Chapter 18: Suzy
Once she was down, Undyne knelt beside her. Stephanie slowly sat up, glaring at Undyne.
"You're merciless."
"Haha, no you're just pathetic," Undyne said.
Stephanie scowled before promptly spit blood into her face. She broke off a part of the spear that was embedded into her chest and jammed it into Undyne's left eye.
"Go to hell," she spat.
Undyne screamed and clutched her eye in agony. Stephanie stood up and ran away.
Sans met up with Undyne minutes later.
"So where's the human?" Sans asked.
Undyne winced.
"I don't know. We were fighting and after she stabbed me she ran off. I was going to send my men after her but...Oh well it doesn't matter her wounds were bleeding very badly. She'll die within hours," she said. "So how about you come and get me some help. My eye is hurting really badly."
Sans snorted.
"If memory serves weren't you paid to capture the human's soul. I wonder what the king will do once he finds out you let the kid die before he could obtain their soul."
Undyne paled and chuckled nervously.
"If I were you I'd be prepared to do groveling and a lot of it."
Sans continued his journey further into Waterfall until he spotted a pair of pink ballet shoes in a tower of blue grass.
Carefully he parted the grass and that's when he spotted the human sprawled face down on the ground.
"Oh shit."
Sans grabbed the human body hugging it close to his chest and teleported inside the king's castle.
The king was startled by a knock on the door of his chambers.
Usually monsters would drop by in the afternoon and early evening to talk to him.
He opened the door and paled at the sight of Sans hugging the dead human close to him.
"Is she?"
"Yeah, she's dead."
"Did you kill her?" Asgore asked.
"No, she succumbed to her sickness," Sans said. "If she died from her wounds well let's just say we wouldn't be talkin' right now."
"I'm a little worried though. One day a human will come here with the intent to kill us all. What if we can't stop them?"
"If there were traps implemented outside the castle they might be able to stop a human."
"Are we really doing the right thing though?"
"I'm not really the right person to ask," Sans said. "Y'know I've been conditioned to accept these kind of things so I can't really afford to have an opinion."
"You're right of course. I don't suppose you can offer your personal opinion."
"I want to save the humans but I don't want to do it if it'll threaten your safety," Sans supplied.
Asgore nodded.
"If Aster wants sample of the human soul let me know. I expect you to inform if he makes any progress on his experiments. He can work on the traps in the meantime."
"Will do. What do you want me to do with the human?" Sans asked.
"Keep her in the room with the coffins for now."
After that Sans headed back home to sleep for the remainder of the night. That evening however nightmares had plagued his sleep
The next morning he got up feeling very groggy and headed to the lab before telling Aster what the king had told him.
"You look awful. I hope you're not depressed," Aster said.
"What would I have to be depressed about?"
"I don't know. Is it about the human perhaps?"
Sans sighed.
"The humans will keep falling down here won't they? You can't be thinkin' it's a coincidence that every human that has fallen down here also happens to be a human child."
"Sans, it looks like it really bothers you."
Sans banged his fist on a desk nearby.
"Of course it bothers me. I'm beginning to think humans are right and we are the monsters."
"That's pretty much what's on the tin."
Sans avoided his father's eyes.
"I guess so but if I can't even save a human who can I save?"
"You are strong, Sans."
Sans sighed.
"Then why couldn't I save them?"
"I-I don't know."
"Can I borrow the time machine?"
"Yes," Aster said. "But why?"
"Maybe if I train I'll become stronger."
Aster looked at Sans with shrunken pupils.
"You really want to do this don't you?"
Sans nodded.
"The machine is in the room in the back of the lab."
For days Sans had been holed up back there.
One morning there was a knock on the lab door.
"DAD, WHERE'S SANS?"
"He's been holed up in here."
"WHAT'S HE DOING IN THERE?"
"He's been doing some physical training."
"ALL DAY? HAS HE ATE YET? HIS BODY NEEDS NUTRITIONAL SUSTENANCE OR HE WON'T BE IN HIS BEST SHAPE. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST FIX HIM SOMETHING TO EAT."
Papyrus headed to the kitchen to fix something. In the later part of the afternoon, Papyrus headed in the lab and knocked on the door in the backroom.
