Me: ...

Shamir: You look pretty fast in updating this.

Me: ...Don't get me started.

Shamir: Yes, you told me you tend to update twice in a day, if you're inspired.

Me: Let's just cut to the chase.

Fury...UNYIELDING!


CHAPTER FOURTEEN: NO MORAL STANCES (III)

There was no going back after this, it was certain for the jaguar captain, whose red eyes and lightning coated paws showed the purest form of rage that ever existed within him. If there was one thing he completely abhorred, it was letting someone just walk over him or his family - maybe he was prideful, and never paid attention to the fact his boasting will lead him to his end - but the last words of Undyne were painfully echoing through his head.

"I-I love you...and...be less...less pride...ful."

As she turned to dust before him, Shamir felt like she tried to pass down a very, very important lesson, a lesson he seemed to overlook each time. A lesson about focusing one's pride for the greater goals and setting aside whatever else you knew about a thing - in order to learn something new, and possibly better for you.

His fists were clenched in fury, as he unsheathed his Dual Sabers and charged them with electricity, the robes violently flowing with the wind as adrenaline was running through his blood, searching for his prey. This was no longer about just saving the Underground, being a hero - it stopped being such a thing the moment Undyne died - but there was an issue.

'Will I be able to maintain this course of action?' he wondered as he ran with full speed in search of the human, leaving somewhat deep paws in the humid grass - a true mark of just how furious he was and how little mercy he would be sparing on this pathetic human - he just didn't seem to care. His task was to protect the Underground from this menace, a task he sorely failed at, given the fact Undyne died on his watch...

If he failed to protect her, what would happen if the beastly human would reach his parents?

'Mother...Father...I will...I WILL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU!' he thought as he kept chasing the human, until the jaguar caught a glimpse of a purple and pink shirt. He tightened his grasp on the two swords and let out a strong roar, which contained all of his unbridled fury and determination to see the bastard who killed his daughter dead. Surprised by such a noise, possessed Frisk felt his ears bleeding from that roar, as he tumbled in the dust of the smaller monsters remaining in Waterfall, while Shamir stood in place, blades drawn and eyes slit, fury dancing within them.

"Did you really think you're going to run away from ME?" Shamir's voice bellowed in fury, a tone scarier than normal.

"Well, well. The famous Jaguar Captain." possessed Frisk said as a sick smile plastered itself on his face, twirling the Toy Knife. "I was wondering when you're going to show up."

"Save your breath, bastard." the jaguar Captain said as an aura of lightning slowly covers him, "Your time in here is over."

"Woo, big words." the human said as he was still standing back turned at Shamir. "You've finally set aside that pride?"

Shamir knew that the human was just taunting him, and didn't move a muscle, though this didn't stop the jaguar monster from retorting, "I am aware of my sorry mistakes. But, if there's a tiny chance I will redeem myself, I will do so by ripping you to shreds."

"I have yet to see how you'll do that." Napstablook said with a scarier tone, as he summoned the white sword. "Or the prideful Captain can't take a little fight without getting his paws dirty?" he goaded Shamir as he turned to face him.

The tension in the air was almost visible as the two opponents were looking at each other with scrutinizing gazes, Shamir's robes fluttering with the wind, while Frisk's hair was messed up, and adding to that, it also started to rain. The jaguar's silent tears were hidden by the rain, as he was still grieving for Undyne's death - and he wanted to do everything to prevent the human from reaching the capital - getting his fur soaked was the last on his list of worries, while possessed Frisk's clothes were starting to get wet.

Through wind and rain, he thought that, maybe Undyne would be really proud to see him focused on the greater goal of protecting loved ones. He often forgot the real meaning of pride, because he was foolish to believe one cannot be at the same time a somewhat proud warrior and a gentle giant - but Undyne was determined to show him that he was wrong.

That he could be a kind monster, too.

Still, she didn't have the chance to show him the real jaguar hidden within that mask, the father she loved so much, the warrior she found it great to fight along.

And now, Shamir won't be learning this important lesson.

Blinking away his silent tears, he raised his sabers and charged towards the human, two strong, vertical swipes aimed at the beast before him, which Frisk managed to avoid by swiftly dodging in mid-air. The human was not at all surprised by the charge and retaliated with a swash aimed for the jaguar's head, which Shamir deflected with his sabers, metal clashing against magic sword, the recoil pushing the two a few paces back.

"Is that all you've got, old cat?" possessed Frisk asked as he looked at the jaguar before him, the latter's eyes still slit with fury. "I expected you to give everything. After all, I've killed your precious little Undyne."

"You think I'm fooled by your taunts?" Shamir retorted as the sabers charged with lightning.

The human started throwing energy balls towards Shamir, which he countered by summoning the Circle of Wind, the energy dissipating in small lightning bolts that left marks on the somewhat humid grass. Seeing that this attack failed, possessed Frisk then lunged with the sword towards the jaguar with a vertical slash, which Shamir let it slide as he dodged and a few drops of sweat bedded on the jaguar's forehead.

