#cuphead: isle of shadows rewrite

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite)

*Hey, guys, I'm back with the first episode of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows rewrite. This is published on July 2, 2023. If you guys like this episode, don't be afraid to vote, reblog, and comment! That will always be appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read and have a good day/evening. Enjoy!*

Episode One: The Unhinged Tea Kettle

In the woods outside of Inkwell Isle City, the wind howled in the middle of the night and shook the branches violently. From the touch of the cold, the trees were covered in ice. The snow was deep enough to where one's foot would sink when walking through. Within the snow storm, a teapot house sheltered an old tea kettle. Elder Kettle, as many citizens called him, slept soundly in his bedroom with a snore coming from his long spout.

An abrupt knock came from his front door, waking Elder Kettle up with a groan.

“Huh?” Elder Kettle moaned while his eyes fluttered close.

Someone pounded on the door this time.

Elder Kettle snapped himself awake and got up from the bed. “Ugh, alright! Alright! I’m coming!” He put on his glasses to see the time and his slippers to walk out of his bedroom. “Who’s knockin’ at three in the morning in the middle of the storm?” Elder Kettle headed downstairs and opened the front door. To his surprise, no one was there. He looked both before looking down to see two baby cups crying in the basket on his porch.

“Oh my!!!” Elder Kettle picked the basket up and took them inside immediately before the cold could touch the babies. “Who left you guys in the middle of the snow storm?!”

The baby cups wailed while Elder Kettle hurried to place the basket on the couch and get the fire going in his fireplace. The babies continued to cry, shivering in the cold.

“It’s alright. It’s alright. I got you. I got you.”

The fire warmed up the room once it started to blaze. Elder Kettle noticed that the babies’ cries faded into sniffles. He sighed in relief and walked over to the basket. He searched for any notes that the parents might have left behind. He only found one in between the baby cups. Elder Kettle took the note and squinted at it through his square glasses.

“Dear old friend,” Elder Kettle read the letter. “Please take care of our boys, Cuphead and Mugman. They are our pride and joy that we must sadly give away for their safety. Do not be alarm when you see those two potions in the basket. These potions are our gift to the boys once they’ve grown old enough. The potions will protect the boys. Thank you, dear friend. We trust that they will be safer in your hands. Sincerely, Murray and Lily.”

Elder Kettle stopped and took a moment to register what was happening to his old friends. He looked out of the window and tried to find Murray and Lily. But he couldn’t see though. However, in the distance, he heard a gunshot. Elder Kettle gasped in fear and shook his head. It was not safe out there to check if it was actually his friends who got shot or some hunters hunting something.

“Oh no,” Elder Kettle uttered in shock. He clutched his chest and looked at the baby cups, who cried for food. He headed back to the boys and tucked them in. He hurried over to find food in his kitchen and was able to get some bottle of milk. Elder Kettle hurried back over to the kids with the bottles and sat on the couch next to the warm fire. He picked the boys up and fed them the bottle, cradling them both in his arms. He looked outside into the snow, seeing nothing but ice and cold.

With a deep breath, he looked down at the two baby cups. Then, he shifted his gaze over at the basket and peeked inside to find two blue bright potions kept in the small glass capsules. Elder Kettle didn’t know what was in those potions nor did he want to know. He held the baby boys closer to him.

“Well, Cuphead, Mugman,” The old tea kettle replied. “It looks like you boys will be staying here with me for a while. Maybe even permanent. I promise I’ll take care of you boys. I’ll take care of ya.”

The cups were done with their formula food.

“That’s better,” Elder Kettle said while watching the baby cups falling in sleep in his arms, safe in his hold. Elder Kettle smiled at the sight, but he lost the smile when he thought of their parents. How they met was too long of a story to tell the boys. Maybe someday, they will hear it. Someday.

~.~

Fifteen Years Later:

Cuphead couldn’t help but stare at the burned spot on the ground inches away from his feet. He was silent. His eyes and his porcelain face went pale. All he could do was stand there and hold the golden pitchfork in his small yellow-gloved grasp.

“Mugman?” Cuphead uttered.

There was no response.

“M-Mugman…?” The tears leaked from the corner of his eyes. His lips wobbled and there was nothing else he could say.

Cuphead collapsed on his knees, releasing the golden pitchfork. He shook his head and began digging his hands into the dirt. “No! No! No, Mugsy!!! NO!!!! GIVE ME BACK MY BRUDDA!!!!”

“Since you took something of great value to me, I will take something of great value to you.”

“Pfft, there’s nothing that you can take from me that I care about.”

Cuphead stopped digging the dirt, breathing heavily. The words he said about not caring about anything was only just a bark. He didn’t think the Devil was going to take Mugman. He didn’t think the Devil would fuss over about the stupid magical pitchfork. He didn’t think his brother would end up in Hell all because Cuphead was horsing around with Devil.

He didn’t think. He didn’t think. He didn’t think…

“Say goodbye to Cuphead.”

“Goodbye to Cuphead…”

Cuphead started to sob once he heard Mugman’s voice playing in his head. How frightened of the Devil they both were. Cuphead was more afraid of him than his brother. He shook his porcelain head and stood up on his feet. His vision was blurry from the tears streaming from his face. He picked up their conjoined bikes, something his brother built. Cuphead didn’t want to be reminded of what he lost today. He had to head back to Elder Kettle’s. He rode the bicycles throughout the woods, taking the Devil’s pitchfork with him. His vision getting more blurry from the tears. Cuphead wiped them away with his sleeves, whimpering.

Once he arrived at Elder Kettle’s house, Cuphead hid the pitchfork in the bushes, hoping that no one, including Elder Kettle, would see it. He hurried towards the front gate before leaning his head against it and sobbing as quietly as he could.

“Cuphead?”

Cuphead wiped the tears as fast as he could before Elder Kettle opened the gate to notice the cup’s red puffy eyes.

“What’s wrong, boy? Did you lose something?” Elder Kettle asked in a soft tone.

Cuphead couldn’t say a word without breaking down, so he covered his face and nodded his head.

“What could you possibly lose?” Elder Kettle probed in a softer voice.

“M-M-Mu-My pocket knife,” Cuphead lied.

“Oh, is that all?” Elder Kettle inquired. “Well, that can be easily replaced. It’s not like you lost Mugman—” Elder Kettle paused as soon as he noticed a missing seat on their bikes. “Cuphead…where’s your brother?”

“He’s—He’s—He’s—AAAAHH!!” Cuphead collapsed and cried into his guardian’s arms, hugging him.

“Whoa, whoa, Cuphead—” Elder Kettle soothed. “—hey now, take deep breaths. Deep breaths, son.” He took deep breaths to show Cuphead to repeat after him. Cuphead took deep breaths like he was instructed to do so. “Alright, here’s the deal. I’ll make you some breakfast and you will tell me everything that happened, okay? Do we have ourselves a deal?”

Cuphead whimpered and nodded his head.

“Good,” Elder Kettle said and noticed the snot coming out of Cuphead’s small red nose. “Eh…we’ll add some tissues while we are at it.”

Cuphead nodded his head in agreement. He made his way inside of the house. Before Elder Kettle could join him, he noticed something in the bushes. The old tea kettle walked towards the bushes and found the Devil’s pitchfork. A gasp of horror escaped his lips. He picked it up and looked at the bikes next to it. Did Cuphead have that the entire time? Was this the reason for his brother’s abduction? Cuphead owed him a lot of explanation.

Elder Kettle headed back in the house with the pitchfork in his grasp. 

~.~

Elder Kettle was making some pancakes with dread. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what the boys were up to with the Devil’s pitchfork. But he knew he must know. He had to know for the boys’ safety. He shifted his gaze back over at Cuphead, who had been moping and staring at the table in front of him. The tissues were overfilled in the trash bin next to his feet. It was unlike of Cuphead to be this way. Elder Kettle flipped the pancakes over on the stove and tossed them up in the air. He flipped the last one over to his spout and blew smoke from his spout, sending the pancakes flying to Cuphead.

Cuphead lifted his plate weakly without looking up. The pancakes lined up and hit against the wall diagonally above his head. He turned his plate flat and moved it to the side slightly to still catch all the pancakes falling down. Once he caught all of the pancakes in his plate, Cuphead began to nibble on the pancake on top without butter and syrup.

Elder Kettle frowned at the sight and headed over to the table, sitting by him.

“Are you calming down?” the old tea kettle asked.

Cuphead nodded his head with his lips wobbling.

“Okay. Now, tell me everything that happened to you two,” Elder Kettle said softly.

Cuphead sniffled and looked up at his guardian. “W-We was just horsin’ around. We-We—I wasn’t thinkin’ that Mugsy was going to get kidnapped.”

“Were you boys horsing around with that pitchfork?”

“What pitchfork?”

Elder Kettle squinted at Cuphead. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” He pointed at the pitchfork in the living room, leaning against the piano.

Cuphead gasped in shock.

“I found it in the bushes by your bikes,” Elder Kettle said lowly. “What were you boys doing with the Devil’s pitchfork?”

“Just messin’ around with it,” Cuphead answered, looking away from Elder Kettle.

“Uh-huh. And someone took Mugman…it wasn’t the Devil, was it?” Elder Kettle asked with the sense of hope it was anyone else other than the creature he feared the most.

Cuphead hugged his arms, trying to hold in his tears.

“Was it the Devil?” Elder Kettle probed.

Cuphead started to whimper. The red bent-strawed cup didn’t have to say anything.

The old tea kettle looked away from the cup and stared at the golden pitchfork. “How long have you had that pitchfork?”

“Since today.”

“Cuphead…”

“I’m bein’ honest,” Cuphead responded defensively.

Elder Kettle arched a brow. “Really? Because it was gettin’ hard to tell.”

Cuphead frowned and wiped the tears away.

“I’ve noticed you boys have been sneaking off at night. First, you both landed in jail for stealing in the cookie factory and now, Mugman is kidnapped by the Devil of all people. All because you both were horsin’ around with something that’s going to get you both killed. Do you not realize how dangerous the Devil is? He is the collector of souls for goodness sakes! He devours the innocent and preys on the prideful. Makin’ deals with him will cost you your soul!”

Cuphead was silent, staring at his food.

Elder Kettle sighed and looked away. “Maybe I should’ve done better to protect you boys. I should’ve known that you both would run into the Devil eventually. I should’ve told you to watch out for him. What was I thinkin’?”

Cuphead looked up at Elder Kettle. He softened his gaze at the old tea kettle and frowned. The cup looked back at his food, pondering on what to do.

Elder Kettle got up from his seat and walked away into the living room to go upstairs. Cuphead could assume that he was going to take a nap to think of all of this. An idea slowly formed into his head. He knew what he had to do to save his brother. He got up from his seat and reached to grab it. Before he could grab it, Elder Kettle’s hand grabbed the pitchfork.

Cuphead gasped and looked up at Elder Kettle, who had his military uniform on and a glare at the young cup.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Elder Kettle growled, snatching the pitchfork away from Cuphead’s grasp.

“I wanna rescue my brudda,” Cuphead answered with determination.

Elder Kettle softened his gaze and sighed. The old tea kettle grabbed Cuphead by the handle.

“E-Elder Kettle? What are you doin’?”

Elder Kettle didn’t respond except to carrying Cuphead upstairs. Cuphead began to struggle in his guardian’s hold.

“Elder Kettle? What are you doin’? Why won’t you answer me?”

Elder Kettle headed into the boys’ bedroom, locking the window. After he locked the window, he set Cuphead down on his bed.

“Stay here,” Elder Kettle commanded.

“What?! No way! I’m comin’ with you!” Cuphead argued.

“No! You are going to stay right here until I come back with your brother,” Elder Kettle demanded. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”

Cuphead shook his head and tried to get up to get pass Elder Kettle, who grabbed Cuphead’s handle when he was an inch passed the old tea kettle. Cuphead struggled against Elder Kettle’s hold, throwing punches in mid-air. “Let me go! Let me go! I wanna help!”

“You’ve done enough,” Elder Kettle snarled at Cuphead, who froze in shock at his tone of voice. Elder Kettle softened his gaze and sighed. “I ain’t losing you today too.” He set Cuphead on the bed and hurried out of the bedroom. Before Cuphead could follow him, Elder Kettle closed the door and locked it.

“ELDER KETTLE!!!” Cuphead cried while zooming towards the door. He pounded his fists on it with heavy breaths and tears streaming down his white porcelain cheeks. “LET ME OUT!!! LET ME OUT!!!!” He could hear Elder Kettle walking away from the door.

Outside of the bedroom, Elder Kettle walked down the hallway. He stopped and took a step back, hesitating on leaving Cuphead in that room all by himself. His eyes watered at each step he took downstairs. Cuphead’s cries grew louder and louder, his words muffled by the wooden bedroom door. Elder Kettle gripped the pitchfork and headed out of the door. He shut it and locked it as well.

“HE’S GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!” Cuphead screamed from within his bedroom. He used his shoulder to pound against the door, breathing heavily in panic. “ELDER KETTLE!!!! PLEASE!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!! HE’S GOING TO KILL YOU!!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!! DON’T GO!!!! DON’T GO!!!!” He pounded on the door until his limbs got tired. He collapsed on his knees and sobbed uncontrollably, leaning his head against the door. “D-Don’t leave me here.”

Cuphead leaned his body against the door, finding himself falling asleep on it. 

~.~

The Devil watched with glee at the blue-nosed mug, tossing and turning in the cell bed down in Hell. He seemed to be having a nightmare here. Good. 

“D’aw, boss,” Henchman called from beside the Devil. “You know that this ain’t legal to bring the living down here.”

“Says who?” The Devil replied with a scoff. 

“Says Go—.”

“Don’t speak of His name down here,” The Devil growled at his henchman.

“You just asked,” Henchman pointed out. 

“Well, you know what, I don’t care what He thinks or says,” The Devil snarled with his arms crossed. “This is my realm. He doesn’t get to show up here and tell me what to do.” 

“D’uh, what about Stickler? You know, he’ll get onto ya about bringin’ him here,” Henchman replied. 

“Stickler can just kiss my—”

“Eh, excuse me?!” 

Henchman and The Devil turned to look at Stickler, the teal skinned demon with big round glasses and blue bowtie. Henchman glanced up at the Devil with the deadpan stare. 

“See?” Henchman said. 

“Ugh, what do you want, Stickler?” The Devil scoffed. 

“According to the contract with Go—”

The Devil glared at Stickler. 

“—The Most High. You and Him get to share the surface world. He controls the Heavens and you control what’s down here. You are not supposed to take the living down here,” Stickler informed. 

“I have a right to do so! They took my pitchfork!!!” The Devil barked, pointing at Mugman sleeping in the cell accusingly. 

Stickler glanced over at Mugman and then back at The Devil. “There’s only one person, sir.”

“AAAAAAH!!!” The Devil yelled, his fur set on fire. “I know that!!! The other one had my pitchfork!” 

“Then, why didn’t you get the pitchfork?” Stickler asked.

“BECAUSE IT ELECTROCUTED ME EVERY TIME I TOUCHED IT!!!!” The Devil yelled in frustration.

Stickler went silent for a moment. “You don’t happen to leave it anywhere.”

“Uh, yeah. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have found it,” The Devil grumbled.

“Are you familiar with the Finders Keepers?” Stickler asked. 

The Devil gasped in shock. “No, you don’t mean—.” 

“That pitchfork belongs to that cup now,” Stickler responded. “You need to make a trade for it in order to get it back.”

The Devil perked up and grinned wickedly while looking at Mugman. “Oh, I know what to do about that.” 

Mugman groaned awake in the cell, rubbing his ceramic head to ease his pounding headache. He looked up and saw them. 

Henchman waved at him in a friendly manner, earning a scolding nudge from The Devil. The Devil shifted his ruby eyes back at Mugman with an evil grin. 

“Ah, you’re finally awake,” The Devil replied. “Good. Good. It’s about time. You better get comfortable here, little mug. This…is your new home.” 

Mugman glared at the Devil, getting up from his cell bed. “My brother is coming to get me! And you’ll be sorry!” 

“Ha! Sorry?!” The Devil guffawed and nudged on Henchman’s arm. “You hear that, Henchman? He says I’m going to be sorry. As if Cuphead has any power over me, The King of Hell.” The Devil glanced back at Mugman with a cheeky smirk. “You better rethink your next words carefully, little mug.” 

“It’s Mugman,” Mugman growled, clenching his fists. 

“Ooh, getting tough now, are you?” The Devil taunted. “Alright, let’s see how tough you really are.” With a snap of his fingers, The Devil unlocked the cell door and opened it. 

Mugman’s glare faded into fear once he watched the Devil approaching him. Before Mugman could make a run for it, he was grabbed by the handle and lifted from the bed. He tried to get his feet to touch the ground, but he was yanked up in the air. 

“Hey! Where are you taking me?!” Mugman interrogated. The Devil carried the helpless mug out of the cell with Henchman and Stickler following close behind them. They went past the soul vault and turned to the right. With a stride, they reached the lava pit. Around the huge lava pit, it revealed to be a long ways down with demons worked around the pit whether that would be torturing their screaming victims or breaking every bone in the victims’ bodies. Mugman looked and watched with horror when the Devil held him over the edge. 

Mugman’s body began to shake in fear. “Please! Please! Don’t drop me!!” 

The Devil grinned. “Not so tough now, are you?” 

Mugman whimpered in fear. 

“You know, would’ve been better that way if I so happen to drop you. You won’t have to get in my way to obtain your brother’s soul.” The Devil released his grip on Mugman’s handle.

Mugman felt a drop with a gasp before his handle was grabbed again. He was soon lifted to face The Devil and stared deep into his fiery eyes. 

“But I need you alive just a little while longer, little mug. Who knows? Maybe…just maybe…you can be useful to me,” The Devil said while tossing Mugman aside. 

Mugman tumbled onto the ground and breathed heavily in fear, his limbs shaking from almost being dropped into the lava pit. The green giant imps approached the scene with their spears. 

The Devil turned to them. “Put him back in his cell. Maybe give him a good beating or two.” 

Mugman was lifted back up on his feet and held firmly by the arms. He was escorted away from the Devil, Henchman, and Stickler. 

“This is still unauthorized kidnapping. And now you’re beating him?” Stickler replied. “Torture as many souls as you like, but you’re forgetting that you’re not allowed to bring a mortal down here. Let alone torturing and hurting them. You should leave them to do that themselves.”

The Devil rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, it’s not going to kill him. Besides, that brother of his will soon see what he put his dear brother through.” 

The Devil walked away, leaving Stickler and Henchman to exchange glances of concern to each other. 

Henchman took a breath. “Let’s go.”

Stickler nodded his head as they followed behind their ruler. 

~.~

Elder Kettle hurried through the woods and searched for something sacred that could help him rescue Mugman before the Devil could torture that poor boy more.

He held the Jawbreaker in his grasp and the pitchfork with his other hand. He soon found the sacred pond. He rushed towards it with heavy breaths and stared at the jawbreaker. Without hesitation, he tossed it in the water. The water fizzed and everything shook around him.

“Come one! Come all! Seek my wisdom and heed my words—!”

“Alright, alright, Quadratus, we get it,” Elder Kettle said with a drone.

Quadratus’s face appeared in the water, staring up at Elder Kettle. “Ah, Kettle. It has been a while since I’ve seen you. How are the boys? They come to me about their issue with the Devil.”

“What?”

“They didn’t tell you?”

“No…”

“Oh…” Quadratus shook his head. “Anyways, what is it that you seek?”

“I need your help, Quadratus,” Elder Kettle uttered, gripping the pitchfork. “The Devil has got my boy, Mugman, and—hey! What do you mean that they came to you about their issue with the Devil?!”

Quadratus sighed. “I’m afraid that I cannot lie to you. I suggested to Mugman to knit the invisible sweater that will keep the Devil at bay from his brother. I’m surprised they haven’t told you.”

“Did they tell you to keep this a secret from me?”

“I don’t think they knew that you and I know each other,” Quadratus answered. “Anyways, The Devil has Mugman now?”

“Yes, he’s got my boy. I need to get him out before something horrible happens to him. How do I get down to Hell?”

“The answer is in your hands.”

Elder Kettle glanced over at the pitchfork with a brow raised.

“It will take centuries to master it though,” Quadratus mentioned with a nervous chuckle.

“Is there another way to get down there?”

“Why yes. You can summon the Hellevator. However, it’s too risky. One, you don’t know how to master the pitchfork. Two, the Hellevator will lead you into the Devil’s throne room. There is a mortal out here that will be able to guide you into a secret passageway.”

Elder Kettle arched a brow. “Who?”

“His name is King Dice,” Quadratus said while the water transformed from his face to the reflection of a corner street of the city near where his radio show took place and the familiar die walking down the street, moping. “He is the gamest in the land. He is the Devil’s right-hand man…or should I say his ‘number-one’? Anyways, he knows the way down to Hell.”

