Monster Age: A Fantasy Epic

by GR Griffin

  Asriel was the first to move, diving through the crowds of monsters in the direction Sans had laid out. He was followed closely by his parents, then Alphys, and finally Undyne at the back, still hiking the skeleton brothers over her head.

  Moving apace, the boy slalomed through whatever gaps he could find, working his newly regained limbs which still felt natural like he had never lost them to begin with. He shoved his way through tight spaces and asked others to step aside.

  He refused to stop until he escaped the crowds and witnessed the true expanse of the surface world. Across the vast beach, Fleck was a shrinking dot along the ways, walking alone.

  "Fleck? Where're you going?" Asriel called out. Despite his voice reaching the top of his lungs, Fleck dragged their feet through those uneven sands.

  Just as Mama and Papa Dreemurr escaped the mass of civilians, Dreemurr Junior burst into a sprint, kicking up a sandstorm in his wake.

  "Fleck, wait!"

  His quads burned as bare paws sank into soft ground, taking every ounce of effort out of him. Asriel ran until his legs were on fire. He started to make out their brown hair and striped shirt. Then he ran faster, charging through walls of blistering heat and painful fatigue.

  * * *

  The sand and sea waved in a watery haze. There was sand in Fleck's boots, but they were too depressed to stop and get it out. Fleck clamped their hands over their eyes in a vain attempt to stop the tears, but it was no use.

  They had no family and no friends. Fleck was the loneliest child in the world.

  They did not want to be alone. But they were alone.

  They stopped, unable to take another step. Warm water ran through their fingers. A miserable fit of crying set their throat on fire. Their howls fell on silent ears; no one nearby to hear them, no one around to feel their pain.

  They wiped them away for more to take their place in a never-ending cascade. What were they doing? Why were they stopping? The city was still a long walk away. If they kept going, they could find the orphanage just in time for bed.

  "Fleck…! Fleck…!"

  Fleck froze to the spot upon hearing their name, being spoken by… Asriel Dreemurr? They turned and there he was, rushing toward them, his parents not far behind, and Alphys holding what was left of Mew Mew, and an impressive show of strength, stamina and balance by Undyne, Papyrus and Sans.

  "Wait up!" Asriel, painting and sweating, nearly collapsed to a stop a few feet away. "Fleck…" he gasped, bracing himself on his knees to get his breath back. Between deep breaths he muttered, "What's… this… all about?"

  He lifted his head. "Why're you…?" What he was ready to say got lost in transit upon glimpsing their stained cheeks. "…crying?"

  Asgore and Toriel reached them, stopping beside their kid. Toriel appeared worse off than Asriel, most likely for a reason other than fatigue. Asgore, on the other hand, hadn't a bead of sweat on him. Despite his roundness, he was still the king for a reason.

  "There you are," Asgore said in a manner too controlled for someone of his size. "We thought we had lost you a third time this week."

  "Fleck, why were you running off on us like that? You nearly gave me a soul-attack." Toriel said as Alphys reached them; along with Undyne who placed Papyrus down, who in turned placed Sans down. The former captain, thanks to a lifestyle such as hers, hadn't a single breath out of place. It was the two skeletons who appeared worn out.

  And so, there stood one child born of mankind. Ten feet away, seven of the opposite race. Long, black shadows crept up the umber shore.

  "What is wrong, my child?" Toriel asked. "Where were you going?"

  Fleck, with the tears glistening down their face, looked at the ground and responded with a single word.

  Away.

  "Away?" Toriel repeated. "Away from who?"

  Fleck remained silent, their head lowered. Hands clasped together, twiddling the thumbs.

  Onward, Toriel pressed. "Away from the crowds? Away from the cramped air? Away from…?"

  A mumble rattled Fleck's Adam's apple. The truth wanted to present itself, but the truth also hurt.

  Asriel Dreemurr raised his eyebrows. "Us?" he dared to ask. All eyes swung to him. "Away from us?"

  They turned back and Fleck responded seconds later with a slow, regretful nod.

  Asriel rounded his back and opened his hands in a manner which begged for reason. "But… why?"

