Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For all its life, Seek had been told that it didn’t have a soul; admittedly, most of those came in the final life moments of would-be monster hunters, spitting their venom moments before they were consumed. It, however, had no reason to doubt such a statement; it felt neither remorse nor compassion towards the insignificant little vermin that scuttled before it. Once living, breathing creatures reduced to meat and blood, ready to be consumed without a second thought. Only something soulless could be so cruel.

Evidently, that was not the case.

Had Seek not had an eternity of imprisonment in this world, it might not have known what the red line connected to its body was supposed to signified. Fortunately, they’ve had plenty of time to peruse the numerous volumes and texts to be found in this hotel, if only as a time pass. Human words could be so… dull, but they told it all it needed to know.

Seek had a soul. Not only did it have a soul, but it had a soul mate. A life form that was destined to be theirs. A life form that was irrevocably bound to them, for all eternity. Wasn't that an exciting thought?

They'd be weaker than them, of course; Seek wouldn't have it any other way. Their fated partner would have to rely on them for all things: security, protection, nourishment… and in exchange, they'd give Seek everything. It's not like they'd even have a choice to.

Seek knew something was amiss instantly; with eyes all over the place, it would be near impossible for it to miss anything. The moment it laid its eyes on… you, it knew. It knew that you belonged to them. Only them. It was only a matter of time before you fell into its grasp.

Admittedly, it had expected you to enter its embrace willingly, but much like others of your kind, you ran. Whether or not you noticed the tie of fate linking the two of you together or not did not matter; Seek was not opposed to hunting down that which belonged to them.

You… You got away…

Frustration dug into the very fibre of its being as it slammed against the door, a futile effort to break it down whilst it was under the blessing of a divine. To be denied that which was theirs… seething was an understatement. If one of the mindless beasts that roamed these halls killed you before Seek was able to catch you, there would be hell to pay.

Seek was pleasantly gleeful when it saw you again. Surviving all the other monsters that came before you, the Figure especially, as well as being to outrun them once: perhaps you were not as pathetic as other humans could be. Good, if you were as fragile as some of them could be, it might not have been worth the effort to keep you around in the end.

You were cautious as you walked through the corridor; this was going to be just like before, you just knew it.

As if on cue, as you neared the end of the corridor, the entity that had chased you once before began to pool out of the ground and rise up. The humanoid body broke its way out of the undefined mass and was to give chase.

But this time, its demeanour was completely different. It was slower to rise, and the stare from the singular eye on its head felt more hardened than ever. You weren't going to let it bother you, you just needed to run.

Bursting out into a sprint, you booked it towards-

"I don't think so"

Your entire body is suddenly jolted backwards, like some unseen force just yanked you backwards. You let out a groan as your back collides with the ground, skidding back somewhat. Panic stricken, you try to get back onto your feet, only for it to happen for a second time.

"What did I just say?"

Despite the heavy, laboured breaths that leave you as you lie on your back, the steps of the entity echo clearly in your ears as it approaches you with an amble gait.

As the monster that stalked you through these halls enters your vision, a smug look in its singular eye, you can only glare angrily back up at it.

"I much prefer to savour the chase, but this is a prize that I won't let slip through my fingers again" it states. In a blur of motion, it has yanked you too your feet, arms held painfully against your sides.

"Let go of me!" you demand, trying to shake yourself free. Seek just laughs at your futile efforts.

"And why would I do that, when you- " It releases one of your arms, though tightening the grip on the other, and raises its now free hand, displaying before your very eyes the thing that linked the two of you together. The shock that washed other your eyes was simply delicious. "-belong to me, hmm?"

"That's- that's not possible!" you exclaim, dumbfounded. You didn't want to believe your eyes. You couldn't. The very notion was making a pit form in your stomach.

Seek simply laughs at your denial, short, cutting and harsh.

"Oh, but it is!" They reply. Taking the little red string, it wraps it so tightly around your neck, tying it off. A leash for it to use on its little pet. "Now be a good little mate, and come with me" Seek lets go of your arm and begins to walk past you, yanking on the string hard the moment even the slightest bit of distance forms between the two of you; lurked forwards, you almost collide with their back.

"No!" you shout. With one hand you try desperately to claw at the tight string around your neck, whilst lashing out at the entity with the other.

