I hope that you guys enjoyed the first chapter. And I certainly hope that you will like how things go from here. There's a lot of time to cover.
From the moment he brought his ideas forward to the king and queen, everything began changing. Gaster didn't realize what he'd started until it was already in motion.
First, his parents freaked out over the news. They knew he was smart, but finding out their son had an audience with royalty about his work and had been invited back to discuss it further went far beyond what they'd ever expected. Both Marlett and Mistral took a moment to believe his explanation, but quickly became extremely proud. They quickly informed everyone they knew that their son was advising the king and queen. Gaster ducked his head in embarrassment every time, feeling it was an extreme exaggeration of what he was doing. But they were certainly supportive.
They were so supportive that they decided to read some of the human books that he enjoyed so much and inspired his work. While Gaster was happy to see their interest, he did everything in his power short of destroying it to keep his parents away from the one book entitled "Anatomy." He still remembered the shock and embarrassment when he turned the page to the chapter about humans' skeletal structures and encountered a very graphic picture of a skeleton without a hint of clothing. While not every page of the chapter was as vivid, it still revealed more than civilized people showed in public. Gaster feared even years later the very idea of his mother finding out and asking him about the book. That was a conversation he never wanted to have.
Obviously construction on the nearly-named "Core" couldn't begin immediately. But within a few days, a team of monsters were gathered together and given the task of building the first of the planned bridges. King Asgore and Queen Toriel announced to everyone their intentions to expand beyond Home and create new communities for everyone. And while there was some hesitation, most embraced the vision of the future. It gave them hope.
And while that construction project began, Gaster and a few others worked on incorporating the new knowledge from the Surface into their curriculum. It also allowed him to get an objective look at where he was in his self-taught education. To his surprise and that of the others, he managed to reach the same proficiency on most topics as the experts in the fields. There were only a few subjects he still needed to study. And with a little testing to ensure he was completely qualified, he and a few others were given the newly-established title of "doctor."
Expert healers, masters of magical theory, and those with a detailed understanding of both the monsters' established knowledge of science and the new discoveries from humans… Essentially, they gave a title and a white lab coat to those who already deserved recognition. Humans were clever to create the word.
Weeks turned into months and months morphed into a few years. Bridges, the wood harvested from the snowy forests, were raised over several chasms and valleys until monsters could easily and quickly cross the frozen landscape. Eventually monsters would be able to reach the damp and darker caverns without issues. A few of the furry folks started building a few homes near the river. Progress was gradually being made all around.
As had quickly become tradition, Gaster approached the royal grounds for the weekly meeting with King Asgore for tea. He wasn't completely certain how it became so established. Somehow the king just kept inviting him over until it became tradition. Sometimes Queen Toriel would join them and politely inquire about how his remaining education was going, but she couldn't always spare the time from her other responsibilities. So most of the time, it was only him and King Asgore discussing his most recent developments and the progress on the construction while drinking the provided tea.
Which left him mildly surprised to see both members of the royal family waiting for him.
"Your Majesties?" he asked, something in their expressions making Gaster realize this wouldn't be a normal tea.
"Gaster," said Queen Toriel with a nod. "Or I suppose I should call you 'Dr. Gaster" now. That is the correct title we have established now, is it not?"
"That is correct. We have also nearly worked out a proper set of requirements for other monsters to earn their doctorates," he said. "Though I have a feeling most will be older than I was. Most monsters don't spend their teenage years trying to adapt human knowledge and technology for the good of monsterkind."
Nodding at him, King Asgore said, "You are quite right. There is no one quite like you. And even if we haven't begun work on the Core, you've already done a lot of good since you approached us. Not only have you been helping to develop the curriculum for our future generations, but you've also assisted on the designs for the bridges, refining your plans for the Core further, discussing with those who are moving out about the best use of the terrain, and transcribing several of our scrolls into bound books."
