Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Today was a beautiful day. Birds were singing, and flowers were blooming. On days like these, Sans liked to take naps sitting in a lawn chair on the porch of his new house. After having a good meal with his old pals at Grillby’s new restaurant, visiting the Dreemurrs, and coming up with loads of new puns, he figured he deserved a nap for all of his hard work. The sun’s warmth and the gentle breeze began to slowly lull the lazy bag of bones to sleep. It seemed so much easier to rest now, what with the monsters freed and integrating smoothly into human society, and the threat of resets gone. Sans breathed a sigh of content. “doesn’t get any better than this.”

“SANS! GET IN HERE AND MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL FOR ONCE!”

"So much for my nap." But since it was Papyrus, it was fine. The skeleton groggily rose from his seat and walked into the house. An unfamiliar scent greeted him immediately upon entering. Curious, Sans followed it to the kitchen and found his brother proudly holding up a pan of… something. It was a sickly purple with several thin sticks resembling spider legs poking out of its surface. Whatever it was, it certainly didn’t look like any pasta Papyrus had made before. “sup, bro? whatcha’ been cookin’ up lately?”

The taller skeleton glared at him. “I’M… JUST GOING TO PRETEND I DIDN’T HEAR THAT.” He sighed in exasperation and continued. “ANYWAY, THE OTHER DAY, MISS MUFFET SUGGESTED THAT I EXPAND MY CULINARY HORIZONS TO OTHER DELICACIES!”

Sans blinked a few times as he processed what his brother had just said. He could feel dread slowly creeping up his back. “oh… did she now?”

“INDEED! WHICH MAKES PERFECT SENSE! SEEING AS HOW I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE PUSHED PASTA PAST THE PEAK OF PERFECTION, NOW IS THE TIME TO PUT THE MASTER’S TOUCH TO OTHER FORMS OF FOOD! MISS MUFFET KINDLY GAVE ME HER RECIPE FOR ‘SPIDER CASSEROLE’ TO START OUT WITH, AND I’D LIKE YOU TO TASTE-TEST IT!”

The lights in Sans’ eye sockets shrunk to pinpricks and sweat began to roll down his skull. Papyrus’ pasta was just recently getting to where it could be deemed edible, but it had taken years to get to that point, and since he had never cooked anything else before… and then combine that with Muffet’s “interesting” choice of ingredients, and Sans couldn’t help but shudder thinking what his brother’s meal would taste like—wait, did one of those sticks in the casserole just twitch?

“y-y’know bro, i’d love to, really, but i already ate at grillby’s. don’t wanna overeat, right? i’m already big-boned as it is.”

“NONSENSE! THAT WAS HOURS AGO! AND BESIDES, I’M NOT ASKING YOU TO EAT THE WHOLE THING! JUST A BITE WILL SUFFICE!”

Sans’ trickles of sweat quickly turned into waterfalls as his mind raced to think of any excuse not to eat that horrid concoction. “for the love of all that’s good and holy, Muffet, why did you think this was a good idea!?”

*DING-DONG*

“OH! SOMEONE’S AT THE DOOR! TAKE A BITE AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ONCE I RETURN!” As Papyrus left, Sans’ only response was a sigh of relief and a mumbled: “saved by the bell.”

*DING-DONG… DING-DONG… DING-DONG*

“WOWIE! SOMEONE MUST REALLY WANT TO SEE ME!”

Swinging the door open, Papyrus was greeted by the sight of a small, lizard-like monster dressed in a brown and yellow striped shirt. Notably, he lacked arms, which was apparently why he was ringing the doorbell by bashing his face into it.

*DING-DONG… DING-DONG… DING-DONG*

“I’M STANDING RIGHT HERE, SO…”

“Yo!” He turned to face the skeleton, revealing the newfound bruise in the middle of his forehead. “I gotta talk to Papyrus right aw-w-w-WHAT!? P-P-Papyrus!?”

