Chapter Text
“An abomination such as yourself has no need to exist.” His voice rang throughout his scrambled thoughts, loud and full of malice. Error saw stars as he was thrashed around, banging his already heavily damaged skull on the non-existent floor of the anti-void. “A disgusting creature, a pitiful excuse for a god of destruction.” Ink landed on top of him harshly, knocking the air from his non-existent lungs.
“’m… jU-u$t ke3P…!ng b-Ba1@NC-cE...” Error choked out. Ink stomped down on his chest, almost completely shattering his ribs. A loud, distorted and garbled screech followed immediately after. Ink shoved the wooden end of that horrible paintbrush against his skull, silencing the destroyer. The protector lifted the brush and spun it around, fresh red paint on the end of it.
Red. No… no, no, no. Red… Error didn’t have time to process what happened, but he was immediately coated in the bright red paint.
Fire ignited deep within his bones, the paint charring his already scarred bones. Error screeched again, instinctively opening a portal beneath him even when he didn’t mean too.
He hit the ground with a hard thud! Error whimpered as he curled into a ball, the familiar sound of Ink’s frustrated yell drowned out the soft ‘whoop’ his portals made when they closed.
It hurt. He knew that much. He could feel he was about to crash, but it never came.
Error forced himself up, observing his- rather blurry -surroundings. He was in… a forest of some kind? No doubtedly an AU on the surface at this moment. It was probably Underswap, saying as they were in a true pacifist timeline and had been on the surface for a few months now. And also because of that distinct feel of Underswap magic. All Aus had a special feel to the natural magic of their worlds, and on the inhabitants, Error was lucky he was one of the very, very few AUs that could feel it.
The sound of rushing water caught his attention. He slowly crawled to the sound; he was in no position to walk right now anyways.
As soon as he reached the river, he threw himself in. Error let the chill of the comforting water sooth the ache in his bones. The water was soon clouded a bright red as it washed the paint from his body.
He sighed in relief; the water was always nice to him. It soothed him, helped dull his pains when he most needed it. Water didn’t call him disgusting and an abomination. It didn’t call him names, didn’t try to kill him. Water was nice, it was calming.
Error didn’t let his thoughts wander any longer as he pulled himself up, shaking himself dry like a wild animal. (Much to the dismay of his body)
It wouldn’t be safe for him to go to Outertale currently, Ink could find him in a soulbeat and he really didn’t want to face the bumbling idiot at the moment. He sighed, leaning against a nearby tree and listening to the calming sounds of nature as he pondered what to do next.
He couldn’t go to the city here in Underswap, just being there would cause mass hysteria and he really didn’t feel like stressing out Swap and having to rewrite the code of everyone’s memories today. He couldn’t go to his favorite AU just yet and the Anti-Void is a huge no.
Error groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
Something snapped in the distance, Error swore he could’ve heard a crack with how fast he snapped his head towards it. Was it Ink? Had he found him already? This soon? He- yet again -instinctively opened a portal below him.