I don't want to die…
It could be so easy to just let go. He surprised himself when the rage spiked up at the death of his brother.
I don't want to die…
Why did he afford to care again? With all the resets the kid did, it should have not mattered anymore. It was a fucking cycle:
Reset, Play, Reset, Play, Reset, Play.
It was a simple game to them.
He wouldn't want this…
Sans clutched his white shirt, now wet with blood. Another experiment succeeded: he always wondered if he could bleed with the amount of determination and power he possessed. Not even Undyne could bleed when pumped up… he was just different.
He quietly slid on a pillar and on the floor.
The skeleton was supposed to be happy, right? He would see his brother again, if some sort of Heaven even existed for monsters. Why were humans the lucky ones to possess souls capable of existing after death itself? Hell, it took some Determination for the kid to reload each save and reset the timeline.
Welp, at least they weren't the only ones to learn from the attacker when restarting the fight. Sans sucked in every possible information from his father's journal and lessons: Gaster was still unmatched in his scientific work.
So… tired…
"P-Papyrus…" Sans breathed out, letting his gloved hand fall flat on the floor. "…do you want anything?"
I don't want to die!
When darkness welcomed him, he made sure to die with his eyes closed.
Have you ever woke up after a party where you drank too much? Or with a headache so powerful only an aspirin could sooth the pain? Or even predicaments where studying too much and never taking a break gives you this dizziness?
Sans felt exactly this way.
He groaned loudly and blinked his eyes open. The first thing he saw was the ceiling of a room, but it wasn't the golden and colored ceiling of the judgement hall he fought Frisk (or whatever they were) in. It was black.
Was he transported inside a building? Did Alphys or the surviving monsters find him?
Someone snorted in the background, the sound slowly reaching him as his hearing adjusted. "Finally awake, uh?" The voice commented, it was male. "I knew taking a human in was risky but, heh, I'm not exactly like anyone 'round 'ere." The individual sighed. "Empathy could be my death."
What?
Sans rubbed his face with a glove and yawned. Looking around, he must have been inside a backroom or something akin. It was full of… clothes? All types of clothes gathered in displayed stocks or inside boxes.
He shifted his attention to the man speaking and widened his eyes.
He wasn't human, that much he grasped, but he wasn't any kind of known monster species. Sans passed each evening inside his room to memorize his father's journal and notes about his categorized kind.
He was about his and Frisk's height, his skin was a deep red color with white horns prolonging from his head and sharp teeth displayed in a frown. His hairs were brown and his eyes red and almost slitty. To conclude his appearance, he possessed a long tail, which ended in a triangular point, and claws.
The… 'guy' held a shotgun in his hands, pointed directly at the monster.
Sans detected his magic but he couldn't know if he was able to dodge or summon it after his unexpected nap.
He hesitantly raised a glove in greeting and tilted it back and forth. "Heya." He fidgeted. "Uh, mind lowering that? I'd like a civil conversation monster to… whatever you are."
The alien raised an eyebrow in confusion but he complied and set his weapon aside. "You're not stupid at least. But why did you just call yourself a 'monster'? Last time I checked, humans are only monsters when desiring power or money… or anything else for that matter." He shrugged.
Sans scratched the back of his head in wonder to what the alien meant. He froze in shock and used his glove to rub his…
"Hair." He finished, making the red dude squint his eyes. "Uh, d-do ya have a bathroom with a mirror?"
He rushed at the direction of the pointed finger and accelerated as soon as he realized that his height had increased as well.
"What the hell?"
The… human gazed in his reflection and gasped. Sans wasn't a skeleton anymore, instead a human presented itself before him, although with peculiar features reminding of his origins.
White hairs (short cut of course), blue eyes with proper pupils and skin. He rid himself of his glove and flexed his fingers, using one of his hands to pinch the other.
Ow.
He was at least reflecting his previous age by the looks. Being a twenty-five years old skeleton, he always wondered how he would appear as a human. Guess he got his answer at last.
There was only one last issue to resolve: his smile. He gathered in one of the pacifist timelines by Frisk that humans just can't smile for long periods of time, their skin structure doesn't allow it and it might bring serious problems from a physical standpoint.
So, he waited…
…and waited.
2 minutes later, he was still smiling and didn't feel pain or discomfort.
It might be because of my magic.
