There was a sound like splashing water, the noise echoing across the quiet space. Soft, luminous light glistened, reflected in distant gemstones.
A rattling noise started, followed by a clatter rising from a particular spot, until finally, a book fell to the floor, splashing in the water that rushed up halfway along its side. The tome violently shook before its cover was thrown open, the pages flipping rapidly, sending droplets everywhere. Then, it stopped. A skeletal hand burst through one of the pages, a holed on its palm.
The hand groped around for a moment, gripping the sides of the book, fingers partially submerged. There was a tearing sound as the book began to stretch unnaturally—the words warped, the binding cracked—but the pages didn't tear. Instead, they formed a larger hole.
Gaster pulled himself through, his body contorting unnaturally as he slipped into the space, rising steadily after. The Observer simply flew through the opening once Gaster was clear. The doctor took a moment to adjust his oddly bent form, shaking himself back into shape.
The pair surveyed the area. The interior was strange, resembling a blend of a library and the Waterfall region. At first glance, it seemed confusing. Then the Observer noted the sound of splashing, rushing water coming from somewhere closer.
The waters glowed softly, blue and luminous, though not from reflection—it was something within the water itself that emitted the light. Gaster rubbed his fingers, feeling traces of... something, left behind where he'd touched the liquid.
Old, burnt-out torches lined the walls, and mounds of books and broken wood and metal were scattered about. Shelves towered overhead, stretching above him, filled with old, damp tomes. Some were overgrown with strange plant life, while others seemed to have held up surprisingly well. Above the shelves, near the ceiling, sparkled gemstones that glistened in the low light.
"Peculiar," Gaster remarked, taking it all in. "This location is a variant of Waterfall." He glanced back. "In particular... it seems to be a version of the garbage dump. I can barely recall the last time I visited this realm, I'm fairly certain I was still in pieces then. I had no idea this was here."
The Observer looked where Gaster was pointing. A waterfall spilled across the floor and down a ledge in the distance. Golden flowers floated softly on the water's surface, their vines stretched downward, burrowed into the earth. Soggy, decomposing tomes and peculiar items—broken wooden staffs, shattered orbs—littered the ground in piles nearby.
A scan was performed, immediately detecting a significantly higher trace of mana in the air—so strong, in fact, that Gaster could feel it, taste it. He motioned with his hand, conjuring a golden flower, which he dropped and watched as it floated in the water.
"This world has a significantly higher concentration of magic. Interesting." Gaster turned down a path to the left. "And these books... perhaps..."
The Observer followed, scanning the floating pages as they passed by. The water was littered with fragments from spellbooks and forgotten tomes—half-legible scrolls, smeared and worn.
Splash, splash, splash. Water splashed with each step as they walked. Gaster appeared unbothered, though every now and then, a phantom hand would materialize, snatching a book from the shelves. At first, he skimmed them, but soon, the hands broke the books down into code, which he stored in a side pocket, each strand flowing inside.
The Observer made a curious sound.
"Monsterkind's understanding of its own magical abilities is often... limited," Gaster admitted. "Most of what was known was destroyed during the war. Yet, this world seems to have retained much of their ancient knowledge." He shrugged. "I'll sort through this world's information during our 'break' and see if any of it proves useful. If it is, I'd like to ensure our world doesn't lose that knowledge entirely."
The Observer chirped in approval.
"Glad you agree," Gaster said with a small smile.
At this point, Gaster's steps brushed against something in the water. Glancing down, he spotted the destroyed remnants of a human-like 'dummy,' stuffed with cotton, its features as bland as a mannequin's. He hummed in curiosity and knelt down, running his hand over the pieces. A quick scan revealed traces of ghost essence, but not enough to indicate a lingering presence.
"It appears our phantom has abandoned their body," he commented. "The question is, where would they go without it?"
The Observer searched its files before producing the Assistant's voice: "Undyne."
"Do they know each other?" Gaster mused, half to himself. "I wasn't aware. But if this is Waterfall, her home must be nearby." He paused briefly. "Gather this, would you?" The drone complied, codifying the remnants of the dummy. "I don't know if we'll find a use for it, but it hardly matters."
Gaster headed up some partially submerged steps and out of the water, the path leading to an archway between this room and the next. The arch was made of twisting wood, adorned with glowing blue flowers. It was a lovely sight, one that seemed to attempt some form of protection magic, though it fizzled out sadly.
The next room was wide and rectangular, with a deep indent in the floor overflowing with strange, glowing water—light orange in color. The brightness filled the space, illuminating it. Five different pathways branched off from this room, but only one caught Gaster's attention.
