Hey everyone, just a friendly reminder to make sure you leave a review! I've added a little incentive that anyone who reviews gets a sneak peek/hint of what's coming next in the story. It doesn't spoil things, but it gives you a little idea of what the upcoming content is going to be like. Thanks so much for continuing to read it!
Chapter 8
Despite the apprehension Percy was feeling about being caught by Undyne, he was calmed by the sound of rushing water and the sight of the beautiful cave walls. Gemstones adorned the dark blue pillars, and a river clear enough to serve as a mirror ran alongside it. He reached out to the river and felt its power. He didn't know if it was just the lack of pollution, or the fact that this whole mountain was filled with magical monsters, but the feedback he got from it was almost overwhelming. He felt like he had just drunk ten gallons of Mountain Dew. He broke the connection and kept walking. He didn't want to overextend himself before he even came across Undyne. Hopefully he could avoid her, but Papyrus had made her sound pretty scary.
Compared to the emptiness of the previous hallway, this room seemed full of new sights and sounds. There was a star against the wall, right next to a strange blue glowing flower and an orange sea monster. He touched it quickly, feeling the comforting zap.
The sound of rushing water fills you with DETERMINATION, the narration box read.
He turned to the glowing flower, wondering why it looked so familiar. Then, he realized; the flower looked just like the moonlace Calypso had given him. He walked over to it, wanting to touch the petals.
"Pretty, ain't it?" The sea monster asked.
"Yeah, it's really beautiful," Percy agreed.
The monster beamed, like he had been waiting all day for someone to say that. "That's an Echo flower. Say anything you want to it, and it will repeat it back. Cool, right?"
"Wait, so it records anything someone says?" Percy asked, clarifying.
The monster nodded, smiling. Percy leaned down to the flower. Sure enough, in a pretty good imitation of Percy's voice, it squeaked, "Wait, so it records anything someone says?"
"Awesome," Percy said.
He saw an empty hotdog stand, and was about to investigate, when he heard a shout to his right. He turned and saw three little kids standing there. There was a monster that looked like Snowdrake, a monster with an ice spike on its head, and an armless dinosaur Percy had seen earlier.
"Yo, I told you, she's busy!" The dinosaur nervously said, backing up a little bit.
"You said you could get us near her, since you're her supposed 'biggest fan'," the Snowdrake clone argued.
"We don't like liars!" The ice-spiked monster spat.
"I think we need to teach the little twerp a lesson, Icecap," the Snowdrake clone growled, grinning.
"I think so too, Chilldrake," Icecap said, inching closer to the dinosaur.
The dinosaur looked pretty desperate, looking for some kind of escape. Percy realized this was about to turn into a fight. He hated bullies. He casually strolled between them, putting one hand on Riptide.
"What's going on over here?" he asked.
"None of your business, stretch," Chilldrake said.
"Oh, really? Looks to me like you're bothering my friend here. That seems like my business," Percy replied, trying to sound relaxed.
"Liar. M.K doesn't have any friends. He's always too busy fawning over Undyne," Icecap mocked.
M.K sniffed, turning his head away. "I do too have friends," he muttered.
Percy drew Riptide, uncapping it. He pretended to check his reflection in the sword, enjoying the scared looks on the jerks' faces.
"Hey, we don't want any trouble," Chilldrake nervously said.
"Really? You seemed just fine causing some a minute ago," Percy responded.
Everyone was dead silent, leaving only the sound of a waterfall rushing off the side of a cliff.
"Boo," Percy whispered.
The previously tough bullies ran off, screaming like babies. Percy recapped Riptide and put it in his pocket. He turned around to find M.K staring at him in wonder.
"That. Was. Awesome!" He shouted, running in circles around Percy before falling flat on his face. He got right up, which made Percy assume this was a frequent occurrence.
"It wasn't that cool," Percy waved him off.
"Yeah it was! You were all like, 'Get away from my friend', and they were all like 'Oh no!' and they ran away, and everything went BOOM!" The little dinosaur excitedly narrated, changing quite a few key details. Percy was pretty sure he didn't sound that much like Batman.
"You're almost as cool as Undyne!" M.K shouted.
Percy didn't know how to respond to that, but he assumed it was a compliment.
"So, Undyne's pretty strong, I'm assuming?" Percy asked.
