Chapter 24: Goldie
"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus asked.
"Papyrus, I'm sorry I wasn't more help," Suzy said.
She fell limp.
"Oh dear," the spider spoke, her eyes lit with amusement. She chuckled under her breath. "Guess I played a little too rough. I hope I didn't shatter any 'bones'."
Sans joined his brother.
"Sh-t," he muttered under his breath as he examined her gaping wound. There was a puddle of blood at her side.
"I believe you have something I still want."
He yanked the locket off her neck. His pupils completely vanished from his eye sockets.
"Well, I'm afraid you can't have it. You see hasn't anyone told you it's wrong to steal."
Sans vanished and shot a barrage of blue bones at her.
The spider barely dodged the bones.
One of the bones caught on her dress causing it to tear.
The spider frowned.
"How dare you? You know how much this cost?"
Sans blushed.
"Er...sorry."
"Tsk, tsk, no manners at all. Do you even know how to treat a lady? Have a little respect."
Web shot from her hands, wrapping around Sans.
"Wha-"
The bones had cut clearly through her hand yet the webs hadn't loosened. In fact, Sans felt them binding him tighter almost as if to squeeze the life out of him.
Suddenly a white bone cut through the web. Sans who had landed on his feet, fired white bones from the ground heading in the spider's direction. It was either jumping or taking damage from the bones which radiated a red aura filled with killing intent.
Killing intent was a ghost's only magic only damaged the husk but killing intent was always aimed at the soul.
Still if she jumped that skeleton would ruin her dress.
Grumbling under her breath, she jumped. The material of her dress was cut into pieces. Her body called to the other pieces and they came together.
Sans immediately lunged at her with a jagged white bone at her neck.
"Ah, don't look. Don't look," she sputtered.
The spider's hands covered her groin.
"Why should I?" he asked coolly.
"S-Sans, d-don't hurt her."
A soft voice came from Papyrus' direction.
"Why not?" Sans snapped.
"Listen please," Suzy pleaded. "Give her the locket."
"It's your locket," he said.
"Just listen," she begged.
Sans sighed before handing her the locket.
"Ms Spider, can you promise me something?"
"It's Goldie, dear."
"Then Goldie, can you promise me something?"
"Sure, dear."
"Can you promise me that when your soul can finally be appeased that you will give me my locket back and not haunt this place anymore?"
She smiled.
"Yes I will."
With that she disappeared.
"You must have a death wish, kid."
"Wow it really was that simple huh? Yeesh, thank you kid," Clam sputtered. "Sans, what will you do now?"
"Well we got to take her to a healer and I don't think that woman will be at my dad's place any time soon. I heard she was gonna be gone for a while."
Using his telekinesis, Sans lifted her body carefully off the ground levitating it in front of him.
The four headed back outside.
"SANS, WHERE ARE WE GOING?"
"To visit the queen."
He helped Papyrus on Skelesus levitating Suzy in front of him. Sans boarded the back of the horse and together the three of them rode off to the ruins.
Once outside the ruins, the two got off the horse and headed inside with Suzy.
"Your majesty."
Sans' voice paraded through Toriel's home. Toriel greeted him at the back entrance. Her eyes widened at his company.
"Sans, what are you doing here and who's this tall skeleton with you?"
"That's not important right now. You know how to use healing magic right?"
"I do but-"
Sans brought Suzy to Toriel.
"Oh dear, is she alright?"
"She's been bitten."
"Well, I'll see what I can do."
Her left hand covered her neck would and white light appeared under it. The wound slowly disappeared.
"She should eat something to get her energy back."
"OH."
Papyrus took out a pack of astro food from his bag and gave it to Suzy. Some colour had returned to her skin.
"Phew, at least the color has returned to her face," Sans said.
Toriel glanced at the tall skeleton loyally standing by Suzy's bedside.
"So is this skeleton your brother?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"I never knew you had a brother."
Slowly Suzy started to stir.
"Looks like she's livin'," Sans said.
Tears poured down the corner of Papyrus' eye sockets.
"Papyrus?"
Suddenly Papyrus gave her a firm hug.
"DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN OR I'LL BE VERY SAD."
"Why don't you three stop for dinner? You look kind of tired and maybe we could talk about your little adventure."
Sans smiled and Toriel chuckled. Their eyes were pinned on one another.
Suzy glared at Toriel. Once they were seated at the kitchen table, there was a bone chilling silence as Suzy glared at Toriel.
Papyrus didn't dare cut in though every fiber of his being said he should.
"So what's your name dear?" Toriel asked.
"Suzy."
"Nice to meet you, Suzy."
Silence was the only reply.
Toriel shifted in her seat, her lips twitching before they frowned.
"Don't worry she's like that with me too," Sans said.
The queen grinned slyly.
"You know I think she might be crushing on you, Sans," she whispered near his cranium.
Sans closed his eyes and shook his head, grinning smugly.
"No way. I can safely say I'm a monster deterrent."
