Now matter how pressing the situation had become, Mezil must maintain a calm head. Rushing headlong into danger would be suicide.
I should gather as much information as I can. At the same time, I have to get the pieces moving.
Tapping his cane on the ground, he ushered his command: “Inspect the crime scene for clues.”
Then, while Sir Grillenn, Captain Undyne, and Gaelic searched their surroundings, Mezil made a quick call to House Berendin.
The Grandmaster, his father-in-law, answered the call. “Hello, Winston. How are things going there?”
“Grim,” Mezil replied. “Anything from Lemuria?”
“The whole nation has their eyes glued on the election broadcast from Ebott. The phone lines are silent as well.”
“You weren’t invited anywhere, it seems.”
“Unfortunately so. I thought that certain parties would try to keep me busy, preventing me from helping you. Instead, they seem confident in their schemes.”
“Hmph. Let them be. Please tell Investigator Blanc that his identity is secured. He is to report to Doctor Alphys’ Lab immediately.”
“Very well. I’ll have him delivered to you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Father.”
He ended the call and continued to think.
Do I have a SAVE to rewind to without compromising the election results?
…Doubtful. It’s not worth the risk. Frisk’s testimony tells me that The Handler infiltrated the building this morning. If I push his hand too much, he’d attempt to kill someone post-LOAD. I better minimise use of The Keys.
“M’lord, ah found something!” Gaelic discovered a syringe not far from where he collapsed. “It be empty. Anyone got a biohazard bag? Can ne’er be too careful.”
The fish Captain provided the requested item, securing the object from any non-authorised handling.
With arms crossed, Mezil glared at the evidence.
Hmm. The syringe lacks any apparent calcification, proving that it was not generated by skeleton magic. The Handler must have prepared this in advance and kept it in a secure cache, far away from his body.
A poison that could disable Gaelic long enough to frame him… Could this be a brand new formula? I don’t believe so. His recovery was too quick. Even with his Determination-boosted immune system, the side-effects of a newly-introduced substance should linger for about an hour or two. Yet, he was back in fighting form within minutes.
I’ll have to refresh myself on some ground rules. Gaelic’s immunity and poison conjuring go hand in hand, allowing him to produce any substance he’s encountered in the past. However, after an extended period without exposure to a particular substance, both his immunity and synthesis will weaken considerably. Alcohol is one example. He abstained from drinking for many years, and so he was able to get himself drunk again in recent months. Still, he will always recover sooner than his first dose.
This problem persists because he cannot perpetuate his immunity with his own magic. They are, after all, mock recreations and not the real thing. The original substance is required to renew the process. As such, Gaelic maintains most of his catalogue by hunting and foraging known sources of toxins, such as Silvermane. Lucidia and I occasionally supplement the list with exotic venoms and synthetic drugs to better prepare him against his opponents.
Mezil observed Gaelic in silence, looking out for signs of weakness. Though he had struggled in great pain, the symptoms were all but gone by now.
This rapid cleansing… Although it must not have been recent, I’m more than certain that he’s encountered each exact toxin before. When?
He closed his eyes and furrowed his brows, digging through his memories for a clue. Too many details had faded from time, as he was a human and not a Purple Seer. If only Lucidia was available to perform a thorough analysis of the chemicals. Alas, she had her hands tied with Rosemary’s precarious condition.
Deep in a dust-encrusted folder somewhere in his mind… he retrieved a file that bore an uncanny similarity to this current incident.
I’m reminded of Gaelic’s near-death assault ten years ago. Those scoundrels drowned him with every damn poison they could get, from the most common party drugs to strange novel formulas, just to see what would stick. Could The Handler have been their main supplier?
If that is indeed the case, leaving this syringe behind is not an act of carelessness. Instead, it’s a taunting bait. He knew that we would inevitably find the real Gaelic and confirm his identity. Anyone I send out would be singled out as my agent.
“M’lord?”
Gaelic’s worried tone snapped Mezil out of his pondering. Glancing around, he noticed that the others had grown anxious from the extended silence.
