Chapter 1: Before the Dark
Chapter Text
PROLOGUE
Chujin stared at the computer before him, the kitsune’s face illuminated by the screen. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been monitoring the program; time was hard to keep track of in the void. He glanced over to the owner of the program, the skeleton’s melted form towering a good couple feet above him. When he’d first appeared in the void, he’d been certain that he was in Hell, Angel knew he deserved it. But he knew better now, the void was better described as an endless, black, nothing, a purgatory he had damned himself to the moment he’d injected raw, unrefined Determination into his own soul. Chujin was roused from his thoughts as the skeleton finally broke the silence.
“IS EVERYTHING IN PLACE AS I REQUESTED?”
“If there is anything missing or out of place I haven’t found it.” Chujin replied, hating how nervous he sounded, the fact that the Doctor’s voice sounded like awful garbage noise didn’t help.
“EXCELLENT, THEN WE ARE READY TO BEGIN THE EXPERIMENT.”
“Doctor,” Chujin turned to face the melted skeleton, “Are you certain this will work?”
“HAVE A LITTLE FAITH CHUJIN, WITH OUR SUCCESS COMES THE FREEDOM OF MONSTERKIND, AND EVERYTHING WE HAVE SUFFERED WILL HAVE BEEN WORTH IT."
Chujin turned back to the screen he’d been watching, displayed on the monitor was a small human in a striped sweater standing against King Asgore himself. Chujin had never been a huge fan of Asgore, but he couldn’t help but feel a wave of despair wash over him as he watched a single human child bring the king to his knees. The kitsune swallowed his bile as he readied himself, if the Doctor’s words were to be believed then he would only have a moment before…
True to the Doctor’s word, Chujin watched in horror as Asgore was fatally struck from behind, the culprit revealed itself to be a small flower with a face, “Flowey” the Doctor had called it. He watched as the flower taunted the human, before the six human souls that monsterkind had collected surrounded the plant.
“NOW CHUJIN!"
Chujin’s fingers flashed across the keyboard, the program causing the screen to begin flashing before the entire system exploded, Chujin sat in shock as the Doctor laughed triumphantly. As the smoke began to clear, Chujin couldn’t help but wonder what he had truly gotten himself into.
Doctor W. D. Gaster was a not one to gloat, his accomplishments did the talking for him. But as he watched the monitor explode from the amount of sheer Determination flowing through it, he couldn’t help but laugh. His smile deepened as he heard the sound of hooves on tile approaching him. With a smug smile, he turned to the monster that had been hiding just out of sight.
“SO GOOD OF YOU TO FINALLY JOIN US MISS HOLIDAY."
“Don’t give me that shit old man!” Dess shouted at the melted skeleton, “You know damn well that I don’t understand your garbage noise.”
The Doctor couldn’t help but smile as the reindeer monster stared him down, “SUCH LANGUAGE DOSEN’T SUIT YOU MISS HOLIDAY."
“What’s he spouting off about now?” Dess asked Chujin.
“He was just greeting you Dess” Chujin stated with a groan, “Plus a comment about your use of profanities which I’m inclined to agree with, you said you’d watch your language.”
“Oh, like how the two of you said you’d cut it out with the whole, possession bullshit?” Dess fired back as she pointed at the still smoldering screen.
“That’s different” Chujin said quickly, “But since you’re here, I wanted to know if you’ve given the Doctor’s proposition any thought, we need your help.”
“With what?” Dess asked exasperated, “That “Doctor” is the one who dragged me into this damn hellhole in the first place, what can I do that the two of you can’t?”
“You’re the only one out of the three of us who can freely leave through the Doctor’s doors, that’s why---”
“WHAT?!?!?” Dess screamed.
“CHUJIN!!!"
"Now I know you’re upset but---GAH!” Chujin cried out in surprise as the whiffle bat collided with his face.
Dess didn’t wait to see the results of her surprise assault, running past the fox and the melted skeleton as fast as her legs would move. Skeletal hands materialized around her, each with a perfect hole where the palm should be. The hands rushed at her from every direction, those she couldn’t dodge, she smacked out of the way with her bat. She rushed out of the lab and down the hall, weaving through walls of bones that erupted from the walls and floors. That’s when she saw it, a grey door, the means the Doctor used to view other worlds. She poured the last of her energy into her final sprint, reaching out towards the knob she couldn’t help but smile, she was going to make it!
Suddenly everything became tinted blue as her body froze in place, her hand only a few inches from the door. Dess strained against the magic holding her in place to no avail, her heart dropping as she felt herself violently move up, slamming into the ceiling before being released, crashing to the floor. Dess had no time to react as she was thrown again, this time into the wall, a sharp pain shooting through her arm.
“Congratulations Miss Holiday, you have officially succeeded in causing me to loss my temper.” The Doctor’s monotone voice cackled from the screens that littered the walls. “Clearly the humans of your world have a tighter grip upon you than I feared.”
“Y-you’re I-insane!” Dess stammered, clutching her now obviously broken arm as she inched away with her legs. “Please, you don’t have to do this!”
“Forgive me, but you’ve left me no other choice” The Doctor said as he snaped his fingers.
By the time Dess realized what was happening, it was already too late as one of the Doctor’s floating hands grabbed onto one of her antlers and, in one swift motion, broke it off about halfway down. Dess felt her breath hitch as her body went completely numb, her vision blurred as tears ran down her face. Then the pain hit, her broken arm forgotten as her body seemed to shut down completely. She tried to move, to scream, to do anything, but her body simply wouldn’t respond. As her vision faded to black, the last thing she saw was the melted skeleton towering over her.
The Doctor watched with indifference as the reindeer monster finally passed out from the pain. He hadn’t wanted to hurt the girl, but he couldn’t allow her ignorance to ruin any more of his plans than she had already. His mind wandered back to when he’d pulled her into the void, as he retrieved the reindeer monster, stashing her broken antler in his inventory. He’d been aiming for the human she’d been with when it had all gone wrong. The plan had been simple, he’d use the connection he’d established with the human called ‘Kris’ to lead said human to the abandoned bunker and pull them into the void through one of the ‘Dark Worlds’ he’d created. But Dess had pushed his target out of the way, resulting in her being here in the void instead.
The Doctor reentered the lab just where Chujin sat holding his head.
“TELL ME CHUJIN, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?"
“Only say what you instruct me to, nothing more.” Chujin answered quietly, “Don’t you think that you went a bit too far?”
The Doctor glanced at the unconscious girl held by his summoned hands.
“I DID WHAT WAS NECESSARY, NOW MAKE SURE SHE STAYS PUT."
The Doctor deposited the unconscious monster into Chujin’s arms without another word, fading out of view with a sound similar to tv static. The fox monster waited a few moments before letting his shoulders sag as he carried the unconscious monster to a side room similar to his own, save for the fact that the room had a bared door instead of a wooden one. As he gently laid the girl onto a cot, he felt what was left of his soul ache as he reminisced about his own daughter. He missed Kanako, he missed Ceroba, he missed building robots and, dare he admit it, he even missed the ridiculous debates he’d have with Starlo over whether westerns or sci-fi media was better.
“How did it come to this?” Chujin quietly asked no one in particular, “Surely there has to be a better way.”
Chujin stood back up and locked the door, wincing as the loud click echoed through the halls before returning to the main part of the Doctor’s lab. As he reentered the main lab, he couldn’t help glancing over to the far wall. Several screens haphazardly littered the wall, each displaying a different target, different pieces of the Doctor’s plan. The human in the blue and purple striped sweater that had fought Asgore, another with a cowboy hat and matching outfit, one with an oversized green hoodie, one with a white shirt with ruffles and a red skirt, the souls that monsterkind had collected, a child with cat-like features holding a large lightbulb, and in the center of all these screens was the “Crux” of the plan. Chujin stared at the human the Doctor’s entire plan hinged on, the human Dess insisted on fondly calling “Kris”.
Chujin had…mixed feelings on Kris, on one hand, Kris was a human and was therefore both an enemy and a threat to all monsterkind. But on the other hand, Dess insisted that the human was kind. The reindeer monster had described Kris as a quiet prankster who would rather eat weird trash than willingly hurt someone. The fact that the world Dess and Kris called home was one where the war never happened and had monsters and humans living on the surface in peace truly left him conflicted. But no matter how adamantly Dess insisted Kris was harmless, even she had no explanation for the worn knife the human carried around. He shook his head, he refused to risk a repeat of the Snowdin incident, never again.
Chujin looked up at the screens with determination, if peace was an option they’d have never been locked underground in the first place. He’d make sure that his family would live to see the sun, surely Ceroba would have found a boss monster willing to help complete the serum by now.
“Ceroba…Kanako… I’ll make it back to you, I’ll set things right” Chujin said with conviction, “…I promise”.
Deep in the depths of the void, Gaster pulled the shadows around him as he infused the antler he’d taken from Dess with the darkness he’d gathered. For his plan to work, he needed someone who could exist in the “Light World” and “Dark Worlds”. He would need someone to serve as his KNIGHT, someone to pull more dark fountains. Originally, he’d intended to have Kris serve this role, then he’d tried to convince Dess to take the human’s place when she’d intervened, but the girl had proven far more insightful and stubborn than anticipated. So, he’d decided that if he couldn’t find a proper candidate, he’d simply have to make one.
Gaster smiled as the skeletal deerlike creature rose up before him, “Come forth, my roaring knight, we have much to accomplish”.
Chapter 2: WHERE IS HERE?
Summary:
Niko doesn't know how they ended up in a dark forest, but something's chasing them. Hopefully they can find someone who is willing to help them.
Chapter Text
Chapter 1: WHERE IS HERE?
Niko fought back tears as they stumbled through the woods, their cloths soaked through from the rain. They didn’t know where they were or how they’d gotten ended up wherever “here” was, the last thing they remembered was walking inside to have lunch with their mama when everything had suddenly gone dark. Niko let out a gasp as their foot caught a root, sending the small child tumbling to the ground, mud splattering their cloths. Niko sniffled as they struggled to their feet, unsure if their body’s shaking was from the cold or fear.
“HELLO?” Niko called out into the dark, “SOMEBODY…anybody?” Niko felt their ears flatten against their head as a loud crash came from behind them.
Before they realized what was happening, they were running and from the sound of it, something big was right behind them. Niko couldn’t bring themselves to turn around, but they could see something in the distance through the rain, a soft light. Niko poured the last of their strength as they suddenly burst out of the woods onto a dimly lit street, directly into a much taller figure. The small child collided with the person, causing both of them to tumble to the wet pavement. Niko looked up to warn the stranger about whatever was chasing them, only to freeze. The person they’d collided with had purple skin and a lot of teeth.
Susie wasn’t having a great night, scratch that, she was having a horrible night. Between the Dark World, the Titan, Kris’s mom…the prophecy. Susie pushed that last thought as far from her mind as she could, she didn’t want to think about that right now. She shivered from the rain, as if the colder weather wasn’t bad enough it just had to rain. She would normally just sleep in the park or the woods, but the rain made both of those options unappealing. Her thoughts about finding a dry place to sleep for the night were suddenly pushed to the back of her mind as something small darted out of the woods and directly into her.
“AH SHIT!” she cursed as she turned to face what had knocked her to the ground, “WATCH WHERE…you’re…!”
Susie’s anger fizzled as she turned to find a small cat monster of some kind covered in mud. She immediately felt guilty as the small child stumbled away from her, clearly close to tears. Before she could process anything else, her attention was drawn to where the kid had bolted out of the woods, something big lumbering closer. The kid yelped and bolted behind her; her own thoughts flooded with her all to recent encounter with the Knight. Almost on instinct she reached for her weapon, pulling out a hammer like tool. A “hot cutter”, Kris had called it and readied herself to strike.
