Chapter 2

Captain Undyne stared down at a report that left her cold, one webbed hand covering her mouth. "Is this… Is this accurate, Your Majesty?"

King Asriel Dreemurr, son of Kezef and Anahel Dreemurr, nodded; arms crossed over his large chest. An impressively tall goat monster of black fur, white patches along his arms and legs, and gold ringed, black horns. He towered over all in his court, including Undyne. Despite being dressed down in a dark blue hoodie and jeans and his long, white hair let down, his golden eyes gleamed with all the authority of his status. "Frisk Everdawn was at the park with my children yesterday afternoon when she was abducted. The operation was specifically looking to take her."

Undyne sat down, hand still covering her mouth as she looked at the report. "A monster with more firepower than he should have had blitzed the park and when the guards on duty rushed to the children, the perpetrator grabbed Frisk. Witnesses say she was limp while carried away, so she might have been hit with chloroform or a similar compound."

Evan Nightfall, the current court mage and Asriel's right hand man, sat down across from Undyne. "Someone killed a human, harvested their soul, and then kidnapped one of the most powerful mages on Earth." He shuddered and covered his eyes with one hand, his brown hair falling forward over a sharp face.

Undyne looked up at the King, unsure what to say. Ten years ago Evan had lost his youngest son, a kidnapping that was still unsolved. And now he'd lost the girl he and his wife freely referred to as their daughter, even if Frisk was, by all other appearances, a friend of the family.

Undyne put down the file. "This can't have come from nowhere. It was planned. What are we missing?"

Dogamy frowned, his long ears swinging a bit even as he tried to shake away the thought. "Do you think someone is raising another army of human soul bonded monsters to take over?"

King Asriel shook his head. "No." He sorted through a set of files on the desk behind him, pulling six key ones, and handing them to Undyne. "The member of the royal guard assigned to Frisk followed the kidnapper to Mt. Ebott. The kidnapper entered a cave and came out without Frisk."

Everyone looked sharply to the king, the room dead silent.

"When the cave was investigated, we didn't find a body. We found a hole that led into the Ebott Prison." The king frowned. "Based on the evidence of activity at the cavern entrance, someone is feeding humans into the Ebott Prison from a previously unknown access point. I asked Dogaressa to go through the records of disappearances in the city and surrounding area. Starting with Christopher Nightfall and ending with Frisk Everdawn, we are missing thirty-two people. The other thirty flew under the radar by looking like things other than kidnappings. For the past ten years, a monster had been feeding humans into the Ebott Prison."

Undyne's jaw dropped. "That's enough power in human souls to blow the prison wide open!"

Evan looked up at Undyne. "So why haven't they?" Evan tapped the table. "And the kidnapper?"

"The guard didn't follow him. The guard's priority is Frisk. He's already volunteered to enter the prison via the hole and see where it goes. I've put him at Dogaressa's disposal for the time being. He's too upset to undergo a full mission."

"So the kidnapper's disappeared." Evan crumpled up the paper in his hand and threw it across the room. The paper hit a map of the prison interior hanging on the wall. "What's going on in there?

Undyne stood. "Dogamy, call up the auxiliary guard and set up a perimeter on the entrance. Coordinate the plain clothes guard members to search the city for the kidnapper. I want to know why he killed a human and started feeding humans into the prison."

Dogamy nodded. "Yes, Ma'am!" He bowed to the king and left.

King Asriel looked to Undyne. "You're assuming that the kidnapper is from the surface."

Undyne frowned. "Besides Watchtower, how would anyone get in or out?"

Evan shook his head. "When Alexander Everdawn made the prison 300 years ago, he was concerned that the Barrier itself might be permeable. That a monster bonded with a human soul would be able to walk right through it. His journals went over the problem constantly and that's why Watchtower exists."

King Asriel lifted a hand. "The hole the guardsman found looks like a sinkhole opening, and the mountain is open to the public. It is likely that someone was simply exploring a cave, fell into or had the sinkhole open under them, and became Asgore Dreemurr's victim."

Undyne turned to the map on the wall. "But why not come out himself? Why send some other monster?"

"Another monster would be less noticable. Asgore or his wife, Toriel, would have attracted attention immediately and not have an army to back them up." Evan stood, trembling. "I'll go see Frisk's parents."

"Wait. I'll come with you." King Asriel's hand came to rest on Undyne's shoulder. "I want you to go to Watchtower. Use it as a base of operations to go undercover in the prison. If thirty-two people have gone missing and the barrier hasn't been destroyed, there is a chance that they could still be alive, hiding away somewhere in the prison. Any human you find, take them to Watchtower."

The king frowned. "Be careful. If Frisk is…" he trailed off, not wanting to say it. "An Everdawn's soul is as powerful as multiple human souls combined. A standard monster with that kind of power can blast through the Barrier as if it were nothing, but a boss monster like Asgore or Toriel? You would be dust before you even have a chance to defend yourself."

Undyne nodded. "I'll gear up and leave now."