The walls were lined with more bookshelves, which Gaster pilfered with phantom hands as he continued his work. There were also curious sigils and carvings etched along the walls. Gaster examined one closely, pressing it, which caused a stone to rise and block one of the entrances.
"How useful," he remarked, breaking down the sigil and taking it. He then continued along the path leading toward Undyne's home.
The Observer followed, puttering along as they moved left, then north again, the odd winding path leading them to an open space. A large, dark, fish-like dwelling came into view, fire rolling from parts of it as if it had recently caught flame. The house's long 'tail' swayed passively, and its 'eyes' blinked now and then.
"Animated homes. Fascinating," Gaster noted, before his gaze fell on a dummy standing quietly on a nearby mat. "Wonderful."
Standing beside the house, on a placemat of sorts, was a human-like doll with cat ears, a cat tail, and slightly pawed hands and feet. She wore a long-sleeved shirt beneath a short-sleeved dress with frills along the hem, along with ballet shoes. Various bangles and enchanted bands ran up her arms, which Gaster examined with interest.
A band around her tail crackled faintly with magical energy. Resting against the wall beside her was a staff, its top carved into the shape of a cat from crystal, with intricate woodwork holding it in place. A section of the staff featured a grip-like covering.
The Observer glanced at the house, making a curious whirr.
"The fire is likely from a cooking mishap," Gaster reasoned. "This must be a 'near-pacifist' variant." He turned back to the doll, checking for any response. "Miss, I don't understand why you pretend not to be here, or why you continue waiting. Given the state of this fire, I doubt Undyne will be returning home anytime soon."
The doll's eyes shifted to glance at him, though she didn't move. Her eyes slowly closed again as she remained still, quietly waiting.
"Very well." Gaster snapped his fingers, summoning two phantom hands to grab her. Her eyes snapped open, and she quickly snatched her staff, vanishing with a faint flash of light. Gaster followed the mana trail as she reappeared nearby, stumbling slightly.
"Hey, hey, hey!" she shouted, frustrated. "What's the big idea?"
Gaster didn't respond immediately, but instead motioned with his hand, summoning more phantom hands that rushed toward her. She stepped back, and a glowing circle with a symbol etched inside appeared beneath her. With a flick of her staff, the dozen hands split apart, duplicating into red and blue copies. She glared and conjured spinning spheres of energy, which collided with the flailing hands, shattering them one after another. However, Gaster moved his fingers, and one of the hands dodged skillfully, enduring both 'sides' of the attack. He smiled faintly.
"What a peculiar magic," he mused. "What are its limits, I wonder?"
The remaining hand split again, this time into seven, each palm glowing with a different color. The yellow hand fired a beam of light, which she blocked with a green barrier. It cracked under the pressure, her eyes darting to catch sight of something approaching from the side. Dark blue bullets shot rapidly in her direction. She sidestepped one, only for it to burst and drastically slow her movements.
Her eyes widened in confusion. Meanwhile, two other hands formed 'finger guns,' firing cyan and orange bullets. She dodged most of them, but a few light blue shots struck her, prolonging the slowing effect. Alarmed, she noticed the red hand materialize a long blade and swing at her. In a swift move, she pulled off her head and tossed it into the air, her hat falling off just as the blade sliced through where her throat had been. Her head landed back in place.
"What's your problem?" she growled, visibly agitated. "Just attacking people like that—it's... it's rude, rude, rude!"
Focusing her magic, she managed to make Gaster flicker, splitting him into two versions: one in a red lab coat and the other in blue. The skeletal figures glanced at each other but remained still. Suddenly, she conjured a barrage of strikes, lifting them both into the air with her magic. The shots came from all angles, bombarding them relentlessly.
Yet Gaster didn't react. He let the attacks hit each of his magical variants, noting that when one matched the color of the incoming attack, it left him unharmed.
"How fascinating," the red Gaster said with a growing smile.
"But do we remerge?" the blue Gaster asked as more magical missiles collided with him.
"An astute inquiry. Let's find out," the red one responded.
Frustrated, she shouted, "Q-quiet! Quiet! QUIET!" She began firing bullets shaped like cat faces, hitting them with everything she had. "Why isn't this working? Why aren't you taking any damage!?"
The magic effect ended, and the two split versions of Gaster snapped back together, reforming into one. He examined the sensation, smiling wickedly.
"Because, my dear, your power is unique, but you're out of your league." He snapped his fingers, summoning dozens of phantom hands that appeared in the air, causing her to take a cautious step back. "Don't worry. I have a few tricks left. I'll 'improve' your odds."
Various effects triggered in quick succession. The light blue magic slammed her down with gravity as she tried to move. A beam of yellow light followed, which she barely managed to avoid by leaping. Her soul flashed green as another beam fired, but she blocked it. Time seemed to freeze for a moment before she realized dark-blue projectiles surrounded her. They burst, slowing her movements even more.