“Wait, The Mr. King Dice?! I listened in on his radio shows every night!” Elder Kettle replied angrily. He gripped the pitchfork tighter. “This whole time, he’s been associated with the Devil?!”

The water shifted back to Quadratus’s face.

“Correct. The winners didn’t really get the grand prize. They just go into the room and have their souls sucked right out of their poor bodies. What a shame really,” Quadratus replied sadly. “He works for the Devil and his soul is tied to him. He is the only mortal who has access to Hell.”

Elder Kettle growled. “Looks like King Dice and I are going to have a nice chat.” The old tea kettle walked away with a pissed-off look on his face, leaving Quadratus by himself.

“Phew, giving out wisdom can be so draining. Time for some vacation,” Quadratus said while flipping his head to the side to put on a straw hat and sunglasses. Then he disappeared in the pond. 

~.~

King Dice failed…again. He could just hear his boss now. The disappointment in his voice. The look of disgust in his face. Oh, what more would Dice give to impress his boss? No matter what, even as his “number-one”, it was never enough. Dice walked by the building where his old gaming show used to be. A perfect gig to collect souls and send them straight to the Devil. The building was condemned and it appeared like no one had been in there for a while. Henchman probably didn’t keep the show alive long enough due to his…clumsiness if Dice had to put it nicely.

King Dice sighed heavily. “My show is over. I can’t go back to the boss. What am I going to do?” Before Dice could think of a proper answer to his question, the fireball crashed right in front of him. He stumbled back with a screech. He hurried down the alleyway in fear and approached the dead end. King Dice whirled around to watch a silhouette behind the gray smoke.

“Whoa! Boss! Don’t kill me! Give me another—” Dice squinted as soon as the figure came out of the smoke. It turned out to be an old pissed-off tea kettle in his military uniform. He held the pitchfork with a glare and a growl. “—chance. Uh, why are you disguised as an old war veteran?”

Elder Kettle cocked the pitchfork like a gun. “Who are you callin’ old, sonny?”

King Dice widened his eyes and stumbled back against the red bricked wall, raising his hands up and his palms facing the tea kettle. “Whoa, hey now, let’s settle down, okay?” A nervous smile cornered on his face. “Why don’t we put down the pitchfork, yeah? We can talk this out like gentleman.”

“Cut the baloney, Dice. You worked for the Devil,” Elder Kettle growled.

“Whaaat?! Psh, who? Me? In cahoots with the Devil? Clearly, you have heard false rumors,” Dice said with a fake grin.

“Oh, really?” Elder Kettle growled, raising the pitchfork up to have the longest tip barely touching Dice’s chest. “Then how come you called me boss when I held this pitchfork?”

Dice lost his fake grin. He knew he had been caught in his own lie. “Shoot.”

“I may be old, but I ain’t senile,” Elder Kettle snarled at Dice. “Now, since you’re the Devil’s advocate, I want you to take me to Hell.”

Dice blinked in confusion. “Wait…what? Why would you want to go down there?”

“Your ‘boss’ took my boy. You’re going to help me get my boy back. One way…or the other,” Elder Kettle threatened Dice, pressing the tip into his chest barely enough to make the gambler whimpered in fear.

“What’s in it for me?” Dice asked with a brow raised. “You know, if you want my help, you oughta—”

Elder Kettle pressed the tip harder against Dice’s chest, getting him to shut up. “Don’t forget who’s the one holding the pitchfork. I would choose your next words carefully if I were you, sonny, and maybe you’ll get out of this alive.”

A lump went down Dice’s throat as the gambler sighed to surrender.

“Fine. But the boss ain’t gonna like it.”

“I don’t care what your boss thinks. Just take me to my boy,” Elder Kettle ordered, stepping aside to let Dice go ahead of him.

King Dice sighed and walked ahead of him, feeling the tip on his back to remind him that the old tea kettle was behind him. 

~.~

Cuphead didn’t know how long he had been passed out from crying for hours. Once he opened his eyes, he realized that he had been lying against the bedroom door. He was too weak to move right now. It took every fiber in his body to stand up and wipe the tears away.

He sighed and looked up to find the window of the bedroom locked by Elder Kettle before he left. If Elder Kettle locked the window from the inside, who was to say that Cuphead couldn’t unlock it? The young cup was about to go towards the window.

“There’s nothing you can take from me that I care about.”

Those words haunted him, causing him to withdraw his hand away from the window. His lips wobbled at the thought of ever saying that as he backed into the bottom bunk bed and sat on it. Those words meant nothing more than just a bark to show Devil how tough he was. The joke was on him the moment Devil took his brother. His brother might have overheard those words. Maybe Elder Kettle was right in locking him up in this room. He already caused enough damage as it was.

Before his mind could go deeper into those dark thoughts, a ghost of the gold chalice appeared behind him with a mischievous grin.

“Boo!” Chalice shouted playfully, hoping to scare Cuphead.

Cuphead didn’t even respond. “Hey, Chalice.”

Chalice lost her grin and floated in front of him, reverting into her physical form. “What’s eatin’ ya? You’re not usually like this.” She looked around the bedroom. “Hey, have you seen Mugman? I want to give him a good scare and—hey, you okay?”

Chalice noticed Cuphead biting his bottom lip to hold in all of his emotions as soon as his brother was mentioned.

“Yeah…everything is fine,” Cuphead replied.

Chalice tilted her head and sat next to him. “Hey, what’s going on with you?”

Cuphead looked away. “It’s nothing.”

Chalice gave him a deadpan stare. “You know, if you are trying to act tough, you are doing a terrible job at it.”

“I ain’t tryin’ to act tough.”

“Well, you’re trying to hold in the tears. It’s not good to hold it all in,” Chalice replied. “You look like you’re going to collapse any moment.”

Cuphead started to whimper. She could tell he was trying too hard to hold it in. Chalice sighed and tapped on Cuphead’s shoulder. When he looked up at her, she noticed how red and puffy his eyes were becoming.

She opened her arms up and cornered a warm smile. “Wanna hug?”

Cuphead hesitated for a moment until he finally gave in and hugged Chalice. She embraced him and rubbed his back. It was then he started to sob. It was only little sobs at first until it became uncontrollable.

“I’m right here. I’m right here,” Chalice said softly while rubbing his back. “Oookay, now you’re gettin’ snot all over my shirt.”

Cuphead and Chalice broke away while Cuphead wiped the tears away.

“Sorry,” Cuphead said in a hoarse tone from the sobs.

“It’s alright. I did say that it ain’t good to hold it all in,” Chalice replied while rubbing his shoulder soothingly. “You mind telling me what’s going on?”

Cuphead wiped the tears away. “Mugsy…Mugsy got taken.”

“By golly! By who?” Chalice probed with a shocked gasp.

“The Devil,” Cuphead said while wiping away the tears.

“Oh golly, Cuphead…I didn’t know…Does Elder Kettle know about this?”

“Yeah, that’s why he locked me in here and went after Mugman…He’s going down into the Underworld.”

“Oh no, he’s going to get himself killed,” Chalice responded with fear in her tone.

“That’s what I was trying to tell him! But he ain’t listening to me!” Cuphead cried, hugging his legs. “It’s my fault! All of this is my fault! If it weren’t for the fact that I used to owe the Devil my soul, Mugman wouldn’t have to constantly worry about me. If it weren’t for me gettin’ the idea of messing around with that stupid pitchfork, Mugsy wouldn’t get kidnapped and Elder Kettle wouldn’t have gone down to the Underworld! All of this is my fault! And-And to think that I said that there ain’t nothing Devil can take from me that I care about! I was so wrong…all wrong! Mugman was all I care about in this world! Maybe I shouldn’t go down there after him. Maybe I’ve hurt him enough or I’ll make it worse…all I do is make everything worse.”

“Okay, Cuphead, listen to me,” Chalice replied with her hands on her hips, getting Cuphead’s attention. “First off, you and Mugman should never deal with the Devil in the first place. But that’s too late to rethink that decision. Second off, you’re his brother. He needs you and you need him. You both need each other. And at this moment, Mugman needs you more than anything. If you don’t go down there to rescue him, wouldn’t that reinforce those words that you didn’t mean by? I know that you cared about your brother. Mugman does too…but, Devil is a master liar and manipulator. He will lie to Mugman to say that you never cared about him when you said those words. He’ll use your words to hurt Mugman. If you don’t go down there to rescue Mugman, you’re showing Mugman that Devil is right about your lack of love for your brother. Do you want the Devil to be right about your relationship with your brother?”

Cuphead shook his head slowly.

“Then we oughta go down there and not only rescue your brother, but to help Elder Kettle as well. What d’ya say?” Chalice replied with a determined smile.

Cuphead sat there for a moment to ponder about what Chalice was saying. She was right. If he knew the Devil any better, he might use the words Cuphead said as manipulation against his brother. He had to get down there. He had to get his brother out of there. He didn’t have the pitchfork to trade Devil with…but there was something he was planning on doing instead.

He stood up from the bottom bunk bed and walked over to the window. With newfound determination in his eyes, Cuphead unlocked the window and opened it. He slid out of it and dropped to the ground. Chalice reverted back to her ghost form and phased through the wall. Cuphead hopped over the front fence and hurried to the bikes. He picked them up and looked back at Chalice.

Chalice tilted her head in confusion of the two bikes joined together. “What’s going on there?”

“It’s something Mugsy made for the both of us,” Cuphead said. “Hop on.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” Chalice replied while turning back to her physical form. She got on the bike behind Cuphead.

Cuphead stared ahead into the woods. “Hang on, bud, we’ll come get ya.” With that said, Cuphead made his way through the woods and towards the spot where Mugman was taken. 

~.~

Mugman groaned in pain. He could barely move his limbs. If it weren’t for the bruises on his ceramic face and body, he would’ve been able to move around his cell. His vision was a blur for a moment until it was clear. He…was in the Devil’s throne room? The cage felt small around him. That was why he could barely move. He looked up to see the Devil waiting patiently on his throne, his tail flicked side to side. Out of the corner of Devil’s ruby eyes, he noticed Mugman moving around in the small cage next to his red throne chair.

“Ah, you’re awake. I hope my imps didn’t hurt you badly,” The Devil said with a mischievous grin. “You know, I was just thinking of what your brother said back there. There wasn’t anything I could take he cared about. And it makes me curious…has he ever cared about your wants or needs?”

Mugman furrowed his brows at the Devil. “What kind of a question is that?! Of course he cared about me.”

“Cared enough to not owe me his soul all because he wanted to play Soul Ball?” the Devil responded. “You did all the saving if I recalled correctly. And that annoyed me.”

“I-It was an honest mistake…we didn’t know it was your carnival,” Mugman replied. “Besides, I messed up his aim—”

“Yes, but he owes me his soul until his soul contract was expired,” The Devil responded. “Do you think he cared enough about you to, oh, I don’t know, get another brother to replace you because he thinks you’re boring?”

“H-How did you—?”

“Do you think he cared enough about you that he always fights with you? Constantly…If I recalled correctly, that’s not brotherly love if you both were fighting constantly.”

“STOP!”

“Do you think he cared enough about you to steal your dreams to be a pianist all because of the money involved in it?”

Mugman grabbed his ceramic head and closed his eyes. “Stop it!”

“Do you think he cared enough about you that he would’ve left you behind in Sugarland if you hadn’t begged for him to come back? Do you think he cared enough about you that he would blow up wood for the winter when you and dear old Elder Kettle were trying to survive? Do you really think he cared enough about you to say those words that there was nothing he cared about that I could take from him?”

Mugman started to sob, shaking his head.

“Really think about it, little mug. He doesn’t care about you. He cares about himself. If I recall correctly, you did all the sacrificing when it came to your brother. You risked your own soul to save his. You are the one who knit the invisible sweater for him. You are the one who kept him from being taken by me. You are the one who helped him when he needed most. Is it selfish to dream things you want to dream? Is it selfish to think about yourself for a minute? All you do was help your brother. But guess what? Cuphead failed to prevent me from taking you. He failed to protect you. Wanna know why? Because he’s so used to you protecting him that when I took you away…he just froze.”

Mugman sobbed, breathing heavily.

“He doesn’t care about you, little mug. He left you behind to your own demise,” The Devil said. When he saw Mugman crying, he smirked for a moment before his face contorted to pretend to be sad. “I’m so sorry you had to find out this way, little mug. It is so unfair of what your brother did to you, huh?”

“HEY, DEVIL!!!!” Cuphead’s voice echoed into the throne room.

Mugman looked up and gasped when he saw his brother storming towards the throne with Chalice.

“Let my brudda go!” Cuphead demanded with angry tears in his eyes.

“Cuphead! Chalice!” Mugman called happily.

The Devil smirked at Cuphead. “Ah, I was just talking about you, Cuphead. Looks like you have proven me wrong this time. It’s too bad that you didn’t prove me wrong countless of other times.”

The cage opened with the snap of Devil’s finger and, with his telepathic powers, he raised Mugman up to show the torn black shirt and bruises on his ceramic body.

Cuphead gasped in horror at the sight of his brother being hurt everywhere. He drew his brows together in pure rage and leaped to attack the Devil before being reprimanded by the imps that came out of nowhere. Chalice reverted into her ghost form and dashed towards the Devil to attack him before the ghost chains wrapped around her wrists. She was pulled down on the ground with a gasp.

“What the—?!”

“You don’t think I noticed you, Ms. Chalice?” The Devil said with a conniving grin. “You better watch your step around here. You’re in my realm now.”

Cuphead struggled and looked to see Chalice chained up and Mugman held hostage by the Devil’s telepathic powers. The cup took a moment to calm down before looking up at the demon.

“So, Cuphead, where’s my pitchfork?” The Devil asked with a toothy smirk.

“I-I lost it,” Cuphead said sadly.

“Lost it. Oh, how irresponsible,” Devil replied with scoff.

“But I got something else to trade.”

The Devil perked his head up and smiled sadistically. “Do tell.”

Chalice gasped in fear. “Cuphead, what are you doing?!”

Cuphead took a deep breath and straightened up. “You can have my soul. In exchange, you release my brother and Chalice.”

“Don’t you dare, Cuphead!!!” Mugman shouted tearfully, struggling against the Devil’s telepathic hold.

The Devil smirked evilly. “Oh, this is turning out better than I thought. Alright, Cuphead, you got yourself a deal. I release your brother and Chalice in exchange for your soul.” The Devil put his hand out.

“CUPHEAD!!! DON’T DO THIS!!! PLEASE!!!” Mugman cried while trying to move, but he couldn’t.

“CUPHEAD!!! THIS ISN’T WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT!!” Chalice barked at Cuphead.

Cuphead took a deep breath again and reached his hand towards the Devil. Before Cuphead and Devil could shake hands on it, a fire ball flew between them. Cuphead winced back with a yelp while the Devil growled angrily.

“Release the kids—!”

The Devil and Cuphead looked to the side of the throne room to find King Dice being held hostage by Elder Kettle. King Dice had a sword against his neck while Elder Kettle had the pitchfork strapped to his back.

“—Or I’ll kill your right-hand man!” Elder Kettle threatened with rage in his eyes.

“Just do what he says, boss! The old tea kettle is unhinged!” King Dice shouted cowardly.

The Devil rolled his eyes. “Oh great. Look what you just—wait, my pitchfork!”

Elder Kettle gritted his teeth. “You want it? Then you release my kids.”

The Devil tapped his finger on the armrest of the throne chair. “It’s funny how Cuphead made a deal to sell his soul to me in exchange for his brother’s freedom. Now here you are…threatening to kill my good-for-nothing lackey, to which you should know I have no problem with, and making a deal of taking back my pitchfork in exchange of me releasing your ‘kids’…if they are really your kids that is. Now I’m debating which deal sounds more…enticing.” With that said, the Devil shifted his gaze at Cuphead.

Elder Kettle shifted his attention to Cuphead. “Cuphead, you should know better than sell your own soul to the Devil.” He glared at the Devil. “Have you ever heard of Lost and Found contract? This pitchfork is mine for now…unless you want to trade. If that’s the case, release my kids and I’ll give you back your pitchfork.”

“Ugh, fine, make it snappy,” The Devil groaned irritably.

However, Elder Kettle shook his head. “I ain’t givin’ you the pitchfork unless you release my kids first. That way I know you ain’t a liar and manipulator like you’ve always been.”

“Ugh, ouch!” The Devil said sarcastically. “Well, if you want to play it that way—” With his telepathic powers, he threw Mugman through the walls.

“MUGMAN!!!” Elder Kettle, Cuphead, and Chalice called for him.

Elder Kettle pushed the tip of the sword against Dice’s throat. “Release him or I’ll kill your number one!!”

The Devil smirked. “Go ahead. No one was stopping you.”

The color drained from Dice’s face, his life on the line. Elder Kettle glared into Dice’s eyes, ready to kill him until he could see fear in the gambler’s eyes. The old tea kettle softened his gaze and pulled his sword away from Dice’s throat. He shoved the gambler on his knees. Elder Kettle took the pitchfork off of his back with a sigh.

“That’s what I thought,” Devil said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Now, why don’t you hand over the pitchfork, hm? Just as promised.”

“Eh, excuse me?!”

Devil glanced down to see Stickler standing by his throne chair. He scoffed. “Ugh, Stickler, what do you want?”

“As much I hate to interrupt your fun, you are losing souls,” Stickler replied.

“WHAT?!”

Henchman bursted through the throne room, panting. “Boss! The Cat Burglar! He’s back!”

“WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! AGAIN?!?!?!?!” The Devil growled aggressively. “FIND HIM AND BRING HIM TO ME!!!!”

“Yes, boss!” Henchman said while motioning a couple of imps with him. 

~.~

Mugman screamed until he finally crashed into his own cell. He groaned in pain and sat up to see the bars shut and locked. Mugman breathed heavily. Both his caretaker and his brother were willing to give up their souls for him.

Mugman had to get out of this cell and fast before he could lose both of the people he loved. The imps guard his cell to make sure he wouldn’t escape. He looked around the cell to try to find a way out of it without the imps noticing. However, he heard creaking. The imps turned their heads down the hallway. They took out their weapons, ready to fight anyone who dared come through the hallway.

Mugman heard creaking around the ceiling and looked up to see a pair of eyes looking down at the imps from the open ceiling. Should he make a sound or should he stay quiet? Mugman bit his lips and watched the mysterious shadow jumped onto one of the bigger imps. The imp screamed while the other one smacked him with a huge club. The mysterious hooded creature jumped onto the other imp, who hit himself with a club trying to get to the creature. The hooded creature jumped off and looked into Mugman’s cell.

Mugman waved his hand shyly, not sure who this creature was.

The creature unlocked the cell with claws and came towards him. The creature appeared to be a girl, her claws reaching to lock pick the chains around Mugman’s ankles.

Mugman was no longer fearful of this hooded creature as he reached for the brown hood to see who she was. However, before his fingers could touch the fabric, she snatched his wrist to stop him. She looked up at him, staring into his eyes. He could see red fur under the hood. Her mouth and her nose were covered by a bandana.

“Who are you?” he whispered, not sure why the question slipped out of his mouth. She released her grip on his wrist and continued to work with the chains. The chains released his ankles and she held a paw out for him to take. Mugman looked at her hand and then into her eyes. There was a bright smile hidden behind her bandana that he could see by the movement of the fabric. He exchanged a smile back and took her hand. She pulled him up on his feet before hearing heavy footsteps.

“There you are!” one of the larger imps barked and swung his club to hit both Mugman and her.

She pushed him out of the way and jumped back. The club hit the ground between the two of them. She ran out of the cell, but was grabbed by the other imp and slammed her against the wall.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” The other imp barked at her.

Mugman gasped to see her in trouble while hurrying out of the cell and hopped onto the imp’s back to get him off of her. The imp knocked Mugman back against the bars on the other side of the hall before watching the other imp stomping out of his original cell.

The creature clawed the imp’s hand and bit down on it with her sharp teeth. The imp cried in pain while letting go of her. She pounced on him and scratched up his face with a cat’s yowl. The other imp slapped her off of his partner. She tumbled onto the ground next to Mugman, who stared up in fear. The imp pulled out their club to make the killing blow.

“Finally, the boss doesn’t have to deal with you anymore,” the imp growled while raising his club high.

Mugman gasped and grabbed her by the shawl and pulled her out of harm’s way. The imp’s club pounded onto the ground again.

“Are you okay?” he asked her while helping her up on her feet.

“They’re a bit bigger than I remembered,” she finally answered.

Mugman gasped to find that she spoke. He looked up to find the imps coming towards them.

“Get the mug and kill the Cat Burglar,” the imp ordered.

“Cat Burglar?” Mugman questioned before noticing her throwing the ball of yarn at the imps. The imps looked down at the yarn with a confused expression on their faces and then laughed.

“Is that the best you can do—?!”

The ball of yarn exploded, the yarn strings tying up the imps. The imps couldn’t move a muscle until they tried to cut their way through the thick yarn strings.

