“...”
“IT'S YOU”
“It's… you”
“This is, what? Our second time meeting here?”
“CORRECT”
“Why did you come here?”
“SOMETHING IN MY CIRCUITS TOLD ME I'D FIND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR”
“It’s funny, something in my soul told me I’d find what i was looking for here, too”
“GUESS WE WERE BOTH WRONG”
“Heh, yeah”
“...”
“So, um- how have you been?”
“BEEN POWERED OFF FOR HEAVEN-KNOWS-HOW-LONG”
“Oh. Is that a bad thing…?”
“YEAH KINDA”
“Oh”
“...”
“...”
“...AND HOW HAVE YOU BEEN”
“Had a rough time after- y’know”
“I DO KNOW”
“But I’ve been getting a lot better recently. I’m happy with how far I’ve come”
“OH OKAY. THAT’S GOOD”
“Hey, can I say something?”
“YOU’VE BEEN SAYING THINGS THIS WHOLE TIME”
“I know but- a thing you might not like?”
“OH. YEAH SURE WHY NOT”
“...They didn’t deserve it”
“THAT LIE MAKES NO SENSE. YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN ANYONE THAT THEY DID DESERVE IT. IT’S NOT GOING TO FOOL ANYONE”
“They were a child! They were scared and injured and in a place they’d never been to before and- and- it was just unfair, okay!?”
“...”
“Don’t you feel bad about it?”
“MY CREATOR TURNED OFF MY EMPATHY TO DO THE JOB MORE EFFICIENTLY”
“...”
“...BUT. WITH HINDSIGHT I ADMIT THAT I COULD’VE CHOSEN A… KINDER METHOD TO ANNIHILATE THEM”
“That’s a good first step”
“...”
A sigh. “Listen, I know you’re looking for Clover”
“SO THIS IS WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. DID YOU TAKE PITY ON THEM AS WELL”
“It’s not pity! They’re actually good and kind, and if the other human didn’t deserve to die, much less do they. Please”
“...”
“I attacked Clover. I mistook them for who they weren’t, a-and despite the fact that I hurt them in a blind rage, they still forgave me. It’s not just that they don’t deserve to die, it’s that they deserve to live”
“...”
“You were created by Chujin, right?”
“CORRECT”
“Listen, I know I can’t be forgiven by the human that fell here two years ago, but I want to apologise to Kanako at least, for dragging her into that mess. It’s been a long time since I’ve been outside, and I don’t think I’d remember the way to the Ketsukane’s house, so… do you want to take me there?”
“...”
“I can’t ask you to stop hunting Clover, I know that. Just- just a small truce, a break, to take me to your home. Is that too much to ask?”
“GOING HOME… THAT SOUNDS NICE. I HAVEN’T BEEN HOME IN A LONG TIME”
“Is that a yes?”
“YES. I WILL PUT MY PERSECUTION ON PAUSE TO TAKE YOU HOME”
Dalv smiled, and Axis extended a gloved hand for him to take. He did
“I only ever talked with Kanako, and although she talked to me about her parents and I saw them sometimes, I never got to truly meet them. This could be a good moment to make even more friends!”
“I AM ALSO EXCITED TO MEET MY CREATOR AGAIN. I MISS HIM”
The two began to walk (and roll) away from the grim cavern where tragedy had struck two years prior
“Oh! By the way, I don’t think I ever asked for your name, do you have one?”
“AXIS 014 READY TO GUARD AND PROTECT”
“...”
“...”
“Do I have to call you the whole thing, or…?”
“JUST AXIS IS FINE. WHAT ABOUT YOU WHAT’S YOUR NAME”
“I’m Dalv”
“NICE TO MEET YOU DALV”
“Same to you, Axis”
“WAIT HOLD ON A SECOND”
“Yeah?”
“CHUJIN HAD A DAUGHTER. KANAKO. HE ALSO HAD A WIFE DIDN'T HE”
“Yeah, Ceroba, why?”
“...GOSH DARN IT”
“Eh? W-what’s wrong?”
