Underground Spirits

Chapter 11: Being The Great Papyrus

Papyrus' Point of View:

"Come now sir! Please listen to reason!"

"Get the hell out of my way!"

"Honey! Calm down-"

"Fuck you! Move!"

"Everyone! Please move away from the fire!"

It was absolute chaos as things took a drastic turn during my rare patrol in the Capitol.

I was requested to come to the area for an extra shift while a trainee new to the sentry division was asked to do my route after I'd finished it for additional exposure. I was out taking a walk down the busy streets only a few blocks away from the capitol. It had been peaceful up until there had been a large explosion a few blocks over. Something so rare, but something we always had to be prepared for in case the unexpected happened. I could hear people screaming and I rushed over on my longer legs compared to others.

What I rushed into was an entire apartment building on fire. I could see that a tanker on the side that provided magic from the core had exploded. I couldn't get a good look to assess the damage while it was flaming brightly. The flames easily crept up that side of the apartment building. They ate away at the building and I saw that people who were quite high up were fleeing to balconies. Some on the lower levels I could see jumping for their lives while others higher up I could see attempting to climb down.

But it was so easy to see that some were trapped.

"Papyrus!"

Of course, it had been a bad day overall for this all to happen. I'd been training new recruits for the sentry division as well at the time. My new recruits honestly looked quite startled and worried deeply as things came about. One honestly was shaking in their shoes that I had a feeling would run if I gave them the chance.

This was dreadful...

"I need to help these people!" With a serious look to my face ,I turned to the two that were with me. "Sora, go back to the barracks and get healers and other members of the guard. We're only a few blocks from where we started, fly there as quick as you can and update the guard with the situation."

"O-okay!"

The poor bird woman was quite shaken as she took off into the air. She flew away as fast as she could. Both from fear and I hoped for a willingness to make sure others were okay. The fire was almost like a force pushing her away from there while I continued to give out orders.

"Alan, we need to disconnect power to this area! To stop the flames from the core machine making this any worse until help arrives. Go find the connection at the end of the street and disconnect power while I help the people here!"

"Yes sir!"

Alan had been much better of a recruit to at least hold his nerve in the situation. The raccoon male darted up the street to make it to the connection I spoke of. With it down, at least we could keep the flames from being fed.

Then all we had to focus on was the actual building itself.

"Everyone remain calm!" I hurried up to the building. "Please get back as far as you can!"

"Mr. Guardsman!"

My eye lights rushed over to the corner of the building that was rapidly being eaten by flames. In a small courtyard area was an older woman struggling to get away with the help of someone far younger on her side. I could see the flames nearly licking at the older woman's dress and the younger woman was trying to hurry her along but was unable.

"Hang on!"

I couldn't rush over and grab them. It was a very high possibility that I could hurt the woman if I was to physically pick her up. With a hand at the ready, I used my magic to grab their souls. The older woman was the one I was being so careful over. I carefully began to help lift them slightly and drag them toward me. I tried to keep the force quick enough, but not so fast that I gave the poor older woman whiplash. That would have made it so much worse. I hurried to set them behind me so many paces to where I had a set of bones that shot out of the ground as a barrier to keep people back and tell them where not to cross. Though I made it thin enough that the people escaping could get out.

"Go! Help is on the way. Don't look back!"

"Thank you, sir!"

With that set taken care of, a scream caught my attention from the upper levels.

"Mr. Guardsman! Help!"

Those that were climbing out of the upper levels with their other pathways cut off were struggling to find a way down. One I could even see was a young child clinging to their parents that was losing their grip. Three others beside there were also trying to climb down as fast as they could. One was leading the way closer to the bottom.

"Hang on!"

But those words were all I could get out before the parent and their child lost their grip. They screamed as they plummeted to the ground. I had seconds to watch the father grab their child and hold them tight while turning their body to take the brunt of the impact.

My hand flew up to catch their souls and the others climbing down around them. The parent, I slowed their descent and the others I pulled from the building to set down slowly as well. Once their feet were on the ground, I released their souls and pointed to behind me.

"Go! Escape! I will make sure the others get out as well!"

"Thank you, sir!" They rushed away, but not before the father stopped before me. With their child in their arms, a tearful nod was given in my direction along with a broken thank you before running away.

The building let off another explosion in one of the upper apartments. The fire was beginning to explode upon anything flammable. The heat was getting worse from where I stood.

"NO!"

My skull raced around to see a woman sobbing on the ground. Some of the bystanders held her back as she dropped her groceries to the ground. The items being broken or bruised while the woman continued to pull.

"My kids!" She screeched. "Save my kids!"