  Still looking to the grains beneath their soles, Fleck, after a brief hesitation, said it was better this way. The Dreemurrs wouldn't want them anymore, not after what happened last time, with Chara. How could another human child ever be trusted around their son? As long as they remained, they ran the risk of tearing their wonderful family apart. Because they were a human.

  Fleck turned to continue walking.

  It would be better for all of them, as a family, if Fleck just went away and never came back.

  "Good heavens, my child," Toriel said, sounding mortified. "Whatever made you think of such tripe?"

  Fleck stopped before the next step, and gradually looked back. Those tender eyes of those monsters fell upon them.

  Asgore gently took Toriel and Asriel by the shoulders and pulled them closer together. "We were just saying that our family was missing something. Someone, actually. Someone very special. Someone who means the world to us. Can you guess who it is?"

  Asriel extended out a hand and parted the fingers. "It's you, Fleck," he said. "It's missing you."

  Toriel, alongside with her husband, reached out also. "Join us, Fleck."

  "Join our family," Asgore said. "Your family."

  Fleck clutched their chest, stifling their breath. The Dreemurr's were reaching out to them; wanting – no! – needing them. Them, a human. But… no. They can't. As much as they wanted to. Fleck was not like them; they weren't made of magic, or have white fur, or horns, scales, a tail, or bones not layered in skin. They were not a monster. They were not family.

  "Do not say that, my child." Toriel's voice came out cracked, desperate. A sombre look intruded in her red eyes. "You are family!"

  "Fleck, family isn't what's in your blood or what grows on your skin, it's those you hold dearest in your heart," Asgore said, hand against chest. "It's the people you care about more than anyone else in the world; the people who you need the most in your life, who you would sacrifice everything for. You could've wished for real parents, a real family, but you didn't need to because you had it right in front of you the whole time. Us, Fleck. You had us."

  The King spoke with nothing but sincerity in his strong voice. "We love you, Fleck. We love you so very much, and we know you love us, too. You're crying because you don't want to leave. Well, we don't want you to leave either." Their hands were open; the father's, the mother's, and the son's. "We want you to stay. With us."

  Fleck, with their mouth open and fingers clutched against torso, wanted to believe that was true. That their existed a future with all of them together. They desired to move forward, take those awaiting hands, if not for a feeling holding them back, denying them family.

  "We're…" Asriel murmured. He perked up a small grin as he remembered something funny. "We're one great big butterscotch, cinnamon and snail pie, Fleck. We want you to be the final slice."

  Fleck's featured shifted from sadness to befuddlement. That might go down in history as the dumbest metaphor ever conceived, and yet it resounded like a rallying cry.

  Papyrus stepped forth, loud and proud. "You're one great big junior jumble puzzle," he added, extending his bony limbs. "We're one great big junior jumble puzzle. Be the surprise answer, Fleck."

  Undyne followed Papyrus's lead. "We're one extra tough, extra private one-on-one training session," she said thick with her fiery demeanour. "Be the flame that cooks the meal to perfection!" Sweat broke on her brow as her roughness smoothed out. "Err… without burning the house down, though."

  Sans swayed to his brother's side. "We're one overly long, lousy joke," he said, then pointed
and winked coolly. "Deliver the punchline, kid."

  Alphys, as timid as ever, crept beside her bae. "We're… we're one big…" She glanced down to Mew Mew's remains in her hands. "Dating simulation game!" Alphys said through sudden inspiration. "Be the last level! And the final boss! And the credits!"

  "And the sequel hook!" Mew Mew, herself, said as she came alive.

  The doctor gasped. "Mew Mew!" she cried as she looked at her, finding light in those pink eyes. That permanent smile made her smile as well.

  "Boy, did we have a tough gym sessions," Mew Mew said with line three-zero-one from her directory. "I can't feel my legs."

  "Don't worry about it." Alphys held the robot's head the same way one would hold a baby. "I'll make sure you get some new ones."

  The revelation almost struck Asriel off his feet. He remembered facing Fleck back in the Underground, when the six human souls and every monster soul flowed through him, transforming him into a god beyond measure. Fleck reached deep into their soul and found the strength to save Asriel from his own undoing.

