Dreemurr Chronicles: Our New Era

by Ben10Extreme

"My name is Asriel Dreemurr. Six years have passed, and we made it to the Surface. But the world around us is much more dangerous and complex than we initially thought. To reach true reconcilation between Humans and Monsters, we need to help improve the hurt world around us. It will be a difficult struggle for me and my loved ones...but it will all be worth it in the end."

76. The Ebott Alliance

See that word count? Count that as a reason for taking so long.

And that's also because from this chapter forwards, for our heroes, and for many more, everything changes. MAJORLY, I might add. More than expected. Views, perspectives, goals and all. In fact, I might have overdone it a bit...I may be a bit too invested in this world I'm building up...

It might not be the best. I haven't even gotten everything I wanted to fit into it since this chapter is already proving to be the most monstrous of all up to this point, but I needed to cut it off SOMEWHERE, and splitting it didn't seem right to me. I'll gracefully take any cons it might generate.

Hopefully you readers don't find it too daunting.

Chapter Start!

---

Parvos was staring out from a cliff with his paws in his pockets, the wind blowing against his fur. There was a lot on his mind. Ever since the battles, ever since the talks, ever since...the camadarie he felt from those he once considered his enemies...and now having faced his past and mostly gotten over it for the most part, even with his mother and aunt back in his life...his mind was still at an impasse.

He grew to enjoy being a bad kitty, and now he expected himself to be a good one? That was really messing with his head. It didn't help that even the canines have been much nicer than he expected him to be, or being taken in by his new Captain, Undyne, who surely liked him least of all.

It was just a baffling experience for him. And he had to ask himself...why?

"You seriously still sitting around here?" Parvos blinked and turned at the sight of Undyne and Shamir, the former impatiently tapping her boot on the ground. "No time to be sitting on your ass, Parvos! Everyone's meeting up, it's time to go!"

"...Tell me, Warden. Why did you accept me?"

"...You're seriously doing this shit NOW?" The serious look on his face was answer enough. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Because. You're a foulmouthed, annoying, troublemaking, disrespectful, and outright chaotic cat that finds a laugh out of actually causing people pain."

"...Yikes...no holding back, huh...?" He chose not to bring up that Undyne was FAR more crass than a lady like her should be.

"...So of course I was gonna take you in, you dumbass. Even if your Mom and Aunt hadn't turned up, I still would have done it. You're a chaotic piece of work that has a chance to do some good if left in the hands of a proper guide...just like Asgore did for me." Undyne said quietly. "If I had let you loose without even trying, if you end up becoming WORSE than you used to be, and I had a chance to stop it but didn't, the resulting damage would be MY fault, MY inaction that got good people hurt. There's no way I would allow that."

Parvos scoffed. "You'd seriously go so far to keeo akeeo a promise you made to my dying father...seems like a lot of wasted effort."

"If I didn't, who would?" Undyne asked while folding her arms under her chest. That gave Parvos significant pause, even wiping his smile off. "Exactly. I dislike you, Parvos. You piss me off greatly. But dammit, you're my comrade now, with your mother and aunt's blessings. As such, I'm gonna turn your ass into a respectable warrior, and you're gonna like it. Are we understood?!"

...Behind those two bountiful mounds of fish flesh, beats a heart that's far too big for her own good. Parvos thought. Acknowledging Undyne and her seriousness, he smirked and nodded. "Crystal Clear, Warden."

"Good. Let's go before we're late." Undyne huffed as she snd Shamir turned to leave. "Oh, before I forget." Undyne briefly turned back to Parvos and flashed her signature grin towards him. "You did good work, Parvos. The next batch of coffee milk is on me when we get home. Keep it up and keep pushing on!"

Parvos blinked owlishly as the fish woman continued her jog back to the rest of the group towards the rendevous point. There were many things he expected her to say, with heavy derivation being the top subject. He did NOT expect genuine praise, and a reward of one of his favorite things and an incentive to keep doing even better.

Dear Mental Me. At some point in time, I thought I had women in combative authority figured out, having discovered all their predictable little quirks...

...Then life threw an Undyne at me.

---

Alvina was at the docks with Gaster and Adam. They were waiting patiently for the expedition team to return in full. Alvina in particular was wondering who and what they would come back with. Obviously there would be quite a bit of danger to be had when it came to visit g lands they had little information about. The fact that they were willing to brave them for the sake of a potent improvement in their situation was nothing short of admirable...and reckless.

Reckless seemed to be the better word for it in the long-run, though she supposed it might pay off in a little bit. A lot of risk carried upon this expedition, and one couldn't gain anything without risking themselves in the process. And there was surely a lot of risk involved regarding this expedition.

After a long period of intense waiting, they would see the first visible boat coming towards them from the horizon. It was quite a good thing that they had a lot of space across the docks, or else there would be quite a difficult time trying to fit everyone on it. She wondered which division would return f-

"HEEELLL YEEEAAAH! FIRST ONES BACK! VICTORY!"

Ah. Undyne. That answers that question.

Undyne, who was clearly seen on the railing of the boat, LEAPED from over said railing and landed feet first onto the docks, with Alphys tucked under her arm. She was grinning like a madwoman...so it seems that she was alright.

"Haha! FEET FIRST! CONFIRMED! FUHUHUHU!~"

"I'm so dizzy..." Alphys warbled with rolling eyes.

"Undyne...what in blazes..." Toriel grumbled while gently facepalming.

"to be fair...we really should have seen that coming." Sans sighed while the boat was slowly coming closer and closer into view. As it did, three new figures would make themselves visible. Cleo was in the forefront, her slimness having returned, with Levi and Valerie right by her sides. She seemed particularly fascinated by seeing Ebott City for herself.

"My oh my! Would you get a look at this place! And this is just the docks!"

"It would seem that our journey has led us to quite a comfy city." Levi smiled.

"It's much more expansive than I expected..." Valerie wondered with a paw covering her eyes, though it did nothing to hide her smile.

Oh...oh they really did bring company back. And one of them is...is... Alvina's thoughts were rather scrambled for the moment as her eyes laid upon Cleo. A serpentine monster of the cobra variety, and she couldn't help but notice...well...

What the hell?! She's gorgeous!

Not too soon after that boat's arrival, the second boat soon arrived at a speedy pace. Alvina was somehow able to force herself to tear her eyes away from Cleo so she could pay attention to the second boat set to arrive. This one was River Person's, which explained why it was going so fast despite it's massive size. Though she wondered why they needed such a massive boat in the first place. Even if she did see Frisk, Asriel, Chara, Asgore, a girl next to Frisk with fox ears and a tail, and the large fox with nine waving tails...

...What.

"Woah! This is where you guys live?!" Faryn beamed cheerily, gazing outwards towards Ebott City, with Frisk right next to her, their hair flowing about in the wind, including the single bushy tail swaying excitedly behind Faryn. "Look at how biggy those buildings are! Look at all those people! Frisk, you seriously live here?!"

"Yeah! I told you I lived in a pretty good place!" Frisk laughed alongside her.

"Ah. So this is Ebott." Tamotsu huffed whole staring at the incoming city as the boat finished pulling up. It was strange. But due to appearing so large at the moment, while most others were mostly of relatively normal size aside from Asgore, Toriel, and Cleo. He didn't know how he felt about it. Except that he DID feel...slightly self-conscious. It's rather fortunate I've learned to filter out background noise...there's quite a lot of it.

"I see that we've got ourselves quite an interesting level of attendance." Gaster said rather stoically, while Alvina was still trying to make sense of it all...before instantly realizing that might not be the best idea at the moment. It might be better to take it at face value and allow them to explain what happened.

The Dreemurr Brothers all jumped out of their boat at the same time, with Faryn gracefully following after them. Asriel raised his head and scratched the back of his head. "Well well then...here we are, back home at long last. It's been quite a while since we've been home. It feels like three days went by without a hitch. Yet at the same time, it feels like forever..."

"Expeditions tend to feel like that, Az." Chara hummed while scratching his head. "Things kinda quieted down after that...guess they were too afraid to seriously do any challenging at that point. Pretty good thing, too. Any more of those jerks and I was going to get annoyed."

"I don't think annoyance would have been the biggest issue..." Frisk deadpanned slightly. As he caught sight of Toriel, he smiled as he and Asrieo moved up and hugged her simultaneously. "Mom! Good to see you again!~"

"Hello, my sons. I have missed you all as well." Toriel hummed while gingerly kissing each of their heads.

"Oh my goodness, just look at what we have here!" Cleo beamed brightly at the sight of the Dreemurr Trio. "Toriel, why didn't you tell me that your sons were so cute?! My my, what an honor! My name is Cleo!~"

Frisk smiled brightly. Chara blinked, and frowned. "I know what you're thinking, Frisk. Don't you d-"

"And look what we have here! I've been graced with the presence of such a majestic, serpentine beauty! You surely MUST be the Queen of Surripio, Lady Cleo!" Frisk beamed as he hopped forward with a bow. "Frisk Dreemurr, at your friendly service! And I assure you, the honor is all mine!"

"Damn it, Frisk! Don't start this!"

"EXCUSE me, Chara, for practicing proper manners." Frisk said with a pout. "EVERYONE knows that when you're graced with the presence of a beautiful queen, you must ALWAYS be polite and sincere!" Chara was grumpily frustrated by this, because he knew Frisk truly was being completely sincere with his compliments. Frisk returned his attention Cleo. "Forgive my grumpy bear of a brother. He can be rather crude sometimes.~"

This 'grumpy bear' is gonna punch you in your stupid face in a hot second! Chara mentally seethed.