It was then Mezil’s phone rang, displaying the name of Lucas Fennel. He answered posthaste.
“Report.”
“Judge Thyme, we have a trace on Sir Gaelic’s phone.”
“Acknowledged. Prepare to intercept.” Call, end.
Turning to Undyne, he said: “Your turn, Captain. Time to put your new armour to the test.”
* * *
In The Magi’s impromptu command room, Fennel’s team tuned their communications to her armour, so she could receive instructions without the enemy overhearing. They also synchronised her helmet’s view with their visual displays, so they could get a live feed of her surroundings.
One of the squad members placed a scroll into her hand. Unrolling it revealed some human runes in purple and green ink. “Hey Luc, what even IS this?” she asked.
Her linking complete, Lucas tested the comms system through the helmet’s speakers. “I’ll explain on the way. Do you hear me?”
“Loud and clear.”
“Okay. Captain Undyne, you’re ready for launch.”
“Right on it!”
She rushed up to The Lab’s rooftop, closed the cover of her cool helmet, and prepared to make a giant leap. She gathered Aegis’ power under the soles of her boots for extra propulsion, letting the wind rocket her into the sky. In the past, Undyne would have to hop from building to building to cut through Ebott Town. Now she felt that she could cover all that ground in but a single jump.
She landed on top of Toriel’s school. It was a good many blocks away from The Lab, a testament to the armour’s awesomeness.
Communications popped online again. A confused Lucas asked: “Excuse me, but why did you land there? Is there something you need to investigate at the school?”
“Uh, no. It’s just the furthest stop. I’m going to make my next leap now.”
“Hold on for a moment. Let me pull up your armour’s schematics.” A short while later, he added, “It says here that you have full flight capabilities. This includes take-off, changing trajectory mid-air, even stop and hover over a single location.”
Opening her eyes wide, Undyne exclaimed, “SERIOUSLY?!?!? W-why did nobody tell me about that??? Actually, come to think of it, the Delta Lab guys didn’t have the time to give me the full lowdown.”
“Let me instruct you as you fly. Magitek armours communicate with the wielder via a mix of Psychia and brain signals. Imagine The Shield of Wind as both your wings and your jet boosters. You can direct the flow of air to support your movements as required. Be warned, however, that the artifact won’t work in a vacuum environment.”
“Why would I ever be in a vacuum? Nevermind, I’ll focus on flying first.”
Undyne leapt off the roof of the school. This time, she shaped the armour’s magic into an imaginary set of wings and jets.
Just as Lucas had said, she began to fly. It wasn’t gliding either. True flight was in her grasp as the winds themselves became her wings. She soared high over town as though she was a Tsunderplane.
Her heart raced with glee. “WHOA! This kind of freedom… it’s AMAZING!!! It’s like swimming. Without water! No wonder Papyrus loves to fly so much. I’ve flown as a passenger before, but being in the pilot seat feels completely different. ”
“By the way, Captain, about the scroll we gave you, that’s a pre-built binding spell. Cenna tried to use it on Sans once, so it should work on Seers just fine.”
“She did, huh? I can already root people in place with my Green though?”
“That slip is imbued with additional Purple and Blue factors, making a super strong web.”
“Oh, cool. How do I use it?”
“You press it on your target and give it a slight pulse of magic. It’ll do the rest.” A short pause later, Lucas asked: “Have you never used these types of magic tools before?”
“Nope,” said Undyne. “The stuff we have in the Royal Guard is quite different. You gotta ask Alphys for more details if you wanna compare.”
“I see…” There was a hint of nervousness. “Sorry. I’ve made the mistake of not accounting for tech differences between The Magi and The Dreemurr Nation.”
Grinning, she reassured, “Eh, no sweat. It’s just one scroll. I can choose to not use it if I’m not confident. You’re already doing me a great service by explaining all the new tech in my armour.”
“I’ll do my best to make up for my error. Speaking of your armour, the helmet has the option to display a minimap, a compass, and the general location of the target. Environmental warnings are at the bottom right. You can turn off the interface at any time for improved visibility, and the warnings will be condensed to a small icon. To activate, think ‘Display: On’ and ‘Display: Off’.”