  Now? Asriel reached deep inside his soul. It was time for him to save Fleck.

  "Be all of those things. Be the finishing touch." Asriel's hand lifted slightly. "Be our finishing touch." His parents knelt down, both arms wide. "What do you say, Fleck?"

  Fleck was stunned in place. The Dreemurr family were smiling. Alphys was smiling. Papyrus was smiling. Sans was smiling. Undyne was smiling. None of them wanted Fleck to go. All of their happy faces encouraging the human to embrace destiny.

  They risked a step forward, sole printing into warm sand; afraid that this was all some dream, that they'd sink into the depths and awaken to a dark, soul-crushing reality. That Fleck had already completed their journey unimpeded to the nearest city and had been guided by the hard-hearted director with an ironic name to a squalor bed in the darkest corner of the topmost room.

  Fleck wiped away the tears with their sleeve.

  Could it really be? Could they truly be a family? Could they…?

  Oh, who were they kidding?

  They raced over and dove into those awaiting arms. Of course! Of course they wanted to be the final slice. The surprise answer. The punchline. The sequel hook. The everything!

  Everyone cheered as Fleck wrapped their arms around their brother, Asriel, received a kiss from their mother, Toriel, and had the hairs on their head ruffled by their father, Asgore.

  "That's better," Asgore applauded, then said those beautiful, magical words that he longed to say for as long as he could remember: "Now… we're a family."

  Saying that, after so long, brought a tear to his eye. So many accomplishments and failings in his long life. He lost and gained so much, sought power and revenge at his lowest point. He never wanted power or vengeance or eternal life. All he ever wanted was a family.

  Family. One big weird butterscotch-cinnamon-snail-junior-jumble-burning-funny bone-videogame pie of a family. An odd mix that probably didn't taste too good or be particularly healthy, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

  This was where Fleck Dreemurr belonged.

  Asriel took his sibling's hand. "I'm not letting go this time," he whispered.

  Fleck whispered three little words at their brother…

  Neither were they.

  * * *

  Undyne knelt down beside her girlfriend. "Hey, Alphys. You kicked major butt out there."

  Alphys went red in the cheeks. Her first through was to be modest, to deny it; however, she had received so much praise today, and brushing it off was all she could do. She never felt like she deserved any of the praise she was given, now she felt good enough.

  "Y-yeah. Yeah, I did! I did kick b-b-b-posterior today. And… and… and it felt good!"

  Undyne leaned back, putting a little space between them. "Oooh. Someone's full of hot air today."

  Alphys's high spirit deflated. Yeah… she guessed she got a little carried away. Oh, well, back to regular, timid Alphys, she supposed.

  Her girlfriend leaned closed and wrapped both hands under her arms. "You know what happens to things full of hot air?" she asked with her toothy grin.

  All of sudden, Alphys remembered too late something from back at Waterfall. The captain pulled her off the ground and threw her straight up into the air. Every loose part of her body, both inside and out, pulled down as she shot up into the sky. She glimpsed a beautiful view across the beach as she lost speed, reached her apex, and then began her descent. Her mind was jumbled and yet blank as she fell – all those flabby parts now raced up to her neck. She expected to crash land on sand, or in the water, or in a convenient can full of garbage, but instead landed in powerful arms.

  After having stopped and her squishy parts having stopped jiggling, she looked up into Undyne's face – caught in the light – and never before had she thought she could look any more beautiful. Those arms made her feel safe. That single eye she could get lost in for hours. Lips she could explore for longer.

  Caught in the moment, three words slipped through her lips.

  "I love you…"

  * * *

  Sans and Papyrus turned to each other after having watched the two lovers. Sans had that smile on his face, as always. "You wanna carry me on your shoulder like that, bro?"

  Papyrus cringed. "Um… I would love to as part of a rigorous strength building exercise, but that would just be awkward." He pointed back and forth between himself and Sans. "Considering how… You and me… We're… Y'know… You get the picture."

  Sans giggled. "I'm just tapping your funny bone." "So, uh, you wanna awkwardly put your hand on my shoulder at least?"