“BACK WHEN I FIRST AWOKE IN THE STEAMWORKS MY CORE FUNCTIONS AND MEMORIES WERE LOCKED AWAY. CEROBA TOLD ME SHE WAS CHUJIN'S WIFE AND I DIDN'T BELIEVE HER SO I ATTACKED. MY CREATOR IS GOING TO BE SO MAD AT ME”
“I'm sure he'll understand that it was all a misunderstanding! He's a kind and patient man, his wife too. I'm sure they'll both forgive you”
“...I'M SCARED. I HAVE ERASED MY HIT LIST BUT I AM AFRAID THE DAMAGE HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. I HAVE MESSED UP. FAULTY ROBOTS GET DISCARDED. THAT'S THE RULE OF THE STEAMWORKS. DO YOUR JOB PERFECTLY OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES. I'M SCARED”
“The Steamworks are closed now, and you're far away from them. They can't harm you here. The best you can do to correct this mistake is to apologise once we get to them. And you've already stopped going after them! That's a great first step”
“...”
“It'll be fine, I promise”
“YOU PROMISE?”
“I do” He squeezed his glove for comfort, though he wasn't sure if it actually worked, that with Axis being a machine and the gloves being completely detached to the rest of his body. But the intent was there
Dalv took a better look at his surroundings, finding it a bit odd how he couldn't recognise the caves. “Where are we going? I don't think the UGPS station is this way”
“WE WILL NOT BE USING THE UGPS SERVICE”
“We won't?”
“NO. THERE IS A TUNNEL NEARBY THAT DIRECTLY CONNECTS TO THE DUNES. IT IS FAR FASTER THAN GOING TO THE STATION AND CALLING AND THEN DOING THE WHOLE FLIGHT”
“Huh. I didn't know a path like that existed, and I used to frequent this area. How did you know that?”
“I HAVE BEEN INSTALLED WITH THE MOST ACCURATE MAPS KNOWN OF THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND AND THE BLUEPRINTS AND LOCATION OF MY CREATOR’S HOUSE. I AM THE BEST GUIDE YOU COULD EVER GET”
“Wow, that's really cool!”
“I KNOW. I'M REALLY COOL”
Dalv giggled, and Axis let out a puff of smoke from his head pipe, likely being the robot’s way of laughing
The rest of the walk was surprisingly pleasant, with the two engaging in casual conversation every so often and Dalv admiring the unknown tunnels they walked through. Waterfall was a generally calming area, and even if a certain event had turned this place sour for both of them, they were sure that they'd soon be able to look past that and appreciate this place for what it truly was
As they advanced, the vampire began to feel how the temperature increased ever-so-slightly. They must be approaching the Dunes
After a rather cramped tunnel, the cavern expanded and a blinding light came through, and they both couldn't help but use their hands to shield their eyes from the powerful rays of the giant swelterstone in the distance. Dalv took off his winter coat and put on his purple cloak that he'd worn back when he was in the dark ruins (he always carried it with him, it had sentimental value), and put on the hood to block the rays from his face. Axis couldn't exactly put on lighter clothing, so he simply made his cooling fans whirr faster
The two walked down a lonely path marked by wooden fences on either side, before coming to a stop. There was something blocking the way. Something big, green, and prickly. It was definitely a cactus, but it had a strange form that almost resembled a figure lounging on the floor
“...The path’s blocked” Dalv pointed out the obvious. “What do we do?”
“OASIS VALLEY IS TO THE RIGHT OF HERE. YOU CAN ALMOST SEE IT IN THE DISTANCE. OBVIOUSLY WE JUST JUMP THE WOODEN FENCE ON THE RIGHT”
“B-but… I don't think jumping into someone's property is right? They put the fences there for a reason”
“YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SOMEONE'S PROPERTY. MAYBE THEY JUST PUT FENCES TO MARK THE PATH. BESIDES I DON'T SEE ANYONE HERE SO IT'LL BE FINE”
Well, it's not like the vampire could come up with a better plan, and the fence was small enough that it could be easily climbed over, so… “Alright”
“COOL. BY THE WAY ONCE YOU'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE YOU'LL HAVE TO LIFT ME OVER”
“Huh? Can't you jump?”
