Thanks go to Doctah Sawbones, Wingah, 10burgers, Zack Frost, WhoWritesThisCrap, Chara Moonstone, Shredded Metal, I guest as much, DuckLIT122000, I move weight, and TiredWhiteMayge.

Okay, a lot to address from this batch of reviews! First off, I guest as much! Holy shit it's been ages! I was beyond excited to see you in the reviews again, I discovered about a year ago I think that you'd shut your old Tumblr account down, and that made me pretty sad, because I didn't have any way to contact you about the Rewrite or see all that old artwork. I really appreciate all the fanart you made back then; that first picture you drew of Cter was the first piece of fanart I ever got. I remember just sitting in my mom's car, staring at it for like an entire car ride with this big dumb grin on my face.

Everything you drew back then meant so much to me, so if I didn't ever say it back then, I really just wanna say thank you. Those years of my life were pretty rough, and seeing so much positive feedback on my work really helped me through it all. All the reviews, the fanart, the fanstories that people made all individually meant the world to me. And they still mean the world to me now, so I'm so glad to see you and so many others reading and enjoying my work. Also, I did manage to get that link to work, and that art of Chara looked great! I'm so glad to see you've been doing well and improving over the years, and I hope you keep reading and enjoying DoubleTale until I can finally give it the completion it deserves. :)

I move weight, I just wanna start by saying that I appreciate you giving your opinion and explaining why you feel the way you do and disagree with the things you disagree with. I took time to consider your words, because I could tell you felt very strongly about them. Hopefully I can dispel some of those worries that you have.

One, Cter doesn't want to work with CORE!Frisk, he has to. Their omnipresence presents him with one of the best informants possible, and while yes they did withhold the truth from him and endanger everyone he cares about, the two share a common enemy. Now things are out in the air, CORE has nothing else to hide from Cter. They've reached a common ground and a consensus that yes they hate each other, but they have to work together until Anarchy is taken care of one way or another. Then, they're never gonna see each other again. As for Cter letting CORE "walk away freely", there's nothing he could do to hurt CORE. They're incorporeal, he can't touch them. The only way Cter could hurt CORE would be by destroying things they work on, like The Omega Timeline. But, obviously murderous vengeance rampages against the innocent (the innocent being the people of The Omega, not CORE!Frisk) aren't really in Cter's character at this stage of the story. Cter keeps CORE around because he needs them, but we see him cut Gaster out of his life completely for the same crimes CORE committed, because unlike CORE, Cter doesn't need Gaster to any capacity.

As for it being hypocritical that Cter let CORE get off scott free while he's trying to kill Anarchy for the same reason, a few things. Cter isn't trying to kill Anarchy for endangering himself and his friends. He's trying to stop Anthony from hurting any more people. And it's not for revenge, Cter doesn't have a grudge against Anarchy. He just feels personally responsible for whatever horrible actions Anarchy commits, because he blames himself for the way Anarchy turned out. He's not even necessarily trying to kill Anarchy; much like Predator, Cter would very much prefer pacifying and helping Anarchy. But he's smart enough to know that isn't a very likely outcome, so he's prepared to kill Anarchy as well.

And saying DoubleTale: Rewritten "lacks basic fundamentals of revenge and anger" isn't really something I can agree with, either. The entire plot is driven by people like Anarchy, Gatherer, and Character wanting revenge and being pissed off. There's too many elements of revenge and anger to count in this story. From the base fundamentals all the way to the deeper, psychological effects of seeking vengeance, I'd say DoubleTale: Rewritten handles it all pretty well. But, that's just my own opinion, I could very well be biased. Either way, thank you for your review, I really hope I didn't come off as angry or aggressive in this response, I just wanted to state my own opinions and refutations. I really appreciate you reading this far into the story and taking the time to talk about gripes in a review. I hope you continue to read the story and I hope you enjoy where things go from here. Thank you. :)

Last but not least, TiredWhiteMayge! Your review was so kind! I'm so glad to hear that my work has meant so much to you over the years, and I'm really happy you're enjoying the Rewrite too. It's for people like you that loved the original that I started the Rewrite, because I knew you guys deserved the best DoubleTale I could make. I'm so happy to see DoubleTale fans old and new enjoying this story, and I'm so excited for everything to come in the plot. I hope you keep reading and keep enjoying my work, thank you for sticking with me this long. :)

Oh, and as for your question! It's hard to say, really. There's so many songs that I think fit Cter in my playlist, but I think for lyrical themes Bartholomew by The Silent Comedy and Ares by Winters Island really fit Cter at this stage of the story. As for a new battle theme, it's hard to say. L's Theme Metal Remix just feels so Cter, even though it only pops up once in the first season of the story lol. Dies Irae by Apashe was also a great one, even though that was technically an ascension theme. I really like Serenity (Tokyovania) by SharaX, though. I think that might be a good contender for a battle theme. We'll have to see if it ever makes an appearance. ;)

Alright, without further adieu, chapter 59 of DoubleTale: Rewritten! I hope you're all nice enough to tell me what you think in the reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Chew on THIS!" Running low to the ground, Predator swung her scythe with crushing force out to her right. From her swing came a blast of subzero winds, which almost instantly manifested a tidal wave of jagged ice. Giggling and gnashing teeth was drowned out in the crash of frost and the splitting of flesh, hundreds of worms being skewered and crushed under the weight of her power.

