by GR Griffin
Without warning, Undyne pulled her hands apart, breaking the bracelets like they were made of paper. It crumbled as metallic snowflakes to the puddle strewn ground.
“Guess you didn’t need the second key either…” Her eyes were fixated on what was left of the shackles, rooted into the earth like mini anchors. In hindsight, it was a stupid question.
“But it’s the thought that counts, right?” Undyne suggested to an almost unanimous agreement from the other. “Alright!” She drew her sights upwards to the cloudy sky, placed one hands on her hip and clenched the other in a heroic pose. The heavy shower on her head and shoulders brought out a secret energy to her posture. “Now that I have infiltrated the enemy fortress and freed myself from captivity—”
“Actually, it was me who—”
“Don’t interrupt my soliloquy!” snapped Undyne. “Where was I? Oh, yeah.” She cleared her throat. “It is time to hunt down this tyrannical ruler and bring him to justice!” Undyne remained locked in her pose for a few seconds before facing the colonel. “Where can I find him?”
Colonel Fischer pointed at what she figured was the obvious answer. “Try the big building over there.”
She expected the former captain and commander from beneath Mount Ebott to go charging off one-woman army style toward the castle. Undyne had another idea. She coiled up like a spring and launched into the air, reaching the roof of the nearest building. Head upturned, Fischer watched as the former prisoner played stepping stones with the outer perimeter roofs.
“By the way,” Undyne called out between roof skipping, “thanks for the free ride!”
Fischer could merely stand and watch until she was no longer in sight. “I need the number of her fitness instructor.” Then she set out herself to rally her fellow insurgents.
* * *
Sans opened the door to the same corridor from before. Two clean footprints from where the suit of armour stood punctuated the floor. He held the door open to allow for the others to follow through: Alphys, Papyrus, Haze, Sam, Rita, Barb, Rickard, and the spectators – all of them. Everyone funnelled into the great hall.
“Unbelievable,” Haze muttered, thunderstruck just like everyone else at having taken one step from his hideout and straight into the heart of the place he once called home.
Although, perhaps he should not be surprised. He had researched the ways in which monsters wielded magic, and how each monster channelled their own unique power based on the traits given at birth. With so many combinations and uniqueness, it was difficult to pin down specific patterns and branches of magic, especially within same families and species. Of course, there were extremely rare cases of magic, such as finding doorways to other places. If what Haze researched was correct, then this shabby, short skeleton did not teleport them to this place, but instead found a ‘shortcut’ through time and space.
Imagine a connect the dots puzzle, dotted, numbered, and untouched. It doesn’t matter what it is: a fish; clown; bucket and spade; whatever. The ink spots are doorways and entrances, and he casted aside all obstacles, casted away the walls impeding his path and the mountains standing in his way until they were as blank as the paper. In this world, logic has no meaning. Sans did not start from one and work his way to two, then three, four, and so on, he simply drew a line between where he started to where he wanted to be, connecting points A and B and ignoring everything else.
Haze had never witnessed this before. It was rather anticlimactic.
Barb’s arms went akimbo as she looked back on all her night-time intrusions over the years. “What have I been doing all this time?” she pondered. The jokey guy’s one easy step to castle access success actually worked. Barb could have saved herself a lot of trouble… and saved the Monster Military a few magic arrows.
Sam shook his head. “Too fancy a place for my bandages.”
“This hallway…” Ex-Master Scribe Rickard shot up and down, taking in the surroundings. “This coat of arms…” He approached a hanging decorated rug, pointing at it intently. “One lion head… Two eagles… Two shields and…” He countered the number of stripes on said shields. “Thirteen stripes. I know where we are.”
“Me too.” Haze caught Rickard off guard, now right next to one another. Rickard never heard him nearing; he guessed the cane and slippers would throw away his subtleness. Haze twitched his brow twice, flicking two extra lenses before his eyes. “It pains me that I recognise every individual piece of rug in this place. Still, it has its purpose.” The lenses retreated. “We are in the east wing, fifth floor.”
