#wanderlustscript

[wandering-skeleton-php-blog]

Chapter 3: Around the world in 80 days

Frisk kept their promise, there were no more genocides. In fact the time between resets slowly got longer and longer. Everything seemed golden.

Speaking of golden, Sans had been studying the sludge he'd scraped off of the kids soul. He found that he could control it to an extent if he used some of determination extract and some will power.

It could do simple tasks like moving to a certain place, opening a box or attaching itself to his hand. However it couldn't learn, couldn't really think on its own beyond reacting to perceived threats.

All and all this made the stuff relatively harmless. At least when it was by itself. But Sans still remembered the calculated way in which it had struck out against him while he was analyzing it. He couldn't allow the presence he'd felt at these times to control the goop ever again. He also couldn't leave the stuff in his lab as he never knew when a reset would happen and he was afraid if it wasn't on his person when Frisk reset it would just return to being a control mechanism for Frisk's soul.

So far he'd got by just keeping the stuff in a box, but that could be a little risky as it was liable to have the lid just pop off. So he began making a new container that he could permanently seal. Something he could keep on himself without being too obtrusive. Something useful.

So he made it into a journal, sealing the viscous liquid into a gold filigree with hardened blue magic. A gem in the center contained the rest of the determination extract that he'd pilfered. This allowed him to automatically turn to the page he wanted merely by thinking of it.

He could write down all the best jokes and puns he came up with to share with Papyrus later. He twitched, his smile falling a fraction. Papyrus... Although he was safe now, it wasn't like Sans could go to him. He already had his own Sans. There was no place for him there.

So Sans decided to travel. He first he explored the underground learning every nook and cranny, even going into the Ruins for the first time. Then when the monsters left the underground he followed and began to explore the overworld.

It was beautiful and sparkling compared to Underground. There were buildings and people everywhere! But much like the soul that now coated his new journal, it was the beauty of a rotting corpse. Corruption, envy, wrath, deceit. For every good human there were at least 5 other humans filled with these traits.

Despite this however, Sans did enjoy traveling and seeing new places. He began to write about the overworld in his journal, documenting his trips.

Then everything changed when he was traveling through a thick rain forest known as the Amazon. He'd been mapping out the place for a few days and he thought the place was stunning. However it was also dangerous as was apparent when the jaguar leaped at him from the brush claws extended.

Out of instinct he summoned his gaster blaster and blasted it. When it struck the jaguar it didn't damage the cat as it usually would. Instead, with a pop it vanished. Sans froze, blaster still floating above his head. What had just happened? He looked up. Yes the blaster was the same mangled mess as before.  However the feel of the attack he'd just done was different. Rather than a damage attack, it had felt like the magic he used when he was teleporting. The only difference was this felt stronger.

He'd have to test it out to see what happened. It would probably be best to test it out in a more controlled environment, but... it wasn't like he had anything to lose. Without further thought he blasted himself and everything disappeared into darkness.

[wandering-skeleton-php-blog]

Chapter 2: A Change of Heart

After carefully analyzing his souls new composition over the course the various resets Sans had figured some things.

First the only reason he was actually able to exist was because he was acting as a memory receptacle for his double. Sans retained the memories for his double so that he could remember the resets.

Second, since the first genocide run he had become immune to death, in that he could detach himself temporarily from his double. This meant that the static, that sensation of dissolving into nothingness, were gone. He could also watch past his own death to discover what happened next.

Through this he discovered that weed's secret and found something... Else... The hated child that he had killed time after time was nothing more than a puppet for something other.

It manifested itself as another child but Sans could tell that this was just a shell, a reanimated corpse. Knowing this Sans began to formulate a plan.

That thing controlled the kid, but unlike the corpse it inhabited, the kid was still there somewhere. Sans could see it occasionally when they reset. The smile vanishing, the glassy eyes clearing then filling with tears.

Perhaps there was a chance then, to break its hold on them. But how? That was the question. To answer that he would have to know how they were controlling them. Once he knew he found it he could... Well... At least the cycle would end.

That decided he teleported behind a pillar in the judgment hall so that he could observe the child more closely.

