The Mountain East (An Undertale Fanfiction)

Chapter 8

"what is it, al?"

A familiar voice rang through the narrow corridor. At the end of it was a steel mechanical door complete with a submarine-like window poking out in the center. A voice panted from behind it, followed by the breaking of glass and the sounds of shards puncturing a table. Red and gold could be seen splattered on the window surface.

"S- Sans! Quick! C- come look!"

The sound of soft footsteps treading on a cold surface came ever so closer to their destination. The door creaked slightly when opened, grinding uncomfortably on the uneven and unpolished hinges. The skeleton left the door ajar and proceeded further into the room.

Behind a desk crouched a small, hunched figure. Fins protruded from above its head and its chosen attire, a lab coat, fluttered gently despite the lack of wind.

It was clutching a sort of vial in its right hand, a transparent slim container with a cork crudely stuffed on top. Sans approached meekly, not knowing what to think. Aware of his presence, the scientist began to shake the vial rapidly.

Removing the cork, she poured the now convulsing liquid into a test tube. Both attendees watched in curiosity and awe as it slowly transformed and solidified into a stone-like material in a heart-like shape. Alphys had already began frantically taking notes of the phenomenon, whilst her partner began a closer examination of the rock, skeptical of it.

"what was in that vial, al?" He muttered under his breath, more a question he asked himself than one directed at her. He doubted she knew the true properties of it. This was something he had never seen before, during work or in magic.

"U - uh, Asgore g – gave me it a few days ago. H – he said he trusted me with it, he s – said he had kept it since the war."

Sans frowned. "that's not an answer."

"I - I don't know, he told me it was f – from a dead human, that's why I was running tests on it!" She laughed nervously.

"what did you mix with it?"

Her expression dampened. A cold shadow obscured her eyes, hands trembling. "M - monster dust. A F – Froggit, to be e – exact."

Sans said nothing. Ethics and morality were not exactly the main course here. His expression dissolved into one of thought, imaginary eyebrows raised.

"monster dust is extremely unreactive, even to the strongest of acids and substances. and this... this looks awfully similar to -"

"- a soul," Alphys finished. "T - the soul of a monster that has fallen down."

For a while, there was nothing to be heard except the faint scribbling of a pencil against a notepad. Suddenly, Sans cradled his skull with both of his hands, a pained look etched on his usual wide smile.

"ah, fuck. my head hurts."

Alphys looked at her colleague with concern. She wiped the fog off her glasses on her lab coat before addressing her shaken companion. "S - sans, I – I can probably handle this m – myself. It's your first week here, m – maybe you should go home early and -"

"thanks, al. i really need a break." Without warning, he hefted his workbag on his shoulder and blinked out of existence. Surprised at such a sudden departure, Alphys dropped her notepad. She sighed deeply. Alone, as always. She didn't want to blame her friend for dipping. He had enough on his plate to worry about this anyway. With an exasperated exhale, she picked up the fallen notepad and eyed the stone heart with discontent. It was going to be a long day.

"grillbz, the usual, please."

A small, bustling bar filled to the brim with monsters was in the middle of Snowdin town. Sans was no stranger to the small business, exchanging frequent conversation with many of the customers there. Admittedly, most of them were probably in it for the bones, being anthropomorphic dogs and all.

The proprietor of the business was a living, breathing flame called Grillby. He wore an inflammable tuxedo complete with a red tie. He acknowledged the order by a nod and retreated into the kitchen, taking his wiping towel with him.

"Ey Sans, want a dog treat?" A short, bipedal dog slouched towards him, eyes squinting and disproportionate. He was holding one of the aforementioned treats in his right hand, its end smoking like a cigarette.

"i'll pass. thanks anyways." Sans responded tiredly, visible bags under his eye sockets. He sat down undisturbed in a quiet corner, a broken and old jukebox spinning ever so slowly beside him. The other customers seemed to take note of his tired mood, but didn't think much of it, given he was always asleep.

Grillby had returned from his journey to the kitchen and carried in his right hand a tray laden with beverages and dishes. Upon eyeing Sans, who was contemplating several things at once, he set down the tray and grabbed a ketchup container along with a burger from it. He presented the condiment and the burger (who, really, was only there to compliment the ketchup) to Sans, who responded with a nod of gratitude. The skeleton flicked the lid upwards and began to chug ferociously.

As he was drinking, Grillby reached out and tapped Sans on the shoulder lightly. He put down his beverage and looked at Grillby, who was resting his head on his palms, elbows positioned awkwardly so to not burn the table down.

"I was wondering when you'd show up. Papyrus said you left work early. It would be a miracle for you to not swing by once you get the chance."

Sans picked apart the burger, chewing slowly on the bread and leaving the rest to rot. Bits of it got stuck in-between his skeletal teeth. He seemed slightly baffled at the conversation his friend had struck up.

"pap told you? i haven't even called him yet." With his non-greasy hand, he fiddled with his phone in his back pocket. The antenna stuck awkwardly from his backside, clashing against the stool he sat on. "eh. maybe al told him. i told her not to worry 'bout me, but knowin' her she'll do it anyways."

Grillby managed to get burnt by himself during Sans' monologue, but for him it was just status quo. He raised a flaming eyebrow at his friend's explanation. "Papyrus said you already went home. How could you have not seen him?"

Sans shrugged nonchalantly. "eh. maybe it's the way I'm dressed." He gestured downwards, where his usual blue jacket was replaced with a flowing lab coat of similar color. Having finished his bottle and nitpicked all the flavor out of the burger, Sans stood up and wiped his greasy hands haphazardly against the stool. Grillby wrinkled his nose with disgust and grabbed the dirty plates to wash.

"put it on my tab, grillbz." Sans yelled through the window whilst exiting, causing several dogs to wag their tails and chase after him, poker game forgotten.

"Sure." Grillby said. His face was still emotionless, but something didn't add up. What it was, he was none the wiser.

"Come again."