“MY WHEEL WAS NOT DESIGNED TO JUMP. I DO HAVE A ROCKET THAT CAN LIFT ME UP BUT I DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO ACTUALLY USE IT”
“Oh, alright then. Let me just…” Without much effort, Dalv went over the fence, then lifted up Axis and set him on the other side with him. “There” He was a bit heavy, but nothing he couldn't handle; vampire monsters like him had a surprising amount of physical strength
They continued to walk, not even entering Oasis Valley through their designated structures but instead circling around it, going directly to the Ketsukane’s residence
After doing the same fence-jumping maneuver, the two admired the house
It was… unkept. Very unkept. Sand piled up on the porch and there were rags thrown all about, with the general wooden structure looking like it needed a few repairs and a fresh coat of paint. This place had definitely seen better days
It struck both of them as odd. From what Axis knew of his creator and what Dalv knew of Kanako's parents from what he told her, the family definitely had the money, resources, and obsession with neatness to keep this place presentable. Now it just looked sad
Despite this, Axis pushed through and went forward, before stopping to look at Dalv. Oh right- he needed help to get over the small stair to the porch and actually get inside. Once they were both at the front door, Dalv lightly knocked
A few seconds of silence passed
He knocked again
“Hello? Is anyone home?”
The question was seemingly answered by the fact that they couldn't hear anything from inside the house. The vampire was about to turn around and suggest they check the backyard, before Axis knocked far more strongly on the door
…Causing it to creek open, revealing that it wasn't locked
They exchanged glances, before the robot took the initiative and fully opened the door to get inside
Dalv walked in as well. “S-sorry for the intrusion!” He shouted, just in case. “It's important!”
The interior looked far better than the exterior, though that was probably because it wasn't exposed to the harsh heat and sandstorms. There was a thin layer of dust on pretty much every horizontal surface, and even Axis got a feeling in his circuits that something was very much wrong. Didn't he see Ceroba just a few hours ago? Why did it look like she hadn't been to her own house in a long, long time? The door to the living room was locked, strangely enough, so they circled around the hallways
They entered a random door, and found the bedroom of Ceroba and Chujin. Dalv turned to leave (sure he kinda broke into someone's house but snooping around their bedroom is where he drew the line) but Axis got ahead of him and fully inspected the place, leaving the vampire to linger in the doorway
The robot stared at the bed. “INTERESTING…” He mused to himself
“What is?”
“THERE IS AN ABNORMALLY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF DUST ON THIS SIDE OF THE BED. IT IS STRANGE BECAUSE THE BED SHOULD BE THE LEAST DUSTY PLACE IN THE HOUSE DUE TO ITS CONTINUOUS USE”
“Maybe… maybe they’ve moved somewhere?” Another thought surfaced, but Dalv quickly stomped it down. There’s no way. There’s no way that…
“MAYBE” The robot concluded. “LET’S LOOK AROUND MORE JUST IN CASE”
“Y-yeah…”
Dalv closed the door once they were both out of the room, and continued their search. The kitchen was just as barren, and there was nothing but corn chowder in the fridge. He suppressed the urge to take some for himself. Finally, they made it to the living room
Wait- the fireplace was still burning! That means that they’d been here not too long ago, right?
…Upon closer inspection, the fire was a magic one, which meant that it could’ve been burning there for ages without anyone rekindling it. Damn
Well, it was clear they weren’t here, so Dalv walked forward to check the other side of the house
“...Axis?”