Ah. Sibling banter. They must be close.~ Unfortunately for Chara, Cleo caught on quickly, and was more than willing to play along. "Oh, no no! No need for you to bow, young Frisk! I'm simply surprised that Toriel was raising such an adorable and polite prince!" She cooed while slithering close to him and leaning close to him. "And you have charm to you as well! Are you trying to woo me? Are you perhaps a snake charmer?~"

"Not at all! I'M the one who's charmed!" Frisk shook his head. "M'lady, in the short time we've met each other, there's quite a few things I gratefully see of you. Cleo the Cherished! Cleo the Charismatic! Cleo the Captivating!~"

"Sssssahahaha! Frisk! Two minutes in and you're already proving to be SUCH a pleasant delight!~" Cleo couldn't help herself. She would quite cheerily lift Frisk up to her level with little effort and plant a friendly smooch on his cheek. He giggled from it, which had his heterochromatic eyes open a bit. Cleo gasped. "My oh my, what lovely eyes you have, Frisk! Blue Sapphire and Bright Golden! Both are so sparkly!"

"Can I say the same for your own beautiful golden diamonds for eyes?~" Frisk compliments sincerely, smiling due to the visible kiss mark on his cheek. Cleo chuckled and this time settled for cuddling Frisk to her bosom. He laughed a bit while nuzzling her. "Cleo the Cuddly!" He muffled.

"There's no doubting it, you ARE a snake charmer! Sssssahahaha!~"

With Cleo very quickly warming up to Frisk due to his many charming compliments, Muffet and Red took the time to catch up to Chara and Asriel respectively. Seeing him still seething a bit, Muffet smiled as she sneaked up to him and playfully bumped his side with her hips. "Chara-Dearie.~"

"O-Oh. Muffet, hey." Chara snapped out of it, once again surprised from the forwardness, and didn't reject when she then proceeded to wrap her arms around him and kiss his cheek. "Good to see you're alright. How was your expedition?"

"Quite well, quite well! Formed an interesting connection with quite a few interesting friends! One includes the new Queen, and the other being the Princess. Well, NOW she's the Princess. Princess of Surripio, and a mob!~"

"Hello there. Muffet speaks very fondly of you, Chara." Valerie waved with a graceful bow.

"We saved the latter's life from a very close call." Red said as she lightly moved close to Asriel and nuzzled his cheek, closing her eyes. She was too embarrassed to say it aloud, but she missed his scent. Going without it for three days straight, she now turned to it for comfort.

"Oh, is that so?" Chara blinked. "...Wait, did you say mob? Damn it Muffet, did you con money from mobsters?!" He honestly wouldn't have been too surprised, even if it wasn't true.

"Nope! We genuinely clicked! Turns out, me and Cleo share some similar values.~" Chara was briefly confused by this, but soon pieced it together via the predatory smile on her face.

"...No. No you didn't. There is NO way that yo-" Chara paused. Then he groaned and facepalmed, shaking his head. "What am I saying? It's you I'm talking to. Of course you did."

Of course, the two main leaders of the divided expedition, Asgore and Toriel, managed to find each other right away. Without missing a beat, the two of them embraced each other with a warm and cuddly hug.

"Tori...oh how I missed you so much."

"Likewise, Gorey. I do hope you had a safe and sound expedition with the boys."

"Indeed I did. I hope the same went for you."

"Nahaha! There he is!" Levi beamed while moving over to them and readily shaking Asgore's paw. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Don Asgore!"

"...Don?"

"It's a strange story..." Toriel sweatdropped.

Elvira hummed as she hopped off the boat as well, tipping her hat a bit as she was face to face with her sister Eloise. "My my, what a crowd we have here.~"

"Indeed. We're taking up quite a bit of space on these docks. We might want to relocate so that we have more space to speak, and just have more breathing room in general." Eloise nodded. In all honesty, she was just glad-surprised, but glad-that they actually managed to pull through this with astounding success. Seeking the Dreemurrs for help seemed to be the correct course of action after all.

"ALRIGHT! Alright everyone." Alvina clapped aloud, attempting to get everyone's attention. Tbough once she did, she felt rather awkward and self-conscious. "Um...hello. Hi. Welcome to Ebott, old and new arrivals. My name is uh...Alvina."

"Ah. Are you the master of this city, Alvina?" Tamotsu asked, lightly leaning close to her.

"Uh...I don't believe so...I'm more of a mayor...don't think they're exactly considered 'master' of the place...um...I take rather good care of it though!"

"Hm."

"Alright then! Everyone, where are we going to do this? I haven't...uh...exactly made preparations for it, not really knowing where you'd like to hold it. So, um...any ideas?"

Asriel blinked, then rubbed his chin and closed his eyes for a time while humming to himself. After some reflection, his eyes reopened, and he looked up. "Alvina, would you be alright with letting us use your conference room?"

"Oh yeah, I barely use that room! Sure thing!"

"Good, so that's taken care of. Now we oughta-" Chara began while looking towards Frisk...then soon sighed as he saw what he was doing. He and Cleo have dispensed with the cuddles for the moment and decided that wiggling like snakes was the most productive way to spend their time. "Frisk...what are you doing? We're in the middle of something serious, and you're just doing...THAT."

"Wiggling is more fun than it looks.~" Frisk beamed.

"You should try it. It's rather relaxing for me and alluring for others.~" Cleo hummed with her arms raised, her tail waving, paired with a hypnotic sway of her hips...Levi found it rather distracting.

"We don't have time f-what are YOU doing?!" Chara shouted at Faryn, who also decided that wiggling looked like fun, and didnt want to be left out, wiggling her body, ears and tail and all.

"This IS fun!~"

"But you're a Princess! You have a very significant part in this! Get serious!" He turned around again...and noticed that nearly everyone else has dropped the subject at the moment to simply begin wiggling like snakes. Chara couldn't believe his eyes. "Damn it, Frisk! Do you see what you've started?! Is this your way of breaking the ice?!"

"I've started a wiggle dance!~"

Chara facepalmed, as did Red, the only other person who didn't join in.

YES! WIGGLING! WHAT A MEANINGFUL USE OF OUR TIME!

---

Alvina was understandably surprised that the conference room she rarely used was actually completely spotless. She was sure that-NOT due to her own negligence that she refused to admit-that the place was completely and utterly filthy. Like, she would go in every once in a while just to see what was up, but would quickly leave and mentally vow never to go inside again unless it was vital. And give how important today was, she was prepared for the worst.

She did NOT expect to come to a shiny, squeaky clean conference room.

"TeM paY fOR seRvICe cLeAN!" Temmie vibrated while gleefully setting some gold atop Woshua's head, who happily waddles away looking proud of a job well done. "TEm thanKS yoU foR yoR SErvIcE!~"

"Temmie...you had Woshua scrub this conference room down while I was out? Did you make some calls for that to happen?" Alvina questioned. Temmie's response was to simply hum and vibrate some more while saluting her boss with little care in the world than her praise. Alvina couldn't help but comply, patting her head with a wide smile. "Have I ever told you how much I love the fact that you're my secretary, and that I'm super happy that I hired you?~"

"MaNY a TimE!~"

"Well I should do so more often. I am SO glad that I hired you!"

"I must concur. This room is rather well put together and set up." Cleo hummed as she slithered around the large circular table in the middle, with Levi and Valerie closely following behind. Eloise and Elvira also looked for a viable seat around the table.

...Unfortunately for poor Tamotsu, he was much too large to fit in the room, much less the building without seriously breaking anything. So it was with a rather awkward sigh that he'd wait outside, where the windows of the room were, and they were all opened so he could hear. He had to conjure a smaller lookalike of himself in one of the seats to properly take part in the meeting.

As he was seated as well, Asgore and Toriel took their own seats, while the others gathered around them. It appeared that many of them would be hanging back and giving their own occasional comment from time to time, with Gerson and Undyne upfront as the main advisors. Jack O'Frost and Shamir would be by Elvira and Eloise's sides. Scythe and Dynamo by Levi and Cleo's sides. And Nikon and Augustine by Tamotsu's sides, to the latter's hesitation.

It was silent for a while, with the likes of major young figures like Asriel, Frisk, Chara Faryn, Parvos, and Valerie were watching and listening with intense focus. Well...mostly intense. Faryn simply had her legs crossed with a expectant look in her eyes, looking straight forward. It appeared she was being serious right now, but one thing was currently on her mind.

I wonder if we get snack breaks...

"Faryn." Tamotsu, mostly unsurprised, gently bopped her upside the head, making her blink and shake her head slightly.

"I-I'm listening, I'm listening! I wasn't thinking about food at all!" Faryn feebly denied.

"Well then, it looks like you two broke the ice for us. Good on you." Levi chuckled "Now then, let's get down to business. First off, we'd like to thank you all for your help regarding each of us. We know just how risky it was for all of you to stick your necks so far out for fools like us."

"Fools? My good man, we don't see you as fools at all." Gerson shook his head. "With everything that's happened, what you were going through and putting yourselves through is understandable."

"Still, we should have been able to do much more than we actually accomplished or even bothered to do." Eloise said, her eyes filled with regret. "I realize we are not one for one to blame for our lack of progress...but everything seemed to have been against us at the time. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't make a dent anywhere in our problems. And in due time, due to forces within and without our control, we started to blame each other for our problems."

"For goodness sake, we were helpless as we were since we weren't really ruling Surripio like we are now. We cursed our apparent helplessness. We curse that weren't able to do more to improve things. We were too worried about ourselves due to too many bad experiences towards ourselves, and those we deeply hold dear." Levi snarled.