"You've been paying a lot of attention to what I've been doing with my spare time," Gaster said, trying to keep from blushing at the praise. "I mentioned some of it vaguely during our tea visits, but only off-handedly. We rarely focus on my personal accomplishments rather than more general developments. And I only made copies because I was transcribing versions for my personal use anyway, so making other copies for public use was not much trouble."
"My point is that you have done more for monsterkind than most realize and we are quite certain you will continue to make amazing contributions for years to come," said King Asgore. "Tori and I've been discussing it for a while. We believe this is long overdue."
"I'm sorry? I am afraid I do not understand what you mean, Your Majesties. What is long overdue?"
"Just as you now possess the title of 'doctor' to describe your expertise in numerous branches of science," explained Queen Toriel, "we now believe that you should bear the title of the job you are already performing."
He stared at the royal couple. Gaster had absolutely no idea what they were implying.
Well, that wasn't quite true. He had a vague possibility rattling around his skull. The king and queen had advisors of various sorts. Queen Toriel was often meeting with them rather than attending tea.
But Gaster knew he had to be wrong. Regardless of what his parents might think and brag, he wasn't an advisor. Not really. Those advisors were older monsters. Not as old as the royal couple or Gerson who lived a couple streets over, but certainly older than him. True, Gaster was no longer a teenager. And he wouldn't be physically aging again until some distant day when he had children, so he would still look the same when he grew old. But he still couldn't imagine anyone considering him to be old enough to advise them. He didn't have the experience to qualify.
So he must be wrong. Queen Toriel must mean something else. She and King Asgore probably had something completely different in mind. Gaster tried to still his hands' nervous fidgeting. He should calm down. There had to be a different explanation.
"I… am not certain what you are implying, Your Majesties. What job title are you offering?"
"You have advised us on everything to do with science," said Queen Toriel. "While we have several advisors, you would be more specific and you would continue with your other projects."
"How would you like to be our Royal Scientist?" King Asgore asked.
Oh… He didn't expect that. Even when he briefly considered and rejected the possibility of being called an advisor, Gaster didn't think they'd create a new role just for him. As far as he knew, there had never been a Royal Scientist in the Underground and scientific studies were not well-developed before monsterkind was trapped. The title of Royal Scientist did not exist until now, just as the term "doctor" was a new addition to the Underground.
But just as he rather liked how "Dr. Gaster" sounded, the new job title felt right as it rolled around in his skull. He always tried to do something to help monsterkind. All his efforts were to make things better for them. And being the Royal Scientist sounded like it would allow him to always do what he loved. He would be able to continue to study and invent, helping everyone with his work.
He'd never considered something like this for his future. He never thought long-term about his personal future rather than that of all monsterkind. But now that the idea had been presented, Gaster couldn't imagine anything else. It just felt right. It felt right all the way down to the marrow of his bones.
"You do not have to answer immediately," said Queen Toriel gently, mistaking his hesitation for reluctance. "We would not ask you to do anything more than what you already do. We merely wish to give you the correct recognition and standing for all that you do for us. But do not think you will insult us if you should choose not accept the role."
"No, it is not that, Your Majesties. I mean no disrespect. I am truly honored by this offer. I never considered such a thing. And not simply because I never knew you might desire a Royal Scientist. Or that such a job existed. But it is amazing that you're offering me something like this. It is hard to imagine that I would end up like this when everything started because a teenage skeleton brought you a stack of maps and schematics. Everything has come so far since then and—"
"Slow down, my friend," King Asgore interrupted, placing a large hand on Gaster's rapidly gesturing ones to still them. "You are a little too excited. We can't understand what you're saying."
Ducking his head briefly in embarrassment and taking a breath to calm himself a little, Gaster tried to speak more carefully and control his accent.
"Thank you, Your Majesties. I would be honored to serve as your Royal Scientist."
Construction on the first settlement outside of Home, the one spear-headed by the furry monsters, was reaching the stage where monsters could almost live there. All the bridges along the way were complete and they would soon be working on pathways through water-filled caverns covered in sparkling stones. But more importantly, they had reached the point where they needed to do some further exploring.