The robot had stayed behind, looking at the kotatsu in silence
“Um… do you want to stay here? I can look through the rest of the house on my-”
“NO. LET’S CONTINUE” He looked up at him, rolling over to be by his side
“Alright then, if you say so”
They went into the opposite hallway and opened a door, revealing Chujin’s office. It had a bunch of books, cables, unfinished robots, sticky notes, and files strewn about. It was a mess, but the ‘lived in’ type of mess, not the ‘abandoned’ type. Over it all, hanging in the middle of the room, was a map of the underground, with different colored hearts connected by red thread
Both Axis’ and Dalv’s gazes lingered on the blue question mark far longer than they were willing to admit
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Axs noticed a certain something on the cardboard box with robotic parts. He approached it, with his back facing a confused Dalv. After a few seconds, he turned around, revealing that he had replaced faulty eye light with a new, not broken one
Dalv blinked. Sure, the new lightbulb fit perfectly, but it gave off a lime green light, instead of a pink one. It didn’t seem like Axis had noticed, however, so he decided not to comment on it, settling for giving a simple thumbs up in approval. The robot emitted some beeps and boops, which Dalv assumed were of happiness, and he smiled
They left the room. There was nothing else for them there
Next to that were some stairs, and after a bit of effort, Dalv managed to carry Axis up there. Why couldn’t Chujin just give his robot normal legs
It only took Dalv a quick look to realise this was Kanako’s room
He looked around, kneeling to take a better look at the drawings that were thrown on the floor. He smiled fondly. Kanako had always been so talented
His mind was thrown back to the times they spent together, talking about anything and everything. Dalv had always been kind of shy when meeting new people, but there was something about this little fox girl that approached him one day talking about how he looked really cool and whatnot… they instantly became best friends
In fact, it was thanks to her that Dalv had discovered the joy of making kid’s books, as one time she was complaining to him about how there were none in the ‘librarby’ and her parents preferred to buy her more intellectual-y literature, and he decided he’d surprise her on her birthday with a book for her age exclusively for her. She liked it so much that she drew the characters in the story in the empty spaces of the pages, and the end result was so nice they decided that when she grew up they’d make kid’s books together and spread joy all throughout the underground!
Even as he confined himself in the dark ruins, he never stopped practising writing books, even taking a hand at drawing some illustrations himself, though he knew he’d never be as talented as Kanako. Now that he was finally out, they could continue to work on their dream again, and gosh- he was so excited to show her the books he’d been writing. Maybe they could show some of them to Axis, to get a third party’s opinion. That’s what prestigious writers did, right? Oh man, he couldn’t wait to get back to the full swing of things!
As the vampire was busy daydreaming, Axis had settled for examining the bed. It didn’t have nearly as much dust as the other one, but it also didn’t look like it had been used for some time. It was very neatly done, however. The person who did it put time and care, which considering the scattered toys on the floor and the messy coloring of some drawings, told him that it wasn’t Kanako
He moved on from the bed, looking at the tv. There was a videogame on it, ‘Surface Tycoon’. It looked to be handmade, no doubt made by his creator
…
…Did Chujin love him as much as he loved Kanako?
He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer
“DALV LET’S LOOK AROUND SOMEWHERE ELSE”
The monster was snapped back from his daydreaming. “O-oh! Right” He lifted up Axis and carried him downstairs
They continued through the hallway and went to another door, which was locked. Dalv knocked, just in case
“THIS IS THE BATHROOM” Axis stated. “I DO NOT HEAR WATER RUNNING OR ANY SORT OF NOISE SO THEY’RE PROBABLY NOT IN THERE”
He nodded. “We’ve looked through the whole house… we could check the backyard, but I’m pretty sure they won’t be there either”
“WE HAVE TO TRY”
“We do”
And with that, they left the house, turning around to go to the backyard
And once they made it to the end…
“...OH”
A grave stood tall, clearly better taken care of than the rest of the house. It was surrounded by candles and lush flora that required a lot of upkeep. On the stone it read:
Chujin Ketsukane
The best of us
The two stared in silence at the sight, trying to process this. Out of all ways they could’ve found out, it had to be… this. None of them knew what to say or do. Do they try to comfort the other? Offer something to the grave? Walk away? This was too much
Too much
“I WISH I WAS BUILT WITH A CRYING FUNCTION” Axis finally said, choosing to voice his thoughts instead of saying whatever condolences or apologies etiquette demanded you had to say. “IT IS THE ONLY WAY I WAS TOLD TO MAKE THE DEAD KNOW THEY WERE LOVED”
Dalv seemed to be taken aback by that sudden message, and tried to think of something to say back. This was clearly a hard moment for Axis, and he had to try his best to cheer him up. “Well, I might not be able to speak for Chujin, but I like to make things, and so does he, and if there’s anything as a creator that I want to see is my creations flourishing”
“...”