"Alright, this is good. This is very good." Asgore pointed out with a small smile, in an attempt at levity. "We can further break the ice by talking of what we have in common. That'll be nice, wouldn't it?" He hummed while looking to Tamotsu and Levi with lowered eyes. "Gentlemen."

Tamotsu and Levi soon looked at each other, then their respective daughters Faryn and Valerie. After a moment, they both sighed. This was especially uncomfortable for the likes of Tamotsu. But having already opened up his heart to Asgore's group, it didn't feel quite right to abstain from felling others if it would help everyone in the long run. With a heavy heart-wnd realizing that Colriss might have wanted something like this-he spoke up.

"My daughter was five years old when she and my late wife Corliss were attacked by members of the former's old cabal. In defending Faryn, she gave her life for her, and also gave her her soul. I will personally never know the full thought-process she had in making that decision, because her consciousness within the soul was no more. Though over the years, it's very clear that Faryn has adjusted better after her death than I did in the long run. I will freely admit to still being quite bitter and agonized over it. But I must keep tending to the future. The future I intend to cultivate for my Kingdom, and for my daughter."

"Ah..." Levi nodded. "My daughter's ordeal isn't much different. At five years old had been captured and set up for ransom...though the power of greed was greatly underestimated. In their mob war to reclaim her, three big time mobs at the time wiped each other out. Valerie was at ground zero, shaking and crying from all the dust and blood around her, even though she herself was mostly unharmed. Regardless, I was not going to let that slide. They deliberately targeted my daughter and put her right in the center of all of that pointless death. Needless to say, I soon lived up to my moniker Leviathan and completely wiped out the remaining stragglers. With Cleo personally dealing with their bosses."

"They did anger me quite fierce with their stunt...but I did choose to 'forgive' them." Cleo grinned darkly. "...Though it seems you and Tamotsu have something significant to connect over. Your daughters being significantly traumatized at the sweet age of five because of the malevolence of others. And then brought nigh-unstoppable retribution upon the offenders. Only major difference is that one of them had to keep going without both of their parents, which is deeply saddening." Cleo turned to Asgore and Toriel. "I'm not mistaken in believing that you're own children have been deeply traumatized at a young age via the malevolence of others?"

"That...that is right." Toriel admitted with slight hesitance, which got a dark chuckle from Elvira.

"Well then, this is a rather unfortunate way to connect with one another. The fact that ourselves and most of our kids have been deeply traumatized in ways that left them unable to see the world the same way ever again."

"That...is also unfortunately true..." Toriel frowned. "What has happened to the world in our absence...? Why are things the way they are, to cause such things to happen? There's been much more strife than we ever expected to see on the Surface..."

"Ya REALLY wanna know? Ever since the Monster-Human War...things just kept getting worse. We have no idea how the hell that domino effect even got started, but ever since that war the world just kept going further and further to shit." Elvira scoffed. "I mean, one of the greatest silver linings over the years is that monsters have brought themselves from the brink of endangerment. There are now lots of us again. Not as much as humans still, but enough to be noticable. And Nikon has informed you of this when you first met?"

"I have." Nikon nodded. She still couldn't believe that she got a chance to see Toriel again, either. Of all the blessings she received, alongside seeing the royal family themselves, this was an unexpected treat.

"Which unfortunately leads us to the negatives of such relieving news." Eloise sighed sadly. "While it is true that we are happy that monsters have regained their prominence over the years, it's been made clear that they had no chance of surviving further unless they push past their natural limits. So that's exactly what they did. After all, if humans can adapt to their conditions, why can't monsters? And to adapt to the cruel reality that humans have now placed them in, they needed to be stronger. Improving magic, Magic Awakenings, sticking together...all of these were available options in order to overcome our previous limitations. We are around as strong as humans overall. But while they will still be more physically durable than us in a sense, that gap is MUCH more narrow now. And while many humans have awakened their own magic, a monster's proficiency with it will still be slightly superior since they live and breathe magic. A curious contrast."

"But as time went by, many monsters have succumbed to the negativity of the world." Tamotsu muttered. "Many have slowly begun to become selfish, cruel, ruthless. They believed it was the only way to survive. In order to survive, they had to become much more ruthless than they ever thought was possible. Some are genuinely well-intentioned, if extreme; and some just wanted revenge against humanity. Other monsters disagreed with the latter, wanting to focus on protecting their loved ones. Thus, not only was there immense infighting from humans, but from monsters as well. Soon enough, it wasn't just human vs monsters anymore. It was human vs human, monster vs monster, anything it took to come out of their pits of despair and come out on top, so that no one could hurt them or look down on them again...or they simply want to protect what's important to them. Motivations vary, but most of the results are the same; the world itself has been deeply scarred by such a complex clash of power, magic, motivation, and raw emotion."

"And compromise for peace slowly became more and more difficult." Levi hummed. "Some refuse out of fear of more betrayal. Some genuinely wanted to work things out, but face so many staggering obstacles. And another party is obviously not caring about any of that and is just trying to manipulate the conflicts as they see fit. We are well aware of the cold cruelty that humanity is capable of exhibiting...but we also aren't ignorant to monsters being more than capable of living up to our name."

Alphys swallowed slightly, recalling her bout with Jack O'Ripper. She adjusted her classes. "So...our historical records in the Underground...of the remaining monsters being in the Underground was..."

"Most likely outdated with slight bits of fabrication. Given the circumstances, Asgore and Toriel couldn't have possibly known that there were more survivors out there in the world. As far as everyone Underground knew, they were all that's left. But out there, on the Surface in different lands, many were left, pulling themselves up from endangerment over the years, surviving, and doing whatever they can to thrive." Gaster said. "...However, it seems that the darkness of the world has gotten hold of a lot of them. It went from simply trying to survive, to gaining as much power as possible to overcome anything and everything that comes their way..as you can probably tell by your recent experiences, this is not a completely good thing."

Undyne folded her arms. "So lemme get this straight. We've been under the pretense that monsters in the Underground were the only monsters left, period. But years after we finally get outta there, we discover that monsters are still out and kicking? I mean, that part is great and all, but now we also know that many of them have turned on each other over the years and have been infighting as much as the humans when it came to trying to do what they want." She snarled while rubbing a hand through her hair. "Damn it...just...damn it. How did things get to this point? How the hell did this even happen? Many of the things we know are either missing a LOT of information or were just extremely outdated. We had a seriously rough time in the Underground, but compared to what's been happening on the Surface..."

"Y-Yeah. Things have been pretty messy..." Jack O'Frost muttered. "Things could be worse though! Dunno how...just saying that it could..."

"Luckily that is not the case...but only barely." Eloise sighed.

"Which reaches into our next topic...what are we going to do about it?" Gerson pipes up, tapping his cane on the ground. "You whippersnappers know as well as I do that this ain't the end. If anything, the truly difficult challenges are just over the horizon, and are gradually closing in."

"Gerson is right. When it comes to personal problems, we have no idea what the other continents and the Kingdoms as a whole are going through, or why. But what we CAN be certain of...is this..." Eloise gestured to herself and Elvira, to Levi and Cleo, to Tamotsu, and to Asgore and Toriel. "What we're doing right now is unprecedented. All of the infighting and overall ignoring each others situations still mostly goes on withing he other continents. Scelus is the first continent in years to have all of their major leaders sit down and actually talk things out. This is not going to stay quiet even if we wanted it to."

"Which is why we must prepare while we can. What we're doing here is a dangerous affront to the world's status quo. It is more likely to not be entirely well-recieved" Tamotsu sighed. "So...what shall we do?"

It was a curious question indeed. Now that they were all together and acknowledged each other's faults, things were only going to get more difficult from here on out. They all knew this. And admittedly, it terrified them a little at how monumental their future enemies would be. So much that they truly do not know how to proceed onward.

...That is, until Undyne stepped up again.

"We do what we have come to you all for. We all come together on a much larger scale."

"Undyne...are you suggesting...?" Eloise blinked.

"Yeah. Not gonna lie, I talked a big game at first, but eventually shut myself up when I realized that trying to stand against possible enemies so monumental without good and reliable support is gonna get us crushed. Which is why our best bet at getting through what's to come is to pull ourselves together in order to form a more cohesive coalition."

"I see. That does sound promising. But are we sure that it can work?" Levi asked.

"The very fact that you all came willingly is evidence enough that there's a pretty damn good chance of success. We have things in common, things we can bond over, to help each other protect. That's going to be one of the biggest reasons why we can make this work. We can understand each other." She quickly turned to Tamotsu. "For instance..."

"Hm?"

"I was a lot like you. Humans really didn't sit well with me for a long time, because they condemned everyone I love to the Underground. We all just wanted to see the sun again, and the fact that we've been denied this for seemingly no reason made us furious." Undyne sighed. "But then...Frisk came into my life. He was living proof that not all humans were as bad as our propaganda lead us to believe. Needless to say we took the six year break needed to both train and tear those beliefs down. Cooperation between us has a serious chance of succeeding again." She nodded. "And you hated humanity too. They've done you plenty of wrongs. And yet somehow, somewhat, a human woman wormed into your life and got you to care for her, to love her. Just like I don't regret being Frisk's friend, you don't regret loving Corliss. After all, that love gave you Faryn."

Tamotsu slowly gazed towards Faryn, who simply looked back with a bright smile and wagging tail. It was true. The loss of Corliss would always hurt him deeply, but he still had Faryn. And what's more, from Faryn's birth onwards, humans and monsters within Astus got along better than ever, and even more after their new Queen's death. They knew that getting along was what she would have wanted for them. They became stronger because of it, for her as well as themselves, and cooperated together. Hence why despite it all, Astus was the most powerful of the three Kingdoms of Scelus.

