Underearth/Book 4/Chapter 19

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Further down the path, Frisk approached the Judgement Hall. The beginning of the end.

Stepping over the threshold, there was a sudden clap of sound followed up by complete darkness, a glow of gold, and a collapse back into the Judgement Hall.

Frisk looked around, spotting his corpse lying on the ground with no head, and a massive blood splatter just above, surrounding a sizable hole in the wall.

"So, that's why there's been no LOADs this time around." Frisk heard a composed voice say further in the hall.

Looking to the source of the voice, he saw a shadowy figure kneeling on the ground holding a long device of some kind. When the figure stood up, he identified the device to be a rifle.

"I know it's anti-material, but it works very well on people nonetheless." the figure said.

"Who are you?" Frisk asked.

The figure gave a chuckle, placing the rifle on the ground and kicking it aside. "I am nobody. Just a simple man trying to live a quiet life."

The figure started walking towards Frisk. In turn, Frisk did the same.

"If you just want to live a quiet life, why'd you just shoot me?" Frisk asked.

"I didn't much appreciate you killing all my friends and family." the figure answered.

The two stopped moving when there was six feet between them. Though the light, Frisk got a clearer look at the figure. He was Human. No outcrops, no excess calcification, no rotting flesh. A full, flesh-and-blood Human with wild brown hair, piercing green-grey eyes, and fair skin. A Human who wore stock blue jeans, a plain white tee-shirt, and dark-brown leather boots.

"I haven't killed any Humans." Frisk said.

"What makes you think I'm actually Human?" the figure asked.

"If you're not Human, why do you look exactly like one?"

"Why did Serif and Charon look greatly Human?"

Frisk thought about this. Why *did* they look Human for the most part? Focusing back on the figure, Frisk asked his next question.

"If you're not Human, what are you?"

The figure gave a quiet "heh" to the question. "I guess you could say that I'm caught somewhere in-between."

"What do you mean?"

"My genetic code contains both Human and Monster DNA. So do my brothers, but not to the degree of my own."

"How? Did one of the past Humans—"

"No. It was done through a process strikingly similar to cloning."

"Why? To what end?"

A smirk emerged on the figure's lips. "Have you ever wondered why Monsters are so weak? Why they can be killed with such ease? My creation was an attempt to make this not so. It all lies within the SOUL. Most Monster SOULs are a thousandth of the strength to that of a Human SOUL. Few Monsters are exceptions to this, such as Asgore, Toriel, Grillby, Serif, Charon, and so on, having only a hundredth of the strength rather than a thousandth.

"Papyrus is like any other Monster, having a thousandth of the substance and energy to that of Humans. Sans, however, has the strength of a Human's SOUL in terms of energy, though his substance is lacking. I suffer no such detriment, having Human-levels of both substance *and* energy."

"What does substance and energy have to do with anything?" Frisk asked.

"Everything. Though my 'father' and brothers are Monsters, slay me and my SOUL will persist like that of Humans. Fight me, and I will not exhaust so easily."

"Who are you?" Frisk asked again.

"I have already answered that question. I am nobody. A simple shadow in the background, eternally observing."

"I mean what's your name."

The figure broke into a full smile at that point. "My name is Calibri Gaster. In case you haven't guessed it by now, Sans Gaster and Papyrus Gaster are the brothers I spoke of."

"And, by what you have said, you would be the strongest entity in the Underground?" Frisk asked.

Calibri tilted his head a bit. "From a purely numbers perspective, you could look at it that way, yes."

Frisk's spirits rose in that instance. Here he was, face-to-face with the one he was told to seek.

"Then please, help me." Frisk said.

Calibri stepped back, aghast at Frisk's request.

"Why the hell should I help you?" he asked.

"Because it's in your best interests too. I'm not saying help me kill everybody, I'm saying help me stop the thing that's actually doing it!"

"You mean the LOV inside you? You're the one who wanted it to grow in the first place, don't try this innocent crap."

"No, I mean Chara. She took the LOV I had and is planning to use it to destroy all of Humanity."

Calibri started laughing. Frisk's hope began to drain at this sight.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You..." Calibri worked out through the laughter. "You *honestly* expect me to believe that story? What the hell do you take me for, a complete idiot? Chara has been dead for six hundred years. Her SOUL was absorbed by Asriel and was never found after he died. Chara is long dead, with no chance of returning."

"Please, you must believe me!" Frisk pleaded.

"Enough! I've had enough of your games. You and Flowey are no different. Seeing as he probably tried to kill you, I'd say he's dead, though that could've easily been a ploy to make me drop my guard around that bloody flower. Whatever. Doesn't matter anyway."

Calibri reached behind him and pulled out an empty canister, placing it by a pillar. "I hope you don't mind," he said, "but I'm gonna kill you and take your SOUL to Asgore so that the few remaining Monsters can finally leave this place. Don't mind the SOUL jar. Oh, and if you would be so kind, don’t return after I kill you."

Stepping back towards Frisk, Calibri's eyes glowed red. A black cloth-like substance began to form over his entire body, with shaped pieces of bone appearing around him and attaching themselves to various places until his entire body was armored, save his head. His chest, which was covered in a breastplate that looked like a shield with ribs coming out the side and around, featured a heart-shaped hole in it which began glowing a dim red. Over his head, a skull-like structure with two tall horns appeared. Once fully encased, the eyeholes of the skull flashed red before returning to being black.

In his next steps, Calibri summoned a blade of simple design and two more massive skulls of similar design to his helmet.

