Before this chapter begins I want to start off by saying thank you, all of you, thank you for your support, favorites, reviews, everything. I know the wait has been difficult, hell this chapter has been difficult, but without all of your continued support I'd never would have been able to pull myself out of this rut that I had fallen into. Both development and motivation wise. So seriously, thank you.
The crunching of snow echoed as Dean shifted, gaze returning to Sam's frustrated form.
"Look Sammy, if you wanna find out what that guy's deal is than we're gonna have to play along. Sans seems like the type to keep his secrets locked up tight, like (1)Lucifer's cage tight."
"I figured that, doesn't mean I like it or that it makes me feel any less suspicious about his motives."
(2)Dean moved a few steps forward, shoulders shrugging. "I'm not say'n I don't find him suspicious, hell, Sans knows we're human and he still hasn't tried gut'n us. From what Tori told us that just ain't the way things work out here. They need our SOULs to break out and if these guys have been kil-take'n kids just to do that than…Sans should have had no problem take'n us out at the damn door. Nah, somethings motivat'n him all right, and it sure as hell ain't Papyrus' happiness. Though I'm pretty sure it's a factor; we big brothers can't help it, know that from experience."
Silence. Concerned Dean turned, coming face to face with a slack jawed Sam and a glittery eyed Frisk.
"W-What?"
"That…That was incredible Dean, were did that even come from!?"
"So cool…like a detective…"
(3)The older man rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "It-It isn't that big a deal, you come up with crap like that all the time. That big brain of yours was bound to rub off on me at some point Sam."
Sam frowned, "Don't sell yourself short Dean, you've literally built the Impala from the ground up, on multiple occasions. That takes a lot of mechanical knowledge and patience."
"Y-Yeah well, still not that big of a deal. Now, can we go? I'm tired of freezing my as-butt off." Mumbled Dean as he moved forward, face burning in pleased embarrassment. *Jesus Sam leave it to you to say somethi'n so mushy, fuck'n chick flicks. *
Frisk watched the man walk away confusion decorating her face, "Dean mad?"
Sam shook his head, "No, Dean's just really hard on himself, trust me, complimenting him on anything else but his car or the way he makes bacon cheeseburgers is paramount to heresy."
{THIS GUY KNOWS YOUR EIGHT RIGHT?}
Frisk sent the man a deadpan expression for both herself and The Voice; hands pulling out her notepad to write, "I did not understand any of that."
Sam released an awkward cough, "R-Right, um, I guess what I'm trying to say is that, telling Dean he did a good job makes him nervous."
"Why?"
"That's hard to answer and I'm not sure telling an eight-year-old about adult self-esteem issues is a good idea. Kids have plenty of their own no need to add more."
The Voice huffed, {WELL, THAT JUST MEANS YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO TELL THAT BIG MOUTHED HUMAN "GOOD JOB" WHEN HE DOES ONE. NOT THAT I CARE OR ANYTHING…}
Frisk smiled, she knew The Voice was trying to help in its own way, even if it didn't want to seem that way.
{NO, I DON'T!} Giggle. {HEY DON'T IGNORE ME!} Snort. {GAHH! NOW YOU'RE LAUGHING! WHATEVER GO AHEAD! LOOK CRAZY TO THE YOUR FELLOW HUMANS! SEE IF I CARE!}
Frisk placed her hands over her mouth, vainly attempting to keep in her laughter, aww, The Voice wasn't just nice it was a (4)tsundere too! Cute!
Sam's brows rouse as he took in the snickering child, * What's got her all riled up? Maybe it's a kid thing? Probably…*
"Hey! You ladies come'n or what? Enough of the creepy heart to heart we-!" Suddenly from the bushes a blue blur rushed at Dean, catching the man off guard and knocking him to the ground, throwing him into an encounter.
"SHIT!"
"DEAN!" Sam rushed forward, unhesitatingly picking Frisk up in the process.
Meanwhile the severely pissed hunter pushed himself from the snow, eyes connecting with the monster who had knocked his ass flat.
*The fuck…? *
It appeared to be a chicken, if chickens were blue, wore bow-ties and had huge freak'n head that looked like an overgrown snowflake.
SNOWDRAKE FLUTTERS FORTH!
"Hey man what the fuck is your problem!?" Snarled Dean, fist clenched in anger. *Little fucker that hurt! *
The chicken thing squawked, nervously pulling at its bowtie, "D-Don't think y-you can scare me o-off! I'll keep you h-here till you listen!"
At any other point Dean would have told the monster to get bent and started swinging but his annoyance was quickly deflating as the Snowdrake's voice cracked and dipped.
*The hell? Is…is this thing a teenager? * Sure, Dean could understand the concept of monsters aging; seriously Cas was thousands of years old; but it was just plain weird to be confronted by it.
"Dean!"
Blinking Dean turned, spying Sam standing a few steps away holding the kid. Their SOULs still safely within their bodies.
"You and the kid okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I think you're the only one who can interact with it, I've tried getting closer but…this happens."
(5)Sam reached his hand forward, finger making contact with an invisible wall, one that seemed to block off the entire section surrounding both Dean and the Snowdrake.
"Well, that sucks." Dean responded blandly.
Frisk's hands moved slowly, "Make friends! C-H-E-C-K."
Dean snorted, turning back towards the ice bird, *Friends, right, cause that's gonna be super easy to accomplish. *
Pressing down on the ACT button, restless fingers flicking the CHECK option.
