King: We return once more to this fun little project. I hope you enjoy the story as usual, and I think I've figured out where I'm going with the subplot, but I'm not saying anything yet.

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With a hard groan, Jaune started to pick himself off of the ground. Am I dead? He looked around to find more of those yellow flowers, resting on an island next to a waterfall. He winced as he started to pick himself up, causing him to lean to the side to avoid the pain. Not dead. Unless you take your injuries with you after you die.

He eventually got to his feet and looked around, finding things weren't as nice as his little island made it seem. He was surrounded by literal garbage. He tested the water to see how deep it was, finding it to be shallow enough to walk on. With a bit of an effort, given his injuries haven't been instantly healing this time, he made his way through the garbage gate and along a small creek-like path. Like by the waterfall, there was garbage in every direction. He didn't know if this was a dedicated dumping ground or if people just didn't care. Either way, he was as careful as he could be to avoid stepping on any of the trash.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out one or Toriel's snacks, popping it into his mouth. But the healing effect felt minimal. Whatever they healed before, it wasn't helping nearly as much now. Is there tolerance levels for healing items? He asked himself. That would suck.

A ringing tone echoed around him for a moment, causing him to jump. It took him a moment to realize it was his scroll. He rarely got calls and mostly just texted his friends, so he wasn't used to hearing it go off like that. He picked it up and found the number from Papyrus on the screen.

Jaune held his scroll to his ear and answered, "Hello?"

"Jaune Arc! It is I, the Great Papyrus!"

"What's up, Papyrus?"

"I was checking in on how you were doing? I heard from a Kid in town that Undyne got into a fight with a human."

"So that was Undyne, huh? Good to know.'

There was a pause before Papyrus shouted, "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

Jaune flinched and had to hold the scroll away from his ear for a moment. Once his ear wasn't ringing, he responded, "I didn't get much of a say in the matter." He shifted a large piece from the water and moved around a fridge to continue advancing. "I left town and the next thing I know, there was a spear thrown at my head."

"Ah. Well, I can't fault you for that. Undyne is the Captain of the Royal Guard, so she's going to be tough to handle."

"I thought Guard Captains stayed closer to the King or something."

"From what I was told, they usually did. But Undyne is a special case. She's more hands on about her job."

"I can respect that, I guess." Jaune climbed a small pile of trash and hoped he was getting closer to the end of his trail.

"Okay. But now you have to be even more careful than usual. Undyne is as strong as they come. If she's after you, don't get into a direct fight. Just run if you can."

"It's worked so far." Jaune came up to a large fridge directly in his path. There was no going around, so he had to move it. "Sorry, Papyrus, but I need to go for now."

"No worries. Call me if you need any help with puzzles or the like."

The conversation ended and Jaune put his scroll away. He put both hands on the fridge and pushed it out of the way with all his might. It wasn't a lot of might, but enough to get the job done. He passed by the fridge and made his way down the waterway.

That fall and the battle with the knight had taken their toll on him, making his motions sluggish and painful. He ate another snack, but the effects weren't as helpful this time either. The problem now was that he was running out. He made his way around another large piece of trash and leaned onto a metal garbage can. "Why is it so much harder to move right now?" He winced as he moved, feeling his scroll shift in his pocket.

Maybe I'll ask Papyrus if there's a place to find some more of the Monster food. Hopefully for more effect. He pulled out his scroll and opened it, only to find an odd reading on the home page.

[Aura levels low.]

Aura? Jaune opened his scroll properly and found what looked like a health bar under his identification picture. The bar was currently very low and nearly out. That's weird. It got weirder when he took a bite from another snack and saw the bar increase just barely. What the…?

A couple more bites revealed his aura increasing each time. It barely moved, but it was improving. Okay, so Monster snacks heal damage to the soul. This aura thing goes up when I eat the snack. Aura must be a variation of the soul, or linked to it in some way.

