The Valley - Bonus Part

Somewhere on the borders of Waterfall and The Valley...

"I… I can see the strings again, I think?" the goblin lady muttered.

Three Royal Hunters sat in waiting. The far too large minotaur-boar lady with a concerned look on her face was holding a pan over a small campfire. Across from her, the elderly primate wizard sat with his legs crossed, his tail curled, and his eyes closed in a meditative stance. In-between them both was a skinny goblin lady laying on a blue log in the grass, unable to move her body in blissful disorientation. She stared at the distant cavern crystals, grinning as if in a trance. An empty tranquiliser vial was dangling from her pocket.

"Oh, my," Vissie muttered like an excited teen. "It's all so physical now! I think I can touch it if I just-"

The goblin proceeded to feebly grasp the air as if catching butterflies, grunting and whining as she did.

Umbla sighed tiredly, turning her attention to the meatloaf cooking in the frying pan.

"They all move from me," Vissie said, sounding disappointed. "The choices. They all float away just before I grasp them. But I want them. I want to caress them and then pick my favourites to keep, like discarding dogs. But they're scared. The choices are scared of me. They must know what I know. Holy shit!"

The goblin began to chuckle playfully.

"It's like that old human tale," she said. "About the hungry and thirsty man who couldn't reach anything. I think they called it greek? I think that's a word humans use? It comes up often in their ancient stories. Don't know what it means."

"Y'know, I'm getting kinda worried for you, V," Umbla said, staring at the cooking pan. "You've been much, much more angry than usual these past few hours, ever since that incident at Grillby's. And that's saying a lot."

"Aw, you're worried for me?" Vissie asked.

Umbla said nothing to that.

"I'll take that as a yes," Vissie said, grinning.

As she continued to ponder, the goblin lady's grin slowly shifted into a small frown.

"It just doesn't make sense!" Vissie said in a slightly loud voice. "Nothing makes sense anymore. I wasn't supposed to be hit in the head back there. And lord Mickey wasn't supposed to make all those stupid decisions that risked us so much. Oh, by my laws of science, I fear The Chaos of Life has moved from its patterns. Like the way the strings of choice are currently moving from my fingers no matter how far I reach. Unpredictability has arrived more and more, and the choices we make in life are more dangerous because of it. If even chaos is chaotic, then reality appears to be broken. And that makes me nervous and thus angry. Even more so since only I am aware of it."

"Gotta admit, this "chaos" crap you keep going on about seems very inconsistent," Umbla said.

"Well… yeah," Vissie said. "I call it chaos for a reason."

"Not the point. Also, that doesn't make any sense."

Vissie stared at her with a drug-like grin from ear to ear.

"How long have we lived together?" Vissie asked.

"I dunno, 2 or 3 years," Umbla said, unsure if Vissie asked genuinely.

"And you're only asking me about The Chaos, now?"

"We're more roommates than anything. It was your idea to crash at my place, so I've never had much interest in bonding."

"It's much more statistically likely for me to survive if I spend my nights with someone. Even higher chances if it's someone other folks are batshit scared off. It was a choice of self-preservation."

"That's the word," Umbla said as she broke a piece of meat in her hand. "Self-preservation. You claim that is the law of life, yet it seems you casually break that law because of shits and giggles. If you really did care about self-preservation, you wouldn't have joined The Hunt in the first place. Fuck, you'd probably have been better off remaining in the nuthouse."

"The best choice is rarely the most obvious," Vissie replied.

"Uh-huh," Umbla replied while looking away.

"You know what I saw when that machine broke? Do you want to know what made me go "insane" as these clowns keep calling me? I saw everything. I saw reality, fracturing and bending like an infinite string that kept splitting, and splitting, and splitting. I saw so many ways I could die, practically infinite variables. No, I lived through infinite variables. Do you know what that's like? Being aware of The "Order" of reality? An order that keeps shifting every time a little molecule or atom moves differently. I can't manage it all, but nothing can. But me seeing it is why I'm the only "sane" creature in this world. The real crazy ones are everyone else."

