Ready to explore the underground? I've honestly never played Undertale so I had to use the holy Undertale wiki to figure out how I'm going to get the characters somewhere. Ended up making a new, alternative route anyways just for the fun of it. Hope you all enjoy!


Hate stared down at its phone, watching as 'Betty' was dragged away from the mourning crowd by Asriel. The sight was almost painful to watch, seeing one of its friends suffer due to Betty's actions. It was starting to get annoying how many problems she was wrapping him and his friends into, even when she was being wrapped into a different issue.

"God damn, Agni. What happened...?" He thought out loud as the cameras continued to panel towards 'Betty' and Asriel until they were both out of sight. It wasn't hard to notice its friend was struggling to stand up and move, drawing worry from the humanoid.

The real Betty loomed over Hate, watching the video from over his shoulder out of curiosity. She didn't seem all too affected by the sight. "Huh...It's no matter, she did her task well enough in imitating me."

"Wow. You're really just an asshole..." Hate growled in pure anger while snapping its phone off and shoving the device into its dark mass.

Its opinion of Betty has recently gone on a steady decline with all that has happened due to her sheer existence. It was starting to hold a huge grudge against the determined human with all the events it had gotten mixed up with. His friends getting attacked, Withern's disappearance, Our Town burning, the innocent lives lost, Milo and Mila's family member's death, all could be pinpointed to Betty's presence. It was getting hard for the being to justify her innocence when it was very clear she kept bringing trouble far greater than any of Hate's friends have ever dealt with.

That wasn't mentioning how apathetic, manipulative, and violent she could be. Hate had seen it with the numerous threats she gave the being, even casually, which only added more fuel to its disdain towards the human.

Betty, though, clearly didn't understand Hate's perspective from what it sees. She was surprised by the statement but was quick to chalk it up to normal 'Hate-like' behavior. "I'm pretty sure you have at least twice now," she stated nonchalantly.

Hate silently stared at Betty with internal boiling rage for a good long second before forcing itself to look towards Adel. He was clearly waiting for the two of them, leaning against a wall with his hat tipped over his eyes and dozing off. Save the hate for later. Once this blows over I'm cashing out my IOUs. Besides, I'm here for answers. "Ay, Adel. Agni isn't doing so well, I think something happened to her.

Adel raised his head up a bit and looked at Hate thoughtfully. He lifted himself off the wall and sighed, shaking his head. "Well she ain't fit for a crowd, I knew somethin' was bound to happen..."

"You knew?" Hate narrowed its eyes.

"I ain't proud, but yeah." Adel sighed and adjusted his hat. "She'll be fine, it's just that her soul is a bit finicky."

"She's timid for a bravery soul..." Hate mentioned. It could believe her personality was getting in the way of her soul. She could've grayed for all it knew, the being heard the process made humans feel physically weak. Is she mentally okay though? I hate how these two act like it's nothing, especially with my friends dealing with shit on their own...

"...Yup," Adel said and nodded in a delayed response. "She can handle anythin' thrown at her though, so there's no reason to worry."

"You two are the worst." Hate said under its breath. It decided to take its mind off both of the humans by looking out into the current room they were at: the throne room. Well. What was the throne room anyways.

The three of them had just arrived here a few minutes ago, past a long hallway of slate and rock that used to be the barrier. Hate had heard from Milo or some monster, it was a long time ago, that the barrier used to be this huge room of pure white. The sight had been rather disappointing to see when the humanoid found out the area was a shell of itself.

The throne room was no different, it wasn't exactly a throne room anymore. A better way to describe it was merely an entrance to the Underground. There was no throne, no king to stand in the room, and there was a red carpet spreading out to the corridor with a small stand next to it. The stand itself was meant to have some monster stand there and collect money from tourists, purely humans unless they worked at the core or wished to move into the underground. While there were some new additions and some were now long gone, the general layout was the same; pillars with vines and the tile floors flourishing with golden flowers still remained. The roof with exposed holes still shined light onto the vegetation too. It had always been more of a garden than anything.

Definitely not like those undernet pictures anymore... Hate thought to itself as it gandered at the scenery until it noticed Betty and Adel were moving out. It would lag behind for a moment, just enough to take a closer look at the small stand guarding the next room. on the counter was a note that read 'Closed for today' with the 'today' poorly scratched out and replaced with 'mourning'. The being could only assume the rest of the underground was going to be particularly empty today due to the current public event going on.

Walking into the corridor, the trio was greeted to a long hall of orange-colored pillars and triangular windows containing the deltarune symbol, extending to the other end. As they stepped over the patterned tiles and past the bright light shining from the panels, the chirping of birds and be heard ringing throughout the room from the throne room, reverberating.

Something about this place seemed...Heavy. Despite its calming appearance, the sense of peace and quietness, it just didn't feel right. Like someone was waiting, like a sense of guilt despite having none whatsoever. No one said a word about it for a long second as they padded downwards, their footsteps echoing across the halls of judgment until none of them could take it anymore.

Hate stopped in its tracks first, looking calmly out into the hall of pillars. Its expression twisted to a sort of pain as it took in the scenery. Something about the room reminded the being of Withern and that alleyway of flowers he had, the corridor gave the same vibe of responsibility and the gravity of it. "You know...Withern would've loved this place."

