Chapter 15: Woodfall

The first thing Asriel noticed was just how cold the temple actually was. Even with a coat of fur, he still could feel the freezing temperatures. How did Link do this without shivering?

On first observation, Asriel could see a few notable things about the temple. It was definitely overrun with moss crawling out of the walls. Deku Flowers had managed to grow through the stone. But, by the looks of it, he wouldn't be able to burrow into the stone as Flowey. That would be a problem…

Another statue with a feather rested to their right. These were popping up everywhere, and Sans wondered if he should be worried about them. They couldn't just be a coincidence. The thing that really gave him a bit of trouble understanding what the stone inscription on the floor. It was in the shape of a mask, the one that kid wore in the underground.

Link and Tatl seemed to be studying it closely. A look of disappointment crossed Tatl's face. "Well, it looks like we can't skip to the end of the temple…" She muttered.

"Is that what that stone thing is?" Sans inferred, motioning to the stone mask shape on the floor.

Link nodded, swapping his form to a Deku Scrub. He was not in a mood to be slow. Explanations could happen while they were on the way. Time was limited. Tatl squinted at the hovering ledges ahead. "Hey Asriel? Do you want to hold onto us or teleport with inquisitive skeleton over there?"

"Is this a thing around here? Jumping/flying across ledges?" Asriel asked. Sassiness level +10. "I feel like it's a reoccurring theme."

"Yes… just get used to it while you can in this temple… and in the rest." Tatl had never actually noticed just how much they were jumping, flying, and crossing large ledges.

Sans's eye sockets narrowed. "Ugh, so this is going to get repetitive?"

*You are urged to keep the fourth wall intact

"Stop complaining, and let's go."

The ledge gave away to a vast room beyond. To the left, a log served as a pathway down to the floor below. Sans decided he did not want to jump to his death and walked down the surprisingly stable log.

Link, with Flowey wrapped around his shoulder, was looking over the edge of the stone overhang above. What was he thinking about doing? Flowey let out a yelp when Link completely jumped off the edge. The boy knew what he was doing, skillfully landing on a flower below. Flowey took note that those flowers looked alive…

Noticing that Link was going in the opposite direction, Sans grunted in frustration. Why was he always getting the directions right. It didn't help that he wasn't told what said directions were. He snapped his fingers, attempting to teleport to the other side. When he didn't feel the familiar feeling of the void sucking him through space and time, he looked around in confusion.

Trying again, he got the same results. Why couldn't he teleport? "Hey! Kid!" He called over to the Deku Scrub on the opposite side of the poison water. Link's attention was caught, bringing his attention to Sans. "Does this temple by any chance have powerful magic? Because I can't seem to teleport…"

Right, teleporting was weird in here. Whenever Link would try the Song of Soaring, he would always end up at the beginning of the temple no matter what. Tatl explained, "You can only teleport to and in the beginning room it looks like…"

Great, now he was rendered useless if he couldn't get across. "Lemme try something…" He raised his hand, trying to make bones create a bridge. The only thing that happened was a stinging sensation in his soul. It seemed the temple didn't want anyone destroying or creating anything in it… "There's powerful magic in here. I'll find another way across, just go ahead."

Link was hesitant to leave Sans behind. Tatl, on the other hand, was not complaining. "Got it! We'll meet back up in a bit!" The trio walked through the door, being pulled along by Tatl.

Sans turned back to the locked door in front of him. Maybe the temple structure couldn't be obstructed, but what about locks? They seemed to be able to be removed. Summoning a Gaster Blaster to his side, the skeleton tried to blast the lock off the door. When the light faded, the lock was perfectly intact. What was this?

Sans hated feeling useless. He plopped onto the floor, trying to think of ways to go across. He didn't like the idea of jumping off the ledge and trying to land on the other side. Broken bones were not recommended. Riding a Gaster Blaster was out of the question because he'd never tried it and wasn't keen on falling off.

Not a moment later, Link emerged from the door with a silver key in hand. Thank god. Tatl seemed disgruntled about having to stay around Sans more. Link placed the key in the lock as it somehow broke into two when being placed in. Flowey and Sans were both surprised. "Wait! Did that key just…"

"Can you two PLEASE not make us have to explain everything?" Tatl complained with annoyance. "The keys in the temples break. Please… just go with it."