Cooperation made them stronger...made them closer. Because they understood each other.

"I see what you mean, Undyne the Undying." Tamotsu hummed. "A coalition between the Kingdoms may be best, given how our chances standing alone are not very great in the slightest. Standing together has a much better chance of success."

"Ah. I see. Mutual friendship, mutual benefit, mutual protection. Seems like a pretty good reason to stick together rather than apart." Elvira grinned. "That's the grand difference between Scelus and the rest of the continents. We KNOW how shitty we are and acknowledge that we have problems, so we're more willing to pull together and do whatever we can to fix ourselves up. The others are still too busy infighting, with the bigger heads attempting to stamp some of us out for being annoying. The good ones are trying their best, but it's quite difficult."

"My word..." Asgore frowned grimly.

"It's not like all the Kingdoms-or the people within them-are inherently bad. Some of them are actually quite prosperous." Cleo interjected. "It's just that...things are complex where they are. Some either genuinely believe they don't have a problem, or KNOW they have a problem but keep it under the rug to avoid dealing with it, or simply don't have the power or influence to do anything meaningful to rectify them. Predictably, those situations can be manipulated by less than ideal individuals. That is why complete peaceful cooperation between them will be all but impossible if things remain the way they are. So many variables ruin their opportunities, genuinely malevolent or not, human or monster. That is what our world has come to."

"And because of their inability-or refusal-to acknowledge and/or amend these things, situations that arise either escape their notice or are ignored entirely...hence the destruction of Seloms Archipelago is likely to go unpunished." Toriel said solemnly.

"Like hell it won't..." Undyne snarled.

"I seem to recall that Nikon told us that whoever the offender was is from Potestas." Asriel pointed out with a sigh. "We have no idea from who, though. I think it might be important to figure that out as soon as we can. I...really don't think Mom and Undyne are going to let it go." He lifted his head. "And to be quite honest...I don't want whoever's responsible getting away with it either."

"Neither do I." Frisk nodded quietly.

"That is another thing." Asgore pointed out, regarding Asriel and Frisk. "Being stronger together is a benefit I'm willing to partake in, but we must remember to keep improving our own strengths, lest we risk dragging each other down by becoming complacent. Hence how Asriel and Frisk were able to defeat two of Ratoveros lieutenants respectively, on their own. A powerful mammoth monster and an experienced elder mage. They were both hurt quite a bit, but they managed to achieve victory."

"They were seriously hurt...?" Toriel narrowed her eyes at this. Very lucky that Elbio and Silas were mostly locked up, lest Toriel come to them and have them experience her wrath. Elbio might get off a bit easy due to genuine remorse and willingness to change. Silas would be significantly less lucky. She sighed, however, and let it go. "At least you boys are alright now. And ..Frisk truly did take down the latter on his own?"

"Wait a minute? Asriel kicked the ass of some huge mammoth dude?! And Frisk kicked an experienced mage lieutenant's ass on his own?! Oh my GOD, that's amazing!" Undyne cackled gleefully, even going as far as running over to Asriel and Frisk, clapping their backs. "That's my student alright! And good job for you too, Frisk!"

"Hehe...thank you, Undyne." Asriel smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah. Everything was a bit crazy over there...but I was able to repel an opponent on my own this time. Faryn could have easily jumped in to help me, but she and the others trusted that I could handle it...and I proved them right to do so." Frisk hummed.

Toriel could see where Frisk was going with this, and nodded while turning towards the others. "Which brings us to a very important element that needs to be laid out before going forward, and the factor we dearly need if any of our goals, dreams, and ambitions are to come to fruition...trust." She allowed the word to linger a bit so that it's significance would be made known. "Trust is a very integral part of any relationship, any bond. A bond can consist of respect, friendship, and/or even love and are each very powerful feelings...but trust is more often than not THE key factor in keeping those bonds strong and durable, or even giving birth to them in the first place."

"It is quite an important thing to note that this may have played a hand in why the war happened in the first place." Asgore hummed sadly. "We lived in harmony, ruled the lands together. But then humans became aware of monsters' ability to absorb human souls. I will not say that their fears were unjustified. And although there were likely other factors as well, it was that exact fear-thus a lack of trust in us-that proved to be significant for the war starting. While the circumstances are drastically different in the present, the one fact remains: the long-term consequences for that lack of trust proved to be severe."

"Hence why a lack of/or breaking of trust is so quick to lead to the destruction of whatever it was helping build." Toriel nodded. "I do believe you see what we're saying at this point."

"Ssshahaha, I see. If our Kingdoms are gonna band together against the odds, we gotta learn to trust each other, right?" Cleo chuckled. "I can't tell you how funny that is. Not because I'm against the idea. But...look at us. Among us we've got a fox, couple cats, and a snake. We don't exactly have the kind of looks that inspire trust. Ya know...tricky foxes. Mischeivous misfortune causing cat. Beautiful snake who could turn her fangs on you when your guard is down. All we're saying is...you're putting a lot of faith in people you've only met fairly recently."

Gerson rubbed his chin. "That is quite a mysterious thing, isn't it?"

"...You lot have braved territories you were highly unfamiliar with...just to gain our trust." Tamotsu said with a deep exhale. "Some of you entrusted your safety to me, and I entrusted my daughter's safety to you. We've placed each other's lives in the others hands and fought together. You placed great faith in my cooperation."

"The same goes our own territory, braving obstacles and enemies simply to earn our cooperation." Levi said with a nod. "And beyond that, two of you, those girls Red and Muffet, saved our daughter's life. We would have to be the worst kind of scum to not repay a kindness like that."

"And you also spared my nephew's life, and offered him the opportunity to turn it around, despite all the grief he caused you." Eloise smiled kindly.

"It was incredibly kind of you. My son's quite a handful." Elvira smirked.

"We wouldn't have gone on the expedition as soon or as accurately if you didn't reach out to us in the first place, or we didn't decide to listen to you after confirming yourself as Parvos' mom." Chara points out. "That involved quite a bit of faith from both sides. You trusted that we would heed you, and we would bring results. We trusted that you were telling the truth and really wanted to help."

"A massive gamble with trust being the main instrument towards victory. And this is from someone who's magic mostly gears towards misfortune. Luckily my sister's magic is good fortune, but you could at least understand how worried I was about it." Elvira nodded.

"It's a good thing we put those concerns to rest, then." Asriel continued. "We can protect you. You can protect us. We can all protect each other so that no one takes any of us down. And the most critical element in a successful and powerful bond like that...is trust. So...are you willing to trust and believe in each other? In us? Like we all do in you? At least help build the trust between us?"

"...You...you truly believe in us that much?" Eloise said thoughtfully.

"Trusting and believing in each of you was done out of our own volition. It falls upon you all to prove if that was the right thing to do or not. And we would like to believe that you won't let us regret it." Asgore declared.

The leaders all looked each other in the eye. The following silence was tense; Tamotsu's tails swayed silently, Elvira and Eloise felt like they themselves were having a mental conversation, and Cleo was hissing softly while looking at Levi, who shrugged quietly. Valerie looked thoughtfuo as well, Parvos looked to be rather interested in the conclusion, and Faryn...was hungry. No one rushed anyone, but it was quite clear that the lack of sound made everyonr a bit uneasy. Eventually, however, they broke their sikence with a nod of agreement.

"It appears we're all thinking the same thing." Eloise stated.

"Indeed. We have reached a unanimous decision then?" Levi nodded.

"We have." Tanotsu hummed while turning to Asgore and Toriel. "We wish to repay you for ehat you've done for us, helping to fight for our sakes, and having the utmost faith and trust in us at the drastic risk of your own safety in the long-run. We will agree to your suggestion of forming an alliance with one another. For mutual benefit, mutual protection, born from mutual trust."

"...It comes with a major condition, though." Cleo inputted, immediately filling the others with worry. Though that worry soon turned to shock when Elvira continued the chain:

"We would like to elect Asgore and Toriel as our High King and Queen." She finished with a smirk, greatly enjoying the baffled looks on the Dreemurr Couple's faces.

"Whaaaa?!"

"Pardon?!"

"Wait...would that make Asriel and Chara High Princes? Grand Princes? Frisk too? As well as being a High/Grand Ambassador? Are those actual things?" Faryn asked curiously, one of the few who were completely unsurprised. As usual, she had the real questions.

"H-Hold on! Time out!" Asriel sputtered wirh his paws out in front of him. "I'm glad that you agreed to work together and stuff...b-but is the whole High King and Queen thing really necessary?!"

"And what is this stuff about me and Frisk being Princes?! We're not...!" Chara began.

"Chara and Frisk are both sworn brothers to each other, as well as the Prince of all Monsters. The King and Queen took you both in and clearly love you, and you just as clearly love each other." Tamotsu hummed. "Did you not think that means you're both step-princes alongside Asriel?"

"...We...We never thought of it like that. Not seriously, anyway..." Chara muttered while lowering his head a bit. Frisk was more surprised than outright shocked. Asriel himself was still trying to process this, as well as the 'High King, Queen, and Prince' concept.

"As for the whole 'High' confusion, we indeed want you to take that role. We're officially swearing fealty to you." Eloise nodded. "Asgore and Toriel are the King and Queen of Monsters, after all. And since all three Kingdoms on Scelus are ruled by monsters with chosen reliable human right hands, it only feels right to have them take the lead."

"And before you get all modest and humble about it, just know that we're doing this out of our own volition. Just like you did of your own when you decided to reach out and help us despite great risk to yourselves. To put it cheekily...you'll be outvoted.~" Cleo hissed playfully.

