#switchfell

Switch leaned back in the chair, ignoring his brother’s soft scolding voice as he planted his legs firmly on the table. He gave a lazy sigh, folding his arms and placing them behind his head to provide something a little more comfortable than the chair’s metal back to rest on. “Sssso, how’re we all doing today?” he hummed, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a smirk at the rather annoyed glances he received back.

They had been in ‘holding’ for several weeks. They had very little to do and even less to see. It was also very unfortunate that they had all been packed in together – all manners of dangerous monsters – many of them were only just managing to hold onto enough resolve to stop them from dusting anyone who even slightly irritated them. Everyone had grown agitated by their lengthy stay in their prison-like accommodation.

Many monsters had protested against locking away monsters with LV, particularly the fell-verse monsters, but it had been the one condition the humans had forced them to agree to in order to allow the others to integrate into their surface society. Everyday humans would come and interview monsters, trying to test their temperament and ensure every one of them was suitable to join the others in freedom.

Some of the low LV monsters had already left and been reunited with their families and friends on the outside, so at the very least the humans were keeping their word on the matter. They were even kind enough to allow monsters to have visitors on a fairly regular basis.

Unfortunately, due to the rather close quarters inside, they were forced to share sleeping areas with several other monsters. Switch was lucky enough to have his brother in the same room with him, but there were two other monsters that he was less than thrilled to be stuck with.

Edge was the better of the two; he was clean, punctual, and knew when to choose his battles. He was a pretty enough skeleton – allegedly another version of himself from another timeline – and perhaps that was why he was slightly more enjoyable to be around. In fact, perhaps on the outside the two of them could remain acquaintances, Switch was at least willing to entertain the idea.

The other Papyrus had decided on the name Twist and it seemed fitting of his rather askew mentality. Switch might have been able to make use of his higher LV and strength is it weren’t for the intelligence that lurked behind his rather goofy exterior. He wasn’t stupid enough to think that a level seventeen monster would be dumb, and it was proven by the way he saw straight through his manipulative façade.

He could control Edge, he had learnt enough about the monster to be able to steer him down the right path, but Twist? The bastard had the audacity to try and call him out on it the moment he saw what he was doing. Although they weren’t forced to stay together, the group had decided to remain with each other at least for familiarity. Switch knew that Twist would have preferred that he, Edge and Night were alone, but wherever Night went Switch would follow.

The office was warm, even on such a frigid evening as the one winter had brought them. A large fire crackled softly in the hearth and cast a soft light across the lavishly decorated room. Until Cash had reached the surface he’d never known such stunning furniture had existed, and certainly not in such quantity.

Cash sat across from Switch, the owner of the gorgeous room and all of its contents, watching as he continued to work on his paperwork in content silence. The table he leant upon was ancient – made of an old oak and was perhaps the oldest thing in the room – it was worth an unimaginable amount of money, and yet, Switch seemed to never notice it, even when he had tried to comment on it.

Admittedly, Cash had a certain love for the finer things in life, and he enjoyed nothing more than being able to comfortably purchase anything he so desired. That did not, however, mean he spent his money wildly and without care.

Cash frowned, his eye lights flickering over the documents scattered out upon the desk before him briefly. He played with the cigarette in his mouth, rolling it around as he slowly inhaled the heavy magical smoke. Sparing a moment to let it puff back out between his teeth, Cash leaned back in the leather chair, shaking his head in disappointment. “The hell were you thinking?” he asked, tapping the ash off the end of his cigarette into the ashtray sitting on the desk.

The skeleton before him glanced up from the paper he had been scribbling on, his own smoke hanging loosely between his pointed teeth, “Hmm?” he hummed, his eyes and lax posture betraying his exhaustion. “Sssomethin’ the matter, handsssome?”

“Damn right you’ve got a problem,” He thrust the handful of paper toward his companion with a scowl, “The hell are you doing wasting money like this?” he snapped, taking another deep breath of his cigarette to ease his already foul mood. He had been waiting many hours for Switch to finish up his work for the day, deciding at one point to assist in order to speed up the process. However, he had found that his partner had been rather extravagantly spending his money, much to Cash’s disapproval.

Switch, unfortunately, didn’t seem to see the issue, smirking at Cash with a soft chuckle, “I sssee nothhhin’ wrong ‘ere,” he put out his fag, tossing the remains into the ashtray, “What’sss it to you, anyway?” He was playing with fire, and by the way his grin widened, it was obvious the monster was well aware of it.

Cash crossed his arms, leaning back on only two of the chair’s legs, his teeth clamping down harder on his cigarette. “I’m not an idiot, Switch.”

The aforementioned skeleton laughed again, leaning forward across the desk, “Aww, ashamed to admit ya care for li’l old me?” There was something about the way Switch appeared so smug that always seemed to agitate him. “I told ya Casshh, I ssspent my whole life tricking assssholesss out of their money, I’m not exxactly light on fundsss.”