"Everyone's aware of their own mortality at times," Umbla countered. "You've been in this job for years. You should've noticed."

"Are they? Or are they just "aware" of the idea? Trust me, they haven't truly "seen" it. I have, and I see it even now. In comparison, I also see sleepwalkers through life everywhere I turn, unaware of the countless dangers each tiny little choice makes for them later. Hell, little Willy over there made several mistakes the past few hours or so. I calculate his lifespan has been shrunk by, hmm, at least a decade or two just from that."

The monkey pretended not to hear and kept his eyes closed, body unmoving.

"Eh, whatever," Umbla said, having grown bored with the topic. "Believe what you want, V."

She proceeded to eat her meatloaf in a single bite.

"Ok, I admit," Vissie confessed, hands in the air. "Maybe I do indulge myself in bad choices here and there. Life can be boring without hobbies. And sometimes… sometimes the bad or worse choices are just irresistible, you get me, like a gluttonous kid who can't resist stealing from the candy jar. Sure, it most likely has consequences in the long run, but fortunately, it can be fluid. That's the one good thing about "The Chaos" we are bound to. While it is a curse of choice, it is also self-moldable. But that's the trick of the chaos. It tempts you. So much. Hell, remember when you used The Shredder against all those trees to hunt down the humie? Man, I knew it was a bad idea, but it was so worth it."

"Huh?" Umbla asked, mouth full. "What are you talking about? I've never used The Shredder outside of training."

"Oh, right. I think that moment didn't happen anymore. My bad."

The large minotaur-boar gave Vissie a confused glare.

There came some rustling in shrubs nearby.

"Who's there?!" Vissie exclaimed.

"Calm down," Umbla said and swallowed her food. "Bossman gave me a call just now. We've been waiting for this one."

"Just now?" Vissie asked herself curiously. "When the hell is "just now"?"

As Umbla stood up, a lone stranger dressed in the Royal Hunter's garb emerged from the bushes, holding a spear. Seeing them, however, put Umbla into a more cautionary state, for she had expected to see Simon's bug-eyed mask.

This strange armoured figure had Simon's height and build and carried his unique spear: a long steel pike with two engraved snakes that tangled near the top. But the most notable thing, the mask, was completely different. Instead, this hooded person had what resembled a white skeletal beak.

"Err, hi," the boy who could be Simon gently said. "Ah, good. You seemed to have gotten the heads-up. I suppose-"

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Umbla said. "One of the bossman's new interns?"

"Oh, right," the boy said. "I, erm, sorry. I had my mask changed. The old one was hard to see through, so I replaced it. With this."

The boy, who was clearly at this point, Simon tapped his shiny metal beak.

"Why the hell did you pick that ugly thing?" Umbla asked as if not impressed.

"Erm… stylish reasons, nothing more. I just figured it fit better for a doctor. It's a thing from my world- er, history is all."

"A doctor?" Vissie said, smirking. "I thought this boy was the chief. Or did that change as well?"

"He's both," Umbla said.

"How does that work?" Vissie asked. "Oh, look. Floating choices."

"What's up with her?" Simon inquired. "She seems strange. M-more than usual… somehow."

"She kept raging and ranting, so I stabbed her with one of her own tranquillizers," Umbla said. "I may have overdosed a little, but eh. At least it worked."

"Howdy," Vissie said, looking at Simon with her head hanging upside down.

"Right…" Simon replied. "Anyway, erm, what's the s-status? What's the intel, I mean."

"Hmmph, nothing but guesswork so far," Umbla said. "Bossman put out the alert, hasn't he?"

"H-he has, yes," Simon confirmed.

"Right. So if no civilian has come forth so far, then unless every civ is for some reason loyal to this kid, the likeliest way they could've gone is… The Valley."

She said those last two words almost with a complete shudder.