Several hours later his double arrived and shortly after the kid stalked in. The kid, as usual kept quiet as the double talked and then the battle began.

It took several restarts until Sans saw it. When San's duplicate offered mercy the kid hesitated and, for a split moment, the heart amulet at their neck began to beat with a dim red light before flickering out again.

Intrigued, Sans began to watch more closely and indeed, every time the heart flickered with light, the kid would falter. So Sans devised a plan and waited for the perfect moment to strike.

It happened when his double decided to spare the kid. The amulet bled red light so fiercely that Sans wondered why he'd never noticed before

The kid froze, hand raised to strike and in an instant Sans was there yanking the amulet away in a sudden burst of strength. The next instant he was gone, behind the pillar with the amulet pulsing in his grip.

Behind him the kid collapsed almost like a puppet with its strings cut. And, Sans realized as he continued to look at the amulet; that was exactly what had happened. What he had thought was an amulet was actually the kid’s soul. It was covered in viscous liquid that mascaraed as gold.

As he touched the ooze it seemed to cling all the tighter, though he could feel it quivering against his phalanges. With some time he would probably be able to pry the stuff off. However to do that he would need the kid alive.

He quickly turned back, afraid that he was too late, only to find his double sleeping on his feet. Sans snorted. Papyrus had been right he really sleep anywhere.

He carefully and quietly pulled the kids body behind a column before teleporting back to his lab with the soul. Wouldn't want his doppel waking up and killing the kid. That would just waste precious time and energy.

As he appeared in his lab the soul began to actually shake, vibrating in his hand as he struggled to keep hold of it. Eventually he was able to force it into his analyzer after administering a mild sedative.

When he got the results he was horrified, but not surprised. The kid’s soul, Frisk soul he reminded himself, was the core and it shone with the fierce light that spoke of determination. However it was overlaid with another soul that twisted and wound itself into every crack and crevice in Frisk's determination. This soul was a decayed mess that seemed almost mindless and mostly acted on impulse. However occasionally it would snatch out, striking at Sans at odd intervals intent on harm. At these points Sans could sense another presence lurking about seeking to continue the route they'd already begun.

So the first thing he did was cut the soul off from any sort of contact by sealing it in a special magic proof box that he had quickly assemble from the spare parts of a failed project. He then carefully began to peel off the other soul, sometimes using some of the extracted determination he'd found in Alphys lab as a way of baiting it out of a particularly difficult crack.

It took what seemed like forever, but eventually Sans had gotten all of the sludge off of Frisk's soul. It lay in heap beside the soul gently quivering. Carefully he extracted Frisk's soul being careful to not expose the rotting soup to whatever magic gave it sentience.

He teleported back to the judgement hall, careful to keep out of sight. Sure enough the kid’s body was still behind the pillar and his double was waiting in the hall. He must have assumed the kid had stopped the battle and was waiting for them to return.

Sans carefully placed the soul on the kid’s body and watched as it sunk into their chest. Then he waited. It only took a couple seconds. Frisk’s eyes fluttered open and Sans had to place a bony palm over their mouth to keep them from shouting in surprise.

He pulled Frisk to their feet and in the space of a second they were seated at Grillbies. Sans then turned to Frisk.

"Well I can see that you've been busy." Frisk paled and quickly signed "It wasn't me!" Sans grinned. "Well I figured that out darling. That's the only reason we're actually able to have this conversation." Frisk relaxed visibly. Sans continued. "Now I know that you weren't the one doing this, it was that parasite latched onto your soul. That was why I removed it." He narrowed his eyes. "However that doesn't mean that I completely trust you. You have to promise me that you will reset and never do this again." He gestured to the empty bar. "Otherwise you know what will happen right?" Frisk nodded emphatically and Sans slapped them on the back good naturedly causing them to flinch. "Good. Whelp I'll see you next reset."

As he walked out of Grillbies reality twisted, time turning back on itself as the world reset itself. When things finally settled he reached into his jacket and withdrew a small box.  

Within sloshed a thick golden liquid. Sans tucked it back into his jacket and whistled a jaunty tune as he walked back to his lab.