Unmei Force Shattered Heroes: Dawn of Despair
Chapter 1: A Fallen Dawn
The group immediately found themselves in a familiar snowy area, filled with forests on both sides of the straight path ahead of them, although the sky seemed to be dark red, and the atmosphere was much more tense.
"We're here." FS!Richard declared, before depositing Sans. "We've arrived."
"Huh… this is Snowdin?" Sans remarked. "...Call me forgetful, but I don't recall Snowdin having such a dark sky… and being all the more… grimmer."
"That's alternate worlds for you." Draco remarked. "From the feelings in the air…I'd say we're somewhere in between the Magic and Darkness Universes."
"Or more precisely, this is the world of Underfell." Kaguya explained. "It's a world similar to your own, but the world is far more grim, more pessimistic. Monsters are no longer cute and bubbly, but far more jaded after what had happened to them. Even Asgore's a real tyrant in this timeline."
"...Ouch, hate to imagine that." Sans grimaced, hating the thought of someone like Asgore being truly ruthless.
"Believe me, I had my own taste of tyranny before." Randall stated. "...It did not work out well for me."
"And how did things go from there?" Gus asked.
"...My brother beat some sense into me, I crawled away to survive, met a few people who turned my life around, challenged my brother once again, this time as a proper ruler, and lost fair and square, and became his military general." Randall remarked. "...My only regret in that life is that I let my pride tear my family apart."
"Despite the atmosphere… I sense a feeling of peace." FS!Richard remarked. "...Yes, this is a Pacifist Timeline. Not True Pacifist, but close enough to it."
Meiling suddenly began to feel an ominous presence, as the group noticed her concern.
"Is there something wrong, Meiling?" Kaguya asked her.
"...I sense a truly negative presence." Meiling remarked. "As if all of the world's hatred, despair, envy and misery was gathered in one place. I have good reason to believe that this is Cross's new-found ally."
"Only one thing for it then." Sawyer said, tipping his hat down and pulling out two six shooters, spinning them a bit. "Let's run 'em down, partners."
The entire group began to walk down the passage, as they began to notice that there was the trail of a red slash-line along the ground, as branches of red light began to splinter off, pulsating gently.
"If we needed a sign that we're on the right track… this is definitely it." Suika quipped.
"Yo! Where do you think you're goin' Sans!?" A rough voice exclaimed, as the group turned around to see that the Underfell version of Monster Kid was before them, with a similarly dressed mouse monster, the latter who was speaking.
"Uuh…" Sans blurted out.
"Why are you wearing those weird clothes? And who's this group?" The mouse monster exclaimed. "There's no time for that!"
"I don't think it's any of your business, is it?" Veyle spoke out, turning to the duo, as Rimuru suddenly did the same, flashing the duo a scary look.
"Buzz off." Rimuru stated in a tone that struck fear into the duo.
"What the shit…!? Where do you find these guys!?" Monster Kid exclaimed, as he was actually scared of the two. "Screw it, we don't have time for this! Snowdin's going down!"
The duo immediately ran off, leaving the group alone.
'That's odd… Most monsters wouldn't even give thought to outsiders…' Siege thought, looking to Rimuru and Veyle. 'Okay, Color-Verse… What do you have in store for two of my most valued allies…?'
"Well, guess we have an answer now." FS!Richard remarked.
"Huh, quite unpleasant to talk with." Sans remarked. "I don't think that they would be fun in a party-"
Sans then glitched again, as he winced slightly, although he was still conscious.
"Wow…. did that just happen again?" Sans stated.
"Yeah. The sooner we find your soul, the better… I just wish others of us had SOUL magic…" Siege remarked with folded arms as Rimuru raised an eyebrow, adopting a thinking stance before looking at Veyle.
"Mind if I teach you something to help you out? Could be useful to you." Rimuru stated.
"Uhh, sure, Mr. Tempest." Veyle nodded.
"We'll be along. Send a signal our way if you run into Cross, yeah?" Rimuru asked before he and Veyle stepped aside for some special training.
"You better teach fast." FS!Richard remarked, seeing that a battle was going on ahead of them. "...We don't have much time."
The group then rushed to the source of the battle, as they saw that Cross was fighting against Underfell's Sans, as they were fairly even for the time being.
"Look, pal. My boss is busy helping the human. When they come back and see all this mess, I'll be in trouble." Fell Sans remarked. 'So, please… you gotta leave."
"Ha… Ha… are you begging me for mercy?" Cross chuckled. "You're not as rude as you seem-"
Suddenly, Fell threw a jagged bone right through Cross's chest, causing Sans to do the same with a grunt of pain.
"Ugh…" Sans groaned.
"Sans! Are you alright!?" Gus exclaimed with horror.
"...I'm not bleeding, although that bone really must have went deep, to be this painful…" Sans winced. "...What is wrong with me… Why am I feeling this pain?"
"Get… dunked on! HAHAHAHA!" Fell cackled. "You're so stupid… Here, it's still 'Kill or be KILLED'! As long as the human doesn't find out… Anyone can kill anytime! You look like me and I don't wanna know where you came from, but, man, you're so pathetic! You made a mistake coming here and bothering me. Just go dust yourself."
Cross growled, before pulling out the jagged bone, as it was drenched with purple blood, shocking Fell, as the bone hit the snowy ground with a gentle thud.
"Wh-What!?" Fell exclaimed.
"Actually, we're hurting someone else right now… We're doing well. That's the rule of this world… ha… HAHAHAHA…" Cross remarked, before he then put a hand out. "THAT MEANS IT WILL BE FINE IF I KILL YOU!"
Cross then formed a ring of knives around his hand, before they merged into a massive cleaver in a burst of glitches, while taunting: "Where are the knives~?" Before then charging Fell, who dodged the attack, summoning a storm of jagged bones that were cut apart.
Fell then summoned a Gaster Blaster, only for it to be cleanly cut in two.
"People like you will never deserve a happy ending!" Cross growled, as he went for Fell, raising a hand to lock his SOUL in place, freezing him, as a red cross mark appeared on the ground.
"Wh-What the hell are you!?" Fell growled.