“TAKE ANOTHER STEP AND YOU’RE DEAD!” She snarled, puffing her body out to try and make herself seem bigger.
Whatever was in the woods stopped right before the edge of the streetlight, Susie strained her eyes to try and make out the figure’s shape but couldn’t. What she could tell was that it was big, easily several feet taller than her. They both stood silently for what felt like an eternity, the only sounds other than her own trembling breathing being the pattering of the rain. After a few moments the figure backed away into the darkness, after deciding that whatever it was wasn’t coming back Susie finally lowered her weapon.
“Y-yeah, that’s what I thought!” Susie taunted, desperately trying to keep her bravado up as the rush of adrenaline she’d felt began to fade.
A sniffle from behind her reminded Susie that she wasn’t alone as she quickly turned around, startling the kid who stumbled away from her. It was then that Susie realized she was still holding her weapon and probably didn’t look all that friendly to a kid.
“Shit…I didn’t mean to…it’s okay!” Susie pocketed her weapon and raised her hands, showing what she hoped was a reassuring smile, “I’m not going to hurt you”.
After a moment, she slowly reached her hand out towards the shivering child, “I’m Susie”.
“………Niko,” they said softly, voice trembling as they slowly took her outstretched hand.
“So, Niko, why are you…uh, out in the rain?” Susie asked as she helped the small child to their feet, “I’m sure your parents are worried about…GAH?!?”
Susie froze as Niko suddenly hugged her and started sobbing into her already damp shirt. She desperately wished Kris and Ralsei were with her or Noelle, heck, she’d even take Berdly, anyone who was actually qualified to handle the situation she’d found herself in. She hesitated a moment before wrapping her arms around the crying child, finally taking a moment to get a good look at them in the dim streetlight. Their blue hair was a mess, a pair of fluffy cat ears sat atop their head, and their eyes, it took Susie a moment to register that the kid’s feline eyes were literally glowing a soft gold.
She had seen the class of younger kids almost every day and she felt confident she’d remember if she’d seen Niko before. She knew for a fact that someone new moving in would be the talk of the town, the community was too small for it not to be. Plus, Niko couldn’t be any older than ten which meant that they most likely weren’t homeless like her, which only left one possible option, Niko was lost. Susie considered taking Niko to Kris’s house but quickly discarded the thought, she knew what tended to happen when adults and alcohol mixed, but where else could they go?
Castle Town? Too hard to explain. The Police Station? Undyne was taken by the knight and Napstablook was unhelpful at the best of times. Alphys? Susie would rather take her chances with Noelle’s mom. But where else could she…? Susie suddenly had a thought, it was a long shot, but the person she’d just thought of had been the chief of police before Undyne. She took a deep breath to steel herself before kneeling down, so she was at eye level with Niko.
“Niko, I know someone who might be able to help.” Susie said, desperately hoping her voice was coming across as comforting, “Can you walk?”
Niko sniffled, tears and rain dripping down their face, before nodding slowly. Susie gave a small smile as she grabbed Niko’s hand.
“Great!” She exclaimed, trying to sound upbeat. “Now let’s get the hell out of this rain!”
Asgore wasn’t awake, he wasn’t staring at the ceiling thinking about how uncomfortable the far to small air mattress was. He wasn’t thinking about Toriel having a date night with the skeleton who ran the grocery store. He certainly wasn’t thinking about hitting said grocery store skeleton with his truck…Asgore groaned as he sat up from the half-deflated mattress and walked over to the dirty sink. He’d been having more and more unsavory thoughts lately, horrible thoughts that left him feeling disgusted with himself. He splashed cold water into his face, trying to ignore how much seeing Toriel so happy with someone else made him feel. The fluffy monster was shaken from his thoughts by knocking at the door.
Asgore frowned as he glanced at his cracked wristwatch stating it was half past two in the morning, “Who in the world could be out this late?” He glanced out the window, the rain had just switched from a light sprinkling to a torrential downpour. “And in such dreadful weather?”
Asgore made his way to the front of his store, fighting back a yawn as he approached the door. “Howdy, I’m sorry but we’re closed…oh!”
Asgore wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but Kris’s new friend holding the hand of a much younger child, both completely drenched, and shivering wasn’t it.
“Hey Mr. Dreemurr,” The taller girl, “Susie” he remembered greeted him, her voice laced with far more exhaustion and desperation than any child should ever have, “Is it okay if we come in for a bit?”
Niko watched as the huge goat man rushed about the small flower shop, despite his intimidating size he was surprisingly nice. The oversized shirt they’d been given smelled like soil, but it was dry, which was more than what could be said for their own clothes which hug next to Susie’s over a dinky-looking space heater. Susie had stuck close to them, almost like a guardian protector. Niko couldn’t explain it, but they couldn’t help but think about their mama when they looked at the purple girl. She was nice and seemed strong, but was scary when angry, and she’d decided to help them without even giving them a chance to ask.
“Thank you,” Niko said softly as Susie sat down next to them.
“Huh? Oh yeah, uh no worries.” Susie said seeming almost…confused?
“Here we go, nothing like a nice cup of tea to warm yourself up!” Asgore declared chipperly as he brought over to mismatched mugs, steam rising slowly from the tops.
Niko gingerly took one of the mugs and let out a quiet sigh of relief as the warmth spread across their hands. The smell was sweet but subtle and despite being unfamiliar, reminded Niko of home. After blowing on the tea and taking a sip, Niko felt a small smile spread across their face as the tea warmed their body. They looked over to Susie, who seemed to be staring intently at her own mug.
“So, Niko, was it?” Asgore started, “Susie tells me you seem to be a bit lost, how long have you been here?”
Niko paused for a moment “Not long…but I’m not really sure where here is.”
Asgore’s smile faded ever so slightly upon hearing that, but continued talking gently, “You’re in Hometown, do you know if your home is nearby?”
“Hometown?” Niko asked, tilting their head to the side, “Is it close to Aurum Village?”
Asgore’s smile dropped completely as his brow furrowed, “Aurum Village, I can’t say I’ve ever heard of there, could you describe it for me?”
Niko nodded, “It’s a small village surrounded by wheat on all sides, there aren’t a lot of trees and there several big windmills and you can see them all from the village square and everyone looks sort of like me and…”
Niko had to stop to take a breath, they never got tired of talking about their home, PLAYER had always loved hearing them talk about Aurum Village.
“Windmills?” Susie asked, “I haven’t seen any windmills around here.”
“I’m not surprised,” Asgore confirmed with a small nod, “The terrain of this area isn’t flat enough for them to be efficient. Niko do you perhaps know a phone number you could call?”
Niko felt their ears shoot up straight, “Yes!
Asgore let out a small sigh of relief as he pulled out an older looking flip phone and handed it to Niko. As Niko began punching in the number, Asgore walked over to where Susie was sitting.
“Forgive me if this is an uncomfortable subject, but what were you doing outside in the rain, and at such an hour?” Asgore asked softly, “Surely your own parents will be equally worried about you?”
Susie looked away from the larger monster, a mixture of shame and humiliation welling up inside her. Part of her simply wanted to tell Asgore to stay out of her business or play it off, but when she turned back to do so, she couldn’t do it. Asgore’s gaze held no judgment or pity, just a sturdy, straightforward kindness she had only ever seen from Kris. Susie thought about the last few days, she’d let her walls down around Kris, and now even Noelle was her friend. Finally, Susie thought of the old man, how he’d been so patient with her, praised her bravery, shown her kindness, helped her to persevere, maintaining his integrity all the while until finally showing her she could hold her own as an agent of justice like him. Susie took a deep breath and decided she didn’t want to run anymore.
“I don’t have the slightest idea where either of my parents are,” Susie finally admitted, “I never met my mother, and my dad…let’s just say I’d rather stay on the streets.”
“Susie,” Asgore said evenly, “I can’t clam to know what you’ve gone through, but I want you to know that you are welcome to stay here as long as you like.”
Susie had to take a moment to process what had just been said to her, “You’re…offering me a place to stay?”
“Of course!” Asgore said, “Everyone deserves a place where they belong.”
The cruel irony of Asgore telling her she deserved a place to belong considering his own situation wasn’t lost on her, but she guessed that Asgore would know better than anyone what it was like to hit rock bottom.
“I…I don’t…you see I…thank you,” Susie finally managed to respond.
The two were pulled from their conversation by Niko, a worried expression covering their face.
“Were you able to get ahold of your family?” Asgore asked, though his expression told Susie he already knew the answer.
“No, all I got was a message saying no one has the number,” Niko handed the phone back to Asgore who redialed the number and put the device to his ear.
After a moment Asgore closed the phone and turned back to Niko.
“Niko,” Asgore started, “Do you know the name of the country your village is in?”
Niko nodded, “Of course, it’s Shyrland.”
“I see, while I’ve never heard of Shyrland, I’m sure we can figure out more from the library,” Asgore explained, “We’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Niko’s ears drooped a bit before perking up a bit, but we can try tomorrow?”
“Of course, but I think we should turn in for the night,” Asgore said with a yawn, “Let’s get you two situated on the air mattress.”
As Niko and Susie reached the mattress, a problem became apparent, “Wait, where are you going to sleep?”
“Don’t worry, the soil bags are more comfortable for me anyway.” Asgore said, “I’ll be fine.”
Niko wasn’t sure but Asgore seemed certain, as they curled up on the mattress their eyes began to droop. Susie lay down on the mattress next to them and started snoring while Asgore had made himself comfortable on the bags of soil. Despite their exhaustion, sleep evaded them, they couldn’t put a finger on what it was, but this seemed different from their first adventure. The decaying world had seemed real, but they’d realized how different it was when they’d returned home. But this wasn’t like the decaying world, if it was, they’d have heard from PLAYER by now…right?
Niko thoughts flipped from their mama to the World Machine to PLAYER then back to their mama again. They nestled up against Susie, the sound of the rain against the windows mixed with the purple girl’s snoring slowly lulling them to sleep.
Outside the Flower King, the Barghest loomed at the building as the lights went out. Upon the lights going out, the lumbering beast lumbered its way deeper into the woods until it arrived at a large set of red, metal doors which slowly creaked open. After a moment, the monstrosity ducked into the dark space as the heavy doors slammed behind it.
Notes:
Thus ends chapter one! Niko and Susie were both fun to write, between Niko being in a new place with no idea how they got their again and Susie being one of the least equipped members of the Fun Gang. I choose a Hot Cutter because it's a smith tool that has an edge and Alvin says that Gerson used to be a smith (At least I think he does) so I made the hot cutter the justice ax's light world form. Asgore was suprisingly interesting to write, I made him helpful and kind but he does have a little darkness in him. I interpreted him as being a little dopey at times but he means well, just doesn't think things through (Like offering Susie a place to stay depite clearly struggling to take care of himself) and writing this chapter made me realize that he would be able to understand Susie pretty well because he really is the "King" of rock bottom in Deltarune. Next chapter will involve diving a little into the "Lore" of things. =)
Chapter 3: Have You Seen My Dog?
Summary:
Lore doesn't know where he is or how he got there, he just wants to find Baron.
Chapter Text
Chapter 2: HAVE YOU SEEN MY DOG
Lore’s head pounded as he came to, all at once the memories started flooding back. He’d made it to the top of the tower, he’d faced his…mom? He honestly wasn’t sure if the “Boss” was his actual mom or if it had just been a darksider like the Barghest. Or maybe it had been his mom corrupted by a darksider? Lore pushed his helmet aside as he held his head…wait. Lore opened his eyes to check and sure enough he wasn’t wearing his favorite hoodie but a set of Viking armor. In spite of everything, he couldn’t fight the smallest of smirks from spreading across his face. Baron would have been stoked if he’d been there, Lore’s smile lessened at that. His heart felt heavy, he missed his friend so much.
