Muffet: Who's sad, disappointed, and upset at himself that he didn't update this sooner?
Chara: Who?
Muffet: *points to me slumped on the floor* This guy!~
Chara: Ohhhh...that'll do it.
Frisk: Pretty much anything will at this point...
Chapter Start!
Muffet wouldn't exactly call herself the most serious gal in the whole world. Far from it. She was playful, she was sassy, and she was greedy. Many people knew this and experienced it for themselves, but Chara and Red almost always get the full brunt of it. Because embarrassing them as their girlfriend/best friend respectively was FAR too much fun to ever give up. Working them up, embarrassing them, and making them blush was almost as fun a pastime as making money. It helps that she cared about them and the others.
They were all a part of her own little web, and a web is a spiders home. They always take care of their home and everything in it. Chara and Red were hers, and she simply shares them with everyone. That's the greedy spider side of her speaking, and she sometimes forgets to tone it down for crucial moments.
Or she just gets bored. Whichever comes first.
Either way, no one who personally knew her would ever make the mistake of believing that she didn't love her Chara-Dearie, or that she and Red weren't best friends. She cherishes them and keeps them close to her heart.
So with all of this in mind, this is one of the few times that Muffet feels true, genuine distress emit her being as her five eyes landed upon Chara's beaten and bloodied figure lying almost helplessly on the ground, as several mages savagely continued their assault on him via magic. The spider instincr within her began manifesting, and her eyes briefly flashed a menacing purple.
And she pounced. Not just by herself, but alongside the two spiders that suddenly grew to just about her size in the span of a few seconds. The image of such a sight would probably terrify anyone, especially those with arachnephobia. Luckily their fear of spiders might have been mitigated due to the fact that terrorists were wrecking their homes.
Nevertheless, those large jumping spiders pounced onto several of the mages and scattered the others about in a frenzy, enough time for Muffet to scurry over to Chara and gently lift him up in her arms. Fhe sight made her wince.
His hair was utterly matted with his blood, and about half of his face was covered in it, along with quite a bit on his poncho and his signature sweater underneath it. He was coated in various bruises, cuts, and burns from the ruthless assault he was being put under, and he was in poor shape to competently fight back as he usually does. Muffet felt her worry skyrocket when she realized that poison was coursing through his body, magical poison. That was significantly tougher to cure than normal poison, and it seems to have been festering rapidly, leaving him utterly wracked in pain on top of all of his injuries.
And yet, despite all of that, he found the strength to open his two eyes and look into about five her hers. He could see how worried about him she was. And he felt a bit of shame about that. Now only if it wasn't overshadowed by the immense amount of pain impacting his body. Regardless, he pushed it to the side as much as he could so he could address her.
"Muffet..."
"Chara-Dearie..."
"I'm...not exactly having the best of times right now..."
"I can SEE that! Oh my goodness look at you! You're in seriously bad shape!" Muffet began fussing over him, running her six hands along his body as she tried not to go too far an hurt him further. Pushing his hair away from his eyes, loosening his poncho, making sure his Locket wasn't damaged.
It wasn't easy to get Muffet all fussy. So when Muffet actually begins to fret over something, she does indeed fret. Not that Chara didn't understand her plight, but now wasn't really the time for it. Fhe mages were recovering and beginning to close in on-
"Geez, Chara! What the heck happened here?" Justin came onto the seen, quickly shooting seveeal magic bullets from his gun that ricochet smoothly off the walls, before hitting the enemies in the head and non-lethally knocking them out.
"You look awful." Lizzie commented casually as she swiped her hand across, a storm of blades flying forth and cutting through most of the mages and forcing them to back away.
"Looks like we missed a smackdown. And Chara was on the other end of it!" Ace shoute din surprise as he leaped upwards and punched the ground, the force causing it fo ripple slightly and sending a shockwave that threw many of the enemies into the air.
"Definitely not a good showing for you, Chara. You should have called us for help." Verena huffed as she held the suspending mages that were knocked into the air with her magic, before slamming them hard into the ground, enough to send rocks flying upwards.
"Honestly. I know we had a less than pleasant connection before, but we're comeades now." Lisa declared as she swiped her hand with her notebook/grimoire in hand, and several bolts of lightning struck down on the enmy when she wrote the word down and infused it with magic.
Finally, Richard made his place known alongside Chara and Muffet. A green bubble formed around Chara as his injuries slowly began closing up and healing. "This won't get rid of everything, but it should be enough to hold you over until we get you proper medical attention."
Chara blinked through all this as he felt Muffet continue to fuss and worry. And she brought backup in the form of GROUP so she could afford to fuss and worry about him. How shrewd of her.
Nonetheless, he also wanted to contribute. The healing was interrupted as he grimaces, before forcing himself to stand back up, remnants of blood dripping from his hair. Obviously neither Richard or Muffet thought very well of that decision.
" Hey! Don't force yourself!"
"Chara-Dearie you need to stay down!"
"This...is nothing...nothing at all..." Chara muttered as he stumbles forward, eventually making his way to the front of everyone, only to shakily stop in place with his head hanging slightly.
The mages have suffered quite a beating, but they were still raring for battle. That would have fo change quite soon if they want to get this done quickly. So Chara stood his ground, and made sure to make his presence known to them.
