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ask-codeearasure · 4 years

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A Dusty Wonderland (Katagma’s Story)

“Notes:

My patience is being tried every five seconds I’m in the room with him. I have to do my best to just tolerate his antics. He jumps from speaking normally, to speaking in third person, to shakespearan, to even just speaking nonsense. I don’t know, why he does this. He is a genious but... he is so... lost... I don’t understand it. Doctor Dreamurr, I must request that we find him some medication as soon as possible, for all our sakes. He’s talking to himself again.... it scares me.”

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Katagma’s story is much like the common “Dust’s” or “Killer’s” or their sub-classes, tragic but one must ask what he expected the moment he started killing, however there is also the question of “Did he have a choice to begin with?”

Word count: 8999

Error’s Story: https://ask-codeearasure.tumblr.com/post/188929960488/a-fear-hazed-day

Sans was a soldier. Despite his young age of eighteen he was more of a soldier than he was a child. A kid his age would normally be working a normal job like a librarian or a waiter, but he wasn’t really the average kid and thus didn’t have a normal job. He was anything but average. He was powerful, but delicate and it was all linked to his psyche. Sans sighed as he walked about the snow of the modern Snowedin. He was not a very happy person, and his mind was unclear, foggy, distressed even. His depression was eating away at him for such a long time that it was starting to affect his day to day life to an unhealthy degree. He slept too much, he picked at his food and slowly but surely it caused him to not eat enough. Papyrus was worrying about him more than ever to such a point that he would refuse to leave the table until Sans finished eating. The secrets, the depression showed clearly in his HP, his HoPe, that being seemingly locked at one. One hit in combat would kill him. However, Sans would always try to play it off as though it was all just a quirk. He smiled openly, and always told jokes to make sure that the people around him were happy and didn’t suspect that he was not mentally unhealthy nor the Arbiter of the underground -- he’d like to keep those facts to himself. It was best that no one knew about that last part other than Undyne and the King. It was his burden to bare. His sacrifice to make and most of all the job he chose. The job of being the Arbiter. Judge. Jury. Executioner.

Being the Arbiter meant being a killer. It meant being ruthless, cold, and unafraid to do whatever it took to get the job done. To kill a human, be them male, female, without gender, young, adult, or old. To not care for anything other than that they are human and to kill them relentlessly, meant that he had to have to be completely detached from reality a little. However, it was also more nuanced than that. He also had to kill his own kind to keep the laws of the underground in check. He was the judge, jury, and executioner after all, he kept things running smoothly. If someone committed murder then… who else was going to make sure that monster didn’t go off and kill someone else when they crave power? He needed to keep everyone in the underground happy and this was the only way to do it. Tell jokes and protect.

Everyone was happy, unlike himself because of his job and his depression. He arrived at his post and sat down and stared up at the ceiling of the unholy Underland that he lived in. The world of which he lived in didn’t call Asgore’s Kingdom the ‘Underground’ no… It was called Underland. This was the reality that Sans lived in and the only one he knew. This was their kingdom and thus they needed to make the most of it. His dull depressed eyes stared up at the walls of the cave. He was unsure of how to go about the idea of suffering this unending mockery that they all called ‘reality’. How long would it take for a civil war to break out? How long would it take for the overpopulation to cause a food shortage? How many lives will be lost? What if the humans came down here by mistake and had completely forgotten that Monsterkind existed at all only to see them now and start another war-- wait that has already happened about six times? He should know, he killed them. What would be thing to end it all?

What?

Sans sighed and closed his eye sockets. It all scared him. Terrified him. He should be scared of it all. He leaned back in his chair at his station, the frigid air attempted to send chills down him, but he was accustomed to it. It didn’t bother him. He often got chided by Papyrus for wearing such a thin jacket. Once he tried to get the older skeleton a thick fluffy jacket that was almost twice his size and it took almost three hours to talk him out of it. He understood the reasoning. The snow sometimes got so bad that it was damn near five feet and took magic to get through it but that was their reality and no matter how thick of a jacket he wore it would be meaningless because the cold would always reach him. Enough said. That was the nature of the situation and he was nurtured into dealing with it. He was mentally cold; the external cold would do nothing to him. Who cared?

The snow was like his job and thus like death. Once it comes it’s sudden and sometimes extremely violent, however it was inevitable. When he began hunting his targets and he attacked it is sudden, violent, and inevitable. He remembered reading some human books that spoke of snow coming and going. “Seasons” they called it. Winter. And winter was a time of death. He wished that the snow would disappear sometimes, but he was stuck with it. What about that strange Summer he heard about? That strange heat of the sun, that ball of light in the sky. That sounded nice. He went to Hotland to see what it was like being in the heat of the area, but it felt like a haze. He didn’t like it. The summer wouldn’t be like that would it? What would it be like to have a different job? Would he like it? Probably not… he didn’t even like his current job. He sat up and looked at the dreary dead trees mixed among the evergreens, all grown by magic in hopes to liven up the underground. Give them hope or as he thought of it, false hope. As the Arbiter he was the reaper, and as the reaper he was responsible for the death of the humans that came down here. He tried to be patient with them. He tried his damn best, but one death was a death wish. One death of a monster meant the death of the human. He tried to be as lenient as possible with them as time went on. Hoping that they’d prove him wrong but none of them could. They just had to kill at some point.

Humans were traitors, plain and simple.

He heard a strange creak coming from the huge doors that lead to the ruins. The home of the woman that he’d talk to sometimes. Tell jokes to. She gave him some light in his life sometimes. He remembered that one day he was going to ask her something, but he kept chickening out on it and she ended up asking him something instead. Asking for a promise he didn’t want to keep at all.

If a human were to pass through these doors, please watch over them and protect them.

He wanted to scream.

He couldn’t keep that promise. Not at all. And he had to break it multiple times. They killed so he killed them in turn. And when he started trying to be patient with them, hoping that they were only killing in self-defense, the more they killed the less patience he had for them and thus their souls were collected for the king. This was going to be no different and he knew it. God forbid this human knew how to reset too. Actually wait, no, that is inevitable. All the humans knew how to reset. It was unfair, but then again… he was unfair for he had one ability that no other monster had, and that was the ability to remember. He never forgets their sins. He had a Photographic Memory and could never forget what they did and exactly how they did it.

He teleported to where the human was likely to be, used magic to break a branch to catch their attention. Scare them. They needed to know that this place was dangerous because there is going to be hell to pay if they do take a life. And no one would like this, it would be a very Bad Time. He requested them to turn around and shake his hand -- the same old song and dance that he had with many other humans. However, this human… was not like the others. They were different. They weren’t amused with the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. Not even a reaction. And there was a very telling sign that this human was one bad apple.

The dust all over their clothes.

They were practically drenched in the stuff. He should kill them right here, right now.

No. said a voice in the back of his head, Remember your promise to the woman behind the door. Remember that? Besides, they're just a kid, just like the others! You jumped at them too quickly. maybe this one will be different. Remember that last one? They didn’t kill until they reached the core! That’s something right? This one might be like them! Scared and just trying to defend themselves.

He let it slide for now.

He told them to keep pretending to be a human for his brother because of how Papyrus had never seen a human before. He hoped that him saying that would get the kid to stop killing, feel like they corrupted themselves by killing others, that this wasn’t a game. That it wasn’t right. The air felt colder. It almost felt like he was suffocating. Thinning and the chill actually did affect him for once, he zipped up the jacket up in an attempt to warm himself up. What was with the sudden drop in temperature? Did the human just… steal his warmth somehow? No, that can’t be right… He ignored it for now.

The human seemed fine at first but the dust on their clothes seemed to be getting worse.

No. No. Surely his mind was playing tricks on him. Maybe it was a trick of the light. Yeah. Maybe he should retire after all this and see a doctor. Surely it was about time to get some antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. Obviously, his job was getting to him.