Lore took a moment to assess his surroundings, strange red trees, purple grass, and the sky was dark, yet he couldn’t see the moon or any stars. As he glanced around, he finally caught sight of a landmark in the distance, a massive geyser of…darkness? Lore let out a groan, this place made no sense, a sentiment that he maintained as he began walking towards the towering fountain, a small town coming into view. Loud, peppy music filled the air as a couple of strange creatures bustled about. Hopefully someone there would be able to help or at least set him in the right direction.
Ralsei rushed down the castle stairs, his footsteps muffled by his fur. He’d felt the familiar tug, the one indicating a Lightner had entered the Dark World. Ralsei bolted past Darkners as he reached the middle of town where he slowed his pace and quickly straightened his clothes. He threw a bright smile on his face and braced himself, only to stop abruptly upon catching sight of not Kris, but a different human in a Norse styled byrnie and a horned helm, looking rather lost. Ralsei had to take a moment to shake off his surprise before walking up to the human.
“Hello,” Ralsei greeted, suppressing the urge to flinch as the human’s hardened gaze met his own. “Welcome to Castle Town, I’m Ralsei, the prince of this land.”
“Castle Town?” Lore repeated blankly, the short, fluffy goat creature wearing a slightly forced smile.
“That’s right!” The fluffy creature responded, “And you are?”
“I’m Lore,” Lore introduced, “Hey maybe you can help me, my friend is missing, his name’s Baron, he’s a dog with brown fur and a red collar.”
He watched Ralsei’s smile become slightly strained, his hopes falling as the fluffy boy held up his hands apologetically.
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure where your friend would be” Ralsei apologized, “But if you want, I’d be more than happy to help in any way I can.”
“You want to help?” Lore asked in surprise, “Just like that?”
“Yes!” Ralsei exclaimed, “Baron is clearly important to you.”
Lore had to take a moment to process Ralsei’s words, ever since Baron had disappeared, he’d faced nothing but problems and unhelpful people. He’d fully expected Ralsei to either demand something in return first or to simply refuse to help. That fact that the fluffy prince was willing to help him without hesitation was honestly refreshing. He felt a small smile reach his face, a rare sense of optimism filling him. A small voice at the back of his mind told him Baron would be proud.
“Thank you,” Lore said softly.
“Of course!” Ralsei exclaimed, “Now if anyone might know where your friend is, it’s Seam, I can explain anything you want to know along the way.”
Lore followed the fluffy goat as they made their way through the town, the prince answering his questions as they walked. Lore learned that he was in a “Dark World” and that the people there, like Ralsei, were “Darkners” while he was a “Lightner” from the “Light World”. After a little bit of walking, they came up to a building that looked like it was made entirely of fabric. As they walked inside, the sound of the town went silent, replaced by a soft and slow melody coming from somewhere.
“Welcome back young prince,” A dusty voice greeted from behind a counter, “And with a new Lightner to boot, how curious.”
“Hello Seam,” Ralsei greeted, “This is Lore, Lore this is Seam, one of Castle Town’s shopkeepers.”
“Hello,” Lore greeted as he got a better look at the Darkner behind the counter.
The catlike Darkner remined him of an old stuffed toy. The cat’s clothes were a patchwork of rags, a cloak resembling a quilt hung from his shoulders. Despite his cheerful attitude, Lore couldn’t help but notice a subtle shift in Ralsei’s demeanor. He could almost feel the tension in the air thicken as Seam leaned forward, his one good eye focused solely on him. After a moment, the old shopkeeper leaned back and motioned to his wares.
“Well don’t be shy, come, browse my wares, or don’t,” Seam laughed, “It doesn’t matter to me either way!”
“Actually, we’re here for information,” Ralsei started, “You see, Lore is looking for his friend and we just wanted to know if you’ve heard anything.”
“A missing friend you say?” Seam scratched his chin slowly, “Yes, I think I did feel the presence of several other Lightners appearing recently, though they aren’t here now.”
“Really?!” Lore exclaimed, rushing up to the old shopkeeper, “Where? Is it Baron? Is he okay?”
“Other Lightners?” Ralsei muttered under his breath, “But I only sensed Lore.”
“I’m sorry my dear Lightner,” Seam explained, “But I can only say what I felt in my stuffing, I know not who the Lightners were nor what condition they were in, only that they entered the Dark World and exited almost immediately after.”
“Oh.” Lore sighed dejectedly.
“Don’t give up yet Lore,” Ralsei pleaded, “That just means Baron is probably in the Light World, I’m sure Kris and Susie would be willing to help you.”
“Then it’s settled!” The shopkeeper said with a dusty chuckle, “I can take things from here little prince.”
“Take things from…” Ralsei echoed blankly before shaking himself, “Wait hang on Seam, what do you mean?”
“You have a big day to prepare for tomorrow, unless you’ve forgotten.” Seam laughed, “I believe you were invited to a revelry of sorts by our dear friend Kris.”
Lore watched the fluffy prince’s demeanor go from startled to flustered as Ralsei’s eyes went wide.
“How did you? When did we? I can’t…” Ralsei turned to Lore then back to Seam, “But I can’t leave the...”
“I left something in Kris’s room that might help with that,” The shopkeeper said with a sly smile, “Something I’ve been saving for a very long time.”
Before Lore could get a word in the fluffy prince rushed off in an almost panicked sprint, leaving him alone with the shopkeeper. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of exasperation, of course the one person that was willing to help him with no strings attached had other pressing things to do.
“Figures.” Lore grumbled under his breath.
“Don’t hold it against our dear prince, he has a great amount of weight on his shoulders.” Seam said with a crooked smile, “But you have your own weight to bare.”
“What do you mean…WOAH!” Lore stumbled back as Seam suddenly jumped over the counter.
“Forgive me Lore,” Seam apologized, “But I can feel the presence of something unlike anything I’ve ever felt before within you.”
What do you…?” Lore began, only for the shopkeeper to cut him off.
“We both know what I’m referring to,” Seam chuckled, “You found something truly incredible, didn’t you?”
Lore felt his blood run cold, the only thing he could think of that the Darkner could be talking about was the Artifact, but if that was the case, how did Seam know? He was partially aware of the Artifact’s presence as Seam drew closer.
“Regardless, up until know I’ve had no reason nor drive to do much of anything,” Seam rambled, “But you’re different from the other Lightners, have light and darkness within you, both battling for control.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Lore exclaimed, his heart racing, “What do you even want?”
“Is it not obvious,” Seam smiled as he pulled a rapier made from a giant sewing needle and a button of a shelf, “I want to see what you can do.”
Suddenly, the shop faded away as Lore found himself wielding a Dane Axe, the battle had begun.
*Seam rejoins the game*
“What is happening?” Lore exclaimed as Seam leveled his blade.
“You’re in a battle,” Seam smiled, “You have to dodge my attacks and [ACT] until you can spare me! But the time for exposition has passed, the game is afoot!”
Suddenly, Lore’s body became translucent, a cartoonish heart floating in his chest, one half was a glistening gold, the other a dark, royal purple. The older Darkner thrusted his rapier forward, launching several flurries of attacks at Lore. He weaved through the strikes, letting out a cry of pain as one of the strikes connected with the heart. Lore couldn’t explain it, but he could feel his options as if they were buttons, almost like an old RPG game.
“What are you waiting for?” A voice eerily similar to his own whispered in his mind. “Fight back!”
Lore swung the axe with all his might, stuffing flying everywhere as the blade of his weapon tore into his opponent. The silver blade of the axe changed to a purple matching the hue of the darker half of his soul.
“There it is!” Seam cackled excitedly, “True darkness, ancient and powerful, corrupting your heart as it draws you in like moths to lantern light!”
Seam’s sword vanished, replaced by an old street lantern on a hooked pole. Embers flew outwards and the cat shook the lantern back and forth, white moths rushing in from all sides towards the light. He could feel the heat as one of the embers rushed mere inches from his face. As the attack ended Lore could hear the Artifact in his mind, louder and far more clearly than before.
“He’s messing with you, keeping you from your goal, MAKE HIM PAY!”
Lore got ready to swing again, but as he did, his mind flashed to his confrontation with the Barghest. He thought about Baron, the whole reason he was here, and a question suddenly flashed through his mind. “What was his goal?” Lore lowered his axe, the Artifact’s voice screaming at him to attack, though he could clearly here uncertainty in its tone. The blade of his axe shifted to a shining gold as he made his decision to [ACT].
“Your right, the dark is powerful,” Lore admitted, before staring down Seam with a determined gaze. “But that darkness is part of who I am, just like the light.”
A familiar warmth filled his body as the heart became protected by a thin ring of gold. He could feel his defense increase though he wasn’t sure how he knew that. Across from him, Seam looked on with a mixture of surprise and intrigue. Lore continued to press forward, both sides of the heart beating in sync.
“And if it does consume me, then so be it!” Lore continued, “I won’t let it stop me, all that matters to me is finding Baron!”
“How interesting, you say your friend is important,” the Darkner mused, “But does he really matter on this carousel ride we call life?”
Lore frantically darted back and forth as carousel horses rushed around him, gasping as he got struck several times. Fortunately, the golden ring around the heart protected him from the brunt of the damage. Lore could hear the Artifact still calling for him to attack, but its voice was clearly conflicted. He continued to hold his ground as he felt power beginning to surround him, he just had to hold on a little longer.
“Of course he matters,” Lore yelled.
“Why?” Seam fired back, “He can’t change the fact that the deck is stacked against you!”
Lore lunged to the side as Seam sent hand after hand of playing cards at him, the suites flying off the cards as they hit the walls. Circles of hearts spinning around, spades flying in all directions, diamonds shooting towards him and clubs bouncing off the walls. He gasped in pain as a diamond caught him in the shoulder. As the attack ended Lore faced the shopkeeper, his breathing heavy.
“BECAUSE HE MATTERS TO ME!!” Lore screamed, “Besides, he’d do the same for me.”
“Then show me!” Seam demanded as his body began flashing white, “God how I’ve missed this chaos!”
“Brace yourself Lore!” The Artifact warned.
Lore tensed his body, his axe vanishing as it was replaced by a circular shield with a heart matching the one in his chest painted on it. Seam suddenly began charging at him with his rapier from random directions, card suites left behind in his wake. After a few seconds the walls fell away as a now giant Seam towered over him. The Darkner bringing his paws together as his lantern sent waves of fire everywhere before erupting into a massive fireball that slowly engulfed everything. Lore felt the energy surge around him as he began chanting, the strange language of Guardian Glyphs spilling from him almost like second nature as his eyes burned with a golden light. Once his eyes were readjusted, Lore looked over to Seam. The shopkeeper leaning on the pole his lantern hung from, panting heavily.
“You’ve reached the credits,” Seam huffed, “Now finish the game off strong.”
Lore reached out, almost able to see the flashing button as he spared the shopkeeper, causing stars to fly behind the Darkner as his body flashed white. The shop slowly faded back into view as both stood there exhausted. After a moment, Seam let out a chuckle.
“Now that…*huff*…that was fun.” Seam panted as he slowly lowered himself to the floor, “Though I may have overdone it a bit.”
“Which part?” Lore deadpanned, “The trying to kill me or the psychological stuff?”
“Oh relax, you were never in any real danger,” Seam assured before muttering under his breath. “……sort of.”
The two sat in the now wrecked shop, both breathing heavily as they caught their breaths. After several moments of silence, the old shopkeeper spoke up.
“You really care about your friend, don’t you.”
“Yeah, he’s my best friend,” Lore responded, “We’d do anything for each other.”
