Asriel: No excuses, just chapters.
Asgore: Another note...we might be hitting a very major turn in the story.
Asriel: A lot sooner than expected.
Asgore: But if it's going to lead to a future worth protecting...it doesn't matter if it comes sooner or later.
Asriel: We'll do it with all the heart and soul we can muster!
Chapter Start!
(?)
"How very interesting..." Pan gently noted as she was thinking about all the things that could happen when things go fully underway. There was little to nothing that could possibly make this day any more intriguing for her. There simply wasn't, it was just too good.
She sincerely wanted to see where this goes, if only because it wasn't something she expected to experience. Parides and Alarielle were standing by her side, although the former was protectively standing in front of the latter. Pan could only smile fondly at this new development, wondering just what would truly come out of it.
The Prophet was standing before her, with his hands in his pockets and nearly every guard around just about prepared to kill him where he stood. The rest of the magicians looked just as prepared to kill him, while Pan gently raised a hand to stop them. Hesitantly, they followed her order but kept glaring at the young man who appeared before them.
"You wish to do what, might I ask again?" She says with a rather playful smile, lifting her foot upwards...as water was sliding down, and she was surrounded by colorful bubbles.
She's taking a bath in the middle of this meeting.
Nearly everyone in the room aside from Alarielle groaned at this.
"I'm saying, do you really wanna wait this long?" The young man asked, gently pacing the floor in front of her while keeping she contact. "I came here-at great near lethal risk to my health-requesting an audience with you once more. And...to offer a bit of a bargain."
"A bargain, hm? And what, pray tell, could we possibly receive and give in this interaction?"
The Prophet lightly tugged on his jacket with a sigh. "I think we oughta get to the point, don't you?" The Prophet placed his hands in his pockets. "You know what you want, and you have a reasonable out in order to pursue it. These guys? They can't really stop you, can they?" He spread his arm towards their subordinates. "Come now, be honest. You could sever your ties with them any time you like, but you don't really have the heart to do so. At least, not smoothly."
"...What is he doing?" Alarielle wondered worriedly, more about the Prophet than anyone else.
"I do think he's going to make quite a gamble." Parides wondered with a slight bit of fear.
"How about we put an end to this, all at once? Your buddy Valantis has the perfect place for it." He uttered with a rocking back and forth. "You realize what I'm suggesting, right?"
"... Fascinating." Pan smiled, leaning back while popping a colorful bubble. "That's quite a bold bet you're making, little Prophet. You're a funny one." She said while lifting a foot to point towards him with a toe. "Alrighty then! I'll play along! And the others will as well!" She gently slid back in with a pleasant sigh. "Although, I'll have to say...you'll be prepared for what happens should you possibly lose this little wager, are you?"
"...I don't value my own life all that much. So I ain't that worried." The Prophet uttered quietly. "At the same time, I'm not about to blindly accept being killed, either. If it happens it happens, but I'm not gonna make it easy."
"So there IS a spine that's actually pretty sturdy in that weak skinny body. I can appreciate your resolve." Pan briefly waved a hand. "Everyone should make preparations. We will be partaking in this event with interest."
"Hold on. Didn't you say that you wouldn't interfere with Valantis's operations?"
"Oh, I won't. I'm simply going to watch from the comfort my own home. Have fun, everyone!" Pan gently waved, only for everyone to calmly fike out and have their holograms dissipate. The Prophet, on Pan's order, was allowed to leave in peace, without being held back. Once everyone cleared out, Pan lightly twirled a bit of her hair around with a hum.
"Oh, by the way. There's something I wish to tell you. Another vision of mine happened." He slowly turned his head with a blank stare. "Let's just say...Revan will get exactly what he deserves."
He fully left after that, which made Pan smile softly. "Oh dear, I think I've got a good idea as to what he's predicted. A VERY good idea."
"I think I do as well..." Parides uttered with narrowed eyes. "And I might have a good guess of who's going to be behind it, given the man's most recent actions. There's no way that this isn't going to end terribly for him."
