Chara: Remember when our beloved author said that he was trying to get back in the groove of things? Yeaaah...this is him now. *Points*
Me: *sprawled miserably on the floor, feeling like garbage*
Frisk: Eheh...he tries. Truly, he does.
Asriel: Having more responsibilities in life kinda does this sometimes. Gets lost in it.
Asgore: I'm sure he'll improve...eventually.
Faryn: Maybe a feast will cheer him up! :3
Red: One with Cinnamon Bunnies!
Muffet: How about some muffins on the side?~
Me: *groans*
Toriel: Sigh...moving along.
Chapter Start!
Lightning blasts and Gaster Blaster beams fired intensely at one another. Gaster calmly analyzed his situation as lightning crackled past him, making a crater in the ground behind him.
Revan. One of the Seven Great Magicians that sealed away the monsters of Ebott. Greatest attribute lies within his advanced mastery of Lightning Magic. On a MUCH more destructive scale.
Perfectly capturing the fact that he's a malevolent sorcerer. He can't hide his true nature behind his faux righteous words. I've seen his true colors, and his soul is completely void of so-called 'righteousness'.
...Huh. Sans would be amused at that one.
A barrier of bones raised up and defended him against an onslaught of black lightning. The wall shattered from the destructive element, small shocks managing to attach to the remaining splinters of pieces. Revan appeared in front of him a flash of lightning, slashing at him with his knife. Gaster nonchalantly stepped back a few feet to dodge it, and a Gaster Blaster fired down upon him, destroying a great amount of the area around them.
Revan landed a few feet from Gaster, lightning still surging around him, before he noticed that their battle hasn't yet alerted anyone of their presence.
Gaster had used his Void Magic to encompass their space and hide it from other people. They were fighting in their own space that hasn't changed aesthetically, but nobody outside of the area would notice their presence until Gaster brought it down. They were cut off from everything outside their area.
"I will ask again, for the sake of being polite." Gaster said while landing on his feet. "What is it that causes you to go after Frisk so fiercely, with an intent to kill? He has done nothing to warrant the level of hatred your are exhibiting towards him."
"Once again, that has nothing to do with you." Revan replied carelessly as another blast of lightning was sent Gaster's way, which was quickly countered by three blasters stopping it in it's tracks while making a trench in the ground.
"Want to keep being difficult? Very well. I can play detective if need be." Gaster hummed as he clasped his hands behind his back. The ones connected to his wrists that is; the other six around him gathered around him and directed six other Gaster Blasters that fired at Revan. The magicians vanished from sight in a flash of lightning, reappearing and firing lightning at one of the blasters, destroying them.
Let us see...he intends to do away with Frisk, despite having never met him before. There are a few possible scenarios that lead up to this current conflict...
Gaster thought curiously as Revan shot forth like a literal bolt of lightning, lightning-coated knife first. Gaster quickly side-stepped it, though there was a slight tear in his lab-coat in the process. It did not break his focus, however. Even as Revan continued the close-quarters assault with several more slashes of the knife.
Based on our recent achievements, it would be believable to assume that he is seeking to kill Frisk is because of his aspirations to further improve Monster-Human relations, which is no longer kept to just Ebott. Spreading goodwill in such a manner...is unthinkable for someone like Revan, who despises Monsterkind.
Gaster sidestepped from another one of Revan's knife slashes, with a sharp wall of bones shooting out of the ground in an attempt to impale him. Revan quickly dashed out of the way in a flash of lightning, barely dodging the wave. A blast from a Gaster Blaster countered a beam of lightning headed his way, resulting in a bright flash of light.
The other scenario is much more personal, and spiteful. Based on recent information we have received about Frisk's past, I can also guess that Revan's intense hatred towards him has something to do with his birth mother, Freya. Which is definitely a curious thought as to how and why that is. Alvina did imply that there was more to the woman than meets the eye, even if she could not put her finger on it.
Gaster casually ducked downwards as Revan swiped at him from behind with his knife infused with lightning, extending it into a much larger blade. A brief push of the scientist's telekinesis sent the magician flying away a few feet, with said feet digging into the ground.
It would make sense from an outsider to believe that he came to kill Frisk due to the former option, but his malevolence is far too intense and personal even for him to be restrained to that reason. Which leaves the second scenario, as well as the how and why for it. I believe some experimentation is in order before I make a more concrete conclusion.
"I must wonder, Revan." Gaster began after standing up straight. "Would your intense malevolence towards Frisk have something to do with the woman known as 'Freya, by any chance?" Gaster guessed correctly, as the malevolence of Revan's soul spiked to dangerous levels, along the sheer hatred burning in his eyes. "I guessed correctly, then. And now I must wonder again, what did that woman done to you to warrant such hate towards her son?"
"You've made a grave error associating yourselves with him. I never would have thought that her ability to be a constant nuisance would continue through a child we never knew about." Revan snarled.
"Really? Hm. Despite some ups and downs, I quite like being assosciated with Frisk. So we can call this a difference in opinion." Gaster said as another Gaster Blaster shot forth towards Revan, who vanished in yet another flash of lightning. "Still, what about her made you hate her, and her son by proxy? I mean, since I'm obviously not going to survive this encounter, surely there's no harm in telling me?" Gaster tilted his head.
Revan was once more coated in erratic electricity, signifying the crazed madness in his eyes. "There is no way I'm allowing a spawn of hers to live. Absolutely no way!"
Gaster's eyes widened as lightning began surging. This one's bigger and faster than the others-
The blast was much more devastating than the others that came before it. The lighting crashed upon Gaster was almost demonic in nature, having absolutely destroyed the surrounding area that he occupied, while Revan was unharmed in his own electric bubble. Electrical surges would persist from the destroyed rubble that flew about everywhere.
Revan landed on his feet, the electrical surges still verging out everywhere. However, noticing that the area still drew no attnetion from the outside meant that Gaster didn't lose enough focus for his Void Magic to be undone.
"...Still alive..." Revan narrowed his eyes.
Gaster revealed himself from the cloud of smoke caused by the electricity. His expression remained somewhat stoic, but the damage was present, as his right arm was bleeding, his lab coat slightly singed. His coat flapped in the wind as he kept most of the damage from leaving the space he created with his Void Magic.
Though the strain was beginning to show a bit, as the hand connected to his wrist was cracking slightly.
"It is not allowed to live past today." Revan said clearly, with a sense of intense purpose. "It is a danger to this world, and must not be allowed to continue what it's spawner began. The one who undid all of our hard work. And the one who sealed me and my comrades away...for seven hundred years."
