After the big reveal about Pawn’s motivations, Mezil officially announced the end of the debriefing. The dispersal was almost instantaneous. Everyone was either too tired or too busy to stick around. In the end, you and Mom were the only ones remaining in the room.
You played the ‘Shop’ music in your mind to shake off the nerves, putting yourself in a more cheerful mood. Gotta make the best out of your remaining free time.
You brought up your Living Victory interface.
> PARTY
* Toriel
Everyone else had disbanded upon their own will… Like in any RPG game, people come and go depending on the situation.
What about the Proxies?
> PROXY
Current number of proxies: 0
Drats. You were still too much of a newbie to maintain your Marks for long periods of time. That’s fine. The others can have a break from your crazy ride.
> ITEM
* Phone
You went straight to MTT Forums, social media, and other news outlets. You’re dying to know about the internet’s reactions surrounding the events of the election.
The situation had returned to normal. People argued, debated, and agreed with each other as though the slug attack never happened.
Isn’t that a bit unusual? Maybe more time needs to pass before any significant changes can happen.
You pocketed your phone.
Hmmmmmmm… What other things could you do? Where should you go? Something about the conclusion of the debriefing didn’t sit quite right with you. Unfortunately, you couldn’t put your finger on what. It was just vagueness on top of vagueness.
Noticing your indecision, Mom suggested: “Perhaps it’s best that you get some fresh water. The days are getting warmer, and you just had quite a rumble.”
Now that Mom mentioned it, you noticed that you were rather thirsty. So, it was off to the kitchen to get something to drink.
Oh? Susie and Cenna hung out together by the sink, drinking water while having a small chit-chat.
Cenna asked: “So, how’re the deer and the bird holding up? Pulling that all nighter must’ve been bad enough, nevermind today’s hot mess.”
Megatron Barney then said: “ROUGH! Noelle started to question reality. And Nerdy Berdly? He made an ACTUAL tinfoil hat to apparently, APPARENTLY, protect his brain! No enchantments whatsoever!”
“Damn. Today must feel like a dream, huh? Ya wanna go check up on them? Don’t let me hold you up.”
“Nah, they’re busy fixing all that busted armour. Gotta give them space to work.” Swishing her tail, the dinosaur said: “Hey Cen, wanna play some card games together? I brought my Lancer-themed deck with me. Now’s probably gonna be our last downtime for today.”
“Wish I could, hun. But, knowing Frisky, they’re gonna pop into our conversation right about…” Cenna twirled her fingers in the air before pointing right at the entrance of the kitchen. “…Now.”
Noticing your presence, Barney Megatron’s mood immediately soured. “GRRRRRREAT! Talk about HELLA awkward!”
The sharp senses of Queen Toriel caught on to her odd chumminess with your sister. “It appears that this is not your first acquaintance. Also, a cup of water for us both, please.”
Cenna winked at Barney Megatron and tapped her own chest twice. “Gotcha covered.”
“Thanks.” She then finished the whole cup in one go before refilling it a second time.
The level of spunky familiarity made you raise a sceptical eyebrow. Here you thought that the annoying impostor barged into the picture relatively recently.
Your sister wasted no time providing you and Mom with some refreshing water.
“Frisky,” she explained, “I know Prince Ralsei started out on the wrong foot with ya, but the Leemurr Royal Family have been in rapport with us Magi for a long, long time.”
Why, though?
“Trade and military agreements,” she said. “King Rallon, Prince Ralsei’s father, is Lemuria’s main diplomatic figure for that stuff. He’s the reason why we have Seers and monster magitek to count on. When the Twin Princes became trusted adults, they started doing some of the to-and-fro travelling in their dad’s stead.”
After a glug of water, Susie said, “Uh-huh. And my job is to make sure they get home in one piece. You’d think I’d have had all the opportunity to strut around in human lands during Halloween week but, NOPE! Not a chance. The furthest we ever went was the Berendin Manor.”
Hearing the word ‘Halloween’ made you scrunch your eyebrows. You knew that Seers visited your town during Halloween because they could hide behind costumes. Was that the same for non-skeletons?
“Yeah. All you gotta do is to look like a costumed human or pet. Noelle managed to attend a human Halloween that way without any problems, so I guess we’d be fine. But we never ever TRIED! That’s the point! Kris didn’t want to go anywhere in the human world!!!”
Even outside of Halloween? You understand that ghost-Kris can’t freely move around the human world nowadays because of Ralsei’s fluffy fluffiness, but a younger-still-alive Kris shouldn’t have had any problems.
“Frisk raises a good point,” said Mom. “I believe there are reasons other than appearances.”
Susie’s demeanour softened before the Queen of Monsters. The instant switch from being rude and tough to mousy and polite was quite interesting to witness. “Your Majesty, um, Kris couldn’t trust other humans.”
Mom nodded with an understanding heart. “I had heard from Prince Ralsei that the Lemurian navy found Prince Kris alone on a fishing boat. They were only a little baby back then.”
“Y-yeah. Super suspicious circumstances. The whole thing smelled of killers and crime. That’s why Kris always feared their own kind. There might be some schmuck out there who’d try to finish the job.”
