Maybe getting suspended wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Negotiating for transport ended up trickier than expected. The Magus Association had a car stationed for Mezil, ready to roll out upon that man’s request. Cenna would have all the clearance needed under normal circumstances. But now…
…It’s ‘vacation’. And off-duty personnel had no business with work facilities.
The driver shook his head. “Sorry, Judge Caraway. I received Judge Thyme’s notice.”
Cenna groaned. “Aw c’mon. We’ve been friends for years. Can’t you give me a free lift, just this once? It’s not like you’re doing anything at the hospital anyway.”
“And who’s going to take responsibility if any of our on-duty superiors need to rush somewhere for an emergency?”
“Errrr…” She couldn’t argue against that. Well, she could. But that would mean divulging top secret skelly magic. Cenna didn’t need or want to incur the wrath of Lady Lucy a second time.
The driver sighed and took out his phone. At first, Cenna thought he’s going to call Ol’ Mez… Nope, it was a transport app: the one where anyone could book a ride on the go.
“Make sure you set the destination at the foot of the mountain, kay? They don’t have public transport.”
“Sure.”
It searched for a while. Then, they found an available driver. Her friend showed her the number plate and the estimated time of arrival.
“Heh, he’s gonna drop off someone else at this very hospital first.” her colleague said.
Better than being left high and dry, or paying extra. Over-the-counter booking services can charge exorbitant prices, after all.
Cenna saluted back. “Thanks a ton! I’ll pay you back soon.”
“Take care of yourself, okay? You worry everyone sometimes.”
“I’ll… do my best.”
Undyne walked up to her. The Captain of the Royal Guard had just finished the communication business on her end.
The monster asked: “We got a ride?”
“Yeah,” Cenna nodded. “My friend here helped book a civilian transport. 10 minutes. How goes your end?”
Undyne replied: “I delegated the rescue organization to the Royal Guard. My guys may act like total goofs sometimes, but they’re the best when it comes to a search!”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. Kids always get themselves lost in the Underground.”
“If it’s that much of a maze, how did Frisky get out so quick the first time around?”
“They kept to the main road. That’s the shortest route we have to New Home. There’s a small problem though: Hotland.”
Cenna raised a brow. “Eh? What’s the issue?”
With a sigh, Undyne explained: “Hotland’s old design depended almost entirely on some form of electrical component. They’re all defunct now. Either salvaged, or unpowered. King’s orders. Good luck trying to cross lava as a puny human!”
“Wait, didn’t we once carry out an injured Papyrus? By foot?” She didn’t remember any trouble.
“That’s the new road,” the fish explained. “Which I’m not sure if the punk remembers. They only walked there once, as opposed to fifty plus times.”
Cenna crossed her arms. Frisk had special magic. If the Void adventure was of any indication, they had the potential to beat every Magus flat on the ground in a couple of years.
But, direct flight could still be an issue. If the kid lost consciousness from the heat or the fumes mid-flight, it’s a straight plunge to their death…
She shook off that grim, apocalyptic thought.
Nope. Nu-uh. That better not happen.
Okay time to change the subject to something more cheerful.
“Sooo…” Cenna glanced left and right. “What’s Frisky’s new Dad like? I mean, I talked to him and all. He’s nice. But I heard you have a history with him.”
Undyne was more than happy to answer. “Oh yeah! He’s THE BEST KING! I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”
“Better than my boss?”
“HELL YEAH!!!” The fish pumped her fist. “If I was there with you this morning, I would have joined the SMACKDOWN! Ker-pow!”
Cenna shot a quick glance back to Mister Colleague. Looks like the male Magus pretended that he didn’t hear anything. The ability to stay nonchalant in the face of any indirect information -- incriminating or otherwise -- was the hallmark of a good driver.
Ooookay Cap you’re getting way too fired up there. Mind my colleague, friend.
Grinning, she said: “Hey, hey, hey forget about that stuffy ol’ man. I regret bringing him up. I wanna hear about YOUR boss.”
“You’re right.”
