I do feel like these authors notes are just me apologizing at this point. Apologizing, making promises that I end up completely breaking, and letting people down. Honestly, I'd given up on uploading this story for a while, but I did finish writing it. It's a total of 47 chapters long plus an epilogue. So, there is still plenty of more to read. Recently, my hope has been renewed, and I do plan on uploading the rest of this story. If you are returning readers or if this is your first time through, thank you so much for being here! Though, I do feel like I should warn you: we are picking up in a very intense part, of the story and we are looking at end game stuff. There will be torture, blood, and character deaths from here on out. This chapter included.
Consider yourself warned.
Chapter 35
Honey and Vinegar
When he heard the clamoring armor, Corbel ducked into a nearby alleyway, hoping that it would give him enough cover until the Guardsman moved on. He hadn't been expecting much, considering he'd been drifting off toward Waterfall once again to double check the dump. Maybe the Guard had similar notions.
The footfalls steadily got further and further away and all the while, Corbel listened, trying to gauge when it was safe to emerge.
Finally, when he could barely hear them, he released a long relieved sigh, stepping out of his hiding space and reaching for his phone to send a text to Sans.
It was when he was about to send his message that he heard a soft click followed by a sharp poke of something pressing harshly into his back.
"Hands up, Monster!" A quiet whisper as sharp as the object in his back demanded. "Whatever you're holding, drop it!"
Corbel froze, a shock shooting through him as something caught, his soul seizing for a moment as his mind raced. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind as he tried to figure out what to do next. He knew right away that the creature behind him was a human, one of the humans he'd been looking for, and, if she wished it, he'd be dead in an instant.
And, even though she had the upper hand from the start, she hadn't attacked him . . .
For now, it would probably be best if he did what she said.
Slowly, he pressed the button to send off his text and he raised his hands.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Corbel tried, attempting to sound more confident and less terrified than he actually was.
"Yeah right!" The human hissed, "like I'd believe that for a second!"
Corbel took a few short breaths, still trying to sound calm.
"You must." He replied, "Or else, you would've attacked me already a-and I'd be dead."
"That's stupid. There's no way I'd attack you. You haven't done anything to me. Now, give me a reason to fight you and that'll be a whole 'nother story."
"So, can we agree that neither one of us wants to fight? Maybe you can put your weapon away and we can talk about this like rational people?"
As Corbel slowly lowered his hands again, the human lowered their weapon, the sharp prodding in his back subsiding.
"I'm gonna turn around now, okay?"
"Okay . . ."
Corbel nodded and turned just as slowly. He held his hand out toward the human, and he even tried a smile now that the tension was starting to dissipate.
He looked back at the young human who was still lowering their weapon. WAS THAT A FUCKING GUN!? WHAT THE HELL!?
Okay . . . Don't freak out. Don't scare the human and make them raise their guard or attack. Focus. How would Sans handle this? He was a natural at breaking the ice. Even with the way he looks, he was able to almost immediately gain Alia's trust when they first met. And he made it look easy . . . He could do this.
"Alright. Let's try this again. The name's Corbel."
He studied the human as she shifted from foot to foot in her brown leather boots, seemingly a bit nervous about the meeting. She looked young, maybe a little older than the kids in his class, which made her about twelve? Thirteen years old maybe?
Her denim shorts were grimy and stained with mud, her yellow peasant top was in no better shape and it seemed to have caught and ripped in a few places. Her face was smudged with grit and her cheek had a fresh cut. She reached up and adjusted her cowboy hat over her mid-length brown hair which was pulled into low twintails just behind her ears.
Throughout his studies, he noticed additional scrapes and bruises. But as beat up as she looked, he was relieved that he didn't find any sign of dust anywhere. She must've run into a few other monsters while she was here, right? Monsters who would've attacked her without a second thought. For her not to have any dust on her was a good sign, wasn't it?
On her end, the human hesitated, looking Corbel up and down, studying him in turn. When she finished her analysis, she holstered her gun into a shallow compartment at her hip and held her hand out as she reached back toward Corbel.
"Corbel, huh? Never heard anything like that before. Name's Aiko."