"Mickey showed me that place last night," Simon said. "Back when I was getting my first, erm, thingy from Finrick. What's the, um, problem? W-with the area, I mean?"

"You know why they call it the Valley of Dust nowadays?" Umbla said. "Because that's where the war ended. Hundreds of monsters died from a single skirmish. And they're still there."

"A skirmish is The Chaos in its greatest," Vissie muttered as if hypnotized. "So much unpredictability. So many options to consider in the midst of all the anger, fear and hatred. Who knows what could happen next? We always ask ourselves that question at random intervals in our life. But there, in the midst of what can only be called madness, our entire life has been condescended into-"

"Yeah, yeah," Umbla said. "Save it for your lectures, ok?"

"Does she often do that?" Simon inquired.

"Enough that you'll get used to it," Umbla said and shrugged.

"I see…"

"Would it surprise you if I told you she was a professor before the war?"

"N-not really," Simon said. "I was actually aware of that fact."

"Hmph. Anyway, why did bossman send you, and only you, and not someone more competent? Or hell, masochistic like Eldur?"

"I-I didn't come alone."

"Hmm?"

There came strange rustling in the foliage behind him.

"Who's this now?" Umbla asked.

"About time," Simon muttered.

Another figure came out from the shadows. This one towered over young Simon in both height and build. Dressed from head to toe in a thick armour plate, she was the only one around tall enough who could look Umbla eye to eye.

The design of her armour was as vague as the monster underneath, so at first glance, one would only guess that the horned helmet on top hid a face. Then one would see the large, bird-like face that covered her stomach area and chest. It made one question where the armour ended, and the monster began.

This "bird" had a small, metal beak, two large eyes with slit-like irises, and silvery-white feathers covering the waist area like a skirt. The rest of the armour was humanoid, with two armoured legs and two humanoid hands, one holding a mace. The handle was long and metallic, while the head had the carved symbol of an eye inside a star. The warrior kneeled down on one knee and stamped the mace into the ground.

"Is that a Knight Knight?" Vissie inquired.

"Dimma, reporting for duty," the Knight Knight said. "It's been a while, Umbla."

Umbla grinned and folded her arms.

"Dimma, ey?" Umbla said mockingly. "Well, if it ain't the B-Team."

"I 'ouldn't 'all meself part of the B-Team, per se," said a strange, mischievous voice behind her. "More like the team of the ones unfairly screwed o'er."

Umbla turned around, looking very annoyed. Seconds later, there manifested in a sparkle of small fireworks, a floating, imp-like entity. He was relatively small, about the size of a small kid, and was decently skinny. Instead of limbs, he had feet that appeared to be floating a small distance away on their own as if the legs were invisible. Same with the head, that floated above the body with no neck. There were no visible arms except for two black orbs that floated decently away. The orbs appeared made of crystal and seemed to have white, star-like eyes inside that moved. His head, the only uncovered part of him, was snow-white, and his face elongated like a snout. Currently, a large grin covered half of the entire head.

His all-black outfit consisted of a jacket with a very long collar, two pointy elf shoes, and a classic witch's hat on top of the head, the brim of which covered the eyes.

"Ahoy!" the creature said. "Fancy night for 'ain of stars."

"Wait, is anyone else seeing this guy?" Vissie muttered. "Or are my illusions acting up again?"

"Mad Jick," Umbla said, sounding unhappy.

"The 'ery first," Jick replied.

"I recall the first Mad Jick died in a spell accident several hundred years ago," Vissie inquired.

"I freaking wish," Umbla said. "Seriously, Vissie, you've known him for years now. Why are you surprised to see him?"

"It 'as an accident, aye," Jick confirmed. "I ne'er died, 'at was a dumb rumour some jealous 'alfwits made."

"Umbla called you… the B-Team?" Simon inquired. "Guessing that means you're, erm, candidates for the elite?"

"Oh, I bloody 'ish," replied Mad Jick. "Nah, 'e're the former elites who've been kicked down a notch from our prestigious titles."

