Chapter 6: A Prince's Ambition
Asriel sometimes wondered how much attention he had drawn since his escape. He wouldn't have ever guessed that his father had interrogated his mother about Asriel's whereabouts. After the "meeting" with Sergio, he assumed that his identity was known throughout the whole underground. He figured it was only a matter of time before Asgore sent out an APB for his son.
Because of this, Asriel needed to find Tobias fast. The prince had covered a lot of ground since seeing Sergio on the surface, yet his anonymity was jeopardized every second he spent up here. The vastness of the terrain and his unfamiliarity with the land caused him to go in circles countless times. He grew more frustrated as he saw the same alleys and landmarks over and over again.
The nights were awful to get through. Asriel had to sleep on the cold, hard cement ground, only using his robe to warm himself. He would wake up only a few hours later, shivering from the cold New York air. He shuddered to think how it would have been if it were winter here.
He encountered an awful smell that seemed to follow him wherever he went. Further investigation confirmed that he was smelling himself. Logical, since he hadn't bathed in days...well, technically speaking, years, but still. He didn't do his body odor any favors when he came across a dumpster just outside of a local restaurant one evening.
Desperate, Asriel ransacked the site for any semi-edible foodstuffs. He found a half-eaten burger and a small amount of fries, devouring then ravenously. Luckily, they were freshly thrown away, and the prince didn't have to dust off any dirt from the food.
The noise he made attracted the attention of a human who worked there. Bewildered, the human questioned what the cloaked being was doing there. In accordance to his usual anonymous fare, Asriel ran away before too many questions were asked.
The next few days weren't as successful. Most days, he struggled to even find food, but the few times he did, he had rejected it. It had gotten to the point where he had to eat anything he saw. He ignored the flies hovering near another dumpster and ate the most edible-looking material he found. He hated himself one day when he puked in an alleyway an hour later.
The worst thing about this was that there was still no sign of Tobias anywhere. No strange news reports, no visions, and it wasn't as though the prince could ask the humans around him if they saw someone who looked like Sergio.
It was six days - six days - into his search, but it bore no favorable results. If he continued searching for someone whose existence even he started to doubt, it would have led to an early grave.
It was raining during the sixth night, which was salt in the wound. The soggy cloak he wore stuck to his fur, cold against his skin. Tired, weakened, and dejected, the prince slowly hobbled toward where he thought the underground was. He steeled his nerves. It was at the point where his goal was vastly more important than his anonymity. Nevertheless, humble pie was never that palatable.
Different scenarios played in his head. How would the monsters react to seeing the "fallen prince" alive and well? No doubt there would be many who reveled in the prince's return. Some would question where he had been all this time. Sergio...well, if Asriel coming to the underground wasn't enough of a white flag, there would be nothing to satisfy him.
As the rain poured, the prince lost track of time and location. All he knew was that his feet ached, his stomach ached, his throat ached, and his clothes looked and smelled hideous. Living a royal life certainly hadn't prepared him for an undertaking like this.
He leaned back on a brick wall and slowly slid down to the ground. With every passing second, he became more resigned to the ever-increasing possibility of death. Perhaps this was a testament to how twisted Tobias really was. Maybe he really wasn't still alive. Maybe the remnants of his soul had played mind games on him, as if Tobias's true dying wish was to kill Asriel through an obsession with the human.
If that was your intention, then mission accomplished, the prince thought grimly. Too weak to stand back up, the prince closed his eyes, waiting for death to take him once more.
. . .
Asriel heard sloshing footfalls approaching him. By then, he didn't even care who had seen him. There were few things that could truly threaten a dying monster.
A slick rain boot gently tapped his shin. "Hey, you dead?"
The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Asriel looked up. It was the human teenager he'd helped out a few days prior, dressed in a brown raincoat and jeans, holding an umbrella.
A hollow laugh escaped the prince. "Just about."
"Well, since you saved my life, I'm not gonna let you lose yours. Now come on, get up." Her voice was firm, but not exactly demanding or rude. It was just the sort of thing that Asriel needed to hear.