Corbel nodded, accepting her hand to shake. Okay, so far, so good.
"Aiko." He repeated with a nod, "Nice to meet you. Now, it looks like you have questions. Maybe I can answer them for you."
Aiko took her hand back and shoved both in her pockets. Again, she seemed to hesitate as she looked for the right words to say.
"Alright." She nodded, "Since you asked. What's your deal?"
"My deal?"
Every single monster I've seen has tried to capture or kill me. Something about collecting my soul . . . ? So, how come you aren't?"
"Oh . . ."
"Unless you are and you're trying to trick me!" The girl took a defensive stance, her hand hovering again at the butt of her gun.
"Shh!" Corbel instructed, once again, raising his hands up to stop her. "It's not like that. As it so happens, we don't agree with the current anti-human policy, so when we heard that there were humans who fell in the Underground, we came out to look for you. Find you before someone else could."
"We . . .?"
"Yeah. My boyfriend and I. Neither one of us wants anyone to-"
"You have a boyfriend?" Aiko asked, interjecting with a level of enthusiastic surprise Corbel hadn't been expecting.
"Um, yes . . . ? Sans. He was the one I was texting just now."
Aiko looked back at him, wide-eyed. "You're a boy and you have a boyfriend . . . and you can just say it like that? People are okay with it?"
Corbel began to stall, taking his time with understanding. This human didn't understand the complexities of his relationship . . . Not that it was any of her business to begin with. But even so . . .
"Yes. People are okay with it. Why wouldn't they be?"
"People don't make fun of you? They don't harass you and ridicule you for being . . . you know."
The more Corbel listened, the more he felt this kid's anxiety regarding the subject. Obviously, she'd gone through that harassment she'd mentioned. All because of someone she'd fallen for. He didn't know the specifics, and he didn't need to. But it was clear that even though their stories varied in the details, they were similar.
"We're doing just fine." Corbel answered, trying to be supportive while still being as vague as possible. Maybe the all-encompassing approach was the best here. "I mean, sure, there are some people who don't like it, but that's not our problem. The only thing that matters is how we feel about it."
Aiko nodded, a tiny trace of a smile playing at her features.
She tilted her head, looking back over Corbel. Eventually, she gave a shrug.
"I guess you're okay." She announced, passing her judgement.
"Glad you approve." Corbel smirked, "But seriously, now that this ice is all but shattered, we really should be going. I can take you somewhere you'll be safe for a while. It'll give us time to figure out what to do next. Sound good?"
Aiko halted as she considered the offer; that smile from before faded.
"I can't. I have to find my brother. We got separated and he's not nearly as tough as I am. He's too kind for his own good. He can't fight for beans. So if he ends up in a fight . . ."
Aiko went quiet, her gaze dropping to her boots.
Corbel hummed, his face falling as well. Again, he understood. Aiko was worried, and for very good reason. If the Guard found her brother before they could . . .
He took out his phone once again so he could relay an update to Sans to let him know that he found one of the humans and they were looking for the other. And maybe if he could tell him what to look for as well . . .
"Alright, Aiko. I'll help you find your brother. And then we'll all get somewhere safe, okay? I'm gonna let Sans know too so he can help. Now, what's your brother's name? What was he wearing? When was the last time you saw him?"
"What is this, 20 questions?"
"Any info we can get on him is crucial if we want to find him as quickly as possible."
Aiko nodded. "Fine. His name is Proxmire. Prox for short. I came down looking for him when he fell. He's my age, my height . . . In fact, we're twins . . . Identical twins."
That last part sounded like a confession of some sort, but Corbel didn't quite put the two together right away.
"Identical twins. Got it. Aiko and Prox."
Aiko nodded. "He was wearing a green shirt, dark blue denim shorts and black sneakers. And an apron! He had his apron with him. And his frying pan. He was gonna use it for a weapon if he had to."
"Speaking of weapons." Corbel noted, continuing his text, "Mind explaining where you got that little number at your hip?"
"Oh this?" Aiko grinned, brandishing the little silver gun with a flourish. "It's fake! It's an old cap gun my dad had as a kid that only sounds like it's shooting."
"A toy . . . ?" Corbel groaned.
