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“What’s… the matter?! No more… gas left… in the tank?!” Susie roared, axe in hand, heavy breaths spilling between sentences. Trails of magic dissipated into the air from her axe.
This wasn’t supposed to go like this.
Kris watched the Knight stagger, the dark beast falling flat on her back with a hurtful groan. Her sword laying meters away, blasted from her grip by Susie’s last strike. Her armor was cracked, white-incandescent cracks spreading from her waist all the way to her helmet like the roots of a tree.
Kris’ throat tightened. His chest plate felt smaller with every breath. She was supposed to win, not them. Knocking them out cold, grab Toriel, and retreat to the bunker. Simple, predictable and clean.
But Susie’s determination refused to play by that script.
Rude buster after Rude Buster. Dual heal after Dual Heal. Revive Mints spent like candy wrappers. She and Ralsei pressed her harder than Kris had ever planned.
It pained him to watch, as Kris saw it all unfold. He tanked most of her attacks, pretending to fight alongside them. But beyond that, he contributed little so that neither of his teammates suspected anything.
And those attacks hurt, oh boy they hurt. Hundreds upon hundreds of little knifes getting dangerously close to his skin, the alarmingly speedy Sai that managed to even pierce his own shield, and the star-like pellets that made dodging a living hell.
Looking at his side, seeing Susie and Ralsei chain attack after attack… it made Kris scream in his mind for them to stop… but they never did.
It had become clear to Kris she wouldn’t be able to take much more before she received severe damage.
So he coughed. Tilted his head. Anything to get her attention and somehow tell her ‘Stop! Finish this already! You’re going to get yourself seriously hurt!’
But Kris knew her, as she was stubborn. Never backing up from anything much less a fight.
That stubbornness, that determination emanating from that morphing visor, oscillating and vibrating with rage as she knew she had been outsmarted and pushed into this position.
A guttural, resonant growl coming out from her, imperceptible to everyone but Kris, as he was the only one who knew they were coming from her.
Kris started to desperately look around, trying to find something- anything at all to gain some time for her.
Nothing.
“Guess it’s time to knock you out for good!” Said Susie, her axe beginning to glow with magic before erupting in purple flames.
Time was running out. And the need to intervene became an ever looming possibility. However, his own mind was now battling himself.
At the end of the day Ralsei and Susie were his friends, for him to do this not only would expose him and all the lies he had been feeding them all this time, it would also break that thin and fragile bridge of trust he had carefully built for the both of them. He knew the prophecy would still happen. It was bound to do so no matter the way. But confronting his friends, and risking losing them forever… they had a special place in his now aching heart which he might never be able to replace.
And yet, SHE was also just as special to him as much as they were. If not more.
So, continuing to go along with them, praying to whoever God was up there to no hurt her further, and try to make amends later for his mistakes, or take her side, the one who had been there all this time, and fight them for it?
“Prepare yourself!” Susie boasted as she laughed, her yellow eyes darkened by her messy hair. “This is what happens when you mess with The !¿¡? Squad!”
Kris’ grip on his sword tightened. For Susie and Ralsei, the battle was almost over. One final attack and the Knight would be able to (hopefully) succumb to the darkner goat pacify spell.
So, with one swift movement, all of that concentrated magic flew towards the Knight in one final Rude Buster.
The magic explosion lifting a ton of dust and snow of the ground, making a curtain of blindness between them and the Knight.
“Ha! Hell yeah! You see that one Kris?!” She screamed, exited. Her axe in the air as she celebrated. But no one responded. “Kris…?” Susie would turn around. Her eyes scanning in search of her friend. But…
Kris was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Kris?” Susie asked, looking at Ralsei, which looked just as confused as her.
Suddenly, a loud thump and a groan made them both look back at where the Knight was. And as the curtain of smoke began to lift, right behind it, lay Kris.
His shield rise up high, and a pained expression on his face as he breathed heavily for air. He was on one knee, and his armor covered with scorch marks thanks to the Rude Buster he tanked.
BLOCKED!
-15
“What…?” - “HUH?!” Both Ralsei and Susie gasped, confused.
Susie was then filled with an overwhelming need to go after him, see if he was alright even if what he had done was nothing other than weird.
