A Maelstrom's Tale
Chapter 7: Superstars with an Eight-legged Dance
Naruto and Frisk with Nikan following them as always exited from Alphys' lab after their encounter with Alphys and Mettaton with the former wanting to help them by being their guide through Hotland towards the barrier and Asgore.
"It's very hot in this place," said Frisk.
"Must be because we're in a volcanic section of the Underground now that I think about it, kinda makes me wonder how exactly they can get electricity in this place," said Naruto thoughtfully.
"I think we should keep going to find our way out of this place,"
"Point taken, let's go,"
BGM start: Undertale OST; Another Medium
The duo continued along the hot pathway whilst making sure to keep away from the edges and falling over to the abyss, they also came across active conveyor belts which carried them along the way in certain directions depending which one they would step on. They also came across a monster called Vulkin who resembles a mini volcano, they were able to befriend the monster by giving it a hug albeit had to let go quickly or else end up burning themselves from contact. Naruto and Frisk also went across several conjoined pipes a makeshift bridges before coming across a SAVE Point for Naruto to access.
(The whooshing sound of steam and cogs…it fills you with Determination SAVE? Yes/No)
Naruto confirmed the Save before they resumed their trek along the path but came to a deadend, there were several platforms ahead however the gaps in between are too wide to jump across and there's a high chance of falling to the magma below.
"How do we get through here Naruto, should we call Alphys for help?" asked Frisk.
Naruto was about to respond when something caught his eye, he looked to see a steam vent on the floor and an idea began to form in his mind "Not quite, I got an idea,"
"What is it?"
"We can use the steam from the vents, we could step on top to block the outflow for it to build up then release for it to propel us across," Naruto suggested.
Frisk was unsure of this idea though "But isn't that dangerous?"
"Yeah, but we don't exactly have anything to use as a bridge. I'll try it first," Naruto stepped on the vent and could feel the steam build up before the gathered force launch him into the air across the gap and landing on the other side with a few stumble before righting himself, he turned to Frisk and called out "It works like I thought, gotta thank a couple of video games for that. Give it a try, I'll be here to catch you,"
"O-Okay," Frisk stepped on the vent with Nikan in her arms and was soon propelled into the air as well, Naruto quickly moved forward and caught her in his arms "Thank you,"
Naruto nodded in affirmation "You're welcome, now let's get a move on,"
They went on to explore the area, especially through the southern pathway but didn't get that far and found a Burnt Pan along the way and stored inside one of the Dimension Boxes thanks to the features which Alphys installed in their phones before backtracking and now taking the northern route via the steam vents. The trio came across a pathway being obstructed by laser beams of various colors, then Naruto's phone started ringing until he answered it.
"Hello?" asked Naruto.
{Uuuh Hi! The blue lasers are…I mean Alphys here, hi!} said Alphys.
"Hey there Alphys-san, what were you saying before?" asked Naruto.
{O-Oh, I meant to say that the blue lasers won't hurt you if you don't move! O-orange ones, umm, you would have to keep moving…you won't have to keep moving…uuhh, bye!} then she ended the call before Naruto could say anything.
"Hmmm," Naruto hummed thoughtfully.
"What was Alphys trying to tell us?" asked Frisk.
"I think she's trying to say that the blue lasers won't hurt us as long we don't move, but for the orange lasers; we need to be constantly moving,"
"So the blue lasers are just like the blue attacks from some of the monsters before where we stayed still, but now any orange attacks requires us to move to avoid being hurt,"
"Sounds just about right, let's go,"
Naruto carried Nikan once more then he and Frisk began cautiously traversing through the lasers, remaining still for the blue lasers to pass through them and walking through the orange lasers without slowing down till they reached the end. There was even a switch nearby which they used to deactivate the lasers in case they ever came back through here. They now came upon a crossroads of sorts with two steam vents leading off to left and right pathways while a third directs forward to a large gate which is currently closed up.
"Hmmm, two different routes and a shut gate. I reckon we need to find switches of sorts to open them, but I'll call Alphys just in case," Naruto took out his phone and called Alphys number, it rang for a while until the Royal Scientist finally answered.
