You look around at the students going about their life like any other day. You see groups of people your age chatting, others sitting in front of their laptops, typing away furiously. With a sense of wonder in your eyes you even spy a couple of monsters. Sans guides you inside a building and you continue to inspect your surroundings curiously as he asks someone where he can find Alphys' lab.
"So this Alphys, what does she do exactly?" You inquire as you follow the small skeleton.
"She was the royal scientist back in the Underground. She's one of the smartest monsters I know, but she doesn't give herself enough credit." Sans explains.
You come to a room with counters filled with glass beakers, microscopes, centrifuges, all the scientific equipment you can imagine, and possibly more. Everything looks so sophisticated you're a bit afraid of moving and breaking anything expensive.
"O-oh, hi Sans. W-what are you d-doing here?" You find the stutter-y source of the squeaky but endearing voice. It's a very short yellow monster that you could probably most accurately describe as the evolutionary transition between a dinosaur and a common lizard.
"I brought you a scientific wonder." You're not sure whether you feel flattered or insulted.
"H-hello…" You say. Is that stutter contagious?
Alphys turns to you and seems to shrink a little bit. You'd think she was intimidated by you but you're too busy fiddling with your thumbs, unsure what exactly it is you're supposed to do with yourself.
"C-could you be a b-bit more s-specific?" Alphys asks politely.
Sans places a hand on the small of your back and pushes you towards her slightly. "You have experience with human souls. Take a look at hers." You throw him a very panicked stare. You don't want to be probed and tested, you've had enough of that for a lifetime. Catching the very unsubtle hint in your eyes he smiles at you. "Don't worry, Alphys here may be the soul researcher in the field, but she's very skilled. She won't hurt you." You're still a little uneasy, your heart thumping wildly, but you heed his words.
"Sans, I-I'm not sure if I can h-help." To say that she's nervous would be the understatement of the century. Feeling a little sympathy for her you try to make her more comfortable.
"If Sans trusts you then so do I. I promise I'll play nice…" You flash her the softest smile you can muster and she blushes slightly.
"O-oh… I-I guess I can t-take a look at you…" She beckons you closer and pulls out a chair for you to sit on. "Um, i-if you feel un-c-comfortable with anything, j-just say so and I'll s-stop." She cleans her glasses on her lab coat and places them on her face. You expect her to extract your soul but she just stares at you. You look over to Sans and he just shrugs. Maybe she's having some problems…?
"I should probably tell you…" You start to say but Alphys interrupts you.
"Your s-soul's been infused with m-magic." Your mouth hangs open.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"W-well, where monsters are u-usually made up mostly of m-magic, and humans of ph-physical matter, y-your soul r-radiates in a way that a m-monster's would b-but it has the higher d-density of a regular human's. P-plus it has a very peculiar g-glow to it. I-it's quite b-beautiful…"
"You can tell all that from just looking at me?" You have to admit you're quite impressed.
"Told you she was smart." Alphys' cheeks turn red once again but then she looks Sans in the eyes.
"But you d-didn't really come here for m-me to tell you something you a-already knew, did you?"
You and Sans exchange glances and you're as much at a loss as any. His expression grows sombre. "Can humans absorb other humans' souls?" He repeats your question from earlier.
Alphys freezes for a moment then starts to waddle away. "W-why do you want to k-know that?"
"I thought you of all people would be the one to know."
"T-theoretically." You feel a knot form in your throat. "B-But humans lack the magic t-to pull out souls s-so…" She drifts off as her eyes settle back on your soul. "O-oh…" You hide your face in your hands, elbows resting on your knees, suddenly feeling extremely sick.
Sans squeezes your shoulder gently. "Can you do it?"
"No."
"Have you tried?"
You stay quiet for a moment. "…yes."
"Can he do it?"
"I don't know."
Suddenly it all clicks in your head. He wasn't trying to kill you, he was trying to incapacitate you. The poison was slow acting in case you tried to escape again so that he could catch up to you more easily. He must've not accounted for the teleporting skeleton in your company. The weight of the truth crushes you. Your own father is trying to steal your soul… You didn't think he would go that far, but if you're being honest with yourself it doesn't really surprise you.
"A-are you o-okay?" Alphys asks you.
"I just need a moment…" She turns to Sans, who's standing behind you, rubbing your back in a comforting motion.
"Are t-there more l-like her?"
"At least one." The tiny monster nods solemnly.
"T-this is bad… R-really, really bad…"
"Which is why I have to stop him."
The skeleton seems taken aback by your burst of sudden bravery. "You'd be walking right into his hands, you do realise that's what he wants, right?"
"Well I'm not about to hand you over either if that's what you're suggesting. Or any other monster. For all I know he's out there right now, killing innocents to quench his thirst for power. And I'm every bit to blame as much as he is." You make for the door and Sans pops up in front of you, the remnants of the blue flame in his left eye blinking away.
"I can't let you do that."
"Why not?" Your voice is low but your resolve is strong.
"You're not alone anymore. I told you I wouldn't let him hurt you again, and I meant it." He seems to be just as determined as you, or maybe he's just stubborn, you're not sure. "How are you even going to find him? And what will you even do then?"
"I don't know!" You throw your arms up in frustration.
"You can't go out there on your own and unprepared." He's right and you know it, but you don't want to admit it so you just cross your arms and frown at him.
"M-maybe she could t-train with Undyne." Alphys suggests. A grin spreads on Sans' face and you're immediately worried.
"Alphys, you're a genius."
"Wait, wait, wait, I don't know if agree to this, you look awfully suspicious right now!" The smile on his face only grows wider and you instinctively gulp.
