TO BE DELIVERED UPON DEATH ONLY, by the Order of Her Majesty the Queen
"My dearest Frisk,
This is never a letter I thought I would have to write. But, it's not everyday that a queen rides into battle for the benefit of her subjects. It has certainly been a millennium since this happened here, and I'm sure if I were alive, I would never hear the end of it. Heh, maybe I'll enjoy death after all. But that's not the point of this letter.
No matter what happens, know that none of this is your fault, alright? I know you, and I know you're likely to take a lot of the responsibility to heart. You're kind to a fault, and there's no use changing that, because that's who you are. I worry that this world will one day prove to be too rotten for you. But know that even after I'm gone, the surface will still need your light. Despite everything, there is still something worth fighting for. And I can smile in death knowing that this world still has you to guide it.
You're probably going to be mad at me for this, but I spent some time looking into your SOUL when we were together. It's magic I've been learning on the side. I think you called it a special ability? Anyway, when I looked at your SOUL, I could see your entire being reflected at me. A person of immense love but also of immense sorrow. I couldn't think of a better way to summarize who you are. I may never learn the secrets of your past, or of who you really are. But no matter what Frisk, I'm so happy that I got to spend this time with you. You've truly made my life one worth living.
Thank you so for being my family."
Queen Willow Elizabeth Alexandria II, in an undelivered letter addressed to Heir Frisk Dreemurr of the Kingdom of Monsters. Made public for The Willow Archives, London, England, 2167.
King Edward VII's Hospital, London, England
Friday, April 26th, 2120. 12:17 AM
The hospital, which was abuzz with dignitaries and representatives just a few hours ago, had fallen into a peaceful quiet in the cloak of night. Toriel, after managing to stay awake long enough to comfort her distraught child, eventually fell back into a peaceful sleep as Papyrus ensured she remained as healed as she possibly could be. Now that it was well past midnight, Papyrus too was tired from an evening's worth of healing and had fallen asleep on the edge of the former Queen's bed. Given Sans' limited HP and stamina, all he could do was watch. But, it brought him a great bit of solace to know that his two favorite people in the entire world were resting peacefully next to each other, safe and sound from the chaos that was unfolding a mere few miles away. That being said, it didn't stop him from goofing off when he could.
"…and that's when I was like, I think I need an IV, because I feel a bad case of lovesickness coming on!"
Grillby sighed as he continued to wipe down the tables in his namesake restaurant. "Sans, maybe you shouldn't be trying to find your worst puns while waiting for all of this to blow over? Not everyone may appreciate it the way I do." While talking, he let little wisps shoot out of his fingers. They rhythmically danced across the granite table as they burned any spare crumbs to ash. "Plus, it is the middle of a crisis still."
"that exactly why everyone needs a little fun now and then, grillbz." Sans leaned back and closed his eyes in satisfaction. He knew that his punishment for getting these puns out later would certainly mean a tongue-lashing from his brother, so why not strike while the iron is hot, right? What he did not expect was for Toriel to groggily chuckle from her bedside too.
Turning just enough to speak in Sans' direction, she said "Sans, your jokes really do get worse when you're worried."
"tori! You're awake! but don't push yourself though. gotta go grillby, talk to you soon." Sans closed his communicator and leapt to his feet to help make sure Toriel had no trouble leaning up. Toriel sleepily looked around the room, and then at the sleeping Papyrus that had hunched over at the edge of her bed. Despite her weakened state, she couldn't help but smile.
"It sounds like someone worked really hard. I am so grateful for Papyrus. I always thought he would make a fine addition to the guard." Toriel looked around the room more, and then at the clock next to her bedside. Sans grew a little worried as he watched her expression sour at the time. "Where are the others? Are they back yet from the mission?"
Sans turned towards the window and stared at the white glow coming from the cathedral before coming up with an answer. "honestly, i don't know. i know from what i've picked up that fighting inside the cathedral has begun. but it's been hard to get anything out of intelligence."
Toriel frowned. "It seems like things may not be going so smoothly after all."
