Thanks go to Zack Frost, TiredWhiteMayge, Wingah, DoctahSawbones, DefenseSquadOfDefenseSquad, 10burgers, MrChizzle, ZeroaraTheKnight, DuckLIT122000, Eternal, madmalitiangamer, Okami Endless, Prominent, Utfam202, Kdabo04, and Zoro.
To answer your question, Zoro, DeathTaLe is pretty certainly discontinued. I'm very glad you liked the story, and I do remember having fun when I was originally writing it, but it is unfortunately not my goal. If it helps, from what I remember my plans were something along the lines of "Frisk/Chara kill Watari when they start killing all the monsters. They have a rooftop showdown with L, wherein L just has a fucking gun and keeps shooting them so they die immediately. Eventually, after however many hundreds of tries, L slips up somehow (I don't remember how) and they cut him down. I think after that though, Frisk/Chara dies of a heart attack, and it was supposed to be revealed that Light had just gotten the Death Note? Then there would probably be another RESET or something. Or, maybe Frisk/Chara getting killed by the Death Note would be what saved L from getting murdered? it was a long time ago, that's about all I remember lol. But that would have lead into whatever season 2 was going to be. The rest is, unfortunately, lost to time.
Madmalitiangamer, glad to see ya! Of course I remember you, I remember all the old faces from my Prewrite days. I'm glad you're still reading, and thanks for the review! I've got some fun stuff planned.
Eternal, one of my favorite things lately has been everyone's wild theorizing. I won't confirm or deny anything you theorized, but I will say that Xander flashback is comin' faster than you think. ;)
Anyway, sorry about the extra week it took! I forgot to mention last week that I was taking a vacation, and planning and going on that ate up much of the two weeks I had to finish this. But it's here now! I think you guys will like it. Next chapter should be here on Tuesday, August 16th!
Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale.
THUMP THUMP THUMP!
"Frisk? You better not have hung yourself in there!" Hacker shouted through the wood of Frisk's apartment door. There was an impatient frown on his newly scarred face, and his free hand was jammed in his jeans pocket.
"I think the correct word is 'hanged', actually." Demon chimed in from behind Hacker, prompting him to shoot an exasperated glare over his shoulder at them. They wore a tiny smirk and had crossed their arms over their chest. At least one of them was in a joking mood.
Hacker opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the door beside Frisk's swinging open. Immediately the doomsday duo were pale in the face; they jumped back away from the suddenly opening door to Anarchy's room, must've launched themselves halfway down the hallway. But, it wasn't the albino that had beaten the two of them to near-death two weeks ago who stepped out of the presumed abandoned room.
"You rang~?" Frisk sang with a smile that neither Hacker or Demon had anticipated. They peaked out from Anarchy's old room with eyes mostly closed and a jovial energy, and when they stepped out from the doorway and into the hall, the doomsday duo could see they were wearing a sweatshirt that was far too big for them. Frisk's more petite form had disappeared into one of Anarchy's hoodies, the black ones with the anarchy symbol on the front. The sweatshirt was damn near a dress on Frisk, it reached down just a little past their bare knees. The sleeves were so long that Frisk's arms were totally invisible inside, and the head hole was so big that it draped down around their left shoulder.
Hacker considered asking Frisk how they got in Anarchy's room or why they were in there, but the moment he wondered those things he knew he would be put off by the answer. So instead he just pointed with his thumb over towards the elevator at the other end of the hallway while he and Demon took a few steps back towards the door they had frantically jumped away from. He explained, "We got a meeting in 40 minutes. Conference Room A."
"D'aw, and you guys came to tell me in person?" Frisk smiled as sweet as ever while they held their hands together in front of that circled A on their chest. They tilted their head to one side, "That's so kind of you!"
"We didn't think you'd show up if we didn't drag you out of your room." Demon frowned and narrowed their suspicious eyes at the traitor before them. They looked Frisk up and down... Eugh, were they even wearing anything under that stolen hoodie? It would be better if they didn't ask, knowing Frisk they'd say something like 'Wanna find out~?' and then Demon would have to punch them. Instead, Demon just looked back into Frisk's happy expression and frowned a little harder. Why exactly were they so giddy? Demon had assumed Frisk was hiding up here because they were depressed after Anarchy rejected them, not because they were... What were they doing? Demon finally decided to ask, "You're being, uncharacteristically not-catty. What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" Frisk repeated back, like they were confused. They leaned back and placed a hand on the chest of Anarchy's abandoned sweatshirt as though they were taken aback, but immediately smiled thereafter. They corrected as if the answer was obvious, "Oh, Demon! I've just been so happy lately~!"
"... Why?" Hacker felt compelled to ask, even though he knew he was better off just leaving Frisk to be weird by themself. Had they not gotten knocked out cold by Anarchy? He had been a little too concussed to have any recollection of the scene, but what he did know was that Frisk ended up beaten to sleep just like everybody else. So why were they dancing around in one of Anny's old hoodies like he had proposed to and then piped them?
"Hmm..." Frisk paused. They tilted their head back and glanced at the ceiling while they pondered potential answers they could give. But... It was impossible, no? People like Hacker and Demon could never understand what Anarchy had really done by jamming that crowbar into their gut, they didn't know Anarchy like Frisk did. Such a dramatic man... Frisk adored him. With that in mind Frisk looked back to the two before them, and they smiled a little wider. "Conference Room A, 40 minutes. I'll see what I can throw on, and I'll meet you guys down there."