"Let's go say hi to Paps." And before you can object or try to get away, Sans grabs you by the waist and pulls you close, the world around you crumbling and reforming just fractions of a second later in a completely different layout. You have to start getting used to that. You found yourself in what seemed to be a backyard of a house.
You hear a loud crash and automatically cover your head with your arms expecting something to come at you.
"BE CAREFUL WITH THOSE SPEARS, YOU ALMOST HIT ME!" The sound of Papyrus' distinctive and explosive voice snaps you back to reality.
"That's kind of the point, punk!" When you look to see who the second voice belongs to you spot a tall, blue-scaled fish monster with luscious red hair pulled up in a ponytail, a yellow, cat-like eye and a black eyepatch covering the other one. She's wearing a black tank top and cargo pants, and has a very commanding posture. In her hand you see a long, blue spear aimed at Papyrus. Your eyes widen and you run over to step in between them, standing with your back to the skeleton and your arms wide open to block the blows.
"Stop! Don't hurt him, please!" You shout at the top of your lungs, even though you barely know him, you can't stand the thought of anyone doing anything bad to Papyrus. He seems too precious for this world.
"And who the heck are you?" The blue monster in front of you shouts back, sharp teeth bared, you can't help but feel a little intimidated but stand your ground.
"HUMAN!" Skeletal arms wrap around you and without warning your feet are off the floor, making you squeak in surprise.
"You know this nerd?" She questions Papyrus, who's still holding you, spear pointed right at your face.
"She's a friend." You hear Sans say off to the side. You stare at him confused. What is going on? Also did he just say friend? Are you friends? The thought makes you want to smile until you realise you're being threatened at spear point…
"SANS! YOU'RE HERE TOO? DID YOU BRING THE HUMAN ALONG TO WATCH THE GREAT PAPYRUS TRAIN?" The tall skeleton finally sets you back on the floor but the other monster's spear doesn't leave your eyes. She's squinting at you.
"Actually, I was hoping you could train her too."
"OH I'D LOVE TO!" Papyrus sounds really excited.
"No, bro, I meant Undyne." His face falls and you feel a little bad for him.
"And why would I do that?" So the blue monster, who's still got the spear trained on you, is Undyne…
"Alphys said she thought you were the best monster for the job." You narrow your eyes at Sans who's grinning mischievously. "But hey, if you're not up to the task…" He shrugs. "I'll just go tell her you're not as tough as she thought…" He grabs your hand and pulls you away, you bend backwards a little, not wanting to cut your face on the pointy end right next to it.
"Wait right there, bonehead!" Sans stops walking, and you almost bump into him. He looks over his shoulder and raises a brow bone. That sneaky… "I'll train your puny human! But don't come complaining when I return her as a kebab!" Your eyes turn to the size of dinner plates.
"I definitely don't agree to this!" You say freaking out. Sans pushes you towards a very angry looking monster, Papyrus slowly backing away and hiding behind his smaller brother.
"You'll be fine. Ignore the sushi smell."
Behind Undyne, about ten other spears pop into existence. "Oh no…" At your reaction she flashes you a toothy grin.
"Scared?" She taunts. You tilt your head to the side, out of nowhere amusement sparks inside you. This could be fun… You smirk.
"Give me all you've got."
One of the spears comes to life and launches straight at you. You dive forward, ducking, but she's already throwing more at you, you step to the left, then right, zig-zagging out of the way. "You ain't gonna get away that easily!" The speed at which she tosses her attacks increases and so you step up your dodging. As one goes right to your feet you somersault backwards, provoking Sans to let out a whistle and Papyrus to clap enthusiastically.
You notice Undyne's run out of spears, so you charge forward, preparing to throw a punch. She catches your fist easily and laughs. "Like I said. Puny human!" She forcefully shoves you to the side and extends her arm towards you. You try to move but you can't. She's using magic to keep you in place. "You're quick on your feet, but what are you gonna do if you can't go anywhere?"
Another set of spears appears out of thin air and she throws three at you in quick succession. Your feet won't budge so you just lift your arms in front of your face, bracing yourself for the blow. But it never comes. You take a peek from behind your arms and see her glowering at Sans.
"You told her about my attack didn't you?" He chuckles.
"Nah, she's just got more guts than you." With this she conjures a spear behind you and you realise you can turn to face it but not move out of the way.
"NYEH-HEH-HEH! GO HUMAN! YOU HAVE TO FACE YOUR FEARS HEAD ON!" So that's how it works… You mentally thank Papyrus for the lovely hint.
You face every blow she throws at you and then there's one that's different from the others, you watch it come towards you and then it disappears and you feel a jab at your back and fall flat on your face. "HA! Got'cha punk!" You roll over on to your back, noticing you can move again. You don't give up that quick. And you haven't given it your all either… You spring back to your feet and jump to a sprint, eyes flashing red.
As she sees you coming towards her, she tries to pin you in place again but you block her magic with your own. Her eyes go wild and she materialises another spear in her hand, swinging at you, you slide down on your knees, bending backwards underneath it and it feels like the whole scene is in slow motion.
"Aww yeah! Atta girl!" Sans cheers behind you.
You turn around and throw a kick at Undyne's side, she blocks it with her arm and brings her spear down on you, but you sidestep out of the way continuing to punch and kick even though she blocks every time. After a while of this she finally slams you right in the stomach and you fall backwards, panting. Undyne leans on her spear and extends out her hand.
"I can't not be friends with someone who fights like that. I'm Undyne, and who are you punk?" She's grinning at you after finally formally introducing herself and you take her hand, smiling back as she pulls you to your feet.
"Star is fine."
NOTE: I had a lot of fun writing that last part so I reallly hope you enjoyed reading it just as much :D Feel free to leave a comment saying what you think