NOTES:
Fair warning, this chapter is about 11k words.
Oh yea also this one has some swearing and some kinda nasty stuff, so... just a warning. Maybe have some tissues on hand? Idk, I am bad with emotions.
:-"A call that will kill you, if you answer it..."-:
Frisk and Asgore returned to playing catch shortly after finishing some tea... it was lovely.
After about a minute, Toriel enters the throne room quickly, thinking the worst, but sees the display. She's still very upset at Asgore for his past actions, but she's happy to see that Frisk is not harmed. Watching the scene calms her down. She avoids bringing attention to herself, lest the two stop... but everyone else begins to arrive shortly after she does. Frisk stops the game of catch upon their arrival.
Papyrus is carrying the Artifact, and has Sans in tow.
Holding the Artifact for Frisk to take, Papyrus says,
"I HAVE BROUGHT THE ARTIFACT AS YOU REQUESTED! PLEASE BE MORE CAREFUL WITH IT..."
Frisk reaches out and takes the Artifact from Papyrus, then thanks him in a quiet and embarrassed voice.
Alphys and Undyne arrive shortly after Papyrus and Sans. Alphys is holding notes, probably for the vehicle, and Undyne is standing around.
Undyne is the first to ask the question on almost everyone's mind... "Uh... why are we all here, Papyrus?"
To which he replies jubilantly, "I WAS TOLD BY A VERY TRUSTWORTHY SOURCE THAT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL BE HERE!"
Not entirely convinced she asks, "right... So who was this 'trustworthy source?'"
In his usual tone, Papyrus exclaims, "A SMALL YELLOW FLOWER! FLOWERY!"
Alphys is very scared by that proclamation... but Frisk steps in,
"Flowey is OK, Alphys... I needed you all to be here so for an important conversation... 'cause I don't want to repeat what they say."
Though a bit more at ease, Alphys is still worried.
Frisk takes the Artifact to the center of the room, places a hand on it, and thinks 'Ready.'
The Artifact begins to float, and Tim appears in the room. Asgore, Toriel, Alphys, and Undyne take a step back in surprise.
"Greetings, I am Tim. A magical construct and the Keeper of the Artifact."
Tim turns to Asgore and then to Toriel, saying "you must be quite confused, please, allow me to explain."
Asgore and Toriel nod, almost in unison.
"Thank you. As you know, this Artifact was delivered and given to you as a gift... it is also what created the barrier. It was intended to keep you safe, but, at some point, a few of the microscopic arcane runes and circles were damaged... It has now been repaired, by an unexpected individual might I add, and I am able to assist you now. Before I go any further or am able to answer any questions, it is imperative that Frisk provides information to me about what happened outside the barrier."
Several of the monsters present look anxious, like they have questions they want to ask...
Frisk explains as best they can about what has happened... but when they get to what occurred right before the RESET, they have difficulty remembering. While attempting to remember, Frisk begins to feel anxious and scared.
Alphys recognizes the hesitation, and fills in most of the missing details for them.
Unwilling to have any missing details, however, Tim asks, "Frisk, it appears you may be suffering from stress induced memory loss. May I view your memories? You will not experience them a second time."
Frisk hesitates for a moment, but nods in affirmation.
Tim gestures to the Artifact. "Hold the artifact. I recommend you sit in a meditative pose."
Doing as instructed, Frisk takes the Artifact in both hands and sits with their legs crossed. With the Artifact in their lap, Frisk wraps their arms underneath it.
Sans, Asgore, and Undyne prepare subtly, in case it's a ruse set by the humans from before the war.
Tim speaks, in his usual even tone. "Now Frisk, relax, and clear your mind."
Frisk nods, and relaxes... Not long after, the Artifact begins glowing Yellow and Frisk's head slowly slumps downward.
Purple streaks begin appearing, followed by flashes of green and blue.
The glowing fades after several seconds, and Frisk lifts their head back up. "That felt funny, get what you needed?"
"Yes, thank you. The situation is more dire than I originally determined. Not only has magic been removed from the world, but technology has mostly been lost as well. The worst issue is that the Gibbering Horror has manifested within this reality... That is going to be a mess to clean up. I also noticed a third red SOUL... I do not know if it will be problematic, but normally there are only two red SOULs alive at any point in time."
Frisk is a bit confused. "Three red SOULs? I know about me... the SOUL Sans has... Oh! Wait, I kinda remember a third? I can't remember their name... Uh... C... U... 2...? No... that can't be right... Cu... sto... s...? Custos?"
With a smirk, Sans corrects Frisk. "cu-270/s. it doesn't have a name, 'specially not from a dead language."
Tim raises an eye brow.
"The SOUL Sans has is not a red SOUL, it is HOLLOW. I am referring to you, the young boy without a name, and the red sage."
More confused, Frisk asks "The red sage? I thought they died? Like... 50-ish years ago?"
"Yes, he did... But no, he didn't. His continued existence has been kept a secret. He is too weak to perform any of his previous duties. He has been waiting for the next red SOUL, so he can pass on his knowledge. Effectively, he is dead."
Still confused Frisk asks, "Why did he go into hiding?"
Alphys also speaks up, asking "Also, why c-can't he just write it down? N-n-not that I'm up-upset that he's a-alive! B-but... It just seems so... sad to live only to p-pass on knowledge..."
Tim speaks briefly, "People could not understand why he could not lead them, and they would not relent in their attempts to persuade him. The knowledge can not be passed down through... standard methods."
Alphys is a bit confused still... but she refrains from asking more questions.
Frisk is satisfied with the answers, but has another question. "Now that the barrier is working properly, is time also moving normally?"
"On the contrary. Every second here is one attosecond on the Surface. And, in anticipation of your next question, it is due to how time works. We cannot stop time and continue to operate, but we can operate within such a small time-frame that time might as well be halted."
Frisk, though satisfied with the answers, has more questions... but they feel that they won't understand the answers.
Toriel begins speaking, but Asgore unintentionally interrupts. "Does the Artifact still contain the archives?"
"You have an exceptional memory, King Asgore. Yes, encoded within the Artifact are the archives of, now lost, information. Frisk, I suggest starting with the basics of operation. To access the archives you simply need to cover your hand in purple magic, place it upon the Artifact, and say 'directory' out loud or in your mind. While you familiarize yourself with the Artifact's operation, Frisk, I need to speak to the royal family in the next room."
Frisk nods.
Asgore and Toriel look to eachother, hesitantly, and then back to Tim... They nod, and follow Tim to the next room.
:-:
Curious about what information they'll find, Frisk follows the steps provided. It's a bit difficult for them to cover their hand in Purple magic, but they manage to do it after a few tries and a couple tips from Alphys. After following the other steps, the purple magic is removed from Frisk's hand and turns into a display. Alphys steps closer to view the entries on the screen. She is immediately drawn to "TECHNOLOGY."
Before Frisk can do anything, however, a tutorial starts. They begin learning how to navigate the archives, It's a lot simpler than they thought it'd be.
After a couple minutes, Frisk is free of the tutorial and perusing the archives... But they're unable to understand most of what the entries say... Some are even in other languages.
Curious, Alphys asks, "Frisk, uh... would... i-is there anything on flying vehicles, by chance?"
Frisk uses the very convenient search function, and finds a large section dedicated to aircraft. They tell Alphys how to scroll through the menus, but she's unable to interact with the screen... After some browsing, Frisk discovers that only people granted access can use it. So they look to see how to grant Alphys access...
Granting Alphys access is also easier than Frisk thought it'd be. Frisk contemplates this... then finally realizes the lack of a third party commenting about it in their mind.