He extended an arm out toward her, his clawed hand fully visible. The human hesitated before she grasped Asriel's wrist, pulling him up. When the prince got to his feet, he stumbled, feeling the weakness in his legs. The human put her hand on his shoulder to stabilize him.
"Are you...homeless?" asked the human, sizing up the prince.
Asriel clenched his jaw. He saw the human not only as a person, but also an opportunity. He was having trouble standing on his own two feet given with how weak he was. He had earned this human's favor, so it was possible that she could help him. On the other hand, if what he was about to say deterred her, it was back to square one, with someone knowing who and what he was.
He gave a low grunt. Passiveness wouldn't help him anymore.
"No. I am a monster," he clarified.
The human laughed through her nose. "Gee, low self-esteem much?"
The joke bounced off of Asriel's renewed sense of purpose. "You misunderstand." Asriel took off his hood, revealing his goatlike face. The human's smile vanished immediately, astonished. "I am a monster, like the ones you may have seen on television."
The human's mouth hung agape. "Whoa..."
. . .
Asriel sat at a table inside the human's apartment, guzzling on a strange, but good-tasting soup the human had provided for him. It was composed of noodles, yet had a funny sounding name: "raw men." It was somewhat disturbing to think that he was possibly eating material made out of humans, but he was too hungry to care too much at that point.
After finishing the meal, Asriel went on to explain everything from the history of humans and monsters, to the emergence of Sergio and his actions, to the reason why Asriel was out and about. At first, he instinctively felt as if he shouldn't have started the conversation with the human, but she listened intently, intrigued. As he went on, it was a huge relief to get all of this off of his chest. All of this time keeping a low profile and retaining secrets that concerned the world balance had placed a heavy burden on both his body and soul.
At the end of his explanation, Asriel noticed that he was venting a little bit. "And that's why you see me like this. A prince destined to lead his people is now living a life wallowing in his own desolation."
The human waited a bit to see if he'd finished, her chin resting on her knuckles. "That...is a lot to take in, Asriel. Saying that, that's actually not the craziest thing I've heard."
A ghost of a smile appeared on Asriel's face. "Thank you, Jenessa. Although, I must ask, why did you take me in, a monster with the appearance of human livestock, who was too afraid to show his face?"
Jenessa smirked, leaning back in her chair. "Couple reasons, actually. I wanted to do something to return the favor after you helped me the other day. Plus, to be honest, you look like crap; it's obvious you've been roaming the streets aimlessly, and now I know why. But the most important reason is linked to the first one I mentioned. I saw you do some sort of spell when that guy robbed me. It looked like you had a glowing sword and used that to bash that guy's head."
Asriel's lips pressed together slightly. "I had wondered how you reacted to such a phenomenon. Although, you've only shown curiosity to it, rather than fear. Why is that?"
Jenessa brought a hand above the table, her palm facing upward. She slightly flexed her fingers, summoning a small spark in her hand.
Asriel watched with amazement. There were two humans living today who could summon magic! One was an anomaly, but two...Two suggested a pattern.
His eyes locked onto Jenessa's. "How long have you known you could do that?"
"I think...about two weeks ago. I discovered them when I was plugging my phone charger in. It was a doozy, to say the least."
About two weeks ago? That was when the Battle of the Barrier occurred. That was when Sergio discovered his long-latent powers before defeating Asriel in his "hyperdeath" form. Did the battle, or the barrier's destruction, affect some who lived on the surface?
"Anyway," Jenessa continued, "I saw that trick you did, and I thought you would be able to tell me what all of this was about. You left before I could have asked you anything about it."
Asriel thought for a second. "What would you have asked me?"
"Well, how do I control it? What can I do with this magic? And what does it all mean for me?"
This entire situation was a complete turnaround for Asriel in the best way possible. Not only did the prince get an adequate meal and get the information off his chest, but, if trained properly, Jenessa could have been an ally who could have helped Asriel navigate the city and arrest Tobias.
Asriel summoned a crackling ball of electricity in his hand, much more controlled than that of Jenessa's. "Would you like for me to teach you how you can better wield this power?"
The electricity had fascinated Jenessa, the human's eyes transfixed on the magic. "To be honest, that was kind of the intention when I let you in."