"Why? Did I scare you?"
"Well, yeah! You had a gun to my back! That's the kind of thing that would definitely scare someone. But you knew that already."
Aiko shrugged once again, "Hey, good to know it works."
From then on, Corbel and Aiko were exceedingly careful not to let anyone see them. Though Corbel would have preferred to take Aiko home so at least she would be safe while he and Sans continued to look for Aiko's brother. But he could already tell Aiko would react very much like Sans, and with her twin on the line, he didn't blame her.
But that only made this stealth mission much more difficult.
They continued to adhere to Aiko's original idea, which was to follow behind the Royal Guard and trust them to lead them to Prox. It was risky and she knew it, but she also knew that it was the best chance she had to find him.
And now that Corbel was with her, there was a much better chance of doing that unnoticed. He knew the area and the secret walkways that they could slip into if need be.
They did their best to keep quiet, though some conversation couldn't be helped. They cut down on vocal communication and used Corbel's phone to speak in text to each other.
Apparently, Prox had been headed Eastward in search of a way out while Aiko doubled back to see if there was a way out from the dump in Waterfall, which was along the same lines as the ones Corbel had been thinking. She didn't find a way to escape that way, so she began back toward where she and her brother split ways, in an attempt to find him again.
Corbel nodded, taking that to mean that Prox had probably wandered into Hotland by now.
When they got closer to the border, Corbel did suggest that he drop Aiko off at home to keep her safe while he continued to look for Prox. Of course, Aiko refused, becoming visibly upset at even suggesting that she sit around uselessly while this stranger did her work for her. Corbel backed down, saying it was only a suggestion and stressing that this was the last safe point they would have before heading into Hotland. It was her last chance to take shelter.
Again, she refused, saying that she would find her brother no matter what.
It was as they were making their way to the border that they were stopped. The Guardsman they'd been following crossed with no issue whatsoever and they continued on their way, oblivious to their pursuers.
After sending another update text to Sans, Corbel gave a single nod, signaling to Aiko that it was time to make a move. There was less cover where they were headed, so they would have to be extra careful.
They emerged from their hidden corner in order to make a break for the border. Aiko stayed a few steps behind Corbel, letting him lead the way.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw circular pools of light lining the way in front of him. Those pools spread out, blocking all forward moment.
As Corbel watched, those pools only multiplied, surrounding him and surrounding Aiko completely. Spears began to rise up from those pools, creating a separate cage of glowing magic for each of them. Corbel and Aiko were forced to making a complete turn to face behind them.
When they did, Undyne stood there in a tank top and cotton pants tucked into the greaves around her shins. She wore her flat cotton shoes as well. Her sparring gear. She made sure that her approach would be completely silent. She'd been tracking them, following them just like they'd been following the Guard. She had her arms crossed as she glared over the distance between herself and her childhood best friend. Accompanying that glare was an odd victorious smirk.
"Hey there, Puff." She greeted in a voice that Corbel recognized only too well. She was pissed. She was pissed even beyond anything he'd seen on her . . . At least as it was aimed in his direction.
But even as he felt that anger emanating from her and threatening to choke him where he stood, the actual tone in her voice was lighter as she playfully chided.
"I have to say, you did a bang up job. You played your part well and you led the human right to us. Well done."
Corbel frowned, meeting her glare, already getting an idea of where this was going.
At his side, Aiko's eyes went wide for a moment before narrowing and turning sharply toward Corbel, drawing her gun to take aim through the bars of her cage.
"What!?" She demanded, "You two are working together?"
"That's right, human!" Undyne sneered at the same time Corbel bit, "Not a chance!"
"That's mean, Puffball!" Undyne continued to chide, her smirk spreading. "We're best friends, aren't we?"
"Stop calling me that!" Corbel fought back, "I already told you. You lost that privilege!"
"So you do know her!" Aiko accused.
"Yeah." Corbel answered darkly, his hands fisted tightly at his sides. "We were best friends when we were kids and all through high school."
"Ooh, he said 'were'." Undyne hummed, "We're still friends, aren't we? Buddies? Partners? My little brother? I mean you even brought this human to me on a silver platter! That's gotta count for something right?"
