Reborn as Error

79 - Near Death

The walk was quiet, it took me too long to actually notice how quiet. I slowed my pace when I noticed the birds were no longer chirping. My gaze wandered when I heard a small creature scamper off.

I was caught off guard when I stepped down and heard a snap to my right. All I could do was turn my head before I felt my limbs become constricted and my feet were no longer on the ground.

"Hey!"

I kicked and squirmed but nothing helped. I felt my neck tighten up and quickly reached up grabbing at the foreign strings that got me. With the upper body strength I had I managed to loosened the hold around my neck and move around so that area was no longer in danger. The rest of me was still tied up though and the strings were starting to fight back.

I huffed before summoning a few sharpened bones slicing the strings and causing me to drop. I stumbled and kneeled down catching my breath. But I only had a moment before I pushed away avoiding a barrage of foreign strings and bones. I few nicked me and my own bones were barely fast enough to block what was coming for me.

I had to move, duck, block, jump. This didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

I don't know how long this continued before I felt a sharp pain in my arm which distracted me enough to get tied up again. I couldn't struggle out like I did last time and noticed a bone in my arm which was causing the pain. 

"Well well well, you managed much longer than I thought you would.... not long enough for me to be impressed though." An unknown voice rang out causing me to look around in alarm. 

"I'll admit you look different but I could still see it's you Error," I heard the sound that signals a skeleton using a shortcut before my face was grabbed and I was staring at a skeleton I don't recognize, "my old student." 

What?

I tried to jerk my head away feeling a few glitches starting up but he didn't let go. 

"Now now... no need to be feisty. I'm not going to hurt you, more than I already did anyways. Not yet." He moved away and I got a good look at him.

While my colors were black, red, yellow, and blue his were white, black, and blue. He was a white skeleton with black face markings and blue teeth. A blue eyelight on the right, dual white and blue on the left, black and blue finger bones, black clothes and a white coat with a hood and blue fur around the collar. It looked like a second hood but I couldn't tell. 

"What with that look like you're seeing me for the first time? I know it's been long but your memory isn't as bad as Ink's." 

I don't speak for a bit thinking very carefully on how to respond. He acts like I know him, but I don't. This is my first time seeing this skeleton ever... I think. I don't know how he will react if I ask for his name, I've been around enough skeletons to know when someone is a bit unhinged. 

"What do you want and why are you here?" I asked with a slight glare not liking any of what's happening. 

"What an excellent question. However I am not ready to reveal that in case you get any smarts ideas. Just know that I'm the reason you and all those other abominations are trapped here. I will get what I want, doesn't matter who I need to get rid of in the process.... even you." 

It was like a light bulb went off as his gaze went to me. "Maybe I should just get rid of you now. I know it was you that tampered with my strings, only you would've known. I know you don't like these abominations... but it's better to be safe than sorry I suppose." 

I felt the strings tighten as he walked closer, his gaze going down to my chest area. The only thing I know that he probably doesn't know about is my soul. If he see that who knows what will happen. As far as I'm aware he thinks I'm Error... plain monster Error. 

He noticed my struggles increasing and chuckled. 

"Try not to move too much Error, this will hurt. You should know that." 

Before he could reach his hand up to even begin retrieving my soul I saw a glint of metal shine into my gaze causing my eyes to close for a moment. When I looked again I saw a large blade between myself and him. Based on his shocked gaze, it wasn't his. 

"As much as I appreciate death I'm going to have to stop you right there," I heard to my right and Death standing there with his scythe out being held between us. He looked like his usual relaxed self but there was tension in his tone.

"I suggest that you stay out of personal matters," the stranger said leaning back a bit from the blade. It seems he was aware of what Death Sans here was capable of.

"See... the thing is... I can't do that whatever your name is."

"Well since I know my student here won't say anything then I will. I am known as Error 404, 404 for short."

"I see, never heard of you." Death said and I saw his hands shift around adjusting his grip. Not sure what was going to happen I looked down for a moment and heard a large slash before my body was no longer tied up and I just crumpled to the ground with a hiss. 

I moved to a sitting position leaning against a tree as 404 dodged another swing of the scythe. The blade buried into a tree and Death's touch the rough surface as he pulled out his weapon causing the tree to start withering. His touch hasn't killed us yet, especially me, so I wonder if it was a combination of his touch and his weapon or if he was mad enough for his powers to work. A throb of pain through my arm reminded me that this wasn't the time to think about that.

The stranger, who I now know is 404, looked not at all pleased and his gaze darted before his grin returned. 

"Seems you got lucky Error, but just know that I'll be back. I will get what I want, no matter how long I have to wait." It was the last thing I heard from him before he teleported to who knows where. I sighed in relief before Death was crouched down in front of me.

"Wow you look terrible," he said looking a bit smug while I just looked a bit confused.

"Where did you come from?"

"I actually wander around here quite a bit. I don't get to be around nature all that often without everything dieing you know. But I noticed something was off so I came to investigate... good thing I did you were about to knock on my door again." He chuckled while I groaned.

"Now is not the time."

"I beg to differ but seriously you look like a mess. You know him?" He reached over and yanked the stray bone out causing me to glitch for a bit trying to hold back on cursing up a storm. He reached a hand out and I hesitated for a second before accepting it. Since I didn't die on the spot he stood up and helped me to my feet.

"Everything is sore," I muttered feeling my joints cry from that attack on my body. Looking down I noticed tears in my clothes and a bit of blood from that bone that was starting to close up. 

"Error, my question."

"Huh? Oh, I don't know him. He seems to think I do." It was then that I noticed something. "Crap, this was Dust's jacket," there were a few tiny tears and a pretty big one right in the back.

"Well not anymore, I'm not sure if that's an easy fix," Death said looking over, well everything. 

"We'll see," I said and saw that the wound had finally closed up. I moved my arm to make sure nothing else was damaged.

"Let's get you back to the house," before I could respond I felt a hand on my shoulder and the world around me shifted.

This was going to be a pain to try and explain.