13 - Captor



It had been two weeks since Christmas, and Killer and I had been thoroughly trained in 'How to Treat Your Prisoner 101.' We fed him regularly, took shifts watching him, and even talked with him a lot! When he wasn't being watched, he actually behaved rather well, and made no trouble; it was exciting. Our first prisoner in the dungeon was a success! He was also a great listener when you rambled utter insanity, which I happened to do rather often, apparently. His speech pattern was a bit like Killer's, but perhaps more refined; that is, he spoke in a more rustic way, but he was still mostly understandable. The only visible flaw was that he wanted desperately to go home, which I guess every prisoner wanted; the only thing was that we couldn't let him go. I was currently watching him, being careful not to show him my face, which was apparently bad, although I didn't see why; I didn't question it. Killer and I also had frequent conversations with our communicators while one of us was watching the prisoner, so we weren't very lonely.


"So the rabbit wasn't there at all?" Killer wondered. I ignored the screaming and yelling in the background.


"Nope, just an illusion. Magicians are like that." I answered.


"Wow, wish I could do that!"


"Maybe someday."


"Oh, gotta go, Ink's got a smirk on his face, size of a watermelon."


"Don't get hurt too bad. Talk later, bye."


"Bye."


I then lowered my arm and rested my skull against the stone wall I was leaning against. Watching a prisoner was boring sometimes, but most of the time, it was pretty fun; the prisoner talked a lot about stuff - Nightmare said it was better not to call a prisoner by their name unless it was direct conversation - and I liked to listen to all kinds of stories. Some of the stories made me feel bad for him; he seemed unloved and ignored from what I understood. He'd been asking Ink to help his universe for fifteen years and he still hadn't received help; what really affected me was the fact that his people were starving. The sheer fact that I knew what they're going through made me pity them. They didn't lose magic in the same way that I did, which was good, but they were still starving. Some of his stories were happy, though, but it was mostly just his childhood; having a prisoner was both exciting and interesting. I heard him approach the front of his cell.


"So, ya doin' anythin'?" The prisoner asked.


"Not at the moment." I responded.


"Kid, I been 'n a lotta cells in m' life, an' I gotta say, this's pro'lly the mos' laid back."


"We renovated it a little to make it more welcoming; of course, if you want, we could make it menacing."


"Er. Nah, 'm good."


"Okay."


"Do ya hide yer face 'cause yer shy, er 'ave ya got a reason?"


"The less people that know my identity, the easier it is to walk into the supermarket."


"I got the stranges' feelin' that's a joke."


"And you're right. I just hide it mainly because Nightmare told me to: can't exactly be stealthy if everybody knows what you look like."


"I can see yer point."


"You can't even see my face, how do you see my point?"


"Heh. That's funny."


"Eh, it's not really."


"So, what's the rest o' this place look like? Er's it all like this?"


"It's a house, just a big one."


"How big?"


"Pretty big: bigger than the ruins, probably."


"I never asked ya what yer AU's like. Anythin' special?"


"Not really. To be honest, I'm not really sure what most of the other universes are like - just mine."


"Well, that ain't no fun. I guess there had ta be somebody."


"Guess so."


There were a few minutes of silence before the conversation continued.


"I wanna get home..." The prisoner yearned.


"I know..I wish I could let you go, but that would be kind of bad guarding." I swung my dagger around by habit.


"Yer not a real good bad guy, are ya?"


"I can be the bad guy fairly well."


"Want'n' ta let yer pris'ner go? Mos' villains ain't like that."


"Heh. Maybe we're just a different kind."


"Mayhaps."


The conversation ended there, and the prisoner sat against the back of his cell, staring out the front. About ten minutes later, Papyrus informed me that Killer and Nightmare were back. I wasn't supposed to talk to Papyrus out loud while the prisoner was listening for some reason, so I just used signs. Paps and I made our own version of sign language during the period of isolation, and called it Papsign; Paps loved it, and it was easy to talk to him when I had to be quiet. After my shift, Killer and I usually had free time to play or do whatever we wanted to do, but since Killer was in a battle, I doubted he'd be up for that. There were rare occasions when one of us had to go out with Nightmare alone, but they were very infrequent, since we only guarded the prisoner for four hours out of the twenty-four that made up a day; Nightmare sometimes took an hour too, just to be fair, but he didn't have to.


"How's Killer?" I questioned, in Papsign.


"He's got a few bad injuries, but he should heal." Paps replied.


"How long do you think?"


"A few days, probably."


I frowned sorrowfully.


"Don't be sad, brother! I'm sure Killer will heal in no time!" Paps encouraged.


"Thanks Paps. You're the best." I papsigned.


"I am the Great Papyrus!"


I continued twirling my dagger until the prisoner once again started conversation.


"Are ya really evil?" He wondered.


"I guess so, but if you want to get technical, I didn't sign any contracts." I returned.


"Ya capture me, put me 'n a cell, that's the bad part. After that, ya feed me reg'lar, lemme go unguarded, an' talk ta me lots. It don't make sense; even Dream ain't that kin.'"


"Well, you are our first prisoner. We haven't had one before."


