Napstablook stopped swimming as Moyoletic did, seeing her twisting in on herself and look upwards to the unseen sky somewhere far above them.
"𝙸𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞?" He asked hesitantly.

"υηƒσятυηαтєℓу ѕσ, ιт ιѕ. му вσ∂у α¢нєѕ ƒяσм тнє ωєιgнт σƒ тнє ωαтєя αяσυη∂ мє, αη∂ му тαιℓ ιѕ ѕσяє ƒяσм ѕωιммιηg ιη тнιѕ нєανу ρℓα¢є. ι ∂αяє ησт gσ ƒυятнєя."

A familiar apology weighed heavier on him than the ocean around them, but Napstablook found it in himself not to give in to it.
She wanted to come, it was not his fault that the water pressure was too much for her to endure any longer.

"𝙾𝚑.. 𝙾𝚔𝚊𝚢. 𝙸'𝚕𝚕.. 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙸'𝚕𝚕.. 𝚜𝚎𝚎? 𝚈𝚘𝚞?" He struggled to find a different response than his usual, finding it awkward.
Moyoletic simply nodded, turning upward.
"ι ωιℓℓ αωαιт уσυ ιη мσяє тσℓєяαвℓє ωαтєяѕ."

Napstablook nodded, though it went unseen as the sea serpent swam back to the shallows, a grey streak in the twilight darkness.

With a great deal of nervousness, Napstablook peered down into the endless black full of distant red streaks that waved like idling tentacles, shuddering.
He tuned into Sans's conversation back on the boat, the skeleton distantly acknowledging his presence before Frisk urged him to keep going in spite of his fear.

So, with that, Napstablook pushed the question of when he might next need air away and started on, as ready as he could be to push through the unnerving reality of the deep sea.

No matter how he could have prepared, Napstablook was far from ready for what awaited him in the suffocating black.

. • ° . • ° . • °

Sans was only vaguely paying attention to whatever Napstablook was experiencing in the faraway and isolated world below him, busy instead with keeping a relaxed front on in hopes of them forgetting their fear.
He needed them not to be afraid.
Frightened humans would lead to violent humans.
He knew.. too well of how that worked.

But even in his great focus, Sans was completely blinded by the wave of pure shock and horror that came flooding to him, accompanied by a single image.

It was a truly titanic cavern; one that rivalled even the size of Waterfall in the Underground. It was glowing faintly in aquamarine and lilac, the source of the light being mysterious circles, many so massive the dragon could lay on them and still not cover half of them.

It was horrifying partly because they were suckers on tentacles of a truly stupendous size, ringing the walls of the cavern and leading up to something near the top.

It was hard to grasp, but that something appeared to be a swollen eye of sorts, sunken deep in the face of the thing that made up the cave. There was simply no way of discerning where and what the rest of its body was, and they weren't sure they wanted to know anything more about this being of the depths.

"Is that fucking Cthulhu-" Sans stuttered before he could control his response, leaving the humans to mildly panic and look behind themselves as he leaned on the rail behind himself, fighting back a shiver.

We have to stay Determined. It's probably much nicer than it looks!
Frisk, I've read Lovecraft! Sans screamed internally. I'm going to have nightmares from that face alone.

Before Napstablook could regain his wits and Sans reply to the humans' questions, Frisk abruptly assumed control, darting through the thick, crushing weight of the water and slamming a bony talon on the meeting point of two pillars- right on the very much alive webbing between tentacles.

The spark between the skeledragon and the thing was a vivid red, flickering down the length of the tentacles and room itself, stony boulders the size of houses melting into creatures of flesh, mounds on the floor slowly gaining color and lights as they peeled off into strange, unearthly jellyfish and similar creatures.

"Cthulhu's not a funny joke." A distant voice explained in exasperation, but Sans was hunched over, mind elsewhere.
"You're.. not seeing what I'm seeing.." He managed to speak through gritted teeth.

It was then that the walls shifted, great tentacles the size of highways peeling off solid rock, the water shaking with the low roar of the tremendous limbs, the sound caused by them simply moving.

Finally, the eye slid open, eyelid moving sideways under a thin overlying membrane. The eye was the size of a small house, completely black save for a hint of glowing violet at the rim.