{H-Hello, Alphys here}
"Hey Alphys, we're standing before a gate with two alternate pathways, any way to get it open?" asked Naruto.
{You'll need to solve the puzzles on the left and right paths to open the gate, though I think you should start with the right first}
"Okay, thank you," said Frisk before Naruto ended the call.
They used the steam vent to go over to the right path as suggested and went inside the room. The duo came across what was called a Shooting Puzzle, there were instructions nearby which told them how the puzzle is solved; they were to shoot the ship on the other side but blocks were barring the way so they would have to carefully use the limited ammunition to get at the ship.
Frisk was able to solve the puzzle before making their way out and heading over to the left path but were blocked by blue lasers before the next ahead of them. Then Alphys called to speak to them.
{I-I almost forgot about the lasers, d-don't worry as I'll deactivate them} said Alphys, it didn't take very long for the blue lasers to deactivate {T-There, just like I said}
"Thanks Alphys, now we can reach the next puzzle," said Naruto.
{Y-You're welcome!}
They went inside the room for the next shooting puzzle, it was a bit more tricky due to there being more blocks but they were able to solve it regardless before doubling back to find the gate now open for them to proceed through it and propelled along multiple steam vents tto the other side and continuing on their way only to find themselves inside a dark room.
Alphys called them {Not to worry, I'll hack the light system to show you where you are} the lights soon came on to reveal that they were in a…a kitchen?
"How did we end up in a kitchen?" asked Frisk confusedly.
BGM change: Undertale OST; Hotel
Suddenly, Mettaton appeared from behind a kitchen counter while wearing a chef's hat "Welcome beauties, to the Underground's premier cooking show!" a large neon sign saying 'Cooking with a Killer Robot' was lowered above them "Pre-heat your ovens cause we got a very special recipe for you today! We're going to be making…a cake!"
"A cake?" asked Frisk confusedly while Naruto simply frowned with his body tensed for anything.
"My lovely assistants here will be gathering the ingredients so let's give them a hand!" Mettaton clapped his hands while the sound of applause could be heard in the background "We'll need sugar, milk and eggs. Please fetch them for us dearies!"
Frisk turned to Naruto "What do we do?"
"Not much of a choice at the moment, might as well get those ingredients but stand on guard for anything," said Naruto, they headed over to the rear counter and picked up the eggs, sugar and milk then returning to place them on the front.
"Thank you dears, we now have all of the…oh silly me, I forgot the most important of ingredients," Mettaton reached into the counter's cabinet and pulled out a…chainsaw?! "A human SOUL!"
"WHAT THE HEY!" Naruto jumped towards Frisk with a hand on his sheathed bokken and his eye about to light up with Determination to protect her and Frisk growling in support, suddenly a phone began to ring and Alphys' voice was heard on the loudspeaker.
{W-wait!}
"I'm in the middle of something here," said Mettaton.
{I-I know, but I wanted to suggest u-using a substitute!}
"A substitute?"
{W-What of the person i-is a v-vegetarian?}
"Vegan?"
{W-Well I-}
"That's a brilliant idea! It just so happens that I have a substitute just for this scenario! Actually, I happen to have an option right here! MTT-brand always-convenient human-soul-flavor-substitute! A can of which... Is just over on that counter!" Mettaton pointed at a can placed atop a faraway cupboard "Well, darling? Why don't you go get it?"
"Okay," Frisk went over to take the can when the cupboard suddenly began to shoot up from the ground rapidly "Huh?"
"By the way, our show runs on a strict schedule. If you can't get the can in the next one minute... We'll just have to go back to the original plan! So... Better start climbing, beautiful!" Mettaton transformed into his flight form and took off.
Naruto ran over with a frown on his face "How does he expect us to get to that can in time?"
{A-actually I prepared for this moment} Alphys spoke up, still on the line {Frisk, take out your phone. You see that huge button that says... 'JETPACK'? Press it and see what happens} Frisk pushed the button and the cell phone transformed into a jetpack and attached itself to her back
"Wow," said Frisk in wonder, Naruto was just as surprised as you only see these kind of things on movies and video games.
{You should have just enough fuel to reach the top! Now, get up there!}
"Alright!"