Gaster knew how to reach the magma-filled chamber under the mountain. Or at least one such path. But it was a dead end. Only fire elementals and flying monsters would be able to cross and determine how to construct a bridge to whatever lay beyond. But after studying his map and extrapolating on some of the paths they hadn't explored as teenagers, Gaster suspected there might be other tunnels to the cavern. Perhaps there would be ways past the magma. And since he did the original exploration, he wanted to be the one to investigate the other paths.
But just like before, he didn't plan to go alone.
"J-just as c-cold as I remember," complained Erik.
Gaster just smiled at his old friend. The crab-like monster had grown larger in the years since their original adventure, but his dislike of the cold remained. His claws were a lot bigger as an adult than as a teenager and his exoskeleton had developed into a deep reddish shade. And while he now spent most of his time working in his store, Erik agreed to join the small exploration team alongside his wife.
Tixie hadn't grown much in comparison. She'd already been close to her adult size even back then. Her figure filled out her dress more since the birth of her children though. And her face had grown more mature and motherly. But there was still enough of her adventurous spirit for the rabbit monster to jump at the chance to grab a babysitter and drag Erik back out of Home.
Both had grown and changed so much over the years. Just as his parents were growing slower and stiffer in their movements compared to his childhood. And his friends and family would continue to age while Gaster remained the same. It was a fact he'd known all his life that was gradually becoming more evident. Unless something happened, he would outlive his friends and family. But as always, he pushed it from his mind. He couldn't change it and dwelling on that part of his future would do no good.
It was not just his friends accompanying him this time. A humanoid monster with a flat circle for a head, a smooth and coppery surface with no obvious facial features, was one of his new companions. Linc only came up to Gaster's shoulder, but he was a thoughtful monster with a talent for art. He would be doing the actual mapping this time. And to provide some strength and stability in case they encountered a dangerous area in their explorations, a large brown wolf monster from the Royal Guard would be joining them. She didn't really speak so much as she howled and she was a head taller than Gaster, but Great Wolf seemed loyal and dependable. Both of them should be wonderful additions as they map more of the Underground.
"So we're heading this way, right?" Trixie asked, gesturing to the left. "It's been a few years, but I don't remember us looking this way before."
Crunching through the snow, Gaster said, "Based on what we mapped last time, this way leads to a river. We didn't plot most of the course, but the fact that it is flowing indicates that it leads somewhere. There has to be a way through. Perhaps even a way through or around the magma chamber."
It didn't take long for them to reach the river. While other places that they'd run into the stream was low enough for them to touch the water, this path led them to a cliff overlooking the river. From the vantage point, a large stretch of the river's journey could be observed. Linc started sketching immediately.
"It appears that the river will bypass most of the darker caverns with the sparkling stones, though I suppose the various waterfalls, streams, and marshes might drain into the river," said Gaster, leaning out as far as he could to see more. "The river might curve closer to those caverns later on. Remember that one stream we encountered with a stronger current? It could be part of the same waterway."
"If the w-water is w-warmer than here, I'll help explore it later," Erik said.
Cuddling her husband close, Trixie said, "Look at that. We'll make an adventurer out of you yet."
Several things happened at the same time. Erik blushed an even brighter shade of red. Linc chuckled quietly as he continued to sketch. Great Wolf perked up her ears.
And the edge of the cliff crumbled beneath his feet, taking Gaster down with it.
He barely had a chance to realize he was falling, the strange sensation impossible to ignore, and he barely had a chance to hear the others calling his name. Then he hit the water hard, driving the breath from his body. And due to an unfortunate combination of Home lacking many deep bodies of water and skeletons not having the best buoyancy, Gaster never learned to swim and the current quickly pulled him down…
Down…
…down.
He'd read the human "Anatomy" book enough times to remember the description of their respiratory system. And while many monsters had lungs, hearts, and so on, their biology and anatomy varied far more than humans. For example, skeletons did not have internal organs. That did not mean they did not need things.
That didn't mean, Gaster's thoughts as chaotic and turbulent as the water choking him, he didn't need to breathe.
