Author's Note:
Hello everybody! I'm sorry that it's been so long. I was slowed down by a mix of writer's block, and personal private troubles. Some small stuff has brought delays to most of my works, ut I've finally got my stuff in order. More or less…
In fact I have two chapters of A New Run including this one…though I'll probably start on chapter Ten tommorow, though that will be for a later date.
Tonight I'll release this chapter and then release Chapter Nine a day or two later, depending om how much I want to edit it.
Regardless of what happens, I hope you lot enjoy my story, and if you do please follow up on it.
Chapter Eight: A Skeleton of Training
I shivered in the deep void I was falling through…and endless ocean of light and dark. I could hear voices…ones I had familiarity with.
A part deep within me…knew they were humans…and not monsters. My soul resonated with one in particular and a light flashed on. And I could see…
There a sole figure stood, on that hill of endless swords…surrounded by an army. The ground shook as the tide of soldiers and war machines leapt forward.
Tanks, aircraft, moving bipedal weapons platforms…hundreds…if not thousands of faceless soldiers in armor. Yet the figure was unphased by her doom…and a single one of those enemies below approached. He was tall…easily seven foot with the Spartan armor esque design. His face was like carved stone, a thick black beard covering his face. His eyes were a piercing blue-green, and I had the vague idea of him being russian.
His fist curled, and a wild maddened snarl formed on his face.
"You're surrounded…you so called hero of justice! You die here!" His eyes filled with glee, and when he slammed his boot against the harsh ground. It exploded. The grassy ground unable to withstand the incredible force.
The figure…and now that I looked more closely…the woman laughed. It was a beautiful laugh…like a tinkling of soft bells.
"You're right…I will die here…" the armored man smirked, thought it fell of as she continued. "But I die knowing you are the last remnant of the old world…that with you gone, peace will reign for two hundred years."
He had a dark look on his face. "Not forever?" She shook her head, a knowing within her silver orbs.
"Are you done with your yammering?" His snarl grew, and he let out a signal to attack. My chest clenched as an energy shimmered within the air, the air of that dry desert landscape. My heart rate increased and I couldn't quite make out the words she was chanting.
She pressed her hands together as if in prayer and my eyes widened as hundreds of bladed weapons materialized from thin air.
They were beyond beautiful…
Swords of all kinds…rapiers, great swords, katanas…an infinite array of variety from all manner of cultures and peoples. Polearms…too…spears, lances, halberds and more…
Some weapons were of even greater majesty… like something out of a fairy tale. Runic spears blazing with mystic energy, sword shining like polished gold, and weapons fit for giants. It only worsened with time…
The scene seemed to zoom out and I felt my knees shake at the true number of combatants.
Easily thirty thousand soldiers surrounded her on every side. Many dozens of aircraft darted around her, aiming every weapon at their disposal toward the lone women. Over three hundred mechanized war machines armed their cannon barrels and I did not understand how the unknown women was so calm…and then I could see the mountain she was protecting.
A pristine green hill, so very familiar to me…
I let loose a shaky breath as a twinkling type of music started to rise.
—Play Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works—
The chant was impossible to hear under the cacophony of noise, and only the general's fear told me it was something dangerous…but I already knew what it was.
"K-Kill her now! Before it's too late!" The general immediately roared out his orders and the army reacted, as a wave of air shaking orange energy empowered them.
I was blinded by light and deafened by sound…
A swarm of bullets honed in on the hill of swords and their yielder. I jumped back as the air exploded with fire and heat… A barrage of power barreling down on the lone mage swordswomen. Tank round, missiles, lasers and the rare magical projectile.
She raised a hand with little fanfare…
The music didn't stop playing, as the smoke was pushed back by an unseen force. And now that it was clear I could see her in full for myself…
She was a thin and lithe women, the signs of exercise and good conditioning visible under her red robe, the cloth waving in the cold and pollen filled wind. A single hand was lifted up, a round flower like shield protecting her with nary a scratch.
She had a diamond shaped face, with a head of hair that was a messy, unkempt brown, her bangs obscuring the silver glow of her eyes, the delicate eyebrows above her almond shaped orbs furrowed…
There was a strong…almost repentant sorrow in her expression.
"It all ends here…on this hill of infinite swords. My last act as a hero of justice."
The familiar song playing in the background rose even higher and the general vanished…
"I refuse to die here! The empire will rise again…the world will belong to us! Those abomination's pathetic souls will be ours!" I could see his very soul pulsing with intent and practically divine power.
A sword suddenly emerged from nothing, my soul briefly supplying "Kladenets" as it's proper name…
Incredible power surged outward from the artifact, doing its best to counter against the onslaught of blades. Hundreds of bombs fell around the women, each chipping more and more energy from her. The mountain side was thrown back like a tsunami of rock and dirt.