"you never know!" Sans said, trying to cheer his partner up. "asgore's the strongest monster in the land. maybe in history. and the kid…well, they're something else entirely."
Toriel was quiet for a long time before answering. For awhile, the two sat in silence, listening to the steady beat of Toriel's heart monitor and the occasional snort from Papyrus' otherwise quiet snoring.
"Sans, I want you to listen very carefully to what I am about to say." Sans, who had been facing the window, turned towards Toriel and gave her his undivided attention. Despite his smile never fading, Toriel could tell me the subtle, yet distinct, movement of his eyes a wider range of emotions that even some of his closest friends failed to recognize. Over the past five years, the two had spent their time trying to develop a relationship built around vulnerability and trust. Even when what was weighing on her was clearly trying, she felt a small comfort knowing Sans could be by her side to receive it.
"A thousand years ago, and maybe some more, I was a young girl, living in the taiga of what the humans today call Siberia. My clan, my…village was always small, and as isolated as we were, we hardly knew that there were so many other monsters out there, or that there was a war at all. But when the war came, we had no choice to leave when the Catholic Church swept through our town and burned our homes to the ground."
Toriel continued. "The man who saved us, Asgeir, was Asgore's father. He truly was a sight to behold. In those days of the war, there were a lot of us. Those who could not fight led the caravan Eastward, while those who could, did. And while, in every battle, it seemed as if we didn't stand a chance, Asgeir was there, holding the line, burning entire forests down if it meant that we could slow the humans' advance. And not only was he an incredible sorcerer, adept in the magic of the time, he was a skilled fighter, and caused many a human to fall at the hands of his spear."
Sans listened in, shocked. There was little that he didn't know, from his time as a scientist to his time working intelligence for the kingdom. But Toriel's personal history, even now, astonished him. "so you're telling me that there was a monster this powerful? and he still wasn't enough? he truly never claimed a human soul?"
Toriel hesitated. She seemed as if she fumbled with the idea of telling the truth in her mind, but knowing that her facial expressions gave away her true thoughts to Sans, she decided that there was no point hiding it. "You cannot tell anyone this. But he did. He…he claimed several. When our history says otherwise, it is a lie, an exaggeration of the truth meant to let the young ones imagine how vastly underpowered we were. But the reality was that King Asgeir managed to capture six human souls. The Church knew this, and before we could settle for good on the edge of Siberia, they came to attack us, one more time.
Asgore was but a child at the time. We were beginning to set up camp when an alarm had been issued by our scouts. Just as any other day, I remember the King leaving, spear in hand, to defend us. But everyone knew something was wrong when barely any of them came back to meet us. The cause? The mages of the Order of Saint Marseille."
Toriel let out a deep, heavy sigh, causing her to cough a bit. Sans moved to console her, but Toriel held up her furry paw, giving Sans a wincing smile and a small reassurance that she would be okay. Toriel continued. "The Order was the group that ultimately sealed monsters under Mt. Ebott. Once the human armies withdrew, tired from the fight, the church created the Order to train magic-capable humans with the sole goal of eradicating monsterkind. With their technology, we could not put up much a fight on a normal day. But on that day, with their magic, our chances of winning the war vanished."
"Their seven high mages rode just outside of camp, followed only by their familiars. And once again, King Asgeir rose to defend our camp. Before now, he had been hesitant to use any of the captured human souls, but upon finding himself face to face with the legates of the Church, he felt as if he had no choice. But before he could, they brought out an eighth, a man with a black SOUL who had the power to suppress all magic. I will never forget being a child and watching the mighty king of monsters bow to a human a quarter of his size as the strength was literally sapped from his body." Tears started to well in her eyes. "I lost my mother that day. And Asgore lost his father as we frantically organized who was left to escape across the Pacific Ocean in the dead of winter. All while these seven humans looked on with nothing but contempt in their eyes."
Sans stood up and grabbed Toriel's paw as she used her other to wipe the tears from her face. Even now (or especially now), Toriel's strength struck him as saint like. He would have never imagined that one of the most vociferous champions of humans in the kingdom could have been harmed by them so. Sans felt like his head was spinning. The implications of Toriel's words left him uneasy for what may happen next in the present. But he tried to do his best to focus on Toriel instead of his own worries right now.