“I’m just saying that there’s probably better stuff you should be spending your money on,” he grumbled softly, “I don’t care if you own some fancy ass casino, you can’t just be wasting money on shit for the sake of it.”

He noticed the way Switch twitched slightly, finally placing down the golden pen he had been using moments prior. “I’m not wasssting money on anything,” he hissed, sighing softly to gather himself again. The skeleton suddenly glanced down beside his chair, before leaning down to grab something. A second later he returned with a large bundle of grey fluff in his arms.

The cat meowed softly, glancing around from its newly elevated height before beginning to purr as Switch settled the cat down upon his lap. The feline, Victor as he was called, completely ignored Cash, eagerly pressing himself against his owner and leaning into the gentle pets Switch offered him as his eyes slid closed in obvious enjoyment.

“Switch,” Cash called, his tone serious despite the irritation clear on his face, “stop messing about, Switch, I’m not joking.”

“What’sss it matter if I throw away my money?” he snapped, his tone startling the cat on his lap, “It doesssn’t effect you, ssso jussst drop it, alright?” the monster was scowling, his movements becoming stiff as he caressed his pet.

Cash abruptly stood, growling as he glared at the other skeleton, “Of course it affects me you idiot!” he leant down, his hands resting firmly on the table, “I’m not just another one of your ‘toys’, I know when I’m being manipulated, so just quit trying to play with my mind, it’s not working.”

Switch gently lifted the cat from his lap, placing it on the table so he could stand from the chair. His expression was completely devoid of emotion as he walked from his side of the desk to come and stand before Cash. He noticed the cat that had been stood on the desk bristle slightly before scampering off the table and out through the open door to the office. Cash slowly sunk back down into the armchair he had previously occupied, watching Switch’s unwavering face.

“It’sss not working, hmm?” Switch suddenly asked, tilting his head to the side slightly as a small smirk began to creep across his skull. He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief, “My sssweet, sssweet Cashh,” he purred, leaning forward, his hands planting themselves on either armrest of Cash’s chair, effectively pinning him to his seat, “You obviousssly haven’t been paying attention if you thhhink you’ve been in control thisss whole time.”

Cash moved to try and get up, but Switch abruptly pushed him back down, sliding onto his lap with a fierce smirk, “You look at me and you thhhink that I’m a poor little ssskeleton, who hasss nothhhing to love ‘cccept his money.” Switch growled, his grin twitching slightly, “You look at me and you pity me becaussse deep down you’re exxxactly the sssame. That’sss why you care ssso very much.”

Switch was simply radiating confidence, and it made it all the more entertaining when Cash was able to wipe the smug look off his face. He reached forward, his phalanges grasping the other monster’s pelvis and holding it firm. Switch jerked in surprise, trying to move himself away, but fortunately Cash’s grip was vice-like.

“Don’t flatter yourself, snake,” he growled, enjoying the rare look of uncertainty that crossed the skeleton’s face, “Feel free to tell yourself that if it helps you sleep at night, but don’t pretend you don’t know the real reason I’m here.” Switch tried to push him away with a scoff, but Cash snatched both his writs in one movement, moving his other hand to grasp the startled monster’s spine to keep him still.

He leant close, his teeth brushing the side of Switch’s skull, “You’re just a scared little baby bones, terrified of losing control – that’s why you can’t handle it when anyone’s nice to you without you manipulating them to – and I know precisely how that feels, albeit not to the degree you do.” Switch had stopped pulling away from him briefly, eyeing him cautiously, “I know you don’t like me, and I sure as hell don’t like you, but I do understand you, you’re just like me.”

“You sssaid it yourssself, you don’t like me, ssso why not leave?” Switch was scowling at him, his eyes narrowed with distrust.

The warm summer waters were swaying back and forth with the waves, gently rocking the body of the dozing skeleton. He gave the occasional lazy swish of his tail, ensuring he didn’t drift too far towards the shore. Being spotted by some irritating monster or human would only be an inconvenience – it was better to stay closer to the rocky cliffs to avoid notice – he didn’t quite feel like having to throw anyone into the water when he could simply enjoy basking in the sunshine.

He lazily cracked his sockets open, squinting as his eye lights attempted to register his surrounds under such harsh light. Scanning the rocky beach along the water’s edge, he was surprised to spot a small cave opening, and entrance seemingly eroded into the side of the cavern and allowing a small measure of water to enter.

Cash rolled over onto his stomach, using his powerful tail to keep himself upright as he scrutinised it further. He couldn’t exactly say he was familiar with that particular part of the coastline, and the promise of possible exploration and adventure sang out to him, pulling him in closer. Or perhaps it was the tide dragging him closer, he couldn’t tell.

He hummed softly to himself, happily enjoying the sound of his own perfect tone for a few moments in thought before ducking under the water and beginning his approach. He stayed low, shadowing the outline of the coral and jagged stone as he proceeded to stealthily worm his way closer to the cave, pausing every little while to ensure there was no danger. A siren was no creature to be trifled with, but it never hurt to err on the side of caution when traversing unknown waters.