"I am…the sword of this world…it's…ultimate guardian…and I will not let the light of 'their' kind fade from this world!" She strained to speak and the blades moved.
I watched in morbid fascination as the blades hit their mark. Hundreds of bodies were slain with each and every moment passing. Bodies were cleaved cleanly in half, their internal structures raining down with a slorp…
People were burned, incinerated, crushed, mangled or mutilated. Only the slightest quiver in the "hero's" eyes an indication of how she truly felt.
Even with his mythic weapon in hand, the general couldn't hope to keep up… But despite this massacre…he was determined to survive to the end.
But in the end it was all for nought…because I could read the weapons summoned…
Dozens of Norse runic spears fired through the air…never missing their marks…
Gungnir.
A flaming sword cut apart tanks and aircraft, its fire burning through metal and composite like a hot knife through butter.
Dyrnwyn.
A strange split bladed sword chased foes much to their terror.
Zulfiqar.
Men and women alike bled endlessly to another weapon of the Norse. Blood coating it's hungry steel.
Dáinsleif
Images flashed by…the scene going faster and faster as I lost track of what I could see.
Glimpses of explosions…spears and blades piercing through flesh and bone…parrying machine gun fire with terrifying ease. Knocking missiles and rail gun rounds off course with her bare hands.
One final image flashed as the scene stopped, that incredible song coming to a sudden end. My heart lurched for some unknown reason…
The mythic blade was broken, shattered within the stomach of the women. Still in her prime in many ways… mid 30s at best. She coughed out what seemed like a gallon of blood, staining her enemies shattered armor.
The general in her way…had a dozen spears penetrating through every joint in his body. His fingers were twitching as his death rattles slowly started arriving.
It was quiet…
Until the man coughed, blood dribbling from his lips.
"So…I guess you were right…" She chuckled bitterly, yet in her eyes I saw what seemed like relief.
"Any regrets you foolish old man?"
"A…few…I…left behind some…family…my grandson's little girl. A cute mix of Filipino, Hawaiian, and…well…" She nodded, an understanding expression.
"If there's one regret in this path of mine…it's the fact I'll never see my baby grow up either."
"Indeed…"
Their hoarse breaths came to a stop and the field became utterly silent…and I flinched at the sound of falling and cold bodies.
The dream started to fade away into static, but even then I heard a voice…
"If you can hear me…"
I blinked, as the static overpowered my hearing.
"Please…when Kr–they fall…take care of them will you?"
I felt my mouth open to reply, yet I couldn't heard the words I was replying with.
I had said…I had said…
I awoke to a loud snore…sounded kinda like a chainsaw…my eyes were still closed, and my memory was fuzzy…
I had been dreaming…but I couldn't remember what it was…
Moving my head on a swivel, I could see that Frisk had decided to decorate our little apartment building. Some extra furnishings to complete the look of the white walled living room. Some random paintings…a few fancy vases…
I wheezed when two strong arms tightened their grip, my aura roaring to protect me from Chara's insane strength.
"H-Hey…" she mumbled some choice words under her breath and I sighed. I gave her nose a little flick, after some seconds of wiggling a hand out. Her nose scrunched up with irritation and I did it a second and a third time.
"Sleep now…" I decided I had no choice and became more forceful. I grabbed her face, harshly squishing her cheeks. She growled and I didn't stop.
"Wake up Chara…you're crushing me." I deadpanned and added a tickle to her nose for good measure.
"ACHOOOO!" A sneeze like a foghorn came shooting out of her nose and I cackled for a moment. Her red eyes did their best attempt to burn a hole straight through my head. I shrunk back, giving her a sheepish smile…
"I'm sorry?" Her anger faded and with a…only a tiny, little smidgeon of disappointment from me she grabbed me and sat me next to her.
She dusted herself off, only a small hint of red on her face. "It's fine…I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable…" I shook my head, my own cheeks burning.
"It's okay…it's just…new is all." She nodded, scratching her left arm with a pursed lip.
"Uh…do you know what time it is?" I checked my phone…
"7:30…it's kinda early…but not too early." She raised an eyebrow looking behind me. I turned around, finding a happy Frisk humming His Theme under her breath…shaking her rear all the while…
Cute really…and I swore that Chara's hair had stood up on its ends like a cat out of shock. I think I was just seeing things though…that or this world follows anime logic. Fortunately it doesn't seem to include that dumb nosebleed thing…I'd bleed to death within an hour…
"So today is…what…November 1st? Back home anyway…" I stretched out, hearing a satisfying crack, as well as rolling my neck.
