p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"a name="_Hlk101300885"/astrong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"uspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Chapter 32- The True Battle (The End?)/span/u/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanInk and I splashed into the portal. A surging river of magic urgently rushed us away. Ahead, a lone universe grew on the horizon. The celestial sphere was flickering, its surface marred by a deep, staticky gash—and we were hurtling towards it at breakneck speed. We were blasted past its jagged edges, and after a psychedelic display of light, we were suddenly a hundred feet above the ground and plummeting towards it./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI tucked my wings and dove for Ink. The treetops were nearing dangerously fast as I snagged his outstretched hand. With a twist and a flip, I corrected our trajectory, and mere seconds later, we stumbled roughly onto solid ground. Together, we took off running towards the roaring ruckus of destruction./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanError stalked down the streets of Snowdin, unchallenged, leveling everything in sight. The ground itself jolted as a massive beam of threads pounded the librarby. Its crumbling walls were launched into the air, sending showers of bricks hurtling down. The screaming townspeople scrambled for cover./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWithout so much as a glance, Error whipped a chunk of wreckage into Dogamy. I watched helplessly as the royal guard-dog was flung against the side of an unstable building. It collapsed, crushing him to dust. Dogaressa cried out in a heartbroken rage. She charged Error, and quickly followed her husband's fate./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWithout a human in my world… without the power to reset… the damage was permanent./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy racing feet stumbled, protesting my desperate haste. Tears threatened to blur my vision. Exhausted as I already was, I teleported bursts, frantic to intervene. We were nearly in shouting range of the Destroyer, but we weren't fast enough. The orange horn-monster—I never even knew his name—was pounded into powder while trying to shield Minty. The scarf-clad mouse squeaked a shriek of despair and bolted. Strings snatched her up./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"WHERe ARe YoU GOinG, LiTTLe emrAT?!/em" Error growled furiously./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanA colossal blaster materialized from a storm of staticky magic, right in front of her face. Despite the distance, I saw the blazing flames reflected in her terror-stricken eyes as its maw unhinged. I summoned a cloud of sharp bone shards. We were too far away; it'd be futile. But I had to try…!/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBefore I could launch my attack, there was a blinding blue flash. Error yelped. Minty was dropped. With an angry snarl, Error whirled towards his challenger. His HP flickered as he snapped the projectile embedded in his forearm and tossed it aside. Hope surged through my soul when I saw what had hit him. An electric-blue spear. The attack style, it had to be—!/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Fuhaha! Take that, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"punk!" /emUndyne taunted confidently, skidding to a snow-spraying stop nearby and brandishing another spear fiercely. "There's more where that came from!"/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGrowling wrathfully, Error unleashed a furious volley. Strings warped the air. Black shards pelted from the sky. The spinning of Undyne's spear blocked the initial wave, but it couldn't last. She had a matter of seconds until she'd be overwhelmed…!/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"ink!" I gasped./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"On it," he replied breathlessly. "Mockingbird maneuver."/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI summoned an enormous Gaster Blaster in front of us. Just as it fired, with one last, bounding step, I spread my wings and leapt off its spikey crest. I shot into the sky as Ink drew his brush and yelled—/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"/span/em/spanspan style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Undyne/span/spanspan style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';", duck!"/span/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanUndyne saw the impending doom and hit the ground as the blinding beam engulfed the Destroyer. Before Error could recover, Ink dove through the ash and tackled him tumbling, sending explosions of crackling color to block the rain of deadly strings./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThis was it. The final battle. Unchecked, Error would eradicate HopeTale. He would destroy every last soul standing in his way, until there was nothing left. But I'd sooner die here beside my homeworld family than flee and live on without them. I'd fight till they were safe or I was dead. It truly was save or dust./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI gained enough altitude and veered back around. Ink was thrown aside by a barrage of bone attacks, and Error advanced on Undyne once more. With one last tremendous flap, I folded my wings. Briefly weightless, I watched the air clutter with myriads of dragon maws and bone attacks. Then I started falling. The attacks followed. I tucked my wings in closer, recklessly diving faster than I ever had before. Only a few yards from impact—/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"emerror!