"And besides, given how fondly each Kingdom's citizens are beginning to speak of you already for directly coming to their defense and support, they wouldn't exactly disagree with the notion. They might even be elated, because they'll get to see you more often." Levi smiled.

Asgore and Toriel both looked flabbergasted. It was also very apparent that they have made up their minds about this and would not be dissuaded. Toriel sighed and massasged her temples. "This is one thing we did not account for..."

"And it appears they've made up their minds..." Asgore rubbed the back of hid neck.

"What do we even say about this ..?" Asriel wondered.

Parvos scoffed and scratched the back of his head. "Alright, how about this? Don't think of it as having direct authority over us or the citizens in each Kingdom. They'll still be managing their own Kingdoms so that you lot don't have to worry about every single thing that happens within them. But if something super major comes up, we group up here in Ebott and refer to you. And if any of us are in serious trouble, the others come to their aid however they can." Parvos shrugged. "I mean...that's what allies are for, right?"

"...Do you one better. That is what friends are for." Frisk smiled. "Seeing the monarchs of the Kingdoms becoming tight-knit and supportive of each other will give the citizens of each a sense of reassurance, because they'll all be protecting each other and giving each other reasonable aid. The citizens of each Kingdom can interact peacefully, understand each other, support each other when times are tough or one of them is in trouble, and help each other improve their lives...THAT'S the kind of bond I wanna help establish between Kingdoms."

well well. somebody's steppin' up to the ambassador role. Sans mentally chuckled.

"True true! If all the Kingdoms are friends with each other then we'll be able to handle anything that comes our way! It's exactly why I'm up for exploring! Get a feel for the different places and see if we can learn from each other to improve our lives as well as the citizens!" Faryn beamed while throwing her fists up. "Think of all the amazing experiences we could share together...like the food!~"

"There it is." Chara said sarcastically.

"It's not that bad an idea. I mean, what better way to make an alliance such as this official than with a grand feast?" Frisk said, and Faryn was practically beaming at the sound of it. "Feasts are in celebration of something major, right? I'd say this is pretty major. VERY major. Not to mention it's one of those events where people can really get together and connect while filling their bellies."

"See?! See?! Frisk gets what I'm saying!" Faryn beams while gently glomping Frisk and nuzzling his cheek while wagging her bushy tail. "So about it, Daddy? Can we feast in celebration? Pretty please?~"

"...Bah, what the hell. I'll agree to it this time." Tamotsu shrugged.

"Sweetness!~"

What have I just unleashed...?

Asriel sighed softly while scratching the back of his head. "I...I guess we're having a feast. I mean, there isn't any reason not to. What we're accomplishing here does seem worthy of it..."

Asgore hummed while lifting his head, as did Toriel. "Alright. It seems we have all reached our decisions...making several significant ones in the process...and we are to have a feast directly after this. Is there anything else anyone would like to speak about before ending this meeting?"

"Yup. Hope you get used to being called High King Fluffybuns. Or perhaps Great King Fluffybuns?~" Gerson smirked. Asgore shot him a 'You did NOT!' look as the others rulers began to giggle, chuckle, snort, and laugh.

"Fluffybuns?! You gotta be kidding me! FLUFFYBUNS?! Oh MAN that is perfect!" Elvira cackled, slapping the table with her paw. "I can't breathe, it's too much...!"

"Let it be known that we shall refer to High King Fluffybuns whenever we need him." Eloise chuckled.

"All Hail the Great King Fluffybuns, King of all Fluffy Monsters.~" Cleo smirked.

"A Fluffy Wuffy Monster King! Like Daddy!~" Faryn beamed.

"We shall all be glorified by our High King's Fluffy Greatness." Levi smiled.

"As a fellow Fluffy King, consider myself a strong supporter, Great King Fluffybuns." Tamotsu huffed with a sneaky grin.

"What have I done to deserve this...?" Asgore moaned in his paws as Toriel lightly patted his back while hiding her snickers, with Gerson's 'Wa ha ha!' playfully mocking him.

Good to know that no matter how high Asgore's status was, his best friend Gerson was there to humble him. With or without his consent.

Elvira, recovering from her laughing fit, turned to Alvina, who was sheepishly patting down her skirt once the attention returned to her. "Hey, boss woman of Ebott. This independent city of yours is the neutral ground, the neutral ground between the three Kingdoms that you're in charge in, and the place where they officially united. As such, YOU get to name this little union that is very likely to be etched in it's history."

"M-Me?! You want ME to come up with the names for all of this?! U-Um..." Alvina stuttered, having not expected to be put on the spot in such a manner. "W-Well...um...I ..damn it. Wait wait, I can do this."

"Take your time, Miss Alvina." Cleo hissed playfully.

Alvina blushed brightly while shaking her head. As she did, she came up with several names, and she raised her head and pounded her fist into her palm. "Alright, I got it!" She smiled brightly. I might not got this but I'm gonna try anyway! "How about...The Ebott Conference...The Ebott Alliance...and The Ebott Grand Feast!" As she was saying these things, Temmie was quickly writing and recording these to be made official at a later point.

"Ooh! I'm in full agreement of that last one!" Faryn raised her hand energetically.

"I concur. We might want to hurry. Faryn's getting restless." Tamotsu chuckled quietly with a paw on his cheek.

"I see. It is because such events took place within Ebott, the neutral ground between us where we can meet and discuss certain matters. I suppose that's fair." Levi chuckled. "Quite a lot of people in our respective homes will be quite surprised by this decision. And perhaps a bit happier."

"I agree. Maybe now we can consider this meeting adjourned and entertain this feast event Faryn is so excited for." Eloise smiled.

Asgore and Toriel looked at each other, the towards the others. Seems everyone was satisfied with the final decision, so they sighed and nodded. "Indeed. It appears that this meeting is adjourned."

"So...does that mean...?" Faryn bounced in anticipation.

"Yes, Faryn. We can feast." Tamotsu smiled easily.

"SWEETNESS!~"

---

It was around the later part of the afternoon, not quite evening yet, that everyone has decided to wind down and-much to Princess Faryn's great glee-feast. After such a highly eventful few days finally coming to fruition, it was time for everyone to truly wind down and enjoy their earned respite. As such, many have gathered round and choice to partake in the event.

"WHAT A DAY IT'S BEEN! FOR A MOMENT THERE I WAS A BIT WORRIED FOR A WHILE, BUT THINGS WORKED OUT FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED!" Papyrus beamed while looking outward towards Dynamo, who was quite casually eating what was likely his seventh helping of Papyrus's spaghetti. "DON'T YOU AGREE, DYNAMO? YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE FINALLY BE GETTING A MUCH DESERVED BREAK FROM ALL OF YOUR INTENSE HARDSHIPS. I'M HAPPY FOR YOU!~"

"I thank you for all your kindness and support, friend Papyrus." Dyanmo smiled while chomping through the spaghetti before him. "Never have I imagined for things to change so drastically, especially in this direction. Not that I'm not grateful." Dynamo blinked at his now empty plate, then turned to the lanky skeleton while politely holding it out. "May I have some more?~"

"WHY OF COURSE!~"

"I really don't understand those two." Dyra huffed while gazing at the duo from afar. "My step-brother is gruff, serious and focused. Papyrus is silly, upbeat, and all over the place. How the hell are they getting along so well?"

"my bro is cool like that." Sans chuckled while leaning against the wall. "why? is that unexpected?"

"Indeed it is. Though...I'm not against it, just surprised." Dyra hummed. "...At the very least, I don't have to worry about him making friends anymore." She lowered her head closer to her drink. "M...Maybe with this, I can possibly spend more alone time with Scythe..."

"oh?~"

Dyra realized what she just muttered, and blushed brightly. "N-Nothing! I didn't say anything!"

"whatever keeps the boat floatin'."

"HAHAHAHA! ANOTHER!~" They were cut off and drawn to the sound of a glass cup being slammed back down. Elvira was sitting with a mischievous, drunken grin on her face, complete with a slight blush. "Keep em *hic* comin' boys! Haven't had my fill just yet!~"

"Of course you would take the first true break you get as your chance to drink." Eloise sighed while standing next to her. "You didn't wait too long at all, did you?"

"C'mon, Eloise! I believe that I managed to restrained myself for quite a bit, I think I earned a bit of indulgence." Elvira hiccuped while looking cheerily towards Eloise. "Have a little for yourself, sis. Who knows, you might just enjoy it yourself!"

"I'll stick to milk, thank you." Eloise huffed while folding her arms and turning away. "I'd rather have my coherence fully intact and NOT dulled by wine, thank you."

"...Whoops.~" Elvira nonchalantly grabbed Eloise's frilly skirt and flipped it upwards. The latter gasped as she quickly pushed it back down before it got too high, ignored the 'aws' of disappointment from several male monsters and a few humans, then turned to Elvira with a bright, angry, and embarrassed blush. "Eloise, you have to be more careful! Somebody else sould have fully gone through with it!~"

"You said you wouldn't do that while we're on this trip!"

"I may have had my fingers crossed on that. Your reactions amuse me."

"W-Why you...y-you...insolent, flippant, uncivilized, unsophisicated...ragh! You're just a dummy! A big stupid dummy of a twin sister!"

"There it is.~"

"H-Hush! Just hush!"

"Actually I kinda feel like talking more.~"

"SISTER!"

"Mother of the Year." Parvos clapped sarcastically...though it was also paired with a genuinely warm smile that Shamir was able to catch, but chose not to comment on.