"Really now?" Adel asked, looking over at Hate with a curious smile.

"Mhm." Hate nodded without batting an eye at him. This place reminded the dark mass why it was here at all, following Adel into the underground. The moment we figure out where he is, the better... It wondered what Betty thought. Looking towards her for a second, she seemed just as memorized by the corridor. There was no doubt some thoughts were crossing her mind, but it was sure none of them aligned with its own.

Adel, however, understood. He gave a slow nod and tilted his cowboy hat up. "He'll see it one day, perhaps."

No response. Perhaps. Hate hoped this wouldn't all be for nothing, it had gotten its hopes up after making a deal with Adel. It could hardly stand being around these two with their poor impressions on the being.

Betty, meanwhile, said nothing and eventually snapped her attention away from the room in general to instead focus on the box sitting near the next exit. She was quick to move towards it and gandered at the object with a glint of confusion.

Hate was just as confused, although for the mere fact Betty was wasting her time with a seemingly pointless object. "Don't tell me you don't know what a box is..."

"This isn't like the TVs and remotes, I know what a box is." The pink-haired replied with annoyance before placing her hand over the lid. "It's magically enhanced."

Hate squinted its eyes. "Who the hell magically enhances a box...?" Why is this important? Don't we have a smiley trashbag to find?

Adel looked at the box from a distance and tilted his head. "Could be a trap, Betty."

"Yeah, probably." Despite the risk, Betty wasn't afraid to open the box and popped open its top without a second thought. Thankfully there was no death trap, but there was a random assortment of items and old monster food inside. All the items were clearly worn, torn, or moldy but each accessory seemed to have a set object associated with it. "What the..."

The human took out a pair of glasses and a red ribbon from the box, gandering at each item. "These are infused with magic...Poorly, but infused."

"Are they useful though? Also, this could probably be someone's stuff and you're just robbing them." Hate noted out loud. Befitting for her nature...

"No, but maybe you should don this instead, Hate. The color suits you far better." Betty grinned, beckoning the ribbon at the annoyed being.

Hate gave a low growl and instinctively place a hand over its own light blue ribbon, Pat. "Hell no."

"Suit yourself. All of this looks like rubbish anyways." Betty placed back down the items and went on to close the box, right before Adel placed his hand between the lid and box.

"Now hold on there. I see somethin'." The officer quickly said.

"Something catching your eye?" Betty asked as she raised back up the lid.

"Yup." Adel scrouged through the box, digging his grizzly hands into the array of items until he took out four things. A tutu, a pair of ballet shoes, a cowboy hat, and an empty gun. He looked down at the items, staring at them blankly for a long minute. His expression then faltered, a frown arching on his face as he stood there and stared at each item. "Oh no..."

"What's troubling you?" Betty asked, glancing up at Adel with her arms crossed.

"...Its..." Adel paused, biting his lip and considering what to say.

Hate looked at the cowboy hat and empty gun Adel had, which was vaguely similar to the ones he possessed. They were the same color and identical design, it's just that one happened to be larger than the other. It had a feeling there was a connection the officer had to them.

Eventually, he drew a long sigh and was quick to shove the items into his deep pockets. His face was clearly wracked with conflict, but he was quick to hide it by tipping his hat down and looking away. "Nothin'. Just some missing items some folk have been lookin' for awhile now."

"Must've been stolen." Hate commented.

"Must've." Adel chuckled and looked up, plastering a bright smile. "Seems like we got more than we bargained for in that ol' box!" He marched onwards, leading the trio out of the corridor. Quickly. "Well, let's get goin', we still have a job to do."

Following behind, Hate noticed Adel's demeanor diminishing back to its less gleeful state from the corner of his face.


New home, the capital of the underground once overcrowded and densely populated with monsters. Now, it was rather sparsely populated, a city with few residing there like a ghost town. It was a shame, given the extraordinary layout of the whole place. Grayscaled buildings towered over the trio with medieval and roman architecture blended together to create what felt like an ancient landscape, each structure and brick pathway made to feel as if they had all traveled back hundreds of years.

The interior of most structures unfortunately offset that aura. It wasn't hard to notice that through the windows of these homes, shops, and recreational buildings were bright wallpapers and modern technology infesting each room. Couches, TVs, computers, phones, carpet, clocks, refrigerators- anything you could think of that is naturally in a home above ground was here too. Notably, however, most of these places were vacant or outright shut down either temporarily or permanently until further notice given how few monsters lived here as of now.

It was reminiscent to Our Town in a way with the fact it's nearly deserted yet still alive and filled with history — before it was nearly all burned down at least. Hate didn't get why these places were reminding it of its home, perhaps it just missed everything before Betty came into the picture. It had a feeling the monsters still living here felt the same way; this place certainly seemed to have undergone some negative changes and seemed to have a good thing going on before the barrier shattered.

Hate wanted to go back to the days when all of its friends weren't in a mess, where it wasn't a mess either. That's why it needed to find Withern, so everything can go back in order and have a certain promise fulfilled. Ugh. I hate this place. It could only hope the other places didn't bring back any more reminiscing.