"Where's that fury that shows itself in your eyes? I haven't seen anything great yet! Be proud, roar it out! Fight with everything you've got...don't you want your Mommy to be proud of her little jaguar?" Napstablook taunted with Frisk's voice, as he landed on his feet, recovering a little after the shock.

"You still talk a lot, don't you?" Shamir said as he started shooting sets of lightning strikes, with no intention of letting his enemy have any rest, while the possessed human was forced to dodge fast from the lightning strikes, as a few managed to reach him out and zap the human a little, burning their clothes near the shoulder and the top of his head.

"I am much more powerful than you, old cat." the human said as a dark aura began to manifest itself, while summoning a very large skeletal head above them. "Courtesy of a friend, they taught me how to use these little things. I just waited for a worthy foe to fall under them."

'Th-they're similar to Sans' Blasters! N-no...' Shamir's expression changed to one of fear, as he looked at the blasters before him, and his only resort was to prepare a Circle of Wind, as wobbly as his willpower was right now, in order to defend himself.

The human shot a powerful crimson ray towards the defending jaguar, whose Circle of Wind didn't seem to withstand the full power of that ray, and propelled Shamir a yard away - knocking him into a solid wall of Waterfall. While he didn't have poor stamina, the force of that was ten times stronger than what he was used to, and from the corner of his snout, blood began to form a thin line. He coughed a bit to regain his breath, while his eyes were still burning with rage, 'It's now or never, Shamir. Y-you can't postpone this much longer...' he advised himself as he charged, with all of his remaining force, the Dual Sabers, in order to finish the human with Jaguar's Fury.

[Meanwhile, in the Throne Room]

While Sans, Alphys, Asgore, Toriel and Gerson were discussing solutions for a backup plan in the eventuality the Guard failed - and the two Boss Monsters were genuinely concerned over their adopted son's risk - they felt their SOULS pulsing for a moment, as if something grave was happening.

"did'ja feel that?" Sans said as his pinpricks were gone. "somethin'...somethin's going on. i just hope, for the sake of the underground, that shamir isn't freaking dead."

"Actually, I wouldn't feel sorry-" Gerson began to say, when he met Toriel's furious eyes alit with small, flickering flames.

"What did you just say, Gerson? If you weren't our friend," she closed her eyes for a moment to tone down the rage, yet still kept a threatening tone, "you would've been burned to a crisp for this phrase alone."

"Tori's right, Gerson." Asgore said as he looked at the old tortoise, giving off a condescending aura, "I think you judged our son too fast, simply because you think you were a better hero. I don't deny, your acts have saved our furs on more than one occasion," the king paused, "but I believe you don't even give him a chance."

"Hey, what's that big lightning in the distance?" Asriel called out to the monsters as he looked on the window in awe, front paws glued.

The monsters immediately gathered at the window, while Toriel placed her paws on Asriel's shoulders, and above him, she and Asgore exchanged worried looks. They have to tell Asriel just what was going on and hope he won't be foolishly going to save his older brother - the two Boss Monsters knew that it wasn't going well for their adopted son.

"Asriel..." Asgore and Toriel both said as they knelt to the small goat's level. "Shamir looks like he won't be holding out for too long. We told you he's the Captain of the Royal Guard, and that he will ensure things are going fine. But-"

"Be honest with me," Asriel said as realization slowly kicked in, "you think he will die, right?"

Sans, Alphys and Gerson were shocked at how well the kid was taking the news, but given the fact Shamir's idea brought him back, it wasn't exactly surprising. While Gerson was now abstaining from saying anything, Sans was the one to break the pent-up silence that formed with the goat child's question.

"kid...how can you be so catual about that?" the skeleton said as he looked at Asriel.

"Not the time for puns, Sans." Asriel said as he smiled weakly at the pun. "I have to save-"

"No, you can't save him, Asriel." Asgore said sternly, a look of sadness in his eyes.

"Wh-why not? He's my brother!" Asriel shouted defiantly. "We have to do something!"

[Anti-Void]

The blank space was filled with whirrs of energy and shifting winds as the situation was getting tense by the moment - and the inhabitant of this space was not at all pleased with the evolution of this situation. This timeline was taking too long to erase, and his patience was pasta point where he could tolerate shenanigans of this - he pointed towards the open rift of Altershift, in the throne room, as he ranted towards Asriel's suggestion. "hell no, you won't be doing anything, asriel dreemurr! even in this damned timeline, you want to be a freaking savior. nope...time to intervene in this bullshit. it has gone for far too long."

He then steeled his nerves for the exact time he would intervene in the timeline.

While Altershift! Gaster was watching as the timeline was about to meet its end.

[Void]

"Oh shit." was all that As!Chara could utter as he saw his little brother up and about saving Shamir. "Has he gone a couple notches worse in the department of thinking?" he huffed as he folded his arms.

"I sense something happening in the Anti-Void as well." Gaster said as he frowned.

"Tch. You're lucky to have such deep knowledge of time-space stuff." the spirit child said as he looked at the timelines before him.

"You have such knowledge of playing around with the timelines." the scientist retorted as something akin to a smirk tried to form on his face, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"...Shut it. Looks like everyone wants to throw me to the lions..." As!Chara said, while he pointed towards the Classic Universe, "still, things are hopeful for me there, as you said, Gaster. And besides, I seem to have more than a crush on Muffet. I'm pleased..." the child blushed.