You could sympathise with Kris’ apprehension for humanity. The riots proved that there were many violent people out there. Monster society is always better, yes!
That comment flipped Susie back into her Rude Mode. Snarling at you with her big chompers, she yelled: “BZZT!! Wrong, kiddo! Didn’t ya learn anything from what happened with that Handler freak???”
Hey, hey, hey, one doodoobutt doesn’t represent all of monsterkind.
“Geez, the AUDACITY of this kid!!!” Turning towards Cenna, Susie said, “I bet you guys didn’t get to unpack Lemurian politics at the debriefing.”
Your sister shook her head. “Nope. We only managed to cover the slug guy.”
“I knew it! If our Teenie Weenie Keeper had the full story, they wouldn’t be this confident.”
‘Teenie Weenie Keeper’?!?!?!? What is this?! You’re the nickname giver, not the nickname collector!
Susie put her half-finished cup down by the sink with a big thud, radiating rude toughness. “Bah! Can’t spill the beans. Don’t wanna give anyone more trouble. Ugh, can’t do this… can’t do that… I’m SO frickin BORED! You know what??? I’m gonna go bother the nerds anyway! Smell you later!” Once again, Mom -- The Queen of Monsters -- received extra special treatment. “And, uh, have a good day, Your Majesty.”
The punky purple Barney Megatron strutted off, heading towards the stairs to go to the workshop zone. She was certainly an interesting one.
You drank your cup of water. Aaah… so cool and refreshing. It revitalised you.
Turning to Cenna, you asked if she had anything to do.
“Nope. Not right now. Wassup?”
Taking your sister’s hand, she asked her if she wanna join your party.
Your invitation excited her. Ruffling your hair into a mess, Cenna said: “Definitely! I won’t give up a chance to spend more time with my little sibling!”
Mom giggled on the sidelines, happy to watch.
* Your cool hot and spicy sister joined the party!
> PARTY
* Toriel
* Cenna
Alright! The amount of fun people had increased by one! While combing your hair, you noted that maybe it was time to check on Rosemary. You were rather worried about her.
But Cenna shook her head. “Sorry Frisky, Ol’ Mez and Lucky Luc are in there sorting stuff out. The place is off limits to the rest of us.”
Ah… So that was where they went. What about Malaya? Could you see her?
“Na-uh. Lady Lucy is in her ward, making sure she doesn’t wake up in a panic. Can’t disturb skellygirl either.”
Foiled again… If that’s the case, you want to check up on Papyrus. He had apparently seen a vision about Grillby.
Just as you mentioned his name, you saw your tall skeleton friend zoom past the entrance to the kitchen. You called out for Papyrus, but alas, you were too slow. The next best option would be to chase him down before you lose his track! Still with the empty cup in your hand, you sped out of the kitchen.
Following Papyrus led you to the main entrance of The Lab. He joined forces with Gaelic and Garamond, discussing something in the Seer’s language.
Curious, you approached the trio of skeletons. They stopped communicating and turned towards you.
What’s going on?
Puffing his chest, Papyrus replied, “HELLO, FRISK! WE HAVE AN URGENT MISSION, NYEH HEH HEH! BUT PLEASE DON’T FRET. WITH THESE TWO BY MY SIDE, I’LL BE BACK IN A JIFFY.”
Snakeface flicked his snakey tongue. “Mondie be arranging a supply run. New clothes fer Sans Serif, more medical supplies fer M’lady, but above all, food and drink fer the larder. They be empty as is! Papyrus’ pantry dinnae last long with this many guests around.”
“MY PARENTS REALISED THAT WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR DINNER, NYEH.”
You and Mom gasped at that thought.
No dinner?! That’s terrible! Unthinkable!!! You thought that eating boiled stale crackers in a vacant cabin under the mountain was low enough, now you might not have anything at all!
Mom stepped forward with a request: “Excuse me, gentlemen. Do you have a shopping list? I would like to read it to make sure we will be well stocked. Of course, I will mark down my personal purchases so I can compensate for the payment later.”
Garamond handed his phone to your mom. “Here’s the list, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you. Frisk. Cenna. Please give me a moment to go through this.”
Okay Mom.
While your mother was busy reading, Cenna asked Garamond: “Mondie, got the Magus business credit card with ya?”
“Yes,” he replied. He reached into his pocket and took out the aforementioned card. It was one of those sleek, fancy credit cards reserved for the rich.
Hearing that made your sister sigh in relief. “Good, good. Where are you planning to restock from? With all the chaos going on, I don’t imagine any shop is open in Ebott Town.”
“We’re going to the usual Magus-affiliated facilities, so please don’t worry about me and Gaelic. Meanwhile, Papyrus will help us with his car’s carrying capacity and his own public mobility.”
Public mobility…? Ah! That’s right! Unlike the Lemurians, Papyrus came from under the mountain. He didn’t need to conceal his monster skeleton identity. He could drive and walk anywhere as himself, out in the open.
The Great Papyrus nodded ever so proudly. “INDEED! MY JOB IS TO FETCH WHATEVER WE’RE MISSING, AND THEN DELIVER OUR GOODIES BACK HOME! NYEH HEH HEH! BUT, WHAT IF I RUN OUT OF MONEY? CAN I BORROW THE COOL CARD?”
