Thanks go to BadDRUMMERboy15, Wingah, Darkmaster10000000, Skele, Gray Kanzakai, Allagenda-domsitzers-chan, oohlips123, Monkey D, Chimera, 10burgers, Jack54311, InsertNameHere, WhoWritesThisCrap, and NBoss01.

Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale or Error Sans. (Who belongs to loverofpiggies on Tumblr, AKA Crayon Queen.)

"Appropriate response." Error's glitching pupils darted to the side, that smug grin widening on his face.

"Any chance'a you giving me and my buddy here like... An hour?" I glanced over to Gaster, who shrugged. "We kinda had a whole team put together but a flower ate them and uh-"

"I've waited long enough for this moment." Error began to walk closer, throwing one hand out to the side. As he did so, wires of blue spread from his fingers. "I'm not wastin' another second."

"Look, Error, I know why you're here." I took a step forward, holding my hands out in front of me.

"Because you glitched me and I'm gonna kill you for it." Error confirmed casually, not stopping his march towards us.

"... Yeah, that." My eyes darted to the side, before going back to Error. "And, look, before we start something, I just wanna say... I'm sorry."

Error paused at that, squinting his sockets like he really didn't understand.

"I can't be sure if what happened to you is my fault, and if it is, I didn't mean to do it." I shook my head while I spoke. "... And, I'm sorry."

"..." Error paused, skeletal expression softening with quiet consideration.

"I don't know you, and I don't have a problem with you." I spoke honestly, holding my hands out to my sides. "I don't wanna fight you."

Gaster cast a nervous glance between Error and I, and for just a moment, the intensity of this stare down seemed to dissipate into the void.

Until...

"Heheheh... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

My jaw clenched, eyes narrowing at Error while he threw his head back, that glitchy, skipping and pitch shifting laughter echoing out over the void. He held open palms out to his sides. If light hit his fingers correctly, one would be able to make out the wires the puppeteer had attached to his digits.

"Well that's great news, Hacker." Error smiled devilishly when he lowered his head to look directly at me. "I don't wanna fight you, either."

Error yanked his hands forward then, throwing his left wrist over his right in front of himself and sending a barrage of bones tied to his strings racing down from the dark towards Gaster and I.

"I WANNA KILL YOU."

Chapter 17: From The Steeple

"Kid, please... You have to win."

"Well it was worth a shot." I muttered, before throwing up both hands. Ink fired up from my sleeves and split into a barrage of different streams, each one flinging onto Error's approaching bones and wrapping up them, rapidly traveling up his strings and racing down towards him.

Error wasted no time in detaching his strings and jumping back as ink stabbed through the ground where he once stood, racing after him. he threw one hand out to the side as he jumped back, three glitching Gaster Blasters appearing over his head and firing down into the ink, obliterating it. The blasters then tilted upwards, firing their beams out towards Gaster and I, who jumped away from one another.

The waves of white hot energy fired between the doctor and I, before the two end Error Blasters turned their wrath towards us, chasing Gaster and I with their beams.

I ran low to the ground as the blast rapidly gained on me, before reaching out with one hand towards the Error Blasters. A giant pencil eraser fired down from above in the next instant, slamming the dragon skulls to the ground and smashing them with relative ease.

I skidded to a stop, eyes darting around to find where Error had disappeared to, before the void under my feet shifted, and I quickly jumped back, watching those red bones fire from the black that I had just been standing atop.

I slid back on my feet, before my eyes darted up at the one enormous bone that launched down from above, and I threw my arm up quickly, keys rapidly forming together to form a wall between the bone just before it collided with the wall, sending cracks exploding through the keys.

I was once again forced to jump back as the bone crashed through my keys and slammed down with a gust of wind that threw the now shards of plastic away from it, forcing me to throw up one hand to guard my eyes.

When the wind died down, I lowered my head and glared up to the top of the bone, where Error stood, grinning right down at me, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets.

Suddenly, Error was jumping into the air, two giant regular colored bones firing up from the sides of his red bone and meeting at the top, smashing together where Error had been standing.