Her shaking hands took that moment to point to the apartment that had just exploded. With wide eye lights, I raced to summon my magic to levitate my own soul up to the burning balcony that was covered in flames. Black smoke pooled from the windows that shattered under the level of the heat.

I knew the others would be very angry with me later, but I had to try and save those children.

I landed on the concrete and ducked down to move in under the smoke's level. The one time it was not a good idea to be a tall skeleton. I could barely make out a large living room and kitchen that were currently entirely in flames on the right-hand side where the core connection had exploded from and had taken over that entire side of the building.

"Hello!" I called out, hoping that someone would hear me. "I am of the royal guard! Can anyone hear me? I was sent by your mother!"

"Help!"

A cry was almost muffled by the flames. It came from the left where the fire had yet to travel to. I rushed in that direction into a room full of smoke. I had to crawl onto the ground to escape it as I hurried to find that little voice I heard.

"Over here, Mr. Skeleton!"

My eye lights finally caught onto the child's room I was looking into. Under the bed was a young little girl with her toddler sibling under her arm. Both of them were pressed as close to the carpet as they could to escape the smoke. The toddler was coughing from all the smoke and the child's face was covered in soot.

"Hold on children!"

I crawled on my limb to get to them. It took only a few tugs on my long limbs to get them into my arms and cradled under my body. The little girl clung to me while trying to keep a tight grip on her sibling. One of my arms wrapped tightly around the both of them while I hurried to their window. Using my magic to hurl a bone at it, I shattered the large solid glass into a million pieces.

"Hold your breath!"

The little girl nodded, curled her face into my scarf while I stood into the smoke and charged toward the window's opening. Landing on the other half of the wide balcony, I jumped over the edge. My vision cleared long enough and my hearing was no longer obscured by smoke or crackling. Screaming I could hear around us before I used my magic to make a platform of bones under me. Landing on that and quickly setting myself to the ground. I had seconds to see the crowd before me as well as Undyne with the very terrible scowl on her face.

"Undyne, you can yell at me later, but these children need medical attention!"

My friend and boss paused with whatever it was she wanted to say to me when she saw the two little ones squirming in my arms, coughing. Without wasting another second, she sent me another glare before hurrying me through to where a few medics were on standby. I carefully passed them the children to get them the proper medical attention they needed while a third one came up to me.

"Sir, we need to check you over as well."

"What?" I blinked at them. "I'm fine!"
"Pap..."
I nearly leapt at the anger that came laced in Undyne's voice. Her single golden eye was glowing brightly in her rage as she put one hand on my shoulder, covered in soot from jumping into the building.

"You're. Getting. Looked. At."

Yikes... she was very cross with me...

"Y-yes, Undyne..."

Later That Day:

"Oh dear... what a day..."

I'd only just been released a short while ago by the captain of the royal guard. Undyne was a mix of astonish, bewildered, and downright pissed off.

She is quite thankful that I was able to help the people that I had during that terrible situation where help hadn't arrived yet, but quite angry at me for not being more aware of my self-preservation. Upon either entering or leaving the building, melted glass got into my arms, burning them and actually melting away part of the bones on my ulna bones. Large stretches of bone had been burned away, getting past my magical barrier that protected me while I was trying to keep the kids safe. It was a wound that I would be out for a while to rest and make sure it wouldn't affect my daily life, as my ulna bones were just a tad thinner than before.

Oh, Sans and Angel were certainly going to chew me out as well... but those children... I couldn't leave them there...

"Pap."

My shoulders slouched at the sound of my brother's voice. I lifted my skull to face him, though I was surprised to see him as well as Angel and Frisk. Frisk rushed up to me the second she saw me, near plowing me over if it was for my training to keep myself from being pushed over.

"Are you okay?! Sans said you jumped into a burning building to save some kids! Did you get hurt? What about the kids? Are they okay?"

"I am fine, Frisk. I have obtained some small burns, but nothing that won't heal in time." I showed a smile to my friend, even as I was careful with my two arms that had been wrapped. Even though I'd been healed, burns like those that melted away part of me would never come back. I would have to be careful. "And the children are well. They inhaled too much smoke, so they will stay for a day or two to make sure their oxygen levels get better. But both are safe and with minimal injuries."

"Thank God!"

"It's good to see you safe, Papy." Angel was the next to approach me. "Undyne has already made sure to give us a copy of your discharge papers, so we know when you can go back to work and help you heal."

"Angel... are you mad at me as well?" The woman looked impassive as she stared at me. "Undyne has already chewed me out for what I've done, but I don't regret it. Two young children are alive due to my rushing in. Perhaps I could have made a better plan, but I was more worried for them when the mother was crying out for help."

"Pap..." Sans sighed as se came up on Angel's side, the two of them shared a look before looking back to me. "We're glad that no one got really hurt, but were worried for ya."

