Here's yet another chapter that took longer than expected! Hm...I haven't said this before at all!~ :D

We've got quite a few developments here. Mostly acknowledgements in a way, but I think by the title, it would be quite a thing indeed, yes?

Asriel: Only one way to find out...I think.

Frisk: Proceed forward, with earnest!

Chara: Maybe at a walking pace...?

Chapter Start!

GROUP.

Broken down, the assigned acronym was: Gifted Rally Of Unbowing Protectors. It's what they've chosen for themselves, and they've chosen to stick to it as their new name.

Lisa, Justin, Verena, Richard, Lizzie, and Ace. They've all decided on this quite a long time ago, and today was the day that they were going to make it fully official, starting with their name. Now that was taken care of, they needed to deal with a few other key things before they could continue to proceed.

"Wait, really?" Frisk asked curiously with a tilted head. He, Chara, and Asriel-who's ear was currently being nuzzled by Verena-were discussing some details with the Six, and it seemed that there was quite an interesting subject to be had indeed.

"We were thinking about it a bit more, and to be honest, I think it works out." Justin hummed with folded arms. "We definitely think it's best for you to be a major focus for GROUP, Frisk."

"Really? I don't quite follow..."

"I suppose it's understandable you're still a bit confused about it, so allow ke to make it clear to you again." Lisa adjusted her glasses. "I suppose a better way of putting it is, thanks to the formation of the Ebott Alliance, we can assume that Ebott's safety will be in effectively good hands. Meaning we can focus our attention elsewhere...mostly towards you."

"Huh?"

"That's right." Another voice entered the room: Alphys moved in slowly, holding a tablet. "GROUP has decided to make one of it's major priorities towards protecting and supporting you and your goals."

"Me...?"

"It's not that hard to figure out, Frisk." Verena said while still gingerly petting Asriel's ear. "Basically GROUP has made one of it's important efforts towards supporting you whenever and however you need us."

"Really? You would really do this for me?" Frisk asked softly with a tilted head.

"Sure. I mean, why not, right? It's something we wanna do, and we do feel quite a bit of loyalty towards you, ya know." Lizzie yawned softly, lightly browsing on her phone. "We already talked to our parents about it. And with a little bit of light persuasion, we were given the okay. So long as we had an adult supervisor to make sure we don't get into anything too crazy."

"And you will be a bit thrown off by who they've decided on to take that role. Geez..." Chara said while scratching the back of his head.

"Try not to sound too disappointed..." The new arrival sighed while casually adjusting her glasses a bit with one paw while holding a tablet in the other. Alphys strolled in, eyes flashing slightly. "Hey, kids."

"Alphys? You're the supervisor?" Frisk blinked slight surprise.

"Indeed I am. I was assigned to this role by Asgore and Toriel themselves, and your pàrents also agreed that I'm pretty fit for the role after an jnterview with each of them." Alphys smiled and flashed a peace sign. "You could say that I'm your den mother!~"

"And NOW you see why I was a bit hesitant to have Alphys be our supervisor." Chara deadpanned.

"H-Hey! I just said don't sound too disappointed!" Alphys pouted, complete with puffed cheeks. "I sorta figured that Chara would be the rudest about this new development. That doesn't make it sting any less, though! I can totally do this!"

"It's fine. If they all insisted that you were trustworthy and capable enough to take this role, then we'll accept it." Lisa said while adjusting her own glasses. Both her and Alphys glasses flashed briefly. One thing was on their minds.

A fellow cute girl in glasses is a fellow comrade.

"Alright then. I already know you, and you know me. I don't think we need too lengthy an introduction to each other." Alphys continued, with her tail waving slightly. "As I already mentioned, I am your supervisor, your 'den mother'. Which means that I'm responsible for all of you during your...well, 'activities'. I provide you technical aid, which includes communications. Aid also includes transportation, assignments and training. But the more important things I have to provide are...emotional support, snack times, and an overall positive attitude!~"

"Hah...?" Chara tilted his head.

"That sounds about well and good. I guess if Alphys feels like she's up for it, then I'll definitely have her back on it." Asriel nodded with a polite smile.

"Thank you, Asriel. See that, Chara? Why can't you be more polite and understanding like your brothers?"

"That takes a lot of work."