"..." Hacker and Demon shot each other a glance, they were both worrying the same thing. Had Frisk finally gone off the deep end? Whatever, didn't matter so long as they stuck around and helped the two of them survive. Hacker and Demon couldn't care less if Frisk got themself killed chasing Anarchy, so long as it was the traitor in Anarchy's way and not the two of them. Honestly, if they thought it would work they'd just pitch to Eden that the three'a them ditch this timeline and leave Xander, Frisk and this dogshit empire to get leveled. But Eden cared about her people and, begrudgingly, Hacker and Demon... Were, okay, with Eden.
So, Hacker and Demon decided as they watched Frisk make a happy stroll back into their room, they'd stick around for just a little longer. Just to see if, maybe this home was still salvageable. It all depended on what Eden would come up with.
Chapter 88: Conference Room A
Or: The Royal Garden
After our meeting, Lexi told us we all had an hour to gather up our shit and get on the ship. Honestly, I wished we could just start the fight now. I didn't have any desire to stand around, and I didn't want to think about the future ahead of me. Thinking about Frisk and what I might have to do to stop them was painful, and thinking about Chara and my odds of getting them back was agony.
I shook my head to keep the doubt from creeping in while I made my way down the hall and towards the bathroom. The same bathroom Chara and I had stood by side in every morning for almost three years... Being in Future's castle hurt, I just wanted to leave. Everywhere I looked I remembered Chara and every time I remembered Chara I remembered that I failed them. I grit my teeth and jammed my knuckles into my thigh, Shut up. You're going to get them back. They're not gone.
When I rounded the corner and stepped into the bathroom, I was a little taken aback to see Anarchy was already standing at one of the two sinks. He turned his head and arched a brow my way, and I was immediately trying not to grin when I saw the shaving cream he'd worked into his beard. The added poof of the foam made him look like Santa Claus, if Santa Claus was an albino lumberjack. The corner of my mouth curled up a little, and I stepped over towards my own sink while I asked. "You gettin' rid of the beard?"
"It felt like it was time." Anarchy answered as he turned his attention back to his reflection. He lifted the razor in his left hand and leaned in towards the mirror, squinting some... Was he hesitating, or just looking for a place to start? I guessed hesitation wouldn't make much sense; knowing Anny, he could probably just clench and pop a new beard out of his face like Dennis in The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie. Finally finding the right spot and bringing his razor to his face, Anny went on. "Wild Manarchy has run its course. Need me a new look for my new alignment."
I snerked some at his phrasing while I reached under the sink to grab one of my spare razors. Some mornings I would be so tired that I would accidentally nick my face, and the sudden pain would surprise my half asleep self and make me snap the razor in my hand. So, I kept a dozen spares under the sink. I stood back to my full height and looked at my reflection. The black goatee shadow, the messy hair, the bandages still wrapped around my upper body... If Chara were here, they'd say I looked like shit and it would make me laugh. I pushed that thought away as I agreed, "... Yeah, I'm in a similar boat."
"... Huh." Anarchy glanced over towards me, examined my face while I ran water over my razor. His lips pulled up into a little grin while he ran that sharp edge down his cheek and through the hair of his beard. "Hey, y'know who your facial hair reminds me of?"
"I know who it reminds me of." I responded with some exasperation, earning an amused huff from Anarchy. I reckoned that meant we were both talking about the same person, and I didn't hesitate to run my blade through the black goatee on my face. "Why do ya think I never let it grow?"
"I don't think facial hair would suit ya, anyway." Anarchy stated offhandedly while he lifted his head, running his razor over his chin's underside. He went on while his half lidded eyes watched his reflection, "Made me look ten years older, I think. No idea what it'd do to you."
"Didn't know you thought about appearance so much, Anny." I teased with a light smirk, glancing over to him from the corner of my eye. "Have you ever thought about going into cosmetology?"
"Fuck off." Anny answered without hesitation, making me erupt with immediate laughter. He tried to hide the little smile that my reaction put on his face, but I could see it. Didn't get time to acknowledge it, though. Because Anny changed the subject by asking, "Ay, why's your facial hair black?"
"It's got something to do with the ink in my blood." I answered, and Anny furrowed his brows for a second. Then, his eyes widened some and he nodded his head. I figure he remembered when I was using my inky blood as a weapon against him when we fought on Ebott. How did he forget that, exactly? Doesn't matter, I decided as I went on. "Apparently all my hair will be black by the time I'm thirty."
"Yeah I got a similar problem." Lexi's voice caught our attention. We turned our heads to spot her stopping in the doorway and leaning on the frame. She crossed her arms under her chest and shrugged while she explained, "My pubes are turnin' this ice blue color."
"That's not real!" I immediately exclaimed, visibly cringing despite the laughter her words caused. Anarchy's eyes went wide and he blinked them a few times, tilting his head away from the both of us like he was reeling from Lexi's out of pocket statement.
"No I made it up - but could you imagine?" Lexi asked, grinning lightly. Her stupid bit got me laughing harder, and even though Anny was hiding his face in one hand and shaking his head, he was smiling and snerking. In that instant I forgot how empty this home felt without Chara, I forgot the potential end right around the corner in favor of this stupid conversation between old friends. Lexi went on, much to the displeasure of Anny and I. "I mean, if that were the case, then we'd have to wonder if Xander's pubes were turning a fire orange color."
"Y'know, Xander's kinda gingery." I made a point to note, pointing to Lexi's reflection in the mirror while I got down to the last stray hair patches on my face. "There's a chance his pubes are already orange."
"Stop saying pubes!" Anny suddenly snapped, making Lexi and I burst into hysterical laughter. He turned away from the mirror even though there were still patches of shaving cream and hair on his face, and he shook his head in spite of the dopey grin our idiotic conversation had put on his face. He asked while he tried to keep from laughing, "Fuck's wrong with you two?"