New York frankness still took some getting used to. Asriel dissipated the spell. "I will, under one conditi-" His speech was cut off as he received another vision.
The vision took place during a rainy night away from the main city and into a residential area. A figure cloaked in shadows walked toward one house in particular. He picked the front door lock and broke into the human home.
The figure snuck through a kitchen area and into a person's bedroom. The second human was in nightclothes, in relatively peaceful slumber. As the cloaked figure slowly approached him, the second human turned his head, trying to see who had disturbed him in the middle of the night.
"Whozit...?" the man said groggily, now leaning on his arm as he stared at his intruder.
Then, the cloaked being spoke in an all-too familiar voice, "Hello, Mr. Mayor." He grabbed the second human's shirt, lifting him from the bed.
The vision ended abruptly just as Jenessa snapped at his face for the third time. "Hello? Earth to Asriel?"
The prince snapped out of it and looked directly at Jenessa. "Where does the mayor live?" he asked urgently.
"Uh, what?" said the human, caught off guard.
"The mayor. Where is he?!" Asriel rose from his chair, putting his dirty cloak back on.
Nervously, Jenessa responded, "Uh...I don't know where he lives, I just know that the rich guys live in the suburbs...Try going east-"
That was exactly what Asriel needed. He put the hood back over his head. "Come with me," he requested.
"Uh, I've got homework, Asriel," Jenessa protested. "Why would I need to come with you, anyways?"
"Because what I've just seen is vastly more important than any assignment your school could give you."
. . .
Jenessa's parents were gone on a business trip and wouldn't come back until the next morning, so there was no concern for making it back home before a curfew that night. It was still raining hard, so Asriel's cloak could have been construed as a rain coat. With this in mind, Asriel didn't have to cut through alleyways in order to reach his desired destination.
He stared at the light on the other side of the crosswalk. It still showed a red hand as vehicles passed left and right. He learned the hard way that it was unwise to stand close to the curb during a rainy day, Jenessa chuckling beside him.
The light finally indicated clearance. Asriel and Jenessa moved to the other side and continued their expedition. As they reached the edge of the business district, Jenessa gave more instructions.
"Your guy should be close. Just cut through Hamilton Drive and push through the narrow alley," she said, following the prince closely. Unlike other business district streets, Hamilton Drive was relatively abandoned. They didn't have to wait for a crosswalk signal to pass safely.
Once on the other side, they found the aforementioned narrow alley between a law office and a bank. They turned ninety degrees and sidestepped inside.
"So," Jenessa continued, "what exactly did you see in this 'vision' of yours?"
"Tobias broke into the mayor's house and accosted him. My vision cut off immediately after Tobias got his hands on him."
"Breaking and entering, huh? So this Tobias guy is a robber?"
"Unlikely. Knowing him, Tobias's purposes would be far worse."
"Do you know if this has happened yet?"
"I don't," Asriel admitted. "But I won't let that deter me."
They cleared the alley and headed into the suburban neighborhood. After seeing numerous skyscrapers in Times Square and the like, the new locale was a nice change of scenery for Asriel. Houses stood in a neat arrangement across the wide, viridescent expanse. There were elegant hedges that would have put a smile on his father's face.
The vision he saw had given him a house number: 915. The suburban residences prominently displayed their house numbers so that they could be seen even in the rain. In the direction Asriel traveled, the numbers were increasing on both sides.
When he saw 913 on his left, he immediately stopped, putting an arm in front of Jenessa. The prince saw a shadowy figure in the distance approaching the second house on Asriel's left.
"What is it? Is that the guy?" asked Jenessa.
"Most likely. Do you have a phone on you?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Because I need you to record footage of Tobias. It will be imperative for taking him into custody."
"I thought that was what you were going to do."
"I've learned to concoct alternative plans. Now, no matter what happens, stay hidden, and keep the camera on him."
Jenessa scanned the neighborhood for an optimal hiding place, then nodded at the prince. She took cover behind the 913 house wall.
Asriel balled his fists. Time for the reunion.