The Cat Burglar took Mugman by the hand and hurried out of the hallway. Mugman gripped in her hand in fear that he wouldn’t be able to catch up with her. They hurried towards the lava pit as she got out a bow and attached the string to the arrow. She pulled the bowstring back and released the arrow, having it stick onto the ceiling.

“Hang on!” she warned before gripping her bow.

Mugman wrapped his arms around her sides once she jumped off of the ledge. They swung over the lava pit with Mugman screaming in terror. The arrow slipped from the ceiling once they landed on the other side of the lava pit. She hurried away from the cliff, but Mugman almost fell back into the lava pit. Before he could lose his footing on the edge, he felt his shirt being grabbed. He looked up to find the Cat Burglar pulling him away from the edge.

“Come on!” she urged him as she hurried into the dark caverns.

Mugman followed her. “Hey, wait!” He squeezed himself through the sharp rocks. The smell of brimstone infiltrated his nose. “Thank you for saving me back there.”

“Same to you,” she said.

“Oh…I, uh, didn’t do much.”

“I could’ve been crushed by the club if you weren’t there, so I thank you too for saving me back there.”

Mugman blushed for a moment. “Uh…it’s no problem. Wait, who are you?”

“It’s better if I tell you after we’re done here. You’ll never know who will hear us in here,” The Cat Burglar replied. “Let’s get out of here—”

“Wait, my family is at the Devil’s throne…The Devil will have both my brother’s and my caretaker’s if we don’t get them out of the throne room,” Mugman begged while reaching for her paw.

She stopped and turned to him. She gave a thought and nodded her head. “Then let’s get them out of here too.”

Mugman brightly smiled at her.

“Follow me,” she whispered while they made their way to the throne room. 

~.~

Henchman bursted into the Devil’s throne room.

“Boss! The Cat Burglar—He got the mug too!” Henchman announced while panting for breaths.

Cuphead, Chalice, and Elder Kettle sighed in relief that Mugman was somewhere safe.

Devil growled angrily. “Find the Cat Burglar and that mug! Bring them to me at once!”

“Yes, boss!” Henchman ran off to try and find them.

Stickler raised his finger. “And more souls were being free as we speak.”

“Ugh! Isn’t there a better day when that Cat Burglar could just come in and take them? I’m in the middle of obtaining souls!!!”

Cuphead noticed something above the throne room and looked up to see Mugman and a mysterious hooded creature sneaking through the ceiling. He smiled brightly to see his brother. Chalice and Elder Kettle joined in looking up and saw Mugman on the ceiling.

They both sighed in quiet relief while snapping their attention back at Devil.

King Dice was too stunned to speak after being called “good-for-nothing lackey” and almost killed by the old tea kettle.

The Devil shifted his stare back at Elder Kettle. “Now, about that deal, make it snappy. We don’t—”

Before Elder Kettle could give the pitchfork back, an arrow was shot between the Devil’s feet. It exploded, blinding The Devil, Stickler, King Dice, and the imps holding Cuphead hostage. Elder Kettle looked away before he could be blinded by it. Cuphead closed his eyes while feeling their grips loosened on him. He shrugged out of it and helped Chalice with the ghostly chains. However, the ghost chains disappeared as soon as the brightness started. Chalice smiled brightly and reverted back to her physical form.

Elder Kettle threw the pitchfork at the Devil’s feet and hurried towards the kids. He took their hands and rushed over to the secret exit that Dice showed him.

“Wait, Elder Kettle!” Cuphead said while hurrying over and grabbing the bikes.

“You had the bikes there the entire time?!” Elder Kettle pointed out.

“Just in case!” Cuphead said while looking around for his brother. “We gotta find Mugsy!”

He felt someone grabbing his arm as he looked to see Mugman.

“Mugsy!” Cuphead cried and hugged his brother. “I’m so sorry! I’m so so sorry!”

“Come on, Cuphead! Let’s get out of here!” Mugman determined while hopping onto the bikes with Cuphead. Cuphead nodded his head and rode their bikes towards the secret exit with Elder Kettle leading them. However, they noticed that the Cat Burglar was also running with them.

“Come on!” she urged the others as she ran ahead of them.

Elder Kettle was slowing down, panting for breath.

Chalice noticed this and looked behind her to find Devil recovered from the flash bomb with a glare at them. She clenched her teeth and turned into the ghost, possessing Elder Kettle. Chalice, as Elder Kettle, sprinted to catch up with the boys and the Cat Burglar.

The Cat Burglar took out her walkie-talkie. “Jerry! I need you to pick us up by the secret entrance! Hurry!”

“Jerry?!” Cuphead and Mugman shouted in question.

A sudden fireball was thrown at them and missed, scaring them. They looked back to see Devil running after them. The Cat Burglar shot an arrow onto the ceiling and they ran under it. After they were passed it, she pressed the button to detonate the bomb. The rocks started to collapse as they saw the woods in the late evening. They made it out of Hell.

Cuphead and Mugman saw a pair of headlights coming at them. Both of the brothers screamed and stopped their bikes. The car swerved to the side and they looked up to find a familiar face of black figure with red crooked nose. His face was hidden under the green large hat and his mouth was hidden by a green scarf. His body was also hidden by a green trench coat.

“Get in!” The strange figure shouted.

The Cat Burglar jumped in the vehicle. She looked at the rest of the group. “Get in! Hurry!”

Cuphead and Mugman got off of their bikes and threw them at the back of the car while hopping onto the backseat along with Elder Kettle.

The Cat Burglar looked around. “Wait, where’s the chalice girl?”

Elder Kettle’s mouth opened and Chalice popped out from her ghost form.

“Right here. NOW STEP ON IT!!!” Chalice shouted urgently.

The stranger pressed on the gas pedal and the car sped off.

Meanwhile, back in Hell, Devil saw that the secret exit was blocked off with an offended scoff.

“You don’t get to run away!” The Devil growled while Henchman, Stickler, and King Dice came up next to him.

“Geez, boss, the Cat Burglar took a lot more than we thought,” Henchman replied.

“Twenty thousands souls to be precise,” Stickler remarked.

The Devil growled angrily and stormed off back to his throne room. Henchman and Stickler exchanged glances and shrugged at each other before following their king. King Dice, however, stayed behind. Tonight was the night that he couldn’t process. First, Devil was okay with Elder Kettle killing him, but he didn’t kill Dice. Why? It didn’t take words to coax the old war veteran to not kill him. It didn’t take him groveling and begging to be spared. King Dice clutched his chest to feel his own beating heart.

“D’aw! Dice! Are ya comin’ or what?!” Henchman shouted from a distance.

Dice looked at the direction of the voice and then back at the blocked off exit. With a deep sigh, he walked away.

~.~

The car drove through the woods, letting the others process what happened. Chalice already phased out of Elder Kettle’s body and returned to her physical form, sitting next to Mugman.

“Thanks, Jerry,” the Cat Burglar said with a sigh in relief.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Jerry asked, trying to examine her while driving.

She took off her hood and bandana to reveal a cat with red fur and short black hair. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She looked back at Cuphead, Mugman, Chalice, and Elder Kettle. “How are you guys doing? You guys doing okay?”

Mugman stared at her, not expecting to see beauty under the hood.

“Yep, we’re okay,” Elder Kettle answered for him and the kids. “I didn’t catch your names…”

“Oh, my name is Cassidy. I couldn’t reveal it earlier because…well, you never know who could hear,” Cassidy, the red feline cat, introduced herself. “And this is Jerry.”

Jerry nodded his head and kept driving forward.

“It’s very nice to meet you both,” Elder Kettle replied. He looked at the boys and noticed Mugman staring at her in some sort of fascination. “You know it’s rude to stare, Mugman.”

Mugman blinked and shook his head, snapping out of his trance. “Hm?”

“You heard me,” Elder Kettle replied.

Mugman blushed and looked down on the floor shyly.

“I’m Cuphead!” Cuphead introduced himself. “And this is Mugman!”

Mugman looked up at his brother and then at Cassidy with a small smile and wave.

“And I’m Chalice,” Chalice introduced herself.

“It’s nice to meet you guys too,” Cassidy said while shifting her gaze at Mugman. “Hey, I want to thank you again for helping me out back there.”

“Oh—uh, it’s nothing—.”

“No, it’s something. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been smashed with the club,” Cassidy said with a smile.

“Wait, you were almost smashed with the club?!” Jerry questioned, panicking.

“Yeah, but he saved me,” Cassidy replied.

“No, no, it’s really nothing,” Mugman responded with a blush spreading across his face.

Jerry arrived at Elder Kettle’s house. “Is this your house?”

“Yes, you can drop us off here,” Elder Kettle said once Jerry parked near the fence. The old tea kettle scooted out of the car with Chalice and the cup brothers following him. However, Mugman turned around to look up at Cassidy for one last time for the night.

“Uh…when can we see you again?” Mugman questioned.

Cassidy seemed shock by his question. However, she hid her shock with a small smile and a blush. “Soon, hopefully.”

Jerry noticed something between them with a smirk hidden under the scarf as he drove off into the woods with Cassidy in the passenger seat.

Mugman waved goodbye with a wistful sigh.

“Hey, Mugsy! Are ya comin’ or what?!” Cuphead shouted behind him.

“Coming!” Mugman yelled back and headed through the gate. He was definitely not going to be able to sleep tonight with his thoughts on her.

To Be Continued... 

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite)

*Hey everyone, I'm back with another episode for the rewrite of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows. This is published on August 7, 2023. If you guys like this episode, don't be afraid to heart, reblog, and comment! That would be greatly appreciated. Warning: blood, violence, gore, and slight cursing. Enjoy!*

Episode Nine: Take A Gamble

On the east side of Inkwell Isle City, Bowlboy lingered through the abandoned side.

He had been on the run from the Night Stalkers since he got back from injecting Mugman with…whatever that stuff was. He never wanted to hurt either Mugman or Cuphead, but he wanted to be a part of them…doing reckless things with them. Of course, he wasn’t liked by the brothers.

Bowlboy tried to find a place to hide, but he soon realized that there was no place to hide. As he was walking through the abandoned side of the city, he felt a paper under his feet. He picked it up and dusted the soot off, squinting to read the headlines and the picture of the red cat turning the wheel.

“Tremaine Outbreak! Are the red cats responsible for it?”

Bowlboy tilted his head in confusion. He heard someone lurking in the shadows behind him as he whirled around. He scanned his surroundings until he saw a hooded figure running towards him.

Bowlboy screamed and ran away from the figure deeper into the east side of the city. The hooded figure chased after him.

“Wait!”

Bowlboy didn’t listen as he tripped on the metal pipe and collapsed on the cracked cement. He groaned in pain and noticed the hooded figure approaching him.

“Don’t kill me, please!” Bowlboy cried innocently. “I don’t want to die!”

“I ain’t gonna kill ya,” the hooded figure said while raising his white gloves. “I just need answers.”

“A-Answers? For what? Who are you?” Bowlboy questioned fearfully.

The hooded figure took off his hood to reveal King Dice under the hood. Before Bowlboy could gasp in happiness, King Dice shushed him.

“Look, I’m going against the boss by doing this. But this was for his best interest. I need answers from you,” Dice said. “Did Hunter really tell you to go after Mugman?”

Bowlboy nodded his head.

“Are you sure he told you that?”

“Yeah, I have it right here,” Bowlboy said while pulling out a tape-recorder from behind him and pressing play.

“Put this inside of Mugman. Not Cuphead. Mugman.”

Dice blinked in confusion. “I knew we weren’t talking about the same person the other day. Hunter has been acting strange lately. I tried telling the boss…but he ain’t listenin’ to me. He liked Hunter way too much to the point where Hunter became Devil’s number one.”

Bowlboy blinked in confusion. “Why do you care to be the Devil’s number one?”

Dice shifted his glance at the small bowl. “Because—Because—ugh, nevermind. It’s cheesy.”

“Aww, it can’t be that bad of a reasoning, right?” Bowlboy questioned.

“It’s none of your concern—” They heard a creak under them. Before they could move, the silver platform under them gave way and both Bowlboy and Dice fell into the hole underneath them with screams.

They couldn’t see temporarily while they tumbled down the slope and into the caverns until they finally landed onto the ground.

Dice groaned in pain and blinked his eyes open. “Ugh, w-what just happened. Where are we?”

Bowlboy shook his head and looked around. “Huh, I didn’t think there were caverns underneath the city.”

Dice looked around to notice glowing mushrooms around them that lit up their path straight-forward. “Caverns, huh? Strange…I wonder why no one knew about the caverns here.”

Bowlboy shrugged his shoulders.

Dice and Bowlboy moved forward through the caverns, their eyes scanning their surroundings.

“Maybe the way out of this place is that way,” Dice determined, pointing at the door ahead of them.

Dice opened the heavy door and pushed his way through, his eyes widened when he found out that they entered a bedroom of some sorts. The lights were on everywhere with pictures and posters all over the walls.

“Well, someone is a bit disorganized,” Dice said with a judgmental gaze around the room. “I mean, it looks filthy.”

Bowlboy looked over at the posters of dancing red cats dressed like demons and words that scared him to his core. “Someone has been making posters about the red cats.”

Dice glanced at the posters with confusion written on his face. “Wait a minute, what’s going on there?”

“There’s always been this hate against red cats for so long,” Bowlboy recalled.

“But why?” Dice questioned. “Like why just the red cats specifically? They could’ve made it more broad and said that all cats are from the Devil, but why the red cats?”

Dice found newspaper clippings and squinted to read it through the other papers.

“Red cats are responsible for the Tremaine outbreak?”

“What?” Dice questioned with a laugh. “Okay. Okay, what on earth is going on here?”

Dice looked at the other paper clipping with some sort of a graph with faded colors. He realized the paper had statistics number to show which species of cats to be more aggressive. Dice looked and saw that the red cats tend to be more aggressive than the rest of the cats. Hunter’s name was on the statistic.

“Since when did Hunter become a scientist?” Dice questioned with a brow raised. He looked at the date and blinked in surprise. “Wait, this was taken before the Tremaine outbreak fifteen years ago.”

“Do you think Hunter had been planning something that had to do with the red cats?”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it one bit,” Dice responded. “He already had you inject Mugman with Tremaine…but the question is…why? Why Mugman? Was it to get to Cuphead? Was it because of something completely different? He’s planning something. I don’t know what it is. But…he’s planning something.”

“Look!” Bowlboy picked up the strange device with darkened goggles and weird antennas forming out of silver cap where the goggles were attached.

Dice grabbed the device and put it on to look through the dark goggles. What he didn’t expect was the orange silhouettes that showed everyone infected with Tremaine. He took it off for a moment.

“What the—?” Dice couldn’t even get a sentence out. He found brown gloves with weird buttons on each hand and wires. He put those on out of curiosity and put the helmet back on to look through the goggles.

Dice had no idea what he was doing when he pushed a button, but when he pushed a button on his right hand, he heard someone collided against the wall. Dice tried to find who was it by pushing another button on his other hand to browse who made the sound. He gasped once he saw an orange silhouette of Beppi, weeping in the corner.

“Make it stop. Make it stop,” Beppi groaned in pain.

Dice felt his heart tug for a moment. He decided to test out whatever it was and pushed the same button on his right hand, causing Beppi to smashed his shoulder against the wall.

“STOP! PLEASE!!” Beppi cried while grabbing his head.

Dice blinked in confusion and noticed the option list down below at the corner. He managed to get there with some struggle and noticed one of the options were to go into Beppi’s head. Dice clicked on that with the button on his left hand and it took him into Beppi’s mind. Through the goggles, Dice could see Beppi being laughed at as a child while the little clown covered his ears.

“Make it stop. Make it stop!” the kid version of Beppi cried.

Too freaked out to continue, Dice shoved the helmet and the gloves off, breathing heavily from looking into someone’s mind.

“What is that thing?” Dice uttered. “D-Does it control people with Tremaine? Does it make their pain worse until they reached to their breaking point? What is going on here?”

Bowlboy found a VHS tape and looked to see television in front of them. “Hey, what’s that?”

Dice turned to see a black screen at the corner of the room. “Wait…what is that?”

Bowlboy found a VHS tape player and inserted the tape in. The television flickered on and it showed a black and white film reel.

“What the heck?” Dice uttered and watched the film reel that showed the black and white pictures.

~.~

Jack couldn’t believed he got the job at the infamous Mason Corporations.

Out of all of the jobs Jack applied for, only one shady corporation gave him the job. It wasn’t what he wanted, but it’ll pay the bills and take care of both his wife and his child. It offered more money than what he could imagine, so why not? Despite his small argument with Porkrind about why working at Mason Corporations seemed like a bad idea, Jack decided to take the opportunity.

Jack worked there as a scientist next to Murray, the cup with a small blue nose. The red cat and the cup scientists were excited to be each other’s coworkers until they started to work there.

There was a new chemical that they were supposed to enhance, which was called Tremaine. Hunter, their boss, told them that Tremaine was supposed to enhance military soldiers to fight, but that couldn’t be further from the truth when running experiments. Their first test subject was a small rat picked up from the sewers.

Jack injected Tremaine into the rat, thinking it would strengthen it or make it more mortal like everyone else. However Jack watched intensely as he could see red irises and yellow eyes in the rat. The rat screeched in pain and rattled in his cage.

Both Murray and Jack witnessed this and looked to see that the chemical improves. So, they went to talk to Hunter about it.

“Mr. Manson,” Jack began the conversation.

Hunter turned to look at Jack.

“We’re sorry to bother you, sir, but I don’t think this Tremaine you speak of is working,” Jack replied. “It doesn’t strengthen the test subject.”

“It causes the test subject to suffer within it, letting it become a monster,” Murray added.

Hunter cornered a smirk. “It’s supposed to do that.”

Murray and Jack looked at each other in confusion and then back at Hunter.

“Now, let’s move up a little, shall we? Let’s say…a person,” Hunter replied.

Murray and Jack blinked and nodded their heads obediently.

“Yes sir,” they both said.

Hunter gave them a nod and moved on to focus on his other projects.

“This isn’t what we signed up for,” Murray whispered to Jack.

“Quiet, Mr. Manson could hear you,” Jack warned his friend.

“We didn’t sign up to make people suffer,” Murray stated.

“M-Maybe Tremaine won’t have terrible effects on people.”

“Jack, did you not see what it did to that rat? Who knows what Tremaine is going to do to a person?” Murray pointed out to the red feline.

Jack bit his lips.

“Look, I know you got family to feed. So do I. But I don’t think doing this is a good idea for a job,” Murray replied. “And something’s up with that Manson guy. I don’t think…I don’t think he’s normal.”

“You realize that they got recordings everywhere, right?”

“I’m just sayin’.”

Jack sighed deeply. “We need to find out why Tremaine causes other people to suffer. What are the ingredients in it? Why does it cause people to suffer? We need to know.”

“I’m with you till the end,” Murray replied with determination. “As much as I don’t think this is a good idea to stay here to find out sensitive information, I’ll stick by ya.”

“What about you? It might be risky and it might get you killed—”

“I ain’t too worried about it,” Murray responded with a mischievous smile. “Let’s do it.”

For months working for Mason Corporations, Jack and Murray tried to find sensitive files in a secret file room they weren’t allowed to go in discreetly while working on the chemical. One day, they finally found a file that had the ingredients to Tremaine.

“Here we go,” Jack said while taking a deep breath. He opened the file and looked through the history of its usage. His eyes widened in shock and fear.

“What’s wrong?” Murray said while looking into the file. He scanned through it. “Ash…? Brimstone…? Demon’s blood…?” He blinked in confusion. “Wait, where does Hunter get those ingredients?”

“There’s only one place I know where he could get that stuff,” Jack uttered in pure disbelief. “I guess his ‘special’ scientists were sent down to the Underworld to collect the ingredients.”

“They would’ve been blown up by the Devil by now if that’s the case. No…Hunter must have brought something from the Underworld,” Murray responded. “But how?”

Unbeknownst to them, Hunter saw them looking through the file involving the ingredients of Tremaine. The tiger growled lowly and disappeared into the shadows.

Since Jack and Murray knew about the ingredients of Tremaine, they were trying to find a way to have the chemical not cause suffering among the test subjects. They tweaked the ingredients by excluding demon’s blood, ash, and brimstone and including the juice from an apple, water, and drops of human tears.

Murray would sometimes bring his baby son, Mugman, to work when no one else could watch him while his wife, Lily Rose, took his other son, Cuphead to her job. Baby Mugman would watch his father mixing the ingredients together in fascination, who was noticed by Hunter watching from outside of Murray and Jack’s lab.

Murray noticed Hunter eying on his baby and kept his son close with a small withering glare at Hunter. Since he noticed Hunter watching Mugman, Murray had an old friend who recently retired from the military that he could call and have him watch baby Mugman and baby Cuphead until either Lily or Murray could pick up their kids first.

Jack never took his daughter, Cassidy, to work mostly because it’s risky.