Xander, that piece'a shit! Always a step ahead, she'd like to give that analytical brain of his a concussion! She shoulda known he'd have a plan for if she showed up, but for once Predator was sure they got the drop on him! And yet here she was, running as fast as she could and trying to fend off a billion and one of these smiley, punkass worms! All while that bastard Gatherer was probably swirling his wine and sitting in a comfy chair on route to the Broken Spear! Fuck!

"I better not see none'a you dipshits get dragged off into the dark by these things!" She shouted over the roar of battle, pointing her scythe skyward and letting a blade of ice blast from its metal, decapitating a worm that was immediately replaced by two of its kin. "I got two theories about what these things are gonna do to ya out there and trust me you don't want either of 'em!"

"Wasn't exactly planning on it, but thanks for the haunting reminder..!" Ralsei shouted back, the jagged points of the stars he rapidly fired from his floofy palms slashing through the smiling faces that closed in from all sides.

Up the side of Predator's ice tidal wave Kris ran, sword grasped tight in their hand. They dove from the ice, spinning and taking the lead while they carved right through the skull of one of these giggling abominations, cutting a vertical split through its horrific face. They landed on their feet beneath the creature while it crumbled to the ground, immediately lifting their shield and wincing as they just barely batted aside the blind charge of another worm.

Skidding back on their heels, Kris yanked back their blade, plunging it to its hilt in the side of the wriggling serpent that slid across their shield, staining its surface with the mucus that coated its body. The Dark's wicked black blood spattered up the side of their face, the nose of which scrunched with disgust from its cold feeling.

Above Kris Melanie dove, yanking her frying pan up over her head and letting out a surprisingly intimidating battle cry before she bashed it down into the dome of another ugly beast. Its head was brought all the way down to the floor, where it crunched and flattened under her pan. Meanwhile Melanie, legs not having yet touched the blackened floor, leaned forward, front flipped onto the carcass's back, immediately pulling her pan to her right hip. Then, she swung upwards, upper cutting another worm so hard its gnashing teeth cracked on one another, and its limp body reeled, falling backwards and into the swarm of careless hivemates.

Melanie's head turned upwards, watching one massive star spiral up into the darkness overhead. It reached high enough, before exploding in a golden flash, raining burning light and hundreds of smaller stars onto The Dark below. Worms hissed and squirmed, burning under Ralsei's attack. This left plenty of them open to the bullets whizzing through the air, punching through their soft bodies and sending their disgusting blood spraying through the air.

Just as it seemed the pirates had the perfect opening to put some distance between themselves and the swarm, however, twin pressurized lasers of black waters crashed through the void floor in their path, droplets bouncing up like shrapnel and forcing the five of them to come to a complete stop. As the beams turned and began crashing towards them, Predator darted to the front of the squad.

In one fluent motion she spun her scythe, hooking its handle through some strap meant to hold it on her back before throwing both open palms up to the water spraying down at them with enough force behind it to peel the skin from their bones. With a battle cry she sent her bitter chill exploding up through the beams of water, and suddenly a rapid freeze was slowing their dreadful speed. Ice cracked and shattered up through the dark waterfalls before they each exploded apart with enough noise to briefly drown out the deafening laughter of the surrounding worms.

Exhaling a white fog, The Predator glared up into the black snow and rain that was now gently falling from above. The ground vibrated beneath the feet of her and her pirates, and all five of them watched twin serpentine bodies begin to slither into view. Rough, scaled bodies, very different from the soft, slimy membranes of the lesser worms. Their bodies were carved from obsidian, and despite their vast difference to the worms that now giggled in a much wider circle around the pirates, when their snouts came into view, it was apparent that the twin Wyrms wore the same malevolent smile of their young.

"Uhh, boss?" Clover's voice caught Predator's attention, but she was too busy glaring at the two looming monstrosities while she once more drew her scythe from her back. To her sides Melanie clutched her frying pan tight and Clover pointed the barrels of his six shooters up to the beasts that smiled down at them. Behind them, Kris and Ralsei stood, facing out and keeping a watchful eye on the wriggling worm masses behind them. Clover's fingers tensed anxiously over his guns' triggers, "I ain't so sure I brought the right rounds fer these things."