They seemed to lock onto the frozen dragon, the titanic protrusion in the middle of all the tentacles parting- revealing it's identity as some kind of beak as a low roar echoed through the cavern.

Napstablook was crying despite himself now, white droplets dissolving into the water as a white fluid, almost a mist amidst the now hundreds of massive eyes focusing entirely upon them.

For once, true terror creeped into the skeledragon as they realized they had no idea what this being would want to do with them.

Yet, despite everything, an alien voice of feminine nature wrenched itself into their mind, speaking with halting slowness and relying on impressions.

Ꭵ.. ᏖᏂᏗᏁᏦ ᎩᎧᏬ. ᎦᎧᏒ ᏇᏗᏦᎥᏁᎶ.. Ꭵ. ᏝᎧᏁᎶ Ꭵ ᏕᏝᏋᏋᎮ... ᏁᎧᏖ ᏕᏗᎷᏋ, ᎥᏕ ᏇᎧᏒᏝᎴ. ᏇᎧᏒᏝᎴ.. ᎴᏒᎩ. ᏇᏗᏒᎷ. Ꭵ ᎤᏬᏋᏁፈᏂ.... ᎩᎧᏬ.. ፈᎧᎷᏋ ᎦᏗᏒ. ᎷᎥᏁᎴ ᎧᎦ ᏖᏂᏒᏋᏋ. Ꭵ ᏗᎷ ᏖᏂᏗᏁᏦᎦᏬᏝ. Ꭵ ᎶᎧ.. ᏕᏋᏋ ᏕᏂᏗᏝᏝᎧᏇ. ᏕᏋᏋ ᏝᎥᎶᏂᏖ. ᏒᏋᏝᏋᏗᏕᏋ ᏝᎥᎦᏋ.

Everything began to crack and split apart as the creature began to peel itself off the ocean floor. Sans frowned, deciphering the nigh incomprehensible "speech" of the entity, slowly feeling a chill down his spine as he realized.
"Oh God, it's coming to the surface."

As it finally extricated itself from the seabed, Sans leapt for the cabin, throwing himself at the controls.
"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, but you humans need to get the hell outta dodge." He explained as seriously as possible before one could pull him off.

As soon as he started the engine, Sans gunned it, watching in the back of his mind as the tentacled being began rising, hooking a taloned tendril under the skeledragon and bringing them up with them.

As the trio of humans shouted up a ruckus while clinging to whatever they could get a hold on, Sans observed the apparent giant octopus that dwarfed an entire mountain, it's main body rivalling skyscrapers. It had laid itself flat against the stone ocean bed, blending in with the terrain.

He could see the shore by the time it surfaced, appearing as an enormous dark mass on the water. One of the men on the boat saw, shouting to the others and pointing wildly.

ᏖᏂᏋ ᏗᎥᏒ.. ᎥᏕ ᏰᏗᎴ? ᏇᏗᏖᏋᏒ.. ᏂᎧᏖ. ᏂᏬ.. ᎷᏗᏁ. ᏇᏂᏗᏖ. ᏖᏂᏋᎩ. ᎴᎧᏁᏋ? The octopus spoke, difficult to comprehend.

The colossal eye zeroed in on the skeledragon, a sense of questioning emanating from the telepathic voice.
"𝙸.. 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎.. 𝚋𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛." Napstablook managed to speak through his terror, albeit weakly.

The lone eye blinked sideways, and then the dragon froze as something drove itself into their mind, perusing memories like a magazine with disturbing speed.

Ꭵ ᏕᏋᏋ. ᏗᎷ ᏕᎧᏒᏒᎩ. ᏝᏗᏁᎶᏬᏗᎶᏋ.. ᎴᎥᎦᎦᎥፈᏬᏝᏖ. ᏕᏖᏒᏗᏁᎶᏋ ᎦᎧᏒᎷ ᎧᎦ ᏖᏂᎧᏬᎶᏂᏖ. ᎩᎧᏬ ᏖᏂᎥᏁᏦ ᏕᏖᏒᏗᏁᎶᏋ. Ꭵ ᏬᏁᎴᏋᏒᏕᏖᏗᏁᎴ. It paused, struggling to form coherent sentences.

Far away, Sans slowed the boat, peering back cautiously at the dark mass in the water as it continued.

