Ink eagerly hurried through the portal Nightmare opened into his Doodlesphere. His guardian followed behind him, being the one to watch him today while he gave Dust a day to himself. He'd been allowed to come into his Doodlesphere for the last few days and was quite happy getting to explore it, though he hadn't been allowed to go through any of the doors on the islands. Nightmare had said it was too much of a risk to go jumping through doors without knowing exactly what was behind them.
He disagreed with it, but listened anyway so as not to worry him. He had seen many different doors on the many islands and each one was uniquely designed. His favorites so far were an island that appeared to be covered in stardust with a dark blue door that had a big six pointed gold star on the front of it and an island that appeared to have a small field in spring with a dead patch where its black door with a scythe stood. He was also really curious about an island that had a light blue door with a pair of arrows going in a circle on its front, but Nightmare had steered him away from that with the instruction to stay away from it.
He wondered if Nightmare knew which Universe the door belonged to and knew it to be dangerous, but didn't linger on it too much. Instead Ink focused on exploring a couple islands he'd spotted before. The first one he came across was pretty plain like the light blue door's, but this door was red with a four pointed red star on it. Ink didn't stay on that one long since the door didn't seem that interesting at a glance.
The next island was a little more interesting. The island had a field of echo flowers on it, but the door was a gray color with an image of a skeletal dragon on it, of which the skull appeared to resemble the Gaster Blasters he'd seen Dust and Killer use during training. He made note of the door to ask Nightmare to take him to it one day and moved on to the next island. This one had little origami birds that were moving about it and pecking at the ground. The door was a light gray in color and had a pair of black feathered wings carved into the front of it.
Ink eagerly played with the birds on the island before he heard voices coming from the main island.
"We gotta find a better way to get into this place." Came Killer's voice. He turned and peaked over the edge to see Killer had stepped through one of Nightmare's portals to talk with him.
"For now this is the only way in, at least until Ink can learn to control his portals and do so himself." Nightmare replied.
Ink tilted his head at that. Why didn't his Doodlesphere have a door to the castle? It would only make sense to have one since that was Nightmare's world and his home.
As if summoned by the thought a door suddenly appeared right behind Killer making Nightmare tense.
"What?" Killer asked, turning and yelping in surprise at the sudden appearance. Ink eagerly left the island he was on and went to the main island to inspect the door.
It was a dark green, like Nightmare, but had a bright Cyan colored Crescent moon on the door. Eager to see which place it led to in his home, Ink opened it before either adult could stop him and was happy to see it had opened straight into the kitchen. Of which Horror was staring at him with an axe in hand, a little surprised, the axe quickly disappearing when he recognized Ink.
"Where did the door come from?"
Ink peaked further around the door into the kitchen to see Dust standing in the doorway staring at the door with wide sockets.
"The Doodlesphere made it!" Ink chirped eagerly, feeling a tentacle wrap around him from behind and picked him up.
"But why? We've been traveling using Boss' portals for like three days and it never made one before that." Killer commented, pulling Ink's attention back to the Doodlesphere side of the door.
"Oh, I thought it was weird that it didn't have a door for Nightmare's castle, since it's Nightmare's world and poof, door appeared!" Ink explained excitedly, allowing Nightmare to pull him back into the Doodlesphere.
"Will Creation. Interesting. It must only happen within the Doodelsphere though, since he hasn't manifested random items within the castle." Nightmare muttered, smiling as Ink beamed at him.
"But why the kitchen?" Horror asked, clearly confused.
Before Ink could answer a growling sound came from his nonexistent stomach and made Horror chuckle softly.
"Ah, lunch time that's why." The tall skeleton responded before turning to go back to starting lunch. Ink grinned as Nightmare carried him through the door with Killer following.
"Well at least that makes access for us easier." Killer commented.
Ink giggled as they all settled in to wait for lunch, Ink chattering away about the different doors he'd seen and which ones he really wanted to go to one day.
Nightmare watched as Dust led Ink out of the kitchen after lunch, the baby bones chattering away about a door with a dragon on it that he really wanted to explore. Once they were gone, he turned to Killer.
"Report."
"Right. I looked into several AUs and I believe the best options are either Swapfell or Underfell." Killer replied easily, meeting Nightmare's gaze easily.
"Pros and Cons?"
"Swapfell is more like Underswap, but with the obvious Underfell assholery. The Sans and Papyrus of Swapfell are closer than Underfell's Skelebros, but they still have their own issues. Underfell on the other hand is slightly more aggressive in nature in comparison, but at the same time I personally would trust Underfell's Edgy Sans than Swapfell's. He's more likely to be reasoned with and honestly I think since his falling out with his brother he's looking for someone to protect that won't beat the shit out of him."