King Asriel placed his other hand on Undyne's head, his eyes glowing. "The intelligence from Watchtower indicates that the monsters in the prison are the great grandchildren of the original army, filled with the same love and compassion as any monster of the surface. The Barrier has yet to open and free them simply because boss monsters like the Dreemurrs are long lived. Act with the same love for them as you would for any of Our subjects."

"Yes, Sire." She bowed and left the office. She only took two steps down the hall before she stopped to lean against the wall, one scaly arm across her eyes to hide her tears.

Alphys reached over, gently touching her shoulder. "Undyne? What is it?"

Undyne shuddered. "Frisk was kidnapped."

Alphys eyes went wide, jaw dropping. "What?!"

Undyne's arm dropped. "She's been dropped in the Ebott Prison. I'm leaving for Watchtower tonight."

"But… Oh… Oh God!"

Undyne sighed. "As soon as I have more information, I'll let you know. Right now, I need to hit the equipement locker. I don't know when I'll be home, but it won't be tonight and likely not for a week." She knelt to hug Alphys. "Just pray that Frisk's all right."

After a quick kiss, Undyne rushed down the hall to the equipment locker. She changed out of her uniform and into a plain shirt and jeans, braiding down her fire red hair to keep it back. Grabbing a nondescript backpack from a pile of them, she chose equipment that she could easily pass off as normal for a traveling tourist. Taking several minutes to transcribe notes from Dogaressa's file into a notebook, she finished it in time to catch a ride with auxiliary guard members to Mt. Ebott.

While Dogamy directed the perimeter set up, Undyne hiked up to the lone cabin on Mt. Ebott's slopes. By all appearances, it was a small home, and one member of the royal guard lived there full time. Hidden within a closet inside was a false back that opened to an elevator and stairwell into Watchtower. Watchtower was created just after Asgore and his army of soul harvesters were sealed in the cavern by the combined magic of several wizards. An actual tower, it appeared as part of the cavern, hidden in plain site against the forests of Old Home.

The tower was only minimally staffed, its purpose only to be an early warning for unusual activity in the prison. The two monsters, Loren and Fergun, and two humans, Dillon and Everett, on duty all jumped to attention when Undyne entered the control room: a large, semi circular room with windows that looked out over a large forest.

"At ease." Undyne waited until they sat back down. "Frisk Everdawn was kidnapped yesterday afternoon. We have reason to believe that she was dropped into the Ebott Prison via a previously unknown access point. I'm here to go into the prison environ to search for her and a group of other humans that have gone missing."

Everett raised his hand. "From our observation and limited interaction, most of the monsters in the prison are very much like those on the surface, filled with love and compassion. If Frisk Everdawn is here, she'd have been taken to New Home on the other side of the cavern where the Dreemurrs are located."

Undyne nodded. "Have you had any indication of human activity?"

"Uh…" One Loren started.

"No." Dillon answered succinctly.

Undyne turned to Loren. "What have you got?"

Loren flinched at her human coworker's frown, but answered. "The monsters in Old Home talk about a Lord Chara on occasion, calling him a human. I've never seen him on recon missions, but he started being a thing about ten years ago. He's listed as Asgore and Toriel's adopted son. The monsters that interact with him really like him."

Undyne nodded. "Thank you. Any particular reason that wouldn't be pertinent information?" She eyed Dillon.

"We don't have visual confirmation. Besides Asgore and Toriel, the monsters down here have no experience with humans, so 'Lord Chara' may simply be a very humanoid monster similar to yourself."

"Noted. I will use Watchtower as my base as I search the prison. While my priority is Frisk Everdawn, if I find any other humans, I will bring them to Watchtower. Give me the lay of the land."

Fergun stood and retrieved a map, opening it up. "We are right here, in the forest outside Old Home. South of Old Home is the Ruins. Heading east, the first town you'll find is Snowdin, which is a snowy environment. Beyond that is Waterfall, a water filled environment, then Hotlands, a lava heavy environment, the Core, which is a huge geothermal machine supplying the underground with electrical energy, then New Home and the Barrier." He closed the map and handed it to Undyne.

Undyne pocketed the map. "Who built the Core?"

Everett helpfully provided air quotes. "Asgore's former 'Royal Scientist,' Dr. Gaster."

Undyne frowned. "Dr. Gaster's title may have been a sham, but his skill was nothing to scoff at. Gasters are boss monsters. Is he still alive?"

Fergun shrugged. "Something happened after the Core was completed and Gaster disappeared. We haven't seen or heard anything about him since."

"An accident?" Undyne asked.

Loren shook her head, which had the effect of shaking her entire, teardrop shaped body. "More like Asgore was mad about something. We don't have a confirmation of death, but no one's seen him either."

Dillon stood and opened a utility closet, pulling out a warm sweater for snowy weather. "You'll need this for the forest and Snowdin. Old Home isn't particularly cold, but it can get a bit windy. Avoid Hotland. It's a kind of hell for a fish monster."