Chapter 59: Divine Intervention

Or: Minus The Divinity

Smiling quietly to himself, Gatherer sat comfortably in one of the chairs in the second cart of his three-cart train. In his right hand, between his ring and middle finger he kept a wine filled glass upright. Casually he swirled its red contents, looking quite pleased with himself in that moment.

"So..." Horror!Flowey piped up from the pot that now rested in Eden's lap, Eden seated directly across from Xander. She glanced down at him curiously, and Hacker and Demon did the same from where they sat a few cushioned benches down. Flowey blinked his big eye casually. "Who thinks she's dead?"

"You mean Predator?" Hacker questioned, tilting his head to the side. He didn't really shift, clearly not uncomfortable in the slightest with this topic. Sure, he'd dated a Lexi in the past, but he'd got her killed too. Or, at least tried to. Those memories and that woman didn't mean a thing to him now he thought, resting an arm over Demon's shoulders casually. "I dunno, Lex is pretty hard to kill. I tried once; didn't work out like I planned."

"My bet's on the worms." Demon spoke without hesitation, carelessly examining their nails. They shifted some, putting their feet up on the arm rest of the bench they and Hacker sat on while they rested their head against his chest. "Predator's Predator, but there were a billion of those things. Anarchy's probably the only one who could fight his way out of a pit like that."

Eden didn't say anything. She just lowered her head, thoughtlessly running one of her thumbs over Flowey's petals. Perhaps she was wiping away dust, or just admiring the strange, smooth texture. The sudden appearance of The Predator was as jarring as it was unwanted, but Eden still couldn't say she wanted her dead. At least, not from that. It was true, Xander's quick thinking was beyond impressive. He was always like that, his brain moved faster than Eden thought she could ever hope to match. And yes, ripped to shreds by grinning worms was a fittingly horrific end for The Gatherer's greatest pain in the neck and one of the two that Eden held directly responsible for her elder brother's death. But still, she hoped quietly that Predator had survived.

Because she wanted to see her die with her own two eyes.

"..." Xander The Gatherer silently brought his glass to his lips, taking an elegant sip of his drink before lowering the glass once more. The cart had went quiet, all eyes rested subconsciously on him. He was their leader, they wanted him to weigh in. Even begrudging members of his cause like Hacker and Demon wanted to hear his opinion, even if they wouldn't acknowledge it. He lifted his cold, violet eyes to his subjects, and with a stern expression he answered their question with absolute certainty. "She's alive."

"Hm..?" Eden lifted her eyes from Flowey's faded yellow petals, furrowing her brows some at Gatherer's words. She listened anxiously for his reasoning, waiting for him to easily dispel her worries. This was the answer she'd been hoping for, after all.

"Lexi The Predator is many things, but a quitter is not one of them." Xander shifted his free hand, pushing it into his arm rest while he carefully rose to his feet. Then, he straightened his back, letting his powerful eyes gloss between ever pair of peepers that rested upon him. "And Lady Luck favors The Predator, far more than she favors you or I. I'm certain that is how she discovered our deal with Nightmare today."

"I thought it was because Ratagoouille played us." Hacker confessed, one arm around Demon and the other propped up on his arm rest, holding up his fist so he could rest the side of his head against it.

"No, I'm confident not even Nightmare was aware she was coming." One hand folded behind his back, Gatherer lifted his wine to his lips once more between his words. He savored another sip, before lowering his glass again and letting his eyes settle back on Hacker. "That means she has an informant."

"Are you saying..." Demon shifted with some discomfort, narrowing their scarlet eyes at Xander while they sat up some. "There's a mole among us?"

"It's a possibility." Gatherer's eyes drifted down to his half empty glass, a distinct lack of emotion on his face. If he was frustrated or anxious, he did not show it. He did not show anything. Eden figured his brain must have been working in overdrive just behind his forehead, rapidly fitting pieces together. Plans and theories all being put together at once, the only thing that could relax his mind was the drink in his hand, from which he took calculated sips. Each drink was meticulously taken a set amount of time apart. Eden had noticed that Xander smoked his cigarettes in a similar manner, each puff a set number of seconds apart. The time between inhales or drinks would be further apart or closer together depending on how stressed he was in the moment. Finally, he continued. "Much has changed, and suddenly. I have been given a lot to think about."

Thud! Thud! CRASH!

". . ." Narrowing suddenly, Xander The Gatherer's eyes lifted to the ceiling of their train cart. Footsteps were thumping atop the metal roof of one of the carts, likely the one just behind the middle cart that they all stood in now. Then, with a new crash, red lights instantly illuminated the train's inside. A robotic voice cried out through the speakers, "Cloaking System compromised! Becoming visible!"

"So they knew how to find us, and knew precisely where to strike to break the cloaking device..." Gatherer muttered quietly while everyone else jumped to action. His expression did not tense, in fact he almost seemed to relax. Perhaps a theory that had worried him was somehow disproven, or perhaps he was merely putting on a brave face. Either way, after another swig of his wine, he let his voice rise over the confusion. "Hacker, Demon."