Undyne continued, “Let’s see… He’s strong. He’s kind. He’s like a warm fire in a hearth: the heart of the nation. I was a rambunctious little urchin back when we first met. One day I thought it would be a ‘great’ idea to challenge the man himself! I grew up hearing all about King Asgore’s might in the War, and I wanted to see that with my own two eyes.”
“‘Two’ eyes?”
“Yes,” Undyne cleared her throat. “A training accident happened in my teens. This was before that.”
“Ah. How did the challenge with the King go?”
Undyne whistled. “I couldn’t land a single finger on him. For YEARS! He’s got moves, I tell ya. The only reason the punk got anywhere was because he held back. BIG TIME! Combine that with his low spirits, and he’s just a shadow of his full power.”
Cenna expected an excited retelling about Undyne’s days with the King of Monsters. However, the fish’s face became overcast. Somewhat… clouded.
“What’s wrong, Cap?”
She glanced between Cenna and the floor.
“...Seeing the Surface treat him as if he’s some soft fluffy fool, I got a bit angry. Annoyed. Okay, maybe insulted. Like. I know he deserves way more respect.”
Huh. Wasn’t expecting that.
Cenna asked: “I take that you ain’t fond of how the Queen brushed him off either?”
Undyne breathed out a long, tired sigh.
“If I’m honest with myself… yeah. But what can I do? They’re equals. Asgore always wanted to deal with Toriel on his own. If he says ‘stand down’, I stand down.”
“I knew he wanted a ‘peaceful normal life’.” She used her fingers to make those ‘air quotes’ for emphasis. “And I really wanted that for him. He had suffered enough. But, is that for the best? Am I just letting him run away?…”
“…I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Dreemurr Nation needs to come back. We need a proper governing head. I know a bear who’s big into politics, but he’s nowhere prepared to go anywhere beyond a mayor’s post...”
“I think I’ll quit my teaching job and return full time as the Captain of the Royal Guard. Criminals could walk into our town at any moment, and we can’t just dump all the responsibility on human cops. I will need to train new recruits. Plan better patrol routes. Keep a lookout. Be prepared for the worst.”
Poor kids. From what I observed, she had some fans.
I kinda wish the conversation didn’t tangent off to something so serious. But, she needs an ear.
“I agree,” Cenna replied. “You need to get the legal stuff ironed out first, though. Otherwise you’ll be branded as an illegal armed gathering.”
The fins perked up. “How do we do that?” asked Undyne.
“There’s only one way… you gotta ask Mez.”
Instant groanfest. Oh, how Cenna understood the sheer amount of cringe over that prospect.
“Oh my god, HIM???” Undyne exclaimed.
“Yuuuuup totally,” Cenna replied.
“I rather eat a handful of chillies than to talk to that man!”
“Shit, don’t give him any ideas. He might just force you to choose between a negotiation and a bowl of red hot peppers.”
“NGAAAAH!!!”
Tapping on Cenna’s shoulder, her colleague notified: “Your ride is arriving soon. You guys better head to the front.”
“Oh, thanks pal.”
By the time they got there, the car had already dropped off its previous passenger. Cenna hoped that it wasn’t someone with an infectious disease. Colds, however minor, could ruin someone’s week.
One hop inside and it’s onwards to Mount Ebott. Estimated time of arrival: about an hour depending on the traffic.
Should I take a nap? Cenna wondered. I really didn’t get enough sleep this morning. Or… maybe we could talk some more?
“Soooo--” Her sentence was interrupted by a huge yawn. Cars have the magical ability to become moving lullaby machines.
Undyne grunted. “Jeez, get some rest already. You look like you need it. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we make it to our destination!”
“Thanks lots, Cap.”
Cenna tried to make herself comfortable. Sleeping upright was never the most refreshing position. Irregular access to proper comfy, flat places to rest was one of the suckier parts of her line of work.
I heard Sans could sleep soundly anywhere and anytime. Damn, I wish I had that talent.
Perhaps her wish was heard. Because at one point, Cenna fell asleep…
A hazy nightmare paid a visit. There was a certain dark-skinned schoolgoing teenager. When she came back home, she went to the nanny’s and picked up her sibling.