Patting him on the shoulder, Cenna said, “Yeah, you can, Cinnamon Roll. In fact I’d say save your own money and put everything on company expense. This is counted as an official mission. All you need to do is to ask for receipts so the accounting department can tally the purchases.”
“THAT’S A RELIEF! THANK YOU!”
With all the business out of the way, you took the opportunity to ask Papyrus about Grillby. Did he see a vision? How does it relate to the ‘sacrifice’ Tsunderjudge spoke about?
Papyrus started sweating buckets. “FRISK, I’M AFRAID THE GREAT PAPYRUS HIMSELF DOESN’T HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO EXPLAIN.”
Like, he saw the event but he doesn’t know the context?
Delighted, Papyrus returned to his sunny self. “EXACTLY, MY SMART HUMAN FRIEND! IT WOULD BE BEST IF WE WITNESS IT LIVE AND IN THE PRESENT. WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THAT GRILLBY HIMSELF ALREADY KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT.”
You’re alright with that.
“I’M GLAD YOU’RE KEEPING A LEVEL HEAD. NYEH HEH HEH!”
Mom returned the device to Garamond, satisfied with her shopping orders. “That will be all, Mister Blanc. Thank you very much for arranging this.”
“And thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.” Beckoning to the other two Seers, Mister Invisible left with Papyrus and Snakeface. From a nearby window, you watched his iconic red car take to the skies…
You feel that you still have someone else to check up on. Aha, Sans! He was noticeably missing during the meeting! You asked if Mom or Cenna knew Sans’ location.
“He should be with his parents.” Cenna answered, “They took over nursing duties when they saw his sorry state. Let’s just say the dude really, really, REALLY needed a bath.”
Where are they?
“Doctor Alphys’ media room-- Wait, no. They changed locations. It’s easier if I take you there.”
Lead the way!
To your utter surprise, the new babysitting spot was… Mettaton’s guest room! You spotted Times Roman, the skeledad, carrying a freshly bathed baby out from the bathroom.
The skeleton’s brows rose with delight “Oh! Visitors! Thank you so much for checking up on us, Queen Toriel especially. If I may be so bold, could I ask for your help in watching over the bundles of joy? I still have two more to bathe, and my wife is busy with the laundry.”
That calling was perfect for the most motherly mother of monsterkind! “I will gladly assist you, dear sir. It is the least I could do.”
“Thank you so, so much! Oh boy, I sure hope Papyrus comes back with more baby formula soon. It’s going to be a big tearful racket otherwise…”
Showing your thoughtful generosity, you opened the door for Roman. It would be mightily inconvenient for Roman meddle with the mechanisms with a baby in his hand. You tried your very best to turn the doorknob with the least amount of noise.
When you stepped inside, you were greeted with the sights of six cloth-swaddled bean-shaped babies, either sleeping or squirming on their mattresses. The faint fragrance of body wash floated in the air.
Roman was very focused on his mission to bathe the babies for their health’s sake. He put one down and picked up another, before returning to the bathroom.
You wanted to help Mom. You really did. HOWEVER! There was ONE big giant baby at the farthest end of the room that required your immediate attention, swaddled in bath towels himself.
The man, the legend, the dunker, The Smiley Trashbag, in all his dumpy un-glory, complete with his goofy sleepy grin plastered across his face. It was none other than Mother Flirting Sans Undertale!!!
You walked straight to his side then listened to his breathing. Not a single snore could be heard. Sans was pretending to be asleep. He had his eyes closed, but his ears open.
Cenna leaned over you, whispering into your ear. “Hey Frisky, you thinking what I’m thinking?”
That he’s too wrapped up to teleport away?
“Totally. There’s something I wanna look up close for a long, looooong time.”
Same here. Truesight or no Truesight?
“Truesight.”
Okay sis. Here’s the plan. We’re going to smoosh together his face cheeks. Little sib will take the left cheek, and big sis will take the right cheek.
“I don’t know how that’s gonna help, but I’m all for some silly fun at his expense.”
So, you placed your palm on Sans’ left cheek, and Cenna placed her palm on his right cheek.
Confused, Mom asked: “Frisk? Cenna? What are you doing?”
Without giving any further context, you flashed a thumbs-up to Mom.
Let’s go, sis! One, two, three, smoosh!
You and your sister pressed against Sans’ face in sync. He felt soft under the pressure. Despite his bony looks, his face was almost like a human’s.
One, two, three, smoosh!
One, two, three, smoosh!
One, two, three, smoosh, smoosh, smoosh, smoosh, smoosh!
Sans finally opened his eyes and said: “Please stop. You guys are turning my cheeks into a butt joke without the buttcheeks.”
The opportunity has appeared!!! You and your sister wasted no time to peer into his eye sockets, trying to look for the smallest oddity!
You report that you’re seeing nothing but regular white skeleton eye lights! What about Cenna?
“I’m seeing Lucy’s handiwork alright! But a simple illusion? Really? At this rate, anyone with Truesight will see through this crap right away. I thought she would at least try to blend the Red and Purple parts together.”