Sans re-equipped his glove and clenched his fist. Blue flames surrounded it after he concentrated; his right eye lost its pupil, leaving an empty black spot, while his left one burned. A trail of blue flames flew from it as always.
A knock on the bathroom's door made him jump a little.
"Uh, you okay in there, human? Don't tell me I have to clean up your body 'cause I don't take suicide lightly. Fucking blood isn't easy to get rid of."
Oookay… Until I gather enough informations on what the hell happened, I've gotta act as an innocent human who found himself in unknown territory. I can start by questioning the dude without starting a futile fight.
The being took a step back once the door was unlocked and he gazed up to meet Sans' stare. Not because of the height itself, it meant jackshit when he was the one holding the shotgun, but because of the unnerving smile practically slapped on the human's face.
It reminded him too much of the Radio Demon.
Satan's sake! Did he even feel something by smiling so much? Or was he an angel coming from Heaven?
"I think our meeting didn't go as good as it could be…" The human commented, rubbing his neck while looking away. After a few moments he offered a hand. "…name's Sans. What's yours?"
He frowned at the gesture. The human, or whatever he was, wasn't hostile and didn't act as an exterminator… not that Heaven would allow a cleanse outside of the appointed date.
He wasn't a demon either. But what was he?
"Marauder." Marauder grasped the gloved hand and shook it up and down. "'Sans' you said? Didn't know it could be applied to humans as a name."
Is that an insult or a compliment? I could say the same for him. Who names themselves 'Marauder'?
Sans raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "My name's my name, pal. Might I ask where am I and what are you exactly?"
"I'm an Imp." Marauder motioned to follow him and the human complied. The Imp grabbed two chairs and placed them inside the backroom. He hopped on one and discarded his weapon, but still in reach if needed. He motioned to the young man to sit.
Sans complied and almost snickered at the sight. The 'Imp' looked like a doll resting on a chair, like the horror movie 'Annabelle' Frisk showed him when they reached the surface.
"You said you're an Imp? Like those Imps from Hell?" He received a nod in answer. "Is… is this Hell?"
Marauder sighed and sneered his sharp teeth. He approached the backdoor and opened it. It led to the hallway of the shop, clearly.
"After you." The Imp pointed his thumb at the exit.
Sans widened his eyes at the bright red sky. Red… red was everywhere, the night clearly wasn't the same of the Underground or the Human world.
He noticed a truck turned off towards the exit of the alleyway.
"I use that to move supplies around and get cash." Marauder leaned on the door and inspected his nails. "Gotta have a way to take bread home and survive, aye?"
"Heh, ain't that the truth." Sans rubbed his chin and stared at the sky again. "So, is this one of the cities of Hell?"
"This is Imp city, to be precise. Home to both Sinners and Imps like me, but the true concentration of the damned souls is located in Pentagram City…" Marauder rolled his neck in a circular motion and popped it. "…you can still find them in other locations too anyway. Such as the Cannibal colony, but don't bother going there unless you've got a death wish."
"How did you find me?"
"Was moving stuff in the truck for the next delivery when suddenly a bright blue light shined from my alleyway. I found you lying on the ground and with a big scar under your shirt. Looks like someone knifed you pretty good with a cut of that kind."
Scar? I'll have to check that later.
Sans stuffed his hands in his pocket and faced the Imp. "You sound and look like you have much experience but isn't that wasted in a clothes shop?"
Marauder laughed loudly and grinned. "Oh, fuck it! Not like anybody will listen to you as they'll be preoccupied in the chase…" He uncrossed his arms and nodded to the inside of the room. "…come back in, got something to show you."
The human followed the demon closely and watched him reveal a hatch under a beaten up carpet on the floor. Marauder opened it with a key and put his hands on his hips. "After ya, Wonderland is just after the ladder."
Sans wondered if the Imp wanted to take advantage of him while under dirt, but he calmed himself down and remembered that his magic was still unknown to the demon. Still, his smile always helped in hiding his true emotions… aside from smiling because he liked to.
He climbed down the hatch and set his feet on a new floor. The new environment was pitch black, he didn't have a cellphone with him to use as light source. Marauder thankfully rescued him by flicking a switch and lamps turned on.
"Welcome to my humble home, Sans."
Indeed, the place was adorned with all features of a proper home. Living room with television which ended with a small kitchen, another door divided the entire house with a bathroom. It was clean and in order unlike the one he used in the shop. A desk with a computer was another addition in the far side.
"Built this up yourself, buddy?"