Dinner prep involved a microwave and prepacked food. Such was fine once in a while. Minimal mess, minimal cleaning, minimal waste of time. That way, she could concentrate on babysitting.
As dreams always go, out of nowhere a Grim Reaper appeared. He’s small in size, making his scythe tower over him more than it should.
Also, he brought hotdogs.
“‘Sup? Mind if I join ya for dinner?”
The girl laughed. “Damn Sans, did you get demoted from the Seraph post or something?”
“Oops. Cat’s out of the bag, huh? Nah. No demotion. This is just part-time work. I still do the singing gig as my main.”
They had dinner together. The baby sibling lay close by, snoozing.
“Cute kid you got there,” said the Grim Reaper.
“Hey, hey, you better stay away from the crib. You haven’t even washed your hands! Always wash your hands before touching a young baby.”
“Protective, eh? That’s good. Humans are fragile. From the day they’re born to the day they meet the Almighty.”
A bell rang over the reaper’s head. It’s a message from the heavens, informing him of a mortal’s imminent departure.
“Welp. Thanks for keeping company. Job calls.”
A spike of dread prompted the girl to look into the crib.
The baby was gone.
She turned back to the short Grim Reaper. He held them in his arms.
“Stop! That’s kidnapping!”
“Nah.” the other replied. “This tike’s my latest job. Poor kiddo… Turned into dinner by one crazy beast. That’s quite the bloody way to go.”
The elder sibling chased after the avatar of death, but alas, he remained forever out of reach.
“Please! Take my life instead!”
“No can do. Your time ain’t up yet. We’ll meet again after that big battle, ‘kay?”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Cenna woke up with a slight yelp. Her heart thumped so hard, she could hear the beats between her ears.
“Whoa there, you alright?” asked Undyne.
“Y-yeah,” she replied. “I’m. I’m fine. Just a little nightmare.”
Undyne patted her arm to show her concern. Indeed, the Suplex Queen had her soft side too.
The borders of Ebott Town soon loomed up ahead. Cenna recalled the day she first arrived here as a fresh Magus graduate. The full breadth of the giant mountain stood tall.
Unmoving.
Uncaring.
Cenna shook the thought out of her head. It’s no fault of the mountain itself that the accident happened. She shouldn’t be blaming it for the mistakes of others.
They then entered town. Though peaceful on the outside, there was a marked sense of worry in the air. Those left behind were those who couldn’t volunteer. Their only solace was to keep checking their mobile devices for any news on their beloved ambassador.
Since Ebott Town’s map had yet to be completed, Undyne had to guide the driver to the start of the mountain trail.
There, a strong looking male dog waved from afar. ‘Dogamy’ was his name. It appears that Captain Undyne had already relayed the car’s number plate.
“This is the right place?” the human civilian asked.
‘Yup’, said both girls. Cenna took note of the bill so she knew how much to repay her colleague later.
Wow. That’s more than I expected. Still cheaper than over the counter, though.
After thanking each other, the taximan turned around and headed back toward the human city; he didn’t have any customers from Ebott Town.
Guard and Captain exchanged salutes. It’s the fish’s territory now.
Undyne said, “Report, Dogamy.”
Dogamy barked once. “Organization is going well, Ma’am! Team New Home has searched for the past hour and a half. The Riverman brought his many boats and we were able to ferry all of Team Waterfall.”
“Muffet and her swarm of spiders are Team Ruins on their own. She’s scouring every nook and cranny as we speak. Team Hotland is currently preparing to enter the inner zones. Further manpower problems were solved thanks to the help of volunteers.”
Cenna was impressed. Before her first encounter with the Dreemurr Nation, she had doubts about their ability to handle a crisis. Got proven dead wrong.
“Do we have enough gear?” Undyne asked.
“No,” replied Dogamy. “But the Magi helped supply some.”
Undyne got a little worried. “Did they join any of the teams? I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring even more humans inside. It’s alien territory for them.”
Shaking his head, the dog clarified: “They’re only assisting in communications, ma’am. They have some sweet, sweet toys. Bark!”
“Oh. Phew, that’s a relief.”