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With the nonchalant calmness of a Zen monk, Sans said: “All the cosmetic mods failed after wrangling Pawn. Reverted. Heh. Doesn’t surprise me at all. Permanence is a pretty big Red-based trait, y’know. I’m gonna need a few extra layers of security soon. Can’t have a random Vanquisher get spooked for seeing an impossible four-colour set.”
The weight of reality sunk down on your shoulders. A part of you wished that the weird scary looking Red-tainted crazy eyes faded away like a bad dream.
“The Red Aspect in my Eye is not going anywhere. Welp. That’s the price I pay for all the experiments I did on myself. I’m a walking talking breathing new territory in magic science here. Heck, even I don’t know the long-term effects. Anyhow… I’m stark naked under the towels. So, uh, some privacy, please?”
Blushing and flustering together, you Wanderstar siblings hastily gave Sans all the space he needed.
“Thanks.” He winked back. “So, what brings you here? I bet it’s something to do with Pawn.”
You explained to Sans that you’re left with a weird nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. The scope of the debriefing seemed too… narrow? Like, Mezil had simplified a lot of the details.
Sans asked, “Any examples?”
You’re not sure how it all fits together, but the most jarring one had to be the whole Pawn-replaced-Weiss deal. Sure, the parasite stole his body, but… What happened to the mind of the original host?
“That? Welp. It’s easier to show than tell. All I need is the right tools. Look for Anya Willowherb. She’s got both my prosthetic arm and the Seraph System. Don’t worry about confidentiality. That old sage was the one who supplied the parts for Version 3 in the first place.”
Anya who?
Cenna answered, “Remember the debriefing, Frisky? Anya Willowherb is the inventor of False Marks, and also Lady Lucy’s in-house teacher when she was a kid.”
Ooooh, that would make her the teacher of the teacher. Thinking about it, you weren’t sure if you had even seen the new visitor yet, let alone greeted her.
Where would she be?
“Either the workshop where I first built Version 3, or wherever the Lemurian Delta Labs gang are.” Sans said. “They got the tools and the expertise. Just check both places.”
Okay then. But, what about Mom? She just promised to help Roman with the babies.
Your mother had a bright idea. “Cenna, could you watch over Frisk in my stead? That way, both of us can help where we are needed most. But be sure to come back here as soon as possible. No sidetracking, please.”
Big Sister to the rescue! She accepted the job without a single hesitation or complaint. “Your new eldest daughter is on the case, Mom!”
Then, you two high-fived together. Yeah!
Sans snickered. “Have fun. In the meantime, I’m taking a nap.” He shuffled deeper into the towels, made himself comfortable, and closed his eyes. The snoring began soon after. Based on the sounds of his breathing, Sans had fallen asleep for real.
Mom sat down on the ground and tucked him in. “Oh Sans…” she muttered.
* Toriel has temporarily left your party.
> PARTY
* Cenna
You better get going. It would suck if you failed the quest because you ran out of daylight. Although you don’t know the location of the Seraph System’s workshop, you knew where the Delta Lab Lemurians would be.
However, fate seemed to have other ideas for you. A black hooded figure with a masquerade mask appeared right outside of Mettaton’s room. Their long full-covered cloak, with its fabric sweeping across the floor, reminded you of the Riverperson, except smaller and shorter.
The voice of an old but firm woman greeted you. “Crimson Keeper Frisk… we meet at last.”
You felt goosebumps all over your body. Her presence intimidated you, and not in the tsun tsun Tsunderjudge way.
You expected Cenna to make a comment of some kind… but she didn’t. She straightened up like a soldier in field training.
The woman said, “Why the sudden discipline, Judge Caraway?”
“Because you’re my senior, ma’am. I’ve seen you in combat and recognise the sharpness of your skills. You’re definitely a veteran Vanquisher.”
“Your rank as Judge has merit, then. Be yourself and be at ease. Today I stand before you as Artificer Willowherb. I have long retired from both the Vanquishers and the army.”
Cenna replied: “Thank you, Artificer Willowherb.” Only then, your sister relaxed somewhat.
So this was the person Sans wanted you to look for…
Anya turned towards you. With a smile, she asked: “And what are your impressions, little one?”
Without thinking, you blurted out that Miss Anya reminded you of Halloween, like a mix of spookiness and seasonal treats. Your mind’s nose could smell the mixture of heavy sweet spices, sugar, and chocolate.
She giggled at your response. “Oh my, that’s both adorable and creative. Unfortunately, this old grandma doesn’t have any candy on hand.”
Does she have the Seraph System instead? Sans needs it. You were asked to pick it up for him.
“I have both the Seraph System and his prosthetic arm right here.”
She took out a familiar brown object from under her cloak. You gasped out loud. Is that a mini-sized Dimensional Box?!?
“Why, that’s correct. I’ve heard from Lady Lucidia that you have your own as well, albeit linked to your mobile phone.”
Those are Alphys’ special modifications! Just for you! Very handy for your everyday needs.
“It’s certainly a convenient tool. This old body appreciates the lack of bags weighing her down. Anyhow, let’s get going. It’s fortunate that Delta Labs prioritised the maintenance of Sans Serif’s robotic arm. We would be heavily delayed otherwise.”