SNOWDRAKE 6 ATK 2 DEF
THIS TEEN COMEDIAN FIGHTS TO KEEP A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE.
*Comedian? This kid attacked me to tell us jokes!? The hell kinda logic is that? *
"B-Better not snowflake out!" Chirped the bird monster, his (damn thing sounded male) voice warbling anxiously. Silence. Snowdrake puffed up in offense, frosty air blowing harshly he summoned up a barrage of magical snow.
"FUCK!" Dean turned, narrowly avoiding the frozen fluff, "You try'n to kill me kid!?"
The snow monster flinched, "Wh-What!? O-Of course not! I…I just want someone to listen to my jokes…that's all…" Snowdrake sagged, "Mmm-macaroni and f-freeze…"
(6)Dean groaned, *This place is gonna give me a complex, seriously! * Dean glanced back at the droopy Snowdrake, *Not a threat, just a kid, a lonely one at that. All he wants is a little recognition, who doesn't? *
(7)"Alright kid give me your best shot."
Snowdrake jumped in surprise, "Re-Really Mister!? Even after I knocked you down?"
Dean hummed, "Yeah…but you gotta promise not to do that again, just because you want someone to pay attention to you doesn't mean trap'n them in a fight is the way to go about it."
"R-Right! Of course!" The teen bowed his head slightly, "S-Sorry about the way I was treating you Mister, I-I won't do it again."
"I'll hold you to that kid and call me Dean, Mister makes me feel weird."
SPARE!
YOU WON!
YOU EARNED 0 XP AND 12 GOLD.
*There it goes with the 0 exp again, that's like the tenth time that's happened…eh, whatever, haven't needed it before probably not gonna make much of a difference later. *
"Dean?" Sam eyed the ice bird warily, Frisk clutched tightly to his chest.
Dean motioned to the Snowdrake, "It's all good Sam, just a misunderstanding. So, Sam, Frisk, meet Snowdrake…kid? Snowdrake kid meet my brother and the squirt.
"H-Hello…" The frost monster mumbled.
"Uh, hi." Frisk waved from the confines of the younger man's arms.
Sam walked over to his brother's side, voice whispering into his ear, "Uh, Dean, what exactly are you doing?"
"Give'n the chicken a captive audience but without the potential for frosty death." Dean addressed the Snowdrake, "Alright kid go for it, we're all ears."
The monster brightened considerably, "O-Okay…ahem…" Snowdrake coughed into his wing. "S-Snow time like the present. Um d-did you hear this one? Um a bunny m-monster treks threw a blizzard to get something from the store, w-when she enters the merchant says, "You've arrived j-just in time! A-All our prices have b-been slushed!"
Frisk clapped, small giggles tumbling forth. Sam closed his eyes, barely holding in a pained groan, *Oh great, more puns. *
Dean chuckled, "Good one kid, got anymore?"
Snowdrakes eyes sparkled, "Y-Yes Mist-er I mean D-Dean! S-Snow worries!"
And so, the group spent ten minutes indulging in the frozen aspirations of a young comedic Snowdrake. Once over Snowdrake waved them a cheerful good-bye crowing joyfully for all to hear.
"I k-knew it! Laughs! D-Dad was wrong!"
All three humans watched as the monster blended in with the snow, disappearing from sight.
"Tenacious little guy, wasn't he?"
Sam grimaced, "Sure, let's go with that."
Frisk smiled, hands motioning to be placed on the ground. Sam stared at the child worriedly, "Are you sure? More monsters might come at us like that Snowdrake did, Dean and I don't want you to get hurt."
Frisk nodded, she wasn't afraid, the monsters here seemed just as friendly as the ones inside the Ruins, nothing like Mom had described at all.
{Y-YEAH MAYBE MOM WAS WRONG…SHE HAS TO BE WRONG. MONSTERS…MONSTERS AREN'T LIKE HUMANS…HE WASN'T.}
*He? *
The Voice flinched, {N-NO ONE! JUST-JUST FORGET IT!}
Frisk frowned sadly, *I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you angry…*
The was silence, then, subdued The Voice responded, {N-NO, I-I SHOULDN'T HAVE YELLED AT YOU. YOU WERE JUST ASKING A QUESTION. LET'S FORGET IT OKAY? IT-IT DOESN'T MATTER…NOT ANYMORE…} The Voice shifted inside the human child's mind, {YOU SHOULD GET MOVING, WE-WE SHOULDN'T KEEP PAPYRUS WAITING.}
Frisk didn't want to forget it, but she knew The Voice was really upset, so, she'd leave it for now. After all, she still had no idea what the Voice even was, or where it came from! Frisk smiled, that was okay though, she'd ask The Voice what its name was later, than they would become friends!
"If you're sure, just don't hesitate to ask Dean or I to carry you and if one of us tells you to run you run, okay?" Sam asked, his voice carrying a note of seriousness that Frisk felt she should echo.
"O-Okay."
Dean hummed, "We all good to go than?"
"Yeah…" Sam took Frisk's hand falling into step a few paces behind Dean, eyes scanning over the snow. If the Snowdrake was any indication many of the monsters they would be seeing around here would more than likely blend in with the surroundings.
The minutes passed slowly as the humans trekked along, ice and snow the only things around to see, until…
"Is that…a cardboard box?"