I guess Ol’ Mez sent the memo here too…
Cenna asked, “Have you seen a guy who dresses like me? With, uh, a face-plate?”
The dog’s ears perked upright. “Oh! The one who smells like tobacco smoke and bones? He’s the one who provided the equipment. A friend of yours?”
“Yep! That’s my senior. Where is he now?”
Dogamy pointed towards the mountain. “He’s at the Underground exit, keeping watch. We’ve set up camp nearby there.”
Peer hard enough into the distance, and her hawk-like eyes could spot the large dark-green tents used for outdoors operations.
“Oooh, I see. We're going there now?”
Dogamy nodded.
I probably shouldn’t tell them about my suspension…
He thus led them up the path, none the wiser about her status.
Unfortunately… the secret was out of the bag the moment she met Garamond.
Right away, the senior called out: “Even if you’re not suspended, I can’t let you join the rescue team.”
All eyes locked on her in a snap. She could feel the puzzled pressure. Every monster wondered what happened to the hot-shot Magus who once strode into their town.
“Aw c’mon,” said Cenna. “Why did you have to make THAT part public?”
“So that you don’t sneak off with the rest of the Ebott folk while I’m not watching.”
A female dog who looks just like Dogamy spoke up. “(I don’t see any problems if she wants to help, suspended or not. She went into the Underground before.)”
This is my chance~!--
“Apologies Miss Dogaressa, but Cenna is still recovering from a serious injury. She shouldn’t be straining herself with a search. You should be able to smell blood, gauze, bandages, and antiseptic on her.”
The dog lady sniffed close to Cenna. “(Oh dear. You’re right, Mister Blanc. She smells like a wounded human. I’m so sorry lady, but you can’t join us.)”
Gah…
Don’t tell me I came all the way here just to be useless?!
Just when Cenna thought she hit a dead end, the heroic Captain came to the rescue. “She can still help with support, right?” Undyne said, “Managing the comms shouldn’t bust her stitches.”
Garamond pondered harder than he should have. Cenna kept giving him little hints with her facial gestures, trying to convince him to accept the Captain’s proposal.
After a resigned sigh, he agreed. “Alright, I’ll take her under my wing.”
Undyne had a mischievous, catty smile on her face. It had ‘I helped you out’ written all over it.
Thanks lots, Cap! Now I understand why you have Kindness attributed to ya.
They suited up. Team Hotland consisted mostly of flying and fire type monsters. Not all who float were Hotland natives: the moth-types for example. But they were the best in traversing the segmented terrain.
One of the volunteers was a teenaged monster girl in the shape of a plane, complete with ribbon on her head.
The monster fumed. “B-baka! I agreed to do this not because I care about Frisk or anything!”
S-she’s a tsundere?!
A kawaii Type-A tsundere?!?
“Uh, okay,” Undyne nodded. “Whatever you say.”
The girl exclaimed, “What was that?! Y-you think that I’m joking? I’m here because they can’t seem to stay out of crumbling caves!”
“Ahuh. I’m agreeing with you. If you see them down there, give them a big headbutt in my stead.”
The plane blushed bright pink. “Fix my gear already!”
Cenna put all her willpower to use NOT to burst into complete laughter. …Though it didn’t stop her head from streaming her true thoughts.
Omg ahahahahahahahahahahha if Mez is Tsunderjudge this girl must be Tsunderplane and she’s a totally cute plane shaped Mezil omg ahahahahahahahahahah!
In the meantime, they fixed the surveying gear on the young lady. Cameras. Digital goggles. Headphones with a microphone. A first aid kit. And some water. Never know if the kid might need rehydration.
The girl tried to fly around, but she kept wobbling in the air. All that weight might be too much for an untrained teenager. Rescuers had to be fit and strong for a reason.
“Hnnnnnn…” She struggled. “Too. Heavy.”
The team cut the load by removing the medicine kit. They also reduced the water quantity to a half of its original volume.
Tsunderplane’s grunted in her next test flight, but it was smooth and steady. That’s good enough.
Garamond reminded: “Watch your surroundings. Do not proceed if danger is detected. Otherwise we would need to rescue you too.”