He yawned and was chided by his brother. “You were reading instead of sleeping again, weren’t you?!”

He stared at his brother for a moment, processing the exclamative. Wait. How could he forget? He used that lie to hide the insomnia and nightmares. He lied to his brother, claimed that he had an extremely complicated sci-fi novel and he was staying up at night reading it. He gave a nervous laugh and said, “Yeah! It was a mistake, I ended up losing my place because I dropped the book when I passed out... I got to the part where the detective is getting close to finding the killer, but the killer is starting to realize that killing is a mistake and that if he continues it, he is gonna have a bad time.”

He hoped the human won’t be heartless and continue their murder spree. For the love of god, don’t be an idiot, human.

Eventually he and his brother had to split up and go off into their different posts. Their shifts required them to go off into far parts of Snowedin to be on the lookout for humans... well, actually it was Papyrus’s job. Sans’ was different and far more... simple.

Tail the human. Hunt them down. And eliminate them with swift, lethal, force. No mercy. No talking out of it. Nothing. But he couldn’t do it this time. He had to be more patient with them. For her sake…

He didn’t really know why he had grown so attached to her… Actually, that was a lie. He did know. He made a promise couldn’t name. When Gaster… well… erased himself from existence, he left a strange void… a void that… he was glad to have but still bothered him. He hated Gaster, loathed even, but when it came to the woman behind the door, he… well… loved her. The woman behind the door filled that strange void in his life that he but… really cared about the woman. He guessed he didn’t want to disappoint her. He never told her who killed the other humans. Didn’t have the courage to. He lied to her, saying that other monsters did it. He supposed he wanted this one to be different.

Sans tracked the human down eventually. Caught them red handed. He gave a hefty but silent sigh.

Maybe they believe they need to do this. You know how your kind are. The voice in the furthest part of his mind said. They don’t know our culture and we don’t know theirs. Maybe just maybe they can be reasoned with.

He decided to wait to speak with them directly about all of this. He watched them carefully and Always stayed several steps behind them to ensure that they wouldn’t notice that he was following until he wanted them to know he was following them. It was so easy to make a human scared of him this way but this one didn’t react. He wanted to let a growl, but he refused to show that kind of emotion to them. Eventually he found an opportune time to catch them. They were at the bridge. He had met Papyrus for the final puzzle, the human wasn’t amused with the puzzle and Papyrus had ran off. Snowedin was getting empty and the cold was getting worse.

“Hey kid…” Sans said with a great lack of emotion, “Listen to me. It seems like you’re going to keep going the way are, ain’t ya’?....”

The kid didn’t seem to care about what he was saying.

“They don’t give a damn.” he thought.

They’re misled, right? asked a voice in the back of his head.

Maybe…

“Ain’t ya?” he stressed. “Look kid, it seems you might end up fighting my brother… and if ya keep up with this little twisted game of yours… let’s just say you’re gonna have a bad time.”

He used his magic to make the world go dark and teleported back home. He fell back into his bed and thought back to the other kids that fell down into the underground. The same thing always happened when he finally pinned them after their little resets became meaningless.

They always cried out “I’m sorry! Please stop! You’re scaring me!”

That plea always echoed in his skull at night. Their last attempt to get some sympathy. They were kids, yes, but the resets gave them godlike powers. The ability to turn back time to whenever they desired when they fell down here. They killed and killed and killed relentlessly…. Well except that first one. She was okay. She only killed one monster, maybe he judged her too harshly. Maybe… Well, it’s not like he can turn back time to let her go about running around the underground again. This human wasn’t scared. They didn’t seem to feel at all!

Maybe they were abused before they fell. That would explain it! Bargained the voice in the back of his head.

He wanted to be reasonable, but he couldn’t. Even if they were scream out that same plea, he doubted he’d care. He couldn’t care. With the way they’re going he shouldn’t even give them a chance. Sans sat up and curled up in his bed. He was terrified of the possibilities that this human brought up just by existing. They could free his kind. They could continue doing what they’re doing and kill them all, just up and leave with only a few monsters surviving. Killing everyone over and over and over again for sick laughs. They were a god amongst mere mortals, and it was up to them to give up. To make that choice. It is the one law of life. Your choices matter in many was and don’t in many others. But in the end, even the smallest action could damn you. This human made a choice and they will face his wrath unless they choose to stop. But the question is, what if they can beat him and still refuse to stop?

Quit scaring yourself. Calm down. said the voice in the back of his head.

He shook his head and took a deep breath. Today was scary. Today was terrifying. Today was chilling. He exited his house and put on that grinning, comic act; his well-known persona; again. He hoped that he wasn’t too late. He made his way outside of Snowedin and… he saw nothing but a pile of dust and his brother’s scarf.

He felt something warm and wet go down his cheeks. He touched his face. A glowing blue liquid stained his fingers.

Tears.

He walked over and picked up the scarf and put it on trying to suppress his emotions.

“Don’t cry.” he thought to himself, “Why bother? It’s pointless right now. It’s pointless in general. It will not stop the human’s pursuit. It won’t bring Papyrus back. It won’t do anything other than tire you out.”

The tears didn’t stop. He felt the rest of the heat in his body just disappear. He couldn’t take this anymore. He teleported to Waterfall in hopes of catching up with the sadistic creature, and surely enough he did. The watery land of dark grass, glowing mushrooms and strange glowing trees and many rivers and sparkling stones around them made for a beautiful sight. The glowing Echo Flowers were also something that made the place even better. But that was going to change so quickly. He watched the beast kill and kill, trying to be patient, hoping that his brother’s words would get to them sooner or later, hoping that their interactions with Monster Kid get to them and make them realize their mistakes. That Undyne would kill them. All of his hopes were shattered one by one by one. He couldn’t take watching the slaughter.

He wiped the tears that were still trailing down his face and teleported to the Judgement Hall. His patience with them was a mistake, he should’ve just killed them the moment he saw them. Once he forces a reset, he’ll remedy his mistake.

“Maybe it’s because you didn’t give them a chance. Maybe you’ll be able to get to them!” proclaimed a voice in the back of his head.

He doubted it. He doubted it severely. There was nothing hopeful about this situation. He leaned against one of the many golden pillars of the room. The hall was grand and the greatest sight of all the underground. The stained-glass windows that showed the outside world somewhat, but only a select few monsters could come here. Him, Undyne, the missing Queen, and King Asgore himself. The human barely even entered the corridor. The barrier prevented the monsters to even try leaving via these windows… well that and the goddamn fall would kill anything except a ghost. The barrier the humans made cursed all the monsters to be forced to stay underground. It was complete and utter bullshit. He remembered begging the king to just give him one of the human souls so that way he could just get the rest right away and come back and free them all, but the king refused.

“I can’t watch another child die because of the outside world.” The king’s decision was final. He didn’t even let Undyne try to talk him into letting her do so.

He watched the outside world as he waited for the creature. It was so pretty. The fresh air must be nice. Seeing the real stars. They were so damn lucky.

Selfish bastards.

He looked to the side and saw the human had just entered the hall. He took a deep breath and sighed.

“You’ve been busy, huh?...” he said dully.

He got no response. Disrespectful little prat.

Just try to reason with them. Maybe you’ll reach them! The voice in the back of his head pleaded.

Fine. He’ll try it.

“So, I’ve got a question for ya… Do you think that even the worst person can change?... That everybody can be a good person, if they just tried?”

The creature took out it’s knife and stepped forward. They wanted a fight.

No. There might still be a chance! They can be reasoned with if you just try harder!

“Ahaha. Can’t say I didn’t try….” Sans laughed shallowly, “Alright. Well, here’s a better question… Do you wanna have a bad time? ‘Cause if you take another step forward… You are really not going to like what is going to like what happens next…”

They stepped forward again. They really wanted a fight.