Gaster impressively allowed his surprise to remain hidden. Seven hundred years? Inconceivable. Someone was able to seal all seven of them away? And Frisk's mother was the one responsible?!
He supposed that in that time period, Monsterkind has had its major comeback, now near-equally populating the world as much as humans. Furthermore, they were much more powerful-which can be both a good and bad thing, considering their encounters so far-which means a one-sided clash was no longer possible. The possibility decreased even further as while things weren't perfect, Monsters and Humans got along, for better or worse. They wouldn't let their bonds be destroyed so easily this time.
This must infuriate Revan to no end...which Gaster chose to rub in.
"It must really be frustrating for you. It doesn't feel so good to be on the other side of a sealing, does it?" Gaster replied casually.
"You soul-stealing parasites are everywhere now, stronger than you've ever been before...it's sickening." Revan growled furiously. "Everything was perfect until that retched woman showed up from nowhere. She didn't even register our attention. She wasn't worth our concern. She was an absolute nobody." He clenched his fists. "Yet she...she single-handedly ruined everything we've worked for! EVERYTHING!"
Is that so...what a fascinating set of new information. Though this only begets a few new questions. Such as...who exactly was Freya before she was Alvina's friend? How did she do what Revan says she did? And most importantly...why?
Regardless of that, it would seem that Revan was hellbent on killing Frisk for the transgressions of his birth mother towards him, as well as Frisk's own actions becoming much of a threat of his own merit. But Gaster could tell that the latter was purely a convenient excuse for him to sadistically indulge in the former to fulfill petty revenge.
All that power, and he wants to waste it trying to kill a child who's personally done him no harm. Truly pitiful.
"...You were always the type to hold grudges. It seems that vice spreads to generations." Gaster sighed. "Unfortunately for you, you will not be allowed past me."
"I wasn't asking for your permission."
"It's not about permission. I'm standing my ground." Gaster replied evenly, as a Gaster Blaster manifested over his head, and Revan charged more lightning into his hands.
They sent another blast towards one another, resulting in a bright light and an explosion. Neither of which, went noticed within Gaster's Void Bubble.
Though the lack of noticeability did alert someone that had an idea of what was happening. Someone who was watching the events unfold close by.
"...Proph. I do believe we have ourselves a fourth party." Tengu deadpanned as he was balanced on top of a tree, close by the fortress. "And it's one of your old...buddies. Did your super useful future sight predict this?"
"...Shit."
"I'll take that as a no. Must really suck sometimes to only be able to see certain outcomes and not what lead to em', huh?" Tengu continued coolly. He knew it wasn't the boy's fault. As helpful as his ability was, it wasn't always the most reliable when it comes to predicting unexpected developments. And this was a development that was indeed very unexpected.
"He's bound to have followers standing by. Keep them out. Try to prevent any further outside interference, and don't let the Dreemurr Faction see you if you can help it."
Tengu nodded. "Ah, I see. You want me to keep the grunts outta the way while the main events lies with our favorite faction. Will I...be allowed to fight?"
"I'd rather you not, but if necessary..."
The mad smirk that suddenly spread across the monster's beak spoke wonders about what he thought of this.
"I can work with 'necessary'.~"
"Everything is so...rocky." Faryn noted as she and the others were moving deeper into the earthen fortress. Her tail swayed cheerily as she looked from left to right, examining her surroundings alongside Frisk. There was definitely a lot of earth material involved in said fortress, and one of the most noticeable sources of light were glowing crystals of various colors.
"It reminds me of the Echo Flowers back in Waterfall...kind of. Maybe if they did Echo-y things, them the comparison can work even better." Frisk said with a hum.
"Echo...Flowers?" Faryn blinked. She seemed interested in this type of special flower.
"They're a type of flower that can repeat the last thing someone says, like an echo. Hence their name." Frisk explained. "I didn't tell you about them?"
"I don't think so. What are they like?"
"Well, they blue flowers that glow blue, they have six petals, and they're...they're, uh..."
"Bio-luminescent." Toriel assisted.
"Yeah, that! It makes them really pretty!" Frisk tilted his head as Faryn held up her hand. "Faryn? What are you doing?'
"I'm trying to picture these 'Echo Flowers' in my head. To visualize them and what they can do. Annnd..." Frisk was incredibly surprised as an Echo Flower proceeded to sprout from her hand, blooming beautifully and glowing brightly. "Did it look like this...?"
"Y-Yeah! Exactly like that! How did you...?"
"Getting creative with Plant Magic, Frisk." Faryn said simply, as she leaned in closer to the flower with a tilted head. "...Hello?"
Nothing for about a minute. Then...
'...Hello?'
"Woah!" Frisk gasped. It functioned exactly like an Echo Flower! She really did do it in one try!
'Woah!'
Faryn giggled as she spoke again with more confidence. "My name is Faryn, and I'm a Fox Princess who likes flowers and eating!~"
'My name is Faryn, and I'm a Fox Princess who likes flowers and eating!'
Frisk laughed, then raised a hand. "My name is Frisk, and I wear striped shirts!"
'My name is Frisk, and I wear striped shirts!'
The duo began laughing aloud from experimenting with Faryn's Echo Flower. Gnome, still leading the way but also curious, held back for a bit so he would be levitating next to the Echo Flower. He raised his head slightly, one of his strange ear-paws waving to the glowing plant.
"My name...is Gnome...Guardian Gnome...and I like...to sleep..."
'My name...is Gnome...Guardian Gnome...and I like...to sleep...'
Gnome smiled. "This is...really fun..."
"I know right?" Frisk chuckled. "Echo Flowers are pretty fun to play around with. Replaying echoes and such!"
"Echos...echos...echooooooo!" Faryn sounds out, lightly raising her head.
'Echooooooo!'
Frisk and Faryn proceeded to laugh even more, as Gnome caught back up to lead the way. Toriel, who heard the whole exchange, kept focused. Though she did let her amusement reach her lips in a smile.
She looked around her, and could see several rooms within the fortress. So far, she passed by a mess hall-Frisk needed to hold Faryn back to prevent her from running off, they had pace to maintain-what looked like bunkers, weapons tunnels, stairways, and prison cells. What unnerved her was that every one of these places was empty. She couldn't sense anyone yet, though she did feel that someone was here. Most likely to be Terra.
But that brings up the anxious wonder of why she was left behind.
Curiously, she turned to Lunar, who was surprisingly quiet. Toriel would rather not bother her, bur just to be certain...
"Lunar? Are you well? You seem to be much more silent than usual."