"SANS, ARE YOU IN THERE? OPEN UP! IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR I'M COMING IN THERE IN FIVE SECONDS. FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE."
"I'm getting it. I'm getting it."
Sans opened the door. Papyrus saw that his skull was glistening. He was in a bulky blue sweatsuit and his shoulders were slumped from exhaustion.
"I KNEW IT. YOU WERE IN THERE ALL DAY WITH NOTHING TO EAT. NO WONDER YOU LOOK EXHAUSTED. WHAT WERE YOU EVEN DOING IN THERE?"
"Training. I have to be ready for whatever happens."
"WELL I BROUGHT YOU LUNCH. YOU NEED TO EAT EVERY NOW AND THEN OR YOU'LL GROW WEAK."
Papyrus handed Sans the tray of food.
"Thanks Papyrus."
"I'M COMING HERE EVERYDAY TO MAKE SURE YOU EAT HEALTHY MEALS."
"You don't need to do that, bro."
"I INSIST."
It became a routine thing with time and there were no words of other humans coming through the underground.
Food was a scarce thing in the underground with monsters overpopulating the underground. In Hotland, monsters relied on the meat factory for food.
Clam, a monster with a clam-like head had been in charge of that factory for years ever since his father had died much to his dismay. It was important to always manage the condition of the factory as it was the only place he had to work. Unfortunately it was something he did with reluctance.
As he was headed in that direction he ran into someone.
"Sorry," Clam said.
"Are you alright?"
Clam looked up at the girl's voice. The person he had run into was a short girl with blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a frilly black dress and held a doll of a skeleton dressed in a blue hoodie.
"I'm fine. Have I seen you around? You don't look very familiar."
"Oh I come from Waterfall."
"Really? I do too," Clam said. "What your name? My name is Clam."
"Me? My name is Suzy. I hope we're neighbors," she said. "I'm sure my parents would love to meet you. They like monsters."
"Well see you around."
The girl walked passed him.
Clam turned to ask for her name but it seemed she'd disappeared.
"Weird."
They continued to walk until they reached the Meat Factory in Hotland. Another monster with a clam-like head greeted them as the entrance.
"Clam, you're late."
"I'm sorry Pearl, I ran into someone on the way."
"You can't use that as an excuse when most of the underground is starving."
Clam sighed.
The life in the underground hadn't always been easy. Monsters like humans needed sustenance to eat. Many monsters had died of starvation. His grandfather had been the first to own the meat factory. The meat made there was made of a secret ingredient. It was made of monsters. Most monsters could probably live for centuries however many monsters had been killed to provide food for other monsters.
If it wasn't for the meat factory a number of monsters would have died however Clam was certain the place haunted by the essence of dead monsters that had gone missing and were killed for food.
After work he headed home. As he was heading home he saw that girl talking with a tall skeleton.
"Oh it's you again."
The tall skeleton glanced at them then at the girl before looking back at them.
"WHO'S THIS? DO YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?" The skeleton asked.
"No, we just talked for a little bit. Um do you two know each other perhaps?" Clam asked.
"NO WE DON'T."
Suzy smiled.
"This is Papyrus and this is Clam."
Papyruys held out his hand which Clam took reluctantly. The handshake nearly broke his hand.
"SORRY," Papyrus said with his cheeks flushed. "GUESS I DON'T KNOW MY OWN STRENGTH. SAY YOU TWO SHOULD COME OVER AND HAVE DINNER AT MY HOUSE. I COULD INTRODUCE YOU TO MY BROTHER AND MY PARENTS."
Suzy smiled.
"Sure, I'll ask my parents and see if it's alright. I'll meet you there. Your home is in Hotland right?"
"YES," Papyrus said before turning towards Clam. "ARE YOU GOING TO COME TOO?"
Clam nodded.
"FOLLOW ME."
Once they headed inside the skeleton's house, Clam looked around. The place was desolate other than the tall skeleton sitting on the couch.
"Papyrus, you're back. I'm sorry I forgot to pick you up. I was running late and when I didn't see you there I went home and," Arial added frantically before she let out a sigh. "Don't make your mother worry like that. If I'm running late stay there, ok. I don't want to see you hurt."
She glanced by him noticing that he had brought company for the first time.