Why are you picking a fight? Reason with them!

“Well… Sorry, lady… This is why I never make promises...” Sans muttered bitterly. He sighed and glanced outside, “It’s a really beautiful day outside… Birds are singing… Flowers are blooming… On days like these… Kids like you… Should be burning in hell…”

With that the fight began with his strongest attack and the human died.

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Reload…

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He should’ve known they’d prefer to restart where they left off instead of just taking the loss. They were livid. He smirked, “You look frustrated about something. Guess I’m pretty good at my job, huh?”

They were letting out a small growl out from their throat. His smirk grew a little. He’ll make them give up sooner or later.

The fight began again and somehow, they were able to get away from a good amount of his attack but when it came to them attacking him, they were horrified that he wouldn’t just stand there and take it, but actually dodge it. He wasn’t the kind of person who would just settle for what life has thrown at him. No, he’ll never be satisfied with this. He wanted better. Especially now. He gave the kid a chance and they refused to take it.

They died before they got a second turn.

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Reload.

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He made them reload their little game over and over again and each time they stepped forward he insulted them for it. Made fun of their little game. He did so with glee from their frustration. Eventually they’ll get so frustrated that they’ll reset it all and he’ll kill them the moment he sees them again. But they were so fucking persistent. He snickered when they stepped forward again for the fight, “Hmm. That expression... that's the expression of someone who's died ten times in a row. Hey, congrats! the big one-oh! Let's invite all your friends over for a big shindig. We can have pie, and hotdogs, and... Hmmm... wait. something's not right. You don't have any friends.” The last part of his little verbal jab was filled with a great deal of malice. He was reveling in their frustration.

The fight began an eleventh time. He noticed that the fight began to last longer and longer and longer with each reset. He was going to stall this damn thing out until they reset. They’ll get bored sooner or later and that will be when they reset.

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Reload.

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Soon enough they reached a midpoint he was getting really tired of this.

Well if you’re tired of it, try to reason with them! Just try it! For her sake! For the woman’s sake! For mom!

He sighed, “Listen. I know you didn't answer me before, but. . . Somewhere in there. I can feel it. There's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. The memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. Someone who, in another time, might have even been. . . A friend? C'mon, buddy. Do you remember me? Please, if you're listening. . . Let's forget all this, ok? Just lay down your weapon, and . . . Well, my job will be a lot easier.”

The human just stared at him blankly before trying to slash at him with the knife again, he dodged it and didn’t retaliate just yet. He was honestly shocked that they didn’t take his offer. Why was he surprised by this? Humans were cruel creatures.

“Welp, it was worth a shot. Guess you like doing things the hard way, huh?” he huffed. And the fight continued again.

With each reload, picking up just before the fight began, they continued to get better at dodging his attacks. Continued to learn each bit of timing of his attacks, he gave his offer over and over and over again but eventually he gave up. He gave up on giving it and the voice in the back of his head was berating him for denying the option from the human, but he couldn’t offer the option to someone who just chooses to ignore it. But soon enough, the knife broke through his rib cage and death took him.

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Reset.

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THUD! Sans fell out of his bed and he was staring up at the ceiling of his home. He was not happy. Not happy at all. He knew what was coming next.

Maybe you’re wrong?.... I hope….

Sans shook his head. “They’re going to just keep killing because they found it fun… But this time I’ll kill them before they even enter Snowedin….”

He teleported to his post and went to the door and waited.

It didn’t work…

He found himself back at the Judgement Hall. He punched one of the pillars in frustration. He hated this. They figured out his attack patterns and everything!

That thing is not a human… Demon maybe? Humans have reasoning. A moral compass. Demons don’t…

He rolled his eyes. The human walked through the door and entered the hall again. Sans frowned, “.... That expression….” he looked away, “I won’t even grace it with a description.”

They’re sick…

The fight began again, and he died again, and with it came another reset. And another. And another. Enough to lose count. With each reset his dislike, his mistrust, his hatred towards the humans… no… no Demons, grew significantly with each passing reset. But so, did his mentality. His mental health began to deteriorate. How many times did they reset? According to his memory… this was the… twenty-fifth? Yeah that sounds about right. Twenty-fifth. Twenty-five days. Almost a month… A month in hell.

He got out of his bed shaking. The air was so cold. Or was that the fear he was feeling? He couldn’t tell. He looked around his room. Something was off…. Very off… swore to god that the wallpaper in his room didn’t have such strange patterns on it. Why were there patterns on them? What was going on? Were the resets destabilizing the space-time-continuum? Surely that is what was going on! It must be, because he would know if his wallpaper had such a strange gray melting pattern on it. His memory was perfect, there is no memory in his mind that showed these patterns!

He walked out of his room and down the stairs only for something to feel off. There was something off with the living room and he couldn’t place it. He looked at the sofa and stared at it. Something was off about it. He could’ve sworn that it was in a different spot than before. He sighed and walked over to the window to see what was going on outside… But the sofa bothered him. Something was off about it, but what?!

He went back over to the sofa and crossed his arms as he stared at it. It was moved… It was moved exactly three inches further away from the coffee table… and it was a different color. Why? His memory was perfect. This was not where the couch was nor the color of it!

This was strange. It was normally green. Now it was a teal color. Why was this reset different? What was going on. He thought he saw something from the corner of his eye sockets but when he spun around, he didn’t see anything. He heard shuffling in the kitchen, and it caused him to flinch.

It’s just your brother. Calm down.

He took a deep breath. he couldn’t keep going on like this. What was he going to do? What can he do? He was the living embodiment of a glass cannon. He was not like Undyne, he was nothing like the other monsters. His Karma Venom was the most potent thing in the underground, but he only had 1 HP. One HoPe. He had no defense or anything....

But you can become so much more if you have LV.

He accidentally summoned his claws as he paused while leaning against the wall. Papyrus was gonna be mad about him scratching the wall but who cared? If he had LV then he wouldn’t need to worry about the human? One slip-up and one attack could finish them off for good…

He needed to think about this though…

You have no time to think! The monster will be here any moment!

True…

He sighed and tried to think of the first set of monsters that he knew wouldn’t be missed.

The Temmies.

He teleported to Waterfall and brought down a reign of destruction before heading back to the Judgement Hall, panting. He felt sick. He couldn’t believe that he did that. He couldn’t believe he just… killed them… and… maybe… no… no he did enjoy it… It was oddly fun seeing the horror on their faces... It was an awful energy that rushed through him as he killed them all. The entire slaughter just filled him with this… twisted force…

It feels nice, huh…

Very.

Level 5 was nice, however. He only had about level 2 and a half before this because of the kills he had before the human came down… but now… Now he had level five. This made his Karma Damage hit a bit harder… so this will surely do the trick. This will end it all.

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Reset.

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He needed more. He needed more levels. He needed to become more lethal. Surely if he kills about half of the monsters in Waterfall -- no. All! All is better! All is secure! With that power, he’ll be at the perfect level to kill the demon! Surely!

Brilliant! Plus you have the benefit of keeping your LV despite the reset! This was quite the surprise, but now! Now you’re far ahead of them! Always three steps ahead of them and no matter what they do, they won’t be able to stop you!

Yes! Yes! This is the answer he was looking for.

He began his rampage and he ended up having a small bit of trouble with Undyne but it was just a necessary evil. He tried to get this through her stubborn skull, but she didn’t believe him. Foolish. She knows he is her superior officer, why must she be so bothersome? Why go against his orders? He held a title that was far above hers?...

He missed one… that Monster-Kid. They tried to run off and get help but one shot from the blaster ended that little idea permanently. Bothersome! Bothersome! Bothersome! He looked at his surroundings. The distortions were getting worse. Since when were there butterflies in the underground? Why was the stone replaced with crystal?

