Dust – the remnants of monsters after they leave their mortal coil– filled the air to the point where it obscured his vision.
If Grillby had to explain the carnage in human terms, it would be the same as blood and viscera covering every possible surface in a slick, slippery mess.
For every crushing punch of his gauntleted fists, every incinerating pillar of condensed fire, the density of dust grew thicker and thicker.
In the back of his mind, he wondered if he would be able to have a peaceful night’s sleep ever again.
The Core’s speakers played a message throughout the facility:
“WARNING, ENERGY PILLAR LIFTING. PLEASE VACATE THE PERIMETER.”
“WARNING, ENERGY PILLAR LIFTING. PLEASE VACATE THE PERIMETER.”
“WARNING, ENERGY PILLAR LIFTING. PLEASE VACATE THE PERIMETER.”
It was the surest sign that Doctor Alphys had succeeded in her mission.
Even so, Grillby shot a worried glance at Judge Thyme. It had been far too long since he started fighting against the magical malaise. Every second lost brought them closer and closer to defeat.
With the three of them, they’d only just barely been managing to keep the horde at bay. Should this keep up, they would definitely be overrun.
“…Heads up,” said Sans. “Snakeface incoming.”
The agile Seer leapt over the horde’s heads in a blur, trailing through the dusty downpour like the wind. He landed on all fours, skidding across the floor. For a moment Grillby thought that he would crash into the wall, but he managed to slow himself to a stop without sustaining injury.
“M’lord!” Gaelic rushed over to his master’s side. Lifting the Judge’s hand, he remarked: “…Ah feel the trembles o’ pain. What can ah do, and which medicine ye require?”
Judge Thyme, however, declined any medical aid. Instead, he whispered something to the Seer’s ear. Grillby was too busy fighting to overhear.
“Sir Grillenn!” said Gaelic. “‘Tis true ye learned to burn curses?”
Grillby nodded back, right before he smashed yet another skeleton soldier to smithereens.
“Blessed peer, switch out with me. Allow this savage to relieve ye o’ this filthy burden.”
“…Very well…”
Gaelic leapt into the fray, wasting no moment to tear apart the horde with efficient brutality.
Sans summoned more Gasterblasters to support the onslaught. “You heard the guy, Grillbz. Take care of Thymer.”
The fire knight seized the opportunity. He retreated from the front lines and knelt down beside the Magus.
Every breath of Judge Thyme’s exuded wisps of blue flame. Look close enough, and one could see the faint reddish-black traces of Corrupt Determination.
Grillby placed a hand on Judge Thyme’s chest and ignited the Flames of Purification. Green cleansing flame flowed through the human’s body, burning away any impurities. The once-blue flames turned pure white before dissipating into nothingness.
However… they never stayed away. From the way Judge Thyme coughed and wheezed, the poison continued to torment him.
Grillby glared at the dust falling on his own armour.
…I see… The Handler’s remnants are contaminated…
His communication system activated. Crimson Keeper Lucas interjected: “Sir Grillenn, requesting status update. I’m unable to connect to Judge Thyme.”
Grillby spoke over the line. “…We’re trapped… The dust in the air is cursed… I can’t keep it at bay… Judge Thyme needs clean air, ASAP…”
“Acknowledged. I’ll arrange a rescue operation with Captain Undyne and Lord Hua. Doctor Alphys also requires urgent medical assistance--”
Before Lucas could finish his sentence, Sans’ Gasterblasters shattered in a blink. The shards didn’t scatter or fall to the ground. Instead, they collapsed into a multitude of singular points, crunching into indescribable powder.
…Gravity magic?…
Floating into the room was a skeletal figure in a blue dress. Her curled, voluminous hair cast an intimidating silhouette that contrasted her delicate appearance. She glared down upon her ground-bound foes, her Eyes burning blue on the left and green on the right.
That person was Lady Lucidia of House Berendin.