"It appears a few pests have landed on our roof. take care of it." The doomsday duo looked quickly back at an ever casual Gatherer, who gestured up towards the top of the cart with his wine glass. His free hand never unfolding from behind his back, Xander then turned on his heel, making his way towards the lead cart. "Eden, Flowey, you're with me. Your job is to protect our conductor while I make a few phone calls."

Hacker and Demon exchanged an excited grin, before darting to the two emergency windows at opposite ends of the cart. Pulling a red lever on their respective windows in unison, the glass burst off the wall and out into the void's abyss, leaving a plenty wide opening for the two of them. While they reached up and grabbed the roof, flipping up and out of sight, Eden held Flowey tight in her hands, marching right behind Gatherer into the first cart of the train.

"Well, would'ja look at that?" Susie grinned down at the metallic rectangle her ax's blade had just crashed through, wires and sparks spitting up around her blade. Upon landing on this train, she'd seen nothing but the void that it drove over beneath her. But with the same careful leading that had landed her atop the train in the first place, she'd swung right where she needed to. "Ay Alphys, you were right!"

"Of course I was right." The nasally voice of CORE!Alphys rang in the communicator wrapped around Susie's ear, hidden beneath her purple hair. She continued, trying to sound so cool. "There's no puny cloaking device that can stop my eyes."

"Mhm..." Susie trailed off after yanking her ax free from the metal of the train, her attention being drawn by the two that swung themselves up onto the cart in front of her, effectively blocking her path. Still, as Susie stood tall, the wind catching her long hair and making it wave behind her, she grinned viciously at Hacker and Demon. And behind her, the imposing skeletal form of Gaster Blaster!Sans loomed. He rested on four legs, claws sinking with ease into the thick sheets of metal that the four of them stood upon. "And those eyes didn't see these two comin'?"

"I thought you'd prefer a surprise."

Susie didn't respond to that. She just let that berserk smile curl further up her face while she lifted her ax, pointing its blade out towards the two humans before her. Demon crouched low to the ground while they held their hand out to their side, closing their fingers around the handle of a blade that manifested from their inventory into their grasp. It was not their Real Knife, that had been stolen from them when the Ascended Heir defeated Character. And while Gatherer had graciously provided another knife, it simply hadn't felt the same. It wasn't until they and Hacker had went weapon shopping that they found something that really spoke to them. So, in their hand something that wasn't quite knife and wasn't quite sword appeared. It's dark steel blade was more broad, curving up smoothly until it suddenly shifted more inward, hooking up in a sudden pointed tip. While the blade was not double-sided, its back side was serrated. Demon was wielding a machete.

Behind their crouching form, Hacker stood tall. One hand on his pocket, he pointed one foot towards Susie and GB!Sans. Carelessly he lifted his free hand, taking aim on the two with an open palm. And while a Beat Blaster manifested at both his left and his right, his lips curled into their grimy smirk. This hardly phased GB!Sans however, who smashed his claws into the metal beneath him once more. He turned his draconic head upwards, and released a shrill screech into the dark of the void.

"A Susie and a Gaster Blaster Sans..." Hacker's eyes narrowed, green irises dulled to a darker shade by the malevolent desires that lurked in his heart. His blasters did not yet light up, instead just humming gently with reserved power. "These two're a real rare kill, aren't they?"

"Of course. Susies rarely leave their boring old timelines, they've got no ambition. Nothing but pissed off slackers." Demon stung, and a smile creased their face as they watched Susie's teeth grind furiously. Then they turned their cold red eyes to the beast behind her, confidence not faltering in the slightest at the sight of the skeletal abomination. "And a dumb animal like GB!Sans? Forget it! Most of the ones who haven't had their skulls mounted like a prize on some hunter's mantel are too busy rampaging in their own timelines to ever make it all the way out here."

"I'm surprised they let that thing off its leash." Hacker scoffed, his own dastardly grin growing at the fury their foes were already shaking with after just a few jabs. But then he shut his eyes, shrugging the arm he'd had pointed out at them. "But I guess even creatures as vile as a Susie need to stretch their legs. Oh, and the skeleton too, I guess."

It was right about then that Susie roared with rage, lunging into the air above and crashing down towards Hacker. She pulled her Brave Ax up over her head, preparing to sink it right into the skull of The Hacker and shut him up permanently. Unfortunately, she was forced to swing early, her jaw clenching as she just barely managed to catch the upward slash from Demon, who had dived up into the air to meet her. The two locked eyes, and while Susie snarled viciously, Demon just flashed their classic smile. =)

GB!Sans took his opportunity to pounce, bursting forward and rapidly closing the distance between himself and Hacker while Susie and Demon collided above him. Hacker simply snapped his fingers, and both of his Beat Blasters fired white hot light down in an instant. An explosion erupted in GB's path the moment the beams collided, throwing up a thick plum of smoke from the melting metals of the rooftop. But, in the next instant, the smoke split apart around one massive ivory claw, and GB snarled like some wild beast as he reached out to shred Hacker in his talons.