There were also strange flowers in the bushes…

He needed to put an end to this.

He went to the Judgement Hall and the Demon walked through eventually.

“Since when do you kill?!” the demon spat.

Sans laughed, “Oh so you do have a voice! And here I thought your vocal cords were ripped out when you were spawned!” he frowned, “Let’s just get this over with.”

As the fight began, he carefully watched their movements, their reactions. The way they positioned themselves and held themselves with certain attacks. He needed to learn like them but better to know how to kill them.

Know your enemy. Know them better than you know yourself. Learn their ways and use it against them.

Surely enough, while he was busy studying them, he was slain in battle again. He took his rampage to Hotland as well as Waterfall. And then studied the frustrated human’s attacks again. Then it spread to the Core too and his research began again. He found many interesting things out about the human.

They aim for the chest and face of their opponents. They always do a downward strike. They didn’t wield their knife like someone who is actually adept at wielding the weapon. He should’ve noticed this sooner, but he was too busy with freaking out about the fact that they were killing than how they were doing it or how they held and wielded the weapon. He noticed that they were more frantic. Their attacks desperate. Strange… now that he thought about it he had more energy than normal.

A blessing from your killing sprees. You might need more. You might have to spread it to Snowedin.

He didn’t like that thought. He didn’t like it at all. That would mean he’d have to kill...

Papyrus…

Better you killing him than letting him die to that demon. Wouldn’t you rather kill him out of love than that beast killing him out of bloodlust?

He won the fight this time. Out of habit the human landed on their left foot and was trying to lean to the right to correct themselves, but he used his gravity magic to force them into the maw of a Gaster Blaster that was charging up a blast.

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Reset.

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He won that time...

He actually won and the demon reset because of it.... but it wasn’t enough for him. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he sat up in his bed. He couldn’t kill his brother. No. That was his brother. You don’t hurt the ones you love.

It’s better than letting that thing kill him!

“Shut up!” he silently hissed to the voice. “I can kill everyone in the Core but I’m not gonna touch Snowedin. I’m level 22. This should boost my levels a bit! I’ll even take a weapon to make it easier but I ain’t...” he went silent.

He couldn’t even speak of the idea of hurting his brother let alone killing him.

He looked around the room. The bedside table was warped unnaturally. The grey pattern that appeared before turned red and was dripping like... no... that was blood. His blanket was black and so was his pillow. The tornado in his room didn’t have trash but caught several butterflies instead which seem to be enjoying the ride. How cute. There were also strange vines creeping into the room from the window. He huffed.

Careless vile thing. It thought only of itself. How could it be so selfish? He shook his head and got ready as swiftly as possible. When he walked down the stairs, he saw that his room wasn’t the only place that was warped further. The wallpaper changed drastically in the house. The stairs were a darker color than before. The carpet was fluffier and was a deep seafoam color. The couch was now black. The coffee table was bigger the TV, which was warped and tilted. The kitchen table was also warped. The chairs were angles and warped. The fridge was a different color and shape. Everything was warped to Sans, but Papyrus seemed to not notice any of this.

He just went about his day like all the other resets. Just pretending nothing was off. No… to Papyrus there was nothing off. This had to be a sick joke… It’s all the demon’s fault. Yes, it was all their fault. Sans bit his tongue as he watched Papyrus get what he needed to make breakfast. Papyrus glanced at the corner of his socket and jumped in the air, started for a moment but looked at Sans with a soft, relieved smile.

“Sans, don’t do that, you scared me!” Papyrus tuted.

“Sorry.” Sans said swiftly.

Papyrus stared at him before getting a look of concern, he went over to Sans and held the shorter skeleton’s head and stared into his socket. Sans froze from the sudden action. What was wrong? What was going on? Is this his real brother? It must be. It has to be--

“What’s wrong with your eye?” Papyrus asked.

“My… Eye?....” Sans asked shakily.

“Yes, your left socket, your eye-light is red and blue. It’s pretty but it’s also… concerning…” Papyrus said cautiously. “Go check in the mirror.”

Sans blinked twice, confused, as his brother let him go. He ran off to the bathroom and check himself in the mirror. His brother wasn’t lying, his eye had changed. What was this? The red was light… barely even there but still noticeable. Just barely surrounding the blue. He decided to try his flame. The aura surrounded his eye socket but for brief fleeting moments the red appeared and disappeared, it was there but then gone.

Sans frowned as he deactivated the flame.

“Reality is falling apart and it’s starting to affect me as well…” he murmured, “This is not good at all…”

“SANS COME AND EAT!” Papyrus shouted.

Sans sighed and left the restroom. He sat at the table and tried to play it off. For his brother. For Papyrus. Once he is done eating, he’ll get the biggest knife and then go on a killing spree and then try to kill the human before they reach Snowedin and if they get past him… he’ll have to go to the Judgement Hall and kill them there. If they reset again, he’ll… He doesn’t know what he’ll do.

“Sans… What’s the matter?...”

Sans looked up at his brother. He gave a nervous laugh, “Oh… It’s nothing, I think it’s a side effect from my… training…”

“Your training?” Papyrus seemed suspicious, “Since when do you train?”

“Since you became so cool!” Sans laughed a little, “I thought that… since you always watch my back, I oughta watch out for yours! I mean you are my baby brother after all! Someone is gonna have to protect you if something bad happens!”

Papyrus stared at him for a second before suddenly hugging him. Sans hugged him back.

“I’m so proud of you brother! I knew you weren’t going to stay lazy forever!” Papyrus said happily.

I need to protect him… Sans thought to himself. I have to. I need to… It’s my job….

After they ate, Papyrus left to get to his station early as always. Sans waited several minutes to make sure his brother was gone truly before going to get the knife he had in mind. It was a basic chef’s knife, but it was very… distinct. It had very pretty patterns on it. It was a very fancy knife. A gift from Undyne to Papyrus for being such a good student. Sans smiled as he felt the edge of the knife. It’s extremely sharp. It would add to his damage critically.

“He wouldn’t… he wouldn’t mind… I mean if he knew and believed me about my situation…” Sans mumbled to himself.

Of course, he wouldn’t he’s your brother!

He took a long deep breath and left the house. He began his slaughter again starting with the Temmies and then made his way up to Hotland and soon when he made his way up to the Judgement Hall, a new pattern began to form. He continued to analyze the human’s movements. It was odd sometimes the human would blink quickly or just completely shield their eyes if an attack was too bright or there were too many bothersome lights, he could use this to his advantage.

He won again.

---

Reset…

----

You need more EXP. Purge Snowedin.

“No” he responded to the voice.

He refused to. He did the same thing he did in the previous timeline, again and again. He refused to kill everyone in Snowedin but his level was starting to stagnate a little. He let a growl out as he chased down a rather startled Temmie that slipped away when he just blasted the village, annihilating all… well most of the inhabitants in one go.

He was starting to have fun ... and he didn’t even realize it. A twisted grin on his face. The thrill! The ecstasy!

He used one of his “shortcuts” and killed the poor creature before continuing his rampage again. It continuously repeated. His rampages became extremely quick. So quick that he beat the human before it could get past the door. that lead to Snowedin. He tried to kill the beast, but it escaped with a sliver of health. How unfortunate. He tried this again and again, but the same thing happened. So, he stopped and decided to wait at the Judgement Hall from then on. However, his clears were still too fast. It was getting to the point that he began reading books in the Judgement Hall as he waited for the human. After a few resets he started to question if the voice was right.

Of course, I’m right! You need to do it! You don’t want that demon to win, do you?!

Sans shook his head. No. He will bear with this. He will deal with this his way! He decided to take his time with the clears a few times and he derived even more enjoyment from it and he started to notice it. It scared him but… he didn’t seem to care much. He stabbed Monster Kid at one of the many bridges in Waterfall, thus killing the poor child. It’s all for the greater good.

