Sorry this one is pretty late, you guys. For you see...I had to get a wisdom tooth removed several days ago.
*Entire cast cringes*
...Yeah. It still hurts. Quite a lot. But I'm recovering quickly.
Anyway, another chapter is here at last. And...you might learn a couple very important things. This arc is, like i said, a bit shorter than the others before it. But much more is revealed about Ebott's history, and the ones who inhabit it. Ebott...has not always been a happy place.
...Might still be unhappy after all...
Asriel:...There's no use in pondering. Let's just begin.
Chara: Yeah...
Chapter Start!
Adam was sitting in the Mayor's office...the office of his little sister. How on earth she managed to land a position like this all on her own, he doesn't think he'll be able to understand. For the longest time, his sister hasn't exactly proven herself to very responsible, nor very reliable. Their time growing up, she showed no interest in anything else aside from monster history, the history that hasn't been over-exaggerated by certain humans that do their worst to attempt to paint monsters in a demonic light. She was suspicious of this, and she just kept reading, and reading, and reading. She blocked out nearly everything else, and didn't regret a single minute of divulging her curiosity about a species that wasn't her own.
Of course, their parents obviously didn't approve of this, and they did their worst to let her know this whenever they get the chance. But she was adamant about reading about monsters with what limited knowledge Ebott offered about them. She tended to turn towards Adam for some kind of support. he would never come to her side, but he wouldn't be voluntarily antagonistic to her either. Their parents abuse of Alvina was both physical and emotional simply because of what she wanted to do. Their grandparents offered no physical abuse, but the emotional abuse was so scathing that a young Alvina simply shut herself off from them completely.
The only tears she shed was tears of frustration and complete and utter fury against her brother. Never sadness. Yeah, you'd think that the older brother not coming to his sister's rescue would make her cry. No, it pissed her off more than her parents and grandparents criticizing her. Because Adam was more cruel than either of them because he wouldn't vocally choose a side. From her point of view, him being too cowardly to firmly make a choice was the cruelest thing he could do to her. He could watch what was happening to her from a distance yet he never raised a hand to either help her or attack her. He simply stayed in the background, away from her. This made her angry; he outright refused to make a choice.
Alvina had no one within her family to fall back on. She was completely emotionally isolated by all of them, and it only served to infuriate her. It's gotten to the point that her and Azami butted heads one too many times, and it resulted in the most spiteful exchange of words that he's ever heard between the two of them.
"You're completely worthless. And not only that, you've chosen to chase a useless fantasy instead of focusing on what you're supposed to. A complete failure of a daughter."
"There's no way that you can just treat me however you like! I'm not something you can abuse just because you can! if you hate me so much, then do us both a favor and just go away!"
Adam hoped that it was a bluff. He had hoped that things really hadn't gone that far between them, and that one or the other would simply apologize. But that didn't happen. Instead, Azami and the others did exactly that. She didn't even bother with the argument that it was her house and Alvina was not the one who was allowed to give orders. But apparently she was no longer with even that amount of effort. They all packed their things and left, taking Adam with her and considering him the 'good' child, the only child she's ever had. Effectively cutting Alvina from their lives. And Alvina was completely okay with this. Though she was still highly disappointed in Adam for not at least talking to her before he left with those that tormented her.
They haven't seen each other in little over two decades. No type of contact between them has been made in the slightest. Not even a nanosecond of contact before today was made. But he never forgot her. And she was clearly able to pick herself up on her own. She did much better on her own that she ever did with them, and she's fully confident within this fact. In the deepest reaches of his mind and heart, Adam was very proud of her.
Which is only making him feel even MORE like lesser than dirt when he realizes that what he's participating in is on the path to uprooting all of the progress she made for herself. While she's been busy making a life all on her own, he's been participating in things...many things that definitely wouldn't have her approval, and would damage their relationship even more than it already was. It was all he could do to keep quiet and continue doing what he was told. Even he didn't know how far he would go before it simply becomes unacceptable in his own eyes. And even then, would he really do anything about it?
The next three hours would decide that.
Adam blinked as he looks down when he feels something brushing against the side of his leg. It was Axel, the rather chubby, tabby, crimson furred cat that was rather new to the family. Adam chuckled bitterly to himself; Alvina just met this cat today and she already cares about him more than she does the others, including himself. He must really be on the lowest of the low when his own sister cares more about the new cat than she does about her family. Oh she might be in for a surprise later on, a very big surprise. But for now, he sighed and simply settled for paying attention to the feline. He gently lifted him up by the sides and looked the cat deep into his yellow eyes.
"You wanna know the most twisted thing about all of this, Axel? You might be the most sane out of all of us." Adam said bitterly. Axel tilted his head at him and quietly meows at him. Adam soon sets him on his lap and gently pets him on his head and across his back, making the chubby cat purr quietly as his tail swishes side to side in a casual relaxed manner. "Because if I see too sides, one I KNOW is wrong and one I'm certain is right, yet I'm incapable of making a choice...does that render my sanity a moot point...?"