"Sans. I do not know if the power Cage wields is the same as the one once used against Asgeir. But, I do know that in the face of such magic, it may be hard or impossible for any monster to win. And while Frisk is talented, they too depend heavily on magic to unlock their full potential. Because it is Frisk, I worry about what Cage might do." With her other free paw, she tightly grabbed Sans' bony hand. "Sans, I know how hard it is for you to make promises. But, please. Make sure my child is safe. Make sure that they too do not fall to the same fate as Asgeir did."
Sans collected his thoughts before giving an earnest, kind smile to Toriel. "tori. i…of course. i'll do my best to make sure nothing happens to them." Turning his attention to the sleeping Papyrus behind her, he said "and it's like you said. with my bro here, you've got a good skeleton holding you up. you'll be fine." Amidst Toriel's soft giggle, Sans got up and turned his attention to the map on his communicator to plot out his warp movements through London. "i've let justin know i'm coming. i'm sure he'll appreciate the help."
"Also, Sans, please." Toriel leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Sans' cheek, causing him to run blue in return. "Be careful, okay? I've lost far too much in my time. The last person I want to lose right now is you. I…I would love you for you to be by my side for just a little longer."
Sans tried his best to suppress his goofy smile, turning away from Toriel as he made his way to the window. He unlatched it and let the cool night breeze ruffle the curtains. Before leaving, he turned with one last soft smile and said "of course. i'll see you soon, tori."
St. Paul's Cathedral, Basement Chamber
Friday, April 26th, 2120. 12:13 AM
Frisk pulled out their katana and held it at the ready in front of them. They could feel their emotions clouding their judgment as their sword shook in their hand. "CAGE! You're gonna fucking pay for everything you've done. Don't think for a second you're getting out of this!"
Cage simply closed his eyes and smiled to himself. "Can you feel it, ambassador? The magic in this place? It's everywhere. The air, the walls, the water. It's as if the Earth is imbued with its very essence." He stepped forward from the ledge, inching towards Frisk with his arms outstretched, as if he was motioning to the world itself. "Part of the real reason this church was built was to conceal and seal off this room. The well behind me is part of a vein of magical energy that runs through the entire world. I think the vintage scholars called them 'leylines'."
Unfazed by Cage's lecture, Frisk flared their nostrils. The red in their eye flared with every step he took. "Okay, and why should I care? It's not like a hypocrite like you cares about magic in the first place!"
Cage laughed. "I don't, do I? Such a bold claim to make. I never said I hated magic. I never even said that I hated monsters. Just that they've caused more trouble than they're worth." Cage stopped just short of Frisk's striking distance, letting his hands drop to either side of the broadswords affixed to his hip. "All Cauldron wants is the return of monsters to the Underground and the world restored to its geopolitical state five years ago. No death, no genocide, and from one human to another, nothing personal."
Frisk's eyes widened in disbelief. "You actually think that's going to happen? You might even be more delusional than the HLF. Monsters fought long and hard to make it to the surface. Why would we let you undo it?"
Look around, Frisk! You can't tell me you don't feel it. How magic rich the environment is here. How similar it must feel to Mt. Ebott. This entire cave makes the rest of the world feel absolutely deprived of magic. Is this really how the monsters want to live? Lives where their full potential is stunted by our uneven worlds?
Chara sounded shocked, which caused Frisk's scowl to turn into one of confusion. "He's…he's not lying Frisk. It feels like the underground in here! Down to the scent. Not even the castle back at home feels this invigorating. I can feel it affecting me, affecting…us."
Chara's confirmation only made Frisk falter more. Cage noticed how much the young royal was shaking and smiled at how easy it was to unnerve them. Frisk continued to spit spite back at him. "Once again, why does a terrorist like you even care about where magic is and isn't? Last time I checked, you liked the world the way it was. This shouldn't even be a landmark for you."