“I think… the best way you can pay your respects to him and let him know that he was loved is to thrive and live on”
”...”
“That’s- that’s what I think, at least”
“...THANK YOU”
He smiled. “Do you feel better?”
“I DO”
“Do you want to put something on the grave or say your goodbyes?”
Axis thought for a few seconds, before approaching the grave and leaving his broken lightbulb beside it. A memorial to represent the gratitude of his creation. “THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE FOR ME AND MONSTERKIND. I PROMISE I WILL KEEP ON LIVING TO MAKE YOUR EXISTENCE WORTH IT. IT WILL BE AN HONOR TO BE YOUR LEGACY”
Dalv tried to suppress some tears as he stepped closer, Axis wheeling aside to let him through. “Chujin… This is Dalv. I know I didn’t get to properly meet you, but if Kanako is anything to go by, I know that you were a great father and a wonderful monster. Thank you, and I hope you have a nice rest”
The two looked at eachother, the pains in their hearts having been alleviated a bit. It was time to go. They’d offer their condolences to Ceroba and Kanako once they saw them again
As they made it to the front entrance of the house and Dalv was readying to go over the fence once again, Axis held on to his sleeve. “WAIT”
“What is it?”
“THE BLUEPRINTS OF CHUJIN’S HOUSE IN MY CODE SHOW THAT THERE IS ANOTHER ROOM IN THE HOUSE WE HAVEN’T CHECKED”
“The bathroom? But you already said-”
“NO. IT IS NOT THE BATHROOM. I WASN’T SURE I WANTED TO CHECK THERE AS IT SAYS THAT IT’S MY CREATOR’S SECRET OFFICE BUT NOW THAT I KNOW HE’S NOT THERE… I WANT TO SEE IF THERE’S ANYTHING FOR ME THERE”
“...”
“LET ME BE SELFISH. PLEASE”
“...” He sighed. “Okay then. If there’s any messages to his family we should also deliver those”
“WE WILL”
“Alright. Lead the way, Axis”
“CAN YOU CARRY ME UP THE PORCH STEPS”
“Ah- of course!”
Once again inside, Axis expertly navigated the hallways, leading the vampire to the living room with the kotatsu. “HELP ME PUT THIS ASIDE”
He did as instructed, and couldn’t help but gasp when he found a trapdoor hidden under
Axis opened it nonchalantly, and looked at Dalv to ask him to carry him down the stairs once again
The basement was dark and dusty, illuminated only by a tv projecting static buzz, and the vampire couldn’t help but cough a bit when making it down. There were far more robotic parts than in his office upstairs, and the mess had a different energy to it. Not messy because of abandonment or of loved use, but rather of frustration and desperation. This place truly felt like the lab of someone who wanted desperately to create something and had no one to supervise him or keep him in check
Dalv took a look through the papers and books, all of them filled with scientific jargon that he couldn’t understand. It seemed like Chujin wasn’t planning for any of this to be read by anyone but him
…Hm?
Rummaging through the drawers, Axis found one filled to the brim with vhs tapes with dates written on them. Scanning them, he found one with the day he killed that human, but none with the days after that. Interesting. He decided to grab all of them and put them next to the tv, and inserted the one with the oldest date first
The vampire’s attention got caught by that, and he decided to sit on the floor next to Axis to view the tapes with him
After a few seconds of the static buzz altering a bit, the image cleared, revealing the man himself, Chujin
The first one was short. It walked about how he decided to document using video as a journal as he didn’t have much time these days to write it
The tape came out and Axis put the next one. Dalv recognised the date, and he couldn’t help but flinch
“This human… they attacked the monster Kanako was with”
Dalv frowned. He couldn’t bother to learn his name? He’d been friends with his daughter for at least a year then! Did she… never mention him to her parents?