"I guess?" Chara was fidgeting a bit, before her nose suddenly twitched. She tilted her head toward the door.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Did she…?
"Chocolate…" she murmured while approaching the door before suddenly flinching when Frisk slapped her hand against the kitchen counter. A…passionate expression written on her face. Chara squeaked, disappearing and reappearing in a flash, sitting her butt down on a chair.
I did the same at a more reasonable pace since I wasn't being threatened…
"I'll get the door…have some breakfast." Frisk skipped over to the door, opening it wide. Her smile shrunk when two skeletal figures waved their arms along with…
Monster Kid? Or MK? Don't know what he would prefer…
"HELLO HUMANS!" I flinched back at the general loudness that Papyrus exuded. He was wearing his "Battle Body" with a thousand watt smile on his…face. To his left sans was fiddling with a watch of some sort. To his right…I blinked at the outfit the roughly fifteen year old had on…It looked just like his Deltarune outfit…and Chara had the same realization.
Let's shelve that thought for now…
sans lazily waved(duh) to us. "sup kiddos."
"Yo!" MK gave us a wide and bright smile, bouncing in place. I waved back out of courtesy if nothing else.
"So what brings you here?" I could hear the curiosity dripping out from Frisk's voice and I had the same question. Not that it wasn't a nice surprise but still. At her question Papyrus and MK took heroic stances while sans did his usual thing.
"WELL! OUR FATHER HAS TASKED US WITH TRAINING YOU FOR THE LITTLER HUMAN'S FIGHT AGAINST METTATON!"
Oh yeah…that was a thing…and I'm not that little right? Despite the fact I was shorter than almost every person I've ever known who isn't younger than me…
…
"So do we have to do this now or?" I wasn't too keen on the idea. Frankly I hadn't ever been in a real fight before. Barring what Chara did on the first day of teaching and it wasn't that intense.
"we're not really in a rush here. paps just wanted to be early, and MK just wanted to chat with you guys." The shortest skeleton was the one to answer our questions.
"That's good…I kind of want time to eat before doing any exercise."
"OF COURSE FRIEND! IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A HEALTHY BREAKFAST TO GET THROUGH THE DAY!" I nodded, taking a seat next to Chara. On each of our plates we had three pancakes stacked on top of each other. Along with two pieces of bacon some eggs, and hash browns…which made me wonder where Frisk had time to learn this.
I nudged the stack…before a smile creeped up from my face. I turned to Papyrus with that grin and he started hand uneasily. "Hey Papyrus…" He didn't say anything, the light in his eyes dimming. "Since these fluffy pancakes are in a stack…" his pupils had shrunk to pinpricks…
"HUMAN I COMPEL YOU TO—." I cut him off gleefully.
"Would you call this…a balanced breakfast?" I lifted and dropped down my eyebrows, smirking all the while. Frisk's eyes had lit up when the taller skeleton stiffened up.
"PLEASE…NO…NOT ANOTHER SANS. I CAN BARELY HANDLE HIM AND THE QUEEN!" He griped openly, and then his eyes widened in fear at the playful look on Frisk's face.
She smiled while scrambling some eggs, a twinkle in her eye. "Well I do make an eggcellent meal if I do say so myself." sans snickered in the background, and I could see fumes leave from his brother's body.
"Well this does look rather eggquisite my dear. Lettuce welcome our guests…"
"PLEASE…MERCY…" I shook my head, my grin widening.
"But you're smiling…" the skeleton crumbled and I offered him a seat to my left. He grumbled while playing with his gifted food…implanted with a sizable amount of magic. If I was sensing it right…
I nearly had a heart attack when sans popped in, taking his own seat. MK was the slowest, taking a few seconds to walk over and twice that amount of time to sit himself down.
"So…you said…something…about training me right?" I paused in between bites as I attacked the delicious meal that Frisk had prepared.
"FATHER THOUGHT A FIGHT WITH AN ACTUAL MONSTER WOULD GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN THE METTATON SPECIAL COMES UP!" I nodded in understanding, it made sense. I expect that a fight between humans is a very different affair from a mock fight between monsters.
"That makes sense…I'm not exactly one for…theatrics." I could almost hear disdain though that was likely due to Chara's dislike for Mettaton rather than a dislike for the profession.
I took a bite of the food, using the placed fork and knife to cut the pancakes into actual pieces…I also added ketchup to the hash browns and the eggs.
"So…What…we eat here…relax a bit and then get going?" The three nodded and I thought of what we could do…
Hmm…I still have internet on my phone…though…that may have issues with the number of Undertale memes and comics…out…there…
Oh those poor monsters…
I haven't myself tried to look for anything but…some of that shit is just weird…
No something else…maybe something about space…science?
