Chapter 18: Release of Goht (so creative right?)
An hour before the Release of Goht
Thank god the River Person was effective. If it was intentional or just some strange coincidence, Frisk did not know. However, the boat that the hooded monster sailed with had doubled in its original size. Which, this was completely convenient because of Asgore's size. There had to be some strange shenanigans behind this occurrence, but it did not matter with the task at hand.
Much to their surprise for the second time, the boat suddenly leapt from the water and into the air. Frisk had seen this before, but it was shocking every time when a boat started running across water. It took them both time to reorient themselves, but the River Person was standing like nothing had happened.
As usual, while they were speeding along the river, the River Person spoke in a cryptic tone. "Tra la la! You wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it!" Frisk and Asgore shared an uneasy glance between each other. What the River Person said always either had a meaning or was some random line that it loved confusing them with.
As they kept speeding to Snowdin, the human was deep in thought. They were trying to pinpoint the relation of a mask. They KNEW that there was something that they should be remembering. It seemed to have dawned on Asgore first. He glanced between the River Person who was turned away, and then to Frisk. He whispered, trying to keep an eye on the River Person. He did not want them to know about the past timeline, or that there were timelines at all.
"Frisk," The human turned their head slightly, seemingly annoyed that their thought process was interrupted. "That imp on the mountain when we came to the surface… is this what they speak of?"
The image popped into the human's head as soon as he mentioned it. That was what they were looking for. The question was, why did it take them so long to remember being nearly killed, then jumping off of a mountain? Or, could they just be weakened in remembering after having a broken leg.
The boat slowed to a stop at Snowdin. Frisk and Asgore were both extremely thankful for being able to be on solid land again. With a wave to the River Person, both of them set off to find wherever these frozen monsters were. Apparently, they were deep in the forest itself. However, it had been established that everyone would meet in the town of Snowdin to check out whatever this was.
As soon as the strange pair entered the town itself, they could see confusion everywhere. First of all, Monster Kid was running around the crowded Royal Guard that was conversing about the situation. He was quite a nuisance, disturbing the Royal Guard while they were trying to gather any information on what could have happened.
Two figures were very distinguishable. Above the heads of the Canine Unit, a red pony-tail and a white skull could be seen. Undyne and Papyrus were in the crowd as well. Doggo noticed movement, turning his head to the boss monster and human duo. His ears perked up slightly, seeing that the two were not fighting. "Hey! Guys, take a look at this!"
The rest of the Royal Guard's heads turned, gazing in surprise. Neither Frisk nor Asgore were fighting, which was odd. The only ones who hadn't turned to see them were Undyne and Papyrus, who seemed to be in a world of their own. Frisk could just barely pick up the conversation. "What do you mean your brother is gone?"
"I MEAN THAT HE WAS NOT THERE WHEN I WENT TO WAKE HIM UP!" Scratch that, Papyrus was so loud that the whole Underground could probably hear him. But, they had already run into a bad occurrence that would be caused by their actions. Sans was on the surface, and there was no possible way someone could explain that. This timeline had caused so many errors it was not even funny.
The now distressed captain of the Royal Guard groaned, placing a hand on her head. "So? Sans could actually be doing his job for once. Maybe he is actually deciding to put an effort into the place around here." Honestly, Frisk would have liked to think that explanation would do the trick.
However, no one, NO ONE in the Underground would ever believe that Sans would do his job. The few times he actually did, it was to pull a prank on someone. Papyrus knew this better than anyone. "UNDYNE… SANS… WOULD NOT DO HIS JOB IF THE WORLD DEPENDED ON IT…"
The human winced at the irony in that statement. Sans had done that… more times than they cared to admit.
Undyne's one good eye narrowed. He had a good point. "Well, I don't see where else-" The captain was cut off when she finally noticed the other guards staring at something. That was when she noticed the king and her "bestie" standing there expectantly. She glanced between the two, as if trying to understand what was going on. However, in a split second, she was yelling, "ASGORE! HUMAN! YOU TWO AREN'T FIGHTING! YES!"
*Spear of Justice intensifies*
"Um…" Asgore began sweating nervously. "Undyne, please, put the spear down."