"Hey...you jerks." Chara slowly raised his head to meet their eyes. What they would see was his face dripping with blackness, mainly from his eyes and mouth, all while wearing a twisted smile with his head cocked to the side. "Ya can't kill me...you can't win...know why? You're fighting a demon."
His expression, paired with his voice taking a tone for the malevolent, and having taken hellish amounts of damage already and still stood up somewhat strongly, managed to get the desired result. Having had enough, the mages turned tail and for their lives, having a clear idea of how outmatched they were.
"...Ha...got rid of them...now maybe I...can..." Chara's words drifted into nothing, as he slowly fell forward and fell on his side, his hair shadowing over his eyes.
"CHARA-DEARIE!" Muffet was by his side in an instant, once again fretting over him as she held him in her arms. Fortunately his heart and soul were still beating and going strong, but it became quite clear that he wasn't about to get back up anytime soon, despite how much he may protest it. All the damage he accumulated from his savage beating paired with being poisoned finally caught up to him.
"I figured he try and do something like that." Justin sighed while scratching his head. "We'd better get him out of here, out of the open. One of these buildings will do, while the others try to help out the civilians along the way."
"Right!" GROUP agreed in unison. Though they agreed to allow Muffet to carry Chara, which she wa wa the process of doing. She gazed at his unconscious face, still appearing pained but nevertheless content with his contribution. She sighed and shook her head.
"There are times when you just go too far, Chara-Dearie. I'm usually more reserved than this, hut you have me getting awfully fussy about you." She noted while heaving him onto her back and strapping him on via webbing. "In payment for having me so utterly worried about you, I'll be personally caring for you for a little while. No refunds." Muffet grumped softly as she lightly caressed his cheek with her top hand, before proceeding to follow GROUP to another area.
In any case, she hoped Undyne and Aphys were faring a bit better.
In the meantime, Undyne And Tryton were still battling intensely, using the powerful mystic water around them to fight each other. Obviously it was much more difficult on Undyne's side, because she had to account for civilians around her and Tryton had no care for their lives because of how vengeful she was.
Fortunately she had Undine and Alphys to help her sort that out, but it was still quite drastic as her troops were interfering with them. Things were rough for the whole team, but they refused to give in.
Which was honestly grating Tryton's nerves.
Undyne was slammed into the ground by a tendril of water having grabbed her, which she grunted from the harsh impact denting the earth around her. "D-Damn...you're a tough one..."
"Stop getting in my way, Undyne!" Tryton shouted as more tendrils of water formed around her, then they all repeatedly slammed on top of her, intending to beat her to death.
"Then stop giving me a reason to!" Undyne shouted in spite of this as she swipes her spear horizontally, slashing clean through the water tendrils, and a cutting wave of water traveled towards Tryton and slammed into her chest, cutting into it slightly. "Actually, screw that! I'm gonna stop you either way, so you might as well give yourself up!"
"I will do no such thing, Undyne!" Tryton swung her arm as a much larger tendril of water formed around her and attempted to swat Undyne away with it. The latter's eye narrowed as she slashed the tendril apart with multiple spears slicing in different directions, each of them launching a slash of water to further it's effect. Tryton formed a shield around herself as the slashes continued and slammed into her, reducing most of the damage.
"I can't let you kill innocent people for the sins of their predecessors, Tryton!" Undyne shouted out to her.
"It's because of their predecessors actions that they can NEVER considered innocent! History will repeat one way or another!" Tryton gathered a darker wave of water in her hand, and throws the entire wave towards Undyne in a frenzy. "It's inevitable, Undyne! I'll wash them away and drown them before they can continue their predecessor's malevolent intentions!"
Undyne gritted her teeth as she held her hands out, the wave slamming into her. She stood her ground and planted her feet, attempting to push the entire wave back before it can destructively slam onto the structures below her. It was too much for her to dispel the water outright, so she chose to reflect to a degree. To a degree, as in push it back entirely.
"NGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Undyne's roar could be heard throughout the area, enough for Undine and Alphys to pause amidst their own battles. With a heavy heave, Undyne pushed the wave back and tossed it towards Tryton with great effort. The water slammed into the surprised aquatic monster with unrelenting force, sending her spiralling away throughout the mystic waters. She eventually stopped herself with her own tendrils of water, and a dark shadow glazed over her features.
"I grow tired of you, Undyne. You can't stop me, I won't let you." She growled as she raised her trident in the air. A rising swirl of water manifested around it and began to expand further and further, until it became a massive whirlpool swirling upwards. "I'll smash you with this!"
"Oh?" Undyne looked up as Tryton swung her trident downwards. Her eye widened as she manifested a spear and briefly threw it upwards. It entirely missed Tryton, so she paid no heed to it. The whirlpool followed the tridents movements and slowly came down, crashing down on it's target with the force of a small tidal wave. Many builds close by were easily washed away due to the tremendous force behind it.
"G-Gah!" Alphys yelped as she too was washed away by the massive torrent of water, before she was briskly caught by Undine pulling her to safety. "Ack, thanks..."
"Don't mention it. I'm worried about Undyne and the people around us. That attack wasn't just incredibly massive, but utterly destructive..."
"Undyne!" Alphys shouted out towards the massive wave of water, hoping to get a response out of her. There was little to nothing, aside from the sounds of rushing water and buildings beginning to crumble due to the pressure and force from them. It only made her worries greater. She could still sense her, but whether or not she was alright was a different matter.