Sans rolled his pupils, proceeding through the stone door. This group was not working together, and it wasn't effective. Even he had to admit, this was losing them time. An impending moon was falling down onto the world. "Alright, fine. Let's just get on with this…"

After walking up a flight of stairs, the room gave away to complete darkness. Everyone was on edge, not wanting to move forward. No one made any noises as Link cautiously advanced forward, scanning the way ahead of him. Asriel, in his normal form, followed closely behind, shaking visibly.

It wasn't until Sans ignited his eye that they noticed what was around. Black Boes were crawling up walls and on the ceiling. Their sharp yellow eyes studied the group with interest. Asriel flinched in surprise as Link and Sans remained perfectly calm. Link sprung into action, spinning his sword as the Boes leapt down.

Asriel ignited a flame in his hand, just in case there were any more ahead. There were tons in the next room. Yet still, Sans refused to attack. Grunting in annoyance, Link had to do all the work. With a well timed Deku Nut, all of the Boes recoiled in shock. The boy hacked and slashed at the now exposed dark beings. By the time he stopped, the room was covered in ash.

Asriel breathed a sigh of relief that everyone was safe, but both he and Sans were shaken from the display Link had shown. Sans noticed his EXP rising even more. Asriel was just shaken by killing. Even though they were in danger, seeing something die slowly by a blade pierced through them wasn't a lovely sight to see.

Neither said anything, just to preserve their tempo. But, Link could sense clearly that they disapproved. When would they learn not everything could be solved with rainbows and sunshine? Hopefully soon, Odolwa would be unforgiving.

Something about this room was off. Link knew perfectly well what it was, but the other two were unaware. Hopefully, they would understand they had to fight. Link analyzed his surroundings, trying to get maximum effectiveness on this beast. Water coated the floor ahead, reducing any traction on that end.

Right on cue, bars on the door grinded shut. Experiencing this many times before, Link didn't even flinch. The other two were not so lucky at hiding their surprise. A loud thump redirected their attention to the center of the room.

A fully armored green lizard dropped from the ceiling. It brandished a sword as big as Link himself. However, the boy was not intimidated. The lizard spit fire into the air, giving the room and orange glow, before leaping forward towards the group.

Link got in a defensive stance, holding his shield up. Metal clashed against metal as the sword met shield. The two behind him weren't making a move to fight. It seemed like he would have to push the monster back enough to keep the others safe. Maybe he shouldn't have let them into the temple with him…

Tatl checked the Dinolfos's stats. "A Dinolfos. Keep your eyes on it while defending. And watch out for its fiery breath!"

Link slashed horizontally at its chest. The dinolfos skillfully leapt out of the way, giving Link the distance he needed. Shielding his eyes, he threw down a Deku Nut. The effect worked, rendering the monster unstable for a moment. Rushing towards it, Link failed to notice that it was still going to slash at him.

Fire whipped from its mouth, catching Link off guard. Before it could collide, another wave of fire blocked the blow. He stared back to Asriel who had his hands outstretched, flames spewing from them. Using the shocked Dinolfos as an advantage, Link performed a move he'd called Helm Splitter. The monster received the hit on its skull, and turned to ash on the ground.

Sans's pupils darkened with a bad temper. This kid was killing without even trying to talk it out. It was one thing to kill out of defense, but this was ridiculous. Swallowing the words he wanted to say, Sans just allowed Link to do his thing.

Link obtained the hero's bow, thanking Asriel shortly afterwards. The two were getting along just fine. If only Sans could do the same…

Finally, after what seemed like hours of traversing the temple, the boss room was open. This was the moment of truth. After this, they could reverse time. Breaking the barrier would be an issue, but with good time management, they all should be able to get seven heart containers for Link.

As the group stepped into the room, they could notice the sheer darkness radiating from the room. Sans had felt this extreme LOVE before. And, he knew what the source was. Even Link was surprised to see the scene.

Odolwa was already on the floor instead of up above. However, he seemed completely still and in a slouched position. The large glowing eyeball that was the weak point was also dull and immobile. This had to be some sort of trick.

And it was. Atop the frozen boss, was Skull Kid. He was casually perched on the top of Odolwa, giggling at Link's shock. "Hm? Why so surprised?" The childish laugh poised fear into everyone's souls. "Were you expecting me to let you do things the same way as last time?"