"Corbel, is that true!?" Aiko demanded, switching her aim back and forth between him and Undyne, "Is that true!? Did you just agree to help me only to lead me to her!?"
"Of course not, Aiko! Don't listen to her. I said I was gonna help you find your brother and that's what I'm gonna do!"
"Oh! You know its name too! Aiko, huh? Looks like you've made a new best friend, haven't you? So, you really have gone full-blown traitor on us, then? Damn it, Puff! I was hoping I wouldn't have to fight you today!"
Aiko now steadied her aim and pointed her gun directly on Undyne as Corbel summoned a large bone to fight with. Maybe he'd be able tip break through on his own strength.
Undyne scoffed, shaking her head.
"Oh, wow. So, we're actually doing this . . ." Undyne summoned a long spear, disappointment and sadness casting a dark shadow on her already scathing features. "You know I don't want to do this, right? Please, don't make me fight you. You know you don't stand a chance against me, right?"
"If you really don't want to fight, Undyne, then you don't have to! Let's talk this out! Let me out of this cage so I can explain!"
"Oh, we're WAY past the explaining part, Puff!" Undyne snapped, "The time to explain was at the address when the Royal Family lost their children, or maybe before that when, I dunno, you began dating a HUMAN!"
Corbel went completely still. His eyes shot wide open. How did she . . . Did she know? Or was she just guessing?
"So it's true." She growled when she saw Corbel's shocked expression, her glare heating up once again as she shook her head, "Everything Gaine said was true. About you, about Serif, about everything! And you knew!? You knew Serif was human and you said nothing!?"
Corbel took a step forward, lining up flush with the glowing spears surrounding him. "Undyne. Wait. Gaine . . . ? You two are working together . . . to take down Sans!? Why!? Why would you!? What has Sans done!? What has he done to deserve that!?"
Undyne's face made a scowling grimace, disgusted by what she was hearing.
"Why are you even asking!? He's the enemy! He's a human! A human passing himself off as a monster! Trying to get in close before he wipes us all out from the inside! I'll bet that this whole "invasion of the humans" thing that's been happening recently is because of him! He's calling more of his friends down here to make an army!"
"Undyne, do you even hear yourself!? That's ridiculous! Sans isn't like that! He's not some bloodthirsty murderer! He's not some savage criminal! He's just Sans! Just one man who has done absolutely nothing wrong!"
"Oh, he's done plenty to land himself on my shit list!"
"Then tell me what it is! Tell me one thing Sans has consciously done against anyone. And for the love of God, do not bring up the cave in! He's done nothing but try to make the most of a shitty situation!"
"If he's really so innocent, then why didn't he come out with it from the get-go!?"
"Because of you! Because of people like you, who would sooner judge him because of a title like 'human' than to bother to even try to get to know him!"
"But not you, huh? That's right. You're so wrapped up in his shit that you've gone completely blind and completely stupid! I remember once upon a time when you wouldn't have thought twice before reporting a human sighting and now look at you!" She pointed to Aiko, who had yet to completely lower her gun through her confusion and fear, "You're aiding a human, helping them try to escape. You've even been harboring a human for years! You're fucking a goddamned human! You've completely turned your back on your own people in order to pursue a relationship with that human! You're even acting out against a royal decree from the King! And for these reasons . . . I'm placing you under arrest for treason against the crown."
Corbel's mouth went dry as he tried to catch his breath. This was all just too much to process. He was being arrested . . . Undyne was arresting him because of his relationship with Sans? Because he was in love with someone who just so happened to be human?
"Treason!?" Corbel repeated incredulously, "That's bullshit! You know just as well as I do that this human hunt is stupid! The king was upset when he said it! Of course he was! He'd just lost his son! But remember he also took care of two other children, whom he loved! I guarantee that if they were still alive, this whole thing wouldn't be happening now! He just needs to be reminded of that! That's all."
"And so, that somehow justifies you sneaking around, defying the law and helping fugitives in order to prolong the inevitable eradication of all humans? Mark my words, no matter how much you want to play spy, by day's end, it's all just a game. We'll have them all in a nice little bow and ready to deliver to the capital!"