Isaac Arthur…
Yesss…
"Holy shit this guy is awesome!" I was nearly knocked to the ground as Chara shook me, her eyes glimmering with light and an excited air about her. She was actually on the edge of her seat right now…
The punniest skeleton was also close, his own eye sockets filled with mild interest.
"didn't take you humans for dreamers…colonizing the sun is a pretty ambitious goal."
I laughed. "Well that's still pretty far away…my earth is still a few years off from getting cheap spaceflight, and I don't think this Earth in in the best condition for that."
Monster Kid frowned. "Well that's too bad dude. Imagine how cool it would be…" I smiled slightly at the idea.
Yeah…
"I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THERE ARE TWO EARTHS HUMANS. WHAT THAT OTHER ONE MUST BE LIKE."
Our two guests had believed me on the whole being from another world thing…mainly because of how different the history of our worlds were. Getting some interdimensional internet from this incident is a bit of a blessing really…
Also pretty sure sans already knows…
"Doing better than this one that's for sure…but give it twenty years and they might not look so different.." I wasn't the most optimistic on my Earth's chances.
"right…i think it's time for—." sans was suddenly cut off.
"TRAINING HUMAN!" I shivered as cold bone met against my waist…wait…no…no, no—
The door was nearly ripped off its hinges as Papyrus ran at top speed…
No…PAPYRUS!
BOOM!
"So how are we going to do this?" I fidgeted nervously, stopping just short of the designated sparring circle. We had returned to the private gym…but this time we had our three guests accompanying us.
Papyrus posed heroically. "FIRST THE TWO OF US WILL ENTER A FIGHT!" I quietly nodded at the answer, the caped skeleton laughing energetically. "I WILL TEACH YOU THE WAYS OF MONSTERS! I, THE GREAT AND LOVABLE PAPYRUS PROMISE YOU THIS HUMAN."
Too adorable…I supposed now would be good time…then?
"Ok…that's good…" Papyrus stepped into the ring and I followed in after him. A low tune started to play and I stared blatantly at the cape billowing in an underground room.
A calm and quiet rendition of Bonetrousle became more clear and with a release of my breath I read the text transposed onto my eyeballs.
* Papyrus 6 ATK DEF 2
* He wants to help.
I focused that easily malleable substance emanating from my soul. Filling my body with the life giving light. I decided to try something…new
I focused my aura within…
Body Reinforcement…
Papyrus narrowed his…eyes, as if reading something. "AH…ATK 2 AND DEF 4…A GOOD START." I hid the preening at his approval, and lowered into a stance that I had seen Chara take some time ago.
"What next…?" My hands sparked with electricity as I asked. Despite myself I felt excitement, having never been in a full on FIGHT before.
"WE'LL START SMALL! NOW DODGE THIS!" A bone suddenly sprouted from the ground, moving at about…15 meters per second.
It proved easy as hell to dodge, I side stepped the magical bone attack with minimal effort. Two more sprouted in their place and I walked…well lightly jogged around them. I quickly had to dodge another…summoned while I was distracted…
Aural energy lazily flowed from my core to my hands, bursting into flowing plasma balls.
"So…Uh…next level?" I quickly learned to regret my big mouth when the bones rushed in at triple their initial speed and in ten times greater numbers.
I danced between the columns of bone, narrowly avoiding the constructs.
Another wave beat…
"YOU'RE DOING WELL HUMAN! BUT YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO ACT AS WELL!" I nodded painfully as a single bone tripped me up, taking a sliver of damage.
Shit!
A series of light blue bones came out and I went stock still…they harmlessly phased through…
My thoughts suddenly stopped as my body felt ten times heavier…an incredible weight and mass pressing down on my unprepared body.
OH SHIITT!
I loved far more slowly…only going at full throttle was I able to accelerate beyond my earlier speed…Even then I felt sluggish…
He lifted his right arm an—
Holy crap!
Dozens of bones sprouted out from the ground, or shimmered from the air. Forming a veritable maze of bone matter.
I jumped a few meters in the air, and came back down just as quickly…I then flinched when an attack nearly brushed against my crotch…Papyrus's confidence dropped at his near sexual and reproductive crippling of me but he ventured onward.
I dropped to the ground, grinning at the crater formed upon my landing. I might not win this…but that didn't mean I didn't want to try.
The air was pushed aside as I leapt at him, straining to reach my top speed.
Act…huh? Well since this isn't the game…I have no clue of how'll I do that…
"Hey Papyrus?" I yelled with my outer voice, at my current limits I didn't need to use magic to communicate. Even then I was still running at subsonic speeds. I grunted as I summoned a green barrier at the last moment, reflecting a mineralized calcium projectile with ease.