Actually… If the robotic arm was not available, why not strap the device on Sans’ left arm? That super bracer was not limited to a specific side, after all.
Artificer Willowherb then leaned closer to your ears. Her voice turned icy as she whispered: “You wouldn’t want to destroy Sans Serif’s remaining good arm should anything go wrong, would you?”
A cold shiver coursed through your body. You repeatedly shook your head in vehement denial.
“Good.” She straightened back up and her sweet demeanour returned. “Well then, why don’t I join your little team? We’re going to the same place after all.”
* Whether you like it or not, Anya Willowherb joined your party…
> PARTY
* Cenna
* Scary Grandma
Glancing over your shoulder, the old woman commented: “A ‘Scary Grandma’, hmm? I don’t mind that role. The determined have a tendency to overestimate their abilities. A healthy sense of fear maintains one’s sense of integrity.”
H-huh? Did… Did she just read your interface? How?
Anya Willowherb smiled back without saying anything else.
It’s WAY too early for Halloween! Not feeling the mood for the spooks, you shuffled closer to Cenna.
Now as a group of three, you went straight back into Mettaton’s room.
Surprised, Mom said: “Oh, how quick. I was expecting a much longer trip. Perhaps you could take the opportunity to catch up with some friends.”
Nope. Showing your hand to ‘Scary Grandma’, you told Mom that she already completed the sidequest ahead of you.
Bowing her head, the necromancer greeted: “Good afternoon, Your Majesty. I’m Artificer Anya Willowherb, Lady Lucidia’s former teacher. She had personally requested my presence to assist The Dreemurr Nation.”
There was something in the Scary Grandma’s voice that made Mom act as a proper Queen. Was it the formality? Or was it the aura? That old necromancer made even your hot shot sister behave.
Mom said, “Magus. I, Queen Toriel, thank you deeply for all the aid you and your organisation have given. We are in your debt.”
“It’s our sacred duty to protect monsterkind. However, at the risk of being rude, may I ask for a favour?”
“What would it be?”
“I would like to request your explicit permission to observe Sans Serif’s operation of The Seraph System.”
Narrowing her gaze, Mom further questioned: “What do you seek?”
Anya Willowherb replied: “There are some peculiarities surrounding Sans Serif. His knowledge about magitek is far beyond your country’s capabilities. Furthermore, he knows too much about my past, expertise, and mannerisms, down to some of the missions I have once completed. The book Lady Lucidia gave to Sans Serif had my involvement obscured, and therefore shouldn’t have allowed him to make any connections to my existence.”
Hearing the deduction made you wince. That leverage…!
Queen Toriel nodded. “You are the inventor of False Marks, are you not? Very well. I understand your caution. What does The Dreemurr Family gain for complying to your request, though? You are not The Supreme Judge. Which means you do not have the same level of authority.”
“Two things,” said Willowherb, “First, a direct connection to some of the best researchers of the Magus Association. Second, my findings may contribute to lifelong healthcare for Sans Serif.”
“Pardon me?”
“Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, but a Claim on his Red Psychia is not a permanent solution. He’s a dead man the moment it is broken. Although that may have been the desired punishment for his crimes, I refuse to let him escape the mortal coils so easily.”
H-hold on a moment. You asked the grandma if she was trying to save Sans or to condemn him even further. It sounded like she was trying to do both.
“Salvation or condemnation is for the future to decide. My main objective is to prevent a repeat of Judge Pashowar’s tragedy.”
Mom said, “Very well. I shall grant you limited permission. Consider it a trial run to test our trust in each other.”
“What would that limit be, Your Majesty?”
“You will inform us of everything that you discover and learn from your observations. Only then I can evaluate whether or not we should continue to cooperate. Princess Cenna shall act as an additional third party observer for fairness’ sake.”
Cenna crossed her arms. “…Yeah. I’m putting on my Judge Caraway cap for this.”
The hooded grandma bowed down to the Queen of Monsters. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
With all the tension sorted out, your mother instructed, “Frisk, could you wake Sans up?”
Sure thing! You hurried on over. Yelling at him would wake up the babies. So you went straight to furiously smooshing his chubby cheeks again!
“Bwuh?!” Sans blurted, snapping wide awake
While keeping your voice hushed, you started ranting at Sans. C’mon! What’s going on??? What happened to his info-hiding skills? He dropped the ball and leaked too much intel to a scary grandma!
The moment he put two-and-two together, he sat straight up with the towels still cocooned around him.
Looking at both Willowherb and Toriel, Sans said: “Welp. I’ve met my matches.”
That’s all he has to say?!?
“Ahuh. Actions speak louder than words, yet actions can be misinterpreted. There’s a fine balance between the two. Add me to your team, however you imagine it.”
Sure thing…
* Mom rejoined your party.
* Sans joined your party.
> PARTY
* Toriel
* Cenna
* Scary Grandma
* Sans
He’s part of the group now.
Sans pulled down the towel on his right side, showing the nub of his shoulder. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”
You watched the Scary Grandma help fix the prosthetic and The Seraph System onto Sans. Meanwhile, Mom wrapped a towel around his waist, so that nobody would be accidentally assaulted by indecent exposure.
