Chapter Text
The tall, imposing skeleton stared at you from across the battlefield. He looked every bit menacing as his brother had described him. He reminded you of one of those military officers you had read about in your History books. He had a stern expression, his uniform didn't have a single crease on it and his stance gave off a prohibitive vibe, like he wouldn’t hesitate to punish you if you stepped out of line for a single moment.
Even with his threatening stance, you couldn’t help but admire the proud skeleton. Everything about him spoke of leadership, discipline and confidence. Papyrus didn't know, but he met all your standards.
Dozens of pairs of eyes watched from behind trees and bushes, the monsters eager to see the fight. They didn't care about Papyrus; they just wanted a chance to finish you off before Undyne’s Right Hand did. Everybody knew killing a human Soul meant the monster earned the right to absorb it. And the monster who did so would automatically become the most powerful creature in the Underground, able to challenge even Asgore himself.
You shivered as you felt the wave of hostility coming from the distant, silent crowd. You kept your eyes focused on the tall skeleton blocking the path to Waterfall. Your heart beat wildly in your chest and you hoped he couldn’t see you tremble from that distance. Ever since you had stolen a few glimpses of him during your travels through Snowdin, you were looking forward to meeting him in person...only not right before a battle to the death.
He readjusted his stance and addressed you.
‘HUMAN! YOU SHALL STEP NO FURTHER! SO FAR, YOU MANAGED TO ELUDE MY BROTHER’S WATCH, BUT NO MORE! AS LIEUTENANT OF THE ROYAL GUARD, I WILL STOP YOU. TONIGHT, YOU DIE BY MY HAND!’
The sound of his booming voice made your cheeks go red and you felt the heat rising inside you. You had barely time to think, however, when a circle of red bones erupted from the ground surrounding you. They spun, going faster each time until they closed around you, about to crush you-
A circle of white pellets erupted from thin air, blocking the attack. Flowey was watching the fight, safely tucked inside your backpack, his beady little eyes peeking from its depths.
‘Flowey...’ you said in a shaky voice, meaning to thank him.
‘Watch out! He’s going to attack again!’
Papyrus, however, interrupted his attack and stared at the crowd. He looked livid and furious.
‘WHICH ONE OF YOU USELESS MONGRELS COUNTERATTACKED? HUH? STEP FORTH OR I SHALL THROW YOU ALL INTO PRISON!’
The crowd remained silent, pairs of eyes exchanging confused and nervous glances. The lieutenant lost his patience and launched a volley of attacks at them, making several monsters leap from their hideout and run for their lives. Only two or three among the strongest remained.
Papyrus saw no culprits had come forth and turned his seething expression toward you.
‘IF I FIND OUT WHICH MONSTER IS HELPING YOU, REST ASSURED I’LL PERSONALLY MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF THEM!’
You could tell Flowey was shivering inside your backpack. He had played that game many times before. he knew what Papyrus was capable of in that twisted alternate reality.
‘Don’t listen to him. We can beat whatever this world throws at us. We only have to stay determined!’ you muttered to him.
‘Easy for you to say! You don’t know what awaits us!’ he mumbled back, voice breaking.
‘What d’you mean?’
But there was no time to find out what your friend meant. Papyrus launched a second attack, and this time, you had to be fast to avoid certain death. Lined up bones were hurled at you at incredible speed, forcing you to jump around to avoid being hit and taking massive damage. Your foot hit against a rock and you fell on the snow, unable to dodge the next barrage of bones. In a split second, Flowey summoned another group of pellets and hastily counterattacked, launching his bullets against the bones and exploding them, their red remains scattering through the air, hitting you as they fell to the ground.
You barely had time to understand your friend had saved you again when Papyrus was preparing his next attack. Flowey’s eyes widened as he recognised the pattern the skeleton drew with his hands.
‘Get up, [______]! Please, get up! He’s going to do it!’
You stealthily shoved the Snow Piece in your mouth, mentally asking the snowman for forgiveness and did as you were told, positioning your arms in front of your face and torso in a protective stance. Flowey only panicked even more.
‘What are you doing? RUN! You can’t defend yourself against this!’
But you shook your head, holding your position.
‘I’m tired of running away. C’mon, lieutenant! Do your worst! You want my Soul? I won’t make it easy for you!’ you shouted, the orange colour of your heart shining brightly as your emotions ran high.
Papyrus heard your words and his expression faltered. He looked surprised for a moment. However, he quickly resumed his attacks.
You were encircled again by red bones. Only this time, you kicked and punched some of them, taking damage, but managing to leap out of the circle. The ones that remained intact chased you on the battlefield, forcing you to dodge or punch them away. You found a way to hit them without hurting yourself so much and even managed to shatter a few of them. Flowey did his part by launching bullets at the ones you missed, making sure you weren’t hit on your back.
Despite your successful attempt to evade death, Papyrus became even more relentless. Circle after circle formed around you, forcing you to punch your way through them, having to evade being crushed and hit by stray bones at the same time. You were soon becoming tired and your determination faltered as you wondered for how long could you keep up with this.
Damn it. You knew your life was in danger. You knew that skeleton wouldn’t hesitate to kill you. And yet, you couldn’t help the feelings that burned inside you and filled you with heat and disquiet…
You tried to shove a donut in your mouth, but Papyrus saw what you did and one of his bones sprung from the ground, hurting your hand. The donut fell to the ground. Another bone squashed it, making it inedible. Green pellets materialised in mid air and healed you. Before you had time to thank Flowey, Papyrus attacked you again, repeating his previous pattern.
With the way the battle was going, it wasn’t long before your energy supply ran out and you had to stop to catch your breath. Just when you did so, a volley of bones hit you with almighty force.The attack was strong enough to throw you to the ground. Your HP was low. You could only endure a couple more attacks before your soul would shatter.
Papyrus ceased his attacks and marched toward you, standing a few meters from where you had fallen, his cloak billowing against the cold wind. You looked back at him, aware he was about to finish you off. You knew better than to beg for your life. A man like him, you didn't want to show weakness. You didn't want him to think you were worthy of pity. His soul showed traits of Pride. Papyrus only admired those who were better than him or who never yielded, even when facing death. You had to stay determined. Otherwise, he would despise you.
‘Not going to beg for your life, human?’ he said, watching you.
You raised your eyes in defiance. ‘Never.’
To your chagrin, you found your cheeks burning red and your heart beginning to pump violently in your chest. You were sure Papyrus had noticed your reaction. Your mask of bravery had been shattered. By now, you were sure he wouldn’t hesitate to-
He motioned his hand upwards and a couple of glowing red shackles rose from the ground. You watched them close around your wrists. You had a gut feeling you shouldn’t resist. You looked upward again, staring at Papyrus’ face, searching for the reason why he hadn’t finished you off, but his expression was impassive as always.
‘You lasted longer than the previous humans. You also fought better than your predecessors. I’ll let King Asgore decide what to do with you. He may wish to keep you alive for the Royal Scientist to perform her...experiments.’
You shivered at the mention of becoming a lab rat to some monster, to being prodded and subjected to pain and torture by an inhuman creature. But somehow, the way he looked at you told you he wasn’t going to submit you to such treatment. If anything, something in his eyes reassured you he was trying to... protect you?
If you weren’t going to be sent to Asgore or to the Royal Scientist...what did, then, he have in mind?
The shackles magically pulled you and you got up, doing your best to follow the skeleton as you winced from your recently opened wounds. If Papyrus could hear you, he didn't show it.