“Anything…” Seam repeated quietly, “What’s he like if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Baron is the best, he’s smart, optimistic, kind…I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”
As Lore described Baron, he felt himself to relax, the tension leaving as he rambled on. Seam listened silently as he described the adventures they’d have, nodding along. Lore described how Baron had been taken, his clash with the Barghest leading to him meeting Binder. By the time he’d gotten to his exploits in the Tower the Darkner had made them both tea, asking the occasional question as he went.
“Well then, you are farther from home then I thought,” Seam finally said after Lore had finished his tale, “And with such a marvelous power to boot.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it marvelous,” Lore groaned as the Artifact grumbled in the back of his mind, “Confusing is probably better, I feel like it isn’t sure what it wants.”
“Well regardless, you seem to be more than capable of holding your own,” Seam remarked, “So, what do you plan to do now?”
“Well, you said that you didn’t sense Baron here, right?” Lore paused, “Then he has to be in the Light World, so I guess I’ll head there.”
“Excellent, we can depart as soon as the young prince returns with that special item.” Seam said with a smile. “That is, if you’ll allow me to accompany you.”
“You want to…come with me?” Lore asked incredulously, “Why?”
“You may not realize it, but your mere presence changes everything and I wish to see it firsthand.” Seam smiled, “Besides, I’ve grown tired of not caring, following you seems to be far more entertaining.”
Before Lore could question the old shopkeeper further, Ralsei rushed through the shop’s door, a strange medallion with a clover emblem on it in the fluffy prince’s hand.
“Seam! Where did you even find this…” Ralsei paused and slowly looked around the now trashed store, “What…what happened?”
Notes:
Okay, so writing combat was more difficult than anticipated, as was Seam's dialogue. This chapter went through several rewrites, but overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, Seam's attacks were fun to come up with, I wanted his attacks to be unique but still show his connection to Jevil. Seam definitely knows more than he lets on in Deltarune proper considering he hints at each upcoming secret boss and seems to know a lot about the shadow crystals and I wanted to sort of play into him knowing somethings up in this. As for why he'd want to go with Lore, he sees Lore's bond with Baron and can't help but wonder if he could have maybe made different choices. As for how he knows about the clover medallion and the Artifact...we'll get to that later. =)
Chapter 4: LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS FAIR
Summary:
Clover just wanted to enjoy his happy ending for more than five minutes.
Kanako just wanted to have her body back to normal.
Mary just wants to be a real person.
The world is a great many things, but fair isn't really one of them.
Notes:
Starring everyone's favorite doomed by the narrative duo, Clover and Kanako!
I do know that canonically Clover's gender is left ambiguous and Kanako's fate as an amalgamate and the interpretations of both in this story are clearly head-cannons, just wanted to state that as a heads up.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 3: LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS FAIR
The world was never fair, Clover thought bitterly as he laid against the large tree sheltering him from the rain, the scene playing in his mind. The barrier had been broken, he and the other humans had restored to life, everyone to happy to question it. He’d searched the underground until he’d found his friends. North Star hadn’t changed, the star monster was just as cool as before, Ceroba had definitely improved, the kitsune’s whole demeanor seeming brighter and then there was Marlet. Marlet had wasted no time hugging him, the bird monster literally jumping for joy. She’d even offered to let him live with her, everything had been perfect, like a dream come true, until everything went wrong.
Ceroba had reacted first, the fox monster’s magic shielding the young cowpoke from a large shadowy figure in black armor that had lunged at him from some unseen hiding place. The following moments were a blur, North Star firing at the armored assailant while Ceroba launched volleys of Sakura petals and fire. Marlet had fought like a maniac, managing to hit the attacker in the face with a bowling ball. However the figure had tanked the assault, a blade materializing in its hand which it used to cleave the very world in two. The last thing Clover had seen as he tumbled into the dark was his friends charging after him as everything faded to black.
He’d woken up in a forest somewhere on the surface, unsure how he’d ended up there. It was like a sick joke, he’d done the right thing, hadn’t he? He’d showed kindness to every monster he’d met, tried as hard as he could to help fix their problems, forgiven those who’d tried to kill him, and had ended up sacrificing his own life by giving up his soul. Yet here he was, given a second shot at life and a happy ending just for the universe to rip it away. The injustice of the situation causing his soul to burn, the cowpoke’s head shooting up as the sound of rustling came from deeper in the woods. Clover went for his revolver, a flash of panic filling him as he remembered he’d give it to North Star. The human reached into the interdimensional satchel and let out a sigh of relief upon finding the toy gun he’d started his journey, figuring it was better than nothing as he stared towards the sound, choosing to confront the source rather than have it come to him.
Kanako stumbled to the ground, her foot catching on a root, she didn’t know where she was or how she’d gotten there, only that she was being chased. The small fox monster frantically climbed to her feet as her pursuer drew closer, her movements were sluggish and somewhat lethargic, no doubt from the time she’d spent melted. She shook her head as she forced the thought from her mind, she could ponder her recovery when her life wasn’t in danger. She spotted a rather thick tree and rushed behind it, panting as her whole body trembled.
“Kanako,” The girl in the green dress called out in a singsong voice, “Where are you?”
The young kitsune hid behind the tree, covering her mouth with her paws as the girl walked past her hiding spot, a sharpened palette knife in hand as she searched for her prey. The girl wasn’t a human despite her appearance, something that was made clear by how the rain seemed to make her whole body look like it was running, like an oil painting that had gotten wet. She waited for Melody to comment on her situation before remembering the blue girl was no longer present. Her soul ached remembering the excruciating pain of what felt like being stabbed she’d felt when the human spirit had been ripped from her. Kanako’s ears perked up as she heard a voice come from behind her.
“STOP OR I’LL SHOOT!”
Kanako peaked around the tree to find the yellow haired girl standing with her back to her, the girl’s attention focused on a human dressed up like her uncle Star minus the hat.
“That’s no way to greet a girl in need, at least introduce yourself,” The girl tutted, “Here I’ll go first, my name’s Mary.”
“Clover,” The human responded cautiously, lowering his weapon, “What do you need help with?”
“I was with my friend, but we got separated,” Mary lamented as the cowpoke drew near, “Can you help me?”
Kanako snapped out of her daze upon realizing the human had started walking towards Mary, the blonde girl hiding her knife just out of view.
“LOOK OUT!” Kanako shouted, paw extended as she called upon her magic like her mother had taught her, her shield shattering upon impact with the knife, buying the cowpoke the few precious seconds he needed to draw his weapon.
Mary spun around with frightening speed and lunged towards her, palette knife gleaming. Kanako froze, her body refusing to move as the yellow haired girl closed the distance between them. Just as the knife was about to make contact with her, a bright golden flash filled her vision as she felt something tackling her out of the way. Kanako watched as the human rolled from the momentum of tackling her into a kneeling position, firing a shot directly between Mary’s eyes.
“AAAAGGGHHHH!!!!” Mary screamed as she stumbled back, “YOU AWFUL, RETCHED WASTE OF SPACE!”
The cowpoke fired another shot, forcing Mary to back off, but not before a flash of lightning lit up the forest. Her very soul trembled as she saw Mary, the girl’s form starting to blur as the colors of her body were slowly being washed away. The girl’s eyes filled with a hateful fury as another flash of lightning lit up the forest. She heard the human gasp quietly as the flash of lightning faded revealing that Mary had vanished. After scanning their surroundings for several heart pounding moments, the human holstered their weapon and turned to her, extending a hand to help her up.
“Thanks for the save,” The human said with a small smile, “The name’s Clover.”
“I heard, thank you too,” Kanako thanked, “I’m Kanako.”
The small kitsune watched Clover’s expression jump from shock to confusion to excitement and then finally recognition.
“Kanako Ketsukane?” The cowpoke asked, for the briefest moment Kanako could have sworn the human’s golden eyes had literally glowed.
Kanako felt a twinge of worry in her soul as she took a quick step back, “How do you now my last name?”
“I know yer Ma, Ceroba!” Clover said excitedly, “She told me bout yah!”
“You know…my mom?” Kanako repeated softly, “She didn’t forget about me?”
“Forget about ya? Yer Ma was willing to go to go to any length for ya.”
“Then why did she leave me in the lab?” Kanako questioned, “Why did she never come get me or visit or anything?”
“She tried, she sent letters, tried everything short of breaking into the lab, but the scientist never responded.”
Kanako felt tears starting to reach her eyes, her mother hadn’t forgotten her. She almost wished Melody was still connected to her if only to prove the blue girl wrong. Both her and Clover jumped as the sky boomed with thunder, the human glancing at the sky before extending a hand towards her.
“Come on, we need ta get out of this rain.”
Kanako took the human’s hand as the cowpoke led her into the woods, eventually finding a tree surrounded by several dense bushes. The human gathered branches and leaves and began assembling a shelter with practiced efficiency. After about thirty minutes Clover had constructed a small shelter, the structure resembling a sort of hollowed-out dome. The two squeezed into the shelter, the rain surprisingly being kept outside. Clover pulled together a bunch of damp sticks and began rubbing one rapidly between his palms as it drilled into the bigger stick.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a fire, just gotta make enough friction to get it started.”
Kanako watched for a moment before facepalming, she held out her paw and called to her magic, the dark shelter lighting up as she summoned a small orb of blue fire. She felt her breath hitch for a moment when she saw the color, before forcing her unease down. Clover blinked before smiling, leaning back so she could light the small pile of kindling. After a moment the brush caught fire, Kanako pulled her paws back as she released her spell. The two huddled against each other as the warmth of the fire washed over them, after a few moments she broke the silence.
“How you learn to make a shelter like this?”
The human starred into the fire for a few moments before responding.
“Taught myself, mostly trial and error,” Clover frowned, “We’re lucky the leaves here are so wide, made keeping the rain out easier.”
“Where are we?” Kanako asked, “I didn’t think there were any trees in waterfall?”
“Oh shoot! I thought you knew!” Clover gasped, turning to her, “Kanako, the barrier is gone, we’re on the surface.”
Kanako stared blankly for several moments as she processed what the human had said.
“The surface.” She whispered, her eyes going wide as she looked out of the entrance of the shelter.
Clover watched as the fox monster gazed out into the forest, as if only now seeing it. He pondered the situation he’d found himself in. If Kanako was here, then the others would have to be somewhere nearby. The fact that Kanako was alive and well was incredible in itself, though considering his own resurrection he guessed it wasn’t out of the question. The cowpoke’s train of thought was interrupted by the young fox monster slumping against his shoulder, snoring softly. Clover stifled a yawn of his own, making sure the ring of rocks that surrounded the little fire was in place before allowing his own eyes to close, the sound of the rain pattering against the improvised roof of their shelter lulling the human to sleep, deciding that they could form a plan in the morning.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gaster frustratedly paced back and forth while Mary stared at the floor, the living portrait’s form slowly recovering from being in the rain.
“Look Doc, it wasn’t my-”
“Be silent,” The Doctor snapped, “I need to think.”
Mary’s failure to recover the soul of justice on top of the youngest Ketsukane being brought into the equation served yet another problem that needed dealing with. His intentions of bringing all the pieces of his plan directly to him had been ruined almost immediately, the human known as Frisk had possessed more Determination than he’d predicted. The result had scattered his targets into the world he’d pulled Dess from, leading to his desperate attempts to recover them, all of which had resulted in failure, save for Flowey who’d managed to recover the other resurrected humans and the Boss who’d been sent to locate the pale skinned girl Ib and had yet to return.
The Barghest had failed to recover Niko, Lore had landed somewhere out of reach in the Dark World containing Castle Town, and then there was the Knight. Gaster’s eye twitched, the Roaring Knight, his vassal, his trump card, had failed repeatedly, it had nearly lost to the Delta Warriors losing its shadow crystal in the process, then had failed to stop them a second time when said warriors felled a Titan, and then in what had to be most infuriating part, failed to recover the justice soul due to waiting until after the resurrected human had reunited with its friends. Not to mention that Frisk was currently unaccounted for, the determined human seeming to have vanished after causing the mess he now had to deal with. Fortunately, he was more than adept at improvising and had already formulated an acceptable solution.