Corbel hesitated again as a flash of a smile shot across Undyne's face.
In that instant, something clicked into place. Then, the gears began turning as more and more began to line up.
"'It's all just a game' . . . ? What could you possibly mean by that?" He asked in a whisper, going through his thought process out loud, "If the humans are caught, they'll be killed . . . Which I'm sure you'd be thrilled to participate in . . . And yet, despite that, you don't seem too concerned with finding the other human . . . Or Sans. Plus, if this were any other time, in any other emergency like this, you would be wearing head to toe armor . . . Just like when Asriel disappeared. So . . . If you're not wearing it now, that must mean . . . !"
His eyes shot back up to Undyne when he put it together.
"Where's your armor, Undyne!? Where's Gaine!? He was the one wearing it, wasn't he? To lure us here!? So you could trap us?"
Undyne didn't answer, but the fleeting smile made a more permanent appearance.
When he saw it, Corbel's eyes widened even more.
"No . . . No, Undyne! Please don't do this!"
In her cage, Aiko lowered her weapon completely, looking back over to him with a concerned expression.
"Corbel . . . ?" She asked in a soft voice, "What's going on . . .?"
Aiko! If this was what Corbel thought it was, then Undyne was going to . . .
"Aiko . . . Aiko, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't realize it before now."
"Sorry for what? What happened?"
"I . . . I failed. I can't help you . . . I can't save you . . . This whole thing was a setup! A trap! We were tricked!"
"It kinda looks that way, Corbel." Aiko answered with a bit of "yeah duh" in her voice.
"No. Not us. We're the bait. They want the others . . . They want Sans. And I walked us right into their trap!"
"Well, I don't know about all that." Undyne shrugged, spinning her spear around in her hand. "It's more of a two birds, one stone kinda deal. Or, more accurately, a three humans, one spear kinda thing. I'm just doing my job. And my job is to eliminate all humans. So . . ."
Undyne extended her hand toward Aiko, summoning a round of spears to aim to the trapped human.
"No!" Corbel exclaimed, thinking quickly from within his own cage and reaching out toward Aiko as well. Even if he was trapped, he could try to protect Aiko!
For each spear Undyne sent, Corbel countered with a bone.
"This isn't like you, Undyne!" He shouted between rounds. He needed to give Aiko a fighting chance. "Since when do you attack an enemy who can't fight back!?"
"Th-that's right!" Aiko stammered, "This isn't a fair fight! This is just shooting fish in a barrel!"
"What was that, Punk!?" Undyne growled, her eye going freakishly large. Her attacks only got faster, and without the ability to dodge out of the way and with no item to block the attacks, Aiko had to rely on Corbel to block.
"I'm sorry!" She pleaded, "I'm sorry! That was a bad analogy!"
"You've got that gun!" Undyne jeered, readying her spear, "Let's see you use it! Let's see if you're any good with it!"
"Undyne! Stop!" Corbel jumped in once again. The reminder flashed in his mind that Aiko's gun was fake. A toy gun that couldn't fight. She only used it for intimidation, "This isn't going to get us anywhere!"
"I don't want to fight you!" Aiko protested, still going through the motions of taking aim and cocking the gun.
"You hear that!?" Corbel fought, blocking another round from a distance, "She doesn't want to fight! She's not trying to hurt anyone! Stop this! Please!"
"If there's anyone who needs to stop, it's you! Stop siding with the humans! Stop putting them before your friends! Before your people! Stop allowing them to get in your head and your soul! Stop being such an idiot and fight with me for once!"
The next round of spears changed targets and instead of aiming for Aiko, they began hurtling toward Corbel! Corbel, with his enlarged bone, blocked the attacks as well as he could with limited motions.
"Why are you doing this, Puff?" Undyne began again, the tone in her voice quieter than before. "Why are you abandoning us to fight with them?"
Corbel lowered his weapon, reaching out to hold onto one of the spears of his cage. It was hot to the touch because of Undyne's furious magic, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.
"That's not what's happening here, Red." He explained, "I didn't abandon you. You have to know that. I only ever wanted to show you that there were never any 'sides' with me. You're my friend. Sans is my boyfriend. This human is not trying to hurt anyone. This fight is pointless. There's no reason for it!"
