:):
Wowie, thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!
It really makes me happy to see that so many of you are trying to figure out what's going to happen next.
(hehe, I'll try not to make it too obvious. :)
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When I finally have some time, I'll be sure to check out your fanfic, Leah!
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You may have noticed that the chapters are coming out a bit slower now. That's just because we're nearing the end of this Arc and I'm not quite finished with it yet. I've been working on the very last chapter and I wanna make sure everything is perfect before I go and close this Arc.
So, until then, expect slightly slower updates while I wrap things up.
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Coffee and Psychometry
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Setting the now dull pencil down, Frisk observed her finished work before nodding in satisfaction. It was as good as it was going to get. Hopefully she hadn't forgotten anything important. Leaning back in the chair, the tired girl lifted her arms and stretched her aching joints. How long had she been sitting here? She couldn't remember, but she was sure it had to have been over an hour so far.
"finished already?"
Only flinching a tiny bit this time, Frisk turned to peer up at her grinning friend. He had disappeared a little while ago without warning and she was beginning to wonder when he'd be back. Giving him a pleasant smile, Frisk nodded in confirmation before eyeing the two cups he was holding.
"impressive." Sans complimented as he gazed down at the finished map. "i think you might actually have a talent for cartography."
Not expecting such praise, Frisk felt slightly embarrassed. Secretly, though, she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit pleased too.
"here." The drowsy skeleton said as he offered one of the mugs. "thought ya might need a little pick-me-up, i know i do."
Accepting the warm drink, the teenager stared silently down at the dark liquid. In all honesty, she had no idea what was in her cup. Giving it a subtle sniff, a fragrant, almost nutty aroma wafted up to her in swirls of steam. It actually smelled kinda good. Lifting the mug, she took a small experimental taste.
Grinning with barely contained laughter, Sans watched as the mute girl's nose wrinkled slightly before she stuck out her tongue in obvious disgust. Too funny. Humans made the weirdest faces sometimes. "yeah, coffee's more of an acquired taste." he said as he dug around for something in his jacket pocket. "here. try putting in some sugar. it'll take away some of the bitterness."
Pouring the contents of one of the sugar packets that she had been given into the mysteriously bitter liquid, Frisk took another taste before following it up with two more packets. It was still a bit strong, but now her 'coffee' was finally palatable. In fact... this was actually really good. Smiling, the teen took a long sip of the strangely satisfying warm beverage. Despite her initial misgivings, this could possibly be something she could grow to like.
Taking his seat next to her once again, Sans quietly studied the highly detailed map. Starting from the house, his eye lights slowly followed the winding network of hallways deep into the belly of the Ruins; and they went deep. The notes Frisk had helpfully placed in each area would undoubtedly come in handy, though. In one passageway, she warned of pitfalls hidden in the unstable floor and in another larger area, she had actually drawn a line indicating the correct route through a maze. His smile lost a little of its mirth as he thought of how many resets it must have taken her to memorize this place with such precision.
Coming to the last room, Sans tapped the graph paper with a phalange. "so, is this where you entered from the surface?"
Nodding, Frisk quickly scanned the desk before spotting another loose leaf of paper. Placing her half full cup of coffee off to the side, she carefully brought the blank page over to herself and began writing.
*Yes, that's the side entrance to the Underground. During the final days of the war, it was used as an evacuation route since it was just outside the Capital. But*
"but?" Sans gave a tilt of his skull as he stared at the single solitary word. He hadn't been expecting a history lessen, but now he was curious.
Frowning, Frisk finished her sentence as she recalled the unpleasant memories.
*They had to stop using it when Chief Marx discovered the location...*
Smile going flat, Sans instantly understood the part that was left unsaid. That had probably been the site of a brutal massacre. He didn't think he could dislike that bastard any more than he already did, but he was wrong. Attacking innocent monsters that were just trying to flee? Now that was pure evil right there.
*When I arrived, I was surprised to find how overgrown everything was.* Frisk continued, obviously trying to change the subject. *There were vines everywhere and the stairwell was completely gone. I... I think I must have fallen, because when I awoke, I was laying in a bed of golden flowers.*
That sounds familiar, Sans smiled to himself.
*Every time I had to rewind the day, I would wake up back in those flowers..*
"wait," Sans said, as a thought occurred to him. "so after each reset, you had to start all the way back here?" Seeing her nod in confirmation, he quietly scanned the journey she must have taken each and every time before she eventually existed the door to the Ruins. "how long did it usually take you to get from here-" he pointed to the first room, "to here?" he asked, finishing up his question as he brought his phalange all the way to the entrance to the Snowdin Wilderness.