Hacker jumped however, reaching out and planting one hand on GB's wrist before handspringing off his arm, flipping clean over the creature. Before his feet could hit the ground however, his ears caught the unnatural sound of GB's barbed tail swishing through the air to swat him. Swiftly he reached out to his side, planting his palm between the wicked spines of GB's tail and once more pushing off it and spinning over top of it. Hacker landed on his feet, and immediately jumped back and down onto the top of the third cart. This was just in time, as GB swung right back around and slashed up at him, just barely missing.

It was right then that GB inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest while he reeled his head back. White light rapidly manifested between his jaws, shining out past his clenched fangs, before he suddenly lurched forward and opened his maw. The moment he did, a laser beam exploded past his fangs towards his enemy. Hacker was quick to throw up both hands, ink waving up from beneath him while keys rapidly manifested into a wall in front of him, just before the beam collided and sent more smoke and dust blasting out over the back of the train.

Behind GB, Demon landed in a slight crouch. Susie fell right after them, and they were quick to lean back, her Brave Ax crashing down right in front of them. Carelessly Demon yanked back their machete, before swiping viciously at the side of Susie's head. Susie ducked under this strike, lowering her shoulder and bolting forward in an attempt to slam herself into Demon's abdomen and throw the murderer from the train. The further apart Hacker and Demon were from each other the better, CORE!Alphys had made that very clear.

Unfortunately for her, Demon was too agile. They simply leaned forward, planting their free hand on Susie's broad shoulders and front flipping over her. They landed on their feet and the two stood back to back for a moment, before immediately they spun around at the same time Susie did. They each drew their weapons back, swinging with brutal force at one another as they completed their spins.

Clang!

The two slid back from one another from the force of their collision, both kneeling to gain further friction and keep from sliding over the edge of the cart. Their twin glares did not leave one another, and the moment their skidding came to a stop, the both of them were pushing to their feet. Susie and Demon rushed one another again, and Susie roared her battle cry as she heaved her ax back for another swing.

Clang!

"You can count on me, sir!"

*Click...

"Mew Mew is gathering the rest of my circle and heading to DR107489." Gatherer spoke up while he lowered his phone, glancing over his shoulder and back at Eden. His free hand in his pocket, he appeared plenty calm despite the thumping and blasting ringing out atop his train. "It's likely that they will get there before we do. We will join them in the search for the Broken Spear after we take care of these intruders."

Thud! Crash!

"Speaking of..." Eden trailed off, frowning some while she looked back towards the shut door of the conductor's cart. Flowey's pot rested on an open space on the control table, which Fell!Alphys hunched over.

"Eden dear, could you get the door for me?" Gatherer requested pleasantly, not looking up from his phone while he punched a few more numbers into the keypad on its touch screen to make another call. Without hesitation she darted to the metal door on his request, grabbing its handle and pulling it swiftly aside.

With the opening of the conductor's door, it was plan to see that the door to the middle cart had been ripped clean off its hinges, resting in the back of the cart on some spider string. All that separated one Swap!Muffet and Fell!Grillby from the conductor's cart now was the short and narrow walkway that separated each cart. And though they immediately rushed forward, running low to the ground, Gatherer carelessly snapped his fingers in their direction, still not looking up from his phone.

From his finger tips, a blast of flames suddenly illuminated the train in orange. A massive wave of heat exploded out from one cart and into the next, racing towards the pesky Pirates that had dared board their train. As to be expected however, Grillby took the lead, forming a pyramid with his hands and shoving them forward into the oncoming blast of flames. The orange fires split around his hands, which he swiftly waved out to his sides, sending a quick burst of purple into the blast and sending it firing uselessly out in a cone around himself and Muffet.

"Flowey." Eden spoke simply as she stepped into the doorway the moment the fires died down, her spell book appearing in hand and opening wide. behind her, the strange plant's eyeball split vertically into a wicked smile, and his vines launched out so suddenly that it made Alphys jump. Flowey hooked his vines just above the doorway to the middle cart, yanking himself out from his pot and dragging himself rapidly through the air. He latched onto the metal, his vines creeping and growing over it while he glanced down from the top of the doorway. He hung there upside down, letting his tongue hang out hungrily from his vicious maw.

Meanwhile, Eden took calm and elegant steps down the walkway connecting the cars, pages rapidly flipping in her open book while she blocked the Pirates path to her boss and her chauffeur. When she looked upon the two monsters before her, her eyes gleamed violet death, and a frown cracked deep into her face. Her monotonous voice showed little care when she warned, "Turn back, unless you wish to die."