"I am… THE X-EVENT." Cross declared, as he raised his cleaver to kill Fell Sans.
"Tch… we gotta step in!" Siege exclaimed.
"Let us. We'll handle it." The familiar voice of Rimuru called out as he, and Veyle, who was now holding a dark magical orb, rather, it was suspended midair over her hand with magic, approached, both looking determined as they walked to the fight. "Obliterate."
Rimuru spoke one word as a hellfire beam hit Cross's blade.
"Obscurite!" Veyle exclaimed, before she fired the dark-fire spell right into Cross, sending him flying back.
"So… you come back again." Cross remarked, getting up on his feet. "I'm surprised that an old friend is not amongst you all."
"Cut the crap." Kaguya growled, as the group walked forward to prepare for battle. "You think that you'll make a universe from the shards of an old one?"
"That's rich, considering that you have nothing to do with all of this." Cross remarked, before a deranged grin crossed his face. "C'mon, let's celebrate my world's rebirth!"
"Not a chance in hell." Rimuru snarled, readying his sword. "I'll take Cross."
"I'll handle the other if he forces him to fight." Veyle nodded.
"Don't forget us." FS!Richard declared. "Those who are not directly engaging in battle, shield the residents. It doesn't matter if they're grateful or not, just do it."
"Understood." Utsuna nodded.
"Very well." Galahad answered back, as most of the group surrounded the area, as they moved to protect any hidden residents.
"You must be confident if you're having most of your friends stay out of battle." Cross sneered. "But I suppose that this is a fairer fight, because I think that this Sans will be… useful."
Cross then plunged his cleaver right through Fell's chest, as he convulsed rapidly, before the same white-cross formed over his eyes, and a red cross also appeared on his chest, and over his own Soul. He then snapped his fingers, as a trio of figures joined the fray, one being a blonde-haired woman dressed like a tried-and-true scavenger, complete with rugged gear, as there was a glowing purple crowbar in her hands, while the second was a familiar Jawa to Draco's group, with blasters hidden in his brown robes, and the third was a anthropomorphic fly with a bulky body.
"...Well, darn it all." Sawyer Star cursed. "Sonova gun…makin' a man showdown his own deputies…you'll swing for this, boy!"
"Marty…" Draco cursed, noticing the anthropomorphic fly.
"'Hmph, so it's going to be 5 on 5 then. I say that you're not so confident in your skills." Rimuru scoffed, eyeing as certain members of the groups prepared for battle, involving Suika, Sawyer and Meiling. "What's the matter, Cross? So scared by a Demon Lord and a Fell Dragon you had to call in help?" Rimuru quipped.
"Oh please, you don't know how to provoke me even if you tried." Cross scoffed. "I merely intend to put you out of my way for good, no matter the means."
"You'll find that harder than you think." Veyle retorted back, as the group immediately roared into action against each other, each taking a foe for themselves.
Fell started it off with a bone rush mainly targeting both Rimuru and Veyle, who both dodged greatly, before Fell was immediately ordered to jump on Gaster Blasters, causing both Veyle and Rimuru to hide smirks, just as the Gaster Blasters fired.
"...You gotta be kidding, there's no way their plan is-!" Siege exclaimed.
"SWALLOW IT! JỌTUNN!" Veyle yelled, as the dark magical orb erupted into a swallowing vortex.
"DEVOUR ALL! BEELZEBUB!" Rimuru yelled, as Beelzebub did its work alongside Jọtunn.
The two abilities immediately absorbed the Gaster Blasters' lasers, as it also empowered them slightly.
"Hm, I never thought that this would be useful…" Veyle remarked.
"Now for the real show to begin." Rimuru smirked, feeling a power boost unlike any other as he smirked, looking at Veyle as they nodded.
"Then swallow this!" Cross growled, before lengthening his blade, and then slashing at the two of them, causing them to leap over the attack.
However, just as Cross was about to charge again… the area turned black and his soul was suspended… but it wasn't from any of the Sans.
"What!?" Cross exclaimed. "How did you manage to…!?"
"Think about it, dimwit. We just absorbed an attack from a construct, made by someone who has the ability to do exactly what we're doing now. Suspending the both of you. Put two and two together for one second." Rimuru smirked widely as Siege's eyes widened.
"Unbelievable… are there no limits to his dark absorption magic!?" Siege exclaimed.
"That's Rimuru to you." FS!Richard laughed. "...I wonder if Rimuru learned some sort of skill transfer, to be able to teach her a similar skill."
"Now then… How do you say it? Oh… oh yes." Rimuru smirked as he and Veyle closed their eyes momentarily.
"You're going to have a BAD time."
Rimuru and Veyle spoke in unison. Upon opening their eyes, Rimuru's left eye flared golden, while Veyle's right eye flared red. Using their new powers, they threw both Fell and Cross far back before Dark Magic was shot to them intensely, the Soul Magic allowing even Veyle the use of any dark magical motes without using spells, as they incessantly pelted the duo with magic. As they got up, they were soon greeted with another fearful sight: Gaster Blasters with Rimuru's resembling the wolf head of Ranga, and Veyle's representing a dragon.
"Oh, we have these too now. Thanks." Rimuru laughed before the duo fired, the Gaster Blasters firing black beams to signify dark magic, while Veyle gathered purple energy to their maws.
"Raarrgh!" Cross growled, before Fell then immediately began to summon an armada of Gaster Blasters, firing them all at once, as a massive beam struggle resulted, as the two forces of beams clashed against each other, kicking up a massive cloud of steam that covered their vision.
Cross then was about to hit the group from behind, only for several pillars of darkness to rise and impede him, as Rimuru turned around and smacked Cross with a punch to the face, sending him flying, while Veyle rushed towards Fell.
"No hard feelings, but you need to be knocked down." Veyle apologized before taking Fell down with a point blank Fenrir blast, as Rimuru suspended Cross again with his newly acquired SOUL Magic, as he flexed his fingers.
"Gotta hand it to you, this stuff REALLY pays the bills. I wish I had this way before now, could have taken out a lot of my enemies using this trick." Rimuru chuckled confidently, before looking down at Cross. "Now. I believe you have a SOUL half that doesn't belong to you."