Tilting her head, Frisk thought for a moment before writing something down.
*It took me a couple of hours each time, sometimes more if I had trouble getting past the vines.*
So that means... Sans felt himself frown as an unpleasant realization struck. He had always been asleep until just at the very end of her journey; minutes actually. He didn't know why, but knowing this made him feel slightly guilty for some reason. It had been foolish for him to think that the resets took place the moment he woke up in his room, when in reality, they had always started the moment Frisk woke up in the Ruins a few hours earlier. To think that she had spent hours upon hours trying to claw her way out of that place, only to have to do it all over again after each failed attempt - it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Changing the subject away from those grim thoughts, Sans brought his attention back to the task at hand. "when you were down there, did you see anything strange or out of place?" Noticing the look on her face, he quickly realized how pointless that question was. "uh, what i mean is, did you see, like, an unusual concentration of vines in a certain area?" Truthfully, he wasn't quite sure what exactly he was supposed to look for either, but that seemed like a pretty good place to start.
The mute girl fell deeply into thought as she tried to remember where she might have seen the largest cluster of vines. There were quite a few locations that were completely congested with them, but she just wasn't sure which place was the worst. Unless... Frisk's eyes widened slightly as an image of a massive vine popped into her head. Actually, she might know exactly what he was referring to, and she had been there countless times.
*Here.* She said silently as she tapped the very first room. There was a mass of vines in this small area and they were all converging near the central trunk, a towering pillar of vines tall enough to press against the barrier. For some reason, she had never been attacked in this room. It was only when she left, did the plants finally take notice of her.
Great... Sans thought with dark sarcasm as he stared at where she was pointing. This meant he would have to go all the way down to the bottom of the Ruins. Figures. The kid always had to make things difficult for him. Looks like he was going to have to go to literal hell and back to get her Soul. So be it. If that's what it took to wake her up, then he'd gladly take the risk.
"that's gonna take me awhile to get there." Sans acknowledged with a tired sigh. "welp, guess this means i should probably get going then." he said as he set his empty mug down on the wobbly desk.
Frisk felt a flutter of nerves rise up in her stomach as she watched the skeleton get back to his feet. Wait... she thought as panic began to steadily build up inside of her. This was such a bad idea. He shouldn't go back in there all by himself. Sure, he sounded confident, but something could easily go wrong. If something bad happened to him down there, then how would she ever know? There had to be some other way she could help.
Flipping the paper over, the mute girl jotted something down in a last ditch effort to stall for time.
*What do you know about The Bane?*
Reading her note, Sans gave a slight shrug. "not much. only what your sister told me. it killed off all of the magical humans, right?"
Shaking her head, Frisk tried to explain as well as she could.
*Not just magical humans. It killed everything magical - fairies, unicorns, dragons, and even monsters. If those vines touch you, even by accident, you'll become infected. There is no cure for The Bane, it's essentially a death sentence.*
The skeleton's smile lessened slightly as he metaphorically consumed this information. "so, you're saying that those vines in there are the bane?" How was that even possible? Sure, he already knew that those plants were bad news and he wasn't entirely sure what they even were, but honestly, he wasn't expecting this. Hadn't The Bane taken place hundreds of years ago? So, what the hell was it doing here, in the Underground?
*The vines are not the true source, The Bane is actually what's flowing inside of them.* Frisk clarified. *It's pure darkness. If you're going to go back into those ruins, you need to bring light with you. That's the only thing that can protect you from harm. Do you have anything bright you can use?*
"uh..." He had so many questions that he wanted to ask right now, but they would just have to wait till later, because at this moment he needed to take whatever advice she could give him. Frisk was obviously trying to save his bones, so he needed to hear her out; metaphorically speaking. "when i went in there before, i was only using my blaster lights."
*Blaster...?* The mute girl mouthed in confusion.
"yeah." Sans said as he tried to explain. "i think you saw one before. they look like big floating dog skulls."
Eyes lighting up in understanding, Frisk smiled before writing something.
*You mean your Guardians?*
Guardians...? huh. He'd never thought of them that way before, but he had to admit it sounded about right. For as long as he could remember, they had always been there to protect him, so 'Guardian' definitely seemed to fit their job description. "i've never called them that before, but yeah." Sans said as he gave a slight nod. "i brought two in with me and their combined light was enough for me to see where i was going pretty easily. do you think that'll be enough?"
