Undyne visits her family in Innsmouth

"Did ya know I'm part human?"

Undyne's question dislodged Alphys's focus on her visual novel and went around her head a few times.

She looked away from her screen. "What?"

"Yeah, my great-great-great-grandfather or something. A guy named Marsh. From my grandmother's side."

"The---the family that moved in through the barrier?"

"Yep, them."

Alphys didn't know much about the monster populations outside Mount Ebott. But she had heard that a few of them migrated through the barrier long after it was sealed, even though they wouldn't be able to leave. Perhaps it had been easier than hiding on the surface.

"I've got family living in this 'Innsmouth' town, in Massachusetts. Wanna visit?"

-----

The town was remote, only reachable by bus. The bus driver was human, but he really did resemble Undyne. He was balding, with only a pluck of hair on the top of his head, his skin looked scalish, his eyes were bulbous, and his teeth curiously sharp.

He was more at ease with monsters than most humans they met this far from Mount Ebott. Before long, he was chatting animatedly with Undyne about something to do with fishing that Alphys couldn't follow.

She noticed a ring on Undyne's finger that she'd never seen before.

"W-what's that ring?"

"Oh, that's a heirloom. Dad gave it to me when I said where we're going. For good luck."

She slipped it off and gave it to Alphys for a better look.

The metal seemed gold, but with a strange gleam to it. It was covered in carvings of waves, tentacles and miscellaneous sea creatures, intricate in a way she'd never seen before. It was very pretty.

Innsmouth looked imposing from a distance. The architecture was old, with almost no modern buildings, like it had been transplanted from the nineteenth century. It was being renovated, and one of the churches had heavy scaffolding around it, but all in the old style. The docks weren't in use.

Undyne's grin was even broader than usual as they wandered through the streets. They ended up at the harbor, where a dripping, slimy frog-like creature with scales and webbed feet was waiting for them---an aunt, apparently. They conversed in a strange guttural language and leafed through something made of seaweed that turned out to be a photo album. Undyne's own baby pictures must be very odd, going by the ones Alphys saw there.

On their way back Undyne stopped at an ornate building, which a sign proclaimed the "Esoteric Order of Dagon."

"Oh man. This take me back." She led Alphys inside. "I used to attend service as a kid. Didn't know they had one here as well."

Inside were many worshippers, monster, human, and inbetween. They sat on massive but ornate granite benches, that looked like they belonged on the bottom of the sea. In the middle of the hall was an onyx altar. Everything was lit by lanterns made out of the same metal as Undyne's ring.

The worshippers were chanting, and swaying like underwater plants swept by a stream. Undyne sat down on a bench, closed her eyes, and joined in. "Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah-nagl fhtagn..."

Alphys was a bit uncomfortable. Undyne luckily only stayed a few minutes, and then they went outside.

"I no longer believe any of that stuff, but it's nice they're keeping the traditions alive, you know?"