If the bullies had been right, M.K was Undyne's number one fan, and he could get some intel on her before their fight.
"Yo, you don't know who Undyne is?! She's the best! She makes bad guys and humans cry for their mommies! She's so buff, she could probably lift an entire building! She's a hero, and a legend around here!" M.K preached.
Percy solemnly nodded. He was liking his prospects less and less by the minute. Of course, M.K could be exaggerating, but based on how scared Papyrus was of her finding him, he doubted it.
Percy awkwardly pointed behind him. "Well, I should probably go. I-"
"Wait, dude! You can't just leave me! The bullies might come back!" M.K pleaded.
"I don't know, it might be kind of dangerous following me," Percy weakly said.
"Are you kidding me? With that sword, you could beat up anybody scary!" M.K retorted.
Percy sighed. He had made a fatal error: he had become an idol to this kid. He gestured towards the next room as the kid excitedly rushed after him.
"So, where are you going?" M.K asked. "Where are you from? Are you going to join the royal guard?"
Percy tried his best to answer the questions all in one go. "I'm not sure, it's complicated, and no."
M.K didn't seem very satisfied with those answers, but before he could ask any more, he stopped at a waterfall.
"Yo, dude! Undyne set up this human trap that makes rocks fall down on you, and she says there's a special prize for anyone who can get past it!" M.K informed him.
Percy was glad for his little tour guide. He had been planning to walk straight ahead, but now he watched the sky for signs of falling rocks.
"Do you think the prize is any good?" Percy asked.
"I don't know what it is, man, but if Undyne put it there, it's gotta be sick!" M.K squealed.
Percy looked down at M.K. "Hey, kid, are you good at keeping secrets?"
M.K's pupils somehow got bigger. "Yeah, I'm the best at it! I keep people's secrets safe, like how Snowdrake has a freckle on his-"
He faltered. "I mean, um, I won't tell you anything! So, what it is it, dude?"
Percy briefly considered the fact that his secret would probably be shared with the whole world if he told this kid, but it was too late to back out now. He concentrated on the water, and made it part ways for him, revealing a secret cave behind the waterfall. Waiting for an opening when the rocks weren't falling, he dashed behind it, M.K right behind him.
The young dinosaur didn't seem as impressed as Percy thought he would have been. "Is that your magic type? I haven't developed mine yet, but I think it's going to be sick, like punching magic, or- or- or ice powers!"
"How does developing magic work?" Percy asked.
M.K looked up at him, bewildered. "Dude, you have to know how to use magic. How else did you split the water?"
"Oh, um, can you just… remind me?" Percy recovered.
M.K nodded. "Well, dude, it's simple. Magic starts developing when you're a teen, and by the time you're an adult, it's super strong! It's the reflection of your being! It shows your strength and your weaknesses! Take Undyne for an example-" Percy made sure he was listening carefully. This could be vital for his fight. "-She uses spears, which show how precise and strong she is! However, she also has green soul magic, which prevents you from leaving, which shows how commanding she is!"
"Does her magic show her weaknesses?" Percy asked, ready to make a mental note.
"Well, Undyne barely has any weaknesses. She's super strong!" M.K proudly declared. After a moment, however, his smile disappeared. "I guess the whole 'being unable to leave' thing could be an emotional weakness. Maybe she feels trapped, or that she has to put her duty before herself."
Percy thought that was pretty deep for a kid, but M.K quickly amended that thought.
"But I'm sure Undyne doesn't really have any issues. After all, she's a super cool hero!"
Percy sighed. He wondered if this kid could talk about anything other than Undyne. He looked into the cave, wondering where the prize was. To his disappointment, all he could see was a moldy pink tutu on the ground. When he looked closer at it, he noticed the same stains there had been on the toy knife, ribbon, and boxing gear he had found throughout his time here. Again, that feeling of sadness and loneliness struck him.
"Let's go, M.K," he said, turning out of the cave.
In the next room, Percy was disturbed by the lack of sound. He turned to ask M.K if this was normal, but found no one there. There was a field of grass, and muddy footprints leading to it that matched a certain dinosaur kid's feet. Dang, he moves fast, Percy thought.
He crept forward into the grass, cringing at the loud rustling sounds. He didn't know why, but he felt a sense of apprehension.