When Undyne did as she was instructed, a neat interface popped up within her visuals. All the mentioned details were accounted for and even a bit more.
“Cooooool!” she awed. In some ways, she felt like a kid in a video game.
Within minutes, she reached her destination: the forest near the East border of Ebott Town.
Lucas instructed: “Your artificial eye is programmed to work in sync with the rest of your gear. Command it to scan the area. Once a target is found, an outline will render on your display.”
“Gotcha. I’m gonna try that out now.”
She activated her Yellow-enhanced cybernetic eye to scan the area. The detection failed.
“My systems aren’t picking up anything,” she said. “Maybe I’m too far up? I’m gonna land and look around.”
Down and down she went at a brisk pace. Leaves? Branches? No problem. They were all repelled by her windy shield.
At the very bottom, under the shaded canopy of the woodland trees, she still found absolutely nothing: not even a deer, squirrel, or a chipmunk.
“We’ve lost track of Gaelic’s phone…”
“Huh?! What do I do now?”
“Give us a moment to reinitiate the trace. Keep a lookout for anything strange.”
“Roger that.”
At first she kept a vigilant watch. But soon, her thoughts entertained her curiosity.
Y’know… This Lucas guy is Mezil’s nephew, right? If he’s a Crimson Keeper, he should have passed that whole Trial bullshit just like Frisk did.
Wait a minute! Doesn’t that make him Frisk Senior??? Or Mezil Junior??? Why didn’t I think any of this sooner?!?!?!
Blurting out her thoughts without hesitation, she said: “Lucas! Dude! Why aren’t you out here with me???”
“I-I don’t see the correlation.”
“You’re STRONG! If you were here, we could KICK ASS! TOGETHER!!! I bet your spiral Mark would be great against that Amalgamate freak. Imagine drawing him to one spot for me to finish the job or something.”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“I’m honoured that you think of me so highly. But no, I can’t. With my power, I’ll be a danger to both you, the hostages, and myself.”
“My armour will protect me, and I’ll protect everyone else, including you. Don’t worry about that stuff.”
“I think you’re underestimating the sheer collateral damage I could cause. When I was nineteen, my powers activated abruptly and tore apart a whole electronics store. I’ve only gotten stronger since then. My Mark does not discriminate.”
Looking around at the strong old trees of the area, Undyne asked: “Can you rip a forest off its roots and break the tree trunks into splinters?”
“Yes. That's not a hypothetical. I can and I will once I unleash my full power. This is why I prefer to act as Coordinator first.”
“Wow… Man. Now I’m even more glad that you’re helping me out, especially with the brainy technical stuff. It’s nice to know I’m not alone. I’ll admit, I was getting a bit worried after the riots. The Surface is getting way too hot for my taste. Thanks for everything.”
“You’re wel-- I mean, no problem. Excuse me, Captain, we’ve regained the signal. It’s south of you right now.”
“Okay. Relay the coordinates to me and I’ll resume the chase.”
The time for small talk had ended. Back to the mission she went…
* * *
Under Mezil’s guidance, Crimson Keeper Lucas Fennel and all eight of the Purple Squad kept in touch with the scouting parties. Calls and updates arrived at regular intervals, with the operators asking for queries while reading a satellite map.
“Helena Arboria speaking,” The Squad Leader addressed her unit. “Any updates on the target?”
“Anna Ridgefield of Yellow Squad says ‘negative’, ma’am.”
“Same response from Green, Blue, Cyan.”
“Gerald Andrews reports that Orange Squad had made contact with Aiden of Aratet. They’re cooperating as of this very moment.”
Another Magus from the Purple Squad concentrated on tracing Gaelic’s phone. Brian McGrath was his name, the best man on the job when it came to old-tech human telecommunications. He used a mixture of cell-tower triangulation, interpolation, and GPS: mundane methods used by humans for nearly a century. Although a Chronographer would have produced more accurate results much quicker, they would also have put themselves at risk of The Handler’s anti-Seer defences.