"WHAT IS IT MY FRIEND? ARE YOU READY TO SURRENDER TO MY GREATNESS?" I shook my head, a smirk growing. He looked uneasy…
"Nah…I just had an important question…" he nodded while we fought, my reflexes letting me cartwheel out of the way. "What kind of instrument does a skeleton play?"
I had never seen someone with such an affronted expression, much less on the face of a skeleton.
"LET ME GUESS! A TROMBONE? I'VE HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE!"
"Nope," Popping the P with a wide mischievous grin I answered him. "A Xylobone."
…
…
"not bad kid…you're really…tickling my funny bone…" I snapped my fingers with a grin. sans smiling back.
"OH MY GOD SANS! DON'T RUIN MY LESSON!" sans shrugged with a genuine grin, and stepped forward.
"is it okay if i join. never seen a purple soul for myself…and i'm a little curious." Papyrus beamed.
"OH THIS IS FANTASTIC! SANS YOU'RE FINALLY TAKING THE INITIATIVE!" Sweat started forming on my forehead
I raised my fists up, as the bone brothers stepped in sync. Papyrus lifted his right hand, giddiness clear in every step he took.
"HUMAN! BEWARE OF US BROTHERS! WE ARE TAKING OUR TRAINING TO THE NEXT LEVEL!" sans eyes started to glow, and I felt terror wrack my body.
"yup…i think we're going to have a good time…" I read his check.
* Sans 1 ATK 1 DEF
* Genocide's Final Boss
I'm fucked…
Another wave of bones came, each diving in at half the speed of sound…
I couldn't move out of the way, and I braced myself…
Three bones smashed against my stomach and I felt like throwing up my lunch.
I suppressed the urge, curling my fist around a purple whip. I twirled, adding energy and momentum to the attack. It struck against both sans and Papyrus, causing minimal damage. My intent wasn't in it…
But I wouldn't try it again…
However my hesitation cost me, and five smaller magic attacks hit me. Costing me five HP. Probably from sans…
I jumped, easily two dozen meters straight up.
I then blanched at the veritable creaking forest of bone beneath me. Easily fifty bullets tore through the ground where I would have been if I hadn't dodged.
But a single one honed in like a missile and I hissed as my hands caught the spinning projectile.
"Shit!" The bone was held in my grip, and my magic flooded into the object…
Huh…?
A brief flash of an image passed through my inner mind. The bone's structure became known to me, and it was crushed within my hands.
Subconsciously I lashed out, and the brothers ducked as two magical attacks exploded where they had once been.
I tried to find where they had gone once they had vanished from sight… I shook my head at the deteriorating fragments of bone matter.
Must have struck against one of their attacks…
"sup…" I turned around only to get an energy blast, my body convulsing at the feeling of being electrocuted and it stung by poison…
The agony was excruciating, and I collapsed to the ground.
"SANS WHY?!" Papyrus sounded angry and I could hear Chara growl from a few meters away…
The aforementioned brother's eye was glowing and he had a look of confusion. He stepped away, visible panic clouding his eye sockets.
"shit…sorry don't know what came over me…" he apologized quickly and in his place was MK.
The armless dinosaur looking monster had a sparkle in his eye despite the incident, and after a few moments of breathing space. I lowered myself into a stance, though it was in that moment that I faced a sneak attack…
A hand placing itself around my hip. I almost lashed out until I turned, almost bumping into a pair of…
Uhhh…too close…
"C-Chara?" I stammered, my eyes briefly flitting down to her chest. She didn't say a word while adjusting my form.
"Should have done this before…I'll teach you some stances and moves if that's okay?" I nodded and she gave me an excited smile. I was moved into a basic boxing stance, my fists held up to protect my face.
First a jab…kind of a shit one really. But then again I'm new at this.
Then a cross…and so on…just enough to work out I can imagine.
"so…" sans had a smug grin expression and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"What?" I replied flatly, his grin only widened.
"if you two lovebirds are done, don't you need to get training?"
…
Chara instantly retracted her hands from my body, her face burning and a sound that to my ears said "murkle." coming out of her mouth.
"SANS NO TEASING THE TWO HUMANS ABOUT THEIR SPECIAL CONNECTION!" I blinked several times, and then sighed.
That didn't make things better Papyrus…
"Let's get on with it then…"
At my word, MK stepped in front of Papyrus and I read his stats.
* Monster Kid ATK 4 DEF 2
* Wants to be like Undyne
* You feel this fight will be harder than expected
My body hair stood up in a sensation of goosebumps, and MK opened his mouth. A ball of solid light forming.