"Nah… I mean, I had to order all the necessary equipment and mount it myself but this was previously owned by a fuckhead killed in the yearly Extermination. I claimed the place myself and even continued to dig. Cost me a small fortune I had to earn and built up my business to snatch it back and make more cash on top of it."
Sans snorted and yawned, he smirked at the demon. "So what was the laugh about? This is quite impressive but doesn't seem IMP-ortant to me."
Marauder's jaw fell open, he bared his teeth and hissed loudly like a snake. "Fuck's sake! Another fucking comedian…" He groaned and walked to a door Sans did not notice during his inspection of the under-house. "…here, follow me."
The next room almost made the human choke on his own saliva. It was a big container-like structure with boxes filled to the brim with all kinds of weapons.
Is that… wait, is that a fucking-
"Is that a fucking RPG?" Cursing was something Sans did only when out of comments or jokes to make, or simply belwired by something.
"Yep!" Marauder patted his lower back with a claw. It felt strange by the different heights of the two. "Where do you think my name came from? I've got two businesses and the second one is right in front of ya."
"Look, I get is that this is Hell but… isn't this kind of illegal if your home world has any kind of legal structure and no 100% anarchy?"
The demon shrugged and closed the door. "There are a few laws dictated by Lucifer but they're mostly concerned on never fucking up with him. I've got a business to sell and repair clothes while I make deals with important gangs and anyone willing to shut up and never mention this. If they do, I'll just pay the best assassins around Hell and track them down before they demonstrate this to my competition. I have the money to afford it."
Marauder puffed out air from his mouth and wiggled his tail around. "Listen, Sans, I'm happy you managed to land here without dying or getting hurt but I can't risk Overlords or Lucifer's forces to discover that I'm hiding a human from them. You must go."
Sans' smile somehow widened more. "How about we help each other? You might want a helping hand with so many businesses to take care of at once."
The Imp crossed his arms and leaned on a wall nearby, he narrowed his slitted eyes. "I'm listening."
"It's simple, you live down here instead of a proper home outside 'cause you're afraid of someone breaking in and stealing everything. This place…" Sans gestured to the living room. "…could be my perfect hideout until I have enough informations about Hell and everything about it so I may survive out there for more than five minutes. Although I'll need to hide anyway while I try to get back home."
The ex-monster kneeled in front of Marauder, he tilted his head and showed more of his smile. "Here's the offer: I help you with moving around boxes of both of your businesses and protect you from eventual aggressors, while you let me stay, with your permission of course, in your house. I don't snore much, don't worry."
Marauder did not snicker like he did.
"And while you're at it, maybe you could use your skills with clothes to stretch my shorts and fetch me a pair of shoes? Can't go around like I'm wearing the lower half outfit of a middle age man relaxing near his one million dollar pool."
That actually earned a small chuckle from the demon. "Tempting, you could probably recite in a play as an Overlord, got quite the tongue and good arguments…" He shook his horned head. "…you don't have anything more to offer me, I'm afraid. How can you defend me when you're a simple human and the most you could do is use a gun? I've taken care of myself until now and can continue to."
Sans wordlessly raised his hand and let his magic loose. Marauder gasped in surprise and witnessed the human snapping his fingers.
POOF!
Two boxes of ammunition appeared near them. Sans snapped his fingers again while continuing to stare at the demon with his burning eye.
"I noticed how you were staring at those two boxes with increasing worry. You were transporting this stuff before my arrival inside the truck, weren't you? Well, why don't we go and check the truck?"
Marauder rushed to get out of the hatch and used his keys to open the back of the truck.
The keys almost fell out of his hand when he noticed the boxes right there in front of him.
"Ahem!" He heard Sans clearing his throat. The young man snapped his fingers and summoned five bones, he pointed at the nearby wall and commanded them to crash against it. They disappeared after about ten seconds.
"I've got a few other tricks up my sleeve if that's what you're wondering, pal."
He approached the stunned demon and raised his burning hand. "Deal?"
If his appearance mirrored that of a proper sinner, Marauder would have mistaken him for an Overlord searching for his first deal. But Sans wasn't one and he wasn't from Heaven either.
Marauder grasped his hand and sighed in relief when the flames did not burn him. "Deal."
Not a bad start after dying. I wonder if I'll meet these so called Overlords… well, I'll need to ask him a few questions about Hell.
Sans' smile turned in a full grin from ear to ear.