Mezil glared at the dot on the map screen. It had been disappearing and reappearing for a while now. The sporadic movements made a web of disjointed points that took them all across the Ebott region.
A growling Gaelic pointed out, “That cur be exploiting the portals o’ Ebott Town!”
“I agree,” replied Mezil, “Fennel, overlay the locations of all known portals in the area. Add the chronology of the phone’s past movements to the display.”
The compilation of data confirmed that all prior disappearances on the map correlated to a series of land portals. Even so…
Turning to Gaelic, he said: “This is too fast for two civilians, one teenager, and six infants. There’s no way we’re dealing with the full entourage. Not unless he also replicated your Armament.”
The dot’s journey ended at Mount Ebott. A whole civilization once thrived under there, providing countless many hiding spots.
The Underground should be a tactical dead end for The Handler. He cannot escape from there. Yet, he chose to enter of his own volition…
He’s setting up an ambush. No doubt about it.
“Keeper Fennel, order Captain Undyne to retreat. The Handler is up to his old tricks again.”
“Yes, sir.” Lucas passed the message along with a nod. A few seconds later, the Coordinator returned with an update: “She’s refusing to retreat. Quote unquote: ‘Even if it’s a big stinking trap… If there’s the tiniest sliver of hope that the skeleparents are in there, I will have to proceed. I can’t let Sans and Papyrus lose them again’. Orders?”
That outcome was expected of her heroic heart of Justice. In many ways, Mezil was relieved to hear she had the guts to rush in. It would resolve the unknown factor in a timely fashion. “Assist her. Being aware of the risks dampens much of the sting.”
Lucas said, “Acknowledged. Resuming support.”
Meanwhile, Mezil placed down his cane. “Gaelic, I need you to track down the hostages with your nose. Follow the trail, and never use your Eye directly on the targets. Godspeed, Knight of Berendin.”
“Aye, aye!” Two sniffs in the air later, his face lit up in delight. “That cigar… Mondie, me cousin, what a great boon to have ye here! Indeed, indeed!”
Gaelic vanished before everyone’s eyes. The sudden fade-out startled everyone unfamiliar with Garamond’s unique magic.
“You get used to it,” said Mezil to his staff before he refocused his attention on the map.
But then, an invisible Gaelic brought up a good point: “M’lord, what about the wee bean? We dinnae tell them anything. ‘Tis unwise to repeat the same mistake o’ not being clear to them.”
Mezil had been so caught up with his tactical planning against The Handler, he had almost forgotten about the young Wanderstar and their Keys of Fate. Another misunderstanding could end in an unsalvageable disaster.
“Thank you for the kind reminder. I’ll contact them right away.”
Frisk answered the phone almost in an instant.
“Hello?” the child asked.
“Frisk, listen carefully. The Handler has taken hostages. Make a SAVE now, but do not use the Keys of Fate without a mutual agreement. Please.” If Mezil was honest with himself, he could feel a twinge of desperation in his chest.
“Oh crap, that sounds bad. Okay, SAVE made. Do you need me to do anything else?”
“Stay calm and maintain order as the Royal Ambassador. Given the uncertainty of the ongoing elections, it’s best we tackle this problem in a single pass without alerting any of the monsters.”
“Got it. Good luck, Tsunderjudge!”
“Thank you.” He breathed a huge sigh of relief. The exchange went smoother than he expected. “Frisk has been informed. Proceed as planned, everyone. Time to spring this trap.”
* * *
The Captain of the Royal Guard flew towards the entrance to The Underground faster than a gale.
Faster. Faster!
She dove straight into the entrance, flying through the cavern corridors. Whenever a corner rapidly approached ahead, she flipped her body around with the grace of an olympic swimmer, then kicked off the wall to change her trajectory. Obstacles were no problem for those newfound athletics.
Undyne didn’t even give a damn about the garden of Ebott Goldenflowers that lay ahead. Petals and seeds trailed behind her as she blazed through the blossoming fields, the spiralling winds scattering them across the throne room.