Without Chara attached to their SOUL, their mind is much quieter; they're OK with it, but they got used to that, sometimes, helpful voice.
'They'd probably say something like... "The Artifact's like a Genie's lamp, just rub it and make a wish... Convenient!"'
Frisk begins to wonder why Chara went silent after Asriel broke the barrier... but they put it aside and return to the present.
In as much of an authoritative voice as Frisk can muster, they say "Grant Alphys Scholar Access."
A screen with a hand print appears and instructs Alphys to place their hand on it. She does so, and purple lines shoot out around her hand, then around the rest of her body, before returning to the menu.
The menu now reads "Scholar Access Granted. Greetings Scholar Alphys, you have access to the Archives. What is your query?"
Frisk leaves Alphys alone with the Artifact for a while and heads over to Sans and Papyrus.
In his usual laid-back tone, Sans asks "'sup kiddo?"
Shrugging, Frisk says "not much," but then gets an idea... With a subtle, mischievous, smile and slightly... squinted eyes, Frisk asks
"so... how were your Pho-king noodles?"
Sans' face lights up slightly as Papyrus' eyes go wide in shock, a worried sound comes from Alphys' direction, and the two yell out "FRISK!"
Innocently, Frisk responds, "what?"
Alphys and Papyrus look like they are nervously contemplating giving an answer, but Alphys decides to go back to browsing the nearly endless depths of knowledge in the archive, and Papyrus opts to pretend he didn't hear anything in the first place.
Undyne decides to change the topic, "hey punk, I've got an idea! Let's see who can make the BEST magic spear!"
Frisk contemplates this for a moment...
They are willing, but purple magic is hard to deal with... So they say, "only if you teach me how to use cyan magic!"
Undyne isn't sure, though. "I dunno punk... I've never taught anyone else how to use magic, just... sorta how to use it better."
Before Frisk can protest, however, Asgore, Toriel, and Tim return from the other room. Tim notices Alphys using the Artifact.
Toriel speaks first, calmly but authoritatively, "Frisk... I will be appointing you as the Ambassador for monsters again, should you accept. Alphys, I see that you have already been granted rights to the Artifact... Tim is going to mark several important articles, I request that you study these articles and begin working on the objects they pertain to as soon as possible... Your... unethical past actions aside. Everyone else... We are going to make preparations to leave the Underground en masse. It has been found that doing so is our best option, and will increase our chances of survival... Asgore..."
Interrupts. He speaks sullenly, but proudly; his deep voice demands everyone's attention. "We have been informed that in order to seal the... Gibbering Horror... someone must take the barrier segments from the artifact, and use them... thereby also trapping themselves within. Fortunately, however, time can be slowed to such an extent that, by the time those outside the barrier are ready to kill the horror, almost no time will have passed within the barrier. The opposite of how it currently operates... With that being said, this person will also be the first line of defence when the barrier falls... And so, I have decided to take on this responsibility. I was... going to withhold this information, but I was convinced to do otherwise."
Asgore sheepishly looks over to Toriel, then back at the room.
The room is filled with a grim silence.
Alphys, Undyne, and Papyrus begin to speak, but Asgore raises his hand and says, "there is no turning back."
Tim approaches the Artifact, gestures to it questioningly while looking at Alphys, and she moves aside. Tim begins to quickly mark several entries, far faster than Alphys can read, and then gestures to Alphys indicating she may resume. He saved her spot for her, fortunately.
Alphys finishes the article she was reading, dismisses the directory, and says "p-perhaps it would be better if I took this to the Lab and studied there, I'd be able to focus more."
Frisk replies. "That sounds like a good idea, I'll go with."
But nobody moves. The shock from Asgore's announcement is still fresh in their minds...
Toriel says, "I am leaving now, everyone that has not been assigned a task, follow me and help prepare for our departure."
Papyrus has already gotten past the grim announcement, "AS YOU COMMAND, MY QUEEN!"
Sans shrugs, "guess i really don't have anything better to do anyway," then goes into the next room.
Undyne salutes and follows the Queen with Papyrus. Asgore follows behind slowly.
Tim returns into the Artifact and Frisk picks it up, then follows Alphys back to the Lab.
Flowey decides to stay for a while. Contemplating the announcement, he doesn't feel one way or the other about it... but he thinks there might be a better option.
:-:
Frisk, being unable to assist with the preparations, and not understanding any of the science-y stuff Alphys is doing, decides to hang out with the monster children.
They go to Snowdin to see how Monster Kid is doing... 'I wonder what Monster Kid's name is... I should ask.'
Wandering around Snowdin Town, Frisk is unable to find Monster Kid anywhere... They keep searching.
'It looks like some of the other kids are searching for something, so maybe Monster Kid is too?'
Eventually Frisk finds a suspiciously shaped snow poff... with the spikes on Monster Kid's head poking out of it.
Frisk puts their frying pan away, and pulls out their Stick from Box B... then pokes the snow poff.
The muffled voice of a monster is heard from within. "Awww man! I can't believe you found me so fast!"
Monster kid stands up from the snow poff,
"Oh It's you! Yo, I didn't know you joined... that's awesome! We're gonna start a different game, wanna join?"
Monster kid's got a big goofy smile on his bruised face.
Frisk asks, "what kind of game do you have in mind?"
Excitedly Monster Kid says,
"Oh! We're gonna play this game I made, I call it 'football.' Ya know, 'cause I don't have any hands."
They don't have anything better to do, so Frisk nods.
Still excited, Monster kid responds, "sweet! I'll go get everyone else."
Monster Kid runs off... and Frisk remembers that they forgot to ask for his name... 'Oh well.'
Frisk contemplates following him, but ends up staying put. Which is just as well, since it doesn't take long for everyone to come back.
Arriving with Monster Kid is Snowdrake, Ice Cap, and the Rabbit kid.
"Yo! Dude, I just realized I never got your name. You can call me Monk... Monster Kid, but with less letters!"
Monk starts gesturing to the other monsters as he speaks, "and this is Drake... and Caprice... and Robert!"
The other monster kids greet Frisk awkwardly muttering various variations of "hey..."
They don't seem to like being put on the spot like that.
Frisk looks to the other monsters and introduces themself. "Hey, I'm Frisk."
Shortly after, Monk speaks again. "Yo! We're gonna go to the field in Snowdin forest to play, c'mon!"
He runs off, and the other monster kids follow, but Frisk waits for a while...
They're happy to be able to play again... Frisk runs to catch up.
"Football" consists of one person kicking a ball around and trying to keep it away from the others, for as long as possible. Every time Monk falls, someone else gets the ball. Then that person has to keep it away from everyone for as long as possible... until Monk inevitably gets it back. During half of the game, Frisk is in possession of the ball more often than not... Frisk decides to tone down their efforts, so everyone has a chance.
Following the game of "Football," Robert suggests playing Hopscotch... Which turned out to be exactly what Frisk thought it was.
Eventually, all the monster children are either tired out from playing various games or are called home.
Frisk goes to Sans and Papyrus' house to see where they're going to be staying, since HOME is empty now, but a series of sticky notes on the door answer their question.
:-:
FRISK, WE ARE NOT HOME. SORRY!
TORIEL IS STAYING IN OUR SHED.
YOU CAN STAY THERE TOO!
-PAPYRUS
it's because she has fur... get it?
SANS THIS IS NOT THE TIME! IF YOU
ARE WORRIED, FRISK, DON'T BE! YOU
WILL FIND THAT IT'S VERY COSY IN
THERE NOW, AND ALSO LARGER.