"I won't allow you!" Cross growled, as he was about to summon some knives.
"You know… Absorbing your powers for a moment, also gave me a peek into your SOUL." Rimuru remarked. "Let me ask you a question, before we get unpleasant. Are you truly… Happy? Going this route? Does this bring you any satisfaction?" Rimuru asked, emphasis being on that final word.
"Satisfaction? As if you understand what happened to me!" Cross growled, as his voice shifted slightly to resemble the child.
"Wanna have a peek?" Rimuru asked as if to challenge, before snapping his fingers, whisking them momentarily to a memory space, showing his life up until Tempest was under attack. "I used to have it all. A town of civilians under my care. A family I loved, a life I was proud of… until one fateful day. I was beaten down. Just like Error beat you down… and when I got back… well… haha…"
The memory showed the aftermath of what was once a beautiful city, reduced to ashes and dead corpses upon Rimuru's return. "Doesn't look very… satisfactory. Does it?"
Cross was silent, as Rimuru stared beside Cross, noticing the ghost-like figure beside him, that was the same child that attacked them earlier.
"You understand that, don't you?" Rimuru remarked. "You once had the same thing as I did. And don't lie to me. A good family, a nice world, and a brother who loved you with all of your heart…. But here's something similar… we're both burned by someone else."
Cross then saw that there was a towering figure over Rimuru, as it was a woman with a sadistic smile, as the energies of hell emitted from her, while a familiar figure of a creator towered over Cross, with half of his face turned into goop.
"You see, someone told me that the price for me to get my world back was to kill a certain few heroes." Rimuru remarked. "However, after we were done, I was beaten soundly, and they helped me back to where I was. I cut myself free… but do you think you're as free as you are?"
"What…?" Cross remarked.
"Once a captive to your sins. Your mistakes. Your pain… There's no escape. No matter how far you run, or how much you try to accomplish to change it." Rimuru stated. "There's no resetting anything…."
"There's no bringing the people you love back."
Those words resounded heavily with Cross, those words being the same in meaning when Ink revealed he couldn't do it either.
"So you can either keep running this path. Stealing from everyone else, just to give yourself temporary happiness, never satisfaction…" Rimuru began, before he then knelt to Cross' level.
"Or you can live with someone who can at least sympathize with your struggles, and we work through them together."
Just before Cross could give an answer, Rimuru got impaled from behind by a tentacle of sorts, as his eyes widened, the memoryscape fading as his grip on Cross was nonexistent.
"RIMURU!" Veyle yelled in concern.
"Ghrk…. The… the hell…!?" Rimuru asked in shock.
"You absolute moron. You just had to get yourself in a situation where you had no way out of." An echoing voice resounded, as a Sans made out of pure dark ichor appeared, being the one who impaled Rimuru.
"Off him!" FS!Richard growled, before charging a Rexaura that hit the Sans hard, causing his form to be scattered apart for a moment, as the tentacle dissipated off Rimuru, causing him to fall down.
"Agh, thanks. Repair Instant." Rimuru declared, his wounds healing as he got back to his feet.
"What… was that?" Alear remarked.
"Nightmare Sans…" Kaguya grimaced. "Of all of the people Cross chose to ally with."
"Well, guess I'm popular these days." Nightmare remarked, before reforming himself. "I don't know what you did, but that actually hurt."
"And you're about to get slammed into a stupor if you try anything more." FS!Richard growled, as Siege pulled out Breaker of the Dark.
"I wonder… what would a being of negativity do, if I brought this thing down on you." Siege threatened, as he flicked his axe slightly, a spark of light shooting at Nightmare to prove the point. "Would you like to test that theory?"
"Get out of here, Cross! While Nightmare has them busy!" The ghost beside Cross exclaimed.
"...I can't believe everything that's happening." Cross admitted. "I… I don't know what to think."
"Stop thinking, and get moving!" The ghost screamed. "We have to go now, we already have the core code of this place!"
Cross closed his eyes, before he then warped out, leaving the group alone with Nightmare, while the other fights were still in progress.
"What is your game here, Nightmare…" Gus declared, pulling out his broad-sword, Etherflame. "...You're using Cross for something."
"Just the standard fare of becoming stronger from the negativity to bring. But some of us… oh wow, you really give me quite the buffet already with your inner turmoil." Nightmare chuckled evilly. "But Cross is important to me, and I need him for something greater."
"God if I had a nickel for every time this month alone I heard about my goddamn inner demons…" Siege scoffed.
"Now, since you can't kill me without that worthless brother of mine, I'll just be taking my leave." Nightmare remarked. "And besides, even if he kills me… I will always come back so long as people like you exist."
"Brother, hm?" Siege remarked. "We'll keep that in mind, dimwit."
Nightmare merely grinned, before he then melted into his own puddle, as it immediately disappeared.
"What's the status of the others?" Gus asked the group.
"Well…" Randall remarked, as he saw that Suika was still fighting the woman, while Meiling was clashing with Marty, and Sawyer was keeping his Jawa friend busy.
"Come on, Jaw, you gotta snap out of it!" Sawyer Star exclaimed, as he evaded a burst of blaster-fire from Jaw. "That varmint is tearing us all apart!"
Jaw didn't seem to care, as he immediately went for a wide-range blaster cannon, firing a massive spread of blaster bolts that scattered through the area, as several members blocked or deflected the fire, while Sawyer bent backwards to dodge the attack.
"Wait, Cross is gone, so shouldn't his influence on them be weakened?" Alear asked.
"I doubt it's that simple." FS!Richard declared. "Cross expected this to happen. It's a common weakness that thralls become weaker if their master is not present… and Cross must know that well."
"And he is forcing me to use a lot of strength…!" Meiling growled, as she was in her Quintessence Form, as the fly-man had become enraged from the fighting, as their fighting was shaking the entire area.
"Should we step in and help?" Veyle as FS!Richard, regarding her and Rimuru.
"No need, they have this handled." FS!Richard declared, as Suika used her own head to parry the crow-bar in the woman's hand, before shifting her head to knock it out of her hands.
