Underblade (Undertale AU)

Underblade: A red crystal, Chapter 5 (last)

When I was there, Undyne holding me and carrying me across hotland, I must have been much more tired than I thought since I fell asleep after a short while.

When I woke up, The sore feeling in my body was completely unbearable, so instead of standing up, I just decided to maybe fall asleep again. Yet after a few more minutes of just lying there and waiting, I knew that I could sleep now. I tried moving, the sore feeling reminding me of what pain feels like. I opened my eyes a bit and tried to look around. After a few more small movements, I had stood up and was sitting on something like a hospital bed with Bandages all over me. The room was mostly white with a table, some devices, a drawer and a gray door presumably leading out... out of where? Undyne said she was taking me to Alphys... I had heard Papyrus mention the name before, but I didnt know who that was. Just as I thought that, I heard small, quick steps approaching. The door opened automatically and a yellow lizard monster stepped in. She had some papers in her shaky hands and a white doctor suit. I looked at her and wondered if this was this Alphys Undyne was talking about. 'H-Hi. I-Im Alphys. Undyne brought you here, and uh... Ive been t-taking care of you. She told me about uh, your speaking problem? And well, Ive done some t-tests, a-and I think I um, well might even know whats causing that' I glanced at her. She seemed nervous and stressed, but at least I know that she is Alphys. I tried to smile to make her feel better and thought about what she just said. Fix my... speaking problem? So it IS something only I have. I wondered if she could actually 'fix me', whatever than really meant. She started sweating a bit. 'W-well, If uh, youre um o-okay, then uh, um... Y-you can c-continue your journey now! I... guess!' And with that she hurried out of the room. I stood up after another moment of thought and started looking for an exit. When I exited the strange room, I saw a note on the floor saying: 'The exit is to the right, then straight ahead. All doors are automatic. -Alphys' So I started heading to the right and eventually found my way out, stepping into Hotland. Running from monsters was much harder here, but still quite possible, wich is still what I did. I couldnt recall ever hurting a single monster, if I thought about it. It took me a full week to get to what other monsters who were kind enough to talk to me called the Core. Everything was filled with buzzing, pieping and the smell of ozone. Save points were far more frequent here, wich only slightly calmed me down, but rather worried me that something was supposed to happen. When I was walking across another blue metal bridge, a monster that I hadnt seen before jumped infront of me. Naturally, I ran as quick as I could, but this monster didnt bother to run after me. When I stopped and looked around, The monster just stood there, but after a moment, it introduced itself. 'Iiiiim Madjiiiik! Iiiiiim here to defend Asgore's castle! You have to get past me to contiiiiinue! Im part of the royyyyyyal guard!' I looked at it. I didnt want to hurt it, or fight it in general. But I knew that I had to run into the royal guard at some point, and they wouldnt just let me pass by running away. So I just stood there, and I entered the fight screen. The last time this had happened, Toriel had come to save me. Toriel... Suddenly, memories I didnt know I had supressed came back. Her kind face, telling me that monsters were trapped down here as long as Asgore didnt get seven human souls. I remembered Undynes look. She only ever wanted good for those around her... They ALL just want good for those around them. They're doing this for freedom. I was too, but it was their freedom or mine. I didnt want that. I didnt want to destroy their hopes, and I thought about one more thing to do. Just as I thought about it, a wave of confidence rushed through me and a save point appeared infront of me. And thus I spent an hour of resetting and going back, dodging and talking to the guard until I could spare him. Madjik just floated back into the core. I was more determined than ever, being able to come back the second I died. I knew exactly what I had to do.