Seek is having none of it; they roughly grab both your wrists to cease the dissidence, and bring their face to be within inches of your own. That singular eye is all that you can see.

“As much as I am one to appreciate a more… resilient partner, these token resistances will stop. Now” Seek spits out, each passing word making you feel smaller and smaller, and so, so weak. After a few seconds of a stare down, it angrily releases your wrists, letting your arms fall down to your sides.“I could make your life so much easier; isn’t that what all you humans want? An easy life. You’d want for nothing. All you need to do, is submit”

You don't say anything; like a deer in head lights, all you can do is stare back at the entity. Of course you don't want to submit to this things will, but you've been given sparsely any other options.

Seek takes the lack of further protest as a sign of compliance, and turns around again.

"Good, now come along, I suspect you are dying to know where I will be keeping you" It says before dragging you off to a new, darker corner of the hotel.

Chapter Text

This had to be a nightmare. This whole hotel had to be a nightmare. That was the only logical explanation for… everything.

Except you usually wake up from nightmares the moment you die- or at the very least received damage.

So you had to disregard the nightmare theory the moment a tiny, little bastard was able to get its oversized chompers down on your arm. As you worked tirelessly to stop it from bleeding (wrapping some torn off pieces of sheeting around it), you finally accepted that the danger that you were in was very much real.

How did you get here? Why are you here? What is going on? All questions that played in your mind, all questions that were overshadowed by one that was shouted out the loudest: how do I get out of here?

You had to assume that the doors in this place had been numbered for a reason, perhaps as a bread crumb trail for poor unfortunate souls like yourself to follow towards the exit.

So you did. You followed the numbers up and up, hoping that there would be salvation at the end of the trail.

The many horrors of this hotels… unlike anything you'd ever seen before! Like something straight from a movie, except you're actually living it.

The library's grand entrance had momentarily given you hope that you had reached the end of the nightmare, but it was not to be. A new monster came charging towards you, only to be distracted by the sound of a lamp falling down nearby. The proximity to death had your heart racing, and it took you a few seconds to bring it back down again.

Watching it from afar, you slowly pieced together that this one couldn't see. It's movements- and obvious lack of eyes- would give that away. There was something else about it, something that you couldn't quite put your finger on, but it kept your eyes glued to the beast longer than needed.

'Just making sure it is keeping its distance' you reasoned to yourself, as you proceed to creep through the tall aisle of the library, searching for a means to get out of this place.

It was a lot harder than it needed to be; the exit door had been locked- with a combination lock no less- and you had to traverse the aisle of the library once more, in search of the combination. All the while, that massive meat monster stalked the aisle too, in search of prey. You.

The moment the heavy lock clattered to the ground, and the entity roared from somewhere inside the library, your heart stopped. The creature was within reaching distance in mere seconds; with those seconds, you were fortunately able to stumble through the doorway and watch as that strange blue presence that had been aiding you sealed the exit, preventing it from chasing after you.

With a sigh of relief, you press on, hoping to never see that thing again.

Not long after the library, you discovered something very curious: friendly monsters! The mass of tentacles known as Jeff was very welcoming as it invited you into his shop, offering an array of wares for you to potentially purchase. You silently wished you had picked up more of those coins you saw lying around, because you could only really afford that flashlight… Oh! And El Goblino was very friendly too! You sat down for a chat with him as you rested your legs and checked over the injuries you had sustained throughout your journey through the hotel.

It was… strange. The bite mark that tiny fucker had taken out of you had all but healed up by this point. You had expected it to be an infected mess, a nasty scar, a horror to the eyes, but the damage seemed minimal and the scaring wasn't as bad as you had expected.

When you told El Goblino about it, he went off on a little tirade about how he wished he could heal that fast, but he could only ever do such a thing when 'mi amor' was around. Whatever that was about. You just shrugged it off, assuming that the damage must not have been as bad as you had thought it to have been initially.

With solemn goodbyes, you left the sanctuary of Jeff's shop. As tempting as it was to remain there forever, that wasn't really a feasible option for you. You needed to get out of this place.

The hotel after the library was much the same as before, albeit some of the entities were much more persistent and vigorous with their attempts at ending your existence.