"Thank you." She pulled on the sweater, black knit with a white snowflake design around the neckline, finding it a decent fit. After slipping on her backpack, Undyne pulled out her phone and opened an app for radio frequency. "I will be on channel one."

Loren turned to the control board and set the frequency for channel one. "The door code to exit the prison is ninety-two, seventy-three. We can open the door from the inside for you as well."

Undyne nodded, hand on the rail for the stairwell down. "Good. Wish me luck."

"Good luck!"

Undyne rushed down through the interior of the tower, past a variety of empty rooms to the bottom. The door opened on a forest of pine trees and a lonely trail leading to lights in the distance. Undyne adjusted her backpack and started hiking. The trail eventually joined a larger one and then let out on what appeared to be a bike path. Following the bike path led her to a well lit residential area of a larger town. Monsters of all kinds sat on the porches of small homes, and a few gave her friendly waves, which she was quick to return.

The road widened as it came into the actual town of Old Home, though calling it a town was a bit of an injustice. Buildings rose up high around her, pegging the place as having once been a real city. But many of the buildings were empty, giving the place an abandoned feel despite the monsters who roamed the streets.

The buildings that were in active use had been painted a flat purple with unusual blue accenting. These buildings appeared to be in good repair, but the abandoned ones were cracked and falling apart. There was a visible 'line' in between the old and the abandoned, the abandoned being given enough room to decay without interference. Undyne roamed the streets for a bit, getting a lay of the land before sitting down to determine her next move. The roads indicated that monsters may commute to and from other parts of the cavern for work, meaning that there had to have been a faster means of travel than just walking across the cavern.

Looking around, she spotted a bipedal bug monster giving directions to a green rabbit monster and waited for the rabbit to leave to approach him.

"Excuse me? Would you know the fastest way to get to New Home?"

The bug monster, who only had two eyes, rather than a set of compound eyes, blinked at her. "Captain Undyne?"

She stepped up close to the monster, using her size to intimidate, webbed hands on her hips. "How do you know who I am?"

The bug monster looked around for a moment before grabbing her arm. "Come with me!"

The bug monster dragged her along for a few steps before letting go, trusting her to follow. He led her away from the town center and into a residential area very similar to the one she'd entered through, leading her into a small house. Once the door was firmly shut and the drapes closed, the bug monster pulled off the green mask covering his face and head.

Undyne's breath caught with a happy whisper. "You're human!" She breathed a sigh of relief, easily accepting the man's victorious hug. She pulled off her backpack and pulled out her notebook. "Who are you?"

"Jarold Kramer."

"You disappeared three years ago. How did you end up here and how have you not been murdered for your soul?"

Kramer sat down and gestured for Undyne to take a seat. "I don't remember when I was kidnapped. I just remember waking up in a garden in what the monsters down here call the Ruins. There's some cave with a big hole in it, and I was dropped in while unconscious. I survived the fall by landing in the big patch of golden flowers. You know, the kind you use to make golden flower tea. Anyway, I was found by Prince Asriel and Lord Chara. They got me out of the Ruins and into a safehouse in Old Home where a team of monsters helped me prepare a disguise and persona I could use to integrate into monster society."

"Prince Asriel?"

"He's Asgore and Toriel's son. I'd say he's in his twenties by monster standards. He celebrates his one hundred and fiftieth birthday this year."

"And Lord Chara?"

"A human son Asgore and Toriel adopted." Kramer held up his hands. "Yeah, I know that doesn't sound right. The story, as I understand it, is that Asriel found Chara after he was pitched down here and wanted to keep him. That was, apparently, enough to keep him from having his soul harvested. He's twenty-two now and has a reputation for being a 'human hater,' and is particularly well liked among common monsters. He and Asriel have been running the operation to save humans for the past ten years."

"How many of you are down here?"

Kramer thought about it. "Here's the countdown as I know it. There are twenty humans hiding out as monsters here in Old Home and Snowdin. Both places were chosen because they're 'backwater' and no one is suspicious of us. Seven are dead from the fall, having either struck the cavern wall on the way down or missed the flowers at the bottom. Their souls moved on before the royal guard got there. After that, we know of three that Asriel and Chara didn't get to in time. Their souls are kept in New Home."

Undyne set her notebook on the table and pulled out a pen. "That's one less than I have record of. Do you know the names of the humans?"

"Some of them. Papyrus would know them all."

Undyne looked up. "Papyrus?"

Kramer nodded. "A skeleton monster. He leads the team of monsters who helps us out down here."

Undyne frowned, afraid to ask the next question. "Have you heard of any new humans being dropped? And by new, I mean yesterday."

Kramer shook his head. "If someone new was dropped, I wouldn't hear about it for at least a week. I can take you over to the safe house to see if someone was taken there."

Undyne nodded. "Ready to go back to the surface?"

Kramer sighed. "There's a way out?!"

Undyne nodded. "The same way I got in. Introduce me to Papyrus please and then we'll arrange your exit out of here."