Ꭵ Ꭹ'ፚᏗᏖᏗé. ᎧᏁᏋ ᎧᎦ. ᏖᏇᎧ. Ꭵ ᏗᏁᎴ. Ꮢ'ᏝᎩᏋᏂ. ᏝᏗᏕᏖ ᎧᎦ ᎧᏬᏒ ᏦᎥᏁᎴ. ᎩᎧᏬ.. ᎩᎧᏬ ᏂᏗᏉᏋ ᎶᏒᏗᏁᎴ ᎴᏒᏋᏗᎷ. ᏁᎧᏰᏝᏋ ᎴᏒᏋᏗᎷ. Ꭵ ᏕᏋᏋ ᎩᎧᏬᏒ ᏇᎥᏕᏂ. Ꭵ ᏂᏋᏝᎮ. Ꭵ ᏗᏇᏗᏦᏋᏁ. ፈᎧᎷᏋ.

"... What..?" Sans muttered to himself, indifferent to the humans discussing what to do with him only feet away.

"𝙸.. 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎? 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.." Napstablook trailed, watching as one truly massive tentacle slowly moved upwards to the surface, unfurling itself as it passed over the continental shelf and stretching out closer to the shore- "It's reaching for the boat?!" Sans couldn't help the girlish, panicked scream he uttered as he turned back towards the wheel- but was too late.

The entire boat abruptly jolted upward, throwing everyone to the floor as it lifted several feet into the air. Sans had just long enough to get his arms under himself before it landed back on the water, promptly throwing everything into the air as the boat started moving backwards so fast everyone landed closer to the front, one of the humans getting knocked out.

Sans clung to an indoor rail as he struggled to get his dizziness to abate, noticing a massive claw impaling the vessel almost squarely in the middle, a smaller circle of.. teeth appearing beside it.
The tentacles have teeth?! He choked on his breath, horrified.

After a moment of general confusion and blind panic, Sans wrestled his fear under control, pulling himself upright and summoning a bone attack, letting it's tip sharpen into a point as he stabbed it into the floor and gripped it. The boat was already totaled if the spike and teeth were anything to go by.

He was just beginning to whip up a plan of defense- just grab the humans and teleport out of there- when a dozen surprisingly small tendrils shot out of the water like some open ocean horror film cliché and started weaving around the boat, smashing through the cabin windows and curling around everyone inside before he fully understood what was happening.

On impulse, Sans teleported out of the grip, stumbling without his support as the boat bounced violently over the waves, dragged from underneath towards an unknown and horrifying entity.

Napstablook was only just beginning to come to his senses and erupt out of the water, pounding wings to go airborne as Sans attacked the invading tentacles in outright panic.

Without warning, the voice returned, echoing slightly with a weight that almost seemed to physically bear down upon everyone present as it spoke with eerie calmness.
ᎴᎧ ᏁᎧᏖ ᎦᏋᏗᏒ. Ꭵ ᏂᏋᏝᎮ. ᏁᎧ ᎦᎥᎶᏂᏖ.... Ꭵ ᎧᏁᏝᎩ ᏇᏗᏁᏖ.. ᏂᏋᏝᎮ ᎩᎧᏬ.

"How 'bout you don't?!" Sans hollered, stabbing an approaching tentacle.
The voice's attention zeroed in on him.
Ꭵ ᏬᏁᎴᏋᏒᏕᏖᏗᏁᎴ. Ꭵ ᏗᎷ.. ᎦᏒᎥᎶᏂᏖ.. ᏋᏁ... ᏰᏬᏖ. Ꭵ ᏕᏋᏋ ᎩᎧᏬᏒ ᎴᏒᏋᏗᎷᏕ. Ꭵ ᏕᏋᏋ ᎩᎧᏬᏒ. ᏂᏋᏗᏒᏖ. ᏕᎧᏬᏝ. Ꭵ ᏕᏋᏋ ᏂᏬᏒᏖ. ᎦᎧᏒᎶᏋᏖ. ᎩᎧᏬ ᏇᏗᏁᏖ ᏒᏋᎷᏋᎷᏰᏋᏒ.... Ꭵ ᏂᏋᏝᎮ ᏇᏗᏦᏋ ᎷᏋᎷᎧᏒᎩ. ᎴᎧ ᏁᎧᏖ ᎦᏋᏗᏒ, ᏰᎧᎴᎩ ᎧᎦ ᏂᏋ ᏇᏂᎧ ᎥᏕ ᏖᏂᏒᏋᏋ. Ꭵ ᎷᏋᏗᏁ ᏁᎧ ᏂᏬᏒᏖ.