But it was all for nought, you made it threw that hell hotel in one piece. Upon arriving at what appeared to be the main electrical room of the hotel, your eyes were instantly drawn to the bright green, familiar, neon light of an exit sign. Finally! Escape was within reach! You'd made it to the end of this accursed hotel and were finally going to be free! You just had to pull this lever and you'd be home free-!

A familiar roar cuts through your celebratory thoughts like a knife through warm butter, leaving you a shaking mess.

That library monster had returned! Here! Of all places! Why-!? No! You need to focus- and run!

Spinning on your heels, you fled back into the dark of the electrical room, swiftly pursued by the hulking meat monster. It was hot on your heels for a good second, but by some miracle you seem to be able to get it to lose track of you.

You had been hoping that this would be a simple case of 'sneak past monster, escape' but unfortunately that was not to be. After creeping through the narrow corridors of the electrical room and making your way through the exit gate, the elevator at the end seemed awfully… unpowered.

But it was ok! The key to the room with the fuse box was up on a shelf near the elevator! You could just waltz down there and switch the power back-

-There was no fuses in the fuse box. And you needed ten. Why so many? Who knows!

You knew they had to be around here… somewhere… but the nagging feeling inside your gut kept drawing your attention back to the dark of the corridors, where the thumping footsteps of the large monster echoed out from.

'They're in there, aren't they?' you think to yourself as you steadily resign yourself to making one last stealth mission before your freedom.

It wasn't easy, by no shot. Every time you tried to round a corner, the monster seemed to be standing there, menacingly. It was agony to have to back track constantly and wait for it to move on to another area; you half questioned why it didn't just leave, having not detected your presence in so long, surely it could just assume you've left… no matter.

By some miracle (and divine aid in the form of highlighting them), you found all of the fuses. Clinging desperately to your little life savers, you hurriedly made your way back to the fuse box, doing your damned best not to fumble at the last hurdle.

And fumble you did not; with a swelling sense of victory in your heart, you slammed those ten fuses into the box as quickly as you could. The stir of life it gives resounds with your own sense of survival slowly building up. All other noises from the electrical room are obsolete as you watch its little lights blink, instructing you on how to get the elevator power working.

You're no expert technician, but even even you could figure out how to get this machine to work.

With a satisfied sigh, you slam the fuse box shut again, knowing that your escape was within reach-

-A familiar roar, accompanied by heavy banging momentarily has you startled, before the wave of fear washes over you. You spin around to face the door behind you; seeing as it seemed to be threatening to give way to the familiar horror behind you, there is only one thing left for you to do: run.

You've barely exited the small side room when you hear the door smash open, shortly followed by the thudding footfalls of the tall monster.

In your haste to make it up the stairs and reach your salvation, you slipped. You should have watched your footsteps on the stairs more carefully; instead, you missed a step and came crashing down painfully upon your face. Your ankle twisted and nose bleeding, you have bigger worries to face.

Your arriving death being the main one.

"No!" you cry out, the monster's claws digging painfully into you as it lifts you up into the air, ready to strike- ready to bite your skull cleanly off. There was no escape now. You scrunch your eyes shut, and wait for the end to come.

…

…

A few moments pass, yet nothing happens.

You dare not open your eyes, even the intrigue and confusion of the proximity to death but the lack thereof compels you to. Only the beating of your own heart, ragged breaths and the odd clicking noises coming from the throat of the beast indicate what is going on around you, and they tell you nothing.

Eventually, you cave. Cracking a single eye open ever so slightly, you look up at the entity holding you.

Its dreadful maw is within snapping distance of your skull, but still doesn't move. With a slight tilt, you could almost say that it seemed confused about something. You couldn't bring yourself to vocalise your own confusion, in case that would be enough to have it finish its strike.

Slowly, it pulls you away from its mouth; whilst still in its grip, it being even a few more inches away from its teeth does lessen the immediate sense of danger.

Looking it up and down, you try to gauge what could possibly be going on inside its mind.

Something interesting catches your eyes as you scan its form: the burns it sustained from the fire and the cuts from the window's glass seem to be healing before your eyes. The monster must have a remarkable healing factor-

-Wait! Your ankle and nose! They've already begun to hurt less! And your nose has definitely stopped bleeding! That's… not humanly possible…

Except from certain circumstances that you've heard about.

You never really thought they were true; you'd never seen it happen first hand, only hearing about it online or in the news… But they do say that when two people who are fated to be together are near each other, they can overcome anything.