Two Gaster Blasters appeared at Error's sides while he was in air, charging hellfire from in their maws. Error was quick to throw both hands out to each of them, however, blue wires firing from his fingers and entangling the Blasters and making their eyes go dark.

With the command of Error's fingers, the Gaster Blasters turned their heads to me just as their beams fired forth, and I threw out one hand, sending ink whipping forward and wrapping around the triple bone pillar of calcium before I yanked myself forward, leaning back while I slid across the ground, ducking under the fire of the Blasters.

My feet slammed into the pillar, and I threw out my other hand towards the top of the pillar, ink spewing upwards and sticking to the top before rapidly receding and yanking me upwards.

I glanced over my shoulder, and I grimaced at the red bones firing at me while I ascended before I planted my against the bone, kicking off of it and flinging back into the air, throwing out my other hand and sending another rope of ink flinging to the top of the pillar. I tugged both arms back to my chest, and pulled myself upwards, bones flinging by me all the while as I launched towards the top, flipping and landing before spinning around and extending one hand to the oncoming bones. A wall of keys appeared at my command, the bones thunking to a stop in the wall.

I glared up to Error, who stood atop one of his stolen Gaster Blasters, grinning as he pointed at me with one finger gun, making a motion like he'd fired the gun and pulling the strings with said motion.

I jumped back from the bone, throwing my arms up in an X while the beams from Error's command exploded into the bone, sending shards of calcium and smoke blasting into me with a shock wave and tossing me rapidly back down towards the ground.

I slammed into the floor of the void and bounced, blunt force trauma rocking my body as I rolled rapidly across the ground before eventually sliding on my side to a stop.

"Cter!" Gaster stepped through a portal and knelt at my side. "Are you alright?"

"Eugh..." I groaned, gradually climbing to one knee. "I don't mean to be a dick, G, but you gotta gimme more of a hand here..."

"Wakey wakey!"

Gaster and I both looked up to the blasts racing closer From Error's two stolen blasters and the additional Error Blaster's he'd summoned, one on each side of him, and Gaster swiftly threw up one hand, a large portal opening before the beams and devouring them, sending them to god knows where.

"Point taken." Gaster looked back to me, before hooking one arm under mine, lifting me to my feet. "Now get up."

"Cover me." I told Gaster, and he nodded. Then, I knelt down, before bursting off across the ground towards where Error floated.

As his blasters turned their maws towards me, the earth around me rumbled, before ivory bones fired upwards towards Error from it, making him narrow his sockets with irritation and pull up on his Blaster, dodging away from the barrage.

Gaster Blasters appeared across the sky from Error, firing waves of magic energy across the void at glitched skeleton, who tugged on his strings, making his own shoot back. As the beams blasted against one another, the void was alight in flashing white.

I continued ahead, running right to the side of Error's caravan of lethal skulls while he was distracted before throwing up one arm and sending a stream of ink flinging up and sticking to the side of the closest Blaster while I sprinted. Key after key appeared like platforms before me, and I swiftly jumped onto them, using them like a staircase before diving from them and yanking on that rope of ink, swinging around the back of Error's Blasters and cocking back one leg.

Error looked over his shoulder in the nick of time, lifting one forearm and blocking my kick with it, the two of us glaring at one another before the force of the kick sent Error launching over the edge of the blaster platform he'd built.

I dove after him just as Gaster's blasters overtook the ones we'd been standing on, obliterating them as I fell after Error. I yanked back one hand, throwing it down towards Error and sending ink launching out towards him, wrapping around the photo negative skeleton and yanking him up towards me while I cocked back my free hand, clenching it into a tight fist.

Red beginning to mist from my knuckles, I threw my fist downward, only for Error to reach up swiftly, wrapping his digits around my wrist and pulling my fist aside, shifting and spinning us in air so that it was now my back facing the rapidly approaching ground. Then, he planted both feet in my chest and kicked down, sending the air blasting out from my lungs and me blasting down towards the void floor.

Wincing, I looked over my shoulder at the ground that raced up to meet me, eyes quickly widening at the crimson bones that jutted from the earth, eagerly awaiting my landing.

