Lingering Fragments

     “ Ah, yes then, I suppose that makes sense… ”  Berdly nodded his head while he walked with her. Of course, if it was discovered so recently, it was fairly new territory and therefore not a lot of knowledge about it yet. But there was, consequently, so much knowledge to collect. And even if the MOBs were rampant, that didn’t stop the bird monster’s curiosity from wandering. Though, it did deter him overall for the sake of his own safety. It was understandable why others would want to do the same.

     Still, it was certainly disappointing that there wasn’t much to know about the new area right now. And that not many people could traverse there yet. Unfortunate that these creatures were preventing people from exploring and learning. …Probably not the thing he should be most concerned about here, but– 

     At least the presence of those MOBs were a good thing for monsters in society. It definitely created jobs for them, and the fact humans saw his kind as valuable assets in defeating those things was nice. Berdly himself still didn’t want much of a hand in that; his own magic wasn’t particularly strong in offence or defense anyway.

     That wasn’t very important. Berdly was interested in where it was, in the event he could potentially visit the place himself. Assuming it was safe enough at some point to do so, though. The fact it wasn’t MOB infested for some reason was intriguing. Perhaps there was something there that could help people.  “ I’d have to visit it someday. ”  He pondered aloud. Berdly thought he could eventually find it based on those descriptions, though he’d probably have to bring maybe one or two people just in case if they were going around Starside to get there… It would certainly be a long trek, but he didn’t mind.

     He turned to her,  “ I suppose I should ask for your opinion, miss future queen. Do you think it’d be fine to see if I could explore there any time soon? Or perhaps I could wait until it’s really been scouted out… Hm, I guess I just really want to figure out what’s there now. ”  Perks of being a scientist, he figured.

“There’s probably a lot out there that people haven’t seen in a very long time. Possible never before.” She honestly wasn’t sure what awaited her beyond the barrier on that day years ago after everything that happened... She just believed it had to be better than what lay behind her. Not exactly a hard decision, trying to get away from the ‘demons’. Though she knew exactly what they were now... It was hard not to call them demons still. Not that it mattered since she’d never have to deal with them again. That was the hope at least.

As for Berdly’s question... “I think you’ll probably want to work with a few MOB hunters like myself if you wanna go there. You’d probably be one of the first to investigate it as well. Everyone’s pretty busy with other stuff like finishing up construction here or getting the MOB situation entirely under control so mass transit can resume, so it’s kinda low on the priority list. You probably wouldn’t have too much trouble finding someone willing to take you if you’re willing to pay out for their service however.”

She pauses in thought, frowning softly to herself as she recalls the soul wraith she had encountered of her possible ancestor or past life’s father, a warrior of the human monster war with a powerful red soul of determination, that had lingered as a wraith out of desire to keep monster kind sealed. She had finally laid them to rest and claimed their sword... It wasn’t impossible that there might be another in these ruins. “On second though, I probably aught to come along myself if you decide to go. Something about this sits odd with me.”

“Oh, too soft to handle me? Where did my strong dependable brother go? I see that I’ll have to start my work on you all over again. Don’t worry, I’ll help you Asriel.”

Kris found himself laughing, already this was bringing back good memories of the past. Most of them days where he would play with Asriel and Noelle. A small stab of guilt made its way into Kris when he thought of Noelle. Not because he’d forgiven her for not stopping Berdly that day, but because of someone else.

“Maybe while we’re here, we can find something to make Uncle Holiday better? This does seem like the sort of world where we could do that. I want to save Uncle Holiday! Heroes can do anything, and if we’re heroes then we can do it!”

Kris never thought of that before, but perhaps something here could help Asgore’s best friend and their surrogate uncle. It would also serve as the first quest the brothers could do while they were in the Dark World. It was an idea anyway.

“Maybe you can blame numerous sleepless nights studying and signing my soul away to pay college tuition loans for that, hahaha...” A bit of a joke, if a weak one, but he really was worried about how much those student loans were gonna cost in the end.