Including physical injuries.

But… that could only happen between humans? Right? Surely fate wasn't freaky enough to try slapping a human together with a monster, right?

Perhaps the massive meat monster thought otherwise, because you found yourself pulled flush against its boney chest in an extremely tight embrace. Almost cut off your air ways completely.

"Hey… big guy…" you begin, with a little nervous laugh. There's no physical reaction to you speaking, and you begin to wonder if it could even understand you at all. "…Could you… put me down? Please?"

It does not. If anything its grip on you tightens harder. Does that mean it understands you?

"Hey, come on. I- I'm not gonna run away!" you reason. Truthfully, running away sounds very tempting, but not wise. It would appear to pose no danger to you right now, and trying to flee from it might change that.

Reluctantly, it puts you down. Your ankle seems to have fully healed by the time it does, so you have no trouble standing on your own two feet.

"Thanks…" you say awkwardly, rubbing your arms a bit. "So… er, what now…?" You still wanted to escape from this hell hole, but this development might make things a bit more complicated. Would you have to take this monster back home with you? What would your friends think? Or your family? There would definitely be questions!

You could think on it along the way; by the way the entity grabs you by the hand and ascends the stares with you in tow, it seems like you might be making the rest of this journey to freedom as a duo.

Chapter Text

Whilst Dupe was not necessarily the most successful of entities with regards to catching its prey, it was not completely useless at it. There were always a few humans dumb enough to not keep track of how many doors they had gone through that Dupe didn't have to worry about not catching anybody.

What Dupe did have to worry about was the amount of humans that had been attacking them as of late.

It was quite annoying, the accursed crucifix that a certain angel left lying around for them to use hurt well enough, but some of them even came with their own weapons! Blades, blunt instruments, projectiles… Dupe had had a fair few wounds inflicted by so less than terrified humans in the past.

So naturally, that is what they had thought had happened the first time around.

When its doors opened, it lunged at the human, striking them in the arm they had brought up defensively when they saw the entity's gleaming maw. Dupe recoiled when a sharp pain ripped through their own arm, blood slowly trickling down their skeleton-like arms.

The human had to have struck them, Dupe reasoned to itself as it tended to its injury. Them raising their arm must have been them bringing a weapon unto Dupe's form, and not just a fear response to being jumped by the monster. That was the only logical reason for what just occurred.

As much as being attacked was fucking annoying, Dupe did so love it when the humans gave them reason to bite down extra hard the next time that they slipped up. When they next comes stumbling into Dupe's door… they likely won't be leaving it anytime soon.

In the meantime, Dupe just had to wait it out. Calmly. Patiently. Until the right moment.

Which was easier said than done, because there was some other strange occurrences that followed during the sorrowful parting between Dupe and its victim.

For starters, Dupe would periodically get the worst headache ever out of thin air. It would come so suddenly, and then go just as so. The beast growled in pained frustration every time it happened; these headaches were unlike anything it had ever experienced.

Dupe also noticed getting a small itch on various parts of its body from time to time, reminiscent of the times some disgusting humans brought lice or bedbugs to it. Dupe hated insects.

The weirdest thing- and the one the made Dupe realise that this wasn't normal- was when Dupe got a sharp pain clamp down upon its shoulder. The snarl that escaped the creature was louder than anything it had made before; when humans open its door, it knows there is a small chance for harm to before it, this came out of nowhere, without warning.

As Dupe cleaning off the blood from its shoulder, it noted how the mark there seemed to resemble large teeth. In fact, upon second look, Dupe noted that the wound on its arm looked a lot more like something made by fangs than something that would have been formed by a bladed weapon.

But that human didn't strike at them with fangs…

Dupe struck at the human with fangs…

Dupe was no fool. It had heard of such things happening, under specific circumstances. They… didn't expect themselves to be a victim to fates machinations. Potentially. Dupe had to test the theory out first.

And the theory was tested when the little human came stumbling along again.

The human anticipated an attack, obviously, so they didn't expect one of Dupe's massive hands to wrap around their tiny human body and drag them into its dark domain, door slamming shut behind the pair.

The human let out a shrill sound, a fearful cry most likely. They pounded their little hands against Dupe's body and kicked out at them with just as much vigour. Dupe didn't care. What it cared about was testing its theory.

