Chapter Text
A white flash blinded the monsters, their eyes squinted, many of them shielding themselves using their arms or other arm-like appendages. The sound of small grains of glass falling and brushing against one another rang out followed by what seemed to be a rainbow quickly gliding across the glowing whiteness like a light reflecting off water. Slowly, the blinding wall of magic faded to reveal a hall of blue and white light. A monster covered head to toe in metal armor sprinted to the hall only to bounce back, suddenly. It was not a hall, but a wall that gave the illusion of being a hall.
“No,” the armored monster paused, looking at his gauntlets. Slowly, he curled them into fists and raised them above his head. “NOO!” He slammed his fists into the magical force field repeatedly, the blows doing little more than causing watery ripples to float from where his fists made contact.
A large, fluffy, snow-colored paw rested upon the anguished soldier’s shoulder. The owner of the appendage sighed, his deep baritone downtrodden.
“Goliath, it is useless.”
“No!” He repeated, continuing to throw a tantrum, peppering the wall with punches even as the larger monster turned around to face his citizens.
Mothers held, comforted, and shielded the eyes of shaking and wailing children, looking up to the furry monster hopefully, pleadingly, and doubtfully. Fathers stood with their small families, many of them adorned in armor or long, hot pink, red, and purple cloaks. Those in the cloaks passed out crackers and water to the traumatized civilians, urging them to relax and eat.
The king sighed.
“My friends. It is time that we, as monsters, accept our defeat by the human enemy. Their numbers and pure strength overwhelmed us, both physically and magically. It is obvious that due to this, we were never any match for them. However, do not lose hope. Though we are trapped down here, there are still enough resources to survive upon, both in our inventories and in this small cave. We will work on setting up living places for each of you post-haste. Have hope, my friends. We can make it.”
His small speech garnered the loss of hope in some monsters and the rise of hope in others, conflicting emotions that caused the citizens to turn to one another and converse. They spoke in hushed murmurs at first, daughters and those who fought the war whimpering in pain, loss, and hopelessness. Those happy with the arrangement embraced their loved ones tenderly, kneeling and sitting in small groups, resigned to their fate. However, the discontent gathering of magical bodies wept and cried out, becoming ever more restless and pained. Their combined wails formed a powerful roar of hollering madness that only increased with each passing minute.
“Citizens,” The king started, his right arm reaching out in a gesture of worry. “Citizens, please calm down. There is nothing to fear.”
His soft voice prevented him from penetrating the seemingly impermeable wall of noise. Looking around desperately, he summoned his shining red trident and-,
“SILENCE!” Followed by the sound of wood sharply hitting stone.
The crowd stilled and turned their attention toward the barrier. The king looked down at the tall, thin monster with widened eyes. He, too, was caught off guard by the creature.
He stood stock still, his oak-colored fur waving in the faint breeze that his fellow monsters added to with each breath. His body was enveloped in a royal indigo silk cloak that rose and fell with his chest. Furry, pink-tinted paws curled into fists, one tightly gripping a large scepter, the other straightened by his side. The scepter emitted large rippling waves of warm, pink magic, all originating from a large red Gem near the top of the wooden base. His summer blue eyes glowed faintly with each pulse of magic, squinted in annoyance and superiority. The monster’s lower jaw was bathed in the color of maple wood and the pattern flowed down to paint his belly and chest under his cloak. A small pointed beard, the same color as his stomach, poked out from his chin. White whiskers and small, rounded ears twitched as gradually, the magic faded.
“You are all acting like children! We have just lost a war, we are not dead! We are together! Be glad you survived and are with your families!” He shouted, his harsh words echoing in the large cavern.
“Well said, Chaya,” A bipedal Hyena stepped up to the elder monster, giving him a gentle pat on the back with a fluffy golden paw before turning to face the crowd. “We have each other. That is all that matters. We must move on from the horrid actions that led us to this point and look forward. We have an entire mountain to use at our leisure! Your majesty,” he turned to the large, lop-eared goat monster and tilted his head upward to meet his soft emerald eyes, war-torn red cape gently flowing behind him with each movement, “do we have search parties prepared to explore the caverns?”
The king looked around before nodding and turning to the crowd.
“I will assemble parties in groups of fifteen. If you wish to join the efforts, please step forward. If not, please step back.”