She got her answer as the water seemingly began to recede. It was revealed to he Undine's doing as she gradually lowered her hands downwards in gentle focus. Alphys made sure that Tryton wouldn't try to attack them while she did so, but the triton monster was completely focused on Undyne's current position. The water receded even further, and the monster in question was revealed in full.
She was breathing quite tiredly within the center of where the whirlpool smashed on top of her. It left in quite a messy state. Her ponytail became undone and was now soaked and unkempt, lying stuck to her shoulders and back. Her clothes were in tatters, with barely half of her shirt remaining intact. Her left eye was tightly closed and slightly bleeding, likely meaning she has little to no magic reserves left. She was also bleeding slightly from her forehead and sides, which were running down her body a bit quicker because of the water on her skin.
Despite this, she sported an audaciously smug grin, which annoyed Tryton to no end.
"What are you smiling about?!"
"Fuhu. Thanks for the bath. Was feeling a bit filthy..." Undyne chuckles, before she proceeded to slump over and fall on her front, lightly picking up dirt. Tryton harrumphed from this.
"Only bravado." She scoffed before she picked up her trident and had it pointed towards Undyne's downed form
"UNDYNE!" Alphys gasped in fright.
"Oh no...!" Undine muttered as she rushed herself and Alphys to Undyne's side with a torrent of water around them. Alphys immediately landed in front of Undyne and stood between her and Tryton, arms spread out. Undine stood a bit by Undyne's side, tending to her wounds.
"You're much stronger than this, Undyne. I sense it. That attack shouldn't have downed you like this. What happened?!"
"Well...I didn't exactly have a choice. That whirlpool thing was massive and packed quite a damn destructive punch. So...I needed to take the brunt of it...in order to reduce the damage..."
"What?" Tryton blinked as she looked around. Indeed, despite a bit of damage to the buildings around them, absolutely no bystanders that were still somewhat close by were even slightly harmed. Not only that, but her remaining troops have been washed away and defeated by their leader's own attack.
"Ya know, there's a REALLY damning downside to being shitty to your subordinates...one way or another, no one's left to back you up." Undyne grinned weakly. "Classic recipe for downfall."
"Why you...!"
"Stop right there! You're not going to hurt my wife anymore! Or anyone else!" Alphys shook her head defiantly, glaring at Tryton. The aquatic monster was briefly annoyed at first, only to see Alphys trembling. Then she proceeded to smile.
"Truly? Why do you tremble, then? You understand that even in my weakened state, you have no chance of beating me." Tryton twirled her trident and caught it in her hand. "So why not move aside, little lizard? Your 'wife' and I have unfinished business.
Alphys gulped, before shaking her head and glaring even harder, gritting her teeth. "Beat me all you want, I'm not moving! I refuse!"
"Hah! You think I care about your refusal?!"
"You SHOULD care about mine." Undine growled as she prepared water around her for another attack. "I'll finish what Undyne started. Fellow undine monsters stick together!"
"Very well. All three of you can die together!" Tryton readied her trident as another torrent of water gathered around it. Alphys and Undine prepared to retaliate.
"...Don't, gals. The fights over." Undyne quietly says while blinking slowly. Alphys and Undine looked at her in bafflement, while Tryton laughs uproariously.
"You finally admit defeat, Undyne?! That's good to hear! You finally understand that I am right in my endeavor! That Legatum and it's people pay for it's crimes, in order for them to never be repeated again!" Tryton grinned. "Legatum can prosper after it's learned this harsh lesson, so you can die with a guilt-free conscience, Miss Undying."
"Fuhu...you dumbass. My conscience is quite fine." Undyne chuckled as she gently raised her head. "Pride and love in my wife for showing even more assertiveness is a plus. And I surely won't be complaining about the relaxing view of her ass."
"Undyne!" Alphys nearly shrieked, blushing madly with her tail wagging in brief panic. S-Sure, I was standing right in front of her with my back turned to her, but this is NOT the time to be flirty!
"But that's neither here or there." Undyne ignored her wife's cute protests for the time being, in order to gaze at Tryton with a bit more seriousness. "Point is, I know when a life and death fight's over or not. And it's when your opponent is either dead, far too drastically damaged to move, or lost the will to fight. Aside from exhaustion and a bit of damage, I feel fine. Can't say the same about you."
Tryton wondered what Undyne meant about this. Then she heard a bit of whistling in the air. Confused, she looked right above her, and her eyes widened-
Undyne's spear pierced right through the center of her chest.
Tryton gasped, dropping her trident to the ground as she stared dumbly at the spear that ran her through via falling from the sky. She weakly tried to touch or grab it, only to fall over on her back while blood dribbles from her mouth. The spear eventually dissipates into water splashing onto her, but the damage was done, and it was severe.
That was...that was the spear that missed...the one she threw towards the sky and completely missed me. I didn't pay any heed to it because my attack already landed... Tryton's thoughts barely scrambled together as she gazed at the panting Undyne. She duped me ahead of time to further make me lower my guard when I believed I won...I never thought someone like her to resort to such a tactic...!
Undyne tries to stand, only to slump over Alphys' shoulder, who quickly positioned herself to catch her. Undyne appreciated it, lightly nuzzling into the crook of her neck. "Fuhu...thanks for the support, Al. Always willin' to lend a shoulder."