"What a dynamic they have..." Alphys said quietly while sipping a glass of lemonade. "Well at the very least, they're all on our side. That will make things much easier on each other when we're allies and friends...camaraderie all around. That'll...that'll eventually lead to bigger and better things."

"Yeah it will." Undyne hummed while leaning against a wall next to her wife, getting a good look at everyone. "It looks like things are gonna be getting tougher from this point onward. But now that we've got some pretty strong allies on our side, we should be able to handle it. I'll admit that I did NOT expect for things to turn out the way they eventually did, it's still a pretty positive outcomr overall. Don't you think?"

"Yes I do. It was definitely unexpected, but everything we did managed to work out. I...I actually feel pretty proud of all we've accomplished so far." Alphys smiled while looking into her glass. "Sure, things are only going to get more difficult as we keep going forward...but I'd like to think we proved that we could handle it."

"Hell yeah we can. Now..." Undyne leaned down and subtly wrapped her arms around Alphys neck from behind, greatly surprising her. "It's good that you're proud of everyone and all, and I am too. But no one's more proud of you than me. You pulled your weight more than anyone expected, even ME, who had complete faith in you. You personally put the soul trafficking thing in the grave and defeated a major enemy by yourself. You've truly become strong and reliable, Alphys."

"Hehe...thanks."

"In fact, you've done SUCH a good job, and with all the happy energy going around...tonight would be a good night for you to be...rewarded.~" Alphys had no idea what she meant for a moment, until she recognized the seductive purr in her wife's voice and the fact that she leaned closer to her ear while doing so. It didn't take much to understand her intentions, and it put Alphys in a rather...interesting state of mind.

"...W-W-Wha?!"

"I believe I made my intentions clear, love.~" Undyne teased, lightly kissing her cheek. "Now run along, my little badass scientist. Enjoy yourself with the others for the time being. Because once it gets a tad bit darker...you're alllll MINE.~" She then sent her shorter wife off with another kiss and two not-so-subtle loving pats on her rear. Alphys gasped and quickly waddled away, blushing darkly.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod-!

Asgore and Toriel were both gazing at the other guests, with Tamotsu and Levi joining their side, and Cleo gently and lovingly coiling around the latter while sipping a drink of her own. Alvina and Adam were sitting close by, looking more relaxed than ever. Temmie was off by the side, speaking leisurely with Flowey. Augustine and Nikon were also speaking leisurely, on more gentle matters.

"The little girl that Undyne saved...I've decided to take the little one under my care, into the tribe. So long as she gets to see her hero every so often. With her family gone, I'm willing to help her integrate into a new one." Nikon said gingerly to Augustine. They've finally had a time to speak with one another after all of the obstacles out of the way, and it was surprisingly easy for them to do so, though the former was very much aware of how anxious the latter felt. "Augustine. I've heard that you've been kindly cared for in Surripio. This brings me great relief and joy."

"I...I still have a difficult time accepting that you're forgiving me so easily. I mean...I left you all behind because I couldn't handle the guilt of failing you all." Augustine muttered while looking away a bit. Nikon lightly patted her hand while looking up at the human woman.

"You haven't failed me, young one. I understand your conflicted feelings on the matter. And the fact that you even kept thinking and supporting us while you were away. I was so happy to have that in mind. I simply hoped and prayed for your health and safety."

"Well the latter is definitely secured now with this whole alliance thing..."

"Hmhm, indeed it is." Nikon smiled. "Now then, how about you share another cup of tea with me?~"

"I'd...I'd love that." She smiled. Augustine has been made human representative for Levi, Zola for Tamotsu, Adam for Elosie, and Alvina taking center for Ebott as always. It was an arrangement many could get used to.

"Looks like things are finally being mended between those two, for real." Levi hummed. "Also...my dear. You seem to be basking in the attention you're getting a tad too much.~"

"I'm actually quite flattered by it.~" Cleo hummed while casually waving to several admirers that came to observe her beauty, ocassionaly blowing playful kisses. "If they wish to observe and appreciate, I'm certainly not going to stop them."

"Truly? Be careful now, I might get a bit jealous.~"

"Then I'll keep reassuring you that you're the only one who'll ever be for me.~" Cleo hissed while kissing Levi on his muzzle. "Besides, you're in on the admiration too. We're a power couple.~"

"Not as much of a power couple as these two." Levi hummed while turning towards Asgore and Toriel. "Both literally and influentially. Isn't that right? Don Asgore? Lady Toriel?"

"Oh, right. You DID tell me that you had to work with a mob boss to get what you did done." Asgore said with a sheepish smile while scratching the back of his neck. "I honestly have little idea on how to properly come to terms with that title..."

"It's because Lady Toriel made such a impression and rightly assumed that you have the same powerful influence. Many of those associates are willing to behave themselves simply to avoid you joining in on the resulting retribution for acting out, Don Asgore."

"I...I still don't have a complete idea of how to take this. But I suppose that I'll accept it since it gained us some new comrades." Asgore hummed while sliding his arms around Toriel's waist and gently nuzzling her nose. "You've done very well, Tori."

"The same goes for you, Gorey.~"

"Hm...so this is the sweetness of the so-called 'Nose Nuzzling Champions'." Tamotsu hummed with his majestic tails swaying and observing the two below him. "...It's quite a spectacle."

"I KNOW, right? Wahaha!~" Gerson cackled whimsically.

"Hmm..." The great fox soon turned away to see how his daughter was doing. Perhaps taking the time to further observe the new area? Getting to know the locals?

"MMMeeeaaat...~"

Oh. Right. This was also a feast. What else would she be doing?

Faryn, to the utter bafflement of those that don't know her, has been ravenously eating ever since the event started, and has not shown significant signs of slowing down except to greet and speak to a friend or speak to her father. Every other time she's been seen eating much of what was ordered for her, mostly meat with the occasional veggies. Those are important too!

"My word, your daughter sure eats quite a lot..." Cleo observed with an amused smile.

"Some people at home call her the Crowned Chowhound Princess." Tamotsu deadpanned.

"Oh my, how interesting! Some of my subordinates and fans see me as The Gracefully Gorgeous Glutton.~"

"You CAN be a bit greedy...in more ways than one." Levi smiled.

"Hush, you.~"

"That so?" Gerson smirked. "All the Dreemurrs are known as Dreemurr Devourers for the same reasons. Food is never a match for them."

"T-That's not completely true!" Toriel sputtered in denial. She's held herself back more than the boys...most of the time.

"Emphasis on not completely, meaning there's SOME semblance of truth to it, yes?~"

"Don't get smart with me!" Toriel lightly smacked the back of his head, which only made him laugh more. Asgore chuckled slightly as well, which got a pout from her. "Gorey!"

"What? It IS the truth. Plus your cooking is highly addictive."

"Don't compliment me about that now!" Toriel insisted while blushing brightly.

"Wahahaha!~" Gerson once again whimiscally laughed.

Back with the Astus Princess, Frisk was approaching her rather casually, taking some amusement in how she ate without a care in the world. "Hey...Faryn. Frisk smiled towards the greedily eating Princess as he sits next to her. "You seem to be enjoying yourself quite nicely."

"Hmmmhmm...!~" Faryn muffled with a full mouth of food, before swallowing and taking some time to collect herself. "Everything is just so delicious! There's some really good food here! Wanna try some with me?~"

"It's fine. There's plenty for everyone.~" Frisk chuckled while pulling out his phone. "Say...Faryn. I know it hasn't been too very long since we met, but when we did and you requested a feast from your Dad for us, you said that quiche in particular is much more special when he makes it for you. Is that right?"

"Hmmm...oh yeah! I do remember saying that! Why?"

"Well, I figured I should do the you courtesy of returning the favor." Frisk said as he pressed something on his phone. In a flash, something warm and steamy appeared in front of Faryn on a plate. She blinked a bit as she leaned forward and gave the new food a few whiffs. Her eyes brightened and her tail wagged gleefully.

"Oooh! This smells AND looks yummy!~"

"It's Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie." Frisk smiled. "You said that the quiche that you eat is extra special when your father Tamotsu makes it for you, right? Well...Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie is the same for me. It's always more special to me when my mother Toriel makes it. She does it in a way no one else can."

"Ooh, really?" Faryn asked softly as she calmed a bit, lowering her eyes.

"Mhm." Frisk smiled as he gently opened his eyes towards Faryn. "Every time I eat her Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie...I'm always reminded of one of the happiest days of my life."

Toriel's heart skipped a beat.

"Wow...and you're willing to share some with me?"

"Sure!" Frisk nodded while plushing the plate further to her, while pulling a slice of his own.

Faryn smiles and gazed that the pie, before lifting it and took several bites. Her eyes sparkled. "Ooooh! This is fantastic!"

"Of course it is. Mom made it, after all." Frisk smiled softly. To Tamotsu's great surprise, Faryn actually took the time to savor the pie more than the other foods, eating at a more patient pace. Recognizing this, Frisk nods as he reaches up a bit-due to Faryn being taller-and lightly pats her head. She didn't pay too much mind to it aside from her fox ears flicking, but her tail wagged a bit faster in response.

"Well well, would you look at that. Interesting..." Muffet hummed while rubbing her chin.

"Faryn and Frisk being friends should also help relations between Ebott and Astus. This is great!" Asriel noted with a small smile.

"They're both still incredibly naive. Though at least they have something big to work towards together." Red huffed while folding her arms.

"Well, that is why she wishes to explore. To find and know more things." Valerie smiled while handing a hamburger cupcake to Red. "It's a reasonable enough motivation to have, don't you think?"