“She was so close… she could’ve been next. No one was there to protect her… not even me…”
“Bullshit!” He screamed. Even Axis got caught off guard by that. “No one knows the real story! They’re just parroting hearsay trying to make the human look like a horrible person because people in stories always have to be black and white! You can’t stand shades of gray!” He didn’t even care that Chujin couldn’t hear him, he just had to get it out. “The human was scared, it was self-defense out of control, and for your information, they did attack Kanako! She took a blow for me, and it wasn’t fair what happened to her, but it also wasn’t fair what happened to them! I attacked first! I… I was the one who started it all… it’s no one else’s fault but mine…”
The video continued playing apathetically. “As of today, I’m looking into stopping this injustice once and for all”
The tape came out, but Axis didn’t insert the next one immediately. “...HE DIDN’T MENTION WHAT HAPPENED IN WATERFALL”
Dalv recomposed himself well enough to notice what the phrase implied. “He was there for that?”
“HE MADE IT TO THE CAVE AFTER I’D DONE MY JOB”
“Oh… I left immediately after you… y’know…” A pause “I’m still surprised you left a witness”
“I WAS MADE TO ELIMINATE HUMANS AND GET THEIR SOULS. I DON’T CARE ABOUT WITNESSES”
“I see…”
“ALSO WEREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE INJURED IN SNOWDIN. HOW DID YOU MAKE IT TO WATERFALL”
“Kanako wanted revenge on the human for hurting me. She didn’t- she didn’t even care that she had been injured too, she wanted to do it for me. She may have rather powerful magic for a monster her age, but she’s still a child, and I didn’t want her to get injured any more, so I went after her. We made it to Waterfall, but I lost sight of her thanks to the tall grass and not being able to keep up due to my injuries”
A pause
“I did end up finding the human, though”
“DID KANAKO…”
“Probably not. I didn’t see her there. Did you?”
“NO”
Another pause
“DO YOU WANT TO KEEP ON SEEING THESE. I CAN WATCH THEM ON MY OWN”
“No. I want to stay”
“ALRIGHT THEN” Axis inserted the next tape
This one didn’t cover the incident. Instead, it was about how he got fired from his job, and lied to Ceroba that he was retiring
The next tape talked about how he was a boss monster, and so was Kanako
…Well that explained why her magic was much more powerful than other kids her age
He detailed his plan to fuse a boss monster soul and a human soul, and get a serum out of that that could turn everyone into a boss monster to make monsterkind able to defeat humankind once the barrier broke, because there’s no way that no war would come once they were free. Considering Clover’s kindness despite the monsters attacking them, war between the two races wasn’t strictly an inevitability, but it also wasn’t impossible. They did kill 5 (somewhat) innocent children. Chujin concluded the tape saying that he didn’t have enough proof to say that such a serum could be possible, and he’d need to do further testing
In the next tape, Chujin looked far more disheveled, unkept, and weakened. He talked about how he experimented on himself multiple times, and his soul deteriorated as a result
He didn’t have much time
Oh
Oh
“However… I believe that my theory holds stronger than it ever did. This is a message to my dear Ceroba: this research is up to you. No one else would listen. After I’m gone… look for the next human who falls down here. Someone pure of heart- uncorrupted. I need you to obtain their soul but not just anywhere… You must have a boss monster soul nearby to fuse with. You’ll need… Damn it all. Search for a willing boss monster in the underground. Someone else… please. Our little girl… Kanako… She needs to live a happy life, unaffected by my endeavours. That is my final wish”
The tape came out
Dalv and Axis exchanged glances
Holy shit
“Someone uncorrupted…” Dalv remembered the letter he’d found sticking out in one of the bookshelves that he had stuffed in his pocket when he sat with Axis to view the tapes. He pulled it out and opened it to read it
Dear ms. Ketsukane:
Thank you for trusting us with your daughter for the fallen down program.
We know that this is a hard moment for you, having Kanako fall down just a few months after your husband passed away, and we appreciate the bravery it took to take this step. We promise to treat her with the utmost care and provide regular updates on her condition. If everything goes according to plan and the experiments succeed, she’ll be back home awake and happy in no time, and monsterkind will be one step closer to the surface.
Kind regards,
Dr. Alphys, royal scientist.
A pause
“CEROBA… CEROBA WAS WITH CLOVER IN THE STEAMWORKS. SHE WANTED TO TAKE THEM TO HOTLAND”
“...Where the lab is. Where Kanako is”
“...”
