Oh look at that. The plots moving again. And it looks like our cast are gonna be moving it forward themselves this time, instead of waiting for it to move them instead. That tends to hurt them enough, and irritate them even more, into taking action.

The plot shall be moving quite fast for the next several chapters. Also, as promised, I'll be doing some world-building, for reals this time. It starts a bit here, then goes even further as this Act continues.

Asriel: So much is in store for us...

Chara: Not all of it being good.

Frisk: But you know that my name can't be spelled without 'risk'~

Toriel: Oh dear...

Asgore: It's only the beginning...

Chapter Start!

Alvina was in a very focused mood right now. And considering her usual self, that was something Adam has taken note of. Ever since it's been made very clear that Alvina did indeed have magic, Beast Magic, she's made a very dedicated effort to experimenting with it and learning more about it, with helpful insights from Gaster and Alphys.

From what they gather, most of the time, a person's magic can very strongly connect with a person's nature. At first, the thought of Alvina having Beast Magic when everyone else had something related to phantoms didn't make much sense. But then again, they were coerced into something they willingly offered themselves to yet couldn't fully control, aside from Adam. By that point, most were a ghost of their former selves, which may be the answer to that curiosity. Alvina was different. She could not and would not be tamed by anyone. She's been like this even when she was simply a little girl. Now it's more apparent than ever that keeping chains on her would be useless in one way or another. She will break free of those chains, sooner or later.

It does connect to her magic. Beast Magic. Or to be more specific, Werebeast Magic. What she had transformed into was a Wererabbit, a Weretiger, and a Werearmadillo. It was very confusing, so she was glad that she had Gaster and Alphys to help her through this.

"WereBeast Magic. Apparently you're capable of transforming into any animal of your choosing but they would be more beastlike than usually depicted." Gaster explained while rubbing his chin.

"It's true the most well-known Werebeast would be the Werewolf, but almost every animal can have a beast form. Every animal has their inner beast." Alphys' lectured while gently adjusting her glasses. "Though it would seem that the Wererabbit form is your favorite at the moment. You always use a partial transformation to manifest rabbit ears on your head."

"Sure. Rabbits are cute, even beast rabbits." Alvina shrugged while lightly kicking at the ground. "Their kicks are strong, they run pretty fast, and they hear pretty well...plus I can literally kick ass!"

"Let's have you actually practice this magic of yours before you attempt such things." Gaster informed gently. "You are an eccentric mayor, but still a mayor. And despite that eccentricity, you are competent at your position, and you're much kinder than you seem. The people of this city look to you. It is fine to be strong and capable, but do be careful."

"Of course I'm gonna be careful. My lame brother Adam and I are the only ones left of our family...I'm not gonna let anything stupid break us apart for good. I won't let it be that easy." Alvina smiled. "Besides...I may be stronger with this new power, but he's got the experience card over me. I could learn quite a bit from him."

"Indeed."

Alvina nods as she focused some of her magic, and her legs formed beast bunny legs. She then got in a preparing running position, and then took off in s slight blur, blowing some wind past Gaster and Alphys, the latter yelping from surprise while keeping her paws on her skirt.

"W-Well...we can surely record the enhanced speed being a bonus for beast bunnies." Alphys chuckled nervously, then turning to Gaster. "So, Dr. Gaster..."

"Please, Alphys. You have proved yourself a scientist, and an equal to me in knowledge. Don't be so formal." One of his floating hands reached out and gently patted her shoulder. "You can refer to me as Gaster."

"Oh. Okay..." Alphys nodded while lightly twiddling her fingers. "There's...there's something I wanted to ask you...and it's terribly personal."

"You want to ask me about the accident, and my time in the Void, yes?" Gaster deduced. Alphys sputtered a bit, but quickly recovered with several coughs, and nodded. "It is fine. It would take far too long for me to deduce the entire experience detail by detail...but I shall summarize." He sighed, and didn't mind at all when he felt Frisk skipping by, then stop next to them out of curiousity. "It was not a pleasant experience, not in the slightest. It was torment. It is painful on a mental AND emotional plane, to exist, and at the same time...not exist. It...it hurt, Alphys."

"Gaster..." Alphys mumbled quietly.

"Having my existence constantly torn apart and put back together, with or without my will...it's been my own personal hell. I can't even remember how long I've been suffering. Could have been minutes. Seconds. Months. Years. Centuries. While I was in the Void, stretched throughout time and space, the former has lost its effect on me, so telling it wouldn't have mattered. I felt like I've seen eternity, as well as transience. Heard every sound, yet also total silence. Felt everything, yet also nothing. Have been everywhere, yet also nowhere. Experienced tranquility, yet fell into madness. Have seen the end, yet also the beginning. All of these things happened simultaneously, without end, yet also without beginning. I do not believe that just anyone can survive that experience and come out as stable as I am...and even then, just barely."

