VOXISTALE: Novel Edition

Chapter 134

Upon returning to the room, torture chamber, or whatever it was, Frisk found that it was not only deathly quiet, but also empty. Her eyes scanned over her surroundings, noticing the dust hanging in the air. It made her stomach twist in a knot. She and Gerson had never exactly been close, but they'd always held one another in high regard. Losing him was like losing a grandparent, albeit a somewhat distant one, but a grandparent nonetheless. Cringing, she tried to ignore the dust drifting about. Krashna was nowhere to be seen, but it didn't look like there was a second exit in the room.

"The left," Chara muttered to Frisk, who followed the advice, gaze turning to the left side of the room. It was just a flat wall that . . . she blinked before narrowing her gaze. One of the panels on the wall was slightly mis-colored. Only about a shade off, easy as hell to write off and dismiss, but it was there. Another secret door? Messiah seemed to really like those, so it was pretty fitting if it was. A blade appeared in Frisk's hand, much smaller than one she'd use for combat, almost like a scalpel. This one was just to slice through whatever material this was to see what was on the other side. Maybe a second, much worse torture chamber. Once the panel was sliced off of its resting place on the wall, a secret passage was revealed, leading to . . .

The building's main hallway. That was relieving, until she noticed the footprints on the ground. Golden ones, meaning Krashna had used his magic to speed up his run . . . magic strong enough to burn into the floor and linger there for some time. Frisk supposed she may have scared him away, which was completely fine by her. One less problem to deal with, and now she could regroup with the others. She'd get to him again, in time. And then Gerson would be avenged.

Entering the main hall, Frisk jogged back to the elevators to await the others. After only about a minute, the whirring of machinery sounded, and her three remaining compatriots reunited with her by returning through the elevators. "Alright, two to go," Frisk greeted. "Any idea where we'll find them?"

"And my dad," Fuku interjected. Frisk hadn't meant to gloss over that, but it did make her inwardly cringe at not adding that bit as well. Really made her seem like she only cared about the fight, and not saving her friends.

She nodded. "And Grillby," Frisk agreed.

"Wasn't in the cells, so . . ." Raptor stroked his chin. "It's a stretch, but I used to hear other lieutenants sometimes mention how to torture different breeds of monster."

He noticed their faces.

"I didn't indulge them, of course, this was back when monsters first returned to the surface. Anyway, it was agreed that sticking a fire elemental in cold storage would be the best form of torture. It's located in the medical wing."

"And the leaders?" Frisk asked, turning her gaze toward Magnum. The pink-haired girl rubbed her arm.

"Baena and Raptor mentioned something about Nikolai being hurt by Undyne, maybe he'd be in the medical wing, also guarding Grillby. As for my dad . . ." Her gaze grew distant for a moment. ". . . The assembly hall. It's where people would meet with the leaders, or where they'd make announcements. It's symbolic for the seat of power in this sect of the Messiah. My dad's all about symbolism, so I think that's where he'd be."

"And . . . do you think he's waiting for us?" Frisk asked, a question which seemed like it might remain unanswered as Magnum's gaze fell and rested on the ground for a few long, tense moments.

"My dad . . . he's always been the kind to wait for other people to get to him. That's how a lot of Messiah leaders are, I guess. They're considered so above everyone else that they don't usually take initiative and handle problems with their own two hands."

"So we don't have to rush this," Raptor added. "Uh . . . aside from that rescue, of course," he quickly added, which made a stressed-as-all-hell Fuku calm down a bit.