Other than through occasional worries of being spotted by Hunter and his ruthless employees and getting small amount of glares from people because of his species, Jack had been getting great pay to take care of Shayna and Cassidy for a couple of months until one day.

It was the first of the month of September when Jack came to work and stumbled into a room full of giant tubes of the original Tremaine. He witnessed the Tremaine being drained into the water pipelines on the east side of Inkwell Isle City.

Jack gasped in horror and hurried to find a way to stop Tremaine from getting drained further. He found the wheel valve turned and rushed towards to turn it back. A sudden flash interfered with his eyes. Temporarily blinded by the sudden flash, he kept turning the wheel, eventually saving little Tremaine left in the big tubes. However, Jack knew he was too late to save anyone at the east side of the city. 

~.~

The east side water pipelines had Tremaine flowing within, blending into the water. Most citizens drank the water from the sink without knowing it. Objects, humans, and animals alike turned feral and tore each others flesh like wild animals.

The blood marked the streets on the east side of the city. The bee police force were there, but has been torn to shreds when encountering them. It had gotten bloody on the east side of the city with the blood, intestines, hearts, lungs, and guts scattered across the cold black roads that Rumor Honeybottoms, the chief of the police force, stepped in with extra help in the form of the red genie, the three-headed dragon, the mad scientist on his robot, the huge carnivorous flower, and the red lady shape-shifting into a blimp.

The flower’s face contorted into a machine gun and fired bullets in the forms of seeds, planted onto the ground and grew weeds and plant-eaters to hold the attackers back.

The mother and her blonde child cowered back from the child’s father, his irises red and his eyeballs yellow.

“Papa, please! Don’t kill us!” The blonde-haired child cried. Before her father could kill both her and her mother, the golden arrow flew by her father and one of the small blue stars smacked him in the face. Soon, the child and her mother lifted onto the back of the cloudy centaur, firing arrows with the golden bow.

The centaur took them to someplace safe and placed them on the ground, shape-shifting into the red-dressed lady. The little girl looked up at her with adoring eyes.

“What’s your name, sweetie?” the lady asked with a soft smile.

“S-Sally,” the child replied.

“Hilda,” Hilda introduced herself with a bright smile.

“GET OFF!!!”

Hilda turned to the familiar voice belonging to the orange-petaled flower fighting against the ones infected with Tremaine.

Hilda looked at young Sally. “Get you and your mother safe. Hurry!”

Hilda flew up to the sky and grabbed the fluff of clouds to shape-shift into a bull with gold horns. She managed to ram into the infected and get them off of the flower.

“You know I can handle them, right?” The flower stated.

“Really? The famous Cagney Carnation seems to be in distress to me,” Hilda teased while transforming back to her normal self.

Cagney, the flower, slammed his hand down into the ground and stabbed the incoming infected person charging at Hilda with a deadpan stare at her. He smirked when Hilda seemed shock at the fact that he got the person without looking.

“And Ms. Hilda Berg needs to pay attention to her surroundings so that she doesn’t get herself killed,” Cagney teased back.

“Awww, always lookin’ out for me, eh, Cagney?” Hilda flirted with a blush.

“You know it,” Cagney flirted back with a blush on his face.

The red genie appeared in between them with a smirk. “As much as I love to listen to you two flirt, we got a much bigger problem. We need to know what’s causing the people to insane!”

The three-headed dragon landed and blew fire at those infected with Tremaine, protecting a single frog mother protecting two little frog boys.

The mad scientist controlling the robot shot laser yellow beams at the people attacking a young clown and a young girl with a candy cane in her mouth.

The young pirate was fighting the ones infected near the port on the shore. The young sea creature with purple hair of a dead octopus noticed the young pirate boy. With a gasp in shock, her eyes turned red and shot red beams towards the pirate boy. The pirate boy dodged it and watched the infectees turned to stone. Once he looked back, he saw the sea creature gasping at her being noticed and dove back into the water. He hurried over and saw her swimming away.

“Wow…” the pirate boy muttered in admiration.

The dark blue bird with the house on him swooped in and used his wing to get the remaining individuals who were not infected with Tremaine to get on the roof of his birdhouse such as a young brown rat, a young pirate, three young vegetables, and a young slime ball. He flew away with them to get to safety away from the dangerous side of the city.

Rumor Honeybottoms flew in and used her wand to lift up the concrete to find something flowing in the water system. “It’s coming from the water system! We need it to redirect it away from the city!”

The remaining bee cops nodded their heads and hurried to redirect the water into the sewers so that it would never reach to the city again.

The water that had Tremaine inside of it went down the drain, leaving the special force breathing heavily in exhaustion from fighting those infected with Tremaine.

Rumor saw there were more of those infected with Tremaine as she raised the walls with her wand, trapping the infectees within so that they wouldn’t go after anymore citizens.

Unbeknownst to them, Hunter had been watching them all from the sidelines with a small smirk at them all.

~.~

It was only two days after the incident that the newspapers were written frantically all over the city.

“Tremaine released into the east side of the city!”

“Mason Corporations behind the Tremaine incident?”

“Who’s the real villain behind the Tremaine incident?”

Jack hoped for those answers to the questions just as much as the press.

Murray was dumbfounded after the incident, his fear suppressed by trying not to worry too much about it.

It was on the day that Hunter was about to speak up. Was Hunter behind this? Why would Hunter do this? Was this planned the entire time?

Hunter had microphones against his face while journalists were asking questions left and right. Jack and Murray were on stage behind Hunter and listened. All of them didn’t seem that hard to answer and rather…easy to explain…but there was two questions he would never forget was asked during the interview.

“Is the situation under control? Who should we blame?”

“This situation is under control,” Hunter said. “This chemical was released by a former employee of mine. His name was Jack Cat. He and his species caused this Tremaine outbreak.”

Jack widened his eyes at this shocking answer.

“Jack turned the wheel to release the chemicals into the water system and we had to shut it down before it was too late. I’ve studied his species for years…I’ve concluded that they can be usually be aggressive, but I would never have thought that the red cats could go this far,” Hunter stated.

The rising anger gripped Jack’s heart. The urge to speak and defend himself took over and Jack didn’t hesitate to follow that urge.

“You know that’s not true!” Jack shouted at Hunter with a growl.

Murray saw his friend charging towards Hunter and held Jack back. “Jack, no, you’re only going to prove his statements—”

“I’ve been framed!” Jack growled at Hunter, tears streaming down his cheeks. “You’ve just put my species in danger. You’ve just put my family in danger and you know it, don’t you?”

Murray was able to hold his friend back and tried to calm Jack down. “Jack, take it easy. You’re only going to make yourself look worse.”

Jack looked to see the journalists winced back in fear, afraid that he will attack either Hunter or any of them. The red feline softened his gaze and looked up at Hunter. Then he glanced back at the press.

“Please…I’m innocent,” Jack begged the press before being manhandled by the cops.

“Hey, let him go!” Murray shouted at the cops. One of the cops shoved Murray back against the wall, breaking off his handle for his cup head.

Murray groaned in pain while watching his friend being dragged off stage by the cops.

“Please, I’ve been framed! You gotta believe me!” Jack cried.

Murray watched in horror, tears edging out of his eyes.

~.~

Fifteen Years Later:

The television flickered off, revealing Jack’s past with Murray and Hunter to both King Dice and Bowlboy in the strange room.

“Odd…” Dice uttered while tilting his head.

“Poor Jack,” Bowlboy replied in pity.

Dice looked around the room some more to find answers to questions. He found another VHS tape. “Hey, what do you think is in this one?”

Bowlboy shrugged his shoulders and pulled the VHS tape out of the VHS tape player. Dice inserted a different VHS tape and saw something completely shocking.

It was a camera to the jail cell with this supposed Jack Cat sitting inside of it. Jack had been quiet…too quiet. Dice and Bowlboy watched someone walking towards the cell…was that this Murray guy? They watched Murray lock picked the jail cell and leading Jack out of his cell.

Dice tilted his head in confusion when the television flickered to another camera to see Jack and Murray in some sort of a secret lab, working on a cure for Tremaine. Both Bowlboy and Dice looked at each other.

“This is even more odd,” Dice responded.

“There are so many secrets here,” Bowlboy pointed out.

Dice took a glance back at those goggles and the gloves. He put them back on and decided to test something. He toggled through individuals already infected with Tremaine. Beppi was definitely one of them along with the…wait…Baroness Von Bon Bon? How in the world did they get the baroness out of Sugarland? She seemed to be withering and decaying once she left Sugarland.

Dice toggled again to find Mugman. What was about Mugman that was so important to Hunter? Dice was about to find out. He pressed the button to get into the memory and found memories of when Mugman and Cuphead were toddlers and were always together. Before Dice could dig further, he heard someone walking to the room.

Dice took the goggles and the gloves off, setting them down on the table. Bowlboy switched the television off and hid in the shadows as King Dice shut off the lights in the room.

“Youse got a lot of nerve kidnapping us!” Ribby’s voice growled.

“Yeah!” Croaks’ voice agreed.

Dice gasped in recognition. Ribby and Croaks? The owners of the Fly Trap? Quickly, the die put on his hood over his head, watching three assassins pushed both Ribby and Croaks through the room.

One of the assassins noticed Dice under the hood. “Help us, would ya? These two are getting hard to handle.”

“Hey!” Ribby shouted in offense. “We was doing fine until you showed up!”

“We’ll pound ya if ya don’t let us go!” Croaks snarled.

Dice joined to “help”, but he wasn’t sure where they were taking the frogs. The assassins took them through another door that Dice didn’t notice before. Once they opened the door, they pushed the frogs through the door while King Dice followed. Dice looked behind him to see Bowlboy sneakily trailing from behind him.

Dice followed the assassins into the underground prison where the people he saw on the video during the Tremaine Incident were all there.

Cagney pounded against the glass that seemed unbreakable. “Hey! What are you going to do to us?!”

Dice couldn’t answer that since he didn’t know himself. He looked ahead to find more the red genie looking onward solemnly. The mad scientist was tinkering his robot inside of his glass cell while the small brown rat was tinkering his vehicle in the cell next to the mad scientist.

The three headed dragon tried to blow fire at the glass to no avail surprisingly. When that failed, the three-headed dragon frowned and cradled their young baby in the cell with them.

Dice could see Hilda sobbing from the corner of the cell. When he looked to his left, he could see the blue slime big ball punching at the glass with his red boxer gloves. The Root Pack containing of Ollie, Chauncey, and Sal Spudder crying in the cell from Ollie’s stench. Rumor Honeybottoms didn’t have her wand and her arms were crossed in the cell, glaring at the assassins holding Ribby and Croaks hostage.

Sally, the blonde woman who was the little girl in the video, was dead in her cell…or was she dead? When Dice approached Sally’s cell to see if she was really dead, Sally perked her head up, her eyes red and her pupils small. She crawled over to the glass and clawed on it, scaring Dice away from the glass with a gasp. Once he left her and trailed behind the assassins, Sally blinked and her eyes returned to normal. She wiped the drool off of her mouth with a cocky grin.

Dice looked to see the bird with the house on his body, taking care of the little bird crying in the cell. Then he approached Beppi and the Baroness, acting irrationally with Tremaine in their veins. They’ve succumbed to their demonic selves, which scared Dice to think about for some reason.

Soon the assassins shoved the frogs into their own cells.

“HEY!” Ribby barked at the assassins before the glass closed behind the brothers. “Get us out of here!”

Dice blinked in horror and found the name-plates above the cells with each other of their names. The last two cells were across from one another, both were empty. Dice looked at one of the empty cell in horror…it…it had his name on it. Then Dice looked across at the other empty cell and widened his eyes in more shock.

“The Devil.”

“What’s wrong?” one of the assassins asked Dice, unaware that it was the King Dice noticing this.

Dice cleared his throat. “Um…why are we capturing King Dice and the Devil? Aren’t they…working with us?”

“We thought the boss explained to you,” the other assassin stated. “To all of us. Were you not listening?”

“No…absolutely not,” Dice responded.

“King Dice is great with magic and his control of his cards. The Devil is the ruler of the Underworld. Once Tremaine inside all of them, the boss will have complete control of everyone, even the Devil. Heck, even the world once he rules Hell.”

Dice widened his eyes in fear. Hunter wants to rule Hell? And raise hell in the world? “Wait, why does he want to be the New Devil?”

“He thinks he could do better than the original Devil. Why else do you think?”

Dice blinked in shock and confusion. “So the deal…he’s going to—”

“Don’t read too much into it. Just do as the boss says,” the assassin ordered while the assassins were walking out.

“O-Okay…well, I’ll just patrol here,” Dice replied, watching the other assassins exit out.

“Uh…look, I ain’t a fan of the Devil, but that is insanity on the whole new level!” Cagney pointed out with a growl. “Does he really think Devil is going to hand him over his throne just like that?! He’s the freaking Devil! Does he really think Devil is going to roll over and let him take over Hell and dominate the world?!”

Captain Brineybeard, who was in the cell next to the empty one belonging to King Dice, blinked in shock. “Wait, do ye reckon that Hunter might be trying t’ gain powers from the Davy Jones?”

“Davy Jones? Who’s that?” Cagney questioned from the other side of the prison.

“It’s what pirates call the Devil,” the genie, with the name Djimmi the Great plastered on the sign above his cell, explained. “The thing that Hunter is not seeing is that Devil is immortal like some of us here. Except the Devil has roamed this world way before any mortal and immortal beings exist along with the Most High. He cannot be controlled no matter how hard you try.”

“The Devil isn’t stupid,” Hilda joined the conversation. “Should we warn King Dice and the Devil?”

“Hey, I’m not worried about the Devil,” Cagney responded. “Literally, I can’t wait to see Hunter burn to crisp when he attempts to take over Hell.”

“Well, we can’t let anyone know of Hunter’s plan…wait a minute,” Rumor looked at Dice under the hood. “Usually, assassins patrolling us would tell us to shut up…”

“Because I’m not one of them,” Dice said while taking off his hood to reveal himself to the prisoners.

The prisoners gasped in shock.

“The King Dice,” Sally gasped in shock.

“Eh, we don’t have to worry about warning him now,” Cagney responded with a shrug.

“What are you doing here? Do you even know where we are?” Djimmi interrogated.

“Uh…I’m just as confused as you are,” Dice responded. “I think we’re underground on the east side of the city I think.”

All the prisoners gasped in fear.

“The east side? Where Tremaine happened all those years ago?” Dr. Kahl, the mad scientist approaching the glass, uttered.

“We was livin’ there when we was tadpoles!” Croaks gasped.

“We were livin’ peacefully there!” Sal stated.

“I ‘ave met Cala Maria thar when I was a young lad!” Brineybeard pointed out.

“I deffelobed ein loffe of machinery zere!” Werner Werman, the rat in the cell, stated.

“I have a safe home there,” Goopy Le Grande, the blue slime ball, responded.

“I lost my father there,” Sally uttered sadly.

“Wait, wait, we’ve quarantined this place,” Cagney pointed out.

“It’s the place anyone least expects,” Rumor uttered in horror. “What have we done?”

Djimmi glanced at King Dice. “Can you get us out? Can you help us?”

“Look, man, I-I don’t know—”

“Dice…”

Dice turned to see Bowlboy behind him.

“There’s someone on the other side of that door,” Bowlboy said while pointing at the fortified door.

Dice looked at the door and at the prisoners. “Who’s at the other side of the door?”

“We don’t know,” Djimmi responded solemnly. “It was a man who Hunter tortured so often, but we never knew his name.”

“That’s horrible,” Ribby uttered.

“I vouldn’t vant to pe zat guy,” Werner stated.

Dice turned back to the door and took a deep breath. “Here goes nothin’ then.” He walked up beside Bowlboy, facing the door. He could hear someone sobbing from the other side.

Dice turned the knob on the door and found out the door was locked. “Dang it. How are we going to get in without a key—?”

Bowlboy took out they key to the door from his pocket.

“I’m not gonna even ask how you even got the key.”

Bowlboy smirked at Dice. The small bowl unlocked the door with the key and opened it. 

~.~

The door opened with a creak and Dice peeked into the room. In the dark room, the light shined from the door and up towards the man, who stopped sobbing. His shoulders tightened and looked away from them.

“I’ve already answered everything for you,” he said, sniffling. “You’ve killed my wife…my kids…my best friend. What more do you want from me?”

“Whoa, hey, easy there, we don’t want anything from ya,” Dice reassured the cup stranger.

The cup stranger couldn’t look back, but Dice could tell that he was trying.

“The ingredients to the cure? I’m tellin’ ya, I don’t remember. Your boss took half of my memory away,” the stranger growled. “You can beat it out of me all you want…but I don’t remember.”

“Easy there, we’re only trying to help—”

The stranger snorted. “Sure, you’re only trying to help. I guess you’re new to this whole Night Stalkers cult.”

“What? No! I’m not a part of them at all!” Dice responded while taking off the black robe and dropped by the cup stranger’s feet. “See? I’m only using that as a disguise.”

The cup stranger gasped and struggled in his chains. “Who are you then?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard of me. I’m King Dice,” Dice replied with a smile.

The cup stranger didn’t respond.

“You know…from Roll the Dice…”

The cup stranger still didn’t respond.

“He must be living under a rock,” Bowlboy assumed.

Dice sighed. “Nevermind. Let’s get you outta here.”

Bowlboy got out his lock picks and picked the locks around the stranger’s ankles and wrists. Once that was done, the stranger immediately sprang up to his feet and grabbed Dice by the purple coat, slamming him against the wall. Dice was face-to-face with the stranger, noticing that the stranger only miss one eye and he was missing a handle.

“Whoa! What the—?! Hey!” Dice yelled. “I’m trying to help you!”

“How do I know you’re not lying to me about being part of the cult?” the stranger growled.

“He’s not!” Bowlboy testified for Dice.

“If I was a part of the cult, you wouldn’t be out right now,” Dice pointed out to the stranger.

“Really now?” the cup stranger growled. “Maybe you’ve developed this tactic to get me to trust you so easily. You might stab me in the back.”

“What you’re saying is making no sense,” Dice said with a groan. “Why would I let you out only to put you back?”

“I don’t know. You tell me, Mr. King Dice,” the stranger snarled. “Let’s see what your true intentions are.”

“W-What?” Dice watched the stranger’s eye turned violet. “Hey, what are you—?”

It was sudden that his vision became violet and he could no longer talk.

“Kingsley! Kingsley!!!”

Dice’s vision was cleared and he groaned in pain. He was back to being a kid in an isolated cabin. He was dressed in disgusting rags and was bruised. Dice saw a silhouette of his father, causing him to widened his eyes in horror.

“Kingsley Dice, you better get your butt here right now! Daddy needs to get a look at ya!”

Dice blinked while breathing heavily, frozen in terror until his next memory flash into the lively casino. Dice looked and saw the Devil himself trying to get his father’s soul. However, his father saw him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Take my son’s soul instead. He’ll be a good boy to you.”

The Devil quirked a brow. “You’re willing to trade your son’s soul for your own?”

“Yes!”

The Devil’s lips formed into a smirk. “Well, well, I guess mortals never change.”

In a snap of the finger, Dice could feel the chains tying him to the Underworld in both his wrists and his soul.

He watched his father walking away out of the casino.

“Don’t worry, young one,” Devil reassured Dice while walking away. “I’m sure your dear ole daddy will die in the worse way possible.”

Dice shed tears.

Make it stop! Make it stop!

Dice blinked and now he was an adult like he was before. He realized he had his own show back. Before he could put on a grand smile in front of faceless audience, he looked down and saw Cuphead hugging his leg. Then he looked ahead and saw Mugman sitting on the seat, watching both him and Cuphead. It was then the violet glow around faded away in an instant.

Dice blinked and gasped as if he had been suffocating for so long. The cup stranger’s eye no longer glowed violet. He let go of the die, who stumbled by the doorway, breathing heavily as if he hadn’t breathed in a while. He looked up at the stranger in horror.

“What the hell did you do to me?!” Dice questioned breathlessly.

Bowlboy looked over at Dice in concern and then looked back at the stranger, who seemed to be just as shocked as Dice was.

“You saw my boys?” the cup stranger uttered, a tear rolling out of his eye.

“Y-Your boys?! What did you do to me?!” Dice shouted at the stranger.

The stranger looked down at Bowlboy, who tilted his head in confusion. He came over to Bowlboy and grabbed the bowl’s wrist gently. Automatically, Bowlboy’s eyes turned violet, which caused Dice to wince back. Surprisingly…it was a quick process and Bowlboy’s eyes turned back to normal, who was breathing heavily and shivering.

“You both saw my boys!” the stranger gasped in shock.

“Cuphead and Mugman?” Bowlboy questioned.

“That’s what Elder Kettle calls them,” the stranger said with a relieved smile and tears streaming down his cheek. “M-My boys are alive. My boys are alive.”