"He's far too wrathful for his own good." Alarielle sighed. "It would seem that this time, it is going to cost him quite dearly."
"But it'll be fun to watch!" Pan splashed her feet around in the water, raising her hands with a gleeful smile. "If things work out as we're hoping they will, then we might finally get what we wanted in a very reasonable way! And if things turn topsy turvy, we can still kick back and relax the way we want to. We can't possibly lose in this scenario, at least in the way that matters."
"I don't know, Pandora..."
"Hey. It'll be fine." Pandora gently reached out and held both of their hands. "In any case, I won't let anything bad happen to you. I guarantee that much, for certain."
Parides and Alarielle smiled softly towards her, before the trio engaged in a gentle hug. "We know you won't, Pandora. We e all made some bad decisions, but we're still together. Whatever happens, we'll face it that exact same way."
"Indeed we will. My beloved husband, and my truest friend." Alarielle nodded softly to them.
Pan and Parides affectionately nodded to her and to each other. Right. This would be quite a risky gamble.
But if it was for each other's sakes, then they would take it.
"WELCOME! WELCOME ALL!"
Asgore didn't like the atmosphere of this, as he and the others entered the battle arena with different senses of hesitation. Toxin was waiting for them, there was absolutely no doubt about that. But what was the purpose of all of this, aside from potentially setting them up for an ambush? But there was no choice, they had to proceed and catch him. Papyrus, in particular, was more than eager to bring the poisonous lizard to justice and rescue his brother.
Though with Asriel being the way he was, he had a feeling that it wouldn't be so easy. Toxin was doing this for the rather grand purpose of sadistically crushing their spirits before having them killed, and Sans was likely going to be used as a means to that end. How he was going to do that with a battle arena, he wasn't exactly sure of that. But it definitely wouldn't be good.
He was proven right as he stepped right into the center along with his father.
"Glad you could make it, Asriel and Asgore Dreemurr! We've been waiting quite a time!" Toxin grinned while taking a bow.
"WHERE ARE YOU HOLDING MY BROTHER, TOXIN? TELL ME WHERE IS HE, FIEND!" Papyrus demanded while holding tightly onto his red scarf.
"All in good time, my skeleton friend."
"I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND."
"So harsh! But that's neither here or there! Here's the host of this entire show, right here for your viewing!"
Toxin dramatically gestures to the figure slowly walking up from behind him. With each step, the sound of boots echoed through the hall the flowing of a cape billowing with the wind. And as those steps grew closer, Asgore felt something coughing his soul, and he gently grabbed his heart as he sensed something dreadfully, dreadfully familiar.
No...no it couldn't be...
The figure soon entered the light, and Asgore's eyes slowly widened in ever growing, swiftly increasing horror.
Valantis.
He looked specifically at Asgore first, then towards Asriel. Then he folded his arms and smirked.
"Howdy."
Asgore's growing horror, like a switch, immediately flipped itself to sheer wrath.
It was over. They've lost, there was nothing they could do about that.
His people, hearts broken, have no choice but to relocate into the Underground, where they were to be sealed away, seemingly for eternity. It was a cruel and foul fate, but it was preferable to the rest of them being killed senselessly. They would figure out and excuse if they so much as twitched wrong around them.
There really was no choice for them. Trying to fight at this point was only going to get all of them killed. This was a difficult choice for him to make, but it had to be done, no matter how differently some others might feel about.
Though a majority of his concerns soon we t towards his beloved, Toriel. She had come to him, having fun into his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his chest.
"Tori? What's the matter?"
"...Cruelty...sheer cruelty..." Toriel muttered, clutching into her beloved as tightly as she could, and he could feel she was in the midst of shaking both out of sheer sadness and absolute fury. He could sense it from her soul.
"Cruelty? What do you mean? What...happened...?"
Asgore's voice slowly died off as he looked a bit farther ahead as he could see the magicians gathering to prepare setting and casting their Barrier.
And right in front of them, was the man that would be buried deep into his memories. A man named Valantis, with a sword over his shoulder, grinning quite madly. And right beside him, kneeling, bound and tied, and resigned...was Asgore's parents.