"I think Sans has been rubbing off on him..." Ace grumbled.

"Well that would explain why his hair is always messy. He has constant bedhead because he's most likely to be the last one awake." Lizzie jabbed, causing more than one eye twitch for Chara. "And THIS is coming from a soul of Patience."

"Shut up..."

Alphys chuckled slightly, then cleared her throat. "Right then. Speaking of souls..." Alphys lightly gazed at her tablet as she began pacing. "Soul Traits...you'd be surprised at how many there really are and how they came to be, once you seriously consider it. But for now, we're going to focus on yours, individually. Starting with..."

One finger snap later, and Richard was surprised as his soul was called forward and floated next to Alphys.

"Kindness. A quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. When you were ressurrected, they directed you towards a more offensive role, such as using magic barriers as a means to attack rather than defend. When you're mostly talented towards spells that mostly boost defense and healing capabilities. Never underestimate the quality of a good defense. It'll help your allies more than you know."

"I suppose that makes sense...good to know, Alphys. Thanks for the info."

Another snap, and Verena soul was also called over.

"Integrity. A quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, or having moral uprightness. You are also very honest, loyal, and true to yourself. When you were ressurrected, you weren't very trusted. Nothing you said or did could be taken at first glance. Your loyalty was mostly to no one but yourself. As the Integrity soul, you have a degree of Gravity Magic, least a limited form of telekinesis. Perhaps a way of you not being afraid to say and act on what's your mind."

"That sounds like me alright." Verena shrugged. "And I sincerely still believe that Asriel is the cutest ever!~"

"Ehehe..."

Another snap, and Alphys called fourth Lizzie's soul of Patience. "Patience. The quality to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. When you were ressurrected, it was twisted to you being so patient that you barely had the drive to care about anything, which includes doing things. A lack of action at a critical moment can make this a self-destructive trait. Your magic tends to gear towards knives and ribbons. You are also the least likely to act out in irrational or impulsive behavior."

"I mean...I guess we can go with that description." Lizzie shrugged casually.

Alphys snapped her fingers once again. This time, it was Ace. "Bravery, the quality of having courage in the face of pain or grief. When you were ressurrected, it was twisted into always charging in without thinking regardless of the possible risks or consequences. A self-destructive charge waiting to happen. Your magic is mostly geared towards enhancing your physical combat. You're willing to face anything you need to if it means standing up for what you believe in. It's being able to act and do what you can despite being afraid."

"Hey, just like you!" Ace pointed out. "With that in mind, you're sure to be a pretty dependable den mother!"

"O-Oh...?" Alphys blinked, blushing softly. "T-Thank you...very appreciated."

"I suppose I'm next." Justin hummed.

His soul was also called forth, and Alphys continued to pace as it levitated next to her. "Justice. Just behavior or treatment. Fair play and equity. Neutrality. Those are a few meanings for the word. When you were ressurrected, you were obsessed with seeing through your own twisted sense of justice, without any kind or regard for anyone else's thoughts on it. Your magic is catered to guns. And most of your soul abilities can relate to what best allows you to enforce justice and restore order, but not to force it on others. Doing the right thing. And in your case, protecting Frisk and the others is your idea of justice."

"I guess so. Justice as a concept..is kind of a touchy subject..." Justin muttered. "Ratoveros wanted to be one of the strongest monsters on the Scelus continent...and if he was the strongest, then that means his brand of justice would be right."

"So...his power would justify his actions as being right...I don't like the sound of that..." Asriel muttered, lightly looking to the side. Whoever is strongest, whoever wins...becomes justice? With a mindset like that, it's very clear that Ratoveros and Undyne would have never accepted each other.

And he had a dreadful feeling that it wouldn't be the last time that this subject would come up. A look to the side told him that Chara had the same thought, and it caused him an immense degree of annoyance.

"Ahem. Moving on." Alphys waved her paw, and Lisa's soul was called forward next. "Perseverance. The quality of persisting in doing something despite delay or difficulty in achieving success. When you were ressurrected, it was twisted into willing to throw everything away, including your morals and sense of self, in order to reach your goal. Your sense of restraint or inhibitions were essentially turned off. As for your soul and magic, it's mostly geared towards problem solving via analyzing, inscriptions-through your notebook/tome/grimoire-and traps."