I had spared countless guards until I was able to reach the entrance to Asgore's castle. There was just this feeling telling me that I was at the end of my journey, that soon, I could do what the world asked of me. I knew why I had gotten determination like this, why I made it this far, and why the others didnt. I stepped through the gate and found myself in an elevator. I sat down, leaning against the wall, looking at the patterns. And while in it, I listened to its quiet buzzing and thought about what I had to do, but I also thought about my journey. About all of the monsters in the Underground, how kind they were and how many friends I had found. The elevator stopped, a light 'ding' indicating that it has arrived at it's location. I walked out of it, looking around. I was tired, but my plan kept me going, my determination held me up, it didnt let me fall to the ground now. I walked along a gray path with the outlook on a gigantic monster city... the capital. I looked at all of them, their faces, their lives and their souls, all so kind and just wanting to be free. I smiled. When I arrived at the castle, I realized that the place where Asgore lived looked exactly like Toriel's place... Only that there was a chain in the way of the stairs downwards. There was a note glued to it: 'Im in the throne room garden. If you need me, the keys are in the hall and in the kitchen. -Asgore' So I went and got both the keys, finding a pretty necklace with a heart on it and a knife wich I both took with me and then unlocked the chain and walked down the stairs. The place was grey, but even though it seemed scary, right after saving I felt confident again. Even he seemed nice. I walked through even more of the city, noticing how cramped it is. It took me a while, but when I entered the actual inside of the castle, I saw a big hallway with gigantic pillars and coloured windows. I walked through it, knowing that it's not long now, until a familiar figure appeared infront of me... sans. He just stood there for a moment, then stepped towards me. 'Hey kid. Heh, guess you made it this far, huh?' I looked at him, confused, scared, but still determined. He sighed. 'Look. You know what happenes now, dont'cha? I just... make the right choice, okay kid? Maybe... maybe down here aint so bad if you think about it. It might not be worth killing for your freedom. But, welp, cant stop ya if you do. But... dont say I didnt warn ya, okay?' After his strange rant, he turned around and simply faded with a blue flash. He had teleported. I saw the big entrance to the throne room, the place where I would finish my journey. I smiled again, nearly truly happy this time. I walked towards the entrance, thinking over my plan once more. But I knew I had to do it this way. When I stepped into the garden, I saw Asgore there, holding a watering can, smiling, turned to the side and humming a happy tune. He was in about as I had imagined him. When he heard me stepping in, he turned towards me. 'Hello. How can I-' He cut off, flinching backwards, the watering can falling to the ground. 'I... You know what we must do. Im sorry for this' And the fight screen came and the throne room was flooded with what seemed to be black paint. I took out the knife that I had found in the living space of the castle and stood before him. He took out his cepter and smashed through the mercy buttom. It didnt matter, I wont use it anyway.

And I stood there, the options infront of me. I decided to talk first. The only thing I had to do was wait my turn out until he attacked. And he did. Reluctantly, but he had to. I saw the balls of fire flying towards me. I felt my musels warming up, ready to jump aside. The Bullets came closer, Asgore's expression changed. I took the knife in my hand and threw it to the ground, its clatter echoing through the throne room. I didnt need a mercy button to do this. I could already feel the heat drive towards me, but I could also feel them slow down as Asgore saw what I was doing. And with my last movement, I shakingly lifted my arms up and opened them up, welcoming the pain of getting burned alive. Now came the harder part. I had to... give up. So instead of returning, I focused on my soul and my spirit escaped into it, my body dying. When the King realized what I had done, he fell to one knee and tears ran from his eyes. I floated there, read to give up. Ready to give up on everything, ready to throw my determination away and be the seventh soul to be taken. 'I... I will not dissapoint you, child. I did not think that... the last child would be so willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of monsters' And with that, his hands took me soul and he walked over to the other souls, absorbing them. The souls didnt resist, they knew he had to do this. He looked up at the Barrier, Twilight shining through it. 'Im so sorry... I have to do this...' A loud clang commenced and The Barrier shattered into a million pieces. Suddenly, Undyne entered the throne room. 'Asgore! About the kid, they, well... You cant! You cant kill them, they...!' But then she saw the open space before the Barrier. 'You...' Undyne fell to the ground, not knowing how to react to this. 'Im... sorry, Undyne. But this is necessary. I would not want for these seven lives to go to waste' And he stepped out of Mt. Ebott and did what he had needed to do for so long.

The seven souls got a memorial stone in the garden of the new castle, a castle only inhabited by monsters... A castle standing on a silent surface, on a silent mother earth that was recovering from the grip of humans, finally freed from them. And they only knew the name of one of them. So, under the red crystal representing Determination, they inscripted: 'The greatest sacrifice was made by this soul. In honor of Melly'

-I didnt do it for myself.

-My own freedom wasnt worth fighting for.

-But theirs was.