Dice watched the stranger breaking down crying in happiness, confused until it clicked. “Wait a minute…are you…the father of Cuphead and Mugman?”

The stranger looked up, smiling through the tears. “Uh-huh. I can’t believe my boys were alive.”

Dice looked closely at the cup stranger and he could finally recognized him from seeing him on the television. “Wait…Murray?”

Murray, the cup stranger, got up on his feet and wiped the tears. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard that name.”

Dice widened his eyes in shock.

“I-I need to see my boys. I need to know where they are!” Murray urged and hurried out of the room.

“Murray, wait! There’s something going on with Mugman—” Before Dice could finish his sentence, they heard footsteps coming towards the underground prison. Right before the prisoners could warn them to hide, the door busted through and revealed it to be Hunter and ten more hooded assassins.

Murray drew his brows at Hunter with his fists clenched.

“You know, Dice, I never thought you were going to stoop this low. Apparently, this is a new low for you,” Hunter growled.

Dice looked at the lever next to him and then back at Hunter. “You were going to betray the Boss, are you?!”

“Knock him out! Get him to his cell!” Hunter ordered his men. He looked at Murray. “You and I have unfinished business to discuss.”

Murray clenched his teeth and growled.

Dice placed his hand on the lever and pulled it, freeing all the prisoners from their cells.

~.~

Immediately, Cagney started to attack the hooded assassins with the help of Hilda and Goopy.

The three headed dragon, Grim Matchstick, blew fire at the ceiling above them as soon as the dragon got out of the cell. The ceiling collapsed, crushing the two empty cells that had both Dice’s and Devil’s names engraved on it. Murray was blinded by the sunlight and hid in the shadow. The bird, Wally Warbles, used his wing to get everyone on board. Werner, Dr. Kahl, Dr. Kahl’s robot, and Wally’s son got on Wally Warbles. Sally, The Root Pack, and Goopy got on Grim’s back. Beppi and Baroness Von Bon Bon tore into the assassins, scurrying away to find a way out.

Brineybeard got out of his cell and saw Cala Maria sulking in her own cell until it was opened. She was smaller than she usually was with her green mermaid tail and purple dead octopus hair. She looked up to see Brineybeard offering his hand to her. She smiled and grabbed his large hand. He picked her up and carried her out of her cell.

Everyone hurried out of the hole Grim created while Dice watched them all crawling out of the hole and escaping.

“Dice?” The familiar voice uttered.

Dice glanced over to see Devil standing there with Hunter next to him. Henchman and Stickler stood behind Devil, their eyes widened in shock at him.

“B-Boss, let me explain,” Dice stuttered, gaining Murray’s attention along with the frog brothers, Cala Maria, and Brineybeard.

Devil drew his brows together with a snarl, pointing his pitchfork at Dice. “I should’ve known you would turn on me sooner than later.”

Dice breathed heavily. “Please, let me explain—!”

The Devil shot the fireball from his pitchfork at Dice.

Dice was ready to accept his fate before Brineybeard tackled him away from the fireball. Brineybeard collapsed with Cala Maria in his arms along with Dice. Ribby and Croaks joined along with Bowlboy and Murray.

“Are ye alright?!” Brineybeard questioned.

“Hey-o, is the Devil your boss?!” Ribby interrogated.

“This is not the time to question,” Cala Maria pointed out. “We need to go now!”

“The lass be right! We needs t’ run now!” Brineybeard agreed with the sea monster in his arms.

“How do we get out? We can’t even fly,” Croaks pointed out.

They saw the silhouette of the Devil coming towards them.

It was sudden they felt something underneath them as they looked down and realized the large mushroom grew up towards the hole.

The group soon realized that it was Cagney growing a mushroom once they reach out of the hole. The mushroom tilted to the side.

“Scatter!” Cagney screamed for the group.

Dice pulled Murray by the arm to hurry onward while Ribby and Croaks ran in a different direction. Brineybeard carried Cala in his arms and followed Murray and Dice.

Cagney hurried away from the hole to catch up with Hilda and Bowlboy in a separate direction.

The Devil came out of the hole with Hunter by his side and Henchman and Stickler catching up them. The Devil watched Dice running away with Murray, Captain Brineybeard, and Cala Maria. With a growl, Devil aimed his pitchfork at them and fired another fireball.

The group dodged it and looked behind them to find Devil flying after them.

“Oh no, he’s going to kill us. He’s going to kill us,” Dice replied while breathing heavily in panic.

On cue, Ribby drove the car big enough to fit Brineybeard, Cala, Murray, and Dice in with Croaks on the passenger side.

“Get in!” Croaks shouted at them while opening the back door for them to hop in.

Dice and Murray entered the back seat of the car with Brineybeard jumping in after them with Cala Maria in his arms.

Cala decided to peek out of the window to find Devil chasing after them. With her brows drawn together, her eyes turned red and shot out laser beams. The Devil didn’t have time to react when the laser beams hit him and he was automatically turned to stone.

She smirked and put her head back into the vehicle. “Step on it!”

Ribby slammed his foot on the gas pedal and drove into the forest.

“I need to find my boys,” Murray uttered.

“Your boys?” Croaks questioned.

“Cuphead and Mugman,” Dice clarified for Murray.

“Wait, yer the father of those two?!” Ribby questioned with a gasp.

“We know yer lads, mate! We’ll take ye t’ ‘em if we knew where they be,” Brineybeard stated.

“Ooh! We know where they are!” Ribby exclaimed excitedly. “Hang on, we’ll take you to yer boys!”

With that said, Ribby sped up into the forest, getting away from the city.

Back to the Devil, he managed to burst through the stone with his flames and looked up with a snarl. He picked up his pitchfork and now he had no idea where the traitor and his new group of friends went.

“Ugh, he has the gall to betray me!” Devil growled.

Hunter shook his head. “A shame that is. I guess his greed got the best of him.”

“He’ll pay for this!” Devil snarled. “He’ll pay for all of it.”

Hunter smirked. “I know a way to make all of them pay for their wrongdoings towards you.”

Devil turned to Hunter in confusion at first. Then he grinned mischievously. “Do tell.”

Hunter smiled evilly.

To Be Continued... 

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite)

*Hey, everyone! I'm back with another episode of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows Rewrite! This is published on July 28, 2023. If you guys enjoy this episode, don't forget to heart it, reblog, and comment! Those are always appreciated! Warning: there is racism involved along with violence in the beginning. Enjoy!*

Episode Seven: Birthday Bash

The choir was singing a boring hymn that gave praise to the Most High while Porkrind stood there in the pew with his distant mother. He was embarrassed of his own voice as a child and stayed silent through the entire hymn. On that day, he and his mother sat by a family of red-furred cats with different colored hair. During one of the hymns, young Porkrind heard a voice that he thought sounded like an angel next to him. He looked to his right and there was Shayna. The red-furred cat girl with ebony long hair, singing along with the choir in a softest voice next to him. Porkrind smiled to hear her sing and looked back at the choir until they were done singing.

As the pastor came up to the podium to speak of the Most High’s words, Porkrind leaned in a bit towards Shayna.

“You have a nice voice,” Porkrind complimented in a whisper.

Shayna twitched her ear to the side and looked at the pig. “Thanks.”

They looked at the pastor as Shayna leaned back over to Porkrind.

“What happened to your eye?” Shayna questioned the young one-eyed pig.

Porkrind covered his eyepatch in embarrassment. “Nothing happened to it.”

Shayna seemed unconvinced by it. “You look pretty cool with an eyepatch. Like a pirate.”

Porkrind giggled silently. “Thanks.”

“Wanna hang out afterwards?” Shayna asked quietly.

Porkrind was never asked this question by any kid his age before…it was a strange feeling then, but he hadn’t a friend before. So he nodded his head.

“Sure,” Porkrind uttered.

“Quiet,” he heard his mom shushed him.

Shayna pinned her ears back with clenched teeth to look at both him and his mom apologetically. Then she mouthed to Porkrind, ‘After church’.

Porkrind nodded his head in agreement and continued to listen to the pastor. However, his excitement of hanging out with a potential new friend after church caused him to not remember a single word from the pastor. It was after church bell rang to end the gathering where Porkrind snuck off with Shayna out into the woods.

Shayna and Porkrind were skipping stones down the lake.

“Do you have to be home at a certain time?” Porkrind asked Shayna in consideration.

“Nah. Just as long as I am home before supper, I’ll be fine,” Shayna said with a smile. “Say, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. The name’s Shayna.”

“S-Shayna?” He questioned the pronunciation.

“The pronunciation is a bit tricky. My parents tried to find unique names for me and my five siblings,” Shayna said with a cheeky grin. “And your name?”

“P-Porkrind.”

“Porkrind, huh? Ooh, that’d be a cool pirate name for you. You could be Captain Porkrind. Argh!” She said excitedly while skipping the stone across the lake.

He smiled and chuckled, finding the flat rock on the ground. “I could have a hook for a hand too.”

“That would be cool,” Shayna replied.

They both giggled at their own joke while skipping the stones across the lake. For a moment, they enjoyed the wind and the sound of birds chirping from the branches from the willow trees. The water rippled at every time a flat stone skipped to the water until it drowned in the middle. The sun was slowly setting and the clouds passed through above them, with some clouds shading them from the sun until the sun was strong enough to break through and shine once again.

Shayna looked up at the sky and smiled at the view of the sky.

“Whoa! Check it out!” she pointed at the clouds with a bright smile.

Young Porkrind glanced up at the clouds. “Uh…they’re just clouds.”

“Yeah. And they can form fun shapes! C’mon! Let’s get a better view!” Shayna encouraged by taking him by the hand and pulling him along with her.

“Hey, wait! Hold on!” He gasped in shock while letting her lead him up to the cliff side on the hill that overlooked the woods and faced the Inkwell City.

Once they reached to the cliff, Shayna sat down and let her legs dangle over the cliff. Porkrind just sat back with his feet barely reaching the edge. Both of them stared at the clouds while she pointed at one of the clouds.

“Look at that one. That one is shaped like a dog,” she observed.

He squinted with his one eye and smiled once he figured out the shape she was talking about. “Oh yeah. What about that one?”

“Oh, that one? It’s a bunny. See the little cotton tail?”

He nodded his head with a chuckle. “Yeah. And that one?”

“Oh, that’s definitely a pirate ship. Hold on, let’s get a better view.”

She laid back against the grass and he joined in with her. The world felt different staring up at the sky with the clouds passing above them.

“Hmm, that one looks like a cat,” Porkrind pointed at one of the clouds.

Shayna nodded her head. “Yeah. It does. Good eye.”

“That’s the only eye I have.”

She clenched her teeth until he chuckled a bit, causing her to loosen the tension on her shoulders and giggled along with him.

“This is fun,” she commented with a sigh.

He frowned when she commented and looked at her. “Soo, um, you are hanging out with me after church.”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Well…I, uh, don’t mean to ask, but…why?”

She shrugged and looked up at him. “Because I thought you were pretty cool.”

“Even when I’m fat?”

“Yeah. I thought you were pretty cool. Besides, I've seen how much kids pick on you for your size at school.”

Porkrind frowned.

“You have no idea how many times I wanted to step in, but…you know, I already clawed somebody for picking on me and the teachers thought I was some ticking bomb waiting to go off. I’m kind of glad we’ve met officially.”

He smiled at her. “Me too.”

“Should I call you Porky for a nickname or…?”

He chuckled. “Nicknames already?”

“I don’t know…just something to go by. Ooh! How about Po? I figured Porky is more of an insult than a nickname.”

He shrugged. “Sure. Should I come up with a nickname?”

“You can if you want.”

“Well…how about Shay?”

“I like that. Hey, Po?”

“Hm?”

“I’m glad I’ve met you. I wish we could stay like this forever.”

“Me too.”

Both of the kids looked back up at the clouds, watching the clouds roll by. 

~.~

Ever since that day, Porkrind and Shayna had been childhood friends. They did a lot together at school. They played together and they explored together. However, they grew up in different environments. While Shayna grew up in a loving home, Porkrind grew up in a home where he would watch his mother pass out on the couch from the amount of alcohol she drank. Despite of that, they would still hang out together.

Both Porkrind and Shayna had been visiting that cliff side every day to watch the clouds and point out the shapes of each cloud until they started to grow up. Both had different interests, but they grew so close to the point where they thought they could try something a bit more than friends once they were teens. So, they have dated for a while and it was fun…mostly fun. However, after a month of dating, both Porkrind and Shayna decided to break up mutually. It was on good terms and mostly understood that they weren’t each other’s types.

As they grew into young adulthood, Porkrind decided to create his own business to move out of his mother’s house while Shayna found someone else to fall for. He was a red cat like her with ebony bang and his name was Jack.

At first, Porkrind didn’t like Jack that much for only two reasons. One, he was stupidly annoying determination to get to the bottom of problems. Two, Porkrind didn’t think Jack deserved someone like Shayna mostly because Porkrind was protective over Shayna like an older brother. Porkrind was afraid that Jack was some sort of a smooth talker and he would break her heart…but he was glad he was wrong. Once he saw Shayna enjoying Jack’s company and laughing at all of his dumb jokes, Porkrind’s heart turned to mush.

It was then that Porkrind was invited to the wedding and he watched Shayna walking down the aisle and Jack lifting her veil to see her beautiful furry face. They both shared a kiss as Porkrind watched with a proud smile at her. It was so beautiful. It’d been a while since he shed a happy tear for his friend.

The war happened a couple of months after the wedding and Jack was called to serve the military. Shayna was pregnant before Jack went away to war as she had been waiting for him. Porkrind kept her company since he couldn’t go into the military due to not being physically fit enough to fight a war by visiting her at her house and talking with her for a long time until night happened. Or she would visit his shop and just to conversed.

When Porkrind’s shop wasn’t doing so good, he started to work with shady people like Jerry. However, Jerry became more than a coworker. He became a friend and he got a chance to meet Shayna while she was pregnant.

Luckily for Shayna, Jack got home from the war just in time to take care of his wife and his future litter of kittens. That day came when she was rushed to the hospital and gave birth to the litter of kittens. However…all but one didn’t make it. Only one kitten made it after she was given birth. Porkrind was there at the hospital and that was when he was introduced to who the felines called Shayna and Jack’s miracle baby.

They named her Cassidy.

After Cassidy was born, Jack started to look for a job and found it through the Manson Corporations.

Porkrind didn’t think it was a good idea for Jack to be working there, but Jack was offered more money to support his family and his friend from the military, Murray, was there. The pig didn’t want to argue further.

But there was a day he remembered…a day he would never forget. Porkrind was just sitting back with the radio on in his shop when it happened.

“Attention! Attention, Inkwell Isle citizens! The Manson Corporations has released a toxic chemical throughout the city. Many people became monsters and is killing each other! We have to quarantine that part of the city. The head of the Manson Corporations responded!” the radio announcer announced as someone else different spoke through the radio.

“This situation is under control. This chemical was released by a former employee of mine. His name was Jack Cat. He and his species caused this Tremaine outbreak,” the voice of the head of the company spoke aggressively.

Porkrind blinked in surprise. With a growl, he shut off the radio and shook his head to ignore it all. He thought that no one will be fooled by the cunning voice belonging to Hunter Manson himself…but the pig couldn’t be anymore wrong. The hate didn’t start overnight. Everywhere Porkrind went, whether that would be delivering packages for Jerry or going shopping for food, he saw posters of red cats acting like demons in each of them. It progressed throughout the days and towards a year, inciting some violence towards the red cats and their community.

There was one day where Porkrind witnessed an innocent red cat being beaten in the streets by a couple citizens and went to break up the fight.

“Alright! Alright! You had your fun! Now beat it!” Porkrind barked at the aggressors. The aggressors were timid of Porkrind’s strength and rushed off. He breathed heavily and looked down to see that the innocent red feline was none other than Shayna herself.

Shayna covered her side, cradled baby Cassidy in her arms, and spat out a drop of blood from his lips. “T-Thanks, Po. You’re a real one.”

“Shay?” Porkrind helped her up to her feet. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine…Just trying to grocery shop like a normal person,” Shayna said. “I better get home before—before—”

“No, you ain’t walkin’ home by yourself. C’mon, let me get you patched up,” Porkrind determined while helping Shayna and while she was carrying baby Cassidy towards his shop.

Once they got inside of the shop, Porkrind sat Shayna down on the seat while he searched for a med-kit. Baby Cassidy started to whine while Shayna shushed her gently.

“Po…”

“Hm?” Porkrind answered while cleaning her face.

“C-Could you hold Cassi for me?” Shayna uttered. “I need to get her food.”

“Yeah, sure,” Porkrind replied while picking Cassidy off of Shayna’s arms. Shayna began digging through her purse until she found the formula. However, Cassidy was calmer in Porkrind’s arms, earning a chuckle from Shayna.

“She likes you already,” Shayna said with a smile.

“Eh…that depends…” He said while letting her pick Cassidy back into her arms and feed her with the formula bottle. He watched with a frown. “Where’s Jack? Is he home?”

Shayna shook her head. “He’s working on the cure.”

He frowned and sighed. “What times does he get home?”

“Usually late at night.”

“How about you and Cassidy stay here until then…? You know, just to protect you both from the angry citizens out there.”

“That would be nice.” There was a pause as Shayna looked at Porkrind. “You know, it’s crazy that we’ve been friends for such a long time.”

“Yeah. Kind of crazy. All things considered, I’m happy for you and Jack…and for Cassidy as well now that she has a loving mother like you.”

“Thank you…Po?”

“Hm?”

“If…if anything happens to me or Jack or both of us…could you do me this one favor for me?”

“Sure. What is it?”

She showed baby Cassidy resting in her arms. “Could you take care of Cassi for us?”

“Uh…for how long…?”

“I don’t know…I need to know if you’ll be there and help take care of Cassi if we need you to.”

“Shay—”

“Promise?”

There was a pause as the pig sighed deeply.

“I promise. You know I’ll be there.”

She smiled and held her daughter close. “Thank you.”

He nodded his head to say ‘You’re welcome’.

A couple of days after he made that promise, Porkrind was just closing up shop in the snow storm and was about to go to sleep until he heard a knock at the door.

“We’re closed!” Porkrind shouted.

The baby cried outside of his door. The pig gasped and hurried towards the door to open it. It was revealed to be baby Cassidy in the blue basket and a note attached to it along with the formula bottle.

Porkrind pulled the basket in before baby Cassidy could freeze in the cold while she cried. He shut the door and locked it. He placed the basket on the table and stroked Cassidy's head to calm her down. 

Porkrind pulled out a note from the basket that read.

“Po, I’m sorry to place this all on you. But…I’m at a loss and Jack hadn’t come home…The angry mob is burning down our community. By now, Cassidy might be the only survivor. Please take care of her and show her all the love that both Jack and I could never give her. Love- Shay.”

Porkrind had his eye twitched from reading the letter. “What the—? No, no.” His best friend couldn’t be dead. She couldn’t be dead. No, he refused to believe that. Porkrind got on his coat and scarf and hurried out of the shop, locking the door behind him so that no one could break in and hurt baby Cassidy.

Porkrind hurried through the storm to find Shayna, more than determined to help her out of another sticky situation until…he was too late. He saw two people beating up someone under the streetlight.

“HEY!” Porkrind called out angrily, causing the individuals to scurry into the shadows. The pig hurried towards the person who was beaten up badly. He gasped in horror once he recognized long ebony hair covering the blood on the back of her head. Her red fur didn’t cover the bruises and she wasn’t breathing.

Porkrind breathed heavily while examining her body. He turned her over and saw that her once beautiful face was now battered and her head was split open. The pig shed tears from his one eye and shook his head.

“Shay…”

There was no response from her.

Porkrind shook his head and bit his bottom lip ragged to hold in all the tears. He looked to the side to see the flames. He looked back down at her and fell onto his knees on the snow.

“Shay…?”

There was still no response.

“Cassi…” Porkrind said while going back to his shop as quickly as he could to see how Cassidy was doing.

Once Porkrind went inside of the shop, he heard baby Cassidy crying as the pig hurried and fed her a bottle while picking her up in his arms. She drank it with content while resting in Porkrind’s arm. Once he was done feeding her, he placed the half-empty bottle aside.

Cassidy still cried while he rocked her in his arms.

“Oh gosh…what am I even doin’?” Porkrind uttered, his voice cracked. He looked down at Cassidy and he could’ve sworn he could see Shayna’s features on Cassidy and he couldn’t help but trying to hold in the tears. He buried his face into crying kitten’s chest, trying to keep himself together.

“I know. I know,” Porkrind soothed. “I miss your mama too.”

Porkrind held Cassidy closer.

“I miss your mama too.”

~.~

Fifteen years later:

Cassidy was awakened by the smell of fish-sticks in the early sunny morning. She jumped off of the bunk bed that she shared with Mugman and followed the smell. She approached the kitchen and found Porkrind cooking something on the oven.