"In essence, Perseverance, and perhaps Patience, are both not that different from Determination." Lisa added. "Though it would seem that Determination is inherently more powerful."

"Right. Which brings us to the last candidate." Chara's soul was called over next. It pulsed crimson, just like Chara's eyes. "Determination. Firmness of purpose; resoluteness. I...don't think we need to go over how that got corrupted..." Chara, Frisk, and Asriel lowered their heads just slightly. "Determination is the source of power. It wil help you do whatever it is you set out to do, no matter how difficult or dire a situation is. To reach into their true inner power to overcome any obstacle, to reach the outcome you wamt to reach no matter what. One would be to not die for anything or anyone, but to instead live for them. Determination...is not to be trifled with, with or without it being a dominant soul trait."

"Hmph..." Chara huffed.

Alphys had everyone's soul return to them, and she nodded to everyone. Each of you seven have these respective qualities as your dominant soul trait. Frisk doesn't surpass any of you in any of these soul traits, but that doesn't mean that he's weak with any of them. If anything, Frisk is likely the person to turn to when one of you is lacking something essential, beinf able to switch between them when needed. An effective jack-of-all-trades." Alphys smiled. "It just so happens that Determination is a bit dominant to the rest."

"And with that, you're a very vital part of our group, Frisk. When one of us falters, we can count on you to pick up on our slack." Lisa hums with a gentle smile. "However, that does not mean that covering for each other necessarily lessens one very important thing, it's perhaps the most important thing. You're our friend first and foremost."

"Yeah...above all, you're my friends." Frisk nodded. "I know your parents might keep you busy for a little bit, but we should definitely hang out more often."

"That would be nice. We know you have your own things to deal with, so I guess we'll all have to work together to properly arrange these things." Lizzie hummed. "And we'd better make the most of it, too. I have a feeling that we'll be on the clock again real soon."

"To be quite honest, that's also a major part of GROUP. Having you all spend more time with one another, whether you're on assignments, in battle, or just chilling." Alphys said. "Not only does this help you build relationships that are mentally and emotionally fulfilling, perhaps even spiritually, but having a close bond means you'll be able to better understand and coordinate with one another."

"W...Wow..." Ace blinked owlishly. Maybe Alphys really will be a great den mother.

"We've gotten some pretty interesting detaios about your dominant Soul Traits and their meanings to one another, as well as how you'll definitely function well as the organization known as GROUP. You know each other relatively well, you'll be able to work together well, and you care about each other. That'll make you super strong!"

"You really are supportive of us, aren't you Alphys?" Verena said sincerely, still petting Asriel's ear, as well as lightly nuzzling his cheek.

"A den mother supports and protects her charge. And you can be sure that I'll do my best to do both. That's why your parents picked me, after all. They know how serious I am about it." Alphys nodded. "Now then, we've gotten all that out of the way..." Alphys smiled as she pressed a few things on her tablet. One press later, and several snacks appeared on a table nearby. "The meetings over! Snacks for you all!"

"End of meeting? Snacks? But we barely did anything." Richard tilted his head.

"Like I'd give you homework on your first day. That would be pretty lame of me." Alphys waved off casually. "Oh, and Asriel. Grab yourself a snack and go see Undyne. There's something involving you as well. And I think you should really look into it."

"Me? Well...okay." Asriel nodded as he takes a few cinnamon bunnies with him and moves on, leaving GROUP behind for now.

"You know, Alphys...with you willing to go the extra mile for us so we can become better than we are now...you're pretty cool." Lizzie hummed softly. All the other kids agreed, even Chara, with various nods.

"One of the coolest ever." Frisk smiled kindly.

"Oh. Well...I'm glad you think so." Alphys mumbled slightly. She then turned around and blushed, cupping her cheeks. She didn't really take this role for the praise. She saw an opportunity to be more helpful towards several youths that could use it, and with their parents' blessing, that chance was taken. Still...it felt nice to know that the kids approved of her as well. She couldn't keep the delight off of her face as her tail wagged gleefully.

W-Wow...they think I'm cool! Oh my gosh, they think I'm COOL!~

"Undyne...?" Asriel called out while eating the last of his Cinnamon Bunnies, licking the cinnamon from his muzzle. "I'm...I'm here. Hello...? You wanted me here f-wah!" Asriel gasped as Undyne jumped from behind and caught him in a headlock.