A drop of cold sweat dropping from her forehead, and a small step forward…
But she stopped.
She didn’t know why, but something, a voice deep inside of her was telling her that something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
Susie looked back at Ralsei to find some sort of reassurance, but worry was the only thing she saw. So she looked back at Kris again.
“Kris…” She called in an unusually calm tone, her eyes darkened by the shadow cast by her hair. “What are you doing?”
Ralsei moved to Susie’s side too.
“Kris?” He called too, worried.
Kris’ shield vanished. The boy trying desperately to think of a way to justify what he had just done.
But then, the Knight also stood up. Her palm open in the direction of her sword.
The black knife flew effortlessly of its dormant spot, clashing into the Knight’s hand with a reverberating, unnatural metallic sound.
And then, she spoke.
“…T̴̢̃̌̈́̿̋̾ḧ̷̟̣̜̱͍̈́̏̀̀ͅâ̶̢͎̮͓̬̼͓͉̈́̀̓ń̴̡̩͚̠̲͎̤k̶͔̹͂̃… y̴̨̛̠͉͙̥̼̯̅͑͗͗͝ͅô̸̞u̴̥̲͆̅̀̌̄̈́͒͝… Ķ̸͈̰̱͋͗̂r̵̼̅̚ḯ̵̧̈́͊͛̕s̷̩̤̊̒̆́͛̽…”
The gentle but deep choral voice entered his ears. Her tone, initially thankful towards the boy, but quickly turning taunting to Susie and Ralsei.
Kris could do nothing but to shut his eyes in defeat as he felt the vibrations of her hand now laying rest on one of his shoulder pads.
He knew he was done for now. There was nothing he could do. Because this is how she wanted things to go. She wanted his friends to know about this.
Kris slightly moved his head. Only being able to see part of her bright white visor.
“Just… just go.” He said in defeat, with a tone that only spilled a buildup of anger and frustration, slowly filling every corner of his own SOUL.
He felt his throat dry, he had really not spoken much since all of this started.
“The hell is happening Kris?!” Susie asked- no, demanded to know.
The lizard’s eyes would meet the Knight’s sight, her visor curving upwards as she tilted her entire body into a backwards arc. Then, an almost quiet, but static-like laugh would resonate across the snowy plain.
“S̴̻̿̂͠͝ë̶̛̥͔̃̅͘ê̶̲ y̵͓̗̺͊͐̇o̸̟̼̙̭̞̽̏̓̅͛̅̽u… l̷̢̛͎̼̲̣̜̄̈́̍̅ą̷̛̦̦̅͐̂͒̚t̸̟̎͒͛e̷͍̔̔ŗ̸̭̗͔̒̌̿̚… K̴̠̩̞̕ŗ̵̱͂ḯ̶̮̲̲̉̏ș̸͔̙̱͘…” The Knight spewed in a clear mocking tone, still looking at the two monsters in front of her. “D̶̨̗̣̼͛̈́̑̓̋o̸̡̯̻̦̽̀̑͐͌̈́n̸̛̘̫͎̺̼̱̽͛͜’̴̧̮͖́͒̈́̎̿ẗ̸̛͆̈́͊̈́͠… f̵̺͖̝̰̤̪͒̇̓̓̍̈́ó̴͇͉̯͇̀̍̾̿͜r̶̛̩̞̙̟̝̙̀̃̍̋͌͠ģ̶̗̥̅̅̂ͅe̸̥͖̹͊̓̈̈̌̒̈́t̶̢̢̼̂̀̌̄̋͝…” Kris felt one of her long fingers slowly caressing his cheek.
Was she really doing this right now?
Kris knew she despised them. Ever since the beginning. Ever since she knew about them, she hated them. But it wasn’t a normal type of hate, she outright loathed them.
She hated Ralsei because he hit too close to home.
And Susie… she was an entire different story.
But was she really this petty to merit compromising the entire plan like this?
He knew her. She was enjoying this. Every second of confusion and anger fueled her ego like a waterfall to a river.
And he couldn’t bring herself to even think of stopping her.
Suddenly, Kris felt a sudden push that moved him just a few meters away, then, the sudden breeze of something passing right beside him.
A Rude Buster had just passed centimeters from his face. The Knight had just pushed him away from its path.