IN FACT, CALL IT A GUEST ROOM!
we're planning on charging rent. does
1,000,000g/day sound ok?
WE CAN'T CHARGE THE QUEEN ONE
MILLION GOLD A DAY SANS!
oh, that's just frisk's rent. the queen's
is 10,000,000,000g + 1 pie/day.
IGNORE HIM FRISK, YOU ARE BOTH
WELCOME TO STAY IN OUR GUEST
ROOM FOR AS LONG AS YOU NEED.
RENT FREE!
-P.S. WE COULD NOT HOOK UP THE
QUEEN'S FRIDGE, SO YOU'LL HAVE
TO USE OURS... SORRY! ALSO THERE
IS SPAGHETTI IN THE CUPBOARDS.
:-:
Frisk walks over to the shed, they notice the door nob on the outside was changed to be more accommodating, and the shed has been haphazardly increased in size. A "window" was cut out in the wall... but it's actually just a really small door on the side of the wall.
Knocking on the actual door results in the sound of shuffling within the shed.
Toriel can be heard behind the door, "who's there?"
Frisk decides to take the opportunity to make a joke. "Lettuce."
Recognizing the voice and joke, Toriel plays along. "Lettuce who?"
Smiling subtly, Frisk loudly says "Lettuce in, it's cold out here!"
Toriel giggles behind the door, and Frisk hears a click as it's unlocked. "Come in Frisk, I have dinner ready."
Entering the "guest room" reveals... that Papyrus was right, it's cosy. Contrary to how the outside looks, inside the shed is well made and insulated. It's the same size and shape as Papyrus and Sans' living room/kitchen. A large fireplace, with a cauldron hanging in it, was added in the back left of the expanded shed, where the staircase would be, complete with her beloved chair and bookcase. There's no sign of a stove or refrigerator, but a sink was added next to the fire place. In the back right room, where Sans and Papyrus' kitchen would be, is instead a pair of beds; one is smaller than the other, and they're on opposite sides of the room. A single large dresser takes up the middle of the back wall between the two beds.
Throughout the makeshift house are familiar decorations, taken from HOME. A small side table appears to be acting as a dining table.
Dinner is nice, Toriel cooked up some spaghetti over the fireplace... because that's all Papyrus seems to stock in his cupboards.
Frisk tries to spend time with Toriel before bed, but she seems distracted and sad.
The night passes peacefully.
:-:
Four days pass within the barrier. Frisk plays with the monster children frequently during this time, but also spends time practising their magic. They're able to consistently make purple spears now, but still can't get the hang of cyan spears. They also started learning more about fire magic and can reliably make a small fire, to keep themselves warm, but also learned that snow in the Underground is... somehow... very flammable. Frisk thinks Sans might've played a joke on them, but better safe than sorry. After the first three days, Frisk tries to see if they can communicate with Chara; but they can't...
After the fourth day, Alphys sends a group text to Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Asgore, Toriel, and Frisk...
From: ALPHYS
Hey guys, I'm almost done with the
aircraft. I just need to do one more
test. Can you all meet me at the
Waterfall entrance to Hotland? I
need to check how much magic it
takes to carry everyone.
From: funnybones
i'm already there, where are you?
From: CoolSkeleton95
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO BE
THERE ALPHYS!
To: AL, Co, fu, St, AS...:
Sweet, I'm in hte middle of a gam
of Hide-n-seek! Theyll NEVER find
me now! I'll b ther soon.
From: StrongFish91
I'll be there babe, just don't forget
about that special exercise activity
we planned!
From: ALPHYS
OMG STRONGFISH91! THIS IS A
GROUP TEXT! D: FRISK IS IN
THIS CHAT!
From: StrongFish91
Yea I know, I was talking about our
jog... What did you think I was
talking about...?
From: NAPSTABLOOK22
. . . . .oooooh. . . . i was added to
this group chat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . for some reason. . . . . . . . . . .
From: NAPSTABLOOK22
it must have been a mistake. . . . .
From: NAPSTABLOOK22
oooooh. . . . i'm sorry. . . . i . . . . . .
shouldn't have replied. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . i'll just go now. . . .
From: NAPSTABLOOK22
. . . . . bye. . . . . sorry. . . . . . . . . . .
From: NAPSTABLOOK22
ooooooooh. . . . . i'm just making it
worse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From: ALPHYS
OMG I'm so sorry
NAPSTABLOOK22! I must have
added you by mistake! I'll make it
up to you, I promise! :D
:-:
Frisk puts their phone on silent and looks away from it, knowing that the chat probably wont stop any time soon...
They check their pockets and dimensional boxes before they make their escape.
Pockets: SnowPiece, Stained Apron, Frying pan.
Box A: Hot Dog...?
Box B:
Equipped:
Stick
Ribbon
Noting that everything is in order, Frisk carefully sneaks through the town and gets a ride from Riverperson to Waterfall, then walks to where their final unfriendly confrontation with Undyne started.
When Frisk arrives, they see some sort of vehicle on the path. At least... Frisk assumes it's a vehicle.
It's rounded, but also somewhat angular in some places. It looks like a huge plastic car. Instead of wheels, it has what Frisk assumes are thrusters... probably magic based. The outside of it looks clean and solid, but Frisk can tell it was make with scraps.
Alphys gestures for the monsters, and Frisk, to enter the vehicle. Two large doors open up on one side, they're large enough for Asgore to enter but he still has to stoop a bit while inside. A regular-sized door opens up to what Frisk assumes is the pilot's seat. Alphys steps in with the Artifact. Once everyone else is in the vehicle, Frisk gets in too... it's creaking ominously, but Frisk trusts Alphys enough to risk it.
The interior is quite nice, despite only having access to junk parts and scrap metal. It's clean and polished, the chairs look comfortable enough, and none of the bolts in the frame appear to be able to unscrew; It also looks like Alphys was able to add in some windows too.
All in all... still scary.
Asgore is sitting in the back, where the only chair he can sit in is, nearby is Toriel, then Papyrus, Sans, and Undyne...
All the chairs in the back of the aircraft are taken...
Alphys talks over a built in speaker,
"Hey Frisk, you should p-probably sit up here in the cockpit... Also, I would like to advise everyone to put on your seat belts! Safety first!"
Frisk complies. They get out and go to the other side to get into the passenger seat in the front of the vehicle.
They comment, genuinely impressed, "this flying vehicle looks cool!... That's what it is, right?"
Pleased by the compliment, Alphys begins flipping switches and tapping one the gauges while saying, "Y-yea! It's a bit rough around the edges, but it w-works fine... as long as nothing hits us... The archives don't have any aircraft that match your request, so Sans, Undyne and I had to make a custom one. I think we did p-pretty good! It's mostly made of plastic and fabric, but it has a metal frame and uses magic to fly. It's lighter than two refrigerators! Which is really good... but dangerous."
Taking on a more enthusiastic tone, Alphys continues, "I never knew b-blue magic could manipulate so much air! We've been able togeteachthrustertopush200lbsofaireverysecondwhen Papyrus and Sans areworkingtogether... combined, that'sover9000cubicfeetofairpersecond! And with improvedcoolingandheatingelements, wecanrapidlycooltheairtofreezingtemperatureswhile it'smovingthroughthethrusterswhileheatinguptheairaboveandinsidetheaircraftto... make it easier... to take off... uh... v-vertically... ...S-sorry... I got a bit excited."
Not fully understanding what she's talking about... and suddenly somewhat nervous, Frisk asks "is this the first time it's being... uh... flown?"
Alphys simply shakes her head in response, too busy getting everything ready. Frisk takes a moment to look around the cockpit.