As my mind raced to find a way to save my own ass, one large skeletal hand with a hole punched in its palm opened at my side, catching me in the nick of time and carrying me away from the patch of bones.

The hand opened as it reached the floor next to Gaster, and I hopped down next to him.

"Nice save, doc." I nodded my thanks to Gaster, who looked from me to where Error landed across from us, watching us with murder in his eyes.

"I think I would like to take the lead this time." Gaster stated calmly, taking a step forward.

"Go for it, G." I nodded, crouching some as ink filtered down from my pant legs, forming a circle of rushing streams around me. "I'll cover ya."

"Appreciated." Gaster bent at the knees, before launching forward across the ground, throwing one hand out to the side and forming an arms length bone that came to a straight point.

"Aren't you a little too fragile for a head on assault, Wingdings?" Error chuckled, flicking one hand out towards Gaster and sending a barrage of stringed bones flinging down from above towards the doctor.

"You would be," Gaster darted from side to side, the beams of Beat Blasters obliterating bones from above, only a few stragglers making it through. "Surprised by what I can do!"

"Oh yeah?" Error grinned as Gaster lunged at him, yanking up his fingers and sending pointed bones firing from the earth at him.

In that instant, however, a portal opened before Gaster, and he disappeared into it, Error's sockets going wide with surprise.

Quickly looking over his shoulder, Error spun on his heel to face behind him just as Gaster jumped from another portal over his shoulder, yanking back that bone and stabbing forward at Error, who had begun jumping back away from the oncoming attack. Too little too late.

Error grunted with pain, eyes darting to the calcium dagger that Gaster drove into his shoulder, tearing his sweatshirt and embedding it in his bone.

Error's eyes darted back to Gaster, and he snarled, throwing his hands up and sending wires launching towards Gaster, who jumped back through another portal before the blue strings could reach him.

"Where did you-?!" Error's eyes darted around his surroundings swiftly, before a portal opened at his side, and he threw up one arm, blocking an elbow from Gaster. The two locked furious eyes for a moment, before Gaster disappeared into another hole in space.

Error threw his head from side to side, widening his stance before another hole opened directly behind his knee, and he snarled in pain as another spike of bone was jabbed through his body, this one piercing his knee cap and making him drop down onto one knee and one elbow, grunting in pain.

Error's eyes darted up to the Gaster Blaster that suddenly charged over him, and he swiftly threw his hand out to the side, strings whipping from his finger tips and wrapping around the Error Blaster that formed in the distance.

Error yanked himself rapidly across the void, spinning in air and landing on his one good leg atop the blaster, glaring back to the Gaster Blaster that fired in vain.

Wait... Why was it still shooting?

Error's glitching pupils locked onto the portal that the beam was going into, and with the clench of his teeth he yanked his hand up, making his blaster rise just as a portal opened behind where he had just been, the blast firing through it.

Error watched, however, as another portal opened before the beam, swallowing it whole. And the glitched Sans watched carefully as he watched another portal open high above him, sending the beam firing down towards him, only for yet another portal to open.

Portal after portal opened, the beam jumping rapidly through space and forming a curving, bending, and turning construct of blinding light around Error, who winced, throwing his body about just to keep up.

There! He suddenly concluded, smirking to himself as he spun around, finding a portal opening behind him and lifting a single hand, a wall of bones beginning to construct as things seemed to move in slow motion. Predictable, he always aims for the back.

But, just as the bone wall almost finished closing, Error watched another rift open inches in front of the first, his sockets widening as errors began to glitch in his sockets, obscuring his vision.

A decoy?!

Error swiftly turned his head, managing to spot the portal that opened mere inches from his side through his darkening eyes, the light that flashed from within washing over him rapidly.

... Clever doctor.

"Hooooly shit!" I exclaimed, lips curving up in a shocked, open mouth smile while I took a step forward. "That was awesome, Gaster!"

Gaster grinned sheepishly over at me, rubbing the back the back of his skull and holding up his index and middle finger in a V for Victory.