Alphys gently patted his arm, looking up to him with a sympathetic nod.

"What horrified me-and fascinated me-the most was what I saw. I saw creation. And before creation, nothingness. And before nothingness..." Gaster looked at his hands...they were shaking. "There...there was something. Something before nothingness. Before the Void. A realm incomprehensible to either magic or science. It's far, far above either study. There was something ethereal and powerful lurking within. I looked at them...they looked back to me...and they spoke to me...and..." Gaster shook some more, and his eyes seemed distant...at the moment, there was nothing behind them. Then he looked back at Alphys and Frisk's worried faces. Then he shook his head. "I...my apologies. My mind wandered...forgive me if I don't wish to speak any more about it for now." And he hoped she'd never have to witness what he witnessed. He was unsure if her mind could handle it. He was just barely able to.

"It's...it's fine, Gaster. I'm sorry I brought it up." Alphys muttered sheepishly. She could tell that Gaster was one of the few who could understand what he's seen and heard, and how much he wished he didn't. If he didn't want to speak more about it, she'd let it go.

"I'm fine, Alphys. Deeply traumatized, but I'll be alright." Gaster looked at Alphys...then resisted flinching when he saw an echo of her alternate self that sacrificed herself for his sake. He was the only one who remembered. He couldn't let anything happen to this one. "How about another subject change while Alvina does her laps? There is something else I've gained from the Void aside from nightmares and bad dreams." Gaster held up one of his hands, and an orb of darkness formed over it. "I've gained manipulation over the Void. Void Magic."

"Void Magic...?" Frisk asked, having spoken up for the first time since arriving.

"Indeed. My magic is quite literally nothing." Gaster explained quietly. "It's dangerous to underestimate the power of nothingness. It can do small things like erasing gravity so I could levitate things or fly. Or erasing my presence so I cannot be tracked. Perhaps even erase my emotions, fill me with apathy so I can operate completely on logic."

"That last one's a bit nerve-racking..."

"Indeed. There's another concept Void Magic is good for...destruction." Gaster closed his fist, and the Void energy splattered on the ground around them...several flowers died in moments, and his own hand seemed to be harmed from it. "Void energy is unpredictable, and without very precise and practiced control over it, can harm myself and my allies just as well as my enemies. And even if I did have more control over it, it is terribly taxing on my magic reserves."

Alphys rubbed her chin. "So like Sans and Papyrus, you have Bone Magic and Telekinesis. Void Magic, with how destructive, unpredictable, and highly taxing it is..."

"Indeed. With all it's risks, it is a last resort at the very least. One I shall hope I won't have to rely on too often."

Frisk moved up to Gaster, reaching out to hold his injured hand. A bright light attached to the hand, as well as the wilted flowers. Both of them slowly began to heal and fix themselves. Gaster blinked softly, then smiles as Frisk finishes up, pulling back a bit.

"You seem to be getting the hang of your Light Magic very quickly, Frisk." Alphys smiles.

"Support Magic and Light Magic kinds go hand in hand dud to the nature they share. It's not too difficult to put together." Frisk said with a sigh. "I'm much more likely to support than actually attack...that doesn't mean I can't, though."

"It's just within your nature." Gaster nodded. "People's magic tends to reflect upon their personality. Not always, but it's highly likely to do so. And they can become quite versatile, with enough time and dedication. This seems to be yours. Supporting your loved ones and lighting the way to happiness and hope." He then sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "This world needs more like you and Asriel."

"It would make things a bit easier, yes..." Frisk muttered while slightly clasping his hands when he finished. "And...that's sort of the idea that me and Asriel have been steering towards, and what Undyne strives to be and be able to do. Multiple heroes inspiring more heroes. Expand and tighten the bond between us all, so it wouldn't be so easy to test us apart."

"An interesting suggestion, yet not one that can be achieved so easily. Then again...seeing that Undyne instigated the line if thought, she would be the one to suggest doing the seemingly impossible." Gaster hummed while stroking his chin. "We are having a meeting on such matters later today. We'll be sharing suggestions and putting forth possible plans moving forward. You will be attending too, of course."

"I mean, yeah. Of course I am. What's a bit puzzling is how Mom and Dad didn't really fight against the decision to much."

"Normally this would have been left to us adults. But with how deeply you and your brothers are, I don't think it's too wise for us to leave you out of something so important, nor is it fair." Alphys said while pressing her paws together. "You were able to guide us out of the Underground, Frisk. As burdensome as this must be for you, we can't manage this without you. You are aspiring to be an ambassador, and that kind of entails a bit of traveling."