No monsters seemed to be outside as of right now, allowing the group to traverse down the road without anyone being alerted, of Betty's presence. There was just one problem with that though: they had no way of getting directions. They were all foreigners to the dying capital after all nor were there any monsters outside to ask, so they had no knowledge of the layout in the slightest. To compensate, they would walk aimlessly down the roads until something of interest appeared, which wasn't too efficient but got the job done. Eventually.

"Holy shit. Do any of us know where the hell we are even?" Hate asked as it followed behind its current leader, Adel. The human took a good moment to respond, his hands buried in his pocket where all the items he had taken from the box were. He was clearly fixated on them, weirding the humanoid out, and when he did respond he looked like a fish out of water.

"Huh-?" Adel whipped around, "Oh- Uh, I ain't no expert on these parts so I don't have a clue." He rubbed the back of his head and trailed his eyes to his pockets where his other hand was at. For a second he was lost in thought before suddenly saying, "Why don't y'all split off from me for now? We could cover more ground that way, find an exit perhaps."

"Sure I guess?" Hate would repress his suspicion for a moment to shrug and nod. My god. None of us know where we are and I'm with the worst human and the shadiest human at the same time.

"Thank ye." Adel gave a respectful nod and moved out, leaving Hate and Betty by themselves.

The two of them turned towards each other. "Something is off with him." Betty outright stated.

"Yeah, no shit. It's not my problem though." Hate huffed and pushed past Betty to continue searching around New Home for a way out of the city.

"So...You're not curious?"

"Hardly." Hate followed down the road, occasionally eyeing Betty in silence. Nothing came out from either of them for around a minute and it could feel as if the human was waiting for an extended answer. Unfortunately for her, it wouldn't give in and continued with its plans to find a way out. So far there was nothing in sight except for some closed stores.

Betty frowned and picked up her pace, walking backwards in front of Hate to face the black mass. "And...You're not worried he could be a potential threat?"

No response. It wouldn't answer and instead focused on the fact there was one open store amongst the others, the interior lit up with a bright orange hue. Oh hey, a shop. And so, ignoring Betty entirely, Hate would walk up to the small shop and push open its doors; Betty reluctantly followed, albeit very annoyed.

The layout of the place was very familiar to the two of them, a wide array of items ranging from clothing to items to even monster food. it was all settled out in the same format as that of the shop back in Our Town before it was burnt, including the iconic bright lighting that made Hate question how no monster went blind from it.

"Agh! Not again!" Hate hissed, holding its palm out to the light. With its eyes slowly trying to adjust, it pushed forward and down the aisle of gear and items to the shop's counter in hopes of finding a monster.

Thankfully there was someone in the store, a bunny. He didn't look like the shopkeeper back at Our Town, minus the species, being much thinner with red eyes and a tan button coat. He seemed oblivious to the presence of Hate and Betty, facing an uncanny cat-like monster with voided eyes. It held a box in its paws as the store owner spoke, "Thanks for helping me, me! There's just no other monster around to help and I'm rather weak...Very weak. Is that box too heavy for you?"

"Hardly." The cat-like creature, shaking its head so where its neck made sickening snapping sounds. It would turn to leave, but not before spotting Hate and Betty from the corner of its eyeholes. "You have visitors, by the way."

"Ah?" The store owner turned towards Betty and Hate, jumping back in surprise "Ah!? The determined human and..! Er- that one Sicko victim? What are you doing here? here? Especially you, Betty! Shouldn't you-"

Welp, I'm mildly annoyed. Hate forced itself to not scowl, instead drawing a blank stare as it leaned forward on the counter. "Yeah, yeah, it's not important right now." he cuts off the bunny with a low growl, "We're wondering if there's any way out of New Home. We're lost as hell."

"I should really question you two..." The store owner had a lot of reasons to, given that the determined human was in his store and wasn't at the mourning like it saw just minutes ago. "But I'll bite. bite! On one condition."

Oh god, a catch. "Make it quick." Hate hissed.

"Yeah, it's nothing much." The bunny leaned forward and gave a wide grin, bearing a row of sharp, fanged teeth that barely fitted in his mouth. "Just make a simple purchase! It can be anything! Anything!"

That's..! Not too bad. Hate looked at the shelves and racks throughout the store. Some g for some much-needed information wasn't such a bad deal if it meant leaving a place without spending another wasteful hour. "..Fair enough, I guess."

"Oh wow, wow, that's a fir- I MEAN! Go right ahead then!" The bunny monster awkwardly laughed, shifting its eyes away.

"mhm..." Moving away to the store's aisles, Hate would search through the many loads of different goods the place had to offer.

A few minutes or so would pass as Hate looked around, Betty silently trailing behind without a word. It thought it was safe from another conversation with the human and used the time to relax and settle down, taking its time to casually gander at everything. There was one item it found an interest in, a box of Punch Cards on the lower shelf. Taking it out and looking down at it, the humanoid fully expected the Punch Cards to be part of some sort of card game. Instead, what it got was a bunch of written words begging for something obscure.

It was also notably dirt cheap, once being twenty-five G but now only a mere three for each one. The store owner clearly didn't want it anymore or in the first place. These look insanely depressing... It decided to take one and step away from the pile of desperation, going on to gander at the food items.