"Jesus, I think we might'a worried too hard for this one." I shook my head while I approached Gaster. "What'd that take us? Like fifteen minutes?"

"I admit, I'm a little embarrassed for getting everyone so worked up." Gaster laughed nervously, beginning to walk towards me. "I'm sure Sans will get a kick out of this."

"That's for sure." I scoffed with amusement. "I'm sure Chara will have plenty'a remarks-"

I paused then, eyes widening as I watched a rift in space swiftly tear open just behind Gaster, the joy instantly wiped from my face as I reached out, everything seeming to slow down.

"B_e_h_i_n_d_y_o_u_!"

Gaster's eyebrows began to raise while he turned his head to look over his shoulder. The joy disappeared from his face just as that glitching, frame skipping eye came into view from the darkness of that portal.

And time rapidly sped back up as those blue wires fired from the dark, instantly curling around his chest and circling over the left side. They writhed disgustingly, pulling from Gaster's being a Monster Soul. The wires wrapped tightly around the soul, squeezing it relentlessly and making Gaster shout with pain, throwing his head back.

As Gaster writhed desperately, his movements began to slow to dull trembles, and his shouts dissipated into the creeping darkness that surrounded us. Gaster's wide eyes stared upwards, and slowly, his white dot pupils faded away into the vantablack of his skull. His arms fell limp at his sides. His knees buckled, and all that kept him from tumbling to the floor were the strings that restrained him.

"Arrogant. Cocky. Hubris-riddled." Error chuckled, shaking his head and shutting his sockets while he stepped through the portal, casually dropped the two bones that had been stuck in his body at his feet with his off hand.

My jaw clenched, and I took an instinctive step back as Gaster's body lurched forward, head falling limp and arms swaying some.

"You didn't really think that one little combo would keep someone like me down, did'ja?" Error tilted his head to the side to look past Gaster's restrained form to me. That malicious grin was wider than ever.

"Let him go, Error!" I snapped, fists clenching as I took a step forward. "This is between you and me, right?! So leave him out of it!"

"Oh, now it's between you and me?" Error rolled his eyes. "Now that your pawn's in danger you wanna leave him out of this?"

"No." Error's cold eyes landed on me, that wicked smile reflecting nothing but murder. "You let wingdingus get involved and now he has to suffer the consequences of your negligence."

"Just like all of them are gonna suffer." Error lifted his hand lazily, gesturing to the screen displaying my universe that stood a good distance to our side. Then, he moved his hand back towards me, pointing one digit right at me. "All because of you."

I growled with frustration under Error's judgmental glare, feeling cold sweat begin to drip down my skin.

"I'm not gonna ask again, Error." Hands clenching into fists, I took a step forward. On my face was a deep frown, a certain measure of withheld wrath shining in my eyes. "Let him go and get the hell out of here."

Error cackled at my words, throwing his head back and reaching up to grab his face. In the next instant, however, he let go of his face and whipped his head back down to grin right at me.

"OR WHAT?!"

"Or I'm gonna rip your fuckin' arms off!" I snapped, feeling red flare in my soul. A crimson shade flickered in my left eye, and I launched forward with one step, cocking back a fist.

I dashed right past Gaster to Error, red steaming from my knuckles as I rushed right up to the puppeteer, who just stood there, staring right up at me with that cocky grin.

GRAB.

My eyes darted over my shoulder to the hole punched hand that wrapped around my wrist and withheld my punch. In the next instant, my arms were yanked to my sides, one unresponsive Gaster latching his own arms around me and holding me in place.

I snarled, and just as I began to thrash, Error swiftly lifted one hand, and those blue wires fired out from his finger tips, instantly ensnaring my soul.

My eyes went wide, jaw unclenching with a roar of pain as those wires squeezed tight around my crimson heart. I felt control over my limbs fade in mere seconds, and my jaw clenched shut, entire body trembling in a losing battle for control. I dropped to my knees, wide eyes staring at the floor, icy sweat pouring down my trembling form.

Error just stood there for a few moments, he and his new puppet Gaster looming over me. Gaster remained entirely lifeless, and Error smiled wholeheartedly.

