Part 29: Undertale

BGM: Long Elevator



No more obstacles lie between me and the castle.



I save my game.



In the distance, a silent city.



I enter the inner sanctum of the king of all monsters.



BGM: Undertale



I was ready to fight a gauntlet of the strongest monsters imaginable.

I'm not ready for this.



(Howdy! I'm in the garden.)
(If you have anything you need to get off your chest, please don't hesitate to come.)
(The keys are in the kitchen and the hallway.)



I already know the way to the kitchen.









I continue north.



There are encounters in New Home, but they're not like the encounters I've seen until now.



These monsters only wish to tell a story.











(It's full of crumpled-up recipes for butterscotch pie.)



I head south.



...



The other key is in the hallway.



I enter a familiar-looking bedroom.







I take the locket and dagger.















I equip both, and move some items around.



I head back into the hallway.



Nobody lives in this room.



...



I check the room at the end of the hall.



(The ink is still almost wet.)





(...and a pink, hand-knit sweater that says "Mr. Dad Guy.")



There's a Santa Claus outfit inside.





I head back.





That's both keys.





I keep moving forward.





...





...





...
The human died.





...





...





...





...





...





Clutching the human...
Asriel smiled, and walked away.





...





...





...





King Asgore will let us go.
King Asgore will give us hope.
King Asgore will save us all.





...





The music fades.



BGM: Silence



I'm almost there.



Bells chime in the distance.



The end of your journey is at hand.
In a few moments, you will meet the king.
Together...
You will determine the future of this world.
That's then.
Now.
You will be judged.
You will be judged for your every action.
You will be judged for every EXP you've earned.
What's EXP?
It's an acronym.



A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others.
When you kill someone, your EXP increases.
When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases.
LOVE, too, is an acronym.



A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt.
The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself.
The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt.
The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others.



BGM: The Choice



'course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive.
just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart.
no matter the struggles or hardships you faced...
you strived to do the right thing.
you refused to hurt anyone.
even when you ran away, you did it with a smile.
you never gained LOVE, but you gained love.
does that make sense?
maybe not.
...now.
you're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey.
your actions here...
will determine the fate of the entire world.
if you refuse to fight...
asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity.
but if you kill asgore and go home...
monsters will remain trapped underground.
what will you do?
...
well, if i were you, i would have thrown in the towel by now.
but you didn't get this far by giving up, did you?
that's right.



so long as you hold on...
so long as you do what's in your heart...
i believe you can do the right thing.
alright.
we're all counting on you, kid.
good luck.



Sans is gone.

I didn't have to fight him. If I had, maybe it would have sounded something like this.





I head to the right first.



The path leads down a long staircase.







...



I guess I can't put this off any longer.



I save my game.



BGM: Silence

The only sound is the chirping of birds in the garden.



There he is.



Oh? Is someone there?
Just a moment!
I have almost finished watering these flowers.



...Here we are!



BGM: Small Shock



...
I so badly want to say, "would you like a cup of tea?"
But...
You know how it is.



Nice day today, huh?
Birds are singing, flowers are blooming...
Perfect weather for a game of catch.



You know what we must do.
When you are ready, come into the next room.







I save my game.



Just think of it like...
A visit to the dentist.



I follow Asgore in silence.



If you are not, I understand.
I am not ready either.



I save my game.



BGM: Barrier



This is what keeps us all trapped underground.
...
If...
If by chance you have any unfinished business...
Please do what you must.



......I see...
This is it, then.





BGM: Bergentrückung









Human...
It was nice to meet you.
Goodbye.



I can fight, and take Asgore's soul.

I can die, and surrender my soul to Asgore.



But the one thing I absolutely can't do...



...is hold back.