“Undyne, stop hiding. I know you’re there.” he said, smiling.

Sure enough the knight stepped out of the shadows, “Why… why are you doing this, Sans?” she asked on que like always in every recent reset.

He sighed, “I’ve explained myself a thousand times to you, why should I bother now?”

“You’ve never-” “Oh yeah… you don’t remember the resets….” he interrupted her. “Sorry about that… but still you’ll never remember and I’m tired of explaining myself to you. So, let’s just get this over with…” He fired his already charged Gaster Blaster that she didn’t know was under her and the bridge they were on. He gave a small wave to her as she turned to ashes as she fell. His venom eating away from her so that even if she were to use her Determination, she’d still die because of it, the damage, and the fall.

More and more resets came and went and finally he decided to do something sneaky. Instead of caving to the voice’s demands or tormenting Hotland and Waterfall for the…. Oh, dear he lost count. BOLLOX!... He probably shouldn’t be reading so much during his wait… Oh who cares anymore? Not him.

He got the knife, hid it in his pocket, and went to the door of the Ruins that blocked him from seeing the woman behind the door. He knocked several times and hoped that she’d answer. Please answer. Please answer!

She answered.

Oh, thank god she answered! He told her a few quick jokes before getting to the point, “Ma’am, I… I’m sorry but I need access to the ruins. Undyne told me that she wanted me to extend my patrol over to the Ruins. She saw the door and realized where they lead. I’m sorry… I need to go past these doors…”

The woman gasped. He leaned against the door and hoped that she wouldn’t make him brute force his way through. One of the doors moved a little, “Sans… if I do this… you promise not to be mad at me…?”

“Why would I be mad?!” he asked.

There was a moment of silence before she opened the door. After several moments, he realized who exactly he had been talking to this whole time.

The Queen.

Queen Toriel…

He blinked before giving her a small bow and said, “I… I don’t know if I should call you Your Majesty or My queen…”

“Toriel.” she said quickly. “Just… call me Toriel…”

“Okay… Toriel.” he said simply, “It’s… nice to meet you.”

He was about to shake her hand, but he chose to hug her instead. She hugged him back and it felt so warm. It felt so warm and nice and safe. Like everything was right with the world… But nothing was right with the world. He’d have to let go of her. He’d have to kill her. Kill mom. He’d have to do it for Papyrus… He’d rather kill her than kill Papyrus…

Bones shot up from the ground and impaled her several times in the gut and neck and suddenly… poof.

Dust.

He started shaking from the sudden cold. It felt so wrong. It felt so, so wrong. The warmth sapped from him. The cold of Snowedin area became a draining plague. He shut the doors despite the fact they felt like ice. He looked at his hands. The dust coated them. He frowned but then smiled. He will not lose sight of his goal. He’ll sweep the ruins. He might even kill the human before they can try to escape the area.

But the same problem soon arose much like the awful energy that he felt creeping into him. He killed them over and over again but instead of reloading they reset because they knew that he wasn’t going to stick with the same patterns. They wanted LV. They wanted it so badly. And he did too. He needed to end them. He… He would have to cave to voice’s demands. The world was so warped he was starting to see more butterflies and more strange phenomena. Giant mushrooms, card suit leaves and flowers, strange orbs.

He needed to correct all of this.

He needed to kill his brother.

He started his rampage from the core to Snowedin. He killed everyone that he came across. He killed everyone in Snowedin but Papyrus. He hadn’t gotten to Papyrus. He found himself dusting himself off before approaching Papyrus. He could do this… couldn’t he…?

“Brother are you okay? Are you sure that eye of yours is alright?”

“It’s fine, Paps…”

“Are you sure you’re okay.”

“I’m perfectly fine, Paps.”

“I’m not so sure about that…”

Sans frowned and hugged Papyrus. “I had a bad dream…”

“Another one?”

“I was stuck in a time loop and I kept watching you die… over and over again and I couldn’t stop it….”

“That sound’s scary.”

“It’s terrifying!”

Papyrus held him close.

“I can’t watch you die like that, Paps…”

“I know brother. I kn—”

Poof….

He felt the rest of the possible warmth in his body fade along with his brother. The dust seemingly stained his clothes, he pulled his hood up as he fell to his knees. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” he whispered, “I’m sorry, Paps… I have to do this…” he wiped away his tears and took a long breath before leaving to continue what he started.

He didn’t know he was being watched at the moment.

-----------

Reset.

RESET.

Chara was starting to shake in her boots. She ran into monster after monster and no matter what she’d do in any timeline he’d kill them. She’d be nice and chat and as they talk suddenly a bright light would come and the monster would turn to dust. If she tried to kill them, he’d snag the kill for himself. He found the ruins and actively tore every drop of EXP from her.

She gave up. Instead of interacting with the monsters she’d run past them. She’d run and run she did. Run to the Judgement Hall. Maybe they could work out a deal. Maybe she can get him to stop his rampage if he doesn’t kill her first. She needed to get him to stop. She did start this, but it all made sense now. It all made sense. She sees that she fucked up, but question was, “Is it too late?”

This timeline he killed everyone in the underground. Every last person. Complete genocide. He was actively waiting for her. Waiting for her so that they may fight again but this time she’ll be the one to reason with him. She was Determined to do it!

“Sans!” she shouted.

He gave her an odd look as he looked up from his book, and dropped it carelessly as he looked out the window, was he going to say those words before, when they first met in this place. Before she rest? “’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.” he said, as if any of it made sense.

Chara stood there silent and confused. “What?....”

He goes again, as he points his knife at her. She didn’t like that knife, as pretty as it was, he has sharpened it to a very dangerous degree. The last time she saw it, it was able to make a clean cut right through her. “Take your vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe you sought—

“Beware the Jabberwock, she said before you begun!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!”

She backed away for a moment before realizing… he isn’t really speaking to her anymore. They were really going to fight, aren’t they? She was about to speak but suddenly he attacked. He used his gravity magic to bring her down to the floor, it was far stronger. It seemed that with each reset after a while his powers just got stronger and stronger, and it wasn’t surprising considering that he started to gain LV. He summoned several bones and she was lucky to be able to dodge them but fell in the process with a thud.

He summoned several Gaster Blaster and she did her best to run and dodge them. The fight was sporadic. His attacks had become almost patternless.

Act.

“Sans, listen to me! I don’t want to fight!” she exclaimed.

“Liar!” he barked, sending out a barrage of bones her way, and using his gravity magic to attempt to launch her into them. She dodged them narrowly.

Act.

“I’m serious! Listen to me! I thought this was hell! I thought I was dead! I didn’t think you all were just… monsters! I thought you were all demons!” Chara exclaimed.

“You made it hell!” he laughed. “My personal hell!”

He used his gravity magic to launch her high into the air. Then using his telekinesis, magic in conjunction with it he launched her right through the floor down to ground level. He laughed hysterically as he fell back to the floor, “That was quite a fall!”

He teleported down to where the human fell and began walking towards them.

“S-....Sans…..” the human coughed, spitting up a lot of blood, “Please… stop… you’re scaring me…”

He grinned as he got his knife and sat on the human’s legs to pin them to the floor.

“DAMN RIGHT YOU SHOULD BE SCARED OF ME!” he laughed through their screams as he raised the knife high above his head and plunging it into the human’s chest again and again. A third, a fourth, and twelth, a fifteenth, twentieth, a thirty-seventh, a forty-eighth, and finally he realized… this was the last reset, finally! He fell back laughing as he held his gut. Finally! Finally! He won!