"Kicked down?"

"Demoted, he means," Umbla explained.

"'Ats a 'ancy 'ord 'or it," Jick added. "Nah, Nah. 'Efore you came alon', I 'ere a respected member of 'E 'Unt. Aye, I 'as, and stil' am, a brilliant 'ypnotist wit' no equal. 'Enever a 'uman needed to be foun', I 'ere Mickey's 'reatest tracker. I repeat, no equal."

"Oh?" Simon. "But, what happened then?"

Jick's grin quickly turned into a frown.

"'At," he began. "Is a lon' and un'air story."

"He fucked up big time once by being a wuss," Umbla said. "That's all you need to know."

"Not 'ow it 'appened!" Jick loudly protested.

"It's what I heard as well," Vissie said.

"You 'eren't 'ere!" Jick exclaim. "None o' ye 'ere. But Willy 'as, 'e 'nows. C'mon. 'Ell em!"

Willy opened his eyes only to stare at him without saying a word.

"Oy, 'Illy!" Jick exclaimed. "I'm 'alking to ya!"

The primate exhaled some air from his nose. The only answer he gave.

Jick gave out an audible groan.

"Al'ays like 'at with 'im."

"What about, er, Dimma here?" Simon inquired.

"Oh, she was great!" Vissie said with emphasis on the last word.

"Eh, she's alrigh'," Jick said.

"The only bitch strong to beat me at wrestling," Umbla said and chuckled. "An ex-mercenary in the times between The Guard and The Hunt, so she was the only one who wasn't that rusty."

"Oh, she sounds… strong," Simon said.

He turned towards the large, armoured warrior lady twice his height. She was silent as if asleep.

"Mmhm," Umbla said. "Shame about the demotion."

"What happened?" Simon inquired. "Did she do something bad, or…?"

"Nah, not'in' 'o 'e sort," Jick said. "Dimma 'as simply kicked 'own on account of 'er severe narcolepsy. Speakin' of- OY, WAKE UP!"

"W-what?" Dimma asked, woken up from a slumber. "Excuse me."

She gave out a yawn, and the floating imp shook his head.

"Stuck 'ith 'at narcoleptic dumbarse," Jick complained. "And 'hat I gotta show for it?! B-team, my arse. That implies 'ore dignity. Nah, the truth is 're the rejects that don' fit."

"Y-you have Digi, at least," Simon said.

"Digi?" Jick sneered. "Pfft. 'At gende'luid lass lad 'ore o' a joke than anyt'in. They don' e'en 'ave their own body yet."

"Digi makes a bunch of cool tech, so she has her uses," Vissie added. "But we already have a wizard."

"Indeed," Umbla said. "What the hell do you even offer us that Willy doesn't have in spades?"

Mad Jick looked utterly insulted by her words.

"What can' I offer?" he asked sternly. "I am the 'irst Mad Jick! The precursor of 'e lot! I was the master 'ypnotist the kingdom 'or 'undreds of 'ears. Unrivalled in my tricks and fogs. I 'as e'en a respected member of King Asgore's council be'ore 'ere 'as a New 'Ome."

"Then why have I heard so little about you?" Umbla asked.

"'Y indeed? 'Cause 'ose bastards don' care 'or me! 'Ey don' respect me!"

"Wonder why that is," Umbla said.

"OY!"

"H-hey, let's just calm-" Simon said.

"Shut up, lad!" Jick replied before turning back to Umbla. "You're 'e one speakin', 'at bastard. You all 'ink me useless. A joke. 'Ell, what 'at make you?! You, an obese 'lutton 'ats 'eavier 'an 'e entire Captial! You need bloody medicine 'o you don' 'ave an 'eart attack on a 'ingle step!"

"Hmph, so?" Umbla asked. "At least I have something to offer. By being a big wall of fucking meat, eh? Face it. Hypnotism isn't as cool as you think. It's unreliable as shit and barely works half the time. Hell, Willy over there can do all the hypnotism you can and much more, like fucking invade your dreams while sleeping. His magic is ten times more powerful than you, and at supposedly half the age according to you."