/em"/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe whirled just in time for me to kick him square in the face. Flipping back, I landed beside Undyne, snagged her hand, and teleported us away. My torrential attacks rained down, pelting the stunned Destroyer relentlessly. Before I could regain my bearings, Undyne grabbed my shoulders and yanked me off my feet to face her./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"emSans!/em" I was shaken like a dog's chew toy. "What the emheck /emis going on!?" she exclaimed. "That emthing /emlooks like emYOU!" /emI flailed free. Ignoring her question, I grabbed her arm and desperately begged—/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"undyne, where's papyrus!?"/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHer chance to answer was cut short as motion caught my eye. em"Push," /emforesight warned. I shoved Undyne. We fell apart from each other as a spike of strings impaled the ground between us, sending deep cracks fracturing in all directions./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanError stood trembling on the edge of the crater I'd incinerated. Despite the distance, I caught glimpse of his vague HP bar. He wasn't even halfway through the green zone. He wasn't hurt; just annoyed. But he graduated to manically livid as he realized what—rather who—had hit him./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHis eye sockets filled with flashing "ERROR" signs. His image warped, distorted by a wave of violent glitching. A freaky haze of fiery 1's and 0's shuddered around him as a staticky roar of rage filled the air. Suddenly, the ground lurched like an earthquake. Geysers of strings exploded skywards. The slab of stone I stood on was thrown into the air… and I knew the real battle had finally begun./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanStumbling to my feet, I dashed to the edge and dove. A blast of primary blue threads splintered the rock, sending gravel raining down as I came to a rolling landing./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"SERIF!" /emError bellowed, stalking towards me, the very light around him flickering./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"yes?" the breathless, sarcastic answer came. I was surprised I found the nerve to jest at a time like this. My cheeky response caused blazing binary to cloud the Destroyer's vision again./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"a name="_Hlk96978888"/aemYoU! /emYOu LiTtLE—!" Earsplitting static censored his curse. I summoned a shield to absorb the barrage of attacks blasting towards me. "I ShOULd hAvE ENDeD yOu wHeN I hAD tHE ChaNCE!" I teleported as a chunk of roof tiles pounded the ground where I'd been standing seconds before, powderizing on impact. "I'LL KiLL YoU!" A hail of sharp bone shards. "I'LL KIll emEvERYoNE/em…!" A rain of strings. "emI'LL KILL EVERYONE YOU LOVE!" /emI strengthened my barricade as a massive black blaster formed and fired./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Serif, look outem—!/em"/span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBefore I could register the Artist's warning, he suddenly materialized behind me. A wall of color blocked the searing blast that would have killed me from behind. Back-to-back, we struggled to maintain the shields. I gritted my teeth, wavering. One mistake could get us both dusted./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBut even as my golden wall began to flicker, t/span/span/spanspan style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"he black blasters dissolved. The sky itself was tinted electric-blue as a volley of spears screamed from the heavens. Undyne unleashed attack after attack, shouting furiously at Error and battering him back. The Destroyer's HP dropped to the yellow range under her onslaught./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Your Undyne is a emmaniac/em," Ink murmured, staring dumbfounded at the display./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"yeah," I agreed, catching my breath, "she's the best."