Asriel nearly felt his heart stop at the mention of Uncle Holiday. What Kris said... it almost sounded too good to be true. “You... really think there could be something here that could help him?!”

It wasn’t something he was going to get his hopes too high up about, but if it was possible... It was definitely worth a shot. “You’re really putting some thought into this, Kris. I don’t know if we’ll find a cure or whatever here... but it’s worth a shot.”

“Dad can lift me with his eyes closed, if you want to be strong like him someday you’ll need to keep training. And carrying me was always the best way to do it.”

Kris loved using that excuse, he would get off if Asriel asked him to. However, Kris had been missing this manner of interaction with his brother. They had been apart for what felt like forever. Kris only wanted to remind himself of the past. The times that were more important to him than anything else. When he was happy.

“No matter what happens to us, so long as we’re together nothing can beat us. We’re together Asriel, I’m not afraid so long as I know you’re here with me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Alright....” He grumbles a little. “Just be sure to go easy on the horns while you’re up there.” The faintest of discontent slipped into his voice. Keeping a stabling footing, he carefully slid down a sandy slope.

“I have to say though. This is almost like... an adventure. Like one of those RPGs I used to play when we were still kids. Or maybe like an Isekai manga.When I think about it like that... it’s not nearly so scary.” 

Kris stayed as close to Asriel as he could while the goat monster looked around the cliffs. Honestly, this landscape was rather creepy when one thought about it. There were no people around, plus the winds that were blowing made the area seem strange. Kris wouldn’t have liked being here by himself, even if he wished to come back to this world. Thankfully that hadn’t happened, and wouldn’t ever.

“I’m going to climb up you and get a better view, I’d also feel happier and safer.”

One thing Kris never got tired of was being carried around by Asriel. Whenever he was too lazy to get out of bed or wanted to be close to his brother Kris would make Asriel carry him. It should’nt be a problem to do this now given how strong Asriel looked. So Kris climbed up the goat until he got nice and situated with both his legs dangling down eitherside of Asriel’s shoulders. While the main part of the human’s body remained behind Asriel’s neck and shoulders. He was composed.

“You’re still as soft as ever. I think you might have even gotten softer.”

Kris said this while stroking Asriel’s head and messing with his ears. It was just like old times, and Kris couldn’t be happier. He was so very happy about this.

“Ack! Whoa, easy there kris. I’m strong, but you haven’t exactly gotten smaller since I last saw you, and that extra armor isn’t helping.” It wasn’t a no, however. More an expression of his reluctance. Being a boss monster meant he’d probably still be able to carry Kris even as an adult, but that didn’t mean he wanted to forever.

He tried not to feel this growing sense of annoyance at Kris messing with his ears as he he got moving. His human roommate had done that more than enough at university and it was a bit old. “What do you think that pillar is?” He asked out loud, not expecting a solid answer.

He takes a sip from his water bottle, initially ignoring the other’s words. In one ear and out the other. An ear twitches as he fills the bottle back up, putting the cap on it and turning.

“Does it look like I care?” He asks, shrugging. A little rude, sure, but he genuinely did not have time for any small talk. He was also running on four hours of sleep, one barely effective coffee, and a half empty energy drink.  He refused to spare any extra cognitive function on anything he deemed unnecessary. Regardless, he was heading towards the closet, not giving a particular crap about magic or seminars or even the other student that went into said closet.

“They got any whiteboard erasers in there? Someone stole that one too and I’m tired of using napkins.” He pulls the supply closet open, cocking an eyebrow. “This is empty.”

Chara furrowed her brow in mild annoyance at his snippy reply. She didn’t take it too personally though. Clearly he was having a less than ideal day it seemed. She didn’t know what the deal was so she just left it at that.

Instead she contented herself to sipping at her coffee and people watching. She was a bit more o a person who enjoyed sticking to the background rather than the front stage anyways, most days. 

That said, when he opened the supply closet, and the air shifted significantly, she felt a tension in her gut as the atmosphere seemed to subtly shift around them.  

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFlKAvT5_CE