Dean snorted as he took in the shabbily constructed structure, hell the bottom of the box was all soggy at the bottom. "Heh, looks like whoever built this was trying to make a sentry station like the one by the bridge. Doesn't look likes its gonna survive much longer though."
Frisk noticed the piece of paper carefully taped to the front of the box, she pointed.
"Nice eye kid let's see…oh man, this is great, that guy, talk about dedication! HAHAHA!"
Sam rolled his eyes, "You gonna clue the rest of us in Dean? Can't really see past that huge head of yours jerk."
"Bitch if anyone here has a huge dome it's you, gotta have space for that brain you know?" He glanced at Frisk, "Don't repeat that."
Frisk giggled, she wouldn't but it was still funny.
"Dean."
"Yeah, yeah, impatient much…anyway…ahem…You observe the well-crafted (snerk) sentry station. Who could have built this, (snort) you pounder…I bet it was that very famous Royal Guardsman! Note: N-hahaha!-Not yet a Royal Guardsman. HAHAHA!" Dean tried sucking in a breath past his laughter but to no avail, Jesus, this Papyrus guy was just too much!
Sam was having issues containing his own giggles, which really wasn't being helped by either Dean or Frisk. "Wow, at-(snort) at least he's honest."
"I like him! I want him to be our friend too!" Signed Frisk, her smile wide and full of happiness.
Dean chuckled, "Gotta say, the guys grown on me and we've only met once. That's a hefty accomplishment in my book."
"He kind of reminds me of Cas a little bit, don't you think Dean?"
The older man glanced back at Sam, surprise coloring his expression, "Huh, yeah, a little bit, everything the skeleton says is pretty freak'n (8)air quotable that's for sure. Dam-Dang, can you imagine those two meeting? Holy crap I might die from laughter."
Sam chuckled, "Probably we-"
The sudden shrill ringing of a phone cut through the air, startling the entire group.
Dean frowned, "That's sure as heck not me, ringtones Metalica."
"Its not me either Dean, where…?" Both men stopped as Frisk shuffled around, little hands battling the puffiness of her coat to retrieve a large rectangular phone.
"Dang kid where'd you even get that thing? Looks ancient."
Frisk smiled brightly, "Mom." She clicked the talk button.
*That thing gets reception!? How!? *
Oblivious to the brothers shared expression of disbelief Frisk happily handed over the phone. Both men shot each other a glance before Dean held the receiver to his ear.
"Uh, hello?"
Despite the cell phones questionable quality, the voice on the other end could be heard rather decently.
"Uuuuh…(oh my god help!) I'd like to order a…um…pizza?"
Dean's face morphed into an annoyed scowl, *Are you fucking kidding me? A pizza delivery call, underground…seriously? *
"With uhhh…the toppings are, uh…I have them copied, I'll just paste them to you!"
The older man was half tempted to hang up, but a stray thought prevented him from doing so. If this crap phone could get calls than that would mean it could make calls, right? An uncomfortable buzzing sound forced Dean to wrench the receiver far away from his ear.
"The fuck…?"
"I…I think its trying to read out a text."
"Loudest god damn text I've ever gotten!"
"Dean!"
"Shi-crap! Sorry!" He pointed to Frisk, "Don't repeat any of that either."
Sam groaned miserably, *Its official, Frisk's going to be an expert in foul language by the time this is all over. * He could only imagine Toriel's motherly wrath when that came to light. *We're so screwed. *
The unbearable screeching subsided, Dean peered down at the screen, "…Wacky…this place is freak'n wacky."
"Dean?"
The older man thrusted the chunky mobile towards his brother and the squirt. Both younger humans stared comically at the image plastered across it's screen. A cat girl, an anime cat girl completely composed out of characters, each intricately forming together to create a decent piece of ASCII art.
BEEP…
{THEY HUNG UP! HOW RUDE!}
Frisk was inclined to agree still…she looked back at the anime girl on Mom's phone; whoever made that was definitely talented.
Dean just shook his head, "You mind if I hold onto this for now squirt? Promise I'll give it back as soon as I can."
Frisk's head tilted curiously but she nodded.
Dean ruffled the child's hair, "Thanks kid, don't worry I'll keep it nice and safe for you."
Sam eyed his brother questioningly.
["Later."] He mouthed, stuffing the phone into one of his inside pockets.
Interested but willing to defer to his older brother's judgement Sam tapped Frisk's shoulder.
"Are you ready to keep moving?"
Frisk beamed, "Yes!"
{DUH. WE'RE WASTING VALUABLE TIME WE COULD BE USING TO SPEND WITH SANS' BROTHER! HUMANS I TELL YA.} (9)A giddy feeling pulsed through Frisk, {I BET PAPYRUS IS THE TYPE TO MAKE LOTS OF NEAT PUZZLY STUFF! MY BR-ER-SOMEONE I KNEW WAS JUST LIKE THAT. WHAT DO YOU THINK?}
*" Puzzles!" * Frisk had enjoyed nearly all of them while in the Ruins with Mom, that funny room one though, gross!
Making their way back onto the path the humans bid fair well to Papyrus' cardboard stronghold bypassing another sign as they headed out.
Walking made it hard to read but Sam managed, *Absolutely no moving? Did Papyrus put that there? No, it doesn't look like that way, only one word is capitalized. *
"Heads up Sam, looks like another one of those stations."
Sam glanced up, *Well, that explains the sign. * His eyes roamed over the stations hand crafted roof, equip with a cute decorative dog face. *Hurts to say but, whoever built this needs to give Papyrus pointers. *
Dean's gaze narrowed, "Doesn't look like anyone's there either, you know for all these stations there's an extreme lack of actual security."