The warrior actually had not noticed she was holding a spear above her head. As soon as Asgore asked her, she dispelled the magical spear and resumed. "Sorry! I'm just pumped that you two haven't fought!"
Oh right, they were supposed to be in some over-dramatic fight at the barrier. Well, apparently Undyne took that well. "WAIT… WHY WOULD THEY BE FIGHTING UNDYNE?" Papyrus inquired, tilting his skull slightly. Oh right, he had no clue about the whole killing any human thing.
"Erm, Papyrus…" Asgore arched a brow. "Did… no one ever-"
"ANYWAY!" Undyne interrupted, trying to retain Papyrus's innocence. It was not very wise to teach Papyrus about the horrors of the world. Sans would bring hell. "So, Asgore, you heard about what's going on in Snowdin forest?"
"Indeed I have." A sense of tension once again passed between the members of the Royal Guard. Dogamy and Dogaressa whispered some words of concern that Frisk was not able to hear. "Would you like to lead me there?"
"Yeah, you guys follow behind." She eyed Frisk with a questioning look, "If you and Papyrus want to come, stay near the Guards. Although, I don't think what you're going to see can harm you." Frisk and Papyrus both nodded with enthusiasm. Plus, the human was not going to let anyone dust if anything went wrong. Undyne motioned a hand in the Eastern Direction of Snowdin Town. "All right! Let's go!"
The first part of the walk was quite uneventful to be honest. The whole trek was nothing new to Frisk since they had been on this trail so many times during various resets. However, they reached the area where the conveniently shaped lamp was situated, and then things got interesting.
They look an immediate right, and began heading through the thick woods. This was new, very new. The forest had never seemed like it had any significance during normal runs. Even when they tried to investigate the thick trees, something just… kept them from going there. However, they were able to finally go through the thick expanse of trees.
The leaves above blocked out most of the artificial light coming from above. The deeper the group went, the harder it was to see. Asgore had noticed, generating a bright fireball in his hand to illuminate the area. Frisk had never actually experienced Asgore's fire used in a non offensive way…
Now that they thought about it, it seemed as if they were bound to a set of rules. Flowey had said during those timelines, that he had "done everything". Frisk… had many options. However, they were not as numerous. It was hard to explain, but Frisk had only done certain routes. Their routes were only affected by who they hurt, and who they spared. It didn't matter if they beat monsters within an inch of their life and then spared, or if they were a little brat to every monster. It was all the same.
Flowey had been able to affect the timelines in many ways. Simply causing one different action, or taking longer would get him a different result. With Frisk, they could stay in the Ruins for months. Sans and Papyrus would always be waiting in the same place, with the same attitude. That did not make any sense, but it was just that way. There had to be some reason behind this. It couldn't just be some pure coincidence.
"PSST, HUMAN." The semi-whispering voice of Papyrus cut out their thought process. They glanced to him, showing that they acknowledged his presence. "I-I HAVE BEEN WONDERING… YOU AND MY BROTHER ARE GOOD FRIENDS, CORRECT?" The human nodded in response, knowing where this was going. "WELL… HE… HE DISAPPEARED, AND WILL NOT ANSWER HIS PHONE. I-I'M WORRIED."
A bead of sweat dripped down their forehead. What should they say? "I'm sure he's fine wherever he is Paps."
"THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE TELLS ME…" A saddened look formed on the skeleton's face. "BUT… SANS ALWAYS ANSWERS CALLS FROM ME. HE WOULD NEVER JUST LEAVE WITHOUT AN EXPLANATION…" Papyrus paused, glancing away. "I-I'M SCARED… I FEEL AS IF… THERE'S NO HOPE."
What would make him feel that? "Papyrus, there's no reason to feel that! Sans has only been gone for a little while. He probably just forgot his phone or lost it…"
The taller skeleton's normally happy expression froze into a neutral one. His fist clenched as he continued walking, head held low. "STOP, STOP LYING." Frisk flinched at the sudden anger coming from him. This wasn't like him at all. "I'M SO TIRED OF EVERYONE TREATING ME LIKE I'M NAIVE. I DESERVE TO KNOW THINGS TOO… PLEASE, I WILL DO ANYTHING, JUST… TELL ME WHERE MY BROTHER IS."