"Ser'sly?"


"Yep."


"So how lon' ya know Nightmare?"


"About three and a half months."


"Only that lon'?"


"Mhm."


"How'd ya meet 'im?"


"Not really supposed to divulge that information, sorry."


"Eh, I un'erstan.' Can ya tell why ya joined 'im?"


"Sorry, nope."


"I got the fac' yer insane, but why d'ya seem so calm? Ain't insane folks s'pose ta be crazy?"


"Not always."


"Got 'ny idea when yer gonna lemme go? Ain't nobody gonna come fer me."


"How do you know that?"


"Ain't cared 'nough fer. Don't think they even know 'm gone yet."


"Why do you stay with them if they don't care about you?"


"Quest'n I been askin' m'self fer the pas' fideen years. Still dunno. O'er 'alf the people't said ta join 'em died o' starvin.'"


"And they still do nothing? Have you tried seeking other help?"


"Who's else's out there able ta help?"


I desperately wanted to say 'us,' but I knew that I probably shouldn't, opting rather to let out a sigh. When I was on the verge of death, I was helped without delay; why should anybody else have been left to suffer? I wanted to help him so much.


"I don' think my home's gonna las' much lon'er..I jus' wanna get back.." The prisoner was desperate.


"Believe it or not..I understand." I confessed.


"How can ya un'erstan' yer entire worl' bein' ripped outta your han's with no way ta stop it?"


"I lost mine a long time ago."


"How'd ya survi'?"


"I shouldn't have."


"Error 'stroy it?"


"No - I wish he did."


"Gosh. That bad?"


"Heh. I hope you don't ever have to experience it."


"What'dja do, fall inta the void?"


"No. I really don't want to talk about it; I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry."


"No nee' ta be sorry. Some thin's 'r jus' like that."


"Heh, usually Killer tries to wrestle the information out of me; he's more of the 'Talk about it and you'll feel better' kind. Nightmare's a bit more lenient."


"Soun's like ya got good frien's. Don't lose 'em."


"I'll try. Why are you giving me advice, anyway? I'm literally holding you in a cell."


"Yer hor'ble at bein' a bad guy, an' ya make good talk."


"What does Killer do when he watches you?"


"Mos'ly same's you."


"My two hours is almost up" I looked down at my watch.


"Ya han't even fallen sleep yet."


"Is that a requirement?"


"Partly. 'N fac' ya han't fallen sleep even one time while watchin' me. Us'ly Sans's fall sleep doin' mos'ly anythin.'"


"Sleeping isn't really that appealing to me anymore unless I'm tired, to be honest. I just kind of..grew out of it, I guess."


"Didn't know that was pos'ble."


"Learn something new every day, I guess."


"S'pose so."


At that moment, my watch beeped. My two hours was up, and I was supposed to leave now.


"Guess I'll be back tomorrow: bye." I began to stand up.


"Seeya." The prisoner reclined on the back wall of the cell further.


I then left the basement, hoping Killer was all right. When Paps said 'a few days,' it probably wasn't good. I approached the living room, which was the most likely place for Killer to be, and saw Nightmare in the process of healing him; I greeted them both and sat on a couch near them. Killer didn't look too bad; at least, not as bad as I'd seen him before. He didn't look like he had any fractures, which was the important part, but he was littered with scratches and scrapes, which didn't shine any light on the situation. As always, he constantly insisted that he was fine, which was a lie, but I guess he didn't want us worrying about him; we still did. After a while, Nightmare deemed him able to heal naturally in a day or two, which was a huge relief. He sat up and began to talk about whatever crossed his mind, like he normally did; this was an indication that he was feeling good. We all talked for a while, eventually getting to what I was doing while they were out; I decided to speak my mind.


"I feel bad for him." I admitted.


"Whaddya mean?" Killer wondered.


"From what I can gather, he's not in a good place, and I don't think he's lying about it. I don't know what to do; he needs help, and nobody's helping him."


"He's been on the other side for over a decade; surely they'd help him." Nightmare stated.


"He told me that he's been trying for fifteen years to get help for his universe, and he's seen nothing from it."


"Could it be a trick to gain our trust?"


"I highly doubt it. His voice sounds too desperate; you can't fake that often."


"I can see where this is going..all right, I'll offer."


"Really?"


"So ya mean we might get a new playmate?" Killer questioned.


"Perhaps."


"Awesome!"


"You do realize that if he accepts we're not going to have a prisoner anymore, right?"


"Fair trade." I said.


"I can deal with that." Killer agreed.


"All right, then. You two come with me. Dust, in case he declines, you and Killer are going to stay a bit behind." Nightmare started walking towards the basement.


We followed him down the stairs and down the hall, stopping a cell or so before the prisoner's.


"Hello." Nightmare greeted.


"Yo." The prisoner returned.


"Horror of Horrortale."


"That's my name, don't wear i' out."


"I have heard about your current situation. Is what you say true?"


"Ain't got no cause ta lie."


"If I were to offer you assistance in return for a service, which I believe you already know the details of, would you accept it?"