“THE ONE AND ONLY! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!” said the skeleton in question as he struck a magnificent pose that would make Mettaton proud. “SAY, YOU’RE THAT FRIEND OF FRISK’S, AREN’T YOU? IGGY, WASN’T IT? WHAT CAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS DO FOR—?”

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is so cool! I’m actually talking to the Papyrus and—OH! RIGHT!!” The monster child’s voice became filled with panic. “We’ve got a big problem, yo! You gotta come to the park, or else those guys are gonna start killing people and my family’s still there and—”

“HOLD ON A MINUTE! EXPLAIN IT TO ME FROM THE BEGINNING.”

“Huh? Oh, right, sorry dude.” He took a few breaths to calm his nerves. “Okay… so me and my family were at the park playing hide and seek, and while I’m lookin’ for my sis, I stumble across these guys’ campsite. Heh, literally. Both of ‘em were wearing armor and had weapons almost as big as they were, yo! So I figured maybe they were new Royal Guards since you’ve been trying to get recruits lately…”

“EMPHASIS ON ‘TRYING.’”

“… so I walk up to them asking, ‘Yo, you guys Royals Guards?’ And they kinda look at me funny, like they’ve never seen a monster before, and the older one said, “No, little one, we are…*gulp* monster hunters. As soon as I heard that, I ran away to warn my family, but… they wouldn’t listen.”

At this, the head of the royal guard recoiled in shock. “MONSTER HUNTERS!? THIS IS EXTREMELY TROUBLING! ROYAL GUARD, MOVE OUT!” Before the monster child could utter a confused “Yo, what?,” Papyrus quickly scooped him up in his arms and dashed to his prized hot rod parked in the driveway. Not even bothering to open the door, he leaped inside and dumped Iggy in the passenger seat. “QUICKLY, LEAD OUR VALIANT CHARGE TO THE PARK!”

“Wha… Oh! O-ok! Got it!” Iggy motioned with his head, “It’s down that way!”

“UNDERSTOOD!” With tires screeching all the while, Papyrus backed out onto the street, nearly hitting a mailbox, then revved the engine. “OPERATION ROLE REVERSAL IS GO! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!”

Hearing all the commotion, Sans came walking out the front door, just to see his brother and one of Frisk’s friends rocket down the street, leaving tire tracks in their wake. “huh. wonder where bro’s racing off to?”

Union Plaza was a park created to commend the newfound peace between humans and monsters. Numerous vendors and gazebos dotted the wide tract of grassy land to the west, a massive lake dominated the northern portion, and a large playground took up the eastern side, but its most prominent feature was a statue in the center, depicting a human and a monster walking hand in hand.

To the south, however, was a huge forest thick with trees and vines. Deep within this forest of tangled vegetation was a makeshift campground consisting of two simple tents, a pair of logs serving as benches, and a fire with a spit positioned over its hungry flames. The spit pierced through a humongous slab of meat, and as it was lifted away from the fire, the Ace Gunner holding the finished meal gave a small smile. She immediately sunk her teeth into it, tore off a sizeable chunk, and chewed it with an expression of quiet satisfaction before swallowing it. The navy-haired young woman was dressed in blue and chrome armor. Beside her lay a massive bow and its equally large quiver of arrows.

She was about to take another bite when she heard leaves crunching to her right. A quick glance told her that it was her partner the Ace Lancer, an older man with brilliant golden armor and hair to match. The massive lance and shield on his back clanged together as he trudged over to the log on the opposite side of the campfire. “I take it you didn’t find our little friend,” said the woman. The man in gold responded with a silent shake of his head. “I see. I’m quite surprised, honestly. The poor child was falling on his face every other step he took.” She paused to take another bite of her steak, savoring it a bit before swallowing. “What do you think made him panic so suddenly, Longinus? He seemed rather relaxed until you mentioned we were monster hunters.”

“I do not know, Lyuda,” Longinus responded, “but we have more pressing matters to concern ourselves with.”

The woman froze mid-bite and looked at her partner. “What do you mean? Did you find our prey?”

The blonde veteran leaned forward. “There is a plaza north of us, filled not only with humans but also with many fantastical creatures I’ve never seen before.”