Axel just meows again while gently purring.
"...Yeah. Guess it is a bit cheap for me to be asking you, isn't it...?"
"Adam."
He sighed with a roll of his eyes as he looks upward towards Azami, who was glaring down on him with folded arms. "What is it...?"
"Are you talking to the cat again?"
At this point, he's the only one who's actually willing to listen. "No. I'm just thinking out loud. Again, what do you want...?"
"We obviously can't have you sitting around playing with the cat the whole time. If you're not doing anything, I'll simply give you something to do. Something highly important and something I know you'll see to complete and total success. Because you are already fully aware of the consequences of not doing so, are you?"
"..."
"I thought so..." Azami nodded as she turned towards Acacia and Atherton. "You two...you already know what your respective roles are. See to it that they're followed down to the very letter. Any slight mishap could greatly disturb the operation. Since this is the last time we'll be doing this, it will need to be taken very seriously."
"There's no need to stress it more than you already have. We're very much aware of what we're here to do, and we're quite certain that we can manage it." Atherton said while pointing cryptically towards Adam. "Boy...you're not going to get cold feet just because this is the first time you've seen that woman again...right?"
"...She has a name." Adam said a bit forcefully.
"Her name no longer matters to us, and it definitely shouldn't matter to you." Alastair said just as forcefully, if not more so. "You've seen her and how she chooses to act. She hasn't changed or learned anything of value. She is a lost cause and you shouldn't want to have anything to do with her. She's nothing to you now. She shouldn't have ever had anything to do with you."
"..."
"We don't want you having the wrong idea on what your place is, child. We're simply reminding you." Acacia said a bit strongly as she glared towards him. Axel eventually stopped purring and lifted his head before lazily hopping off of Adam's lap. "Reminding you that you have a purpose, a purpose that has actual mirth and meaning. And that she has absolutely nothing to do with that anymore, aside from being an obstacle that needs to be ignored and/or swatted aside. Or another recommendation, removed entirely."
Adam just stared at all of them with uninterested eyes. They were all spouting small bits of nonsense, and he honestly couldn't care less for it. But regardless, he chooses to listen because he didn't have much better to do anyway. Every bad thing they spout about Alvina was out of spite and nothing more; she's been doing completely fine by herself, not really needing any of their help to get by despite leaving her alone. None of them felt the slightest bit of remorse, but it's always rubbed Adam the wrong way. It still does right now, as he hasn't even spoken a single word to her.
To her, he didn't even care enough to try coming to her defense. In her interpretation, she took it as him considering her unworthy of his ridicule OR his support. That made her angrier at him than the ones spouting vile words at her. He's read quotes about how doing nothing to help someone is worse than helping the offender. Because he knows he could have helped, but didn't. Because of self-preservation. He took his own safety over his little sister.
He never let that guilt show on his face. And yet despite that, they sensed it anyway.
"Adam...it's time you for you to personally sever all of your ties with her. Permanently." Azami declared. Adam's eyes flashed a bit with disbelief, knowing full well what this meant. Seeing the look in his eyes, she narrowed her own. "What is it, boy? Speak up."
"...Why should I have to do it? You all seem more than happy to do so yourselves. Why dump it on me...?"
"Don't you DARE talk back to me. Unless you wish to share the same fate as your sister, you'll do what you're told."
Adam gazed at his mother for a few more tense moments. He then sighs and gestures for Axel to follow him, which he proceeds to do do so after stretching a bit. Azami soon nods towards Acacia and Atherton, urging them to go on with their own duties. They nodded as well as Acacia slowly helped Atherton out the door via wheelchair. Azami and Alastair remained in the building.
Ringing...
Azami answers the phone in her pocket, bringing it to her head. "...Yes. I'll be activating it right after this call. Indeed, the trade will certainly be made. We're offering all of them this time, as payment for our missed appointments. Alright. Goodbye."
Click...
Azami pockets her phone and looks out the window of the building. Her eyes narrowed upon Ebott's general populace with small bits of disdain. It wouldn't be long now, she would no longer have to come to this disappointment of a city. The monsters can go ahead and infest it for all she cared, she'll let someone else handle them. They weren't her concern. But the humans here disgusted her. What would soon happen to them, she would feel no sympathy. After all, it was a routine that was unknowingly interrupted by her ignorant daughter. This is what Adam was thinking about. This was what made Alvina so much better than the rest of her family.
Because unlike them, she didn't see Ebott's citizens as helpless, hopeless cattle. Unlike them, she actually sees them as true, living people.