“Despite your recent failure I am willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself,” He stated coldly, towering over the living portrait, “You will accompany the flower tomorrow during the festival.”
“What are we going to do?” Mary asked quietly.
“You will locate the targets and make sure that they are all enter the Dark World when Asgore opens a Dark Fountain, after which the Knight will take things from there,” He began to walk away before pausing in the doorway, “Oh yes, one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Not a single word of Kanako’s involvement is to reach her father Chujin.”
“So, she is his daughter, why’d you send me after her in the first place then?” Mary asked, “And why don’t you want Chujin to know?”
“Just focus on upholding your end of our bargain,” Gaster stated pointedly, “Or I’ll have to go bake on my end.”
“Yes sir,” Mary said quickly.
“Good, now rest up,” The Doctor said with a smile, “You have a big day tomorrow.”
Once the Doctor had left the room Mary let out a shaky breath as she crumbled to the floor. She choked down tears as she composed herself, crying would only make her paint run. She hated how unfair it all was, sure she wasn’t prefect, she’d hurt Ib and Gary back in the Gallery, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t enjoyed how powerful scaring the fox monster had made her feel. But she was just doing what she had to survive, the memory of her body crumbling to ash as her portrait burned serving as a reminder of the price she’d pay should she fail the Doctor again. She forced a cheerful smile onto her face and ventured deeper into the lab, hoping the soulless flower would be in a good mood for once.
Notes:
Kanako's condition will be explained in future chapters and we will get to see what's happening with Marlet, Ceroba, and Starlo.
As for our next chapter, we get to see how Kris handles dealing with meeting another human.
Chapter 5: You, Me, & The Voice In My Head
Summary:
Kris just wants to be in control of their own body, they didn't ask to be possessed, between finally getting to talk to the one controlling them and a concerning call from Noelle, their in for a long night.
Notes:
This chapter went through so many rewrites but here it is!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 4: YOU, ME, & THE VOICE IN MY HEAD
Kris stared at the ceiling as they tried to ignore the persistent rattling of the cage, ever since they’d defeated the Titan the control the being had over them had felt weaker. Ever since the study session at the Holiday’s the soul had become even more problematic. Admittedly, working with the knight alongside the Mayor most likely had something to do with it and the call they’d received only a few hours earlier probably didn’t help. Kris tried to ignore the horribly emptiness that encompassed their chest, wishing they could go longer than half an hour without the soul. The quiet human inhaled sharply as a sudden burning pain shot through their body, their vision blurring as they felt a sensation like a line being cut.
Their heartbeat filled their ears as they sat up, blood running cold upon seeing the cage, on its side, the soul floating above it. Kris tumbled onto the floor, bracing for the pain of their soul returning to their body, only to pause. The human flexed their body, the strain of being without their soul no longer present. The controlling presence they’d felt over the last several days emanating from the soul was completely absent. They were startled from their revelation by the silence being broken by an unfamiliar voice.
[Man, that was weird.]
Kris wiped their head around, the voice they’d heard sounded like it had come from right behind them. The human reached underneath their sweater, pulling their knife from where they kept it, the familiar weight granting them a bit of comfort.
[What are they doing?]
“Who said that?” Kris demanded.
[Wait…can you hear me?]
“Where are you?” Kris asked, knife at the ready.
[Okay, how do I explain this? I’m the one who is, or I guess was…controlling you soul.]
Kris went still, their mind racing as they processed what the voice had just said, turning slowly to face the soul.
[Now I understand how bad that sounds but here me out.]
“Why are you doing this?” Kris asked, pointing their blade at the soul, “What do you get out of possessing me?”
[Hey! It’s not like I wanted to possess you, if I had things my way, I’d be controlling my own vessel.]
“Then why don’t you just use your own stupid vessel instead of me?”
[Someone…or something…interfered during the creation process, all I know is that my vessel got discarded...]
Kris groaned as they sat on the floor and leaned against their bed, “And I got stuck with you.”
[Yep!]
Kris felt their eye twitch as the chipper sound of the voice, however something else still plagued their mind.
“You still haven’t told me who you are, or what you are for that matter,” Kris deadpanned, “And while we’re at it, why haven’t you said anything before now?”
[Oh right! You can call me PLAYER, and I guess from your perspective I’m a being from beyond your world.]
Kris felt their blood run cold, a chill running down their spine.
“Beyond my world?” Kris repeated, “Like one of those Eldritch gods Catti’s obsessed with?”
[That works, wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been referred to as a god.]
“So, my life is being sabotaged by a self-proclaimed god, awesome.” Kris deadpanned, “Also “Player” isn’t a real name.”
[Okay, let’s not be dramatic Kris I’ve hardly sabotaged your life mister “working with the Knight”.]
“Me being upset about you making decisions I wouldn’t isn’t dramatic.”
[I’m just trying to help Kris, honestly, I never had to deal with this level of sass from Niko.]
“Who’s Niko?” Kris asked coldly, “Another victim who’s life you’ve railroaded?”
[…]
“What, nothing to say?” Kris scowled, “No excuses?”
A part of Kris knew that antagonizing a being that claimed to be some sort of god that had spent the last few days controlling them was probably a terrible idea, but they finally had a chance to let out the frustration they’d been holding in, and they were taking it.
“You say you’re “just trying to help”, but I think the real reason you’re doing this is because you’re bored,” Kris was standing now, fists shaking in anger as their voice grew louder, “Why should you get any say in MY life?”
[…]
“Come on!” Kris seethed, “Say something!”
[I just… wanted to help…I’m sorry.]
Kris felt their body deflate, the broken tone of the voice painfully sincere. As angry as they were, the human couldn’t help but feel guilty for losing their temper, then got angry at themself for feeling bad. They took a deep breath and after a moment, let it out slowly, sitting back down against their bed. They sat in silence for a few moments before PLAYER finally started speaking.
[I’m sorry Kris…I never meant to put you through any of this. When I started controlling you, I thought it was just like the other worlds I’ve interacted with.]
“Other worlds?” Kris questioned, “So you have done this before?”
[Sort of…how it’s supposed to work is that I guide the “Main Character” of whatever world I’m interacting with.]
“Main Character,” Kris repeated flatly, “So what, our world is like a game to you?”
[More or less, usually the worlds are never aware of my presence though there are exceptions.]
“Like Niko?”
[I was referring to you but you’re not wrong, though Niko’s situation was a bit different.]
“So, what happens now?” Kris asked, “You just go back to controlling me?”
[I don’t want to control you Kris, but you need your soul to live and I…wait.]
“Wait?” Kris repeated as the voice suddenly trailed off, “What do you…?”
[Somethings wrong…I can’t seem to…connection…Kris…Knight…World Machine…]
“PLAYER?” Kris stood up, the voice was breaking apart like a bad phone call, “What’s going on?”
[I'm...something.......sabotaging.....Kris....connection................Stay.............Determined.........................*%%^%#%@@^*^!^*%@$^%#!%&%@*%*^#^%$!&%*^@%*@ ]
Kris covered their ears with their hands as PLAYER’s voice devolved into garbage noise, until everything went silent. The human looked up, the rush of energy that always followed their soul returning to them washing over their body. Kris braced for the horrible sensation of having their autonomy stripped away, to have their very being seized…but nobody came. The human slowly flexed their fingers, their soul was where it belonged, but the presence they’d grown accustomed to was no longer present. Despite everything, Kris couldn’t stifle a chuckle before erupting into a fit of giggling as they sank to the floor. After regaining their composure, they stood back up and slowly opened the door to their bedroom, not bothering to prevent it from creaking. They made their way downstairs and into the kitchen, pondering what had just happened as they pulled out a plate of pancakes from earlier.
Had they imagined the conversation? Were they free for good? However, the biggest question in Kris’s mind was what their next move was. The whole reason they were working with the Knight was to get Dess back, they grimaced as they recalled the shelter doors opening on their own, a skeletal hand with a hole in its palm rushing toward them only for Dess to push them out of the way at the last second. The horror they’d felt watching Dess get dragged into the darkness, the usually fearless monster’s eyes filled with terror as the doors had slammed shut.
Nobody had believed them, claiming they were mistaken, except for Asriel. Their brother had wasted no time rushing to the shelter, their father’s toolbox in hand. He’d spent hours trying to open the doors and had broken several screwdrivers trying to pry the metal doors open, it had taken both their father and Undyne to pull him away. The official story was that Dess had been dragged off into the woods by a wild animal, and it was around that time their parents had started fighting. Eventually their dad was removed from the Police force, and the rest was history. They shook their head, knowing from experience that nothing good would come from worrying about the past.
They jumped as the silence was broken by their phone ringing, the human sighed as they retrieved the ringing device and answered.
“Hey Kris,” Noelle’s voice came from the phone. “I’m sorry for calling so late but I need your help.”
“What’s wrong?” Kris asked, forcing their voice to be monotone. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but I need you to come over.”
“Now?” Kris glanced over at the clock on the wall, “It’s four in the morning…if this is about the Festival I swear…”
“There’s a human in my house and I…”
By the time Kris had registered what Noelle had said they were already sprinting down the street towards the Holiday Estate, barely aware of the rain soaking their clothes. Their mind was filled with horrible images of Noelle being attacked by faceless humans, each worse than the last. They climbed the gate and barreled down the yard until they reached the door to find it unlocked. Their heart dropped to their stomach as the rushed inside, pulling their knife out as the entered the living room. Kris felt a wave of absolute relief wash over them as they caught sight of Noelle, unharmed though somewhat shaken.
“Wha…Kris?” Noelle sputtered, “I just called…how you get here so fast?”
“Are you hurt?”
“No, I-I’m fine Kris, I just…” Noelle trailed off as she caught sight of the knife they were holding.
“Where’s the human?”
“They’re in my room, but why do you have a…wait! Kris!” Noelle called after them as they rushed up the stairs, throwing open the door.
Ib was dreaming, she had to be, it was the only explanation that made sense. She’d been sketching at her desk and must have fallen asleep, only to wake up in a bed that didn’t belong to her and a girl that looked like a reindeer. She’d had a dream like this before, back at Guertena’s Gallery, or at least that was what her therapist said. It had been about four years since the Gallery; she’d spent years waking up screaming from nightmares that refused to go away. Visions of headless mannequins and living portraits had plagued her every night without reprieve. They only reason she hadn’t fully accepted that what she’d experienced was a dream was Gary. If it was all just a dream she’d had…then why did Gary remember it too? Why did they know each other in the real world if they’d met in the dream? If it was all just a dream, then why did Gary have her handkerchief she’d lent him in the dream in the real world?
Ib was startled by shouting coming from outside the room she was in, her confusion quickly turning to panic as a human threw the door open, a knife clutched tightly in their hand. She stumbled back as the armed human attempted to lunge at her, the reindeer girl rushing into the room moments later. The reindeer girl threw herself between her and the other human, arms spread out protectively.
“Kris wait, she’s not bad!”
“She’s a human Noelle, they’re all bad.”
“But you’re a human!”
“Exactly.”
Ib didn’t need to see Noelle’s face to know that the words hurt, she could see the flash of regret on the knife wielding human’s face. The human, Kris, lowered their knife, shoulders slumping as they turned away from Noelle’s gaze. The three of them stood in silence for a few moments before Noelle spoke.
“Okay, let’s…head to the kitchen,” Noelle suggested, “We can get something to eat while we talk.”
“Fine.” Kris responded after several seconds.