There are a lot of instruments and gauges, the most notable one is the large MAGIC FUEL gauge which seems to say that it's about half-full. In the center, between Frisk and Alphys, the Artifact sits in a strange console... thing... Alphys occasionally places her hand on the Artifact, and all the information being displayed seems to update.
Frisk asks about it. "Hey, Alphys, what's up with the Artifact?"
The ship begins humming and vibrating as the thrusters slowly begin preparing for take off. Despite the assumed lack of moving parts, it's louder than Frisk anticipates. Alphys indicates for Frisk to put on a headset that's dangling from a support beam.
She speaks through her own headset. "The Artifact is acting as a c-computer for the ship. It keeps track of everything and displays it! I would have done more, but I don't have access to any f-features that are not for tracking or displaying information. I also have to manually update the i-information."
Frisk asks, "Isn't all this noise going to be worse for everyone in the back?"
To which Alphys shakes her head and says, "No, it's insulated back there to reduce n-noise... I ran out of material before I got to the cockpit."
A few minutes pass as Alphys checks the gauges one more time and flips a few more switches... then she grabs onto what Frisk assumes are the controls, they look like pre-war joysticks for "video games," and the aircraft takes flight. It's a little uneven at first, but she corrects it.
Frisk scrambles to figure out how to put on their seatbelt...
Scared at first, but then filled with awe, Frisk looks out the windows and sees the cavern that makes up a large portion of the Underground.
Alphys comments "B-beautiful, isn't it?!"
Frisk nods... then realizes Alphys can't look away from what she's doing, "yea, it's really pretty!"
Alphys flies to New Home and lands in a plaza, it all goes smoothly and quickly. She begins flipping switches again and the aircraft begins powering down.
She places her hand on the Artifact again and writes down what the gauges say.
Over the speakers, and through the headset, Alphys says "Alright! This test has been c-completed successfully! You may all leave the aircraft."
Frisk gets out and goes around to speak with everyone else.
Their voice still tinged with excitement, Frisk asks "how have preparations been going?"
Toriel answers, "they have been going very well, Frisk. Thank you for asking."
Alphys stumbles out of the cockpit and walks over, checking her notes and saying "a-alright! The aircraft can easily carry us and some luggage. It uses about... 2.8% of it's f-fuel capacity to lift off, then every... uh... let's see... every 'm-mile' uses roughly... 1.25% of the fuel... So... at full c-capacity we can fly for... about 77.76 miles! A-actually that's not counting luggage, it will be l-less than that, but it'll be OK. I'd hook it up to the CORE, but we n-need the power for the town we're going to make on the Surface..."
Frisk feels like they understand what Alphys said, but they're having a hard time grasping it... "How long till we leave the Underground?"
Asgore answers the question before Toriel or Alphys can, "very soon, young one. All we need to do is prepare everyone's belongings."
Worried... Frisk asks "how are you going to build a town? Is there magic for making buildings?"
Alphys shakes her head, still looking at her notes, and replies "no, we'll be taking m-magic shield emitters as temporary housing. It's warm enough on the surface that we won't n-need houses right away, and the forest has all the materials we'll need for a basic town."
While Alphys flips the page on her notepad, Toriel picks up where she left off. "Fire-type monsters will work together in shifts to provide heat to those who need it. Also, as it turns out, the aberrant creatures on the surface are infused with unstable magic. The green magic shields will immediately try to correct the instabilities, causing the creatures to perish on contact. We should all go and prepare now, today is a big day."
Frisk is happy that they seem to have everything worked out.
Asgore leaves to New Home, opting out of flying since he's so close already... and he's worried he'll break the aircraft...
Everyone else, however, gets back on the aircraft and Alphys lands on the roof of the Hotland Lab.
On arrival, Undyne quickly leaves to get a ride from Riverperson. Papyrus tags along, but the queen stays to help prepare.
Frisk decides to look around the Lab to see all the tech Alphys is working on... They're met with the sight of about 30 something monsters running about working on various projects. Some look rugged and are putting things together, some are drawing plans or talking to the rugged ones with plans in hand, others seem to be furiously studying papers that may or may not have been written by Alphys... poor things... and one is messing with a sink.
The monster messing with the sink must be the only plumber... 'Oh hey wait, that one's the Elder Puzzler! I didn't know he was a plumber...'
A buzzing sound behind Frisk grows louder and a monster above them yells "Look out!"
Frisk looks back while ducking and sees Tsunderplane carrying too much, and losing their balance.
Sans walks out from a corner that Frisk doesn't think actually exists and gestures for them to follow him.
:-:
They arrive at Sans' workshop, presumably still behind his house in Snowdin... and Sans pulls out a chair to sit in.
"sup?"
Confused, Frisk asks "what? You brought me here, I though you had something to talk about?"
"heh, you just follow people around when they ask you to...? that's pretty silly."
Frisk puffs up their cheeks and scrunches their nose at Sans in irritation.
He replies with a soft chuckle. "don't worry, i've got a reason... i'm gonna get cu-270/s from the lab. gotta make sure it doesn't kill the lich and set all the souls free. and, i need a favour."
Curious, Frisk nods then tries to imitate one of the older monster children, "what'chu need broski?"
"i need you to gather as much determination as you can, right before the barrier drops."
Frisk nods. "I can do that."
With a tinge of worry, Sans replies.
"great. but i need you to be more determined than you've ever been before. I know it'll draw that thing to us faster, but it's important."
Worried, and more curious Frisk asks "why? You're starting to sound kinda... ominous."
Sans looks away, but Frisk can tell his eyes are dark... "chances are, cu-270 woke up immediately after the reset. hopefully it's disoriented, or we'll have a bigger problem on our hands. you probably don't remember, but you said that it broke out last time..."
Sans takes on a serious voice, his posture tenses up... "You don't know the full nature of how it is being contained... The fact that it broke out on it's own... is absolutely terrifying. If it's is not disoriented, then chances are..."
He sighs before continuing.
"cu-270/s was made to fight in wars, so its first instinct is to kill its enemies... we can't let it do that. I have to disable it..."
Looking back at Frisk with his usual expression, he says,
"ah, but what am i worried about. it'll be fine. i'm probably remembering it all wrong... after all, he didn't kill you. right?"
Sans leaves with a wink, but Frisk remains for a moment... confused and frightened... Then they remember something...
Frisk leaves the workshop and goes to end the game of hide-and-seek they just remembered sneaking out in the middle of...
Monk sees them and yells out in relief, "Yo dude! You're crazy good at hide and seek, where were you?! We almost thought you left, dude!"
Frisk tried their best to suppress a guilty chuckle, they lie. "...I was in San's workshop."
Really surprised, Monk says "YO! Sans let's you go into his workshop?! Aw, dude, that's like... cheating! We can't go in there..."
Sheepishly, Frisk replies "Sorry..."
Easily forgiving Frisk, Monk says "It's cool dude! Hey, lets go play another game!"
Monk starts running off, but waits for Frisk to follow... They do, hoping to calm down in preparation of the big move.
And calm down they do. Frisk teaches them out to play another game, but because Monk already used "football" for his game... Frisk says it's called "soccer." With five participants there are two goalies and two players, with one referee. The kids switch off on who's the ref each goal.
* Playing with their monster friends, while thinking of the future, fills Frisk with Determination.
It's night-time before they realize it, and the kids are all called to New Home. Every monster that can carry something is, and any monster that can't is either helping keep everything organized or staying out of the way. Excitement and hope fills the air as the whole Underground works together on a common goal.
