Another chapter!
Dang it, I really need to get my groove back. Though with all the IRL stuff happening, that makes it easier said than done. Again, forgive me for that.
Anyway, let's just get to it!
Chapter Start!
It was kind of interesting for Asgore and Gerson, exploring other Kingdoms. For Asgore it was seeing how differently a Kingdom might run than his own, which means he can either learn a thing or two from it or they can learn to from him. For Gerson, it was simply a matter of pure exploration, wanting to know how certain things came about and how they got to a certain point. It was understandable that they'd show interest in how the world has changed around them. They've been around for a while.
To have the world change so drastically around them while they were under a mountain for so long, it truly is a surprising shift. Which is why they wanted to learn as much as possible about their new world, and what it's brought for long-lived men like them.
It had to come second for the most part, though. They had a mission that required their full attention. Which means no distractions of any kind is to interfere with their focus.
"Oh! What wonderful gardens!~"
...Something interfered with their focus.
Their quest within Legatum has just begun and Asgore was already taken in by the green sections of the scenery. Long streaks of flowers beautifully decorated the surrounding areas of a few houses-which honestly looked and felt more like smaller mansions-and Asgore couldn't help but allow his inner gardener to be in awe by the sights.
"They're so...so...beautiful.~"
"Oh boy, his inner garden boy is reading it's fluffy head." Gerson chuckled as he moved alongside the cheery Dreemurr amazed at the plantlife. "Does this have anything to do with us being on the highest level in the Kingdom?"
"Something like that. Though admittedly, the plantlife is amazing on all the levels. It's just super fancy on the highest level. Aside from the Capital, which is above the other four levels." Rebecca says with a small smile. "Of course the Capital level would have one of the prettiest settings for plantlife. Have to make the palace look nice and clean and pretty to walk in, I suppose."
"You seem to put some importance in appearances."
"Of course I know that substance is more important than appearance in the long-run, though appearance is usually important because first impressions can be pretty long-lasting." Rebecca sighed as she scratched her head. "Which is why I was so upset about potentially messing up my first impression with you all. I figured that would be the image you'd all see me as from then on."
"don't worry about it. you're still doin' ok." Sans waved off easily. "at any rate, how does it feel being queen?"
"To be honest, quite exhausting. But at the very least, it's equally rewarding to see my people living peacefully for the most part." Rebecca sighed. "Nevertheless, sometimes there's nothing more I'd like to do than have extended naps...multiple extended naps."
"...i have a feelin' that we can understand each other on that front." Sans chuckled. Only difference was that Rebecca may have multiple naps because she was THAT tired sometimes. Sans...he was just lazy. Very much so.
"At any rate, it isn't so terrible that I'd want to step down. Though it's less that I'm doing just fine, and more that I want to do what I can to do and be better than before. I can always do better than I did before. Though that certainly doesn't mean that it's easy."
"Being responsible for a Kingdom is never easy, Rebecca. There's much to do, many things to account for, and plenty of people counting on you." Asgore said while gazing at the numerous people, human and monster alike, passing them by.
"I know. Which is why I'm glad that I have such a reliable support system within the Guardians. It would be pretty difficult to try and run a Kingdom with no one to support you."
"...Yes, indeed. It is rather important for monarchs to have support systems. Without practical and emotional support to help you through it, being one can be...rather challenging." Asgore smiled slighty, though the others didn't miss the solemn tone in his voice. Gerson and Sans were well aware of where his thoughts were regarding that.
Though to her credit, Rebecca was able to tell that Asgore was speaking from experience. And to Sans' credit, he was able to see the brief twinkle of acknowledgement in her eye. Like she realized that Asgore had something in common with her. He had a feeling that he wouldn't like the origin of that connection she seems to have made between them.
"Ah! Efreet is right over there!" Rebecca calls out and pointed, directing their focus from the current subject to the one they were meant to focus on. No one disputed the decision, as they seemed to prefer moving onward than reflecting upon the past. There would be plenty of time for that, but not right now.
Right within the center of a circular rise of bushes with various lilies decorating them, they would see the flame elemental monster that they were looking for. They then noticed that there was an array of flames all around, not necessarily connected to anything. If Sans had to guess, it was natural magic energy in the air that just happened to be fire-like in nature than being normal flames. He wondered if there was a purpose to them, and realized that this Efreet must be empowered by the section of the Kingdom he guards over.
The next thing the guys noticed was his large horns attached to his wolf-like head that mostly went horizontally instead of upwards-which Asgore was fascinated by, having impressive horns himself-and were colored a coal-like black. His eyes were completely crimson red, just several touches darker than most of his body. He seemed to wear a gold vest with jade flame designs, and black pants. His feet were bare, mostly since they were hooves.
Papyrus had a feeling that Efreet had a falling out with shoes.
The fire elemental turned towards them, in the middle of carefully cutting a bit of excess branches from the bushes, evening them out a bit. A butterfly gently landed on his horn, and it wasn't harmed in the slightest like Asgore and Papyrus slightly feared.
"Oh. Hello, Rebecca. It seems that your guests arrived safely." The monster known as Efreet said as he turned away from the bushes, gently passing them by. Once again, they were undamaged by his flames.
"Sorry to interrupt your gardening session, Efreet. I know how much your concentration is important during it." Rebecca said while patting his shoulder. "It seems that it's coming along pretty well, though!"
"Indeed it is. It took quite a bit of doing, but I'm quite satisfied with my progress."
"THAT PROGRESS TRULY IS AMAZING, CONSIDERING THAT YOU ARE A FIRE ELEMENTAL MONSTER!" Papyrus acknowledged, rather curiously.
"I appreciate you noticing." Efreet said while gazing at the garden he was currently working on. "Gardening is not only a very pleasing pastime, but I consider it one of the more down-to-earth, yet effective methods of training my self-control. Usually it's difficult for elementals of my specific element to be around others such as plantlife. But I've advanced to the point that having my flames harmlessly touch them without a hint of burning is second-nature."
i think grillby can find some kinship with this guy. Sans mentally noted.