"It's...nothing." Lunar grumbled, turning away from her for a bit
"Are you certain?"
Lunar wanted to tell Toriel off, to mind her own business and to just focus on the path. But that recent mental exchange she had with Toxin made that difficult. She couldn't get her rage towards him out of her mind, instinct told her to hunt him down and kill him. But that would be leaving her team behind, when they clearly trust her enough to count on her, naive as that is.
On one paw, I can just keep my muzzle shut and not say a thing. It has nothing go do with them, anyway. She then sighed as another thought came to her. On the other paw...not spilling the beans can lead to a messy situation created by not sharing information needed. And the last thing we need is confusing shit messing up our thoughts because I held something back out of pride.
...Damn it, I've spent too much time with these big-hearted losers.
"...Okay, listen." Lunar sighed, shaking her head as she and the others continued walking. "I'm gonna be quick and blunt about this so you're not confused. Someone from me, Tempest's, and Darkness' past was just speaking in my head. And he was likely speaking in their heads too."
"What?!" Toriel's eyes widened.
"I have no idea what that bastard is up to, but he seems to have dug his claws into the operations of Karma. No idea what he's planning or why he's affiliated with Karma, but it definitely can't be good."
"Hold on, slow down a moment!" Toriel lightly pawed her forehead. "Is this person a fellow dragon like yourself?"
"Yeah. His name is Toxin. That should tell you something about his nature and his magic." Lunar growled. "We used to work together, in much less complicated situations. I was becoming more of a fight-happy dragon, and I never thought that he was anything more than just another nerd in a lab cost, like Darkness." Lunar gazed at Toriel, and the latter was shocked by the look in her eyes; she looked haunted. Mostly angry, but there was definitely a haunted look in her eyes. "I was wrong...so very, very wrong..."
"Lunar...what happened...?" Frisk asked worriedly. He's never seen Lunar like this, not once since he's met her.
The dragoness turned to Frisk with a sigh. "Hey...remember what I told you about civilizations being destroyed because their people wouldn't fight back?"
"...Yeah...?"
"Well-"
"I sense a shift...the ground...someone is...using Earth Magic..." Gnome said slowly, head lifting up and trying to look alert. "It's...her...!"
"Oh! Do you mean Ter-" Faryn didn't quite get to finish, as the floor below them suddenly gave way and vanished. She blinked as she and the others fell down the hole, yet she herself wasn't too bothered. If anything, she was interested. "Huh. I never fell down a floor trap before..."
"I fell down more than a few back in the Underground. At least once or twice." Frisk added, holding his Golden Locket so he doesn't lose it during the fall.
"DON'T SAY SUCH THINGS SO CASUALLY WHILE FALLING, YOU BRATS!" Lunar shouted in outrage. "That earth dragoness bitch is resorting to traps instead of facing us head on! Coward!"
"Oh my goodness! Frisk, Faryn, hold on!" Toriel said aloud, then turned to the similarly falling Gnome. "Gnome! Isn't there something you can do to soften our fall?!"
"Yes...I can...!" Gnome said resolutely, and everyone felt him release a strong surge of magic below him. They were approaching the ground fast, and they braced for impact.
Wobble...
Frisk blinked as he felt not hard ground, but a somewhat mushy mud. It didn't dirty his clothes, but it did effectively prevent a painful landing. He stood up for a moment, looking around. He seems to be the first that landed.
"Huh. That went better than expected." Frisk hummed. "Though being the first to land me up cans..." He immediately looked up. "Guys! Are you-!"
Whompf!
He saw only darkness as something large and soft crashed into him, as both it and him fell onto the now mushy ground.
"Is...everyone...okay...?" Gnome said as he levitated slowly on his globe, looking at the sprawled party.
"I'm totally fine. The grounds gone all softy and stuff, though." Faryn said casually as she regained her bearings.
"Fmmrynmf..."
Faryn blinked as she was slightly pushed herself up to find the source of the muffled voice. The hybrid princess blinked again as she sees that she landed on a disoriented Frisk, her chest briefly smooshing his face. Faryn didn't feel embarrassed at all, only smiling with grateful relief. "Thanks for breaking my fall, Frisk! You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm...fine, thanks." Frisk replied with a relieved smile, and a dizzy one due to the unexpected collision, and what exactly collided with him. As a result, it didn't hurt much at all.
"Good heavens...what a fall..." Toriel stuttered at the sight of them, sitting up quickly. "Well, at least everyone seems unharmed..." Toriel looked around a bit. "I see no sign of Lunar...did we lose her...?! Where could she have gone...?!"
"Try...right under you..."
Toriel blinked, then turned and noticed that she indeed landed on Lunar's back. Unlike Frisk and Faryn's landing, this one was not pleasant Lunar, who broke Toriel's fall. The annoyed grimace her face gave told everyone what they needed to know about what she thought of this.
Not fun.
"Would you mind literally getting your ass offa me?" Lunar grumbled.
"Oh my goodness!" Toriel quickly obliged, turning to Lunar and helping her up with an embarrassed blush. "I apologize greatly, Lunar! I did not properly anticipate my landing, and I just...w-well...!"
"Whatever." Lunar huffed, pushing her paws away. "It didn't hurt or anything. Just don't like the idea of being pinned under another women's ass without warning. Especially when she's so much larger than me." Tempest just barely beats out Sans in height, and Lunar was two touches taller than that.
For such a hard-hitting dragon, Lunar was quite short.
"Now hold on a moment! Are such comments necessary?! I sincerely apologized for the mishap!" Toriel shouted in outrage, greatly offended.
"Good...looks like...everyone's...alright..." Gnome nodded. "That...is good...because we have...to focus..."
"Oh, it's because you found Terra, right?" Faryn said, gently helping Frisk up. "Sweetness! Where is she?"
"Right here."
The party turned towards the sound of the voice, on the other side of the chamber. Indeed, it was their target, Terra. Alongside her, are various Karma members were staring the group down, prepared to kill. Toriel and Lunar tensed, Frisk and Faryn were confused, and Gnome was simply focused on the dragoness before him, his head raising even more. He seemed more active than seen so far.
"Terra...my friend..."
"I'm afraid she's not your friend anymore."
One of the enemies across from them stepped forward to address them. She certainly felt like the one who was in charge of this particular area. She has magenta eyes and thick dark eyelashes and wears dark red-violet lipstick on her lips, and had long, curly black hair. Wearing a green dress with a furry skirt, featuring a fur trimmed collar.
"My name is Daleen, the current overseer of this fortress. Your interference has to be punished a bit. You don't just barge into someone's home uninvited, after all."