He walked towards 915 with renewed purpose. The shadowy figure was picking the front door's lock when Asriel got close enough to discern more features about him. He wore an oversized hooded sweatshirt, khakis, and basketball shoes. The hand reaching for the lock was the color of mahogany. Asriel could see enough familiar aspects of the figure's face just from a quick profile view.
"Tobias." Asriel's voice projected with clear resoluteness, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
The figure immediately stopped his actions and turned toward the prince, his light hazel eyes widening at the sight of him.
"Asriel. It's about time we've seen each other in person." His voice was modulated, his demeanor almost passive. Tobias walked away from the door and across the porch. His arms were extended to the sides, opened in an embracing gesture.
Asriel knew what he was doing and stepped backward before the human could touch him. Tobias looked slightly shocked, but kept a confident, toothy smile on his face.
"Why do you sound so angry, brother? I thought you'd be happy to see me," remarked Tobias, his hands folded behind his back.
"Don't you think we've seen enough of each other over the last few decades?"
"One could say that," the human conceded, nodding. "But a reunion where we both see each other alive and out of that floral shell...Doesn't that deserve some merit?"
"It would, had it not been for your intentional sickness and 'dying wish,' which only turned out to be a plot for world domination."
Tobias stood by his toes for a split second, analyzing the argument. "You say that, but you forget that it was you who absorbed my soul after I supposedly 'died.' You were the one who gave me control. Us becoming Flowey was as much your doing as it was mine."
"How was I supposed to know that absorbing your soul would lead to what it did?" Asriel snapped. "I trusted you! We ALL trusted you!"
"You really should have thought of the possibilities prior to absorbing my soul if it crushed you so much. Nonetheless, don't you think that all of that was necessary? You needed a human soul to bypass the barrier. Father needed seven human souls. Sure, decades of suffering for the both of us was terrible, but nonetheless requisite to the grand scheme of things. Had we not become Flowey, circumstances as we know it wouldn't have ever come to pass."
"We never needed to hurt the humans who fell. Not like that," replied Asriel, gritting his teeth under his hood.
"On the contrary. We simply expedited the barrier-breaking process. If we didn't jeopardize their lives, it would have been harder for Father to finish the job. I mean, look at what he'd done with me. He had no intention of killing me when I fell. I had to kill myself in order to get things started."
"How can you speak this evil so casually?" asked Asriel, shaking his head.
"The terms 'good' and 'evil' have no meaning to me. They're merely meant to either encourage or stigmatize what one person likes or dislikes. Whatever is 'good' or 'evil' varies from person to person. I, on the other hand, prefer to view things as either 'necessary' or 'extraneous,' a more objective point of view. What I did, and what I'm doing, is necessary in ways you wouldn't think of."
"What are you planning to do, since this is the mayor's house?" the prince growled.
"Ah, see, telling you would be 'extraneous,'" Tobias pointed out matter-of-factly. "You've already determined that what I'm doing is 'evil,' so I assume you'll try to stop me no matter what I say. Nevertheless, you trying to stop me is also necessary. I can promise you this, brother." He slowly approached the prince. "I will not be stopped until I have fulfilled my goal."
It was a threat veiled in peculiar encouragement. The time of passiveness was over.
Asriel summoned one of his swords and swung the blunt end toward Tobias's face. In one brisk motion, Tobias parried the attack with a sharp-looking icicle from the palm of his hand. As Asriel staggered backwards, he noticed that the icicle completely disappeared into Tobias's hand.
"I will not kill you, Asriel, but I will defend myself," Tobias claimed.
Suddenly, Asriel connected this past occurrence with one he'd seen days prior. "So it was you who killed those humans in the alley!"
"This is New York, Asriel. Tons of people die in alleyways all the time. What could possibly cause you to conclude that I've killed anyone?"
"You've done it before. You also just summoned ice magic. The dead humans I've seen had ice cold wounds all over their bodies. I followed your muddy footprints into the city."
"How do you know they were mine?"
"I saw you rise from the grave after the Battle of the Barrier."
"Interesting," Tobias said with genuine intrigue. "Now, is there anything else, or may I continue with my business?"