The boy turned back, looking as the magical attack arched up and exploded into the air.
And when Kris turned back to see Susie… she was fuming. Her axe pointing forwards as she balanced herself on a single foot.
“S-Susie!?” Ralsei said in disbelief.
“…C̴͖̘̹̆͜u̷̢̖̘̕t̸͚̊͊̚e̸͔͖͛…” The Knight laughed, before morphing herself into a compact ball and starting her retreat.
Susie tried for a second to go after her, but before she had even time to set her foot forward, the Knight was already gone.
She groaned in frustration, only to put her gaze onto to Kris.
The boy felt a slight shiver go along his spine. He felt like he could feel the heat radiating from her eyes.
He tried to speak up. Talk to her.
“Su-“
“Shut. Up.”
But he was rightfully denied of it.
The human felt his mouth clench and his throat close at her words.
At this point Kris had resigned any attempt at communication. If there was something he got to learn about his now possible ex-friend, is that she HATED people who didn’t tell her the whole thing.
And a hateful Susie was not someone who he could bargain with.
“Kris.” She called out. Kris stayed silent, only looking at the angry monster. “How long… how long have you, and that THING, known each other?”
Kris looked away.
The human inhaled air before answering.
“Long.” He simply said. His voice low, almost like he was out of breath. “Too long. Before we even met Ralsei, and way before… you and me became-”
“Shut it. I don’t wanna’ hear it.” Susie interrupted, her voice still permuted with repressed anger.
Ralsei decided to step up.
“Then… then why didn’t you tell us anything?” He asked, gentle as ever, but with a hint of worry and betrayal in his words. “We’re your friends Kris!”
Kris just turned his head away.
“You wouldn’t understand it.”
It was true. They wouldn’t. And why would they try to anyway? Why listen to the human that had seemingly backstabbed them by working with the enemy from day one?
Susie felt out of breath. Anger was completely filling every part of her own body, SOUL, and brain.
She wanted to hate Kris. She really did.
But something deep down somehow managed to suppress that anger, if even for just a moment.
She just could not accept that even after everything they have gone through, Kris would just betray them like that.
Susie needed to at least know the why.
“I just… then…” Susie struggled to find her words amidst her clouded consciousness. She almost broke, her throat tight as she fought to steady herself. “Be sincere with me, Kris. Was anything we had… even real to you? Did everything we did together even mean… anything?”
Her tone was low, deliberate, every single syllable pressed down like it might shatter her if spoken too quickly. Each word chipping and carving another crack into the fragile chains that contained her anger.
“The KNIGHT that pulls the Fountains from the earth. Holy Fountains, whose shadows are creating a new world... OUR world!”
She felt the speech of King, reverberating on the back of her mind.
“THE HAND OF THE KNIGHT IS DRIFTING FORWARD. SOON, THE 'QUEEN' RETURNS, AND HELL'S ROAR BUBBLES FROM THE DEPTHS... LIGHTNERS, CAN YOU STOP IT? UEE HEE HEE!”
The delirious laughter of Jevil, his enigmatic words gushing forward from her memories.
“When the LIGHT is subsumed by SHADOW, when the FOUNTAINS fill the sky… all will fall into CHAOS. The TITANS will take form from the FOUNTAINS, and envelop the land in devastation.”
And the words of Ralsei…
Susie clutched her arm, her breath became uneven as all of those voices blended into one single incomprehensible cacophony. But everything always tied down to two words: The Knight, and the Roaring.
They knew what would happen. All three of them understood too well what unleashing the Roaring would mean.
So if Kris knew it just as clearly as they did… and still had no problem helping that thing…
Then maybe he wasn’t really on their side after all.
Kris opened his mouth, desperate to say something, literally anything, but before he could even get the chance to get a word out, Susie cut him off again, her voice sharper this time, unwilling to let him continue.
“You know what? Don’t even say it.” She interrupted. “I don’t care what sort of motives you had, but if what everyone has said about the Roaring is true, then there is no justification for it.”
It wasn’t true.
Kris wanted to talk, shout, and scream at her that it wasn’t true. That the Roaring was just another step towards a better and bigger goal, a step that was reversible.