“Like our friend?” asked the Ace Gunner.

“Three of them resembled him, but the rest were wildly unique.” Longinus’ expression suddenly turned grim. “They all seem to be in a quite a stir over the lake further north that has suddenly frozen over.”

Lyuda’s eyes widened in horror. “You don’t mean—”

“Thankfully, as far as I can tell, our quarry has not eaten anyone… yet,” interrupted the Lancer, “but I suspect we don’t have much time before it decides to whet its appetite. We must go, quickly.” The Lancer’s younger partner nodded, dashed over to her tent and began rummaging around. The Ace Lancer grabbed his weapon of choice and a whetstone and began scraping the two together. “Make certain you are stocked on essentials and anything else that would prove useful. We have a difficult battle ahead of us.”

Chapter Text

            “…Thanks, Bob. We now bring you our developing story at Union Plaza. At around 3:30 in the morning, several locals reported hearing earsplitting roars coming from the park. When authorities arrived, they were shocked to find that a trail of destruction had made its way across the park, leaving shattered sidewalks, broken lampposts, and massive footprints in its wake. The tracks began in the southwest from a large tunnel in the mountainside and made a beeline for Lake Serenity. Upon arriving at the lake, authorities were further perplexed to find that most of it had mysteriously frozen over. Inspector Cabanela, head of the Special Investigations Unit, strongly suspects the culprit to be a monster and so has enlisted Ambassador Frisk to assist with the situation. In the meantime, citizens are advised not to venture onto the ice—.”

“TWO INCIDENTS IN ONE DAY! THIS IS TERRIBLE!” said Papyrus, trying to be heard over the car radio, “NOT TO MENTION MILDLY INCONVENIENT!”

“What do you me—WHOA!” Iggy was rudely interrupted by Papyrus swerving sharply into the park entrance, barely missing an old lady and her dog.

“WELL,” the skeleton continued, “ AFTER CAPTURING THEM, I WAS GOING TO HAVE FRISK TALK THEM OUT OF THEIR MURDEROUS WAYS, BUT SEEING AS HE WILL BE OCCUPIED… I’LL JUST HAVE TO DO IT MYSELF!”

“But couldn’t that just wait until Frisk is—WAAAH!” Papyrus had failed to notice the speed bump that nearly catapulted Iggy out of his seat.

“THAT’S TRUE… BUT EVEN STILL, IT COULDN’T HURT TO LET THEM KNOW THAT SOMEONE BELIEVES IN THEM, THAT THEY CAN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER IF THEY REALLY, REALLY TRY! BETWEEN ME AND FRISK, IT WILL BE A ONE-TWO PUNCH OF PACIFISTIC PERSUASION!”

“Heh heh… yeah.” Iggy couldn’t help but smile. This was what he liked about his new idol over his old one: Papyrus thought the best of everyone and was one of the nicest people he’d ever met, but he could still put up quite a fight if his recent training sessions with Undyne were any indication. And Iggy didn’t care what anyone said, he thought Papyrus’s spaghetti was actually pretty good—.”

“OH! PARKING SPACE!”

Papyrus’ shouting jolted the young monster out of his thoughts before the bright red sports car screeched to a halt, forcing his face to meet with the dashboard in front of him. “Ow.”

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT!? WAIT A MINUTE, WHY AREN’T YOU WEARING YOUR SEAT BELT!?” After a few seconds, the answer came to Papyrus. “AAARRRGGHH! I COMPLETELY FORGOT YOU LACK ARMS! I’VE FAILED YOU AS A FRIEND!”

“I’m fine, yo, really. Nuthin’ I’m not already used to—.” Iggy suddenly froze. His eyes widened and a massive grin began to creep across his face “Wait, did… did you just call me your friend?” Papyrus would have answered, but he did not get the chance.

“IGNALIUS CONRAD BRANSFORD, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?”

The voice, filled with rage and authority, caused both Papyrus and Iggy to jump, but the younger monster was far more terrified because he knew exactly who that voice belonged to and who it was addressing.