As Hate was doing that, Betty's attention was drawn to the windows showing off the streets of New Home. She could sense an incoming magical presence, ultimately being that of Adel's. She would spot the cowboy talking on his phone while holding up the tutu and ballet shoes in his free hand. His expression was hard to differentiate, the brim of his hat covering most of his face, but his teeth clenched after every word. And then he was gone, having passed by the shop without noticing he was seen by the determined human.

"Hm." Betty looked back towards Hate. "So you're not going to question Adel's behavior? At all?"

With the question being a clear continuation of their brief conversation minutes ago, Hate became beyond irritated with the determined human. It could understand Betty didn't trust the cowboy officer, but it didn't want to deal with whatever baggage he happened to be hiding. It wanted one thing from him and nothing else and what it was doing was for that sole reason only. "No." It said as it ran its hands through a selection of strange fruits and vegetables, "Why the hell are you so suspicious about him all of a sudden?"

"I don't know...He doesn't strike me as an honest individual the more I observe him." Betty said.

"That makes two of us, but I'm not going to barge into his personal shit," He gripped onto a ghost fruit and faced Betty with an annoyed grimace. "Unlike your tendency to."

Betty looked at Hate with puzzlement. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hate was close to blurting out its hate for Betty, but would quelch by taking its eyes off her and saying past his growls, "That I'm just damn stressed. I have so much shit I'm dealing with and I don't need any more, okay?" It walked off to the counter, ending the conversation with, "You still owe me big time, so the least you can do is shut up about Adel."

Betty said nothing, arms crossed and facing away from Hate, which he was very much fine with once again. She would just watch the being without uttering another word for now.

The humanoid just didn't like the pink-haired girl, even more so than in the very beginning. They never started off on a good note nor did they have any high notes with each other. It had practically endured their antics for a time as they seemed to be doing good for its friends, but now everything has gone downhill it was hard for the being to find any positives in her.

"Oh! You're back! Back! What are you buying?" The store owner asked Hate upon his return, his crimson eyes brightening with glee.

"A Punch Card and...This cool-looking fruit." Hate stated while placing down the items in front of the bunny monster.

"Wonderful, just wonderful." He would go on to pick up the fruit and card with his ears, grasping each one to look at the price tag. "That'll be twenty-one G!"

Reaching into its black body, Hate would slug out the gold from its body and handed it to the store owner. A few seconds later and it would have a paper bag in its hands. "Now...Can we get some directions, a way out of New Home? We need to go deeper into the underground."

The store owner giggled to himself as he counted the G before registering what the humanoid said to him. "Oh- right! That." leaning over the counter, legs off the ground, he pointed out the window. "To the left of here there's a stretch of river that extends throughout the entire underground. There should be the River Person, he/she/it; whatever they are, they can provide transportation free of charge! Free of charge!"

"Great." Hate turned away and headed towards the exit, off to the river as soon as possible.

"Oh! Wait! One more thing!"

It paused opening the door. "Yeah, what?"

"You guys are from Our Town, right?" The store owner asked as he hopped over the counter, his ears dragging behind a small, wrapped gift.

"What's left of it, but yeah." Hate shrugged.

"Good enough, good enough." He said then proceeded to shove the gift right into Hate's chest, letting it sink into the dark mass. "I need you to give this to my cousin!"

"Agh! Don't do that!" It hissed in surprise.

"The shopkeeper I'm presuming?" Betty asked, noting how the two of them were both bunnies.

"Yup!" The store owner nodded with a thumbs up "Well, that's not her actual name, but yeah!"

The human's eyes drifted towards Hate, who was searching frantically around its body for the gift, then back at the bunny monster with a sigh. "Hate will see what he can do."

"Glorious. Now shoo! Get back to your quest or whatever you two are doing!" He exclaimed, fanning his bunny ears at them.

And with that, the two were out of the store and off to the river where the famous River Person resided. The trip would be silent for the most part, unnecessarily awkward for both of them. Betty would consider opening her mouth to say something, but ultimately bit her tongue without Hate noticing each attempt, the humanoid was too busy trying to not bat an eye at her.

The river itself was hidden behind a stretch of buildings, outlined in brick and connecting to a couple of other structures supposedly made for water-based monsters and general usage. There, upon arrival at the edge, was Adel with his arms crossed and patiently waiting right next to the River Person, both silent and minding each other's business for a time. That would change though upon the cowboy noticing his companions. "Betty, Hate! I reckon it wasn't too hard findin' this place?"

"I'm a few G's short and a few straws shorter, but yeah." Hate nodded. It peered behind Adel, at the hooded figure on the boat. "Is that the River Person?"

"Tra la la. I am indeed. I've heard you're all in need of a ride. I can provide for I love to ride my boat. Would you all care to join me?" The River Person asked, their voice breathy and echo-like as if speaking to a faint whisper in a cave.

"Yeah, everyone's here now. Just one thing...Can that fit everyone on?" Adel asked, pointing at the boat that clearly seemed to be made to only hold a child at best.

And then to Adel's shock, Hate's horror, and Betty's concern, the boat stretched out.

"Where to?" The mysterious monster asked without batting an eye.

"Er-Uh...Forward?" Adel said, unsure and still recovering from what he had just seen.

"Ah, Hotland. Very well." The River Person nodded and stepped aside to let everyone onboard.

"Monsters are so fucking weird..." Hate murmured as it and everyone else stepped onto the wooden, evidently magical boat.