But at the same time, he knew it was an inevitability. One they would not accept no matter how many empty promises of a better outcome he provided.
“So hear me out, and hear me out good because I’m only going to say it once.” Susie said, her tone turned cold as she stepped slowly towards the human. “If we are even still friends anymore, you will step aside, and come with us to hunt that thing down. Got it?”
Kris instinctively stepped back as Susie loomed closer. Sweat came down from his forehead, making his skin grow even colder, but he didn’t let himself get intimidated by her. He didn’t let his fear of hurting her take root on him.
Because as much as he didn’t want to fight them, right now, it was inevitable.
His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. He straightened his posture and forced his breath to steady. The freezing wind howling, lifting the hair that covered his eyes if even for just a moment long enough for Susie to see his red crimson eyes.
And in them, there was only one thing.
Determination.
“No.” Kris responded.
Everything became quiet.
The wind was silenced.
Their breaths, once so imperceptible to one another, now blasting like a full volume speaker in their ears.
Susie’s gaze turned down. Her face was barely visible and her expression unreadable to Kris.
But there was one thing he managed to see. Something that made his stomach twist in the worst way possible.
A single falling tear. One as ephemeral as the snowflakes that fell around them.
“Fine then. Guess it was too good to be true.” Susie said, before lifting her head once up again. A trail of wetness coming down one of her eyes.
Suddenly, Ralsei ran forward, placing himself between the monster and the human.
“S-Susie, hold on, maybe there’s more to it!” Said the darkner prince, a desperate tone on his voice as he tried his best to come up with a good reason to mediate between them. “We’ve known Kris for a long time now, I’m sure he-“
“And that thing has been with him for longer! Can’t you freaking see out of those rose tinted glasses Ralsei?!” Susie screamed, scaring the goat and making him back up. “He was never on our side.” She said, turning around once again.
Ralsei would just look at her in silence, and then at Kris. A defeated sigh coming from his mouth as he closed his eyes and regretfully retreated to the lizard’s side.
“I’m… I’m sorry Kris.” He apologized, looking aside, ashamed. His eyes barely visible through the reflection of his glasses. His healing magic starting to resonate around him.
Kris unsheathed his sword, its salmon colored blade reflecting his own self off of it.
“Don’t be.”
Susie prepared herself, axe gripped in one hand as she rolled her free shoulder in slow circles.
“Well then.” Susie said, a sharp laugh coming out of her. “Prepare yourself you mute FREAK, because I’m no longer going to contain myself.” She grabbed her axe with both hands. Purple magic emanating ominously out of its sharp blade.
Kris, whose expression remained motionless and void of any emotion, responded with the same sharpness.
“Neither am I.”
“Hehe… I reaaally hope this hurts.” Susie laughed. The yellow glow of her eye coming through the darkness of her hair. “COME ON NOW!” She screamed as she jumped onto him, her axe high up in the air like a sledgehammer.
Kris just stood there, and held his breath.
SWOON
Everything happened in an instant. Susie wasn’t able to even react before being hit with the swords pommel on the back of her head with inhumane speed.
Her axe was the first to fall to the ground with a loud THUMP, followed by herself, completely unconscious, the snow around her pilling as her body sled for a few centimeters.
Ralsei quickly went to her aid, falling to his knees beside her before looking at Kris.
“H-how could you-”
But before he even had the chance to finish…
SWOON
…he was already a pile of fluff on the floor.
And as Kris stood with their unconscious bodies behind him, he slid his blade back into its sheath. A sharp click rang out as it locked into place, the sound cutting across the empty plain like a final verdict.
One that only screamed one word into his ear. Traitor.
The human looked back, the bodies of his… friends, now laying still. The cold breeze slipping across the plain, gently stirring their hair and clothes like a gentle caress, like the world itself was trying to comfort those who hadn’t earned the pain they’d just endured.
Kris tilted his head upwards towards the sky, at the pitch-black everlasting night that stretched over the dark world like a shroud. His fingers trembled faintly at his side, the tension of the moment still clinging to him even as silenced pressed in.
“I pray for whoever is up there,” Kris murmured, his voice low. “That none of you remember a thing.” He drew in a long, steadying breath that seemed to last forever. “It would hurt less.”
He was met only with silence.