"At any rate, how may I assist?" Efreet asked while setting his tools to the side while keeping his eyes on the group.
"AH YES. WE HAVE SOMETHING WE WANT YOUR ASSISTANCE WITH, IF YOU DON'T MIND." Papyrus raised his hand. "WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN...RATHER DIFFICULT TOWARDS SOME OF OUR FRIENDS."
"Do you know the whereabouts of the earth dragon known as Terra?" Darkness asked. Though Sans once again noticed that he looked slightly troubled speaking to Efreet. Almost guilty. What was that about?
"Terra...I believe I heard the name stewing about a bit." Efreet hummed in deep thought. "I have heard that they were in Legatum for a while, and have been actively searching for them whenever I can. No fortune was born from my efforts yet. At least, not in regards to the dragoness herself."
"Is that so?"
"Unfortunately. But I have not stopped searching for clues on her whereabouts. There have been hints of their presence throughout Legatum, but they hid their presence before anything concrete can be deduced." Efreet says with narrowed eyes. "Regardless, I have no intention of letting them vanish from my sight again. The moment they're within my sight, I'll see that they burn."
"DOES THAT SEEM A BIT...HARSH?" Papyrus raised his hand. "PERHAPS WE CAN REASON WITH THEM? HAVE THEM POLITELY LET US TAKE TERRA WITH US?"
"Unlikely." Sans had slight gratitude for the fact that Efreet didn't immediately shut Papyrus' naive statement down in a negative manner. "From as long as they've been founded, Karma has been dedicated to spreading chaos and misery across Potentia in order to force growth within the Kingdoms, albeit in different ways and for different reasons, leading to different goals. But a critical fact remains: compromising with them has a high chance of being utterly fruitless."
"ARE...ARE YOU CERTAIN...?"
"Relatively. Though I will ask since you seem concerned: How do you reason with those who believe more wholeheartedly in growing stronger through enduring malevolence than by building character through being benevolent?"
"...I...SURELY THEY HAVE THEIR REASONS FOR BELIEVING THIS..."
"I am not saying that they don't. But even so, understanding those reasons may not be enough to lead to a successful compromise, nor will they justify endangerment of the innocent. Encounters with them will more than likely result in harsh conflict. And I will say now: My priority is the people's safety, as well as the safety of my Queen."
"I...I UNDERSTAND." Papyrus could tell that Efreet was a very dutiful monster. He was not one to risk the lives of the people he's protecting on the off-chance that he could convince them to change their ways. When it came to trying to reason with an enemy and defending his charges and friends, it was very clear what he would pick, without hesitation.
Papyrus could understand that. He was the same way. Or rather, he grew into the mindset that trying to reason with dangerous enemies during battle was growing more and more risky in certain circumstances, as there was a great risk of other people getting hurt. Whether it be innocent bystanders potentially getting caught in the crossfire, or his friends picking up his slack and getting hurt trying to cover for him.
Seeing how dangerous people in the world were for himself, he was learning that he couldn't always talk his enemies down. Quite a few of them have proven terrifyingly persistent, one of which forced Alphys of all people to kill an enemy to defend his brother, and to keep said enemy from killing more innocent people. It spelled wonders, and Papyrus would think that this, along with his own crusade in Surripio, helped push along his growth as a person.
He may never truly understand why certain people do bad things that hurt other people. But now he can no longer afford to be blissfully unaware of the fact that they do, and do so intentionally. Not being aware of it and not acknowledging it has potentially dire consequences that he could not ignore. He wouldn't-couldn't-allow that to diminish his effectiveness.
He had a feeling that Frisk was going through this exact same phase.
"...ALRIGHT THEN. IN THAT CASE, LET US DO OUR BEST TO HELP EACH OTHER WITH OUR OBJECTIVES. WE WISH TO SUBDUE TERRA, AND YOU WISH TO PROTECT THE LANDS AND THE PEOPLE WITHIN THEM." Papyrus nodded. Surely they could come to a compromise on how to proceed onwards.
"Very good." Efreet nodded, placing a hand on Papyrus' shoulder. "You are a considerate soul, Papyrus. It's truly a pity how little there are of people like that in this world of ours."
"A pity indeed..." Gerson sighed, shaking his head. "Let's drive this conversation to a different direction as we help each other look for this 'Terra', shall we?"
"sounds good. lemme start." Sans shrugged. "becca, what kind of magic do ya have?"
"B-Becca...?!" Efreet stuttered slightly in surprise.
"Oh! A nickname!" Rebecca smiled wonderously. "As for my magic, I'm quite adept at Binding Magic."
"binding?"
"I know I know. Binding in particular doesn't sound very useful outside of restraining others, does it?" Rebecca hummed. "But with some dedicated effort and expanded creativity, I managed to make it quite versatile."
"How so?" Asgore was curious.
"Would you care to assist me with a demonstration?" She said to Asgore and Papyrus.
"I suppose it won't hurt. Right, Papyrus?"
"ALRIGHT, ASGORE!"
"Very good. Hold still for a quick moment." Rebecca requests as she gently clapped her hands. At this provocation, her soul, which they discovered was Perseverance, glowed in her chest. And a moment later, what appeared to be glowing, purple threads came out of it and gently attached themselves to the two monsters. They both blinked as they felt their souls connected to the human in front of them.
Imagine their surprise when she held up two hands and conjured both a magic bone and a magic flame. And then placed then together as they formed a bone costed in flames, holding it over one hand as the result.
"WOWIE!" Papyrus's jawbone dropped in surprise.
"Good golly...how did you manage such a feat?" Asgore said, blinking curiously.
"I 'binded' myself to you. We are connected." Rebecca explained. "As such, I've adopted a portion of your magic to use for myself. In exchange, your own magic is supplied and enhanced by my own."