"Sounds like an interesting adventure." Frisk said with stretched arms. "We can talk more about this at that meeting we're going to. We have quite a bit to talk about together, and this seems like the best time for it. Plus, Muffet's going to bring in cookies!"

"I hope she brings snickerdoodles. Oh, they're soooooo good..." Alphys murred quietly while pawing her cheek and waving her tail side to side. "They're sugary cinnamon goodness in my mouth.~"

"Snickerdoodles..." Frisk smiles fondly, his head raised slightly. In no time at all, both of them had their eyes closed and were fantasizing about the wonderful cookie that is delicious snickerdoodles.

Gaster could only sigh.

A good three hours have passed before Alvina ceased her magic run, moving back into City Hall and making her way into her office. Obviously there were some important things she needed to get from there...such as heating her hot pockets. All that running left her very hungry. Must be some effect of not being used to her magic yet. It was definitely a strange one for her staff, but they think that it fits her in some sort. All attempts to tame her haven't been very successful. All they could really do was help her improve and hope she didn't do something too outrageous and reckless.

She did many of things over the course of her career. And yet somehow, somewhat, she managed to not only be reelected plenty of times, but to gain and keep her supporters for the most part. Eccentric as she was, she's a very competent mayor when she needed to be, and a very kind, reliable, and understanding one. Which is why she has approved of the current meeting she scheduled in the afternoon.

She walked into the meeting room, dressed in a more formal grey blouse and skirt, having straightened her hair a bit, dress shoes, and took the time to clean up her face a bit, giving a slightly more composed gaze in her eyes. Temmie was right by her side, vibrating a bit intensely with a jumpy smile as well as a clipboard in her paws. Alvina sits herself down in the very front, one leg lightly crossed over the other. Human co-workers looked towards her a bit in surprise. For once, she was looking and acting like a composed, competent mayor that acts her she.

...Then she casually bites into her hot pocket.

"Ohhhhhhh my God. I haven't had hot pockets in such a long time..." She muttered while eating some more. The co-workers sighed and shook their heads, but nonetheless left her to her own devices with her monster friends.

The gathering consisted of Asgore, Toriel, Undyne, Alphys, Gerson, Muffet, Gaster, Sans, Papyrus, Asriel, Chara, Frisk, Adam, Flowey and Temmie. Indeed, with this kind of gathering, they indeed had plenty to talk about.

...Alvina bites into her hot pocket again.

"...I can't believe you. We're having a meeting about how we're exactly going to make and maintain connections with factions outside of our own, and you decide to make yourself a hot pocket?" Adam sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"...I'm not apologizing for liking hot pockets." Alvina muttered, looking away. Alex meowed quietly as he hopped on her lap and lazily curled up upon it, purring softly. Alvina smirked as she lightly scratched behind his ear. "Hah! Once again, your cat is on my side! Isn't that right, precious cutie?~"

"I...ugh. You know what, that doesn't matter. We have more important matters to discuss."

"Yes. About how we're intending to move forward." Toriel starts with a long sigh. "As evident from our latest brush with avoiding complete destruction, it's clear that whomever we've made enemies of will never leave us alone."

"Indeed. We will have to organize ourselves in order to prepare for the worst. There's definitely more to come." Asgore said solemnly while clasping his paws. "Me and Toriel we're quite hesitant in allowing the boys to take part in this, but they're involved far too deeply for not allowing their participation, it wouldn't be fair."

"Plus, Asriel is the Prince, and Frisk is gonna be our Ambassador. This will be involving them one way or the other. We'd rather it be under their own terms. The latter will be gathering experience for the position at least." Gerson informed. "This is happening sooner rather than later, like we might prefer, but that option has been taken out of our hands. Besides, I highly doubt he's going to run away from this. What say you, boy?"

"Of course not. I'm making a commitment to this, and I intend to see it through." Frisk said.

"Wah hah hah! That settles that!"

"So long as you always have someone with you." Toriel suggested/pleaded. "I'm well aware of your capable, growing strength. But I'm still not entirely comfortable with the idea of you fighting on your own. Can...can you promise that at least?"

"Of course, Mom. I have plenty who are willing to protect me. And I'll support them with my...well...support magic. We'll back each other up, that kind of thing."

"Hmm...very well..." Toriel nods slowly, still hesitant but not enough to deny this course Frisk was taking. As long as he had someone reliable by his side, she would be content, to a fair degree. If she wasn't, she would constantly be worrying about him. That went for her elder sons as well, even if they were overall more capable in combat.

"We don't have to worry about them too much. They're capable of taking care for themselves." Undyne said while pushing some hair from her face. "What we need to worry about more is how we're gonna organize our movement. Where do we start, Adam?"