And then, a whisper.
“Ỉ̸̡͕s̸̡̭̀̀… i̶̫͛͝ṭ̶͔̀… ḏ̴̔́o̶̮͌ń̸͙̮̍e̷̺̅͘…?”
Her very own presence felt heavy on his shoulders. The Knight slowly made herself appear from the shadows that the dark fountain casted over them, she seemed to be carrying someone on one of her shoulders.
“Yes, it is.” Said Kris, with no emotion in his voice, looking slightly at his back.
“G̴̿ͅo̵̡̳̽͒ö̵̹́̕d̷͖̠̀… p̵̘̜̑r̸̜̤̉ò̴̧ú̶̮̒d̴… ó̷̘f̵̈́͠ y̷͖̹̌̈a̸̤̫̅…” The Knight’s warped voice seeped into his ears like a half-whisper, half-scratch against glass.
But even if he didn’t want to do anything but to disappear from this world altogether, Kris felt a weird sort of… reassurance. Her words being able to twist and smooth out the sharp edges of his guilt. That somehow, what had he done wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
That was the kind of effect she had on him. Twisting his doubts, reshaping his horror, culling his weaknesses…
“K̴̛͔̼̾i̸͕̔c̵̯̊k̷̩͚͒… t̶̛̳̹͝h̷̳͖̆̔e̵͙͒̈́í̸̭ř̷̫ à̸͎s̶̞̑̀s̶̬̃̆e̷̘̘͆́s̷̤̓… g̷̹̲̃ȏ̷̺̱̒ò̷͎́d̴̯̈̃…” She goaded, her laugh cutting through the air. Collected, confident, and taunting.
And then, her gaze fell upon Susie, and her laugh suddenly stopped.
Kris felt it instantly, the shift inside her. It wasn’t subtle; it was violent, primal. Like something ancient had snapped awake and seized control. The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
It was like a predator spotting his pray. A tiger staring down at something small and defenseless, with a hunger not of survival, but for the thrill of the kill. She let the body she was carrying unceremoniously fall into the ground, and then, slowly, she began to drift towards Susie, Black Knife screeching across the ground as she moved.
She was expressionless. Blank. Unfeeling. Her visor narrowing into a singular thin line of light, its glow starting to warp and distort as a low. The afterimage she left behind beginning to reappear and disappear even faster. And a guttural screech gradually made its way out of her.
Luckily, as much as she was able to influence him, he also had a very, VERY heavy effect on her.
The human stepped in, getting himself between Susie and the dark, ethereal monster. Managing to stop her just a few millimeters from him.
“Don’t. You know she is necessary for the plan we have.” Kris said with a commanding but soft tone. Though her screeching continued, and her body became even more agitated. “I know you don’t like her, but… just, do it for me, alright? She’s still important to me. Not as much as you are, but she still is.”
Kris took her by her free hand, and that seemed to finally do the trick as she shifted her attention on him. Because if there was something he knew she loved, it was to receive compliments and a little bit of sweet talk, especially from him, and only him.
The Black Knife disappeared from her hand altogether. Fizzing out of reality into wherever she stored the fabled fountain-maker. And that very same hand began caressing the hair of the human boy.
“There. Much better.” Kris said, looking up at her. The Knight also tilting her head downwards just to see the boy. “You look a lot prettier when you’re so calm.”
Without warning, she pulled hi close, lifting him into the air. The cold of her armor seeped into his skin, but he didn’t care, nor resist. Maybe it was exhaustion, maybe denial, but for once he let himself sink into her rhythm. She spun slowly, almost gracefully, until it felt like they were dancing. The dark fountain looming in the horizon being their only witness.
There was no need to mention that she was cold to the touch, but Kris didn't care; he placed more importance on this small moment of, almost oneiric peace between them to really care for the cold.
Kris laughed at himself, wondering how he could be so... at peace, with the unconscious bodies of his best friends lying around him. But he also laugh alongside her- well, what he thought was her laugh.
Maybe he was just as fucked up as she was. Who knows?
They both landed softly on the ground of the plain. And as much as the two wanted that dance to continue beyond the end of time, there was a plan in motion that needed to be followed.
However, that didn't stop the Knight from trying to hold on to Kris for even a second longer as he moved away from her. She sighed.