Sans stared at the tentacle in front of him, curled up at his feet. "How the hell am I supposed to trust some giant octopus dragging me into the ocean like the fucking kraken?!" He stepped away, Soul hammering in his ribcage.

ᏝᏋᏖ ᎷᏋ ᏂᏋᏝᎮ. Ꭵ ᏕᏂᏗᏒᏋ ᎩᎧᏬᏒ ᎴᏒᏋᏗᎷ. Ꭵ ᏦᏁᎧᏇ ᎩᎧᏬ ᎮᏗᎥᏁ.. ᎩᎧᏬ ፈᏗᏁ ᏕᏗᏉᏋ ᏰᏒᏋᏖᏂᏒᏋᏁ... Ꭵ ᏗᏝᎧᏁᏋ. ᎩᎧᏬ ᏦᏁᎧᏇ ᏖᏂᏋ ᏗፈᏂᏋ.

He felt himself stutter upon decoding the words.
He did, he knew all too well the pain of being the last of his kind, for he had grown up being the only skeleton save for his own brother. It might have turned out to be false, but that didn't undo the decades of pain thinking he was so alone.

Sans was shocked to find his face damp, irritably wiping it off. "Get outta my skull, ya overgrown octopus!" He stabbed the tendril with a bone and backed into the corner, glancing up at the humans nearby and seeing them completely cocooned, unable to do anything but watch helplessly.

Napstablook was diving, Frisk having the idea to blast away the tentacles and snatch everyone out of there, boat lost to the sea.
Out of nowhere, one of the men's eyes widened and he screamed.
"Behind you!"

Sans started to turn, only to feel a cold, thick tube slithering onto his neck vertebrae from the other side, jumping away and slapping it in vain to get it off only for it to slip under his hoodie and shirt, past the collarbone and hooking onto his ribs.

All his instincts screamed as he wrestled with it, shouting in mindless panic before another was curled around his spine, screaming as a third roped itself around his neck vertebrae and lifted the skeleton into the air and towards the window. In his madness,he slipped into Wingdings.

"PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF LAZARUS DO SOMETHII-" He was cut short as he was lifted through broken glass, scared senseless to the point of screeching, thrashing in the tight hold before getting dragged directly into the water.

He choked, having screamed his air out before Napstablook crashed into the boat, having been blinded by the sheer force of pure, mindless terror.

Dazed, half his body slid into the salty brine, slowly reanimating to cling to the wreck weakly as tentacles wove themselves between all the skeledragon's bones, slowly wrenching him into the unforgiving ocean.
He had the chance to let out a single, guttural wail before submerging into the sea.

In the water, Sans was pitifully clawing at his bonds, gasping for air and inhaling only water, bl
darkness seeping into his consciousness.

Soon all he could see was black, feeling his grip loosen as his viewpoint switched solely to the dazed dragon, reaching out for his body as both were pulled deeper towards the center of the dark mass, faint glowing lines along the tentacles that hung all the way down into the abyss below, faintly glowing violet eye staring at them as it turned, slowly revealing a second eye on the other side of its body.

The dragon distantly spied a strange change to Sans's form, phalanges sharp and clawed and bare feet revealing something that had somehow become more digitigrade.
Then their vision faded, leaving them in darkness.

"ιт ιѕ αℓяιgнт, ∂яαgση тнαт ιѕ ησт. у'zαтαé нαѕ тσℓ∂ мє нєя ιηтєηтιση. ѕнє ωιѕнєѕ тσ gιƒт уσυя нєя ѕтяєηgтн αη∂ уσυя мємσяу. ѕнє ιѕ gσσ∂. ѕнє ιѕ ωιѕє. ι тяυѕт ιη нєя." They heard Moyoletic speaking somewhere off to the side in wonder, realizing that her voice seemed to be echoing, more in their mind than aloud. Was it a trick? Hallucination?

They had no clue, and before they could think anything else, their consciousnesses ground to a halt and they knew no more.