"Pubes this, pubes that!" Anny went on in a rage, shaking his head as he turned to look back into the mirror. He lifted the razor, but couldn't keep his face still because he was busy scolding us with a grin. "Can't a guy prepare to fight an army without having to consider the color of their pubic hair?"
"Ah ah, Anny." I shook my head, turning to face him and leaning against the sink with one palm, wagging one scolding finger at The Anarchist. I was grinning ear to ear as I went on, "As Sun Tzu once said, "If you know the enemy's pubes and know your own pubes, you need not fear the result-""
"Shuddup!" Anny cut me off with an exasperated roll of his eyes, making Lexi explode into a cackle. I was cracking up too, one hand on my trembling abdomen. Anny just tried his best to look annoyed while he shaved the remainder of his beard, but he was still fighting back a smile.
It felt surreal, being in a room with Lexi and Anthony and not having to worry about a fight breaking out. I felt at ease for the first time in awhile - I hadn't been able to take a deep breath and unclench since Frisk stabbed me at the wedding, or at least it felt that way. Really, it kinda felt that I'd been wound tight for years. I couldn't remember the last time there wasn't some creeping anxiety in the back of my mind; the only person that could ever relieve that feeling of impending doom was Chara, and they were... Well, there goes my good mood.
It was right about then that Future poked his head in the door. He cocked a brow at the three of us, it looked to me like seeing us all smiling together made him have to consider a few things. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be him. To be older and to have all the struggles of his youth unresolved, only to see me resolving them now. I hoped it brought him peace and not envy, I hoped he knew I was making up for my past mistakes for him, too.
"Ay, munchkin." Future spoke up, drawing my and Lexi's eyes back to him. Anny didn't bother glancing over, instead focusing on shaving the rest of the hair off his face while he had the chance. With one hand on the door frame, Future peered into the room and nodded to his right and in the direction of the rest of the castle. "You got a minute? I wanna talk to you."
"Oh, uh, sure." I nodded along, though my eyebrows furrowed with some concern. There was a tone in Future's voice, a certain look on his face that told me this conversation wouldn't be easy. The jovial mood drained outta the room, and I glanced back towards Anny and Lexi while I wandered over towards the doorway after my future counterpart. "I'll see you guys in a bit."
Anny watched Future and I disappear down the hall out of the corner of his eye, slicing the last few hairs off his chin. His scarlet eyes glanced back to the mirror, and he furrowed his brows some while he tilted his head from one side to another. Been awhile since he saw that scar that crept up his cheek from the under right side of his chin, been awhile since he'd seen himself without that hair in the way.
"Damn, that's too bad." Lexi spoke up as she stepped closer. She stood behind him in the mirror now, arms crossed under her chest and a light smirk on her face. Anthony arched a brow at her reflection, and she explained. "I liked the beard. It had a sorta 'daddy' energy to it."
"... Thanks." Anthony narrowed his eyes at her, but he did smile some. He turned on the sink and grabbed a handful of water, leaning forward and washing the remaining shaving cream off his face with the aforementioned handful. He stood back to his full height a moment later, once again taking a look at his face. "Blood gets stuck in the hair when I bite people, though. Then the beard gets all crusty if the fight goes on."
Lexi snerked, arching a brow at Anthony while he toweled the water off his now smooth face. She took a step closer to him, and he turned around to face her. He leaned back against the sink on his palms while she asked, "Is that the real reason you shaved it off?"
"It's one'a the reasons." Anthony answered, honest as ever. That made Lexi smile a little wider - Anthony really was one of a kind. Only he would have to factor the fact that he bites people in to his facial grooming. Seeing him now, it was a little hard to see the crowbar swinging maniac that they'd soon be unleashing on Xander's army. A lot of the time, Lexi only ever saw that boy with the umbrella. Anarchy went on, oblivious to the good that she saw in him. "I also kinda missed Clean Shavenarchy."
"Heartbreaking news." Lexi said in spite of her slight smile, shaking her head. Anthony stepped away from the sink and began walking towards the door, looking back towards her along the way. Lexi figured that meant he wanted her to stay by his side, so she walked right after him while she went on. "Here I was hoping you would stay as DILFarchy."
"I didn't wanna steal the old Angel's thunder." Anarchy answered in his deadpan tone, Lexi snerked again, and he looked forward so that she would not see the smile talking to her put on his face. Side by side, they made their way down the hallway and towards the living room, chatting the whole way. It was nice, Anarchy thought. He really had missed being around her.
"Where are we going?" I asked with my hands in my pockets, trailing close behind Future. I tilted my head some to try and get a look at his face, but he was staring straight ahead and keeping a brisk pace. When a few seconds of silence answered my question, I furrowed my brows. A frown creased my face, and I decided on a different question. "... What's this about, Future?"
"You know what this is about." The king finally answered. That was true, I did know what it was he wanted to talk about. I'd been hoping there was something else on his mind, but what else would he be thinking about? I exhaled quietly and shut my eyes, mentally preparing myself for the talk I knew was fast approaching.
Future shoved open the twin doors ahead of him, and sunlight flashed gold down the expansive hallway we'd been marching through. I winced some in the light, but I stepped out into the fresh air regardless. Tile became a stonework path, surrounded on all sides by beds of flowers. The royal garden was always kept with painstaking detail, even though Future was totally bereft of a green thumb. One time I pissed him off and he made me weed the entire garden without using magic; it took me nine hours. Chara stopped in to watch with popcorn, like a smartass.
A rainbow of floral colors swirled around the path, leading up to a small opening encircled completely by golden flowers. There was a table for two at the center of that opening, a kettle was already set at the table's center and the teacups were already steaming with what I figured was golden flower tea. I muttered under my breath, "Ah fuck..."