Then came another hit, and another. A red slash tore through her, inflicting genuine pain. She struggled to teleport and dodge, but it wasn't working well. When she reappeared, her soul flashed orange, and she was thrust into the air. Bones appeared, spiking out at odd angles with cyan magic, hitting her one after another. Each impact caused part of her being to break into code, flowing toward Gaster's pocket. Her soul flashed light blue again.
When she hit the ground, she tried to teleport, but light-blue bones punctured through her body. Her eyes widened in shock and realization—if she moved, she would take further damage. And then...
Gaster watched her expression shift—a mixture of rage and dread. Little twitches of movement hinted she was trying to think of a way out, as parts of her continued breaking apart, waiting for the final blow.
Her anger faded into reluctant acceptance. "I guess I should have seen that coming."
The bones turned orange, and the resulting damage shattered her into a torrent of code. Gaster whisked away his various tools, stepping over to examine the code. He retrieved tiny bits of code from his pocket and began grafting them into seemingly empty slots.
"There. Karma is a powerful force. I've also added a new attack pattern or two that I had laying around. I'm sure she'll do just fine." He spoke calmly. "Apologies for not asking you all, but oh well. Maybe next time."
The graft was less extensive than the previous one, but he seemed satisfied. Holding the code out to the Observer, the drone began weaving her essence into this world.
"Task complete. Now, while we head back," Gaster suggested. "Care to update me on the results of the vote?"
The Observer finished its task and chirped affirmatively. A section of the area crumbled from the fight, causing the drone to jolt forward briefly before it produced the results.
Waterfall Region Vote Results
Waterfall - 0
Snowfall - 3
Cooling Core - 2
"Fewer votes than before, but at least we have a clear winner. Let's hope that trend continues," Gaster remarked, motioning as various stones from the destroyed terrain began to rise. "Now then. I suppose I should inform you—I'll be busy compiling the region and some of the 'extended space' of the world for the next... little while."
A grey door, marked with stones, opened ahead of him. This one appeared far more stable than the previous ones. Gaster paused and motioned again, drawing energy from the air around him, steadily consuming the magic of the world until his eyes shifted from pale to a deep red.
"I'll be absent for perhaps a week, your time. In the meantime, I want to provide you with everything you'll need for the next region." He stepped through the door, the Observer drone following closely. "It's unorthodox, but I hope the extra time gives you space to consider your options and act accordingly."
The Observer chirped, and one of you commented, "Idea: Lancer for Captain of the Royal Guard!"
"Lancer?" Gaster raised a brow. "If memory serves, that's a 'Darkener,' is it not?"
The Observer began scanning its files for information. The hallway they traveled through was much more stable now, with phantom hands etching symbols into the inky blackness. As they worked, the path illuminated, becoming a golden hallway, with a soft, false light streaming from somewhere above.
"Most of those worlds are well-monitored by variants of myself. I doubt I could get close enough to extract one," Gaster explained. "My apologies, but I'll have to deny you anything from those realities."
The Observer interjected, "Vote. Choice."
"Yes, yes," Gaster waved a hand dismissively. "You can still vote for it if you like, but don't be surprised when it doesn't go as you hoped." He turned to the Observer. "Now then, load all roles for the newly dubbed 'Snowfall' region."
They reached the end of the hallway, which terminated at a solid wall of darkness. Gaster pressed forward without breaking his stride, passing through it effortlessly. The Observer hurried after him, presenting the roles available for the next vote.
Snowfall Region Roles
The Captain of the Guard - Formerly Undyne
The Enraged - Formerly Mad Dummy / Mew Mew
The Isolated - Formerly OnionSan
The Reserved - Formerly Shyren
The Transport - Formerly Riverperson
Chaotic Villager - Formerly Temmie
Knowledgeable Vendor - Formerly Gerson
The golden hallway gave way to Gaster's laboratory once more. He removed his jacket, hanging it on a nearby coat rack, revealing a red sweater and slacks beneath. No trace of the skeletal man was melting anymore.
"Well, you have the votes now. I have work to do. I trust you'll make intelligent, informed decisions," he remarked with a casual shrug.
Some of your voices had already begun whispering to the Observer. The drone puttered along, following Gaster as he stopped by two rooms on the right side of the lab. He glanced back at the Observer and shook his head.
"This will take me a while. Sit and wait until I return." He motioned to a couch. "Here." He walked over to a timeline-monitoring screen and turned it to one where the first fallen human was named 'Merg,' of all things. "Now. Enjoy."
The Observer complied, sitting down as it began tallying your votes. It knew this process would take time, but patience was something it could afford.