Above him, he heard loud clanking. He looked at the cliff above him, and saw Papyrus standing there, his face bathed in shadow. He wanted to wave to his friend, but Papyrus looked nervous. Anything that could make the Great Papyrus scared was probably something Percy should avoid.
"UNDYNE, PLEASE! I TOLD YOU THAT THE HUMAN IS NOT A THREAT!" Papyrus pleaded.
Percy couldn't hear a response, but Papyrus took a step back.
"I UNDERSTAND THE KING'S ORDERS, BUT COULDN'T WE JUST SPARE THIS ONE AND WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE?" Papyrus offered.
He heard a stamp, and metal creaking. Percy slowly lowered further into the grass. Whoever Papyrus was talking to seemed mad.
"ALRIGHT, UNDYNE. I- I WILL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN," Papyrus said, sounding defeated.
Percy shuddered as his skeletal friend walked away. He started to move further into the grass, but abruptly stopped when he heard the sound of metal clanking growing closer. He looked up in horror to see Undyne, clad in a suit of medieval armor, holding a glowing blue spear, looking down at the grass where he sat hidden. He felt a sudden rush of energy, and an urge to challenge her here and now, instead of waiting for her to sneak up on him and gut him like a fish. But, thinking of M.K, (who was most likely hidden somewhere around here) he slunk further down, hoping that Undyne wouldn't notice him. He wouldn't ever forgive himself if a child got hurt in the crossfire of one of Percy's battles.
Undyne looked to the left and right, evidently searching for him. He kept silent, until finally, she gave up. She stood up, the spear vanishing without a trace, as she silently retreated into the shadows, a single glowing white eye being the last thing to disappear. Percy shuddered and moved on.
As he quietly exited the grass on the other side of the field, he reached out and touched the star that was waiting for him.
A feeling of dread hangs over you… but you stay DETERMINED.
How did the narration box know him so well. Percy brushed off his legs and got to his feet.
"DUDE!" M.K shouted, startling Percy. "Did you see that?! Undyne was staring right at you!"
"Yeah, I saw," Percy confirmed.
"Wow! She must have sensed how cool you were and decided to challenge you! I wonder why she backed away though…" M.K mused.
"I don't know, but let's keep going," Percy urged, pushing the dinosaur kid onward.
The next room had several large flowers planted in the ground, and a waterfall that looked like it had once had a bridge hanging over it. Percy normally would have just waded through the knee-deep water, but he wasn't sure if M.K could make it through safely without being swept away by the waterfall. He considered his options, tapping his right foot on the ground. Finally, he snapped his fingers as he made his decision.
"Hey, kid? I need you to hold still," Percy instructed.
"Ok!" M.K excitedly said, holding as still as a jellybean in an earthquake.
Percy chuckled a bit to himself before lifting out his hand. The water grabbed both of them like a fist and lifted them over the gap, before gently setting them down on the other side. Percy concentrated, and the water leapt out of their clothes, returning to the river from whence it had come.
M.K examined his striped sweater, amazed by how dry it was. "Woah, dude, you really do have cool magic! You could clean up people and they wouldn't even have to use a blow dryer! Woshua's gonna be sooooo jealous!"
Percy didn't know who Woshua was, but they sounded like a clean freak. He and M.K continued along, crossing the other streams using Percy's magic. When they were about to advance into the next room, Percy got a call.
"Hold on one sec, M.K, I should probably take this," he said, putting the phone to his ear.
"HELLO HUMAN!" Papyrus enthusiastically said.
Percy held the phone about a foot away from his ear. He doubted his eardrums would ever recover from that amount of noise.
"Hey, Papyrus, how'd you get my number?" Percy asked.
"SIMPLE! I DIALED EVERY NUMBER IN THE PHONE-BOOK SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!" Papyrus explained.
"That doesn't sound very simple, but ok, I guess. Is there something you need?" Percy asked, glad to hear from his skeleton pal.
"YES! I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU! WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? MY… FRIEND SAYS SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING A BEADED NECKLACE. IS THAT TRUE?" Papyrus asked.
"Would this friend happen to be named Undyne?" Percy asked suspiciously.
"UM… YES," Papyrus confirmed, sounding guilty.