As the three of them left, Ib tensed as Kris glared at her, their irises were the same crimson red as her own. They didn’t say anything, but the message was clear, if she gave them a reason, they wouldn’t hesitate. The tension in the air remained heavy as they entered the kitchen, Kris made a beeline towards the fridge.
“So…” Noelle started before Kris cut her off.
“No, I don’t know who she is.” Kris said in a flat, monotone voice as they grabbed a bottle of chocolate syrup and a jug of milk. “Not all humans know each other personally.”
“I was going to ask her what her name was, Kris.” Noelle replied with a tired sigh.
“My name is Ib,” Ib introduced herself, trying to be polite despite almost getting stabbed not even ten minutes prior. “And I think I caught your names, Noelle and Kris…right?”
“That’s right,” Noelle confirmed as she pulled out a tin of cookies as offered them to her, “So Ib, not that I mind but…”
“You should mind,” Kris interrupted as they downed a glass of chocolate milk.
“How did you get here?” Noelle continued, ignoring Kris’s interruption, “You just sort of… appeared in my bed.”
Kris frowned like they’d just thought of something but didn't say anything.
“I’m not sure,” Ib admitted, I was sitting at my desk sketching, and I must have fallen asleep because everything went dark and when I woke up, I was here.”
“What?” Kris deadpanned, looking between Ib and Noelle, “What do you mean she just appeared?”
“She did!” Noelle exclaimed, there was this bright burst of light and this loud garbage noise and then Ib was there when it ended!”
“This is going to be a fun dream to talk about with my therapist.” Ib muttered as she took a bite of one of the cookies, the girl taking a moment to notice that the conversation had gone silent.
“What do you mean?” Noelle asked, head tilted in confusion, “I’m pretty sure this is real life.”
“It can’t be,” Ib stated, “I mean, people who look like animals, appearing out of nowhere, that stuff only happens in dreams and…OW!”
Ib yelped as Kris reached over and pinched her arm.
“Seems pretty real to me.” The human noted.
Ib felt her head spin as she tried to focus on evening her breathing, her heart racing. She wasn’t dreaming, which meant that the Gallery wasn’t a dream either, it was real. Ib took a deep breath in and held it for a few seconds before letting it out, she wasn’t dreaming which meant her next course of action would be to figure out where she was.
“Okay…so if this isn’t a dream, where am I?”
“You’re in Hometown.” Noelle answered, pulling the cookie tin away right as Kris was attempting to grab one.
“The town’s name is Hometown?”
“Yeah,” Noelle shrugged, “It was either that or Town Town.”
Ib couldn’t stop herself from giggling at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Here she was, in a different world with no idea how she had gotten there again, having a conversation with a humanoid reindeer and her human neighbor over cookies.
“Noelle, why exactly did you call me for?” Kris asked, “I’m not sure what you expect me to do here.”
“I panicked, okay?” Noelle explained, “A human showed up in my house and mom isn’t home yet so…”
“She’s not?” Kris asked with a frown, “Where is she?
“I’m not sure, she left a few minutes after you and Susie did and hasn’t come back since,” Noelle stated, “All I know is that she didn’t go back to Town Hall.”
“Weird.” Kris muttered softly.
“So, what now?” Ib asked.
“Well, I’d be more than happy to let you…”
“She’s not staying here!” Kris interjected harshly.
“Well, it’s either here or your house Kris.” Noelle fired back pointedly, “I know for a fact your mom wouldn’t mind.”
Kris opened their mouth to respond, but stopped, they loved their mom but wouldn’t put it past her to attempt to adopt Ib on sight.
“Fine, but I’m not leaving you alone with some human you just met.”
As if to emphasize their point, the human pointed at their eyes and then at Ib before walking over to the piano at the other end of the room. After a few moments the human began playing a rather angry sounding tune. The two girls sat silently as the music continued until Noelle spoke up.
“I’m sorry about Kris,” She apologized, “I swear I’ve never seen them get this angry before.”
“It’s fine,” Ib assured, “They…they really don’t seem to like humans.”
“Yeah, I guess I never really thought about it, there aren’t any humans around aside from Kris and they were always preferred monster history in school,” Noelle mused, “I guess it just never came up.”
“Monsters?” Ib asked.
“Yeah, like me!” Noelle confirmed.
“Huh…I guess that makes sense,” Ib shrugged, “Sure, why not?”
Kris huffed as they sent a text message to their mother letting her know where they were. They hated how angry looking at Ib made them feel, the fact that the girl seemed to have already forgiven them, not helping their inner turmoil. They didn’t like humans, whether or not that was due to them disliking themself, they weren’t sure. The human couldn’t remember ever meeting another human before, yet the images of faceless humans they’d seen in their mind had been disturbingly clear. They looked over to where Ib sat, the girl raptly listening to Noelle listing of monster trivia. They debated with themself before groaning as they made their way over to Noelle and Ib.
“Hey, Ib” Kris looked to the right, “Sorry about the whole…you know.”
“It’s fine,” Ib assured, “You were just worried about your friend.”
“Dang, an actual apology from Kris,” Noelle said with a smirk, “Never thought I’d see the day Kris Dreemurr went soft.”
“How dare you!” Kris pointed a finger at Noelle, “I am a force of chaos beyond all comprehension and…STOP LAUGHING!”
Noelle and Ib both devolved into giggling fits at Kris’s embarrassment, a few seconds later they found themself joining the laughter. Kris still didn’t like humans, they didn’t see that changing anytime soon. But as they stood there laughing alongside Ib and Noelle, they decided it couldn’t hurt to make an exception. After a few minutes Ib let out a yawn, Noelle following a few seconds later, Kris felt a wave of exhaustion wash over them, they had dealt with a lot and with the festival tomorrow they were going to need rest. As the human flicked the lights off they felt a chill run down their spine as something tall and moving caught their eye outside. The human paced over to the window and peered out into the darkness, trying to make out what they’d seen.
As Ib settled on the couch, a storm of questions raged in her mind, how had she gotten here? At least with Guertena’s Gallery it had seemed somewhat understandable, she’d been in the Gallery and fallen into a connected world. But the world she was in now, there was no connection, at least not one she could think of. Perhaps that was her way home, finding what the connection between her world and the world she was in. She let out another yawn, decided that it could wait until the morning, getting home was a problem future Ib could deal with.
______________________________________________________________________________
The Boss scowled as the lights in the Holiday Manor went out, of course things had to be complicated. It was supposed to be a quick trip, go, grab the girl, leave, but naturally her target had entered the world inside the one house she was explicitly forbidden from entering. Her nails extended into talons as she flexed her hands, the girl was so close, it would be all too easy to simply storm in and take her. But the rational part of her knew that being seen would compromise the Doctor’s oh so precious plan. She glared at the house again, suddenly tensing up as she made sure she was out of sight, the human the doctor called Kris was staring out directly at her. She readied herself to ensure there were no witnesses, before relaxing when the human seemingly sighed and retreated away from the window.
The Boss huffed as she made her way to the shelter, removing the moister from her clothes with a snap of her fingers. She braced herself as she entered the main section of the lab, her “associates” already there waiting along with the doctor.
“WELL?” The doctor demanded, clearly already in a foul mood.
“She appeared in the Holiday residence,” She explained, “Nothing I could do.”
“GREAT, THAT IS JUST GREAT,” the Doctor growled, “YOU ALL ASSURED ME YOU COULD HANDLE THIS, AND YET FLOWEY, THE LEAST RELIABLE ONE HERE, IS THE ONLY ONE TO RETURN HERE WITH SOMETHING OTHER THAN AN EXCUSE.”
The Barghest whimpered as it covered behind the Boss, Mary seemed to shrink away while Chujin flinched at the anger in the Doctor’s tone. After several seconds the Doctor composed himself as he turned to face the screens.
“HAVE YOU MANAGED TO MAKE ANY PROGRESS WITH THE SUN CHUJIN?”
“No sir,” Chujin sighed, “Without Niko, there’s no feasible way for us to activate it.”
“THEN WE SHALL PROCEED WITH THE CONTINGENCY PLAN,” The Doctor stared at the screens, hands clasped behind his back, “AND THIS TIME, NO SCREW UPS.”
Notes:
This chapter was interesting to write, Player's dialogue was hard to write and Ib doesn't really talk all that much in Game so I decided to interpret her as being a bit on the quiet side. Next chapter we're going to take a look at the what Dess is up to and after that we will get to what we've all been waiting for, The Festival!
Chapter 6: BASH, BITE, & BALLET
Summary:
A monster, a talking dog, and a remorseful human make their escape while two Boss monsters clash.
Notes:
Welcome to the Void! Bit of a long chapter this time, hope you guys enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
CHAPTER 5: BASH, BITE, & BALLET
Melody groaned as she slowly regained consciousness, she’d been arguing with Kanako over something trivial when she’d felt her soul being pulled towards…something. The next thing she knew, she was in a room filled with coffins, several other humans had been there going on about the barrier being broken. She hadn’t even had time to process what had happened when something had grabbed her from behind and the world had returned to the darkness she’d grown used to. She winced as she sat up, her body unused to moving as she…Melody froze. She patted herself down, finding no cuts, no gashes or burns, she slowly brought a hand to her head, she wasn’t dreaming, she really was alive! Melody looked herself over, the ballet leotard she’d had on in the Underground restored from the tattered wreck it had been when she’d died. Her tutu was missing, so were her ballet shoes, she glanced around the small room she was in, a cot was set up across the room from her, someone snoring loudly.
Melody jumped as something wet pressed up against her arm, she spun around to find a large, fluffy brown dog. The human allowed herself to relax as she pet the dog’s head, causing the canine’s tail to wag. She smiled for what felt like the first time in years as the dog allowed her to scratch behind its ears.
“I don’t suppose you know how I got here?” She jokingly asked the dog.
“Not a clue!” The dog smiled chipperly.
Melody paused for a moment as she processed the fact that the dog had responded before taking the appropriate response.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
“No, wait it’s okay!” The dog tried to reassure her as she launched herself away.
Dess’s eyes snapped open as the sound of screaming filled the cramped room she’d been imprisoned in. Her arm throbbed painfully where it had been broken as she lifted herself up, her head tilting slightly to the side on account of her broken antler. She turned away from the wall to find the human the talking flower had tossed into the room was both awake and freaking out. The dog, Baron, sat a few feet away from the human who had backed herself into the corner of the room. She groaned as she stood up, her movement drawing the attention of the human who’s demeanor flipped from panic straight to an obviously false bravado.
“Stay away or else.” The human demanded, their dark blue eyes seeming to almost glowing as they lowered their body into a fighting stance.
“Okay, okay, staying right here,” Dess assured, raising her hands, “We’re not going to hurt you.”
“Yeah right, like I’m going to believe that.” The human all but shouted, “You must think I’m stupid.”
“Look kid, I’m just trying to-” Dess stopped abruptly as the human’s eyes literally glowed, causing the monster to take a step back.
“I’m not a kid, and I don’t care what you’re trying to do, you aren’t coming anywhere near me because if you do, I’ll…GAH!”
Melody lost her balance as she stumbled back, the talking dog having slowly inched over to her on its belly while she’d been focused on the monster over by the cot. She couldn’t stop herself from trembling as she curled up in the corner and shut her eyes, bracing for the attack. She waited, hoping that they’d make it quick, but the attack never came, what came instead was something soft pressing up against her. The human slowly opened her eyes to find the dog had sat next to her and was gently leaning against her.
“W-what are you…?”
“It’s going to be okay,” The dog said softly, “You’re not alone, you don’t need to be afraid anymore.”