"... I've waited a long time for this moment, you know." Error's voice was calm. Stern. Slowly, I lifted my head, wincing and gritting my teeth with exertion.

"All this time, just wondering what the hell happened to me. I'd almost begun to think that it was some cruel joke. The work of some god that wanted a good laugh." Error's sockets narrowed down at me then. "But, you? You're no god. No angel, no heavenly figure."

"Just another brat playing a game you don't understand." Error lifted one hand over his shoulder, and a single red bone manifested over his palm, coming to a brutal point. "Messin' with lives. Thinking you can do whatever you want."

"Oh yeah..?" I challenged with all my might, hands clenching into shaky fists at my sides. "So I guess you're just like me, huh..?"

Error's jaw tightened with aggravation, sockets narrowing. "Difference is, I'm walking away from this fight, and you aren't."

"Then you better shoot to kill, Error." I growled, teeth grinding while I glared up at the glitchy skeleton before me. "'Cause you're really not gonna like what happens if I get up."

"Hm." Error scoffed in amusement, grin widening as he gripped that bone that floated over his palm. "Make peace with your God."

"I am my God." I narrowed my emerald eyes hatefully up at Error as he cocked back that spike, aiming right for the space between my eyes.

Error began laughing, and he tightened his grip on that spike, preparing to-!

SLASH.

Both Error's and my eyes went wide in that instant, the strings that restrained Gaster and I falling gently to the ground as time seemed to slow. Our eyes both locked onto the one that knelt down between us, having launched down in the blink of an eye.

Knife pressed against the floor of the void, Chara looked to Error from the corner of one shining red right eye, and a smile crept up their face, just before time sped back up, and they lunged upwards, ramming their free fist into Error's face and sending him launching back away from us.

"'Or I'll rip your fucking arms off.'" They repeated my words slowly, and I smirked knowingly as they looked over their shoulder at me. "You sweet talk every murderous lunatic like that? Here I thought I was special."

"Fashionably late." I commented sarcastically, climbing to my feet with a groan of exertion.

Gaster groaned weakly, before falling forward towards me. I was quick to spin around, catching him against my chest and wrapping arms around him to hold him up.

"I blacked out there..." Gaster managed to speak, though his voice was weak and tired. "Have we been killed..?"

"Not yet, G." I smiled a little, patting Gaster on the back. "Chara showed up to save us like the big hero they are."

"Piss off." Chara's voice rang from behind me.

"That's... Good..." Gaster spoke tiredly, his sockets slowly coming to a close.

"We'll take it from here, doc." I said as Gaster slumped over against me, seeming to fall asleep. "You get some sleep."

Gaster didn't respond, but Chara scoffed. "So all three of those skeletons get tired that easily?"

"Alright well once you hop up and start dancing after Error strangles your soul, you'll have the right to run your mouth." I shot them a glance over my shoulder while I shifted Gaster into my arms.

I jumped across the void then, sailing through the air and landing next to the rift that lead into our timeline. I peeked into the tear in the void, but couldn't see anything past a shifting wall of multicolored lights.

"... Well, it doesn't look like I can just drop you into that..." I muttered, eyes shifting down to Gaster. After a brief moment of consideration, I dropped to one knee and set him gently on his back. Then, upon standing back up, I lifted one hand, and a box of keys swiftly formed protectively over Gaster's unconscious form.

After I turned around and jumped back over to Chara, they crossed their arms, tilting their head to look at me.

"Are you done?" Chara cocked a brow. "We do have a job that I thought you said was important."

"I was starting to think you weren't gonna show." I smirked lightly over at Chara. "Thought you'd gone chicken shit on me."

"I keep my word, Cter Hacker." Chara's lips curved up in a grin, and they looked ahead to where Error was stepping from the shadows, chuckling and rubbing his cheek, right where Chara's knuckles had connected. "I'll gladly help you deal with the freaky little skeleton."

"Chara Dreemurr. Can't say I expected to see you here." Error shoved his hands into his pockets, grinning in a friendly way. Or, at least a way that looked friendly. "In fact, could'a swore you were dead."

