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"It was the first time she'd discovered something she really didn't want to find, and she didn't know what to do once she'd found it."
― Jodi Picoult, Vanishing Acts
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"Thanks for walking me to the inn, Papyrus." I was grateful, being escorted by Papyrus made it so that other monsters wouldn't attack me.
Papyrus laughed. "NYEHEHEHEH! NO PROBLEM, HUMAN. REMEMBER TO MEET ME TOMMOROW FOR OUR FINAL CONFRONTATION." He then left, heading home.
I looked around to see if anyone was looking in my direction. Once I made sure that no one was looking at me, I called up my inventory and my stats.
My inventory still had the toy knife and the cinnamon-butterscotch pie from the Ruins. It also had more of the monster money I gained from sparing monsters.
I checked my stats next. My stats read as [HP 20/20], which was surprising. It seemed as if Papyrus's spaghetti, despite being an insult to Italian cuisine, was enough to restore my HP.
That was good. Not only did I not have to waste money finding food to restore my HP, but I didn't have to eat dinner. The spaghetti was quite enough for me.
However, that brings me to the next problem. I still needed to find food for tomorrow. I sighed.
I checked my gold reserves and was relieved to have [150 GOLD]. I could probably buy some items from the shop next to the inn and stack up on food.
I waved my inventory and stats away and then entered the shop. A bunny in a dress greeted me.
"Hello, traveler! How can I help you?"
Before I could say anything, another screen popped up in front of me. However, instead of the board used for engagements, this board had items with their prices on them. There was [25G – Tough Glove], [25G – Manly Bandanna], and [15G Cinnamon Bun].
I blinked in surprise at the some of the items up for sale.
The Tough Glove and Manly Bandanna are both human items.
My eyes widen at what the Narrator told me. If that is so . . .
"Excuse me, miss. I'm new here, and I was just wondering where you obtained the glove and bandanna in your possession." I smiled at the bunny.
"Oh! Yes, well, I got those shortly after the fifth soul for the barrier was obtained. One of the new town residents, Sans, gave it to me. I don't know where he got it from. But I wouldn't worry about that. He's always been a mysterious one. Especially since he moved here from New Home three generations ago." The bunny didn't seem to realize how suspicious her words were.
I felt myself slowly pale. I just had to ask the bunny one more question. I needed to know if . . .
"U-um, who obtained the fifth soul?" I clenched my sweater, my nerves were strung up.
"Hmm. I don't know who exactly obtained it, but the King said that it was through the work of one of his guardsmen situated close to the area where the human came through. The human never made it to Snowdin, so it was probably the work of one of the sentries close by." I felt myself sweat heavily.
All the little clues were slowly being pieced together. The only sentry that was close by the door to the Ruins was Sans's sentry. And the only way to get these items, these human items, were to forcefully take them from the human in question.
After all, these items seemed like they would be useful in a fight. No one would be stupid enough to just leave them lying around anywhere. Especially a human in the Underground.
And since these items came after the fifth soul was obtained then that meant . . . that the fifth human child was killed. Killed by the first person who greeted them from the Ruins. Someone who would have had to spot them first. Someone who brought the human child's items to a shop since they would be personally useless for them.
Sans . . . Sans killed the fifth human child.
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Do you wish to purchase Tough Glove, Manly Bandanna, and 3 Cinnamon Buns? [Yes/No]
Yes.
You have purchased Tough Glove, Manly Bandanna, and 3 Cinnamon Buns.
I watched in apathy as my inventory popped up with all the items slotted in already. I also watched as my gold reserves were automatically reduced to [45 GOLD]. My inventory and stats then closed themselves, leaving no trace of being there in the first place.
"Thank you for purchasing from my wares!" The bunny waved at me.
I exited out from the shop and entered inn. I then asked for a room at the front desk.
"Oh! That would be 25G."
I transferred the money by pressing the notification that popped up. I was glad about the shopping trip earlier, it allowed me to know the currency exchange in the Underground. Something that I would need to know especially if it was going to be traveling through it for the coming days ahead.
The bunny handed me a room key. "Thanks for choosing our inn! Please enjoy."
My room key said 221B, so I walked down the hallway until I found a doorway with the matching inscription in it. I unlocked the door and entered the room.
In the room was a bed next to the window with a nightstand and lamp beside it. The room was nothing much, it was modest and simple.
I locked the door behind me and headed straight for the bed. I flopped on the bed and smothered my face in a nearby pillow. Then I took a deep breath . . .
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. . . and exhaled. I took another deep breath and stared at the wall across from me.
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I sighed. I didn't know what to do for the situation at hand. I was completely blindsided by the latest development. All I really wanted to do was curl up and sleep. But I knew that if I didn't mentally go over everything that happened so far, I wouldn't be able to sleep properly.
First, I'm in a video game. My very existence is superficial at best and meaningless at worst. Trying to delve anymore into that would just result into an existential crisis.