Oh shit n—
BWOOM!
I dove left, dodging the deadly beam of monster created magic.
I lashed out with a jab, directing a plasma blast directly toward his face. He took it like a champ and jumped.
From twenty meters up he fired off another beam, and I formed a few barriers. All seven shattered but the energy was gone…
But he was now behind me.
BWOOM!
I took a few blast head on, losing my footing with the directed light explosions.
I reacted with a bouncy layer of integrity magic, bouncing back at him with full power.
"W-Woah dude!" I missed by inches but not before wrapping a whip around his armless body. With a smirk I flicked my wrist down.
MK was smashed into the dirt, and I twisted my hips flinging him against the wall of the gym.
I grinned before las—
"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS STILL HERE!" I took a hard punch to the gut, spit flying at the sudden sneak attack.
I brushed away the lingering liquid with the back of my fist…and an idea came to me. I noticed the buzzing sensation and sound underneath my skin, and focused inward.
Distinct from the magic flowing within my body, I could see a foreign source of power. It was familiar…and, and my ears were the first to really pick anything up. That buzz…was the same as the buzz coming from the monsters magic.
So I had absorbed it?
…
Then could I…?
I can…?
Good.
I stepped back from another beam, and rolled onto the ground to avoid a glowing high kick from Papyrus.
I grabbed that input of external power…converting it into kinetic energy in…a…
Feedback loop: Kinetic Barrage.
The two monsters fighting me backed away.
I let out a breath as pure, raw power ran through me like an electric current. Superheated steam leapt free from my mouth, and the concrete floor melted and cracked under my influence.
"So this is what a perseverance soul is capable of…" Chara was left breathless and I went on the attack.
With triple my max speed I threw out one jab…and then a second one. Papyrus and MK flew back at supersonic speeds, and just as swiftly as the power came, it vanished…
I flinched when Monster Kid freed himself from the rubble with a gleam in his eyes.
"DUDE! That's so cool! Can you do it again?" I shook my head to his disappointment, as well as mine.
"WHY IS THAT HUMAN? AN ATTACK LIKE THAT COULD CREATE A LOT OF DRAMA!"
"Because I need an input of energy to do that," I coughed as exhaustion started sinking in. "I took all the magic I was hit with…and made it into energy I could use for…for an attack…there isn't any left."
"I think you need a healing sess my dude…" I yelped at the sudden assault of my person as Frisk pulled me into a hug.
Oh that feels nice.
Any outburst from me stopped as the healing took place. It felt like a nice warm, and relaxing bath, and my eyes drooped.
"WE STILL MUST CONTINUE! I HAVE THE THREE HOUR PAPYRUSIZATION TRAINING SESSION READY NOW!"
…
…
W-What?
(Chara's POV)
"Kiillll meeee!" I rolled my eyes at the tiny man's complaints. After three hours, he had nothing left to give.
"Sorry but no dice." with a smirk I picked him up by the collar of his shirt, almost recoiling at the smell of sweat and bodily odor. "Besides…some exercise will do you some good." He pouted, crossing his arms out of habit, if his chatty soul told me anything.
"Mmm…" I sighed, weaving between the crowds of monsters with practiced ease. He slumped in my left arm, his good mood dropping.
Soon after I was distracted when I slammed into someone's chest…
"OWW! Ma nossse…!" I snorted, though my amusement faded at the nervous grin of Gaster.
The skeleton was holding several texts, and I could see Brandon's eyes light up as he scanned them.
"Hello Chara, Brandon." He nodded and my fellow human nodded back.
"Are those magic books?" I could practically taste Brandon's anticipation, his legs kicking air in excitement.
Gaster had an amused grin. "Indeed, I have a few books I've scrounged from human texts. Only a few decades old, though from what I can see. Magecraft appears to be nearly an extinct art by now."
How unfortunate…
"Could I have them?" I let out a smirk much to my male friend's costernation. He was positively adorable whenever he got excited.
"That was why I came here," My eyebrows furrowed at the statement, and he stacked the books together. "I suspect both of you have some interest in how magic is used among humans like yourself."
He's not wrong…most of my knowledge is from trial and error, and outdated books from centuries ago. I only have a rough idea of what magic is capable of…
He passed them into our hands, I took two and held them up using my right hand. Brandon took three bundles up in his arms.
Then I remembered the inventory…
At seven books were stored, and we almost waved goodbye until he stopped just short of leaving.
"Child…" the title was directed toward my passenger, and his gaze sharpened. A bright intelligence behind those brown orbs, instead of his more usual daydreaming disinterest. "Have you had any strange dreams lately?"
