as well, but she didn't want to take the chance. Body trembling, the little girl tried to make herself as small as possible. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to will herself to disappear.
Of course, it wasn't working.
"Whoa, there, youngin!" Gerson said as he squinted down at the tiny intruder. Ah, it was a human. So that's what all the hubbub was about. Looking out at the cave entrance, he vaguely wondered what she was running from. "Looks like you're having quite a time in the Underground. For such a tiny human, I'm impressed you've made it this far."
"Huh...?" Fearia said as she peeked up at the old tortoise. "You know I'm a human?" For some reason, most of the monsters she'd come across didn't seem to notice this fact. It was odd but she didn't put much thought into it.
"Ha! I'm not that senile, bucko." He laughed heartily. "Name's Gerson." Holding out a green bumpy hand, he gave the child a smile.
Not making any attempt to move, Fearia just stared at the offered hand. Was this guy a good guy or a bad guy? She thought she was a pretty good judge of character, but now she wasn't so sure. This old monster had a kind face but she didn't know if she should trust him so easily...
"Don't be shy now." Gerson chuckled at her hesitance. This kid looked like she must have been through hell and back. That's the Underground for you. He mused privately to himself.
Finally taking the old tortoise's hand, Fearia felt herself being pulled to her feet. Once she was standing, the monster provided her with a small box to sit on. It sounded like it had glass bottles inside of it. "Th-thank you, Mr. Gerson." She said as she sat down.
"Heh. So polite. For a human." The monster said as he tinkered around with some strange mechanical object sitting on his counter. After a few minutes, glass could be heard clinking together and then a tinkling noise. "Here." Handing her a small cup, he scooted over a rickety chair and sat down as well. "Why don't we have a friendly chat over some sea tea."
"Sea tea?" The little girl asked as she stared down at the tepid green liquid. It was glowing for some reason...
"I only make it from the best marsh water." Gerson boasted as he took a long sip from his own cup.
Scrunching up her face slightly, Fearia took a tiny experimental sip. It was really watery with a hint of ...something. It could use some sugar. A lot of sugar...
"So, tell me." Gerson started, eyeing the small child. "What's your story, youngen?"
"My story?" The little girl tilted her head.
"I'm not askin' how ya got here, that's usually the same for every human." Gerson clarified. "Let's start with your name."
"Oh!" The tiny human smiled. "My name's Fearia."
"Quite an unusual name ya got for yourself." The old tortoise smiled before taking another sip of his bitter marsh water tea. "Tell me, how's life like on the Surface? Are people zooming around on those flying scooters yet?"
"Flying scooters...?" Fearia asked, her brow knit in confusion.
"Ho! Guess that's still science fiction." Gerson laughed. "I suppose humans are still driving around in those clunky automobiles." The lack of understanding from the child wasn't lost on Gerson. Ah, automobile was probably an archaic term by now. Especially for such a young human. What did they call them now...? "I meant to say cars." He corrected.
Still nothing.
Gerson squinted at the small child curiously. "You do know what a car is, right?"
"No...?"
"Huh... What do you humans use to get from place to place, then?" Gerson asked, slightly perplexed.
"We ride horses." Fearia replied as if it were the most obvious thing. "Well... if you can afford them that is. If you can't, then you have to walk. A good horse costs like 20 Quartz!"
"Quartz?" Gerson looked off for a moment, lost in thought. Where had he heard that before? It sounded so familiar...
"Grandpa Gerson?" Fearia asked as she spotted something familiar carved into the wall. "What's that?"
Looking over to where the small child was gesturing, the old tortoise grinned. "Eh? You don't know what that is? What are they teaching you kids in school nowadays...?" Gerson chuckled in humor. "Guess they don't teach this kind of thing in human schools, huh?"
"That's the Delta Rune, the emblem of our kingdom. The Kingdom of Monsters. Wahaha!" The old timer cackled. "Great name, huh? It's as I always say... Ol' King Fluffybuns can't name for beans!"
The Delta Rune?! Wait... "King Fluffybuns?" Fearia couldn't help but be distracted by such a funny name. "Who's that?"
"Why, he's the King, of course." Gerson laughed. "Good Ol' King Fluffybuns. He's a friendly, happy-go-lucky kind of guy... I'm sure you'll meet him sooner or later..."
What a weird name, Fearia thought to herself privately. He didn't sound very scary. Weren't kings supposed to be intimidating? How could he rule over his kingdom with an iron fist with a name like that? The Underground sure was strange...
Turning her attention back to the carving on the wall, Fearia smiled. So the Delta Rune really was something impressive. If only she could find one small enough to carry. As much as she appreciated being trained by Papyrus, she secretly knew it was a waste of her time.
Time she was quickly running out of.
Noticing the child's interest in the cave carving, Gerson smiled. Sure she was human, but he loved explaining history to anyone who was interested. "That emblem actually predates written history." He revealed, getting the little girl's attention. "The original meaning has been lost to time... All we know is that the triangles symbolize us monsters below, and the winged circle above symbolizes... somethin' else."