The boat would begin to move without any assistance from the monster, floating quickly and smoothly down the still water. Adel would stand and wait while Hate and Betty sat down, either glancing at the structures they all passed by or the water to gander at their own reflection. Betty seemed to become lost in herself, her gaze unfocused and blank. Hate would try not to notice it and Adel had his eyes on their transporter the entire time, minutes would pass of pure and utter silence as a result.

But then Betty turned towards Hate. "Hey-"

"Tra la la. So much hate... Who's to blame?" The River person said out loud, decimating Betty's attempt to interact with the humanoid even on a casual level. She was completely frozen by their words.

"I wonder." Hate murmured. I can think of a dozen.


I'm starting to get the gist he truly doesn't like me... It was starting to get hard for Betty to dismiss Hate's behavior as just his typical mood, being way more aggressive than she remembered combined with the fact it was clearly only pinned to her. She could find a lot of reasons why, A lot more than she was comfortable with listing out, she was aware of what she did and the consequences she brought.

Maybe sending Agni to take her role might've caused Hate to lose one too many straws with her, or maybe Hate was starting to crumble to the stress and issues it and its friends faced. The possibility worried her because its anger was being aimed at her, like she was at fault for everything.

She didn't want to dwell on it with the shadiness Adel posed, the potential threat they'd all soon face, and the need to find Kumu, but she knew this relationship couldn't go on forever; it couldn't go on when she owed favors, when Hate's group of friends was crumbling, or when everyone it knew was negatively affected by her. Regret filled her slowly but surely, how Determino's Arena and Our Town were attacked solely for her soul. It led to devastation. If she hadn't become known to the public, if she hadn't walked into Hate's home and threatened it into letting her stay...No, don't think that.

Past her regret, she also knew she had positives in her what happened to Hate and its friends was beyond her power, it's just that she couldn't have predicted any of this. Everything went right, even after that Sicko Incident, right until those corrupted humans came after her. Up until then, she was actually doing a good job of keeping her promises and she knew the majority of them considered her part of their weird anime-obsessed team.

Still, there were better ways to approach many of the situations that lead to this current outcome. Not only that but Hate was always on the receiving end of her own benefits. I just need to do better... Can I do that? I was given a chance to make everything right with my soul, but it's as if I'm failing.

She looked down at her reflection and her mismatched eyes, glowing both pink and red simultaneously. After this, I'll fix what I can. I just need to stay determined and everything will fall into place. Her resolve became clear and so she was rather quick to push aside her worries and doubts, returning to that confident human she had always been. She bent forward to touch her reflection only to feel the water. It was getting warmer.

They were getting closer to Hotland, the atmosphere's temperature began to rise and soon steam would thinly overlay the water like fog. Soon the boat would approach a dock and slow down. The place they stopped wasn't Hotland just yet, but they were close and within walking distance to the area now.

"Unfortunately my boat does not handle lava. The rest must be traveled yourselves." The River Person informed with a bow.

"Not a problem, thank ye for the help." Adel tipped his hat then hopped off the boat after Hate and Betty left.

"Tra la la. Safe travels."

Okay...Where are we exactly? Betty looked around the current spot they were at, a steamy section of the underground with blueish rocks and patches of magical grass. There wasn't much here, unlike the singular large crevasse that led forward to an orangey, bright environment. Stepping towards it, she could feel the heat pulsing from the place as well as get a better look at the molten lava and various structures out in the distance. One that was extremely close seemed to be a lab of some sort.

Adel leaned over Betty to get a good look at the upcoming terrain. "So that's Hotland... "

"Looks like hell. Eugh." Hate said, squeezing himself in to get a look too. "The whole damn place looks like a safety hazard."

"Yeah, that lava don't look human-friendly either." The cowboy added, "Try keepin' close to me, ah know where ta' go from here."

Hotland was in fact very hot land, the heat itself was equivalent to that of summer days no thanks to the lava heating up the entire region in its enclosed space. It wasn't the greatest place for any of the trio to be in, especially when two of them wore long-sleeved clothing and the other's pitch black body conducted heat far too well for its liking. Unfortunately, there weren't any watercoolers around to stave off the hotness, within minutes they were already being defeated by the environment with sweat dripping down them alongside the general uncomfortability. For such a bright place, it easily brought misery.

"Safety hazard? Check. Scolding hot? Check. Basically hell? Yes." Hate muttered to itself as it slowed down, sweating its own mass from the sheer. Eventually, it came to a complete stop and doubled over, wiping its forehead

"Come on, Hate, it's a few more steps." Betty encouraged Hate, grabbing them by the arm and tugging them.

"I'm going to fucking get heat stroke! Like hell that's a few steps anyways!" Hate pointed out to the lab Adel was leading them, which was still a good few meters away from them. Looks like I'll have to help him.

"For ah big fellow like you I thought you'd be able to handle a little heat." Adel said while he rolled up his sleeves for better comfort.

"YOU try being a dark, semi-solid mass!" Hate jabbed, snarling. His petty annoyance was short-lived, immediately ceasing once he felt the weight of his body leave the ground. 'Wha-?!"