"N-No problem...but..." Alphys looked over towards Tryton. She took a very critical blow when she her defenses were at their lowest. It seemed likely that she would succumb to her wounds the way she currently was. Undine certainly didn't seem to mind this outcome, simply glaring at Tryton's downed form.
"Finally you have accepted defeat. You're far too injured to be of any threat anymore." Undine stated coldly as she manifested a lance above her hand. "Time to finish you, for all your crimes against Legatum."
"Leave her be." Undyne suggested as she weakly looked towards Undine. "She can't threaten anyone as she is. She's harmless."
"But she-"
"Leave her be." Undyne stressed with a slight growl. Undine was briefly surprised by this, but relented and relinquished her lance. Undyne sighed as she tries her best to stand on her feet. "Al. Help me over to her."
"O-Okay." Alphys nods reluctantly as she helps hobble the injured Undyne over to the defeated Tryton, who began mumbling to take her focus off of the intense pain in her chest.
"...My love...all I wanted to do was avenge her. They took her away and swiped it all under the rug, without a second thought." She muttered while her hand shook slightly, trying to get a sense for her magic, but found that she was truly tapped on stamina. "I can't just let them get away with that...I won't...!"
"Tryton. These people are not the ones who wronged you." Undyne said slowly as Alphys stopped her a few feet before the defeated Tryton, just out of range for a possible exhausted last-ditch attack. "Maybe there are a few left over from that time, but most of them are definitely not the same as they were before. Rebecca went and helped them change for the better, even at expense to herself."
Tryton tries once more to force herself up, glaring at Undyne's eye in weak but still very much apparent defiance. "No one and nothing can change so easily. That's not possible. These people sharing the blood of their predecessor's that wronged us so utterly. There's no way their successors could ever be better than them."
Undyne lowered her eye. "So you seriously reject Rebecca's efforts in trying to lead everyone towards a better path? It hasn't been a perfect journey, but she was mostly successful. Many have turned their lives around or are helping the new generation make sure they don't repeat their mistakes."
"Tch."
"Rebecca's worked her ass off to get her people this far. I'm not gonna let you or Karma destroy any of that." Undyne resolved, despite her weakened state.
"You are a fool. To think I actually considered you a possible comrade." Tryton turned her head away.
"...Would she be proud of you?"
"What?"
Tryton turned towards the person who asked her the question, and it was none other than the meek Alphys, who looked away for a moment in slight fear. She then shook her head and turned her head back towards Tryton. "The person you loved. What was her name?"
Tryton seemed puzzled that Alphys would take the time to ask such a strange question. Undine was baffled as well, though did nothing to interfere with it. Tryton complied, if only to see where this strange path went. "Zoe. That was her name."
"Zoe. That name is nice." Alphys nodded softly. "I'm sure you loved her very much. Spent a lot of time together, right? Talk, eat, play, laugh, cry, shout. And sometimes just a quiet and simple snuggle after a rough day of hard work, to take your mind off all the stress built up." Alphys blushed. "And sometimes...a bit more than, um...'snuggling'..."
Where is she going with this? Undine wondered.
"Above all else, I'm sure that she loved you, and you loved her."
"I did. I'm doing this for her." Tryton nodded.
"Right. You say that. But..." Alphys gazed at her, her eyes softening behind her glasses. "Just tell me the truth. You knew her better than we ever woulf. If Zoe were alive right now, and she saw what you were doing today, what you've done in the past, and what you intended to do in the future...because you're doing this for her, would she be proud of you? And more importantly, from someone who's had and still has strong issues with this...are you proud of yourself for what you've done today?"
Tryton looked at Alphys, appearing quite speechless. To be fair, so was Undine. All hostile intent drained from Tryton as she lowered her eyes and head, having nothing to say for herself. Her silence spoke for her.
"I...don't believe it. You talked her out of fighting any further, despite her physical injuries rending that possible path closed."
"Undine. We've met our fair share of people, humans and monsters, good or bad, and combinations of all four in different mixes. With repeated incidents regarding our enemies, it''s getting a bit easier to tell who simply needs their ass kicked with a stern talking to afterwards, who simply needs the talking to, and those who need to be either locked up or put down. Frankly we preferred if we could avoid the ass-kicking altogether just to save time and people, but that's the trickiest option of all." Undyne grunted.
"Basically, Tryton is bad and has done bad, no doubt. But she isn't someone who needs to die. Definitely keep her contained and monitored, but not killed." Alphys nodded. "She can change too, like the people of Legatum did for their queen's sake as well as their own, even if some of them did terrible and awful things. We're beginning to tell the difference between that, and someone who won't ever change." Jack O'Ripper's haunting smirk briefly flashed across her glasses, but she shook it off quickly. "Tryton isn't the latter. She'll definitely need time...but she's not that far gone. She's doing all this mainly because someone she loved was killed by those within the Kingdom they both lived in."
"It ain't a good reason to get everyone involved...but it's not too hard to see why she did it." Undyne finished. "At any rate, make sure she's restrained real good. Can't have her breaking out and causing severe trouble later on."
Once more, Undine found herself rethinking what she knew about Undyne, and Alphys as well. They were indeed much like she heard from the stories, but now it seems like they're both much more than their stories and roles. She wondered if their friends have a hand in how far they've come.