Asgore and Toriel were both making their way to Undyne and Alphys' house, where Geno Alphys has requested their audience, almost with grave urgency, judging by the sound of her voice over the phone. She truly sounded distressed by whatever it was that she discovered, and she was already a bitter version of her present counterpart. This certainly wasn't going to do any favors for her if it truly was as bad as she was making it out to be. If that was the case, then they definitely needed to be there in order to understand the full scope of the discovery.
Though they began considering just how serious it was as they can see Gerson standing in front of the house as well, waiting for them to approach, before turning towards them and greeting them properly. "Ah, there you lot are. Been waiting here for quite a bit for you, and so was dear Alphys inside. She deemed it very important, so she called me in as well because of how much I seemingly needed to hear what she had to say. And so, here I am to hear her out, and here you lot are to do the very same thing." Gerson says as he gently held Toriel's paw and kisses the top of it. Toriel chuckled a bit in amusement, which relieved a bit of the tension that she was feeling before.
"Great to see you, old friend. Whatever she has to say must certainly be important. And in a way, I was quite glad that she interrupted when she did." Asgore said as he sheepishly rubbed his neck while gently blushing. "We...uh...were talking about things that I would rather keep a bit quiet. It doesn't really have any correlation to our current subject, so don't worry about it at all."
"We were talking about planning a future beach trip." Toriel admitted rather easily. "Asgore seemed to freeze up at the thought of me in swimwear."
Asgore was frozen in surprise at how easily she simply says that while smiling away. The cheeky smirk on Gerson's face that accompanied her own told him that it had the intended effect. The both of them smirking, and he was blushing like a complete dolt. His silence only further emphasized this, because he wasn't exactly denying the thought process, either. He disliked those kinds of word traps, he falls into them so easy because deceit really isn't really within the better part of his skillset, even over small things like that.
"Well, there's no point in continuing to ponder things while we're out here. We have more important things to do right now, such as, you know...actually getting inside and finding out what the deal is?" Chara said while he was casually sipping chocolate milk from a mini-carton. There were at least three more of them in his shadow arm, and he didn't look like he had any intent on sharing any of it, which is was a bit ridiculous. No one really argued with him over it though, it wasn't really worth it. Not now.
As said, the door eventually opened to reveal Mettaton behind it, while Geno Alphys could be seen a bit further back while typing on her laptop. "Ah yes, Dreemurr Darlings. Gerson as well, hm? Very good of you to come as requested. Very good. Geno Alphys has discovered a few things we believe should definitely warrant your attention." Mettaton gestured fr them to come inside as they followed him into the living room where Geno Alphys rests. Undyne and Papyrus are currently working, and Sans took Alphys with him for a certain something on their own. They're participating in their own little investigation of Ebott, per Geno Alphys request."
"Private investigation? Are things that serious?" Asriel asked as he, Chara, and Frisk sit together on one couch. Asgore, Toriel, and Gerson were standing by together right behind them, watching as Geno Alphys raised her head to meet their eyes and nodded solemnly.
"Yeah. I've digged a bit deeper into Ebott's overall history. And what I found...is disturbing." Geno Alphys said as she pulled up multiple files. "Someone hid these very deep into obscurity...they really didn't want them to be found. But luckily for me, I know exactly which points to pierce through in order to get what I want to see and know." She said as she turned the laptop around for them to see. "Mettaton helped out a bit too. We found out a few things that require your attention." She said firmly as the others began reading what was displayed. Asgore, Toriel, and Asiel's eyes slowly widened in slight horror.
Lizzie: Lizzie never exactly rushed when it came to anything she does. She showed a great degree of patience with those that tended to try and bully her, simply waiting to let the teachers handle the issue. Unfortunately, those bullies had very influential parents that could ruin her schools reputation. Rather than stick up for her, the school allowed this behavior to continue at her expense. Still, she was Patient. It reached a point where it was too late to do anything for her, she was forced out of both the school and her parents home, labeled a disgrace. She would later climb Mt. Ebott, disheartened.
Ace: He was a Brave child, and a fighter at heart. Whenever someone was in trouble, he would always throw himself at them or into danger in order to help them. This period of time is when Ebott was among a high degree of violence. Ace, staying true to his beliefs, never realized that there's a difference between being brave and outright being reckless. Many of his ventures lead to the latter, and lead to him getting serious hurt or in serious trouble. At one point, many of the children his age ganged up on him, intent on teaching him 'consequences'. He fled to Mt. Ebott due to being terribly outnumbered.
Verena: Aspired to be an amazing ballet dancer. But due to the intense pressure set upon her by her parents, and the high standards that Ebott's competition had at the time, she was constantly anxious, but tried to maintain her Integrity. On the day of her recital, she was so close to making the cut...but she tripped on the last moment, and it lead to an accident with the electrical equipment via spotlight. It landed right on her teachers head, killing her from both the electric shock and head trauma. She was intensely shunned after this incident, even by her family. She fled towards Mt. Ebott in total despair.