Before she knew it, she found herself hovering over New Home. She scanned the abandoned city for any signs of sentient life. However, all she detected were small wildlife critters.
Reopening her intercoms, she asked: “Hey Luc, any updates? I’m in the former capital. Are you still getting a clear signal down here?”
“Surprisingly so.” Lucas responded. “The phone’s signal is unusually strong for being so far underground. After all, Gaelic’s device is not connected to Ebott Town’s mobile network. Is there a crack leading up to the surface from where you are now?”
“Nope. Nothing like that New Home, that’s for sure.”
“Do you know any other places with a connection directly to the open air?”
“…Do underground waterfalls count?”
“Yes.”
“Then I know just the place!”
Waterfall had a huge river that once flowed down trash from The Surface, collecting everything in The Dump. That definitely served as a direct connection. Getting there was another question.
She remembered there was a port in New Home. In the long past -- before the existence of The Core -- monsters migrated from The Ruins through that path. On foot it would take forever, but the large airwell made it a perfect fit for flight.
So Undyne headed on over. Down and down and down she zipped past the winding roads, head first in full confidence. There, she found what remained of the port… but her flight was cut short at the sight of an empty, dried out river. A collapsed tunnel had plugged up the waterway, preventing the flow from Waterfall to ever reach here.
“Darn! Are you seeing this?!
“Yes, I am. Hmmm… Could you check how deep the collapse goes? If the layer is superficial, we could attempt to bust through the rubble. Your armour has the ability to process a type of sonar, allowing your cybernetic eye to render the results. Try sending out a pulse of magic through the collapsed section.”
“Alright, I’ll give it a shot.”
Placing her hand on the surface of the boulders, a wave of magic resonated through solid rock.
The data she received was a messy mass of jagged yellow outlines. “Uh… Bad news, Luc. I think the WHOLE waterway collapsed. I’m seeing nothing but rubble for miles! Guess I can’t drill my way through?”
“No, it’d be too dangerous. Time and effort aside, doing that would further compromise the already unstable structure. We’ll need to find a different route.”
“Alright. I think I know another. I just hope it’s still open…”
There was a series of caves once used as a civilian shortcut between the zones, accessible only to monsters with the power of flight. Since Undyne had become a flying fish, she figured that she could use the highway for her mission.
The aerial paths proved to be intact. When she emerged from the other end, however…
…She discovered that Hotland was no more.
The rocky roads.
The abandoned settlement.
And Alphys’ old home.
All gone, engulfed by a lake of violent roiling magma. Superheated pillars spat out from the churning, bubbling surface, setting alight any flammable gases in the area.
“…I believe we’re seeing the fallout of yesterday’s volcanic eruption. Are you alright, Captain?”
“Uh, um, yeah. I’m okay. At least we know that our target isn’t hiding anywhere in Hotland.”
Undyne soared over the magma lake, cutting through the scorching air without feeling the burn. The insulation that Aegis provided protected her from the blazing heat.
Despite that, a small yellow warning sign flashed at the bottom right corner of her sight.
‘WARNING: HIGH TEMPERATURE.’
‘WARNING: HIGH TEMPERATURE.’
‘WARNING: HIGH TEMPERATURE.’
The local degrees had risen far above the perpetual faux-summer the area once boasted. She would have definitely gotten baked in her old gear.
One of the magma sprays shot higher than expected. Undyne rolled aside midair, dodging it.
“HOLY SMOKES! That was close!!!”
From what I’ve heard from Alphys, Hotland never had any real volcanic activity. It had been quiet since The Sealing. ‘It only looks scary’, she said. That sure isn’t true anymore!!!
I can’t explain why, but the magma feels… restless. Impatient. Even angry. As if it’s alive. And ready to boil over.
Undyne pushed that thought aside for now. Since all known landmarks except for The Core had been destroyed, she figured her next best strategy would be to fly alongside the perimeter. Waterfall and Hotland, with their opposing elements, were kept completely separated by a thick bedrock wall. The old cave roads served as the only access point.