"Ahuhuhu~! You're so cold dearie, I'm afraid I might catch a cold!" Muffet giggled, resting one hand over her fanged smile while she did so. Her free hands quickly spun thread between her fingers, and Eden could see the spiders crawling out from beneath her white sleeves, worming their ways into the webs she spun.

"... I'll keep you warm." Grillby stated in his deep, crackling voice as he took a step forward, carefully rolling up his sleeves. As he did, the purple fires of his arms only grew and burned brighter, flames licking up over his shoulders and whipping around in the winds now gusting through the car from the open door and emergency windows.

Eden didn't say a word, just reaching up to brush a strand of purple dyed hair behind her ear. Over her head, Flowey was creeping with his vines further across the roof of the car. He remained upside down, looming just above Eden even as his vegetation grew more and more over their battle grounds. He couldn't drink fire, sure, but he was curious what spider might taste like.

"That was your one warning." Eden assured the two of them, a magenta glow beginning to illuminate the pages of her book. The corner of her mouth pulled up some, fearless in the face of what danger these two could represent. There was simply no reality where she let the two of them get by her, after all. Gatherer's order was to stop them, and Gatherer's word was law. So she would use all of her strength to shield him, and to become unbreakable.

"Whatever happens next, isn't my fault."

Predator felt sweat forming on her brow, colder than usual. Her jaw was clenched tight, knuckles white around her scythe's handle. Boy howdy had this mission went tits up. The swarms of worms were one thing, but the two Wyrms looming overhead posed a very real threat. One shot from the black water geysers in their throats could shred her or her teammates, and unlike her, her friends would not regenerate.

If she were alone here, she might not have been as worried. She would be able to ascend to Ice Queen, and her brutal cold could decimate these lizards and bugs like they were nothing. But, unfortunately, her ascension was hardly suited for team work. By releasing all of her cold, Lexi would slow down and possibly hurt her crewmates. The Wyrms looming over her now might as well have been named "Rock" and "Hard Place".

Predator's mind raced with potential plans. Could she rely on her team to put these creatures down, or would she be putting them in danger? Could she truly handle things on her own? Order Melanie to put up a barrier around herself and her other three friends so that Predator could turn this place into a tundra/worm graveyard? Would they be insulted by such an order? Whatever the case, Lexi needed to decide on something fast. The Wyrms were snapping their jaws, leaning back and forth while they considered which direction to strike from. Her gut was telling her they were getting close to a conclusion.

Predator growled with frustration, before finally she opened her mouth. But before an order could be barked, an ear piercing scream echoed through the void. Pirates and abominations alike jumped at the sound, and Lexi threw her head over her shoulder, staring with wide eyes into the shifting darkness behind her. It sounded like that was where that unearthly noise had came from, and judging from the complete silence that came afterwards, she guessed something even more unpleasant was on the horizon. "For fuck's sake- What now?!"

No worms giggled. They didn't even look to be smiling. They just froze up in their wiggling masses, dumbstruck faces all turning in the direction of that screech. The two Wyrms also ceased their hissing and smiling, staring with scarlet eyes into the abyss. They shifted now with something Clover thought looked like unease, even lowering their heads some while the dome of blackened bugs that had formed a perimeter around Predator's Pirates began to split open across from them. Whatever was getting closer, the intruders were about to be right between it and the Wyrms.

The Pirates quickly adjusted their formation, Kris and Ralsei facing back towards this new creature, who's footsteps shook the blackened floor that they stood upon. Behind them Predator and Clover stood in the same way, facing the Wyrms with scythe and revolver in hand. The four of them formed a square around Melanie, who held up glowing green hands, prepared to throw up a barrier in an instant.

Finally the shadows split apart, and one massive pincer was followed immediately by a second, identical pincer. These brutal black clamps were immediately recognized, instilling a despair that had not been felt in almost three years upon their arrival. After the pincers, the curled spike of one venom dipped tail loomed overhead, before finally the eight eyed face of The Anarchist's familiar. The beast that, unlike the Wyrms and worms, had disappeared right off the face of the multiverse along with Anarchy. In a shaky voice, one wide eyed Ralsei managed to choke out a confirmation to his teammates with their backs turned. "S-Scorpion..!"

"Scorpion?!" Clover repeated, his face tensing with anxiety. He struggled to keep his eyes forward, every hair on his body rising at the thought of having his back turned to such a creature. But he couldn't break formation, he couldn't look away from the serpents that loomed ahead of him. Even though they hardly looked so menacing now. In fact, in the presence of The Scorpion, the both of them lowered their heads submissively, like even they fully understood they were in the presence of Anarchy's alpha creature.

"Scorpion!" Melanie confirmed, wide green eyes staring up into the deep onyx eyes of the abomination lumbering out of the shadows. It didn't look down at them, and for that she was grateful, because after seeing those pincers in person, she was instantly certain no barrier of hers could keep them at bay.