"Wait..why are they...what are they doing?!" Asgore asked desperately as he was beginning to feel further pushed back.
"Asgore...you're the King now." Gerson uttered to him with grief in his voice, as he kept moving onwards. Asgore's eyes widened, instantly understanding the meaning behind those words.
"No...no...No No NO NO!"
Not like this, not THIS. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen!
Both of his parents would pulsed out to him, with a calm smile on both of their faces. Even though they didn't move their muzzles, he knew what they were saying. He could feel it.
The sword came down and removed both of their heads, in one fell slash.
The last experience Asgore had before he and his people were fully sealed within Mt. Ebott was his roar of anguish and rage as he tried to reach out, Toriel tearfully pushing him further into the dark to keep him going, his Kingdom's people crying in both fear and grief as they descended further and further as the Barrier's strength continued to pulse, the sight of his parents bodies slowly crumbling to dust...
And Valantis's taunting grin, as he had his father's Soul in his hand.
Asriel knew something was wrong. Instantly. For the air around him suddenly grew hotter in intensify, and he realized the sheer seriousness of the situation when he saw that the ground beneath Asgore's feet began to bubble and melt.
"How DARE you show your face before me again?!" Asgore seethed. That was honestly too kind of a word to describe the fiery intensity of his wrath, which was steadily climbing the longer he was looking at this man's face.
"Nice to see you too, Prince. Oh, sorry. You're a King now. Must have slipped my mind!" Valantis chuckled while lightly turned to Asriel. "You have a fine boy here, Asgore. What a fascinating soul he has. Quite unique."
"Uh...?" Asriel blinked. Why was his father so infuriated simply with the sight of this man?
As if knowing he was wondering this, Valantis slowly showed his soul to him, which only increased Asgore's seething. He turned the soul, allowed it to pulse, and Asriel could immediately tell that something was wrong.
"Would you like to say hi to your grandpa, Asriel?"
...Oh.
...That's why.
...
The mood around everyone shifted.
Valantis chuckled as he saw the cute and confused expression on Asriel's face near immediately shift to the absolute opposite of such. The black marks on his face appeared, his sclera turned black as well, and the entire world around him seemed to be on the verge of crumbling before him. The sheer viciousness Valantis witnessed in the boy's eyes made it seem like he was locking eye contact with a demonic angel, or perhaps an angelic demon.
Asriel certainly embodies concepts of either or.
"Ah, very good pressure. I expect nothing less from the heir of Monsterkind."
"What the hell are you doing with my Grandfather's soul?" Asriel snarled with a disturbingly tranquil tone of voice. It honestly made Red shrink back a bit with her ears folded against her head, and Kid nearly trip backwards. It wasn't as though he could blame him, given what he's just figured out and have just been told.
"Well...I suppose you could say that it represents quite a few things." Valantis hummed while he smiled, the soul phasing into his chest again. "But for the sake of clarity, let's call it my war trophy."
"Dude..." MK shook his head in utter disbelief.
"I'll decapitate you where you st-" Red pulled out her blade and stalked forth, but Asriel held a paw out in front of her to stop her.
"What. Do. You. Want." Asriel uttered, having mostly turned back to normal, but the sheer wrath boiling underneath did not go away, not in the slightest.
"Direct and to the point. Straight to business, with a very sharp edge. You're sounding like your mother right now." Valantis briefly did a bow. "It must be somewhat confusing, huh. You've certainly inherited both of your parents best strengths. Though, have you learned to tame their most crippling weaknesses?"
"Answer."
"Why, Prince. It's actually quite simple. Quite frankly, many of us, myself included, somewhat doubt you being to the throne as King of all Monsters. Therefore, it's only fair that we put you through the ringer in order to truly judge whether or not you're really worthy of it." Valantis briefly swiped his hand across. "This cat and mouse game can only go on for so long, you know! So we're looking to see for ourselves, and I shall see for MYself, whether or not you're really worthy of your future crown and throne, Prince Asriel."