"Papyrus, you know I can't help her find me, right?" Percy asked.
"DO NOT WORRY, MY DEAR HUMAN FRIEND! I HAVE A PLAN! I WILL SIMPLY TELL UNDYNE THAT YOU ARE NOT WEARING ONE, AND SHE WILL HAVE NO REASON TO DOUBT ME, AS I AM A LOYAL FUTURE GUARDSMAN!" Papyrus reassured him.
Percy doubted this plan would work, but he sighed. "Yes, Papyrus, I am wearing a beaded necklace."
"GREAT! THANK YOU, HUMAN!" Papyrus happily said before hanging up.
Percy put the phone in his pocket, feeling like he had just made a big mistake. M.K looked up at him curiously.
"Yo, not that I was eavesdropping or anything, but who's Papyrus?" M.K asked.
Percy figured it was time to give this kid some new role models. "Oh, he's just my super cool skeleton friend. He's really strong, and he's training to get into the royal guard!"
"Woah, dude, that's sick!" M.K exclaimed, giving Percy hope. "Undyne must have thought he was really good if she's training with him! Only the best train with Undyne!"
Percy mentally smacked his forehead. Of course mentioning the royal guard would steer the conversation back to Undyne. He decided to let it slide for now and continued on.
The next room was full of echo flowers, with strange carvings on the walls. Looking up, Percy saw sparkling white gems that twinkled in the dark. They reminded him of stars, and he remembered long walks on the beach with Annabeth, her pointing out the different constellations to him. He wondered if the monsters felt that same kind of nostalgia. Living under a mountain for eons would really make you miss the sky. He heard many whispered conversations about the future and hopes that the monsters had. He felt a strange sense of sympathy for the monsters that made him want to do something about their situation. But, as he reminded himself, his mission was to get home, not free all the monsters. After all, what could he even do about that?
M.K ran ahead, turning left at a fork in the road. "Dude, come over here! I remember this puzzle!"
Percy followed, wondering why the young dinosaur was staring at a blank wall. Without warning, M.K thumped his head on the wall and stumbled back, a bruise already forming. Percy was about to scold him when the wall disappeared with a funny buzzing noise, revealing a hidden passageway.
"That seems… really simple," Percy pointed out.
"Well, technically you're supposed to look at the telescope first, but nobody who's been around here long enough does that," M.K laughed.
In the next room, there were those strange carvings all over the wall. Percy turned to ask M.K what they were, but just as he opened his mouth, M.K's pocket started glowing and buzzing. Using his teeth, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and motioned for Percy to press the answer button. As he did so, Percy noticed that the phone M.K had was a lot more advanced and smaller than his own. M.K listened to the phone for a minute before rolling his eyes and having Percy hang up.
"Ugh, my siblings are so dumb. They don't even know how to use a microwave! A mouse could use it better than they could," M.K ranted. "Sorry dude, I got to go help them with dinner. I'll see you in a bit!"
And with that, Percy was once again exploring on his own. It felt lonelier and scarier without the little kid constantly tugging on his shirt and asking him questions. He pressed on, hoping he wouldn't encounter too many unfriendly monsters without his little tour guide by his side. As he was walking towards the end of the boardwalk, he noticed an unsettling drawing on his left. It looked like a monster, but… he didn't want to describe it. He noticed that the soul of the monster was no longer upside down, but right side up, with an outline around it. He had no time to wonder what that meant, though. He couldn't stay in one place for too long, or else Undyne might find him. He stepped onto the final piece of boardwalk, wondering how he would progress, when it started moving on its own. It floated across the water, going so far that Percy could no longer see the shore behind him.
When he reached the next room, his senses told him something was wrong. He had noticed that in his time here, though he was no longer invulnerable, the curse of Achilles seemed to have heightened his senses. He hoped he would be able to dodge enough that his mortal tether wouldn't be hit. Otherwise, he was in for a really bad time. He drew his sword, slowly walking forward.
He had only gone a couple feet when he heard a woosh noise. He immediately took a step back, seeing a glowing blue spear land right in front of where he had just been. He whipped his head to the left and saw Undyne standing there menacingly. He only took a moment to curse his luck before booking it towards the end of the room.