Sam hummed in agreement, "It probably has a lot to do with the location, the snow-covered wilderness isn't exactly an ideal place to monitor."
"Unless your human." Mumbled Dean as he passed near the buildings opening.
SHING!
(10)"FUCK!" Only years of near constant attacks to his body allowed Dean to effortlessly dip his shoulder and avoid the long hunting knife that had been dangerously close to making friends with him.
"Something spoke! Something moved! I know something moved! I can only see things that move! If whatever just moved is a human…I'll make sure it NEVER moves again!
DOGGO BLOCKS THE WAY!
"Sonovabitch! Again!?"
"Its not just you this time Dean."
The older man shifted back, teeth clinching as he spied the tell-tale glow of Sam's purple SOUL. The grinding getting worse as he noticed Frisk too had been caught within this unwelcomed encounter. Red glow pulsing nervously.
Snarl barely contained Dean glared back at the monster that had leaped out at them. It was, well, a dog, for a lack of a better description; which sort of explained the dog face plastered on the roof.
Shifty eyes scanned vigorously over the group, "I know I saw something (mumble) moved, it moved I know it!"
Sam frowned, *Moving? * He observed the roving movements of Doggo's eyes, *Like the sign from before, he must have poor eyesight. *
Frisk stared at the towering dog monster, it walked, on two legs!
The Voice snorted, {WELL, YEAH, HE'S A MONSTER, WHAT'D YOU EXPECT?}
*He's still fluffy like a regular doggy. * Her hand itched to reach forward, *I wanna pet him! *
The Voice stilled, {…PET…YOU WANT TO PET THE MONSTER WHO ALMOST SKEWARD THE LOUDMOUTHED HUMAN…?}
*Yes. * Mental voice full of childish joy, *Mr. Doggo is still a dog and dogs like being pet and maybe if I pet him he'll want to be our friend! *
{…YOU REALLY ARE SOMETHING ELSE.}
Frisk frowned curiously, *Is that a bad thing? *
Her mental companion did its own version of a head shake, {NO…ITS NOT.}
The Voice didn't elaborate much more than that, but Frisk wasn't bothered, it seemed…content, happy almost. And Frisk couldn't be more pleased.
Dean glared at the offending dog, hand unhesitatingly moving towards the FIGHT option before stilling. Frisk's words from the Snowdrake encounter passing unwelcomingly through his mind.
/ "Make friends! C-H-E-C-K."/
*Damnit. * The hunter glanced angrily at Doggo, its shifting gaze never settling. This guy was sure as hell not like the Snowdrake kid, this monster was a real threat, so why the hell was he hesitating!? *Because you don't want to make a little kid watch as you go stab'n man's best friend. * His mind unhelpfully supplied. *Fuck. *
Hoping against hope that the decision he was about to make wasn't going to end up with him becoming Kibble; Dean slammed the ACT button.
DOGGO 6 ATK 1 DEF
EASILY EXCITED BY MOVEMENT.
HOBBIES INCLUDE: SQUIRRELS
Dean's eyelid twitched, *How is that helpful!?*
Doggo's squinty eyes narrowed, "Don't move an inch!" The agile dog rushed at Sam, (11)a cyan light engulfing the monster's blade as it slashed at the younger man.
"SAM!"
The hunter twisted, the weapon piercing his shoulder as he pivoted away from the full force of the blow. The pain was intense, however, glancing at were he was struck, no wound existed.
Sam stared, mystified, *It hit me! I know it did, so why!? Its like his knife passed right through me! That blue aura! Somehow, it allowed him to cut just my SOUL! *
SAM LV 6 HP 86/106
"SAM!? GODDAMNIT SAM AWNSER ME!"
Sam blinked, realizing a little too late that his sudden silence had frightened Dean even more than the initial hit. Rubbing his sore shoulder Sam flashed his brother a weak smile.
"I-Its okay Dean, I'm fine, see no blood."
Dean snarled angrily, "That doesn't exactly make me less worried Sam!"
Doggo for his part, seemed to dissolve into a state of complete anxiety. Body twitching frantically as he barked, "MOVING! MOVING! SOMETHING MOVED!"
DOGGO HAS CONFIRMED THE MOVING OBJECT.
The Voice winced, {THIS ISN'T GOOD, THE LOUD-MOUTHED HUMAN IS STARTING TO GET ANGRY!}
Frisk nodded worriedly, she didn't want anyone to get hurt! She had to think of something, fast!
{"WE" HAVE TO THINK OF SOMETHING. I JUST REMEMBERED! SOMEONE REALLY SMART ONCE TOLD ME THAT THE COLOR OF A MONSTERS MAGIC INDA-INDER-GAH-I DON'T REMEMBER THE WORD!}
Frisk hummed soothingly, *Tell me as best you can, I believe in you! *
{RIGHT, RIGHT, UM, COLOR MEANS A SPECIAL TYPE OF MAGIC, MOM CAN USE GREEN AND IT HEALS AND DOGGO USES CYAN AND IT ONLY HURTS YOU WHEN YOU MOVE. SO THAT MEANS YOU AND THOSE OTHER TWO HUMANS JUST HAVE TO NOT MOVE!}
Frisk nodded, *Okay, I trust you. * Face set with a determined edge Frisk unhesitatingly pressed MERCY.
