Frisk: God of the World

Demon Tears

Thirty-two years ago

Sent on a search mission, Monty moved with his fireteam into the forest near Ebott Village. Apparently, the townspeople saw a monster, claiming it fled into the woods, but that shouldn't have been possible. The barrier surrounding Mount Ebott was still intact and under strict guard by the Military Police. Nevertheless, these reports couldn't be ignored.

Monty's fireteam consisted of four members. Himself, his brother Eli, Agent Ackerman, and their CO, Commander Jaeger. The commander ordered them to halt. "Alright, this is most likely just some kid pulling a prank, but be on your guard. If the target truly is a monster, it must be terminated immediately."

Typical Jaeger, always just wants to take out the enemy and be done with it. He was not the type to take prisoners. Monty was not a fan.

Ackerman, as she often did, had a problem with Jaeger's order. "Sir, is that really necessary? Even if the target is a monster, that doesn't mean it's hostile. If at all possible, I suggest we return it peacefully to Mount Ebott."

Jaeger glared at her with fierce orange eyes. "Monsters know their place. If one of them were to cross the barrier, it would be an act of aggression punishable by death. Last time a monster showed up here, it murdered a child. We can't let that happen again."

Ah, yes, the 'killer goat' who murdered a child back in 201X, who the good people of Ebott Village heroically fought off. Please. If that monster wanted to kill those villagers, he would have.

Ackerman stared back at Jaeger with patient light blue eyes. "We don't know that. What if it just wants to talk? It wouldn't be humane to –"

"Our orders are clear. Any monster caught on the surface is to be killed on sight. I expect you to follow it, Ackerman."

"You won't hear me complain," Eli said. "Those monsters can rot underground for all I care."

Jaeger approved. "Damn straight, Togami." He looked at Monty. "What about you, other Togami? Any objections?"

"Well, we do have to be careful," Monty said. "If the target is indeed a hostile monster, it poses a serious threat to humanity. However, if it is not hostile, then I agree with Ackerman. We must return it to Mount Ebott, alive."

"Thank you, Monty," Ackerman said. "At least one person in this fireteam isn't a total prick."

Eli sighed. "You too, Brother? Why do you care?"

"It's simple," Monty said. "Killing it would do more harm than good. If it's a monster, and we kill it, we'll piss off monsterkind even more than we undoubtedly already have. And should they ever find a way to breach the barrier, they'll be that much more likely to destroy us all. Not only that, but think of all the intel we could get from a monster. It's in our best interests to take it alive."

"Yes, listen to him!" Ackerman exclaimed. "It's not just the right thing to do; it's the smart thing to do."

Jaeger thought this over. "Hmm... I suppose it would be fun to interrogate one of them. Still, I would rather not take the risk. Our orders still stand. If you see a monster, eliminate it immediately."

Ackerman really didn't like that. "Sir! Will you not –"

Jaeger was already on his last nerve. "Enough! We're wasting time arguing over monsters when it's probably just some stupid kid. Spread out and find them. That's an order."

Ackerman threw her arms up. "Oh, I'm Jaeger!" she mocked. "I'm just your generic military hardass. I give orders, and you follow them."

"Zip it, Ackerman!"