Lisa: Lisa was so deep into her studies that she sometimes forgets about the outside world. Though when she does remember that there's an outside world, she applies that knowledge to the school work that she is always feeling pressured into doing. Her teachers had unrealistically high standards for her, and they knew full well that she's unlikely to Persevere, and yet she somehow finds a way. Though she eventually found herself tiring of her teachers pressure, and simply decided to leave it all behind, knowing how vehemently they disliked being outsmarted by a mere child.
Richard: Richard was a child filled with Kindness, who aspired to be an amazing cook one day. Unfortunately for him, his grandparents certainly didn't believe he was capable of it, and his parents did nothing to defend him. Striving to prove himself to all of them, he tried learning a specific recipe to a very challenging dish that isn't suited for someone like him. And even more unfortunate, he added a fatal concoction to the mix, and as he fed it to his family, he ended up poisoning them all, and they died soon after. He fled to Mt. Ebott, his eyes brimming with tears of guilt. No one missed him.
Justin: Justin tried his very best to be the best son he could be. Unfortunately for him, he was raised in the darker parts of the city, where crime was abrupt, constant, and overwhelming. His entire family was slaughtered one night while he was trapped in a closest hiding. Instead of despairing...he sought his own personal Justice, as the police did nothing to help. He grabbed a toy gun loaded with real bullets, chased them down, and killed them all in brutal retaliation. Knowing that the city would outcast him for this, he climbed Mt. Ebott himself, never looking back or regretting his actions.
Asriel and the others would read all of this with rather distressed expressions, seeing just how much those six have went through in the past, and what it's done to their mindsets once they've reached the Underground. Toriel's paws covered her muzzle, Asgore's eyes narrowed, Frisk was ultimately silent, while Chara just shook his head. The fact that most of these cases involved the humans of Ebott to the six children in such a manner as either blaming them for situations out of their control or for situations they took control away from, or simply refusing to help them when they needed it. All in all, Chara was not a fan of Ebott's humans of the past.
"That's not even the worst part." Geno Alphys said while scrolling down. "Remember that plague that Temmie and Alvina told us about? There's much more to that than they were telling us, and more than they really knew." She said while beginning to explain. "Turns out that Frisk's case wasn't the first time. It was simply the worst."
"Are you saying that this happened multiple times?!" Asgore said in disbelief.
"The first time it was simply two dozen children. Next it was four dozen. Then it was over six dozen. Then eight dozen. Then it jumps past the hundreds. And then hundreds more. It was at it's worst with Frisk. Nearly half a generation. In a new era of time, when those children were born, children around them died at that same date and time. They were shunned because of that, and their actions made their situations worse. Frisk truly didn't do anything; he was widely hated because this 'plague' struck at it's hardest when he was born."
"How grave..." Gerson narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"And it gets even worse than that, darlings." Mettaton said, which was met with great disbelief. How could it possibly get worse?! "This 'plague'...it wasn't really a plague at all. It's...much more insidious than that."
Geno Alphys nodded. "I double-checked the overall situation. When I looked deeper into this, there was nothing medical about that entire thing. Nothing. Nothing that even related to a normal plague, nothing even came close to an actual existing plague. The children simply dropped unconscious and died an hour after each of the seven are born. I analyzed the real cause of all of their deaths." They all paused in anticipation of her reveal, while Mettaton's eyes darkened while lowering his head. After a moment of silence, Geno Alphys raised her head, her glasses gleaming.
"They didn't die from being sick from a plague...they died from their souls being harvested."
The brief shock that covered all of their faces was all they were able to express before they all felt a brief pressure surround them, making them dizzy for a few moments. Chara and Frisk both felt a powerful tug on their souls, threatening to leave their bodies. But they were able to push through it and keep them within, but they both ended up on the ground, panting heavily. Asriel kept them from falling completely, concerned.
"W-What the golly was that...?"
"...You might want to see for yourselves..." Gerson said as he was currently looking outside. The others proceeded to do so, and reacted with shock and horror; humans that were passing by have suddenly begun dropping to the ground, unconscious and dangerously pale. Asriel, Toriel, and Asgore immediately sensed and saw what was happening; their souls were leaving their bodies, mostly against their will, leaving them slowly dying on the ground without their souls. Geno Alphys' eyes widened.
"Oh God...this is it. This is what happened. The souls just left their bodies and left them nearly lifeless on the ground. Except...it was just children. Now it's nearly everyone. The only reason Frisk and the others were able to survive were because their souls are special cases, and were incredibly strong, strong enough to resist this influence." Geno Alphys went on with clenched fists. "And now...it's happening again...and we don't even no where or why. That I couldn't figure out...!"