"Dead is subjective." Chara spoke with a shrug, casually waving that knife.

"Heheheheh..." Error lowered his head with his laughter, before quickly lifting his skull and revealing pupilless eyes. He threw his arms out from his pockets then, sending strings with bones attached to their ends flinging out from his hands and into the shadows that surrounded us. "It won't be."

"Cter?" Chara did not look to me, bending at the knees and smiling with a certain measure of excitement.

"Mhm?" I shifted my footing so that my right foot took the lead, lifting my right hand and flashing the ink that slithered over my fingers, also keeping my eyes locked onto Error.

Chara's grip on that knife tightened.

"Hit the music."

And as Chara fired forward, Waters Of Megalovania by BotanicSage began playing through the Beat Blasters that manifested over my shoulders.

Error threw his hands forward, sending those bones flinging down towards Chara as they raced to meet him.

Chara dived through the bones, weaving past them only for Error to pull their strings and make the bones sling right back after them. But ever skillful at dealing with skeletons, Chara continued on, jumping over and ducking under bones, slashing to and fro to sever the wires that held them.

Chara lunged at Error, yanking back that knife and stabbing at his head, only for him to swiftly tilt his skull to the side and dodge their blade, sending their arm soaring over his shoulder.

Chara flipped their knife around to be facing back towards themself before they stabbed at the back of Error's head, only for him to duck under the stab and pop up behind it, lifting one hand and sending strings flinging up at Chara from his finger tips, only for them to jump back and slash the wires to ribbons. The moment they were out of range, Error had to jump back as well, a pencil eraser smashing down to the earth where he'd just been.

A portal opened behind Error, and he hopped right back through it just in time to evade the patch of pens that fired from the floor where he'd been standing.

My eyes darted up towards where Error now floated above atop an Error Blaster, and I was quick to throw up a wall of keys to block the wretched blast it sent flinging down towards me.

When I lowered the keys, I found Chara racing across the ground towards where Error floated, and I took the hint, quickly throwing up one hand out towards them.

Keys formed like platforms, each one just big enough for Chara to place a foot on and jump off of to the next, swiftly ascending further and further into the air towards Error with each leap.

Error just chuckled, the maw of his beast opening wide and shining bright wrath down upon Chara, who was quick to jump directly over the beam of magic that seared through the tiles they'd been jumping from, leaving them nothing to land on but the floor thirty feet below as the beam finished passing under them, leaving nothing but the smoke from the incinerated plastic in its wake.

But just as quickly as Chara disappeared into the smoke, they rose right back out, knelt on a paper airplane that raced up towards Error. Other airplanes exploded from the smoke after them, a whole fleet racing up towards Error.

Error swiftly throws out his hands, wires whipping from his finger tips and shredding paper to ribbons. Chara stood at the front of their airplane, relentlessly slashing away wires and strings until they were close enough to dive forward, blue entangling the airplane they'd dove from and ripping it apart as Chara lunged across the way, yanking back their knife.

Error stepped to the side on the skull of his Error Blaster, Chara landing and stabbing through nothing but air. They swiftly spun on their heel, slashing at Error, only for the glitching skeleton to duck under the cut.

The two dove back away from one another once more as a stream of ink slashed down, chopping the blaster in half and sending it's two chunks plummeting down towards the earth with Chara and Error.

As the two fell, Error reached back with one hand before throwing in forward, and Chara watched as from the void floor that rapidly approached the two, an enormous skeletal arm fired, opening the digits of its hand to snatch Chara from the sky and crush them into a red paste.

But just as the hand reached out to grab Chara, the eraser of one long pillar of pencil smashed into it's ivory palm and shoved the arm upwards, having shot up diagonally from under Chara.

Chara landed on the pencil, rapidly sliding down before digging their knife into the wood and catching their feet, slowing their descent to a stop and beginning a dead sprint up the writing utensil.

They jumped once they reached the top, firing between skeletal fingers before landing on the arm and planting their feet, sliding rapidly down it towards Error, who stood at the base of the bone structure.