"I'd do anythin,' but hypathet'cals ain't helpin' much."


"Then I am offering you this choice."


"What?"


"Our help, for your loyalty."


"I..I don't know what ta say.."


"Simply say yes or no."


"Well...yes!"


"You can't take this back, you know."


"I un'erstan,' jus' please help 'em!"


"Very well. I will take control of your AU and ensure that it is kept safe. Welcome to Nightmare's Gang."


"Thanks so much!"


"You should really be thanking your new partners."


Silence.


"Was that a cue?" Killer wondered.


"...Yes." Nightmare facepalmed. "It was a cue."


"Oh! Sorry, sorry, do it again please!"


"Okay..."


Nightmare lowered his hand from his forehead and started over.


"You should really be thanking your new partners."  Nightmare repeated, a bit less enthusiastically.


Killer and I walked into view, smiling. I was glad somebody could finally see my face.


"Killer and Dust. They convinced me to make this offer." Nightmare confessed.


"I dunno how ta thank ya." The about-to-not-be-a-prisoner grinned.


"Well, we will begin by letting you out of this cell and taking control of your universe. After that, we will talk."


"Can I ask what's that mean?"


"Taking control of a universe?"


"Ye.'"


"That simply means that I will become the sole provider for your universe's needs, and become an important decision maker regarding it. Of course, that's only this case; there are other cases."


"Int'restin.'"


"Indeed. First, one of you let him out."


"Okay!" I opened the door.


"What now?" The now free skeleton asked.


"Now we're going. Watch your step." Nightmare suggested, opening a portal.


"Darkes' port'l I ever seen."


"Comes with the business. Come on."


We followed Nightmare through his portal, and ended up in Horrortale; it looked pretty empty, but not as empty as mine, of course. The trees looked scary, the snow looked scary - basically the entire universe was scary; it didn't scare me, though. A universe called Horrortale was probably supposed to be scary. Speaking of universe names, we still hadn't figured out mine yet, and Killer knew his, but wanted to keep it private; Nightmare, Paps, and I respected that.


"I assume you want to keep your name? Some change it when joining other factions; I'm open to preferences." Nightmare offered.


"Horror's my name, ain't gonna change i.'" Horror confirmed.


"All right then; you may want to run ahead of us so our presence isn't ill-received."


"Good idea. Seeya up ahead!"


After this, we watched as Horror ran towards Snowdin, smiling brightly. He looked so happy.


"Looks like your idea paid off." Nightmare walked briskly, yet moved slowly. I was fairly sure it was an optical illusion. 


"Yeah!" Killer agreed. "Ya made somebody real happy..I just realized that defeats the entire purpose of this group."


"We can fix it later."


"Right. Hey, Dust?"


"Huh?" I wondered.


"Didjya always have your camera there, or am I just blind?"


"I've had my camera around my neck since I got it constantly except when I slept; how did you not notice that?"


"I dunno - not very perceptive, I guess."


"We're coming up on Snowdin. Dust, you don't have to hide here." Nightmare assured.


"Awesome." I commented.


"So how're we gonna give them food if we don't have any on us?" Killer questioned.


"I'll handle that part." Nightmare answered.


"Okay."


We entered the Snowdin, and were greeted with smiling faces, albeit hungry ones. The starving inhabitants were fed almost immediately; I guess Nightmare had a plan set for this type of occasion. We spent about an hour in the universe, meeting the inhabitants and sharing random stories; honestly, it was fun. After the hour, Nightmare decided to officially take control of the universe, which was apparently a difficult process. Killer and I watched as he approached the center of Snowdin; I supposed that was where to do it. He reached down to the ground, and channeled some of his magic into it; we were in awe as the negative power flowed through the universe, essentially surrounding it. This really was taking control: using your magic to prevent anybody you don't like from messing with it. It was actually an amazing display, and I took a lot of pictures; to be honest, I took a ton of pictures that day.


I liked taking pictures of things; they allowed me to revisit memories of my own instead of somebody else's - not that I didn't enjoy the memories of others. I guess I was just more suited to living in the past, but I was always ready for the future. We had a new friend now; that was exciting. Over the next few days, we taught Horror about all the intricacies and details of being multiversal criminals, which was thrilling, to say the least; Nightmare allowed him to live in his universe with his brother, and gave him a communicator so we could contact eachother. Horror's end of the deal only involved him assisting us once every week, so it was very manageable for him, and we always looked forward to his helping us. We also provided the inhabitants of his universe with any food they needed, along with plain old company occasionally! The first time he joined us on a run was hilarious; Ink's face was too comedical to not take a picture before starting the fight. 


Overall, the story of our first prisoner was a pleasant one, and we ended up becoming great friends with Horror. He dropped by often, and we enjoyed every visit - Nightmare was still bent on getting Error to join us, though.


One thing was true about this event: it proved that we were the worst dungeon keepers in the multiverse, and there was no denying it; at least any prisoners we got would be more content in our cells than anyone else's.


Our family was growing.


~~~chapter end woot~~~


Dust bean meet Horror bean.


Thanks for reading my horrific writing!


Bye!

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