As he ran, more and more spears were thrown at him, with him narrowly dodging them at every turn. Since Undyne aimed them at his back, he focused all his senses on this task. He couldn't afford to let her strike him where it would hurt the most. He silently cursed the architects of the path he was on. There were too many twists and turns to keep him from quickly escaping. Thankfully, ahead he saw a straight bridge that led into the darkness. Without getting hit by a single spear, he ran forward and successfully made it into the grass. He didn't press his luck and assume Undyne couldn't still get him, however. He knew she could chuck those spears pretty far, based on their encounter thus far. He kept running, not caring that he was making enough noise for Undyne to find him. He ran into the next room and leaped for the star that was waiting next to a table full of crystalized cheese. He pressed it and breathed a sigh of relief. At least if Undyne caught him, he could try again. But as he turned around, he saw no signs of pursuit. Maybe she had given up for now? He doubted it, but after waiting for a full minute, she still didn't show up. He gave himself a chance to breathe before chuckling. M.K was going to be so jealous that he got to see her. Of course, he would leave out the whole part where Undyne tried to murder him.
In the next room, Percy was surprised to see none other than Sans standing there next to a telescope.
"Hey man, what's up?" Percy greeted.
"hey, kiddo. thanks for sparing my brother earlier. sorry i couldn't greet you at my other sentry station. i was busy holding off fish-face for you," he said, a genuine smile on his face.
Percy was glad that he had gained the older skeleton brother's trust. He didn't know what he would do if he had Sans as an enemy.
He gestured to the telescope. "Are you using a telescope to look at the ceiling?"
"nah, i'm actually letting other people use it to look at the ceiling. it's normally 5000g to use this deluxe piece of equipment, but for a friend like you, i'll let you use it for free."
"Uh, thanks," Percy said.
He didn't know how a telescope could be high enough quality to warrant that price, but he took a look. As soon as he stuck his eye to the lens, he felt something squishy on his eye, and all he could see was red. When he backed out of the telescope, he turned to a nearby pond to see if his eye was alright. There was a big purple splotch all around where his eye had been on the telescope. He turned back to Sans, unamused, but respecting the effort to prank him.
"Nice job, man, but I don't think your business is going to take off," Percy seriously said.
"well, i'm sure i can make it work if i just reach for the stars," Sans joked.
Percy chuckled and shook his head. "You're terrible."
"like paper?" Sans asked, grinning.
"Do you ever run out of puns?" Percy asked, exasperated.
"nope. as long as someone is willing to listen to them, i'll be hear to stay," Sans shot back.
"I can't right now," Percy laughed, walking away.
He no longer felt nervous about Sans' eyes following him wherever he went. He knew now that Sans meant him no harm. Noticing a different path that was softly glowing light blue, he waved goodbye to Sans and exited the room.
The bioluminescent grass crunched under his feet as he slowly walked along. Little pinpricks of light lazily moved up and down, like fireflies. Dark lily pads floated in the water, giving some contrast to the rest of the bright room. The sound of moving water was much more distant now, but the faint sound gave him some reassurance that he hadn't accidentally traveled into a new world. This room certainly felt like it belonged somewhere else. The smell of the echo flowers was like lavender mixed with vanilla. He deeply breathed in, enjoying the scent. He felt totally at peace here. He considered sitting down and taking a minute to relax, when his phone interrupted the calmness he was currently feeling. He looked at the caller ID and realized it was Papyrus once again. Annoyed, he picked up the phone, making sure to turn the volume down this time.
"HELLO, HUMAN! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! UNDYNE TOLD ME ABOUT HER CHASING YOU, AND YOUR DARING ESCAPE! ARE YOU DOING ALRIGHT AFTER THAT INCIDENT?" Papyrus asked.
"Yeah, I'm alright. Just a little bit shaken up. Do you have any idea where she is now?" Percy replied.
Papyrus was silent for a moment. "SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS PREPARING ANOTHER 'PUNCTURE PUZZLE'. I THINK THAT IS HER WAY OF TRYING TO SUGARCOAT THE FACT THAT SHE'S GOING TO STAB YOU WITH SPEARS. MY GUESS IS THAT SHE WILL TRY TO ATTACK YOU IN AN AREA WHERE SHE CAN CORNER YOU, THAT WAY YOU CANNOT ESCAPE. IS THAT ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW?"