"Yes. I am sorry that this timeline has gone through such bad times." the tall scientist said as he folded his bony arms. "It seems like nobody could turn the tide for it."

[Somewhere in the Multiverse]

"i have to reach altershift...i really have to, or otherwise, error will erase it forever."a skeleton with dual colored eyes, similar to Sans, said to someone as he opened a temporal rift.

"Just, uh, be sure to keep it online." a mysterious voice replied to him.

Exhaling heavily, the skeleton jumped through the rift, landing in the Void, where Gaster and Chara waited. He hoped that something could be done to prevent the total extermination of Altershift - he wasn't going to let Error accomplish his goal, not when the lives of so many monsters, and humans, were on stake.

And speaking of humans...

[Surface, Wichita Police HQ]

"What do you mean you haven't found them yet?!" lt. Drew Richards yelled on the other side of the phone as a novice detective just reported that there hasn't been any answer from Roger or Frisk for a couple of days.

The lieutenant went all the legal ways to find his two friends, as he wanted to tell them he caught, after a lot of relentless pursuit, the killer of their friend, Sam. It certainly helped a lot that Roger told them that detail - like that, the first case on this organization was expanded, and the woman got a severe punishment - while the case of Roger's friend, Sam, ended just a few days ago. The man that killed innocent Sam was indeed part of the crime organization that sought to unleash terror and kill as many innocents as they could, all in the name of some radical ideas that tolerance wasn't a good thing and such.

And it certainly didn't make him feel better that his friends were missing.

"Sir, we found the abandoned Ford Mustang, and immediately searched it for clues. At first, we thought there wasn't anything of interest, until one of the detectives found a page that was under the Mustang's backseat." the novice detective continued as he was forced to bear the brunt of the lieutenant.

"Okay, can you read that note for me?"

The detective began reading the note with pauses, as he sometimes couldn't understand Roger's handwriting.

"Entry number..., ...year 1984.

We're on the search for Ebott...City.

I've met Toriel there, and I want to see her again.

Frisk will surely warm up to her, she's such a gentle monster.

Let's just... my mission will be a ...succes?

Nobody will ever laugh about me...

Again.

P.S. Roger, be sure to take some chocolate with you."

"That's an odd note," lt. Richards said. "Never heard of Ebott City, as far as I can recall. And who the heck is Toriel? I've never heard a ridiculous name like that."

"Sir, we should've detained him when we had the chance." the detective said.

"He didn't strike me as a madman, but I'll see what background I can pull out on him about this...Ebott City."

"Sir...I can't help but wonder...what if they are dead out there somewhere?" the detective mused as his voice was filled with worry.

"We can identify him, there's no problem about that." lt. Richards said. "Anyway, keep looking! That doesn't spare you of doing your job."

[Meanwhile, in the Void]

As!Chara and Gaster jumped as they saw a temporal rift opening behind them - Gaster was on ready with a large Gaster Blaster above his head, ready to greet whatever critter might have appeared from the other side, while Chara was still with his arms folded - until the tall scientist faintly recognized the skeleton who just jumped through the rift, cleaning his clothes from the black ink he would puke at times.

"oh, hello there, doctor gaster, and...altershift chara!" he greeted them lightly, while he could sense that Altershift Chara wasn't going to trust him so easily. "doctor gaster here knows me, but you don't. i'm ink. ink, the guardian of the multiverse."

"I was wondering when you're going to show up, Ink. I could sense some disturbance in the Anti-Void."

"me too, doc. that's why i showed up here, cause we need a plan, like yesterday fast. there's no time to lose on this one."

"Okay, what exactly do you suggest?" Chara said as he tilted his head.

"I think that..."

[New Home, Throne Room]

The two Boss Monsters looked in puzzlement as Asriel was adamant on saving his older brother - he lost Chara already, he wasn't going to lose someone else because he was going to stand idle. Gerson admired the courage of the young prince, but admitted, much like Asgore and Toriel, that it was useless to act anymore.

The jaguar Captain could not be saved.

"Come on! We just can't let him die out there! He needs our help!" Asriel yelled at the monsters, as tears formed in his eyes. "Are you going to stay here like and do nothing?! I won't let him die!" the small goat monster said as he went away through the large door.

"ASRIEL!" his parents bellowed after him, but their son didn't even hear them, as he was running towards Waterfall, in an attempt to save his older brother.

"he really is a piece, isn't he? a true dreemurr that doesn't want to see anyone dead." Sans said as he scratched his skull in shame, while Alphys' glasses were foggy and her claws sweaty.

"I have to admit, if they think the jaguar is good enough to be a hero..." Gerson exhaled as he pondered carefully his words, "I want to see said hero in action."

"Me too!" Alphys said as she stood next to Sans.

But their hopes and dreams were soon to be crushed...


Me: The tale is about to end.

Shamir: Tsk.

Me: ...I'm struggling to keep spoilers to zero, so shut up.

Shamir: You're really making me fight a lot.

Me: You asked for it.

'Till we met again, readers!