Chapter Fourteen
Daezl wasn't speaking to him, much to no one's surprise.
Their next clue would lead them a little ways from the city, but it was closest, so shield it was. It had a similar myth behind it, supposedly left behind by some ancient ruler. They were to find the ruins of a castle from an era long past, and deal with the gargoyle guardian in charge there. It sounded like a doomed mission. If these previous few days were anything to go by, they'd have it done by lunch.
Few people were out in this weather. Their footsteps fell gently upon a snow-covered sidewalk, disturbing the brilliant, sparkling blanket with soft crunches. Cars were few and far between, and the ones that passed moved slowly. Sans shuffled along behind the others, reflecting on the season's grip on the land. Winter's final strike upon the world, for now. Spring, so he'd been told, was just around the corner.
"So, we just gonna wander around in the woods again 'til we find the castle?"
"Probably," said Oro with a shrug.
Daezl glanced back in his direction. "Somebody stay with him so he doesn't run off."
"Ooh, I'll do it!" Mizera sprinted towards him.
Sans rolled his metaphorical eyes. As if he would run for anything unless he absolutely had to. The canine slipped, nearly landing on her rear end, and falling behind in the process. Once she caught up with him, Mizera wrapped an arm around Sans, much to his annoyance. He shoved the arm and her away to preserve his personal space. Her ears drooped a little, but she appeared otherwise unaffected. He refused to acknowledge the twinge he felt in her soul.
OoOoOoOoOoO
His jaws parted for a forkful of waffle, and his semi-corporeal stomach eagerly awaited the food. He enjoyed the sweet taste, in spite of his lack of a tongue, and while watching the brothers have a contest. They shoved the pastries into their mouths as Mizera cheered them on. Beside him, Juni had lost herself in chocolate chips.
When he'd made the guess that they'd be done before lunch, he hadn't meant it seriously. Sans was beginning to think he should acknowledge his idle thoughts more carefully. For Oro had a magical shield haphazardly secured to his back, and Captain Killjoy was already planning their next move.
Snow fell lightly just beyond the window panes of this cozy little restaurant. Who knew such a place would be nestled here in the heart of the city? He turned away from the glass and to the warm tones found inside. They weren't alone here, but it wasn't crowded either. Forks clinked on off-white plates. Words drifted softly through the warm air, nearly drowning in the chaos at their table. Sweet and savory aromas gently flowed into his "nose" when he breathed. Sans finished his meal and felt a sleepy haze settle upon him.
Eventually, he gave into its hypnotic whisper. He moved his plate aside, crossed his arms on the table, and laid his head down for a nap. Daezl was too busy with his stomachache to care. Oro was contentedly full, as was Juni. He sensed Mizera shoving blueberries into her nose for reasons he failed to understand.
Fuzzy tendrils wrapped around his brain, shutting down his system. He wasn't used to having such little sleep, and a soreness had sank into his bones from the exercise of dodging gargoyle claws. He took a deep breath, though the need was not present, and shifted to settle more comfortably.
His thoughts drifted lazily, wandering to the vast reaches of space and all it held. He saw in his skull a number of fantastic planets and stars. A bottle of ketchup floated by. In the distance, a brilliant blue comet shot by. An asteroid belt of blueberries and chunks of chocolate. An alien squid throwing up half-digested pancake bits.
A song began to play, one of Mettaton's electric beats. Lyrics danced about in an order that didn't seem right. The star-speckled void melted into a colorful stadium. The robot was preforming, but the music was distorted, and the words not quite correct. Papyrus seemed not to care either way.
The concert- wait, were those gleaming eyes in the darkness? A frozen blue peered at him from a shadowy crowd, oddly familiar. He knew those eyes from somewhere far away. He recognized that stare from a time long ago. And yet, how foreign it seemed. His deja vu sensors were reacting so strangely. Who-
"Wake up!"
"What?" he asked, reluctantly lifting his head to look at Daezl.
He was standing at the table's outer side, both hands on the sticky surface as he leaned, a dour expression etched onto his face. Sans thought back to that night at the show, when he'd been walking with his friends to the entrance. Captain Killjoy had been stalking him, he realized.
"We gotta go," said Daezl. "Those idiots are here and they're gonna-"
Skull-rattling thuds filled his head, one, then another. A harsh ringing nearly drowned out the screams of the human patrons, and the words of the agents who'd come for them. Sans' soul pounded, producing an overload of magic and giving him a reason to breathe. He twisted in his seat to see the entrance, where there stood three humans, one of them with some sort of glowing gun. Burnt bits of ceiling showered the trio.
"Thank you everyone for your attention," said the human in the middle, half-lidded gaze sweeping over the small dining room. "We've got some business with some people here. You know who you are. Anybody that doesn't have a clue what's going on, you're free to leave."
"Oh, heavens," Juni sighed with a soft facepalm.
They moved aside, and he gestured to the door. Mizera whined about the inconvenience. Daezl stood up straight to face them, hardly moved even as the innocent people shoved their way past him. Sans took a long look at their leader. The two sidekicks wouldn't be much trouble, but this one he was wary of.
The agent was a bit taller than the others, and with a lean form that'd no doubt seen and survived many battles. He had ghostly pale skin, and semi-long hair. A few lose streaks of it draped over his bored eyes, like strands of shadow veiling a pair of sharp sapphires. The flesh covering one side of his jaw bore messy white scars resembling a spider's web, nearly indiscernible but there nonetheless. Sans couldn't quite tell, but the old wound looked to extend down the side of his neck.
His threat radar was pinging, and this human was the culprit. The agent radiated unseen signals that struck his metaphorical gut with all the fury of an angry lettuce squirrel. Analytical as he was, Sans knew when to go by instinct. He looked to Juni, then Daezl, Miz, and Oro, sending them a silent warning they received with no issue.
At last, after what had felt like forever, all went silent. Mizera stood beside Daezl. Oro took one last sip of his drink and joined them. Juni scooted from the booth and Sans followed suit, his soul pulsing with an energy that cured his limbs of their soreness and burned away any remnants of that sleepy haze.
They faced each other. Orange magic sparked at Daezl's fingertips, and electrical magic at Juni's. The blue streaks in Oro's fur gradually morphed into green, and his tail especially, glowed bright as a cluster of stars. Mizera summoned orange bullets with one hand and a white hot flame in the other, much to Sans' surprise. He merely stood there, hands in his pockets. He wordlessly cursed that new barrier.
A number of footsteps approached from behind, and their group shifted to accommodate this. Their backs to each other, the five of them found themselves with three enemies at one side, and four to the other. The hum of magic rang throughout the air. His soul pulsed quickly as Sans realized just how vulnerable he was without the use of his own powers. He turned to Daezl.
"Well, Captain? We're surrounded. What do we do?"
Though he couldn't see the other monster's face, he sensed a smirk on Daezl's features.
"We pity them."