Dean stiffened as the kid selected the unusable option, "Fu-Crap, kid don't, that's not gonna work!"
DOGGO IS TOO SUSPICIOUS OF YOUR MOVEMENTS
Frisk sent the man a calming smile, even as Doggo made his rapid approach towards the defenseless eight-year-old.
"FRISK!"
Doggo's knife sailed true, swiping across Frisk's front, however…
Frisk LV 1 HP 20/20
*WHAT!?*
DOGGO CAN'T SEEM TO FIND ANYTHING.
{ALRIGHT FRISK! PET HIM, QUICK!}
Giggling Frisk maneuvered around the canine's knife, little arm stretching just enough to reach the soft fur right between Doggo's ears.
The canine stilled, body pulling tight as its ears and tail perked up; even Doggo's constantly shifting eyes had ceased moving.
"P-Pet…I've b-been pet!? Pet by something that DIDN'T MOVE!" Cried Doggo, head whipping around in wild excitement.
Pleased with the reaction Frisk reached forward again to deliver a few more soft pats to the dog monster's head.
"PET! PAT! POT! PET! PAT!" Crowed the dog monster as it hastily backed away from Frisk's diabolical petting ways.
D-(snerk)DOGGO HAS BEEN PET.
Ignoring the cold, Dean sank down to his knees hands patting frantically against the child's chest, nothing, no wound, just like Sam.
Breathing a sigh of relief Dean sent a harsh, reprimanding glare Frisk's way.
"Jesus Christ kid, what the hell were you thinking!?"
Frisk flinched, eyes downcast, "…"
Dean sighed, his anger vanishing and leaving only the worry behind, "Right, sorry squirt, shouldn't have yelled at you." He stood, brushing of the excess snow off as he did. "You were only trying to help, next time though, come up with a plan that won't give Sam and me heart attacks."
"O-Okay…sorry…"
Nodding his acceptance of the child's apology Dean stared passively at the monster barking spastically into the air. Hell, the dogs tail was wagging so fast Dean was almost worried it'd break off and go flying (almost, bastard did attack Sam after all.)
Sighing heavily Dean prepared himself to surrender to Frisk's own brand of monster magic.
"Alright squirt, what do you suppose we do with this guy? If he gets any louder someone's bound to come look'n."
Frisk pointed at Dean, "Pet!" She chirped cheerfully.
Dean groaned, "Yeah I had a feel'n you were gonna say that, look Frisk I don't think-"
The older hunter cut himself off as Sam walked purposefully passed, shoulders set in a determined line.
"Sam what the heck are you doing!?"
Ignoring his brother's rising panic, Sam stopped inches away from Doggo's twitching form. Head tilted in consideration Sam placed his own hand on the dog monsters head.
The effect was instantaneous.
"PET! PET AGAIN!" Doggo jumped back, scurrying to the safety of his station, pupils blown wide and unseeing. "THINGS THAT DON'T MOVE PET!"
Dean snorted, "Not so big and bad now huh?" He clicked spare.
YOU WON!
YOU EARNED 0 XP AND 30 GOLD!
Doggo's whole body was shaking, shifting eyes no longer trained on them, "S-s-s-s-something pet me…something that isn't m-moving…" He shivered, "I'm gonna need more dog treats for this!"
Than, as quickly as Doggo appeared he was gone, form now hunkering below the station opening. Both hunter's shot each other a look as the telltale smell of marijuana filled the air.
{ICK! WHAT IS THAT!? SMELLS LIKE WEEKOLD SNAIL PIE!}
Frisk agreed, even if the scent was vaguely familiar.
Dean waved at the air, "Ugh, lets get out of here, smells like a college frat house out here." He sent Sam a stern glare. "Don't think you're off the hook there Sammy, you were equally as reckless as the kid. Heck worse even cause you know better!"
Sam shrugged, "Sorry Dean but it felt right at the time. Doggo wasn't a threat anymore and it was kind of my own fault for getting hurt in the first place. I mean, someone put up a sign that literally said, "Don't move.""
"That doesn't make it any better Sam!" Grumbled the older man as they slowly made their way to the end of the path. No need to give (12)Lassie another reason to attack them.
Reaching the edge Dean couldn't help but notice the substantial amount of dog treats thrown haphazardly on the ground. Hell, some of them were still smoking.
"Heh, talk about a party animal ay Sammy? No wonder that Doggo guys shifty as hell, never heard of moderation apparently."
Sam's face scrunched up in disapproval, "That's not funny Dean."
Frisk tugged on Sam's sleeve pointing curiously at the pile of burnt dog treats, "What are those?"
Sam hastily kicked snow over the smoking pile, "Nothing! Just an extremely bad habit that you are NEVER going to be involved in. Right Dean?"
"Uh yeah, for sure! Not that we can predict what you'll do in college but-"
"Dean!"
"Kidding Sam." He looked down at Frisk, "Trust my brother squirt, he knows about these kinds of things, intimately."
The Voice groaned, {CAN THESE HUMANS JUST MAKE SENSE ALREADY!? WHY DO THEY HAVE TO BE SO CRIPTIC!}
Sam passed by Dean taking Frisk's hand and purposefully leading the child away from the dubious mound.
A sudden burst of excitement rippled throughout Frisk's body, {LOOK! ITS SANS! HE MUST HAVE BEEN WORRIED WITH HOW SLOW WE WERE MOVING!}
Frisk smiled brightly as she took notice of the figure standing lazily up ahead, "Sans!"