"EAT THIS!" Suika remarked, before leaping up and grabbing the woman by the shoulder, and then head-butting her rapidly at a break-neck pace, until both of their fore-heads were bleeding from the constant abuse, as her opponent finally toppled over, defeated.
Meiling and the fly-man were locked into a struggle against each other, with both hands pushing against each other, as Meiling gathered all of her strength to force him back inch by inch, until eventually dragging him off the ground.
"HRAH!" Meiling declared, before using a back-throw to toss the fly-man over, before she then immediately drew a spell-card. "Declare Spell Card: Attack Sign "Griffon Crusher Fist"!"
As the fly-man was about to get up, Meiling hit him with a massive uppercut that sent the fly-man flying up, before he then crashed down head-first into the snow, as he stopped moving for a moment, while Galahad walked over, and dragged him out before he could freeze his head off, as he was unconscious.
Meanwhile, Sawyer and Jaw were still shooting at each other, as the sheriff sighed.
"Ain't gettin' nowhere with these…" Sawyer said, holstering his six shooters and drawing a malevolent looking gun in their place. "Guess we're testin' the Pain Ray sooner than we thought…"
Sawyer and Jaw stood apart from each other, neither moving…until they each raised their gun. The cowboy proved faster, firing a red beam at the Jawa, causing it to fall to the snow, writhing in utter agony.
"Sorry, Jaw… Hopefully, y'all will thank me for this later…" Sawyer sighed.
As soon as Cross's minions were defeated and rescued, the group immediately examined their surroundings, to notice that Snowdin was completely gone.
"...Well, seems that Cross did something here." Kaguya remarked.
"That ghost of his said that he stole some sort of 'core code'." Veyle remarked.
"Wait, so you can both see the other soul that Cross is carrying with him?" Gus asked, as Rimuru and Veyle nodded.
"Well, at least that's one more step towards what's going on…" FS!Richard sighed. "...Say, how long should these three wake up in, Draco?"
"Marty is a tough one, so he should be up in a matter of seconds-" Draco explained.
"Argh… Ow ow ow…" The fly-man remarked, as he rose back up, nursing his head. "...What kind of fight did we juzt end up in?"
"We saved you. Sawyer managed to beat Jaw back to sense, and Scrapper was done in by the oni girl." Draco told Marty.
"And who fought me?" Marty asked, before Meiling gently coughed, getting his attention. "Oh. I'm zorry if I might have-"
"It's fine. You weren't that dangerous to me." Meiling declared. "...But you are extremely strong. I had to tap into some external strength to get that win over you. I should be sorry for beating you so hard as I did, but you needed to be released from your control."
"Well, you're forgiven." Marty smiled back. "I never waz one to hold a grudge, ezpecially towards a zavior of mine."
"You have a kind heart." Meiling smiled back.
"Wow…" The woman remarked, before she then rose up. "I got a real killer headache… Can someone tell me what just happened to me…?"
"That would be me." Suika stated. "Before you say anything, you were a decent gal, and I meant nothing bad for what I did. But you were really trying to bash my brains out with that trusty crowbar of yours… you were like a demon possessed."
"Well, let it be said that you should never encounter a creep with skin as white as snow." The woman growled, before noticing her fellow comrades. "Draco? Senshi? Sawyer? What are you doing here?"
"We got saved by them. Turns out Cross, our collective kidnapper, has been taking a good number of us to use as his servants, to prevent people from interfering in his plans." Senshi explained. "Scrapper, you fine?"
"Yeah, barring that headache." Scrapper winced.
"...To be frank, this here doesn't seem like Cross' fault anymore. Not entirely." Rimuru stated.
"Well, something smells off with this." Sawyer agreed. "With that varmint you call Nightmare running about, using Cross, I have a feeling that we got more people who have their fingers in this pie of conflict."
"Not just Nightmare. Remember Error, the one mentioned at the start? He's the entire reason this began. DETERMINATION is… a very, very, unstable emotion to have, especially in Cross' position. So without his SOUL, he has nothing to work off, except for that very emotion." Rimuru explained.
"What else did you see, Rimuru, when you had a heart-to-heart with him?" FS!Richard asked Rimuru.
"...Regret." Rimuru stated bluntly. "The same regret I feel for not saving a single one of my friends that died. And not only that, he feels a burning sense of guilt that might be acting as a secondary source pushing him forward… and it's revolving around the other you."
FS!Richard could only remain silent, as he tried to process what that feeling could possibly mean. However, they would be surprised by a certain Jawa crying out loud.
"FUCK!" the voice said, the group jumping in shock at the outburst as Jaw shot up into a sitting position. "Hkeek nkulla, which one of you fuckers shot me?! I swear to god, I will air out this whole god-damned void if I don't get an answer in five seconds!" he ranted.
"Ah…That would be me, Jaw." Sawyer said.
"…Oh. Never mind then." Jaw said calmly, standing up and dusting himself off. "Shot me with the Pain Ray?"
"Yep."
"Sweet! It works!" Jaw said, turning to the others present. "Imagine all of your body's nerves firing off pain signals, full blast, at once. Worst pain ever, and it's nonlethal. Let's see those Space Marine fuckers claim superiority now! Ha!"
"Space Marines…?" FS!Richard remarked, with narrowed eyes. "...What kind?"
"The asshole kind." Jaw stated simply. "Anyway…the hell are we? This isn't the same world we were in."
"You can't remember?" Draco asked back, as Richard turned away, before clutching his head and muttering 'This just keeps on getting more and more fun…'. "No white figure jumbling your head?"
"Oh, that fucktard? Yeah, I remember him, think I tried to shoot him…didn't work." Jaw said. "He said something about us being his bodyguards while he went around looking for whatever the fuck he's looking for. Some sort of code or something."
"Richard? What's wrong?" Gus asked FS!Richard.
"I think I have an educated guess about what kind of Space-marines that Jaw mentioned…" Kaguya remarked, before sighing. "Oh boy, our Richard is going to blow his head off when he realizes that the Imperium is making house calls."
"And that coincides with what we heard." Rimuru answered back. "So… he's acquiring core-codes from certain universes to bring back his world… But why do I feel like that is not all of it?"