The jetpack began powering up before she took to the air towards the top of the towering cupboard. However, it appears that Mettaton wasn't going to let her reach the can so easily as he began to drop eggs, flour, and milk to slow her down. Frisk had trouble a few times at first but she got used to the controls and was able to evade them and reach the can before the time ran out.
"My my. It seems you've bested me. But only because you had the help of the brilliant doctor Alphys! Oh, I loathe to think of what would have happened to you without her! Well, toodles!" Mettaton was about to leave when Frisk called out to him.
"But what about the substitute then?" asked Frisk confusedly.
"Oh yes! About the substitution...haven't you ever seen a cooking show before? I already baked the cake ahead of time! So, forget it!" the robot flew away with Frisk descending to the ground and the jetpack reverting to the phone.
"That was pretty weird if you ask me, might as well keep going and watch out for any more of Mettaton's shows," said Naruto, crossing his arms in thought.
{I'll be here to h-help you guys o-out!} said Alphys before ending the call.
BGM change: Undertale OST; Another Medium
Continuing on their way, Naruto came upon a sight which took the by surprise. In the distance is a metallic structure interlaced with massive pipes in the middle of the lake of magma and seems to be flowing into it. Naruto decided to take a picture of the place with his phone for later reference.
"What is that place?" asked Naruto curiously.
"Let's call Alphys and ask her," said Frisk before using her phone to call the scientist and asking her.
{That's the CORE. The source of all power for the underground. It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity, by... Uhh, anyway, that's where we're going to go. In the CORE is an elevator directly to Asgore's castle} Alphys explained.
"Thanks for the info Alphys," said Naruto gratefully.
{Y-you're welcome}
Naruto came upon the next SAVE Point for him to access as always.
(The air is filled with the smell of ozone... it fills you with determination SAVE? Yes/No)
The trio reached the end of the pathway to enter an elevator which took them to the next floor before continuing on to a sentry station where they saw Sans yet along with several other monsters though they seem to be eating hotdogs at the same so they went to speak with the friendly skeleton.
"Hey there guys, would you like a hot dog? It only costs 30G," asked Sans.
"Sure, but is there something we need to know before buying it?" asked Naruto, recalling when Sans tried to sell fried snow to them back in Snowdin.
"Nothing much besides tasting good and barking when you eat it," Sans noted the disturbed looks on the children's faces and wolf pup just about to bolt "But know that no dogs…or cat were used in the production of the food so no need to be so bone-rattled,"
"Really Sans? We'll take three," said Naruto, taking out 90G then receiving the Hot Dogs...? sure enough, the food 'barked' which really unsettled them but nothing more that plus Naruto used Check and saw that the meat was from water sausages.
"Good luck out there kiddos," Sans bade them goodbye as they left.
After leaving the Sentry Station and going on their way, Nikan had wandered off for a moment and returned with a Stain Apron which immediately told the children that it belonged to one of the humans who fell into the Underground before them before placing into one of the Dimension Boxes.
The next area was a puzzle involving two conveyor belts moving in opposite directions with tree switches lined up at the rightmost conveyor belt. Alphys called to tell them that they need to press the switches in one go in order to deactivate the forcefield ahead and promised to help with the rhythm. Naruto went on to press the switches and successful with the first two but was distracted by a phone call when about to hit the final switch. Alphys apologized a lot for that and hacked the system to shut down the forcefield o they could continue onwards.
The next puzzle involved multiple steam vents on several floor panels, but they had to be careful as landing on a panel would cause all of the vents to change directions each time. It took some trial and error till they figured the right pattern to getting to the other side where was another Save Point to be accessed by the blonde boy.
(Knowing that the mouse might one day hack the computerized maze to get the cheese…it fills you with Determination Save? Yes/No)
Things got a bit tricky as the trio were being accosted by a pair of the very same Royal Guards from before due to having been informed by an anonymous tip and attacked them, the fight went as normal then things turned kinda awkward when one of the guards kind of 'confessed' his feelings to the other in the midst of the battle before quickly shrugging it off as being mind controlled by the humans before both left to get some ice cream. Neither kids said a word before resuming their trek.