He sat up and looked around the room curiously there was a strange… pulse of what seemed to magic that came from him that went up the walls of the room, a glowing violet light. He frowned. What was happening? The flame of his eye lit, for a moment it was blue again before the red sneaked in before the flame faded before reigniting violently into an immense purple. The pulse that came from him, snaked around the building and where it touched strange things happened. Grass sprouted, strange giant flowers, glowing butterflies came out of the walls. He felt something strange… a strange… warmth. Where did this warmth come from? He touched his face and saw that it was… a violet liquid… tears. He was crying but he didn’t feel bad.

Tears of joy?

He smiled. He felt confident. He pocketed his knife and looked at the corpse of the demon, the scarlet soul floated above their body. He grabbed it and teleported back to the Judgement Hall, there were strange vines on the pillars.

“The corruption is still here because of the demon… but I think it’s perfectly acceptable now that it’s all over… for now.” he went over to the barrier. All the souls were there. He used the souls to shatter it and finally entered the surface.

---------

The humans didn’t expect it. No one did. Wall Street was destroyed in a matter of seconds. All the Policemen and Policewomen in New York disappeared. The law was gone. And then suddenly the president, the White House destroyed as well. Their death was sudden. The Nuclear Warfare that everyone had was gone and the labs where they were stored and made were gone as well. They were all gone, and it was unknown how or why. For a few weeks things were okay, but then someone, somewhere, decimated Washington DC. World War 3 broke out.

Several months later, the human race was on its final legs but then one by one the stragglers were picked off and the cause of it all snuck back into the underground where he lived and let nature take hold of the planet again.

And with that Sans was finally able to rest…

#Undertale AU #Katagma!Sans #Katagmatale #Fractured!Sans #Fracturedtale #Code: Erasure

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gasters-story · 5 years

Text

Chapter 37

Word Count: 2,064

Rocksan didn't leave when she found Gaster in such a mental state. She moved the soul containers to the wall away from Gaster before coming back to sit in front of him since he was still staring at the same spot.

"I heard the CORE will be open soon." Rocksan says, trying to make conversation with the other.

"In a week if testing goes well."

"I bet people will really like it."

"Mhm." Rocksan wasn't getting very far with this. Gaster only gave minimal responses. He did eventually mutter something while the two were both silent. "Two more to go."

"Is that so…?" Rocksan mutters. She knows very well that they could be out only halfway through the CORE's development or even now with the soul recently collected. Maybe they would have never been down here in the first place.

Gaster mover to bury his face in his hands and leaned over. "How many people have I ended the lives of? How many lives have I ruined?" Rocksan didn't know what to say in response to that. She's of course never seen Gaster in a state like this and no one else might have. Never so admittedly broken in this way at least.

The second one to see would be in soon. Anton softly knocked on the door before entering and slightly illuminating the very poorly lit room. He seemed to already figured what was up as he shut the door. He sat on the ground beside Gaster to wrap his arms around the other.

"Do you think Vedran is disappointed in me?" While Rocksan didn't understand, Anton clearly did as he shook his head. He had Gaster look up in his direction after that.

'I'm sure he's not. He just wishes the best for you.' Anton writes. Gaster just stares, seeming unsure instead. 'I've visited Asgore since you didn't seem like yourself lately. You couldn't burden it anymore, huh?' Anton gave him a weak smile. 'I'm sorry but I just wanted to know what was wrong.'

Gaster shook his head before lowering it again. Anton just gave a comforting kiss on the forehead. Rocksan didn't know much more than Anton was doing better at this than she was. She was going to leave to let Anton take care of it instead but he grabbed her by her sleeve. He offered an arm for her to join the hug as well.

Rocksan was very hesitant at first, wondering if she even belonged, before she gave in and hugged Gaster with Anton. The scientist seemed to calm down after a while until there was a beeping noise. He pulled away and took out a small device. After a moment of looking at it he speaks up.

"I gotta go." He says and teleports off without waiting for any kind of response. Anton silently sighs after just a moment.

'He better not be pushing himself again…' He writes. Rocksan nodded in response and let out a not silent sigh. She could only guess he was doing just that.

Gaster went all the way to another part of Hotland. That's where Sans paged him to go at least. Of course, he was not too far off from there and seemed to be watching something. Gaster heads on over and gets Sans' attention.

"Where?" He almost glares at the other a bit, clearly making Sans more worried than he was before.

"Over there." Sans pointed in a direction with a human like figure in the distance. "They shot Aella back in Snowdon and when their weapon stopped working they started running from everyone they see. I got the monster looking after Aella's kid to look after Papyrus and paged you while running after them to find where they were so-"

"So I can do the dirty work myself." Gaster says, cutting the other off before the details so he can just start his way over to the human already. Sans seemed troubled by that but didn't bother to speak up about it.

When the human noticed him and tried to run away, Gaster just appeared in front of them. Even when they tried to run away in a different direction the same thing would happen then. There was clearly no way Gaster would let them escape. Even they knew that.

Tears began to form in the human's eyes. "How could you take them from me?! What did they do to you monsters?!" Gaster could already have a good guess on what they meant and why they were throwing such a fit down here. He pulled on their soul and lifted them into the air.

"Doesn't mean you can just prance around here causing more problems than we need since we have other problems to deal with in the first place." Gaster glares before piercing them for a somewhat merciless and painless death.

Gaster stared at the yellow soul for a moment after he pulled it out. A soul of justice killed Aella, a mother who just wished to help and protect her kingdom. Everyone's justice can be just that different.

The scientist made his way back to where Sans is. He forcibly gives the soul to the other and starts to walk off, almost leaving Sans completely confused. "I've got some things to do, bring that to the lab."

He went all the way to Snowdin first, where Aella was shot and killed. Monsters were already collecting the dust and mourning about the event together. Besides passing by to see what was going on with that, he also came here because Undyne's babysitter was here. He's pretty sure the babysitter was also the one Alphys was given to after Aksinya's death until she had a proper new parent.

The monster answered the door even if seeming both surprised and confused about his arrival. When he asked for Undyne it lowered both feelings a bit with a tinge of sadness, knowing why he would ask for the poor child. He was one of the pick-up guardians in case something happened and this was one of those very cases. He told them to look after Papyrus a bit longer until Sans can pick him up though.

Nothing was said between Undyne and Gaster until they reached Hotland. "Why are going all the way over here? Mama's house is back thata way." She pointed behind them with one hand while holding Gaster's hand with the other.

"No one can watch you there." Gaster simply answers her. He knows he had to be the one to break the facts to her but he didn't exactly want to.

"Mama can! She always takes care of me!" Undyne exclaims innocently. Gaster tried not to empathize with her since he knows what it's like losing the person taking care of you but it's hard not to anyways.

"She's gone. She doesn't belong to the same world as us anymore." He didn't know how to say it exactly but she seemed to understand it being put that way anyways. Her head fins lowered and tears started to form as the reality started to hit her hard. her voice cracked when she tried to speak in response.

"G-gone?" The tears rolled down her cheeks. "She can't be gone! She has to play music for me and tuck me in at bedtime and show me how to fight and-"

"She's gone and there's nothing you can do about it!" Gaster snaps. They both stop in their tracks and fall silent until Gaster tugs her arm to in a sense say keep going. Undyne speaks up after a small sniffle.

"What do I do then?" She asks. "What do I do without my mama?"

"I'm going to take you to someone who can take care of you. It won't be the same but at least you'll have someone." Undyne just seemed to accept that and kept walking with the other.

She kept her gaze down, probably trying to comprehend it fully, until Gaster knocked on the castle doors. Asgore answered after just a moment, surprised to even see the two.

"What brings you here with Undyne?" He asks the unusual visitor. Gaster gently pushed the kid forward on her back with his hand.

"I just thought that since you have a problem with being lonely, you could look after her." Gaster answers. Asgore didn't quite understand it all yet but told Undyne to head inside to the living room. "Aella got killed by a human that fell down. I took care of them though." The scientist mutters to continue and explain. He hoped Undyne didn't hear but it was hard to tell. With his luck she probably did.