"I suppose..." Red turned to Asriel. "Asriel, we haven't nearly fought 'together' as much as we should have. The next chance that we get, we'll fight together more often." Red relaxed slightly. "I want to prove to you through action that I'll have your back, like you'll have mine. I'll do this as I also prove myself a worthy protector of people as a whole."

"Right. Next time we'll fight together, Red." Asriel smiled as they gently nuzzled each other's noses.

"Cupcake?" Valerie politely offered one to Chara, who eagerly takes the cupacke and munches on it immediately. "Muffet told me that you liked chocolate, so I went ahead and made a few. Gift from a fellow baker.~"

"...I think we can get along." Chara said quite simply while looking off into space. This is REALLY good! Not exactly on par with Muffet's, but she certainly isn't lacking...! He recalled something from earlier, and turned to Asriel. "Hey Azzy."

"Yes?"

"Me and Frisk being adopted into royalty and all...how do you feel about that?"

Asriel blinked while awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Back then...we didn't really consider it too seriously. I was just happy to have friends, and brothers. But now that it's proved to be important...it's technically correct. You and Frisk are foster Princes, I guess? I'm not entirely sure if it's the right word for it."

"The fact of the matter is that it's a concept, and it applies to us. Perhaps it'll give us some more influence or something like that. I won't claim to understand it very well...but if it helps us help the others..."

"I think that's a better way to look at this." Asriel nodded. "Regardless, we'll have a lot of work cut out for us going forward...so let's do our best, and then some."

"Yeah." Chara nodded, which was followed by the older brothers fist-bumping with a smile.

"...I do believe that this growing camadarie of our children will further help seal the alliance between Kingdoms." Tamotsu hummed. Levi readily agreed, as well as Cleo. Asgore lightly patted Toriel's shoulder as she's been especially quiet.

"Tori...are you alright?"

Every time I eat her Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie...I'm always reminded of one of the happiest days of my life.

Toriel placed a single paw over her heart, and used the other to wipe her tear, smiling softly.

"Yes...I am more than alright..." She turned to Asgore and lightly gave him a hug, nuzzling his shoulder. "Asgore..."

"Hm?"

Toriel briefly looked back to their friends old and new, their guests, and their children longingly. Then she turned back and gazed into Asgore'e eyes with her own appearing quietly passionate. She stated her desire, short and simple: "I want to protect all of them..."

Blinking owlishly at first, Asgore soon smiled and nodded readily, his own eyes gazing into her own, silently understanding why she felt the need to state this, and completely agreed with her. "I wish the very same thing, Toriel. That is why we join together; everyone protects one another, so the burden never falls upon one person alone." If they were going to be High King and Queen, they might as well take the roles seriously. And that would only happen if they stuck together.

"Mhm." Toriel nodded. "The future ahead will inevitably be a difficult one to face...I want to face it with you, and everyone else."

"And we shall." Asgore says with a soft smile. They officiated this promise with a loving nose nuzzle, which turned into a kiss they both soothed into, holding each other closely. Alvina, Tamotsu, Eloise, Elvira, Cleo, and Levi each looked on with gentle smiles, as their children and friends smile and laugh together with glee.

Today was the birth of The Ebott Alliance. The Fate of Humans and Monsters has been forever changed...

---

"Ah...I see...so that's the general dea, huh?"

"That just about sums it up." Valantis shrugged as he and Parides were conversing amongst council once again, the holograms hovering just a bit over the ground. The seven have been called in to speak about the newest development sent to them them by the Prophet, as it was highly important business. But some of them feel like their leader wasn't taking this as seriously as she should be.

It's probably because she was in a bubble bath. Bubbles were everywhere, shining and sparkling in different sizes, and would occasionally pop when they got high or far enough. She was also sipping what appears to be pink lemonade in her hand before setting it aside with a relaxed sigh.

She was totally taking this seriously.

"Ah. The Ebott Alliance. Interesting. VERY interesting!~" She exclaimed with glee and a bit of a bounce. "Finally, something that will actually get me invested in the world again! Things have been SO droll and boring. We needed something like this to kickstart some excitement and intrigue.

"Mistress, you NEED to take this seriously!"

"Oh, but I am. Look how excited I am!~"

"That is NOT what we meant!"

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, but I do thank the seven of you for your input. You're dismissed." She shrugged. The seven looked at each other, some with exasperation, others shrugged as well as they're used to it, and all seven holograms would vanish completely. Valantis had his arms folded with a scoff.

"It appears they're much more capable than expected. Well, it still won't matter too much in the end. Their luck is bound to run out at some point. And when it does..."

"Careful with that overconfidence, Valantis. You should know what comes before pride."

"Indeed. The fall...which will only make my following rise THAT much more magnificent!"

"Ah boy..." She lazily lifted her leg and pointed towards him with her foot. "They're likely to do some venturing towards Potestas, that's your territory. Do what you wish."

"I shall." Valantis huffed as he turned and left the room himself, leaving the woman and Parides alone in a room full of bubbles and sweet-smelling soap.

Silence. She simply stared at him, and he at her. She eventually coughed and attempted to break it. "Well then, this is quite a turn of events, huh? A continent-wide alliance! How about that?!"

"You should be more concerned about this." Parides said with a worried look in his eyes. "We won't be able to keep things quiet for much longer. The Prophet also cut his ties with us and has struck out on his own."

"Really? Well, good for him. Moving on to bigger and better things."

"Be serious, Mistress! We-"

"Parides. We're alone now. No need to put up fronts here." She said softly, which surprised Parides for a bit. "It's alright to call me by my name."

Parides was confused for a moment. Then he sighed and shook his head, before coming to the woman's side and sitting on a chair next to the bath. "I'm worried, Pan."

"What? Not gonna add the 'Dora'?~"

"Either name would suit you fine on it's own, really." Parides smiled. "...Pan...what if this is it? What if after so many years, THIS is the era where our masquerade ends? The era where everything finally falls apart? We would completely deserve it..."

"If that is what our future holds, then so be it."

"How can you say that so easily...?"

"At this point, after having lived so long and seen many things...I find that I no longer care for how things go in the world, not as much as I used to. My only interest in that regard now lies only in those who seek to shape the era to their desires." She scooped up a handful of bubbles, and gently blew on them. The bubbles would slowly align, and show many familiar faces. "Rateveros. He tried, bless him, but ultimately could not become Emperor of the Scelus Continent. Faust was a coward to his rule's bitter end. Even when he survives, he flees without an ounce of care for who he leaves behind."

"Pan...?"

A few specific bubbles get closer to her, and her eyes lowered. "And then we have the other side, those who have finally found the drive, the ambition to stop hiding and actually do something about their plight, and the plight of others. The Dreemurrs have my respect in that regard, truly." The faces of Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, Chara, and Frisk showed up one after another on the bubbles. She took a particularly long gaze at Frisk's. "This one...after racking my brain a bit and thinking back on the past, and also thinking of his mannerisms and actions, I've finally discovered why he feels so eerily familiar to somone I used to know. And I must say, it is a very unexpected treat.~"

"He's...?!"

"Shhh. We don't want to ruin the others surprise. The looks on their faces will be hilarious!"

"You take amusement in the strangest things..." Parides sighed. "...I'm serious, Pan. If things begin to unravel...what will we do...?"

"Like I said, if this is the era where everything falls apart, so be it. If it doesn't, then it doesn't. But either way, that doesn't mean we have to go down easily. As long as it's from the hands of someone that's capable, I'll be content." She sighs while sitting back, her brown hair wading through the water and her crimson eyes gazing at Parides. "Have I ever told you how anxious you are? It tends to be one of your biggest pitfalls."

"Y-Yeah...I guess you're right...still, that's a strange thing to be content with." Parides sighed as he pushed his face into his paws, then pulled back with another, more tired sigh. "I just...I don't know. I don't have your will, Pan. I never did, and I don't think I ever will."

"That doesn't make you worthless." She turned to him with lowered eyes. "No matter how this ends, you need to know that I'm in your corner. I know I tend to push you a little too hard sometimes, but I never do so without putting my own work into things. No matter what you choose...I'll always be your best friend."

"..."

"...Do you want me to get Alarielle to help comfort you?"

"No, heavens no! My wife may be the only other human in the world aside from yourself who truly understands me...but I don't want her to see me like this..." Parides shook his head solemnly. The woman known as Pan nodded, as she would slowly climb out of the water, dripping wet and all, then grab Parides' head and pulled him into her bosom. At any other time, he would be blushing mad and complaining about her complete lack of care for modesty. But right now, just for a moment, he dismissed all of that, and allowed her to gently hug him, size difference be damned. "I know we can't go back on our actions, I've accepted that long ago. But still...it's so tiring. I'm tired, Pan...so tired..."

"It's okay...it's alright to be...you're not the only one..." Pan cooed gently, petting the back of her friend's head. He smiled bitterly.

"Look at us. Behind closed doors, we're pathetic. And we might remain that way until the time comes..."

"Maybe. But at least we can be pathetic together, right? Until that time does indeed come...we'll support each other, like we always have..."

Parides smiled and finally returned her hug, gently nuzzling her. "Right...always..." And he meant those words completely.

He just wished that simply being there for one another long ago and even now, wasn't the cause of creating the world they currently reside in...

---

Faust truly thought things couldn't get worse. His operations have been turned upside down, most of his followers abandoned him, turncoated, or have been killed. And it ended with him being blasted off the roof of a tall building with intense burns all over him.

It truly wasn't the best of times for him, give how quickly all of it happened, and how simultaneous it seemed. And as he was continually limping away from Surripio, which was longer his, he genuinely believed that it wouldn't get any worse.