"But that thing's been on the shelf as long as Anarchy has..!" Predator spoke through anxiously clenched teeth, some of the sweat beading on her forehead freezing there. Her gaze darted to her eye's corner, but she didn't turn her head away from the equally concerned Wyrms ahead of her. "How'd it get here?!"

"Ay maybe we'll get lucky n' ol' Anarchy'll be the next 'un to sprint outta the dark at us!" Clover said with bitter sarcasm, his fingers tensing desperately over his triggers while he kept his barrels aimed up at the serpents looming overhead.

"Don't try to get my hopes up now, cowboy!" Predator ordered with a similar level of cynicism, her brain now even more panicked in its search for a solution. Anarchy's maggots and snakes were one thing, but that Scorpion was on another level entirely. With a Triple S Danger Rating, it was just one rank below Anarchy himself and on the same level as Cter The Angel on the "Do not fuck with this thing" scale. Its armor had never been pierced to date, the only one to so much as crack it was The Angel himself. And he could very well count himself lucky that Anarchy had been too eager to clobber him with his own two fists that day to continue a coordinated attack while working with his monsters, or it was likely he would have ended up bug food. The objective was no longer how to win this fight, it was how to escape without any casualties.

"We're so screwed..." Melanie muttered, her shoulders sinking with some exasperation. In front of her, Kris rose their shield fearlessly, pointing their blade out to the beast like they truly believed they could cut through its unbreakable armor with their sword.

"No we're not! Don't say that!" Ralsei objected, opening his palms wide and letting a glowing gold star appear over each paw. Even though he was fighting tremors, he refused to give into the despair of this Darkness, finding the nerve to glare from under his hat into the face of the kaiju before him. By his side, Kris's glowing red eyes furrowed some, managing to look away from The Scorpion to gloss over the walls of trembling worms that walled they and their friends in, along with the three beasts that closed in around them.

"... Relax."

Kris's soft voice caught everyone's attention; they didn't talk too often. For that reason, their passive voice rang plenty powerful to their four friends, and without thinking everyone took a deep breath and tried to steady their nerves. Ralsei and Melanie both watched with some surprise as Kris lowered their sword and shield, straightening their back and standing up from their defensive position. "Something's happening. None of them are looking at us."

"Huh..?" Predator finally allowed herself to turn her head. Everyone did. Slowly, the pirates all began to loosen their formation, eyes traveling along the walls of worms and the looming serpents across from them. Kris was right, all the monstrosities were looking to The Scorpion. And none of them smiled or giggled, they all waited patiently for... Something. Not even The Scorpion itself looked down to them. Its eyes all locked on to the fearfully squirming Wyrms ahead of the Pirates. Then, suddenly, it pulled both of its pincers up over its head, before bringing them crashing down.

And The Pirates all winced, lowering their stances some from the shock wave of power that exploded out around those pincers as they crashed into the void floor. This crash was immediately chased by another ear piercing scream from the arachnid beast, which reared back its head some and tensed its tail, like it was threatening to sting something.

This turned all eyes back to The Scorpion, before the surrounding motion made all of Predator's Pirates glance back out to the walls of worms around them. The massive maggots were dissipating, sliding away into the darkness and... Leaving. Without a single complaint or a hint of disobedience, every worm heeded what must have been an order to... To...

"It's telling them to leave..?" Melanie almost whispered, like she was terrified she was going to jinx things. But, she did not. The worms were swiftly disappearing all together but Predator's eyes were transfixed on the Wyrms. One of the duo carefully slithered backwards, not nearly so bold as to break eye contact with Anarchy's familiar. It did not dare disrespect the creature, disappearing into the seething Dark and leaving Predator and her crew be.

What was more strange than all of this however, was the other Wyrm. This one slowly lowered its head, bowing all the way down until its bottom jaw rested gently on the void floor in front of the Pirates. It's motions on the way down were slow and gentle, as though it was trying to seem as little of a threat as possible. This was of course hard to believe as long as they knew it could open its mouth any second and blast them with a water cannon capable of melting people with its pressure.

"... I don't reckon I've ever seen somethin' like this." Clover remained skeptical, his body remaining spring loaded and his trigger fingers remaining itchy. At any sudden movement he'd jump to dodge a strike from this thing and open fire on it. "Whazit even doin'?!"

"Does it..." Melanie trailed off, lifting one hand to her chin and thoughtfully pushing her index finger against her bottom lip. She furrowed her brows, slowly tilting her head to the side. "Want us to get on its head..?"

"You been eatin' paint chips, girl?!" Clover snarled irritably, making Melanie recoil. What a stupid suggestion! Honestly, he was just waiting for Predator to give the order for them to all open fire on this stupid snake. "There ain't no way no how I'm climbin' up on-!"