"I see… how unfortunate then…" Asgore mutters in response. When Gaster went to turn and leave, the king spoke again. "Look, Gaster. I know this has been taking a toll on you. How about you come in for a cup of tea? Please?"

Gaster hesitated before he just let out a sigh. "Fine." Asgore got the tea brewing once Gaster came inside. He then got Undyne situated in his home before the tea was ready so he fan pour some for all three there.

"Are you sure you're fine by yourself?" Asgore asks when he hands Gaster his cup. "It's only one more. Should I take this last one?"

"It's because it's only one more that I should take this last one." Gaster responds. Asgore seemed to really want to press on but knew it wouldn't get anywhere, knowing Gaster at least.

"Then how about this. If they make it to my castle, I'll deal with them. If the guards get them, I'll tell them to bring them to you. How's that?" Asgore offers.

"Works for me." Since there was little hesitation, Asgore figures the other would just lie about it anyways. He at least tried to make a deal, but now he was out of options. He just let Gaster go when his tea was gone and continued helping Undyne settle in.

Gaster kept himself in the labs most of the time after to wait. He didn't talk to anyone, even if Anton or Rocksan came by. They would try to get him to open up but it didn't really work. Sometimes Anton would just hug him for long periods of time or Rocksan would sit next to him for awhile.

The only thing that made a difference was dragon fossils that was delivered to him from areas dug out for some of the CORE's area additions, small extra projects. Gaster inspected and even dated them for their age, pretty impressed by the ancient monsters. Legends did say they were strong enough that at least their bones don't dust yet Gaster didn't think it was true until now. He decided to do some experiments with them.

Sadly Gaster couldn't manage it with the whole body, due to missing pieces especially, but using a small skull of a dragon he managed to link his soul up to it to essentially revive it with the soul energy. It had purple eyelights, like Gaster's somewhat of a soul color, and flew around at first to explore the labs. After a long and absolutely annoying chase, Gaster managed to see what it could do and how the link works. He found he could summon it, which would have been useful earlier, while the skull itself could shoot beams like a dragon's breath somewhat and teleport around.

Gaster didn't like how affectionate the skull ended up being, even if probably being only a young dragon anyways. It was constantly nuzzling up against him and flying in circles around him. He'd rather one of the older skulls. He might give this one to Papyrus for a trade out so he doesn't have to deal with it. He'd much prefer that than keep the annoying thing around.

He did end up introducing the dragon skull to Papyrus and they got along well to the point the young skeleton named it "Cuddles" since it was so affectionate. Cuddles eyelights soon changed to orange after that and Papyrus had an easy pet to look after with Sans.

Gaster could just make more from there anyways. It didn't really take a toll on his soul either like a connected weak soul. He just hoped the next ones aren't that affectionate this time so he can have easier ones to handle.

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[Index]

#gaster #asgore #rocksan #anton #sans #gaster's story #fanstory #undertale #headcanon #story #chapter 37 #connecting bonds arc

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topazshadowwolf · 7 years

Text

Troubles With Sleep

Day 2 of Soriel Week! The prompt is “sleep”, so get ready for some rad sleeping action! Also, I made an art, which you could find at the end!

An Undertale Fanfiction by: Topaz Shadowwolf Undertale is owned by: Toby Fox Relationships: Soriel Rating: Everyone Heads up: Mention of death

Troubles With Sleep

For the longest time, Toriel had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. At night, in the quiet hours in the Ruins, her mind would wander to the darker concepts in life. She would see and remember things she could and will never forget. Her mind tortured her with haunting memories of faces, pain, and cries for help; which chased her all-night long.

First, she would remember watching Chara, her beloved adopted child, slowly die an agonizing and horrible death. Nothing she did eased the suffering the innocent soul endured. No matter how much she wanted to take that burden on herself, she could not. After all the times, she promised the child that she would keep them safe, she was powerless to save them.

Then her son. Her dear, sweet son, who was the light of her life. His broken and blooded body was found collapsed and dying on the throne room floor. She remembers being there, by him, as he clung to the empty body of his dead sibling. Sobbing as her healing magic failed to do anything. Then breaking into a hysterical wail as he fell to dust. In the moment he needed her most, she failed him. Twice in one day she failed as a mother.

Asgore, also pained by the loss of his children, acted. While she mourned, he declared war on the humans. How he could do that, after loving and caring for Chara, was beyond her scope of understanding. For the next few days they yelled, argued, and refused to be near each other. For years upon years, he had always come to her for such decisions. She would talk to him, counsel him. And now? He turned from her, ignored her, and refused to listen to her reason; nor, would he back down. Even when she explained the idiocy of it, he did not relent. That was when she left. Turning her back on the one she had come to love with all her heart, and leaving him with his own choice of bloodshed.

Every human child, who fell, she cared for as long as they would stay with her. She made sure they had food, drink, bed, shelter, love, and new clothes for their growing bodies. But each one left. They each seemed to have a mission they were driven to complete. And every time, news filtered through of their deaths. For all of them, she felt her soul die a little more, and her ability to sleep diminished. She became cold, distant, and angry with the world and the monsters in it. Never again did she think she would find joy or happiness.

Even after moving to the surface, her sleep patterns hadn't improved. There was concerns at work, about human and monster relations, Asgore wanting her forgiveness, Frisk wanting her to forgive Asgore, and the wellbeing of Frisk. There was so much going on in her life, so much to think and worry about. There was hardly any time for sleep, and some nights she half spent sitting up, making lists of all she needed to do for handling upcoming events.

As if she didn’t already have enough to worry about, her mind would wander to the health of her one dear friend. The one monster who showed her how to laugh again while they were still underground. He had brightened up her life, day after day, visiting her door, telling her jokes and stories about life outside and his brother. And the day they finally met, and learned each other's names, was one of the greatest in her life.

It didn’t take her long to figure out that Sans didn't share her problem. He slept very easily, passing out at any moment. A few times he apologized for leaning on her in his sleep, but she didn't mind. In fact, she really enjoyed the feel of his weight on her side, the subtle movement of his ribs as he breathed, and the soft hum of his magic and soul.

If anything, it made her feel drowsy, which was something she hadn't felt in ages. Remembering this, a few times at night, she would imagine hugging him. Feeling him there, in her mind, and letting his deep voice chase the ill thoughts away. It seemed childish, and it was something she wouldn’t want to tell him; but, it helped.

This night it was not working. No matter how hard she tried, sleep would not come. She wanted to talk with him, and was considering calling him. But she knew that is silly, he would be in bed, asleep like she should be. Still, her insomnia was getting to her and she had to do something. Grabbing her phone and a stylus, she found her text conversation with Sans and send a quick message.

*We should meet tomorrow (or today, considering the time), I found a pretty puzzle we can put together. That is, of course, if you're not too busy with work. Hope I don't wake you, sleepy bones, and for a piece of your time tomorrow.

With it sent, she started reviewing their old back and forth joke telling. What she wasn't expecting was how quickly she received a reply.

*hey t, you're up late. sure, i can see you after work. noon good?

*So are you, I thought you’d be asleep. And yes, noon is perfect.

*k see you then.

She stared at her phone for a moment. It would be easy to dismiss it as him waking up to her text and being tired. Or that he was just up late with his brother for some reason. But it still bothered her that he didn’t reply with a single pun or joke. He didn’t even acknowledge the one she made. Frowning she decided to not let this slide.

*Alright, but Sans, what are you doing up?

There was a long pause, as the dots indicating he was responding appeared and disappeared multiple times. Finally, the reply came.

*what abt you?

That skeleton!

Toriel huffed and glared at her phone. How dare he flip her concern for him back on herself. He was deflecting, and unlike usual, not with a joke. Quickly, she wrote a new message.