"Really? Won't that be harmful towards you?" Asgore thought with concern.
"There's no need to be worried. Lady Rebecca has quite a powerful soul to help supply those she binds herself to with power." Efreet says reassuringly. "Her soul is potent enough to borrow magic from all four Guardians, and provide her own power to each of us for enhancement."
"This magic seems to support cooperation between multiple people." Gerson thought while rubbing his chin.
"Indeed. Though...it can do a lot more than that, the more creative one becomes with it." Rebecca rubbed her shoulders. "You'd be surprised how powerful the concept of 'binding' is when you have a big enough imagination for it."
"Magic grows stronger through training and imagination." Darkness supported.
"That's obvious enough, but it appears we all still have much to learn." Asgore noted while stroking his beard.
Rebecca nodded. "Right. In any case, let us keep moving. We have much to do, and places to-"
Trip.
"-be?"
Whomp!
Rebecca ended up falling on her face...again. After she swore to herself that she wouldn't embarrass herself in such a way before her guests again.
Welp, that promise didn't last very long. No wonder Sans rarely, seriously makes them.
"Owwww..." Rebecca whimpered while Efreet was quick to pull her up, making sure she wasn't seriously hurt. To be honest, she didn't feel that much pain from the impact at all. It was more out of embarrassment than actual pain. "I can't believe I let this happen again..."
"ACCIDENTS HAPPEN, REBECCA!" Papyrus waved it off.
"Not in my frequency they don't..."
"You're quite a clumsy lady, aren't ya? Wahaha!~" Gerson cackled. Rebecca whimpered in embarrassment, blushing and covering her face as she speeds along, with Efreet calmly following her, with Asgore and Papyrus awkwardly doing the same. Gerson and Sans followed a little bit more slowly, walking side by side.
Both of them chose to remain vigilant. It seemed like they were being watched, from two different sources, one not necessarily aligned with the other. If anything, Sans had the sinking feeling that they've stepped in the middle of something big, without even knowing what and why.
It wouldn't surprise them if that turned out to be the case. Luck seemed to mess with them that way.
As Darkness moved along, he was stopped cold by a haunting whisper in his mind:
Hello, Darkness. My old friend...
Can't wait to see you again...
Our research days are days I'm missing...
You abandoned me and left me fuming...
The memories we've nurtured in our brains...
Still remains...
Within the sounds of death's silence.~
The voice was a very warm, affable one. Sweeter than honey. But that only serves to hide the sheer venom that was bubbling under the surface. And it was directed at him.
To avoid suspicion, Darkness pushed himself to keep moving and adopt a stoic expression, even though he was fearful on the inside.
Please no...not him. Literally ANYONE but him...!
Undyne had to admit, she didn't know what to expect when she decided to explore the area in which someone with a similar name to hers was in charge of guarding. Though now she was looking at it with her one eye, it was quite clear that most expectations she did have of the area were mostly dashed.
It wasn't like she found the idea impossible, too many bizarre things have happened for that to be a consideration. But she had to admit, even she found this to be amazingly fantastic. After all, it was one thing for water to be a decorative touch on locations such as temples, towers, underwater civilizations and more, with Undyne eagerly expecting to visit one of each at least once.
It was an entirely different matter when water is levitating through the air without the assistance of someone consciously manipulating it. It was even floating around buildings, along bridges, and even around a large fountain seen in the distance, where water appeared at it's most clear and crystal-like.
"Woooaaah..." Undyne whistled while scanning the area with a hand over her eye. "This place looks wicked! Look at all this water just floating around, not giving a damn about gravity and stuff!"
"It wouldn't be the first time where a special location would say 'nope' to normal physics..." Chara scratched the back of his neck. "Alphys, have any thoughts?"
"O-Oh..." Alphys coughed while she recovered from being awed herself. "If I were to make a guess based on observation, I would say that this entire area is generating a sort of magic energy that happened to have the properties and factors of water. The kind of water Undyne uses to shape a majority of her magic." Alphys hummed. "It's similar, yet also a little bit more. It's like the water is more...ethereal. It's definitely different from normal water magic."
"Is that so...?" Undyne tilted her head, whike her eyes would shift towards one of the water trails that seemed to levitate and glow. Curiosity taking hold of her, she made her way towards it and held out her hand.
"H-Hey! Undyne! Don't do anything overly risky now...!" Alphys panicked slightly.
Undyne didn't listen, staying her course. She channeled her magic through her hand. And from what Alphys could observe, the water energy reacted to her, and was drawn towards her. It connected to her hand, allowing itself to be used by her. Her eye widened as she suddenly felt the energy surge through her body. It was definitely different from usual water magic. And she was sure that she just absorbed a little bit of it, and felt slightly stronger. The water energy coated her body seemed to enhance her physically, and seemed to eliminate any fatigue she might have had before, no matter how little.
This water definitely feels...mystical. whatever the reason, this water feels a lot more special than normal water.
"How fortunate. You have arrived safely."
Their attention was drawn to the new arrival that has come to greet them. The first thing that surprised them was that the person came descending from what seemed to be a portal made entirely of water. It was certainly impressive, as Undyne has never seen water being used in such a way.
This was definitely the person they were looking for.
Her body appeared in an aquamarine glow, with long flowing purple hair going past her shoulders. She also wore a silver gown that made her entire lower half seem nearly dress-like. They would have even believed that she didn't have legs, were it not for the slit going down from her right hip that revealed a long and slender one. To top it off, was the gentle vibrant, elegant presence of her teal-colored eyes.
Simply put, she was beautiful. Undyne and Alphys certainly thought so.
"Greetings, welcomed visitors. I have been awaiting your arrival into my domain, the domain of Legatum that falls under my guardianship." The water elemental smiles gently. "As you may have heard and guessed, my name is Undine. I am here to aid you however I can." She moves closer to Undyne, and gracefully bows. "I have been especially looking forward to your appearance in particular, Sister Undyne."