Sans gets Frisk and helps them join up with the main group in New Home, which Frisk chose as the first contact for humans. When there, Frisk sees a large square hole in the ceiling of the cavern, presumably for the Aircraft to leave the Underground through... but there's still rock and dirt in the way on the other side of the barrier.
Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus, Asgore are already in the Aircraft. Sans, however, appears to have left. Frisk determines that he most likely went to the CORE teleporter in anticipation of the barrier dropping... They consider how strange it is that they remember the teleporter, but nothing after it. Toriel stays behind to guide the monsters out of the Underground in an orderly fashion.
Frisk gets in the cockpit and asks,"how are we gonna get the aircraft out of the cavern?"
Busy flipping switches, Alphys doesn't respond immediately. "You see that square hole in the top of the cavern? Some f-flying monsters are going to take explosives and place them in st-strategic locations to weaken the rock and make it collapse... It's mostly going to fall in an empty plaza, b-becasue Asgore asked that we keep damage to a minimum... in case we ever need to come back."
Their curiosity satisfied, Frisk thinks about everything that has happened so far... They consider all the friends they have that depend on them now, the games they have yet to play, the friends they have yet to make... They think about the dangers that lurk outside the barrier... Everything they can think of to boost their determination... They think about their parents, and how worried they probably are...
* The burning desire to make the world a safer place for their friends and family... fills Frisk with DETERMINATION!
* FILE SAVED
* FRISK FEELS REJUVENATED
:-:
For the first time... Frisk manages to SAVE without needing to interact with a SAVE star.
They place their hand on the Artifact and command it to take down the barrier, fear pulling at their heart, but bravery pushing them forward.
When the barrier falls, they feel the hope of monsters rising, they feel Determined! The feel FREE!
No... Not free... They feel something else...
It's like being completely unrestricted... and yet... having no... access...?
They...
Feel...
Disconnected.
Franticly, Frisk looks within themselves... They feel no connection with their SAVE stars... 'It's almost as if... they all went out?'
Suddenly, Tim telepathically speaks to them through the Artifact; confirming their fears.
* CRITICAL WARNING! A SPIKE IN FOREIGN DT HAS BEEN DETECTED!
* SAVES, LOADS, AND RESETS HAVE BEEN SUPPRESSED!
:-:
Frisk's heart is beating quickly and heavily in their chest... They only have one chance to get everything right...
* CRITICAL WARNING! LOCAL DT LEVELS DROPPING DANGEROUSLY LOW!
:-:
They try their best to calm down... 'It'll be fine... If cu-270/s let out the SOULs, then as soon as we trap the horror it'll be fine... right?'
But Frisk's inner turmoil has put a scared expression on their face, and Alphys is worried now... She hesitates to take off...
Doing their best to regain composure, Frisk says,
"...I-I... Uh... Didn't expect to feel the barrier drop, that's all! It was like... an egg... cracking and dripping down over my head..."
Not entirely convinced, but trusting her friend, Alphys continues preparing the aircraft.
Frisk buckles in, and puts the headset on as the magic thrusters roar to life.
Flying monsters race up to the square hole in the cavern's roof, and place explosives. Once they return, an explosion rocks the cavern and sends small bits of rock everywhere... It's a larger explosion than Alphys calculated, and it causes some debris to fall onto a building...
Fortunately that area is empty, thanks to Toriel.
Light shines through the new hole in the cavern... Alphys takes off, and the other monsters slowly begin to walk to the main exit.
Once clear of the gaping hole in the cavern's roof, Alphys flies towards the, now clearly visible, village. For a moment she's in awe of the sight of the Surface mountain range, but she snaps out of it when she realizes that she's starting to go off course.
The aircraft isn't particularly fast, but going in a straight line makes up for that.
As they approach the village, Frisk says "I think we should land outside of the wall, or we might scare them."
Alphys nods, and begins to land... but the aircraft descends a little faster than she wants it to, so the landing ends up being a bit bumpy.
The guards in front of the gate stand at the ready, one of them runs off into the town, presumably to get back up.
Papyrus, Asgore, Undyne, and Alphys get out, but Frisk has trouble with their seatbelt... it seems the rough landing caused it to get stuck.
Frisk can hear yelling from Johnathan, he's demanding that the monsters leave.
They refuse politely, of course, because they are waiting for Frisk...
Papyrus begins speaking, but Frisk can barely hear it over the still roaring thrusters. Seems Alphys couldn't turn them off.
Alphys comes around to help Frisk get out of their seat belt, she looks worried.
The sound of weapons hitting magical shields can be heard through the sound of the thrusters, and Alphys begins to shake. Eventually she opts to cut the seatbelt, hoping that seeing Frisk will calm the humans down.
Frisk hears sees people outside, it looks like backup has arrived... they still can't get the seatbelt undone.
When Alphys hops out from the passenger side, arrows streaks past her; she hides behind the aircraft.
Motes of fire light up around the monster party, and more green shields are formed. Alphys takes cover behind the aircraft, shaking...
Undyne lets out her famous war-cry, hoping to intimidate the humans, but it just agitates them more...
When Frisk finally works up the courage to step out, they hold out their arms and say "Stop fighting my fri-!"
But an arrow pierces their chest. Frisk falls backwards in shock and from the force of the arrow hitting them... The guard's faces go pale as they realize who they shot. The offender drops their bow and falls to their knees, hand over mouth, trying to stop from vomiting.
Frisk can barely see Arthur attempting to rush forward to grab them... but a large wall of fire erupts from the ground.
Asgore lets out his rage, he can easily be heard over the roar of the thrusters; which perfectly compliments the rage in his voice.
"YOU DAMN HUMANS! HOW COULD YOU HARM ONE OF YOUR OWN!?"
The humans stagger backwards slightly in fear, before regaining composure and resuming their assault on Asgore, Undyne, and Papyrus.
Asgore, unable to stop the arrows with his wall of fire, uses his immense form to make sure Frisk doesn't get hit again.
Frisk's vision starts to get blurry, and they choke on the blood accumulating in their pierced lung. Alphys leans over Frisk doing her best to stop the bleeding, but she doesn't know what to do. In her panic, she forgets about the Artifact.
Papyrus pleads with the humans and monsters, to no avail. Both sides are angry and on guard.
The humans are convinced that the monsters attacked first, but the monsters haven't attacked yet.
A large man approaches the chaos, wearing plate-mail and carrying a broadsword.
Frisk tries to sit up, but pain shoots through their chest and forces them back down.
Frisk hears Bernard yell, "don't move Frisk! You'll make it worse! I'm coming for you!"
Then yells at the guards, "stop attacking, dammit!"
The aircraft is finally turned off, and the sound of heavy armour dropping to the ground can be hear through the flames.
Bernard charges forward, through the fire, and makes his way past Asgore... who offers no resistance, since the man dropped his weapons and armour, clearly indicating his true desire.
Undyne, however, thrusts a spear at him. He parries her attack and knocks her down, then hurries over to Frisk. He sees Alphys attempting to do something, it confuses him for a moment... but he continues going. Alphys is taken by surprise and backs away, stumbling over herself in the process. But then she stands up and tries to block his path... The aircraft becomes a little more damaged as she's shoved into it.
Undyne is not happy with that.
The other humans are too scared and shocked to do anything now, so they maintain defensive posture.
Undyne tries to wrestle the human away from Frisk, but Asgore stops her. He maintains the wall of fire, but he recognizes the love and worry the older human has in his eyes... Dropping his weapon and armour helped too.
Bernard yells out again, "Arthur, get the Addamses! Kevin, prepare the medical room!"
Gently, Bernard says, "be strong Frisk... I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt."