"Fuhuhu! Gotcha!" She exclaimed with a maniacal grin, shifting a bit so she can also roughly give his head a noogie. "You were about a minute and a half late, Azzy! I thought we made a point to always be punctual when we can help it?! You're losing your edge a bit, Prince!"

"Lady Undyne, can you not mess with him like that?" Red sighed as she and Muffet also came into view, with the latter softly giggling to herself.

"No need to worry, Red. This is fine." Asriel had a semi-resigned expression on his face, smiling calmly, with his cheek lightly smooshed against Undyne's bosom while in the middle of enduring her noogies. "It's kinda my fault for being late, to be honest. I should have been here sooner." He lightly lifted his head to meet Undyne's eye. "Anyway, what did you call me for, Undyne? And why are Red and Muffet here as well?"

"Oh, yeah! This is a pretty crazy development, Az. Are ya ready?" Undyne pulled away a bit and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Alright! Come on out!" After a few moments, someone did indeed step up after Red and Muffet. Though it wasn't someone Asriel expected, causing his eyes to widen.

"...Kid?"

It was. It was indeed the same yellow reptilian monster everyone knows and loves. Though he seemed to be a bit different than Asriel past saw him. He seemed to be around Asriel's height now, if a bit shorter. He still had the familiar yellow/brown striped shirt and all. Though the spikes on his head, back, and tail seemed to be a bit sharper, with said tail looking much longer and bigger. Though the biggest difference seemed to be what MK always lacked.

Arms.

Kid. Has. Arms.

Asriel was, for one, happy to see this in a way. But it was also surprising, because no one chose to tell him about it. Perhaps it was a surprise. Though it was the eyes that reassured Asriel that it was really Kid. That childlike, energetic, friendly look in his eyes. Inside he was indeed the same Kid, though outside he looked much more different. And in such a short time...

"Ahuhuhu. Well? Are you going to make a comment, Prince? You're making MK nervous.~" Muffet snickered.

Asriel blinked and shook his head to regain his focus. "O-Oh, right. Sorry. It's just that...wow. Kid...you look a bit different..."

"Yo, Azzy! Is it that hard to tell that it's totally me? Cause it is!" MK beamed happily. "Look at me! I've got arms now! You have NO idea how much easier this will make-"

Plop.

Asriel blinked. Undyne blinked. Muffet giggled. And Red facepalmed.

MK, despite having arms to help himself better coordinate while walking...STILL managed to trip on absolutely nothing, and faceplant gloriously into the ground.

"...Seriously, Kid. You and Mettaton rehearsed this multiple times! How do you suddenly start tripping during your official debut?!" Undyne exclaimed in genuine amazement.

MK, having an extremely durable head, brushed it off rather easily as he hopped back to his feet, still looking adorably happy. "Sorry about that, Undyne. Guess I got a bit anxious." Kid chuckled while turning to Asriel. "Anyway, you don't have to worry. It's definitely me, dude!"

"I...I see. It's just...wow!" Asriel moved forward, lightly ducking under MK and getting a feel for his new cybernetic arms. "This is really cool, Kid! How does it feel?" He listened carefully. He could hear the gears moving in MK's arms as he moved them. And yet surprisingly, they looked very much like his scales and even to the touch, felt like natural limbs. Almost indistinguishable from one another. It was quite impressive.

"Feels kinda...new. I mean, Mettaton told me that I would adjust to it pretty quickly once I put it to use. And I guess he was right, because I'm adjusting to it faster than I thought I would." Kid explained. "Having two new limbs feels really weird, man...but cool! I can actually carry things a bit easier, now that I have things to help me do that!"

"Is that so...?"

"Definitely. Those cybernetic arms are technomagical, Azzy." Undyne grinned with pride. "Mettaton mapped out the design, but Alphys actually put it together and made the neccessary adjustments. It's pretty amazing, the work she managed to help do. And I guess Mettaton managed to do quite a bit as well."

Asriel nodded quietly. "Yeah. It's really impressive...now for my next curiosity...what in the heck is with how you look? You look so much bigger...and you feel stronger." Asriel scratched the back of his head. "I feel bad for not keeping up with things. But I just wanna know how this drastic change happened...have you been training?"