Nightmare hummed thoughtfully at that as Horror came over and set a cup of tea down for him. He nodded in thanks as he considered Killer's opinion on the matter. Swapfell would be less aggressive, but at the same time Swapfell's Sans was more likely on the side of their Queen then he would be anyone else's and he had a feeling the Papyrus there was too loyal to his brother. Not bad things for them, but not ideal for Nightmare. Underfell Sans and the Underfell Universe were looking like the better option for an alliance simply due to the fact he could most likely more easily convince Underfell Sans to side with him then his brother.
He'd consider it in full later. For now he'd set up for Killer to be first contact to test whether Underfell!Sans would be open for an alliance with Nightmare and go from there.
"Killer get ready to start first contact with him. Feel him out, see if his AU would be truly safe as a possible place to send Ink if necessary." Nightmare ordered.
"You got it Boss, do you want me to check out Underfell!Paps as well?" Killer responded.
"No, for now just the Sans and those within Snowdin, hopefully we shouldn't have to have Ink go beyond the Snowdin within that AU if we decide to use that as a secondary location."
Killer nodded and went through the portal Nightmare opened without complaint. Nightmare closed the portal and sighed. Now he just needed his luck to continue until they could get things settled with Underfell.
He would later curse his thought process.
It was a couple weeks later that Nightmare hit a snag. He was having issues with one of the Negativetale Timeline AUs. It was one of his more Neutral based AUs and Killer had reported that he had spotted several monsters within it speaking with people from the Omega Timeline. He couldn't have that. But he'd need more than just Killer to go and handle the situation, he would most likely need to wrangle Horror and Dust along as well. The problem was, they still didn't have anyone else to watch Ink and Underfell definitely wasn't ready to be a place to take him to.
And this wasn't going to be a short couple hour visit either. No Nightmare needed to make a point that betrayal would never be tolerated by those in his dominion. This meant Ink would have to be left here by himself for longer than he had ever been before, of which he hadn't really been left alone at all since Dust joined him. He sighed at the thought and the amount of anxiety Ink would be feeling from the moment he told him what would be happening.
Deciding to not delay because he would have to convince his charge that they would all return, he opened a portal for Killer, who was currently in Underfell. His SIC immediately came through, having most likely been observing the AU rather than interacting with Underfell!Sans directly. They had had a few conversations, but Killer said he hadn't broached the topic of possible alliance yet.
"Get the others, Horror is currently in his own room and Dust is with Ink in the Library." Nightmare commanded.
"Want me to bring the squirt too?" He inquired, turning to the door.
"Yes."
Killer didn't hesitate to short cut away after that. He returned shortly after with Horror, Dust and Ink in tow. Ink was excitedly chattering at Killer who was taking it in stride and letting the child talk his proverbial ear off. All three of Nightmare's employees had grown quite attached to Ink quickly, much like he had. All of them had quickly gone from possible threats to trusted protectors, even Horror, and Nightmare was reassured to know that if anything ever happened to him these three would care for and protect Ink at all costs.
"It appears one of Negativetales Timelines have decided to try and side with the Omega Timeline." Nightmare said, drawing all their attention to him.
Ink fell silent and wiggled free from Dust's hold to scamper over to Nightmare. The Guardian allowed for Ink to dangle from one of his tentacles as the child happily grabbed it. He kept his gaze on the trio however. If Ink wanted attention he'd have climbed in his lap, so he chalked it up to the child being immediately uninterested in what he was talking to the trio about.
"Do you need me to go and handle it Boss?" Killer asked, his grin growing just a tad psychotic at the possibility of a fight.
"Yes, but this is going to be a mission that will require more than just you and I. I will need both Horror and Dust to come along as well." Nightmare replied, scowling slightly as he felt Ink freeze while dangling from his tentacle.
"You're all going?"
Horror and Dust, who had both looked a little eager to leave, immediately dropped their growing grins at Ink's quiet question. Even Killer's smile faltered as all three appeared to realize what going meant.
"Unfortunately it is necessary Ink." Nightmare replied with a sigh. He brought Ink to him from where he held onto a tentacle, letting the child drop into his arms once he was close enough.
"Can't I go with you?" Ink begged, making all four adults wince.
They all knew the answer before Nightmare even voiced it. It was too dangerous to take Ink, especially if there would be any fights. And even if Nightmare had considered taking Ink, the fact that this Timeline was talking with the Omega Timeline would've made his answer an immediate no. He will not risk that place getting their claws into Ink.
"No, Ink. It's too dangerous to go with us." Nightmare responded, fighting a flinch when Ink's eye sockets immediately welled up with tears.
Dust and Horror jolted forward slightly at the whine Ink released, while Killer stepped back with a look of discomfort. His SIC really wasn't a child person despite his fondness for Ink.