This is what the Happy Mask Salesman had warned them about. Without hesitation, Sans summoned a Gaster Blaster, the beam charging in its maw. However, dark purple streaks infected the weapon, completely destroying it.

Laughing at the failed attempt, Skull Kid's amusement grew. "Do you really think you stand a chance to me skeleton? You amuse me…"

"Why are you doing this?" Asriel asked, anger in his voice. "I can feel the sheer danger from you… are you killing for amusement?"

"Right you are! Good goat boy!" The mask seemed to twitch on his face. "I wouldn't call a moon down to cause the destruction of this world for nothing!" Sighing, the imp finally got to the point. "But enough small talk, I can't let you ruin my plans again… After all, you're the only one who truly stands a chance…" He referenced to Link.

Link drew his sword in response, getting ready for anything that would be thrown at him. Tatl's light flared red. "If you think we won't try and stop you, think again Skull Kid!"

"That's too bad… But, I'm going to make it harder this time…" Everyone visibly gasped when six souls began revolving around Skull Kid's body. He had gotten his hands on the six human souls… "Surprised? I thought so…"

"How did you-" Sans started, pupils being gone from his eye sockets.

"Since you were foolish enough to absorb them, they were lost in the time stream when time was rewinded… And my good pal Tael was able to retrieve them for me… How good of a partner he was… unlike you Tatl."

Wait, Tael? "What did you do to my brother?" Tatl growled.

"Oh, he's only lost somewhere in time. I had to place something in there so the skeletal thing in there wouldn't notice!" He said as if everything was right in the world. Tatl looked like she was going to cry. For once, Sans could feel sympathy for the fairy. "But, I want to wait to have all the fun. After all, I still need to figure out how to stop that resetting wretch you failed to stop…" Frisk…

"You won't touch Frisk or Chara!" Asriel yelled, fire igniting in his hands. "They'll never give up! And I won't let you hurt them!" The display shown from Asriel surprised Link greatly.

"Oh! It doesn't matter whether they give up or not. You see… there method of resetting is gone… If you didn't notice, they were actually split into two! How lovely!" Asriel's eyes widened. Did that mean Chara was alive and well? "But, I can't leave you all hanging! I simply have to leave a parting gift!"

The souls began rotating faster around him. Link whipped out his bow, shooting arrows at the six souls. The arrows stopped midair, the same dark purple making them shrivel to nothing. "That won't do you any good." He taunted, letting the souls drift towards his mask. He was absorbing them.

In a blinding flash, the deed was done. The mask rested on Skull Kid's chest, similar to Majora's other forms. His normal body length had been doubled. However, the rest of his body was black with dark red and purple stripes lining him. Similar to Sans, six multicolored wings sprouted from his back. However, instead of angelic wings, they were bat shaped.

The souls seemed to be calling out to Link to save them. But, before they could revolt, a thick layer of black covered them, only leaving a small outline of them. Skull Kid had full control. He could only imagine what Majora was capable of doing this time…

"Now! I must be going!" Skull Kid's high pitched voice was tripled over now. "Ta-ta, and have fun!" Purple lines began corrupting Odolwa as Skull Kid evaporated from thin air.

Odolwa awoke, the eye opening with rage. Its shield was discarded, being replaced for another twelve foot blade. He stood up from the ground, slicing his sword to strike fear in Link and his friends. The eye was guarded by a thick shell of magic, protecting it from blows.

The warrior, unlike normal times, wasted no time defending. It spun in circles, both swords extended to full length. Sans jumped to the edge of the room, narrowly avoiding the swords.

Link grabbed Asriel by the shirt collar and shoved his Flowey mask on as well as the Deku Scrub Mask on himself. Flowey attached himself to Link in a panic as the boy burrowed into a flower, the swords passing over their heads harmlessly.

Odolwa's gaze shifted to Sans, seeing as he was the only one above ground. Sans's eyes narrowed at the enemy, checking his stats.

Odolwa: 5000 ATK 5000 DEF

*The result of a corrupt Boss Monster with a human soul. The eye is its weakness. Be careful, Skull Kid enhanced its power even further!

Seeing as Sans was distracting it, Link popped out of the ground, flying over the large thing. Both he and Flowey readied Deku Nuts and friendliness pellets respectively. They dropped the payload on the unsuspecting monster, only for them to bounce harmlessly off. The monster slashed in the air, separating Asriel and Link, both of their masks coming off in the process.

