Chapter 24: Why Won't You Die!?
"Quick! Get a stick, she locked her jaw!"
"Kai, its loosing its color fast!"
"Ack! Watch your fingers!"
CRACK!
K.I.A. shrieked in pain.
Silver fangs askew around the rock they lodged in her mouth replaced Papyrus' armor. Kai panted as his control over his ribbons shook at her struggling.
"I can't let up on her. You need to transfer energy into the Monster for him to live through this."
"How do we do that?!"
K.I.A. fell still.
Kai tensed. Colors clustered around the immobile and graying Skeleton Monster now that their hostile host has calmed. Indigo hands lightly touched the gloves. I1 looked up pleadingly. Tense, other colors were placed on various parts of the Skeleton Monster.
Kai stood vigil over his wife. He glanced at the silent group.
"Remember, no DETERMINATION of any color, just raw magic."
The group started to glow. Clear vapors rose, joined, and dived into the Monster. Papyrus regain his color and glowed.
Kai's knees weakened. His vision swam. He turned his head to see his reflection on silver teeth pulled up in a triangular grin. His ribbons gray and decaying. Void filled eye sockets watched him. Ebony claws clenched around his throat. K.I.A. hunched over him with taller height. Garnet curling bush of thick hair curled over her frame hiding the rest of her darkened skeletal figure and loose bright white hospital gown.
Kai's color drained to a faint glow before K.I.A. unclasped her talons. Pale green, her husband landed with a light thud. He reached for her weakly only to faint. She turned to the focus group reviving Papyrus.
Without sound, she stalked up to the nearest person. Her claws slid smoothly into the back of a focused member. The SOUL person reacted with a choked cry. She grasped the bright star at their center and devoured it. The SOUL Color shattered before her leaving behind their sparklers of color. The rest of the group froze in horror.
They abandoned Papyrus to flee. K.I.A. raised her hands. Erupting from the ground, similar skeletal hands clawed up out of the stone floor to capture the fleeing SOUL Colors. Coal skulls followed their hands and arms to stand up fully. A squad of Coal Colored Skeletons caged the Colored SOULs. The few Color Souls that thought to fly away were brought down by the miasma emanating from the undead. The Colored SOULs huddled together around Kai. What magic they could produce were leeched away, leaving them weak and waiting.
K.I.A. reached for Papyrus.
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Dr. Alphys was able to piece together the Human's SOUL and had it placed carefully in a container. Undyne has the Human Child wrapped in a off white sheet. The corpse was slung over her shoulder. The SOUL was in the careful stubby claws of Dr. Alphys.
Undyne and Alphys shuffled awkwardly in the elevator. This was second to last elevator trip to the castle just outside the MTT Resort. The atmosphere wasn't the greatest since their small talk lead to nervous silence.
Undyne clenched her fist and gritted her fangs. She will deny that her one eye had gotten moist, but damn it, she did it! She got the last SOUL for their freedom, and she couldn't even muster up the courage to talk to her nerd crush! She swallowed and tried to smile to Alphys.
"Uh, hey Alphys?"
Alphys jumped in surprise and fumbled with the container. The lid loosened to a lopsided angle. The sent of Pure and Natural DETERMINATION filled the small space. Undyne lent an arm to steady the frantic scientist.
"ohmygoshI'msosorry! Ididn'tme-mean to do that! Uh-uh-uh yyes Captain U-Undyne?"
"Well, as long as the Soul is fine, but what I want to say is that, um.."
Undyne twitched her ear fins nervously before her instincts sharpened.
"GET DOWN!"
An explosion shook the elevator. Emergency lights flickered. The elevator tube let out a loud and echoing groan as the explosion disconnected and toppled over to the rocky outcrops of Hotland.
From the noise and destruction, a blur of blue and yellow leaped out of the wreckage, landing safely on an isolated platform. A shriek escaped from the yellow blur. Alphys panted, clutching the jarred SOUL tightly to her body. Her body trembled in fear.
Undyne stood quickly from curling around the Royal Scientist. The lava's heat was already unbearable. If she doesn't end this soon, she'll be fish fry.
"I expected no less from the Captain of the Royal Guard! Alphys, Darling, you did a wonderful job protecting the Human SOUL. Now I hope you understand what happens next ladies?"
The roar of rocket flame rumbled through the air as Mettaton flew through the dust cloud to reveal themselves. Alphys stared in shock. Her claws shook, clinking against the glass of the container holding the very valuable Human SOUL.
Undyne glared furiously. Her spear materialized in her hand. It was already uncomfortably hot in her armor.
"You would dare to threaten us?!"
Mettaton slid his arms out to pose dramatically.
"My goodness Undyne, I haven't gotten to threatening yet! So impatient. All I'm asking, is a favor. I need something you have to achieve my Hopes and Dreams. So would you be willing to hand over the Human SOUL to help a Monster out?"
"NEVER TRAITOR!"
Undyne pulled Mettaton into an Encounter. Undyne had stopped sweating. In an Encounter, the court was fair. No interferences from the surroundings and what happens in the court stays in the court … usually.
Beside Undyne, Alphys squeaked in distress. She didn't know what was happening anymore. Undyne wouldn't be able to defeat Mettaton in his current form. She didn't know what to do.
"Well, that won't do. You see if I were to let you two amble on towards the King unhindered; he and the Monster army will attack the Surface Humans. My chance at fame with the Humans will be destroyed, and I can't have that. I can't make my debut during War. It will ruin my image!"
The container slipped through Alphys's claws.
"War?"
The container landed on its side, spiderweb cracks creeped over the glass and a shard popped out leaving a hole. The lid fallen off. The Human's Red SOUL flouted up unhindered. Alphys watched a bright red light upon the back of Undyne's armor. Shadows danced to the heartbeat. They play upon the metal surface giving Undyne the look of a scary warrior she doesn't usually show in front of Alphys.