"None of that Ink. You are safest here at the castle. We will be back though I am afraid this will take longer than previous times." Nightmare commanded gently. Ink sniffled to try and stop the building tears and Nightmare couldn't keep himself from petting the little one's head in comfort.
"We'll be back Ink, I promise. I know you got used to having Dust here when I need to leave, but I cannot handle this situation without all three of them. We will be back as soon as we are finished alright?"
"Alright." Ink sniffled, quickly cuddling into Nightmare's chest.
"You three get ready to leave while I finish settling Ink." Nightmare instructed.
Killer practically bolted, while Horror and Dust hesitantly left. Nightmare waited until the door was shut before nuzzling Ink's skull. He really needed to figure out a way to better handle Ink's clear abandonment issues, but until he could find an AU he trusted or a non-fighter caretaker he was stuck with these situations.
"I promise we'll be back." Nightmare repeated, hugging Ink tightly as he sniffled again and pressed closer.
Within the hour the other three were ready and waiting for their boss. Killer was playing with his knife eagerly, his bones practically vibrating at the thought of a good fight. He had been running errands for Boss and intimidating the more troublesome AUs under his dominion, but other than that Killer hadn't had a good fight since the day he met Boss. He was both eager for this upcoming mission and apprehensive since it would be the first time they were leaving Ink alone since Dust forced his way into the castle.
It would be fine though. They'd be gone a little longer than in the past, but they'd be back before Ink could panic too badly. He rocked on his heels eagerly as Nightmare joined them. He paused slightly as he saw Ink standing at the top of the stairs watching nervously, his little hands clutching Nightmare's circlet to his chest like a lifeline.
Killer saw Dust wave at the baby bones as Boss opened a portal for them. Ink waved back and shuffled nervously as he watched them walk through. Killer was the first through the portal with Boss coming in last, always cautious when it came to his portals that led them home. He couldn't blame their Boss though. According to him any enemies were unable to find his Castle as long as they never went through a portal that led to it and with Ink there now it was even more important to keep that from ever happening.
He turned his attention to the AU they found themselves in and was met with the sight of Negativetale's Waterfall. They couldn't see any monsters yet, but he was sure they would very soon. The gang didn't exactly hide their power, it was a wonder that they weren't immediately met with hostility upon arrival. As the thought crossed his mind, the sudden appearance of several monsters had him grinning.
"Cause some Chaos, but killing is off limits… for now." Nightmare instructed, causing Killer to laugh eagerly.
Within moments the Trio were engaged in battle with the monsters, not that Killer thought it was much of a battle. These Monsters may have Level, but they were barely even a warm up to the trio. It actually seemed to take more effort for them to not kill them then it was to fight them. He could feel Boss's energy building around them, a negative imprint in the making Killer believed if he had to guess. His attention was pulled from their Boss however at the sudden appearance of Negativetale's Undyne, causing Killer's grin to grow at the thought of an actual challenge.
"Dibs!" Dust shouted, shooting past Killer, making him curse angrily.
"Like hell!" He shouted following after the other to attack Negative!Undyne.
She easily avoided their attacks and dodged their moves, the task made easier since Killer and Dust didn't know how to coordinate their attacks worth a damn. That quickly changed however, as they got into a rhythm that they often fell into during training. They had to be careful during training sessions because Ink liked to watch so they couldn't risk a stray attack hitting the baby bones, this meant that while they weren't great at attacking in unison against a single enemy the two were very good at avoiding each other at the very least.
That became abundantly clear as Negative!Undyne was slowly pushed back and back until they nearly had her pressed against a wall. Killer stared her down as a blaster appeared above his head charging its attack, Dust following suit with a ring of bone attacks. They wouldn't kill her, but they sure as hell would make her feel pain by the time they were done. Killer tensed suddenly as he felt the tell tale feeling of someone using a shortcut.
Before he could turn he felt something big and heavy slam into his side and send him flying away from Negative!Undyne. His blaster vanished at the sudden distraction as he pried himself from the wall he'd slammed into, he glared at the sight of a Sans about a foot shorter than himself holding a giant blue hammer. The sans was dressed in a guard outfit with a blue cape behind him. The new Sans immediately targeted Dust with Negative!Undyne jumping in to assist, causing the hooded skeleton to retreat back.
Killer growled as Horror appeared beside him.
"Boss says these are the Star Sans'. The one in blue is known as Blueberry and is a comrade to Dream. Boss is dealing with the Positivity Guardian and said to handle the blue one as we saw fit." Horror said, making Killer glance around until he spotted their Boss holding off attacks from a small skeleton dressed in yellow with a pair of what appeared to be long daggers in his hands.
He quickly turned back to where Dust was quickly being corralled towards a wall by the two other monsters.
"Well then, as long as we don't kill any in the AU there's no holding back then." Killer said, straightening beside Horror who nodded as he summoned an axe in hand.