"Sister...?" Undyne raised a confused eyebrow.
"Indeed. You and I are fellow water elementals of a specific type, hence how and why our names are so similar." Undine hummed. "Though I must admit, having your name contain 'y' instead of 'i' provides quite a bit of individuality to your identity. Which fascinates me."
"Huh...never really thought too much about it in that way. Doesn't seem like too big a deal."
"I can understand that thought. You have little idea of how exhausting to have the exact same name as many others. You having a slight shift in the spelling of your name helps you stand out from the rest." Undine hummed. "Strange, is it not? A single letter is replaced with another, the name still sounds similar, yet the spelling can help identify who is who. The smallest ripples sometimes make the biggest waves..."
"Huh. I don't really get it. I don't really sweat small stuff like that often, but I do get why you think it's pretty big."
Alphys, in the meantime, was simply observing the two speaking to one another, gathering what she could from said observation alone. In some perspectives, Undines were said to be masters of water that are usually found in areas that have plenty of said element. Not to mention, they were stunningly beautiful.
Certainly fits the two of them, for sure. But that's neither here or there, they needed to stay focused.
"Undyne?"
"Yeah/Yes?" Undyne/Undine said in unison, before briefly looking at each other in surprise/confusion.
"O-Oh..." Alphys blushed slightly and facepalmed. Now she sees why Undine was placing emphasis on the spelling of Undyne's name.
"That's not confusing at all." Chara deadpanned.
"Ladies, Ladies-and Dearie-! I offer a simple solution!~" Muffet clapped. "Pronunciation is key, so let's try this: Undyne shall be said as Un-DINE, while Undine shall be said as Un-DEEN. Dine and Deen, who show no respect for those who dine and dash!"
"I'm pretty sure you're the one who hates dine and dashers." Chara pointed out.
"Customers that disrespect working cooks/bakers in such a manner must not go unpunished." Muffet said seriously.
"My, how embarrassing of me." Undine chuckled with a hand over her mouth. "This is what I mean differences in spelling and pronunciation can make quite a difference. Prevents a lot of confusion."
"L-Let's get back on track..." Alphys muttered, pressing her fingers together. "I-I'm sure you've heard of what we are here for and why, as well as why we split our exploration party up as we did..."
"Ah yes, you seek the perpetrator of the Seloms Archipelago incident." Undine said with a solemn frown. "That was indeed a disastrous ordeal, and it fills me with dread that the person you seek may very well be hiding within Legatum..."
"It's a personal matter for some of us. We don't exactly take kindly to the fact that the home we sought to save for a friend goes on to get destroyed without fanfare. That's just incredibly frustrating." Undyne folded her arms. "But mostly, it's to get the person who sunk the island to own up to her crime and take responsibility for it." She cocked her head ro the side. "Though the more I think about it, the more I'm sure we need more info on this and stuff, ya know? Like, we have the end result, which does piss me off, but we still don't have the context as to what the hell happened, who else was involved, why it happened at all, etc. That kind of thing."
"Simply put, we'd like a bit more context behind this little incident before we do something drastic. Course we might do something like that anyway, but we'd at least be a bit more informed.~" Muffet hummed with a six-armed shrug.
"Any details that can help, any at all, would be greatly appreciated." Alphys added.
Undine hummed as she turned and began leading them down a path. "Me and my companions have been searching for the perpetrator and for answers like you. Unfortunately, anything concrete on the suspect themselves has yet to come up. However..."
"There it is." Chara called out.
"We reviewed Legatum's history with Karma in an attempt to see who she might have allied herself with in their ranks."
"Wait, as in, you might have a clue as to who she's working with?" Lisa piped up, adjusting her glasses. The rest of GROUP also clued in, extra curious. Alphys quietly advised them to slow down and let the water elemental finish.
"If I were to make an educated guess on who she might have joined up with specifically, considering her affilation with Karma, there are a group of criminals who we declared such due to their crimes committed within or against Legatum. She might be among them."
"Really...?" Undyne narrowed her eye. "Is that gonna help us...?"
"In a way." Undine said slowly. "A long time ago, me and my comrades did battle against a group of criminals that once terrorized Legatum in different ways, in what they believed was karmic due to their different situations. Each scenario has some sort of story behind them, but it doesn't at all justify the horrible crimes they committed for the sake of inflicting karma against their homeland for it's perceived wrongdoings towards them. Regardless of their reasoning, they brought forth untold terror and trauma among the people of Legatum before they retreated. Me and my comrades came so close to killing them...!"
Undyne noticed how the water energy around Undine pulsed strongly when she reached the end of her statements, which was an indicator for how strongly she felt about this. Especially when she said 'kill'. Not arrest, not incapacitate, nor simply take down. They wanted these criminals dead, and them escaping deeply frustrated them. The mere notion that they could still be at large was enough to accept the others help.
"You feel very strongly about this..." Lizzie noted with her hands in her pockets. "They must have done some pretty horrid things for you to feel this intensely about them." As she and Lisa were wondering this, the other four members of GROUP-Richard, Verena, Ace, and Justin-kept their eyes on the environment around them, quietly wondering if their enemy may be watching them.
"I indeed feel strongly about this." Undine mumbled while rubbing her shoulder. "They've done their own share of damage to Legatum separately in isolated incidents, and did even more damage together. A majority of it is irreversible in the long run, and it's left the Kingdom feeling nothing but pain." Undine clenched her fists. "It was their final act before their disappearance that we've firmly decided; we simply cannot entertain the idea of letting them live the next time we see them."
"That bad...? What did they do?" Chara raised an eyebrow. Undine shook slightly, slowly calming herself so she can remain coherent.
"Queen Rebecca has been ruler of Legatum for a long time...and she started at an age where she shouldn't have had to." Undine rubbed her shoulders. "She had to take the throne at the young age of nine with myself and my comrades acting as her strongest supporters, regents, and as her closest guardians."