With a single claw, it traced a thin line down the human's uninjured arm, eyeing it carefully in the dark.

A steady trickle of blood slowly streamed down their arm; simultaneously, a trickle of blood began to leave Dupe's own corresponding arm. The entity's eyes turned momentarily to its own bleeding arm, before it returned its attention back to the human in its grasp.

How positively delightful! Dupe has found itself a partner! Express delivered to them by the tides of fate itself! When Dupe thought they likely won't be leaving Dupe's domain next time they came before, it was more thinking along the lines of alive rather than because this was where they were meant to be!

The human was still struggling and thrashing as Dupe lowered them onto the ground; it had to put its whole weight on top of them just to stop them from hurting themselves- or it- and attempting to flee from this dark domain.

After many, many minutes, the human finally settled, whether be because of exhaustion or they finally noticed the lack of danger did not matter. Their breathing remained some-what ragged and stuttering.

Good. Now Dupe can start tending to their injuries. Wouldn't want their life partner to be hurt, after all. And it would showcase just how much of loving partner Dupe could be!

They flinched everytime Dupe's tongue ran along any of their injuries, which was to be expected. Cleaning out the injuries would sting, after all. Dupe too couldn't help but flinch as well, even if they were anticipating the sting being shared over to them.

With the wounds no longer actively leaking blood, the two of them needed to rest: Dupe willingly, the human… more because Dupe was not going to get off them, less they consider trying to flee again. In time the human should come to understand that their place is with Dupe.

For now, Dupe just had to hope that they didn't make it any harder- or more painful- than it needed to be.

Chapter Text

The hell's of that hotel had not quiet prepared you for… this.

You had expected these lil white-ish creatures to be hostile, given their physical similarities to one of the creatures you saw above (and have started to see below), but that hadn't been the case. They jumped you, yes, but it seemed more to get your attention than anything else; they'd yet to use their massive chompers to, well, chomp you yet.

By now, you had amassed at least a doesn't of the little guys; all bouncing along the ground, pointing their tiny tendrils up at you excitedly.

"What do you guys want?" you ask, half humoured by their little antics and excitable chattering. Squatting down near one of them, you lean in close. It continues to point up at you happily. "Is there something on my face?"

Carefully, you scoop up the little creature in your arms and bring it in closer. As soon as it is in range, it begins to smack your face a couple of times, specifically where the scare in the centre extends. You never liked having it touched.

"Hey. Cut that out!" you demand, sticking a hand between tendril and face and rubbing the area in a show of 'ow, that hurts'. The little creature complies, making more mumbling noises.

The little thing decides that if it can't hit you in the face, it will tell you where to go. The tendril that was once smacking your face now points eagerly towards the next door; the other little creature all begin to tug at your legs, prompting you to move forwards.

It's not like you weren't going that way anyway.

Traversing the caves was such a breeze with the little creatures aiding you, though you did feel guilty whenever they threw themselves to the jaws of your would be killers to save you. It did compel you to wonder: why would they do such a thing? Most monsters here wanted you dead, so what was so different about these guys? Perhaps time would tell.

That slime guy you like to call Seek didn't seem too happy to see you again, if the speed at which it tried to hunt you down was anything to go by.

Still, you persisted; reaching a safe distance from the aggressive monster never felt so good.

The mine cart slowly trundled along the tracks, carrying you and the last of the little creatures towards your destination. They seemed to get more and more excited as it went along.

Your observations of the tiny creatures was abruptly ended by an earth-shattering roar; you barely saw the large monster as it charged towards you, with only enough time to divert the mine cart onto a side path.

Whatever that… thing was, it was still hot on your heels, even after the mine cart crashed to the ground, flinging you out.

A swift exit was what you needed, but a swift exit was not what you were going to have; as you tried to scramble up and flee from the massive entity, the tiny ones all began to cling onto you. Hard. They made it impossible to move.

"H-hey! Let go!" you protest, trying to get the little ones to release you, but to no avail. You were left sitting on the ground, staring up at the large entity that was certainly to bring you to a swift end.

Except it didn't.

The giant mass of tendrils and a wide grin just stared back down at you, as you fearfully stared up at it.

Why wasn't it attacking…?