Once he had reached the point where the water flowed into the cave he surfaced again, taking another look. The entrance was far larger than it had appeared, and from his underwater viewing, it was also a lot deeper than he had first expected. Nevertheless, it still appeared to be deserted, despite his inability to see too far into the darkness beyond. However, being a monster used to the dark of the ocean he knew he would have no trouble navigating the tunnels, no matter how far they led.

He calmly sunk once more into the water, beginning to slowly creep through the large underwater passageways. He was forced more than once to use his arms to pull himself through gaps where the water narrowed, but he was otherwise able to simply give a few flicks of his tail to propel himself at a leisurely gait.

From the cave ceiling above hung small worms that were illuminated a bright blue, looking almost like the stars on a clear evening, and whenever Cash happened to breach the surface he would watch as small alien-like insects and lizards scuttled from the light of his magic that seemed unnaturally bright in such a dark place. It was like an entirely different planet, and despite the almost eerie atmosphere, he found himself deeply enchanted by its beauty.

Eventually, the water came to an end with a shallow pool, and the aquatic skeleton was forced to poke his head out of the water and balance on his front arms. The cave seemed to continue onwards, but unlike the area, he had just passed through there was light shining through a small opening at the highest point on the ceiling. It lit up the particles of dust that drifted through the air and cast deep shadows upon all of the stalactites and stalagmites.

The natural cave structure, however, was not what had caught the monster’s interest. Several metres from the water’s edge sat a large chest upon a raised stone platform. While the platform appeared crudely made at best, the chest was obviously something of high craftsmanship, its deep red wooden body, while old, still stood strong against the elements. It was edged with a slightly clouded silver metal that, while coated in a thick layer of dirt and possibly mould, could easily be polished and restored to its former glory. Strangely enough, the box’s wood was intricately carved with ancient etchings of large serpents. It triggered something deep within his memory, but he couldn’t quite recall what.

While normally he would have jumped at the chance to investigate the chest and its contents further, something put his body on edge, sending uneasy shivers all the way from the top of his neck to the tip of his tail. The possibility of finding himself some more riches was exciting, but still, his body screamed of danger and so he moved as slowly and silently as possible through the water and towards the rocky pool’s edge.

He sniffed the air but was uncertain what could be a dangerous creature’s scent and what was simply rot and damp. With each movement timid and carefully placed, the siren gently pulled himself from the water, beginning to drag his lengthy tail across the smooth stone with as little sound as possible.

He took another look around at the cave from his new vantage point, but still saw nothing of danger. However, his with mind reminding him constantly of the exciting chest he had yet to investigate, he was unsure if curiosity did not cloud his senses. Deciding to continue creeping forward, he was pleased when he managed to reach the object of his interest without problem.

Although he tried to pry the box open as slowly and quietly as possible, the rusted hinges creaked awfully and filled the cave with the unavoidably loud echoes. He tensed momentarily, pausing to listen for a moment before rearing up to consider the contents of the chest. He was stunned to find it filled with all manners of riches; and yet they were no common coins or jewellery, but rather elaborate golden tributes to ancient deities and alien objects that he sensed had been somehow enchanted.

In his excitement, Cash reached out to snatch a golden plate to inspect the illustration sketched onto its surface. It was the image of a many-armed human woman, riding astride a fierce tiger, holding weapons in some of her hands. He had never seen this particular goddess before – not that the siren spent much of his time studying ancient cultures – but due to his great love of expensive fabrics and gems, he could tell from the style of the clothing and jewellery adorning the woman that she hailed from some Indian philosophy.

He hummed in interest, his phalanges trailing over the picture and taking in all of the ridges and indents that covered its surface. It would take him many trips if he wanted to add the chest and its insides to his own treasure trove. He began to rummage about, pushing the gold at the top aside so he could search deeper when a sound caught his attention.

Cash’s head shot up from the confines of the wooden chest, his eyes darting around the cavern, but unable to spot what exactly was causing the sound. It was an odd noise to say the least – almost like water sizzling on a heated frypan – it was less than pleasant to listen to and more than a little unnerving. It had begun as only a soft sound, but it rapidly rose in crescendo until the horrible sound practically bounced off the walls.

From the gloom, the siren could only sit and watch as a slim, lengthy body of scales began to slither out from behind a few pillars. It was a serpent and a massive one at that. Its body was lined from head to toe in thick maroon scales and as it swept forward across the floor he could see that it was deliberately scraping the lines of scales against one another, creating the sizzling sound he had been alerted by.

While most of the body resembled a snake, the creature had the torso of a skeleton monster, one of its eyes alight with magic. It hissed softly, tasting the air with its tongue before its eyes settled on the smaller monster before it.