Sam blinked, *Has he been here the whole time? No. He must have just teleported, the snow at his feet only looks partially disturbed. *
The skeleton grinned, well in Sans' case his frozen smile widened considerably, "hey kiddo." He glanced from Sam to Dean, "bigger kiddos."
Sam sighed, "You do know where adults by human standards right?"
The skeleton smirked, "no kidding?"
"You're going to keep calling us that aren't you."
Sans deliver a cheeky wink, "got it in one, kiddo."
Dean offered his brother a mockingly, sympathetic shoulder pat, "Suck it up Sammy, at least "kiddo" isn't as bad as what Crowley goes around call'n you."
Sans' pinpricks of light glowed with mischief, "oh? got a ringer of a nickname huh?" He glanced at Dean, "why not help out a pal and share?"
"Well-"
Sam slapped a hand over his brothers' mouth, "Don't you dare!" A sudden thought gave birth to the younger man's own devious smile.
Dean shuddered, *Creepy! *
"Go ahead Dean, try, just know I'll tell him what Crowley calls YOU."
"You wouldn't!" Which, considering Sam hadn't removed his hand came out sounding more like, "Fuu mudth!"
Sam grinned devilishly, a look totally out of place on the kinder Winchester, "Oh, I would, what's a little brother for?"
Dean's hands raised in surrender, "You win." Or in hand speak, "Buu fin." But, because he was the older brother and Sam did have the nerve to put his hand over his mouth well, you can see where this is going.
"Gaahhh! Gross Dean!" Sam hastily wiped his spittle covered hand against his pant leg, mouth twisted into a disgusted grimace.
Frisk and Sans viewed the scene with various degrees of amusement, at one-point Frisk nearly fell over she was laughing so hard!
Sans chuckled wistfully, eye lights sparkling with unrestrained mirth. "ah, brotherly love, precious aren't they kiddo?"
Still snickering Frisk nodded in agreement.
The Voice huffed, {WISH THAT HAD BEEN SO EASY FOR ME, (13)SIBLINGS WITH FURRED HANDS MAKES IT KINDA HARD TO ENJOY THE PAY OFF.}
*Siblings? * Frisk refrained from questioning The Voice, it seemed they hadn't even realized they'd said it. Their attention to focused on the pair of human brothers squabbling childishly in the snow.
Still smirking Sans snapped his phalanges together, disappearing only to reappear between both men.
"alright kiddos lets simmer down now, no need to spit hairs over a little saliva sharing."
"I have a suspicious feeling your not taking this seriously." Sam offered blandly, pointily ignoring Deans less than subtle giggles.
"trust me pal I'm taking this very seriously, can't ya tell?"
Sam scoffed, *Bullshit. You're getting a kick out of this, Jesus it's like Dean multiplied. *
Sans continued, "sides I need to tell ya somethin' important concerning my bro."
Dean glanced at the skeleton curiously, "Concerning what?" *He's not still worried we're gonna attack Papyrus, is he? * The hunter could admit to being unsettled by that thought, he liked the taller skeleton, he sure as hell didn't want to gank him.
The skeleton smirked, "concerning my bros special attack pal." Sans casually placed his arms behind his head, looking the picture of "at ease." "see, I'm not too worried about you three fight'n my brother, but paps? he'll feel obligated to…well, can't really call it a FIGHT when he isn't really out to hurt ya but not much else I can call it." He shifted, eye lights spearing Dean's own, "and as one older brother to another you can understand wanting to head off the impulsive younger ones."
Dean's brows furrowed, *Why do I get the feeling there's a hell lot of double speak happen'n here that I'm just not getting? * "Alright, whatever helps man."
Pleased Sans continued, "you know how stop signs are red?" He peered at Frisk, "you have seen a stop sign before, haven't ya kiddo?"
Frisk nodded.
"awesome, well, think about them but instead of the sign be'n red their blue, you don't move, and it won't hurt ya. just like if you stop at a sign, if you stop, you can't get run over. Simple right?" His eyes shifted away to land on Frisk, "my bros pretty good at stop'n when he's ahead, so I know things aren't likely to get outta hand. right?"
Frisk nodded, unsure why Sans had looked at her for the answer.
All throughout Sans' explanation Sam couldn't help but feel suspicious, Doggo clearly possessed the "blue magic" for a lack of a better word, so why was he only telling them now? There was the possibility that Sans had no idea about the dog monsters' magical abilities, but the younger hunter had a hard time believing that.
Doggo was a sentry, probably had been one for as long as the dog themed stationed existed, and Sans; being the guy who could quite literally teleport from place to place, must have met him at some point. Not to mention the odds that both skeleton and dog monster more than likely lived in the same area. Sam supposed it could be argued that Sans and his brother lived further out and simply came to this part of the underground for their patrol but, honestly, the younger man couldn't see that as being true.
And those puns…Sam might not be a fan but even he could tell they seemed…pointed almost. With a real meaning behind them that had little to do with entertaining Dean and Frisk, in fact the puns lacked humor entirely.
The skeleton released a breath (seriously how!?), "right, see? nothin to worry about."
The Voice frowned, a small bit of concern coloring its next words. {WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO CONVINCE? US OR YOURSELF? MAN, HE'S ACTTING WERID, I LIKE HIM BETTER WHEN HE'S MAKING PUNS THAT MAKE SENSE OR FART PRANKS.}
*Me too…*
"welp, best be off, paps is probably get'n real frostrated with how long I've been gone." He turned, lazily trotting down the path they had come from.