The beast turned to the now stunned kids on the floor, raising both swords in the air. They couldn't get out of the way on time. A loud blast was heard from behind Odolwa. Link and Asriel's eyes widened. Gaster Blasters swarmed the air, Sans commanding all of them to fire at once.

Having lost his shield, Odolwa couldn't defend. The searing pain ripped through his body from the weaponry. "Don't touch those kids!" Sans knew what was at stake, and he no longer regretted fighting back.

Odolwa was still standing. Link realized that Sans had found a weakness with Odolwa. He was defenseless. Sure, there was magic covering the weak-point, but if they just attacked the body… Flames rushed in Odolwa's direction, coming from Asriel. He was pissed.

The warrior roared in rage, chanting in some sort of ritual. Bugs began falling from the ceiling onto the unsuspecting heroes. Sans wasted no time in blasting them all away, summoning a few more bones in the air to pelt Odolwa. All bones connected, piercing through the wood like skin.

He was distracted, as Link leapt onto his back, stabbing his sword down. Odolwa writhed in pain, trying to get the boy off of him. A purple blast knocked everyone over as Odolwa was freed of all damage. Suddenly, he completely regenerated.

…

Only to be blasted by fifty more blasters. Even with regeneration, Odolwa wouldn't be able to hold out forever. He focused on Sans who was causing the most trouble. The skeleton himself was beginning to sweat from the magic usage. That was when karmic retribution kicked in.

Odolwa roared in pain when the poisonous effect took place, sending a jolting shock through him. Taking advantage, Link used a Deku Flower to get above Odolwa. However, Odolwa's attention changed to Asriel, who was wide open.

Sans created a Gaster Blaster around the goat monster, trying to shield him from damage. The shell of the blasters would break easily under Odolwa's sword. Link COULDN'T let Asriel die!

Tatl, having been unresponsive the whole time, had begun feeling a warming light resonating within the room. Odolwa stopped his attack, looking up to see the Hero of Time plunging his sword downward into his skull. The Triforce of Courage was glowing on his hand, giving him more strength.

The Triforce pierced through the magical spell that shielded Odolwa's eye, destroying the beast in one hit. It let out one last scream before dropping to its knees. The two swords it wielded vanished in thin air as the warrior disappeared into ash.

Panting, Link put away his sword, watching the Heart Container hovering over Odolwa. The first soul that he could use to break the barrier. Link reached out to grab it with his hand, the Triforce still shining brightly. His hand lurched back when a beam of light crashed in front of him, reducing the soul to nothingness.

In anger, he whirled around on the sender of the beam. It was none other than Sans. Tatl began going into rage. "We needed that! We needed that to shatter the barrier!" She finally started crying. "We were going to use that to find my brother!"

"I'm sorry Tatl…" When he used Tatl's name, the fairy dropped her rage, being replaced by confusion. Sans rarely used names unless he was serious. "But… that soul. It was corrupted. If your friend absorbed it, he'd…" There was no need to finish that explanation. "We can find another way to get more souls. But, until then, we don't need to break it. I hate you with a passion Tatl, but I know how much my bro means to me… So I'll help you."

"You-... You actually mean that?" Tatl's crying ceased for a moment, her light turning blue.

"Yep, so why don't we stop sitting around?"

The fairy smiled, a new feeling worming it way into her soul. But, it was replaced by urgency. "Wait! We need to free the giant!" Tatl suddenly snapped back to reality.

"What gi-"

"We'll explain!" Tatl yelled, rushing towards the glowing light above the Deku Flower. Link grabbed Sans and jumped through the portal.

Neither noticed Asriel had already left the temple…

AN: It has come to my attention answering reviews in my fic ends up in the "interactive" territory which breaks rules. All responses have been deleted.

I will now answer any questions you have in PM.

If you are a guest, I still read your reviews and I may indirectly answer your question :3.

I read each and every one of your reviews and love it when I get one.

Anyway, the plot just thickened.

Tael is lost in the void. Skull Kid has the Six Human Souls. Asriel has wandered off on his own mission now. What will happen?

Only time will tell.

We will start alternating between the Underground and Termina the next few chapters.

Thanks for reading!

BadDRUMMERboy15 Out!