/span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOur respite didn't last. Error quickly aimed his attacks back at the townspeople. Undyne was forced to abandon the assault, and Ink and I leapt back into the fray. The Artist fought Error back, trying to keep him away from the survivors. I shielded the civilians from rogue attacks while Undyne helped evacuate the stragglers, joined by a few guardsmen from Waterfall./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanError threw Ink aside and smashed another building, revealing a group of cowering monster kids. Doggo darted for them and was dusted. I was trapped beneath a cracking shield with Snowdrake and Holly. Ink was up and sprinting for the children, but he was too far to reach them. Error flung an uprooted tree at the kids… and Undyne leapt in the way./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHer armor shattered. Her spear snapped. Her HP dropped to critical. She slammed into a pile of rubble. She lay unmoving, dazed. I watched in helpless horror as dark bone shards, thick as hail, sliced through the air to finish her off—/span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThere was a searing blaze of yellow and blue in front of Undyne. The attacks were parried by mirroring projectiles. Confused, Error increased the onslaught, then stumbled as a pinged chunk of stone slammed into his back. The attacks stopped and the ash cleared. Undyne was emgone/em. I gaped, grief-stricken—until her rescuer teleported back to shield the group of kids./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Dream!" Ink called to him from across the battlefield, once again locked in a tussle with Error. "Talk to me!"/span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Safe. Awake but scared," Dream answered, forming a golden wall around the young survivors with a swipe of his shimmering staff. "Worried sick about us. I left food and an open portal. Most likely, already safe in the Omega Timeline."/span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanUnfortunately, despite the cryptic explanation, Error figured out we were talking about Blueberry. The strength of his attacks intensified. Dream scooped the kids into his arms and whisked them away as his shield cracked under the Destroyer's furious onslaught. Two more buildings were powderized—one of which was Grillby's Diner. I faltered, as did my own shield. What if he was still in town…? What if he'd been killed—?! Dream suddenly reappeared beside me./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Serif!" he exclaimed, snapping me from my daze. He smacked an attack aside, narrowly preventing it from shattering the fragile bubble. "Drop the shield! I'll get the children to safety, then the remaining civilians." I dissolved the dome, and Dream grabbed the two refugees and vanished./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIn my moment of distraction, a cord strayed past Ink's defense and snapped around my ankle. I was yanked into the fray and flicked into the air. A blast of strings shot up to skewer me. I flash-phased through them. Dropping to the ground, I ducked as a thick spike of rigid threads splintered the tree behind my head, then rolled as another projectile pounded the pathway beneath me./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""HolD stILL, diRtY GliTcH!" Error growled, launching another barrage of cords./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"For a moment, his blazing eyes locked on me; just enough distraction. Flecks of bright indigo splattered the snow, emphasizing the loud emSLAP/em as Ink whacked Error with his massive paintbrush. It merely incurred another vicious volley of deadly strings./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Summoning a Gaster Blaster ahead, I dashed for it. It fired at Error, searing a steaming gap into the snow as it narrowly missed him. Right as a beam of strings splintered the dragon maw, I took a running leap off its head and took to the clouds. My attacks rained down on the Destroyer until he sent a blaster of his own, nearly knocking me from the sky./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Error stumbled as Ink snapped his fingers; the indigo paint coating the Destroyer's side suddenly morphed into lead. Error went down hard as Ink swung a kick, swiping one of his legs from beneath him. The Artist dove to pin him. A burst of strings shattered the weight and Error rolled. Miss./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"The Destroyer was back up, between us and the town, once more. But instead of aiming his efforts at the last survivors, he turned back to face us… and laughedem, gleefully. /emI wavered, intimidated. emsomething's wrong./em/span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Suddenly, a massive wall of threads surged up from the ground, throwing frozen mud-shards high. Within seconds, us three Sanses were completely enclosed in an enormous blue cage. My eyes widened at the staggering display. Before the stray strings could ensnare me, span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I closed /spanmy wings and dove. Twisting through a gap in the spidery trap, I came to a rolling stop in the snow./span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"An attack narrowly missed me. My projectiles were parried and splintered. A black stake kabobbed a few feathers free. But then, one cry rose above the ruckus. I faltered, nearly getting pummeled. My very soul stumbled. I knew that voice…!/span/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101300885;"span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk96978888;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"I whirled. There, suspended in the air by thin, tight strings, was Papyrus./span/span/span/p