The three humans watched him go, with only Sam twitching as the skeleton vanished from sight.
Dean turned to his brother, "Well that was…uncomfortable. Was it just me or did we get threatened again along with that helping hand?"
"Sort of? It didn't really feel like he was threatening us per se, more like he was trying to warn us."
Dean sent his brother a dubious look, "Isn't that the same thing!?"
"Not in this context? Look I really can't explain it I just have a feeling."
Dean sighed, "A feeling, right, like those have never steered us wrong before."
Sam released an annoyed huff, "Don't be an as-er-jerk."
"Dude, you suck at that."
"Shut-up!"
Chuckling Dean motioned to the frozen sleet spread out across the forests floor, "So, we ride'n the polar slip n'slide or walk'n around?"
Sam's brows pinched, "It would be faster but, without skates its probably safer to just go around."
Frisk frowned, that didn't sound very fun or convenient.
{TELL ME ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW WHAT, LETS SHOW'UM ITS NOT DANGEROUS!}
*How? * Frisk tentatively questioned.
{HOW ELSE!? TAKE A RUNNING START AND GO! GO! GO!}
*T-That doesn't sound very…safe. *
{OH, WELL, I GUESS YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE A RUNNING START IF YOU DON'T WANT TO.}
Frisk sighed, that wasn't exactly what she meant, still…I really wanna slide!
Giddy and full of youthful determination the fallen child did as The Voice suggested and launched herself forward. Headless of the twin gasps of surprise erupting from behind.
"Frisk!?"
"Squirt!?"
Grinning Frisk turned to wave, unfortunately ice is not exactly the most stable of surfaces so instead of a cheery wave Frisk ended up flapping her arms in panic, not wanting to fall on the frigid ground.
{K-KEEP IT TOGETHER FRISK! NO NOT THAT WAY! YOU'RE ALMOST AT THE EDG-AH! WATCH OUT!}
CRUNCH!
Frisk fell, face first onto the slush, unhurt save for pride.
{WELL, THAT COULD HAVE GONE BETTER.}
The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps pounding against the snow saved Frisk from having to respond to The Voice's less than helpful observation.
Gentle hands clutched at her barrowed coat.
"Jesus Christ kid you're gonna make me go gray, the heck-!"
(14)"Oh dear, is the young one alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, squirts fine, too reckless if you ask me- "He stopped mind registering that the voice was not at all his brothers and way too echoy. It was like flowing all around instead of coming out of someone's mouth.
Raising cautiously with Frisk in toe Dean glanced up, however the only object of interest was a decently made snowman. He turned his gaze to Sam who was staring wide eyed in the direction of Mr. Frosty.
*Sigh. * "Alright talking snowman, why not, everything else does around here." He peered at the mound of snow. "Sup."
Sam choked, "Really Dean!?"
Dean shrugged, "Well what'd you want me to say? (15)Happy Birthday!? Yeah, cause Frosty here is gonna get that reference."
Sam glared, "Why do you need to make a reference at all!"
Soft tingling laughter danced around them, just as otherworldly as the land they had fallen into.
"My, my, you both are quite entertaining, I dare say you humans remind me of the two young skeletons who watch over this place. How enlightening, the similarities between brothers regardless of species."
Sam blinked, "Ugh, I guess."
If the snowman could shake its head it would have, "It is simply the truth." A pause. "Hmm…Humans from above, may I make an inquiry of you?"
"Uh, sure, why the hell not?"
Sam's growl of "Dean!" was subsequently ignored.
The snowman continued unbothered, "As I am a man of snow I have no feet to travel, long have I lived here, in this place, never moving. And for those centuries I have wished for nothing but to experience the world and see the sights of the common monsters. Please young ones, won't you help me? Take a piece of my snow and keep it with you on your journey; allow it to reach the far-off places that I cannot."
Sam stared, "Its not that we don't want to um, help you it's just, we don't really have anything to safely carry your…snow…"
Frisk frowned sadly as Sam trailed off, *Poor Mr. Snowman, there has to be something we can do. *
{HELLO!? THE BAG! I BET MOM WOULD HAVE PACKED SOMETHING WE COULD USE! SHE'S THE PREPARED TYPE.}
Frisk's frown disappeared, replaced by a triumphant grin. Carefully trotting through the snow (she really didn't want to fall on her face again) Frisk latched onto Sam's side, tugging insistently on the other.
"Wha? Frisk?"
The child simply pointed, "Bag."
Sam blinked dubiously.
Dean shook his head, amusement clearly written across his face. "Dude I thought you were supposed to be the smart one? Squirts got a point, why not check the bag? Goat Mama probably shoved everything she could think of into that bag and more."
"Huh, point taken." Sam unzipped the pack nimble fingers sifting through the bags contents. "Wow, she really did pack everything, why in the world would we need a ruler for!?"
"Focus Sam."
Sam's mouth twitched into a faint smile, *Isn't that what I'm always telling you to do? *
"Ah! Found something." Clutched in his grip was a small jar, perfect for storing a little magical snow.
Frisk's smile was blinding, "Can I!?"
Dean grinned, clapping a hand roughly onto Sam's shoulder (and earning himself a nice #12 Bitchface in return.) "Sure squirt", he plucked the jar from his disgruntled little brother and tossed it to Frisk, "Knock yourself out, just make sure you only put in as much as it will hold."
