Chapter 19

Keeping up with a speeding Asgore was certainly something Piper would consider an achievement. For a big guy in heavy armor, he sure can move fast. She had to carry Frisk under her arm like a duffel bag so that they wouldn’t be left behind. Grillby almost did the same for her, but they didn’t have time.

“The SOULS are is thick glass containers,” Asgore informed them. “It should prove a challenge to get into one of them, let alone all six.”

“Wouldn’t put it past the flower to know how to open it!” Piper growled. “It'll find a way in.”

“Flowey’s smart,” Frisk added. “Too smart.”

“He also seems to be a narcissist…” Grillby added. “He doesn't notice a lot of things when he thinks he's about to win…”

The king nodded. “Then we can use it against him. The chamber is a few doors down this hall.” He turned quickly, almost too quickly for Grillby and Piper. The pair ran into each other and had to run to catch up again. It wasn't much of a run, since Asgore stopped at a metal door with a pass code. They ran into him one after the other, though he probably didn’t feel it.

He entered the code and let the thick door slide open. On several large, stone pedestals sat the SOULS Asgore had collected over the decades. Bravery, Patience, Integrity, Perseverance, Kindness, and…

Justice…

Piper couldn’t help but shudder at the sight of it.. Grillby noticed and gently rubbed her back after she set Frisk down.

“They’re all here,” sighed Asgore. He turned to look back at the three. “Now, what was this about evil buttercups?”

“The flower exists, sire…” Grillby defended. “I have seen it myself…”

“Oh, I believe you… “ He ran a hand through his thick mane. “I know of this flower…”

“You do?” Frisk asked.

He nodded, reaching around and pressing a button that closed the door. It sealed with a mighty clang. “I don’t know where he came from… he just showed up in my garden some years ago…” He sighed. “I remember it like it was yesterday… He popped up in my garden, calling out to me…He had been my first friend in a long time… I was so happy…”

Piper frowned, but said nothing.

“He stayed with me for sometime, and I tried to make him feel better. Now that I look back on it, I don’t think he was ever really happy. He asked about Toriel one day, and I told him that she’d left. He left not long after that.”

“Perhaps he was trying to manipulate you…”

“I don’t think so… but he wasn’t himself…”

A voice echoed down the hall outside. It was a child’s cry, but they all knew that the source was no child.

“He’s here.”

“What do we do?” Frisk asked.

Piper sighed. “I got a plan…”