Chapter 15

The four set out into Hotland soon after Muffet’s departure. Frisk and Undyne couldn’t stop giggling about what had happened with the spider monster and Piper, and said human ignored them in favor of walking with Grillby. She was still a little peeved about the whole thing.

Grillby just walked arm-in-arm with the human, his attention mostly focused on her. They only ever separated to go through puzzles. Frisk and Undyne tried to listen to what he said to her, but he was so quiet that neither could hear. But, whatever he said, it certainly made her happy. Perhaps he just wasn’t talking.

“Jeez, they've got it bad…” Undyne murmured, rubbing the back of her head. “It's like those slice of life animes Alphy likes so much.”

“Yeah,” Frisk nodded. “It’s disgusting.”

“We can hear you,” Piper called from the back.

“We know~” the fish monster grinned. “That’s why we’re making fun of ya!”

She glared at them and huffed.

Their trip through Hotland was quick. They didn’t encounter many monsters wanting a fight.

The Core wasn’t much better. The constant metallic banging made the humans uneasy. Even though Frisk had gone through this area a dozen times, it was no less unnerving. Piper had to carry them to make both of them feel better, but even that didn’t help much.

“We should hurry…” Grillby told Undyne quietly. The fish monster nodded in agreement before they gently herded the humans through the tunnels. They made their way quickly to the elevator to New Home. Undyne chattered the whole way, and it was a nice distraction.

Undyne stayed behind as Grillby got the humans into the elevator. “This is my stop, guys. Hope you do well.”

Grillby nodded in understanding. “We understand…”

“Stay safe out there,” Piper said softly, stroking Frisk’s hair.

“This is me yer talkin’ to!” She grinned. “You guys call me when the barrier’s down, okay?”

“Will do.”

The fish monster gave them a thumb’s up and sent them on up.

Piper leaned against Grillby as the elevator rose up. They stood in tense silence for several minutes. “I’m scared…”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He rest his chin on top of her head as she snuggled into him. “I’ll be with both of you the whole time… I won’t let anything happen to you…”

She nodded and stroked Frisk’s hair. Frisk looked up at them and snuggled into Piper. None of them were excited for what lay ahead.