*I am fine. You, though, fall asleep at the slightest lull in activity. I don't want you passing out more than normal, or sleeping at your job.

*i won't, t.

Toriel sighed. How would he know? He’ll most likely be so tired when he gets here, the moment she set the puzzle out he’d fall asleep. As she sat there fuming, he sent another message.

*sorry

Toriel looked at that word, confused; but more than that, she felt concerned. As far as she knew, there was nothing for him to be sorry about. Considering the times she has caught him looking, sounding, and acting melancholy, she couldn’t help but worry.

*For what, my friend?

*everything

*I’m not sure I understand what you mean.

*never mind, i should sleep, good night.

*Sans, are you alright?

He took a moment to reply.

*nyes

He then quickly corrected.

*yes

*I’m calling.

The dots of him replying quickly popped up, but she didn't wait to see. She flipped over to her contact list, selected his name and called. He let it ring a while before answering.

“hey, t.”

“What did you mean by ‘everything?’” Toriel asked.

“it's nothing, don't worry about it,” there was such a heaviness in his tone.

“I don't believe you, what's wrong?” She persisted, saddened to hear him like that.

“i,” he started, but stopped, so she waited. Experience has taught her that it sometimes takes him a moment to collect his thoughts, especially when he was going to talk about something he normally wouldn’t. From the other end, she heard a shuddering sigh before he continued, “i’m prone to nightmares. and i was awake when you texted because of a pretty bad one. just left me rattled, heh.”

It is rare for him to open like that, and she knew better than to point out that he sounded distressed. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“thanks tori, but it's fine, really. you should sleep, and i should get back to sleep.”

She sat there for a moment, knowing this skeleton all too well to just accept that answer, “If I were to hang up, would you go to sleep again?”

His silence answered that. He had nothing to say, because he knew she wouldn’t like the answer. Though, if he was prone to nightmares, like he said, perhaps that is why he is always falling asleep during the day. The sleep needed isn’t being achieved at night.

“If I say I will try going to sleep, could you try as well?” Toriel asked.

“sure, tori,” he said. There was some humor there, but still, the heaviness was present. They then wished each other goodnight, and hung up.

Toriel did get some sleep, but it wasn’t much. The next morning, she got up, made breakfast, and then walked Frisk to their friend’s house to play. It was nice when Frisk could have days like this, to just be a child. If it were possible, she would go back in time and stop Asgore from putting so much responsibility on the poor child’s shoulders. She was unsure how he could not see that Frisk was too young for a job like that.

As she walked home, she thought back to the shared issue with sleep. That is when she got a brilliant idea, but she would need a little help to do it right. Pulling out her cell phone, she knew just who to call.

After hanging up with Toriel, Sans did go back to sleep, only to wake up again. He had another two hours before his alarm would go off and he doubted he would sleep yet again.

…

His alarm woke him, so he must have drifted off at some point. Unwilling to get up, he rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling, debating calling in sick. But, if he did, he’d feel guilty that he skipped work and then hung out with Tori. Pap needs the money for school, food, and housing costs.

In the underground, Sans had multiple jobs to pay for the house. So far, he managed to find just one-person willing to hire his boney butt on the surface, and they only took him on part time. Right now, the brothers were getting by on savings and what little Sans can earn. As for Papyrus, Sans would rather work himself to the bone and let his bro focus on his studies, and not worry about a job or money.

Closing his eye sockets and rubbing his face, he really didn’t want to get up. His second alarm went off and he finally rose from his bed and grabbed his uniform. He then set on his bed and stared at, with the enthusiasm of any resident of Snowdin who had the ‘pleasure’ to spend the day with Jerry.

At his third alarm, Sans finally got dressed, and exited his room before the fourth - ‘hurry up and get ready now’ - alarm went off. He grabbed a breakfast bar, his jacket, and left.

Sans’ job was simple. Either he was taking orders, handling money, and passing off the food; or he quickly prepared food for waiting customers. This early in the day, what was cooked mostly consisted of eggs and bacon. It was a small, non-chain, food joint, that Papyrus wouldn’t want to work or eat at. Not that different than his hotdog stand in Hotlands or even Grillby’s, really.

When his shift ended, he made his way to Tori’s, feeling more defeated than he did when he started the day. Dealing with some of the customers dampened his mood, immensely. And there were so many disgruntled humans there today, that his coworkers agreed he should stay in back for food prep, leaving the customers to them.

Once at Toriel’s house, he walked up to the door and sighed, glancing down at his clothes. He could smell work on himself. He should have swung by home first, even if it made him late. But he said noon. What he really should do is just tell her he's feeling sick and go home. Unsure if he should talk or text, he stared at the door.

Well, he was here, might as well talk.

He knocked twice on the door and hear a voice from inside call, “Who’s there?”

“no bell”

“No bell who?”

“did i win the nobel prize?”

Toriel laughed as she opened the door to let him in. Hearing her voice was all he needed to have his day brightened, and his final decision was to stay. When he walked in he was about to go to the table, where he was sure the jigsaw puzzle would be waiting, but what he saw in the family room caught his attention. Blankets were propped up on chairs and the sofa to form a tent like structure. It was rather big, bigger than any blanket fort he or Papyrus ever made.

“frisk make that?” Sans asked, admiring the effort.

“Actually, I did. I don't know about you, but I’m still tired from last night,” Toriel stepped closer and placed one of her large paws on his shoulder. It was warm with her magic naturally flowing through it, like the life blood of humans. He wanted to look up at her as she spoke, but his eyes were transfixed on the soft, shimmering fur, and the elegant opalescent claws at the end of each finger.

“uh, yeah, same,” was his less than dignified response.

“So, I thought we would relax, maybe watch a movie and rest or nap instead. After all, I tried reading this morning but my tired eyes kept blurring the words,” Toriel continued. Sans glanced up at her face, seeing that beautiful smile of hers aimed at him.

To this change of events, he wasn't sure what to say. “ok,” was the best he could muster. He then remembered he was in his work clothes, “i could head home and change, it won't take long, I know a shortcut.”

“No need, my dearest friend,” she said as her hand left his shoulder. Curious he trailed after her when Toriel moved further into the house. “For you see,” she said before picking up a duffel bag, “someone told me long ago about a wonderful and sweet monster. And he was more than willing to gather some things for you.”

Sans stared at the bag being offered to him. It was his old bag, teal blue with grey accents, that he used when he was attending college underground. He would pack it and take it with him when he would to be away a few days. He took and opened it to find a set of pajamas and some wash clothes just under a well-used book.

“Oh? What’s that?” Toriel asked.

“a bedtime classic at our house. so, if this is what we’re going to do, let’s get ready, settle back, and join fluffy bunny in his adventures,” Sans looked up at Toriel. She was an amazing friend, and Papyrus, obviously, the coolest bro.

Papyrus must have bought the pajamas after Toriel called him, as Sans hadn’t owned a pair since reaching adulthood. That, and the obvious hint was the tag still being on them. Sans had gone in the bathroom to clean up, which didn’t take long. When he walked out, he joined Toriel in the blanket and pillow fort. The two cuddled next to each other while he read. Just like at home with Papyrus, Toriel was asleep soon after the story finished. As Sans laid there, next to the most beautiful woman he could ever hope to be near, he wished that this moment would last the rest of his life. They had been friends for so long, hanging out together as often as possible. They had been getting closer, but they have only really ‘hung out.’ They were impromptu dates, but it would be nice to make it more official. Perhaps, if he still has the nerves to, when he wakes he’ll ask her out on a proper date.

#sorielweek #sorielweek2017 #undertale #fanfiction #soriel #sleeping is rad #I love sleep #I sleep way to much #I need sleep #like right now #no i don't #well #maybe #anyway #i hope you enjoy

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