Rickard pointed to the south. “That way to the solar,” he said. Then to the north. “That way to the chapel.”
“Exactly.”
Sans wouldn’t mind the directions to the kitchen. He had a major case of the munchies coming on. He wondered what type of pasta these royal folk had, if they had any. Perhaps Papyrus could hone his craft with penne? Orzo, perhaps? Rigatoni? Mix them up and make orzotoni? The possibilities were endless.
“I know the way to the Obelisk. It’s this way.” Haze alerted, following the hallway south.
Haze got three steps down the hall when, from around the next bend, two guards walked in. Had Fleck been present, they would have recognised these two as the fellas who knocked down Zeus’s cub armour and poked a divot in their cheek. The two guards froze in amazement upon making their turn, having spanned this hallway innumerable times and this being the first to bear an entire lobby. Apparently the resistance’s element was surprise was already gone.
“Did we miss something?” Guard one asked Guard two.
“You’d think somebody would say if there was a meeting taking place here…” Guard number two squinted, gathering the faces he could pick out from the crowd. “Although I don’t think I’ve seen any of these folks before.”
“Except… this one.” He pointed to the elderly monster with the walking stick in front. “He looks familiar.”
Guard number two’s face alit. “That’s because he’s the professor. They’ve been looking all over for him.”
While the duo talked, they were oblivious to the fact that Professor Haze was scuffling closer, coming to within his cane’s length from them.
Guard one: “Isn’t there a reward for bringing him to the castle?”
Guard two: “I’ve heard, but he’s already in the castle anyway, so I doubt—”
Wham! Haze’s cane whacked over Guard two’s shielded head, knocking him out instantly. Before the first could react, the cane caved in the peak on his helmet and he joined his partner in hallway patrol on the stone floor.
Professor Haze scowled at his associates, stood still where they were several metres back. “Have you forgotten already? Remember the plan: you’ve all got places to be. Now move like you’ve got a purpose.” Then shuffled on his slippers over the two guards.
Barb winced, touching her head on impulse. “Remind me not to get on your bad side, professor.”
The gathering, instead of following the professor on his slow pace, split up in several directions. Barb and Sam an’ Rita went north, along with half the group. The other half went south, past the professor except for Rickard who opted to stay with him. This left Sans, Papyrus, and Alphys stood in the middle, lost.
Alphys gave chase to Haze. Fortunately, she needn’t run far. “Wait, professor?” she asked, “What should we do?”
“Right. You three weren’t part of the plan.” Professor Haze looked away a touch. “Tell you what: make yourselves useful and go make sure the Obelisk is clear. Down this hall, right, then left, take the stairs to the bottom, right, straight on for two-four-five yards, then right. You can’t miss it.”
“Okay… we got it…” Alphys said slowly.
“We shall figure it out,” Papyrus said surely. “Onwards!”
And so, the trio made their way down the corridors, found the stairs and reached the ground floor.
* * *
The two of them, the tiny human and the large monster, we
re alone in the desolated garden unless the pillar itself could be counted as an individual. Polar opposites in every single way, and the worst combination for the last two people in this world. A modern retelling of David and Goliath.
Fleck was reminded of how they met Asgore Dreemurr. His talk about the weather and playing catch and how their certain confrontation was akin to a trip to the dentist was all a shameful ploy to stave off the inevitable for as long as possible. Six human souls in his possession, and yet the thought of taking the last one by force personally tore him apart inside.
Fleck thought they could feel it: the magic swirling around Emperor Zeus’s soul, prolonging his life and feeding his strength. As the world perished, it continues to focus on this one monster.
Fleck’s worked up their tiny voice into a far-reaching bellow. They told Zeus that this world was on the brink of dying. They had a chance to stop it from happening, but only if they worked together.
“Work with you?” The Emperor marched forward. “You got a tasteless sense of humour to waltz back here and propose that. Like I would ever lower myself to the likes of you.”
An appeal to his people was the detour Fleck decided to take, desperately as their opponent drew nearer. When the magic of the Obelisk ran out, Fleck explained, this world will destroy itself and everyone in it – the people he swore to protect as their ruler. His father cared deeply for this land and its citizens. Should Emperor Zeus not do the same?