“H-h-hey, Mom.”

Mrs. Bransford, like her son, resembled a yellow bipedal lizard, though she was garbed in a white sundress and had a much longer tail. “Don’t you ‘Hey, mom’ me! You had us worried sick! First, you and Wendy run off into the forest without telling us, and then you come tearing out yelling about ‘monster hunters’, and then you run off to…” At that moment, Mrs. Bransford noticed the Royal Guard sitting in the driver’s seat. “…Papyrus’ house, apparently.”

“H-H-HELLO, M-MA’AM.” Papyrus was still recovering from the force of her voice. “H-HOW ARE YOU D-DOING THIS FINE DAY?”

Iggy’s mother exhaled in an attempt to calm herself. “Better, now that I know my son is safe.” She looked at her child. “Iggy, we’ll discuss this later. Go to your father. He’s waiting for you at the bus stop.”

“But—!”

“ No buts.”

Iggy grumbled as he slid out the door that Papyrus had quickly opened, and then began trudging towards the street. His mother watched him for a moment before turning to the skeleton.

“I’m sorry if he’s caused you any trouble.”

“NOT AT ALL!” said Papyrus, his usual enthusiasm returning, “ON THE CONTRARY, HE’S BEEN A VITAL ASSET TO MY TOP SECRET INVESTIGATION! WITHOUT HIM, I MIGHT HAVE NEVER KNOWN ABOUT THESE HUNTERS UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE!”

Mrs. Bransford shifted uncomfortably for a moment. “Papyrus… do you think my son’s telling the truth?”

“WHAT!? OF COURSE, HE IS! I CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO FATHOM WHY HE WOULD MAKE UP SOMETHING LIKE THIS!”

“Neither can I, it’s just… I really, really don’t want him to be right. After all the progress made between humans and monsters, to think that someone would go that far… 

“FRET NOT MA’AM! I ASSURE YOU THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL CAPTURE THEM!”

Mrs. Bransford smiled, comforted by his words. After all, he was Undyne’s student for years, so he had to be at least fairly capable, right? Suddenly, the car radio blared to life. 

“…And we’re back with an update on the Union Plaza situation. Ambassador Frisk has made his way out onto the frozen lake, hoping to speak with whoever is responsible for the damage to the park. At his request, the police are holding back at the lake’s edge so as not to possibly frighten the monster—hold on, I’m getting reports that two unknown people are approaching the lake. A man and a woman, both heavily armed with what appears to be a lance and bow respectively. The man is wearing gold-plated armor—.”

“Wait a minute!” said Mrs. Bransford, “that sounds like how Iggy was describing the hunters!”

“REALLY? WOWIE, THAT WAS INCREDIBLY CONVENIENT! NYEH HEH—.” Papyrus’ joy was short-lived, however, as a terrible realization dawned on him. “BUT… IF THEY’RE HEADED FOR THE LAKE… THEN FRISK COULD BE IN DANGER!” Immediately, Papyrus began making a mad dash for the lake in light of the vastly raised stakes.

“HOLD ON, FRISK! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS COMING TO SAVE YOU!”

 --------------------

“My, you weren’t joking about their variety. So many different species… the Guildmarm will be very excited about this.”

“Indeed. But stay focused. We are approaching the center of the lake.”

Lyuda put down the binoculars, still trying to make out the members of the crowd that had gathered on the lakeshore some distance from them. As she and Longinus walked further out onto the lake’s frozen surface, the Ace Gunner’s sharp eyes told her that the onlookers, several of which shared a blue uniform, had taken notice of them. “Shouldn’t we warn them? I’m fairly certain none of them are hunters.”

“Normally, I would agree,” said the Ace Lancer, “but at this point, we risk drawing our quarry to them by doing so. It would be better to get as far out as the ice allows and draw its attention there. I imagine they will be more than happy to seek shelter once it reveals itself.”

“Hopefully not inside the mountain tunnel we came through, or else they’ll end up in the Frozen Seaway… somehow.”

