An Error's Doll

Chapter 29

As Error turned another corner, you abruptly realized something. You had not seen Horror at all since you got here. Your first thought was that he was in his room relaxing after fighting Ink and Dream, before you began wondering other things.

Was he recovering from any injuries? Was he just somewhere else in the castle? Was he... avoiding you? You certainly hoped he was not. You decided to ask Dust before you could think of more awful, sadness-inducing reasons.

"Dust?" you called cautiously. He tilted his head to let you know he was listening, slowing down, "Where's Horror? I haven't seen him," you questioned. Dust tapped his chin absentmindedly, seemingly considering his response. You took a breath, a little nervous for the answer.

"...i heard he wanted to visit his brother, so he went to his au," he said quietly. You let out an involuntary "Oh", both surprised and relieved. That meant he was not avoiding you. Though you hoped there was not another reason, at least not one that was detrimental. You zoned back in when movement caught your eye.

You saw Dust's hands slowly clench and unclench before he stuffed them in his jacket pockets. The action made you wonder briefly if they, Dust and Killer, ever thought about their AU and Papyrus–you did not mean any of the hallucinated ones–whenever Horror left to see his.

...You suddenly felt a bit sad. Seeing any of these skeletons genuinely upset, even the not-so-nice ones, caused an ache in your soul. You mused that it had to do with your love for the Undertale characters, specifically the Sans types. You shook your head to get rid of those thoughts, choosing to ask something else.

"How many training rooms do you guys have here by the way?" you asked, actually curious now that you thought about it. There were not too many skeletons here, and they all probably did not train at the same time, but you imagined each of them would need a lot of space.

You could already picture Killer butchering the training room he used. Tearing up the walls and generally just making a mess for the fun of it. The image actually kind of annoyed you. Such a pristine place did not deserve to get destroyed so carelessly. But, you supposed, there was nothing you could do if Killer went on a rampage. You heard Dust hum.

"we had three, but there's only two left now," he informed you. When he felt your inquisitive gaze, he continued, "killer destroyed one," he clarified plainly. Error tsked. Even without looking, you got the impression he was rolling his eyelights.

You sighed, pinching your brow. Of course, you thought exasperatedly. Why wouldn't he have already destroyed one? After that, your journey through the halls continued silently.

...

Dust stopped at a large set of wooden, double doors. Then, glancing at you both, he moved to push them open. Once Error stepped inside, you took the time to examine the room. It was larger than you thought, about the size of an average school gymnasium.

To the left, on the side wall, was an array of weapons on display ranging from swords, polearms, axes, crossbows, bows, and knives. You noticed many of the knives were missing and wondered if Killer took them for some kind of collection.

Decorating the wall straight across from the entrance were many targets of various sizes. Many of them were impaled with arrows directly through or near the center, the filling littered on the ground below. Huh. Who did that? you pondered with awe.

Whichever skeleton it was, you were seriously thinking of asking for lessons. They obviously knew a thing or two about using a bow. They could probably help you learn to aim your crossbow... Though, if it was Killer, you think you might pass. Before you could inquire about their identity, you were distracted by what you saw near the right wall.