Judge Thyme pointed his gun at her. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger. As for Gaelic, he was more prepared for flight than fight, ready to whisk his lord away at a moment’s notice.
Blue magic attempted to crush them where they stood. Gaelic grabbed his lord and fled, counting on outspeeding her sight. Alas, their escape was cut short when the woman landed a lucky strike. They were pinned on the dust-covered ground by her frightening might.
Loyal as ever, Gaelic used his body to shield Mezil from the brunt of the influence. “Mmmgh…! This pale imitation…! It be nothing like M’lady’s signature magic!!!”
Smartmouth as ever, Sans questioned: “Do I really wanna ask how you can tell the difference?”
“Not fer ya to know!”
“Jeez, I get it, I get it.”
…A fake?… Thinking back, Grillby was reminded of how effective Lady Lucidia assisted with the defence against Aiden. If she was more combat oriented, few could stand a chance against her ability.
She once admitted with a troubled heart that she had killed before. And he remembered how her face lit up with hope when he insisted on pacifistic means. She was genuinely happy from that response. Indeed, what prevented the lady from becoming a weapon of mass destruction was her own kind heart.
The memory filled Grillby with righteous indignation. The Handler made a mockery of the lady by attempting to have this mimic kill everyone she loved and cared for.
The next victim was Sans. He tried summoning another Gasterblaster, but one glance from the false Lucidia was enough to cleave the cannon in half.
When the lasers failed, Sans resorted to bones. He tossed out his entire preset repertoire, pages and pages of fanciful trickery memorised for quick casting.
They too were rendered useless. The mimic disrupted the patterns, gathering the bones with powerful telekinesis. And with a wave of her arm, sent all of Sans’ attacks right back at him.
Though he managed to dodge most of it, one bone grazed his cheek. Traces of blood – Determination – leaked out from the wound. Without breaking his focus, the short one wiped the residue off with his thumb.
The enemy wasted no time to hack away at Sans. Still, the infamous teleporter lived up to his slippery reputation, blinking out of the way before any one of her strikes came close to landing a hit. Each miss caused a deep fissure wherever he once stood.
But then… the huffing, puffing, wheezing and sweating began again. His teleportation sickness had yet to fully subside.
Thus a twisted grin grew on the false Lucidia’s face, one that would never be seen on the original, followed by the keen shrill of magic.
If Sans’ condition was as bad as Judge Thyme’s, he wouldn’t be able to dodge the next attack. Grillby dashed straight for Sans and pushed him out of harm’s way.
In the short skeleton’s place, the armoured knight received the full brunt of that attack. The blow struck with so much force that it launched him across the room and slammed him against the wall.
That kind of force would have destroyed an armourless Sans, 1HP or otherwise.
‘ARMOUR INTEGRITY: 94%’
Blue tinged distortions wrapped the air around Grillby with a vengeance. That baneful gravity magic dragged him down by the weight of his own body. He resisted against the pressure for a mere few seconds before he was forced on his knees.
…Nnngh, I’m getting pinned down…
…I have to… shut down… her Seer’s Eyes…
For that, he needed to lift his hand: an otherwise simple task made arduous due to the active oppression. The sensation was comparable to being trapped in a heavy net, tied down by anchors.
…Too heavy… Too… slow…
…She could… destroy my arm… before I can do anything…
To make matters worse, the mimic had cast a Green-reinforced shield around herself, preventing Grillby from extinguishing her flame. For his Fire Eater’s magic to work, his will must connect to the target one way or another. That barrier, although relatively weak and translucent, had cut off any means to make the link.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
From the sidelines, a blindingly quick and intense Gasterblaster beam hit the green barrier, causing the whole bubble to shatter.
…Huh?…
That did not feel like Sans’ magic. The beam was way too condensed for its power and speed.
…Did Papyrus come to our aid?…
Except it wasn’t Papyrus who he found. Instead it was Sans wielding Papyrus’ colours, fuelled by The Seraph System.