Future pulled out the chair on the far side of the table. He took a seat, didn't bother looking up at me while he hooked one finger in the tiny handle of the fine china. While he lifted his cup and took a silent sip, he looked up at me from beneath his eyebrows. With his free hand he gestured to the chair across from him, and I rolled my eyes. I pulled out my chair and carelessly plopped into it, slouching and resting one arm over the back of the chair.
"Look, Future-" I started, but Future raised one finger and signaled me to stop in my tracks. My frown dug deeper into my face in response, I hated when he acted royal. Despite the crown on his head, it was very easy for me to forget that Future was a king until moments like these came along. His eyes focused back on the tea he was sipping - I knew he didn't often drink tea, and he didn't often do it in the garden. Whenever he did, it was likely that it was because he was unsure of what to do. I thought the tea and the garden may have been some way to help him connect with Asgore. And he paused, like he may have been considering some inferred advice from the last king, before suddenly pointing skyward with the same finger he used to quiet me. I furrowed my brows and followed his point across the skyline, all the way over towards the high peaks of Mount Ebott in the distance. I voiced my confusion while I squinted at the mountain range, "... And, what am I supposed to be lookin' at, here?"
"... I buried my Chara on the highest peak of Mount Ebott." Future's words hit me like a chair in the back of the head. My eyes widened some, and I was instantly reminded of the crater Future had made in an attempt to melt Character. The sacrifice F!Chara had made and the blood my future counterpart had to stain his hands with, all so that we were able to survive Character's rampage. Of course I knew why Future was bringing this up now, and with shrunken pupils and a tightening jaw I slowly let my eyes gloss back over to the king. A frown carved deep into his face, he continued to look at me from beneath the shadow of his eyebrows while he explained. "You and I are the only people in this timeline who know that. As far as everyone else knows, they were vaporized in my Massive Beat Dome."
"... Chara's. Not. Dead." I spoke through grinding teeth as I turned my head back to look at Future. My fingers caught between the holes of the green garden table we sat on and the metal slowly bent around my grip. The untouched tea in my cup trembled...
"Well they certainly aren't alive, either." Future stated with such brutality that I almost flinched. I leaned my head back while he finally lifted his, not breaking eye contact while he lifted his cup and took another sip. My eye twitched, the corner of my mouth curling into a snarl while I bit back.
"Why are you being like this?!" I demanded to know, pulling my hand out of the now disfigured table so that I could throw both hands up in a confused shrug. I narrowed my eyes and leaned forward some, pointing an accusatory finger at my mentor. "You of ALL people should understand why bringing them back means everything to me!"
"What I understand is that if I had the chance to get them back?" Future's stony expression flared with emotion, and once again his finger pointed out towards the tomb atop Ebott's peak. "I would run myself to ruin trying to make it happen! And that's exactly what I want to prevent you from doing!"
"Oh so I should just let Chara die? Is that it?" I asked incredulously, tilting my head and staying right in Future's face.
"Angel, when you tried to fight The Killer he broke your arm, your ribs and your collar bone. You almost died from hypothermia after he left your busted body in the rain." Future leaned his head forward while his words made me recoil and bring back my own head. "You let Chara kill you to get them to come around. Hacker damn near ripped your heart out of your chest when you tried to spare him and Character almost cut you in half vertically."
"What does this have to do-" I started, but once again Future held up that finger and silently ordered me to keep my mouth shut.
"You were twice as strong as Cliff and he dropped a goddamn building on you because you couldn't focus." Future pointed irritably at me, his own jaw clenching tight. Then, he hastily gestured to my left, which was still wrapped in bandages. "You permanently disfigured your arm and almost destroyed yourself trying to beat Anarchy!"
"I-!" Again I started, and again Future talked right over me.
"You are WRAPPED IN BANDAGES and just WOKE UP FROM A COMA after trying to spare Xander's group'a dickheads!" Future shouted, his face twisting with frustration. He jammed his finger into my chest while he leaned across the table, right into the scar permanently molded into my chest. I winced, not from his poking but from the burning sensation that shot up my cracked skin. A dull red glow was clear under my bandaged left arm while Future went on, "You always go too far! You always get greedy, you always push yourself past your limits to get the outcome that you want and you always survive by the skin of your teeth!"
"Get to the point, old man!" I snarled as I shoved Future's hand away from me with my right hand, but he immediately swung that hand back and shocked me with a slap upside the head. My eyes went wide and my head remained turned to the side, but the sting in my face didn't stop Future from going on.
"Death! Is going! To stick! Eventually!" Future stated clearly and concisely, cracking his finger down on the center of the table to emphasize almost every word. He leaned back into his chair and pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment. He shook his head and reeled in his frustration before he went on in a more collected tone, emotion bubbling beneath his voice. "You've got DETERMINATION like Anarchy, but your body is not built to handle it in the way his is."
"Now you've got the greatest stakes of your life on the line. Chara's soul, the fate of the multiverse, the lives of all your friends." Future went on, the anger slowly bleeding out of his voice as he shook his head. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and he exhaled red mist. "You have every reason to try and push yourself harder than ever before, but after three years of training we know what your limits are and you cannot handle any more than that."
"I will do everything in my power to make sure this mission goes well and you get Chara back, but you have to promise me that if that red heart on your chest tries to convince you to sprout more wings and push yourself past your limit, you won't listen." Future leaned forward slowly, he stared at me from beneath his eyebrows with a grieving intensity. I could see the crows feet around his eyes, the wrinkles caused by frowns and the few grey hairs caused by stress. He went on in a tense, emotion whisper. "From Granny to Chara, I have lost almost everyone in this life that I have cared about. I will not. Lose. Another. Kid."