"U-Undyne, th-that can't be true, right?"
Undyne stayed silent.
"What is this? You haven't been told the plan Alphys. Tsk, tsk were has your head been dear?"
Alphys collapses.
"Alphys!"
Alphys jolted at the sharp tone Undyne used.
"You know coexistence between Monsters and Humans could never happen."
A presence filled the air space behind Alphys. Deep and chilling, it creeped into the court like a rolling fog. Air seemed to seep away. The three monsters shivered to the best of their abilities as they felt the many stares pierce through them..
Thin red outline of a skeletal hand reached out and cupped Frisk's airborne SOUL. The figure emerged from the darkness, muted and outlined only, of the Encounter's barrier.
K.I.A. LV 45 HP 396
Undyne flinched.
"That doesn't belong to you," huffed Mettaton on the other side of the court.
K.I.A. stayed silent. Undyne turned her head to see who it was. Her single pupil dilated. Her scales stood on end in terror.
"No, I crushed your SOUL. How are you alive?!"
K.I.A. looked up slowly and stared at Undyne. K.I.A.'s eye sockets pulsed. Void like darkness slithered with small tendrils. They creeped out of her skull. Four nubs lumped and developed on her forehead the longer K.I.A. stared at Undyne. Curling and burning, her mane of fiery magic torched wildly.
The encounter dissolved. The heat of Hotland returned, baking Undyne in her armor. Kia's looming presence magnified as her color returned. Frisk's SOUL was cradled close to K.I.A.'s ribcage. Her phalanges caging the delicate piece of being.
Alphys's stuttering terror alerted Undyne to take glance at the surroundings. They were surrounded. A bridge created from coal colored skeletons connected the nearest land mass to their outcropping.
"It is very rude to steal my spotlight Darling."
Mettaton's arms extended to snatch away Frisk's SOUL. K.I.A. merely turned away. Skeletons swarmed, blocking any attempts to come closer to their Master. They reached out to claw at armor and clothing. They wanted to hurt them. They wanted to terrorize them. They wanted them to give up Hope for living.
K.I.A. disappeared among her minions. A few frustrating minutes of delaying distractions, Mettaton rocketed off after their fleeing prize, leaving Undyne and Alphys at the mercy of the Horde.
Undyne panted and swiped at another skeleton. They dusted after one hit, but there was so many. Undyne's scales had already seeped into the range of a pink hue. Her vision was blurring, but she was Determined to keep Alphys safe.
"UNDYNE!"
Yellow static raced past Undyne as the fish warrior fell to the heat. Arks of energy spazzed skeletons in an area of effect attack. A barrier held up against the dwindling squad of skeletons. Every touch from the enemy saps Alphys' energy, but it was one less from the last
"N-no, no,no,no,n-no,no Undyne s-stay with me. Your g-going to make it! L-like you a-always do! J-just give me a minute, I-I think I have some w-water."
Alphys reached out to Undyne to have the warrior rest on her lap. Alphys reached for her phone. Her palms were too sweaty and shaky to get a good grip on the electronic device. It slipped from her claws and bounced towards the crackling barrier.
"NO!"
The phone screamed and fell to the stone floor in death.
Alphys hyperventilated and screamed herself. Tears gushing unrestrained down her snout. Her mind a toxic mixture of self loathing, sorrow, guilt, and RAGE.
Arks of energy danced with renewed vigor. Any remaining skeletons were dusted.
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The lighting was dim with the glow of an echo flower. Water dripped and rushed in the background. Sans collected the bits and bobs he kept stored in his Waterfall sentry station. Papyrus announced he was going to start preparing for the surface and headed to Gerson's Shop before the News spread enough to clear out all the food in the market.
With Frisk dead, and staying dead, Sans felt something akin to motivation for once. He was going to collect his stuff from his posts and side jobs, pack up the house, and prepare for life on the surface.
He already had a house in mind for himself and his brother.
Sans backed out his old station slowly, arms laden with condiments. He turned towards the corner to shortcut home without anyone seeing.
From what he could remember of the surface home life in the pacifist runs, there was a house Frisk had recommended to them to live. It was small, well cared in appearance in a small and wary, but friendly town. The stuff he had found in it, it was apparent that it was Frisk's house.
Sans' arm brushed against the echo flower. A choked female voice echoed into the air, heavily cracking with emotion and familiar.
'Knock Knock?'
Silence
Sans dropped his stuff.
Where had Kia been when they exited the mountain? She had been so DETERMINED to find Frisk in the Underground, but where was she Aboveground all those timelines? Sans was filled with too many questions and the people who could have answered are gone.
-deep breath-
'Orange'
A glow flickered to life behind Sans. He had only noticed since he could suddenly see his shadow quiet starkly on the rough stone wall. He turned slowly to squint at the new source of light.
There, hovering where a save point used to be, was a growing orange flame. It flickered red, but various colors streaked through its lively dance.
'Orange you glad to see me,' Kia chokes to ask.
A humanoid body shaped flame about a foot tall came into being. Eyelashes sputter and flickered before revealing star yellow eyes and hauntingly familar crimson eye lights.
Sans blanked before the dramatic appearance of another surprise of Kia's making. Fire Sprite Kia smirked and crossed her arms and legs to lounge in the air with a confidence and ease he had never seen come from her before. He gathered his stuff and just noped his way back home. Fuck his questions, his curiosity, and just fuck everything confusing and world bending nonsensical logic that belonged to ambience of Kia and her kid. He was not getting roped into this.
Why can't these particular humans stay dead!?