He noticed that the aura level was decreasing again, but he was feeling better as it did. The reader landed at ten percent and he'd felt significantly better than when he landed. And it looks like aura can heal me somehow. He rolled his shoulder and stood up properly again. "Guess I need to find more snacks or something…" He popped in the last snack and sighed, seeing his aura boost by two points. "Hopefully something more filling."

He made his way down the waterway and finally reached a section of dry land. He finally got out of the water and shook off his shoes before removing the now wet socks. He was thankful he was out of the trash area now, but that left him barefoot and carrying his socks and shoes until they could dry. He groaned and hoped they dried fast, at least the socks. He took a breath and resigned himself to keep moving.

"Hey." Until the ghost from the Ruins appeared. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you or anything."

"Oh hey!" Jaune smiled, seeing a, what he believed was, a friendly face. "Napstablook, right?"

"You remember my name? Why?"

"I always remember my friends' names."

The ghost was silent a moment before asking, "We're friends?"

"Why not? My mom always said that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"Oh." Blook paused a moment before turning slightly. "You, uh… look like you need to dry off. I have a house nearby, if you'd like to dry off there."

"I wouldn't want to impose. Or ruin anything. I did have to wade through garbage water."

"Oh. Right. Thanks I guess, but there isn't really anything to ruin. Except my mixer, I guess."

"Mixer? Like for music?"

"Yeah. I like to make music, but I don't think any of it is good."

"Well, why don't I be your test audience? See if there's anything I can help pick out."

"Really? Uh… sure, I guess."

\/

Blook led Jaune back to his home, a leaning building of the same shape as the ghost. There was another pink building next to it, but Jaune wasn't sure if he should comment. Once inside, Jaune placed his shoes and socks by the door and walked inside with Blook.

The ghost floated over to a computer in the corner. "This is it. I know it isn't much."

"It's fine." Jaune walked over and sat down next to the floating ghost. "Let's see then." Blook handed Jaune a pair of headphones and started the first song. It was a slower tone, but good for a homely feel for a ghost. The second was a little faster and definitely a fun melody. The third was apparently a song for something called Christmas.

When the songs were done, Blook removed the headphones from Jaune's head. "Sorry. I know they aren't very good."

"I don't know much about the third one, but the other two were nice. Not exactly dance music or anything, but good for some ambiance."

Blook looked back at the computer and let out a small, "hmm."

After the session, Jaune tested his clothes again, finding them dried. He put his socks then his boots back on, tapping the toe against the floor.

"So, you're leaving then?" Blook floated over to Jaune.

"I don't have to yet."

"It's fine." Blook motioned back to his computer. "I'm just gonna work on stuff… so I don't think it'll be all that interesting to stay here."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. No worries."

"Alright. I'll see you around." Jaune left the house, dry at last, and made his way down the path again. But that path was shorter than he'd expected.

As he approached, what he assumed was, an entrance to Hotland, a glowing spear slammed into the ground in front of him. This caused him to fall back in shock and look upward, only to see someone he'd hoped he could have avoided a bit longer.

Undyne, the Guard Captain and Knight of the Underground, was standing atop the cave's face. She reached up and unmatched her helmet, tossing the item to the ground in front of the cave. This allowed Jaune to see what kind of Monster she was and get a general idea of what she looked like. First point was her blue skin that, even at this distance, he could tell was rather rough. Her red hair was up in a long ponytail that made him wonder how she fit it into her helmet properly, even if it might not even be hair. There was also the point that he could see that she had fin-like protrusions on her head instead of ears. So, a shark woman. Appropriate.

Undyne let out a huff as she materialized another spear. "Human!" Without the helmet, her voice rang out properly. She sounded like the tough tomboy type, complete with the experience of battle. "I'll admit, throwing a spear into a wooden bridge was a bad way to start a fair fight." She paused a moment, and closed her eyes. "Then that Kid spoke up as you fell. Said you protected him from some kind of flower Monster that tried to kill you both."