Somewhere in the middle of the setup, Roman came back with another clean baby. He pretended that the surrounding events weren’t happening and went straight to giving the last of The Six a much needed bath.
Thanks for ignoring the weird situation, Papyrus’ dad.
When everything was ready, Sans stood before Mettaton’s clothes cabinet. You had the thought that maybe he should have borrowed his clothes, but then again they definitely wouldn’t fit.
The cloaked Magus stood to his right side, watching every step of the way…
You watched him effortlessly plant a Mark on the cabinet door. Six red wings bloomed from the point, two pairs folded and one pair opened.
Then… the cabinet door turned into a familiar grey door.
Immediately, the hooded Magus pointed out: “I see. That’s how you managed to escape from Pawn’s trap. That special Eye of yours could read the desired identifiers of your target’s inner world, and therefore skipping the requirement to acquire personal objects, sources of genetic material, True Names, and so on. My, my, my… you’re a dangerous entity indeed.”
Sans being Sans, shrugged and replied: “Eh. A Personal Universe Number is exactly what it says on the tin. One number per unique entity. Cuts out all the roundabout detective dossier stuff. All I really did was open a door between point A and point B.”
Cenna narrowed her eyes. “Jeez, look at this hotshot playing down his cutting edge technology.”
“Cutting edge ain’t as cool as it sounds if the max user is a total of ‘one’. Until the tech becomes more accessible, it’s little more than a proof of concept.”
Having said that, Sans opened the grey door and stepped inside. When he went past the threshold, a digital version of himself loaded in, complete with all his iconic clothes. How convenient!
Tucking his hands into his pockets, he tilted his head towards the darkness and said: “Step inside whenever you’re ready.” Then he walked straight into The Void.
…Hey! Where’s the safety checks?! He didn’t even tell anyone where that door leads. Ugh, typical Sans behaviour!
Cenna said, “Time for me to do my job, I guess.”
Off into the darkness she went. You couldn’t help but to worry about her a bit. What if she just, dunno, ended up in a different dimension altogether?
Instead, she hopped out of the cabinet with a big grin on her face. There was no bigger seal of approval than a happy Vanquisher. But, why the excitement?
Though you tried to ask what’s going on, she kept placing a finger on her lips, while extending her hand towards you for an invite.
Only one way to find out. You accepted her hand and stepped into the converted closet.
Past the shadowy veil, you spotted Sans standing around. And beyond him were a bunch of computer monitors. You squinted your eyes to cut down the glare.
An inky, goopy figure slid back and forth before the screens, pacing in irritation.
Is… is that Goopdoc? Doctor W.D. Gaster himself…?
“Egads! Those pathetic fools on social media truly have mushy peas for brains!”
Not only was it Doctor Gaster, it was YOUR Doctor Gaster. No one else rants the way he did, especially having ‘egads’ for an exclamation. He seemed too absorbed in something to notice any visitors. That must be why your sister insisted on being so hush-hush.
You tip-toed, trying your best not to catch his attention. You wanted to give him a surprise he won’t forget: payback for all the nonsense he had caused.
Once you were close enough…
…You poked your finger on his back ever so slightly.
Gaster let out a high pitched yelp, spiking into a black and white splash. He even vanished to boot!
But then, his disembodied voice said: “...Child of Mercy, is that you?”
Yes, doctor. It’s you, Frisk!
Doctor Gaster phased back into existence. “I… I was certain that I’d never meet any of my acquaintances again face-to-face.”
That’s not the main issue! You angrily slapped Doctor Gaster across his belly.
You vented out every grief you had against him: What’s with that stupid dramatic suicide on livestream?! Why did he have to throw his life away??? By luck, Papyrus was able to put the Goopdoc back together in reality! And now he’s going to be stuck in The Void? FOREVER??? Don’t give that ‘I did what I needed to do’ crap! He had a chance to turn over a new leaf and he WASTED it!!!
Then, you jumped into him to give a big hug. You told him that he was still alive. He didn’t turn insane. He didn’t become corrupted. He didn’t forget anything or anyone. Despite everything, he’s still Doctor Wendel Dominic Gaster.
“Oh, sweet Child of Mercy… I… I’m sorry to cause you so much grief.”
You felt his fluid arms wrap around you.
“This won’t undo my actions,” he said, “However, I dearly appreciate your forgiving love. How did you get in here anyway?”
You pointed square at Sans. He cracked the code of reality.
“Oh yeah,” Sans said, “About that. Hey G, did a giant non-euclidean complex happen to barge straight into your pad?”
Hearing that made the Goopdoc return to his malding self. “So it WAS your handiwork! I was just having a peaceful time arguing with those brainlets about the election, then a whole bloody facility just crashed into MY home! Do you know how difficult it was to rebuild this humble abode and restore internet access to the outer world??? Needless to say, I shoved that crummy crashing crushing crisis of a condo elsewhere, far, far, far away from here!”
“Sorry about that,” said Sans. “Your number was on my internal speed dial. Besides, you’re the only one I could trust to properly deal with what’s inside.”
Doctor Gaster groaned, hard. “You and your emergencies.”