Percy had no idea if that information would be useful, considering he had never been here before. "Yeah, that's it. I'll call you later, ok? Let me know if she gives you any more intel."
He pressed the hang up button, ready to enjoy the peace again. He was rudely interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. He jumped and turned around, only for his soul to exit his chest. He groaned as he entered a fight with two monsters instead of one.
"What do you guys want? I'm just a regular monster, trying to enjoy my day," Percy lied.
A muscular horse with a tail winked while also frowning, a facial expression that was very confusing to Percy. "We know you're a human. Woshua heard from his cousin who heard from Temmie who heard from-"
"Alright, alright, I get it," Percy interrupted. "Can we get this over with?"
Woshua, who was a small turtle with a bathtub for a back, muttered something about unclean behavior. Percy had no time to question this, as it was his turn. His act options were Check, Clean, Joke, Flex, and Shoo. He figured the flex option probably had something to do with the horse, who he soon found out was named Aaron. The monster did seem buff enough to be a threat, so he decided to use the flex option. He stretched his muscles as hard as he could, holding his sword as he did so to make him seem more intimidating. Aaron, who apparently wanted a flexing contest, winked and flexed so hard that he somehow floated out of the battle.
"What the-" Percy asked as he got hit by a magical water droplet that Woshua had launched.
"Woshu-soul," Woshua scolded.
The turtle was spinning around, water launching so fast that it made a spiral. Percy carefully dodged and waited for his turn. Then, remembering how M.K had said that Woshua liked clean things, he chose Clean.
"Hey, man, look what I can do!" Percy said, lifting a couple gallons of water from the pond all around him.
Woshua looked amazed, and decided to share his own water as well, which was not the effect Percy had been hoping for. As the water spun out, however, he noticed a different color of water, which was green. He didn't think that color was very sanitary. Maybe if he got unclean by touching that water, Woshua would try to clean him, therefore ending the battle? It was crummy logic, but it was the best thing Percy could think of at that time. He leaped towards the water and was shocked to see that it healed him. Woshua looked pleased, and Percy was able to spare him.
"See you later, clean human!" The turtle called as it waddled away.
Percy kind of hoped he didn't, even though he knew it was mean. He just knew that he tended to get easily dirty, and he didn't want to have to suffer through another cleaning.
Realizing that none of the paths of this room went further into Waterfall, Percy walked back the way he had come. As he rounded the corner, a little yellow spot dove into the ground. Percy realized that it had been a suspiciously fast golden flower. A cold fist of dread seized his heart. Flowey. Flowey could appear in different places other than the Ruins? This was not a good sign. He slowly left the room, constantly checking over his shoulder. Just when he had begun to feel safe in Waterfall, Flowey had appeared and ruined it all. Percy suspected that Undyne was far from his biggest threat in the Underground. He moved on, feeling shaken to the core.
Flowey's POV
Warning: Spoilers for the True Pacifist route ahead.
Flowey eagerly giggled in the dirt as he spied on the human. He enjoyed the unsettled expression on the idiot's face, and the fact that he could cause such discomfort. He couldn't wait for the next time that teenager would turn around and see him spying. He wanted to make this human regret being a foolish pacifist. In this world, it was kill or be killed. Chara had taught him that lesson long ago. Flowey, you idiot, stop thinking about them! It'll only make things worse, he scolded himself. He knew this teenage boy had no relation to Chara, but thinking about Chara right after he had thought about that human was a dangerous move. It might cause him to feel… well, it wasn't like he could feel anything. No, it would be more like disrespecting the memory of his former self. His former self may have been weak and a crybaby, but considering it had used to be him, he couldn't afford to insult himself like that. He didn't want to have goat boy upset with him for hurting someone he considered to be like Chara. He shoved all these thoughts away as he noticed the human progressing forward. Cackling to himself, he disappeared into the dirt once again.
What he didn't know is that there was someone who had observed him. A certain comedian who had decided to keep an eye out for the human. And that comedian was now on alert. He knew he had seen a flower giggle, and that wasn't normal. It had to be that flower the kid was talking about. So, he readied himself, telling himself that next time he saw the kid, he would let him know that something unnatural had been following him. He would make sure that kid and Papyrus stayed safe. He had promised himself that, and this was one promise he wouldn't break.