"Your home is an earth fortress? It must be really hard to decorate." Faryn raised her hand. "Do you ever think about painting the walls? Take up rock painting? It might make everything prettier. The glowing crystals are nice and pretty themselves, but I think you'll benefit a lot from a little more color."
"It certainly wouldn't hurt to make a fortress seem pretty. Pretty intimidating while still being pleasant to the eye." Frisk rubbed his chin. "Maybe some multicolored crystals...?"
"Crystals that flash through every color!"
"A rainbow crystal!"
"Sweetness!"
"It would seem that these two young ones haven't been disciplined as much as they should have. They have quite wild imaginations. Too wild." The women continued, smiling. "But do not worry, I'm more than willing to take them under my wing and teach them properly."
Toriel instinctively pushed Frisk and Faryn behind her, before eying Terra. The earth dragoness they had been searching for, and the one that destroyed the Seloms Archipelago, was right in front of her. She pushed down the fiery fury that was welling up from her soul, and simply spoke out to her.
"Terra. We know what you've done, but I want to hear it from you. Did you destroy the Seloms Archipelago?"
Terra tilted her head, her expression blank. "I did."
"There were innocent tribespeople there, trying to live their lives. You destroyed their home!"
"I did."
"Why?!"
"I was told to."
"And you OBLIGED that request?!"
"...I have lost my right to disobey." Terra's despondent response briefly extinguished the flames of Toriel's fury.
...What...?
"Whoops. Interrogation time over." Daleen smiled, waving her hand sideways. "Deal with them. Aside from the children. I have a proper place for them where they can grow properly. Under a competent mother, who wouldn't endanger her children so recklessly.~"
The flames reignited along Toriel's arms at the threat, signifying that the attempted conversation was indeed over.
"...You're not my Mama."
"Hm?" Daleen tilted her head again, while some of the party turned towards the voice that spoke this.
"...Faryn...?" Frisk said worriedly.
"I only have one Mama." Faryn said lowly. "She's always with me, right here." She stated strongly, placing her hand over her chest, her green and purple soul pulsed warmly. "I'm still here because of her. She gave her life for me, and I want to keep making sure that it was worth it."
"...Your mother sacrificed herself for you? How...incompetent." Daleen frowned. "A competent mother would have found a way to stay by her child's side. But instead, she dies for the child instead of finding a way to live alongside the child, to raise them instead of leaving them behind in tears. Doesn't that make her a failure?"
Frisk flinched, while Toriel seemed to seethe with every word coming out of the arrogant woman's mouth. Though those reactions paled in comparison to Faryn's.
The look in Faryn's eyes. Their colors shifted from green to purple, and her pupils have become slits. Magic poured from the Fox Princess as her fur stood up, her whiskers became more pronounced, and her claws and fangs bared.
"Mama was NOT a failure!"
Keeping up with Slyph was no easy feat. As soon as she found her stride, she ended up going much faster. Though she was trying to give them a chance to catch up, it was still pretty difficult, given how impatient she was.
It was good for Asriel to know that she and Red had something in common. Because for the entire trip, there was nothing but an onslaught of snarking and barking.
"Your hair is all curly around the top of your head. Is that your usual hair style?"
"I like my hair like this!"
"And it being pretty pink?"
"Pink colors can be powerful! King Asgore says so!"
"What about how squeaky your barks can get? Gonna chalk that up to puberty?"
"M-Maybe it IS puberty...!"
"Mmhmm...that explains your easily triggered temper."
"What the heck?!"
"They've been going at this with quite a bit of ferocity..." Asriel deadpanned.
"Yup." MK agreed, keeping next to Asriel. "Wanna try and break them up?"
"I would, but that'd involve us to cease moving. If they're arguing AND moving towards the objective, I can work with that."
"Ah. Gotcha."
Asriel sighed, then turned towards Tempest, who seemed greatly disturbed about something. Worried for his friend, he walked closer to him. "Tempest. You seem to be a bit out of it. You're usually a bit more focused. Are you alright?"
"...I felt a malevolent chill in the air. One directed solely towards me." Tempest said while looking straight ahead. "It looks like my past is coming up to haunt me once again...and it appears to be one of the worst experiences..."
"The worst...?"
Tempest turned away, looking troubled. But he also didn't want to hold too much back, either, to avoid a misunderstanding. "...You know this already, but I have worked best in the past as an assassin. As such, I have taken quite a bit of lives. Some that deserved it...and some that did not."
"Right..."
"You might not like this, I thought of those as mostly jobs. Missions to be completed. So in order to go through with them, my empathy had to be repressed. Sometimes willingly, others was forced. It was just how I was raised. Some of these missions, I worked with people. Some were tolerable. Others were significantly less tolerable." He lowered his head. "And then there was Toxin..."
"Toxin?"
"A fellow dragon as well. A poison one, in fact. He worked a lot with Darkness when he was still in his...lack of empathy phase." Tempest frowned. "In fact, while there many factors to Darkness regaining it, Toxin's actions pushed him to do so without ever looking back. He didn't want to become more like him?"
Asriel blinked. More like Toxin? What does that mean?
Then again, with a name like that, I can't really imagine him being a very positive influence...
While it might have been a bit soon to assume such things, he decided to trust Tempest's word on it. He knew better than him in this regard.
"I fear that we may stumble across him during this journey...I must kill him if that happens." Tempest said lowly. "If I do end up meeting him, he has to die."
"S-Seriously?! What could he have done to earn such aggression?!"
Tempest looked up ahead still, his head uncomfortably shaking side to side. "My job was to take lives. Nothing more than that, nothing less. And yet...he went farther than necessary. Too far. It was around a time that Darkness noticed something was seriously wrong with the way we were doing things..."
Asriel lightly took note of Tempest's features, the wind dragon was looking ill. Yet at the same time, furious.
"Those that sent us to do these things never cared about the damage he deals. Only the results that they want. And more often than not, he DOES get the results that they want...even at the expense of a massive loss of life."
Before he could elaborate further, they were stopped by a brief gust of wind. It was Slyph's, who flapped her wings and created to breeze to get everyone's attention. "Look alive, gents and mutt! We're nearly there!"
"Did you just call me a mutt?!" Red barked.
"Let it go, Red..." Asriel sighed while walking up to her.
"I'm gonna clip her stupid wings, Asriel. I wanna clip them off so badly!"
"But you won't. That would be bad. And you're not bad." Asriel reminded. Though he didn't let Slyph off the hook, either. "Slyph. I must beg you once again, please stop taunting Red. We're meant to work together here."