"We understand your feelings Papyrus, and you shouldn't feel bad for saving others. You did a good thing. We're proud of you. Undyne was just worried." Angel came closer, bringing a hand to my cheek bone. "We'll talk to her again once she's calmed down. She wasn't expecting a serious situation like that today and it caught her off guard. She was worried for you, and wished she'd been there to help. But she was worried that if she went in after you, she'd take down the building and you inside it with those kids."

"Oh..." Well that certainly made me feel ... different...

"Don't let it eat you alive. Undyne said she'll apologize to you later once she has some time to let her feelings calm down. She was really worried about you." Angel managed to show me a smile. "Now, why don't we get you home? You're off for the next month for recovery of this and we have food and games galore for you to do, and if you get stir crazy, I have some local events that you can help me with organizing. Does that sound okay?"

"Very well, then let us go home."

"Hey Bro?"

I lifted my skull to my brother. "Yes Sans?"

"Nice job bein' the Great Papyrus today. Ya really helped those people."

And those words were what I wanted to hear the most. I felt my soul brighten at them and a relieved grin came to my face.

"Thank you, Brother."

Witch's Note:

Oh, and here we go! Another chapter that displays the amazing Great Papyrus! The idea was given by River this time around! I don't know about any of you, but that wasn't an easy chapter to write. Don't know if I'm getting emotional over here, but it feels like every encounter where he saved someone made me cry. Did anyone else feel that? I could just imagine the kinds of people that he was saving that sometimes I see daily in my life. And it just gets to you. Right Mystic?

(I turn to my best friend a few paces away from me where she's bawling her eyes out. Her sobs echoed across the room while she tried to pull herself together and wasn't able to. She scowled at me through the tears.

Mystic Girl: I hate you! Can't you w-write anything nice?! I-its all fucking dreary and emotional!

Me: Mystic, happy ones are great and all, and I promise I have some coming up. But you can't be happy all the time. Things happen. And while this was a sad and emotional moment, it shows how strong Papyrus was. How he dedicated his life to save people who would have died without his help. (I handed my friend a new box of tissues after she went through three already. And I had done one as well...) Come on, dry your tears. I'll try to put a nicer chapter up next week.

Mystic Girl: (She took the tissues, but her lip still wobbled.) You better!

Anyway, onto the reviews!

Thechaosmaster: Chaos, I can't even tell you how hard writer's block is for me too. Mystic had so many days where she had to basically beat me up behind closed doors because I couldn't write for like, months!

Mystic Girl: Did not you bitch!

Me: Did too! But regardless, it was an intense chapter here. The tension was meant to be so thick. So blanketed that it was painful. Tori did admit to her faults, which is wonderful, but now there's a long winding road of recovery between them, if that can be done...

MysticBoywastaken: Hey! You're alive! So good to hear from you! I hope that these chapters bring you any comfort along with the kind words of the other reviewers! I know Chaos has been looking out for you quite often.

Mystic Girl: The club is here for you!

Shadow8Phantom: Those are some incredibly sweet words you left for RoseCentury, Shadow... I'll do my best to make sure she sees them if I can help it!

And as for your words! Spot on like always. I've always had such a love/hate relationship with Toriel and the way she was presented. I think I've mentioned before how much my disdain for her is about her decisions and how terribly she treated her husband, her king. She could have done so much better, but her own faults got in her way. And I just love how much it's finally represented in this latest chapter you all got to see. Some character development showing her growing because of the girls' continual involvement even after leaving the ruins. Because they were involved, they changed her. Which made her more likely to come back and own up to her mistakes.

RoseCentury: Rose, I don't know if you read the other reviews here besides just your own little paragraph I and Mystic Girl leave you every week, but one of the other reviewers left a really nice little set of words for you, their name is Shadow8Phantom. Let me repost it here for you:

"First of all, toward RoseCentury: I don't know if you will read this but I wish you a good recovery from this loss. Losing someone, especially someone this young, is very hard and it is important to take time to grieve. But never forget that you still have three little lights left that need your love and affection."

It's honestly really sweet how the other reviewers are reaching out. I hope you feel their love too as we attempt our best to be with you during these dark times.

Okay, I think we've pulled at the heart strings enough this week... (after hearing all the kind words of others, I had to sit down from the overwhelming emotions.) I really think we need something a bit nicer next week to cool it. What do you all think? Let me know when you review! I've been trying to randomize the chapters as much as I can, but you guys can request something if I have it ready to go. I don't have too many more chapters to finish up writing! Maybe... four?

Mystic Girl: Please do... I need a break...

Me: Anyway! Love you all and see you next week!

Halloween Witch and Mystic Girl