The teenager's expression dimmed slightly as she considered his words. From what she remembered, his guardians didn't actually emit that much light and if that's all he was going to use, they needed to make sure it was enough. Turning, she quickly jotted out a simple request.
*Can you show me?*
"show you... what? my blaster?" The skeleton's grin fell flat.
*Please? I need to know how bright it is.*
"uh... i don't know, darlin', it's kinda big." Sans said, feeling more than a little uncomfortable about this. "you sure you wanna see it?"
Giving her friend a determined nod, Frisk stared up at him with expectation.
Seeing the look on her face, Sans mentally groaned. She was freakin' serious about this. Even though he knew she was only trying to help, it still felt a bit weird. After all, nobody's ever asked this of him before. "alright..." he reluctantly agreed. "just don't say i didn't warn ya."
Turning his back on the human, the tired skeleton slowly lifted his hand. The dull throb inside his damaged skull came back to greet him as he concentrated his magic. Materializing in the center of his bedroom, a large canine skull floated lazily over the unvacuumed carpet. Eye lights focusing down on him, the blaster awaited instruction.
Getting to her feet, Frisk stared at the skeletal guardian with amazement. She had only seen them outside before, but seeing one here, inside such a small space, made it appear so much larger. As she moved to stand beside her friend, a pair of brightly glowing eye lights quickly locked onto her. Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck rise up, she froze in place.
"hey, don't worry." Sans said when he noticed her apprehension. "you don't gotta be afraid. it won't hurt you, i swear." he said as he reached out and placed a boney hand to the large skull. In doing so, he telepathically told it to behave. The blaster stubbornly stared at the human for a few more seconds before finally tuning its attention back to its owner.
Watching from the bed, Poff sat up before giving the guardian a greeting in the form of a bark. Hearing this, the eye lights of the large canine skull quickly targeted the tiny fluffy monster instead. Staring unnervingly, it analyzed the small dog for any possible threats. Completely unfazed by the menacing reaction, Poff simply panted happily in response.
Losing interest in the oblivious puffball, the blaster's eye lights slowly returned to the human.
"sorry, it's just really curious." Sans chuckled as he observed the silent staring contest. jeez, this was tense. He knew that this was going to be a bad idea. Still, she's the one who wanted to see it. Somehow, he needed to find some way to break the ice between these two.
Turning to the wary girl, Sans gave her an encouraging smile. "ya trust me, right?"
Forfeiting her match against the unblinking guardian, Frisk looked up to her friend questioningly before giving him a small nod.
"heh. that's good to know." Sans grinned. "alright, give me your hand." he requested as he held out his own.
Giving the floating skull a subtle side glance, Frisk cautiously complied.
Taking the human's delicate hand in his boney grasp, the skeleton gently pulled her over until she was standing next to him and in front of his blaster. "this guy right here uses a form of psychometry." Sans said calmly as he tried to explain. "instead of relying on the senses he doesn't have, he's able to learn things simply by touch. here, try placing your hand on his skull and let him know who you are."
Paling slightly, Frisk stared into the guardian's brightly glowing eye lights for a moment before lifting her hand. In an instant, its sight locked onto her movements causing her to freeze.
"you don't gotta worry, he won't bite." Sans reassured. "go ahead."
Steeling herself, the mute girl gave the skull a look of determination as she reached forward and placed her hand flush against the smooth bone. The glowing orbs seemed to zone out for a few seconds before the light dimmed slightly. Then, against all plausible explanation, the guardian's large eye sockets slowly closed, and a soft indescribable whine could be heard.
Witnessing his blaster's reaction, Sans felt strangely exposed. Realistically speaking, this guy was actually an extension of his own Soul. So, did this mean that he actually trusted this particular human enough to let his own guard down so completely? The kid, sure, but he hadn't known Frisk all that long. So, to find out that his Soul already trusted her to this degree caused him a bit of worry. Maybe he was getting too soft around these humans.
Unaware of the skeleton's concerns, a small smile appeared on Frisk's face as she studied the large floating canine skull. Now that it wasn't staring daggers at her, it actually looked kinda cute. Like a dog! Without conscious thought, she glided her hand over the left side of the divided maxilla and up to the smooth bone of the frontal lobe. Another quiet whine-like noise escaped the guardian as it sunk a little lower, a possible invitation for more.
"o-okay, yeah. let's.. let's not... uh. why did you want to see my blaster again?" Sans said in a rush as he tried to put an end to this painfully awkward situation.