Betty had a wide, shark-like grin on her child-like face, her luminous red claws of determination holding Hate up in the air. Her method of helping might be a little excessive, but she thought it was a good attempt on her part. "You don't mind if I carry you, right? I can get us there quickly."

"I do mind, you're manhandling me..." Hate grumbled while shuffling in Betty's grip. "But as long as it gets us there faster, then fine."

"You determined humans and ye powers. Mind if I jump on the wagon?" Adel politely asked, tipping his hat and bowing to top it off. Right then and there he was also grabbed by Betty's excessively large claws, which ease too.

"Of course!" Betty considered using the situation to her advantage to get some information out of Adel, mostly regarding what he was doing when she and Hate were at the store, but she decided against it for various moral reasons. Besides, she was pretty sure doing so would more than upset Hate. She didn't need that, even if threats and interrogation were her thing. Later.

"Ready yourselves." Betty tightened her grip on the two humans and leaned forward, digging her feet into the ground. In a burst of energy she would launch forward, legs kicking off and towards the lab at high speeds.

"What the fuck?! Since when could you run this fast?!" Hate yelled.

"Always, but it does take magic to do so." She informed the dumbfounded Hate. Eventually she would stop right near the lab entrance, dropping her allies with a prideful smirk.

Adel dusted off his uniform and smiled. "Thank ye." He looked at the entrance to the lab, gandering at the clearly opened door leading to the interior. It was pitch black inside unfortunately, he couldn't see much inside except what seemed to be a computer left running. "This is the place...We're close to the source."

"I'm gonna throw up." Hate said, on the ground and struggling to retain himself. The heat and Betty's extremely fast speed weren't doing its stomach any favors. "Is there cooling in there..? I swear to god if this place is a glorified oven...

"Nah, mighty cool inside." Adel said, raising his hand and feeling the air omitting from the lab.

"Move." Hate pushed past Adel at that moment, disappearing into the darkness without hesitation.

The cowboy shook his head as he watched Hate rush past him. "Ain't no manners in him sometimes, how does Agni deal with it?" He faced Betty and gestured towards the entrance, smiling. "Why don't ya go on ahead? I'll be with y'all in a sec. I gotta prep right quick."

"Prep?" Betty raised an eyebrow. He's acting off again...

"Yes ma'am, just loading in some bullets in case we encounter anything 'foreign'." Adel explained as he took out his revolver and opened up its cylinder. With his free hand to slip out a few bullets from his pockets.

Betty wasn't experienced with firearms. She had no knowledge of how they worked, but she knew it was some sort of ranged weapon she has yet to see in action. She could simply wave off Adel's behavior as the truth, but something just didn't seem right about him. It was like he was always hiding something, dishonest to the core. She wanted to know what was going on with him.

"Ah, I see. Very well then." Betty's eyes flashed with pink as she looked directly into Adel's eyes for just a moment to pour her magic at him.

To his eyes Betty left for the lab, but in reality she just illusioned herself to not be there at all. It wasn't easy to conjure at all, making herself appear like she wasn't there at all, it was much easier to look like someone else than no one at all. An excessive amount of magic had to be used to make herself blend with everything, she wasn't sure how long she could hold it. To her, however, it was worth the effort, allowing her to hopefully get some answers. She knew Hate wouldn't approve of her behavior in the slightest, but she convinced herself it was for the better. If Adel was a threat, she'd be doing everyone a favor.

Watching Adel be by himself, she observed him prepare by loading his firearm, just like he had said, but not in the way she thought he would. He dropped the bullets back into his pocket in exchange for a vial of powder. What is that..? His eyes darkened as he poured it into each chamber.

"What a goddamn day..." He said to himself while watching the flaky substance fill and overflow the gun's cylinder. Holding a cold gaze, he popped back the revolver's hammer and looked up. "How many loose ends do I have to tie up?"

Betty's body tensed up at his words. What is he planning..? To kill us? She knew she couldn't of trusted Adel. What kind of loose end did he want tied up. It couldn't them, right? She thought it'd be foolish to try and kill someone like her.

"First Hate then the rest."

Betty could feel her hair growing pink. She needed to warn the humanoid, quickly. Turning around, she made her way to the lab. Well... She would've if Adel didn't turn around at that exact moment and fired at her.

A pitch black line of magic came her way, piercing straight through her jaw and decimating the outer flesh. It ignored her naturally potent aura like butter, even her red determined-fueled skull heavily cracked to the damage. A sharp gasp of pain left her, the illusion dissipating from the damage to reveal Betty bleeding from the mouth with her jaw structure visible. How did he see me?!

"Betty?!" Adel exclaimed, lifting his finger off the trigger with his eyes wide. "Oh my god, I thought- I sensed-"

Betty lunged forward and grabbed Adel by the neck, slamming the officer onto the orange-colored ground with her manifested red claws. It was more of a precautionary measure than anything else. Whatever he was about to say, she didn't want to risk him shooting her once move, especially with whatever the hell that attack was.

"Wait, Betty, I can explain!" Adel dropped his gun and completely broke charecter in desperation to clear up the mishaps, "Don't do anything rash!"

"Rash?! That attack would've killed anyone else but me!" Betty yelled with red drooling off her mouth and onto Adel's shirt. "What kind of malicious goal do you have here? To kill us?"