Gaster struggled wildly against the current, hands clawing at the water in a desperate attempt to force his head above the surface. Panic gripped him. He couldn't breathe. Water filled his mouth, choking and suffocating. His Soul lurched and raced frantically. He needed air.
His mind became fuzzy. His thoughts grew dull and sluggish. His Soul ached and burned as his body weakened. His limbs slowed their movements and became heavy. He… couldn't…
Suddenly, something snagged the collar of his sweater and hauled him upwards. And right before his vision went completely black, Gaster broke the surface and was dumped on a smooth surface that bobbed slightly under him.
While he didn't need to cough his non-existent lungs out to rid himself of the choking water, Gaster gasped desperately for air while excess liquid poured out, streamed off, and pooled around him. He couldn't stop shaking. Not from the undoubtedly cold water, skeletons being rather resistant to most temperatures. His body shook from how he nearly died. Gaster just stayed sprawled there, shaking and exhausted. His Soul slowly began to settle down again as he managed to breathe.
"Tra la la. That fall did not seem wise. A boat ride seems far more pleasant than tumbling beneath the river," said a strange and melodic voice.
His breathing still ragged and uneven, Gaster raised his head wearily. He appeared to be sprawled on the deck of a boat, the current pushing it along at a steady speed. And standing there, dripping from the rescue, was a strange monster. He couldn't make out any details other than a humanoid figure wrapped in a hooded robe.
"Are you quite all right? You are not a fish, but you tried breathing like one," continued the melodic voice.
Gaster gestured weakly to assure them. His breathing was starting to come back under his control, but his trembling hadn't ceased. He couldn't quite calm down. He didn't trust his voice at the moment. Gaster suspected that if he tried to speak, his words would be incomprehensible.
"Can you not talk? Or perhaps you speak with your hands instead?" The figure shrugged and said, "Regardless, your time on the water is coming to an end. We have arrived."
Before Gaster could ask what they meant, the boat came to a stop by the shore. He should get off the boat. Gaster knew he should climb up, get to shore, and look for the others. But his body felt like it weighed a ton and he couldn't seem to find the strength to try. His eye-lights were dim to the point of nearly being extinguished. Nearly drowning was clearly draining.
He needed to avoid falling like that in the future. It wasn't fun.
"Dr. Gaster?" called a more familiar voice, surprised and worried.
Even turning his head towards the shore felt exhausting. But it didn't take long to spot the source of the deep voice. Moving swiftly without any issues from his heavy armor and trailing cloak, the King of the Monsters reached the boat in no time. Gaster vaguely remembered that King Asgore was supposed to be visiting the developing settlement and encouraging the monsters there. And he might even intend to name the forming community. But Gaster really couldn't summon up the energy to think about it anymore. His mind felt muffled and stuffed.
"Dr. Gaster, are you all right? What happened to you?" asked King Asgore.
The amount of pity and concern in his expression was impossible to miss. Gaster couldn't even imagine what he looked like at that moment. His sweater soaked with water that was quickly starting to freeze, a limp and drenched lab coat clinging to his form, and barely able to push his head off the deck, Gaster suspected he appeared half-dead. And his trembling, though slowly easing, couldn't be reassuring to King Asgore.
"A high fall into the river left him shaken, but his fish impersonation included being fished out as well," said the hooded stranger.
"I'm… I'm fine," Gaster tried to assure the pair, but quickly realized his accent was too strong for them to understand.
Reaching over the skeleton's shoulder, King Asgore met his eye-lights worriedly. When they first met, Gaster would have been shocked and uncomfortable with the idea of royalty hovering over him like this and treating him so casually. But by now, Gaster knew that King Asgore didn't care of pomp, circumstance, and social standing overly much and would ignore it most of the time. So Gaster was not embarrassed that the King of the Monsters was fussing over him. It was simply that he didn't want to be in this situation and worrying someone.