“I-I get it…” she replied. “Okay. I’m going now.”
The plane girl joined the rest the Hotland crew. What’s left… was Team Snowdin.
One of the Dog Clan members walked up to Undyne’s feet. It was the Pomeranian-lookalike who piloted a mecha armour.
The fellow communicated only in barks. Nonetheless, Captain Undyne understood the report in full.
She squat down to pet the dog. “Good boy. I’ll join you.”
“Aren’t ya a Waterfall native or something?” Cenna asked.
With the biggest toothy grin, the fish laughed. “Heh heh, I hung out with Papyrus long enough to have Snowdin as my second home. Okay. I gotta go catch the boat. We’ll get back to you soon.”
Once they too put on their search gear, Team Snowdin marched forth into Mount Ebott.
Cenna waited around, anxious.
An hour passed. Then another. And many more. Soon the sun trailed down the horizon, bathing the sky red.
The worries got the better of her. She walked away from the camp to catch fresh air.
Environmental updates. More environmental updates.
Still no sign of kiddo.
I really did come all the way here to be useless. Damn.
Her good senior passed her a bottle of water. “You must be thirsty.”
“Thanks.”
Glug, glug, down the liquid went. That made her feel a little better.
“I’m real worried about Gael and Frisky,” said Cenna. “More like, both of them being together. I mean. You know how he can be. Did I tell you about the first time I met Gael?”
“No. But I heard the stories from Lady Lucidia.”
“How much did she tell you?”
“Well…” Garamond leaned to one side of his leg. “You were in charge of feeding duty. Did your usual tasks, but forgot to lock the door. Gaelic escaped. You chased him all over The Spire… And somewhere down the line you had to rescue a student’s pet cat before it became a snack.”
Note to self, Lucy doesn’t leave out details.
She tried to hide her embarrassment by playing it cool. “Yeah… That had to be one of the most intense workouts of my life.”
The senior took out his cigar, but he put it away after a brief glance. Sometimes, he fights the urge.
“Frisk will be fine,” he reassured. “They’re extraordinary. Both as a young adult and as a child.”
“Being a Living Victory makes one older than they look, huh?”
A Magus called for them: “Judge Caraway. Investigator Blanc. We have news from Team Ruins.”
The two rushed to the comm device. Team Ruins was Muffet and her many spiders. Maybe Frisk stayed there all the while?
The spider baker sounded worried. “Dearies? I hope you’re seated because I have good news and bad news.”
“Start with the ‘bad’,” said Cenna. If given a choice, it’s better to get the stress out of the way first.
“The back end of the Ruins had a structural collapse. I think it’s from a broken trap. My little spiders noted that someone tried to pull a lever… which resulted in quite a spectacular mechanical failure.”
“A-any signs of blood…?” She asked back.
“Nope!” Muffet cheered up. “And that’s the good news. It appears that dear Frisk escaped the mishap! Ahuhuhuhuhu~”
“There’s a big hole in the deep maintenance chamber. Maybe the collapse opened a new path? I’m going to look for the human in the inner city now~”
“Good luck, Miss Baker! I’ll buy lots of your bread tomorrow.”
“Keep your word, Miss Magus~~ Ahuhuhuhu~~~”
The Waterfall scouts phoned in.
“We found a campsite! It’s fresh too! This is way outside the town area…”
That’s awesome news. Did Gaelic manage to gather enough sense to start a fire? Could he recognize Frisk as a friend?
“There’s a weird scratch on the floor. Seems that someone carved a pattern and then destroyed it. I can feel the sheer distress…
Not so good news. Gaelic doesn’t seem stable. Not one bit. He could be teetering between a man and a beast. The unpredictability worsens in the ‘twilight’ between sanities.
New input from Snowdin.
“Undyne reporting,” said the Captain. “I think the punk was here! I found a note from Frisk in a lonely cabin off the beaten path. It says ‘borrowed pot, will return later’. The kid’s walking around with… a cooking pot?”
Cenna’s thoughts had to backtrack for a moment. “Excuse me? A pot?”