"Kill you? What- Where the hell did that idea come from?!" Adel watched in horror as the determined human manifested her scythe and held it above him. "Betty, you got everything mixed up!"

"You said you wanted to get rid of Hate! Not to mention you've clearly been pulling strings behind our backs!" She moved the scythe closer to Adel. "Explain."

Adel was quick to give in. "I'll admit I've been doing things behind y'all, but not for anything harmful! I swear! You're mixing up your friend Hate with 'Hate'!"

"Elaborate."

"Dammit Betty, the reason I'm here and brought y'all along in the first place was getting rid of those corrupted humans that been terrorizing everyone! Along with anyone affiliated with them!" Adel reached his hand up in an attempt to push away the scythe, only for it to be drawn closer in response. "I'm sure ya know what 'Hate' is, right?"

"...Yes. I'm aware, painfully aware how it works," Betty then added with a growl, "But how do I know you're not lying?"

"Well I'm not fighting back for one thing. Second, if I was lying I would've been reachin' for my gun by now!" He confidently pointed out, his eyes trailing towards his revolver. It was just in reach for him yet he made no attempt to grab it.

Betty could see the cowboy wasn't exactly trying to fight back. He had that gun right next to him he could grab at any moment, yet he didn't. Maybe there was merit to his words. "...Believable, but what's with you requesting us to separate back at New Home?" She sternly asked.

"That's...More personal." Adel said, shifting his eyes away from Betty. "Family-related business regarding those items you found."

Her eyes hoovered to Adel's pockets. The ballet and cowboy items? "What about them?"

"How does missin' children sound to ya?" Adel sighed, recollecting his accent and character the more firm he became. "It ain't something you needed to be involved in."

"...Huh." Well, Betty certainly felt bad under this new revelation. Awkward too.

"Yeah. Figured I'd take the burden." he stated, "Y'all here for one thing anyways, I saw no need to add more to the list."

Hate was right: all this was just personal stuff Adel was hiding and Betty had made a big deal out of it. The slightest distrust had clearly set her off, an all too common scenario she had dealt with in the past with her other allies. She couldn't tell if she should blame herself or Adel though, he was the one who made himself out to be shady after all but she had her own fault with the lack of context she picked up on.

Nevertheless this whole thing was a waste of time and probably damaged Adel's trust in her. It seemed like she wasn't all too good at sustaining her allies; first she made Hate a victim and now possibly Adel. Everything added up in his case, there was no reason to vilify him. If anything, it was her being the villain in this situation.

Betty demanifested her scythe. "So all of this is a misunderstanding?"

"Thankfully so." Adel confirmed, spurring the pink-haired girl to let go of him. He rubbed his sore neck and sat upright, taking a second to himself. "...I shot ya pretty bad, you alright?"

Betty felt her jaw, pain jolting from the wound upon contact. No more blood was leaking out though, the skin and fles were slowly mending back together along with the fractured bones. She wasn't too concerned about it, she had suffered way worse injuries, and was instead relatively upset at her own actions. "I kind of deserved it."

"Nonsense. I would've reacted similarly if someone shot me. This is probably the best case scenario." Adel peered at her wound, watching in wonder at her quick passive healing. "Let's just chalk this up to a lack of communication and put it behind us? What do ya say?"

Yeah, miscommunication that caused a near-death situation. "You're rather quick to forgive."

"Well I did blast a hole in you, so..." Adel pointed out with a wince.

Betty felt her shot jaw once more. She wouldn't fight back the facts. "Fair enough. Hate would've been very agitated anyways if he figured out I did any of this." What was he using to make that attack so powerful anyways?

"Strange feller, ain't he? Always angry yet tryin' be kind." Adel decided to switch topics to something lighter and ditch what had just happened. It was clear as day he wanted to forget and forgive quickly and swiftly, almost shadily if Betty didn't know any better.

"Yeah, and I got a few things I need to fix with him soon." The pin-haired girl explained, thinking back to her promises and shortcomings towards Hate. Especially her shortcomings. Poking into its personal life, freeloading in its now-destroyed apartment, accidentally attracting trouble, literal threats, she was racking up quite a list and she was aware of it. It's just that she didn't expect those sins to catch up to her, but the humanoid knew how to hold a grudge.

"Ah have a feeling it's pretty bad," Adel mumbled, "Mind givin' me an example?"

"How does threatening him with a scythe numerous times and forcing an uneasy alliance with him sound?" Betty asked.

Adel cringed. Hard. "...You...Yeah...You need to really get that scythe habit under control..."

"Yeah. I'll add that to my 'morally wrong things I do and need to stop' list." Betty giggled. "But seriously, I'm not exactly friendship material. I'm better off slicing up and scaring anyone who stands in my way it seems. Having friends...Not so much."

"Ah. So you're an- Whatchamacallit..." Adel trailed off before shaking his head, unable to find the word. "Er, Nevermind. You're not familiar with social situations is what I'm tryna ask. Are you?"

"Well, I'm from the outskirts. Surely that's enough for you?" Betty straightforwardly lied. She wasn't keen on telling anyone her true origins, unlike the fake background she had built up.

"Damn..." The cowboy murmured "Yup, that'll definitely do it for ya. I heard a lot of em folks don't even speak our language!"