Although you were still lost, you were Determined to be patient for your answers.
As the Queen, Mom interjected, “Doctor Gaster. Please take us there. There appears to be some unfinished business related to that place.”
“It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty. I shall lead the way. Try not to fall behind or wander off, everyone. You’ll end up right back here if you do. Alone with the computers.”
Doctor Gaster then slid off into the vast darkness. You could match his speed no problem, but what about Scary Grandma?
As though she had read your thoughts, the Scary Grandma reassured: “This pace is fine, thank you. Ah… your sweet concern brings back memories of Lady Lucidia’s childhood. Should she be willing, we can share those stories later.”
That’d be great! You’re always open to more stories! But later is later. You gotta make sure to get approval after all.
For now, you continued walking, and walking, and walking, and walking…
With every passing minute, it was getting harder and harder to focus on Goopdoc’s back. His black and white silhouette blurred as your eyes crossed over themselves.
Then, you felt a yoink on your shoulder, pulling you back. Glancing to the side, you saw the hook of a shining red shepherd’s hook. The owner of the curvy staff was none other than Scary Grandma herself.
Lifting the hook, Willowherb commented: “Careful, little Keeper. You were veering off into the darkness.”
Turning to Cenna, you ask if what she said was true.
“Yeah Frisky,” your sister nodded. “I tried to stop ya too, but Artificer Willowherb got there first with her staff. Extra reach and all.”
Worried, Mom added: “You were walking in such a hypnotic daze…”
And so, the journey came to an abrupt stop. You apologised to everyone for the mishap.
Worried, Mom asked Willowherb: “Artificer, what happened to my child? Is it safe to continue?”
The grandma replied: “Your child is unharmed, Your Majesty. They were just disoriented by the lack of visual reference in a dull, repetitive environment. Imagine trying to walk in a silent room while blindfolded.”
“Oh… I understand. It is like driving without a radio as well. Perhaps talking and listening among ourselves might help.”
“A fine idea, Your Majesty. While we resume our journey, I suppose it’s about time for this old woman to share some Lucidia-approved tales. Well, ‘mostly approved’ to be more accurate.”
Your party restarted the long walk through The Void. Everyone kept their sights forward as much as they could, lest they lose their way.
“Before I begin…” said the old Magus, “Judge Caraway, have you ever delved into a Dreamworld before?”
Tilting her head just a bit, Cenna replied: “I did, but maybe only once or twice, and I never went far inside. Modern protocols discourage entering as much as possible. We would rather force the DEMON out of their special pocket space hiding hole and deal with them in the real world.”
Willowherb said, “That’s expected. Otherwise, Chara’s exorcism wouldn’t have gone the way it did. Your generation can finally reap the full benefits of the butterfly couple’s efforts. Our line of work has gotten much safer across the board because of them.”
You widened your eyes in disbelief. The crazy hell you and Chara went through was considered the SAFER method?!?
“Quite so. Believe it or not, the proceedings could have gone catastrophically worse. Imagine if you went undetected with Chara’s restless spirit eroding your sanity. Based on your potential while living on the magic-rich grounds of Ebott Town, I’d give it two to three years before your Psychia generates a Dreamworld all by itself… If the DEMON hadn’t already discovered how to cast The Celestial Calamity by then.”
What if Chara did indeed manage to get the forbidden knowledge within their grasp? What would be Willowherb’s new timeframe?
“Hmmmm… I would say about three to four months from the time you emerged from Mount Ebott. Tensions between monster and human society would have ramped up after the holiday mood faded. With all that socio-political pressure, the allure of an instant utopia would be too tempting to ignore: especially for children. Most people your age have yet to master the art of delayed gratification and long-term thinking.”
Thinking back, you made that pinkie promise with Sans roughly at the beginning of the year. You were at the lowest of the low, ready to RESET if he hadn’t tried to help you.
The accuracy of the necromancer’s estimates sent a shiver up your spine. Scary, scary, scary. However… something didn’t quite make sense. Based on Lady Lucidia’s mini college lecture, you thought that the edgy, apocalyptic spell was required to manifest any inner worlds into reality.
“An understandable misunderstanding. If The Celestial Calamity is required for all Dreamworlds to exist, countless victims wouldn’t have gone missing in ‘haunted’ or ‘spiritual’ zones. The main difference lies in the exerted scale and power. And, unlike the results of the cursed ritual, a natural-spawn Dreamworld will never compete with the Keys of Fate.”
“During my time as an active Vanquisher, cleaning out fallouts was the norm rather than the exception. Think of them as disaster zones, where the damage had already long been done. The chances of finding survivors were slim to none.”
You glanced at Sans for a moment. He was being awfully quiet. Not a single joke or banter rolled out of his mouth, fully focused on Willowherb’s tales.
“The very first Dreamworld I personally handled was based on a short story about a prosperous city named Omelas. In this utopia, there was no sadness, no frustrations, no troubles, no grief. The citizens were the most intelligent, sophisticated, and cultured lot to ever exist, so much so that they required no government or leadership.”
“However, their prosperity came at a cost. Every summer solstice, at the height of the festival, a single child would be chosen to live in perpetual condemnation: bearing the city’s filth, darkness, and misery.”