One third of the creatures stepped backward, the rest moving themselves closer to the king. Many monsters in armor stood in two neat lines, the metal clinking and shuffling in practiced unity as they saluted all at once. Hyena Monsters in cloaks stood side by side, silently surveying the reactions of the other monsters around them. They grinned encouragingly at their fellow magic users, sharp teeth bared in ways that were soothing as opposed to intimidating. Citizens stood behind the two official groups, craning their necks to gaze upon his majesty as he prepared to group the monsters up.
Goliath, who had resigned to sitting defeatedly on the floor of the cave, stood slowly and stalked over to the soldiers, head hanging slightly. Quickly, he fixed his stance, staring down at the lines powerfully through the small eye holes in his helmet. If he was going to do this, he decided, then he was going to look dignified doing it.
“SAAAAALUTE!”
At the yell of the commander, the soldiers adjusted again, the chuff of armor as each one straightened up quick and loud. He stared the lines of monsters down, nodding before turning to look up at the fluffy Goat king.
“We are ready for your assignments, sir!”
As promised, the monsters willing to scout out the area were divvied up into parties, each led by one mage and one soldier. The process took about an hour to complete, but as it finished, the king breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you both. I was afraid that mania and loss of hope would spread further if not for your actions.”
“We wouldn’t have had to help had you just raised your voice a bit,” The weasel monster remarked, crossing his arms, rolling his eyes, and turning his back on the monarch, ear twitching.
“Ah-What my friend means to say is that we were honored to be of assistance,” The hyena bowed respectfully before returning his gaze to the king.
“Hm, I see. And what is your name, young mage?”
“I am known as Hatchallah, your graciousness. My family and I hail from the town of Netsu over on the southern sands...At least, we used to.”
“Yes. I heard about the tragic events that took place there. I am truly sorry. May god rest you and your kins’ souls.”
“Unfortunate that he was not there,” Chaya turned, stone faced to the conversing monsters.
Hatchallah chuckled, shaking his head, his black bangs bouncing and waving with his gestures. “Your sense of humor is as impeccable and stale as ever,” he slapped the taller mage’s shoulder, wholeheartedly. “It is very welcome in such times as this. You agree, do you not?” He returned his gaze to the king.
The very large, lop-eared monster, wide-eyed in shock from the crude remark, shook his head and blinked, chuckling warmly. “I do. To be frank, I was not expecting such a dark jape. It certainly made the room brighter.”
Indeed, the tense aura in the room had faded slightly with the weasel’s harsh words.
“Asgore.”
The group turned to face a monster similar in appearance to the king. She had dark, red eyes, her horns were smaller and more rounded, and her stature was just slightly shorter than the king’s. She wore long, purple robes lined with silver and adorned a small, bejeweled tiara upon her fluffy head. She looked at the group with a look befit of a queen, professional and strict, yet soft and welcoming.
“The citizens are growing restless. I will bring them further into the cave to explore,” she said, her bell-like voice holding an air of authority rivaling that of the king’s.
“Not yet, Toriel. We do not yet know the dangers that lurk in this solemn place. There could be feral creatures hiding further in. This is why it is imperative to wait for the return of the scouting groups.”
“This is true, but we must also think of the children. If they do not exercise themselves in some shape or form, they will grow restless.”
Asgore hummed, a hand stroking his beard.
“Well, I suppose-,”
“Your majesty,” Hatchalla gazed up at the king. “I propose that Chaya and I go to scout out the closer expanse of cave. If it is safe, we will return and tell you.”
“Oh, why are you determined to rope me into this?” Chaya whined as he looked upon his fellow mage, an expression of betrayal crossing his features.
The hyena chuckled, looking at the weasel with a warm and playful expression.
“You have little else to do! And besides, we have much to speak about,” he spoke, his patient smile slowly curling into a solemn frown.
“Alright. I will permit your exploration. Please do not do anything that may cause you both harm.”
With a salute, the hyena turned on his heel and began wandering closer to the darker reaches of the cave. He stopped and turned partly to lock eyes with the weasel.
“Well, will you be accompanying me?”
Chaya’s eyes, made thinner by his thick, stern, lowered brows, bore holes into his accomplice’s. Flames flicked and danced uniformly in his pupils, the tension between the mages stagnating at a level high enough to stun a bird mid-flight. The chattering of the citizens slowly faded out, the world dimming and forming a blurred, black frame around the two. The weasel blinked and the sights and sounds of the world returned, his blue orbs rolling and extinguishing with a sigh.
“Fine. But if we perish or some other unfortunate event harms us in any way, it is you who is to blame.”