"Ugghh…" Fell remarked, as he got up, and looked around and saw that there was no Snowdin to be found. "Where the FUCK is Snowdin!?"
Fell then locked eyes with the leaders of the group, before stomping over, as Sans walked up.
"YOU! Were you all responsible too for whatever the hell just happened!?" Fell growled. "This entire disaster… DAMN!"
"No, we're not. We tried to stop it, and failed." Gus stated. "...We're sorry that this happened, but there were no deaths."
"SNOWDIN HAS BEEN DESTROYED!" Fell screamed, before grabbing Gus by the collar. "YOU MUST HAVE CAUSED THIS, DIDN'T YA!? YOU'LL HAVE TO EXPLAIN-"
Sans immediately interrupted, as he threw one of his slippers at Fell, causing him to pause.
"Hey, I'm gonna stomp ya with my special attack if you don't shut your mouth, dude." Sans remarked.
"You think this is some sort of joke!?" Fell growled, before jabbing a finger on Sans's chest. "CUZ YOU LOOK LIKE ME BUT WAY MORE STUPID!"
"Well…" Sans remarked, before his eyes turned hollow. "Do you want to hear a better joke?"
"Stop! This isn't the place to be arguing!" Heiwa shouted, getting between the both of them.
"Who's this runt?" Fell remarked.
"One of the people who I'm crashing along with. What? You have problems with fluffy-eared girls?" Sans remarked.
"Don't you dare-" Fell growled, before Rimuru locked his SOUL in place.
"Now, if anyone should be mad at this development, it should be me." Rimuru stated. "But I decided that there is enough violence as it is. And part of that is because you fed me well."
"Rgghh…" Fell growled, as he calmed down after taking a few breaths.
"Kay…don't know much about what's happening here, but I think I got the gist." Jaw said. "We're gonna find the dickheads who caused this place to end up like this, shoot 'em dead, and put everything back to normal. Am I right, or am I right?"
"…Well, the shoot 'em dead part might've been called into question…" Sawyer said, noting what Rimuru said earlier. "But the rest is right on the money."
"Right." Jaw said. "I'll need to make something that can hurt that Shadow Sans palette swap motherfucker. He seems like the biggest threat at the moment. Any of you guys have Light magic, I'm going to need your mana. And no, I will not be accepting it the Fate way, fuck that shit."
"Well, aren't you a real bundle of joy?" FS!Richard chuckled slightly. "Don't worry, I ain't touching that stuff with a ten-foot pole. Tridor and I have good enough magic for whatever you have planned… but I suggest that you use Tridor. He's more light-oriented than me… and I prefer to have full tanks of mana in case of unexpected emergencies."
"Tridor! Come over." Randall ordered, as the white-clad magician walked over.
"You called, my lord?" Tridor asked.
"Assist this man." Randall ordered, pointing at Jaw. "Whatever means he is going to us, he needs your magic to create a weapon to deal with Nightmare."
"Very well. How do you wish me to provide my magic?" Tridor asked,
"Hmm…" Jaw hummed as he dug through his pocket, before pulling out a needle. "Here, stab yourself with this needle. Your blood will work."
"Are there any side-effects that I should be aware of?" Tridor questioned. "Just for safety's concern."
"Uh…" Jaw trailed off, before he threw the needle away, then pulled out a small beaker. "Here, spit into this. Your spit will work."
"Hey, wasn't that the same needle you used when you were working on that hallucination laser…?" Scrap started to ask.
"I'm sorry, WHAT." Siege remarked, as his face grew dark. "What was in that needle that you forgot to clean off?"
"…You're in better legal shape if you don't know." Jaw stated, before he shoved the beaker into Tridor's hands. "It's either spit or the third body fluid. Your choice, pal."
"I suppose that this would be a suitable alternative." Tridor remarked, before rinsing his mouth, and spitting a simple glob of his saliva into the beaker, while Fell looked at the process with an unsettled expression, before Veyle spun him around.
"Taa baa, my guy." Jaw said, taking the beaker back. "Alright, better get to work." he said, hunching down as he pulled out a blaster and started tinkering with it.
"...I have many questions. I fear explanations might lead to more questions." Alear remarked.
"This man is clearly insane." Randall remarked, regarding Jaw.
"That makes… probably all of us here." Ezroa hummed.
"Yeah, but there's always people like that." Suika remarked. "Why fret over it? If it works, it works. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss."
"'If it works, it works,' is a very dangerous theology to live by." Siege stated darkly, the area growing a bit chilly. "After all, it works for now… but what about later? What if it works in the long term but problems now will cease any and all fruition? That's not how ANYONE should risk their lives for that stupid theology."
"Woah… that's a real strong point you put there." Suika remarked, as she was actually taken aback by Siege's sudden aggression. "Look, sorry if that puts you off. Maybe I could stand to learn a few things. I mean, I literally had centuries of life trying to maintain a following, and learning some things from them."
"Just… don't say dangerous things like that carelessly." FS!Richard sighed. "...Some of us actually have fucked around and found out… and boy, it's not a pleasant thing at all."
"Oh." Suika remarked, as she deflated.
"...Siege, Richard, I would like to ask you a question." Kaguya said. "...I don't know if you'll answer or not, but if you think that you can answer it… please tell me that answer."
"Depends on the question." Siege stated, his tone leveling off for now.
"After what you have seen about him… what do you truly think of our Richard?" Kaguya asked back. "...Do you think that all of this… was an inevitable result of his own failings…?"
"That's…" FS!Richard remarked, before he then took a deep breath. "...I think that I should let Siege answer that first. And then I'll give my answer."