Regardless, she glared at Tryton as she used the surrounding water to restrain her. Despite her reluctance, she followed through with their request, if only because Rebecca would probably do the same.
Their mercy saved Tryton's life. Best to not let her forget that.
Satisfied, Undyne sighed as she slumped a bit over Alphys' shoulder, sliding her arms around her stomach and gently hugging her, eliciting surprise. "Undyne?"
"A few false moves, and I would have been her, Al." Undyne muttered quietly. Alphys somberly blinked as she understood what she meant.
"You mean, if I...?"
"Yeah."
Undyne tightened her grip on Alphys, almost afraid she'd disappear the moment she let go. Brief glimpses into different events via alternate timelines she's seen from the Void had her falling into despair from Alphys dying. Along with Asgore. Neither was a soft blow as Asgore was her beloved mentor and father figure, but losing Alphys on top of that made her give up entirely on everything.
That same exact thing happened to Tryton with Zoe. Because of this, Undyne could not find it in her annoyingly ever growing heart to completely hate her for her actions.
"Al. I hope ya don't mind. I'm gonna be selfish and hang onto you for a bit." Undyne murmured, nuzzling into the crook of her wife's neck. Alphys nodded and allowed Undyne to hold her, lightly placing her paws on her hands. "I know we've still got important shit to do, and we'll get to it for sure. But right this minute...I'm gonna need ya to indulge me for a moment, kay?"
"It's okay. I'm not going anywhere." Alphys quietly coos as she closed her eyes and lightly kisses Undyne's cheek. Everything else was secondary for a brief moment. It was just the two of them, and she needed to be there for her so she could pull herself together.
Discovering she's been looking into a mirror of what could have been, and what could actually still happen if she isn't careful or strong enough to prevent it, has made this Undyne's most emotionally difficult battle yet. This knowledge strengthened Alphys' resolve for herself and Undyne together.
She would continue to grow stronger herself so a scenario like that never comes to pass.
Toriel and Daleen's battle has not only been an intense one, but a surprisingly careful one. There were children nearby, and to the shock of the former, neither of them wished to see them harmed. So not only did they both make sure the children were safely out of harms way, they also chose to move themselves just to be extra sure that nothing stray manages to hurt them.
Toriel wondered if Daleen was as bad as she thought she was with her intense, genuine protectiveness of the children, even if it's only to mend the loneliness in her own soul.
Wondering would have to wait, as she sensed a wave of psychic force rend through the ground and head towards her, so she hastily dodges out of the way. The attack punched a hole in the wall behind her, rocks bursting from the impact.
"I've heard that you and your group are quite the resilient ones. No matter what happens, you and your family manage to come out on top of a situation, because you absolutely refuse to give in." Daleen hummed as another blast of psionic energy crashed down where Toriel stood, once more forcing her to dodge via jumping out of the way. Most of the debris that was picked up from the blast stopped in place,.and proceeded to track Toriel, homing in on her as she moved.
Toriel swiped her flames across and destroyed most of the debris with it. As she did, she did a quick sense throughout the area. Terra was still fighting Gnome and Lunar. And the kids were fighting too. They were fighting alongside Gaster against-
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Such...such a malevolent soul...and it belongs to...no, it can't be...Frisk and Faryn are in dreadful danger!
She couldn't afford to waste any more time on this fight. Yet at the same time, she was quite certain that Daleen, since she was currently unaware, would try to get in the way and prevent her from leaving to save the children from certain death. Tamotsu would never forgive her or anyone else for letting his daughter die.
He entrusted her life in her paws. She could not and would not betray that faith in their ability to protect her.
Thus, Toriel took a page out of her and Frisk's book...and allowed her flames to die out. Daleen blinked as Toriel's aura became non-hostile, as she seats herself on her knees, paws on her lap. However, she did not bow.
"I do believe we can come to a compromise."
"What are you going on about? You were pretty passionate about fighting me earlier for the children's sake. You're giving up?" Daleen pressed curiously.
"I am not 'giving up', per se. You will have to forgive me for that passion you saw. I find myself quite quick to anger when I witness something I find truly distasteful." Toriel shook her head. "But I cannot simply ignore the genuine devotion you have towards the children in your care, even if you did murder their families. Which is why I believe we must compromise."
"So, what? You're forgiving me or something?"
"Oh no. It has nothing to do with forgiveness, as in this case, it is not mine to give." Toriel narrowed her eyes. "You want to protect the children in your care. As a mother and protector of three of my own, I cannot find myself to truly hate that heartfilled desire, even if it caused you to do malevolent things."
"Are you going somewhere with this?"
"Yes. Why must we waste our energy fighting one another and tire each other out, thus leaving us too exhausted to defend ANY of the children under our watch? When instead...we can come to a truce, and face the third party who seeks to hurt them all."
"Third party? What third par-" Daleen's eyes widened in shock as she finally sensed the same presence Toriel was sensing. It definitely wasn't either of theirs, and there were few ways to describe the presence aside from malevolent. "Who the heck is that?!"
"Someone who wants to harm the children. Both of ours." Toriel replied calmly, keeping her tone even. "I hope it is not who I think it is. But if it truly is, then they will surely die. Unless we work together to drive him away."