"Just playing. Ain't my fault she's easily riled up." Slyph shrugged. Red growled at this, but went ignored as Slyph turned around and pointed. "There's our destination, boys and mutt!"
"I will cut you..."
"Yooo...check that out!" MK beamed while pointing his metal arms towards the locations. Asriel turned towards that direction, and blinked owlishly.
The building was less of an actual windmill and a tower that also happened to have a windmill function. If anything, it looked like a three way cross between the majestic building of a magic tower, the added function of a windmill, and the advanced futuristic, sleekness of a wind turbine all in one. And it was generating quite a bit of wind magic around it.
"...Oh...that's definitely a...windmill..." Asriel said slowly.
"That isn't a simple windmill! Arf!" Red barked in awe. "I mean...bwah?!"
"Yeah, pretty cool, isn't it?" Slyph hummed. "We have like, four of these throughout the domain of Legatum I'm in charge of protecting. The reason why I singled out this one was because it isn't synced up with the others. It started doing it's own thing without any input from me or the other towers." She narrowed her eyes. "Karma is probably messing with it...jerks messin' with my stuff...! I usually have this stuff pretty locked down..."
"Debatable." Red grumbled, still irritated from all of Slyph's taunting.
"We have to move on. Let's see what's up." Asriel cut in once more.
"Righto." Slyph sighed as she swirled her hand about. They suddenly found themselves levitating under a generating wind platform that slowly began lifting them all upwards. "I'll get us up there in a snap, don't you worry. Well...maybe worry a little."
...Heh? Asriel thought anxiously.
"Don't just say things like that when we're already in the air!" Red growled angrily.
"Yo! I'm flyin' again!" MK beamed while gazing around with excitement.
"I suppose we can pretend that this is going to go well..." Tempest sighed while rubbing his forehead.
The group eventually reached a more stable, solid platform when they reached the windmill tower. Slyph narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, the air is definitely different. Not something I will appreciate. Let's go inside and say hi to some jerks who think messin' with these towers is a good idea."
The group proceeded forward, until Red's eyes flashed briefly. She quickly turned around and noticed that something quickly began surrounding the tower. She swiftly moved forth and slashed with her sword, noticing that it collided with something invisible. The others looked to see what she was up to, and one look at the slight reflective nature of said invisible wall was what they needed to know.
"It's an energy shield. Looks like they expected us to go for it, and now we're trapped." Tempest quickly noted down.
"Trap us here? Wouldn't it have been easier to activate it when we're still outside?" MK asked.
"Perhaps, but there's a certain course of planning that lured us in and traps us. That makes certain that outside help can't directly unless we shut down the source causing it."
"That's fine by me. If they wanna corner us, they'll be in fir a nasty surprise when they discover that we aren't as helpless as we look." Red said resolutely.
"Speaking of cornered..." Tempest turned towards the doors that were beginning to open. They were soon greeted by the enemy they were searching for. Numerous mages and monsters greeted them with hostile expressions. Though Slyph noticed something, and folded her arms.
"Not interested in the grunts. Where's your captain?"
"Right over here." Slyph blinked as she looked above her, only to see something cover her in energy not her own.
"What the he-" Was all she could get out before she vanished in a swirl of wind.
"Slyph!" Asriel and MK gasped.
"There. That should keep her occupied for a bit." The new arrival descended close to the ground and faced the remains of the group confidently. "The names Zephyr, and I shall be out in charge of your deaths."
"Well at least he's honest..." Asriel muttered. "What did you do to Slyph?"
"I just sent her away for a little bit, nothing to whine over." He scratched his head. "To be honest, I was thinking about ignoring the notice. I mean, we've already planned these things out, so who could possibly be troublesome enough to upset that process? Then I remembered...a Dreemurr was among this party." He sighed. "It's come to the point that voicing that name has become a sign of incoming disaster."
"H-Hah...?" Asriel blinked. Surely his family name hasn't been...actually, he can understand that. His family and friends have grown increasingly audacious with their every action. They were on another continent chasing down someone who destroyed their friend's home. Said friend wanted to confront the perpetrator, and ask her herself why she did it.
It seems they didn't think they'd go that far for reasons like that. But here they were, following through on what they'd say they'd do, which involves stumbling across someone's plans in the process.
"Anyway, enough with that. I'm afraid I've gotta kill you kids to keep things mostly on track. Nothin' personal."
"That's a load of dogwash. You're trying to kill us, and that feels very personal!" Red barked irritably. "You can at least be upfront and serious about it instead of treating it as a side-mission at best, you stupid jerk!"
"That is kind of jerky of him..." Asriel mumbled.
"It ain't gonna happen, dude! I have a duty to have Azzy's back, and there's no way that we're gonna let you have your way!" MK declared, clenching his mechanical fists.
In a sudden burst of wind, Slyph bursts right back into the room, looking incredibly irritated. "That was a dirty trick, you jerk!"
"Oh. I thought that would occupy you for a little bit longer. Ah well." Zephyr shrugged.
"Happy to disappoint you. Now you made me mad, and you're gonna make it up to me by letting me beat you down!"
"Better be prepared to cry, because this tower's ours!" MK declared with a grin.
"Hey! Don't go claiming something so outrageous! These towers are mine!" Slyph shouted.
"Can we please stay on track and fight these guys...?" Tempest groaned, before they set their sights on the platoon before them.
Their fight was about to begin, they were unaware of some parts of the platoon have already been taken down discreetly. And standing above their unconscious bodies as a female monster keeping out of sight, eyes focused.
"Monster Mam. I know you want to intervene, and I have a pretty solid idea why." The Prophet said via her earpiece. And he was right, as her sight was warmly set on Monster Kid. "But you can't. Not now. Stay out of sight as best you can. Clear a path for them. But don't be on it when they get close."
"...Understood..." Monster Mam didn't like having to be so far away from one of her kin, even when he's so close.
But she'll endure one unpleasantry in stride if it meant giving a much more stable path for MK and his friends.
"GIFT SHOP?" Papyrus beamed as he hopped over to said gift shop, which carried a wide collection of antiques, souvenirs, and presents that all stood out to Papyrus. "WHAT EXCELLENT TIMING!"
"whaddya mean, pap?" Sans asked.
"I WAS REMEMBERING MY PROMISE TO BRING BACK A SOUVENIR FOR DYNAMO, AND NOW HERE WE ARE, A GIFT SHOP IN OUR PRESENCE WITH POTENTIAL PRESENTS!"
"heh. nice use of homonyms."