Asriel took several deep breaths to calm the rising inferno within his soul. Getting too worked up wasn't going to benefit him at this moment and time. He needed to keep it cool. "So, what? You don't think I'm suited to be King of Monsters? What does that have to do with everything else that's been going on here? The vile people you've been working with? The atrocious things you've helped come to fruition?!"
"Why, I must say again, dear Asriel, it's very simple and says to understand. What's going on here is a little bit of a 'test' of sorts. We're gonna see if you're really gonna be worth that precious crown and throne of yours!" Valantis gave a gracious bow. "You and your family and friends have done such a splendid job in getting this far, I must admit. Which is why, as a sporting man, I'm giving you all a chance to truly protect yourselves and your loved ones from what's coming next."
"What vileness do you intend, heathen? "Asgore growled viciously, baring his range as the best around him further intensified due to the sheer depths of his building wrath. Asriel fully understood how he felt at the moment, given how smugly this man looked down on them. "You have my father's soul, therefore you with the express purpose of meeting us here and baiting us into accepting whatever you're about to place forth. So what is it? Tell us!"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Valantis raised his hands as sparkles and shining glitter bursts all around him. "What we're about to have, is a contest! A Quest of Crowns! A Trial of Royals! A Game of Th-"
"Get to the point!" Red stomped her feet with a twitching eye of irritation.
"Hmph. Rowdy Red is more like it..."
"What was that?!"
"Anyway!" Valantis gestured dramatically with a smile. "It's very simple, my fluffy Dreemurr King and Prince! Very simple indeed! You'll be challenged, pushed to the brink, desperately trying to grasp victory! And the results of these trials will decide whether or not you've the right to any of your victories you've managed to claim so far! There are not many rules to this one!" Valantis smirked. "Except one. Do whatever it takes to win."
"Is that all you're about? It's not always about winning."
"And that's where you've made a grave mistake, Dreemurr. It's ALWAYS about winning." Valantis smiles casually. "And at this stage, you'll have little choice but to do whatever that you can to win. It's simply an absolute necessity for you."
"WHAT DO YOU INTEND, YOU FIENDS? WHERE IS MY BROTHER?!" Papyrus demanded, a bone staff manifesting and pointing towards the man.
"Patience, we're getting there." Valantis hushed Papyrus with a demanding lowering of his hand. "There has been quite a major decision to be made, you know? A grand battle of heroic proportions!" Valantis swiped his hand, as displays were being shown across the arena. After a moment of indecision, everyone's eyes widened at the implications shown on the screens.
"What is all of this...?!" Asgore demanded to know, widened eyes as there seemed to be gathering of grouped warriors, each armed and prepared for battle. Even more startling was the fact that they were stepping into different portals at a time, and it was getting more and more startling about the locations of these targets.
Which was a majority of their friends and loved ones.
"That's right, folks!" Toxin grinned with a flap of his wings. "While you're here, we've got a whole army prepared to attack all of your allies friends, and loved ones all at once! We're gonna see whether or not you're really worthy of having them all or not!" He held up a finger. "This is another experiment, if you will. How will you react? Hm? After all of the blood, sweat, tears, and dust spilled in order to protect this new future you've built...do you have what it takes to endure, if it all comes crumbling down all at once?"
"Why you-!" Asriel stepped forward, only for a particular large beam to launch towards him, his eyes widening at how quick it was.
But MK and Red were quicker.
Both of them slid in front of Asriel and kicked/slashed the beams/bones away from Asriel, leaving him unharmed. The trio looked towards the origin of the attack, vigilant of any more happening on their watch. Something soon warped into the arena, and Papyrus was the first one to react to the new arrival.
"...BROTHER. WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU...?" Papyrus uttered while clenching his fists in frustration.
"heh...just a little makeover, pappy. just as i've made a new promise...to destroy all the hopes and dreams of the dreemurr royal family." Sans held out his hand, the glowing, sickly green eye sockets giving them a menacing aura. "none a yer hopes and dreams mean squat if ya can't protect em', ya feel me?"