"Quite a lot." MK nodded. "It's really weird. That Dr. Gaster guy did some thing...I dunno what it was, but I managed to train four about four months in the span of four days with the Colddusts after they adopted me."

"Woah woah, four months in four days?! How did-?!" Asriel paused as he recollected that MK mentioned Gaster. Four months in four days...that's definitely void-related. I wasn't aware that he could do that...though that must have had quite a toll on him...yet he was willing to endure it...for Kid. "...Nevermind. Next thing. The Colddusts took you in and trained you?"

"Yup! I've trained myself up real good! All that time geetting used to my new arms, learning to fight with them, and learning to fight in general."

"Really?"

"I can show ya if ya want!"

"Well..."

"You want a demonstration?" Undyne grinned. "Kid. Red. Two minutes."

Kid and Red nodded as they both made room for each other. Asriel ans Muffet looked on, with the former looking a bit anxious while the latter simply looking amused. MK and Red both took a deep breath for a moment, as Red unsheathed her sword, and MK crouched low slightly, which got Asriel a little bit curious.

After bowing slightly to each other, they prepared themselves...then charged.

Asriel was surprised by the initial clash. Red swung her sword swiftly, a whistle following it, and yet it was parried away by a swift kick from Kid. Briefly off-balance, Red was unprepared for MK to follow-up with another kick to her midsection, causing her to grunt and fall back slightly.

Recovering quickly, Red brushed herself off before approsching Kid quickly with another sword swipe, which was once again blocked by Kid via kick. In retaliation, Kid took the offensive via three swift kicks that appeared almost as a blur. Red swiftly managed to parry all of the kicks away before spinning once and smacking his head with a punch. It surprised him enough to hop back slightly, and it certainly hurt. But so did Red's paw due to how hard-headed he was. Literally.

"Woah..." Asriel muttered in surprise as swift sharp kicks met swift sharp swords.

"Kid has had plenty of fime using his legs since he had no arms to match it. So learning how to kick good was practically second-nature for him." Undyne explained for him. "Pair that with a Magic Awakening, and..."

"He did, too?" Asriel blinked.

"Oh my, look at how energetic they are.~" Muffet cooed in amusement as Kid and Red continued their brief sparring. "Try not to get too worked up, Red-Dearie! One minute left! Then we have tea snd and crumpets!~"

Red's eyes twitched in annoyance, before she swiftly dodged another kick from Kid. This time, she resists with a kick of her own, briefly tripping him up. Thought to her surprise, he out his new arms to good use and balanced himself on them, then proceeded to keep kicking at her. Yet she was undeterred; she parried each of his kicks that kept coming quickly, both nearly matching in speed. Sparks were beginning to fly from how much blade was meeting the sharpness of Kid's kicks.

Red just barely ducked under a swift roundhouse, then retaliated with her own kick to the side, sending him skidding sideways a bit. He recovers quickly enough, resulting in him charging towards Red, with the final kick and sword slash making enough of an impact to make a resounding echo around the space they occupied.

"That's enough." Undyne called out.

Two swift kicks and two sword parries resound through the room again.

"Uh...times up. Two minutes are done."

Kid grunted and Red growled, as another clash pushed them both apart.

"Oi! Brats! You can stop now!"

Kid attempted an axe kick that would have struck Red's skull, if she didn't defend with an overhead parry to stop the blow. The impact lightly picked up debris around them and they separated before clashing closely again, an intense look on both their faces.

...that is, until Undyne gently patted both of them on the heads, grinning innocently. "Heeeeyyy. Glad you two are really getting into this. Really. Buuut...you already ran the alotted time set for ya, soooo..."

BONK!

"KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!" She shouted with immense annoyance and a vein pulsing on her head.

Undyne had forcibly knocked their heads together. They both proceeded to fall to the ground, their eyes turned into swirling lines.

"Uh oh, down they go.~" Muffet giggled. Asriel sighed with a light facepalm.

It took two minites for Kid and Red to fully recover from the forced headbutt, eventually standing back up fully and shaking off the pain.

"Ow..."

"Ugh..."