Umbla chuckled.

"'O you say," Jick said. "But 'is ol monkey 'omes 'om a village of backwards, isolatin' dirt-eaters. 'Alf o' 'em 'arely e'en 'now 'ere is a surface."

The grumpy imp proceeded to float towards the centre of the gathering.

"Look at ye all," he began. "You "Fearsome" Elites. Yer a 'unch of unstable mishaps and crooks, 'ike a fat overeater-"

He looked at Umbla.

"-a mute backwards 'obo-"

Willy stared at him with no reaction.

-and now 'is prick!"

It took Simon a second to notice the imp was looking at him.

"M-me?"

"Aye, you. A bumbling, stutterin' oaf 'arely ol' enough to drink! 'En I 'irst 'heard of you, I could 'arely believe it. This 'ittle, bitty twat is my replacement?! 'At in 'e 'ells did ye do to get this 'igh?! Did ye 'uck the 'ight person?"

Simon looked down on the ground in discomfort.

"Bunch of 'orthless cunts, ye all are, not fittin' o' the fame, fear and revere yer 'een given. Oh, and 'ets 'ot 'orget 'Issie 'ere! Gods, 'ere do I start 'ith 'is goddamned unstable maniac?!"

"Yo, 'east 'y 'ethods 'ave 'atterns!" Vissie said, mocking his accent.

"'Atever."

"At least we aren't a bunch of cowards," Umbla said.

"OY, 'ATCH IT, CUNT!"

"G-guys-" Simon said anxiously. "L-lets not do this here. There's a proper time and place-"

"That's slander and ya 'now it!" Jick said to Umbla, ignoring Simon. "You all 'now very 'ell 'hat actually 'appened that day!"

"Yeah, you ran off cause you're a wuss," Umbla said, grinning. "Like you always do."

"P-please don't be doing this!" Simon begged.

"SHUT UP!" Jick exclaimed.

Simon felt a sudden pull inside him and grasped his stomach as if in pain.

W-what? he thought to himself. Oh no.

The world around him became blurry and chaotic. As the one-sided argument heated, the anxiety was turning into something far worse.

Anger. Rage. He felt it building up, boiling like lava in a volcano about to erupt. He grasped his head with both his palms. The thing was starting to come out.

No, not now, Simon told himself. Not yet!

He felt his eyes beginning to leak warm liquid.

Black, oily tears.

"You ok, kid?" Dimma gently whispered to him.

It was here. The thing was out. The arguing between the others seized to be a noise of jumbled words in the boy's ears.

"Alright, that's it!" Umbla exclaimed as she cracked her knuckles. "I'm going to shut your mouth now, B-Tier!"

"O', you can't land an 'it, ya dumb lass!" Jick sneered. "I am literally floatin' rite 'ow! I control gravity bette' than al' o' you, 'specially you, fat arse!"

"Oh, you wanna test me! You wanna fucking test me, imp!"

"Ay, let's do it! You an' me, rite 'ere. Non' of yer psycho friends. Just us. Mono-e-mono."

"Beat 'em, fatso!" Vissie yelled in a drunken voice. "Beat his ass and make him SHUT UP!"

"ENOUGH!" Simon screeched in a deep, inhuman voice.

The air had grown dark and thick in an instant, and for a few seconds, the world was silent. Everyone turned towards the young boy, but no one dared to speak a word. Then the darkness faded, and Simon appeared agitated to be the centre of attention.

"S-sorry…" he said softly. "Mickey said we all need to stick together, no matter what. Whatever disagreements you have, deal with it when the mission is over. But now, he says the B-team is coming with us."

He gave out a small sigh.

"Erm, e-excuse me," Simon said. "I-I need to… go."

He turned around and stumbled further into the trees.

Everyone, too surprised to be angry, exchanged glances with one another.