Porkrind realized that he burned the fish sticks and swiped at the black smoke coming from it. “Dang it—” He turned to see Cassidy standing there. “You didn’t see that.”

“What? Your spectacular cooking?” Cassidy teased her father.

He chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, make fun of me all you want. It ain’t like I used the stove often.”

“Are you makin’ fish sticks for me?” she asked.

“No, they’re for me and Jerry to enjoy.”

One of her ears was pinned down to her head while she smirked at her father.

“Of course, they’re for you,” Porkrind answered. “Besides, you’re the only one that seems to like that stuff.”

Cassidy tilted her head. “What’s the special occasion? You wouldn’t cook those unless there was a special occasion.”

“Don’t tell me you forgot?”

She was silent for a minute.

He gave her a deadpan stare. “It’s your birthday.”

“Oh! Sorry, I guess I forgot about it.”

“It’s fine. Happy birthday, by the way.”

“Aww, thanks, Dad.” She frowned and looked down at the ground.

The pig noticed her frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Can’t believe I lived through fifteen years,” Cassidy uttered. “I mean…who would’ve thought?”

“Well, there are definitely more years to come,” Porkrind said with a smile.

“I guess.”

He frowned at her answer. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well, so many things. First, there was this whole Night Stalkers situation and waiting for a moment where they find us and kill us. Then Mugman had Tremaine and who knows when the potion will wear off. Then there’s me…just…existing…almost like I wasn’t supposed to. D-Do you think my parents ever loved me?”

Porkrind was taken aback from the question. He kneeled down and placed a hand on Cassidy’s shoulder.

“With all of their hearts, Cassi. With all of their hearts.”

Cassidy frowned and looked away. “I wish they were here so they could say that to my face.”

“Yeah…me too…” Porkrind replied sadly. “But…I can say with confidence that they both love you very much. Trust me, I know.”

“How do you know? It’s not like you’ve met them before…right?”

Porkrind frowned and was about to say something until—

“Why does this kitchen smell like burned fish-sticks?”

Porkrind looked up to find Jerry covering his big nose. “I was trying to cook fish-sticks for Cassi’s birthday.”

“Oh? Why didn’t you ask for help then?” Jerry said while coming up to the stove.

“Because I thought I can take care of it.”

“Of course, you thought that.”

Cassidy smiled while watching both Porkrind and Jerry cooking together.

“Look, this is how you work the stove—”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. It’s not like I used these every day,” Porkrind interrupted Jerry’s sentence.

“I’m just showin’ ya.”

Cassidy giggled until she heard footsteps coming in behind her. She whirled around and saw Mugman walking behind her.

“Good morning,” she greeted Mugman, who yawned and rubbed his eye.

“Morning,” Mugman uttered.

Porkrind and Jerry noticed Mugman entering the kitchen.

“Are you guys cooking fish-sticks?” Mugman asked while smelling in the kitchen.

“Yeah,” Porkrind said and showed the crispy fish-sticks. “Didn’t work out.”

Chalice entered the room with Cuphead and Canteen.

“Whatcha cookin’? We can smell it from all the way over here,” Chalice asked with her brow quirked up.

The one-eyed pig sighed heavily. “How many times do I have to answer that?”

“Oh, he’s just cooking fish-sticks for Cassi’s birthday,” Jerry answered nonchalantly.

“Oh, is that all?” Cuphead asked before everyone widened their eyes.

“Wait a minute—”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BESTIE!!!!” Natalie announced, interrupting Mugman’s realization.

Aurora waddled behind her big sister with a giggle. “Happy Birthday, Cassi.”

Cassidy blushed and rubbed her arm. “T-Thanks.”

“Well, well, I didn’t know it was your birthday,” Chalice responded with a smile. She slid next to Cassidy and wrapped her arm around the feline. “We should go out and celebrate!”

“Yeah!” Cuphead shouted in agreement. “This time, we’re going where you want to go!”

“Wait what?” Natalie uttered.

“You heard me. We’re goin’ where Cassidy wants to go,” Cuphead said with determination.

“Yeah,” Mugman agreed and looked at Cassidy. “Where do you want to go on your birthday?”

“Ooh, I heard there’s a really cool water park—”

“Not to be rude…but I don’t think he was asking you,” Canteen pointed out to Natalie.

“I’m just makin’ suggestions. Sheesh,” Natalie said with a groan and her arms crossed.

“Soooo? Where do you want to go?” Chalice asked.

Cassidy rubbed her arm nervously. “A-Anywhere you guys want to go—”

“Cool! Let’s go to that water park—”

“No, we will not accept that,” Mugman said, interrupting Natalie. “We’ll go anywhere you want to go. Just pick the place.”

“I, um, I—um…”

The others waited for her answer, watching her struggle with anywhere to go to that everyone would like.

“I think I have a place I wanna go,” Cassidy uttered.

“Then lead the way!” Chalice determined.

“Hey, you better be careful out there—” Porkrind instructed while watching Cassidy walking out of the mansion with her group of friends.

Jerry watched the kids and then looked at Porkrind. “She’ll be fine. If anything happens, Cuphead, Chalice, and Mugman will fight them off. She’ll be safe with them.”

Porkrind frowned. “She’s growing up too fast…”

“Way too fast. She oughta slow down,” Jerry joked.

Porkrind was still frowning.

“Does Cassi’s birthday remind you of Shayna?”

He glanced at his friend sadly. “Every day she reminds me of Shay…”

Jerry placed a hand on the pig’s broad shoulder. “When are you going to tell her about her parents?”

“I—I don’t know…I don’t know…”

~.~

The kids walked into the local library in the small town on the coast not too far from Natalie’s house. Natalie groaned once they entered the library. The library wasn’t huge but it had books along the sides.

“Ooh,” Canteen uttered. “I didn’t know there’s a library here in the coastal town. I wonder how long I was a statue for.”

“Thousands of years,” Chalice teased Canteen.

“Har har, very fu—wait, really, thousands of years?”

“Nah, I’m just pulling your leg…or am I?”

There was an awkward pause for a moment.

“Is Roll the Dice still on the radio?” Canteen asked.

“It shut down two months ago,” Chalice said.

“Oh, okay, I was gone when the show had a weird sounding new host…I guess I’ve been a statue for two months…interesting.”

“You’re not even freaked out that you missed two months of your life?”

“It feels strange, but I’ll be fine,” Canteen said with a soft smile at her.

Natalie didn’t look impress with the local library. “Seriously? We could’ve gone to cooler places…but instead…we went to the library.”

“Well, it’s not as risky as taking her to the water park,” Cuphead argued.

“Do you have any other suggestions we could go that is cooler that is not where the Night Stalkers are?” Natalie said.

Cuphead pondered about it. “Uh…no…”

“See?”

“Well, why don’t you sleep there until we’re done?” Cuphead said while pointing at the couch.

Natalie crossed her arms. “If I know Cassidy any better, we would be stuck here for thousands of years.”

“Nat, come on,” Chalice interrupted the conversation with her hands on her hips. “We gotta act somewhat interested on what Cassi likes. Look, Canteen and Mugman are acting interested.”

“I actually like books,” Canteen uttered awkwardly.

“Me too,” Mugman said with a brow arched.

Chalice shifted her gaze at Natalie. “Even your sister is acting interested.” Chalice referred to Aurora. Aurora was reading the books made for little kids and giggled at the funny pictures in the books.

Natalie arched a brow. “Soooo….?”

“So act interested,” Chalice said. “This is Cassi’s birthday after all. Please, just act interested.”

Natalie rolled her eyes with a groan. “Fine…”

“Good,” Chalice said while grabbing a random book and reading it.

Cuphead and Natalie looked for a book to read as Cuphead picked the one with the whale and the ship as the cover while Natalie was reading the one with a brown leather cover with a bored look on her face.

Mugman decided to read another romance novel and Canteen scanned through the engineer book he found randomly on the shelf.

Cassidy walked by Cuphead and gasped, scaring the cup out of the book and drawing everyone’s attention, including her friends.

“What? What? Did you see something?” Cuphead asked urgently.

“You’re reading Moby Dick,” Cassidy said excitedly.

“Moby what?”

“Moby Dick. It’s a book about a man’s obsession for revenge against a sea beast that took his leg. It has a strong metaphor for a goal that is impossible to attain—”

“Oh no, she’s rambling,” Natalie muttered to herself while Cassidy went on and on about the book Cuphead was reading.

Nearby bystanders looked at Cassidy in disgust and moved away from her.

Mugman watched her ramble with a soft giggle at her while Canteen and Chalice seemed surprise to see the shy feline ramble on and on about the book.

“—And that’s why the book is really cool and interesting,” Cassidy said with a cute smile until she realized that Cuphead looked at her with pure confusion.

Cassidy realized that everyone else was looking at her in disgust while her friends seemed a bit confused for a moment for her random rambling. She looked at Natalie, who groaned in discouragement while covering her face. Her ears pinned down to the back of her head.

“You know what? Nevermind. L-Let’s go to the water park,” Cassidy said while walking out of the library.

“Yes,” Natalie muttered to herself while picking Aurora up from reading her favorite book, who whimpered once she was pulled away from reading the book.

Natalie followed Cassidy out of the library.

Cuphead looked at Chalice, Canteen, and Mugman.

“Well, so much for acting interested,” Chalice said to herself while walking out of the library.

Cuphead clenched his teeth and looked at Canteen, who shrugged his shoulders and exited the library.

Both of the brothers followed their friends with confused glances at each other.

~.~

Cassidy watched everyone enjoying themselves at the water park.

She figured that everyone will have better enjoyment at the water park than being at a boring old library. She smiled to watch her friends having fun on the slides or going shopping around the place, even though it was without her in there. When she heard shuffling feet and a creak on the bench, she turned to the side and saw Mugman sitting next to her.

“I told you I would keep you company,” Mugman said softly.

She smiled and rubbed her arm. “Yeah…thanks.”

He frowned to see her like this and looked at the water park. “You know, you didn’t have to choose the water park.”

“I know…I just want you guys to enjoy yourselves.”

“Oh, Cassi—”

“I’m serious…it would make me happy if you guys enjoy yourselves.”

“But we didn’t get to do what you want.”

“That’s okay. I’m alright with making sacrifices.”

“But you shouldn’t have to always be the one to make sacrifices,” he replied sadly. “This is your birthday after all. This is your special day.”

“I kind of hated it.”

“Why?”

“I—I don’t know…” she hugged her legs. “Ignore me. I’m just being emotional.”

Mugman frowned to see Cassidy like this. He placed his hand on top of hers to get her attention. “You’re not being emotional. You’re just perfect—I mean, you have flaws but you are valid in your emotions. Look, if you don’t want to tell me—”

“Ew, look at her,” someone whispered behind them.

Mugman threw a glare at the kids whispering to each other.

She had her ears pinned down to her head.

“She shouldn’t even be here.”

“She shouldn’t even be born.”

Mugman glared at the kids that whispered that, his eyes turned yellow with red irises around his pupils. “Say that again!”

“Mugsy!” Cuphead’s voice called, noticing Tremaine taking over Mugman once again. He hurried when he saw Mugman hopping over the bench to creep over to the kids that insulted Cassidy.

“C’mon! Say that again!” Mugman growled at the teens.

Cuphead rushed towards Mugman and held him back before he could leap to attack the kids. “Mugsy, calm down!”

“Let me at ‘em! Let me at ‘em!” Mugman barked while claws grew from the tips of his fingers. He started to swipe his claws in the air, but Cuphead was strong enough to hold him back surprisingly.

“Mugsy, come on! Snap out of it!”

“LET ME GO!!” Mugman demanded before swiping his claws at Cuphead’s cheek. Cuphead let go and stumbled back onto the ground, covering his cheek with a groan in pain.

Chalice, Canteen, Natalie, Aurora, and Cassidy witnessed it in horror and looked at Mugman, who was breathing heavily with saliva dripping out from the corners of his mouth. However, his eyes shifted back to normal and noticed his brother on the ground, covering his cheek.

Mugman’s eyes were filled to the brim with tears once he looked down and saw his claws coming back into his fingers. He looked at his friends, who were staring at him in horror. He glanced over at the kids he almost attacked and noticed how they looked at him. Like he was a monster. This was not what he wanted.

“I’m sorry…” Mugman uttered while he ran away from the crowd and into the woods.

“Mugman!” his friends called, but he disappeared into the woods before they could stop him.

Cuphead got up and felt a sting on his cheek. When he stroked the scratch, he noticed that something burning red, mending his scar to where it completely disappeared.

“What the—?” Cuphead questioned and looked at his friends.

“Should we go after Mugman?” Canteen asked, his voice trembling a bit.

Cassidy frowned while looking into the woods.

~.~

 Mugman ran through the forest as fast as he could while the day turned into night.

He hurried towards the cliff-side and stopped there on the edge. Breathing heavily in panic, he sat down and looked at his trembling hands. The tears streamed down his porcelain cheeks and he let out sobs.

Mugman hugged his legs and cried into his thighs, letting out as much emotions he could. What was wrong with him? He heard shuffling feet and looked up in sudden alert when he saw Cassidy walking behind him.

“You okay?” she asked softly.

He looked out towards the horizon, staring at the big destroyed city in front of him. “I kind of ruined your birthday, didn’t I?”

She sat down next to him and shook her head. “No, you didn’t. You were a little protective over me. I appreciate that, but…don’t hurt them…I don’t want them to think you’re under some kind of spell.”

“Why would people say that about you?” Mugman uttered.

She frowned and looked away.

“Why would they say that horrible stuff about you? You know, the parts where you weren’t supposed to be born or whatever. How could they say that to someone who was kind and compassionate?”

“You think I’m kind and compassionate?”

“I think you’re a lot of things, Cassi,” he said while looking up at her. He lowered his gaze over at the cliff. “It’s no wonder you think you’re a burden.”

“Yeah…”

“But why would they say that stuff about you? What did you do to deserve this kind of hate?”

“I…I don’t know. It may have something to do with my biological parents…I don’t know. I never understood it for the longest time. I had bullies tried to kill me when I was a kid…maybe because my species was extinct and I’m the only one who survived. Sometimes I wished I died along with them…just so that people could live in peace. Dad and Jerry wouldn’t have to raise me and…everything would be better.”

Mugman raised his head and softened his gaze at her. “No, it wouldn’t.”

She looked at him.

He took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t know what would happen if you have died along with your kind, but I can tell you that you being here…even when Tremaine took hold of me…made everything better. I mean, I gotta tell ya…I don’t know what would happen if I haven’t met you. You’re purrfect just the way you are.”

Cassidy giggled at the cat pun he used until she snorted, causing him to smile softly at her. They both looked at each other, their eyes finally meeting.

“You always have a beautiful laugh,” Mugman uttered.

She smirked. “Really?”

“Yeah~” he said with a lovesick smile.

“I still hated my laugh.”

“That’s okay. I just wanna hear you laugh.”

She smiled at him while watching him turn to look up at the stars. Her heart fluttered at the sight of his smile finally returning to his face.

“You know, you’re such a loveable goofball,” Cassidy said while kissing his cheek.

Mugman froze, his face red and the liquid from within his cup-shaped head boiled, the puffs of smoke shaped like hearts came out of his straw. He turned to look at her, his pupils dilated.

Cassidy blushed and her body trembled, looking away from his eyes. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have done that…I-I don’t know what came over me—” she felt his hand caressing her furry cheek.

She looked into his soft eyes once again. Mugman took one glance down at her lips and then back at her eyes. He scooted closer to her, leaning towards her face. She leaned towards his face, her heart thumping against her chest when their lips were about to touch.

“There you guys are!” Natalie shouted, causing Cassidy and Mugman to pull apart from each other and turning away just to face the horizon instantly.

Natalie, Cuphead, Chalice, Aurora, and Canteen approached Mugman and Cassidy.

“You guys just took off,” Natalie said. “We were wonderin’ where you both were.”

“Oh, uh, just staring at the stars,” Cassidy replied with a plastered smile.

Chalice noticed something between Mugman and Cassidy and smirked.

“Ooh, that’s fun to do,” Canteen stated while sitting down on the patch of grass near the cliff.

Mugman looked at Cuphead with an apologetic gaze. “A-Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I ain’t too worried about it,” Cuphead reassured his brother with a soft smile while sitting down.

Natalie and Aurora sat down together.

“What do you see up there?” Natalie asked her little sister.

“Pwetty stars!” Aurora cooed.

“Yeah, pretty stars,” Natalie said with a soft smile. She looked at Cassidy and frowned. Then she sighed and swallowed her pride. “Happy Birthday, Cassi.”

Cassidy turned to look at her best friend with a soft smile. “Thanks.”

Natalie nodded her head and shifted her focus on the stars.

Everyone looked up at the stars, counting them all together.

Unbeknownst to them, Porkrind had been searching for the kids in concern for their safety until he approached the cliff and saw them. Before he could chastise the kids for staying out for too long, a memory of him and Shayna sitting on cliff in this exact spot watching the clouds flooded his brain. He shed a tear at the reminder and tried not to cry in front of the kids. He let them stay for a little longer until he was ready to tell them that it was time to go home. 

To Be Continued...

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite)

*Hey guys! I'm back with the last episode of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows rewrite! Yes, that's right! This is the last episode! We're at the end guys! WHOO!!! Been a long journey. This is published on August 18, 2023. If you guys enjoy this final chapter/episode, don't forget to leave hearts, reblog, and comments! That would be appreciated! Warning: blood and gore. Enjoy!*

Episode Thirteen: The New Devil

In the bright morning, Brineybeard spied on the three submarines docked on shore with Ribby and Croaks to see some assassins still guarding the docks.

“There’s a whole lot of them,” Croaks uttered in shock.

“Wait, why are we stealing a submarine?” Ribby questioned with a brow raised.

“Legends say that thar was another way o’ boardin’ Davy Jones’ Locker ‘n that was toward t’ the bottom o’ the ocean floor. That means that we could use the submarine t’ go down further ‘n get into Davy Jones’ Locker,” Brineybeard explained while taking out his swords.

“Wait, Davy Jones’ Locker?” Ribby repeated with a brow raised.

“He must have meant the underworld,” Croaks whispered to his short frog brother.

“Oh, right,” Ribby responded. “So, how do we approach this?”

Brineybeard took out his swords. “We take ‘em out. Are ye wit’ me?”

Ribby and Croaks exchanged glances at each other and then smirked, looking back at Brineybeard with nods.

“Let’s do it,” Ribby said while clenching his fists in his big red boxer gloves.

Croaks did the same except he raised his red gloves up as if he was boxing. The three charged towards the assassins, who saw them coming.

With guns raised, they were about to fire the bullets until Brineybeard stab into one of the assassin’s chest and used him as a shield once the rest of the assassins pulled their triggers. Ribby and Croaks hopped over two of the assassins. Ribby smacked the assassin in the jaw, breaking his jaw in an instant. Croaks raised his fist under the assassin’s chin vertically, breaking multiple of his teeth.

Brineybeard swooped in and slit three more assassin’s throats at the same time, using his other sword to stab the incoming assassin in the chest. He noticed the assassins getting up on top of submarines, raising their machine guns towards him. Ribby and Croaks noticed and they looked at each other once more, their ideas becoming one. With nods at each other, Croaks picked Ribby up and threw him over at the first machine gun. Ribby kicked down the assassin before he could fire the bullets use the machine gun to fire at the assassins aiming their guns at Brineybeard. The assassins noticed Ribby using the machine gun to his advantage and aimed the guns at him.

Croaks and Brineybeard hopped onto the submarine when the guns were not aimed at them and took out two assassins before they could fire at Ribby.

“Is that all of them?” Croaks questioned before hearing more footsteps within the submarine.

“Nope!” Ribby said while hopping into the submarine he was on top of.

Croaks jumped into the hatch of the submarine he was one and Brineybeard did the same.

Within the submarine Ribby was in, Ribby stormed through, throwing his fists and knocking out every assassin that came his way. He dodged the bullets fired at him and then charging towards the assassin shooting at him with only tears on his tight green suit. He put the assassin in the chokehold and yanked him around to face the other assassin firing bullets at him. Ribby chuckled evilly and pushed the assassin towards them before taking them out with his boxer gloved fists.

Croaks was able to tackled four assassins down in the submarine he was in. He managed to lift all four of them up to throw them at the incoming assassins. He slammed his fists against their stomachs once they’re done on the ground. He pounded his gloves against the jaws of the assassins, breaking every facial bone with every crack he could hear.

Brineybeard had blood covering his gray ragged shirt within the submarine he was in. He used the sharp tips of his swords and slashed every assassin who dare came near him. The pirate didn’t think twice before slicing the assassin’s heads off. He charged towards to the control room, dodging the bullets and killing the assassins swiftly. He breathed heavily once all of the assassins were dead.

He sheathed his swords and heard more footsteps coming from behind the pirate. He glanced over to find Ribby and Croaks entering the control room with sweat and heavy breaths.