Sans yelled, “Shut her down, now!”
And shut her down, he did. One clench of his fist, and the Seer’s Eyes of his enemy extinguished.
Lucidia’s impostor fell to the ground defenceless, bereft of the colours to maintain her flight and shield.
Grillby could stand again. His mobility and strength restored, he conjured a pillar of flame right beneath the mimic’s feet. Hearing her screams, even though an imitation, stirred a sense of guilt and horror in his heart.
Amidst her struggle, the fires suddenly warped and flared in strange ways. Whatever she did to fight back further stoked the infernal devastation. Before long, she destabilised into a heap of burning slugs.
Taking advantage of the temporary reprieve, everyone regrouped for the impostor’s inevitable return.
Sans wiped the sweat off his skull. “Shit, I always knew Lucy was a bad matchup against me. Felt it in my bones ever since I met her. Good thing I was able to swap into Papyrus mode for a second there. Not going to be able to do this again, though. I’d faint on the spot.”
“…Why did she not try to extinguish the fire?…” asked Grillby.
“She did. But our impostor made a bad move. The genuine article would have focused her efforts on weighing down only carbon dioxide instead of also bringing in more oxygen.”
“Listen closely,” Sans continued, “That’s not Lucy’s brand of gravity magic. The Handler can only utilise Pure Eyes. Me, Snakeface, and Lucy are all Mixed. He may copy our looks, but not our full abilities.”
The slugs had started reforming into a restored version of the falsehood.
“Now this is where it’s do or die. Anything solid is rendered useless: blasters, bones, bullets, chains, kicks and punches, you catch my drift. Fire is not solid. It’ll behave pretty weird in gravity. Magic fire? Even more unpredictable. Go 100%, Grillbz. I know your armour is sleeping.”
…I see… Against a DEMON, The Flames of Purification have offensive uses…
…I’ll have to defeat the enemy without incinerating my allies…
…A tall order, but it needs to be done…
And in turn, the fire knight stood up and ground his feet.
“…Understood… Everyone, move away from me… As far as you can…”
Further and further they retreated, until they were one step away from the wall…
After the rest of his party got into position, he mentally issued a command to his armour.
…System, unlock all limiters…
Thus, the sleeper awakened.
Parts shifted.
Flames grew.
Multitudes of star-shaped spikes unfolded from his barbute and pauldrons. His red cape billowed from the sudden release of inner heat: lofty, impermanent, yet ever present, comparable to smoke.
The vents inside began to whirr. Distorted hot air exhaled through the exhaust pipes, causing a mane of fire to bloom around his neck. Its warmth provided a faint sense of comfort and protection to an otherwise harsh and deadly power.
In his glorious radiance, he became an arcane furnace in the shape of a person. Beneath the helmet, only his blazing eyes could be seen.
The armour had boosted his potential, perhaps too much for his personal taste. By his command, the cleansing flames spread throughout all corners of the room, ebbing between orange, green, and white.
The false Lucidia in turn conjured up multiple layers of Green-magic shielding, adamant to not repeat her previous mistake.
The influence of the enemy’s sphere grew larger and larger before long. If gravity magic was too unpredictable against the raging inferno, then crushing her enemies by conventional physical means would be the more surefire path to success. Grillby understood as much.
…A decision must be made… …A Fire Eater is only as strong as his supply…
…If I could compress the flames I’ve already released, I might be able to punch through those shields… I’ve done it once… When The Spire burned…
…Still, that won’t solve the fact that The Handler would just remake the clone… …If I don’t take care of all the enemies at once, everything here will be used up for nothing…
While he contemplated, an oddity emerged from within the flames. He spotted runes floating in front of him, forming the alphabet of his monster species’ dialect.
The words spoke with authority amidst the soft plucking tunes of a lute:
“Listen well. These supposed ‘spiritual incendiaries’ are curses written within the flame of life. They ignite upon contact with their target’s inner Determination, identified by the True Name.”