"She took the throne at nine years old...?" Chara's eyes narrowed.
That doesn't spell good things about her history...
Asriel, being the young prince that he was, seemed to be quite fascinated by what he was witnessing at the moment. A clear sentiment shared by his friends Monster Kid and Red, who were both just in awe of their new environment as he was. They were told that they'd find Slyph in this area. And it seems that the one they were looking for was definitely here.
They could feel the dense magic in the air, and it's nature was wind. It was a glowing, sparkling, majestic green that graced the area so naturally and yet, they knew just how mystical it was. There was also the sight of several windmills that towered above them, also coated in a glowing green light as the blades slowly spun around.
The wind felt like a gentle, free breeze against their bodies, nearly welcoming. It felt unrestrained, full of expression and spirit. There wasn't an exact way to describe it. Though if there was one thing to be certain of, was that Tempest felt strangely at home here, given his namesake.
"It's super windy here..." MK commented with wide eyes. "And not in a bad way, either. It feels super nice pushing gently against us and stuff."
"I know, right? I feel as light as this very air." Red hummed while feeling the wind blowing against her hair. "It's like the sky itself is giving us an embrace, pushing us onwards towards adventure..."
"It sounds even cooler when ya put it like that." MK tilted his head.
"It sounds super cool when you put it like that." Asriel smiled while scratching his head. "Okay, we gotta focus. We should meet up with this 'Slyph' wnd request her help. Though where could she-"
"Found her." Tempest said reluctantly as he pointed ahead on the path before them.
It definitely feels like this was the one they were looking for, given that her magic presence felt stronger than anyone else in the area. And she did stand out a bit, in a manner of speaking.
The initial aspect that managed to catch Asriel's attention is how humanlike Sylph appeared to be. Honestly, if it weren't from her seemingly permanent green aura around her petite body, light green skin, as well as the glowing green sprite wings sprouting from her back, and sensing her soul, he might have mistaken her as human. Though that might be his own naivety holding against him. She wore a darker green, form-fitting dress that had two high cut leg slits, allowing said limbs to move a bit more freely.
They were sure that she was the one, given how an immense concentration of wind gathered around her.
"That's Slyph alright..." Asriel nodded.
"Yo...there's so much wind swirling around her..." MK commented awed.
"She seems a bit too carefree with how she dresses..." Red muttered.
"That's what's setting you off...?" Tempest eyes' twitched slightly.
Trying to keep his group on track, Asriel cleared his throat and moved towards Sylph with a gentle wave. "Excuse me, Ms. Sylph?"
"Yo!"
Asriel nearly bleated in shock as Slyph suddenly zipped in front of him in a green burst of wind. "H-Hah?!"
"Woah! She's super fast!" MK blinked, nearly staggering back a little.
"Hi there! You must be the new guests I've been notified about!" Slyph said quickly, flying around the group and leaving a green glowing trail behind. "You're here sooner than I thought you'd be, but I can get behind that! Makes things a tiny bit easier, you see!"
"O...Okay...?"
"As you might have figured out already, the name's Sylph! I've been tasked to aid you on your little mission of honor and justice!" She said quickly while zipping upwards again. "That's the deal, so here I am! Here to help you in your endeavor against Karma! Those slimy jerks are hidden somewhere in our fair Kingdom Legatum, so we gotta flush them out and take them out as soon as we possibly can!"
Goodness, she doesn't waste any time, does she...? Asriel sweatdropped.
"H-Hey! We can't go rushing into things so recklessly! Not now!" Red tried to intervene. "And why do you look so pumped up?! Karma is a very serious threat that needs to be treated seriously!"
"...I think your voice squeaked a bit by the end." MK blinked owlishly. Red meeped and covered her muzzle with an embarrassed blush.
"Barking puppies do tend to be annoying and squeaky with their barking." Sylph says bluntly, which comes to great irritation Red.
"What'd you say?!" She glared, flashing her fangs.
"See what I mean? They get all irritated and then they assault your ears with their annoying barking." Slyph waved off. "Mind lowering your volume, pooch?"
Red took a deep breath...Asriel and MK had to hold her back as she drew her sword and stomped towards her.
"Red, calm down!"
"Yeah, I'm sure she didn't mean it nearly as much as she might think she did!" MK tried to soothe her, with little success. "J-Just chill, Red! Fighting her over this isn't going to help anyone! She's supposed to be our ally!"
"Just a wing...let me clip off a wing...!"
"Red...we have to stay focused." Asriel said soothingly, lightly petting the top of her head. Red still snarled a bit, before she sighed and relented, her grip on her sword loosened.
"Y...You're right. Sorry about that. Need to stay focused."
Asriel turned to Slyph with a pout. "Ms. Slyph, please don't provoke Red like that. We are indeed on a serious mission, and we'd want to see it through via cooperation."
Slyph sighed. "Just trying to lighten the mood. Though I could have done a bit better on how I went about it..."
"Now that that rocky-"
"Not rocky, that's Gnome's schtick."
"...turbulent introduction is out of the way..."
"Much better.~"
"Maybe we can focus on our shared task?"
"Sure!"
"Is there anything you can tell us about Karma? Or at the very least, have you heard of a dragon named Terra possibly among them?"
"Terra? The earth dragon that destroyed that archipelago?" Sylph hummed as her wings beat rapidly in thought. "Yeah, I've heard about her. Come to think of it, it's pretty strange, what we know about her situation."
"How do you figure...?"
"Usually those who possess the element of earth are crazy stubborn and set in their ways, which is why windy people like myself can be pretty annoyed by them."
"Really? Why is that?" Red tilted her head.
"'No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it.'" Tempest recited somewhat calmly.
Asriel blinked. He could have sworn he heard that line from a movie once...and he might understand what Slyph was suspecting.
"What does that mean?" MK wondered.