Immediate red flag coming from our resident mad scientist.
Brandon's gaze was suddenly far away as if remembering something from long ago. "Strange dreams…? Yeah…two I think…?"
Gaster nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Good…good, then my theory is correct…"
"What theory Gaster?" I grit my teeth at him, and he chuckled. "And don't laugh you bastard!" He waved off my concerns and I growled.
"Have you forgotten child…this boy crossed the void between realms. Such close contact with the emptiness tends to cause…side effects."
Brandon turned pale, all blood leaving his face.
"Is it harmful?" Gaster looked oddly smug, but he answered my question anyway.
"His contact was relatively benign…in his case, it gives him visions of the past…glimpses of other timelines. Barring a nightmare or two he should be fine…"
"Are you sure?" Gaster coughed, and I bit my lip. My grip on the little manlet tightening.
"Yes…"
That's good…I hope he isn't lying.
(My POV)
Interesting book…really interesting…
Basic Thaumaturgy
By Erebus
Mage Institution- New London
2088
The first page already told me how different this world was from my own. But it did make me ask questions on what had happened to London. Frisk was only so detailed with the history of her own, and she may or may not have left details out.
"New London huh?" Chara mumbled as she leaned in to read over my shoulder. I had cracked open the text to read it, my curiosity too strong to deny. In it there was a basic description that I had yet to read…should get on that.
Thaumaturgy goes by many names depending on the culture and location of a Mage society. Magecraft, Magic, Witchcraft, Mesmerism, etc. It is the enactment of miracles, the use of living energy to affect the physical world.
I continued to read on, and from the corner of my eye I could see Chara doing the same. I could see the twinkle in her eye, her own interest shining through.
"Neat, huh?" Chara's nodded absently and I looked down.
As to what this living energy is? Like Magic it has many different names depending on the culture and location. Mana, Chi, Chakra, Prana, are one of many such words. For this text, Mana will serve as the go to descriptor.
As for what mana is? Mana is a form of matter-energy unlike any form of conventional matter or energy, best known for radiating from living organisms. However, mana in fact permeates the near entirety of the known universe to some extent. The densities varying rather widely. This particle acts as essentially a fifth force, manipulating the laws of the universe when it is disturbed.
In living organisms, it gathers into a single roughly heart shaped core. Though in simple life forms, this mana has a minimal effect. It has been seen that the greater the intelligence of a living thing, the greater the power of what we have dubbed the SOUL. Though beyond a certain point there are minimal returns…
So magic…is some type of fifth force unique to this universe? Multiverse? Because Gaster wouldn't have been able to drag me here if our worlds were too incompatible right?
Don't get distracted…
The soul, the Psychia of a human being. It is from this that one's magic stems from. Within humans, the SOUL is split into seven different traits for unknown—
Skipping, skipping, skipping…
Despite the sheer abundance of mana in the environment. The number of Mage's within the human population is unnaturally low. Around one in one hundred thousand…
"It used to be one in ten thousand in my time…" Chara murmured the statistic, worry in her tone.
That is…concerning…
Magic was once a universal trait among mankind, and was explicitly a part of human society and life for many thousands of years. To many of us few Mage's, this period…was known as the Age of Magic…and it abruptly came to an end sometime around the 900s…and for unknown reason magic slowly started to fizzle out. And we were gradually banished to the outskirts of civilization, once we outlived our usefulness.
"You…might have skipped too far ahead." Chara turned a few pages back, and I narrowed my eyes at the title of the chapter.
Arcanographic Mystic Codes
What the hell is this? And it sounds neat too…
Another form of magic, they fall into various different categories, but all are under the purview of being magical imbued code, built to create a reaction in a controlled step by step fashion.
These codes can create a number of effects outside of the range of one's affinities or traits. They require materials related to those affinities or a pure injection of the trait itself. They are an ancient art, dating back to 5000 BCE. Many legendary weapons fall under physical Mystic Codes. Imbued with magic to multiply their power beyond the normal.
They are almost impossible to copy exactly. Their creators and wielders secrets lost to time…
It sounds oddly familiar…like…ahhh… I've heard it before. Like…
Like…
My eyes closed shut…
ZZZZZ…
ZZZZZ…
(3rd POV)
Chara sighed as the younger brunette fell fast asleep, the young man exhausted with the workout given to him by Papyrus. She gently pulled the thick decades old book away from his grip, keen on reading it for herself.
"A lot has changed hasn't it?" She spoke aloud, her voice almost numb and vacant. She moved him with an uncharacteristic quiet, placing his head down on a fluffy pillow and covering him with the monster knit blanket.
Chara wasn't sure what would come next, once the barrier was broken, once monsterkind became free. Once the gateway to INFINITY opened.