“I… tried to rescue them.” The grandma’s voice strained from ancient grief. “But the moment I took them out of their prison, the world shattered. I was left with the shrivelled corpses of Omelas’ former residents. Not even the forsaken child survived.”
What a horrible memory…
At long, long last, after keeping so quiet for ages, Sans concluded: “Time sensitive stuff alright. The victims were in the dream for too long.”
Cenna asked, “Artificer Willowherb, what led to the discovery of the Omelas Dreamworld in the first place?”
“A suspicious amount of abandoned vehicles were left rotting on the side of a highway, with their owners missing. All evidence pointed to a hike into the wilds. Anyone who tried to investigate the location vanished the same way. Concerned family members. Wannabe ghost hunters. Professional detectives. Even members of the police force. None ever came back. The case went unsolved until Judge Pashowar offered the Magi’s expertise.”
“Did the Vanquishers ever find the source? Maybe some clues from Seer visions?”
“Well… It would be best to ask Lucidia about that. Confidential information and so on. At minimum, we’ve managed to return the remains to those who claimed the bodies.”
The name of Mezil’s predecessor had popped up a few times by now. If you remember right, Roger said he was the one who introduced magic to the public. Scary Grandma would have been a young woman back then.
You were so focused with your personal rumination, you didn’t realise that Doctor Gaster had come to a stop. You bumped straight into his goopy body, causing him to ripple from your clumsy impact.
“Eek!” he cried out.
Oops! Sorry, Doctor! Is he alright?
Stabilising himself, he said: “I’m quite fine, thank you. Anyways, we’ve arrived at our destination.”
Stepping aside, he revealed a grass-covered earth mound with heavy rusted metal doors. Is that… an underground bunker?
Becoming grim, the Scary Grandma said, “No. It would be best to consider that as a Dreamworld within a Dreamworld. I’m afraid our liquid doctor – the owner of this Hub – lacks control within that place.”
Goopdoc nodded. “Our Magus guest here speaks the truth. The very existence of this foreign structure was clashing with my personal space. I was unable to properly neutralise or dismantle it, therefore I resorted to isolative methods, such as burying it deep in the earth. This repurposed bunker became the only remaining entrance and exit to the facility.”
You felt Sans tap your shoulder. “Kid, you wanna know what happened to Weiss, right? That’s your answer, right there. To disarm Pawn, I had to disconnect all of them from within by changing their connected PUN value from Pawn’s 99 to Gaster’s 66.”
You still don’t understand…
“Oh, right, Thymer didn’t cover that. Well, in a nutshell, what you’re looking at was formally Pawn’s Hub. All the victims he absorbed as an Amalgamate had their minds and souls trapped in a massive laboratory prison complex. The result is a never-ending regenerating immortal undead army under Pawn’s direct control. At the heart of this nightmare lies the scumbag’s very first prisoner: Doctor Weiss.”
No wonder Thymer sounded so serious over the phone. And… Are you even supposed to be here?! This sounds dangerous! What about Mom???
Sans said, “You and Tori can back out if you want. But I’m going in there with the experts. Right, spicy gal?”
Stretching her arms and legs, your big sister prepared herself for trouble. “Alright, I’m gonna check the entrance for any hostiles. Everyone, stand back.”
Scary Grandma stepped forward to volunteer as well. “Allow me to assist you.”
You waited behind, watching the two Vanquishers inspect the bunker for any hidden dangers. Many tense seconds ticked by…
“All clear,” said Cenna. “No signs of an ambush.”
Phew. That’s good to hear.
Scary Grandma gazed at the heavy doors, commenting: “Beyond is a nightmare filled with forgotten souls… Lemuria’s very own Omelas sacrifice. So, this is the culmination of their sins.”
Her words cut deep in an unnerving way, and you’re not even the target of her condemnation.
The Scary Grandma turned around. “Sorry to change subjects, but I must warn you that I don’t believe Sans Serif employed any systems to disconnect us from the flow of time, or the engineering for extended suspended animation. This means that our real bodies are merely asleep while the clock ticks ever onwards. Stay too long and you might suffer from dehydration, or even perish.”
R-really?!?!?
Your sister nodded. “That’s why Vanquishers avoid Dreamworld missions as much as they can nowadays. Even if they did, they would have a time limit.”
Queen Toriel then said, “We should hurry then. Doctor Gaster, please open the door for us.”
Gaster bowed to his Queen. He slid over to the heavy doors to pull on their handles.
The grinding creaks of heavy metal doors reverberated throughout The Void. The stench of stagnant, stale air immediately assaulted your nose. Just standing before this entrance was enough to twist your stomach…
Sans asked you: “So, what would it be? Are you gonna back out, or dive right in?”
…Would you be able to help if you do? The last thing you want was to complicate matters, or worse become dead weight.
“Yup, I think you can.”
Then that’s settled. As Crimson Keeper and Ambassador of Monsterkind, you’re DETERMINED to see this through to the end.
And Mom added, “I will follow Frisk wherever they go. It is a mother’s duty to protect her child. I will not make the same mistake as The Underground again.”