"Oy, 'at just happened?" Jick said in shock.

"Fuck me," Umbla muttered. "Perhaps this little puppy is not as much of a runt as I thought he was."

A few minutes later, Simon stood on a cliff overlooking The Valley. The underground seemed so much larger than the mountain above that shrouded it.

He gave out a tired sigh. He almost revealed his lord's secret weapon earlier than planned. If Mickey heard about this, he definitely wouldn't be happy. Simon dreaded to think about the next few days even more than usual.

Simon noticed a small grey smoke rising in the distance. He peered closer and saw a farmstead. Who would live in this valley?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of joints.

Baron's breath.

He impaled his spear into the ground and picked one joint from the bag. He pulled his mask slightly, reached for a lighter, then lit it in his mouth.

He exhaled once, letting green smoke flow into the air.

"Ey, runt," said the voice of Umbla behind him.

Startled, Simon quickly pulled his mask back down before turning. His joint fell from his fingers and into the wet moss

"Geez, boy," the large monster-lady said, grinning. "Trust me, I'd have killed you ages ago if I could. Besides, it'll take ages to find someone who cooks as good as you do."

"Err, thanks…"

The large minotaur-boar walked up to him, towering over the boy.

"So, whatcha looking at?"

"W-why do you ask?" Simon inquired.

"No clue. I don't really care."

Simon turned back toward The Valley.

"Just scouting ahead," he said.

"Uh-huh," Umbla said, sounding unconvinced.

"There's a farm in the distance, there," Simon added. "If, erm, they went this way, there's a chance whoever lives there knows something. Maybe they've seen them? Hell, they could have sheltered them."

"Nah, those kids would have to be pretty stupid to risk taking refuge, considering the circumstances."

"Well, i-it won't hurt to check, right?"

"If we want to be thorough, no. That's why Mickey made you bring the B-Team, right? In case we need interrogation?"

"S-suppose so, yeah."

Umbla reached into her pouch and pulled out a relatively small syringe for her. She removed one of her gloves, revealing the fat brown hands, and slammed the needle into it.

Simon recognised it as one of Vissie's other concoctions. Medicine that kept her body steady. In other words, it helped her walk and fight despite her pounds of fat. Simon found it hard to imagine when she used to be muscular in years past before joining The Royal Hunt.

"Didn't want to say it to his face," Umbla said. "But at least Jick knows how to interrogate. Good at the psychological stuff."

"So I've heard," Simon said.

"So, I don't feel we really know each other," Umbla said with strange deviousness. "We still don't even know what you look like underneath."

"I, erm, had an accident," Simon lied. "My face is heavily burnt."

"Mmm," Umbla replied. "Can I see?"

"Erm, y-you wouldn't-"

"I wouldn't like it? Oh please. Do you know who you're talking to right now? If I knew any more magic, I'd have already burnt half the underground to cinders."

"M-Mickey wouldn't like it-"

"Is bossman around? Please. It'll be our little secret."

Simon felt himself sweating. He knew he shouldn't, he swore an oath. But the large lady stood over him, grinning. Was she enjoying this?

Reluctant, he reached for the strap behind his mask and loosened it. He then removed the beak mask under the hood, showing his face to the world.

"Hmm," Umbla said, sounding as if this was what she expected.

"Y-yeah," Simon said as he put the mask back on and fastened it.

"You don't look like any monster I've ever seen," Umbla pointed out. "Where did you say you are from, exactly?"

Simon tried to memorize the things Mickey asked him to say.

"I… I don't remember much of my past," he explained. "I guess I was born like every monster. I remember a small village, and-"

"Alright, cut the bullshit, kid," Umbla interrupted. "I know who you are."

Simon looked up at her, unable to think about anything other than dread.

"More importantly," the lady continued, grinning. "I know what you are."

"W-what do you mean?" Simon asked, nervous. "I'm just a monster like-"

"C'mon, it's obvious," Umbla said, grinning. "You may have fooled most of these chumps. But not me. Heh, it's alright. We're the elite. We're partners. You can be honest with me with what you are."