Melody was reminded of Kanako, back before she’d died and even after they’d been bound together by the serum, the fox monster had shown her nothing but kindness. She felt no malice from the dog, no indication that the canine was being insincere. Her eyes began to tear up as the dam broke, years of emotions she’d forced down, all the pain and fear she’d felt and endured since falling into the Underground finally pouring out as she hugged the large dog, the canine quietly comforting her as she sobbed. After what felt like an eternity, her tears began to lessen, the dog gently pulling away to face her.
“Better?”
“Y-yeah…” Melody sniffled, “Thank you…um.”
“Baron.” The dog barked happily.
“Melody,” She introduced, before turning to look at the monster by the cot, “Hey, look I’m sorry…”
“Call me Dess, and don’t worry about it,” The monster shrugged, “You were just scared, it’s not like you committed murder or anything.”
“But I have,” Melody admitted, “More than once.”
Melody hated how immediate Dess’s reaction was, the monster’s smile was replaced by alarm, however she didn’t move away. While part of her had considered saying nothing she knew that eventually, the truth would come out. She waited for Dess or Baron to say something, to yell or back away, to do something. When it became clear neither was going to, she took a deep breath and spoke.
“I was attacked after falling into the Underground by the monsters that lived there,” She explained, “So I fought back, I’d killed five by the time the robot got to me.”
“Wait, hang on,” Dess stood up, “You said this was in the Underground right?”
“Well yeah, but-”
“You’re the human from the “Snowdin Incident” that Chujin guy is always going on about?”
“Chujin is here?!?” Melody gasped in shock. “But he died!”
“So did you, apparently.” Dess muttered, “He said you were involved in his death but wouldn’t elaborate.”
“That’s…sort of true, he poisoned himself with a serum he made from my soul after he killed me.”
“He killed you!?!” Baron gasped.
“Yes he…well technically his robot killed me but…”
“Okay, okay, lets all just…calm down.” Dess rubbed her arm, “Melody, you said you killed several monsters, was it for a reason like…”
“OF COURSE NOT!” Melody exclaimed, “They tried to kill me, and I defended myself, the only monsters I killed were the ones I couldn’t scare off or get away from.”
“Chujin made it sound like you were going out of your way to kill,” Dess looked the human up and down, “He also described you as a cruel and merciless.”
“That tracks honestly,” Melody grimaced, “I…I mistook his daughter’s kindness for a trick during the incident and lashed out at her, so as much as I hate to admit it, he wasn’t totally wrong about me.”
“What do you mean?” Baron asked, head tilted in confusion.
“I’m not really sure how it happened but Kanako…his daughter, was injected with a refined version of the serum and well, long story short we were bound together.” Melody swallowed her guilt as she continued, “I blamed Chujin for everything, and since he was already dead…”
“You took it out on his daughter,” Dess finished.
“I was horrible to her, and yet, she refused to hurt me back,” Melody sighed, “Kanako forgave me so easily………I hope she gets to live a happy life on the surface now that the barrier is gone, if anyone deserves it, it’s her.”
“Well, you don’t seem like a bad person,” Dess noted, “Plus you already died, if that isn’t payment enough, I don’t know what is.”
“Wait, that’s it?” Melody balked, “I admit I killed several monsters and you’re just…okay with it?”
“It was self-defense, and you’re like eight or something,” Dess shrugged.
“I’m fourteen,” Melody grumbled, “You’re being way to chill about this.”
“I’m being held prisoner in the void by a mystery man alongside a talking dog and a human that died and came back, doesn’t get much crazier than that.”
“That’s…huh.” Melody leaned against the wall, “Yikes.”
“Yeah,” Dess chuckled with a small smile, “Shit’s weird.”
“You mentioned something…the void, what is that?” Melody asked after a few minutes of silence.
“I’m not sure,” Baron said with a small frown, “I was going to ask Dess but didn’t want to bother her.”
“It’s where we are,” Dess said with a shrug, “Chujin described it as some sort of “Space Between Spaces” if that makes sense.”
“It doesn’t but okay, sure.”
“Soooooo, what are your stories?” Melody asked, “Did either of you die too or…?”
“I don’t think so,” Baron’s brow furrowed, “The last thing I remember was being in the woods with Lore when a monster attacked us, everything after that is fuzzy.”
“I got snatched by the Doctor while investigating the shelter at the edge of Hometown with my neighbor Kris.” Dess’s shoulders sagged, “Damn mystery man was aiming for Kris, I pushed them out of the way, been here ever since.”
“You said that like you’ve been here for a while,” Melody noted, “How long have you been here?”
“I’m…not sure, time isn’t easy to track here” Dess said with a frown, “It’s definitely been a long time, I try not to think about it honestly.”
“Does that mean we’re trapped here?” Baron asked with a soft whine, “Because I really need to get back to Lore, he’s probably worried sick.”
“We are trapped,” Dess confirmed, “But not because there isn’t an exit, the Doctor won’t let us leave.”
“Well, I’m sure if we just explain why we need to leave to this Doctor would be willing to…”
“Fat chance.” Dess scowled, “I tried leaving and all I have to show is a missing antler and a broken arm.”
“But there IS a way out,” Melody confirmed, “Surely we could figure out a way to escape.”
“How?” Dess sighed dejectedly, “Even if we got passed Chujin and the other freaks the Doctor has walking around here he’ll just stop us with his magic!”
“So?” Melody asked, “Just use your own magic.”
“Oh yeah, and I’ll just pull a rocket launcher out of my ass while I’m at it.” Dess grumbled sarcastically before realizing the human wasn’t joking, “You’re being serious!”
“Why would I suggest something if I wasn’t?”
“What?” Dess deadpanned, “You just assumed I can do magic because I’m a monster?”
“Well, yeah.” Melody confirmed, “Literally every monster I’ve ever met could use magic.”
“………oh.” Dess let out a dry chuckle, “That’s…actually pretty cool.”
Baron yipped in surprise as Melody sprang to her feet, a look of determination covering the human’s face.
“Get up,” The human ordered, “I think I have an idea.”
“Sure,” Dess shrugged, rising to her feet, “Not like I have any ideas.”
Melody thought back to her time in the Underground, the feeling of being drawn into a battle every time she encountered a monster. She distantly recalled Kanako saying something about intent being important. The human closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself facing Dess in a battle, after a few seconds she felt a faint twinge in her soul. Melody grabbed onto that feeling and pulled, the sensation growing stronger until hearing gasps from Baron and Dess. She opened her eyes and smiled triumphantly; she’d started a battle.
“WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!?” Dess exclaimed, “THE HELL IS THIS?”
“I started a battle, which means you should be able to use magic,” Melody grinned, “Now lets see what we’re working with.”
Melody [CHECK]ed Dess and took stock of the reindeer monster’s stats.
*December Holiday - - 12 ATK 25 DEF
*A rebellious girl with a fondness for violent sports and writing music.
“Huh?
“What’s up?” Dess inquired, “Not what you expected?”
“Sort of, your stats are definitely higher than I expected,” Melody admitted, “Okay now try to focus on trying to make bullets to send at me.”
“What? No, I’m not attacking you.” Dess refused flatly, “That’s stupid.”
“Look I’m not asking you to try and hit me,” Melody explained, “This is the only way I’ve seen magic used, just try and go with something that feels right.”
“Feels right…okay.”
Dess took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out. She tried to imagine something that felt right, naturally snowflakes were the first thing she thought of, but that felt too cliché. Maybe something related to sports? But she’d never decided which one she liked best; besides she wanted it to be cool. Dess hummed to herself as she tried to focus, imagining the sheet music in her mind as she did. She imagined the notes coming off the pages and filling the air…
“DESS!”
The monster was startled out of her thoughts as she looked over to where Melody was, the human frantically dodging small white music notes. Dess noticed a warm feeling tugging on her very soul as more and more notes appeared, heading right for Melody. Panic flashed through her as she tried to will the bullets away from the human. For a scary moment the bullets didn’t respond but fortunately swerved around Melody’s soul at the last second. Dess felt the warmth in her soul fade as the notes stopped appearing, drawing out a sigh of relief from the human.
“Congratulations,” Melody panted, “You can do magic.”
The room returned to the usual grey she was used to as Melody spared her, ending the battle.
“Holy shit!” Dess mumbled, “That was incredible!”
“Yeah,” Melody nodded, “Kanako said that there was no feeling like using magic.”
Dess glanced over to the locked door that currently trapped them in the room, an idea forming as a grin spread across her face.
“I think I know how we can escape,” She smiled as she turned to Baron and Melody, “Though…you two should probably cover your ears.”
Chujin was livid as he stormed down the corridor of the lab, the fox monster’s magic taking the form of electricity which crackled across his fur. He’d rushed to the room were Dess was kept in a panic upon learning that the human with the soul of integrity had been locked in there as well. He’d steeled himself for the worst, the image of dust coating the room having filled his mind. However, what he’d arrived to was the human admitting their crimes, even acting like it deserved worse, Chujin had frozen as he remained out of view, listening to the conversation. If he was being honest, he had mixed feelings about everything himself, he hadn’t actually met the human himself, the Axis model he’d deployed had killed them before he got the chance. The fox monster wanted to hate the human, wanted to throw the door open and tear the human’s soul out, but something in his soul wouldn’t let him.
Chujin found himself sitting against the wall listening to Dess and Baron talking to the human. Naturally there were moments where he almost made his presence known, hearing that the human had been bound to Kanako due to being injected by the serum…his serum, hurt the worst. However, he couldn’t bring himself to blame Ceroba, he never should have put so much on her, especially as his dying request. If anyone was to blame, it was the human, they were the one who’d set everything into motion after all. He peaked inside the room through the bars, psyching himself to face the human that had plagued his nightmares for years. But what he found was not the faceless demon he’d built up in his mind, but a small child.
He tried to hold onto the anger, the hatred he’d felt for the one he’d blamed for everything that had gone wrong in his life. But as he looked at the human, all he could think about was how he’d forgotten how small they were, not to mention how young they sounded. Chujin listened as Melody spoke to Dess and Baron, the fox monster was forced to accept the bitter realization that his view of humanity was wrong. His revelation was interrupted as the human said something that sent a chill through his very soul.
“Kanako forgave me so easily………I hope she gets to live a happy life on the surface now that the barrier is gone, if anyone deserves it, it’s her.”
Chujin’s mind raced, the boss monster barely aware that he’d started walking away from the cell. Part of him still didn’t trust the human, but they had no reason to lie about the barrier being broken. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Gaster wasn’t being honest with him, the Doctor’s refusal to allow him to see his family with the screens had been the first thing to tip him off. But if the human’s words were true and the barrier was broken, it meant that the Doctor’s plan wasn’t maintaining the freedom of monsterkind but something else. Chujin barreled through the entrance to the main lab, the Doctor seemingly absent. The fox monster glanced around before heading over to the system keyboard, glancing around to make sure he was alone before engaging the system.
Chujin gasping as the screens lit up to show Ceroba in his hidden workshop. The fox watched in horror as the events played one after the other, Kanako being injected with the serum, Ceroba rushing their daughter to the Hotland Lab, Kanako’s body melting due to the determination she’d been injected with, his daughter speaking to an unseen person he realized was Melody. Then finally, a bright flash as Melody was revived in the Castle basement, Kanako herself restored to how she used to be before both were pulled into the darkness by an unseen force. Chujin stared at the screen as it went dark, the reflection in the dark screen showing the Doctor towering behind him.
“Did you know?”
“CHUJIN NOW IS HARDLY THE TIME…”
“DID. YOU. KNOW?” Chujin spat, turning to face the melted skeleton.
“………YES.”
Chujin ran his fingers through his hair as he steadied himself on one of the counters, his vision spinning as he tried to calm himself. He turned to face the Doctor, his body trembling, whether from shock or anger he wasn’t sure.
“YOU LIED TO ME!” Chujin shouted, “YOU SAID MY FAMILY WAS SAFE, THAT THEY WERE OKAY!”