Oh. That's right, Frisk thought as she retracted her hand. She'd nearly forgotten why she had asked this of him.
Losing the tactile connection, the blaster's eye sockets opened once again and it stared momentarily at the human before redirecting its gaze in order to glare accusingly over to its master. Sans shot the floating bonehead a mutual look of annoyance. Somebody was gonna be sleeping in the metaphorical dog house after all of this was over.
Examining the brightness of the glowing eye lights, Frisk couldn't quite determine the effect they would have in this well lit room. Looking up to the overhead orb of light, she pointed to it before mouthing a single word.
*Off?*
"sure thing, gimme a second." Sans nodded as he walked over to his door and flipped a small switch attached to the wall. The room was suddenly flooded with darkness for a moment before a bright ghostly blue light lit up the small area.
His guardian's eyes really were bright, Frisk acknowledged as she looked around the room. It was almost like moonlight. She could probably see well enough to read a book if she wanted to, though... would this ghostly light be enough to repel The Bane? Somehow, she had her doubts.
Once the room was relit, Frisk returned to the wobbly desk, but not before giving the guardian one more gentle touch to the skull. She simply couldn't resist.
Leaning over the map, she reached for another loose leaf of paper partially tucked underneath the graph paper. It had a rough sketch of an irregular angle with a mathematical equation written next to it. Whatever this was, it had been crossed out and rejected, so she could probably safely use this to write on, though she'd use the back just in case.
Making his way back over to the silent human, Sans vaguely considered leaving his blaster where it was before ultimately deciding against it. He needed to conserve his magic. So, hopefully she was really done, because if she wasn't, bringing it back would just be a headache. Quite literally.
Rejoining Frisk at his desk, a paper was slid over for him to view.
*Your blaster's eyes are very bright, but do you have anything that produces a different kind of light? Perhaps something that mimics daylight? The sun is The Bane's natural enemy, so do you have anything similar to that?*
The skeleton's grin fell a little as he read her words. Oh, he knew exactly what would work. The kid's Sunstone emitted just that kind of light. The problem was, only she and her big sister were capable of using it. He couldn't operate runestones and taking Frisk back into those Ruins was completely out of the question. There had to be something else that he could use instead. The Core was able to mimic daylight, however, there was no way to bring that light with him.
Mind grasping at loose straws now, Sans briefly considered asking Grillby to help. That, of course, wouldn't work for a number of reasons. The main one being the fact that he was an elemental. Having a form of pure magic probably wasn't the best idea when dealing with something that consumed magic. Grillbz could potentially end up as a flaming hot meal in those ruins. Not that he would ever agree to come in the first place. This was never a viable option.
Maybe... Maybe he could get by without the Sunstone if he was really careful. "is this type of light really necessary?" Sans asked, in hopes that they could find another way. "when i was around those vines before, i had my magic suppressed to the bare minimal and they didn't seem to notice i was even there. so, maybe if i'm careful, i can get by with just that."
Staring up at the skeleton, Frisk gave him a subtle look of worry before writing something else down.
*But what if you come to an area where you can't get through because the vines are blocking your way? You've only been as far as the house. it gets so much worse, the farther down you go. Not to mention, if you do somehow make it all the way to the first room, how will you deal with the vines if you cannot repel them?*
As he read her message, Sans felt his smile go flat as his stress grew. Damnit. There was simply no argument around her logic. She was right about this, and if he was serious about getting the kid's Soul back, then he should at least give her the best possible chance.
Looking over to his bed, his eye lights settled on his torn up jacket. With an unexplainable sigh, the skeleton walked over and lifted the pale blue fabric. Digging around in one of the pockets, his phalanges easily recognized the feel of the smooth flat stone. Retrieving it, he stared at the runestone he held in his boney hand for a moment, before his eye lights drifted over to the sleeping child. She would be so mad at him if she knew that he was about to put her big sister into a dangerous situation. But, on the other hand, Frisk would be devastated if he failed to get Fearia's Soul back. He knew the decision he had to make.
Bending over slightly, Sans smiled as he gently placed a hand to the little girl's head. Sorry, kiddo. Sans silently apologized. You can be mad at me all you want when you're finally awake. Deal? Staring fondly down at the sleeping child, the skeleton took a moment to brush some of her auburn hair to the side before turning back to her big sister.
"how about this?" He asked as he held out the Sunstone.
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Who here is ready for a little adventure into the pits of hell?
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In the next chapter, Sans' already bedazzled bud gets a brand new make-over.
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Thanks for reading!
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Sheii Bae~