“What folly. Curses will always tie back to the caster. Every unnatural fiend in this place is filled to the brim with that same damnation, imbued into their essence, carried along their dust. Set fire to one, and all shall fall.”
“Therefore, this is what you shall do: draw the burning embers from The Supreme Judge. Mix that harvest with your purifying flame, then kindle the enemy by your own will. Set alight a wildfire of dust to slug, and slug to dust, that harms no one else but them.”
Ridiculous. It was a ridiculous proposal for a ridiculous turnabout in a ridiculous situation in a ridiculous scheme set up by a ridiculous enemy.
Yet Grillby had no time to entertain his scepticism. He had to try. He had to do. His side had already shown too much of their hand to risk rewinding time.
“Now go, Champion. Draw my blade, made in ancient times, renowned across the ages. Call upon it with your True Name, and deliver thy divine retribution!”
A bright metallic gleam rose from the ground right beneath his feet. As the glow subsided, it revealed a sword stuck out in a mound of stone.
Sensing imminent mortal danger, the false Lucidia attempted to cleave the blade. However, a protective aura deflected every single blow with little to no effort.
When he grabbed the hilt, a pulse of magic coursed through his arm. He drew out the mysterious stone-embedded sword in one smooth motion, as though he had taken it out from a scabbard. His SOUL resonated with the new weapon in his hand.
…Unknown blade… I know not your name… but I humbly call upon you with mine: Grillbz Grillenn!…
The plan was put into motion, beginning with the absorption of the cursed flame from Judge Thyme. As he purified it, he sensed a cluster of thin, taut threads extending outwards with no clear ending. It reminded him of a fishing line.
…These must be the links that the voice spoke about…
Upon his will, he collapsed the rest of the inferno straight into his body, filling him with a condensed, volatile form of purified flame.
Fear made his arms tremble, for he himself didn’t know what he was about to unleash.
It had come down to a clash of raw power: shields versus flames. The false Lucidia’s glare and magic intensified in tandem.
Multiple blows of gravity magic slammed against him. Though the blade deflected the worst of the damage, the repeated pressure threatened to break his stance.
But the knight was Determined. With one great swing, he launched everything that he had towards the enemy. An intense white light cut through the green shields, the clone, and the army of Amalgamates. Ashen fire burned the remnants with relentless prejudice.
Grillby snapped out of his daze and looked around, wary of more enemies. However, the environment was sparkling clean. There was not a single hint of a stray slug skulking around, nor a smidge of ash on the floor, nor even a speck of monster dust in the air.
…Every remnant of The Handler’s extensions has been obliterated… In other words, a complete victory…
…Wait, are my friends even alive?!…
He turned around, afraid that he had vaporised the very people he was supposed to protect.
To his fortune, the trio was completely fine. Gaelic stared in bewilderment, while Sans sighed in relief.
“Good job, Grillby,” said Sans. “Knew you could do it.”
Judge Thyme grunted as he got back up on his feet, freed from his torment.
Grillby asked, “…Are you alright, my lord?…”
“Much better,” The Magus replied. “Though, you might not be able to address me as your ‘lord’ for long.”
“…It seems that you already know what this weapon truly is…”
The fire elemental looked down on the sword in his hand. It was a blade of elegant simplicity that royalty might have owned in the distant past, showing its status without being gaudy. By no means that this was a weapon for commoner knights.
“I do. But we’ve no time for an extensive explanation. Concern yourself not with its origins. Wield it as normal… just don’t let its will consume yours.”
* * *
In angered terror, Undyne pointed her metal spear towards Hajikami Hua: her sense of trust betrayed.
She had just watched this man play some tunes on his lute, then pull an entire sword out of his chest. Swirling magma churned within the gap left behind in his body.
It was like a freaking scene from anime or manga.
Then, for reasons unknown, he pushed that sword through The Core’s floor. The current camera feed showed that the very same weapon was now in Grillby’s hands.