"WE LOST FIVE PEOPLE TODAY, CORBEL!" Undyne shrieked, "FIVE! AND TWO WERE GUARDSMEN! Don't you DARE tell me there are no sides here!"
Corbel was struck silent at Undyne's outburst. He released the bar and took a slow step backward. He couldn't find it in him to even breathe.
His eyes darted over toward Aiko, who wore a similar expression, her hand over her mouth. When she felt Corbel's stare, she turned to face him, her eyes glassy, as she shook her head.
"I-I didn't . . ." She stammered.
"Don't lie!" Undyne ordered, "I have proof! Holes in their clothing from your gun! Dusty shoe prints leading to the water in the dump where you cleaned your boots! Why don't you tell your new friend here just what you've done!"
"I . . . I didn't mean to!" Aiko exclaimed, "I didn't think that-"
"You didn't think!?" Undyne pushed back, "What, that there were no consequences for killing!? The lives you took were our friends! Those people had families!"
Corbel, still unable to breathe, tried hard to understand just what was being said.
"B-but that can't be true . . ." He muttered, "That gun . . . It's fake, isn't it? Just a toy . . ."
"Perhaps you'd like to see the empty clothes of the people that human has killed! Examine the bullet holes for yourself and see how fake that gun is. Or better yet, witness its destructive force with your own eyes!"
Undyne opened her arms, challenging Aiko with an open invitation and clear target, "Take aim, human! Focus your shot and fire!"
Aiko's hands shook in fear and split decision. Corbel was watching now as well and she was facing off against Undyne, who just so happened to be Corbel's best friend.
Large tears began to fall from Aiko's eyes and her lip quivered as she weighed her options.
Finally, she dropped both of her hands, the gun falling to the ground.
"No!" She answered, "I won't fight anymore! No more . . . No more . . . No more . . ."
"Then die. If you won't fight for your life, then you should give it willingly. In retribution for the people you've killed!"
Aiko nodded, her eyes closing tightly, "You're right! You're right. Those people . . . I was scared . . . I didn't . . . I wouldn't have if . . . I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!"
"When 'sorry' brings my friends back, I might just start to care."
"I know . . ." Aiko sobbed, "I know. There's nothing I can do to turn this around. There's no way I could make this up."
"I wouldn't say no way." Undyne answered. "I could think of something."
Without any additional effort, more spears appeared, surrounding Aiko from all sides. When she saw them, she broke down completely, knowing that she was staring her death in the face. That was the way . . . The only way that she could possibly repent for what she did.
At the sound of her cries, Corbel blinked back to reality, his body coming back to life after being rendered completely numb. What the heck was going on?
It took less than a second to put it all together.
"Wait!" He called out when he came to, "Undyne, stop! There's gotta be another way to do this! There has to be."
Aiko turned her eyes back to Corbel and sniffed.
"Corbel . . . I'm so sorry." She pleaded, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I lied to you! I'm sorry for everything! I'm sorry for the monsters . . . for the people I . . . A-and if you see Prox . . . Will you tell him . . . Tell him that I love him . . . ? I love him so much . . . Oh, God! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. I'm sorry! Please! I don't want to die! I don't want to-"
There was a sharp stop in Aiko's speech and in her cries as a sick, squelching noise sounded off instead: The sound of the large spear forcing its way through her entire form, from the back straight through the front.
She was in too much shock to even cry out and when she tried to speak again, her words were drowned in thick blood. She had no breath any longer and she couldn't draw in another. The spear most definitely ran through one of her lungs as it had been searching for the Soul.
In the next few moments, more spears shot forward and pierced straight though her body like a pincushion. More of those terrible squelching sounds flooded the area and Corbel had to cover his ears to block it.
But even as he feebly blocked the sound, he wasn't able to block the sight.
As he stared, wide-eyed at Aiko, her gaze remained locked with his as more and more spears perforated her body. Her mouth was opened in a silent scream and her frame twitched as she fought for whatever control she still had.