"And thus, we prove something with another experiment!" Toxin grinned madly. "What might be the outcome when you lose everything you cherished for the final time? When you succumb to despair and to die broken in disgrace for all the world to see! We shall see the results of your folly when everything that you've ever stood for and cherished is destroyed!"
"Why you...!" Asriel clenched his paws as they began to sizzle.
"Now you see the significance of these events, my dear Dreemurrs?" Valantis grinned widely. "You're the ones who decided to up and become a mighty Empire, thus you have proven yourselves a worthy challenge! A challenge that is ripe for conquering with gusto!" Valantis closed with obvious eagerness. "So let it be known! If you are the win these challenges ahead, you will succeed in protecting what you hold dear. Heck, you might even win your grandfather's soul back from me, Asriel. But should you all fail? Unfortunately everything you've ever worked for will be lost to time! And your precious Kingdom, and everything in and out of it, will be destroyed, as I build a new foundation from it's ashes!"
"And to think, you really came all this way, just to get her back?" Toxin taunted as he gestured to another figure walking into the fray. Slowly walking into the light, her orange dress gracefully hugging her body despite her destructive element.
Terra.
"There she is..." Tempest muttered.
"Terra!" Lunar pointed with aggravation. "No more of this cat and mouse bullshit! You're gonna stay here and fight us for real!"
"Toxin. There's no way I can allow you to continue past this point, not with all of these elements in play." Darkness declared, while holding out his claws with a deep snarl.
"Come up here and do something about it, ya fake!"
Gaster's face became blank, as he stoically considered several options. ...It will be troublesome. But I'll be using my void magic once more. I simply need the proper moment...but first, Sans must be restrained.
Valantis grinned as everyone was getting into a proper position of battle. He in particular, gazed towards Asriel and Asgore, who's heated glares were focused towards him. "That's good! I can feel the blazing rage in both of your souls! That definitely means you're taking this seriously!" He briefly reared back. "I would hate for this to come to an end too easily, because you didn't give it your ALL!"
He launched from his platform, and both Asriel and Asgore were met with a large blast of ice, from the sword that the man sheathed from his back.
They crashed to the outside of the arena. Asgore skids across the ground, catching Asriel in his arms. He sighed with relief, before glaring as Valantis landed a few feet in front of them, sword in hand. Asgore sets Asriel down as they both intensified their flames.
"I'm quite confident in my ability to handle you both at once. This entire decimated Kingdom is our arena! No use in limiting ourselves to the one that's cooled up, don't you think?" Valantis held up his sword and beckoned for them. "Come at me, King and Prince of Monsters! Fulfill your destinies, which is to be slain by a mighty human warrior! Such as it was, and always will be!" He raised his hand nonchalantly. "Oh, and don't worry about your wife/mother. She'll have her own battle to wrestle with."
Ignoring the blatant taunt that raised their concern for Toriel's current status, Asgore stomped his foot enough to crack it. "That age is over, Valantis. Humans and Monsters will walk hand in hand, to a future of mutual coexistence." Asgore held up his flaming trident to the man who threatened to do everything they stood for. "You'll not destroy that future! We won't allow it!"
Asriel's own sword came to be, a mixture of flames and stars, as he too stared down the man. "Prepare yourself, Valantis! I'll free my grandfather's soul from you!"
Valantis chuckled while shaking his head, his sword briefly pointed towards him. "How tragic it will be for you to die again, Prince Asriel. At the cusp of being a King."
"I've faced death before!
"Yes, you have...and you lost. Repeatedly."
"That may be true. But there's a benefit to losing. You get to learn from your mistakes. And I've lost so many times that it doesn't bother me all that much, as I've learned a lot from them too. And I'm far better from those failures than I ever was before. Because now I can keep my sight on what's important."
Asriel's eyes blazed as his appearance once again became reminiscent of Hyperdeath.
"You sound like you haven't lost nearly enough times in your life. Which means you haven't learned anything. Let's see how badly losing affects you."
Asgore and Asriel prepare to trade blows with a Mad King, in order to both stop his conquest before it really begins, and to free an imprisoned family member.
Their righteous anger fills them with determination.