"Approach, Frisk." Calibri said.

Nervously, Frisk drew the dagger from its scabbard. The two then began circling one another, each one waiting for the other to strike first. As Frisk watched Calibri, he noticed that small glowing orbs were forming and growing in size within the skulls situated on either side of Calibri, and the light within the heart-shaped hole in Calibri's chest piece was growing in brightness.

As the two continued to circle, Calibri raised one of his arms, pointing it at Frisk. At the same time, one of the skulls behind his opened its maw and fired a beam of red energy. Upon striking Frisk, the Human simply collapsed to the ground. As the corpse lay there, a tiny golden orb formed above it, and every part of his body was sucked into it.

Behind Calibri, a larger golden orb appeared, collapsing to reveal Frisk within. Calibri turned to face his foe.

"Give up." he said. "You won't beat me. Give up so the remaining Monsters can at least be free."

"I can't do that." Frisk retorted. "If I give up, Humanity will be destroyed."

"By what? Chara? She's dead, and you're a liar."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"And I'm done talking." Calibri had the other skull fire its beam, engulfing Frisk in another flare of energy.

Frisk charged Calibri from the golden orb as it respawned him, drawing the revolver on the way and firing a few shots at the creature. One shot landed in an upper spike of his left shoulder-pad, while another landed in his gut, and another in his leg. As Frisk closed the last of the distance, Calibri raised one of his arms and placed his palm on Frisk's chest. When he did this, a beam of energy erupted from a point on his palm and shot through Frisk.

"How many of those things do you have?" Frisk asked after he respawned.

"Enough. The fission beam is a perfect anti-Human weapon, capable of eviscerating a Human SOUL in a fraction of a second. While yes, if I wanted your SOUL it'd be stupid to use them. With you, it'd be even more stupid to avoid using them."

Frisk drew the revolver again and charged Calibri, firing rounds as he did so. Seeing the rounds, Calibri brought up his sword to deflect them, but was surprised to see the first shoot right through the blade. Seeing his tactic foiled, he dispelled the holey sword and nimbly dodged the rest of the projectiles.

When the bullets had passed, Frisk put the revolver back into its holster and drew the knife. Flipping it around, grabbing it by its square blade, he then threw the knife at Calibri. Seeing the knife hurling towards him, he simply stepped to the side and avoided it completely.

Frisk smirked when he did this, his eyes now glowing blue. Calibri, coming to a realization, felt a pain suddenly sink into his back. This pain continued through his back until a knife-blade emerged from his chest, continuing through until the dagger freed itself, leaving a gaping hole behind.

"Got ya!" Frisk said, catching the dagger out of the air.

"Did you now?" Calibri asked, his eyes glowing red as the hole in his chest closed and was re-armored.

*What the hell?* Frisk thought.

Not sure what to do next, Frisk used gravity magic to grab hold of Calibri himself and shoot him up into the air. Once near the ceiling of the Hall, Frisk caused him to slam into the ground, cracking the surrounding tiles.

Shocked by the development, Calibri slowly sat up and made both skulls open their jaws and fire their fission beams, while Calibri fired a third from his hand. As the light from the beams cleared, Calibri looked for any sign of Frisk. Nothing.

The sound of an orb forming came from behind Calibri as he looked ahead. Summoning another sword in his hand, he slashed out behind him, though Frisk vanished before the sword connected. Standing up, Calibri felt another sudden pain in his back, which caused him to flip around and slash once again into thin air. Again, pain emerged, and again his slash hit nothing.

Tired, Calibri's eyes glowed gold for a few seconds before he flipped around to strike at Frisk, who was there this time. As the sword approached Frisk's head, his eyes turned ivory, and Calibri hit a shield that formed to protect him. Frisk's eyes then turned blue as a weight enveloped Calibri, forcing him to the ground. When the weight lifted, Calibri didn't bother moving.

"Finally giving up?" Frisk asked as he approached the pathetic form of Calibri.

Calibri didn't answer as he tried to move his limbs.

"I won't kill you, Calibri." Frisk said, offering a hand to the creature. "I really do need your help."

Calibri let out a coughing laugh as he slowly sat up. "I know you're only trying to gain my trust so I will be easier to kill." he said. "But don't you worry. I'm going to save you the trouble!" Calibri then tightened his grip on the sword and drove it through his neck. A few seconds later, the two skulls disappeared and Calibri himself turned to dust.

Frisk, slowly gripping what just happened, knelt down to the dust. "Nonononononono!!!!" he said, picking up the dust, which clung tightly to his hands.

"CALM DOWN." Frisk heard the machine's voice in his head. "USE GRAVITY MAGIC AND GRAB THE SOUL JAR. NOW!"

Clinging tightly to the last remaining glimmer of hope, Frisk called the SOUL jar Calibri laid down by a pillar to his hand. As it flew towards him, a red, heart-shaped object—Calibri's SOUL—began to rise from the ashes.

"USE GRAVITY MAGIC TO OPEN THE JAR AND COLLECT HIS SOUL!!!" the Timepiece said.

Quickly, Frisk caused the lid to open, and the orifice to consume the SOUL. As soon as the SOUL was inside, Frisk grabbed the jar and its lid out of the air and closed it.

Inside, the SOUL moved around, slamming into the walls of its prison, but to no avail.

"EXPERTLY DONE." the Timepiece said. "NOW, IT IS TIME. CONTINUE TO THE THRONE ROOM."

Heeding its words, Frisk tucked the jar under his arm and continued through the last of the Judgement Hall, bound for the Throne Room.