It had been good- no, godly while it lasted.
And so, with that moment gone... Kris turned his attention to the new body on the floor.
It was armored, just like her, although, not all the way. Deep blue skin, reddish hair, and a little pair of pointy yellowish teeth sticking out of its mouth… it was officer Undyne.
So that part of the plan managed to go well at least.
“I see you got her too.” Kris said.
“…Ỷ̶̯̱ẹ̸́s̷̟͘͠…” The Knight responded. “F̵̱͂o̷͇̿͘u̵̯͗̋ñ̴̫͐d̷̮͍́… h̴͔̣̚é̷̖̠r̵̓͌… f̸͈̱̍̇ḁ̷̂͜r̶͕̈̚ a̶̱̹̍ẃ̴̛̦å̵̛͖ͅy̵̡͑̿͜. S̴̗͑̏ĥ̵̙e̸͉̪͗̊… w̶̳͝ä̵̯̝́ș̴͚́͝ l̸̨̖̓̍o̷̰̙͂s̵͕̓̽t̶̰̽͘…” Her right palm rising up in the air. It was one of the few ways she could gesture without imposing the fear of a thousand souls using her visor. “K̷͙̈ṅ̸̹̮o̴̭̩̾c̷̹͊k̷͒̎ h̷̨͂ē̸͖͉r̷̠̆͝… o̶͕̾ȗ̷̫͔͛t̵͔̄… b̷͕̙͐ę̷̔͜f̵̜̟̍ỏ̵͍̎r̶̪̜̒e̷͖͑ s̸͍̅́h̵͚̺̋e̸̗̎... c̶̛̖̫͛o̷̤͊u̴̜̇̕l̶̰̏ď̵̬͝ ḏ̶͆̔ę̸́f̸͎̥̌e̴͈̲̅n̷͇͗̃d̵̑̃…”
“Then it’s another piece found.” Said Kris, going back to his stoic way of talking. “Guess it’s time to get mom too right? Better do it before anyone wakes up.” He suggested, starting to move towards her sleeping, unnoticing mother.
But she stopped him.
“…N̸̼͔̚ȯ̶͉̯…”
Kris turned half way around to face her, a bit confused by this action.
“Huh? Why not?” The human asked. It just seemed weird that she would just refuse this 2 for 1 situation.
“C̶͕̹̽ĥ̴̘̦̑ȧ̸̖̻ň̶̦̟g̶̡͂͂e̷̺̜͘ … ö̶͕̣f̴͈̤͑ ̵̨̳̉̀p̵̻͓̏ḷ̷̪͠a̴̬͌̀ṅ̸̙̱̋s̷̥̏…” The Knight mumbled. “T̵͇̗͒͑ẇ̸̙̮͝o̷͎͚͗̽… d̶̜̝̈̆i̷̘̐s̶̱̀͠â̸̠̕p̸̥̈p̸̖̺̋̎é̷ͅr̸̟͔̊͛ä̸̫́n̴̦̜̐͝c̴̖͒͊e̶̢͓͊ś̸̨̏. T̴̪̗̒͝o̷͎͂͆ȍ̸̜̚͜… s̵͎̎̊u̸̹͂̚s̵̤̔͆p̵̱̕ḭ̷̛͑ć̷̢͉͗i̵̬̕o̵̡͙̓̂u̴͇̾s̴̞̫͗̓. B̸̦̑e̷͚͝t̷̡̀t̸̥́̚ẹ̷̅ͅr̴̳̻̓… r̸͕̉͛e̶̗̱͘m̷͉̹̒ḁ̴̦̈́̿i̵̟͍͂̀n̵̗̓͆… ç̶̮̀̊ö̵̧n̸̮̳̓c̵͎̜̊e̴̱͑á̶̻̰ĺ̸̮̜͘ẹ̷̅̚d̵̦̿̾…”
That... made sense. A single disappearance already attracted a lot of unnecessary attention, attention they really didn't need, especially if it involved the two most recognizable people in town after the mayor.
If they wanted the plan to work out as they wanted, they had to do this systematically. So unfortunately, the 2-for-1 deal was off the table.