“Easy there, friend, ‘m just passing through,” Cash said quietly in as calm a tone as he could muster. He could feel a cold sweat beginning to form on his skull as he began to try and anxiously inch back towards the water. He knew better than to move too quickly, concerned that he would agitate the monster further, however, every time he attempted to move away the serpent would slither closer, looking him up and down with blazing intensity.

He didn’t even manage to get halfway back to the pool before the snake lunged forward with almost impossible speed. He grunted loudly as he was knocked onto his back, the air knocked from his non-existent lungs as the creature snatched his wrists. His momentary stupefaction gave the reptile just enough time to wind a few of its coils tightly around his waist and tail, ensuring it had a firm hold on him before lifting him up to its eye level.

With every slight relaxation of his tail’s muscles, the snake tightened its hold, quickly beginning to grow uncomfortably constricted. It was then that he was glad he didn’t need to breathe, otherwise, the monster could have easily begun to draw out the oxygen from his lungs and suffocate him a little more with every exhale. “I mean you no harm, Lamia” he choked out, continuing to try and free his arms.

It tilted its head, a soft rumble emanating from its chest, “I’m no Lamia,” it hissed, tongue slipping past its teeth to slide along one of its venomous fangs, “I am obvioussssly a Naga.” The snake, evidently a male from the sound if his voice and the general shape of his body, gave a soft chuckle, the tip of his tail reaching up to bind Cash’s wrists together behind his back.

“Wa’s the difference?” He growled, wincing as the scales jutting from the Naga’s body began to stab into his far less armoured tail. He couldn’t so much as twitch it anymore, only his chest and skull remained free.

The serpent’s jaw pulled upward in an almost playful smirk as his hands lighted upon Cash’s hips, “Nagasss are far sssuperiour to Lamiasss,” he began, humming to himself happily, “We are the guardiansss of ancient templesss and great treasuressss. We are sssemi-divine creaturesss, but you could probably tell that from my ssstriking good looks.”

Cash saw his opportunity for escape, offering a smirk of his own in return, “’course I could, handsome,” seduction was his forte – he wouldn’t make a very good siren if he couldn’t tell people exactly what they wanted to hear in order to lure them in – he slipped into the same mindset he used to trick unwary humans and monsters to their demise as easily as flicking a switch, “You’re feelin’ a little cold there, how’s about I help keep you warm?”

The Naga’s grip on him loosened as it moved closer, pressing its exposed ribs against Cash’s with what almost sounded like a purr, melting into the monster’s warmth. “Tha’s better now, isn’t it?” The snake was growing unweary, just like any monster beginning to fall under the siren’s charm, his body growing slacker with every passing moment and every silken word from the aquatic monster’s mouth.

“Mmm,” the serpent hummed back, tail uncoiling from Cash’s arms as he begun to slip into a relaxed haze. “I sssuppossse you’re not that bad, little fish,” He started to hum louder when the siren reached out and began to massage his ribs, his grip on the monster’s hips and tail almost non-existent.

Cash saw his opportunity, twisting from the creature’s grasp and practically throwing himself at the nearby water. He ignored the outraged snarl from the monster behind him, sliding across the ground faster than he’s ever moved in his life before plunging into the cool water. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite make it, a hand snatching his tail before he had the chance to flee and beginning to drag him back and out of the water.

He began thrashing in panic, scrabbling at anything he could take a hold of before the serpent could get a proper hold on him. There was a sudden pain that shot through his fins as something sharp clamped down on them, easily piercing the soft ectoflesh. He wrenched his tail away from whatever had impaled his tail, feeling another sudden burst of pain as he managed to reclaim his lower half.

Without sparing another moment the siren was racing back through the caverns, ignoring the scrapes he gained from moving so irrationally through the narrow tunnels. Even under the water, he could hear the distant sound of the snake’s scales rubbing up against one another, spurring him on like a whip to a racehorse.

He dove out from the cave’s entrance, not caring if he was seen anymore, refusing to slow his rapid pace until he was back in familiar water far, far away.

Cash allowed himself to sink into the water, closing his eyes as he relived his rather narrow escape, breathing heavily. He certainly wouldn’t be going back for that treasure. With a grimace of pain, he looked down at his tail, frowning at the way the large fin had been torn apart, a small trail of his magic drifting from the open wound.

He reached out and touched the injury, his eyes narrowing at the slightly discoloured magic leaking out from alongside his ‘blood’. He began to rub at his temples, sighing softly as he felt a headache beginning to grow. However, his mind had begun to cloud over, making focusing quite a troublesome task.

Sensing something was wrong, he slowly swam towards a large gathering of rocks poking just above the water’s surface. With no little amount of effort thanks to the numerous golden chains hanging from his neck, he hauled himself onto the stones, laying himself down and glancing down to inspect his tail closer. From where the fin had been pierced, lines of maroon magic had started to wind up through his veins, infecting the limb with what he could only assume was some kind of venom.