Humming happily, Frisk scooped in an appropriate amount, making sure to be as gentle as possible. Frisk wasn't sure she could hurt a magical snowman but there was no need to find out either.
{YOU GOT THE SNOWMAN PIECE!} The Voice chirped happily.
Lifting from the ground she handed the jar back to Dean.
Although the snowman's face never changed, there was a sense of excited joy that had not been there before. "Oh, bless you little ones, you have made this snowman incredibly happy! Thank you and good luck on your shared journey!"
Dean smiled awkwardly, "Uh, no problem, we do what we can." *Man, disembodied voices are fuck'n uncomfortable, no offense to Frosty. *
Turning away the three humans left the snowman to, well, do whatever the hell a snowman did when left to its own devises.
Dean glanced down at Frisk, "So, we learn our lesson kid? No throw'n ourselves on slippery ice sheets?"
Frisk nodded, flashing a thumbs up.
Dean snorted, "Awesome."
The group moved forward, bypassing the slick earth and entering a new part of the forest. An extremely loud, nasally voice called out from the left.
"YOU'RE SO LAZY! YOU WE'RE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!"
"I think that's called…sleeping."
"EXCUSES! EXCUSES!"
Dean grinned, "Well, show time ay Sammy?"
Sam eyed his smiling brother before sliding his gaze to the two skeletons, *Why do I feel like I'm not going to get out of this with my sanity intact? *
(1) Season 4/5- Exactly what it sounds like folks, Lucifer's Cage literally contained the Devil. Which sorta makes sense with Sans' state of mind when it comes to his grab-bag of secrets, guys wound tighter than a bank vault.
(2) Dean might like Sans', heck he might even trust him (if only a little) but that in no way means he isn't cautious or suspicious. Sans is a guarded guy, one that hides emotions and thoughts behind a devil-maycare smile. Which, honestly, puts Dean on edge worse than Sam; that's literally his personality grinning back at him in skeleton form.
(3) Dean's incredibly intelligent, something the show doesn't put a whole lot of emphasis on because that's not his base trait or purpose in the show. Although it is shown on occasion I still feel like Dean's never been given due justice for how smart he actually is. Sure, he'll never be an encyclopedia but damn if he couldn't have several PhD's in supernatural/mythological studies.
(4) Chara's such a tsun.
(5) Alright, world building, whoo! Okay so here goes, FIGHT's are an engagement of battle between two beings or more. Willing or unwilling in any case. This means that the target or targets of the FIGHT, should, theoretically, be unable to escape from a certain distance as someone must be spared or killed to end the battle. That in mind I figured a magical barrier would make sense as a prevention for both escape and intrusion into a battle. This would also make it a precautionary magic as it protects spectators or (in Sam and Frisk's case) unnoticed targets from being damaged by monster/determination magic outside of the battle zone. Make sense? No? Cool than I'm do'n it right!
(6) Dean can relate, he was trying to empress John Winchester for years.
(7) Daww Dean and his soft spot for kids! Too cute!
(8) Ah, Cas's air quotes, never gonna get tired of those.
(9) I like the idea that had there been no interference from the real evil in this story, Chara would have been quite the fan of Papyrus's. Just feels fitting.
(10) Those moves though! Dean and Sam are exceptional fighters and I kinda wanted to show case a little bit of that baddassary. (Though I still think the fight scene is terrible, albit a…okay attempt at best.)
(11) Magicexmachina, I'd like to think magical attacks that have higher purposes than simple damage dealing would give an indicator like in game. However, describing it in a more animated way was a challenge that I met with a simple answer, glowing aura. BAM! Best overused trope! The same could be said about human determination but that's not important right know.
(12) The well! Frisk's stuck in a well!? The barn! The barns on fire!?...I'll stop…
(13) Gross, I can imagine.
(14) Wrote the entirety of this on a whim, no real reason, although I was a bit curious how the snowman spoke as its mouth never moved.
(15) First words uttered by Frosty the Snowman when the children place the magical top hat on his(its?) head.
I apologize if this chapter was subpar or just a snooze fest of dialogue or what have you. This chapter was cruel in every conceivable way, writers block upon writer's block. There were times I wrote full paragraphs only to erase them entirely because they just wouldn't fit. Than to make matters worse the writer's block brought on depression which led to procrastination which led to more writer's block! It's like, "I know where this story is going, I have it all planned out! So why the holy hell is writing it becoming such a hassle!"
I even tried to take a month off to veg, play games and formulate my thoughts but it didn't help, the blocks and issues were still there! Than before I knew it 2 almost 3 months had gone by and I still wasn't getting anywhere, I've never been so frustrated in my life!
*Takes deep calming breathe. * So once again I apologize, I look back at this chapter and I think, "yeah its finished but I hate it and I KNOW it could have been better." *Sigh. * Can't win'um all I guess, anyway, I'm back, this hellscape of a chapter is done and finally we've made it to Papyrus, so be excited cause I actually know what I'm gonna write next chap.
Also, just a quick thing, none of you ever have to be worried about an abandoned story from me, sure it might take 3 months to get a new chapter from my unproductive ass but that's all. I don't like the idea of leaving something unfinished, especially stories, cause when I read one and it stops in the middle and I'm super involved it pisses me off. So, I can't fathom doing that to my lovely readers so no worries.