He grabs the shaft of the arrow to prevent if from moving around while he lifts their back up slightly, Frisk yelps slightly and begins coughing.
Reaching around to Frisk's back, Bernard feels blood and a prick; indicating that the arrowhead has completely pierced through Frisk's chest.
Bernard beacons for Alphys to come closer and hold Frisk in position, now understanding what she was trying to do before he arrived.
It doesn't matter to him that she's a monster despite the fighting, because she was trying to keep Frisk alive... and that's all that matters now.
After she slowly approaches and carefully holds Frisk, he rips off part of his shirt and wraps it tightly around the shaft of the arrow, then he tears another piece and wraps it around the shaft and then around to the back and ties it. After using the rest of his shirt as makeshift bandages, Papyrus offers his small cape, and Bernard takes it to help stop the bleeding; it's turned into two small scarves in the process.
Alphys can't help but stare at this old but well built human... she thinks about all the anime she's watched, and realises...
'Real life is based on Anime! OMG THIS IS SO... TERRIFYING!'
Asgore looks back to Frisk every time they yelp in pain, to make sure they're OK.
He's tempted to drop his guard and help as best as he can... but he can't risk it.
Bernard slowly begins to pick Frisk up, shushing them all the while. Frisk can't help but make small sounds of agony, despite their attempts.
A scream is heard from the gate, Frisk can make out a black silhouette passing through the flames that drop as she approaches.
'Oh no... Mom... she can't... see me like this...'
Horrified by what she sees, Marceline cries out "No... No! My sweet little angel! Please..."
Her voice begins to waver as she continues speaking in her native French, "Ne meurs pas, pitié!"
Bernard begins to move, carefully but slowly picking up speed.
Frisk assumes he's taking them to get treatment for their wound, he looks down at Frisk and says "Stay awake, don't fall asleep!"
Still panicked, Marceline begins crying as she does her best to hold on to Frisk's hand. "Je ne peux pas perdre un autre enfant!"
Conrad is off at the side of the gate, staring down disappointedly at the guard that shot the arrow.
Frisk thinks he's talking, but can't tell anymore. All the sounds are beginning to blur together.
Asgore, ignoring the protests of the humans, forces them to clear out from the path. Undyne catches on and assists.
Eventually, Marceline begins to guide the monsters in the direction they're headed, and where they need to prevent people from blocking.
In this emergency, Bernard is happy to have someone who can move small crowds with only their arms; monster or not.
Alphys is too scared to follow and opts to stay in the aircraft.
Papyrus yells out words Frisk is not able to understand, but probably have something to do with staying with Alphys.
They feel... so... tired...
:-:
Something shakes them and they wake up. They're in a room they've never seen before. Their breath is rapid and painful, causing them to cough, which causes them to cough more. Pain is shooting through their chest... They don't understand why at first, but then remember what had happened. A blurry figure is standing over them, stabbing them with something... Saying something...
Frisk can't understand, but tries to stop themselves from coughing and slow their breathing down; it feels like something is stabbing them every time they cough or breathe.
The pain slowly fades away... Frisk begins to feel sleepy again, but someone yells something they can't understand... It keeps them awake.
'Where... where is that voice? Where's the voice that... always helped me...? Why... am I alone?'
Right before hope was lost, Frisk hears Asgore saying an all too familiar phrase... "Frisk, Stay determined!"
Something is different about it though... it's directed at them this time... 'I... I can't die...!'
Slowly regaining their mental faculties, Frisk wipes their eyes so they can see clearly and sees their father standing over them. To their right is a small table with an arrow head, and the shaft it belongs to, laying on a cloth.
Frisk feels very thirsty...
Conrad is cleaning the wound, the supplies he's using... they're rare... Frisk contemplates that to distract them from what is going on.
A large fluffy boss monster steps over after Conrad waves. Green light encompasses Frisk, and fills their vision.
It feels so warm... So nice... Slowly, it gets easier for Frisk to breathe. They begin coughing, and Conrad brings a piece of fabric for them to cough into. When he takes it away, Frisk can see blood on it from inside their lungs.
Frisk still feels sleepy though... A large white paw reaches over and caresses their forehead and cheek, lulling them to sleep.
:-:
Sans arrives at the Secret lab, ready for a confrontation... The spike in DT wasn't Frisk's, which can only mean one thing.
CU-270/S is awake, and angry...
As expected, the lab is running on backup power. Sans sits the egg-shaped Relative Space-Time Tracking device down in the room, opting out of taking such a valuable asset where there could be fighting.
The lights in the halls begin flickering, distant sounds of magic going off can be heard.
Sans hurries through the facility.
When he turns the corner, he's momentarily taken by surprise when he sees desiccated human corpses scattered across the floor and smeared along the walls. Dried pools of blood stain the otherwise dull floor... Sans steps past it all... then a strange idea enters his thoughts.
Sans decides to enter the old chemistry room and picks up the mostly burnt clipboard, it feels more familiar than it should... he isn't sure why.
The sounds of fighting cease, but loud metal footsteps begin echoing through the facility... 'seems like cu-270 found his armor...'
Sans leaves the chemistry lab, odd side task accomplished, and then continues looking for CU-270... Though partially not really wanting to.
The first part of the facility is void of both the living and undead, he eventually arrives at the cafeteria on the monster's side of the facility.
It looks like it was recently torn to pieces. Tables are flipped and broken in half, the ceiling looks like it's about to collapse, and the floor is riddled with holes...
Sans sees a magic bone slowly turning to dust. It looks like it was part of an attack... but it... shouldn't be solid...
Realization sets in. 'oh god... he's reaching the true-con threshold... i... i shouldn't have come alone... shi-'
A face suddenly appearing in front of, and uncomfortably close to, his interrupts his thoughts.
Like a deer in headlights, Sans freezes solid as a pair of red eyes stare unwavering into his own darkened sockets for two terrifying seconds...
Then vanish?
Relieved, and still a bit shaken, Sans contemplates what just happened... He decides to check the restricted historical records on the human's side of the facility... he's been there once before, so he just needs to take a shortcut.
He isn't worried about CU-270 finding the Phylactery, because the containment unit prevents it from remembering things from before a RESET.
One wrong turn later, and Sans finds himself in the archives. Bodies are laying around, most are crouched behind desks... There's a significant lack of dried blood, which makes sense seeing as these people probably died of starvation or suffocation.
The archives are completely sealed to prevent paper records from decaying as quickly.
Sans doesn't have that issue, not anymore.
He hasn't been human for well over two and a half thousand years now... and there's no going back.
Returning his thoughts to the present, Sans searches through the archives to try finding something he can use to subdue CU-270.
What he finds instead are reports that completely contradict what his team was given on CU-270...
Sans finds a recording and plays it, placing the speaker directly against his head so it can pick up the vibrations in place of an atmosphere.
It isn't easy to hear the recording, but the vibrations tickle the right bones and let him listen.
:-:
RECORDING START:
SUBJECT CU-270/S
SOUL Red
LOG# 2417
Subject continues to show an unfavourable attitude towards violence, preferring instead to avoid the situation.
The little shit doesn't understand that it doesn't have a choice. I'm ordering to have its punishment increased daily until it completes the task.
Next week it'll be viable for duplication, so we need to find a subject that has entirely recessive traits so we can create a second red SOUL.
Maybe that one will be willing to fight and we can toss the faulty one.
This is David Holmes, signing off.
RECORDING END.
:-:
David's voice sounds much younger than it is now... Sans feels like most of the recordings will follow the same trend, but he plays another one.
This one is marked as important.
