The Silver Soul

22

"You sure 'bout this, punk? Toriel will beat my ass to the ground if I push you too far," Undyne says, eyeing me cautiously.

I grip the sword handle tightly. It took way too long to conjure it this time, and the longer it's out, the more energy it zaps. I am not turning back on this now. "Yes, I'm sure. Because I swear to the Annoying Dog, if I spend one more day doing nothing, I will punch someone."

Undyne shrugs, a wide grin on her face as she flips her spear. "Your death, then."

I don't even get a warning as she launches into an attack, running toward me with her spear outstretched. I just manage to block the blow, though the force of the attack pushes me back a few steps. Wow. I almost died.

Undyne tries to push through my defences. The pressure on my sword increases, and I feel the magic slipping away with the seconds.

Taking a deep breath, I survey the situation. Undyne is pushing with forward momentum. So, if I manage to step out of the way quick enough, she should continue going forward. I push back too, though my strength doesn't match Undyne's, it's enough to get most of her weight off me. Then, as quickly as humanely possible, I twist my blade out of her spear and practically run to the side. Undyne stumbles a few steps forward giving me enough time to sweep out her legs from underneath her.

I pause, panting heavily for a few seconds. I've already almost drained my magic. Unfortunately, it's a few seconds too long. I barely register her jumping up and punching me in the ribs. I stumble back, barely being able to dodge any of her other blows, though I do manage to hit her in the stomach with the hilt of my weapon before it dissolves. She doubles over, though her eye is glinting. Oh dear god.

I try to take a couple steps back, but she throws herself forward onto me, knocking us both down. We roll on the spongy ground, trying to pin each other down, and flailing wildly when we feel threatened. Which, unsurprisingly, is quite often. So, both of us are left with minor cuts and grazes on our arms, faces and neck.

By the time we're done, we're laughing too hard to breathe, let alone fight properly. Untangling ourselves also proves to be somewhat of a challenge as well. But, after five minutes of struggling, the both of us are sitting against the wall, still laughing.

"Here I was thinking that I might get a little better, but this was the most fun I've had in a long time. Thanks for that, Undyne," I manage to gasp. She smiles a little wider (if that's even possible), and puts a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"I have to be honest with you, Will. That was more fun than training the Royal Guard." Her eye fixes on a point in the room somewhere, as if she's remember something.

I decide to bring up a question on my mind. "I've heard that Papyrus want to join the Royal Guard, and that he's been training for years, but he has yet to get in."

Undyne seems to snap back into the present. She turns to me. "Who told you that?" she demands.

I stare her in the eye. "Papyrus."

Undyne relaxes. "And what about it?"

"Well, Frisk's told me how strong his attacks are, and how dedicated he is. Plus, he's about as determined as monsters get sometimes. I just wanted to ask, why isn't he already in the Royal Guard?"

I can see her squirming, but before I can feel bad and take it back, she looks me dead in the eye and begins to spill.

"I just can't. Pap, he's strong and all, hell, even I have trouble beating him sometimes, but the Royal Guard? I don't even think I can put him in. He's just too innocent and nice. The battlefield'll ruin him. And. And killing will destroy him. I don't think I can do it." She stares at the ground hopelessly. "But if I don't let him in eventually, he'll start to get suspicious. I don't want to be the one to crush his dreams."