  Papyrus sighed. "Fine." He awkwardly reached across and awkwardly placed the palm of his red glove on Sans's awkward jacket shoulder, awkwardly. "If anyone takes a picture of this, we'll never hear the end of it."

  "Yeah, but I kinda like it," Sans replied with a shrug, "to be honest."

  Papyrus looked down at his brother and smiled. "Don't you mean… tibia honest?"

  Ba-dum… pish?

  Sans gasped. His eye sockets widened. Did his boneless ears deceive him? "Papyrus… did you just make a pun?"

  "Why, yes." Papyrus nodded, looking out to the horizon. "Yes I did."

  "And let me guess. You're smiling out of smug superiority? Righteous self-denial?"

  All of a sudden, Papyrus pulled Sans off the ground in an embrace. "I'm smiling because I'm happy, Sans!" he announced as he danced in circles, laughing his proud and happy laugh. "I'm so happy! Happy, happy, happy!"

  Around and around he danced, making circles in the sand. He proclaimed his glee to the world, shouting with not a single tad of shame or embarrassment. He wanted everyone to know, and there was nothing anyone else could do to stop it.

  As Sans span helplessly in his brother's iron grasp, the world a blur of green and blue, green and blue, he felt a strangeness within him. At first, he thought it was dizziness, or the urge to throw up his condiments, but it was more than that. There was a part of himself that was not right. Something felt off. He felt wrong, different.

  It was his mouth. His grinning mouth.

  Sans was smiling. He was always smiling. But… he grin felt altered somehow. He couldn't quite place it until he figured it out.

  He was genuinely smiling. A true smile straight from the soul.

  He was happy. So happy. Not ironic happy, or depressed happy, or happy for no other reason than to be happy. But happy happy. He wasn't afraid anymore: not of the resets; not of the future; not of what could or could have been. He smiled… because he wanted to smile.

  After all his joy died down, Papyrus placed his brother down and straightened himself. "Recommencing awkward shoulder hold."

  Sans, still awestruck, brought his hand up to feel the intricacies of his brother's bony hand. "I wouldn't have it any other way, bro," he said.

  * * *

  "Alright, everyone," Asgore called out. With his soul full of joy and a lightness to his steps, he said the
three magical words he wanted to say when the adventure was over. "Let's—"

  "Wait!"

  Behind them, a single monster had broken away from the exodus to find them. It was none other than the Emperor himself, Zeus. His crown held the same magnificence as the dawn. Toriel pulled both her children behind her, Fleck more so.

  "King Asgore," he began. "My people. Night is closing in and they are without food or shelter. I know I have no right to ask you of anything, but I don't suppose you could be of some assistance, could you?"

  "Of course." Asgore sounded his usual friendliest, like their battle moments before – and the sight of Fleck's lifeless body – never happened. "Tell your people to wait here. I've got plenty of friends who'll gladly help, and I'm sure the human towns nearby can offer some assistance."

  "The humans will listen to you?"

  The king patted Fleck on the head. "We got our own ambassador right here."

  Zeus's mouth sagged into a frown. "You were a representative to us monsters all along?" Fleck nodded. "Why didn't you tell m…?"

  Just the sight of Fleck's furrowed brow and jutted smirk answered that question right off the bat.

  "Yeah…" Zeus gave the sand a light kick, toppling a small mound. "Like I'd have believed that…"

  Asgore gestured to the mass of monsters huddled together. "Tell them to hang in there. Expect help very soon." He placed extra emphasis on the last two words, nodding in tandem.

  Zeus took a step back; his hands were clasped together at his stomach. "I'm putting my trust in you. Don't let me down, your majesty."

  Asgore let out a small chuckle; he still liked the sound of his forgotten title "I won't." He turned around and took his loved ones by the hands. He held Asriel, and Asriel held Fleck, and Fleck held Toriel. "Alright, everyone." Now was the time to say those magical words. He took a quiet, small breath and said, "Let's go home."

  With that, they walked. Together, as a family, they walked. The footprints behind them either signified the ending of their story, or the beginning of a new one. They made their way across the beach as one. Alphys still cradled in Undyne's hold. The brothers locked in their awkward shoulder clutch. The Dreemurrs, holding hands.