False host (undertale fanfiction)

chapter 8: Inferno of Will

"Ugh, I am done with this," Undyne muttered, pushing herself away from her desk with a hard shove, the chair spinning briefly before settling with a soft creak. Stacks of paperwork cluttered her desk in uneven towers—damage reports from the arena, casualty logs, a mountain of non-disclosure agreements. She'd spent hours lost among these pages, yet the pile hardly seemed to shrink.

She stretched, rolling her neck, eyes tracing the patterns of cracks in the ceiling as she let out an annoyed sigh. "Sans, you really dumped a mountain of work on me," she muttered to herself. "I'm built for fieldwork, not wasting away in an office."

But then a quick, hard knock rattled her door, jolting her. She barely had time to look up before it swung open, a soldier rushing in, his face flushed and forehead beaded with sweat.

"What is it?" she asked, waving off his flustered salute.

"Captain," the soldier panted, "Dr. Alphys just sent word. Her cameras caught Sans killing the judge and... and one of our guards." He swallowed hard. "She's reporting him as extremely hostile."

Undyne's eyebrows furrowed as she stood, her initial surprise swiftly hardening into anger. "Is that so?" she murmured, more to herself than to him. Pushing past the soldier, she marched down the hallway, her footfalls echoing.

"Ma'am, what should I tell the King?" the soldier asked, hurrying after her, sensing the brewing storm in her tone.

"Tell Asgore I won't stand by any longer. I'll handle this personally," she replied, her voice dropping to a cold, steely edge. She strode briskly into the armory, her eyes sharp and unwavering, already resolved. She wasn't going to let this escalate any further.

Once inside the dimly lit room, she made her way toward the armor that gleamed darkly against the wall. She hadn't worn it in some time, but the sight of it filled her with a renewed purpose. She ran her fingers over the cool, dust-coated surface of the helmet, catching a hint of rust along the edges.

"Guess I'll need to get you polished up," she muttered, then called for the first recruit she saw outside to clean it up. She nodded as they took it, her eyes fixed on the place the armor had been. She knew she would need it soon.

A few minutes later, Undyne made her way toward Alphys's lab, the searing heat of the Hotlands rolling over her in waves. She barely registered the heat thanks to the specially designed armor Alphys had crafted for her, which dispersed the worst of it.

"U-Undyne!" Alphys's voice called out, breathless, as she jogged over. Undyne let out a laugh, unable to resist a grin as her friend approached, wheezing and out of breath. "Isn't your lab, like, right next door? Gotta get you training, Alphys!" she said, chuckling as she patted Alphys's back a little harder than necessary.

"Undyne, listen, this is serious," Alphys said, worry etched into every line of her face. She wrung her hands, glancing around nervously. "Please, don't go after him until I've made a few more... preparations." She hesitated, avoiding Undyne's gaze.

"Relax, Alphys," Undyne said, waving a dismissive hand. "It's Sans we're talking about. I'm sure I can talk him down." Her smile faltered just slightly as she continued. "But if not..." Her tone grew heavier, fiercer. "Then I won't hold back."

Alphys's eyes darted up to her, admiration mingling with fear. "I-I know. I just... wanted to make sure you're safe, you know?"

"Worried, huh?" Undyne gave her friend a reassuring smile, squeezing her shoulder firmly. "Tell you what. After this is all over, let's go grab some burgers. It's on me."

"O-Okay..." Alphys's voice was barely a whisper as she watched Undyne with an anxious smile, her tail twitching nervously. She started to add something, but a soldier cut her off as he entered, holding a heavy bundle.