"Finally calm down, ya brats?" Undyne questioned, arms folded and boot tapping the ground. Both of them flinched and nodded quickly. "Good. Muffet made crumpets and tea. Consider it your break snacks." She lightly pulled them close and kissed them on their slightly bruised foreheads. "Sorry for being rough with ya."

"I-It's okay..." MK mummbled with a bright blush on his face, lightly kicking at the ground.

"Sorry, Lady Undyne. I got a bit carried away again..." Red muttered.

"Well in any case, you two have made quite an effective display." Muffet cooed as she crossed one leg over the other and sipped some of her tea. "I do believe that our fair Prince has been impressed by the both of you.~"

"W...Well...yeah. I mean, both of you are amazing." Asriel said softly. "I'm just...surprised by how much Kid's improved. Sure, Gaster had a had in how much time actually passed, but it's amazing progress all the same! Your training with the Colddust really, truly helped you. Both in strength and confidence."

"Oh, he had plenty of the latter. Enough that it impreseed them and allowed him to gain the former." Undyne nodded.

"Red wasn't too bad either. Let's not regard her as chopped liver." Muffet cooed while her middle right hand pointed towards her. "I'm sure she didn't mind putting on quite a show...upskirts included.~"

"GAH?!"

"I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING I SWEAR!" Asriel gasped, covering his eyes with his floppy ears.

Red pushed her skirt down really quick, blushing madly...only to remember that she preferred wearing shorts under them specifically to avoid that sort of thing, hence the combat-skirt. She then glared hard at Muffet, who had a playfully sinister 'made ya look!' expression on her face, still incredibly embarrassed. "FLIPPING DOG BISCUITS, MUFFET!"

"Ahu, I do adore that flustered look on your face. You're so cute, Red-Dearie.~"

"You really do make it too easy for her, ya know." Undyne shrugged. "You're very easily flustered when you're off the clock, Red."

"N-No..." Red meekly muttered, hiding her head in her crimson hood. She chose to eat the shared crumpets Muffet made in gentle silence, not willing to embarrass herself further, nor give Muffet a chance to make the current embarrassment worse.

"Alright then, all of that has been dealt with." Undyne hummed calmly. "Right then. Kid. Now that Asriel's gotten a pretty big sense of what you can do now, it's about time you told him your motivation for going through all of that."

"Oh, right!" Kid exclaimed quickly. He then turned to Asriel with his eyes a bit more focused. "Asriel, dude, I managed to do all this with a lot on my mind. About how the others are always fighting for their lives, how you and your family are always struggling to protect each other, and how I think very highly of Undyne and Papyrus. I did a lotta thinkin' with all that on my mind...and..."

"Kid...?" Asriel said slowly.

Kid took a deep breath, then focused fully on Asriel. "Prince Asriel, dude! Lemme be your bodyguard!"

"Eh?!"

"Yeah, I know. It's a bit sudden...but that's why I got these cybernetic arms, and accepted that training. I wanted to become strong enough to properly fit that kind of position. To be someone who can support you and have your back, like Red does. That's what I wanna do!" Kid exclaimed. "So give me a chance, dude! I won't let you down! No way no how!"

"Kid..."

"You can see the seriousness in his eyes. The passion. The resolve. And not to mention the utter amount of work he out in to try and live up to that promise. How in the world am I supposed to deny that?" Undyne smirked. "So, what do you say?"

Asriel blinked at this. Then he looked closely at Red for a second opinion. "Red...? What do you think?"

"If I'm the Red-Caped Warrior with the sword, then he can be the Hard-Headed Kicker with the armor. He's more durable than he looks." Red shrugged. She wasn't entirely wrong. The amount of times MK quite literally falls flat on his face, then walks it off, is astonishing.

...Not to mention...inspiring.

It doesn't matter how many times he fell. He gets right back up, with a smile...durable in body and soul...Kid...

Decision made, Asriel turned back towards Kid and smiled, arms folded. "Alright, MK. If you truly want to, I'll gladly take you on as another supporter and bodyguard. You and Red be sure to have each others back, just like you intend to have mine."

"Y-Yo! Ya mean it?!" Asriel could practically see the sparkles in Kid's eyes. "Cool, dude! That's awesome! Like, I know I said this already, but I won't let ya down!~"

"I'm pretty sure you won't. You can fight well now, and it was impressive. But what impressee me even more is much mote important."