"Kind of." Jaune took the shield off his back and onto his arm before reaching for the spear. He was hesitant at first, but took the weapon from the ground. "It was more that he wanted to kill me first, but he did threaten us both."

"I see." Undyne rolled her spear shoulder and bounced to the side before jumping down between Jaune and the entrance to the cave path. She stood up and held a stern glare toward him. "But that doesn't change anything. You've probably heard why we're down here by now. How we can escape."

"Yeah."

"Then you know I've got to capture you now. You're soul belongs to the Monsters. And with it," she spun her spear to a battle ready position, "we will be free!"

The moment Undyne thrust her spear at Jaune, the difference in skill became extremely apparent. Undyne was so above Jaune's skill level it was disgusting. The match with Papyrus was even off of the theatrics of the skeleton. Undyne was a seasoned knight and it was taking all the quick reflexes and luck Jaune had just to keep his shield between him and the business end of her spear. Forget about counterattacks, he was lucky if he could keep blocking. It became very clear, very quickly that Jaune was out of his league here.

If Jaune was going to make it out of here, he'd have to think his way out. His eyes darted from. Side to side to find an opening he could use to escape, but thr only way to do so was back the way he came, which was a deadend, and through Undyne to reach the cave. Neither felt like a good option, but the only one that could actually make progress was straight ahead. He groaned as he blocked another attack, but still found a closed fist backhanding him across the face and knocking him to the ground.

As he sprawled onto the dirt, he lost the spear Undyne tossed him. Not like I was using it anyway. He looked back up in time to find Undyne about to skewer him to the ground. He rolled away in time, but his foot tangled up against one of hers. He saw an opportunity and kicked it out as hard as he could, knocking her off balance for a moment. Her spear was still in the ground, so she had a quick way to get her balance back, but Jaune was fast enough to get back to his feet before she could. She swung her body around for a sweeping strike, but only found air as Jaune ducked the attack and closed in on her. Not his brightest idea, but clearly one that took her by surprise. He knew trying to tackle her wouldn't work very well since she was armored and he wasn't. Even if he did knock her over, he'd be pretty injured from running into steel plate. So, he used thr next best idea he had.

Saffron always said I was hard headed. He grabbed her by the collar and swung his head up then down hard onto her own. As the only unarmored section, it was his only target, and it proved fruitful. Undyne was sent reeling back from the headbutt and staggered at least two steps backward. She didn't fall over, but it was an opening Jaune had to exploit. He ran past her as fast as he could, but found a hand grabbing at his wrist. A glance back showed Undyne had recovered and was pretty mad. She tried to yank him backward, but Jaune spun his body just right to bash her armored chest with his shield. While it likely did no damage, it reopened his escape method and he bolted.

She let out a very angry and very loud, "GET BACK HERE!" The sound of clanking armor and stomping boots followed soon after.

As Jaune tried to round a corner, another wall of spears blocked his path. He spun around and prepared for another strong attack. And while one did follow, Undyne's finesse had taken a hit. She was keeping up the barrier of spears and needed her hand open to do so. She was fighting at a handicap. Though, Jaune was also pinned between her and a row of spears that stung when you touched them, likely damaging him with each second. He ducked to the side to avoid another attack and his eyes saw the glow of her off hand. She's likely keeping the spears up with that glow. Maybe if I… he had a moment of resignation. This will either work or be very, very stupid. There is no middle ground.