"Drive him away? Not defeat?"
"Neither of us have the strength for that." Not yet. Toriel thought, her eyes reflecting a will of iron.
Daleen narrowed her eyes. "How do I know this isn't some sort of ploy to get me to lower my guard for a sneak attack?"
"Daleen. My child is in danger. And a child whom a friend entrusted her safety to me is also in danger. I want to protect them more than I wish to defeat you. I will even let Terra escape my clutches for the time being, as I can find her another time. And even if I do not, even if I do not ever see her again, I wish to protect those children, right here and now." She sighed. "I would simply have to beg Nikon for forgiveness for being unable to keep my promise to her."
Daleen narrowed her eyes, but could not deny that Toriel very much meant every word. Especially protecting Frisk and Faryn. And she hadn't known that she had a surprising amount of humility to her when she allowed herself to show it.
"Still, that girl and her mother..."
"Faryn's mother sacrificed herself body and literally gave her soul for her. It was painful, it was heart and soul-wrenching. It was the worst day of the young girl's life, one that broke her father's, and Astus as a whole, spirit. But she lived. Thanks to Corliss, Faryn lived to restore her Kingdom's hope, and she still has a chance to grow up and live her life entirely. She was able to move on and be happy. Nothing about that seems like a failure. It was a tragic decision, yes. But it was not the wrong one. It's what any parent who truly loved their children would do if there really was no way for both of them to survive..."
Daleen's eyes widened as she noticed tears running from Toriel's eyes as she spoke. "Y-You're seriously crying...?"
"Yes...yes I am." Toriel sniffled as she wiped her eyes, as memories of specifically Asriel and Chara's very first deaths once again briefly flashed before her. Then the lives of GROUP before their own forced revival. "Because there is no greater failure and heartbreak to a loving parent, than outliving your own children. Corliss' sacrifice was painful to everyone who loved her. Her husband and daughter most of all. But thanks to that, once she recovered, Faryn was able to help herself and others move on and begin living her life. Her precious baby got to live, even if she could no longer physically be there for her." Toriel looked up towards Daleen. "You should be ashamed to call such a thing a failure...!"
The utterly melancholy tone in which Toriel started this has caused all hostile feelings towards the woman to burn away, then she surprised her to the building passion she had towards the end. She was truly speaking from her heart, and she could not deny that it reached out to her in a way she could not simply brush off.
She was hesitant, but she allowed her attacks to power down once she was sure that Toriel wouldn't sucker punch her. "Alright, you've successfully guilt-tripped me. I'll humor this little 'truce' so we can deal with the bigger threat to the children's lives."
"Of course." Toriel nodded, glad she was able to convince Daleen to stand down and join her. Because if the nee enemy is who she thinks it is, she can't afford to waste energy fighting the woman in front of her. "...Also, you will apologize to Faryn. A genuine apology. Faryn is a very sweet and upbeat girl, but not enough to allow herself to forget and brush off the affront you made to her family's honor." Toriel shook her head. "Be very glad that her father did not hear you mock her so. And for your sake, I shall be kind and not mention it to him."
"And if he happens to learn of it somehow..."
"He will see you destroyed. Or he will probably eat you. He is big and powerful enough for either, really."
Daleen had to suppress a shudder when Toriel casually mentions the latter. The tone suggested she still wasn't bluffing.
All thoughts were thrown aside, Toriel needed to get to Frisk and Faryn, and quickly.
Speaking of which...
If what was said about this man was true, then it made complete sense why Frisk had a distinct feeling that he and Faryn didn't stand a chance as they were right now. Gaster likely knew it, Faryn can likely sense it.
Frisk was experiencing for himself that he stood no chance of beating this ancient mage. Not as he was now.
It was proven through the man's brutal use of his lightning magic. They were much more powerful than anything he's seen with lightning so far. No matter how much he built upon his defenses, the lightning smashed right through it as if it wasn't there. Not to mention it shocked heavily, to the point that standing became difficult.
But stand he did.
Frisk stood again, electric sparks stunning him slightly as Faryn wrapped him in a brief cost of vines. They glowed green and gradually began healing his more serious injuries, at the very least mending and reducing the pain.
The fox princess was doing her best as well. Many of the lightning blasts sent their way would be interrupted by her attempting to deflecting them with her own. While a few bolts would get through, it was clear that this action was immensely helpful. It wasn't helpful enough for them to overcome him, but it did help that they weren't getting killed immediately.
Much to Revan's great frustration.
"Scum of the world, and mongrel trash. Both of your existences and the circumstances that led to the beginning of those existences offend me. Yet you refuse to die when you're ordered to." Revan snarled.
"We have no reason to take such an order from you! Much less follow it!" Faryn growled, the furry parts of her body being frizzle from the anger and stress. "You're a bad guy trying to kill Frisk, the first friend I made from outside my Kingdom. I'm not gonna let you do it! Never!"
"You don't a choice in the matter. The decision of whether you live or die is mine alone."
"That isn't something you get to decide-!" Faryn gasped as Revan appeared from above her in a flash of lightning, and went for a lightning lance lance through her heart. She barely managed to move to the side, merely getting nicked in the shoulder, making her wince.
"You're too weak to do anything about it."