The trio went along the pathway and could tell that they were getting much closer to the CORE when they found themselves in yet another dark area and already having a sense of Deja vu which was when Alphys called.
{I'm back, so where are you two now?} asked Alphys curiously.
"We're in another dark room with the lights out and I get the feeling that Mettaton's here," said Naruto with a frown.
"What is he going to do now?" asked Frisk worriedly.
Suddenly the lights turn on to reveal that they're in an area with active conveyor belts and items scattered about namely; a basketball, a glass of water, a video game, a present, a script, and the dog from before but is currently sleeping. A tv hung overhead turned on to reveal Mettaton dressed in a business suit and inside of a newscasting room.
BGM change: Undertale OST; Live Report
"Good evening, beauties and gentlebeauties! This is Mettaton, reporting live from MTT news! An interesting situation has arisen in eastern Hotland! Fortunately, our correspondent is out there, reporting live! Brave correspondent! Please find something newsworthy to report! Our ten wonderful viewers are waiting for you!" said Mettaton
"Here we go again, so he wants us to find something to report. No doubt one of them is a trap, so we need to be careful," said Naruto thoughtfully, looking at the items around them.
Frisk looked at the items before seeing one which she suggested to him "How about the dog? It's not an item but alive,"
"Good idea Frisk-chan," the girl blushed shyly from the blonde's praise. They went over to the dog and pointed at it for Mettaton to see.
"What a sensational opportunity for a story! I can see the headline now: 'A dog exists somewhere'. Frankly, I'm blown away," Mettaton then declared "attention, viewers! Our correspondent has found...a dog!" the crowd could be heard awing "That's right, folks! It's the feel-good story of the year! Look at its little ears, tiny paws, fluffy tail...wait a second. That's not a tail! That's...a Fuse! That's right...that dog...Is A Bomb! But don't panic! You haven't even seen the rest of the room yet!"
Naruto and Frisk practically looked around to see that all of the remaining items were also bombs as well and there was even a bigger one a small distance away from where they stood.
"Oh my! It seems everything in this area is actually a bomb! Brave correspondents... if you don't defuse all of the bombs...this big bomb will blow you to smithereens in two minutes! Then you won't be reporting 'live' any longer! How terrible! How disturbing! Our nine viewers are going to love watching this! Good luck, darlings!"
"You gotta be kidding me, they were all traps but how could the dog also be a trap?" said Naruto in disbelief as some of the items began actually moving around to make it hard to catch them.
"Um Alphys, do you have something that can help us?" asked Frisk nervously.
{D-don't worry! I installed a bomb-defusing program on your phone! Use the 'defuse' option when you're within range of the bomb! N-now, go get 'em!} Alphys explained.
Naruto tapped the icon on the phone to activate the app and saw a radar on the screen "Let's split up to defuse the bombs, it will be quicker that way,"
Frisk nodded in affirmation "Okay!"
BGM change: Undertale OST; Death Report
The two children immediately took off in different directions towards the items scattered about with Nikan choosing to follow Naruto in tracking down the bombs. Frisk held out her in phone in front and it began to beep, then got faster to show that she was getting closer to one of the bombs. She came upon the dog which had moved elsewhere and went back to sleep, approaching it with the phone beeping faster until she got close enough and pressed a button for the phone to let out a chime before the fuse on the dog's tail fizzled out.
{Great job! Keep heading around the room!} said Alphys happily.
"Okay Alphys!" said Frisk before moving on.
Naruto was rushing about looking for one of the bombs with his phone out, he came across the basketball bomb bouncing around and immediately went after it but the bomb was bouncing around in random directions, making it a bit difficult for him to grab.
"Will you hold still for me to disarm you already!?" said Naruto in annoyance, grabbing at the bomb only to miss yet again.
Nikan dashed past Naruto with a bark to intercept where the basketball bomb was able to bounce and headbutted it towards Naruto who quickly caught it with both arms much to his surprise. Now wasting another second, Naruto quickly used his phone to disarm the bomb before patting Nikan's head with the wolf pup leaning in to receive more affection from him.