Blood seeped through her mouth and ran down her chin. It stained her shirt and dripped onto the floor at her feet. She reached out toward Corbel as her tears continued to fall over and joined the blood.
It looked like he was watching along in slow motion as the light and life drained from her eyes and from her face. She lost focus and her eyes began to stare through him and then at nothing at all.
Her body finally finally fell moments later, first to her knees, where she tried, one last time, to grab at the bars to her cage before she slumped completely against those spears in a crumpled heap.
Corbel found it nearly impossible to breathe as well as he watched with widened watery eyes. Not even a full minute ago, Aiko was standing and speaking, begging for her life.
The scene of her last moments seared itself into the inside of Corbel's skull and the after image of what he'd seen kept playing whenever he closed his eyes to blink.
In the next cage over, a soft glow began to emanate from Aiko's body. It glowed brighter and brighter until it took a shape of its own. An upside down soul, just like Corbel had seen in Sans. This soul, however was a bright and shining yellow color. It lit up Aiko's body, her blood and her tears glittering in the light. Her eyes remained open in her shock.
Corbel's own soul sank, bottoming out in his stomach and making him feel sick. He stared unthinkingly into the cage and even as the cage faded away and every spear surrounding him and surrounding Aiko's body disappeared, Corbel couldn't move. He couldn't blink, he couldn't breathe. All he could do was stare.
He fell to his knees, struggling to keep his wits about him. A long wrenching scream tore from his throat. He began to feel more faint the longer that scream carried.
"Oh suck it up, Puffball." Undyne groaned through an exasperated sigh, "That shit's starting to piss me off. All of that begging and all of that crying. If they didn't wanna die so badly, they should've killed me when I told them to. Fucking idiot. 'I don't want to die! I don't want to die!' Well, you know what? Dogary, Sherlan, and those three civilians didn't wanna die either. Bastard didn't think about that though, huh?"
Corbel continued to cry, his mind unable to process anything. He didn't hear Undyne's rant. He couldn't see the body beyond the stinging blur in his eyes, he couldn't feel it when Undyne closed the gap between them and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"You know, I get it. And like I said before, you've always been soft. You're way too empathetic and you let everything affect you."
Corbel's eyes shut tightly as he brought his hands to his face, finally blocking the sight.
"This was the first time you've seen anything die, huh? The first time you've ever watched a life expire. I should've figured. I admit, it's still tough for me too and I saw it twice with my own parents and three times more today. I do get it. But you gotta cut that shit out. We got work to do. First things first."
Undyne pulled out a pair of handcuffs, securing one side to her own wrist before effortlessly latching the other to Corbel's. He didn't even fight back. He didn't resist. He just continued his cries.
Next, Undyne pulled out her cell, calling her superior and letting them know that one of the humans had been eliminated and they needed a soul container and cleanup for the body. She didn't mention Corbel or having apprehended him.
The entire time, Corbel replayed Aiko's death on repeat in his head. The shock, the pain, the blood, the life seeping out of her bit by bit, how long it took for her to actually die. She'd been standing and struggling for so long before she actually fell.
The whole time, he'd been imagining Sans in her same position. If Undyne caught him . . . If Gaine captured him . . . The same thing would happen to him. He'd be killed just as cruelly. Just as coldly. They'd enjoy watching him fight for the last bits of life.
Sans had to get out of this! He had to get out of this alive!
Undyne tugged on her end of the cuffs, trying to get Corbel to stand up. Corbel had been crying and nearly hyperventilating for close to five minutes now. They had work to do.
She helped Corbel to his feet and he seemed like he'd be able to stand at least, even if he'd been otherwise unresponsive to her words.
There was a vibrating drone coming from somewhere on him. A message . . . Another vibrating, longer than before, and another. A call!
"You might wanna answer that, Puff." Undyne coached.
But he'd told Sans not to call unless he was in danger! Unless it was an emergency!
Corbel sprung to life then, only just realizing that he'd been cuffed, he tugged on the restraints to little avail and had to maneuver around to fish the phone out of the far pocket.
"Please don't be Sans." He muttered, "Please please please please don't be Sans. Don't be Sans. Please let it be mom!"
He looked at the caller ID.
Incoming call from: SANS