"Right. I, uh...I would know something about this." Adam scratched the back of his head. "Well, to start off, as strong and tough as developed as you all are, you're still basically put up against the world. There's no way you'll be able to do this, not on your own."

"Well we all already got that part. What do you suggest?"

"I...look, I know a couple places. I've been to a few parts of the world, right? Some are more comforting places than others. Other's aren't very comforting at all. I'm sure Parvos and Scythe already talked to you about that, yes?"

Undyne nodded. "Yeah. Parvos and Shamir's group were pretty of a unit that was focused mostly on eliminating multiple factions that posed a threat or annoyance to how they did things. And apparently, it wasn't exactly a faction in of itself that's trying to out us."

"Indeed. What we are dealing with is in fact a Kingdom. Or in this case, multiple Kingdoms." Toriel nodded. "Akai and Scythe were telling us this throughout our battle, which tipped off that we were not enemies of heart and soul, only from orders. No matter how powerful Ratoveros was, even he was following orders from someone. That's surely meant to be the true leader of this specific faction."

"yeah. too bad for the old cat, he got so pissed at being bested by some minor city that he finally tried dealing with us himself...needless to say how well that went for him." Sans noted with his bunny slippered feet placed upon the table. "i'm gonna take a guess and say that they're currently a bit disorganized when it comes to combative forces. question is, what do we do with that info?"

"They were already suffering from their Captain going insane from being bested by something that should have been easy to annihilate. Now that they have no Captain at all, it'll be a bit easier to get through their land without being obstructed too much." Asgore hummed. "...Though there is the concern of them nominating a new Captain before we're ready."

"AN UNLIKELY SCENARIO GIVEN RATOVEROS NATURE, BUT I AGREE IT ISN'T SOMETHING TO BE OVERLOOKED. WE WILL HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT THIS GOING FORWARD, IF THATS TRULY OUR COURSE OF ACTION."

"Even if they do, getting back to their former fighting strength will be difficult. Some of their best fighters are under Undyne's leadership. And going by the treatment they've endured during training from childhood onward, there's little chance they'll crawl back to the leaders who abused them." Gaster added with his hands-all of them-clasped. "Undyne's willingness to take them in may prove to be a vital element on how we proceed."

"Given how most factions have been looking out for themselves out of fear of pissing off the bigger groups, it's reasonable to say that their relationships aren't the best." Alphys said, munching on plate of snickerdoodles. "What we need is to serve as someone to rally behind. We can help them, and they can certainly help us. But only if we given then the chance and the courage. Isn't that right, Asriel?"

"Yes. We have to given the chance to help, and give them the courage to actually follow through with it. Though that's likely to be easier said than done."

"Is that so? Well then that's gonna be a difficult challenge. But one that will reap many rewards if done right." Muffet cooed while clasping her hands. "Said rewards being: creating a trade of supplies, sharing knowledge and technology, getting better lay of the land, and of course, camaraderie between ourselves from the very obvious life-threatening danger that's bound to result from this level of risk taking." Muffet blinked, then clapped. "Oh! Also money! Plenty of money to gain and spend."

"There it is." Chara sighed.

"Oh come now, Dearie. We'll be going far out of our comfort zone into unknown danger. That's going to be incredibly difficult without efficient money. But you just let me take care of that, okay? I can be your benefactor. It's quite doable when you put in the time and effort for it."

Chara hesitated to ask. "Muffet. How much do you even have?" Muffet's eyes flashed, acknowledging that was a good idea. Her lower hands takes her spider-themed phone from her pocket, and after a quick series of typing, she turned her phone around so her could see. His eyes widened in disbelief. "...How...?"

"Obviously if I'm going to maintain capable business, it's only fair that I don't sit only in one place. I have plenty of different bakeries around the city, each making quite a sum of money due to how much those respective areas enjoys their treats. Supply isn't the only thing to watch for, but also placement. If I were to place a bakery somewhere, what's the best place for potential customers? Where are they gathering? How many times might they gather here? Those are things to think about regarding these things." Muffet explained while pocketing her phone. "A fair amount of the profit goes to our fair city to satisfy that pesky tax, but a majority goes to me. I'm quite fine with it."

"...sheesh. maybe she will do great as our monetary benefactor. she earns as much money as she spends." Sans noted.

Alvina nods as she finally finished her hot pocket, Temmie stretching her arm to wipe her mouth with a napkin, sanitizer to clean her hands and dry them, and now focusing both hands on petting the kitty in her lap. "Muffet's also gunning to be treasurer. Not Ebott's treasurer, the Dreemurr Faction's treasurer."

Multiple eyes widened and geared towards Muffet, who was humming happily and playing with a strand of web in her upper hands. Muffet, the greediest monster they've ever known when it came to money, serving as their treasurer? Of course she's gotten better as she grew up, but it's very much still there. The hesitance was obvious...then again, she knew what she was doing. It didn't bother her much that she'd spend money in her friends, it was quite easy for to make more for herself when needed.