"Well, if your Richard is anything like mine, I will say his track record of needless sacrifice is definitely an issue." Siege stated, shooting a look at FS!Richard. "Example in point, this stupid ass did a self-sacrifice himself over a Gensokyo that wasn't even his, which led to me being in such a catatonic and broken state, I literally had my memories yanked from my brain and sent to a familiar world in hopes I died. What I'm getting at is this: Richard can sometimes be the most idiotic and self-centered person at times when it comes to his ideals, regardless of universe from my knowledge. It's a sad side effect of how he began, just like the Richard I know. But I won't put the entirety of this blame on him. The reason I say that is because this is a regular timeline of fucked up bullshit and other stuff that even Magina didn't want me tampering with back home. Hell, it feels wrong tampering with the natural order of things now… but we've always prided ourselves on making better endings. I'm not going to sit here and sling a bunch of flak on your Richard, not when he's in the state he's in. What I am going to say is that all actions have consequences. I cause things, my Richard causes things, and yours does too. That doesn't mean we can be fully to blame for things that happen after our actions take place." Siege finished explaining, before looking at FS!Richard. "Apologies if I was blunt there, but I'm not going to sit here and say those things about you as if I'm a perfect being. Hell, I'm far from it and I'll be the first to admit it. But, realistically, you were my only reference point."
"No. No, it's fine. You are right to use me as such." FS!Richard answered back, while the Unmei Force were left shocked at what they heard. "I think that there is one more point-"
"Wait, you sacrificed yourself for A Gensokyo." Reisen remarked. "...What do you mean by that?"
FS!Richard sighed, before turning to Kaguya. "Kaguya, does the name 'Brolli Diamondback' seem familiar to you?" He asked firmly.
"That name…" Kaguya remarked, before she then realised what happened. "...You… You actually were in that kind of plot…!? How the hell did you not manage to crack like he did!?"
"Long story short, I almost did." FS!Richard answered back, before turning to the group behind him. "But Siege snapped me out of my funk, and also, my own actions at least secured the trust of more residents that 'Colonel' Diamondback could have done in his callous actions. A pre-formed knowledge of most Gensokyo norms helped a hell lot more than you might think. Do you want to know why I made that sacrifice? It leads to my own personal point why my alternate self is a real fucking mess."
"And what's that?" Gus asked.
"He carries the weights of others on his back. Doesn't matter if you want it or not, he'll take your troubles, and he will solve them for you. He's basically got a 'savior's complex', and for those who do know their literary stereotypes, that means that he is compulsive towards saving certain people. Especially tragic figures." FS!Richard declared. "I'm the same, although I have got… a form of therapy on that. Tell me, Gus. How many times have you seen Richard trying to save people on his own whim?"
Gus thought back to everything that Richard had done, from the day that they saved Zeabolos and his Overlord family, to the very moment where Nier was saved, which ended up sending Richard to a place where he would meet his untimely demise.
"...Many times. Too many to count." Gus responded back.
"There you have it." FS!Richard declared, before crossing his arms. "Normally, a savior's complex isn't so serious. But then again, Richard's no ordinary person, is he? You forget that much like you were, Gus, he started his heroics as a mere human. A mere normie, to be more crass but more true. The only reason he got this far is because he had to rely on himself. From his first battle in Hyrule Fields, up until he reached Gensokyo, he was forced to lead. That was the start of his problems. He was forced into a role of leadership. He may act like that he was able to handle the burden, but he was already gently cracking at the seams…"
"And that is in part why he and my Richard are different. See, there's a very… Ill side effects to the savior complex…. Pretty soon, most of the selfless acts that are happening are turning into selfish acts. Why selfish? It feeds the complex. It feeds that desire. It feeds him to believe he's doing what's best for all… When in reality he's causing more and more stress upon his allies, than actually benefiting them." Siege stated. "That's what sets them apart. My Richard knows when it's too much. That's why we're co-leaders, to share our burdens."
"And then the despair incident happened…" Kaguya remarked, as she grimaced, thinking back to the very day that her Richard fell into such utter despair, that he almost destroyed Gensokyo in his own hatred and agony.
"Precisely." FS!Richard declared. "And that's where his fall started to happen. You have noticed the signs, haven't you? That incident aggravated his savior complex. The traumas of losing his friends and family over and over, with no end in sight hurt him beyond any therapy could give him. You could ask Satori to do therapy on him for years to come, and it wouldn't be able to fix everything that went wrong. I hate to say it, but he needed a cold slap to reality… and I believe this will be it. To be confronted by everything that is wrong about him, and start anew."
FS!Richard then took a pause, as he then shifted his hat.
"And so you understand. Your Richard is a young man who is so badly hurt that he wants you all to be safe. He has been corrupted by a desire to do whatever is necessary to protect all of you." FS!Richard declared. "...It could be said that he is a form of yandere in male form. Haijo-gata, or removal type to be more exact. Should he be pushed, he will destroy anything and anyone who would dare to threaten his people. Whether it be in the shadows, or be in outright daylight… He will reach a point where he will sadistically murder anyone who even tries to threaten you, because everything will push him forward. Because his desire to never see you all in pain and misery, will drive him mad."
"That's…" Gus remarked. "...That's why he tried to have me take a leadership role… to replace him. At some point… he reflected on himself, and realized this, and so set me up as the successor, so that should he lose his way… I could lead in his stead."
"But that means…" Kaguya remarked, before she then clenched her heart. "No… No! I can't allow that! Richard's not a monster! There has to be some way to stop him before he descends like that!"
"I told you already… his desires need to be crushed." FS!Richard declared. "It will hurt him a lot, and there is no telling how long it will take for him to recover from those emotional scars… but it's the only way we can give him resolution. Despite everything… his love for you all, and his willingness to stay good for your sake is his redeeming quality. The redeeming quality that is the thread of light in the hellscape he is trapped in. Our goal is to make sure that he takes that thread. Just like I have."
"How did you come through it then?" Kaguya asked FS!Richard. "You said that you had a savior's complex."
"And that's just it, that Gensokyo helped me to realize my mistakes." Richard answered back. "When it came to the end, I realized something: Sacrificing myself for the sake of saving others will not resolve the incident. No, had it not been for the fact that Siege's words made me realize something, I could have truly been sent to Hell, as I would have failed to change Gensokyo so that everyone can TRULY be safe. And the only way for me to do that, is to be selfish, to acknowledge my own self-worth as a target over my friends. I learned a lesson that day: Before you go loving and caring for others, you must love and value yourself first. Because what use is trying to save others, if you don't realize that you yourself will need to be saved by others, and that you matter to people more than enough that your death will hurt them permanently. A balance between self-worth or selfishness, and that of altruism and selflessness is the key of being able to find a way to see a way to help many people. I will still try to save people, yes, but I will not be so reckless that I would throw away everything that I have done for some base desire of sympathy and guilt. Sometimes, the right moment is never the first moment to act. Patience is a virtue, after all, and so is a wide perspective."