"Au contraire, my dear Ambassador." Cage continued as if he was a preacher in this very church. "This church is a testament to our history, the history of how humans once brought balance to the world by controlling the flow of magic." Cage outstretched his hand and engaged Frisk's SOUL, drawing out their sorrow and fury-fueled magic by doing so. Frisk's magical pressure made the wind in the crypt howl as the sprits of the two mages clashed before either of them had a chance to move their swords. Cage shuttered from Frisk's initial burst of magical pressure, but his grin widened as Frisk's breathing grew more and more erratic. "Frisk Dreemurr, the so-called savior of monsters, the self-proclaimed 'World's Strongest Human,' the time of the dominion of your illegitimate kingdom of monsters has come to the end. Your very abuse of this power to change the world will be your undoing." Cage drew his broadswords and held them both at the ready. "And it's by using this power that I'll be able take you and the rest of your friends down and finally restore balance to this planet."
Frisk could no longer hold back. One screaming step forward gave them the distance they need to lunge at Cage, moving so fast that he barely had time to bring his broadswords to block Frisk's initial strike. Face to face, it was undeniable how intense Frisk's magic was compared to Cage's. The very presence of their overwhelming spirit was almost too much to stand against. At the same time, it was very clear that Frisk was at their emotional limit. Their red eyes filled with tears as they tried to maintain their composure, and their sword's pressure faltered against a much more composed Cage.
Taking his opportunity to strike, Cage stepped back with his right foot and let his right sword drop. He thrusted forward with his left sword, narrowing missing Frisk as they countered and prevented Cage from retreating. Using Cage's momentum against him, Frisk attempted to cut Cage's wrist before being forced on the defense by Cage's remaining sword. Once Frisk lost the offensive, they were forced to move backwards and defend until they could find an opening against Cage's constant barrage of strikes.
When they were next to the stairs, Frisk took the opportunity to use it to gain a height advantage against their opponent and quickly aimed for whatever opportunity they could. Using the steps as a jump point, Frisk shattered the rock beneath their feet as they lunged for Cage's chest, and just as quickly as Cage has advanced, he found himself retreating as Frisk's magic-imbued strikes became too intense to continue blocking. Furthermore, his skeleton-induced wound from earlier was acting up, despite the best efforts of a combination of healing magic and magical science to keep him upright. Cage knew that he would need to turn the side of battle sooner his later, so he continued to press his luck with the only battle he had been winning: The psychological one.
"Ambassador! I know this fighting style of your's! It's called Kendo, is it not? For an ancient martial art about form and precision, you certainly exhibit none of it right now! Even in my hurt state, countering you is too easy."
He was bluffing, of course. But, Cage hoped that this shallow gloating would continue to catch Frisk off-balance. What he did not expect was for the intensity of Frisk's attacks to increase as well. Almost viciously, Frisk taunted "What's wrong, Cage? I thought you could handle a little magic! Where's that self-righteous smile now?" Frisk raged as they continued to push against their opponent. "Don't be so cocky, you sanctimonious piece of garbage! You haven't even begun to face your fate yet!" Frisk moved forward and stopped short of striking Cage, instead pulling back and letting Cage right hand miss Frisk. Reversing their momentum, Frisk rushed forward to block Cage's left broadsword and then followed through with a diagonal strike through their torso. Normally red to prevent fatal strikes, the white metal of their sword slashed through the top of Cage's leg brace system and the bulk of his body armor, rendering him vulnerable to thrust strikes and other advances from Frisk. Unrelenting, Frisk pulled their sword across Cage's body and readied to attack several more opening before being forced to retreat to avoid a blow to their left arm.
Cage, who's outward show of confidence had given in for his need to focus, still managed to smirk as he teased Frisk. Now in a measurable amount of pain, his breathing labored between words. "Such anger! So much for the idea of the pacifist ambassador. I truly didn't know that you had it in you, the negative energy I feel within your soul incredible!"