"Oh who's this?"
Clam's lips curled into an awkward smile before he introduced himself.
"So I guess your a friend of my son's then."
Clam shrugged.
"I guess you could say that."
Papyrus headed to the staircase and called to his brother.
"SANS, SANS, GET DOWN HERE. WE HAVE A GUEST."
"Coming bro."
Just as Sans was heading downstairs , there was a knock on the door.
Sans teleported to the door.
"I'll get it," he said.
Sans opened the door and his eyes widened in surprise. Standing outside the door was a small human with a striped shirt.
"What?"
The human looked just as surprised maybe even a little flustered.
"You wouldn't happen to have a brother perchance would you?" Suzy asked.
"If I did, what's it to you?"
"He invited me to come to his house."
"OH IS THAT SUZY?" Papyrus asked from behind the door.
"Hey Papyrus," Suzy said waving at him. "Sorry it took so long. I had some trouble trying to convince my parents to come over."
Suzy stepped inside ignoring Sans. She looked around.
"Wow, your place is huge."
"So does anyone live here with you or do you just live with your mother and brother?" Clam asked.
"MY DAD LIVE HERE TOO BUT HE MOSTLY WORKS IN THE LAB."
"I didn't know your dad was a scientist but I guess it makes sense," Suzy said.
"Well what did you expect with a monster living in a lab?" Sans asked.
Suzy's face was flush pink.
"Oh um," she stammered, visibly caught off guard by his remark. "I guess it's only natural to come to that conclusion. Does your dad have any experiments he's workin' on?"
"Well, he's been experimenting with human souls," Sans said, trying to gauge her reaction.
She gulped.
Sans narrowed her eyes.
"He's trying to extract determination from humans souls, trying to see how it works."
Suzy bit her lower lip.
"Isn't that a little dangerous though?"
"Only if you're human," Sans said. His pupils completely gone.
Suzy ignored him.
"I mean for us. For monsters you see. I've heard what happened from journals. It causes monster's skin to melt."
"Yes, it does," Sans said, his pupils shrunk with perplexion and surprise. "You must really like that kind of stuff, kiddo."
Suzy smiled.
"I just knew someone who got me interested in that kind of stuff."
"Oh," Arial said. "Then you and my husband might get along really well. Papyrus get your father down here."
It took ten minutes before Aster joined them.
"Um, Arial who are these monsters?" He asked.
Clam introduced himself.
"She's Suzy," Sans said pointing at the human.
Suzy glared at him. Her lowerlip curled into a pout.
Aster smiled.
"Oh pleased to meet you."
"Oh by the way, dad, you didn't tell me you published your journals," Sans said.
Suzy choked and coughed.
Papyrus patted her on the back.
"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"
"I'm fine," Suzy sputtered.
Aster smiled.
"You never asked," he said and glanced at Clam. "Clam was it? What do you do for a living? Do you go to school?"
"No, I work at my father's meat factory."
"Oh I guess someone has to feed the underground with the food shortage and everything."
Clam shivered.
"You must get a lot of gold out of it."
"I'd switch jobs if I had the chance."
"Why?"
"The place is haunted. Every time I'm walking in the factory minding my own business, I hear these voices. DIE YOU WRETCHED MONSTER or GIVE MY BODY BACK YOU DEMON. At first I thought they were monsters but the place is desolate."
"Sounds like it might be ghosts," Suzy supplied. "I bet I can find them and get rid of them for you."
"What can a little pipsqueak like you do?" Sans asked.
Suzy glared at him.
"Who're you calling a pipsqueak, shorty? If it was a one on one battle, you'd die in one hit."
"Haha," Sans chuckled. "I'd love to see you try."
"I don't know. It might be too dangerous to go out on your own, Suzy."
"Then why not have my sons join her. My eldest works for the king and my youngest has been training with his brother," Aster said.
"What?" Suzy snapped. "It was my idea."
Clam sighed.
"I'd feel more safe if they accompanied you. What would you want in return?" He asked.
"Work for me, " Aster said. "I could use more assistants."
Suzy snorted.
"I don't see why they get paid. Some would do this kind of work for free."
"Then we'll plan it four weeks from now. These kind of things take preparation. Is that alright with you?"
"Of course," Suzy said.