"CAN I PICK OUT SOMETHING REALLY QUICK? PLEASE?" Papyrus begged the others, each looking at him with various degrees of amusement. He understood that they were on a serious assignment, that's why he wanted to get this out of the way as soon as possible. It was his own personal mini-quest he wanted to complete for his big friend back home.
"eh. i don't see why not."
"ALRIGHT!~"
"Your brother is looking to get a friend a present from here?" Rebecca asked.
"yup. got a big gator friend back at home who'd really appreciate a gift from paps that he got from here." Sans explained. "kinda nice of pap to do that for him, since their first meeting was them beating the crap outta each other."
Rebecca blinked. "P...Pardon?"
"We have strange ways of creating friendships." Asgore sweatdrops with a smile. And he knew it was true, for Frisk was his youngest son. Foster son, but still his son. And he's quite adept at having strange yet genuine friendships.
Now the others were too.
"NYEHEH! I FOUND ONE!" Papyrus declared, holding a bag in his hand with his chosen gift sitting inside it.
"what'd ya get?"
"NOPE! NO ONE GETS TO SEE IT BEFORE DYNAMO DOES!" Papyrus declined as he puts the secret item in their Dimensional Boxes.
"You must be very good friends with this 'Dynamo'. A very precious bond."
"INDEED! DO YOU HAVE SUCH BONDS, REBECCA?"
"I have bonds with my citizens and my friends. In many different yet very treasured ways." Rebecca smiled.
Efreet nodded. "Royalty is to always stand above it's citizens. Not because they're inherently superior, but because they're the ones most trusted to protect and lead them. But stay high up for too long, and you lose sight of the ground, and you lose sight of your true self as a consequence. Stay too low to the ground, people will be hesitant to put their faith in you, someone they're supposed to trust to guide and defend them. Balancing this is very crucial to royalty. Rebecca instinctively understood the need for this balance, even at a tender young age. The connection between royalty and their citizens is critical for a Kingdom to thrive."
Asgore nodded in gentle support of this. Remaining in connection with one's citizens was very important. It was very risky to stand so high that you lose sight of the ground, of the citizens, of one's self. Distance from one's people risks losing an emotional deep tie with them. In some cases, that is not a bad thing. But here, one could tell it was very important to Rebecca.
"...You should always be willing to stand alongside your citizens, to let them know through action that you think and care about them. That you're willing to do what you can to help them. It serves as an example for them as much as ourselves." Rebecca smiled. "We must always be willing to help others in need. It's first step in securing connections with people, to bond hearts and souls together."
...I see. Her magic is 'Binding' for a reason. Asgore nodded. It appears that bonds are especially important to Rebecca. It was likely that she believed she never would have gotten as far as she did without forming a bond with each of the the Guardians. And she's giving the impression that it was not an easy task.
The more Asgore thought about this, the more his mind began coming to a very worrying realization about Rebecca. Where's her blood family...?
In the meantime, Darkness was still in thought as they eventually continued on. This did not get past Sans or Gerson, as they hung back to speak with him quietly. "Darkness. Do you have something to share with us?"
"...I hear an old acquaintance speaking in my head. And it's someone I knew I would eventually meet again, yet I desperately hoped not to." Darkness admitted, his paws clapsed behind his back. "Toxin...as per his name...was definitely not the best choice in partners, in hindsight."
"huh. sounds like a friendly guy."
"I remember that I told you that seeing what my cousins were becoming inspired me to regain my sense of empathy." Darkness elaborates. "To put things simply, Toxin was the confirming point. I could not ignore the danger he posed that my superiors ignored."
"a danger, huh...?"
"He lives up to his name. Far too well." Darkness sighed. "He doesn't approve of my betrayal, and now he's in a position into act on it. We will have to keep extra care over protecting Rebecca."
"Of course we know that, but how will we-"
"Right there." Sans muttered seriously as he looked above him. The others looked to see what he was speaking of. And almost immediately, Efreet shot a wall of fire right above the group, and blocked what seemed to be an immense, wind based attack.
too bad. we were having such a pleasant conversation...
Rebecca flinched from the burst of magic and briefly shielded her eyes. The smoke eventually clears, along with the civilians of the area. She blinks her eyes so she could see the one responsible, and she was in slight disbelief at who's she's seeing, even as the guys scrambled around to keep her from view. It looked like she recognized someone.
"Queen Rebecca. Oh how you've made such a critical mistake, allowing these people in." Keter said quietly, stepping forth in gentle strides.
Rebecca blinked. "Mr. Keter...?"
ah boy. they know each other. considering that he just attacked her, that's never a good sign. Sans' smile twitched.
"But I suppose, that's not something you can help. It may be for a different reason with different substance, but you made the same mistake your father did, letting in outsiders. Highly corrupting outsiders, to make it worse. They've already begun to influence you."
Rebecca shook her head, unable to tell what was happening. "Hold on a moment, what's this about, Keter? These are guests! They're not a corruptive influence..."
"That mindset is exactly why I must do this. Your naivety will further bring Legatum to ruin. Much like the decisions your family made that nearly lead to such an outcome."
Rebecca blinked slowly. "That...that's why you're doing this...? For what my family did...?" She placed a hand on her chest. "If that's the case, then keep whatever grievances you have solely on me! Punish only me! No one else needs to suffer!"
Asgore was baffled by how quickly Rebecca put herself on the spot. She didn't try to defend herself, she didn't even think about it. What registered first on her mind was that her citizens were going to suffer from whatever actions Keter's group was about to take, and that was immediately, absolutely unacceptable.
As much as Asgore appreciated that about her, he couldn't exactly allow what the results would be, either. He gingerly placed a paw on her shoulder, and stepped forward.
"Miss Rebecca. As much as I admire your dedication to your citizens, but perhaps you shouldn't be so willing to forsake your well-being."
Rebecca looked shocked by this. "But...!"
"Don't forsake yourself for your citizens so readily. They still need you, after all. You must take care of yourself as well, or else you will be in no shape to lead them, protect them, ensure their happiness. Take this from someone who speaks from experience." Rebecca looked idly at Asgore's back as he moved forward. "Papyrus, do help Efreet look after Rebecca."
"AFFIRMATIVE!" Papyrus saluted. Efreet nodded slowly as he too stood in front of Rebecca. This left Asgore, Sans, and Gerson before Keter, as Darkness immediately began herding civilians out of the area, as a fight was about to start.
"This has nothing to do with any or you." Keter warned.
"We just befriended Rebecca. She's working with us, she warmly welcomed us, and is helping us with our objective. Therefore, this does something to do with us. It's a troublesome trait of ours, you see." Gerson shook her head with a cheeky smile, even though his eye was glaring. "Shame on you, sonny. Threatening a nice young lady like herself over sins she had nothing to do with."