Longinus shook his head. “That tunnel defies all reason. It suddenly appears out nowhere in a well-known area, is barely a hundred feet in length, and yet it manages to whisk us and a Zamtrios from a barren, ice-covered wasteland to a lush forest. We ought to investigate it further when this hunt is over.”

Lyuda was about to agree when her eyes wandered onto the lake’s center. “Is…is that a child over there!?”

“What? Where—oh. Oh no.” 

To their horror, there was, in fact, a lone child standing in the middle of the lake, dressed in a blue shirt with purple stripes. Immediately, the hunting duo began sprinting with all their might. As they drew near, they could hear him calling for someone. “Hello? Is anyone here? I just want to talk…”

“What are you doing!?” said Longinus, “Get out of here! It’s not safe!”

The startled child jumped and turned to face the hunters. “Whoa, what? Who are you? What’s going—.”

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" 

With a loud *vooom,* several blue pillars erupted from the ice, surrounding the hunters like a cage. Despite the ice, they managed to skid to a stop just short of the confines of their prison. “What is this!?,” said Lyuda, “some sort of trap!?” The child, however, immediately recognized the pillars’ bone-like shape.

“Papyrus?” He turned to see the scarf-clad skeleton racing towards him on a makeshift pair of skis formed from his magic bones. He expertly slid to a stop beside his best friend. “NYEH HEH HEH HEH! WORRY NOT, FRISK! FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS COME TO RESCUE YOU!”

 “From who!? Us!?” said Longinus, “But we had no intention of harming him!”

“Why on earth would anyone think we would do something as reprehensible as attacking a child!?” asked an indignant Lyuda.

The Royal Guard stroked his chin in thought. “WELL, IF MY JOB WAS TO KILL MONSTERS, I WOULD THINK STRIKING AT THEIR AMBASSADOR WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO SOW DISCORD AND CHAOS BETWEEN THEM AND HUMANS.”

Longinus stared dumbfounded for a moment. “I… I beg your pardon?”

Frisk decided to intervene. “Papyrus, what’s going on? I think we’re all gonna need an explanation here.”

“VERY WELL!” Papyrus cleared his throat. “EARLIER THIS MORNING, I RECEIVED WORD FROM AN ANOYMOUS SOURCE (WHOSE IDENTITY I WILL NOT DISCLOSE) THAT A PAIR OF HUMANS CALLING THEMSELVES ‘MONSTER HUNTERS’ WERE ON THE PROWL IN THE FOREST SOUTH OF UNION PLAZA, ARMED WITH GARGANTUAN WEAPONS—.”

“It was that lizard child, wasn’t it?” asked Lyuda.

“EGADS! HOW DID YOU FIGURE OUT MY TOP SECRET ANONYMOUS SOURCE SO QUICKLY!?”

“Well, he was the only other person we’ve spoken with since we got here. But thank you for confirming my suspicions.”

“WHAT!? HOW…” Papyrus stopped, realizing his mistake. “…WELL PLAYED, MISS, WELL PLAYED. BUT IT IS TRUE, ISN’T IT!?” Papyrus pointed an accusing finger at the hunters. “YOU ARE IN FACT MONSTER HUNTERS, YES!?”

The duo was silent, contemplating the best response. They looked at each other for a moment before Longinus broke the silence. “It seems our profession is something of a sore topic around here. Why is that?”

“WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK!?” asked Papyrus, “WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT WHEN HEAVILY-ARMED HUMANS CALLING THEMSELVES MONSTER HUNTERS WALTZ RIGHT INTO AN AREA FILLED WITH MONSTERS!?”

“Monsters… where? We haven’t seen any since we’ve arrived.”

The statement caused Papyrus’ jaw to literally drop, which Frisk was quick to pick up and hand it back to its owner. Papyrus took it and silently thanked the young boy with a pat on the head before popping it back into place. 

“ARE YOU BLIND!?” said the skeleton, pointing to his own eye sockets, “SURELY YOU SAW SEVERAL OF THEM JUST PASSING THROUGH THE PARK! AT THE VERY LEAST, YOU’VE SPOKEN TO ME AND IGG—ER, MY INFORMANT!”