"...Then we'll do it for you. We're getting to the bottom of this before an hour can pass." Toriel said seriously while pulling up her sleeves while walking out the house. "Children. If you wish to help, then you may in any way you can. But I implore both Asriel and Chara: Keep Frisk safe."
"Right!" They both nodded as she and Asgore headed off, with Gerson following right behind. For a moment, Asriel and Chara turned towards Frisk, and the latter asked. "Frisk...what do you want to do?"
"...I...I want to find Alvina as soon as I can. She might need help." Frisk said softly.
"Alright. Then you and I can go to her." Chara nodded. "Asriel, you go regroup Undyne and see what's up."
"Okay." Asriel nodded. Soon enough, the three of them teleported; in a brief flash of green, blue, and red, they were gone. Mettaton and Geno Alphys looked at one another, before sighing tiredly.
They just couldn't catch a long enough break, could they...?
Lunar was leisurely walking down a small path outside of Ebott. She didn't really know why she was coming out here, but she also didn't care. She was walking with a rather huge smile on her face, which revealed all of her rather sharp teeth as her silver eyes piercing through the darkness ahead of her. She has been instructed to follow this path in order to get another so-called 'worthy battle'. It would seem that they were interested in satiating her lust for battle while they were seeking their own goals, and that was just fine with didn't really care about what happened to Ebott, so long as she acquires the battle that she was promised.
That was the problem with Lunar; usually, once the possible prospect of a great battle was at hand, everything else has officially become secondary in importance. She was incredibly selfish like that, something that her brother tempest has told her multiple times, and yet she barely listens to him. The only thing that clouds her mind and instincts would be the thrill of an intense battle. She was somewhat satiated during her encounter with Asriel, and she even called him a worthy opponent, and genuinely meant it. However, she still desired more, and she's been cramped under that mountain for far too long. How the hell monsters were able to stand being cramped under there, she would never understand. Nor did she want to.
She was much more interested in seeing what sort of battle she may be getting herself into. She simply couldn't wait.
'Wonder what they've got in store for me...heh~" Lunar grinned as her tail waved energetically. Ebott was going to be in such serious trouble, and she was taking this as an opportunity to not help it in the slightest, but that hardly matters to her. She was focused on the potential battle ahead, the potential opportunity to once again get her blood pumping and her paws dirty. Ebott could take care of itself; it wasn't her responsibility to look after it or to do it any favors. She scoffed at the idea of Tempest and Darkness trying to tell her otherwise.
Soon enough, Lunar reached the spot she was assigned, an open field with no animals or humans alike. Lunar and Tempest seemed to be the only ones there. "Alright then. Where's my assigned battle? Who am I fighting?"
Ah, yes. Your so-called 'opponent' for you duel...well...it's be more appropriate to call it...a change.
"Execu..." Lunar then realized what was going on, and promptly got into a position to resist. Though she would find that she wasn't quite fast enough, because a moment later, she would find a golden blade piercing her through her stomach. She shifted her eyes a bit, to see Tempest standing behind her, simply staring at her without so much as a blink. Instead of complaining about how he blindsided her with his invisibility, she only sighed and closed her eyes.
Aaaahhhhh...I was a bit too cocky this time...shit. Was her thought as she slowly fell to her knees. The blade Tempest used to stab her was extra heated with fire magic, so it hurts just a bit more than she might be somewhat okay with. He slowly pulled it out, but not before intentionally twisting it around a bit before fully pulling it out. She snarled a bit in irritation while she looked around for the one responsible, and she knew full well who it was. "That was a dirty trick, you bastard. Using my brother's Assassin Mode against me...you know how he never passes up a good opening..."
You have no one to blame but yourself. Your high lust for battle surpasses your common sense, your sense of right and wrong, and even the thought of winning or losing mattered less than the fight itself. This one-dimensional thought process of yours has caused problems for your younger twin brother and older cousin for years. I believe it's time for retribution for all of that, don't you think?
"The hell are you goin' on about?"
...Kill her, Tempest.
Lunar barely flinched as Tempest slowly raised his blade, which was heated by fire magic and sharpened by wind magic. She slowly smirked. "Heh. Well, isn't this a golden opportunity for you, Tempest? Sure, it's not completely willing on your part, but really. What better excuse do you need?" Tempest stared dully into her eyes. His gold eyes to her silver ones. Even while she was potentially staring death in the face, she never wavered. Never faltered. She definitely hated having to fall to such a dirty trick and not in the field of battle, but she'd rather be killed by her brother's paws than anyone else's. So she wondered why he didn't just-
...Wait.
His dull expression didn't change in the slightest. But she couldn't ignore the tears slowly streaming down his cheeks. She was greatly confused by this, until:
Damn you, you battle-crazed lunatic! Lunar the Lunatic is more like it! Darkness the Dreaded! While I...I'm Tempest the Traitor. And...they're making us do this again..She heard him speak via telepathy. His deeper consciousness was clearly against this decision, and was choking up a bit. Can you TRY to care about how me and Darkness feel!? I'm your brother, and he's our cousin! Despite how much grave suffering your battle impulses bring us..we still care about you. We still love you...so for once in your life, have SOME sense of genuine self-preservation!