Had what they had done been a mistake? What horrors and nightmares would be unleashed by their reckless breaking of the dimensional barrier. Because it had been done before…and led to disasters of civilization ending scale…
This timeline raised more questions than answers for her. The world she had known from Frisk's accounts was old and broken, humanity almost following its fellow organics into the halls of extinction. Only recently had humanity recovered, and even then the population was only half of what it had once been.
She needed information, and Gaster had provided Chara with a goldmine…and she would happily make use of it.
(Kris's POV)
I sniffed with a frown on my face. I could smell the forest fire from here, and it wouldn't be long before it got here.
So…first I'll pick up Kapro.
"Grrr…."
"Oh hush!" I admonished her with an affectionate smile and she followed behind with a hiss.
I decided maybe it was better to pick her up and run, when some lightning struck against a tree a few yards away. The smell of smoke intensified and I decided it really was for the best.
BOOM!
Wooo! Flying through the air is fu—
OH SHOOT!
CRASH!
My face met with the metallic ring of some huge chunk of scrap metal, and Kapro whined. Despite our impact at sonic velocity she came off unhurt.
Not even a bruise…
I scanned the clearing for enemies but found nothing. And Kapro couldn't smell anything either, her claws tapping twice.
Coast is clear…
I rubbed her head, kneading my fingers between her feathers.
"Good girl." She brushed against my legs, with an almost grin and I smiled back.
Okay, we've got…like another day to go before we get to that mountain.
On that…mountain where she had met her end…
(3rd POV)
A deep whine shook an isolated room, rattling the head of one Wingdings Gaster. He wiped the sweat from his skinless forehead, sighing as he tinkered with a strange spherical machine.
The device was strange, no seams visible against the mirror like surface. It floated in midair, with the only sound being a short electric hum. Image's played back and forth on its glass surface, glimpses of other lands, of other worlds changing endlessly.
Though at this moment, it was stuck showing images of millions of foreign galaxies, their appearance making the device appear like the universe in miniature.
Gaster turned away from his work bench, his mouth pursed as his interest peaked. "An alert?" He thought aloud, placing his fingers against the smooth surface. He started to zoom onto a particular galaxy, curiosity and worry beckoning him.
'This…galaxy…a warped barred spiral galaxy with an unusually large supermassive black hole.'
He continued to zoom in, now only a few million stars were visible. Making up the spur of a galactic arm.
Again, he increased the magnification…now only a single yellow middle age star was visible, outshining every other object within its light year wide influence.
"Let's see here…" he finally stopped on a rotating blue sphere, taking up a third of the surface of the machine. The planet in mention was the same size as the planet he was living below. The same size, the same distance from the sun, the same land and ocean…
'Ah…yes…that world…it will be an interesting one to study.'
There was a small alert that concerned him greatly, the machine predicting a possible danger. Though one that was not of immediate concern. Gaster had bigger things going on, and so did other worlds.
Brief glimpses flashed momentarily across the sphere…
A young child, fighting with strange colorful beasts against a being from another world. The being's body broken and distorted into a crystalline form. The two were fighting for the fate of their worlds. From a distance two powerful beings watched.
One resembling a strangest white horse or llama like creature, a golden ring around its body. The other, a serpent of gold and darkness, its armored skull hissing with excitement.
Two gods…fighting for control through proxies.
"Forgotten One Nyx huh?" Gaster muttered absently and the image shifted again.
An oceanic battlefield, beasts of darkness and hatred overwhelming a fleet of flying vessels. A leviathan of a monster, punching through energy barriers defending a large town with a ray of heat and energy.
Only to be frozen to stone by silver light…and finally put down by a massive and impractical bipedal war machine.
He tapped the sphere.
If Gaster had a nose it would have wrinkled in disgust, though mild horror would be visible through his eyes as well. Horrifying abominations…a plague created by determination based reanimation. A world going through its death throes…and cut off from other timelines…forever.
A version of the prince, fleeing to another world to stop the same mistake in that new world. The princess…dying…
'So why did I find myself interested in this one?' The image returned once more the tiny, little blue dot. And when an alarm rung he understood why.
"A rising level of magic…from none at all…a fascinating accidental experiment."
Gaster was curious to see what the future would bring to the now linked worlds. But first, the lingering threat had to be ended once and for all. And that time would come soon enough.
Author's Note:
H When I was getting work on this chapter, I may have been sloggin through Pokemon Insurgence and watched the RWBY V6 finale, can't forget rewatching/reading the AFAC comics either. The multiverse will be a very common part of the Universe here...might make a good special someday...
Either way, any references will have no effect on the storyline...for now.