Why was Papyrus bargaining? Wait a minute… Their mind seemed to think of some connection between the emotions, but they could not find it. Instead, Frisk tried to find a suitable answer in their head. "Papyrus, if I told you… you wouldn't believe me…"
"HUMAN…" Papyrus's patient attitude returned. "WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU THINK I WOULD NOT BELIEVE YOU? WE ARE FRIENDS AFTER ALL, RIGHT?" The skeleton was trying so hard not to lose himself. "I… THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL ALWAYS BELIEVE YOU."
Frisk visibly jolted, the words bringing back a harsh reminder.
*Papyrus is sparing you.
Why was he sparing them? They were a murderer, a good for nothing piece of garbage. They had chosen this route, but the skeleton, Papyrus, did not fight them. He believed in them, something that was rare in Frisk's life. Yet, the human threw it all away.
They reared a gloved hand back, striking Papyrus straight in his skull.
Papyrus smiled. "I still believe in you…" Even while he was dying... "You can do a little better…" Even while his whole existence was breaking to pieces… "Even if you don't think so…" Even when his life, his future, and his hope had been taken away. "I-I promise…" He still grinned as his dust was released into the air. His soul shattered, joining the rest of the fallen monsters.
Even through his dying breaths…
Frisk felt tears stinging at their eyes when they came back to their senses. That was their first time killing everyone. Oh, so much had changed since then. The first Genocide Run, it took them so long to go through with killing. It was so hard to strike down the monsters they had called family. But, then it just became a routine, a route they could take if they were bored.
This truly was a game.
It was some sick twisted game, made to satisfy the ones who would never have enough.
And now? Now the rules had been changed against them. They were thankful that things had changed. Link had proven there was good. That boy was a true hero, striking down the corrupt, and helping anyone along the way, them included. And he would never stop until it was all over. To Link, this was not a game.
Link thought about everything in a different perspective from when they met him. He used his powers for good. The LOVE was there, but Link never distanced himself. He repaid his debt through healing others.
Wait… Healing…
The Song of Healing…
Chara was missing… so…
Had Chara moved on? Or… had something else happened to them?
They finally realized Papyrus was still waiting for an answer. He was gazing off into the distance, smile completely gone from his face. Papyrus deserved to know. He was Sans's brother, and the shorter skeleton would want Frisk to ease him of worry. "He… he's on the surface."
Silence passed between the two. The tension that Papyrus gained could be cut with a knife. However, Frisk did not want to cut anything with a knife right now. Finally, after minutes of that dreadful quiet, Papyrus smiled, "Human… Frisk." Their eyes widened in shock. Papyrus had never known their name in this timeline. "Thank you… thank you for being honest with me…"
"Wha-"
"It's quite odd, actually…" The two had strayed far back from the group as to not be heard by anyone. "Not even Sans was able to notice… I guess I'm an amazing actor, huh Frisk?"
"I-I don't understand…" Could… he…?
"Yes, Sans and I… we are just the same. I never told him that I was able to see what he saw…" A chill ran down Frisk's spine at his words. "I did not want my brother to worry… His hope went down every day… so… I tried to not press more stress onto him…" Papyrus's expression had gone unreadable. "I have accepted what I see Frisk, and I have accepted that we can only get better from our mistakes…"
The human was confused. He was being so vague. "I… what do you mean Papyrus?"
"I still believe in you Frisk." The words stung again. "No matter how many times you strike me to dust for fun, no matter how many times I could have stopped you and saved a timeline… I did not fight back. It's because I still believe you can do the right thing… and you are doing just that." Panic began settling in. Papyrus could remember resets.
They were on the verge of tears, childish tendencies catching up to them. "I-I'm so… sorry. I shouldn't have-"
Papyrus would have none of that, giving them a pat on the back. "Don't apologize now. Actions speak better than words, Frisk. We can still fix what you have done, and I will help you the whole way…"
Frisk felt like they were going to cry. How could they have been blessed with a friend like this? Even Asgore remembered, and he forgave them. Hell, Asgore had not even brought it up, but he did not fear Frisk either. Asriel had forgiven them, even after betraying him so many times… Why? Why… They didn't deserve their kindness.