"Thanks Nikan, you're definitely getting a treat after this," said Naruto, chuckling at seeing the wolf pup's tail wagging excitedly at his words "Now, let's continue to find the remaining bombs,"
Elsewhere, Frisk was able to locate the movie script bomb but she would have to make her way through the moving orange and blue laser beams in order to get to it. She was able to pass through the stationary orange lasers unharmed but had to be cautious of the blue lasers moving back and forth by timing her movements until she was safely clear of the lasers then disarming the bomb with her phone.
"There, I was able to stop this bomb from blowing up too," said Frisk, feeling a bit relieved.
{W-Way to go, there's only three bombs left to disarm} said Alphys.
Naruto located the next bomb being inside the video game which was currently hovering about a conveyor belt whilst constantly moving left and right, he ran over to the end of the conveyor belt which would carry him towards the bomb. Naruto carefully timed his jump to grab the bomb and landing back on the conveyor then proceeded to disarm it as well.
"Another one down, just a couple more to go," Naruto looked to see the glass of water moving around haphazardly "Now how I am gonna catch that one?"
{N-Not to worry, I should able to help with that one soon} said Alphys.
Frisk located the next bomb being the one inside the over at the platform from her position so she used the steam vent to launch herself over to it and disarm the bomb.
"All that's left is the one in the glass of water," but she wasn't too sure of how exactly to catch it.
{Not to w-worry, I'm using…uh…EM fields to trap the glass of water for Naruto to disarm it} said Alphys.
"Okay then, I'll be going back to meet with him," Frisk went back the same way she came via the steam vents and arrived to see Naruto having disarmed the final bomb "So that's all of them?"
Naruto nodded in affirmation "Yeah, the large bomb is what we have to worry about now,"
Then Mettaton spoke up through the TV "Well done, darlings! You've deactivated all of the bombs! If you didn't deactivate them, the big bomb would have exploded in two minutes. Now it won't explode in two minutes! Instead, it'll explode in two seconds! Goodbye, darlings!"
Naruto and Frisk braced for the explosion…but it didn't occur much to their slight confusion.
"Ah, it seems the bomb isn't going off,"
{ That's b-because! While you were monologuing...I...! I f...fix...Um...I ch-change...}
"Oh ho, so it was you who stopped the bomb! I should have known better than to attempt this with you around!" said Mettaton.
{T-That's right!}
"Well at least my eight wonderful viewers were entertained for tuning in! Until next time, darlings!" the tv then switched off to show that the robot was gone yet again.
"Thanks for everything Alphys, your tools have really been helping us," said Frisk gratefully.
{W-we really showed him, huh? ... H-hey, I know I was kind of weird at first... But I really think I'm getting more... Uh, more... M-more confident about guiding you! S-so don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot... I-I'll protect you from him! A-and if it really c-came down to it, we could just t-turn... Um, nevermind. Later!} Alphys nervously ended the call, leaving Naruto to frown a bit.
BGM change: Undertale OST; Another Medium
With the forcefield which had been blocking their way now gone, the trio continued on their way but one would notice that Naruto has been silent with a small frown on his face, even Nikan was wondering why his likeable human is being so quiet.
"Naruto, is there something the matter?" asked Frisk with concern.
"It's just that everything which has being going on has been giving me strange feelings, the traps made by Mettaton nearly gets us before Alphys helps get us out of them," said Naruto.
"Well Alphys created Mettaton so she would know what he would try to do, those features in our phones really helped us in them," said Frisk.
"I guess, though I can't help but feel that we missing something in all this,"
Their phones began ringing to which they answered to speak to Alphys {H-Hello, is there something wrong? If you're worried about meeting Asgore, then you shouldn't. He's a very nice guy, I'm sure that by talking to him, he would let you two go through the barrier as I can see that your SOULs are powerful enough to do so. There's no need to worry} then she ended the call.
"From everything we've been hearing, Asgore is actually a kind king so why does Toriel make him sound so evil?" asked Frisk.
"Probably because she's speaking from her point of view, no doubt that meeting Asgore in person and learning from him will reveal something else. It's what my dad taught me; 'A true story is one told from many sides instead of one',"
"Well we're still going to meet him, so I guess we'll learn everything soon enough," said Frisk, Nikan barked in agreement.