Lunar was barely surprised by anything. But never had she really thought that after some hell that she's brought for them over the years, that she actually considered that her brother could still willingly and truly care about her despite all of that. Tempest had the opportunity to rid of a major nuisance to his life once and for all, and yet he internally cries over it and tries his hardest to reject it.
She...she didn't understand at all. And currently, she didn't think she could.
She could see Tempest's blade swiftly swing down onto her...
CLANG!
Though it was immediately stopped by another blade. Tempest's eyes were immediately dried by a wave of wind, as he was staring down towards the one standing up to him and keeping him from his target. Lunar knew too well who it was.
...Asriel Dreemurr...?
Tempest immediately jumped back as Asriel dissipated his blade and watched the dragon with concern, but standing defensively in front of Lunar. A few moments after, reinforcements came; Papyrus and Undyne, along with Sans and Alphys, jumped on either side of the Dreemurr and dragon, both of them looking quite concerned themselves. Lunar blinked a bit at their added interference. Was...was she currently being rescued by them? She grit her teeth in embarrassment; she hated that kind of stuff, especially when she was in position of being the rescued.
"Tempest. What the hell do you think you're doing?" Undyne glared, aggravated and confused. "I know that you and your sister don't really get along, but you definitely don't hate each other. So what is this?"
"HIS ACTIONS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE HIS OWN." Papyrus questioned while rubbing his chin. "TEMPEST. IF YOU'RE ACTIONS ARE NOT YOUR OWN, DO TELL US."
"i don't think he's bein' given a choice, bro..." Sans said cautiously as Tempst once again raised his blade and pointed it towards them. Sans stayed vigilant, there was no doubt that the puppeteer was somewhere around.
"I knew that disturbance was coming from somewhere around here...Tempest must have been sent to this area to guard whatever is causing the humans to pass out from nowhere and their souls to fly out of them!" Alphys said while looking around vigorously. "The culprit is somewhere around here, aren't they?!" She was lucky to have gotten a call from Darkness, otherwise she wouldn't have been on top of this:
"I know what this phenomenon is...and I dearly, desperately hope that the cause isn't what I think it is...regardless, I implore you to follow the trails the souls are going, and destroy the cause of it at all costs."
"Darkness was so deadly serious when he gave those orders...does he know something about this...?" Alphys wondered while her tail nervously waves behind her.
Before anyone was able to progress further, Lunar suddenly stiffened up. Moments afterwards, she blasted Papyrus in the back with a flash of twilight magic, knocking him on his face. She swiftly vanishes in darkness, before reappearing by Tempest's side. His eyes were still dull, but he was panicking in his mind. Lunar was more annoyed than anything.
"This is a cowardly way of getting what you want from me, isn't it...?"
I changed my mind on how to handle you for the moment, Lunar. Whether you like it or not, you'll redeem yourself by helping Tempest defend this operation. The mark we placed on your back during your guild entry will allow me control over your body. You'll receive redemption with or without your consent. And when we're done here, you're going to make it up to the men of the guild that you and your relatives first betrayed...and I do believe you know what I mean.
Lunar chuckled softly, shaking her head in slight disgust. "Huh...that's a bit twisted of you, isn't it?"
A major lesson you've seem to have forgotten is humility. You'll learn it, sooner or later, one way or another.
Asriel narrowed his eyes as he saw Tempest and Lunar's magic flaring from their bodies. "They're coming at us whether they want to or not...we'd better be careful with them."
"easy for you to say, kid..." Sans said, his eye sockets flaring cyan as he gazed at the two of them, prepared to fight. This couldn't go on for too long; they needed to save the human souls, very quickly. Or else...Sans didn't want to think about it.
...From the distance, with flaring dark magic pulsing around him, Atherton watches his current targets from afar.
Monsters...so disgustingly selfless...
Alvina sighed softly, after having eaten a bit of her fill at Grillby's after being stressed by the visit of her family after who knows how long. To be honest, she didn't think that she'd ever see them again...and again, she couldn't care less about them. And the feeling was still pretty neutral, even after so many years. Even now, her family can do nothing but look down on her with nothing but contempt and loathing. And again, she couldn't care less about any of that. She's survived well without them, she would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't seen any of them ever again. Nothing would change aside from a decrease of stress.
...Her brother Adam, however...