"..." I was silent after that. I sat back in my chair, folded my hands together in my lap. My stare lowered down to my left arm, and my eyes narrowed painfully. I would never forget the agony of my skin tearing apart, what it felt like to have my soul cook my body. I was lucky that only the cracks on my arm were permanent; after fighting Anny on Mount Ebott, I'd had cracks on my back, on my chest, surrounding my left eye... If my soul hadn't switched to green in the garbage dump, if I hadn't seen a solution with KINDNESS and if I had instead tried to force myself up on DETERMINATION again...
"There are people in your life that love you, Angel. A lot of them." Future sat back into his own chair, and understanding appeared in his KIND eyes. He wore a bitter sweet frown and he folded his hands over the table while he explained. "All your friends back home, all your friends here. We all need you, too. That's why you have to accept that there's a chance this doesn't end with Chara coming back."
"Because, if you don't..." Future shut his eyes. He grimaced, tilted his head some away from me. I was sure he was imagining the same outcome I was already thinking of. After taking a second to collect himself, Future opened those dim emerald eyes again and looked back to me. "Then you're going to try to make the impossible happen again. And it didn't work against Killer, it didn't work against Anarchy, it isn't gonna work this time. Accept your limitations and work within them."
"..." Again, I was silent. I stared at my hands, and I considered Future's words. My thoughts drifted back to that reoccurring nightmare, the glass door that refuses to slide open. Trying and trying to do the impossible, only for me or somebody else to die in the end... But, then I remembered the promise I made. I remembered the pleading look in Asriel's eye, I remembered the sight of him in his depression cocoon after Frisk's betrayal.
"... Sorry, Future." I lifted my hands, planted them on the edge of the table and pushed out my seat. He watched with furrowed brows as I stood. And the scars along my left arm burned as I turned around and began taking steps back towards the castle. My cracked, bandaged fist clenched tight at my side, and my red soul ignited on my chest as I glanced back over my shoulder and to my fellow Angel.
"But I already made a promise."
"... Holy shit is this really all that's left?" Hacker spoke up in a deathly silent room. By his side was Demon, and they looked just about as despondent as he did from the sight of the empty table. On the other side of the conference table was Frisk, who looked as calm as ever, and Fell Alphys, who stared down at her own trembling hands.
Demon's eyes glossed over the table. Their frown dug deeper into their face as they saw the chairs still left pulled out, now empty. Though they'd never thought the memories would mean anything to them, they were suddenly trying to fight back a sense of longing for all the old meetings. Mew Mew, the way she would jump out of her chair to scold Hacker for backtalking Xander. Felldyne and Swaphys nodding along like a couple of lemmings, Flowey silently cracking a smile whenever Xander laid out a thinly veiled maniacal plot. Dust Sans huddling like a creep at one end of the table, even Xander used to have a certain charm to him. There were moments wherein he did not seem to be a vicious tyrant, where he and Hacker exchanged barbs or he said something quick-witted and funny.
Demon's hands clenched tighter together on the table. Their thoughts drifted back to Eden's birthday party, to the sight of everyone happy and smiling. The one night that Demon felt they had surrounded themself with friends, the way everyone talked and laughed... The pit in Demon's stomach opened a little wider. None of them had even been buried. Swaphys, Dust Sans, Mew Mew, Felldyne, and Flowey were all just slaughtered and left to rot on the battlefield. Whatever there was left of Xander in Gatherer was ripped from him, and now he was floating unconscious in a vat of healing juice. Mortality weighed heavy in Conference Room A, and the tension was so thick that neither Fellphys nor Demon could muster a response to Hacker's statement.
Just then, the doors were thrown open. All heads lifted, and the crushing gravity was hoisted onto the shoulders of Eden The PERSEVERANT. Free of her hospital gown, she strode into the room wearing a black, sleeveless turtleneck and matching black cargo pants. With her affinity for long sleeves and baggy clothes, Hacker realized he had never noticed the muscle definition in her arms before. Her right bicep was wrapped by one Manly Bandanna, matching the orange of her belt. After the brutality of Anarchy's kick, lighter toned crack-like scar patterns curled up around the brown skin of both her forearms. Though they weren't happy to see it, Demon guessed that it made sense that there had been permanent scarring. After that kick, the both of Eden's arms had looked like mostly empty tubes of toothpaste. If it wasn't for advanced healing magic, she likely wouldn't have her arms at all.
Eden's boots thumped against the tile as she marched towards the table. The moment she reached the mahogany, she didn't bother sitting. She didn't bother mourning the dead or even acknowledging the empty seats. Instead, she placed her hands on the edge of the table. Her palms and knuckles were wrapped in white tape, which curled all the way up to both of her wrists respectively but not around any of her fingers or thumbs. With powerful purple eyes she looked out at the table, and she spoke clearly. "Alright, lets begin."
Hacker and Demon exchanged a glance. Hacker was smiling, just barely. Fellphys had lifted her head some, her spiral glassing sliding down her snout and revealing the shaking, fearful eyes beneath. Frisk was off in their own world, their boots thrown up on the table while they leaned back in their chair. Though they were still wearing that oversized hoodie that they'd burgled from Anarchy's abandoned room, it was clear that they were actually wearing something beneath it now. The boots and black tights were all that could be made out from beneath the mass of fabric that was that hoodie.
"First thing's first: They're coming here." Eden started bluntly. Her words hardly eased the fear in Fellphys' eyes, in fact the lizard's head snapped towards Eden so that she may shoot her a panicked stare from behind her glasses. Eden didn't react to this fear, her violet eyes just scanning the four associates she had left. "I don't know how and I don't know when, but The Angel, The Predator and almost certainly The Anarchist are going to be beating down our door to get back what Xander stole."