“Right. Two persons disappearing in a single night would put the whole town in alert. And a lot more pressure on Carol.” Kris spoke to himself, with one hand under his chin and the other resting on his hip. “Alright. Take Undyne and get out as soon as you can.”
The Knight would nod her head. Carrying the unconscious officer's body on her shoulders and with her sword in her free hand, she would begin to take flight.
However, for Kris…
Scrrch…
The sound of the snow shifting and the grunt coming from it alerted the young human. Kris would try to move from where he was to assess the situation, however, Susie's axe, which was partially covered by snow, caused him to trip and fall on his back.
Kris shook his head as he tried to get up, but that same sound made him look to his side, toward the pile of snow.
It was Susie, slowly regaining consciousness.
“Ugh… What the…?” Mumbled Susie, her snout beneath the snow, muffling her voice.
She slowly opened her eyes, taking a look at her surroundings only to seeing Kris in the ground, and the Knight with her swords in hand right in front of her.
Kris was paralyzed. What was she going to do? What did she have to say?
Was she going to get on him, and beat him to a pulp? Or would she try to get the Knight first only so that she could save him for later?
Did… she even remember what happened?
Susie only remained there, her face looking like she had woken up from with a hangover (metaphorically speaking, as she was legally still not allowed to drink).
She looked at him, and her face looked like she had seen a ghost. Which, in all honestly, wasn’t so far from the truth.
Then, she looked at the Knight.
And then back at him…
…then back at the Knight.
“KRIS WATCH OUT!”
Suddenly, she would grab her axe from the floor, quickly getting up and putting herself between the human and the armored herald.
Kris couldn't believe it. Surely his luck couldn't be that good, could it? He didn't hit her hard enough to make her believe that nothing had happened between them, did it?
It didn't matter, because in any case he had to take advantage of this opportunity. So he quickly got up from the ground and drew his sword, standing shoulder to shoulder with Susie in front of the towering figure of the Knight.
Ralsei had joined them too, having regained consciousness at some point during this act that Kris was performing in front of his friends.
“…N̷̮͉̞̎ĭ̷̮̬̙̉͘͜c̵͍͇̺̰͗̊̆e̵͎͚̲̦̋͝͝… į̷̹̣̣̊̃m̸͍̣͗̏p̷̦̏͂͜r̶̻̱̯͊ō̵̧͙̉̈́v̷͓̭͋̈́̅͜ȋ̷̧̡̬̪s̵͎̳̀͊͝e̶̩̣̿̍̊̉…”
Her words slipped out, like a whisper woven in static. A murmur so faint, it was incomprehensible to everyone except Kris.
Then, her tone softened, smoothing out in an uncharacteristically fluidness, where she said her last words before departing. Words which fell on the human boy’s shoulders like a bucket of freezing water.
“S̷e̷e̶ ̷y̴o̴u̴ ̶l̴a̵t̸e̸r̵ ̶K̷r̸i̵s̴.”
Immediately after that, her body would morph into that of a twisted dark avian, taking flight at an insane speed while still carrying an unconscious Undyne within its wings.
“Damn it!” Susie cursed as she saw the Knight’s figure go smaller and smaller by the second in the horizon. She would turn to look at the human, worry embedded in her eyes. “Kris! You okay?! Where’s that thing going?! Did she have officer Undyne?!” Kris was bombarded with questions, questions he didn’t even have time to answer before she took him by the wrist. “C’mon Kris we have to stop her!”
Snow crunched beneath their feet as Susie pulled him forward, her grip tight around his wrist, and her voice still ringing in his ears. He let her drag him, his own legs moving automatically, though his mind wandered elsewhere.
Every step he took felt heavier than the last. Cause behind that stoic face, thoughts churned with tangled knots of guilt. He’d stood against them. Lied to them. Hurt them in ways he hated. And yet… here she was, acting as tough as ever, like nothing ever happened. Acting as though he hadn’t already betrayed them.
Kris stayed silent, but the wind still howled around them, drowning out every sound even if just for a moment. He lowered his head, letting his hair fall to hide the faint tremble in his eyes.
For now, he’d keep running. For now, he’d keep pretending. Let them believe he was still on their side.
Because the truth would break them long before the Roaring ever could.
And it doesn’t hurt what they don’t know.