"I think it means that the wind is always blowing freely. Changing directions, blowing wherever it pleases, emphasizing freedom. There's a reason why the phrase is 'ride the winds of change.'" Asriel explained. "Earth is the opposite. It's very resistant to change, and it can't/won't move nearly as freely as wind can. In that aspect, they are opposites in spirit."
"Tell me about it! Me and Gnome butt heads a lot over this..." Slyph pouted.
"From what we can gather, Terra may see things in a very narrow manner. A single path she takes that she believes has no alternatives. Not because she doesn't want alternatives, but that there's no point in even looking." Asriel hummed. "I can't say for sure if that's Terra's deal or not, but it's definitely better than having no clue at all."
"Fair enough."
"Still doesn't help us deduce where to look, though." Red pointed out.
Slyph waved off that particular concern, wings fluttering again. "No need to worry about that, for I have a pretty decent idea on where to start looking, if you're interested. After all, we're also looking to apprehend the Karma members within this area. And I definitely wanna take care of them as soon as possible!"
"As do we. Which is why it's good that we cooperate. We cover each other's bases, that kind of thing."
"Sure sure." Slyph narrowed her eyes as she slowly looked around. "There's been a change in the wind...a rather drastic one. There's something seriously bad coming over the horizon, and I wanna try and prevent it if I can."
Something bad is going to happen...? Asriel considered this, and thought that it might not be too far off the mark, especially with an organization like Karma. He hasn't seen them in action, but he had a deep feeling that he wouldn't like his experiences with them in the slightest. Thus, he shared Slyph's feeling about attempting to prevent the worst if he had the power to do so.
Terra was still a priority. If she really was with them, then they had to separate her from them, in order to have a chance.
"Alright, enough of this. We need to get moving, for real." Red shook her head. "Slyph, is there any specific place where we can start looking? Like, a former place that Karma used to stay? Like a base?"
"Specifically? They used to have taken over one of these windmills as it provides quite a bit of wind magic for them to use. I can show you where it is. It's one of the few windmills that also functions as a tower base of sorts." Slyph turned and began fluttering forth. "C'mon! I'll show ya!"
"Okay!" MK nodded and hopped along. Asriel chuckled anxiously as he and Red followed the two. Tempest himself shook his head and began following the others...though he stopped as something echoed in his head:
"The wind is made of haunting souls
that moan and groan
in whistles and whispers.
This ghostly choir chills the breeze
and orchestrates a rise of goose bumps
on my skin."
Remember how many innocent souls you've added to that wind, Tempest? Really improves the choir's quality, huh?~
Tempest suddenly felt still. Very still. The sound if of the wind failed to reach him for several seconds as he processed this familiar voice.
...There's no mistaking it...I recognize that voice. And if it really is who I think it is...
He chose to push himself forward, like the wind changing in any direction it chooses. The wind generating around him suddenly intensified as his thoughts went to Asriel, Red, and MK.
He's not going to let him hurt them. He'll die first.
Toriel thought that it would be a bit more difficult to get in touch with Gnome. After all, Gnome was one of the top warriors of Legatum and one of it's greatest protectors. So she would be fair to deduce that he was a busy monster that did his best to maintain the peace by always keeping vigilant of possible danger.
Imagine her surprise-and slight confusion-when she finds him sleeping on a levitating globe without a care in the world.
Alas, she is corrected.
Up close, Gnome was a small creature, covered in brown fur, with big ears that gradually becomes orange towards the end. He had a slight white underbelly, that matched the slight circular white patch around his face. And strangely, he wore a large brownish ring around his waist that seemed to be generating a faint energy around it, complete with an orange glow.
He was surprisingly adorable.
"Oh! He's taking a nap!" Faryn pointed out while standing over him curiously, finger on her chin. "Wonder if he was just REALLY sleepy...?"
"Or maybe he's lazy." Frisk shrugged.
"They don't seem to be mutually exclusive, because Sans is both of those things."
"Fair point..."
"A gross simplification...but not an inaccurate one." Gaster sighed. "In any case, we should wake Gnome up. We'll need his-"
WHACK!
"Rise and shine, small dirtball." Lunar says casually after kicking the monster off his globe, surprising her allies from how abrupt it was.
Gnome landed on his head, falling forth on his back...and kept snoring.
"Woah! His noggin must be super strong!" Faryn gasped in awe.
"Maybe his earth magic hardened his head...?" Frisk contemplated.
Gnome eventually sits back up a bit, yawning as his personal globe returned to him, hopping back on it without a care in the world. He scratched one of his ears while turning his head towards the present company. It didn't take too long for him to spin around on said globe a bit while wiggling his feet. He was soon cut off by Frisk waving his hand.
"Gnome?"
"Yes...that is...me..." Gnome spoke with a tired smile, one of his ears waving to them. Faryn curiously noticed that they seemed to resemble paws themselves. "How...can I...help you...?"
He talks so slowly...is he really that sleepy...? Toriel sweatdropped. "Erm...is this a bad time, Mr. Gnome?"
"No...not at all...it's...totally...fine..." Gnome reassured her. Lunar's eye was beginning to twitch a bit from how annoyed she was getting from his slow speaking. Frisk, Faryn, and Gaster didn't seem to mind at all.
"Well then, it's just that we're looking for someone who may be here within Legatum. Someone we must personally find so we can right something that had been unjustly wronged." Everyone made a promise to Nikon that they'd bring Terra back alive. As much as Toriel's soul burned at the memory of receiving that news, she fully intended to keep her promise despite her emotions.
"Ah...you are looking...for Terra...of course..." Gnome nodded slowly.
"You seem to know about her." Gaster says with his arms behind his back. "Any info at all can help."
"...She is...my friend..."
This certainly caught their attention, is Gnome began moving along on his personal globe, lying belly first on it.
