Error sensed the rather large patrol trailing him a little too late.
Honestly, he had been so caught up in evading the residents that he hadn't noticed that they were approaching him.
The irony of it all.
He peeked up at the ominous-looking stalagmites looming on top of them. For some reason, he expected a quiet, twinkling starred sky, filled with planets and comets and moon dust. Instead, crude red stone met his gaze. He had never known red to be so cold.
Now that his mindset was more focused on his surroundings, he heard footsteps approaching him, accompanied by soft whines, howls and barks. The canine patrol. Of course. The fluffiest patrol to have ever existed.
What was the point of continuing this path, he wondered, since no matter where he went, enemies followed him. Having a successfully drained magic and half-depleted stamina supply, he was trapped. Cornered like a small animal.
Error peeked into his shredded coat, and saw the two baby bones curled up on each other, sleeping peacefully. He guessed that his magic had some sort of calming effect on them. Sighing, he looked around him. By then, he was literally deep in the woods, but the brittle naked trees allowed him to see glimpses of the quaint little town. He could just make out the warm glow of Grillby's, the small igloo portals, and the yellow 'Librarby' sign, although the former buildings looked worn and dull, somehow, seeing as this was quite a young AU.
Bones creaking, Error heaved himself onto a nearby branch. The sulfurous-smelling wood didn't even crack under the skeletons' light weight. Hopefully, the team would miss him and move on...
...That, unfortunately, didn't happen.
~~~~
Doggo led his squad silently through the forest. He made sure that their conversations were almost inaudible. In all honesty, he was glad for the monotonous wind whistling through the trees, which helped dampen all sound. This didn't cause a problem to them; they tracked by scent.
As they were nearing the pursued, Doggo made a quick mental recap on the descriptions that the Royal Scientist gave them: two white skeletons (unidentified age), the older (45 cm) dressed in a white hospital gown, two small horns protruding from his head and a long tail; the younger (30 cm), wearing a plaid gown, a pair of bony wings protruding from his back.
A crude description, but he could work with it.
Suddenly, his ears and tail perked up: the smell was getting stronger. Turns out they were closer than the blind sentry could have ever imagined. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, excitement coursing through his veins at the thought of the chase. Paws coursing through the snow, he arrived at his final destination.
No sign of any movement.
Doggo panicked for a second. His impaired vision dampened his abilities as a whole, but he quickly recomposed himself and remembered that he had trained his other senses for these specific purposes.
His ears twitched in every direction to pick up any sound, not knowing that his prey was right above his head. Literally. The rest of his comrades were in the process of catching up to the swifter one, so he couldn't rely on them to catch the skeletons.
Meanwhile, the Destroyer held his breath above. Thank the stars the little ones hadn't woken up yet; but even then, he doubted that they would cause many problems. The two didn't seem like the rowdy types, though the Papyrus would most likely become extremely extroverted over the years.
He drifted off into a state of pondering, thinking about what would happen to the brothers after he... Well, after he disappeared off the face of the Multiverse, respecting everyone's wishes. No one wanted him here. He thought about the gang, his brothers and the Charas and Frisks' support system before snapping back to reality and the grave situation he was now in.
Doggo had scented him.
~
Destiny watched through her screen in the most bottom layer of the VOID, not unlike the SAVE screen. She observed the situation her chosen one was in. To the deity's regret, she couldn't interfere directly, but she could intervene in a different way; for this AU was her and Karma's creation, and Fate's hold was weaker there. Gathering her shimmering pale gold magic, the tendrils slithered their way through the bright screen and crept and surrounded Error. This wouldn't heal him-it would be too suspicious-but it did replenish his missing strength. A mischievous smile stretched across Destiny's face.
Oh, how she longed to see how this would play out.
~
Suddenly, Error felt a surge of energy rush through his SOUL. The blue lines on his cheeks glowed with newfound magic, just begging to be used. His eye sockets widened. It had been so long since he had felt this... this alive.
Was it the looming threat of discovery that caused this sudden pulse? Or was something bigger, something beyond him at play? Honestly, he didn't care. As long as the stranger wasn't a danger, he wouldn't probe too much into the matter. Summoning his magic, he shrugged and teleported away as Doggo bounded onto his branch, immediately breaking it. He landed on the ebony-colored snow below, his cigarette extinguished. With a prolonged sigh, he got up, patted himself down, and fished another stick from his inventory. While lighting it, Doggo grumbled, "Today is going to be a long day."
~
Out of all of the different safe locations he could've ended up in, he landed smack-dab in Grillby's. Thankfully, no one except for the bartender was present.
This version of Grillby was... quite extreme, to say the least.
The warm, comforting glow the fire monster usually emanated was gone, replaced by harsh, copper flames blazing at the top of his head. The black-framed glasses were gone, revealing fiery slits for eyes. Embers crackled around him, somehow not burning through his prim and proper leather jacket and polo. He was rapidly drying mugs and crystal clear wine glasses with a clean black handkerchief while staring unnervingly at the newcomer. Upon closer inspection, Error realized that this Grillby was a lot younger. Go figure. Small skeleton brothers, young AU, why not throw in an edgy teenage bartender to the mix?
"Can I help you?" Grillby said, tone harsh, but otherwise still the same softspoken (or mute) monster he was in most AUs.
~
Grillby groaned, drying yet another glass reeking of cider and booze. Why his father left him to take care of the whole bar? Something about 'groceries' and 'merchandise'. Whatever. He could've let his son grab what he needed or just close the bar for a bit instead of leaving him behind the counter, in charge of the customers, their tab, the dishes, the orders; the list goes on. No one entered the cozy restaurant at this hour either.
Mumbling about how 'death was better than this shit', he nearly toppled over when a glitching, black skeleton suddenly appeared on one knee in the middle of the solid oak floor. By the cursed dim lighting and his bad eyesight, the fire elemental could only make out the outline of the figure and the fact that he was clutching his ribcage.
Grillby rubbed his eyes for a bit, as if to confirm that this was really happening. Then, recovering his wits, he leaned on one leg and asked, "Can I help you?"
-------
'Ight another chapter done <3
I'll post Grillby's picture when it isn't pitch black in my room and when I'm actually supposed to be awake
See you in the next chapter~
(Feb. 18 10:40 PM)
Word count: 1267
YOU ARE READING
Feeling Reborn
FanfictionError, the Forced God of Destruction, had always wanted a peaceful life. Unfortunately, with his role in the Multiverse, and Fate's control over his life, that wasn't possible. After a deadly battle with Ink and practically everyone who lived in th...