"Hey there. How ya feelin'?"

...Now he just hated himself.

The Prophet was standing beside a tree, wifh Cadera standing fully behind it with his arms folded, though since he was so big it didn't really hide him very well. Regardless, the two were here, and the confronted Faust while he was still mostlg in the middle of retreating from Surripio. He was STILL badly scorched from Toriel's final attack, and yet he continues fo stand...if only to run.

"Geez, you don't look so good. Lemme guess, got incinerated while being fired off a building?" He chuckled. "I'm surprised you've got the energy to walk."

"Bah. I've seen many a monster who survived far worse than that. All this fool endured was some burns and a little fall." Caderas huffed.

"It gets pretty ridiculous how much a monster can take and what they can survive, really. It's beginning to make us humans seem like lazy pushovers."

"...This...is all...you're fault..." Faust grumbled while leaning against a different tree.

"Really? Really dude? Even NOW you refuse responsibility? Toriel would have locked onto you regardless of if I warned you or not. Either way you would have been done for." The Prophet waved off. "But that's besides the point. With this, Toriel has completed her trial."

"Trial...?"

"Yeah. She earned her spot as High Queen by standing up for Kingdoms now in her care. Same goes for Asgore and Asriel. They've earned their credentials...you clearly did not."

"...What do you mean by that...?" Faust asked.

"You see, there's ONE thing that my partner here truly cannot stand: Royalty that doesn't live up to their roles. He judges royalty on a few key aspects: How they run their Kingdom, how they treat their citizens, and how far they're willing to go for their safety and happiness." The Prophet said seriously. "Three qualities that YOU, my goblin friend, sorely lack..and that is exactly why you're gonna die right now."

"WHAT?!"

"Those are the core elements needed to be considered a worthy King." Caderas said. "And you, who did nothing to benefit the Kingdom you 'inherited', have actively taken advantage of it's people, and paid no heed to their hardships or suffering. You are merely an insufferable pretender. You are no King." He snarled out the last four words in a tone of deadly finality.

Faust, in a panic, opened his mouth in an attempt to plead for his life...but was surprised to find out that he couldn't. He wondered why, as well as why he was currently soaring through the air. His answer came when he briefly saw his body...without it's head. Caderas was standing a few feet behind it, holding out a war axe in one paw. Faust could only gawk in surprise and disbelief before he loses all feeling entirely, with both his head and body vanishing into dust.

He was beheaded the moment Caderas finished speaking.

Caderas gently exhaled, a glowing yellow gleam in his eyes as his weapon vanished, and his large frame once again disappeared into his cloak. He turned towards the Prophet, who had his head hesd tilted rather nonchalantly.

"Have I ever told you that you look terrifying as hell whenever you go into combat action?"

"It may have happened once or twice."

"Sheesh." The human sighed. "So, what's the verdict on the Dreemurr Faction? Allies or enemies?"

"...It would not do to consider them our enemies. They have put their lives on the line, and are finally becoming more proactive." Caderas hummed. "I suppose it is time we do the same. Our period of hiding must end at some point. Are we in full attendance...?"

At his beckoned call, six new arrivals landed behind the two of them, each with cloaks around their person. From what was barely seem from their hoods, one had a beak poking from under it, the second seemed to be lightly dripping slime, the third had brief hints of yellow scales and seemed to be armless, the fourth was smallest with black hair and constantly vibrating in anticipation, another seemed to have wolf ears and wearing an ancient wolf mask, and the last was barely visible under the cloak, and was gently levitating above the ground.

Caderas nodded softly. "Tengu."

"Here, Cad."

"Sludgeworth."

"Present, Caderas."

"Monster Mam."

"Yo."

"Shinotem."

"Hoi!"

"Hounda."

"I heeded your call, Caderas."

"And Geisterblook."

"I'm...I'm here...Caderas..."

Caderas nodded kindly to his companions. "Are you alright? How was your mission?"

"As expected, a bit of remnants of Ratoveros' forces attempted to try and sabotage the meeting...we drove them all back. Piece of cake.~" Tengu smirked.

"Excellent." Caderas nodded once again. "Now then...it has been a long time. We've hidden in the dark, forced to hide from the world as it changed around us, not completely for the better, with only each other serving as the stability we needed. All hope is thought to have been lost." He paused a bit, then strongly raised his head. "But now our opportunity has finally arrived! The world may have forsaken us, but we haven't forsaken it yet. The time for hiding and fleeing is over. We have failed it...let us not fail again! My dearest comrades...are you with me...?"

"Of course!" Was the collective, passionate response.

"Very well. Dismissed." With a resound nod, all six monsters scattered again, quicker than The Prophet could blink.

"...Boy." Caderas soon turned to him, causing another slight blink. "What does the future hold for the Dreemurr Faction...?"

"Well...alright. But like I always say, context won't be there." He sighed as he closed his eyes, placing his thoughts solely on the core members of the Dreemurr Faction:

Sans was sleeping lazily on something large and fluffy, revealed to be the belly of a large, female monster panda.

Papyrus was protectively holding a shocked, tearful human woman in Queen garbs while looking firm with his scarf tattered.

Gaster's lab coat flapped in the wind while facing an extremely powerful mage, ten Gaster Blasters covering over her head.

Alphys held her paws out and generated a digital shield despite her severe injuries, bowling other enemies obstructing her path.

Undyne was holding her spear, as it glows a different color while surging with extremely potent magic power, and grinning madly.

Frisk seemed to be digging deeper into his soul, unlocking even further power that slightly affected the area around him.

Chara glared demonically at a fleeing small army, despite being the one with numerous sharp weapons in his back.

Toriel in tattered clothes, but her fists were still covered in flames while actively protecting young children.

Asgore stood before another army of elite mages, with his trident coated in flames, and they seem to be seriously reconsidering their choice to obstruct him.

Asriel is revealed bursting through a wall, coated in flames and lightning, before quickly jumping up and promptly kicking something larger than him into the wall in front of him, causing a slight fire and lightning explosion.

The Prophet sighed as the visions end, staggering a bit hefore quickly pulling out his inhaler and taking several labored breaths with it.

"What did you see, boy? What is the verdict? Is the Dreemurr Faction ready to face the world?" Caderas asked calmly.

The Prophet coughed a bit before regaining his posture. "A lazy short skeleton. His bombastic and naive younger brother. Their Royal Scientist Father with occasionally bizarre mannerisms. The nerdy and shy lizard Royal Scientist successor. Her gruff, tough, and crass fish wife and Royal Guard Captain. A pacifistic and highly strange human teen Ambassador. Another human teen adverse to humans in general and obsessed with anything made of or coated in chocolate. The High Queen who cooks good food, loves to teach, and laughs at god-awful jokes. The Great King who's a bit of a dork, loves gardening, makes great tea, and names things quite awfully. And the Prince who's JUST as bad at naming things, a tad socially awkward, and tends to have a strange imagination..."

"Hm?"

The Prophet paused again. "...Quite frankly, the world isn't ready to face them."

"...Perfect." Caderas grinned. He and the Prophet soon began moving again, satisfied that the gears have been fully set in motion. Though as Caderas moved several feet, he would let out a somber sigh. Things were going well after so many yesrs of waiting. Now it was time to see if they could help it pay off.

It is unfortunate, but I myself cannot get too close at the moment. The time for our reunion has not yet come...

As this thought crossed him, so did the image of a young man. Before the War tore everything apart years later, Caderas was involved with a goofy, gullible, slow-witted young man, who was also compassionate, loyal, and willing to do anything for the prosperity of his Kingdom, with his friends by his side.

The young man back then was humbly known as Prince Asgore.

Caderas stopped for just a moment, closed his eyes and took a deep, somber breath...before pushing himself onward, towards an uncertain future, in which he wss certain they would once again cross paths. But right now? It was too soon. There was plenty of time to face the past. Caderas MUST tend to the future. The New Era has begun the moment he had Hounds save Nikon's Tribe and Augustine from thier Archipelago's destruction. The Dreemurr Faction would seek out the culprit on Potestas, then the dominoes will surely begin to fall. All Caderas and the others had to do was clear the path for them, which meant repelling the Seven Magicians attempts to try and reform the status quo. Their era, on the other hand, MUST come to an end if Monsters were to have a chance to prosper. He had no qualms with them regaining peace with humanity, it's just that those seven would serve as the primary, and most difficult obstacles obstructing the path towards that end goal.

They're the weights that needed to be cut from the world, in order for their status quo to be truly destroyed, and for Monsters to have a better chance at regaining their former glory. They must be removed.

You're far too serious, Mr. Caderas! Here, won't you have some tea with me?~

Recalling the old days, Caderas pushes on. And he would do so while mentally saying to himself the exact same words he'd say to the Prince when he felt that progress came before rest.

Not yet, Little Horns...not yet...

---

Oh my lord I actually got this done?!

Honestly, the amount of stuff I out into this chap is ridiculous. Much longer than usual. But ahain, it didn't feel right to split it. I got most of what I wanted into the chapter to signify it's great significance. I truly hope it didn't dissuade you too much in regards to actually reading it.

So the Ebott Alliance has been born! Further reactions from the locations invovled shall be shown in upcoming breather/exploration chapters. Most of the seriousness is outta the way, time to switch back to mostly fun and upbeat. Would be a breath of fresh air, right?

Seriously, I'm sleepy, and I wanna cry right now. I'm just glad I finished this arc and can mostly be happy and upbeat again, as well as character interactions. Plant those bonds and then show how they grow in-between the action, yeah?

I might just take a small break myself from this specific story to gradually regain my bearings...

Until next time, readers!