Eventually, she spotted a layer of steam crawling toward the ceiling. Following the trail led her to a muddy river continuously pouring water onto the molten earth.
“I’m going in,” she said, firm and resolute, as her sonars showed no signs of obstruction.
Undyne flew right through the hot steam and into the flooded tunnel. The system that insulated her from Hotland’s heat also rerouted any deadly vapours.
Additional warnings popped up in the corner, a grim reminder about the dangers that surrounded her. The situation would have been fatal without Aegis installed.
‘WARNING: HIGH TEMPERATURE.’
‘WARNING: LOW VISIBILITY.’
‘WARNING: TOXIC FUMES.’
‘WARNING: CORROSIVE COMPOUNDS.’
‘BACKUP OXYGEN: 98%’
‘ARMOUR INTEGRITY: 100%’
‘AEGIS OUTPUT ADJUSTED FROM 50% TO 75% TO MAINTAIN PASSIVE PERIMETER.’
She exited the tunnel and emerged over a deluged water basin. The steam here was not as thick as in the tunnel, allowing her to see some of her surroundings.
Looking back, she saw a sharp mini-mountain tower over her. She immediately recognised this area as the place where she once duelled Frisk during their Underground adventure.
Flying up there should give her a good vantage of the area. So she did just that. Perched on the highest peak, she witnessed the doom that had befallen the land.
The bedrock wall that separated Hotland and Waterfall had cracked in the wake of yesterday’s eruption. Molten rock flowed into the once lush waters, boiling everything it touched. An endless stream of fumes and vapour wafted from the clash of elements.
Undyne spotted a dead Water Dog floating on the surface of the basin. It had become so rotted, it was a barely recognizable pile of slimy frothy mush.
Rot in the water, rot in the air… this section of Waterfall had become a field of death.
The sheer scale of the apocalyptic destruction shook Undyne down to her SOUL.
I got so tired of the Underground. Still, it’s sad to see my old home ruined like this…
Grief could wait. She had to get out of the area as soon as possible.
Thus, she carried on through the fog.
‘WARNING: HIGH TEMPERATURE.’
‘WARNING: LOW VISIBILITY.’
‘WARNING: TOXIC FUMES.’
‘WARNING: CORROSIVE COMPOUNDS.’
‘BACKUP OXYGEN: 80%’
‘ARMOUR INTEGRITY: 100%’
‘AEGIS OUTPUT ADJUSTED FROM 75% TO 90% TO MAINTAIN PASSIVE PERIMETER.’
Undyne furrowed her brows. “Lately I’ve been getting a ton of warnings that I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
“It appears that the steam contains sulphuric acid, among other dangerous chemicals.”
“That DEFINITELY explains things!”
“It would be wise to take heed and keep moving. Aegis is powerful, but not invincible. Its protection is tied directly to your magical energy. In other words: your stamina. Since we’re expecting battle, we should conserve as much as possible.”
“Duly noted.”
To her fortune, the toxic steam didn’t encroach the whole of Waterfall. The warnings went away when she stepped into a clearing.
Here, the calm shades of Echo Flowers illuminated the sparkling walls. It was a garden where children and lovers would come to whisper sweet promises towards the gemstone encrusted ceiling. It brought Undyne great relief to know that this little sacred grove of Waterfall escaped the horrors.
“Requesting confirmation: are those Echo Flowers?”
“Yup,” Undyne replied. “These plants store and repeat whatever they hear. They grow only in Waterfall too.”
“I see. Then if we’re lucky, we might be able to gather residual conversations.”
Feeling a little cheeky, Undyne replied, “Let’s check it out.”
She poked a nearby flower. A loud garbled noise greeted her back. The rest of the field echoed into the darkness.
“What the hell is going on?!” she asked.
Lucas concluded: “The enemy has masked any conversation by overriding the flowers with garbage data. He knows he’s being followed.”
“This is sure looking worse by the minute.”
She stopped at some messy shoe prints in the dirt. They criss-crossed each other, making it difficult to tell the start from the end. “I found tracks. Can you see them?”