“I don’t care what my father said anymore,” barked Zeus. “I don’t even care about this world. I’ve spent my life bowing on the whims on what other people wanted. Now it’s my turn. Do you know what I want the most, more than anything else in the universe?” He stopped before Fleck. “I want all humans dead.” His sword arm reeled back. “Starting with you.”
Heaven’s Shard swung high. Fleck threw up their shield and blocked the blow, feeling a trace amount of a shudder run through their forearm. Zeus pressed down and Fleck pushed back, their knees trembling, threatening to buckle.
Fleck tried one more time. With a strained voice. This was not what Juhi would want.
“Juhi’s not here, is he.”
Time for plan B. Fleck tipped their shield to one side as Zeus pushed down with all his might. Heaven’s Shard slipped into the sullen earth. Fleck darted past and swiped his leg. The dull training sword from yesterday hardly scuffed his boot, but the razor tip cut through the special metal and reached his skin, leaving a small cut on the underside of his calf.
Emperor Zeus grunted as his wounded leg buckled slightly. He quickly turned, stood, and heaved his greatsword from out the bog water. The child now stood with the Obelisk to their back; sword in left hand and shield in right, poised to fight.
“Definitely Haze’s work…” the lion said, mentioning the human’s equipment. “Still, it won’t save you.”
Zeus rose his sword to attack when his left shoulder guard burst into flames.
He stumbled to the side, plunging the tip of Heaven’s Shard into the dead ground to stop himself. The blast had charred the golden crimson sheen obsidian black.
Zeus’s head turned at the same time Fleck’s did. “Who dares…?” he snarled through closed, clenched choppers and saw two figures draped in cloaks at the far end of the dead garden. Ebbs of smoke and steam drifted off two white palms.
“What a miserable creature…” Toriel started.
“Torturing such a poor, innocent youth…” Asgore finished. The sound of those words leaving his lips nearly made Toriel burst out laughing at his hypocrisy.
Fleck could not stop the words from leaving their smiling mouth: Toriel! Asgore!
Pushing himself up on his blade, Emperor Zeus exhaled and inhaled through pursed lips. Just hearing a human call out monster names with such acknowledgement, like a child finding their parents, disgusted him down to his core.
The king and queen rushed over, gladdened all over by finding their child. Toriel took Fleck into her arms while Asgore stood between them and the emperor. Just feeling the child’s warmth, their presence close to hers, her cheek rubbing against theirs, their tiny arms around her neck, made her worries fade away.
“Oh, my child,” Toriel said lovingly. “I am so glad you are alright.” A tender kiss found its way to the side of the child’s fuzzy head.
As Zeus witnessed the scene – a monster cradling a human – the repugnance of it all was unbelievable. A monster hugging that filthy animal? The Emperor could not fathom it. “Your child?” Zeus repeated. “Your child? You call that pile of skin and bones your child?”
Asgore stepped ever so little to the left, acting fully as a barrier. He started, belligerent but fair. “Now, look here—!” His mouth hung agape, ready, locked and loaded to spew his forceful speech when he looked upon the emperor’s face and recognition flashed within his eyes, pushing his arms down and leaving his mouth open to attract flies. “Juhi?” he said. “Is that you? I thought you died during the war.”
The Emperor responded only with a glare, the narrowing of eyelids, deep frown and low growl from the back of the throat.
The former king lifted his head. “No, wait, you’re not Juhi… you’re his son, aren’t you?” The name balanced on the tip of his tongue. “Alex? Axel? Max? Maxel—Zeus! I remember now, you’re Zeus!” He pulled down his hood: a good look from head to toe was in order. The last time Asgore had seen him, once or twice, too many decades in the past, Zeus was a scrawny, timid, unsmiling child of about five or six. “Look at you… I cannot believe how much you’ve grown!” Never would he have conceived that same child growing up to be the musclebound mass before him.
Toriel pulled away from her touching reunification to scowl at her ex. “Now is not the time for pleasantries, Dreemurr.”
