Chapter 17

Hell to Pay

The last words Frisk and Chara said echoed throughout the Spider's Den…

"Or else there will be hell to pay…"

Muffet looked distraught at this. There was a lot of force put behind those words, and Frisk's sclera had turned black and the only color left were two crimson dots left in the center. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a flower tense up in fear, then disappear into the dirt. Frisk stepped forwards, holding a black and red knife in her hand. "She never had that before…" I stared at it for a moment, and I started to learn about the knife itself. "Demon's Toy. ATK-30. I doubt anyone with sin could stand up to this weapon. Seems to be forged out of sheer DETERMINATION." Around her neck was a blackened locket. "Locket of Memories. DEF-77. It's filled with happy memories. Most of them are about a goat monster named Asriel… Some of them are about me, too."

In Frisk's opposite hand, she held a shield depicting the Delta Rune Toriel wore. "Shield of Dreams. DEF-22. This shield can protect someone's deepest hopes and dreams from anyone's view." I felt tears run down my face. "It's obvious that they care about me deeply. All I did to earn their care and trust was run off in Waterfall and nearly get myself killed…" My tears dropped onto the webs, getting stuck to them.

"This is for Felix." They struck first, slicing a clean line down Muffet's right cheek. She started bleeding dust, summoning her purple webs to entwine them. Frisk (Chara?) simply sliced through them. Muffet gasped as another cut was made, this time on one of her arms. The cut was deep, and Muffet had to hold it. Muffet retreated upwards from a web, yet Frisk spun around once to gain momentum then threw the Demon's Toy, slicing through Muffet's web and the web that was holding me up.

Both of us fell to the ground, but only one of us made a sound. Muffet landed soundlessly, looking unharmed by the landing before disappearing into the shadows. I, however, landed with a large thud and broke several of my bones. I coughed up some blood, feeling like I had been stabbed again, but something was peculiar this time. My blood was tinged slightly grey, and was a sludge-like consistency. The last thing I noticed was that it felt cold when my face landed in it, instead of warm like blood should be.

Frisk's POV

I rushed over to Felix as he fell into what I thought to be his blood, but I wasn't sure anymore. It was grey and sticky, and not at all like blood. I picked him up out of it, Chara going back to her ghostly form.

"*Do you think he'll be okay? When we cut him down, we kinda hurt him even more. I hope he's alright…" I'm guessing that right about now, Chara realized what she was saying. "*For your sake… I-I hope he's alright for your sake…"

"Chara… Do you… like… Felix?" I hesitated on the word "like" to draw out the meaning I was trying to suggest.

"*N-No! O-Of course I don't like him! I'm a demon! I don't even have a SOUL to feel with!" I sighed, as Chara's logic was flawed.

"Chara, when I agreed to let you share my SOUL after I talked with Azzy… What part of 'now you'll have a SOUL too' did you not understand?" I looked at her as I started to roughly carry Felix out of Muffet's domain. I set him down near the Nice Cream Man's stand. Not just two, but four Royal Guardsmen stood there. The bunny and the dragon were there like normal… But also a mantis and a kitty cat were there. They were sharing laughs and ice cream, but that immediately stopped when they saw me set Felix down.

The four of them stood up, and I backed up a step. "Nonono, we're going to help. That's Felix, and the Royal Guard owes a great debt to him." The cat quickly explained. The four of them surrounded Felix, patching him up and actually awakening him as well. He looked completely out of it when the Royal Guard helped him up.

"Wha… What happened to me…? Was I stabbed again?" Felix blinked several times, looking at the monsters who were helping him to stand.

I sighed. "No, but you fell pretty hard…" I turned to the draconic guard. "Did his sword wound open again…?" He quickly shook his head no. "Good… Felix, we kinda cut you down from Muffet's webs and nearly injured you further…" I bit my lip, hoping he wouldn't hate Chara and me.

He looked away for a moment, seeming to mull it over. "Thank you for saving me." He looked slightly uncomfortable saying those words.

Chapter 17.5

Lost at Sea…?

Felix's POV

"Thank you for saving me." Those five foreign words slipped over my lips and echoed out through the corridor. I had never had to say those words before. Even here, in the underground, I had only said them one other time, and then, I had no trouble saying them. Toriel was the recipient of those words the first time I had uttered them, but now… Now, I had stumbled over them, trampled on them, and mauled them beyond recognition. To me, they barely resembled what they should.

I mentally cursed myself heavily. Here I am, getting saved by my own best friends, and I stumble over the words I'm supposed to be saying. What kind of human being am I, if I can't even express gratitude…?

Muffet's words are haunting me again… "No… that's not the smell of dust coursing through his veins… It's the smell of a monster's SOUL… A powerful monster's SOUL… One even to rival the King's…"

"What kind of monster are you then? With a stolen SOUL and a disguise… You don't smell like any monster I've encountered before, but you definitely don't smell like the other human…"

She said I wasn't even human… But monsters show gratitude too… What if… What if I'm not either? So many doubts course through my veins and mind that I've lost track of them all… I feel like I'm lost at sea…