It was a strange case with him. While she's definitely considered him the worst of them all when it came to both his carelessness and his lack of action. He didn't even try to either defend her or attempt to join in on her folks constant bashing of her. He refused to even try to take a side in the matter, he simply chose to stay on the sidelines and watch from afar. Knowing Flowey's certain views on things, he would definitely agree that he was the worst of the bunch for just sitting and watching and not doing a thing to either help or hinder, paired with also not having the intention to do either of those things. He never even entertained the thought. His basic thought process was 'I feel bad, but it's not my problem. I don't have to do anything.'
Alvina was clearly disappointed in him for that. And yet at the same time...she could tell that his heart was the least vile of them all. It's just that she considered his complete neutrality on the situation regarding family to be insulting and a affront to their relationship. Honestly, so many years have passed since then, she didn't think there was anything he could do that might get her to forgive him. It was unfortunately very unlikely...but she'd certainly wish that there was a way. She'd be more than happy to reconnect with her brother. Her parents and grandparents, however...that was a bridge that's never going to be rebuilt. Nor did she want it to be.
She thought about this as Muffet and Red were following her side by side. The latter was walking with a somewhat strict stroll, while the former was walking quite merrily, her upper hands behind the back of her head, her steps reaching far with every one, not minding even with her somewhat short skirt. And unlike Red, she didn't really have the mindset of wearing shorts under them. Though after a few minutes of walking, Red slowly began to frown. She began losing her calm expression. Until she frowned fully and growled, stomping the ground.
"Darn it! Flipping dog biscuits!" Red snarled with her fangs bared. "No one's pack should treat one of their own like that! It isn't right. It just isn't right! They're supposed to care and nurture the youngest pup! Not constantly put her down and make her feel like garbage! That's unacceptable!"
"I do agree that it's pretty terrible. But not unheard of. Some cases like that are pretty common, unfortunately." Muffet said while looking towards the skies. "But I will admit, Alvina adjusted much better than we thought she would. In all honesty, she could have ended up in much worse shape. She's been pretty strong willed all her life, huh. Determined."
"Yeah, I guess...I still feel pretty mad at them, though..."
"Oh, of course you can be mad at them. I'm just admiring dear Alvina for her strength." Muffet waved off rather casually.
"And yet you're mostly brushing it off as no big deal..."
"Well it isn't much of a big deal. Because they'll be gone soon enough, won't they?"
Alvina sighed. "Yeah...you've got a point there. It's not like they've come here for good. Soon they've eventually leave, and everything we'll be back t-"
"Wait a minute..." Red waved her paw in front of the both of them. They both blinked in response. "Why is this specific area we're walking through so clear...?" She was the first to sense it, and Muffet sensed it immediately after. There were no monsters in sight, not one to be sensed. And once they crossed a certain corner...Alvina was horrified to see that most of the humans she could see where unconscious. Red narrowed her eyes. "Their souls...they aren't in their bodies...!"
"That's pretty strange..." Muffet said while rubbing her chin and tilting her head.
"Take this seriously!"
Alvina was meanwhile walking down the street, seeing how most of them were unconscious and without their souls. Their hearts were still beating, but without their souls...they wouldn't last too long. But she didn't understand. While most of the humans here were unconscious, there wasn't a monster seen anywhere. "I don't get it...why is it that all f the humans around here have lost their souls, yet there isn't a monster in sight...what's going on...?"
"Runes...keeping certain monsters out. There's no need for them to get involved in this. This is a purely human matter." Alvina blinked, as she slowly moved her head up towards the owner of said voice. She was confused to see that it was Adam who owned the voice, and he was standing across the three of them with his hands in his pockets. Though what's changed was the fact that he was now wearing dark robes around him. Axel was standing next to him, lightly licking his paw. Adam sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "...I really wish that it didn't have to come this..."
"Adam...what are you doing here? Do you have something to do with this...?" Alvina said slowly, her eyes warily watching her brother, slowly becoming aware that something was dreadfully wrong.
"Something along those lines. You see, you're one of the few humans I knew for sure that could resist the influence of having your soul extracted like this. For you, it will have been more direct. But it falls upon me to do that myself..."
"What are you talking about?!"
"Alvina...do you wanna know the second reason why we stayed so far away from you for all of those years? It's not just about our parents and grandparents hating you, though that's without doubt the first one. The second, however..." Adam slowly raised his head and extended his arm. Alvina watched in confusion as she sees darkness gather in Adam's hand, and then morph into a ball of sickening green energy. Muffet and Red were immediately on guard because of this. "Alvina...they were raising me up...to be one of them. Our grandparents shaped our parents into being like them, and they shaped me into being like them...but they realized you were utterly impossible to corrupt. So they discarded you. But now...the very idea of birthing you has filled them with shame. To the point where your existence is an inexcusable blemish on theirs...they sent me to...remove that blemish."
Alvina still didn't understand what was going on. Though she was getting close. "Adam...are you...?"
"Alvina...our family history is one that delved deep into Black Magic, and were assigned specifically to Ebott to keep anyone outside from discovering the truth about what's really been going on. Ever since it's official foundation. And all of the previous mayors before you were in on it. They made a deal."