He ignored her. “Please, Zeus, do not be so hasty. You and I have so much to catch up on. Let us talk about this as gentlemen, over a nice cup of tea.”
This suggestion served to make Zeus angrier. Before he could step closer – a move which was scarily sudden – he was swiftly impeded by a single shaft of pale blue energy, striking the ground dangerously close to the muscles in his uninjured leg.
“That spear…” Asgore mouthed, breathless. He knew those from anywhere. It remained vertical for a couple of seconds before vanishing into the ether. “Could it be…?”
From atop the western roof of the yard, Undyne stood aloof and intimidating. “Take another step…” She jumped down, landing in a posterior-kicking pose next to Fleck and the royal couple; her eye trained on the ruler. “And it’ll be your last, villain!”
Asgore smiled, half surprised and half pleased. “Undyne? You sure know how to make an entrance.”
Undyne returned a grin. “I learned from the best.” Her tone made no attempt to veil the fact that she was thankful to have found Asgore, Toriel, Fleck, and the Emperor all at once. Her joy in locating the Emperor was for another reason.
Zeus’s hand shook, tapping the hilt of his sword against his waist. His men had been dispatched to capture this criminal, and now she stood before him, free from shackles, on the outside of a cage, and taking Asgore’s side which, in turn, meant she was taking the human’s side. Choosing a human over him, a monster just like her, without as much as a waiver of thought.
Villain? He was the bad guy here?
“Stop it,” he uttered. “Stop defending that thing!”
Zeus heaved heavy breaths through gnashed teeth, getting angrier. His grip on Heaven’s Shard tightened. He raised it high against Undyne and… Ping!
He shuddered to an abrupt halt as a blue aura consumed his entire body, making him feel like a ton. The Emperor fell on one knee, feeling gravity multiply tenfold, and let his weapon lose balance to his side. From the opposite side of the garden lay the source of this power.
“There’re plenty ways to make pals, pal,” Sans said, arm outstretched. Holding down Zeus with minimal effort. “Swingin’ that around ain’t one of them.”
As Emperor Zeus
pushed and grunted under the blue magic, Sans, along with Alphys and Papyrus, moved closer; the doctor’s coat a slight shade of grey in the rain. It occurred to Sans that Papyrus – with his death traps, obvious japes, frozen spaghetti and blue attacks – had a better grasp on buddy-making than Zeus did. At least Papyrus actually made a friend that day.
Fleck could not contain their excitement. All their friends were here, alright and in one piece.
“Alphys! You guys!” Undyne hollered.
Alphys gasped. “Undyne!” she cried happily. “Tori! Gorey! Fleck! You’re all okay!” She was so elated that she could cry. So she did. “You’re all okay…” she whispered to herself. Her friends were not gone because of her. They were alive and well, and reunited with Fleck because of her. “I didn’t mess up… I didn’t mess up… I actually did it… I did good…”
Zeus, still pushing against gravity, watched as these three new additions stepped over and took their pride of place next to their king, on his side opposite Undyne. Their hatred not designated toward the one whose species cursed and ruined their lives, but toward him. They clambered around the human, treated it like their friend.
Heaving, he stood as he felt the magic grow weaker. “What’s going on? What has this human done to you? Why do you protect it?” he demanded to know, making it sound more like grovelling. His eyes traced around the faces opposing him, automatically falling back time again to the King’s. “Do you not remember the war? Have you already forgotten in your old age?” The questions were for Asgore only, but posed for them all. “Humanity’s hate? Their cruelty? The lives lost? Do they mean nothing to you anymore? Our own men, women, and children dead, slaughtered, and now you stand beside one of them whose ancestors were amongst those who committed terrible deeds against ours, who condemned your fathers, and their fathers before them to exile under the earth, to live out their days as prisoners for no other reason than what they were. All of no consequence to humanity. All to make us weaker in their faces. And now you clamber around that revolting creature whose hands are stained by the dust of those who roamed before it. Whose soul we can get to reap vengeance upon them. Why have you weakened yourselves like this? Why? Why are you doing this?”