"...Alright then. She's monetary benefactor. At least...our leading one." Asgore decided a bit awkwardly. "Speaking of which, we should be organizing who fits best in a particular role. I've looked it over several times and Toriel seems to have it down to memory. Tori?"

Toriel nodded. "Based on prior and more recent experiences, I've broken it down like so: As said, Muffet will be a primary monetary benefactor for as long as she's able. Undyne, Gerson, and Papyrus will be suited as leads in the combative division, the Royal Guard. Undyne remains captain, Papyrus shall remain her second in command, and Gerson shall serve as their overseeing mentor."

"I've got my own combat unit. Sweet." Undyne grins madly.

"Ahem...Alphys and Gaster will be assisting in matters of science. Developing what we already have, and seeing if there's more to build."

"I'm sure Alphys will be a great leader of the science division." Gaster smiles, while Alphys sputtered and pointed to herself.

"M-Me?! Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Up next: Sans and Flowey may serve best as our leading reconnaissance when need be. They're the quickest to gain useful information without letting themselves be noticed or caught in action. And they have ways of getting to and from their destination just as quickly."

"huh. i basically get to sit around for probably hours on end until i can sense somethin' happenin', then act in a flash...i dunno, sounds pretty difficult." Sans grinned. Toriel simply rolled her eyes and continued on.

"You're such trash." Flowey muttered.

"Alvina, Adam, and Temmie shall be the ones who mostly remain in Ebott. And depending on who's here and who isn't, they'll most likely be the ones who keep things orderly and peaceful for the citizens when their greater defenders aren't here. How they go about it, I'll leave to them."

"You can count on me, Toriel. Oh, Temmie. Can you heat me up another hot pocket? When you're done recording of course." Alvina requested.

"R0Ger!~"

"You're still going on about hot pockets?" Adam sighed.

"Shush. I am a grown woman, I'll eat as many hot pockets as I want." She huffed as she picks up Alex and holds him up to Adam. "Tell him, Alex."

The cat simply meowed.

"Such a sweet kitty.~"Alex meows again, returning to his current bed that was Alvina's lap, once again purring from the following head petting.

"You've been siding with my sister a lot lately...traitor." Adam grumbled. Alex didn't acknowledge it. "Well, in any case...Toriel, what will you and Asgore be doing?"

"Ooh, ooh! Toriel the Tactician!" Muffet clapped. "She knows where to best place us, and have confidence in our ability to see our set goals through! She's really good at that!"

Toriel seemed surprised, and lightly played with her left ear. "Oh...well...I don't know about that..."

"It's quite true, Toriel." Gaster supported. "You're called the brains of the family for a reason. I wouldn't underestimate that talent of yours too much just because you haven't used it effectively and efficiently in a while. It just needs some exercise, that's all."

"If you say so...but my planning shouldn't be the end of a discussion. If you agree with me, that is good. But if you believe you have a better idea, please don't hesitate to tell me." Toriel nodded. "When I'm not doing that, I shall be making sure everyone is properly fed, knows what their duties are, and that their continued support is highly appreciated. Moral support is important as well."

Chara tilted his head. "So basically...you're still gonna be Mom. Except much more expansive."

"...I...I suppose so...?"

Frisk nodded happily. "That's just fine. Mom is the best. It's nice to have someone who will kiss your cheek goodnight and tell you 'sweet dreams'. Plus her hugs are super nice and warm. Mom hugs are the best." To prove the point, Frisk made for Toriel, crawling up to her lap and giving her a hug. Toriel blinked, them smiles and returns the hug, planting a kiss on his head. "Mom is the presence that is calm and commanding, and cocoons us to make us feel nice and safe. You see her, and for no reason at all, you know everything is going to be okay."

Alvina was smiling slightly at this, though it was slightly solemn as she remembered that when Frisk was born, his birth mother had perished from it. He would never have gotten to know her warmth, her soothing voice, her gentle embrace...those experiences were completely unreachable. Alvina tried the best she could to help him, but she wasn't mother material.

That might be a major reason why out of all three boys depsite their love being equal, he's the most attached to her...Frisk...

Asriel scratched his head. "Well...then...in that kind of case, then Dad will be...well...the Dad."

"...Quite a simple description..." Asgore chuckled.

"No, Gorey. It's fine." Toriel waved gently. "You share the role of leader with me. I'm the level headed one, but you're both headstrong and charismatic. I can assure that everyone is where they need to be when they need to be there, and you're the one who brings and keeps them together. You do what you can, what's best for everyone. Also, you're usually the first listen to everyone's problems and do whatever you can to resolve them. Mostly, they find comfort in confiding with you. You're a symbol of strength and authority, as well as safety and kindness. They'll look to you for courage, while they'll look to me for guidance. I succeed you in making sure everyone is where they should best be. You succeed me in giving them the courage to want to be there."