Locating the next elevator, Naruto and co made their way up to the next floor to find that the pathway is much more modernized compared to the rocky ones from before. Moving further ahead, they came across a stall where a monster appears to selling confectioneries and went to take a closer in case there's anything worth purchasing to use along the way.
She is an anthropomorphic spider monster with periwinkle or lavender skin, five eyes, six arms, and two legs. She wears red rompers with buttons in the front, a red ribbon across her chest, as well as twin pigtails in her hair.
The monster introduced herself "Hello there, my name is Muffet and welcome to my bake sale where I sell confectioneries of heavenly taste, interested in any of our spider pastries?"
"We'd like to take a look," Naruto and Frisk checked the pastries laid out on the table being heaping plates of donuts, croissants, and even cider. They would have bought something if not for one simple issue…each of them costs 9999G! Naruto looked behind him to see a monster holding a donut with eyes which practically screamed 'Why on earth did I buy this?'
"So, are you interested in some spider pastries?" asked Muffet politely.
Naruto smiled a bit apologetically "Not yet, maybe at a later time as we need to be elsewhere,"
"I see…then we will meet again,"
Naruto and Frisk left the bake sale with Nikan next to them, although the former couldn't help the feeling that someone was looking at them intently from behind till they were out of the area. The next area were multiple platforms with steam vents installed in all of them, the group received a text from Alphys, telling them that there are two shooting puzzles to the north and south which need to be solved in order to open the gate to the east. The duo decided to split up to solve the puzzles which was tougher compared to the first two but they managed to succeed and open the gate where there was another SAVE Point to be accessed.
(The smell of cobwebs fill the air…you are filled with Determination SAVE? Yes/No)
"Naruto, I'm not so sure of going in there, it looks a little scary," Frisk looked on ahead to the next entryway and the many large cobwebs around.
"We don't have much of a choice Frisk-chan, but I'm sure we'll be okay," said Naruto assuredly with a smile, Frisk nodded reluctantly and stood next to him.
BGM End
The group went inside the lightly darkened with cobwebs everywhere; the ceilings, walls and even the floors, also showing to be rather sticky as they were finding it a bit difficult to move around.
"Ahuhuhuhu...Did you hear what they just said?" a feminine voice suddenly echoed throughout the gloomy room.
"W-Who's there? Mettaton?" asked Frisk, looking around in fright.
"That doesn't sound like him," said Naruto, placing a hand on his bokken.
"They said a pair of humans will come through here. I heard that they hate spiders…that they love to stomp on them…that they like to tear their legs off,"
"Is someone lying about us?" asked Frisk, frowning at the false accusations.
"I heard...," the voice could now be heard very close to them and turned to see none other than Muffet standing on a webbed platform holding two teacups with her top pair of hands and two teapots with her middle pair "...that they're awfully stingy with their money.
"Muffet?" Naruto was surprised to see and shivered with the way she was smiling at them, then they were surrounded by spiders.
"Ahuhuhuhu...You think your taste is too refined for our pastries, don't you, dearies?" Muffet giggled again "Ahuhuhu...I disagree with that notion. I think your taste...is exactly what this next batch needs!"
BGM change: Undertale OST; Spider Dance
Naruto and Frisk's SOULs emerged from the chests in front of them to signal a battle which they quickly used Check to learn more about the female arachnid before them.
[Muffet. If she invites you to her parlor, excuse yourself]
Naruto heard Frisk scream and Nikan and turned around to see them being yanked away by spider webs and were stuck to cobwebs "Frisk! Nikan!" he was about to rush over to them when the spiders shooting webbings at his arms and legs to restrain him "What the?!"
"Don't look so blue, my dearies~," Muffet giggled upon seeing the humans and wolf pup struggle then she poured purple liquid from her teapots which along the webbings towards the humans, changing their SOULs from red to purple "...I think purple is a better look on you! Ahuhuhu~,"
Naruto groaned at what just happened whilst struggling to break free of the webs "Ugh, not again. This is the third time already," he saw several spiders swinging towards him, he jerked his body from left to right constantly to evade them till the assault stopped temporarily before resuming his struggle with the bindings.