Chara dove down towards him, leaving nothing but a red slash through the air as Error stepped to the side, then ducked under another slash, then jumped back away from a stab. Chara jumped after Error, but he stamped his foot, and bones jutted sharply from the earth at an angle towards Chara, who was quick to flip in air, placing their hand atop a bone and pushing off from it, completing their flip and landing behind Error, back to back.

The two spun around, and knife collided with a sturdy bone, Error grinning mocking from behind the femur he held up in both hands, Chara's knife halfway through the ivory.

In that moment the earth quaked, six pencil erasers flying down from six different angles to smash Error, only for one gigantic rib cage to fire from the earth around the two, each rib blocking an eraser perfectly while also forming an arena around the two, like they were fighting in the chest of a long dead Giant.

Chara pulled their knife back from the bone and brandished it at their side before lunging forward with another stab that Error ducked to the side of. While he dodged, he opened one palm, and strings fired from his phalanges to wrap around Chara's ankle.

Error spun on his heel, whipped his hand out, and yanked Chara through the air, sending them launching out towards one of the rib pillars that surrounded them, which they smashed back first into, their eyes going wide from the pain and their jaws snapping open with the air that was forced up from their lungs.

Just as Error prepared to tug on his strings again and rag doll Chara around some more, a whip of ink slashed down and severed the wires, and Error looked up to see me kicking down from above.

He ducked under my kick, and I landed on hands and feet, sliding away from him on the momentum of my kick. Pens fired up from the ground behind me as I slipped across it, stabbing at Error, who hopped back out of range.

Whips of ink latched onto the ground at Error's sides then, and I yanked myself into the air over the pens and then down at him, spinning and ax kicking down at him, only for him to step to the side.

I slammed to my feet, and immediately shifted my gaze to Error at my side. He was wearing that condescending smile, just before he jumped back and onto the Error Blaster that had been charging behind him, my eyes going wide at the sudden realization that I was about to get laser beamed.

I threw my arms up in an X just as the blast fired, and ink barely had time to start wrapping over me before I was engulfed, the burning force whipping me off my feet and sending me barreling back through the air, just before my back, too, slammed into a pillar of bone, and pain fired up my spin. I felt agony from the tips of my toes to the fringes of my hair, before I dropped from the rib I had smashed into and landed on the floor of the void, groaning quietly from my body's dull ache.

Error threw his hands out towards my unmoving form, and strings once more raced out to meet me, only for Chara to flash by, slashing the strings apart as they dashed back and forth, zig-zagging down to Error, who quickly threw up his arms, catching the knee they'd dove at his skull with in both palms, before his eyes darted up to the knife they yanked above their head to stab down at him.

He swiftly shoved them up into the air by the knee he'd held, where they flipped, landing crouched and darting off at Error with rapid fire stabs, each one skillfully ducked and dodged around, before Error slid to the side, stepping out of the way of one long stab and throwing up one arm, sending one large, blunt bone firing from the earth diagonally up into Chara's chest, where it slammed brutally.

Chara's eyes went wide, and blood spewed from between their lips before they were launched into the air, flinging high and plummeting down towards my side.

I quickly summoned one large pencil eraser like a crude cushion, and Chara let out an "Oof!" When they dropped onto it, bouncing once before curling into a pained ball for a moment or two.

Panting, I pushed myself up to one knee, before raising one hand. Above us, mechanical pencils appeared, immediately starting a rapid fire of graphite down towards Error, who threw up his strings, grabbing the graphite and throwing it aside before it reached him.

The music faded out.

"This isn't working." I concluded with narrowing eyes while Chara sat up, one hand over their aching abdomen. "He keeps dodging; he's too fast for either one of us."

"Yeah, Sanses are like that..." Chara groaned bitterly, narrowing their eyes ahead at the easily dodging Error Sans. "You have to wait out their stamina."

"But he's got more of that than the both of us." My hand clenched into a fist against the ground. "And we can't exactly just throw our corpses at him until we learn his patterns and can outlast him. We both only have one life out here."

