Whisper [Undertale Multiverse]

Ch12 - Guards

Whisper's POV

There were three guards in total. Each wore the same sun-kingdom marking that you saw on Ink, only theirs were yellow instead of that metallic gold, leaving you curious if that had any meaning. As strange as it sounded, you could taste their emotions.

The boar monster was immensely frustrated, the fish lady seemed exhausted, and the tall skeleton monster was a mix of confident and determined. All three, though, were positioned in a way that made it clear they were ready to jump into action. They seemed to be expecting you to try and run through them, or to fight.

You briefly contemplated your options. Whilst these soldiers most likely intended to take you to the castle - which you would have otherwise asked to be escorted to anyway - you weren't so confident that being arrested was the safest way to go about that.

What if they took you there, only to leave you in some cell to rot? What if they blamed you for more than just whatever Ink stole? Even if they did bring you to the king, it would be embarrassing to be brought in like a common criminal when you had done nothing wrong. Reaper had made it clear that reputation was important, so you had to be careful.

At that moment, you made your decision ; you were not going to let them arrest you. But that didn't mean you had to be violent or lash out. Maybe you could... manipulate the situation. Just a little. You knew they were chasing Ink because he stole art supplies, and it was unlikely they would believe you if you tried to explain that you were not the same person, so you would have to do a little bit of social engineering.

"Thankyou for coming," you let out politely, bowing your head a little. You could taste the sudden confusion that filled the air at both your words and your polite nature. That was good; confusion would be easier to work with than blind anger, even if it tasted sort of... tangy. You tried to ignore that little tidbit.

"Uh... what?" the boar mumbled.

The fish was staring confusedly but seemed a lot more relaxed than the other two, like she wasn't totally interested in what was happening. She, well, looked awfully exhausted.

"NYEH! WHY ARE YOU THANKING US FOR FINDING YOU?" the tall skeleton questioned with a tilt of his head. He wore a lot of blue and yellow, his flowing scarf covered in tiny constellations.

"If you chased a thief this far-" you began, not actually confirming you were the thief but still playing into their assumptions "-then you must be royal guards, yes?"

"OF COURSE!" the skeleton exclaimed proudly, taking a moment to pose dramatically as he did so. Stars, he was loud, you were going to have to get used to that.

"I am seeking The Judge," you explained, utilising the keywords Reaper had told you. You knew they would press for more information, but you already had an excuse prepared.

"Wait, so, you stole a bunch of art stuff, had us run around for more than an hour, and just because you want us to escort you to the king? The fuck is wrong with you?" the boar scolded. He seemed a little frustrated still, but it seemed talking was the right decision since none of them were lashing out.

"LANGUAGE!" the tall one scolded before turning to address you. "BUT, UM, WHY DID YOU STEAL AND RUN OFF? WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER TO JUST... ASK US FOR HELP?"

You took a deep breath. "I don't know how to recognise guards. So, with that in mind, wouldn't it be safer to give the royal guards a reason to look for me, if I don't know how to find them?"

"That's dumb-"

"THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!" the skeleton cut off, seemingly not having noticed the fish lady had even spoken up in the first place. "I WILL GLADLY ESCORT YOU–"

"Wait, hold on, what if they're lying, Cosmo!" the boar interjected. "They could be a spy sent from the Moon Kingdom! Why else would they cover their marking?"

You tilted your head. "I mean, I'd be fine with being escorted there instead?" you offered. "I'm not so sure it matters which king I meet..."

The skeleton, now identified as Cosmo, gave a thoughtful expression. "COULD YOU PLEASE REMOVE THE STAIN ON YOUR FACE? I DON'T THINK RODNEY IS RIGHT, BUT IT IS A LITTLE WEIRD TO COVER IT UP..." he seemed to lose confidence for a moment. "UH! YOU DON'T HAVE TO! ER..."

You smiled gently at him, then used the edge of the scarf Ink had given you to wipe away the substance (which you were pretty sure was some sort of paint). "I don't have a marking," you explained. 

"What? Why not? Do you not like the kingdoms? Do-"

"Oh, shuddup, Rodney. They may be an outsider, but somebody had to've given them the code word, so it's none of our business," she retorted. "Besides, its like, way past when I was meant to end shift, I just want to get this over and done with."

"But-" the boar, Rodney, let out, spluttering. "Gah! Fine, whatever, but I'm only agreeing because they haven't tried attacking us. Even if they were a pain in the ass to chase down..." the last bit was a low grumble. 

"Honestly, I'm impressed they out-ran Cosmo," she yawned. "If its an escort, though, we should probably go as a group. I need to drop something off anyway."

"THEN ITS SETTLED! WE'LL ESCORT THE LITTLE SKELETON TO THEIR MAJESTY DREAM!" the skeleton shouted. 

"They're not even that little-" Rodney interjected, not that anybody paid them any mind.

"DO YOU HAVE A NAME? I AM THE SPECTACULAR COSMO! THIS HERE IS RODNEY AND SALMA!" he introduced cheerfully, walking closer and offering you a hand. "AS MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL GUARD OF THE SUN KINGDOM, WE WILL ENSURE YOU GET TO THE CASTLE SAFELTY!"

You took his hand into your own, feeling the warmth of his bones even through his navy blue glove. "My name is Whisper," you hummed. "It's very nice to meet you all."