“Yes. Give me a moment to observe.” A second later, his tone darkened. “It’s only one shoe size. They’re all the same imprint.”
A spike of dangerous magic then triggered her honed senses. She hopped aside on instinct, hearing a projectile whizzing right past her head.
Just when she thought she was in the clear, an acute impact smashed the front of her helmet. It hit her so hard, she fell backwards into a plot of flowers.
“Captain!!!”
Undyne wanted to respond to Lucas, but the concussion made it difficult for her to piece together a coherent sentence.
‘AEGIS OUTPUT ADJUSTED TO 100% TO MAINTAIN PASSIVE PERIMETER’
‘WARNING: PASSIVE PERIMETER BREACHED.’
‘WARNING: HELMET COMPROMISED.’
‘BACKUP OXYGEN SUPPLY CUT OFF.’
‘ARMOUR INTEGRITY: 86%’
When she touched her helmet, she felt loose flakes of metal drop between her fingers. The impact struck exactly where her forehead sat.
That was a headshot. An actual headshot. It would have been instant death if it weren’t for Aegis’ protection.
“…Fuck. That hurt,” she muttered.
“Thank god you’re alive.”
Checking the damage again, she found an unknown object lodged inside the crack. After she pried it out for further examination, she realised that it was invisible.
“Uh… I can feel something solid, except I can’t see it!”
“An object shrouded in invisibility magic… The ambusher must be Malaya. She’s the only Seer with the ability to snipe you while remaining invisible. Her colours: Yellow, Cyan, Orange. Battle reports warned that she has clairvoyance, perfect aim, and invisibility.”
“Ahuh. So why isn’t she raining hell on me yet?”
“She must be relocating. Expect her to resume fire at the first opportunity. Prepare yourself.”
The spike of magic returned. The girl was priming for another shot. Undyne cranked all her magic into Aegis and stood up. Right on cue, the pressurised wind deflected another high powered invisible projectile.
Another tried to strike. And another. And another. All from different directions with decreasing intervals.
From her experience with Papyrus, fighting a clairvoyant Seer was both a herculean effort and an absolute pain in the butt! She didn’t want to hurt the poor kid either. Malaya was just another victim in The Handler’s twisted scheming.
Maybe acting like Frisk could coax her into cooperation. Should she succeed, she’d avoid a stupid battle and rescue the hostage at the same time.
“Malaya!” The Captain yelled out: “I’m here to save you! Save! You!”
Hearing her new name, the girl dropped her invisibility. She stood up in the field of Echo Flowers, asking back: “Kakak Ikan…?”
The girl talked out in the open, apparently willing to communicate.
Lucas promptly responded to the situation. “Captain, I’m uploading a translator into your audio systems as we speak.”
The helmet’s interface notified her of the update. To test it, she repeated the word ‘Kakak Ikan’ to the best of her ability.
It wasn’t perfect, but the translator recognised it enough to feed the response back in English: ‘Big Sister Fish’.
She recognised me? I don’t remember talking to her. I’m not complaining, though! This makes my job a ton easier.
She lowered her shields and opened the helmet, revealing her face. “Yeah, it’s me! ‘Kakak Ikan’! Friend!” Extending her hand, she offered: “Come home with me, okay?”
A gooey eyeball sludged onto Malaya’s shoulder. Amidst the ooze, a Seer’s Eye burned bright with purple flame.
Lucas exclaimed: “That’s The Handler!”
He spoke in a robotic voice: “Kakak Ikan adalah musuh kita. Guna jarak dekat. Arahan: Bunuh.”
‘Big Sister Fish is our enemy. Use close range. Order: Kill.’
The Seraph System on Malaya’s arm clicked, popping out a freshly installed blade. The girl then answered to her master. “Ya, Tuan.”
‘Yes, Master.’
Undyne grimaced. “Dammit, it’s Sans’ anime weapon again!”
Frisk-style diplomacy: failed.
Once again The Captain of the Royal Guard was forced to brandish her Spears of Justice.