Frisk's concentration shattered at the "had it in you," comment, causing them to mess up the technique needed to parry the downward swing of Cage's swords. Shocked, they failed to recover in time before Cage, in one movement, forced their katana down and thrust their sword through Frisk's left shoulder. Frisk wailed in pain as they jumped back to distance themselves from Cage, who swung their right broadsword clear of blood and savored their successful blow. They dropped their left broadsword and outstretched their hand, taking control of Frisk's soul with a grip of their fist and turning it from its usual bright red into a dark brown. And in that instant, it felt as if all the strength had instantly left their body. Frisk started gasping as their pain became near-unbearable. Their red eyes, a hallmark of the strength of their determination, reverted to brown as Frisk felt their magic leave their body. But through the sheer force of their will alone, they managed to remain standing.
Chara, on the other hand, could barely handle the sensation. Inside them, Frisk could hear them screaming in visceral pain. "FRISK! FRISK! WHAT'S HAPPENING! I CAN'T HANDLE THIS AT ALL, I FEEL LIKE SOMETHING IS TRYING TO TEAR ME APART! HELP ME!"
Frisk managed to form a sentence to speak to Cage. "What…what did you do to me?"
"This is my power. A power bestowed upon generations of generations of mages that has now found it's way to me. I've renounced my right to magic forever. But in exchange, I've received something greater: The power to erase it. Whether it's monster or human, I have the ability to suspend the circulation of magic through their body. This power has been called a lot of things throughout history. But I prefer to call it Blackout."
"B-Blackout…what? I've never heard of this before? Is this…"
"Yes. The very same power I used on Toriel. No matter the size, no matter the strength, Blackout never fails to take ahold of it's target. And now that I have you, I've got you right where I want you."
Internally, Chara's screaming was beginning to reduce Frisk to tears. They had never heard them in such pain before, let alone shown this much vulnerability. More than any other time this fight, Frisk could feel their heart begin to sink as their partner's spirit began to break. "FRISK, PLEASE! THIS PAIN IS UNIMAGINABLE! I'M SO SCRARED! PLEASE, STOP HIM! KILL CAGE!"
Gathering what little remaining strength they had, Frisk ran forward and attempted to strike Cage's right side, an attempt that easily blocked. Even when keeping his left fist closed tight, Cage was easily able to hold off the disoriented and fatigued Frisk. Frisk's voice dripped with desperation "Why!? Why this? What do you want with me!?"
"Trust me, if I could kill you now, I would." Cage said while almost effortlessly keeping Frisk at bay. "But, there are some things I need to confirm first. We owe a client a favor. And you may be the sole roadblock standing in the way of our goal to return monsters to the underground. Taking care of you now clears many of the conditions we must solve to achieve peace." Cage parried Frisk's last swing of their blade and knocked it out of their hands, sending it flying to the edge of the island. Cage took the chance to try and land another swing, but Frisk pulled out their Wakizashi and tried their best to maintain their ground.
"Not yet! NOT YET! I am NOT going to let you kill me. I am not giving up! Not now, not ever!" Stepping back to keep their distance, Frisk grabbed the back of their short blade and used to stop Cage's next strike. They used all the momentum and energy they had left to bring it down to Cage's hilt and to force them into a deadlock. Cage nearly stumbled as their injured leg buckled from the pressure.
"Foolish child, just give up! You're at your limit, Frisk! You can do nothing more! Don't you see what's going to happen!?" Cage jumped back to break the pressure of the deadlock, but was forced into another when Frisk took advantage of an opening on their wrist. "This world isn't ready to accept monsters! It never will be and you know that! You had your chance to integrate and you didn't! If you stay on the surface, the humans will never give up trying to force you off this planet! You will literally be throwing your lives away! Is that what you want!?"
"It's better than a life submitting to your rules! Just leave us alone!"
"YOU IDIOT! YOU CAN'T WIN, SO JUST GIVE UP!"
Cage raised their remaining sword one final time to strike. But, at the height of the swing, Frisk reached up with their left hand and grabbed Cage's wrist, preventing him from finishing the blow. With tired but determined brown eyes and the most intense face Cage had seem out of them yet, they stared Cage in the eye as they readied their Wakizashi to slice Cage's throat.
"Fine. Then lay down and die."