Asgore blinked slightly. He then scratched his cheek a bit while smiling sheepishly. "Golly...really? I mean, I knew how important it is to count on one another. Trying to do things alone is guaranteeing terrible failure. The memory of teamwork and cooperation is heavily important." His gaze turned serious. "And those words are crucial when it comes to this goal of ours, so let's get this nice and clear. We seek cooperation, not subjugation. We want to connect, not conquer."

"unfortunately, most might not see it that way, depending on how we progress." Sans added. "we're bound to get something wrong at some point, but it beats waiting for something worse to happen because we didn't take action. i should know."

"So it's a case of trial and error on a larger scale. Damn, I hate those kinds of tests." Undyne grumbled, a chin in her hand.

"Then again, sitting around and waiting for more trouble to come to us isn't exactly ideal, either." Alphys points out.

"SO WE EITHER SEEK TROUBLE, OR TROUBLE SEEKS US...WHAT A CONUNDRUM WE HAVE ON OUR HANDS. REGARDLESS, THE CHOICE IS OBVIOUS." Papyrus agreed.

"Then we're all for doing this then?" Asgore asked. It was a bit hesitant, but everyone nodded in agreement. "Alright then. All we need now is our first destination, then we'll work from there. Adam, is there anything you can tell us about the world. We're aware that you might not have every detail, just give us an idea."

Adam sighed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...there is something that you definitely need to know that your new friends might have told you already. Across the world, there's quite a variety of kingdoms and nations, modern or old school. They're mostly on four major landmasses, four continents. The major continents are as follows: Scelus, Potestas, Exspes, and Numen. You all, as well as Ebott, are on Scelus. Tempest, Lunar, and Darkness are likely from Potestas. That Seloms Archipelago? Also within Scelus's space." There may have been more continents with different names once...though too many large-scale conflicts either destroyed them or rendered them uninhabitable.

"Huh. Is that so?" Undyne muttered while leaning back in her chair.

"Yeah. To give you a brief summary: Scelus is considered the weakest, Potestas is the most conflicting, Exspes is the most dangerous, and Numen is the most powerful. A word of advice, you really oughta start with Scelus first before even thinking of going to the others. It's the smallest and weakest of the four, which is why giving them someone strong to feel safe and ally themselves under is essential...so long as you kick out the corrupted heads and businesses that mostly take refuge on it."

"You mean those soul extractors, monster/human trafficking and the like? Most of them take place on this continent...?" Toriel narrowed her eyes.

"...Yeah. Get rid of those, much more people will rally under your for freeing them from that corruption than be pissed for being put out of business. Those guys will have to be put to task. You can't afford to be soft with them if you're really serious about this. It'll put an even more massive, unremovable target on your backs, but you'll make a statement. You're not as weak as you seem."

"It is indeed a risky gamble...but I believe it's one worth taking." Asgore stroked his beard. "It's far better than waiting for worse things to plague us. I agree that it might be time to become much more prosctive than we've ever been. Everyone in agreement?"

There was an unhesitant nod between all of them. It was decided.

"...We're gonna cause so much chaos." Chara deadpanned.

"Oh yeah." Undyne grinned. "When do we start?"

"I have a contact who might be more than willing to help get you started. She should be here in about a three days."

"She? Three days? Who is it?" Alphys inquired.

Adam sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You...you won't believe me if I told you right now. Just...trust me. She's trustworthy. And besides...she owes you guys a debt."

"...Adam. Are you sure you don't wanna tell us who she is?" Toriel pressed with her mouth being a thin line. Adam didn't say anymore. She sighed in response. "Very well. We'll trust your judgement on this matter."

"Quite. So, maybe we call this meeting adjourned for now?" Gaster asked.

"Just one more thing. We have everyone else's roles...what about ours?" Frisk asked, with Asriel also curious, and Chara simply shrugging.

Flowey tilted his head. "Well...guess you three idiots might be the core of the Dreemurr Faction alongside your parents. Asriel is the Prince who seeks to bring everyone together. Chara is the advisor, the right-hand human who keeps him from making too many reckless decisions. And Frisk is the peace-loving, naive yet very determined baby of the bunch that everyone here wants to protect; directly, intentionally trying to hurt him will without a doubt lead to heavy retaliation via a severe beatdown or painful death."

No one disagreed with that. Not even Papyrus.