The hunters stared blankly for a moment as they processed this new information. “So let me get this straight,” said Lyuda, “ you, and the lizard boy, and those people at the park… are all monsters?”

“Well, the park crowd is usually mixed with humans, but yeah, you’re pretty much right,” said Frisk, chiming in.

Lyuda and Longinus looked at each other. “Oh,” said Longinus as he began chuckling, “well, that certainly explains a lot.” 

“NOT TO US, IT DOESN’T!” said Papyrus, “CARE TO SHARE YOUR EPIPHANY?”

“Well, the issue,” said Longinus, “ is we are both using the same term, but are referring to two completely different things.”

“We’re not exactly from around here, you see.” said Lyuda, “‘Monsters’ as you define them don’t live in our neck of the woods. In fact, this is the first time we’ve even heard of your kind, much less met them.”

Papyrus’ jaw nearly dropped again upon hearing this. “BUT... WHAT… HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?” Frisk, while equally surprised, had a different question in mind. “So what do you guys mean when you say ‘monster?’”

Suddenly, the ice began to shake violently, as if an earthquake had struck the area. Large cracks quickly began to form all across the frozen lake. The commotion threw off Papyrus’ concentration, causing the bone prison to dissipate. Immediately, both of the hunters whipped out their weapons, with Longinus positioning himself in front of Frisk and Papyrus, shield raised. “I’m afraid you’re about to find out.”

Far in the distance, a gigantic shark fin broke through the frozen lake and began circling around the four, cutting clean through the ice. Frisk took an apprehensive step back. “Is… is that a giant shark!?” 

“A Zamtrios, actually.” said Longinus, “A carnivorous amphibian with a preference for cold environments, which is likely why it froze the lake. A bit too warm here for its liking, I imagine.”

“WOWIE! IT CAN DO THAT!?” asked Papyrus. “THAT’S AMAZING!”

“And very dangerous, considering how it hunts,” said Lyuda, “It burrows beneath the ice, then strikes from below. It needs to be taken care of before it harms anyone.” 

“Wait a minute!” said Frisk, “isn’t there a way to settle this peaceably?” 

Both of the hunters looked at him as if he had grown a second head. “Unless you can speak to wild animals, I think not,” said Longinus. “Though even if you could, I doubt our friend there would be interested.”

“If it’s any comfort,” said Lyuda, “our objective is to capture it, so it’s at least nonlethal—.”

“MOVE!”

Papyrus’ timely warning set the hunters’ instincts into motion. Hearing the sound of crunching ice from behind them, they immediately leaped to the side, while Papyrus quickly scooped up Frisk in his arms and followed suit. The protruding fin rushed by them, barely missing its prey. Lyuda quickly recovered and frantically waved to Papyrus. “Get him out of here! We’ll handle this!”

“OF COURSE! THE SAFETY OF OTHERS IS THE ROYAL GUARD’S TOP PRIORITY! FRISK, HOP ABOARD!” The boy nodded and quickly crawled onto his friend’s back, wrapping his arms around his neck, while Papyrus summoned his skeletal skis. Digging the poles into the ice, he shot off towards the shore, while Longinus and Lyuda charged towards the beast, hoping to distract it.

“Ready yourself!” said Longinus, raising his lance. Lyuda nodded and notched an arrow, prepared to let it loose straight into the monster’s face as soon as it emerged. The Zamtrios took notice of the approaching hunters and charged towards them, sending up pieces of ice in its wake. Man and beast were about to collide… and then the beast’s fin suddenly swerved to the side, slamming into Longinus and heading straight for the Royal Guard and his charge. “Papyrus!” Lyuda shouted as she narrowly dodged her skidding partner, “Run faster!”

“WELL, RUNNING ISN’T REALLY POSSIBLE WHEN YOU’RE SKIING ON—GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY!” The creature beneath the ice had nearly caught up with the skeleton already. Frisk tried his hardest to suppress a startled yelp and buried his face into Papyrus’ scarf. He was not the only one who was afraid; he could hear the screams of the fleeing crowd on the lakeshore. But Frisk would not let fear get the better of him.