The next second went by all too quickly. The sound of gasping filled the cave as dark red blood gushed onto the ground. Wincing, Frisk fell to the ground and heaved as their lungs begin to fail them. Their blood begin to pool at the base of their back, trickling steady from a wound left from a magic arrow. Before Frisk could execute the final strike, Owl, standing at the top of the stairs that led to the crypt above, shot them in the back and brought them falling to the floor. Frisk writhed in pain as they tried to protect their weapon. Their cracked soul, while not entirely broken, could certainly take no more damage.
Owl looked furious as she followed a line of Cauldron operatives down the stairs. She spat at Frisk as she reached the bottom. "That's what you get, you dirty traitor."
Undyne was on the offensive. After being surprised by Vulture's initial attack, Undyne largely had the baby-faced legate on the run. Vulture's attack patterns depended on him swinging a large chain at the end of their scythe. Made out of the same material the scythe was, Undyne assumed it would be too heavy for a mere human to carry, but despite the odds, they managed to stay in the fight much longer than Undyne gave them credit for. Occasionally, Vulture would swing their scythe in a wide arc to fire off a crescent-shaped energy attack, but it didn't matter; Undyne was simply too fast them. They had both worked their way up to the Whispering Gallery, where Undyne had a cadre of magic spears surrounding Vulture on all sides.
"HAH! You really were all bark and no bite, huh? For such a 'brave mage,' I've certainly had you on the run, huh?"
Vulture breathed heavily as they leaned on their spear at the opposite end of the dome. "Don't be so sure, Captain Undyne. There's much from me you haven't seen yet. Including my special ability."
Undyne's eyes widened. "W-What! Special ability? That's impossible! I thought humans didn't have those anymore! After all, anime isn't real! I'd know, I checked!"
Vulture struck a pose and let their hair fall over their face in probably the most bishounen fashion possible. "Of course it is, dear! You just have to know where to look! After all, some human souls burn brighter than others!" Turning their purple-eyed gaze back to Undyne, they said "I wonder how brightly your soul shines? Do you want to find out?"
Undyne laughed. "Punk, you have no idea the kinds of trials I've been through all my life. Trust me, you wouldn't make it to be half the person I am today without MY determination!" Undyne pointed her spear square at the legate and turned it green, keeping Vulture effectively stuck in place. They started to spin their chain in their hand while Undyne continued. "Now then, are you ready to see the justice of a determined soul?"
Undyne swung her main spear and the magic spears she had been holding back all began to converge on Vulture. They smiled as they held their scythe out to block what they could. "Undyne. You truly are the heroine that never gives up. Well done. But never underestimate the power of a perseverant SOUL. Like you, there is a world I must fight for, until the very end. Don't you dare count me out yet!"
With a flurry of clangs and clashes, Undyne watch as her spears shredded the spot of the balcony were Vulture was standing. The attack was so intense that she could feel the cold wind pouring in from the outside. But despite that, she could tell that Vulture had indeed survived. Holding her main spear at the ready, she looked to either side of her to check for any surprises when she saw it: Vulture's chain coming around the dome from the right side. "A-HA! LUCKY SHOT TWERP, BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH TO STOP ME!" She exclaimed with a mix of excitement and annoyance at Vulture's tenacity. "Rule number one of fighting: Never let your guard down!"
But, just as Undyne prepared to smack Vulture's chain down, it attached to the railing of the balcony instead of her, and at that moment the chain started to retract and pull Vulture from the smoke cloud where they waited. They were badly beat up; Undyne could see multiple wounds from where the spears passed through their body, and their purple SOUL was fouled with several cracks running towards the center. Yet, Vulture continued, filled with perseverance. They readied their scythe, and as they reached the end of their chain, they planted their feet on the walls of the gallery and used the momentum to swing themselves past Undyne. Vulture dragged their scythe through Undyne as they came to a rest on her opposite site.
Upon being slashed, Undyne's body fell to the ground, lifeless, but at the same time, still alive. Her white monster SOUL floated above it, as did a ghostly outline of her body that now filled the space where her she used to stand. Confused as all heck, she turned towards Vulture. Her anger began to flare, as it felt like every fiber of her soul was telling her to attack them.