"Why so pale? You should be proud~,"
"Proud of what?"
"Proud that you're going to make a delicious cake~ Ahuhuhu~," Muffet sent more spider his with Naruto forced to evade those as well but could feel the bindings becoming loose and put in more effort to get them off him.
"Please, let us go," said Frisk, Nikan whined as he tried to free himself to help but his attempts ended in failure.
"Let you go? Don't be silly…Your SOUL is going to make every spider very happy~~,"
More spiders were heading Naruto's way yet but it was at that very moment when his left eye lit up a white flaming aura as he tore the webs off his arms and ripped off the ones on his legs as well before leaping away from the spiders whilst unsheathing his bokken to take a defensive stance.
"Oh, how rude of me! I almost forgot to introduce you to my pet~ It's breakfast time, isn't it? Have fun, you two~," Muffet pointed to the left with a giggle for Naruto to turn and see what appears to be a large monster which has the appearance of both a cupcake and a spider as it scuttled towards him with jaws chomping eager to eat.
"I can't fight that, gotta get away from it," Naruto looked around for a way and found it in the form of webbing which led to a platform above like a ladder "That will do,"
Sheathing the bokken, Naruto rushed towards the web and began to quickly climb it but suddenly shook, causing him to look down and see the cupcake monster pulling the webbing down to make him fall into his jaws. Remaining undaunted, Naruto climbed even faster till he reached the top in time before the web was completely torn down.
Muffet hung from above with a handbasket hanging next to her, having gone ahead of him and was merely watching in amusement "The person who warned us about you...offered us a LOT of money for your SOUL," she reached into the basket to take out a couple of donuts.
Naruto almost shrugged them off but knew better than to judge by appearance after what he had gone through with Frisk and Nikan so far, he was soon proven right when he saw the donuts glowing purple before she threw them at speeds greater than those baseball pitchers. The blonde darted to the side but noticed that the donuts bounced off the floor and walls, having to dodge again to avoid getting hit by their rebounds in addition to the spiders trying to attack him from his blind spots.
"Who are you talking about?" asked Naruto, having a suspicion on who it might be.
Muffet tapped a finger on her chin in thought "It's strange, but I swore I saw them in the shadows... Changing shape...?"
"A monster that changes shape? You're saying it's a shapeshifter?"
"Oh, it's lunch time, isn't it? And I forgot to feed my pet~," hearing the familiar scuttling sound amidst Muffet's giggles, Naruto looked to see that the cupcake spider monster has returned and pursuing him once more. Naruto took off with the monster close behind but saw he was reaching the edge with the other platform too far to jump across.
"Now how do I get over there…hm?" he took note of the large cobwebs in between the platforms and an idea took form in his mind "It's crazy enough to work, just need to take the leap of faith!" Naruto increased his speed to leap off the platform to land on the first of the cobwebs then proceeded to jump from one to another as makeshift trampolines, watching out for the spiders swinging to and fro to attack him till safely landing on the next platform with the cupcake monster looking on and growling in annoyance.
Naruto looked to see Muffet hanging above him yet again while still looking amused about all this "Why do you need the money anyways?"
"With that money, the spider clans can finally be reunited~," Muffet reached into her handbasket again to bring out several croissants "You haven't heard? Spiders have been trapped in the RUINS for generations! Even if they go under the door, Snowdin's fatal cold is impassable alone," she flung the croissants at Naruto with the blonde dodging some of them and deflecting the others in addition to the donuts which followed up after them, suddenly he heard Frisk scream.
"Naruto, look out behind you!" Naruto looked over his shoulder to see the croissants he had dodged before were coming towards him like that of boomerangs, he barely blocked some but was hit in the chest and left shoulder before being knocked to the ground.
"I've learned one thing today…food can be delicious and dangerous to one's health," the blonde groaned as he got back to his feet and picked up the bokken.
"But with the money from your SOUL, we'll be able to rent them a heated limo~ And with all of the leftovers...? We could have a nice vacation~ Or even build a spider baseball field~," said Muffet joyfully.