"Now hold on, cowboy." Predator lifted one hand, making his one gold eye dart over to her. She lifted her head, looking straight up. Clover couldn't help but follow her gaze, and his eye widened some when he spotted it. The suffocating darkness directly above them had split open, like a rift in the pitch black sky. He could see the Hollow Spire floating in the void above clearly now, and he couldn't deny the relief that seeing it brought him. Predator continued, "Melanie might be onto somethin' here."

"Okay, so, wait..." Bewildered, Ralsei looked between the bowing Wyrm and The Scorpion, which still loomed and watched with its piercing onyx eyes. The stars had disappeared from Ralsei's hands, and he slowly lifted one hand to point up at the massive arachnid. "Did The Scorpion just spare us?"

"... No, The Scorpion didn't just spare us." Turning on her heel, Predator looked back to the massive beast. The Scorpion's many eyes glossed down to her as well, squinting with some emotion that could hardly be understood when worn on a bug's face. And a smile crossed Lexi's lips, shining a pure and hopeful light into this filthy place. She reached up, resting one hand gently over her chest.

"Anarchy did."

Gatherer smiled proudly back at the turned back of his apprentice, Eden's confidence in battle never failing to impress him. She'd become like her brother in that way, and he thought she might like to know that. But, he couldn't say it yet. There would be a day where her talent would be fully realized, and Xander would praise and promote her accordingly, but that day had not yet come.

*Ring...

*Ring...

*Ring...

*Rin-

"I can't talk for long." A voice suddenly spoke on the other end of Gatherer's phone. It was calm and straight to the point, baring a straightforwardness that Gatherer didn't hear often. He didn't know whether to respect this as confidence or loathe it as disrespect. "What is it? Anything come of that meeting?"

"Yes, a few things actually." Gatherer paced while he spoke, taking a few steps forward and staring out the front windshield of his train while it raced through the void. "I'll spare you the details, but another party has involved itself in my business with Nightmare."

"What do you need me to do?" Another straight to the point answer. Honestly, Gatherer hardly found this one all that fun to talk to. But he supposed this just further proved the words they opened every conversation with, "I can't talk for long." Such a busy body.

"What I need you to do is assure me that Angel will not catch wind of this." Gatherer's eyes narrowed with a sudden fire, a frown creasing deeper into his face. "Predator can be dealt with, but if CORE!Frisk manages to get in contact with him and get him and his Chara involved, then-"

"He's under house arrest, I told you that." Gatherer could almost hear them rolling their eyes on the other side of the phone. They always talked like that, in indirect and more casual or practical terms. Overhearing someone on the phone saying that someone is 'under house arrest' raises a lot less suspicion than hearing that someone's 'timeline is guarded from any outside contact.'

"So you're certain he can't be contacted? The two of them will remain blissfully unaware of the multiverse for their entire vacation?" Xander's cautious eyes narrowed, darting over towards the phone that he kept close to his ear. "This is our one shot. If this falls through, you'll be-"

"You'll get to give him the surprise that you want. Stop worrying." Gatherer hardly liked hearing an order from one of his subordinates, but he couldn't afford to get snippy with them now. A lot rested on this disrespectful little rat, and they must have been plenty aware of how badly Gatherer needed them if they were going to be so mouthy. At least they were careful, speaking another coded sentence. "The party is going to go great no matter how many people show up early."

Gatherer opened his mouth to speak, give some order to keep up the good work before signing off. But the one on the other end of the phone spoke first, in a voice suddenly cheerier and friendlier than before. It was so unnatural compared to what Xander was used to and so sudden of a tone shift that it almost surprised him. "Sorry, gotta go! I'll talk to you later, kay? Bye!"

*Click...

"..." Silently, Gatherer lowered his phone. He stared at the screen, watched the "call ended" screen flicker for another moment before the screen darkened to black. In his reflection on the blank screen, he could see his own dastardly smile. He looked so devilish in that instant that he thought himself deserving of the horns behind his forehead. But, he pushed those thoughts away. He was too excited for the completion of his plans to worry about his own morals.

All he had to do was outplay Predator, just like he'd already outplayed Angel and his monochromatic informant. He almost laughed to himself; to think a moment ago he'd been concerned that there was a mole in his inner circle. While that would certainly be ironic, he thought it far more ironic that Angel The Hacker - the man who had once betrayed his closest friends and left them for dead, setting god knows how many horrible events into motion - was having a knife slipped into his own back.

And by someone in his happy, perfect little timeline! Oh, the big reveal was going to be so perfect! How Gatherer was going to savor seeing the shock on his face, the pain in his eyes! The only thing better than that was going to be when those eyes were lightless and dead, and he had The Angel's head on a silver platter.

Poor, stupid Angel. I thought you knew. Gatherer took another few steps forward, and Alphys looked up curiously at him as he placed his hands on the control table, leaning forward on it some. So casual was The Gatherer, smiling that perfect smile out into the nothingness that they raced through.

I have eyes and ears everywhere.

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