No matter how many times they were killed by monsters, killing them was an act of vengeance. Their first genocide, they thought it as self-defense to justify what they were doing. That changed after Papyrus. They knew that they were no longer doing it out of "self-defense". This was pure curiosity…
Light began peeking through the trees, making both Frisk and Papyrus gaze ahead. They had reached a clearing. It was extremely large for one, but the size was dwarfed compared to what rested in the center. A giant, mechanical goat was frozen in a large chunk of ice.
It looked terrifying.
Dogamy and Dogaressa protectively raised their halberds, just in case somehow the beast was freed. The other members of the Canine Unit followed suit, except for Doggo who had no clue what they were looking at, because it wasn't moving.
Undyne summoned a spear to her hand, just in case. Both her and Asgore walked through the area, taking note of other smaller cubes of ice. Wolf-like monsters were frozen as well. There were many others, numerous amounts even. It was chilling…
No, that was just the air.
Everyone was equally confused about the spectacle. There was nothing like this in the Underground before. An echoing laugh filled the surrounding area, making everyone jolt and raise weapons, including Frisk who had the Worn Dagger with them.
The laugh was familiar… and they were met with a familiar face. Or, a familiar mask in that matter. However, he looked so different. And, literally everyone in the area knew why. Six dimmed souls rested in the six wings, trapped to do his will. "Tee hee!" That childish giggle escaped his lips. "Wow, it's funny how all of you decide to run right into your own deaths instead of staying away from the giant abomination!"
-1
The Skull Kid's head whirled to the fish warrior who had spears flying all around her head. The attack had done damage, but not much at all. "YOU! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THOSE SOULS!"
"Pfft…" The Masked Imp snorted. "You care about these human souls when you're all about to be dead. Get morals straight lady."
"Hypocritical coming from the likes of you…" Asgore retorted, his massive trident whipping at his side. "Give back those souls, or else."
"Awh, you're gonna poke me with your fork?" He talked so… casually… "Nah, leave the poking to my friend over here…" He motioned to the frozen Goht under him. "Y'know, the previous monster was killed pretty easily by that stupid boy… I wonder how you all will cope…"
Frisk knew the feeling all too well. Skull Kid probably knew very well Goht was defeatable, but he just wanted to watch the fun. They brandished the knife, determination flashing in their eyes. "We are ready for whatever you can throw at us brat."
"Psh, name calling? All time low for you!" He performed a backflip, a charged yellow bullet firing into the ice. Many smaller ones began firing into the rest of the frozen monsters. The lodged bullets began glowing, heat thawing the ice. "I mean, come on Frisk, even if you can beat this thing, you don't even realize what's already happened!"
They arched a brow, keeping their knife ready. Goht was still thawing, but his head was moving. "What are you talking about?"
"That stupid boy did it!" He eagerly responded. "He managed to separate you and ghost buddy, but split your soul! And you know what that does…" Realization hit them… No… they couldn't have lost the ability. "BINGO! So, let's play a game with no do-overs, shall we?"
"T-That doesn't change that we won't let you get away with hurting others!" They yelled back. "We'll come back, stronger than ever."
The Mask on his face trembled with amusement. "Oh… yeah… say that to the dying prince on the surface. So much for strong when you can't defend one monster…" He vanished in thin air, leaving Goht to do the rest.
Frisk yelled after him, the words replaying over and over again. "What did you do to Asriel?"
Their words were unheard as Goht was freed completely. A mighty roar shook the whole entire Underground, as many pings of souls were heard.
And Frisk was pissed.
AN: LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE!
Thank you all for reviewing, following, and favoriting.
Another chapter may be out later this weekend as well :3
Also, Lynja, I'm working on that request. I just am trying to find time.
Did anyone see the stages of grief? What could they mean... Eee Hee Hee
Thanks for reading!
BadDRUMMERboy15 Signing Off