Jaune lunged forward, causing Undyne to get ready to parry with her spear. However he blocked off the spear with his shield, ducked under the possible counterattack, and snatched her open hand with his own. Lacing his fingers between hers, he squeezed down on her hand and bent it backward slightly, causing her to lose focus and the barrier of spears to disappear. Jaune used what experience he had, dance lessons in this case (not that he'd admit that), to move around her and pull her away and off balance. She got her footing back together quickly, but Jaune saw a weakness and knew he had to exploit it. So, with his years of dance practice thanks to his seven sisters, he pounced on this weakness. Keeping her off balance and her hand pinned down with his own, he kept stepping around her and pulling her along. They were, quite literally, waltzing down the cave toward Hotland. It was times like this he was thankful three of his sisters started their lessons with two left feet, as it trained him to avoid having his toes stepped on. And considering his dance partner had metal boots and full armor for more weight, he'd rather not risk it.

All the while, Undyne was just getting more and more pissed. He was dragging her around in circles and this angle was awful for her spear. She debated releasing her weapon and summoning a new one, but his shield was too close and could be used to bash her by time she re-summoned her weapon. His footwork was impressive though. Even as she tried to stomp his foot, he kept his feet out of range and her on her toes as they moved. He moved with a skill she hadn't expected given his less than impressive showing so far. He'd been proven to be pretty smart, but this was an unexpected turn. Without proper footing and spacing, she was at his mercy until he broke off. So, she had to focus and figure this out. But as she analyzed his motions, she started to see familiar motions in action. Step, turn, step, turn. Over and over in a specific pattern. She was being led in a dance, the kind that she'd seen in old royal galas. Her brain started to coil in several directions before he finally swung her around, separating in that way two people did during a dance with their hands still connected. Then, his fingers released her own before he swung around to make his way out of the tunnel. The moment caught up with her and she let out a pissed roar and charged after him.

Jaune ducked away to avoid another spear and reached a bridge. He found another spear wall in his way. He clenched his jaw and turned for another round, only to find Undyne breathing heavily. Her steps were heavy and swaying slightly. "I'm not… letting you… get… away." She sounded tired. More like exhausted.

She grit her teeth and suddenly shouted, "I'm not letting you get away! You hear me?! I'm Undyne! Captain of the Underground's Royal Guard! I'll capture you and take your soul! We'll be free to return to the surface! I'll…" Her shouting started to fade as she stepped to the side, "You… little shit! I'm not about to give up." Then she fell face first onto the ground with a groan.

Jaune blinked for a moment before he felt a sting in his eyes. He wiped his face to find sweat pouring from his skin. He shook and looked around, finding an orange tint to everything. He looked over a small cliff and found a river of magma, which explained the heat. Then, he looked back to the knight, in full plate armor and being a fish-based creature. She was likely dehydrated pretty quickly. He looked around again and found, of all things, a water cooler. He quickly grabbed the water jug from the top and hauled it over, slowly pouring out water in the hopes that it would help her in some way.

As she started to stir, he stopped pouring but kept the water close. As she sat up, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you okay?" Even though she'd been trying to kill him a moment ago.

Undyne looked at him in unadulterated confusion. She glanced to him, the water, and back to him before standing up properly. Without a single word, she turned on her heel and started to walk away and get the hell out of this heat. After a light swaying, she stopped and shook her head, only to find a cup of water being handed to her from behind. It was him again, not a word spoken. She took the water with an annoyed huff, downed the entire thing, before crushing the paper cup and walking away in earnest.

Jaune was alone now and let out a relieved sigh.

But then his mind had to be 'that guy.' She was trying to kill you.

Yeah, but I couldn't just leave her to die. That armor would have cooked her in this heat!

She was TRYING TO KILL YOU!

Jaune shook his head in annoyance at himself. It didn't matter if she'd been trying to kill him. Okay, it did, but she wasn't doing it for a bad reason. She wanted to free everyone in the Underground. She was doing this for a good reason. And she seemed like a good person. She was willing to give him a weapon he could use to fight her, even if he lost it. Doesn't matter now. Doesn't seem like she can stay in Hotland, so I doubt I'll be seeing her again. Then his Scroll went off. He picked it up and found Papyrus calling him. "What's up Papyrus?"

"Jaune Arc! I, the Great Papyrus, have come up with a brilliant idea!"