Technically I'm not late, but I may or may not have forgotten to say I had to slow down... So, from now on (officially), I'll only be posting one chapter per month. Why? Because the second semester is hell, and I'd like to survive.

Also, this chapter and the next won't be full of action (not that any chapter is, really) but they will be the closure of this arc (you know, the arcs that exist but that I never bother to actually define to anyone but me) and after that we will move onto what may be the last arc of the story. Why "may"? Because I'm still not entirely sure an arc won't pop up from nowhere, and also because I decided to end the story earlier than what I had first plan (because it felt like two different stories in the end)., and the last arc than has been cut off would need some work to fully integrate within the game-verse).

Chapter XXXX

Between Monster and monster

Darius.

Of all people.

.

Darius.

.
.

There are not many people whose names Muttler would spit. In fact, there is no one Muttler hate enough to equal their name with an insult. No one, but one single despicable less than human being.

One single murderer. One single traitor.

One single monster.

.
.

When he had gotten the news from Home, he had thought nothing of it. After all, fights between Monsters were not so uncommon in the old city… The oldest inhabitants had known the royal children personally, back when Home was still the capital of the Underground. They did not grow up in an anti-Human regime, nor did they remain blind to the kindness they were capable of. Muttler was almost sure none of them had seen the war, so it made them even more likely to help any Human they could come across. This made the tensions with the current Royal Guard at their highest, and this would not have been the first time a guard had to turn to ashes the resisting Monster. It was not pleasant, but neither were the King's orders: kill or capture any Human, no resistance shall be tolerated.

What was the death of one single protestor in this context?

.

Except… It was not "one single protestor". It was not a "traitor to Monsterkind", a "follower of the Humans", an "adversary of the crown" — not any of those terms he had heard other Monsters whisper under their breath. It was Myriad.

And, if she had not always blindly followed orders, she was still far from being anyone's enemy — even less the King's. Muttler could not believe she had committed treason, even though protecting a Human was considered a crime regardless of them being threats or not. If she had fought, it meant it was the only thing she could have done. If she had been defeated, it meant the one who attacked her knew perfectly where and when to strike. Coincidentally, the sentry who reported the elimination of the "traitor" once stood as commander by her side. A commander well-known for his ability to observe and exploit weaknesses.

.

One single protestor. One single fake traitor. One single fake follower. One single fake adversary.

One single sentry. One single murderer. One single real traitor.

One single Monster. One single monster. There is a subtlety here, and Muttler knows it means everything.

.

Darius is not to be believed. His words are nothing but a carefully crafted web of lies. His good intentions are but a mere act. Muttler learned it at his own expense— or, rather, he learned it at the expense of his friends. Twenty years later, he has been reminded of it at the expense of another friend. None of them are still there.

And to say he used to be jealous of the O so talented Darius… There was nothing to envy in his madness.

.

"Hey, Muttler, is it ? I'm the commander of the 2B, do you know where they are?"

"First off, you call me Commander Muttler if you don't want me to call you newbie. And they are in the break room."

.

Seven lives.

.

"Asgore ordered to split your unit to make up for the old team."

"A shame to see them under your command, newbie."

"Orders."

.

Four lives.

.

"Because I was demoted to sentry doesn't mean I won't be back."

"And I'll gladly retire before you are."

.

Two lives.

.

"The old captain was a traitor. Humans don't even deserve to breathe the same air we do."

.

One life.

.
.

Muttler had seen Darius rise from sentry to commander in less time than it had taken him to even go from sentry to actual member of the Royal Guard. He had seen his carefully crafted plans — plans he could only even wish to come up with. He had seen his first "failure" as a commander, too. A single mission that had cost Darius his whole team — something Myriad had never forgiven him despite not even knowing the full story.

To her, he had run away when the adult Human he was trying to apprehend proved to be more dangerous than his estimations, letting his team fight while he cowered in the bushes only to come back and kill him when he could not fight anymore. When she left the Royal Guard, this lie was still the official version. But the truth? The truth was of the most disgusting flavor.

Darius did not run away. He sent his team to apprehend the Human fully knowing he was armed, pretending he needed them to hold their target in place so he could unleash a powerful magic that could not be summoned right away. He observed the massacre from afar, knowing all too well his team was still hoping for the magic that would save them as the Humans took them down. Eventually, when they were nothing more than ashes and the Human was one the verge of collapsing, Darius played the part he was always meant to play in this little scenario of his. There was nothing left to reveal the truth once the bloody spear was done.

Seeing her friends' ashes hit Myriad more than Muttler would have expected it. It was one more straw to what she had already lived — the final straw. She could not stand losing her peers for nothing anymore, or at least not for a crusade that made no sense. Taking innocent lives to experiment on their souls… Sacrificing Monsters' lives to eliminate the few Humans who had the power to fight back, even when they were only defending themselves… It was the first and last time Muttler witnessed someone talk back to the King. It was the first and only time one of them dared to speak the truth and act accordingly, the first time so many members of the Royal Guard quitted at once — including its captain.

But not Muttler.

.

King Asgore asked for him to split his team with Darius after this event. He did so, reluctantly, and lent four of his guards to the commander he wished had been demoted. Despite her departure, they were all still loyal to Myriad — and that Darius hated. One night, they went on patrol. None of them came back.

None of them, excepting Darius.

Despite his efforts, Muttler never learned what happened to them — the case was muffled by the King himself. However, he did learn what happened to Darius's original team. How and why he avoided jail? Muttler's investigation never let him know. However, if the King could let such a monster walk freely in his kingdom, then maybe Myriad was right when she said the Royal Guard had no purpose anymore. Maybe she was right when she said they might as well all quit and the Underground would be even better. His team did not quit.

But Muttler did.

.

He should have made sure Darius would never hurt anyone anymore first.

Especially the one person he considered to be the filthiest traitor in the Underground.

He should have kept on sending letters to Myriad.

He should have told her the truth.

He should have warned her.

.

This old grudge, almost buried under two decades of leniency, is now burning even harder than before. Muttler swore to himself that he would not seek revenge, that he would not fall as low as Darius did. He is not sure he can keep his promise anymore.

.

No, none of the current situation makes sense. He does not know what the everloving hell Sans is, or how the kid can even still be alive at this point. He does not know if the Royal Scientist lost his mind and started experimenting to create something unheard of. He does not know whether he has a human, or at least someone who used to be one, on his paws. He knows the child skeleton is safe. He knows Sans is not a threat — or, at least, he does not intend on being one. He knows things will be alright for them.

No. Muttler cannot make sense of any of this, and he does not want to try anymore.

All he wants is to finally put an end to Darius's madness. Definitely.

.

He has already taken too many of his friends, now the wheel will turn. Even if, in order to end this, he has to become a monster too.

Did I just send Muttler on a side quest? Noooooooooo? At least, now you know why I hate Darius (and why he said "That's called strategy" back in chapter... Uh... Five? I don't remember...).

Also, I don't know if anyone has an idea of what will happen to Muttler and why I actually put so much work (ahem, "so much") into this side character? I mean, Muttler did exist at some point in Deltarune AND Deltarune reuses Undertale's characters ;) And I happen to love working with theories (so many theories in this story, so many... And I couldn't even fit all of them) ^^