It embarrassed Frisk a little, though he did hope that the 'painful death' part be avoided whenever it can. The only reason Frisk is considered the only baby of the bunch instead of sharing it with Asriel, is that Asriel is technically much older than he looks, despite his physical age being fifteen. Plus, despite his own bouts of childlike immaturity, he is wiser and more mature than Frisk in the long run, while Chara understood the darkness of the world more than either of them.

"That's a bit embarrassing to know..."

"...Don't think we've forgotten, though. You're the one who saved us all." Flowey smiles. "That's given you some serious cred."

"Aw...thanks Flowey."

"...Not enough to be immune to hair ruffling, though." Undyne grinned as she sneaked up to messily ruffle Frisk's hair.

"H-Hey!"

"i wanna get in on this."

"ME TOO!"

"It seems too good to pass up, my child."

"Hair ruffles for the baby!~"

"C'mere kid!"

"Guys? Guys?! Come on, guys!" Frisk laughed as nearly everyone began ruffling his hair.

The exception was Adam, who was watching the scene with barely repressed surprise. These monsters and humans-his sister included-basically agreed to taking on the world for the sake of their peace and survival, and yet here they were right now, joking around and laughing. It made him wonder if they could really do this. Though there was no denying their determination.

...Of course they can do it. In the meantime, I'll just do whatever I can to help them. It's the least I could do.

The announced days have passed without much incident. Most of them was spent getting ready for a particularly long trip; preparing supplies, making and packing food, talking about who they would bring and who they would leave behind to look after the city. It was risky to bring too many people, as well as not bring enough people. Of course Ebott had their defenses that Darkness and Gaster were more than capable of using, it would still cause a bit of nervousness.

Undyne was bringing the entire Guard with her. The Pack, The Pride, and the Colddusts. It's the name she ultimately went with, as she thought it sounded pretty badass. Though it was still quite a group they were bringing along. They were going to take on multiple kingdoms, so it wasn't too much of a risky idea. Just that it might leave those at home feeling a bit anxious. There would still be plenty of warriors left to defend it, the mages they spared were still firmly on their side.

It was a risk they're willing to take. Besides, what better way for the guard to connect than to fight together. They would be heading to the homes of the Pride and the Colddusts. It would be quite an interesting experience for them indeed. This equated to a LOT of monsters going on this expedition.

Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, Chara, Frisk, Flowey, Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, Sans, Gerson, Muffet, Red, the Dogi, Doggo, Ice Wolf, Greater and Lesser Dog, Ribras and Rasha, Parvos, Shamir, Lesser and Greater Cat, Will, Scythe, Dynamo, Dyra, Akai, and Warkie.

...Yeah. It was quite the group they had here. Much more than the last expedition. Though again...they were approaching kingdoms. Three of them, according to Adam. Luckily Toriel had a way of somewhat organizing them.

"Alright, here's how this will go, if things go to plan." Toriel started. "The main group will consist of myself, Asgore, Asriel, Chara, Frisk, Flowey, Undyne, Papyrus, Sans, Muffet, Red, and Gerson. Our support groups will be the Pack, the Pride, and the Colddusts. The Pack shall be our main support group. The Pride will accompany us on the first destination. When we finish our objective there, they will stand by while we meet with the Colddusts at the second destination. And we'll most likely all be together for the third destination depending on the circumstances. River Person shall provide our main means of transportation."

"Sounds reasonable enough." Undyne shrugged.

Toriel nodded. "And of course, if anyone of them need help, they must NOT hesitate to call for it. We'll be more than willing to come to their aid without complaint."

"...Well, not completely without complaint..." Flowey muttered.

"THIS EXPEDITION WILL BE QUITE A BIG ONE. WE'LL BE SPLITTING UP QUITE A BIT. WE MIGHT EVEN BE CONSIDERED STRETCHED THIN." Papyrus said. "THEN AGAIN, THIS WILL SURELY BE A GREAT RISK THAT WILL RESP MANY REWARDS IF WE MANAGE IT."

"It's gonna work. We're gonna make it work. We've got the determination, the plan, the tech...other stuff. It's gonna be fine." Undyne insisted. "As Toriel said, we go with the Pride, first. Then we leave them on standby so we can help the Pride, then we do the same for the Pack. If things go to plan, we'll be taking down many enemies as well as gaining many strong, important allies. This will be a expedition to really be proud of."

"...we're essentially taking on a whole region." Sans pointed out.

"I know! Pretty worthy challenge, huh?~"

"ah boy...when's that contact supposed to be here, again?"

"In a few minutes. I wonder what she's like. Adam seemed hesitant to talk about her."

"it's probably for a reason..."

Asriel blinked, then leaned forward and cupped his eyes, seeing something approaching the port. "Guys...I think I see a boat coming this way."

"And it's a pretty worn down one, to boot." Chara pointed out.