“Yup. Said that they need it to boil water.”
Key information was gathered and broadcasted to all search teams. In summary, Frisk and Gaelic’s last known location was at Waterfall. They had spent a night in Snowdin. Borrowed a pot and packed some firewood for their journey.
“Also, I’m seeing some weeeeeird footsteps in the snow. They start and stop outta nowhere!”
The illogical footsteps meant that Gaelic had been taking them through a series of static portals. Seers used to live there in past generations, so they would have their own convenient pathways. ‘Shortcuts’ indeed.
If only Sans was around. He would know every connecting point like the back of his hand.
Garamond straightened his coat. “I should go. Otherwise, the traces won’t make sense to them.”
Just when he was about to leave, they received another transmission. It’s from Tsunderplane.
“I found them!!!” she yelled.
The girl turned on her camera feed. It showed Frisk sitting by a second campfire at the mouth of a cave. They were boiling water in preparation for the trek into Hotland.
Frisk waved at the camera. Other than being covered in dirt from their misadventure, they looked healthy.
But… there was a certain wild skeleton missing from the picture…
“Where’s Gael?” asked Cenna, “Er. I mean have you seen a skeleton monster with fancy markings on his face?”
Tsunderplane replied, “Nope. Frisk is alone.”
Gaelic possibly left to scout ahead. It’s part of his job as a Tracker, after all.
The plane monster then flew closer to the human. “By the way, I got a message from Undyne for you!”
“What is it?” the kid asked back.
“THIS!”
She executed a headbutt square on Frisk’s forehead.
Upon that instant, everything went wrong. Something -- or someone -- knocked off the camera.
“EEEEEEEEK!!!!”
A loud crunch cut off the screams. Whatever just attacked her had also destroyed the microphone. Her gear had sustained enough damage to send a red alert signal to the rest of the teams.
“W-what’s happening?!”
“It’s from Team Hotland!”
“Did something attack her?!?”
Garamond hurried to broadcast an order. “All teams, stand ground. I repeat, all teams stand ground. We’re assessing the situation.”
A sick, sinking sensation churned in Cenna’s gut. She remembered the weird nightmare she had in the car.
Did the worst happen? Caught right on camera?
No… That nightmare can’t be real! Please, don’t let anything happen to those two!
Please.
Tensed seconds of nothingness passed by. Five more may be all they could afford before Undyne rallied her forces. If Gaelic had become Frisk’s enemy, they’d have no time to lose.
But, right before she issued the order to mobilize… the camera went back online.
The one who activated the device was none other than Frisk themselves. Realising that they only had a visual feed, they made an ‘O.K.’ sign for homebase to see.
As for Tsunderplane, she peeked over the human’s shoulder.
The whole camp breathed a huge sigh of relief. Nothing went wrong after all.
Garamond reported the good news. “Targets secured. Rescuer is unharmed. Begin escort phase.”
Cheers of celebration filled the communication channels. The overt joy expressed by the Ebott monsters lifted everyone’s spirits.
Cenna slipped away from camp toward the cave. Her senior didn’t try to call her back.
I guess he’s letting me go.
Her hurried steps were stopped dead at the mouth of King Asgore’s old throne room.
What. The. Fuck.
Ebott Goldenflowers -- Cheaters of Death -- had continued to flourish long after their original residents had vacated the premise.
To Cenna, the word ‘flourish’ may be an understatement. In just two weeks, they had grown taller. Denser. Even the burnt patch -- their supposed anathema -- was covered in a carpet of tiny sprouts. They had taken so much root, no weed could invade.
How the heck did they go extinct in the first place?! They’re like bacteria!!!
Anise once told her that certain plants function more like colonies. She speculated that the golden flowers were one such a species. Though, much about these ‘SOUL containers’ still remained a mystery as they had been extinct on the Surface for a long while.
Okay. I gotta pump myself up. These DEMON flowers are nothing without a possessor… Right?
Cenna inched forward. She tested the potentially cursed grounds by touching the tip of her boot at the overgrowth’s edge.
Her Psychia felt a tug. Vines? Magnets? Whatever it was, the magical flowers tried to latch onto her spirit.