As the seconds pass, and the immediate sense of danger began to slowly fizzle out, you were able to get a good, proper look at the entity. There were two things of importance that you noticed: first being that it looked very much like a larger version of the tiny creatures that had accompanied you here, second being that it had the exact same facial scarring as you.

"No fucking way…" you utter under your breath, hand immediately reaching up and touching your own scar, the one you had been born with.

The smaller ones chitter and chatter up at the larger one for a while; it responds with a loud, uproarious laughter. You can't help but flinch a little at the sound.

A large tendril wraps around you without warning and hoists your much smaller form into the air, brought closer to the face of the massive entity.

"Woah, woah, woah…!" you gasp out, grasping at the massive appendage in an attempt to balance yourself amid the sudden lack of stable footing.

The entity chuckles again, albeit much more softly this time, like she finding your pathetic little flailings endearing. As if to confirm that suspicion, the massive entity pulls you in close, tight, and begins to rub you affectionately into her cheek.

"H-hey, that's enough-! C-could you put me down?"

A simple request: denied. The queen does not put you down. She instead begins to move deeper into the nest, carrying you along with her. The winding tunnels seem to spread downwards eternally; you may very well get lost in the dark, never to surface.

As much as you don't think you'll be under any physical harm from her… you get the distinct feeling that you aren't expected to be leaving any time soon.

Chapter Text

There were many surprises to be had within this hotels walls: monsters trying to kill you, baffling environments, the impossibility of your circumstances… to name just a few.

But after everything you went through, arguably the most surprising of them all was the fact that not every horror that lurked these corridors meant to harm you, or could be considered a 'horror' at all.

The little shop was a safe space, a sanctuary from the nightmares, so of course you were going to spend some time conversing with the entities that were lingering there. El Goblino was all the willing to engage with you, after all.

I would be nice to stay there forever, but you knew that couldn't be- especially when El Goblino pointed out that the two of you had been chatting for a bit too long.

Before you moved on, you might as well take one last glance over Jeff's wares, as well as say goodbye to the friendly tentacle monster.

"Hi Jeff," you greet, albeit a bit sombrely. You full well know that once you leave this shop, the two of you may never meet again… "Let's see what you have…"

You didn't exactly have that many coins to your name; had you known they'd serve an actual purpose earlier, you would have made sure to pick up some more. The only things you could afford was either the flashlight or the lock picks, which was a shame, because you really wanted to know what was so special about that other key…

Oh well. You had a couple of lock picks already, so you'd just have to buy the flashlight.

Picking it up in one hand, and reaching for the coins in your pocket, you look back up at Jeff's eyes.

"I'll… I'll just take this. Thanks" you say, reaching out the hand with the coins towards the entity.

Jeff in turn is quick to catch the coins from your fingers, retreating his large tentacle back into the dark of his corridor.

The brief contact between the two of you makes you flinch. Not because it made you jump, because it kinda burned- not in a painful way, mind you, but more in a weird tingling kind of way.

"You alright düd?" El Goblino asks, noticing your reaction.

"Yeah, I'm ok!" you reply, staring down at your hand. "I just…"

The thought that was forming trails off in your mind as you watch in disbelief as the skin of your hand begins to display some discolouration. For the briefest of seconds, you really do begin to think that you had somehow gotten burnt from touching the entities, but then you realise that the colour is not right for burnt skin. In fact, the colour that has been marked against your skin matches that of Jeff's skin colour.

Turning to look at the entity in question, you find it staring down at its own tentacle, a perplexed expression in his eyes. He moves the tentacle out into the light of the corridor, so that he may get a better inspection of what has gotten him so curious; in doing so, he also allows for both you and El Goblino to see what he is looking at.

There's now discolouration on his tentacle too, only his seems to be an exact match of your own skin tone.

"Oh my god…" you utter out, a sudden realisation hitting you like a truck.

"Oh! Düd! That's a- like me and mi amor!" he exclaims excitedly, pointing between you and Jeff.

El Goblino's excitement is pale in comparison to Jeff's own. The shopkeeper is quick to scoop you up in a mass of tentacles and pull you into a deep embrace, suckers holding you firmly but in no way uncomfortably.

In all honesty, you were just at a lose for words. Never in your life had you expected to actually find your soul mate, let alone in a place like this, let alone them not even being human in the first place. You could just barely think straight.

Well, you could do a lot worse than Jeff, so you have that going for you.