Second, I get attached to one of the inhabitants in the Underground. So much so that I placed them as a mother-figure in my life and then proceed to fight them in order to return to my only living relative who might have contracted a terminal illness. The less said about this, the better.
I then realized that I left Mom without any supplies except a cinnamon-butterscotch pie and new clothes . . . I'm kind of an idiot. What kind of person journeys across the Underground, where monsters will try to kill you, without supplies? Thank the stars that most of the inhabitants don't realize I'm a human.
Third, I have a dead person in my head. Shit . . . I forgot to ask Mom about their name. Hmm. Whatever, I'll find out their name another way. For know, the name Narrator works well enough.
Fourth, I died. Yeah . . . I'm just going to leave that alone.
Fifth, I met Papyrus. He's a real sweetheart. I hope that the fight tomorrow isn't too bad. I could probably sneak out and leave before he can find me, but that seemed a little too mean. So I'm probably going to fight him tomorrow. I might be captured but, eh, I'll improvise.
Sixth, it seems that most of the inhabitants in the Underground probably don't know how the monsters are obtaining the souls of humans. Papyrus was fairly oblivious about what the King would do to me after I'm captured, not to mention how the store bunny talked about gaining the fifth soul. They probably don't even know that their guardsmen are killing children in order to provide for their freedom. Or, maybe, they know and just don't care. Given how the King placed a kill order for humans, it could be that the hatred and resentment of monsters towards humans overpower their moral convictions.
. . . Yeah, I'm not going to think that far ahead. Dark thoughts an' all.
Still, that meant that most of the monsters that fought me don't really mean to kill me. What did Mom say again? They must be doing Soul Expression. Yeah . . . Monsters are pretty weird. That means that the sentries are the only ones I need to watch out for.
Seventh, the SAVE STAR seems to only show up after I clear out one region, so that meant I should be very careful. If I died, I would have to restart my progress all over again, which would be a pain. So mastering the LOAD ability should be top priority. At least, I'm a quick learner.
Eight . . . Sans killed the fifth human child. I knew there was a reason to be wary of him! It seems as if I was proven right. Still, even after figuring that out, I don't feel frightened. In fact, I just feel that same as before; wary and guarded. It seems as if Gamer's Mind might be dampening my emotions. Hmm. If Sans killed the fifth human child, then why didn't he kill me?
I sighed. It seems as if there are millions of secrets in the Underground everywhere I look. Not to mention, all of the secrets that surrounded me.
I turned around in the bed, trying to in a get comfortable position for sleep. For now, I'll just carry on like I normally do. Maybe I can find out the answers to my questions the deeper I go through the Underground.
I could even call Mom tomorrow. She could probably help me with these questions, but it might be useless. After all, Mom has been shut in the Ruins for who knew long!
Still, tomorrow is sure going to be something. I felt my eyes slowly close on their own.
You feel DETERMINED for tomorrow to come.
Papyrus stood facing the town, his scarf blowing majestically in the wind. He stared, waiting for the human to arrive. It was only yesterday when he met the elusive human. And yet, they exceeded all of his expectations! Not only was the human good at overcoming the obstacles in their way, but it seemed as if they, too, were a spaghetti lover. Too bad that they couldn't eat his spaghetti. Still, they were able to tell that his spaghetti was amazing, which itself proved that the human was brilliant. After all, not many monsters could recognize brilliance.
The crunch of footsteps alerted Papyrus that someone was heading his way. Papyrus focused his attention back to the matter at hand just in time to see the human arrive. The human looked nervously around the battle field before spotting him. Once the human spotted him, they smiled widely.
"Hey, Papyrus!" They greeted. Papyrus decided to grace the human with his great presence.
"HELLO HUMAN! I SEE THAT YOU HAVE CAME FOR OUR FINAL CONFRONTATION. NYEHEHEHEHE! KNOW THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL FINALLY CAPTURE YOU!" Papyrus announced.
"I'm sure you will." They were still smiling.
Papyrus was a little taken aback by what the human said. He stared at the human intently, trying to see of they was mocking him. But after seeing the sincerity in their face, he continued on.
"U-UM, WOWIE! EVEN THE HUMAN KNOWS THAT THEY SHALL BE DEFEATED BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS! PREPARE FOR TROUBLE, ON THE DOUBLE!" Papyrus said with renewed confidence. After all, it wasn't every day that someone believed that he could capture a human. The fact that the human believed that and wasn't being indulgent like his brother made him feel happy.
Papyrus pulled the human in an engagement. The first turn went to the human. It was then the human shocked Papyrus with their next move. Instead of pressing [FIGHT], like what all monsters thought humans might do, the human pressed [MERCY: SPARE]. It was his turn now, Papyrus confusedly pressed [ACT: TALK].
"H-HUMAN! WE ARE IN BATTLE! DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT WHEN YOU ARE IN A BATTLE, THAT YOU MUST FIGHT!?" Papyrus questioned.