:-:
RECORDING START:
SUBJECT CU-270/S
SOUL Red
LOG# 2428
Oh thank GOD! The subject attacked me today!
I was beginning to think we would have to scrap the whole 270 line...
A quick punishment from yours truly set it straight. I don't think it'll ever attack me again after this, but now I know its limit.
Tomorrow we begin the process to convert some of the Science team into liches, now that the kinks have been worked out.
I've requested to be the first, since it was my research that got it to work in the first place.
I'm planning on having the subject be a part of the ritual.
I want some of its power, since it isn't likely to use it any time soon.
...
This is David Holmes, signing off.
RECORDING END.
:-:
... Sans is not happy with what's going on in these recordings... But there's one last recording marked as important...
He prepares himself...
:-:
RECORDING START:
SUBJECT CU-270/S
SOUL Red
LOG# 2511
Today confirms my hypothesis. The subject has completely relapsed and is refusing to fight. At best, it glares at me angrily with red eyes.
It spends most of its time huddled in a corner... it's a god damn waste of space now!
... Such a pathetic creature.
...
Sanchez sabotaged some of our equipment before disappearing, the bastard. He even got out with my stash of alcohol!
I told them that crazy ass "scientist" was going to cause trouble, but they were so impressed with his hand-held portal device that they wouldn't listen... He probably stole it from someone.
Fortunately, though, that incident lets me pawn this failed subject off to the monster side since ours is "compromised" temporarily.
I'm going to fudge the records to keep the monsters from getting too worked up over our... generous use of various creative punishments, they'll be disguised as "vital research operations."
It's lucky its SOUL is more valuable than everything in the facility combined... or we'd just scatter it through time and space.
We also can't extract the SOUL, since there's a risk it'll escape during the procedure...
... *Sigh* ...
Oh yea, mandatory reporting for new distortions in the space-time continuum start as of today. We just had an incident where someone accidentally walked into an unmarked tear and disappeared for a few weeks.
That guy was lucky, he could've been reverted into a child, or ended up as vapour.
David Holmes, signing off.
RECORDING END.
:-:
'cu-270 was rejected... for refusing to fight? ...all that time, all those things we were told to do... was because...'
Disgusted with himself for being so blind... but more disgusted by David... Sans begins contemplating killing David, repeatedly.
Sans suddenly becomes very aware of the SOUL container in his rib cage... 'I should probably transfer them over to a better container...'
Despite the horrible information, Sans feels better about the situation... His desire to murder David, unceasingly, subsides.
'if cu-270 only wants to kill david, chances are it... no... he... chances are he can be rehabilitated. i've gotta get to him before he kills david...'
Sans tosses the recordings off to the side, since they're no longer worth anything to anyone.
He feels a tinge of regret for not rebelling sooner, but there's nothing he can do about it now. He steps around a corner to arrive in his office...
Once there, he grabs a clipboard that's more familiar than it should be... it was probably important before the RESET.
After grabbing the clipboard, he moves over to his old workbench and begins putting something together... He hopes it'll prevent David from having access to his Phylactery, without having to break it, so he can kill him.
Four minutes pass, and the rest of the facility is still quiet...
'it's obvious cu-270 wasn't trained to search for things... but that won't stop him. he's a red like frisk... too determined.'
After a couple more minutes, Sans inspects his handheld Anti-Magic field projector.
Having seen some Phylacteries before, he knows what patterns he needs to look for. This device, should it work properly, will use the imbued magic to search for the right pattern and nullify it... without nullifying the patterns that are holding the other SOULs.
'it won't be very big, or last very long, but this should be enough... for now.'
'now... how did cu-270 find david's phylactery before?'
Sans decides to roam around the facility... but the darkness is making it more troublesome to search than he is willing to let it be. He can't keep using magic to look around, or he'll run out.
He goes to the generator room... and sees the problem pretty quickly. He begins making pseudo parts with magic... the action feels familiar...
Looking over his shoulder, expecting to see someone there, results in nothing... He tries to place the parts, but they're destroyed on contact.
'humans... using magic to prevent the generator from being destroyed by magic... which also prevents it from being fixed by magic...'
Sans sighs... 'i'll have to...'
Another hit of deja vu.
'well... i hope the backup generator is more agreeable...'
When he arrives at the backup generator, it is indeed more agreeable... He decides to route power to the SOUL extraction room first, to get Chara into a different container. In order to get enough power, however, he has to shut everything else off except the teleporter room... Which actually makes the visibility problem worse, but Chara's situation is a bit more important than revenge. Maybe CU-270 will show up and they can leave...
All the shortcuts are starting to tire Sans out... so he walks to the extraction room instead.
The procedure is fast, since there's no body interfering.
In the side of his vision, Sans sees two pin pricks of orange light watching him from the shadows...
Paired with them, Sans sees a strange silhouette...
It's David.
Sans hurriedly puts the new SOUL container into his rib cage... its isn't particularly comfortable, but the shape keeps it off his pelvis at least.
The silhouette is gone when he looks back up... but an old, yet familiar, voice echoes through his head...
'Long time no see, Sans.'
Not happy to hear him, but trying to keep his emotions in check, Sans replies, "david. you're luckier than you know. i'm not here to kill you."
In a falsely hurt voice, David replies,
'Oh my... is that how you treat an old friend Sans? With empty threats? Here I am just saying hello... You always were rude, weren't you?'
Not having any of his nonsense, Sans retorts, "just stay out of my way."
Sans leaves the extraction room, keeping his guard up. He continues searching for David's Phylactery...
But he can't get close to it while David is following him with divination magic... So, once again, Sans is required to acknowledge the human part of his heritage and use magic normal monster's can't wield...
Sans casts a Detect Magic spell.
Feigning interest, the voice says, 'Ohh, looking for something, are we? ...Mind if I hazard a guess?'
In his usual tone, Sans says. "knock yourself out. literally, please."
In an arrogant and belittling tone, David says,
'You're looking for the Necronomicon, aren't you? You want to find some way to reverse your... condition, correct?'
Sans replies flatly, "nope."
False intruige fills David's voice, followed by a mocking tone.
'Well, if you're not here to kill me, or find the Necronomicon, then there isn't anything else you could be looking for... unless... Ha! Nevermind...'
"shouldn't you be worrying about cu-270 finding your precious phylactery?"
Amused by the statement, David replies, 'That runt is no where near it. I could probably tell it where my phylactery is and it wouldn't find it!'
Sans quietly makes a note of that.
The only place CU-270 hasn't been... is the generator room. There is a lot of magic in there, so it's most likely being used as a cover.
Strategically finding his way near the generator room, without appearing like he is, Sans catches a glimpse of something in a hidden sub-level that he didn't expect to see. 'oh, that must be the necronomicon... huh. well, he doesn't need it... and it's way too dangerous to leave here...'
In an arrogant tone, David says, 'You're right Sans... I don't need it any longer. My days of petty ritual sacrifice are over. I have all the SOULs I need... I just need... well, you'll find out soon enough. I'd offer to let you take the book, but, well, I hate you.'
"fair enough, i hate you too. welcome to the club."
Sans sneaks a peek toward the generator room... just as he expected, it's protected from divination magic...
Looking back to the Necronomicon, Sans comments, "you're way too obvious. you want the hollow soul, don't cha?"
Very amused, David retorts,
'Hah! As always, Sans, you fail to see the whole picture. That thing is worth less to me than you are. I don't understand why you're carrying it.'
"maybe it's to confuse you?"
David replies, in an guinuently curious tone, 'Wait... Don't tell me... Sans, you're really going to try bringing that pathetic creature back to life? You know that a HOLLOW SOUL will never be whole again. You're wasting your time... And you know more than anyone that I HATE wasted time... well, maybe you don't know that as much as the runt does.'