"Terra is...my friend...a special friend...from initial years as Guardian...even though...she is from a different Kingdom...we became friends..." Gnome continued as his head geared towards the ground. "I...don't know...exactly what happened...during our time apart...but the thing she did...doesn't sound like her...at all..."
"Really...?" Frisk leaned closer in slight concern.
"Perhaps she has changed during your time apart from her?" Gaster suggested.
"...No...not it..." Gnome shook his head. "Something has happened...very wrong...so...I want to...find out...what this all means...need...to find her..." Gnome's mouth formed a thin line. "I sense her...through the earth..."
"You do?!" Toriel and Frisk asked simultaneously.
"I sense that...she's in Legatum...but...can't place...exact location..." Gnome sighed. "She knows...that I look for her...so she scrambles sensory slightly...by changing earth around her...just enough...to throw me off..could be in one...exact location...while being...in another..."
Who knew earth magic could be used to mess with direct detection...? Frisk wondered. Then again, he supposed a major limitation was that the subject would have to be in contact with the ground, which can be exploited with enough creativity.
"So she's being misleading when it comes to detection. She really must not want to be found." Toriel hummed while rubbing her chin. This didn't exactly make Terra look good, however, she couldn't make any final calls until they found the earth dragon herself.
"Tch. Of course not." Lunar snarled. "Slithering through the dirt like the newt that she is. Not coming out and facing her enemy..."
"Hey hey! Insulting someone we haven't met yet won't get us anywhere!" Frisk raised his hand. "Also, it's not very polite at all!"
"To hell with politeness, I want to fight someone, and she's hiding from me!"
"Don't dismiss politeness! It can save lives!" Faryn raised her hand as well.
"Children...please." Toriel sighed while gently palming her face.
Gnome yawned while continuing to move onward, leading them through over a crowd of people. After a moment, they noticed that they were levitating over said piece on a piece of earth. Then they further noticed that there were many earth pieces levitating in the air, all around them. Several of those pieces would then gather around a certain area and automatically formed a path for citizens to walk on.
"Woooaaah..." Frisk and Faryn gasped in awe.
"Goodness, the rock roads formed on their own...!" Toriel blinked while looking around the area they were walking on.
"Domain of mine...very rich in earth magic...allows for cool effects like this..." Gnome explained slowly. They could see, not only were self-constructing paths being formed, but there were rocks emitting geothermal energy for warmth, glowing crystals to light the way for certain paths, rock walls raised up for defense of certain buildings, and more. It was a fascinating setup from one of the more sturdy elements, for sure.
"...Is that rock candy?" Frisk pointed towards a booth currently selling them. They came in several different flavors and colors that were bright and shiny.
"We sometimes...call it...crystal candy...for fun with alliterations..." Gnome smiles.
A brief stop later, both Faryn and Frisk were eating crystal candy with very content expressions.
"Rock candy. Hard, but sweet. Made with rock-hard resolve." Frisk hummed.
"It's so nice and shiny and tasty! I didn't think rock candy could be so shiny and tasty!" Faryn beamed with a wagging tail and flicking ears. "Heck, it surprised me that rocks could be candy at all! So fascinating!"
"You're too easily impressed." Lunar said bluntly. "So how are we gonna find Terra?"
"We're thinking too specifically, especially if Terra is hiding her presence so effectively." Gaster says while looking straight ahead. "If we are to have any luck in finding Terra, we must find Karma itself within Legatum."
"...I have an idea." Faryn raised her hand again.
"Ah, the fox cub has an idea. Please enlighten us." Lunar said sarcastically.
"Terra is blocking your senses of her specifically, right?" Faryn asked Gnome, who slowly nodded. "Do that again. But this time, don't try to sense her exact location. Expand your sense on a much wider margin. This time, when you sense a blindspot, don't be discouraged. Follow it."
"Hmmm...?"
"Sensing on your level is like a magic radar. When you try detecting her presence, she disguises it so you can't lock onto her directly. From this, we can guess that wherever she is, members of Karma are certain to be with her." Faryn narrowed her eyes. "If you expand your senses and experience a feedback that bounces back to you, it will tell you where she is. She can only be in one place at a time, and she has to exert effort to hide her presence. Follow the interference that is strongest. At the very least, we'll track down Karma if not Terra herself."
Gaster rubbed his chin and closed his eyes. "Hmmm...that may just work. After all, Gnome knows Terra's magic energy better than any of us. If we track the area she seems to be blocking him from sensing, we're more likely to find her or a member of Karma."
"Their method of hiding their presence will be exactly what leads us to them..." Frisk nodded in understanding.
"A pleasant idea, Faryn." Toriel supported with a smile.
Faryn smiled, her tail wagging happily.
"Alright...I'll...give it a try..." Gnome nodded as he focused his magic. The gang was briefly surprised as a wave of magic washed over them, which they sensed went far from the general area, it spread to the very ends of his assigned domain, which was a very impressive range. After a moment, Gnome raised his head. "There it is...I sense the bounce back...to the east...it's it's own area..."
"Follow it!"
Gnome did just that. Which is why it was a slight surprise that the rocks that they were on suddenly accelerated, while leaving themselves mostly unaffected by the increase of speed, aside from seeing things slightly blur right by.
Even with how sluggish and sleepy Gnome seemed, his mastery over Earth magic was impressive.
Gnome eventually stopped in place, and everyone jumped off the rock platforms. They were in the area blocking Gnome's sensing. They were beginning to see what he meant by not being able to lock it down to one single location. In this displaced area it felt like the magic signatures were everywhere.
"Hmm...it seems like our magic senses are being distorted. No wonder Gnome could not sense Terra. We would not be able to sense any of them in this area via magic." Gaster deduced.
Faryn sniffed once, then two more times, before pointing upwards to the west. "There." She called out before she went from pointing her finger to holding out a palm, blasting a sizable ball of fire towards the same direction. It impacted something, and something shining covered the whole area like a mirror reflection.
"Oh?" Frisk blinked.