The human pressed [ACT: TALK]. "I know how to battle. I just prefer not to hurt anyone."
A-amazing!
Papyrus always thought that humans were malicious beings just like his school taught all little monsters. It was only when the human cried over his spaghetti that Papyrus started having doubts. But this . . . this shows that the human was not bad! Not bad at all. Still, Papyrus must capture the human. After all, his dream of being a member of the Royal Guard is at stake!
"FINE HUMAN! THEN PREPARE FOR MY BLUE ATTACK!" Papyrus warned.
Papyrus then pressed [FIGHT: BLUE ATTACK] . It was then he saw a glimpse of the human's soul. It was a beautiful bright red, and glowed with an inner warmth. Papyrus almost regretted his actions but he kept firm. His attack caused the human to fall to the ground with an unseen weight. Magic bones manifested in the air and headed straight for the prone form of the human.
However, right when they were about to make contact the human rolled over, missing most of the bones. Still, a few hit them, causing gashes to appear on the human's flesh. Blood dripped from the wounds and landed on the snow, tainting it to a dirty red. The human stats lowered to [HP 25/20] from its previous [HP 30/20].
Still, the human persistently pressed [MERCY: SPARE]. Papyrus, in response, pressed [FIGHT: BLUE BONES]. The [BLUE ATTACK] was still in effect, causing the human to stay still. But, instead of regular bones manifesting in the air, glowing blue bones manifested and headed straight for the human.
"NYEHEHEHE! LET US SEE IF YOU CAN FIGURE OUT THIS PUZZLE."
However, the human didn't move and just let the manifested bones faze through them harmlessly. Hmm. It seemed as if the human figured out how his [BLUE BONES] attack worked. They really are brilliant!
Papyrus then decided to baffle the human by bypassing the board's limits and attack again. Normal boards had the one-turn rule for each opponent. However, Papyrus was able to find a way to bypass that rule and attack twice in a row on his turn. (In preparation for Royal Guard enrollment, of course. Nyeh heh heh!)
Papyrus pressed [FIGHT: BAD BONES]. This attack, instead of manifesting in the air, manifests under the opposing person and punches them in the air. The person then falls down from the air and lands on the bones themselves, causing more damage in the end.
The human's eyes widen as Papyrus's [BAD BONES] attack punched them from the ground up. They tried to land away from the bones, but was only able to land their upper body on the snow. Their legs landed on the bones, twisting their ankle and causing their wounds to become worse. The human screamed in pain.
Papyrus felt himself wince at the obvious pain that the human was in. He didn't think that his attack would do enough damage for the human to be lowered to [HP 7/20]. He always practiced on dummies and they only took [-10 DG].
He watched as the human bleed out in the snow, making the once white landscape turn into a disgusting red. Papyrus felt uneasy seeing the pain the human was in. However, the human once again pressed [MERCY: SPARE].
It was once again Papyrus's turn. He decided to press [FIGHT: BLUE ATTACK]. The other attacks were either too dangerous for the human or useless since the human already figured out how to counteract them.
Papyrus watched as the human once again tried to dodge his regular manifested bones. Their HP soon reached the critical zone of [HP 2/20]. Papyrus decided to once again bend the one-turn rule of the boards and go again. However, instead of attacking, Papyrus pressed [ACT: TALK].
"HUMAN! WHY DO YOU NOT ATTACK ME? YOU ARE SERIOUSLY INJURED! DO NOT WISH TO END THIS BATTLE?" Papyrus questioned.
The human pressed [ACT: TALK]. "I-I can't a-attack you. I-I don't w-want to h-hurt people. B-but I a-also cannot a-abandon this b-battle. If I-I do s-so, then I-I will g-get captured. I-I'm too D-DETERMINED to s-stop. That i-is why I-I will c-continue this b-battle. Until a-a peaceful r-resolution has c-come at h-hand!"
They coughed up blood, splattering the snow with the color of red. It seemed as if the [BAD BONES] attack caused some internal damage.
Papyrus's eye sockets widen. The fact that the human was DETERMINED to continue the battle until a peaceful resolution came about was . . . amazing! They were even enduring painful looking injuries just for that.
Not to mention how seriously they were taking the battle. No one, and Papyrus means no one, has ever bothered to take his battles seriously. Not even Undyne or even Sans has taken his battles seriously! But this human . . . they did. They took his puzzles seriously. They even ate his spaghetti. Something that not a lot of monsters did. They even came to fight him. Most people wouldn't have even come . . . but they did.
Papyrus knew what he had to do. It didn't matter that what he was doing was technically treason against the kingdom. This human . . . this person who liked spaghetti, solved his puzzles, and even tried to be nice to him despite them being on opposite sides deserves, more than anyone, his [MERCY]. So, instead of pressing attack like the human expected him to do, Papyrus instead pressed [MERCY: SPARE] . . . because that's what friends do, right?
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"WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE PALS . . . WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM?"
- Papyrus
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