Indeed, there was a worn out boat that looks like it's been through multiple storms and highly aggressive see folk that really wanted to give it's dole passenger a horrible day. But nonetheless, they made it here. Barely, it seems. Most were paying close attention while others were conversion with one another. It eventually stops at the port, roughly bumping into it, and settles down after a few seconds. Eventually, someone steps off the boat.

It was a female black cat monster. She is a tall, curvaceous, beautiful feline with long light black hair to match her fur, and golden eyes with a slit through each. Her apparel consisted of long sleeves, a violet scarf on her neck, and high-heeled boots. Her purple dress, which was open from her left hip down, was v-shaped at the top, revealing her ample cleavage, and a noticeable brand right above it: a white Delta Rune. Place that with the witch-like hat on her head, and the immense magic everyone felt from her, they initially felt like this was someone to be wary of, and if need be, someone to be feared.

...That is, until they noticed the empty wine bottle in her paw. That did explain why she was having a hard time staying balanced, and was narrowing her eyes a bit. Not to intimidate, but because her vision was temporarily blurry.

"...*Hic!*...am...am I in the right place...? I hope I am...I kinda forgot. Otherwise I would sailed through multiple storms, avoided large sea creatures trying to eat me...running outta booze...all that for nothin'." She mumbled incoherently, blinking slowly. She slowly looked around a bit while scratching her head. "...Hey...where-*hic!*...am I...? This IS Ebott...right? The main home city of the Dre...Dreaaaa...Dreemy...Dreerrr..."

"Dreemurr Faction. And yes, you're in the right place." Undyne answered, understandably confused.

Her eyes brightened at this, and she hopped only slightly. "Oh yay...! I managed to get here alive! How wond-*burp*-erful...I thought for sure I was gonna sink before I got here...that would been a seriously crappy day..." She narrowed her eyes slightly towards Undyne. "...Huh."

"What?"

"...You're a fish..." She began dizzily. She blinked and clapped once. "Ooh! Can I call you Fish-Maiden?!"

"No."

"Oh...Fish Sticks?"

"No."

"Oh...Fishie?"

"No."

"Oh...Dory?"

"Alright this is getting us nowhere. Are you the contact we're suppose to meet up with?"

"Contact...? Oh...OH! THAT'S why I was sailing here! Sorry, I kinda forgot for a little bit." She scratched her head. "Had a bit of a rough trip, ya see...few bottles of wine can always calm a gal down...know what I mean...?"

"uh...yeah." Sans rubbed the back of his neck. "listen lady. sorry ya had a hard time gettin' here. but we nee-"

"Haaaah? Is that a skeleton? Silly skeleton! They shouldn't be walking around and talking! They should be dead! And besides...pfft...snrk...look at him!" She giggled while pointing. "Look at how short he is! HAHA! He's a total midget!~"

"...why does everyone keep roasting me...?"

"Hey! What's the hold up?" Parvos called out with a smug smile. "Aren't we supposed to be taking off soon? Don't tell me you're all getting co-" Parvos stopped mid-sentence as he eyes the feline before him. Undyne and Sans noticed immediately how surprised he look, giving the widening of his eyes and the smile being wiped off his face. He stepped back slightly before actually falling on his back. "W-What the hell?! Whaddya doing here, Ma?"

"MA?!" That was the general response to anyone who wasn't a part of the Pride or the Colddusts.

"Oh, right! Parvos didn't ever mention his mommy, did he? Or at least, he's never been very truthful about it." The one now identified as Parvos' mother hummed. "My name...is Elvira. We can continue this discussion another time...after my unscheduled booze-induced nap...nighty night...zzz...zzz..." Her head tilted forward, her witch hat covering her face and her bottle still in her paw, with Parvos' trying to collect himself.

Undyne, quickly collecting herself, took a deep breath and turned towards Parvos. "Is she really your mother?"

"Yeah...?"

"...Of course." Undyne groaned while pinching her forehead.

Of all the days they felt they'd be away from home for a while, this day already felt like it would be the longest, from sheer headaches.

This was going to be a great expedition.

Hey look, Parvos' Mommy has come to visit! She's the contact that's gonna help our gang!

..Though she doesn't seem the most...qualified, at first glance, does she? The family resemblance will make itself known soon, and so will the adventure that will take quite a bit of time.

Taking action will bring trouble. Not taking action will bring worse, more gradual trouble. The choice was difficult, but it'll need to be done. Standing alone is no longer gonna work. Time to band together.

Asriel: Though how this entire thing will go as planned...

Chara: That remains to be seen.

Frisk:...Parvos' mom sure is beautiful.

*Double Facepalm, double groan*

Flowey: How did we know he was gonna say that? Oh right, because he's Frisk...

Until next time.