"That's…" Gus remarked. "...That's something wise to hear."
"I aim to please." FS!Richard smirked.
Sans was left shocked, hearing what the group was conversing, as he didn't know how to feel, before Popol walked over to comfort the skeleton.
"Hey, Sans… Don't worry about all of this." Popol said gently. "...No matter what happens, we'll get your whole SOUL back, and keep you safe."
"I guess Cross is not your only problem right now…" Sans remarked.
"...No. But you don't need to take our fight as your own. You're a victim of this." Popol assured Sans. "We made a promise to Frisk that you would be back in one piece."
"Yeah, and not in half of a piece." Rimuru suddenly quipped to lighten the mood slightly.
"Heh." Sans remarked.
While Jaw was about to finish his creation, FS!Richard sensed that there were a lot of Monsters coming.
"Well, I think we overstayed our welcome here." FS!Richard remarked, before quickly opening a sukima. "Yukari, now would be a good time to show us out of here. You found where the next part of the trail leads to?"
"Yes." Yukari answered back. "But you'll need to take a rest stop. Both because your Jawa friend is still working on his product, and that there has been movement from a certain third-party faction. We're getting close to him. Just keep up the good work… and do not let Nightmare impede our efforts. If you must… incapacitate him by all means necessary, so long as you do not outright destroy him."
"I understand." Gus responded back, before Yukari's sukima appeared. "Everyone in!"
"You don't need to say it twice!" Kaguya exclaimed, before most of the group rushed into the sukima, as Sans followed in, while Fell merely stood still, before Popol dragged him by the end of his hoodie.
"Hey, hey, hey, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Fell exclaimed.
"You should answer your phone real quick." Siege suddenly joked as the moment he said that, Fell's phone rang, as he groaned and rolled his eyes.
"'Sup." Fell remarked, after answering it.
"BROTHER." Fell Papyrus's voice growled from the other side.
"P-Papyrus! I-I mean, boss!" Fell awkwardly remarked, as his attitude went a total 180 from his abrasive nature, being fairly timid and scared. "H-Howzitgoing!? Snowdin is ok as always! Nothing strange or eventful has happened!"
"LOOK TO THE LEFT." Fell Papyrus declared, as Fell looked in the direction, seeing that there was a mouse holding a camera that seemed to be recording everything. "I SAW EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID… AND I'M NOT HAPPY."
"Aaahh… B-Boss, I can explain." Fell chuckled weakly.
"I WAS HAVING A NICE DAY WITH THE HUMAN, SO I'LL GIVE YOU A CHANCE. I'LL GIVE YOU TEN MINUTES TO HIDE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE… BECAUSE WHEN I FIND YOU…" Fell Papyrus growled, before Fell could hear the phone creak from the other side. "I'LL USE YOUR SKULL TO SERVE MY SPAGHETTI!"
Fell was frozen for a moment, before he hurled the phone as far as he could.
"Hey, kid, take me anywhere. Anywhere but here." Fell stated.
"Why, I would be happy to." Popol remarked, as there was a smug grin on his face, while Siege soon dropped an ethereal sword through the camera.
"No hard feelings, mousey, but I think you recorded enough." Siege smirked, before he then moved back into the sukima, which closed up before any Monsters could even get close to act at all.
As soon as the group were out on the other side, they found themselves in the Echo Flower Field in Waterfall, as they found that there was only a large field around them.
"...Yukari, is there any particular AU around here?" Kaguya asked.
"No. This is just a placeholder zone, so to speak." Yukari responded back. "You should be able to take a moment to rest and prepare. I doubt that things will be any easier from here, now that Nightmare is in play, and Cross is becoming less and less subtle in his actions."
"...The fact that the enemies from our world are radio silent during all this concerns me." Siege suddenly stated, folding his arms.
"If any developments occurred on your side, Siege… Magina will notify me on the first notice of a whiff of danger." Yukari remarked. "Those were her terms for lending you all to aid us."
Sans took a rest, sitting down, letting out a gentle sigh.
"Peaceful, ain't it?" Sans remarked for the group to hear. "Sure beats the chaos that was happening before… Hey, slime-guy. You not hurt too bad by whatever that goop version of me did?"
"I'm fine. As long as I live, I can instantly repair any damage dealt to me, not to mention heal it near instantly." Rimuru answered back, before his eyes widened. "Wait, how the HELL did you know I was a slime!? I haven't shown ANYONE my slime form!"
"Well… for a moment, I could swear that you were rippling for a moment to mitigate that damage…" Sans remarked off-handedly. "Likes a human-like Moldsmal or something. Did I… say something that I shouldn't pry into?"
"Ugh… No, I'm just more or less surprised by the fact you could notice that. I guess the secret's out so…" Rimuru remarked, deciding to conserve some energy by warping into his slime form, dropping right into someone's hands as a cute little blue slime ball, with horns on the top of his "head" to indicate his human form state.
"Woah! So cute!" Heiwa exclaimed with joy.
"Oh my gosh he iiiis!" Veyle squeed as she took Rimuru from Siege and began nuzzling him as Rimuru blushed.
"Just because I taught you doesn't mean you get to abuse my slime ball cuteness, kid!" Rimuru exclaimed.
"But I can't help it when you're this round and adorable!" Veyle remarked, before she then let go of Rimuru. "But you're right. That would be rude of me."
"Huff… thanks." Rimuru stated, immediately turning back human. "Okay, note to self… Never turn into a slime state around a bunch of girls with a weakness for cute stuff."
"Aw… but I'm really trying to be mature." Heiwa remarked, before turning around with a pout, as Popol comforted her with several head-pats.
"Don't worry about Heiwa. She's a energetic kid by heart." Suika told Rimuru. "She's trying to learn how to be a great hero like the rest of us."