“Listen- I know she’s the wife of your creator, and probably the only family she has left if Kanako…” He felt a lump in his throat just saying it. “If Kanako doesn’t make it- but we can’t let her get Clover’s soul. Maybe- maybe Alphys’ experiments work, and fallen down monsters do come back! And we don’t even know if the serum could work, and it could just kill the two of them, and-”
“I UNDERSTAND”
“...What?”
“EVEN IF MY ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING WAS TO KILL HUMANS AND GET THEIR SOULS… I KNOW THAT CLOVER IS IMPORTANT TO YOU. I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU UPSET SO I WILL HELP”
He managed to get out a small smile. “Thank you”
“WE SHALL STOP CEROBA FROM KILLING A CHILD AND MAKE THINGS RIGHT. TOGETHER” Axis extended a glove
Dalv shook it. “Together”
And with that, the two left the Ketsukane residence for good
-----------------------------------------------
“OH YEAH I KILLED A GUY FROM HERE”
“You what”
“NORTH STAR FROM THE WILD EAST. HE JOINED CLOVER AND CEROBA LATER ON IN THE STEAMWORKS AND HE WAS A MAJOR ANNOYANCE THROUGHOUT”
“Okay- we don’t have time to deliver the news to the town now, but once we’re done with Ceroba’s deal we’ll come back here and tell everyone, alright?”
“FINE BY ME”
“Good…” He sighed. “You know, this got me thinking- what are you planning to do after this? Just go back to the Steamworks and wait until someone passes by again?”
“I HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. NORMALLY I’D GO BACK TO MY CHARGING STATION TO WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO GET BACK TO WORK BUT I DOUBT THAT’LL HAPPEN ANYMORE”
“I was just asking to offer if you’d like to come and live with me in Snowdin”
“...WHAT”
“Yeah! I’ve been trying to get back to this whole ‘having friends’ thing. I don’t think Kanako counts anymore and Clover will probably go back to the surface soon. I have Pops but… he’s not really the talkative type, and he can’t do much by himself, so having a proper roommate friend could really liven things up”
“ROOMMATE… THAT SOUNDS NICE. YEAH”
Dalv grinned from ear to ear. “Great! My house’s in Snowdin. It still needs a few repairs and a fresh coat of paint but once that’s done you’ll love the place, I’m sure. Oh man, I’m so excited! My very first lifelike roomie!”
“I DO NOT HAVE ANY CODE ON HOW TO EXECUTE ‘ACCEPTABLE ROOMIE BEHAVIOUR’ SO YOU’LL HAVE TO TEACH ME HOW TO DO IT”
“Don’t stress about it too much, I also don’t know much about sharing my living space with someone, so we can learn it together! How’s that sound?”
“GOOD. IT SOUNDS GOOD”
“I’m glad”
They passed by a farm with tons of corn growing in it, and Dalv couldn’t help but slow down and admire it. Axis took his hand to urge him forward, and he picked up speed muttering some apologies. Finally, they made it to the Steamworks entrance
…And found Ceroba clutching a certain cowboy hat to her chest
“OH HI CEROBA” Axis greeted. “I’M SORRY ABOUT KILLING THAT GUY. AND TRYING TO KILL YOU. AND CLOVER. I ACTUALLY REALISED I MESSED UP AND ERASED YOU AND THE HUMAN FROM MY HITLI-” The robot was cut off by a sudden burst of energy aimed at his head that he barely managed to dodge
Ceroba stayed silent, summoning her staff with a death glare. It didn’t seem like she was willing to talk at the moment
A wave of fear ran through every inch of Dalv’s body. “Axis. We need to run” He muttered towards the robot but too scared to look away from the fox
“WHAT”
“I said run!” He grabbed Axis’ hand and made him move away from another blast of energy that would’ve surely annihilated him if it had hit its target. Ceroba wanted him gone and she wanted it now
Using his own magic, Dalv threw a thunder towards the ground, picking up the sand and making a smokescreen that allowed them to get past the widow towards the Steamworks. This was Axis’ territory, right? Surely he knew of a secret passage to get away or could halt her somehow so she’d get tired and calm down!