"I… I'm not really sure what I am," Simon said.

Umbla grinned.

"Maybe that Gaster guy did a bigger number on you than I thought," she said. "Eh. I still remember when we dragged you out of that burning wreckage, struggling and whining all the time, even after putting a bag on your head. Say, do you remember that?"

Simon pondered silently. That word "burning" sparked some hidden memory. He could remember heat and claustrophobia, a sense of tightness around his neck followed by darkness and emptiness. He could hear the ringing in his ears. He could visualise a large blast and embers that turned into pyres.

Mickey told him something along those lines whenever Simon inquired about his own past. It was an old, meaningless life The Royal Hunt dragged him out of. A path Mickey "saved" him from, a path of pointless miseries and self-indulgence brought on by his kind's "inherent" nature. This flaw, this built-in failure of his species, had been repurposed in this new life, hidden within him to be brought out only to remind The Kingdom of what they were fighting.

"Alright, I'll take your silence as a "yes"," Umbla said. "Well, come back to us when you're ready to set off… humie."

She chuckled and walked away.

Simon stayed on. He used what little magic he understood to summon his soul into his palms. This green heart-shaped object floating in his palm was the source of his very being. He could see the subtle alterations The Royal Scientist had inserted into it, to alter a part of his being into a weapon.

Did the "old" Simon even exist anymore? Was this still the soul of the young boy dressed in an apron and with a frying pan who fell down the mountain years ago? Was this still his body? Or would being altered down to the literal core create a new person? A "new" Simon?

"The stranger" common monsters called him. "Simon the Stranger".

A stranger to whom, exactly?

I wrote a huge paragraph and a half for the author's note, but then I accidentally deleted it :|

Anyway, here is my second attempt at an author's note.
So, in case I didn't make it obvious enough at the end, yes, Simon is a human. More specifically, he's one of the 6 humans who fell after Chara and before Frisk. Even more specifically, he's the green soul human that The Royal Hunt captured in the prequel story, "A hunt to remember" I wrote a few years back.

(God, the prequel story. In case it wasn't obvious, I'm really not a fan of it in hindsight. It was the first fanfiction I ever wrote, completed, and published, and my God does it show. At the time, I was much more focused on shock value and being edgy, and... yeah, I'm really not a fan of it nowadays :/.)

Anyway, I really hope you guys are fine with a small chapter focused on developing my OC's. Hence why I call these things bonus chapters, as in they are not 100% vital to the story but they are my tries to develop my own characters, while also giving out some hidden details or foreshadowing, like the thing with Simon's hidden power or his true nature.
I've also introduced two new characters in this chapter, both based on very underrated enemies from UT in my opinion, at least design vise. So of course I decided to create two characters based on them.
First of all, is the Knight Knight I named Dimma, and the other one is Mad Jick, who's obviously based on the Madjick enemies in UT.
Since Knight Knight are night-themed enemies in Undertale, as in they have night-based abilities (plus the name Knight Knight is a pun, get it?) I decided to give her the trait of narcolepsy. Also, her name, Dimma, is taken from the Icelandic word for dark(cause nights are dark, ya get it?!).
As for the other, I decided to make it the original Madjick, aptly named Jick. I also gave him a thick cockney accent because... I simply wanted to. I really found his dialogue fun to write and I just hope it wasn't too hard to read for you guys.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading this far.
Next up is another interlude chapter. It's one I've been looking forward to for a long time, and it features another OC, one who's actually a major character not just in this fic, but this AU in general. All I can say is that they're very important to the lore of Undertale, and may or may not have appeared in a previous chapter. Also, I really wanna finish it at least before or around Christmas. All I will tell you is that it's due to the fact the character in question is based on a Europian Christmas Folktale(No, it's not Krampus, although they're very, very similar).

That's all for now and I hope you all keep reading.