He cursed, gritting his teeth as a foul mixture of bile and magic began to rise up into his throat, his head spinning and rendering him limp. He was no expert in healing magic, nor with venoms and potions, but even if he had been he wasn’t sure he could hold focus long enough to do anything substantial.

Cash closed his eyes, grumbling quietly to himself, a mixture of curses and complaints. He lay still, resigning himself to simply waiting until the venom’s potency had dropped and its effects wore off… or the possibility that they wouldn’t.

There was an unnerving silence that had fallen over the forest like a heavy blanket, stilling the air and silencing the bird song for miles around, even the trees dared not to litter the ground with their fallen leaves nor fill the forest with the creaking sound of their ancient branches. No small animals scuttled along the unkempt pathway nor darted between the countless shrubs that lined the ground, and the grass had begun to dry out, snapping and crackling as Switch slowly weaved his way through the tightly packed plants.

He stopped abruptly, the glint of something reflecting into his eyes from the ground nearby. He reached down to retrieve the offending, metallic object, and hissed aloud to himself in unrestrained anger. Within the palm of his hand he held a machete; freshly sharpened, yet tainted with a shimmering purple liquid that was splattered across its length.

“Night!” The Naga called out, scanning the nearby area and beginning to feel the icy hands of fear clutch at his soul, “Night, are you there?”

Unfortunately, not even the wind would answer his calls, the silence continuing to reign over the ancient woodland. With his breath growing heavy and his soul pounding in his chest, Switch began to slither further along the pathway, searching desperately for a sign, any sign that the magic on the blade did not belong to his closest ally… his only friend.

He soon reached the end of the path without success. There stood an old oak, far larger and grander than any other the serpent had had the pleasure of witnessing, and below its ancient roots was the opening of a narrow tunnel. Switch leaned over the small entrance, feeling the ominous freezing wind that rushed up to greet him from its depths. He touched the blackened grass surrounding the den’s opening, watching as what has once been soft grass disintegrated into ash at the slightest disturbance. At least he knew his friend was home.

Without further thought the Naga began to descend into the pitch-black darkness of the thin tunnel system. While he was used to the dark of a cave, the narrow entrance made the massive snake begin to feel uncomfortably claustrophobic, and he was glad when he finally reached the main den.

Water dripped down from the roots that hung from above into small pools, and the frigid air from even further underground made the reptile shiver slightly and pull his clothes closer to his body. He was only able to avoid the cold water thanks to the light his maroon magic emitted, but off to one corner of the cavern he spotted a dim purple light.

Without further thought Switch closed his eyes, cautiously continuing to move in the light’s direction. “Night? I know you’re thhhere, are you sssafe?” he asked, his voice quiet and soft as he tried to hide the slight hissing sounds he made.

“Safe,” came the small reply. It was more than obvious that the other monster’s voice was strained and hoarse for some reason. However, Switch trusted his word, slowly opening his eyes and beginning to move closer to the small huddled form on the ground.

The smaller monster was curled in on himself, his tail and legs drawn in close to his chest, along with his arms that were each lined with beautiful amethyst feathers. While the feathers were hardly thick enough for actual flight, they could be used in other ways. There were more feathers along the skeleton’s spine that ended at the very top of his head where they formed a large crest that usually stood raised proudly in the air. But on that day they were lowered, pressed down firmly against the monster’s skull and only added to his pitiful appearance.

“Night?” Switch breathed softly, moving his body so that he curled protectively around the smaller skeleton, “Wh-What did they do to you?” His hands were shaking with barely contained rage. He would kill every last one of those pathetic humans, he would tear their bodies limb from limb and bathe the streets red.

His thoughts were interrupted by a small hand reaching up to clutch his own, the small monster smiling fondly despite the red cloth securely wrapped around his skull, obscuring his eyes from view, “Don’t,” he gave Switch’s hand a gentle squeeze, “I don’t want you to attack the village, it wasn’t their fault, not really. Don’t kill them Switch.”

The snake couldn’t help rearing up, his scales beginning to scrape along one another and creating their distinctive sizzling sound, “What do you mean?!” he snapped, hissing in disbelief, “Jussst look what they did to you! You’re ribsss have been ssslashed! How can you exxxpect me to jussst let thossse filthy creaturesss get away with thisss?”

Night’s smile didn’t falter despite the aggressive display, “They were just kids Switch,” The serpent paused, “I think they were just out exploring the woods, I scared ‘em is all, they just lashed out.” Almost as soon as the skeleton had spoken the words his face fell, “Besides, you wouldn’t be able to kill them anyway…I…” It was Night’s turn to begin shaking, but for an entirely different reason, “I looked at ‘em Switch, looked at ‘em dead in the eyes,” he choked, curling further into himself despite his injuries.

Switch was immediately upon the skeleton, coiling his immense body around him in some sort of hug, “It’sss okay Night,” he desperately tried to assure him, “Ya didn’t mean it, it’sss not ya fault.” Despite his gentle words the monster only shook harder.