Knowing that someone as reliable as Papyrus is with you…

It fills you with determination.

Papyrus was also determined, but for different reasons. “IF WHAT THAT LADY SAID ABOUT ITS HUNTING HABITS IS TRUE, WE’LL HAVE THE ADVANTAGE ONCE WE CROSS OVER ONTO DRY LAND! IT’LL MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR OUR NEW FRIENDS!”

Frisk couldn’t help but chuckle despite the life-threatening situation. “So the hunters are our friends now, huh?”

“YOU SAW HOW CONCERNED THEY WERE ABOUT YOUR SAFETY! I KNEW THERE WAS SOME GOOD DEEP DOWN INSIDE THEM!”

Suddenly, the ice behind them erupted, and a massive pair of jaws lunged forth from the depths. Acting on instinct, the Royal Guard created a gigantic ribcage that wrapped itself around the skeleton and the child. It had barely solidified before the Zamtrios latched onto it with a vice-like grip and violently thrashed it about, flinging its occupants out through the bottom. They tumbled onto the grassy shore, battered and disoriented. Papyrus was the first to try to right himself; he stumbled over to Frisk, who was lying on his back groaning. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT, FRISK? CAN YOU WALK?”

Frisk sat up, pain shooting throughout his whole body. “I-I think so.”

Papyrus, in searching for Frisk’s escape route, looked over to see the fully revealed Zamtrios on the shore, struggling to crush the oversized ribcage that locked its jaws open. The massive blue-colored beast perfectly resembled a shark, save for its froglike legs and the horizontally flattened tail. Hearing the sickening sounds of his skeletal shield cracking and splintering under the pressure, Papyrus knew he was running out of time. He quickly pulled Frisk to his feet, accidentally eliciting a small “ouch!” from his friend. “QUICKLY, FLEE TO SAFETY! I SHALL ASSIST THEM IN THEIR VALIANT STRUGGLE AGAINST MOTHER NATURE!”

“What!?” cried Frisk, “No, Papyrus, you can’t!”

“I MUST, FRISK. AS THE HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD, I CANNOT IDLY STAND BY WHILE THIS BEAST RAMPAGES ABOUT IN OUR FAIR CITY! BESIDES, THIS IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS YOU’RE TALKING TO! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR!”

Frisk stood silently for a moment. “O-okay… just… promise me you’ll be careful, alright?”

“OF COURSE! ONLY A FOOL THROWS CAUTION TO THE WIND, AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NO FOOL!” The Royal Guard then made a bone that came up to Frisk’s neck in height and handed it to the boy. “NOW GO!” Frisk nodded and limped off towards the edge of the park, leaning on the bone for support, while Papyrus turned to face the Zamtrios. While the skeleton hated sending Frisk alone while he was clearly in pain, he hated the idea of his friend being eaten alive even more.

With one final *crunch* the ribcage shattered, pieces spilling from the monster’s maw. The shark-like beast turned to face Papyrus before unleashing an earsplitting roar that sent a chill down his spine. Digging its webbed claws into the dirt, it charged forward with jaws wide open. Papyrus was about to dodge when a fiery arrow suddenly struck the monster in the side, bursting into flame and eliciting a roar of agony.

“Thought you would escape us again, hm?” said Lyuda as she notched another arrow. “I think not!” Longinus came charging out from beside her, lance aimed forward. “My condolences to your approaching death.” A painful stab from the weapon fully turned the beast’s attention towards the hunters. It tried to retaliate against Longinus with a swipe of its claws, but the Ace Lancer expertly sidestepped it and began a barrage of thrusts into its face.

Papyrus took a deep breath as he mentally steeled himself for combat. This was his second real fight, and he was certain this one would not end with a date. It was time to truly put Undyne’s training to the test. Summoning an especially long bone that he twirled like a staff, he charged towards the clash between man and beast.

“TREMBLE IN FEAR, FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS ARRIVED!”