Asriel summoned both swords this time. Without answering, he charged toward the human. Tobias summoned two icicles that stuck out from his palms and blocked attacks to his temple and torso. He pushed the swords away from each other, leaving Asriel completely open from the front. Tobias dissipated the icicles and punched Asriel in the chest, the prince feeling a deathly chill within his soul. His hands glowing with icy white energy, Tobias uppercut the prince, sending him flying up a few feet.
Asriel began blacking out as soon as he landed. His weakened state had done him no favors in the all-too-short fight against Tobias. He heard the human say before losing consciousness, "Not now, brother."
. . .
Later...
It was the seventh day, the moment of truth. Asriel had a week to scrounge up some ghost footage in order to protect his identity. Sergio was doubtful from the moment he proposed this deal to the prince, but something told me that Asriel had a trick or three up his sleeve.
He leaned on a wall, singing "Stayin' Alive" in his best falsetto as he waited.
"Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man, no time ta talk,
Music loud and women warm,
I've been kicked around since I was born,
But it's all right, it's okay,
You may look the otha way-"
"You know, you should be a singer. It suits you better than working for royalty."
Sergio turned to the cloaked figure across the alley approaching him. It was definitely Asriel by the sound of his voice, but his cockiness was strange given that he was still hiding from everything.
"I don't wanna hear no lip if you ain't got the script," Sergio responded, standing up straight. He faced the prince. "So where is it?"
Asriel surprisingly reached into his cloak's pocket and pulled out a flash drive, handing it to the human. "I've encountered him just outside the mayor's house."
Sergio looked at the flash drive incredulously. "If that's true, whatcha do?"
The prince likely had an overconfident grin under his hood. "You will see for yourself."
So he wanted to play that game, huh? "Whateva," Sergio said, stuffing the drive in his pocket. "It's yo' identity gettin' messed up."
Asriel turned around. "When you realize that I wasn't jesting, meet me here at sundown. Your assistance in catching Tobias would be most appreciated." He walked out without another word.
Aight, who are you, and whatchu do wit the real flowa boy? The Asriel Sergio knew was a down-in-the-dumps, sullen prince with delusions of grandeur. Now here he was walking tall, almost carefree about the situation. This caused Sergio to doubt that the Tobias ordeal was as serious as the prince claimed. Either that, or it was some sort of prank video as some sort of middle finger to him and anybody else watching.
It was of no consequence to Sergio. He'd given the prince fair warning. He started walking back to the underground.
On his way there, Sergio noticed a news headline that had gotten many New Yorkers talking. DeMarco's face was displayed everywhere in Times Square as he gave an impromptu news conference. The headline read: DEMARCO TO DISCUSS WITH KING ASGORE.
"...after much consideration, I've decided to open discussion with Mr. Asgore Dreemurr and to outline certain concerns that we both have for our respective peoples. My team is contacting Asgore's press secretary as we speak, and we're awaiting a response," said DeMarco. Dozens of journalists at the conference had clapped in support of this revelation, truly showing their "journalistic objectivity."
This should have been a sign of victory for the monsters, or at least a step in the right direction. However, the whole news conference didn't sit right with Sergio. The mayor wasn't himself during the conference. He looked deathly tired (even more so than usual), his bottom jaw trembled when he didn't speak, and his voice didn't have the same cutting sound that was characteristic of other business-minded politicians.
Asriel mentioned that he supposedly met Tobias outside of the mayor's house. Was that alleged event connected to the mayor's current behavior? If so, what could have happened that night?
He inserted the flash drive into his phone as he made haste to the throne room. He accessed the files and played the video on the device. Most of of the video just showed Asriel talking with some guy in a hoodie; the video quality wasn't the best since it was raining. Near the end of the video, the guy in the hoodie blocked one of Asriel's swords with what looked like some magical icicle from his hand. He replicated this action before clocking the mess out of the prince. Sergio chuckled at the sight, despite the graveness of the situation.
The guy in the hoodie then broke into the house nearby. Whoever was filming then ran towards Asriel. Instead of quoting Smokey from Friday as Sergio would have done, the witness said, "Asriel, are you okay?!" And the video ended.
Sergio's brows furrowed as he put his phone back in his pocket. This changes everythang...