“I- I should have known better, I… I should have… I should have…” he trailed off, blabbing between pained sobs. “Stars they were just kids Switch, they-they didn’t know!” Night began clinging to Switch’s coat, burying his face into his ribs, “They were just kids and I- I killed ‘em.”

Switch gently began to rub the back of Night’s skull, ruffling the silky feathers softly as he whispered quiet words of reassurance. He knew Night hated killing unnecessarily, but it was unfortunately something quite hard for the sensitive monster to avoid. It was why he lived all the way out, deep in the forest where no one would stumble across him. It was just the harsh reality of Night’s life.

The great halls of the palace stood eerily empty. At such a late hour it was to be expected that most monsters were already at rest, only a scarce few evening guards patrolling back and forth. Even then they were hardly on alert, spending the vast majority of their shift simply talking amongst one another. Besides, it was only a foolhardy monster that would dare attempt to break into the castle in the first place. It was precisely the mindset Papyrus hoped to exploit.

He kept to the shadows where he could, drifting slowly down each hallway as though he were an ancient ghost, fearing no living creature, for surely, they would overlook him as simply the trickery of the light. His hood was drawn heavily over his skull, casting his features beyond a veil of darkness from which he could peak at his surrounds, yet remain anonymous to anyone looking in.

He had almost reached his destination, and with practised ease he slid a single pack of playing cards from the inner pocket of his jacket, beginning to shuffle them silently as he walked. A smile played on his jaw, his white eye light diming only to be replaced moments after by the deep maroon light of his magic in his opposite socket.

As he rounded the corner he caught the attention of two lone guards, both of whom were surprised by the presence of another to be sure. They gripped their pikes, readying for a confrontation, should one arise. “What is your business?” one boomed, watching as the tall skeleton came to a stop before them, hands still rearranging the cards in their grip.

The cards began to glow a deep reddish purple, but before the guards had a moment to question the odd display, Papyrus pulled two from the desk, suddenly flicking his wrist and releasing them from his hold. They flew through the air at unnatural speed, and the guards had not the opportunity to realise their danger before they both fell to the floor, dust pouring from the precise slices across each of their necks.

Papyrus began to continue his leisurely stroll, retrieving the two cards with his magic and stowing them back safely within his coat pocket, even as the other two monsters gasped and spluttered, quickly crumbling to dust. The rush of LV was a welcomed sensation, the skeleton’s smirk not wavering for even a moment.

Without pause, he shoved open the door they had been guarding, stepping inside before collapsing onto the nearest chair without even the slightest hint of grace. He stretched out lazily with an overdramatic yawn as he proceeded to make himself at home. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from one of his other inner pockets, sliding one out before holding the tip out towards the other monster in the room, “Mind givin’ me a light, sssweetheart?”  

The monster sat before him – the King of monsters no less – seemed less than impressed by his display but obliged none the less. He reached out a large paw, a tiny flame flickering to life, which Papyrus promptly used to ignite the end of his so-called death stick. He took a long breath of the horrible smoke, allowing it to slither out through his nostrils upon exhale. “Thanksss darlin’~” he purred, knocking back his hood and allowing it to finally reveal his face.

“You’re late,” The King stated dryly, crossing his arms over his broad chest, “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

Papyrus gave a soft chuckle, “Nah, I could neva sssstay away ffrom you,” he added a wink, his laughter only growing all the louder as the goat monster buried his head in his hands with a muffled grumble, “Besssidesss, I’vve been hearin’, you got ssome informattion for me?” Deep down, he hated how awkward it was for him to speak, his mangled forked tongue causing him to hiss out his words. It was what had earnt him the title of ‘The Serpent’, along with his rather guileful tendencies.

“Perhaps,” The King began, eyeing the skeleton suspiciously, “You obviously went to great lengths to meet me here, and with those guards by the door-” he paused, “How exactly did you get past the guards outside?” he asked, eyes suddenly narrowing.

The hoodie-clad monster gave a snigger, pulling his cards out from within his coat and beginning to shuffle them, “You know me, Fluffybunsss, I jussst showed ‘em a card trick.” There were still tiny grains of dust trapped between the cards that occasionally slipped loose, dropping down into the skeleton’s lap as he giggled giddily.

The King, however, was not as amused, scowling down at him in disapproval, “And just how do you expect me to explain two dead guards to The Queen?” he demanded, gnashing his teeth with an outraged snort, “You can’t continue to simply kill anyone that gets in your way, Papyrus, I won’t keep covering for you every time you decided to have some ‘fun’ as you call it.”

Papyrus’ smirk didn’t drop, “Of courssse you will,” he stood up, sliding away his cards and closing the small distance between them in a few short steps, “you don’t have the nerve to rat me out to your oh ssso preccioussss wife,” his hand reached out, phalanges brushing gently through the thick fur of the goat monster’s face, “Besssidesss, we’d missss out on all our fun.”