"W-what?! But what about the firewalls?! T-those are supposed to protect us!" Alphys squawked. Clearly taken aback by Eden's words, her eyes were darting left and right to try and find someone else who looked as bewildered as she, but all she got was Hacker's half assed 'It is what it is' shrug.
"They have two Hackers, CORE Frisk, a Seer, and what may be one of the smartest Gasters in the entire multiverse on their side." Eden's collected stare stopped Fellphys' hysteria in its tracks. The violet glow of her eyes flashed in the lenses of her glasses, and without a single tremble in her voice she explained. "There is not one doubt in my mind that they will infiltrate our home. It's not an if, it's a when."
Fellphys sunk back into her chair. Her fearful stare was hidden behind her swirling glasses as she stared down at her own shaky claws. Eden didn't bother trying to comfort her, she didn't have the time. Instead, she turned her head to look across the table and moved the conversation forward with another question. "Hacker. Is there any way to remove the six souls from containment and is it possible to take the seventh soul from Xander's inventory while he rests?"
"One of the first things I tried to do when I woke up was infiltrate Xander's inventory." Hacker's lips curled down into a frown, and he shook his head. "The thing's locked up with passcodes and firewalls that I've never seen before. Much like the Soul Containment Chamber, it was all developed before I joined the team. I have no idea how it works."
Eden's stare immediately shifted back to Fellphys, who was still wallowing in anxiety. It took her a moment to feel that intense stare on the top of her head, but eventually she did lift her eyes back to Eden. She jumped when she realized her input was expected, and fumbled out an answer with a shake of her head. "D-don't look at me! The Soul Containment Chamber and The Gatherer's private inventory were both d-developed by the l-late Doctor Wing Ding Gaster..."
"The late?" Hacker repeated back with an incredulous raise of his brow and a tilt of his head.
"Doctor Gaster played a hand in much of the empire's early development. The Gatherer kept him close, as he was the one who brought Xander into this reality." Eden answered for Fellphys to save some time and some patience. She glanced briefly at Hacker, before shutting her eyes as a frown dug deeper into her face. She explained how the story ended, suddenly very aware of what it likely meant. "... But, after the empire was successfully transferred to an above ground timeline and the souls were properly contained, Doctor Gaster went missing without a trace."
"So Gatherer had Gaster make all of his most important defenses, gave him enough time to teach Gatherer how they all worked, and then he offed Gaster to insure nobody but himself knew how to get into his inventory and to the souls." Demon was quick to fill in the blanks, looking to Eden with narrowed eyes as a silent demand for confirmation. Eden, now believing the same hypothesis, shut her eyes to hide her disgust and slowly nodded her head. Demon sighed with exasperation and rested one hand over their forehead while they muttered, "Fuckin' ruthless..."
"... I was going to suggest we offer the soul Gatherer stole or - if that was impossible - one or more of the souls in the Containment Chamber in exchange for a ceasefire, but..." Eden opened her eyes and took a deep breath to contain herself. Hacker almost winced a little; if Eden's hopes were dashed then all their hopes were dashed. But before despair could settle back into its seat, Eden continued. "Without that option available to us, we will have to take a different route to salvation."
"Listen, nobody here wants to go to war with those guys again. I think it's pretty clear right about now that we're on the losing side." Hacker stated the obvious as he leaned back in his chair. With tired eyes he looked at the few different stares that now laid on him, and he shrugged, "What if we just... Step aside? Open the gates, open whatever doors we can and just let them take what they want and leave?"
"If I could believe that all that they wanted was a few souls out of our collection, I would have no problem leaving our empire that vulnerable to them." Eden answered without hesitation. But, then she paused. She shut her eyes again, had to take a deep breath, and then looked back to The Hacker. "... Even, if it meant handing over The Gatherer to them, I would be willing to do it if I thought it would ensure the safety of my people. But it won't."
"Standing against us is Anthony The Anarchist, a ruthless Killer that we have earned the ire of. Standing against us is The Angel, from whom The Gatherer has taken what he holds most dear. Standing against us is Lexi The Predator, a woman who likely knows the sins of our empire better than we do." Again, Eden's eyes scanned the table. Her face was a stone mask, she showed no hope and no despair at the mention of the enemies laid out before them. Instead she went on to fearlessly list the facts of their shared predicament. "They do not just want back what has been taken, they want to destroy this empire to ensure that nothing is ever taken again. And while I feel that it's beyond me to say whether they are right or wrong, what I will say is that this is my home. These are my people."
"Xander may be a liar, but I believe what my brother believed." Eden went on, planting her wrapped hand against her chest and letting a stern frown dig deeper into her face. She straightened her back and stood tall at the head of the table. "I believe that we can still make this place the utopia that liar promised, and I believe that the safety of our people comes before my own."
"I-I... I-I can't believe t-this..!" Fellphys suddenly spoke up. She finally managed to lift her head again, and all eyes that cared fell on her. She pushed herself up onto shaky legs, and with shocked eyes she looked around the table again to see if anyone was as mortified as she. But all her sympathizers were dead, everyone else who had bought into The Gatherer's lies has died on his cross. Appalled, Fellphys looked back to Eden with frustration and fear shining through her glasses. "D-do you even hear yourself?! I-if Gatherer were here, h-he wouldn't stand for this, this..! T-this blasphemy! Who do you think you are to t-talk about his empire as if b-belongs to you?!"
"This empire does belong to me!" Eden snapped right back, her face suddenly twisting with fury. Hacker and Demon both leaned back a little, shooting one another a side eyed glance and cracking tiny smiles with just a hint of pride. Eden beat one hand against her chest, before pointing back behind her and towards the window. "It belongs to me, it belongs to my brother, it belongs to you and it belongs to all those scared and angry people outside!"