“Lead the way! I don’t know this place!” The vampire screamed at the robot who finally picked up the pace and got in front of him
It would’ve been magical if it weren’t for the fact that they were being chased by a powerful and terrifying dustlusting monster- paths forming before them out of platforms and debris and pipes, walls opening to reveal they were doors leading to secret hallways, other robots helping them by using themselves as stairs or aid to drop down from considerable heights… all of this creating a route through the facilities that might’ve never been done by a single monster before. As they progressed through, emergency iron curtains dropped behind them, and the railways diverged or were cut to fall to the abyss, but none of that deterred Ceroba, who simply blasted through the obstacles and leaped over the chasms
She was never a comfortable distance away, and keeping up the pace and avoiding the relentless attacks was beginning to take a toll on her prey
Dalv was sweating bullets. He had never been the athletic type –especially not after a year of absolute isolation– and he could almost swear that the place was getting hotter and hotter as they ran through
They made it through some sort of hallway with what seemed to be an already blasted door at the end. On the other side was a giant furnace with a lidless trash can and a pile of what was probably ash on the floor
Oh. Well that explained the temperature
They ran past that, and made it to some… oddly familiar soil. Wait- were they at Hotland already? Time must’ve flown by during the chase, even though it also felt eternal
They went up to the elevator, and Axis frantically pressed the button to call it. As Ceroba got closer, he lost his patience and forced open the doors, revealing that there was no elevator to begin with, and it was an empty shaft. He looked up, and made out broken cables at the top
Just great
He was pulled away from the shaft by Dalv, who had once again helped him avoid one of Ceroba’s attacks. The woman had stopped running, and was slowly walking towards them, evidently panting despite everything. It seemed the run had taken a toll on her as well
“C-can’t we talk this out? I’m sure we can come to an- eep!” His bargaining was cut off by another blast that barely grazed him
“I AM AFRAID TALKING WON’T DO MUCH HERE”
“The only other option is to run, but it’s a dead end! The elevator doesn’t work and, wait- use that rocket you have!”
“THAT IS NOT A VIABLE OPTION. MY MAIN POWER WAS CUT OFF AND I’VE ALREADY USED MOST OF MY BACKUP BATTERY MANIPULATING THE STEAMWORKS AND RUNNING HERE. WE WOULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE NEXT FLOOR”
Ceroba began to charge an attack. A powerful one, by the looks of it
All of a sudden, Dalv’s eyes widened. He went and hugged Axis from behind, holding on tightly to his head specifically. He whispered. “Axis, I need you to use the rocket anyway, and give it your all to lift us up. I’ll try my best not to fall”
“BUT-”
“Just trust me on this, okay?”
“...”
Axis swiftly retreated his wheel and replaced it with a rocket that gave a pink flame. It wasn’t too strong, and it just barely managed to lift both of them up. Ceroba’s attack was almost done charging when Dalv took a deep breath and concentrated as much lightning as he could in his arms. Said electricity was quickly transmitted and absorbed by Axis, whose rocket burst with energy and made the two take off towards the cave ceiling at dangerous speeds
Even though this had technically been his plan, Dalv couldn’t help but scream his head off when they launched upwards, holding on even more tightly to the robot for dear life
Dalv was so busy with continuing to provide electricity and not falling off and Axis was so busy being overwhelmed by the sudden power but keeping up the rocket burst that they both missed that they were far past the floor they were trying to get to originally
Slowly, the underground became smaller and smaller from their view, and Ceroba seemed but a distant, insignificant speck
Slowly, the cave ceiling got closer and closer
Dalv hadn’t really stopped screaming the whole ride, but this was when his lungs truly gave it their all. Oh god they were going to crash they were going to be reduced to dust and scraps they were going to die a painful death and-
Luckily, he had stopped focusing on providing power, and that gave Axis enough maneuver room to steer to the side and fly horizontally instead of vertically
…Except that he steered just a little bit too much to the side and now they were curving downwards toward the ground. Doing some quick calculations, they were going to crash in the middle of New Home
Just great
Welp. It was fun while it lasted, at least
See you soon, Chujin
Those were Axis’ final thoughts before everything went black