Faryn narrowed her eyes as she briefly landed on all fours, skidding away from him. "Nu-uh! Daddy taught me how to fight." She retorted as sveral balls of fox-fire surrounded her, fused with lightning. "And I can't be weak. I'm the next ruler of Astus."
"That is a throne you shall never claim." Revan huffed as he raised his hand to blast her with lightning. Faryn remained undeterred, her eyes flashing to purple and becoming catlike again.
"Now, Frisk!"
Revan blinked as he suddenly felt gravity around him increase, rooting him to the ground and cracking it slightly. He looked to see that Frisk switched to Blue Soul Mode, pinning Revan down and preventing him from moving. He scoffed.
"How long do you think this tripe will hold me?"
"More than enough."
Revan's eyes widened. Had he not just slightly moved to the side, he would have felt the bone pierce right through his heart from the back. Instead, it shot right into his shoulder like a hot knife through butter, which resulted in searing pain throughout his being.
Gaster couldn't help but feel prideful for being responsible for the genuinely agonized look on the arrogant man's face. "Oh dear. It looks like you've forgotten about me. Don't worry, everyone's done so at least once."
"Why you-!"
"Gotcha!" Faryn's eyes widened as she pounced, the fox fire attaching to her hands and forming flame-like fox paws. She then brought them together and struck Revan in the chest with everything she had, to the point that flames shot out of the wound he had already sustained, worsening his pain.
Frisk released his hold on him, huffing as the enemy crashed alongside the harsh rock ground before eventually coming to a stop. Faryn landed right back on Frisk's side, narrowing her eyes at the downed Revan as she sniffed the air slightly. She didn't need to tell anyone.
This was far from over.
Revan slowly picks himself up, lightning surging through him on a much higher level than before. His eyes were brimming with hatred that Frisk has never seen before, not even from Chara at his lowest and worst. In a way that he'd never be able to reach into and turn around no matter how hard he tried.
And they were glaring right at him, chilling his soul.
"I grow weary of you all."
Thunder struck from outside. Then, lightning crashed down on the fortress, piercing straight through to where he was. Frisk and the others had little time to react as lightning crashed down and blasted everyone within the vicinity. Frisk, Faryn, and Gaster were blasted with powerful bolts of lightning, sending them flying away with electric shocks surging through them.
Frisk crashed into the wall, and Revan suddenly appeared before him, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into said wall again. The force caused it to dent heavily, and Frisk coughed heavily from both it and being currently choked by the malevolent mage.
"No more, boy. I'm going to kill you. It is non-negotiable and inevitable."
"Wh-AAAGGH!" Frisk screamed in agony as lightning shocked his entire body, along with the hold on his throat becoming tighter. His neck felt ready to snap in half. "P-Please...stop...!"
"No. No more pleas. No compromises. No pacifistic words. Just die."
"I...can't move..." Gaster seethed helplessly as lightning coursed through him as well, keeping him from focusing his magic to escape it.
"F...Frisk...! No...!" Faryn whimpered as she desperately tried to pick herself up from the ground, though dropped again from further painful shocks on her body.
No...no no...Frisk is gonna die...I don't want Frisk to die...! Faryn thought helplessly, unaware of her tail appearing ghostly for a moment, extending and expanding, until it split apart...and what appeared was a second tail. Two tails waved about as she held out her hand. A flurry of glowing leaves surrounded her, stemming from her Plant Magic. They then glowed with a light shade of purple.
Please don't die, Frisk!
The leaves shot towards Revan at his unprotected back.
"Pathetic." Revan huffed as the leaves were instantly distintergrated from his lightning. Faryn breathed heavily, before slumping to the ground, too tired and hurt to move significantly anymore. Yet despite this, she refused to stop, her claws grazing into the ground to pull herself towards them.
"Frisk...I'm gonna save you, Frisk..." Faryn breathed quietly, her fur and hair messy, and her fox ears drooped to the sides.
"F...Faryn..." Frisk muttered weakly, barely able to keep conscious himself from the lightning assaulting him and the pressure on his neck.
"The mongrel went and grew a second tail. A sign of evolution for her monster type. No matter." Revan turned back towards Frisk, burning hatred in his eyes. "It still wasn't enough to save you from-"
Snatch.
"Hm?"
He a strong grip on his wrist, which made him drop Frisk to the ground from how tight it was. His eyes turned towards the one responsible.
He was met with the furious inferno swirling within Toriel's crimson eyes.
"Miss Toriel..." Faryn breathed slowly, peeking one eye open to see the maternal monarch coming to her and her son's defense.
"Mom..." Frisk breathed, still slumped to the ground and weakly grasping at his throat.
"What the hell are you doing to these children?" Toriel demanded with authority that would not be denied, as fierce flames blazed from her paw, the one she grabbed him with.
Revan immediately flashed back in a surge of lightning, appearing several paces away from Toriel, who was accompanied by a just as furious Daleen, who immediately began tending to Frisk and Faryn. Revan blinked as he looked at the wrist Toriel grabbed.
Since he didn't expect her and thus didn't ready his defense for the attack, his wrist was marred in fourth-degree burns. Revan seethed, more from the indignity caused by such an injury than the actual pain he might be feeling, before glaring at the incensed motherly monster before him.
"Well then, you've certainly gotten more aggressive over the years." Revan commented as he looked towards the incensed Boss Monster before him, her fists clenched and flames swirling upwards in a vortex. "I'm surprised to see it in person. You used to be so soft."