"Huh?"

"You see, Master Undyne has a soft spot for guys like us. Me, Dad, Frisk, Papyrus..we're kinda morons. But..." Asriel lightly pointed towards Kid's chest. "We're big hearted morons. We can't help ourselves.~"

"Oohhh..."

"You have a big heart, MK. And to me, that's a much more valuable asset than knowing how to fight...not that I don't think it helps, you know." Asriel smiled. "Now then. How about we make this new partnership official...with a nice cup of tea?~"

"Yo! Having nice tea with the Prince! That'd be so cool!" Kid beamed. And afterwards, he engaged in a gesture that he never thought he would experience.

This beautiful gesture was known as the fistbump.

And MK had to admit, even though his arm was cybernetic, it felt pretty gosh darn good.

"Agh!" The ten year old boy grimanced as another stone struck his head.

"Your little mind tricks cost us dearly!" A crowd of human males were shouting in agreement while they slowly converged on the small, fragile boy, who'e coughs were becoming hoarse.

"I...I didn't mean it...I didn't mean it...!" He exclaimed desperately. "I just...I just...!"

"You didn't mean it...? You think that makes it any better? You consider that an excuse?!"

"No! I...I...!"

He couldn't explain himself without demonizing himself further. He only wanted to play with the children at the daycare. And they didnt turn him away. They were warm and friendly, even the caretakers. For the first time in a while, the boy felt happy and welcome by someone aside from his parents.

Then his power went haywire, after having a nightmare...when he woke up, it was in the blood of the children that had killed themselves out of sheer primal fear of what he accidentally, unknowingly forced them to see. The caretakers themselves have been rendered comatose, unlikely to ever wake up.

It only got worse when his parents were the first to arrive, and his power surged again out of panic, before blacking out. Waking up minutes later, he was surrounded by flames, with his parents trapped in a deep trance being the ones who set it, and simply sat amongst the flames, waiting to be burned alive along with all the children's corpses. His mother had just enough free will to at least struggle to lift him and throw him out of the door and onto the grass, before the whole structure came down on her and everything else inside.

Quite obviously, the parents of the other children were furious and in deep grief. And they chose to aim it towards him, the one who least deserved to survive something he caused.

He believes he fully deserves it, no matter what he said otherwise.

"GAH!" A particularly hard and heavy stone smashed against his arm, and due to how fragile he was, he could feel several bones within it cracking. Several people in the crowd cheered at the sound.

"Serves you right!"

He wasn't even given an opportunity to reel from the pain as another struck his head.

"Can't use your mind tricks if your head's split open, can you?!"

He couldn't muster the will to argue back, or to even move his head to attempt to dodge. He simply hung his head and allowed the punishment to continue. He doubted that they would stop, only until he was dead, which wouldn't be coming soon. He wouldn't resist very much...he'd-

SLAM!

His eyes widened at the sudden quake caused by something large landing in front of him. The humans in front of him were shocked by the new arrival.

"H-Huh?! What is this?! Who are you?!"

"...What do you think you are doing...?" The figure said rather roughly, deeply. "I find your conduct...barbaric."

"Hey, who the hell do you think you are?!"

"It's a monster...!"

The creature tilted his head. "So many amusing ways I can twist that about...but that's not important right now. I'll only ask this once. Which of you orchestrated this display?"

There was a slight hesitance to actually go through with the request. The monster meant it when he said he'd ask only once. For moments afterwards, killing intent swarmed the area, impacting them to the point where they felt like vomiting. In seconds, they pointed towards a large bulky man in the middle of the crowd. He gasped and rapidly shook his head. He couldn't fool the monster, though. He could smell the magic emitting from him, it was higher than most of the others.

"A cabal leader...hm." He nodded softly before he turned and swiftly freed the child from his bindings. In no time at all, the young boy, despite the pain, ran up to the large monster and hugged his leg, softly crying. He softly pet his head. "I sense potential in you, boy. Do not worry. These people shall not hurt you further. In fact, they were just leaving to PROPERLY mourn for their children." The last statement was a veinly lined threat, one they took immediately, rushing off in panic. A battleaxe manifested in his paw, and he glared towards the cabal leader. "...Except for you. You had no children to mourn. There is no grief emitting from your soul. Which means..."