“THEY WERE.”
“YOU CALL WHAT I SAW OKAY!?!?!?!” Chujin demanded, “MY WIFE DRINKING HERSELF TO DEATH THINKING SHE KILLED OUR DAUGHTER? MY LITTLE GIRL STUCK HALF MELTED IN THE BASEMENT OF THE ROYAL LAB STUCK DEALING WITH THAT HUMAN!?!?!”
“THIS IS WHY I DIDN’T TELL YOU CHUJIN,” The Doctor replied, “IF YOU’D KNOWN THIS SOONER IT WOULD HAVE HINDERED THE PROGRESS OF THE PLAN.”
“What IS the plan?” Chujin panted, “Was anything you told me true?”
“I SUPPOSE I HAVE BEEN RATHER OBFUSCATORY WITH YOU,” The Doctor mussed before finally meeting Chujin’s gaze, “IT WOULD BE A LIE TO SAY I’M NOT MOST EXCITED TO SHOW OFF MY WORK.”
The Doctor pointed, Chujin turned to the screens mounted on the wall behind him. The fox monster’s eyes went wide, a deathly chill running through his very soul. At first, he reasoned that he was simply misunderstanding what he was looking at, but the longer he looked, the worse it appeared. Slowly the pieces began falling into place, the Sun, the Artifact, the strange beings he’d helped the Doctor pull from other worlds, why getting Kris into the Void was so important, the purpose of the Dark Fountains. Chujin gasped in horror as the realization of what the Doctor was doing, what he’d willingly helped the Doctor accomplish hit him.
“WONDERFUL, IS IT NOT?” The Doctor beamed proudly, “THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR HELP CHUJIN, AND FOR THAT YOU HAVE MY DEEPEST RESPECT.”
“…………Dess was right…”
“PARDON?”
“Dess was right!” Chujin repeated, “You’re completely insane!”
“OH, SPARE ME THE THEATRICS,” The Doctor waved Chujin off, “WE HAVE BOTH SEEN FIRSTHAND WHAT HUMANITY IS CAPABLE OF, IT’S THE ONLY WAY.”
“THIS IS EVIL,” Chujin shouted, “I’LL HAVE NO PART IN THIS I REFUSE!”
Chujin felt a twinge of unease pierce his anger as the Doctor let out a soft chuckle, before breaking out into a haunting fit of laughter.
“OH CHUJIN, YOU OUT OF ALL MONSTERS KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT BEING “EVIL” WOULDN’T YOU SAY?”
Chujin opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. His thoughts flashing to the experiments he’d conducted on the human’s soul. At the time, he’d told himself that the human wasn’t conscious, that any part of them that could feel pain was gone. But he had noticed how the soul trembled in the jar every time he drew near, how it would basically flinch every time he poked and prodded at it. He’d killed them, tortured them after death and for what? A serum that killed him, that destroyed his family, the whole reason he had been fighting for.
“DON’T YOU SEE CHUJIN?” The Doctor placed a hand on Chujin’s shoulder, “YOU AND I ARE THE ONLY ONE’S WHO UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR MONSTERKIND, FOR OUR FAMILIES, THEY WOULD WANT US TO SUCCEED.”
“You’re wrong,” Chujin pulled away from the Doctor, “I don’t know if I can ever forgive myself for what I’ve done, but I know my family, and they’d would NEVER want this!”
“CHUJIN…”
*BOOM*
The two boss monsters flinched as an ear-piercing whistle filled the air followed by the sound of metal and concrete being torn apart echoed through the halls of the Lab. Before Chujin could react, the Doctor snapped his skeletal fingers causing both of them to suddenly appear where the sound had originated. Chujin felt his heart sink as he caught sight of Dess and Baron, but his distress quickly turned to shock as the reindeer monster brought her fingers to the corners of her mouth and let out a loud whistle, a small barrage of white music notes flying at him. The Doctor summoned a wall of bones with an irritated huff, several screens that Chujin was certain hadn’t been present seconds earlier lighting up.
“Miss Holiday, you wear my patience thin!” The Doctor’s words came from the screens, “Don’t force me to hurt you again.”
“Doctor wait!” Chujin blocked the Doctor’s path.
“Chujin,” The speakers the Doctor was speaking through unable to mask the skeleton’s anger, “Get out of my way before I…!”
Chujin didn’t need to turn around to know that the Doctor had just caught sight of the human. He wasn’t sure why the human’s presence would surprise the Doctor but that would be a question for latter. Chujin acted swiftly, summoning his magic as the Doctor became trapped in a translucent diamond.
“What are you…?”
“GO!” Chujin ordered, cutting off the human’s question, “I won’t be able to hold him long.”
As if to reiterate his point, several large cracks formed across his sealing spell. Thankfully, Dess didn’t need to be told twice, using her good arm to grab Melody’s hand and start running down the hall, Baron close behind.
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU”RE DOING CHUJIN?” The Doctor roared as the seal shattered, “IF THEY ESCAPE, THEY’LL RUIN EVERYTHING WE’VE WORKED FOR!”
“Good.”
Chujin snarled as he summoned a staff similar to the one he’d gifted Ceroba, sending a volley of blue and orange lightning towards the Doctor who countered with a single shield of green magic. He lunged to the side as a beam of pure destruction obliterated where he’d been standing. Chujin jumped up and slammed his staff into the floating skull the blast had originated from, smashing the summoned blaster apart. He knew he couldn’t win, the Doctor had fought in the War, and it showed. Every attack he made was countered as the Doctor weaved several different colored attacks together in complex constructs that resembled chemical structures moving in almost hypnotic patterns. He just hoped that the trio would manage to escape before his inevitable defeat.
“Please tell me you know where you’re going.” Melody begged, panic clearly evident in her voice.
“Just keep running, we have to find a grey door eventually.”
Dess didn’t mention that the grey doors appeared and disappeared at random, not wanting to add to Melody’s panic. As the trio ran deeper into the dimly lit lab the sounds of the battle slowly faded. After several minutes Dess slowed down to a halt, Melody and Baron letting out sighs of relief.
“Hey Dess, where does this grey door go exactly?” Baron asked between breathes, “We’re all from different worlds.”
“Don’t know,” Dess admitted, “But anywhere is better than here.”
“So, we have no idea where we’re going.” Melody stated, “Awesome.”
The trio went silent as a guttural howl pierced the air, Baron’s eyes went wide.
“We need to move, NOW!” The canine ordered. “That’s the…!”
Baron went ridged as a massive lumbering creature came into view, the beast moved on all fours, a large gaping hole where its face should have been.
“What the actual hell is that!” Melody sputtered upon catching sight of the beast.
Dess stared at the creature for a moment before grabbing Melody in one hand, Baron in the other, before rushing off with everything she had. “F*CK THAT!”
Dess ignored the panicked protests of her companions as she sprinted down the hall, her left arm burning where it had been broken. She didn’t have to look behind her to know the creature was gaining. She rounded a corner, the beast sliding on the tiled floor into the wall, granting her a little more space. As she focused ahead, she saw it, a grey door!
They weren’t going to make it, Melody realized as the creature rushed towards them. Even if Dess hadn’t grabbed her and Baron the beast was clearly faster, she wished there was something she could do. As the beast lunged, claws the length of her arm outstretched, she felt a sudden surge of energy flood her body. The human allowed instinct to take over as she pointed at the ground.
“DOWN!”
She felt a heavy tug on her soul as a hollow, upside-down heart appeared in the center of the beast, the little heart suddenly became blue as the creature slammed straight down. All at once, Melody felt like she’d just run a marathon as the feeling faded. The creature recovered, but not before they’d reached the door. She glanced at the door as Dess kicked it open, revealing pure emptiness. The last thing Melody felt before her consciousness faded was the sensation of falling as everything went dark.
Chujin wheezed as the Doctor slammed him into the wall, his vision swimming as he crumpled to the ground.
“I WAS THE ROYAL MAGE DURING THE WAR CHUJIN,” The Doctor informed him with irritation, “DID YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE THERE WAS ANY CHANCE YOU COULD BET ME?”
“I…I wasn’t trying…to win.” Chujin struggled to his knees before smiling, “I just…just had to distract you.”
Chujin couldn’t help but feel a sense of smug satisfaction as he watched the Doctor’s eye twitch. However, his triumph was short lived as the Doctor seized him by the throat and lifted him into the air. His vision shook as the Doctor warped several times in rapid succession before arriving just in time to see Dess, Baron and Melody jumping through the door. The grey door vanished not even a second later as the Barghest collided with the wall. Chujin made no attempt to fight back as the Doctor silently dragged him down the hall, not that he had the strength to. He groaned in pain as the Doctor opened a heavy metal door and tossed Chujin inside.
“I THOUGHT YOU WERE BETTER THAN THIS CHUJIN,” The Doctor said dejectedly before closing the door.
After a few moments Chujin sighed as he allowed his body to go limp. He hoped that wherever Dess and her cohorts had ended up was nice. Chujin’s ears suddenly perked up as the sound of something shuffling in the darkness caught his attention. The boss monster struggled to his feet, attempting to summon his staff. Chujin’s eyes went wide as a familiar fish monster stepped into view, a single, yellow eye locked on him, a fresh-looking gash across the other. The monster wore a tattered police uniform, smiling wildly as she approached him.
“Chief Undyne, Hometown Police Department!” She introduced loudly, “Now identify yourself punk!”
Notes:
The biggest hurdle of this chapter was tackling the actions of Chujin and Melody. The way I see it is that neither character is malicious or evil but are simply two individuals who were put in impossible situations. Melody was just trying to survive and Chijin just wanted to protect his family. I imagine both feel guilt over what they did and tried to show that here. Other than that, this was a fun chapter to make, I enjoyed working with the parallels between Melody and Chujin. But the set up is finally complete, next chapter is the one we've all been waiting for, the FESTIVAL!
Thanks for reading!
Rickzin on Chapter 1 Wed 18 Jun 2025 12:27AM UTC
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sstuff066 on Chapter 1 Wed 18 Jun 2025 07:39PM UTC
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Kaboom91 on Chapter 1 Fri 20 Jun 2025 12:29AM UTC
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sstuff066 on Chapter 1 Fri 20 Jun 2025 12:47AM UTC
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Kaboom91 on Chapter 1 Fri 20 Jun 2025 05:31AM UTC
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Djurran (Guest) on Chapter 2 Fri 20 Jun 2025 09:45PM UTC
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sstuff066 on Chapter 2 Fri 20 Jun 2025 11:52PM UTC
Last Edited Sat 21 Jun 2025 12:36AM UTC
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sstuff066 on Chapter 3 Wed 02 Jul 2025 08:35PM UTC
Last Edited Wed 02 Jul 2025 08:42PM UTC
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DarkIsAGuestReader (Guest) on Chapter 4 Wed 16 Jul 2025 02:03AM UTC
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Un_simple_lector on Chapter 4 Fri 01 Aug 2025 09:56AM UTC
Last Edited Fri 01 Aug 2025 09:57AM UTC
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sstuff066 on Chapter 4 Fri 15 Aug 2025 05:23AM UTC
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Simple14 on Chapter 5 Thu 14 Aug 2025 06:18PM UTC
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Simple14 on Chapter 5 Thu 14 Aug 2025 06:22PM UTC
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sstuff066 on Chapter 5 Thu 14 Aug 2025 06:32PM UTC
Last Edited Thu 14 Aug 2025 06:57PM UTC
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sstuff066 on Chapter 6 Wed 20 Aug 2025 08:57PM UTC
Last Edited Wed 20 Aug 2025 09:07PM UTC
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REDACTEDINFO on Chapter 6 Sat 23 Aug 2025 04:22PM UTC
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