"Excluding the last part, I can at least understand why you trying to get our SOULs," said Naruto, remembering the spiders back at the Ruins.
"But enough of that... It's time for dinner, isn't it? Ahuhuhu~" said Muffet.
Naruto let out a groan before running with the cupcake spider monster chasing after him for the third time so far, he looked around for a way to escape from the monster but wasn't finding any and the monster drew ever closer to him "Come on Naruto, think of something!" he sharply darted to the side to avoid a swinging spider attacking him from above when it suddenly hit him like a train "That's it!"
He rushed over to a webbing and tore the bottom part off before using it to swing away from the platform, he reached out to grab the next one and swung again but had to watch out for the incoming spiders heading his way until landing back on the floor where the battle had begun with Muffet on a web platform, having never lost that amused look on her face.
"Now I know what it feels like to be Spiderman," Naruto muttered to himself.
"You're still alive? Ahuhuhu~," Muffet giggled before raising one of her hands and about to snap her fingers "Oh, my pet~ Looks like it's time for dessert~,"
Naruto groaned "Gimme a break, I just got down here,"
Muffet was about to call on her pet once more when one of the spiders went up to her with a sheet of paper for to pick up and read "Huh? A telegram from the spiders in the Ruins?" she read further "What? They're saying that they saw you, and... you helped donate to their cause!"
"Oh yeah, we bought a Spider Donut while we were back at the Ruins before leaving. I actually forgot about that," said Naruto in remembrance.
Muffet's five eyes widened in shock "Oh my, this has all been a big misunderstanding! I thought you were someone that hated spiders~," she snapped her fingers, then the spiders carried Frisk and Nikan to Naruto before freeing them of the webs "The person who asked for those SOULs...they must have meant DIFFERENT humans~,"
Frisk hid behind Naruto and peered over his shoulder "S-So you won't attack us anymore?"
"Sorry for all the trouble~, I'll make it up to you~,"
"What do you mean?"
"You can come back here any time...and for no charge at all...I'll wrap you up and let you play with my pet again!"
"Umm…I'll have to pass on that one," Naruto nervously glanced sideways to see said pet peering at him with a hungry look in its eyes.
Muffet giggled upon seeing Naruto's expression, leaning forward and booping his nose "Ahuhuhuhuhuhu~ Just kidding~ You looked so cute running around,"
Frisk pulled Naruto back with a small pout "Can we go now?"
"Ahuhuhuhu, why of course. See you again, dearies!" Muffet ascended to the ceilings above and disappeared into the darkness
BGM End
"Let's go Naruto, the sooner we leave this place the better," Frisk grabbed Naruto's and pulled him towards the exit of the room, even Nikan was tugging at his footwear to make him move, much to his surprise.
"Uh Frisk, is there something wrong?" asked Naruto.
"…no, there's nothing wrong. We need to watch out for Mettaton," said Frisk.
"Did I do something to upset her?" thought Naruto as they left the place.
Meanwhile, the black silhouette was moving along the hot craggy pathway through Hotland, looking at the surroundings and sniffing every few minutes for the scent.
"Seems like they're still alive, I thought the Royal Guards would have caught them by now…especially Undyne. No matter, they're heading for the Core and that is where those humans will meet their end…by my hands!"
The stranger growled in contempt before following along the pathway which Naruto and Frisk had recently gone through with the intention of catching up to them.
This is Hussbek online with the latest chapter, Naruto, Frisk and Nikan have truly started their traversal through Hotland and quickly soon realized that things are going to be far trickier compared to what they went through in Snowdin and Waterfall. Alphys showed to be quite helpful as their navigator as well as helping when against Mettaton and his 'shows' despite her nervousness, but Naruto help but find certain things to be suspicious at the time.
Those thoughts were put on hold when they were attacked by Muffet due to someone putting a bounty on their heads but it was thanks to their gesture of generosity in the Ruins that convinced her to let them go albeit teasing Naruto before leaving with a slightly jealous Frisk pulling him away. It appears that the unknown monster is closing in on the trio, just what is going to happen in the eventual encounter? Stay tuned to find out more, and don't forget to read and review like always.
This is Hussbek from Ghana.
Signing out and staying alive.