Ribby nudged Croak’s ribs with his elbow and a smirk on his face. “Hey, hey, you shoulda seen what I did to those assassins in the submarine I was in!”

“You sayin’ you better than me?!” Croaks argued with his brows drawn together angrily.

“So what if I am?!” Ribby argued back as an imaginary bell rang and they smacked each other in a fighting matter.

“Shiver me timbers, lads! They got files about us!” Brineybeard gasped and showed the files.

Ribby and Croaks stopped their petty fighting and hurried over to the pirate to peek over his broad shoulders.

“Did it say anything about us?” Croaks questioned the pirate.

“Aye, that’s why I said they got files about us—”

“Look!” Ribby screamed in fear, hurting Brineybeard’s ear.

“Could ye nah yell so loud?” the pirate groaned while rubbing his ear.

“It’s the picture of us as tadpoles!” Ribby pointed it out to his brother. The picture was of their deceased mother, protecting her boys from the monsters that had Tremaine inside of them.

“Oh yeah, that was from the east side of the city. We was young when we was livin’ there,” Croaks pointed out.

The pictures progressed further and further into the days where Ribby and Croaks used to be champions…their mother disapproving of them in the shadows.

“Wait, have they been stalking us since childhood?” Ribby uttered, his tone mildly freaked out.

“It looks like it,” Croaks said in shock.

Brineybeard let the frog brothers look over their own file while he searched through files that had everyone’s name that was involved with the Tremaine incident years ago.

Cagney Carnation.

Hilda Berg.

Sally Stageplay.

Rumor Honeybottoms.

Djimmi the Great.

Goopy Le Grande.

Wally Warbles.

Grim Matchstick.

Werner Werman.

Dr. Kahl.

Brineybeard arched a brow at all of the names on the files. “The Night Stalkers ‘ave been stalkin’ us this whole time? Well, they didn’ ‘ave t’ make thar cult name so obvious then.” He widened his eyes when he saw the last two files.

Cala Maria.

Captain Morgan Brineybeard.

“Shiver me timbers,” Brineybeard uttered.

“Hey, Briney, they got the files on King Dice and the Devil too,” Ribby called out to the captain.

“Strange,” Brineybeard uttered. “Why would they spy on us? Wha’ did we do that warrants ‘em t’ spy on us? Was it power? Was it...influence? Thar has t’ be answers.”

“Then let’s find out by breaking into Hell and rescuing our friends,” Ribby determined with a bright smile.

“Aye! Ye’re right! Hold on fer a moment. I needs t’ know how t’ control this submarine.” Brineybeard examined the controls of the submarine. “Ah, here we go!”

Brineybeard was able to control the submarine with the help of Ribby and Croaks, backing out of the shore of the Inkwell Village and drove towards the open ocean.

They descended down further into the ocean, going through the darkness with their hearts racing terribly fast the deeper they go. They could see something big on the screen, indicating something was nearby. Ribby looked through the periscope and gasped in shock.

“What is it?” Croaks asked.

“See for yerselves!” Ribby said while handing the handles to Croaks, who looked the periscope too only for him to see a huge underwater facility camped outside of a hole that stretched far enough to swallow a medium-sized island if there was any island above it with the orange glow.

“Holy—” Croaks gasped and let Brineybeard see through it.

“Shiver me timbers! ‘tis worse than I thought!” Brineybeard gasped while the submarine was parked in front of the edge of the hole.

“Now what do we do?” Ribby questioned with a brow arched. “Wait, what if there assassins in those buildings and they’ll come over and see all of this bloodshed?”

“That’s when we make our escape. But how are we goin’ t’ get down thar without drownin’ ourselves?” Brineybeard asked mostly himself.

“Hey, I think I found something!” Croaks said when he was looking through the closets to find scuba tanks, snorkels, dive lights, diving suits, and fins. “It’s mostly for you though. Ribby and I can handle underwater.”

“Right!” Brineybeard responded with a smirk.

Moments later, Brineybeard put on his diving suit, scuba tank, goggles, snorkel, and held a flashlight used for diving into the water.

“I can nah believe I be doin’ this.,” Brineybeard said with deep breath into the oxygen mask.

“You can stay here and we could go down there—”

“No, I’ll be okay . I jus’ needs t’ get down thar without suffocatin’,” Brineybeard determined.

“Then, let’s go,” Ribby said with a bright grin while holding a rope for them to use.

~.~

Everyone had been quiet since Natalie’s outburst.

Dice hummed a tune while shuffling the deck of cards and playing rummy with Porkrind and Jerry while Tabitha stood against the wall with a bored look on her face. Porkrind couldn’t help, but stare at his red feline daughter sulking in the corner of her cell that she shared with Natalie, Aurora, Elder Kettle, and Murray. Dice looked up to see Porkrind staring at his daughter while shuffling his cards and then shifted his gaze at Cassidy. Dice glanced over at Porkrind and then back to Cassidy, sighing softly.

Dice cleared his throat, getting Cassidy’s attention. “Hey, do you want to play rummy with us? We might need a fourth player. What d’ya say?”

Cassidy hugged her legs and isolated herself more, earning soft gazes from the three men in the cell next to her.

“Good luck getting that piece of—”

Dice used his ace of spade card to cover Tabitha’s mouth before she could get to say anymore that might make Porkrind, Jerry, and Cassidy more upset either with her or with everything else.

“We don’t need your opinion.” Dice glanced back at Cassidy. “Don’t worry about what she’s about to say. You do what you want. I just thought you can join us.”

“A-Are you sure?” Cassidy said, her voice trembling.

Dice softly smiled at her while flicking his cards. The cards sparked to life and walked over to her, hugging her with bright smiles. She blushed a bit in embarrassment and looked up at Dice to see him giving her a reassuring grin.

“I’m sure,” Dice replied softly. The three men scooted over to join Cassidy while Cassidy was guided towards them by the cards. She sat down and watched the cards go into Dice’s purple sleeves, flicking them from one sleeve to another. He shuffled and mixed them, making the deck a bigger pile than before.

Cassidy watched with fascination, her eyes sparkled when she watched him shuffle the cards. Dice passed the cards around to give each of them seven each, summoning the card away from Tabitha’s mouth. He wiped the ace of spade on his purple suit that was already wet and damp and placed it on the stack in the middle of the group.

The rounds throughout the card game consisted of them trying to get numbers in order while trying to get rid of cards as much as they could. Cassidy seemed confused by the gameplay at first.

“S-Sorry, I, um,” Cassidy stuttered in fear. “I’m not sure if I should put this down.”

“Let me see,” Dice said while peeking over to look at Cassidy’s cards while nodding his head in approval. “Oh yeah, definitely, you can go out with these cards.”

“What cards?” Jerry asked.

“Hey, I ain’t tellin’ ya,” Dice teased Jerry and Porkrind. “It’s confidential between me and Cassidy.”

On cue, Cassidy laid her set of matched fours that went up to four cards and laid one card down, running out of the cards for that round.

Porkrind and Jerry groaned playfully at losing to the round while Dice chuckled.

“Up top,” Dice put his hand up for her to high-five. She gave him a high-five shyly through the cell bars. “Great job! You’re doing great!”

She smiled more, forgetting about the pain from Natalie’s outburst temporarily.

Meanwhile, Natalie watched on with a guilty-look on her face to see Cassidy having so much fun with her father, Jerry, and Dice. She shifted her attention to see her little sister staring at Cuphead’s soulless body.

“Is Cuppy coming back, Sissy?” Aurora asked innocently.

Natalie bit her lips, trying to keep herself from crying. Why was she crying for Cuphead? It wasn’t like she cared about him. I mean, he must have meant something more for her to cry over. Maybe it was more from her outburst against Cassidy. What would Cuphead think when he saw what she said to Cassidy? Why would she care what Cuphead thinks? He was dead…what else could it be there for him to think?

Natalie glanced over to see Mugman staring at Cuphead’s lifeless body, his own body twitching and shivering from Tremaine slowly trying to take control. Mugman whimpered in both grief and pain. She noticed Elder Kettle and Murray keeping an eye on Mugman, watching the boy writhing.

It was sudden they noticed two assassins coming into Mugman’s cell. Mugman scrambled away from them, but his back hit against the wall.

“Hey, where are you taking my son?” Murray growled, gaining everyone’s attention.

One of the assassins picked Mugman by the handle and carried him outside while the other assassin held the door open. Cassidy quit her card game and rushed over to the cell.

“What are you going to do to him?!” Cassidy cried, her grip on the bar shaking.

“Get back, you piece of burden,” the assassin kicked the cell to scare Cassidy.

“Hey!” Dice growled while standing up on his feet. “You have a lot of nerve to do that!”

Porkrind was shocked by the sudden aggression shown in Dice’s eyes, but he let it roll off of his mind and glared at the assassin who dared kicked the cell to scare his daughter.

“Be lucky that your fate is prolonged,” the other assassin snarled at the former gambler.

“What does that mean?!” Dice barked while watching them walk away with Mugman limped in one assassin’s hold. He couldn’t struggle much, his body limped.

“HEY! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING MY BOY?!” Mugman could hear Murray’s voice echoed through the hallway.

Mugman could’ve sworn that he was slowly blacking out. Then he closed his eyes, letting the darkness consumed him temporarily before he was suddenly slammed on the metal table. He snapped his eyes open to see that he was strapped on the metal table. He didn’t have the muzzle on anymore and he wasn’t in the straitjacket. But…there was something off. He could feel something on his arms. Before he could question what was going on, he could feel the switch on while some liquid getting into his arms. He widened his eyes, clenching his teeth. His veins glowed brighter orange, letting Mugman assume that more Tremaine was put inside of him more. Why? Was it to battle the Eternal’s Orb inside of him?

Mugman screamed in pain, tears trickling down. His body convulsed on the table and cried out loud. He was pretty sure everyone down in Hell and above could hear him. The Most High would probably hear his cries. Should he beg for his life? Should he pray and pray for life to the Most High? Maybe it was a perfect time to do so. Maybe it was too late to pray these things to Him.

He could feel his mind spiraling down from sanity, his visions of a destroyed land laid out in front of him. Switching over the next vision quickly, he could see fire and many souls suffering in agony being one day freed by the bright light. The next vision took him in someplace isolated.

Mugman’s screams were in the background…but he thought that it was strange that he wasn’t screaming now as he was in the background. The place around him was dark, hearing nothing but whispers around him. The big blue light was behind him.

“Please, don’t turn around…I don’t want to scare you,” a soft voice uttered behind him.

Mugman obeyed and looked ahead into the darkness, searching something…anything there.

“What are you doing here? What are those screams I hear?” a soft voice asked.

“Those are mine,” Mugman said timidly.

“My boy, are you in pain?”

“Y-Yes…Please, help me—”

The vision was cut short when Mugman gasped as if he hadn’t breathed in so long for his screams. He blinked and realized that everything in the lab was destroyed…dead bodies of the assassins in the room with him with their heads exploded. Mugman was confused at what just happened around him until he saw Hunter coming into the room.

Mugman, breathing heavily in fear, started to struggle in his restraints. “No, no! Leave me alone!” He could feel his teeth sharpened and his eyes getting bloodshot. He felt Hunter gripped around Mugman’s throat, choking him.

“You are starting to get on my nerves, you know that,” Hunter growled at Mugman.

Mugman breathed heavily, whimpering in pain.

“You and your little ‘protector’ are getting on my nerves! If I have to inject you with more Tremaine just to get whatever it is protecting you out, I shall! But that plan isn’t working!” Hunter growled, gripping Mugman’s throat tighter.

Mugman could barely breathe, wanting to do nothing but sonic sob uncontrollably.

“You keep vomiting out the extra Tremaine we gave you and your screams ruined the lab. Maybe it’s time that we do something a little different,” Hunter growled at Mugman, releasing his throat.

Mugman breathed heavily while watching more syringes with Tremaine inside of them injected all over his body. Before Mugman could let out a scream, Hunter put a muzzle back onto the mug’s mouth and untied him from the table as soon as the syringes were empty from injecting Tremaine into him. The mug was picked up by the handle and had the straitjacket put on him. He was thrown into a solitary cell with his arms wrapped around his waist and his muzzle covering his mouth, preventing him from throwing up extra Tremaine out of his systems. His body was twitching from Tremaine as he tried to scream and throw up, but he couldn’t. He sobbed uncontrollably into the muzzle, his veins glowing brighter orange than before.

“PLEASE!!! MAKE THIS STOP!!! MAKE THIS PAIN GO AWAY!!! PLEASE!!”

Mugman wanted to scream that so loudly that the whole world could hear him and help him out of this situation. But the truth is…there was no one to help him now…he’s all alone now. His brother was dead. His lover out of sight. His father and Elder Kettle couldn’t reach him. He’s truly alone…and he hated that feeling more than ever now.

Unbeknownst to Mugman, Henchman witnessed the whole thing, shaking his head as he kept running through Hell and hoping to find the dungeons of Hell soon.

~.~

 King Dice tried lock pick his own cell he shared with Porkrind, Jerry, and Tabitha with his cards.

“That’s not going to work,” Tabitha said with a bored sigh.

“Hold on, it might—” Dice noticed three assassins coming over to patrol the dungeons, causing him to withdraw the cards into his sleeves immediately. Dice faked a smile.

“Where’s my boy?!” Murray growled at the assassins.

“Somewhere you’ll never find him,” one of the assassins teased coldly, causing Murray to glare at the assassins.

“You’re lucky he’s not looking into your memories right now,” Elder Kettle snarled at them.

“You’re lucky to be alive beyond this point,” the other assassin told the group.

Cassidy had her ears pinned on her head with her brows drawn together and a low growl.

“Hey, something’s over there!” one of the assassins pointed at the looming shadowy figures.

It was sudden that the sword was thrown, plunging into one of the assassin’s chest. The two remaining assassins watched their comrade fall back from the sword stabbed through his chest and attempted to load their guns. Ribby and Croaks appeared out of the shadows and knocked them out with their fists to the two assassins’ faces. Brineybeard followed them out of the shadows and plucked the sword out of the assassin’s chest.

“Ribby! Croaks!” Cassidy gasped happily.

The frog brothers grinned to see Cassidy alive and well.

“Cassi, you’re okay!” Ribby responded.

Croaks checked the two assassins’ bodies to check and find the keys to the dungeons. “I don’t see anything on them so far.”

Brineybeard checked the other assassin’s body. “It ain’t here either.”

“Where are we going to find the dungeon keys?” Ribby questioned.

“D’uh right here,” a familiar voice uttered.

Everyone glanced over to find Henchman, standing by the doorway entering the dungeons and holding the dungeon keys.

“Henchman?” King Dice recognized while gripping the bars. “What happened to Devil?”

“B-Boss…um…H-Hunter—” Henchman uttered, barely trying to get a word out without choking into tears.

Dice groaned. “I’ve told him many times that there’s something off about Hunter! So, he finally listens, huh?”

“It’s a little too late though,” Henchman said sadly.

“Figures,” Dice grumbled.

“Take him out,” Ribby said with his fists clenched along with Croaks. Brineybeard gripped his swords with a glare at Henchman.

“There’s no need,” Henchman said, trembling.

“What?” Ribby probed.

Henchman used the dungeon keys to unlock Dice’s cell which was shared by Porkrind, Jerry, and Tabitha. Dice watched Henchman unlocked the cell Cassidy, Murray, Elder Kettle, Natalie, and Aurora. Then Henchman unlocked the cell where Cuphead's body was laying there.

“Okay, now we knock him out!” Croaks shouted.

“Wait, wait, hold on,” Dice said. “Henchman, do you know where Mugman is—?”

“He’s in the lone cell, near the library,” Henchman answered immediately. “You know where the library is, right?”

Dice nodded his head. “I know this place like the back of my hand.”

Henchman sighed and looked at the group. “You have a five minute head start before I find the boss and release him.”

“Oh, we’re going to need longer than that. Croaks,” Ribby responded.

Instantly, Croaks punched Henchman in the face, knocking him out.

“What the heck?!” Dice shouted at the frogs.

“What?! This will give us an extra time to free both of the boys,” Ribby responded.

“Let’s get Cuphead’s soul back into his body,” Murray said with determination.

“Wait,” Dice responded. “To get Cuphead out of the prized vault, we need to destroy the contract where his name was on it. That’s in the library.”

“Perfect! Let’s split up into groups. If we travel together, it would take longer. So, I’ll go get Cuphead’s soul wit’ Murray ‘n Elder Kettle. Ribby ‘n Croaks, ye go wit’ Dice, Porkrind, ‘n Jerry t’ get the soul contracts ‘n burn ‘em. Along wit’ gettin’ Mugman out o’ the cell,” Brineybeard determined.

“Mugman might not be himself by the time we reach him though. What if we’re already too late?” Croaks questioned.

Murray shook his head. “Mugman is still in there.”

“Aye, but we shall run out o’ time if we stand around here any longer. Chalice ‘n Canteen are workin’ on gettin’ a cure fer Mugman,” Brineybeard informed the group.

“Then what are we waiting for? Come on!” Ribby determined.

Cassidy decided to go with Porkrind, Jerry, and Dice along with Ribby and Croaks. Natalie went with Tabitha and Aurora to follow Murray and Elder Kettle along with Brineybeard. The team split up, hurrying through Hell as fast as they could. 

~.~

Saltbaker sat alone in his cell, wiping off the sweat from his first day of doing community service with a sigh. It had been a long day and now, he wanted to breathe and just relax. He heard the phone ringing from his cell and the bug policemen answering the call.

“Hello?” the policemen uttered. “Really? Him? And your name? Okay…”

The police officer walked over to Saltbaker’s cell, causing the former chef to widen his eyes in shock.

“You got, uh, Ms. Chalice on the line,” the officer said.

“Oh, uh—”

“She said that it’s urgent,” the officer said before Saltbaker could deflect the call.

Saltbaker sighed. “Alright.”

The officer unlocked the chef’s cell and guided him towards the phone. “You got fifteen minutes.”

Saltbaker nodded his head. “Uh…hello?”

“Saltbaker!” Chalice’s shout nearly caused him to be deaf. “You gotta help us—!”

“Whoa, Chalice, Chalice,” Saltbaker replied while trying to calm Chalice. “What’s going on here?”

“We need to make the cure for Mugman and we need to make it fast. How much time do you have on the phone?”

“Uh…fifteen minutes?” Saltbaker said with unsure tone.

Before he knew it, Chalice squeezed herself through ear phone rapidly.

“Perfect!” Chalice responded.

“Good gravy!” Saltbaker yelped while having his hand over his heart. “You gave me quite a fright.”

“Canteen, the coast is clear,” Chalice called.

Canteen appeared besides Saltbaker’s feet, causing him to jump.

“Golly, are you trying to scare me twice?” Saltbaker grumbled. “You two can’t be in here without scheduling visitation.”

“We ain’t got much time for any kind of scheduling. We need your help,” Chalice pleaded with Saltbaker.

“You want my help? After all I did to you and your friends?”

“Let’s say that you’re making it up to me and my friends by helping me make the cure for Mugman. I got the ingredients, but we need your talents in cooking,” Chalice responded.

“Chalice, there’s one little detail that we are missing. I am banned from the kitchens,” Saltbaker pointed out. “Since the Wondertart incident, I am not allowed to cook and—”

“Just this one time, Saltbaker. Just this one time. Please, for me,” Chalice pleaded.

Saltbaker noticed Chalice pleading him with those innocent eyes that he remembered her finding her. He sighed.

“Alright. Just this one time. But this can extend my sentencing here longer,” Saltbaker said softly.

Chalice and Canteen nodded their heads.

“I’ll distract the guards,” Canteen whispered to Chalice. “If it takes longer, I can help buy you both more time.”

“Thanks, Canteen,” Chalice said with a small smile.

Canteen blushed with a smile, but realized that Saltbaker was watching him with a brow raised.

“How’s your ankle, chap?” Saltbaker asked.

“Uh, it’s fine, thanks,” Canteen responded.

“Good, cause you’re going to need it to run from the police,” Saltbaker informed.

“I know,” Canteen said while holding Chalice’s hands. “Good luck.” He then realized he held Chalice’s hands and removed his grasp. “Haha, sorry. Um…hopefully, I’ll see you again.”

Canteen turned and walked away from with a blush on his face. Saltbaker noticed this while watching Chalice chuckled quietly to herself while staring at Canteen. He smirked at her.

“Oh, I think someone’s having a crush on you,” Saltbaker pointed out.

Chalice blushed madly and shook her head. “What?! No, he doesn’t have a crush on me.” She hurried towards the kitchen with Saltbaker following behind her.

“Oh, he’s totally crushing on you,” Saltbaker teased her. “And you are having a crush on him too, huh?”

“What? No, let’s just make the cure.”

“You got the ingredients?”

“Yep.”

“Perfect,” Saltbaker said with a mischievous grin and his eyes turned yellow.