"Dust! Boss said do what we want to the blue one!" Killer called, before he shot off to intercept an attack from Negative!Undyne that was aimed for Dust's skull.
"Even kill?" Dust asked, avoiding a swing from said blue Sans.
"He said not to kill any in the AU, Blue boy don't belong to the AU." Killer replied throwing Negative!Undyne away from himself as he grinned at Dust.
Dust met his gaze and even with the dark shadow of his hood Killer was able to see the psychotic grin that spread across the other's skull in turn. They quickly turned their gazes to their respective opponents as Horror appeared behind them. A silent standoff took place as the two monsters before the trio seemed to watch their every movement for any sign of what they planned. But even with as little time as the trio had to coordinate with each other in any training capacity, they knew instantly what to do. Killer and Dust nodded before shortcutting to their opponents.
Killer grinning down at the surprised expression of the blue clad skeleton while he heard Dust cackling in Negative!Undyne's face. They simultaneously shot gaster blasters off at their opponents before shooting knives and bone attacks at them respectively. Killer felt his SOUL shudder as his toxic determination started leaking aggressively from his eye sockets, barely fighting as he slipped into the early stages of a stage 3, and laughed as Blueberry barely avoided his attacks. They traded blows for several moments before the feeling of a bone attack coming his way had Killer switching places with Dust and trading opponents once more.
The two psychos barely gave either opponent time to get used to their attacks and barrages before they would switch places again, Horror even jumping in to keep off any other monsters that showed up to intervene. Honestly this was the most fun Killer had had in a long time and hoped that Boss would be willing to do these kinds of missions more often, once they allied with an AU that they trusted with Ink of course.
He had just swapped with Dust once again, his knife slashing and swinging at Blueberry forcing the smaller skeleton back more and more despite his best efforts, when the sudden feeling of a pulse of something rang through the air.
"Boss!" The shout from Horror had both Dust and Killer shortcutting to his side to follow his gaze where their Boss stood facing off with Dream. The sight of a half of their Boss's right side missing as Dream stood across from him with a bow in hand had Killer faltering.
"Shit!" Dust cursed, shortcutting to their Boss closely followed by Horror.
Killer did the same, intercepting an attack from Dream as he shot an arrow at his two comrades as they checked on the Boss. He was quickly forced to fend off both Dream and Blueberry as the other skeleton joined his friend. He could hear Dust and Horror trying to get Boss to open a portal for them so they could retreat as Killer kept the two back as much as possible. It was becoming increasingly difficult as they were far more coordinated when it came to attacks then he and Dust were, most likely from time and training, but it still pissed him off. When an opening showed itself however, he took it and he launched forward and stabbed his knife straight into Dream's shoulder causing the other to cry out in pain. Killer quickly retreated as Blueberry moved to defend his friend.
That was all they needed though as Killer heard Horror call for him to hurry. He turned and shortcutted towards the portal that Dust was dragging their Boss through. He helped lift the weakened guardian and allowed Horror to cover them as they hurried through the portal. A moment later Horror followed and the portal closed quickly behind him. Killer settled Boss onto the snow covered ground they found themselves in and looked around warily looking for any possible attacks only to realize in horror that this wasn't home.
Turning back to their Boss, he found Dust and Horror trying to get the other to eat some food, but it was clear the goopy skeleton was already unconscious. Unlike Nightmare, Killer couldn't tell what AU they were in, though he knew they were outside of its Snowdin somewhere in the forest. He hoped that Boss hadn't taken them to someplace dangerous, but then again any AU under his dominion was at least somewhat dangerous.
"How long do you think it'll take him to recover?" Killer asked, looking at the other two.
"I have no idea, Boss has never talked about what to do if he was injured." Horror replied, frowning as he looked around, seeming to realize what Killer had.
"It can't be too long right? I mean Boss is the Guardian of Negativity, he'll recover quickly right?" Dust asked, looking at Killer as if he had an answer.
"Hell if I know, I've never seen Boss hurt and even then I don't think Dream's attacks are the same as normal Monster attacks." Killer replied, his panic rising as he slowly realized they may be trapped in possibly hostile territory.
Dust looked down at their unconscious Boss and then looked over his shoulder as if listening to someone. His Phantom Papyrus most likely. Killer used to think he was the craziest Sans out there until he'd met Dust and realized he believed his brother's spirit was still with him. Ink indulged him and often greeted the supposed phantom, but Killer thinks that was a bit pointless.
"Wait Pap is right, we can't just stay here, Ink's expecting us back!" Dust said frantically, turning to look at Killer and Horror.
Killer looked over at the tallest skeleton, who shrugged in turn and looked back to Dust.
"We ain't got much choice." Killer responded, looking at their Boss with a frown. All they could do now is wait.