"Your Majesty...I failed you...I should have performed at a better capacity than this..." Gaster grunted while on one knee, still stunned with electric shocks.
"Tend to your wounds, Gaster. I shall take over from here." Toriel responded gently to him, before returning her heated glare to one aligned with the Seven Mages. "Lay further harm upon these children and my subordinate, Revan, and you will not live to try again." Toriel seethed quietly, her ears lightly floating upwards from the force of the flames.
"PAH! HAHAHA! I'd never thought I'd hear those kinds of words from your mouth, of all the vermin you walk alongside and rule!" Revan cackles while facepalming with his unburned hand. "YOU of all people, threatening to flat-out kill me?"
"You were a malignant force of spite that would never cease and will never compromise, even after the war was clearly over. I see even with the years that passed since that horrific war, that you have not mellowed nor became wiser, which means reasoning with you is a pointless endeavor. You must be stopped." Toriel declared strongly with queenly fury that would not be denied.
"Oh? And who's going to do such a thing? You?"
"If you have truly heard of my more recent actions, back in Surripio for example, you know how far I am willing to go to stop innocent suffering. I implore you to not test my determination." Toriel responded, her eyes turning an icy blue as she channeled ice-fire through her paws.
"Look at that, the vermin learned a new trick. It's somewhat intelligent!" Revan cackled, before he charged with lightning. "In other news, I will kill you all."
"No. If you insist on going on this path, I vow that be it by my own paws or someone else's hands, you are the one who shall die."
Daleen looked in-between the two of them, and noticed how much more force Toriel was putting out than when she was fighting her. It was through this, that she made a startling realization, one that made her somewhat glad she and Toriel stopped the fight between them.
She was going easy on me...
The Prophet was standing outside the earth fortress, safely very far from it of course, sensing the intense battle going on within.
"H-Hehe. Looks like the Queen's pissed. Like, REALLY pissed." He chuckled, though he was sweating anxiously from how he was able to feel it even from his position.
"She faces one of the Seven responsible for the sealing of some of her people for centuries. Righteous fury burns within her heart and soul...this pleases me." He heard Caderas comment from his phone.
"Of course it pleases YOU, Mr. Honor Monster."
"I have feared that the Dreemurrs of this current generation would lack spine, just like their predecessors in the ancient past. I could not be more pleased to know that this generation is willing to fight for their convictions."
"Funny how they're 'fighting' for peace. They genuinely want it, but they have to keep fighting. It's pretty crazy."
"In order to fulfill their hopes and dreams, they must master the art of war as much as they master the art of peace." Caderas replied, in a surprisingly calm tone. "They are relearning. In order to both secure and protect lifelong bonds, as well as secure and protect the peace they strive to achieve, violence is indeed not always the answer...and neither is mercy."
The Prophet blinked owlishly.
"...Wow. That's, uh...actually pretty heavy, Caderas."
"Bah! This blasted device flashed a light in my face! I did not ask for camera mode, you confounded machine!" The Prophet could feel the comical expression of rage Caderas was feeling right now.
"Annnnd you ruined it. Good job." The young man sighed at his guardian's very, very rare moments of silliness.
"Oi. Looks like somebody's itchin' to party outside the fortress."
"Tengu?"
On cue, three figures suddenly burst out from the other side of the fortress, with two of them levitating and the third landing hard on the ground.
Lunar was the third person.
"Ugh...that all ya got...ya mud puppy...?" Lunar groaned as she shook herself fo wake up a bit. "You're only making it more satisfying when I crush you!"
"No...crushing...of...friends..." Gnome disagreed heavily.
"You are here to fight, not bicker." Terra noted as another large spear of glowing rock manifests over her head. "But do go ahead and give me easy targets. It will make this easier and less painful for all of us."
"Huh, they're still fighting. What a persistent bunch." The Prophet acknowledged. On cue, Tengu appeared right next to him, wings flapping. "You're done, huh? How is it?"
"I don't think I'm too needed there any more. They've got the old wizard ganged up on. And even if they do need help, we'll be here just in case." Tengu lightly nudged The Prophet. "By the way, the earth throwing dragoness is placed under a curse."
The Prophet blinked in surprise. "What...?"
"She's being magically compelled to not disobey her masters. She literally doesn't have a choice in the matter because she either gave it up or it was forcibly taken from her. The effect is the same; she's enslaved." Tengu nodded certainly. "I know the magical pull of a curse when I sense one."
"Is that so?" The Prophet hummed, noting this down for later. If it was true, then it was highly likely that the only other person who wasn't an enemy and who might know the deeper details about this curse and an idea on how to either undo it or render it void is Terra's fellow dragon, Darkness.
Who is currently trying not to be killed by another dragon, Toxin, whom Terra is unhappily subordinate under-
...Oh.
I have not had a good updating year, lets be real.
I dunno what happened. It's not like I got sick of all this or anything. I still really love writing all this, even if it isn't always at it's best.
I guess the increased responsibilities I've gained this year alone may have something to do with that. It's less 'I've gotten sick of this' and more 'I need to put this aside and deal with important stuff.' And the latter ended up happening much more than expected.
This isn't an excuse, just my thoughts. Hope you understand.
Until next time!