As King Asgore finished his brief and concerned onceover of the skeleton, he quickly came to a conclusion and pulled off his cloak. He didn't give Gaster a chance to argue before wrapping the fabric around the soaked skeleton. Then he carefully helped Gaster to his feet, supporting his weight until he grew steady.
"Thank you for saving my Royal Scientist," said King Asgore gently. "I am afraid you don't look familiar to me. Have we met before?"
"Our paths have not crossed, though I would be a fool not to recognize the king under the mountain. Tra la la," the stranger said. "I am the Riverman. Or am I the Riverwoman? Well, it doesn't really matter."
"Gaster, you're alive!" shouted Trixie, running into view with the rest of the group and a few monsters from construction in tow.
For the next several moments, Gaster felt trapped as the small crowd questioned and reassured the skeleton in equal measure. Wrapped in the robe like it was a blanket, Gaster didn't want to be the center of all those worried and concerned monsters. He could breathe easily and the trembling had eased to the occasional shudder rather than constant. But he felt exhausted and his joints ached, ice forming there from his dunk in the river. He didn't want to deal with all these people. He just wanted to crawl off and sleep in his own bed for a while.
Gaster managed a small wave, trying to calm everyone down. Trixie and Erik were crowding him a little. And Great Wolf was sniffing him over. Needless to say, his attempts to reassure them weren't working.
"What lovely armor the king wears," the Riverperson said. "It reminds me of the Delta Rune. Do you know the meaning behind the symbol?"
"The Delta Rune?" asked King Asgore, blinking in surprise at the abrupt change in topic. "Well, no. We forgot its origin long ago. Long before even my father was born."
"Then none of you've heard of the prophecy? Tra la la. What a wonderful chance to see if you can listen and remember. Because many things and people are forgotten when they should be recalled," the Riverperson said in their musical voice. "You know of how the rune depicts the monsters with an angel above? The prophecy states an angel who has seen the Surface will descend from above and bring us freedom. And then the Underground will go empty."
That sparked off a lot of whispers that were no longer about Gaster's fall off a cliff. Any hint about the idea of monsterkind returning to the Surface was bound to hold their interest. All of them needed hope. And even a slim hope was worth clinging to. Hope, no matter the shape or form, was something that helped keep all monsters going.
But Gaster mostly appreciated no longer being the focus.
"So many wonderful things to discover if you spend enough time drifting along the current. And I've been here long enough to see those wonders," the Riverperson continued. "Like how the river flows all the way to the caverns filled with magma. Tra la la."
Gaster stared at the robed figure. All his plans to search and explore the Underground for an alternate path to the magma chamber and the Riverperson simply delivered the information casually. He didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. He nearly drowned at the very beginning of the search for answers that a monster sailing the river possessed.
…When did someone build a boat, let alone start traveling the river? How long had the Riverperson been there?
He couldn't wonder about it for long though. Gaster's eye-sockets felt as heavy as his limbs and he was struggling to keep them open. A good night's sleep should help banish the lingering effects of his fall into the river. And he really wanted to rest.
Apparently noticing his lagging strength, Trixie hurried over and took his hand.
"I think you might need to postpone our exploration for another day," she said. "Let's get you home, dried off properly, and let you warm up."
That plan sounded wonderful at the moment. Gaster gave a short nod. Then, remembering the borrowed cloak, he started to pull it off to return it.
"No, my friend," said King Asgore, stopping him. "Hold on to it for now. You may return it tomorrow."
He gave another short nod and let himself be led away. He didn't even try to ask what King Asgore decided to name the forming settlement.
Yes, skeletons in "Undertale" apparently need to breathe even though they clearly don't have lungs. Sans is clearly trying to catch his breath during the fight in the genocide run. Meanwhile, I had a surprisingly hard time trying to find a definitive answer for whether or not a skeleton would sink or float. Old bones versus fresh bones, salt water versus fresh water, a single bone versus an actual skeleton… Yeah, there's a lot of variables and very few clear answers. But it sounds like a human-shaped skeleton in fresh water would not have the greatest buoyancy ever.
Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story. And remember, feedback is always appreciated.