"I get it, really, I do…. *sigh* She reminds me of Milim, truth be told… …Most of you guys remind me of my family, painful as it hurts to admit that…" Rimuru said softly as he clutched his heart, tears streaming from his eyes again. "...Ah…. it's been so long since I last cried… I guess I can finally shed tears again…"
"D-don't cry!" Veyle exclaimed as Rimuru chuckled.
"Don't worry about my tears… Whether in sadness or joy, they… Oddly, offer me some solace." Rimuru stated solemnly.
As the group decided to rest, they were met by a fairly surprising visitor, being a Frisk that was completely gray-scale, and having no eyes.
"...You…?" Kaguya remarked. "What are you doing here, CORE Frisk?"
"Siege Sukui and Richard Liu, both of you of the timelines under the tag-line 'Future Seekers'." CORE Frisk remarked. "...We must speak regarding important matters."
"Topic?" FS!Richard asked.
"The future." CORE Frisk remarked.
"...If you would excuse us." Siege remarked, before the two of them left with CORE Frisk, moving over to a patch of land, where there was no-one eavesdropping.
"What's the matter?" FS!Richard asked. "What about the future that you would like to ask of us?"
"...Do you truly intend to fight your alternate self when he breaks free?" CORE Frisk asked. "I… I merely wish to ask if you could do something for me… A small favor that I ask of both of you."
"Name it." Siege stated to CORE Frisk.
"If you wish to ensure that everything will resolve smoothly…" CORE Frisk remarked. "...You must not kill the X-Verse members."
"The X-Verse members…?" FS!Richard remarked. "...Are you saying that there are people who are like Cross existing around?"
"...All but three are the puppets of their creator." CORE Frisk remarked. "Two of them, you have met in the form of Cross, and his ghostly companion, whose true identity is X-Chara, as Ink might have told you before. The third… she is the one who came to me, risking her own self to try and convey this message. At first, I intended to give this message to Gus Campbell and Kaguya Houraisan… but the timeline has shifted in your presence."
"Is it for good?" FS!Richard asked. "Do you think that us being there will save as many people as we can without compromising certain future events?"
"I think I can say for certain, but it's not my place to say. But you of all should know. You are the product of the ruined timeline." CORE Frisk answered back. "The reincarnation fighting his original… in order to save him. Such an outcome… much like Chronos has seen futures change thanks to the actions of Jonah Ginova… I am now a witness to a similar phenomena. But in order to ensure events… once you arrive at Underswap… you must acquire back Sans's other half-SOUL. For that is the only way to ensure that the events proceed as Yukari Yakumo has planned for the true culprit to be revealed, and for Richard of this universe to be reawakened."
"We'll do it. But I must say… I despise X-Gaster. To my core. I will try my best to spare him… hard as it may be." Siege admitted.
"...That I am less certain of. He is a facade of what he once was." CORE Frisk sadly said with a shake of their head. "Bringing him what he had once lost… it is a near-impossible task. And I would not gamble on such a chance."
"Then we'll redeem him at least in his last moments." FS!Richard declared. "...After all, we have a tendency to make villains with reasonable motives see the light and their own wrongs."
"Randall and Galahad are both products of that." Siege stated, turning to the duo who were currently conversing amongst others, but neither were letting their guard down, as steadfast knights of Andaron should.
"Very well." CORE Frisk stated. "I shall ensure that Dream will be aware, so that you will have a safety net to your actions."
CORE Frisk then disappeared in a flash of gray pixels, leaving the two of them alone.
"X-Gaster…. Siege, I don't know if I can truly forgive him, even though he once was good." FS!Richard answered back. "...After all, he hurt my alternate self the most with his own actions, from what that vision told us. I only want to know how and why he would do such a thing… nothing could possibly justify hurting someone who wanted to save you and do everything right."
"That's the tragedy of it… sometimes… fate really deals you a shitty hand." Siege sighed. "Why do you think we work so hard to defy it? Call it out for stacking the deck, then smack it in the face with a Royal Flush out of nowhere. Because Fate is as cruel as it is right. But I refuse to allow fate to spin a story of constant tragedy. Sadly, that can't always be averted."
FS!Richard could give a sad smile in response, before they then met with the group.
"So… you seemed to have a long talk with whoever that copy of the child was." Draco remarked. "What was that about 'the future' you were discussing?"
"Something that is kept in wraps. You'll understand soon enough." FS!Richard told Draco.
"I don't like the sound of that." Gus remarked with concern.
"Trust me, believe in us to guide you all well." Siege answered back, before giving a disarming smile. "After all, we are doing all we can to resolve this as neatly as possible. So have some faith, alright?"
"We believe you, we do." Kaguya answered back. "...But I'm scared of what could possibly happen."
"It's alright to be afraid." Randall told Kaguya. "...The burden of the future tends to drive people mad."
The group were silent, before another sukima appeared before them.
"That's our cue." FS!Richard remarked, before turning to Draco's party. "Draco, is there anything that I should keep in mind about potential powerhouses among your ranks that we should take caution towards? You mentioned a Miles who you seem to be wary of."
"That would be Miles Upshur." Draco answered. "He used to be a journalist for the Universal Economic Journal, but after he went on a mission with Marty's team to this asylum, he left that job to join the Association."
"To be honezt, Milez izn't that big of a problem, barring the two gauntlets that have zeveral metodz of fire." Marty spoke up. "It'z hiz zon we're worried about."
"Son?"
"Wally, or the Walrider if you want the official term." Draco said. "He started out as a weapon made by the Dark Kingdom to fight and kill the Color Gods, but he ended up being adopted by Miles. He can…work his way into your head and mess with your brain. He can make you feel things you'd never feel otherwise, cause you to hallucinate, even drive you mad and make you sane again. The worst part, though, is that there's really no way to avoid it; Wally's made up of the darkest artifacts from across the universes, and the combined suffering of one hundred people who were tortured to death. All in all, not something I'm looking forward to having to go up against."
"Don't forget about Tab. He can make an entire army on the fly." Senshi mentioned.
After Draco and his team gave them the people to look out for, the group immediately stepped through the sukima, to go to the next world.