"I am sick of keeping secrets and spinning narratives! I'm tired of going about things like we have something to hide!" Eden brought her hand back forward, just to point that finger at Fellphys instead. The pedantic lizard jumped in response, she cowered like a worm under Eden's stare. And as the rightful heiress to the empire went on, orange light reflected in her glasses for just a moment. "Directly after this meeting, I will be making an announcement to the world! I will be coming clean about everything that has been going on inside this stupid fortress and I will be ordering an immediate evacuation to Xander's original timeline!"
"I-I..." Fellphys stammered as she stumbled back. She fell right back into her chair, and her stare once more dropped down to her trembling claws. Eden's glare softened up at the sight of her, she understood her plight. Right now it likely felt to Fellphys that the world was ending, that everything she had known was a lie. And Eden knew that feeling, so she took a deep breath. She reached across the table, and she placed a comforting hand on Fellphys' shoulder.
"... I need you to lead the evacuation. You know The Underground better than any of us, Alphys. You're the only one I can trust with this." Eden said with care. Her expression and her tone alike showed more care than any of her previous, brutally honest statements. And when Fellphys timidly lifted her head and looked up at her with those glasses halfway down her snout, Eden smiled gently and asked. "Will you help me?"
"..." Fellphys hesitated. There were tears in her eyes, and she sniffled... But, she managed to crack a shaky smile. With a tremble in her claw she pushed her glasses back up her snout and hid her eyes once more, and she nodded her head in agreement. "... S-so long as it means I-I don't have to fight a-anybody... H-heh..."
"Thank you." Eden's gentle smile grew a little wider, and she nodded her appreciation before stepping back away from Fellphys. Then, as her smile faded, she looked back across the table to where Hacker and Demon were seated. She took a deep breath and hesitated, but did eventually force herself to speak. "Hacker, Demon. I know this timeline does not mean to you what it means to me. If you do not want to-"
"Bah!" Hacker objected before she could even finish. He lifted one hand and waved it dismissively, his free arm thrown over the back of his chair. There was a slight smirk on his face while he spoke up, "Save it, munchkin."
"We've been in this a little too long to ditch you now." Demon crossed their arms over their chest, wearing their own smirk. A relieved smile appeared on Eden's features while they went on, "If you need us, we're here."
"And you, Frisk?" Eden turned her head to look back over to the traitor, who was absentmindedly examining their finger nails with their feet up on the table. Their team meeting etiquette was about the only thing they had in common with Anarchy, at least from Eden's perspective. "What will you do?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Frisk lifted their head to look up at Eden, and they nodded carelessly. Then they immediately went back to checking their nails, and explained absentmindedly. "I still need Angel to die, so I'll be around."
"Works for me." Eden stated with the same amount of carelessness, before once more looking back across the table and to Demon. If they were staying, that meant she didn't have any time to waste. So she skipped right to the orders. "Demon, after the announcement I need you to meet with the Red sisters and coordinate sections of the military to help with the evacuation. I believe your students are well equipped for the job."
"You got it, boss." Demon answered with a nod. Silently, they felt relief to hear that their students would not be on the frontline. Those kids were good, but they weren't survive Anarchy good. They were much better suited for corralling the people through evacuation routes and potentially defending them if need be.
"Hacker, I will be giving the army the same option I have given the four of you and I do not know how many of them will choose to stay and fight." Eden explained as her violet eyes glanced back over to The Hacker. He tilted his head curiously, and she explained clearly. "I have my own measures of summoning defense and I will be staying posted on the wall to lead the defense personally, but we need all the firepower we can get. I need you to prep Big_Shot,exe and the NEO Launcher."
"I can have ya a button that'll activate it remotely in twenty minutes flat." Hacker boasted from where he sat. He was glad some of his science would be of use, made the past three years in that lab feel less like pointless grunt work.
"Perfect." Eden nodded her gratitude, before folding her hands behind her back and taking a step back away from the table. Now with all four of her remaining associates in view, she asked one last question. "Does anyone have anything to add?"
When silence answered Eden's question, she smirked just a little. Nodding her head again, there was for another brief second an orange glare in her glasses.
"Then lets get moving."
By the time I had marched back down the long, golden hall leading to the royal garden, I had managed to cool off some. I wasn't mad at Future, of course I understood where he was coming from. What he'd said was true; almost everyone he's ever loved has been ripped away from him. But I wasn't about to promise that I wouldn't do everything in my power to get Chara back, because that would be a lie. I'd open that door if I had to, no matter the cost.
"Is that what you were looking for?" I overheard Badster ask Lexi as I made my way back down the hallway and into the castle's living room. Lexi, who appeared to have left behind the shawl that was typically on her shoulders in favor of a crop top jean jacket, was holding a white mask that resembled some type of Egyptian cat. Gold lines curling down from beneath the mask's blacked out eyes and large cat ears branching up from the top of the mask, a golden ankh was painted on the forehead of the face covering.
*Now isn't that adorable?
"... It's perfect." Lexi looked up from the mask with a bitter sweet smile painted on her face, and she nodded gratefully to Badster. "Thank you."
"Told'ja he was good." Anarchy smirked while Badster took a bow. Anny had underwent a slight wardrobe change himself; With his facial hair now removed, he had also shed the black hoodie he'd been wearing and replaced it with a black leather jacket. The encircled A - the symbol for anarchy - was painted like a target on the back of Anny's jacket.
"Goddamn Anny, you sellin' merch?" I asked as I wandered into the room, drawing Anthony and Lexi's eyes back towards me. Anny grinned a little at my remark, turning around to face me and revealing the white T-shirt he wore under the open front of his leather jacket.
"Gaster here has the Piccolo Clothes Beam." Anthony explained casually, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb and back towards the bad doctor behind him. "You got any requests? Can't imagine you wanna roll up on Xander in basketball shorts and bandages."