Asgore allowed him to continue playing with his fur, before leaning into the skeleton’s touch when he moved to cup his face. His eyes closed for a moment and he let out a content sigh, enjoying the rare gentle touch while it lasted. When he moved away his face was once more stoic as if he had been completely unchanged by their brief moment of intimacy, “There’s a weapons shipment leaving Hotland for the Capitol in two days. It will be heavily guarded, and for good reason. Doctor Undyne has had a recent breakthrough with her work; I cannot say for certain just what it was, but it if it’s important enough to have both Alphys and your brother as escort…” he trailed off.

Papyrus understood, giving a slow nod, “Do you have a precissse time?”

“Half past five in the afternoon,”

“I’ll be there,” he confirmed, hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his pants, “Jussst need to have a few wordsss with ssome of my contactsss,” he hummed, glancing off to the side while his mind quickly ran through the preparations needed, and the people who could make said preparations under such a short deadline.

He idly took another puff of his almost forgotten cigarette before turning to leave, “Well, thanksss for the information, sssweetheart,” he had managed to get halfway to the door before Asgore’s voice halted him.

“Don’t think I don’t know why you really came here, Papyrus” he growled softly, “If you wanted this information you could have simply asked Undyne yourself, it would have been far less dangerous for you.”

Papyrus grit his teeth, hissing softly under his breath before inhaling another breath of smoke, “That doesssn’t matter,” he snapped, turning his head to glance back at the other monster, watching as his features softened for the briefest of moments, “I came to you becaussse you were clossser to Queen Toriel. I have no other reassson for wasssting my time here,”

He moved for the door, only just catching the King’s last words, “See you later, Papyrus.”

Papyrus sighed softly to himself, “Sssee you later.”

Switch:

 -          Switch is the Papyrus of Switchfell, and is the elder of the two brothers.

-          He is the anonymous head of a large black-market community and runs the only casino in the Underground.

-          While no one outside of the group (Excluding Sans) know who exactly is the leader of Switch’s gang, he goes by the alias of ‘The Serpent’.

-          Due to an accident in his youth, Switch has a large slit down the centre of his tongue, making it appear like the forked tongue of a reptile and causing him to have some trouble pronouncing words with ‘th’ and ‘s’ sounds. Often, he hisses or draws them out due to this.

-          He has a large scar running down the left side of his face, directly through his eye socket. He refuses to tell anyone where he got the scar from, however it seems to cause him no significant discomfort. Usually only his right eye light is lit white, however, his damaged left eye will still ignite a deep maroon colour when battling.

-          He is considered a trickster, preferring to manipulate his opponents from a distance rather than engage them face to face.

-          While he has no interest in most drugs, Switch enjoys the occasional cigarette when on his lonesome.

-          He usually carries around a deck of cards and often shuffles them in his hands when bored or anxious. He wears a long black trench coat with a hood that is lined with fur, and generally stores his cards in its inner pocket. Underneath his coat he wears a simply red sweater and black jeans.

-          His blaster takes the form of a viper’s skull.

-          Switch is good friends with the Muffet of his universe – he supports her business through his own dubious methods, and in return she provides him much needed information for specific jobs or about certain clients. They have had the occasional one-night-stand; however, it has never led to anything further due to Switch’s reluctance to commit to anyone.

-          His relationship with Undyne is purely business related. She is his main supplier of fresh technology. Through her, Switch provides funding to the Royal guard, making him untouchable even to the crown.

-          He is quite protective of his younger brother Sans, using his position to ensure the two of them are well protected. Most are too fearful to attack the co-leader of the Royal Guard, and Switch has his monsters ensure that anyone braver is kept firmly under foot. He will usually refer to him as ‘Captain’ when they are in public together.

Nightshade

 -          Nightshade is the name of Switchfell’s Sans, likening him to a poisonous nightshade berry. He is the younger of the brothers.

-          He works alongside his long-time friend and colleague Alphys as a co-head of the Royal guard. Despite what his brother might think, Night is quite capable of taking care of himself due to his large reserves of magic and years of intense training.

-          He is one of the few ‘outsiders’ who is privy to Switch’s business dealings and although it is his job to stop illegal operations, he is unable to do so without placing the crown in jeopardy. It is one reason of many as to why his relationship with his brother is not exactly ideal. Many times he has attempted to drag his brother away from his rather dangerous lifestyle, only to be dismissed.

-          Night often behaves snappishly toward Switch, annoyed that his brother insists on technically being his enemy – however, this does nothing to change Switch’s behaviour as he continues to treat Night as though there is nothing wrong with their situation.

-          As Night is more often than not on duty, he usually wears his armour whenever outside the house. His armour is quite light compared to the other guards, making it easier for him to manoeuvre and is black in colour with a deep purple outlining each section. He also wears a tattered old red scarf and heeled red boots.