"W-Wait! I can expla-"

He would never get the chance to, for his head was swiftly separated from his shoulders the moment the monster moved with said battleaxe.

The boy was still trying to stand on his own, barely affected by the monster beheading a human. The several ordeals he endured beforehand made it a bit numb, honestly.

The large monster would approach the boy again, axe vanishing, and he would get on one knee. "I shall help you to control your power. Worry not about me, for I have the will to resist it. Not only that...but you are an outcast, one they tried to forsake. Much like myself and my own ordeals. You may be human, and I may be a monster...but I feel like we are kindred spirits." He offered a paw to the boy. "I am Caderas. Come with me. You shall have a place to belong. And you will not go hungry. A-"

He was cut off by the boy rushing arms burying his head in his chest fur, and simply began to sob. Caderas blinked, almost unsure of what to do next. Though he adjusted quickly, carefully wrapping his arms around the boy and carrying him in his arms.

"...Nobody came to save you. No human came to your aid, but a monster. Instead of trying to help you, they forsake you..." Caderas shook his head. Right now, he simply needed to get himself and this child away from here, as soon as possible.

"Do not worry. I will not abandon you, young one..."

"...Boy."

The Prophet groaned as he turned over on his bed, staring into the eyes of a mildly annoyed Caderas. "Yeah? Whaddya want? I'm restin' like ya said."

"And that surely pleases me. But what I was intending to ask you when you would be proceeding to act."

"Don't worry about it, I'm away ahead of you." The Prophet slowly sits up, rolling his arm a bit. "Darkness is likely to have figured out the destination by now. The little Seloms Archipelago culprit is likely to be in Legatum. There's quite a bit to do there once the Dreemurr Faction arrive. I think this time, I'll take Tengu and Hounda with me as well."

"Hmph. Will you find yourself able to withstand their bickering?"

"So long as the jobs get done, I really don't mind. I've learned not to try and shut up a squawking bird and barking wolf when they don't wanna be quiet. Much easier to let them wear out until they relax on their own."

"...Yes, that is how I tend to handle them." Caderas sighed in agreement. "...In any case, preparations will have to be made. Even without your premonitions, I feel that this mission will be a critical one."

"Yeah..."

"Hm. And you are sure that they will head to Legatum?"

"Oh. They'll go there. Trust me. They'll have pretty good motivations to do so...and VERY good reasons to stick around for a bit..." He scratched his head slightly. "It looks like they'll have quite a challenge on their hands...things are about to get serious. I'll let the others know we might be moving out sooner than we think. As for me, I'll go for a little walk." The Prophet got up and stretched, heading for the door.

"Boy." Caderas stopped him. The Prophet turned towards him, wondering what he wanted. Only for his eye to twitch as the large monster handed him a coat. "It's cold outside. You'll need a proper coat."

"Why are you like this?" The Prophet groaned. "I already told you, I'm fine. I was last time, wasn't I?"

"You were unprepared for the heavy rain. You walked away from it sneezing for hours." Caderas replied with an even expression.

"...Gimme the stupid coat." The Prophet snatched the coat away and began putting it on.

"...Make sure you bring your scarf and hat and gloves. It would be problematic if you went numb from the cold."

"I'll be back later, Caderas." The Prophet said wearily, mumbling something under his breath before leaving out the door.

"...Boy. If you find yourself in trouble-"

"I'll flare my power and you'll come straight for me. I know the routine."

"Good...also, be sure to eat something on your way back. Nourishment is your body's greatest ally right now."

"Yeah yeah..."

As the Prophet closed the door behind him, Caderas sighed and rubbed his head.

...another period of rest about to come to an end...another trial of hardship awaits them all. Alas, it is necessary. They are on the right track, but there's still much needed growth for them to endure what's to come...

Caderas looked out the window, towards the sky. He lightly touched his currently discarded armor, and sighed.

It is about that time...if they are to survive, they must experience for themselves just how big the world truly is...

The official debut of GROUP, the inclusion of a new and improved Monster Kid, plans to head to the next Kingdom, and a brief look at the Prophet and Caderas. Seems like a pretty decent setup to me.

Hope you believe so as well. Story shall soon continue!

Next Arc: Legatum.

Many a major event shall happen. Be prepared!