She backed off in an instant.
No… no way! They’re trying to eat ME?!
I can’t go through that! There’s just too many.
Great. I can’t even get past a mini killer jungle anymore? Stupid disease.
In the midst of her thoughts, Cenna heard some distant footsteps.
“Frisky???” she yelled.
“Sis!” They waved back.
Indeed, it was frisky Frisk. Tsunderplane was by their side too.
Argh, screw the flowers! If they wanna grab me, I’ll just outrun them!
So she did. Dashed through the foliage as fast as she could. The invisible vines tried to snare her feet, but they broke upon the forward momentum.
A little bit more… then it’s the final stretch. The last of the sticky flowers fell behind her.
And the home run was completed with a huge tackling hug. The joy overshadowed the pain of her wounds.
In the end, the nightmare remained only just a nightmare.
Cenna blinked a tear of joy. “Dammit, Frisky. I thought you were done for.”
“Sorry,” the Frisk replied. “For making you worry.”
“Aw that’s the past. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Tsunderplane fumed something about ‘this is why you shouldn't climb mountains alone’ in the background. But, the tsundere ranting could wait.
Frisk let go of the hug first. Worried, they kept staring behind them.
Cenna asked: “What’s wrong, Frisky?”
“Snakeface… He got sulky over the whole Tsunderplane thing. Almost didn’t want to follow us. I cleared up the misunderstanding, but… well. They’re still suspicious of each other.”
Tsunderplane huffed. “I-i-it’s not like I’m weirded out by s-someone who tried to bite me in half for headbutting Frisk or anything…”
It made all sense now: Tsunderplane’s sudden headbutt was mistaken as a sign of aggression. He had leapt on the aviatory monster to protect Frisk, not knowing she’s a friend.
Frisk tried to look further.
“He should be somewhere in the back. But… I don’t see him. I hope he didn’t get lost.”
Frowning, Cenna said: “He’s more likely to ‘get lost’ in a different sense, Frisky, if you know what I mean. Was he stable around you?”
The kid scratched their cheek, unsure. “Snakeface told me a tale of great woe. I didn’t understand all the details, but I realize he had a terrible time.”
What am I supposed to conclude? Sure, he’s clear enough to explain some of his personal history. But he’s also snapping at the slightest trigger. Is he sinking or floating? I’m worried he’ll relapse.
Flowers rustled. Cenna’s first instinct was to pull Frisk close. Could it be a DEMON? If it was, she should have sensed it.
It turned out to be Gaelic instead. The top half of his skull poked above the petals, reminding Cenna of a crocodile in a river. Instead of greeting her presence, he sank back into the yellow depths.
Heh. He seems to be on search mode. Could it be a rare bug? Or he’s hungry enough to eat anything that moves?
More teams arrived, curious about the rustling. One dog in armour extended his neck to ceiling level to get a better look.
Then, his search stopped. Gaelic stood straight up in the field of flowers.
“Cor Blimey, Cenna!” He called out, “Yer a sight fer sore eyes! Get o’er here and put yer Truesight to good use. Ah smell people all over this big patch o’ goldies. Call Mondie too if he be around.”
First reaction: immediate relief. He’s more of a man now and not a beast, putting to rest many safety concerns.
She tipped her hat to him. “Ey there buckeroo, you can talk again! Pretty eloquent to boot. Haven’t heard your poetic flair since that dumpster fire of a Sunday. I’m happy for ya.”
Second reaction: confusion. People? Patch of goldies?
“What? People? Excuse me?” Cenna asked back.
“Cheaters o’ Death, aye? Empty flowers be pure fragrance. Possessed ones be mixed with blood or dust. Very faint, it is. Easy to miss in ignorance.”
Gaelic crouched over and took another whiff. “This smell be familiar. Lockboxes. Aye. Tutu right before me. Next to that be a cowboy hat just like yours. Ribbon cluster behind. Gloves to the left. Apron, far end at the entrance in a tight cluster. Notebook, more scattered than the rest. But the presence be clear.”
Every ear that had heard his words gasped in utter shock.
“The Six?!”