Between pained breaths, Vulture explained Undyne's situation "This is my special ability, Dissociation. With my ability, you've fallen under my influence. I've also separated your soul from your body and undone your magic, so there's nothing holding me back from ending your life. No body to absorb your blows, and no armor to get in the way. Accept you've met your match and I'll give you the death you rightfully deserve."
Undyne, not looking shocked in the least, cracked her neck and summoned her magic spear again as she narrowed her eyes at Vulture. "What a dumb ability. You never said anything about me not be able take you down. So don't think for a second that you're going to get away from me, wise guy." She leaped around the circular gallery at Vulture, summoning spears on the floor to force them to move back as she tried to close the distance. "Too many people are counting on me to win this match! For the sake of every monster who wishes to see a better future, I won't lose!"
As Undyne advanced, she could hear an inner voice in her head telling her, rushing her to proceed. Despite her best effort to focus on the fights, the thoughts grew louder until they were at forefront of her mind. "Take him down! What are you waiting for? He's open and weak, if you go in now, there's no way he could make it!"
Frustrated, she yelled at Vulture "NGAHH! You human! What did you do to me!"
Vulture jumped back to avoid a spear and cursed himself as he could feel his body giving from the pain of his injuries. "Damn, not enough, apparently. But what now…"
As they neared the hole that Undyne had made earlier, a transmission came over Vulture's communicator. "Vulture, this Owl. Our mission's accomplished, we need to get out of here. Staying any longer is pointless. I'm executing Escape Plan Delta. Meet up with Crow and get out of there!"
"Uhhhhh, Owl, I'm a little busy here, if you didn't know. The monsters haven't let up. How is everyone else done?"
Owl sucked her teeth. "Ugh, typical Vulture. Way to be the weakest, as always. Get outside now, we're not waiting any longer."
"Wait, what!?"
Vulture heard the alarm sound and soon a pile of charges detonated at the base of the cathedral. Not knowing what else to do, they took their scythe and widened the hole Undyne made earlier and prepared to jump. "I like you Undyne, so I'll give you a chance to escape. Get back to your body, quickly! If I'm going to kill you, I'm going to do it right damnit!"
Undyne ran her hands across her fish fins in exasperation. As she did, she realized the inner voice disappeared too. Again at her senses, she yelled "NGAHHH! FINE! But I don't owe you for this! If we meet again, I will take you down!"
Vulture fell out of the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral, hoping that Crow would be astute enough to pinpoint their location through the smoke now rising into the city. And sure enough, they could see Crow's supercharged blue SOUL climbing the nearest building and then jumping off of it to grab them, shattering several windows in the process. Crow princess-held Vulture as he looked for the next point to jump from amidst the smoke.
"Crow! You're really a sight for a sore body, did you know that? Nothing like Owl's bedside manner."
Predictably not responding to Vulture's poor excuse for a joke, he simply said "We're going down. Hold on." Using the last part of the dome that had yet to fall to the ground, Crow used what power he could to propel himself towards the Chamber where Cage and Owl waited.
Once Undyne had made it back to her body, she was shocked to see that her SOUL simply slid back into place, like the last puzzle piece that belonged in a jigsaw puzzle. Springing awake, she jolted to her feet to hear Alphys and Justin screaming in her ear.
Alphys sounded absolutely terrified. "UNDYNE! UNDYNE! Please, get up! I can't lose you here, please!
"Undyne, you need to get out of there, now! I'm sending Sans to your last location, just please get outside if you can!"
"Hey you two! I'm okay! I'm sorry, a lot has happened here…How can I…? I can't…!? NGAH!" Undyne tore another hole in the wall of the dome and jumped outside, summoning a flurry of spears from whatever solid surface she could to keep herself afloat. "SANS! NOW! COME FIND ME, YOU LAZY BONES!"
Like clockwork, popping up beside her in the air was her (second) favorite bony skeleton. "heh. sorry to make you wait, captain."
And with a blink, and a boom, and a crash, Sans, Undyne and the church that had stood for 450 years vanished into the air.
