Mosaic [Undertale AUs]

Ch4 - Attack

Pyrite's POV

It must have been really early in the morning as there weren't really many people moving about. Your anxiety was still extremely high, though, and you jumped at every noise you heard, flinched at anybody who passed by. Your trembling phalanges gripped your scarf with a tight grip, an attempt to self-soothe. Were people looking at you? Did they know that you didn't belong? Would they kill you for daring to exist in a world that was not your own? You tried to swallow down the anxiety, breathing slowly and deliberately to keep calm.

"Mn... I wonder if this place has a library," you mumbled quietly to yourself in a whisper, a hope to distract yourself from the growing dread. A library seemed like it could be a good place to try and read up on everything you didn't know. It the only thing you could think of to do, the only thing that didn't involve having to talk to another person for answers.

You wanted to avoid interaction as much as possible, to pass by as though you were invisible. Less attention drawn to you meant less questions, and less questions meant you were less likely to be killed for getting them 'wrong'. You had to be careful, even if you didn't really know how to do that.

A realisation suddenly hit you, though, and you stopped walking. You... couldn't read. It wasn't that you didn't know how to, as Sans had taught you, but rather, that the words were blurry for you to make out. You needed glasses, but never had the chance to get any. In other words, the books would be useless to you. Such a clever idea and it couldn't even be used.

You sighed. Why couldn't Sans have just come with you? It would have been so much easier with him to help guide you, to tell you what you should do. But he wasn't here. And as scared as you were, you wouldn't give up. Sans said he would come, so you had to trust that, to get by until he could find you.

Well, what was the new plan, then? You couldn't just wander around aimlessly. That would waste your energy, make it harder to fight back if somebody tried to hurt you. Though, on the other hand, it would give you a better understanding of the layout to this area... Maybe you could try and map out the streets?

You were so deep in thought that you jumped when a loud voice cut through the near-silence of the streets, completely startled by it. 

"MWEH HEH! I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT MY JACKET! IT IS MUCH TOO COLD TO BE JOGGING WITHOUT IT!"

Turning instantly to the source of the voice, you took a moment to take in their appearance. He was a relatively short skeleton that wore a blue ascot, and had star shaped stickers decorating his face. His posture was confident, and his voice made it clear he was not at all concerned of what attention he might draw.

For a moment, you just stared. He was so similar to your brother. A little taller, rounder, definitely less pointy and deadly looking. But... the resemblance was far too strong to be a mere coincidence. Was... was that this timeline's version of Sans?

You couldn't help but feel conflicted. He looked so energetic and friendly, but you weren't so sure you could trust what you were seeing. What if it was a facade? Something to lull strangers into a false sense of security? If you reached out, would he help you, or would you end up being dusted here on the streets for even considering approaching him?

You decided to follow him, hoping perhaps he would lead you somewhere with answers. You weren't quite sure what was driving you. Was it curiosity? A need for answers? A desire to talk to him? Perhaps the reasons didn't matter so much. Following gave you a goal, although only a temporary one.

He was surprisingly quick. You were trying to keep at a distance, to stay hidden from his sight, but you were struggling to keep up with him. Thankfully, he seemed to stay primarily in public places, never going into alleyways or places that seemed like it might be dangerous. It helped you feel a little safer, like he wasn't luring you someplace you would end up dust,

At some point, though, you lost him. Just how many streets were around here? And... didn't you pass that building already? Did you go in a circle? Did... did he know you were following and intentionally take you in a circle so he could lose you? The realisation made you tense. He knew the whole time, didn't he?

Still mid thought, a firm hand suddenly pulled you into the nearby alleyway, slamming you hard into the brick wall. It was enough to hurt, but your HP didn't seem to lower, so it might not have had any intent to it despite the violent action. If this stranger could control intent like that, then they were more dangerous than you wanted to think about.

A startled breath escaped you and you couldn't help but freeze up. The stranger had you so your chest was pressed firmly against the brick wall, your arms twisted painfully behind your back. You couldn't see the person restraining you. You didn't even know if your attacker was a monster or a human!

"Tch. Why th' fuck were yer stalking m' cousin?" a deep voice let out. It was deep, threatening, and you could hear the intent laced with every word. Having been startled left you momentarily dazed, so you didn't respond. The grip tightened and you whimpered slightly at the harshness of it, not that the other person seemed to care. "Stupid fuckin' human. Yer try anythin' ta hurt him, yer gonna have a real fuckin' bad time. Yer should know not ta fuck wit' monsters. We don' forgive, an' we fight ta kill. Got it?"

You reacted on instinct. Your foot stomped on his, whilst your elbow slammed backwards to hit him in the gut, causing him to instantly release you from his grip. He made a loud grunt of pain, and you felt magic heavy in the air. Magic filled with LV, with lethal intent. This was a monster, clearly, and you had pissed him off. That was not good.

As you moved away, you caught a glimpse of the person who had grabbed you. It was a skeleton. Short, with a red sweater and a fur-lined black leather jacket. He looked a little more like the Sans you knew, yet still not really the same.

"Stupid fuckin bitch!" he yelled out, attempting to grab you as you retreated from him. Instead of managing to take ahold of you, though, his fingers gripped the edge of your scarf, tearing it away and revealing that you, too, were a skeleton. His expression contorted to instant shock and confusion. He went to say something more, but your magic sparked, and before either of you had a chance to register what was happening, you had taken a shortcut to someplace entirely different.