-          Night’s magic is purple, and when in use both of his eyes will light up with the colour of the magic unlike most other skeletons where only the one eye will light up. Due to certain experiments in his past, he has an unnaturally high DT level, making his attacks more physical and therefore more dangerous.

-          He previously worked alongside a certain scientist without his brother’s knowledge and partook in some questionable science, some of which was performed on himself, hence some of his odd abilities.

Switch

Swap: Swap does not like Switch at all. This is due to his rather bad morals and character in general, but is also largely due to the way Switch treats Edge. He dislikes the way he seems to always be looking to stir up trouble and often impassive nature. While Switch enjoys riling up the other skeleton, he is cautious not to push him too far - best not to make too many unnecessary enemies. 

Blue: Blue is not the sort of person to believe anyone is wholly evil and so it determined that somewhere deep inside Switch can be a good person; he treats Nightshade well, so why can’t he do the same to everyone? He, however, understands that the monster has done some rather questionable things and agrees that Switch can be an ass when he wants to be. He tries to be polite and encouraging where he can. 

Edge: Edge is nothing more than someone fun to manipulate for Switch - he knows how badly Edge craves affection and draws him in with promises of love, only to inevitably break his heart. Switch doesn’t care about Edge and isn’t interested in being in a relationship, but that doesn’t stop him from leading the poor skeleton on and dragging him back to his side with false promises everytime he leaves. Swap is always there to comfort Edge with every broken heart. 

Red: Red despises Switch, simple as that. When forced to endure his presence Red becomes very snappish using every opportunity he can to try and argue with the horrible monster. Switch, on the other hand, enjoys their banter and deliberately tries to set off the smaller skeleton, particularly enjoying rubbing it in his face how badly he’s hurt Edge. 

Cash: While Cash does not approve entirely of his poor treatment of others, it’s not as though he does any better himself. The two are perhaps the closest out of the skeletons, often talking casually, playing cards together, occasionally even drinking together. They won’t consider each other friends, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t go out for some fun every now and then when they’re on their lonesome. 

Pup: Pup tries to avoid Switch where he can and becomes quite uncomfortable in his presence. He has a similar mindset to Swap but is less likely to speak his mind directly to Switch, unlike Swap who will openly voice his displeasure. Switch has his eyes on Pup, considering if he will be as easy to snatch up and control as Edge. 

Razz: Razz doesn’t mind Switch, he enjoys trying to show off and best the other monster with tales of his grandeur. He sees Switch as some sort of ‘goal’ for himself - a truly despicable monster who is hated by most people, yet is strong enough to not be worried by it. 

Twist: Switch views Twist in a similar light as Swap and enjoys trying to provoke him, testing the waters to see what he can get away with. He is not a particularly boastful monster, but he does enjoy bragging about what he has done (and perhaps still plans to do) to Edge to try and get a reaction. 

Blackberry: Switch treats Black perhaps a little nicer due to him being a Sans seeing as he has a slight soft spot for his brother’s alternative selves (excluding Red). Like with the other Sanses, he tries to get a little closer to Blackberry than his brother Twist. 

Nightshade

Swap: Perhaps a little of Swap’s dislike for Switch has rubbed off on his view of the Switchfell skeletons, but he doesn’t like Night as much as the other Sanses, despite how he tries to apologise for his brother’s actions. Swap doesn’t entirely trust that Night’s intentions are genuine. 

Blue: Blue admires that Night is also trying to help Switch be a better person and ‘save’ him from his current lifestyle. He is also impressed that Night has managed to become the co-leader of their universe’s Royal Guard. The two enjoy spending time together (much to Swap’s disapproval), and particularly enjoy cooking. 

Edge: Night tends to stay away from Edge when he can - he can’t help the feeling of guilt he gets knowing that he allowed his brother to make a fool out of the other monster again and again. 

Red: Red and Night have a turbulent relationship at the best of times. Red makes sure that Night knows just how much he hates his brother, refusing to allow him to even try and defend his actions. He also tries to keep between Night and Edge as much as possible, he doesn’t want any Switchfell scum anywhere near his little brother. 

Cash: Cash enjoys spending time with Night, just as he enjoys spending time with Switch. Night somewhat reminds him of his own brother and so the two get along quite well. While Night does not approve of Cash encouraging Switch’s bad habits, he admits that it is nice to see a Papyrus that is neither controlled by his brother nor harbouring a hatred for him. 

Pup: Pup certainly prefers Night to his brother. While they do not talk much, Pup is comfortable exchanging at least pleasantries with Night. 

Razz: Night is fairly disapproving of Razz, he doesn’t like the way the other Sans seems to pine for his brother’s attention and approval is continually in a rival-like state with him. He is worried that if he continues down his current path he may very well attract the wrong kind of attention from his brother. 

Twist: Night likes Twist, but is a little concerned with approaching him due to Switch’s deliberate attempts at annoying the skeleton. He tries to be as polite and honest as he can, trying to assure him that while his brother might appear to be a complete douche, he does have goodness in him... somewhere...