"yeah, that's kind of a cruddy thing to do. can't really allow it." Sans shrugged.
Keter sighed, and he glared harshly at them. "I gave you a chance to walk away. Remember that."
"yeah, we'll remember how you gave us a chance, after you tried harming someone who doesn't wanna fight ya. such a generous guy."
Keter's magic flowed more harshly as his eyes glowed a brief green. "I cannot allow Legatum to continue to fall into degradation. In order to prevent further ruin, it must be destroyed, and start over from scratch. Only the ones who survive the oncoming ruin will be worthy of rebuilding it to it's former glory. Whether it includes Rebecca or not is irrelevant!"
"sheesh, darkness wasn't jokin' delusional is right." Sans shook his head. Then his eye sockets widened a bit as he felt Keter's magic emitting from him for a second time. the malevolence is definitely his. but...something seems to be...spiking it? it's being drastically increased. Sans studied it briefly...and found something strange. the spike in malevolent aggression is from an outside source. it's like his own malevolent intentions have been tainted by somethin', and are makin' them ten times worse.
Sans narrowed his sockets. Something was wrong with this picture. Dreadfully wrong.
"What exactly happened...?" Chara asked as the gang continued to walk along the water paths. Numerous aquatic monsters swim peacefully within airborne water bubbles that acted as levitating, spherical pools for them. Which was honestly quite impressive for an element like water. It wasn't really within his care to think such things, but he was sure that this was laughing in the face of physics.
Luckily Alphys didn't mind it either. Because it was pretty cool, and honestly looked beautiful.
"Rebecca has not had the easiest of times growing up." Undine sighed. "Her mother was an outsider from Libertas, and mostly preferred protection from a human like Keter than a monster such as myself and my companions."
"Keter?" Undyne narrowed her eye.
"Was her personal bodyguard, one she handpicked." She rubbed her shoulder. "Yet despite that, she ultimately had no faith in his ability to protect her, as she ran away when an assassination attempt was made against the family when they were attempting an escort to Gustus for a conference."
"The assassins succeeded?' Alphys said sadly.
"That's the worst part. They didn't even end up killing her. She ended up drowning in a swamp."
The stunned silence after this was said spoke wonders. Undine
"...No. Nooononono. No fucking way." Undyne shook her head out of sheer wide-eyed disbelief. "She leaves her family to die to assassins, only to end up being the ONLY one dying in that encounter, via drowning in some no-name swamp? That CAN'T be what happened."
"That is indeed what happened. I even went with Gnome to find her body, just to be sure. It was indeed lifeless, her soul shattered." Undine shook her head. "With such an undignifed death on his hands, Keter was punished and dishonored by the King for failing his duty. This results in him being shunned, discarded, and isolated by the very Kingdom he served. In retaliation, Keter was assisted by Karma in the murder of Rebecca's remaining family members, as we were distracted protecting the citizens from spontaneous attacks set for that exact purpose. The entire incident left Rebecca with no blood family left. She was crowned Queen three days later, with us as her regents, with minimal time to grieve, and a Kingdom of people who rejected her and hated her due to the legacy she was left with. The majority of the blame was on her mother, who was an outsider, dying so pathetically that it lead to these events."
"That's...that's awful..." Alphys lightly clasped her paws. Rebecca had to become Queen at nine years old, in the wake of a legacy of her outsider mother dying a coward's death after leaving her family to die, and her father being cruel and unempathtic with his punishment of the one who seemingly failed. The citizens didn't believe Rebecca would be any better than either of them. They didn't believe in her at all.
No one but the Guardians.
"Despite all these hardships, Rebecca always did her best. Never did she return her malice, she simply wanted to repair the bond that she had with her people. Over the years, she does her best to keep everyone together, to keep people connected. She understood that a Kingdom disconnected from it's ruler and from one another is fated for ruin. For everyone's sake as well as her own, she did her best to keep people together. It was the only way any if us would be able to move past the tragedy."
"That so..." Undyne frowned while folding her arms in thought. The idea that everyone needed to stand together in order to move past a tragedy was a somewhat idealistic one. However, it definitely has it's weak points that can turn crippling if not properly covered. Asgore came to mind. Both he and Rebecca have had Kingdoms they needed to keep together in order to hang onto hope. The main difference was that most that personally knew Asgore left him behind and the people loved him, while Rebecca had the Guardians as her support system during a time when the people hated her. Obviously how long they've been at this is another difference, and they both came out of it as better people in the long run with help was somewhat relieving.
That still irritated Undyne. Because it meant that for a long time, Rebecca's accomplishments have been dismissed and ridiculed because of her parents' less than pleasant legacy.
...It also made Undyne realize that Rebecca took a BIG risk in letting them inside. Because the last time outsiders-her mother-were willingly let into Legatum, it snowballed into devastating events that nearly rendered it beyond saving.
"Hey there. Is story time over yet?"
Undine's eyes darkened as she swipe her hand behind her. Much of the levitating water around her gathered and turned into shapened blades that shot towards the voice. They were quickly deflected to the sides with another wave of a hand.
"W-Wha?!" Alphys meeped, quickly looking towards the source of aggression.
"We seem to have an enemy on our hands." Muffet hummed. She noticed that Undine wordless used the water to protect the civilians and gently push many of them out of harm. It looked like she didn't even need to think about it.
The enmy in question was female,, with blue scales like Undyne's, with blue eyes, the hands, fingers and nails looking similar to the shells of a murex. She had gills under her ears, and marsh-like hair that flowed within the water bubble she resided in. Admittedly, while her soul felt wicked, she did have a beautiful outward appearance.
What Alphys not-so-innocently noticed was that the red scales that covered her body mostly served as her modesty, which was fine and rough like a shark's. Though it didn't cover much more than needed, as even her navel was very visible. Alphys turned away while covering her nose.
"Good, I can finally introduce myself, and my helpers." She clapped, as more enemies began showing up in the water, many looking like her but with less powerful souls, and with tridents in their hands. Human mages also showed up, gathering around their captain. Alphys narrowed her eyes slightly.
Something's amiss...
"My name is Tryton. Pleased to meet you." Tryton said with a pleasant tone. "Unfortunately for you, we can't chat for long. You kind of have to die now, or else things won't happen on time. I like to keep to a schedule, you see."
"Tryton! Whatever madness you're conjuring with your allies, we shall stop it!" Undine called out strongly. "Surrender now!"
"That never works." Chara deadpanned.
