Chapter 5

Know When To STRIKE

Gerson's cave was assuredly darker than Waterfall, but getting to their destination was like entering a wormhole. The darkness consumed Walter, this proved even more difficult for him because of his mighty height. Not only did he not fit the narrow passageway, but it got so small at some point that he was forced to go on his knees to proceed any further inside. The old monster heard a grumbling Walter behind him and reassured, "Not too far now, heh heh!"

When at last the two emerged, Walter cursed as he usually did when popping through the entrance. He brushed off a plethora of dirt and dust he knew may never come off of him. Gerson looked nervous and yet did not direct himself towards the skeleton, "Now now, there will be no sort of swearing in my home… naughty… naughty." The last few words made Gerson rummage through his things carefully. When Walter thought his pristine suite had no more remedy, he saw this and inspected the home. He hadn't visited Gerson in many years, but remembered his home being a few miles away from Snowdin Town, yet nowhere near Waterfall. His collection of things had also grown tenfold in that time.

There were many excavated treasures simply replaced as knick knacks all around his living room and kitchen. Although one had to keep a keen eye to figure there truly was a kitchen under all the debris of prizes. Walter only set the two boxes he had brought in near even larger unmarked were other cave openings for sure, which Walter wasn't sure if they were rooms, or just unexplored areas the old monster had opened for spelunking.

The skeleton nervously checked the time using his cell phone, neatly placed in another mysterious pocket in his coat. It irritated him to know he had been taken away from his precious time to think and create. Answering too late from before, Walter wondered, "Pardon… do you require my assistance?"

"I know they're here somewhere, oops." Gerson winced as what appeared to be the most expensive thing in the room fell and shattered near his feet. It looked like some kind of plate or bowl. "Meh, that was worthless anyway. Either way, my point is clear, I really need your help this time."

Confused, Walter glared at the old one, unsure if any point had been made at all. "Have you become senile in the span of a few minutes?" The skeleton jested, he had an idea he was itching to write down so he removed some articles of clothing from a comfy round chair and took his place. "Why have I been brought here Gerson?"

"Trust me, it'll come to me… err us." The old monster shrieked a mischievous laugh. He repeated Walter's pattern and removed various rocks from a giant recliner- sitting in front of the skeleton. "Would you be a friend and get a fire started?" Gerson pointed at a darkened fireplace near a corner close to them. It was entirely possible to miss it since it was blocked by other undisturbed boxes.

Walter restrained a complaint as he was pulling out his notebook, "Certainly." Simply moving these boxes would prove challenging. Walter despised manual labor, he considered his hands were meant for better and more important work. He would make grunts and noises moving each one away from view, occasionally resting and wiping off sweat from his pristine skull, "How have you managed to move all of this here, I wonder?"

"I had some help." As if to look for that help, Gerson searched for something near some crevice of junk he had collected. When at last Walter had finished it was obvious, he sighed satisfactorily, applied pressure to his back and posterior. When his bones rattled he looked at his hands and held back a swear, they were dusty again. He clapped his hands rapidly and cleaned himself off the same as before.

Coming back to Gerson, the tall man crouched in front of the fireplace, ready to light it, only to find that there was no wood. Another sigh escaped him, "Where might the firewood be dispensed?"

"I'm sure it's here somewhere. Try in the sink. Try next to the sink. Try in a cupboard next to the sink." Gerson's lengthy instructions just led Walter to check the sink. There was nothing in the sink. There was however a box next to the sink. When Walter opened it a cloud of dust arose from within, covering him yet again. He coughed the particles away and swatted at himself and in the air and at this cursed place, quickly closing the box.

"So tell me about yourself! I don't see you in say… oh how long has it been? You don't write, you don't visit, we have to meet by chance for goodness sake!" Gerson reached for something in one of his many pockets.

As Walter kept searching, "I am the same as before. Surely you must have seen me in the castle… or otherwise." He ducked his head underneath a cabinet below the sink. With a muffled voice primarily, "Needless to say, Asgore's hired many more monsters to help me with the Core… so I am happily left to my own devices."

"And how is ol' Fluffybuns?" Gerson searched many other pockets about a thousand times.

"As you might expect." Walter answered matter-of-factly, "The king and queen are always… hospitable. If I wasn't so much a recluse, one might mistake me for another Dreemurr." The skeleton remembered and regarded that special family with fondness. "Ah." Walter inexorably found the firewood stacked outside of what he suspected was a closet- nowhere near the kitchen.

Two little eyes gazed, waiting from within a box by the threshold of the entrance.

"That's good." Gerson carefully considered, finally finding a monocle from a pocket, "You know he was a student of mine, before the war."

Walter returned with the wood and placed it gently on the fireplace. Using a bit of fire magic, his hand extended outwards. The fire that protruded was blue until it spread all around the wood, turning a bright yellow. "I'm familiar… I seem to recall a certain… bloodlust amongst your students. You were feared, Gerson."

With a scoff, "Bah, that was an entire age ago. It's all ancient history. I was referring to: before the war. Why do you insist on bringing up that 'Gerson' every time we speak?"

"I meant no disrespect. Perhaps "that Gerson" is ingrained in my memory." Walter took his seat again, fiddling with his inner coat pocket. From the adjacent pocket of his notebook he took out a metal case, it clicked open and revealed it held a few remaining cigarettes, instinctively one of them popped into his mouth "May I?"

Gerson nodded, being reminded he too had a pipe he could use, "The Hammer of Justice is dead. You know, growing old gives you more than just wrinkles. Perspective my friend. I never knew I always hungered for such peace."

The box got a little closer.

Somewhat muffled and readying a lighter Walter nonchalantly responded, "Is that right?" When his cig was sparked he neatly returned his cigarette holder but still held his lighter in one bony hand. With a long and sustained inhale, his lighter hand released the cigarette. A few seconds later Walter let out a giant plume of smoke, he could feel a rush enter his head almost instantly. "Hindsight is always twenty/twenty. Speaking of which, you mean to exhibit something."

"Ah, yes. The reason you're here. I need to ask a favor from you. You see, there's this girl, and I need you to take her off my hands. I will be spelunking with the guild this afternoon and it would be too dangerous for her." Gerson prepared his own pipe, filling it with his favorite plant.

"A girl?" Walter had not yet processed what Gerson was hoping for. A white claw scratched his cranium. "I'm… not sure I understand."

Gerson raised his body forward to get the skeleton's attention, "Take my advice, from before Gaster. Exercise restraint. We both know you can do great things with that intellect of yours."

Caught off guard Walter opened his mouth to respond, yet could not.

"But what you should be asking yourself is: if you should." Gerson seemed satisfied at that, going back to light his pipe.

"Acknowledged… but-" Walter was cut off when the box that had so quietly snuck up behind him sprang open!

"NGAHHHHH!" Out came a small voice from the box and onto the skeleton's head. This made him spit out his cig, it landed on his expensive yet dusty pants- making him pat his legs wildly while an attacker overwhelmed his whole head.

"What is the meaning-?!" Walter shrieked and a long arm plucked the invader from his head, but met with quite a lot of resistance. He dangled her in front of him to see a fish-like monster with red hair, wriggling in his grasp. Walter made a ghoulish face at the creature.

"Let me go you big, smelly tree person!" The child squirmed and wobbled about extremely. The skeleton narrowly missed a few disorganized punches.

Walter's ghoulish face returned yet this time directed at the old monster, "Gerson, no! This must be some terrible practical joke!"

"Heh heh heh!" Gerson could not hold in his laughs, "Doctor, say hello to miss Undyne."