Toriel chuckled.
Still the girl glared at her.
"Have I done something to offend you, little one?"
"I'm not little," Suzy snapped. "I'll have you know I'm sixty years old."
Toriel's eyes widened.
"Stay away from Sans. He belongs to me."
Sans' eye sockets narrowed.
His cheekbones glistened a bright blue.
Toriel chuckled at Sans' expression.
"I'm serious ol' lady," Suzy said before sticking her tongue at Toriel.
"H-huh, kid are you serious?"
Suzy wasn't laughing nor did she look amused.
"WOW, FIVE WEEKS AND YOU ALREADY HAVE A DATE. NYEHEHEH," Papyrus spoke. "WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT, MY BROTHER THE LADY KILLER."
"Papyrus, not you too."
After dinner, the three headed home.
"Kid, I know you said that it was alright but are you sure you'll be okay without your locket. You said your mother gave it to you. It must have some sentimental value."
"Oh yeah, she said to keep it with me for good luck."
"Well then it must be really lucky you had it huh?"
Suzy nodded.
"Where did your mother get the locket though?" Sans asked.
"Have you seen that locket before?" Suzy asked. "You seemed surprised that I had it."
"It's probably nothing."
There's no way 'she' had given her the locket. The only person who could have the other locket that matched his own was dead. A werewolf had killed her.
"I'm surprised you had the food in your bag."
"It was from Alphys."
"You seemed really dead set on avoiding any food in the underground. What makes that any different?"
"Because I know where it comes from."
Aster dropped by Clam's place early the next morning and knocked on the door. The monster with a clam shell for a head answered the door.
"Er who are you?" Aster asked.
"Pearl, I am Clam's wife."
"Oh so Clam lives here then?"
"Did you need something?" Pearl asked.
" Yes, I need to speak with Clam."
Pearl opened the door without adding any further remark."
'Well that's rather rude.'
Once Aster headed inside he spotted Clam seated on the couch.
"Oh you're the royal scientist. I suppose you want me to work for you after your sons cleared out the factory."
"Sans told me that there was the ghost of a dead monster in there. He told me she said something about being killing by another monster. You wouldn't happen to know this monster would you?"
Clam sighed.
"That monster was my dad. You see he told me when we were first stranded here there was hardly any food. There may have been some mushrooms and shrubbery but that quickly ran out. Monsters were starving so he'd pick up the ones who died using their dust to create food. Anyone can manipulate magic in any shape or form and suddenly the underground had food."
"Interesting."
"Eventually monsters began to live longer though and my father couldn't find any monsters who'd died and he began to resort to killing other monsters. Mostly monsters who weren't very well known and then when he died he gave the company to me."
"What will you do now that the monsters are gone? I know you answered the question before but-"
"My dad was a bad man. I don't want to be remembered as the butcher's son."
"Even if the entire underground suffers? Monsters need food to survive. Sometimes we have to sacrifice the few for the benefit of the whole."
"You believe that?"
"I know it's true."
Aster saw Pearl peer around a corner glaring at him.
"This company must thrive even if it's against my wishes."
As the days flew by Clam started dropping by to work in the lab.
"I want to thank you again for the help if it wasn't for you and your brother I don't know what I would do."
"It wasn't a problem."
By the second week however Clam had come by with a bright orange humanoid monster. Clam was panicking and the other monster tried to console him.
"What's the matter?" Sans asked.
"It's awful. You know how you three dropped by the factory to console those ghosts. A reporter spotted me just as I was exiting the factory. He said he was investigating the disappearance of some monsters. He can't find anything about this or I'll be ruined."
Aster spoke.
"It's fine. Relax, this ridiculous chatter is getting nowhere. We'll just have to convince them to stay quiet about this whole ordeal. There's this spider who owes me a deal. She will definitely help out."
After his visit with Clam, Aster headed back to the lab.
"Oh you're back," Sans said.
"Not for long. I'm going out for a while."
Asking around Aster found that the spiders had long since made a kingdom that dwelt in the caves in Hotland.
Traversing the cave, Aster eventually made it to a clearing guarded by two large spiders.
"Skeleton, do you have any business with our queen?" One of them asked.
"Yes, I wanted to ask for a favor."
"Stay here," the spider said before creeping inside. "Queen Muffet there's someone who wishes to see you."
"Let them in."
"Come in," one of the guards said.
Aster stepped inside.
"So what did you wish to see me about?"
"I wanted to know if you'd help me with something to reclaim your debt to me."
"Debt? I don't owe you anything. At least I don't think so. Do I owe this skeleton anything?" Muffet asked.
One of the spiders spoke.
"There is a telegraph from Queen Tuffet about some debt owed to a W.D Aster."
"Yes, that's me."
"What do you want, dear?" Muffet asked.
"There's a factory responsible for generating all the food for the underground. It requires the dust of monsters to keep it running. I need you to keep it goin' for me. Try to use monsters who've already turned to dust.