"Even if they mess with magic sensory, they can't fool the natural senses so easily." Faryn narrowed her eyes. "My nose was able to make out exactly where they are."
"Heh. Finally." Lunar grinned as she channeled her magic into her paw, leaping forward and shattering the crystal wall illusion apart...
"The moon, our own, earthly moon is bitterly lonely, because it is alone in the sky, always alone, and there is no one to turn to, no one to turn to it."
Lunar's magic stopped channeling, and her eyes widened in disbelief as she landed on her feet.
"Twilight - a time of pause when nature changes her guard. All living things would fade and die from too much light or too much dark, if twilight were not."
Lunar clenched her fists, her fangs bared.
Sheesh. These REALLY put your namesake and magic in a more melancholy context, doesn't it?~
TOXIN! Where are you, you bastard!? Come out and fight me! Lunar snarled angrily.
Apologies. Afraid my associates and I are about to put our plans into action. You do look as barbarically beautiful as ever, though.~
Piss off! Tell me what the hell you're doing here, so I can find and kill you!
That's not very ladylike, Lunar. I thought you would have matured by now. Or do you intend to keep the 'madness' theme the moon also brings?
Whatever you're planning, it's not going to happen! Stop hiding from me!
Jahahaha! Me? Hiding? I'm PREPARING. Big difference. YOU are the one who is hiding.
Bullshit. I'm not afraid of you.
Of course not. However, that doesn't really relate to what I'm saying. What I'm saying is...how long do you intend to hide your 'inner sun'? How many more years must 'Solar' remain suppressed? When will she rise and the moon set, then vice versa, as the natural cycle of day and night?
...
I'll let you think about that. Consider it. It might help you live a few minutes longer.~
Before she could retort, she felt Toxin's prescence disappear from her mind. She blinked as she felt Toriel lightly patting her shoulder.
"Lunar? You spaced out for a moment. Are you alright?" She asked.
"...Yeah. I'm alright." Lunar huffed as she pushed the paw off. "In any case, the illusion is down, we should enter the earth fortress and kick Karma into the ground."
Frisk could tell something off-balanced Lunar, enough to greatly tone down her battle-lust. Whatever it was, it must have been serious. Though that would have to wait another time, as she's already gone ahead and entered the fortress. Gnome proceeded to enter right after, along with Toriel, before she stopped and turned to Frisk and Faryn.
"Children. Whatever happens, please stay close to me. We do not know what dangers we will encounter."
"Right!" Frisk and Faryn both nodded strongly, going into the fortress. Toriel nodded them along, before she turned to Gaster, who remained unmoving.
"Gaster? What stalls you?"
"...Nothing, my Queen. Perhaps I should stay out here, make sure there is no...unexpected outside interference." Gaster suggested, his eyes not leaving the direction he looked towards. "You should hurry and proceed, Toriel. I will catch up soon enough."
"...Alright." Toriel nodded, trusting Gaster's judgement, before she turned and followed Faryn and Frisk into the fortress.
Gaster nodded, glad they made it inside, before he turned fully towards the direction he focused on. The lights in his eyes flared as he held his hands behind his back.
"You may reveal yourself now. It is just you and I."
Moments after this declaration, someone indeed revealed themselves. It was a human male. The man was tall and disheveled, shrouded in black from head to toe. His gray hair and stubble, along with deep wrinkles under his eyes and mouth, made it clear the man had lived a harsh life. A large cloak and cowl covered the majority of his facial features, however his narrow eyes reflected a lifetime of bitterness. His gloved hands looked at something for a moment, before he slipped it back into his pocket. He glared harshly, at Gaster, his eyes filled with pure, unadulterated distain. The air around him was thick with bloodlust, anger emanating from him in dense waves.
Gaster was unfazed.
"W.D. Gaster..." The man muttered bitterly.
"One of the Seven Great Magicians. Revan." Gaster replied calmly. "You're looking well. What brings you all the way out here on this beautiful day? Come to see the birds? Or perhaps pick some flowers?"
"I heard you were trapped inside the Void. I thought escaping it was impossible. And yet here you stand, spitting in the face of that very word's meaning."
"I had assistance. Assistance I'm forever grateful for." Gaster said solemnly. "Anyway, you ignored my question i'd like an answer to."
Revan reached around in his pocket and pulled out a combat knife, which suddenly crackled with black lightning. "I'll make this simple. I've come to kill the boy. You'll stay out of my way if you value your life."
"Curious. One of the Seven Magicians came all the way here to kill a boy that has done nothing to you. That doesn't sound like something you'd waste your time with." Gaster tilted his head. "Unless, of course...there's more to it than that?"
"It doesn't matter that you're curious about it. You won't live long enough for it to matter." Revan declared the hatred in his eyes blazing hatefully as more lightning crackled all over, destroying some parts of the area. "Either way, the boy dies today, and that will be the end if it."
Gaster wonderer about that. This was far more than some assigned job to kill Frisk. No. The malice in the air surrounding this man, combined with the sheer wrath he could see in his eyes, Gaster was very confident in guessing that this was a personal matter, and he had a good idea on what it might have birthed from. It also confirmed that swaying him from his goal wasn't an option.
In order to find the truth, he'd had to dissect the info from him. As a scientist, this suits him just fine.
He sighed. "You're as non-negotiable as ever. Going after a boy who has no quarrel with you. But you have a quarrel with him, and the rage burning in your eyes and soul tells me that this is a very personal matter, despite the two of you having never met. Now you've got me curious as to why that is."
Gaster held out his hand, and ten Gaster Blasters immediately blinked into existence, their maws all prepared to fire powerful beams of energy. The curiosity in his eyes shifted to a glare of scientific coldness in a nanosecond.
"This warrants further study."
Things are well on their way. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out a bit more quickly. Because I REALLY want to.
Of course, things don't always line up that way, gosh darn it. Oh well, just gotta adapt some more.
Until next time!