Using the opportunity to hide his true intentions, Sans replies,
"welp, you got me. that's exactly what i'm here for. why don't you just run off and pretend like i'm not here?"
In an amused and crazed voice, David responds, 'You know what Sans... I think you're even crazier than I AM! Hahahaha! I'll let you take the Necronomicon, so I can watch you fail! Oh, I can't wait to see all the MAYHEM you unleash on this world... It will be so... beautiful.'
Sans replies flatly, "i don't need your permission... but thanks."
In a tone that sounds sincere at first, David says,
'Oh, Sans... I may be evil, but... I should warn you... Ah, what the hell am I saying?! I'll let you find out for yourself! AHAHAHAHAH!'
The voice fades from his mind, laughing in a crazed frenzy.
Sans can't risk David catching on to his real plan... So he does his best to find a safe place to shortcut to in the sub-level.
'...filled with magic traps... probably also physical ones. welp, here goes nothing.'
When Sans lands, something thrusts forward and pierces between his second and third rib... Thankfully, it missed Chara's container.
The Necronomicon is sitting... ominously... on a large obsidian altar.
It looks like it has seen better days.
The room is small, and nondescript, but the altar... Large asymmetric marble spikes, capped with gold, rise up on both sides of the altar, their white surfaces have splotches of dried blood and bits of sinew on them. The surface of the Altar is no better off, a rotting corpse and various bones from other victims still lay on it. The altar has a backing with a bust of some unspeakable horror on it... looking at it makes Sans feel his very being squirm in an unnatural manner... A fancy sacrificial knife rests on the altar next to the Necronomicon... Sans is tempted to pick it up.
Sans begins stepping forward, but his vision is pulled downwards...
On the front of the altar, engraved with gold, but tinged dark red from dried blood, it reads:
"Phn'glui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wagh'nagl fhtagn"
The phrase sends shivers down his spine as he reads it... He hurries and grabs the Necronomicon without thinking, then prepares his handheld anti-magic device...
Quickly, sans shortcuts to the generator room, breaks open the rest of the generator with some of the debris, and grabs the Phylactery that's being used as a part in the generator.
Sans expected David to act... but he hasn't.
He decides not to waste time, he has David hostage now... So, all he needs to do is find CU-270... and somehow convince him to follow...
Sans decides against trying to kill daivd, he'll probably die on his own now anyway.
After sighing and shaking off those strange feelings, Sans begins his search.
He'd use 'Locate Creature,' but he needs to save the rest of his magic... Just in case...
:-:
A sharp pain in their chest wakes Frisk up.
They hear the sounds of wagons and horses... 'They must be taking me to the Sanctum... But why?'
When Frisk opens their eyes, they see that their wrists are... bound?
Frisk looks around frantically and sees that the trees are all covered in snow, and a few other men are around them; they're all bound as well.
The man across from Frisk looks to them and speaks up, "Hey, you, finally awake..."
Frisk wakes up with a slight jump... 'Thank goodness it was just a nightmare.'
Frisk sees their mother sitting in a chair with her head laying on the bed, holding their hand. She adjusts herself. 'Must be sleeping...'
Squeezing her hand gently, just to make sure it isn't a dream, Frisk says "Hey..." as well as they can. It still hurts a bit to talk.
Marceline stirs... Looking up with tears in her eyes, Marceline quietly exclaims
"Mon ange! I'm so glad you're finally awake! I thought we were going to lose you!"
She moves up the side of the bed and wraps an arm around Frisk's head, pulling it close to her into a hug. She begins gently running her fingers through Frisk's hair with her other hand. Frisk can tell she's still crying. Frisk embraces her as best as they can from their position.
Conrad enters the room and sees that Frisk is awake. "Young lady, you are in serious trouble... but we'll get to that later. You need rest."
Frisk opts out of saying anything, instead they nod slowly. They still feel drowsy.
Toriel enters the room with a cup of water, and places it on the nightstand.
Marceline responds to the gesture, "Thank you, Queen Toriel, you have been most helpful."
The queen curtsies and leaves, giving the family time to be alone together.
Conrad moves over to the bed and kneels down, Marceline moves over to let him look at Frisk.
While checking to make sure their wounds healed properly, Conrad makes a remark. "Your... new friends are quite something... It's a shame that Johnathan attacked them unprovoked... He always did have an unfavourable view of monsters... quite a shame."
Finished with the examination, Conrad gets up and says, "alright my little star, it looks like you're all healed up, but stay in bed until dinner."
Frisk nods again and Conrad leaves.
Marceline caresses Frisk's forehead before leaving as well, saying, "rest well."
Frisk drifts peacefully back to sleep... A strange feeling pervades through the void...
:-:
Dinner time rolls around, and Toriel comes to check on Frisk.
She places her hand on Frisk's forehead, checking for a fever. "Wake up, young one... Dinner is ready."
Frisk stirs... When they open their eyes, they can only see white fur... It's Toriel's hand. "I'll be there in a bit..."
Gently, she says "Of course, you need to change clothes first and wash up. Give me a call if you need anything."
Frisk nods Sleepily, and Toriel leaves the room.
Looking down to where the arrow pierced, Frisk notices that there's no scar... 'Darn it, I was hoping I'd have proof! How am I gonna show off?'
They get up slowly, expecting pain... but there is none. Frisk gets one of their other shirts and a new pair of pants and puts them on... Then realizes that their shirt has perfect evidence of their close call. They're not sure why they are happy about it... but they are.
'At least I didn't get hit in the knee, I heard that really sucks...'
They contemplate the grim facts of arrow-to-knee injuries, then leave their room and go down the hall way.
From the corner of their view, however, two pin pricks of light in a dark room draw their attention... Frisk back pedals and looks into the darkness... They can't tell who it is, but they assume it's Sans... but it's a bit tall to be Sans, and too short to be Papyrus.
Quietly Frisk asks, "Sans?"
The pin pricks of light vanish.
Frisk is confused, but continues to the dining room.
Dinner is delicious, but the table is tense... Frisk's monster friends were invited, but they are kept at a... respectable distance.
It makes Frisk sad.
No one talks during or after the meal... but as Frisk is heading back to their room, Sans pulls them aside.
"hey, frisk, glad you're ok... i have news."
Frisk stops and looks at Sans.
"i got cu-270. i cant control where he goes, but he's anti-social and seems to prefer staying near me and papyrus... not sure why. anyway, if you see someone in a dark room... that isn't me. don't approach him, ok? he scares easily."
Frisk nods.
"alright, good... i told everyone else too. he should keep to himself for the most part... oh, yea... i got this."
Sans holds out a small strangely shaped box covered in even stranger runes and patterns... being held by some weird makeshift device.
Frisk looks at Sans questioningly.
"it's the lich's phylactery, in a special anti-magic field device..."
Quietly and carefully, afraid they'll hurt themselves, Frisk asks, "will the SOULs be able to escape?"
Sans shakes his head. "the amf is only big enough to stop the lich's soul from using the phylactery, they can't escape unless it breaks. anyhow, you should go get sleep. see ya tomorrow, kiddo."
After ruffing up their hair, Sans leaves to his bedroom... 'he chose the same one as before... neat.'
Frisk makes their way to their bedroom as well, they notice Chara's SOUL under their bed... They take the container and put it on the dresser.
Once changed into their pajamas, Frisk lays down. It takes a while for them to fall back to sleep...
:-:
* Frisk can feel the Gibbering Horror getting closer...