"My predecessors...what kind of deal did they make?!"
Adam. Enough dialogue. Don't give me reason to believe you're stalling.
Adam slowly turned his head to see Acacia in the distance, standing on one of the roofs of the buildings...she was making sure that he would actually go through with it. And if he didn't...he sighed as he turned back towards Alvina. "Ally...I'm sorry." He fired the blast. Alvina's eyes widened as it was quickly inches from her face, before Muffet pulled her to the side. It kept flying and blew up a car in the distance. Adam narrowed his eyes and swiped his hand. "Don't interfere! You're making this harder than it needs to be!"
"I believe you're the only one making things hard, Dearie." Muffet said with a huff, helping Alvina up.
"What's your deal?!" Red barked, her blade quickly drawn.
Adam groaned at this, before he briefly turned to Axel. He sighed and pointed towards them. "Axel." Said cat meowed softly before jumping high into the air. Several moments later, he was engulfed in a bright flash of flames, before landing in front of them, now completely engulfed in flames and wearing a much more sinister expression. Alvina's eyes widened at this, stepping back from the cat that was now ablaze. Adam shrugged. "Axel is a mimicry of a certain type of cat from hell. I'm sure you can guess." Sough, Axel briefly roars flames, and pounces at Alvina...only to be knocked away by something fast, and white. Adam facepalmed. "What now?"
Alvina was shocked by what exactly attacked Axel. It was just a stretched out, expanded paw clenched into a fist. Though the limb was soon shrunken and returned to it's owner with a semi-comical 'Snap!'. And running to her defense, on all fours...was Temmie, snarling at the hissing Axel.
"Don't you touch her." Temmie hissed right back. Axel growled and pounced at her again, only for the retaliation to be her extending and expanding her paw again and punching the enlarged Axel away a few feet, landing on his side and scorching the ground. He quickly shook it off and stared back at Temmie, their gazes interlocked with a bit, before they leapt at each other again, rolling across the ground before Temmie stretched her arm, grabbing Axel by the tail and smashing him into the ground cracking it. Son, it was revealed that Temmie did not come alone; Chara and Frisk landed on the ground behind Alvina, which quickly got her attention.
"Frisk...Chara...?" She asked a bit dully. Muffet seemed very relieved to see the latter, believing that they would catch some form of a break with a bit of backup on their side. Still, Frisk checked on Alvina to make sure she was okay.
"Who's this jackass?" Chara deadpanned as he stepped in front of Alvina and stared at Adam, feeling a bit bored and annoyed. "Is he responsible for what's happening to the humans in the city? and is he also bothering you in some way...?"
"Unfortunately he's related to that issue..." Alvina said while regaining her composure and narrowing her own eyes. "He's been told to kill me...and he's actually trying to go through with it..."
Chara's hair overshadowed his eyes after hearing this. Brief memories of him roughly grabbing another timeline's Frisk's soul, and him also hacking Flowey to pieces flashed before his eyes for a few moments. He soon stepped forward. "You...you're voluntarily trying to kill your own sibling...the older ones should be looking out and protecting the younger siblings...that's why they're born first..." He began, his shadow arm manifesting and becoming darker, and forming into the claw he was slowly growing more proficient with. he extended it before him while lifting his head. His eyes have turned crimson, and they were slitted with fury. "Apparently...someone has to reteach that lesson to you..."
Adam stared down the adolescent, angered child. He wasn't intimidated at all, merely intrigued. Especially by what he sensed. Well. This brat is pretty demonic in nature. Why would Ebott be keeping one of those...wait a minute... His eyes widened just slightly, once again with intrigue, and surprise, as he looks over Chara's aura once again. It was definitely dark in nature, but it was different than a demon's. When he focused a bit more, he could see the faint signs of... Demon...no way, no how. This kid's magic aura is closer to that of... He sees the hidden darkness within Chara's heart...a darkness he wished he never had, but is now content to simply live with.
...A Fallen Angel.
Hey readers. Remember how Temmie's limbs tended to stretch around Frisk's soul in-game, and she tended to stretch her legs in general and walk around the board? Welp, I took some creativity and gave her magic related to elasticity. Now she can do so much more than stretch. She can do a lot more...damaging things than that. Elasticity can be very powerful with a creative enough user, don't you think?
Anyway, trouble is brewing around Ebott once again. Only this time, every human is currently endangered, their souls forced out of their bodies. They only have such a short time to undo it before they're lost for good. And not only that, the Twin Dragons are being forced to act against their will...
Asgore: We must act quickly. Very quickly in order to stop this from getting irreversible.
Toriel: Whoever or whatever the cause is, we'll put a stop to it as soon as we possibly can!
Asriel: Though...I wonder what the cost will be...especially to Alvina...