"If we could attack at the same time, we'd have a better chance of finding a weak spot in his defense." Chara reached over, taking hold of the knife that lay next to them on the eraser. "But I can't attack while you do. I'll get hit by your magic."

"And he certainly doesn't look like he'll be getting tired any time soon." I made the obvious analysis, not finding a single drop of sweat on Error's glitchy skull while he tossed away the barrage of graphite.

"So we're dead." Chara concluded pessimistically. Their knuckles whitened around the knife that they gripped anxiously.

"..." I squinted with thought, looking down from Error to my open palm for an answer.

"You've got this! You're gonna save us, I just know it!"

My hand clenched into a fist.

That was all the answer I needed.

"... There's a way for us both to attack at once." I finally spoke, stern emerald eyes glossing over to Chara, who cocked a brow with confusion.

"And how's that?" Chara climbed to their feet as they questioned, pushing themself up from their seat. They didn't really sound like they believed much in whatever plan I was concocting.

I didn't respond. First, I lifted my hand, and a wall of keys formed between us and Error. This confused Chara further, and they crossed their arms, looking from the wall to me, and then over our heads to the other keys that were building together like LEGOs, forming a dome around us and covering us in a darkness neither of us could see the other in.

"... And this helps us how?" I heard Chara's voice from just in front of me.

A red light washed over, and I once more could see Chara's features as I lifted my glowing ruby soul out in my palm, displaying it to them.

Their eyes darted to the soul, and went wide as its light reflected in them. Then, their eyes returned to normal, locking with mine as a knowing grin crept over their face.

"... Why, Cter Hacker, you couldn't possibly mean what I think you mean, could you?" Chara spoke as though they were in disbelief, and yet they still rose their own crimson soul to mine with the palm of their hand.

"Whatever it takes." I spoke solemnly, emerald eyes unblinking as the two of us stood there in the dark, alone together. The only light originated from our wretched hearts.

Chara smiled.

"Whatever it takes."

Error's hands were lifted to the sky, strings from his fingers wrapped around the mechanical pencils that had been firing upon him and crushing them. The plastic bent and cracked, before being torn apart completely.

"What?" He looked to the dome of keys as his strings wrapped back around his fingers, tilting his head to the side. "You really think you can just turtle and you'll be saved?"

"I know you're pathetic, Hacker, but come on!" Error began laughing shaking his head. "This is just sad!"

"I came here expecting you to put up a real fight." Error stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Is this really all you ha-"

A pulse.

Like I shock wave of invisible force that blasted across the void. That washed over Error's glitched Monster Soul.

It felt... Disgusting. A desire to hurt, to kill, that was so powerful it made his Monster Soul squirm. It made him take a cautious step back. It made his grin look much more nervous than condescending, it made his sockets narrow at that dome. As if at any second he thought it would explode open, and some freakish monster would crawl out.

That paranoia certainly felt confirmed when the keys blasted apart, launching out across the void with a blast of smoke that made Error throw up one arm and plant his feet, his sweatshirt being thrown to and fro from the brutal gusts of wind.

"A fight."

The words blasted into Error's ears from the writhing smoke, despite how calmly they were spoken.

"That's what you said you wanted, right?"

Footsteps. A shadow shifting in the grey cloud.

"Fine."

The voice was two familiar voices overlapped.

Our voice.

Error watched with pupilless sockets as our pair of glowing red eyes pierced through the veil of smoke. Eyes that stared directly at him, unblinking.

Another few steps.

We walked from the settling dust. Knife in our right hand, ink slithering in our left.

Error snarled in a sudden show of panic, throwing his hands up and sending wires firing at us at rapid speeds.

"After all..."

Slash.

it was an easy motion. A lightning fast cut with that knife into the air that sent a shock wave racing across the void, tearing Error's strings to ribbons and forcing him to throw up his arms to block from the brutal blast of wind, his feet being pushed back a few inches across the void floor.

He lowered his arms after the wind past, face twisting in a twitching grimace as errors and glitches began to flash in his trembling sockets.

There we were.

Two in one.

Character.

"Who are we to deny a death wish?"

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XWolf26, out