"And a lacking concept on friendship." Betty sighed and placed a hand on her cheek. "Originally I just wanted to keep the peace between humans and monsters, but now I'm wrapped up in relationships I didn't expect to be in."

"Accidentally tossed a wretch in your own plan?" Adel finally picked up his gun, making sure to not aim it at Betty as he opened up the cylinder. One chamber was missing powder, much to his own misfortune.

"And a more few wretches into all my friend's lives, whatever a wretch is." Betty said as her eyes gandered at the cylinder too. The powder caused that deadly blow to me..?

Adel spun the barrel and flicked it back into the frame. "Terrible, ain't it? I'm sure you'll find a way around it. Sometimes it takes a bit to get a hang of having close folks, let alone keeping them. Whether ya succeed or not depends if you're sincere and willing to put in the effort."

Awfully genuine... "Experience?" Betty called out.

"Ain't it obvious? Hell, maybe that's why I'm giving you a second chance." Adel slyly smiled while tipping his hat.

A smile arched on Betty's nearly healed face. She would nod and pat the larger human's shoulder. "It could be."

"Ay! Adel! Betty! I found something!" Hate yelled from within the Lab.

"Coming!" Betty shouted back and left Adel to follow behind as she disappeared into the lab's entrance.

Adel shook his head and chuckled "I think thought she figured me out there for a second..." He said under his breath before following after the pink-haired girl.


Agni bit her nails, looking down at her phone and the numerous phone calls she had tried to make to Hate that numbered over a dozen. Her mind buzzed with panic and terror but her actions were plain and robotic, her body unable to keep up with the emotional storm brewed up in her.

Hate hadn't been the only one she called — its phone number was actually a last-ditch effort — she had called Adel too, having well above a dozen attempted calls. None of them worked. So here she was, holding a phone in her hand and attempting one last call, despair consuming her into giving up. What's going on?

Looking out the window and into Mount Ebott, the fountain of twisted perseverance persisted and the entirety of the outside was still coated in a heavy shade of purple. She couldn't take the sight of it, especially as her phone monotonously informed her the number she was calling was unavailable again. Shattered, she turned off her phone and settled it aside, favoring curling up on the couch and aimlessly staring. What do I do?

"I assume you're not going to break into another panic attack, ?" Gaster broke into the living room, carrying a cup of coffee along with a cup of hot chocolate he would promptly hand over to Agni.

"N-No...But I'm so stressed. I can't get a hold of my friends..." She held the hot cup in her palms and lifted it up to her lips. A sweet yet scolding hot sensation on her tongue quickly tugged her away. " eugh- Uh... W-were you able to contact Asriel?"

Gaster curtly nodded. "Yes, and everyone with him is doing well."

"That's good...Thank god." Well, that's one less worry on her panicking mind at least, but there were still her other concerns.

"He said he's heading into Mount Ebott."

"HE'S WHAT?!" Agni shouted in disbelief, standing upright and dropping her cup. "But- that's where the source of all-" She gestured to the warped outside, "-This is happening! Isn't that dangerous?!"

"Yes and I've told him the same thing. However, despite my attempts, he was adamant on going to find your friends." Gaster stated while casting a thin bubble shield to catch the cup without batting an eye.

"My friends? Oh no, he'll just be added to the list of victims..." Agni pessimistically stated, turning away from Gaster. "I've never seen so much magic before, how are they going to survive?"

She was pretty sure Gaster was saying something to her in response, but her mind preferred listening to her internal rambles of horror rather than his reply. I can't stay here.


Super Short...Poem?

Withern stood outside with Hate from its apartment, leaning against the warm handrails from the summer heat. He had ditched the trenchcoat, favoring a black t-shirt along with a popsicle his friend had graciously offered him. "Damn, this heat... I thought your apartment came with air conditioning."

"It did until it didn't." Hate murmured and chomped down on its own icy treat. "And fans aren't cutting it either."

"Tough..." Withern looked out in the clear sky and blazing sun, feeling its heat beat down on his skin. It was a pleasant feeling, as long as he wasn't overheating, so he took it upon himself to secretly enjoy the rays. "Funnily enough, this reminds me of a poem an old friend of mine made."

"What? About the shitty heat and sun?"

"Yeah," Withern nodded nonchalantly, "Wanna hear it?"

Hate gave a light grin. "Lay it on me."

"Here we go."

"Oh god, why must you strive

To make me feel like I'll die?

Curse you yellow rays of death,

You're nothing but a pain,

I wish I could dispel you with one breath,

but unfortunately I am bound by my mortal chain.

Literally fucking end me right now,

this heat is shit."

"Wow, that last part literally had no effort, probably my favorite part honestly." Hate cackled.

"Yeah, my friend was really creative," Withern said, sarcasm leaking out his words.

Hate threw away its popsicle stick. "I bet we'd get along." It thoughtfully commented.

"Doubt it, honestly." Withern shook his head. "He wasn't a fan of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie."

"WHAT?!"


Notes:

• Adel's accent is fake, he just likes to be a cowboy.

• The Underground might be occasionally visited in the future so why not add an ally there?

• Betty's goal is meant to extend towards the general population rather than a handful of individuals.

•I like to think the river travels through the entirety of the Underground.

•Updated my profile to include a link to a google drive folder of art and sketches I've done for my fan fic!