"... Hm." I furrowed my brows, lowering my head and looking down at myself. I'd cleaned up my face, but it was true that I was still hardly dressed. And though I could have just went to my room down the hall and grabbed another pair of blue jeans and another hoodie, that... Didn't exactly feel appropriate for a battle to decide the fate of the multiverse. And I was real tired of my sweatshirts getting obliterated, too. So, though my initial thought was that getting new clothes materialized for me would be silly, I was now left considering what would be appropriate attire for this fight.
My thoughts drifted to my name and my title. The word that was thrown around to my credit and my discredit, the mantle I'd been carrying since I first sprouted wings. "The Angel". There were scars up my arm, in my chest, a Deltarune on my back. Up until now, I had hidden those things. Dressed in casual clothes like a bystander for every fight. The scars on my arm and the Deltarune on my back were not revealed until my power or my enemy burned the clothes from my body and revealed me to be something beyond a mortal man. So... How was "The Angel" supposed to dress?
"... Y'know like that, purple robe thing Asriels wear when they ascend to God of Hyperdeath?" I questioned when I lifted my head, looking past Anthony and over to Doctor Badster. He furrowed his brow bones curiously, and I rubbed the back of my head a little awkwardly while I went on. "Can I get that, in like... Pants form? Something baggy and easy to move around in, sorta like the pants for a gi?"
"I will do my best." Was Badster's dutiful answer. Two of those disembodied hole punched hands appeared before him, opening their palms and letting pixels pour out of the holes in them. The multicolored blocks soon turned shades of purple and white, and began shaping and forming into fabric. It was really something to behold. I leaned my head back some and watched both bewildered and intrigued as a pair of pants was rapidly brought into existence before me, and once it was fully created the fingers of those hands snapped shut to catch it by the waist before the fabric dropped limp to the floor. As the floating hands carried the pants over towards me, Badster asked. "Is this like you imagined it?"
I looked over the pants carefully as they were brought to me, reaching out to take careful hold of them. The skeletal hands holding them disappeared, and I examined the belt-like sash at the top of the pants and the way it dangled over the waist and down the front of the pants. It was detailed with my Deltarune symbol. My eyebrows rose and I nodded my head, looking past the new article of clothing and to Badster. "Yup, this works!"
"What're ya gonna do for a shirt?" Anny asked as I made my way past the three of them and towards the hallway leading to my room, turning his head to watch me and arching a brow.
"My shirts always get blown off in fights anyway." I responded lazily, waving one dismissive hand over my shoulder. As I disappeared down the hallway, Anny and Lexi glanced over to each other, and they both shrugged.
Soon enough, I was behind the door of my room and ripping bandages off my body. As I peeled wrapping off my arm, my eyes narrowed at my cracked skin. The scars on my left arm did in fact look bigger than when I had last seen them, but that was alright. It didn't matter to me how scarred I became, so long as I kept getting back up.
*He was right, you know. The old Angel. You don't have a Killer's body, DETERMINATION is not the trait you were born for.
"You gettin' worried about me?" I questioned with a smirk, glancing over to my text box while I unraveled the bandages from around my chest. I was glad to see the scar Chara had left with me a few years back, it made me feel more like myself. The Deltarune on my back, too, was uncovered. Its dim white glow illuminated my dark room along with the red shine of my scarred left arm.
*Just giving you a reminder. Interpret it how you like.
"Whatever you say." I responded while I tossed those basketball shorts aside, leaving myself in just grey boxers. I paused to look into the mirror, held those pants up at my waist to help myself imagine what they would look like on me. My brows furrowed a little, and I thought some more...
*Not exactly your usual style.
"No." The corner of my mouth curled up a little at Texty's remark, and I lowered the pants to begin stepping into them. I pulled the loose fitting fabric up to my waist and fastened that sash into place. Then, running my hands through my overgrown brown hair and pushing it back behind my head, I got a look at myself in the mirror. I didn't know the first thing about how to dress, it was why a change from jeans and a T-shirt or hoodie was so rare for me. But, oddly enough, wearing clothes inspired by the Royal Family and with my symbol on the hanging front of the sash... Well, it was no striped sweatshirt, but it felt right. "But, since everybody seems to want The Angel so bad..."
With tributes to the people back home in mind, I remembered something that had long been sitting in the back of my inventory. I opened my left hand, and in the next instant an orange-red scarf appeared in my grasp. Once upon a time, my selfishness had led to Papyrus dying in my arms. When he crumbled away to dust, this scarf was all that he left behind. And if in that moment, he hadn't looked me in the eye and told me he believed in me... I unraveled the orange scarf, it was long so that it would catch and wave heroically in the wind. I brought it over to my right arm, and began wrapping it around myself. From my right hand, up my wrist to my forearm, over my elbow and all the way up my bicep. It didn't completely cover my arm like the bandages did, instead it just detailed my right arm in a way I thought was almost similar to the scars on my left.
I turned around so that my back faced the mirror, and when I looked over my shoulder to see the reflection of my Deltarune brand all I found was the reflection of The Killer staring back at me. With a hole in his forehead and a smirk on his face he crossed his arms over his chest, and I clenched my red cracked fist. My wings suddenly erupted from my shoulder blades, opening wide and sending a few stray ink black feathers falling to the floor. They reached from one wall of the room to the other. I opened my left hand, and in its grasp appeared the very same ink flower that I had tried to give to Chara. The flower that they had given back to me, before sacrificing themself for my sake. A stern frown shaping my features, my Deltarune shun all the brighter, my green eyes burned with DETERMINATION and I tucked that ink flower behind my left ear just like Chara had.
"That's what I'm gonna give 'em."
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