"You know, it kind of looks like something else I've seen before." Fearia said as she studied the runic symbol. "Except there aren't enough triangles... and everything is too far apart... It's more like..." Lifting her hands, she attempted to replicate the design with her fingers. After a few seconds, the small child gave up and dropped her hands in frustration. She just couldn't get it right! "Can I have some paper? I can draw it for you!"
The old tortoise looked at the excited child for a moment before relenting with a humored grunt. She was so scared not too long ago and now she was offering to draw him something? Strange human. "Let me see if I have any scratch paper."
Once the tiny human was done, Gerson held up his magnifying glass and gazed down at her work. His old eyes widened a little as he stared at the familiar design. Five separate triangles now surrounded a circle from all sides, forming a distinct starshaped pattern. Around the star, she had drawn a double circle that resembled a solid ring. And lastly, outside the halo-like ring, wings similar to the ones from the Delta Rune had been added, completing the picture. An image of gilded halls adorned with large towering banners resurfaced from within Gerson's vast collection of memories. "This... This is the Unity of Arcana, or more commonly referred to as the Unity Rune. It's the emblem of the Kingdom of Magic!"
"Is that what it is?" The little girl honestly had no clue.
"I haven't seen this emblem in... centuries." Gerson said quietly, lost in thought. "Tell me, where did you see this?"
"I saw it on my mother's belongings. Like her old clothes and stuff. She's from the Kingdom of Magic, y'know, but we're not allowed to talk about it..." Leaning in, Fearia whispered conspiratorially. "Sometimes though, when it's night time and there's nobody else around, Frisk will tell me all about it."
Gerson's old ticker nearly stopped when he heard that name. "Frisk? You mean Freya's daughter?!"
"You know my mom?!" Fearia squeaked in surprise. "And my sister?" Who was this old tortoise guy?
The ancient historian scrutinized the small child carefully before asking a simple question. "What year do you think it is?"
"Huh?" Why do people keep asking her this? Sighing, Fearia acquiesced with a simple answer. "11x. Why?"
Thoroughly humbled by the mysteries of the world, Gerson sunk back into his rickety chair. "Well I'll be... Life sure is strange..." This changed so much the old monster realized. As much as he liked being a neutral bystander, he knew he had to intervene. Under no circumstance should this child's soul be taken for the sake of the barrier. It would be nothing short of regicide. "I... I need to speak with the King. You should come with me, young one."
"The King? You mean King Fluffybottom?"
"Fluffybuns, child." Gerson corrected good naturedly. "And yes. Isn't that who you were looking for anyway?"
"Uh uh." Fearia shook her head. "I was looking for Undyne." She grinned.
If Gerson hadn't already finished his sea tea, he would have spit it out after hearing that. "Undyne? You were actually looking for Undyne?"
"Uh huh! She's the Head of the Royal Guard. I wanted to ask her if she would train me. If I can become a Royal Guard member too, then I'll get my very own Delta Rune." Fearia explained enthusiastically. "Then I can go back to the Surface and save Frisk!"
Utter lunacy is what Gerson was hearing. Nothing she just said made a lick of sense. But one thing was blaringly clear, Undyne was the last person right now she should come in contact with. Ever since the last human that came through the Underground, she's been training even harder to protect everyone. Meeting her would almost certainly be a death sentence for this tiny blissfully ignorant child.
"Wa ha ha... What daring ambitions you have, little Fearia. But it's customary that you meet with the King first before requesting an audience with the Head of the Royal Guard." Gerson shamelessly lied.
Deflating slightly, Fearia frowned. "Really?"
"You're in luck though, kiddo." The old tortoise said as he stood back up. "I happen to be going to see the King right now. You should accompany me."
Hopping off the small box, Fearia reluctantly accepted. She didn't really want to just give up on finding Undyne, but seeing the King didn't sound so bad. Maybe she would find Undyne faster that way. She would do whatever she could to acquire a Delta Rune and save her sister. The faster the better.
Ushering the small child out of his shop, Gerson slowly made his way down the nearby steps leading to the canal. The River Person could take them quickly to Hotland and away from the hyper-deadly fish woman. He was grateful that his shop was so close to the river transit.
Following after the slow moving monster, Fearia felt her frown deepen. She had gotten so far in Waterfall, leaving now just felt like giving up. What about the monster kid? Was he still here searching for Undyne? What about Poff? Bringing her hands to her chest, the little girl slowed to a stop. She couldn't just leave!
"Oh, look, it's Undyne!"
Gasping, Fearia snapped her attention to the cheerful voice coming from the cavern up ahead. "I'll be right back, Grandpa Gerson!" She said as she rushed off in hopes of finding the elusive Head of the Royal Guard. She was close by, she had to be!
"Kid, wait!" Gerson called out in warning. "Stay away from Undyne, y'hear!"
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I'll be honest here, that emblem took me literal months to come up with.
There were so many failed designs...
...
In the next chapter, Sans nearly loses hope while Fearia has to come to terms with a hard truth.
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Thanks for reading!
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Sheii Bae~