"Not at first contact, at least..." Alphys couldn't help but agree.
"What are you assholes even up to, anyway?" Undyne glared.
"What we're up to...?" Tryton lightly placed a finger on her chin. "Let's see...I could kill you. Or explain what we're up to and THEN kill you. Hmmm..." She smiled. "Unfortunately, the former is too slow. So I think I'll just kill you and be done with it."
"Well, isn't she refreshingly straightforward." Muffet tilted her head.
Most of the approaching monsters struck first, attacking with a wide range of water blasts from their magic. Richard was up first, rushing forward and conjuring a durable green shield to surround the group, as well as civilians still retreating. It was assisted by quick writing from Lisa's Inscriptions from her book/grimoire.
"We've got defense covered! Everyone else go!"
"We'll help civilians get to more protected grounds!" Lisa shouted.
"Guess this won't be as easy as I hoped." Lizzie sighed as she tossed flowing blue knives towards the approaching mages, some slicing right through the water balls. Ace assisted her as he punches approaching rubble out of the way, which had their descend slowed by Verena's gravity magic, and were shot to harmless pieces by Justin.
"Run along now, there's a battle going on!~"
"Get a move on!"
"Right..." Undyne clenched her fists as she turned towards Tryton, a spear manifesting in her hand. "As for you..."
"By all means, do come at me, Miss 'Undying'."
Undyne narrowed her eyes at the taunt, but nonetheless attacked, three water spears summoned around her and shot forth towards Tryton, who continued to smile with a wave of her hand. To the formers shock, three mages immediately appeared in front of her and found themselves impaled by each one of them. They each fell to the ground, gravely injured.
"Di...did they just..." Alphys trailed off, eyes wide in shock. Chara's eyes narrowed at the sudden deed, Muffet gazing at the fallen mages in wonder, while Undyne glared at Tryton after getting over her initial shock.
"What the hell?! You used your subordinates as shields?!"
"What better subordinates than those willing to take the bullet for you? Or in this case, the spear?" Tryton tilted her head. "That is some powerful loyalty, if I do say so myself.~"
"...Those are your men." Undyne snarled with clenched fists and teeth, a vein pulsing in her head.
"We all have our ways to command, Undyne. Some more than others." Tryton slowly descends the ground, water surrounding her. "I must say, you're not what I expected. Why are you getting angry over how someone else treats their own subordinates? They're your enemy and have no history with you." She asked with a small smile.
"You know damn well why I'm pissed." This infuriated Undyne, because both of them knes Tryton was fast enough and powerful enough to either dodge or stop those spears. She did what she did simply to see Undyne's face. According to her growing smirk, it was worth the trouble. Undyne disagrees.
"If it truly upsets you so much...what are you going to do about it?~"
Another spear appeared in Undyne's hand, and she aims it towards Tryton, eyes narrowed furiously.
"Let's find out."
In the meantime, several mages were already down in a more secluded area. A monster had her foot on a knocked out enemy, her face concealed by her mask. She was mostly covered in a cloak, and her tail briskly wagged behind her.
"Hounda...you're doing well right now. Keep it up, and try to stay out of unnecessary trouble. Try not to be seen by them...ya know, the usual stuff."
"...Hm." Hounda sniffed the air for a few brief moments. Then she lifted her head, her eyes narrowed behind her mask. I smell someone foul. EXTREMELY foul...
Chara was helping citizens along, getting them to a safer area with GROUP'S assistsnce. He split away from them for a moment to check several things out more clearly. That, and a bit of space was appreciated so they could each do what they feel they needed to.
"Alright, we're doing an okay job getting innocents as far away from the crossfire as possible. That way we can fight with significantly reduced worry." Chara sighed. "Or at the very leas, enough that we can focus...so...why do I feel like there's more to this...?" He then looked sideways upwards a possible disturbance, eyes narrowed. He immediately headed that way, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until he landed in the area he sensed.
He saw someone standing with their back turned, paws clasped behind their back as they observed the chaos unfolding, almost with what looks like relaxed interest.
"Ah, everything is kicking off nicely. The pieces have been set. Now to see if it actually goes through..."
"Hey." Chara narrowed his eyes when he called out to the creature. It raised it's head a bit and turned to look him in the eye. He was briefly surprised to find that it was a dragon. One that was giving off a very foul aura around it. A truly poisonous one. "Who are you?"
"Aha! Chara Dreemurr! You came straight to me despite all the commotion going on around us. Truly impressive attention skills." The dragon turns fully towards him with a tilted head. "I'm a bit confused, though. Shouldn't you be off helping your friends?"
"I have a feeling that if I take my eyes off you, things will get worse." Chara declared strongly. "So forgive me if I feel like I have to take you down, just to be sure."
"I see...I'm sorry you feel that way." The dragon held out his paw, and fired what appeared to be a messily erratic ball of magic that was colored purple and green. It bursts right before hitting Chara, as a brief smog surrounded him.
Tsk, a distraction? There's no way I'm letting him g-
Chara coughed briefly, and was surprised to find blood running from his mouth to accompany it. He raised his hand, there seemed to be multiple of them, despite the fact that he only felt one. He tried to speak, but found his mouth to be hurting as well, with slight involuntary salivation. It hurt worse because he felt what seemed like blisters beginning to form. Not to mention the abdominal pain strong enough to bring him to his knees.
This feels...hauntingly familiar.
"Aw, Prince Chara. What's the matter? You don't look so good." The dragon pouted as he slowly approached the boy. "The name's Toxin, by the way. You can probably tell why the name fits."
His magic...is poison...! Damn it...!
"Anyway, I'd love to chat with you, but I have more important things to do, such as meeting up with an old friend." Toxin smiled as he casually pulled his leg back. "So, hope you get better soon. Have fun.~"
Chara was roughly kicked off the rooftop, crashing into the ground in an extended crater, while Toxin hopped off in Darkness' direction. He grunted as he tried to stand, pulling himself up despite the pain he felt from the poison assaulting his body, only to fall down again, coughing more blood.
Yeah...this definitely feels familiar...can't say I missed it...
"Well well, look at what we have here?"
Chara turned to see several mages from Tryton's division have found him, and were beginning to surround him. He wouldn't have thought much of it...except Toxin just left him with a massive handicap.
...So, it's going to be one of THOSE days...wonderful.
Well, it's here. Once again, it took me a lot of will to actually get it done, but I did it!
Now it's time to actually progress things, as the battles begin in earnest, with some in better positions than others. And some positions are just really bad.
Chara, for example. Not a good position at all.
Until next time!