From the moment Undyne saw that man rise from the lava, she should have realised that no human being on the planet was capable of such a feat.
Yet, the alternative was just as impossible. She didn’t feel a hint of monsterkind’s magic. Not a Champion, not a Boss Monster, not a Merged either.
Not a human. Not a monster. Then, what the hell was he?
“Captain,” said Hajikami, “Are you sincerely going to point that spear at its own creator?”
Not quite listening, Undyne yelled back: “You…! You’re DEFINITELY not human!!!”
“Hmm. You’re the type to express fear through aggression instead of shrinking within. What a striking difference between you and Doctor Alphys.”
“Don’t talk like you know anything about her!”
Undyne glanced at the glowing ring of crystal flowers that surrounded Alphys. It was heartbreaking enough to see her girlfriend unconscious on the ground. Now, her precious lizard lover might be held hostage by this unknown entity.
Hajikami said, “Fret not, my deeds are not malicious. I’ve created these mana flowers to restore Doctor Alphys’ vitality. Also, I’m assisting Sir Grillenn as promised.”
Narrowing her eyes into a glare, she said, “Tell me. What are you REALLY trying to do? Are you for us or against us? I SAW that sword before! It belonged to Genocider!!!”
“Genocider?”
“Argh, I meant ‘Legendary Hero’: the one who helped round up the monsters and seal us under Mount Ebott.”
Hajikami lifted his chin slightly. “You speak of ‘The Champion of Light’. Indeed, Genocider is a much more suitable title for that insolent whelp. I shall use that condemned name from now on, an appropriate price to pay for their sullying of a holy blade with the blood and dust of the innocent.”
“Holy blade?” Undyne asked.
“It too has gone by many names. Perhaps you may recognise a few. Caladbolg. Caliburn. Excalibur.”
Hearing those names stunned Undyne. They belonged to a beloved human myth from this human land, that dated back far before The Sealing. Alphys nerded out at least once over fictionalised retellings of the tale.
Much may be lost in translation, but one general part of the lore remained consistent throughout. It went like this: whoever draws the sword from stone shall be crowned as the one true king.
And she just watched her senior Royal Guard pull that very same sword. From a stone nonetheless.
Undyne questioned, “Why the hell would someone like you have a weapon like that?! Did you just make GRILLBY the ruler of this entire country???”
In which Hajimami responded: “It remains to be seen if he could bear the responsibility.”
He turned around to watch the camera feed. On the display, the rejuvenated Judge Thyme and his team had arrived at The Core’s infested energy pillar.
At that very moment, Undyne wanted to drive her spear straight through this walking enigma. But, The Captain resisted the urge. Alphys’ health and safety were her top priority. Any rash action might put her in unnecessary danger.
“I can feel your killing intent,” said Hajikami. “But know that I’ll soon destroy this body on my own terms. It’s too distracting to maintain, and I must focus on the final battle ahead. Keep the spear. You’ve been an excellent student, Captain Undyne. Give my regards to Doctor Alphys.”
The entity turned stone grey: from his hair to his clothes to his lute. Cracks snapped across his being, and a second later the existence known as ‘Hajikami Hua’ crumbled into a loose pile of rocks.
Undyne had yet to wrap her head around what just transpired. Nonetheless, she rushed to Alphys’ side to check her condition.
“Al? Honey, are you okay?”
Her Justice-implant eye fed her a bunch of data. She didn’t understand most of the medical jargon, but the text wall ended with the words: ‘CONDITION GREEN’.
Over the line, Lucas explained: “With Hajikami’s aid, Doctor Alphys has stabilised. She will wake up soon. But… your mission comes first. Please reseal the Control Room and make your way to the energy pillar ASAP.”
“Yeah. You’re right. I’m on it.”
If she stayed here any longer, she might be tempted to stick with Alphys all day. Saddened by the momentary shortness of their one-sided reunion, Undyne planted a little kiss on her girlfriend’s head before returning to her mission.