~.~

Saltbaker and Chalice snuck through the prison, avoiding the guards patrolling around them. They soon arrived at the doors of the kitchen and saw two bug cops patrolling the doors.

“So, what’s your future boyfriend going to do as a distraction again?” Saltbaker asked.

“Whatever he can use to—wait, my what?!” Chalice answered with a blush.

“Shh!” he shushed her, covering her mouth. “I’m just wondering if Canteen had anything to do as a distraction.”

She shoved his hand away from her mouth. “Yeah, whatever he can—”

They heard the radio crackling from the bug cops as they took a look at the bug cops. One of them answered the walkie-talkie.

“What’s goin’ on?” one of the bug cops talked in his walkie-talkie.

“Uh…I think some weird goggle-wearing canteen set our padi-wagon on fire,” the voice of another bug cop came from the walkie-talkie.

“Oh, okay, we’re on our way!” the bug cop responded without hesitation. The two bug cops headed away from the kitchen doors.

Saltbaker smirked to himself. “What a little gremlin.”

Chalice, as a ghost, phased through the doors while Saltbaker looked around to make sure no one is looking at him and entered the kitchen.

Chalice transformed back into her physical form and looked around the kitchen area to find milk and honey.

“Alright then, what are the ingredients?” Saltbaker said after he barricaded the doors with the metal chair.

“Milk and honey.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep…well…that and one other thing, but I’m not sure how well you’ll take it.”

“What’s the other ingredient…? It’s not a soul is it?”

“No. It’s…my blood,” Chalice said nervously.

“Wait, what?”

Chalice pulled out a syringe from the medicine cabinet and showed to Saltbaker. “If you mix honey, milk, and my blood, it makes the cure to Tremaine.”

“Why your blood specifically?” Saltbaker probed, almost terrified at the thought of taking Chalice’s blood to make the ingredients.

Chalice frowned. “I—I am…ugh.”

Saltbaker softened his gaze.

“The cure needs the blood of a warrior of Calix Animi and I…have it,” Chalice said sadly.

Saltbaker blinked. “So, you’re a part of Calix Animi?”

She nodded her head.

“Oh yeah, I knew that.”

“Wait, what? You knew?!”

“Chalice, I raised you. You don’t think I noticed how you look like the Legendary Chalice? Your name is literally Chalice. That’s how you first introduced yourself to me. You two don’t look so different.”

Chalice clenched her teeth. “You have to promise me you won’t tell anyone about this.”

“Not even your friends?”

“No.”

“…Not even your future boyfriend?”

“Would you stop calling him that?” Chalice said blushing.

“Well, I can’t help but think you two would look cute together. Sorry. He looks like he’s a good kid.”

“Yeah, he-he’s a good guy. Besides, he already knows,” Chalice uttered.

“OOH! And he’s the first to know,” Saltbaker teased. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him that you have feelings for him.”

Chalice’s face got redder. “I don’t have feelings for him.”

“Oh come on, you know I’m teasing.”

Chalice rolled her eyes playfully and gave a determined smile. “Well, we ain’t got time to tease. Let’s get cooking.”

“You’re speaking my language. However, there is a problem.”

“What?”

“There’s no amount of milk, honey, or your blood to make this cure. And I’m not going to take all of your blood.”

“You won’t have to do that,” Chalice said while extending her arm. “Just take as much as the syringe can take.”

“Are you sure? Shouldn’t we get a smaller syringe for you?”

“Please, Saltbaker.”

Saltbaker stared into her pleading innocent eyes and sighed heavily. “You know, if you were to con me for money, you would’ve had it.”

“Yeah, I know.”

He sighed again and stuck the syringe in carefully to not hurt her, but he noticed her clenching her teeth. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Saltbaker drew the blood from her arm with a frown on his face. Once he got the blood he needed, he pulled the syringe out carefully. He placed it aside and got out the bandages from a nearby drawer, wrapping it around her arm.

They heard someone pounding on the door, scaring them both.

“Oh no, they must have known we got in,” Chalice panicked.

“Hold on,” Saltbaker said, his eyes turning yellow while picking up the syringe and hurrying over to the milk and honey. He got out a small bowl and two measuring cups from the cabinet. He poured a cup of milk in a measuring cup and poured it into the small bowl. Then he poured a cup of honey and poured it in with the milk. He stirred them up with a wooden spoon as quickly as he could while the cops pounded the door.

“HEY! OPEN THIS DOOR!!” the cop shouted.

“Saltbaker, hurry,” Chalice urged in fear.

“I’m trying, I’m trying,” Saltbaker responded while pushing the blood out of the syringe into the small bowl with milk and honey. He stirred it up in a quick motion until the glow exploded into a blue color, blinding them in the kitchen.

Chalice hurried to grab a clean new syringe. She absorbed the new chemical made in the small bowl into the syringe and grinned. “This is perfect! This can cure Mugman. I—”

Before she could take off to go, she was embraced by Saltbaker, which shocked her given to the fact that he hadn’t done it in a while since she moved to the big city.

He smiled softly. “I’m proud of you, Chalice. You know that?”

She smiled and hugged him back. “Thanks, Chef.”

He let go of her. “Now, go save your friend.”

She nodded her head with a newfound determination. She turned into a ghost with the new glowing syringe in hand and phased through the wall before the cops broke down the door.

“Get him!” The bug cops handcuffed Saltbaker and dragged him out of the kitchen, but he willingly went with a small proud smirk on his face.

~.~

Brineybeard walked through the tunnels of Hell, searching for the prize vault. Murray carried Cuphead’s soulless body with Elder Kettle walking next to him. Tabitha held Aurora in her arms with a tired glance ahead while Natalie stayed behind, her mind being swallowed by her guilty conscious.

Brineybeard could hear the souls sobbing. He knew that they must have gotten close. Brineybeard led the group into the room where the big soul vault made of metal held the souls with more souls going into it daily.

“Shiver me timbers,” Brineybeard muttered to himself.

They looked over at the small metal cage to see a familiar small cup with his red straw bent sobbing in his cage.

“Cuphead!” Murray called, gaining his son’s attention.

“D-Dad?” Cuphead uttered, gripping the bars. “H-Hunter…he—”

“We know what he did,” Elder Kettle reassured Cuphead. “Come on, let’s get you back into your body.”

Cuphead’s soul attempted to get out of the cage, but got electrocuted. “Yowch!”

“I guess the other group hadn’t reach the library yet,” Murray assumed.

“They better hurry up,” Tabitha replied with a groan. “It’s getting hot in here.”

“Welcome to Hell,” Elder Kettle grumbled at Tabitha.

Meanwhile, Dice led Ribby and Croaks through the hallway with Porkrind, Jerry, and Cassidy sticking close to them. They managed to find the library on the left and Dice opened the door and looked inside.

“Coast is clear,” Dice replied to the group and noticed many contracts on the shelves to the left next to the fireplace. “There they are.”

Jerry whistled lowly. “That’s a lot of them.”

“They’re organized in alphabetical order, so the C’s should be on the very top shelf,” Dice explained with a smile until he soon realized that the top shelf was hard to reach without a ladder. “Oh…right…”

“Is there a ladder in this room?” Porkrind questioned Dice.

“Uh, no. Usually, Devil floats up here to get the soul contracts if they were that far up,” Dice answered.

“Well, that’s just great,” Ribby said with a groan. “Now we won’t reach it without a ladder.”

“We can hop up there,” Croaks suggested.

“Yeah, I don’t think we can jump that high,” Ribby said.

Porkrind groaned. “Darn it. There has to be someway we could just get up there—”

“Uh, Porkrind?”

“Yeah?”

Jerry pointed up to the shelves as Porkrind looked up to see Cassidy jumping up towards the highest shelves.

“Be careful, Cassi!” Ribby shouted from below her.

“I will!” Cassidy said when she looked down, but once she looked down, she could see how high she really was. Her red fur spiked up in fear. “Oh geez, okay, just don’t look down.” She managed to reach the high shelves and dug out the contracts from the top shelves.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Dice questioned.

“If we can save the souls without trading our souls for it, we can do it this way!” Cassidy replied with a bright grin.

“Well, yeah, at least that’s safer than releasing souls from the soul vault,” Jerry said with a shrug.

She managed to get all the soul contracts out of the shelves until she reached back down on the floor.

Her feet hit the ground while watching the rest of the men sorting through soul contracts.

“So, we can burn these?” Porkrind asked Dice.

Dice shrugged. “Let’s see.” Dice took one of the contracts and held it over to the fire to realize that it wouldn’t burn. “Huh, Hell fire won’t even burn it.”

“Do we shred it?” Jerry probed.

“Yeah, those soul contracts are hard to tear through and shred. There has to be some way we can burn these contracts,” Dice responded.

“So, you’re now into burning soul contracts?” Porkrind questioned.

“What? I…um…”

Porkrind softly smiled at Dice. “Guess you’re not as shallow as I thought.”

Dice blushed at the words and looked away. “Heh, I guess not.” He looked to see upside down crosses around the room. He tilted his head in curiosity. He got up and pulled one of them near him out from the wall.

“What’s that?” Croaks probed.

“Devil always kept these things upside down for some reason,” Dice responded while turning it right-side up. As soon as he turned it right-side up, the cross glowed bright enough to blind him. “Ow! Ow! It’s burning my hands!”

The men quickly gathered the soul contracts.

“Put it here then!” Ribby called.

Dice dropped the glowing cross on the papers, watching it burn the soul contracts. He could even see his own father’s name on it, causing him to gasp in shock. Once all the soul contracts were turned to dust, a ghostly cross was formed and ascended to Heaven.

Ribby and Croaks blinked in shock.

“What the heck was that?” Jerry questioned.

Porkrind tilted his head. “Huh, I guess preachers ain’t lying about a supernatural being above us.”

Dice could feel chains that had been wrapped around his wrists for too long released his wrists. He no longer had the Devil owing him his soul. He…He was free.

Dice breathed heavily in both fear and joy. What could this mean for him? He could no longer served the Devil. He could no longer delivered souls to Devil, even if he wanted to. Dice had no idea.

“You okay?” Porkrind asked Dice.

Dice breathed heavily. “I-I can’t believe this…I-I’m free.” He started to tremble. “I’m free and…I don’t even know what to do.”

“Uh…live?” Porkrind uttered with a brow raised.

“Yeah, you’re going to have to be more specific than that,” Dice responded.

Back to the others, Cuphead’s soul was able to phase through the cage he was in and flew back into his body, causing Cuphead to gasp for breath in his brother’s arms.

“Ugh! What the—?!” Cuphead shouted until he felt his father’s warmth for the first time in a long while.

Murray cried tears of joy. “I’m so happy to have you back, son.”

Elder Kettle smiled softly. “Let’s go save your brother.”

“Is he okay?” Cuphead asked.

Murray and Elder Kettle frowned.

“Your brother hadn’t been the same since he knew about you switching places with Cassidy,” Elder Kettle responded.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that Tremaine is slowly taking over him. The cultists took your brother somewhere by the library. We need to get him and get out of here,” Murray urged the others.

“Then let’s go!” Cuphead said with determination as he sped ahead of the rest of the group with his newfound powers.

“Cuphead, wait!” Brineybeard called while the others were running after Cuphead.

~.~

 Cassidy watched everything unfold until her pointy ears could hear someone familiar sobbing nearby her. She looked outside of the library and then back at the group she was with. She figured she could get Mugman out and guide him back to the group immediately.

Cassidy snuck out of the library and hurried towards where she could hear her lover crying. It took only a hallway and few doors down to see a lone cell where she could hear him crying. She used her claws to lock-pick the locks and opened it, revealing her lover in a straitjacket and a muzzle, letting out pained whines through the muzzle.

She softened her gaze, stepping towards him slowly. He scrambled his feet away from her, shaking his head to try to tell her to get back.

“Mugman?” she uttered sadly.

His body trembled and shook his head. He tried to gesture her to go and get out. She frowned and shook her head.

“No, I’m getting you out. We’re going to cure you and we’re going to get you out, okay?” Cassidy reassured him.

He shook his head before she stepped towards him and took the muzzle off of him. He puked out extra Tremaine inside of him, causing her to wince back.

“C-Cassi,” Mugman stuttered, his body shaking violently. “G-Go. Please. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me,” Cassidy reassured him.

“You don’t know that,” Mugman whimpered.

“I do,” she said softly while kissing his big blue nose, calming him down a bit.

“C-Cassi—”

“It’s okay. It’ll be okay—”

“Behind you!” Mugman shouted before shoving her off of him with his body, the bullet bouncing off a wall next to his ceramic head.

Cassidy looked up behind her to see a hooded assassin raising his gun at her. She growled and rushed towards him, wrestling him and the gun. He grunted and slammed her against the wall.

“Get off of me, burden!” the assassin growled and thrusted Cassidy against the wall, leaving her cornered.

Before he could raise the gun to shoot her, Mugman attacked the assassin with his yellow eyes and his irises red. He burned the straitjacket off of him and tore into the assassin’s stomach, ripping out of his insides and tossing them out of him.

“Don’t you call her that! You hear me?!” Mugman growled and started to laugh maniacally. “Yes! Yes!!! You better not call her that again!”

Cassidy watched in horror at what her boyfriend was doing, seeing him tear through more of the assassin’s insides with his teeth now and eating them away. She trembled in fear.

“Mugsy?”

Mugman perked his head up and looked at her, his mouth bloody along with his hands. She looked at him more in horror, making her regret even calling his name. He crept towards her in his monster form, his black fur dirty and mangy. She backed herself against the wall, listening to him breathing heavily.

“Mugsy, please…”

Mugman’s eyes reverted back to normal, causing him to let out heavy breaths in panic. “C-Cassi!” He looked down to see himself covered in blood. She soon realized that he was fighting back control, his body shaking.

“Cassi! Go! Stay away from me!”

Cassidy stood up and shook her head. “No, it’s okay. We’ll fix this.”

“Cassidy, please, go! I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Mugman, please—” It was then a bullet crashed straight through her skull from the side. She fell over on her side, her head bleeding.

“C-Cassi!” Mugman cried, kneeling down beside her. He cradled her limp body, despite his hands being bloody. “NO! NO! PLEASE, COME BACK TO ME!! COME BACK!!! PLEASE!!! NO!!”

He heard the gun cocked and he looked up to see the assassin gripping his rifle, ready to shoot him. He growled, his teeth sharpened. He set her down while his claws sharpened.

He laughed maniacally, finally letting Tremaine take over. He lunged towards the assassins, tearing through his insides as well. He hunted down assassins, tearing through them when he found them.

Meanwhile, Dice, Porkrind, Jerry, Ribby, and Croaks heard the commotion and hurried out of the library to find Mugman tearing into the assassins with a sense of vengeance and anger. His veins glowed orange in front of them while they stood there in terror. He dashed the other direction away from them, ripping body parts off of the assassins.

“Hey, where’s Cassi?” Jerry questioned, noticing the red feline missing.

“She must have found Mugman,” Croaks guessed.

Everyone widened their eyes in fear.

“I hope that mug didn’t tear into her like what he was doing to those assassins,” Porkrind growled while going off to find his daughter.

Everyone followed after him and entered the hallway to see a silhouette of the Devil holding Cassidy’s dead body in his arms.

Porkrind gasped. “HEY!”

Devil disappeared with Cassidy in his arms.

“HEY!!!” Porkrind barked and hurried towards where the Devil is. “He’s got Cassidy!”

“Oh no,” Ribby uttered.

“He might teleport back to his throne,” Dice guessed.

“Then let’s go!” Jerry determined.

The group hurried towards the Devil’s throne room from the hallway. 

~.~

Mugman couldn’t stop killing. No matter how much his mind screamed that it was enough, he couldn’t stop. More blood was on his small body, eating guts and intestines like food. He managed to kill every single assassin in Hell without stopping until he got to the Devil’s throne room.

His vision red when he saw the tiger sitting on the Devil’s throne chair. He growled and glared up at Hunter.

Hunter took out his gloves and squeezed the buttons, causing Mugman to cry out in pain as if it was electrocuting him.

“Aren’t you a hungry little animal?” Hunter said with a smirk before managing to control Mugman’s veins to the point where he kneeled. “You can rule by my side in this world. I can grant you whatever wish you want—”

“I want my life back!” Mugman managed to scream out. “I want Cassi back! I want my old life back! I don’t want to be here anymore! Hahaha hahaha!!! But you took that all away!!! You took my life away! You took everything from me!!! HAHAHAAHAHA!!! So, now I’m taking everything from you!” Mugman lunged towards Hunter despite having his veins crushed by the telepathic powers of Hunter’s gloves. Hunter threw Mugman onto the ground. Mugman bit his ankle and yanked him to the ground, dragging him around. Hunter kicked his feet into Mugman’s face until Mugman ripped off his foot kicking him with his sharp teeth. Hunter screamed in pain as Mugman jumped right on top of him and clawed him through his stomach, ripping out guts and intestines of his. Mugman clawed his facial skin and fur off out of pure anger and hatred for the tiger. Hunter screamed in agony while there was fear of death in his cold green eyes finally.

Cuphead arrived at the scene and watched it unfold in front of him. He witnessed his own brother eating dead Hunter’s guts. Mugman was now covered in blood, from the liquid in his cup head to the soles of his brown shoes.

“Mugman?” Cuphead uttered shyly.

Mugman whipped his head up and stared straight into his brother’s eyes.

Cuphead raised his hands slowly. “B-Buddy, it’s me, Cuphead. Remember?”

Mugman smiled sadistically while lunging towards his brother, attempting to eat him until Cuphead kicked him in the gut and flipped him over his head.

“Mugman! Snap out of it!” Cuphead cried. “I know you’re still in there! Please!”

Mugman growled and gripped his brother’s throat, pinning him down on the ground and choking him.

Cuphead tried to fight but he could feel water drops on his cheek. He glanced up to see Mugman in tears while being in a maniacal beast.

“Bu-Buddy, I know you’re still in there…fight it,” Cuphead choked out.

Two groups arrived from opposite sides of the throne room, watching this unfold in front of them.

Chalice arrived at the scene and saw this with a glowing blue syringe. She gave a look in determination as she flew towards the brothers. Out of the corner of Mugman’s eyes, he noticed her turning into her physical form as she tackled Mugman to the ground away from Cuphead.

“This is for your own good, Mugsy!” Chalice shouted while jabbing the syringe into Mugman’s shoulder. Mugman yelped in pain as she pushed the blue liquid inside of him. She backed off of him while Natalie hurried by Cuphead and helped him up.

“Are you okay?” Natalie asked.

Cuphead gave her a thumbs up. “Yep. Ain’t too worried about it.”

Everyone watched Mugman throwing up Tremaine, including the guts and the intestines he had eaten from the assassins down in Hell. It happened for a while until Mugman breathed heavily, his eyes going back to normal. Instead of his veins glowing orange, it glowed blue causing him to scream more in pain and electricity rising from his body. The pain was so unbearable that he collapsed on the ground, mumbling some incoherent words.

Murray hurried over as soon as the electricity died down and picked his son up. “Mugman?”

Mugman passed out in his father’s arm, covered in blood.

Captain Brineybeard noticed the throne room shaking around them.

“YOU’RE ALL DEAD!!!” Devil growled at them.

“We got more than a five-minute head start!” Ribby shouted to the pirate.

“Follow me!” Brineybeard shouted while leading the group.

“Wait, what about Cassi?! Devil took her!!” Porkrind shouted to them.

“We’ll come back for her! We got to move now!” Ribby answered back loudly.

They hurried over to where there was a wide hole and climbed up the rope into the water. They all held their breaths and rushed up into the submarine. As soon as they entered the submarine, Brineybeard pulled the rope into the submarine and Ribby steered it away from the wide hole leading to Hell.

Everyone breathed heavily in relief that they were no longer down there.

“We made it,” Dice uttered.

“Not all of us,” Porkrind said sadly as the submarine took off.

~.~

“THAT’S IT!!!” Devil growled and crushed the brimstone near him. “I’M DONE BEING TREATED LIKE A JOKE!!!” He paced around his throne room with Henchman and Stickler besides him, their veins glowing orange from Tremaine inside of them.

“I was so close to getting that cup’s soul! I had him in my grasp! And now! He’s gone! All the contracts were burned! I have enough of this!”

“D’uh, Boss, look on the bright side, Hunter did give you a cool upgrade where you can control anyone that has Tremaine now since…uh, Tremaine is inside of you now,” Henchman brought up.

Devil was no longer angry as he looked at his hands. “You know what, Henchman, you are right. Hunter did one thing right. He gave me more power unknowingly. He breached his own contract…it’s a shame of what happened to him. Now my two number ones are gone…it’s time to find a new one.” Devil smirked and looked at Cassidy, laying there with her head bleeding. “And I think I just found a new replacement.”

Devil’s laughter was small at first until it grew more and more loud and boisterous. He cackled evilly, letting every demon in Hell hear it. 

The End

...Or is it?

[elm-writes-stories]

Teaser for Episode Ten of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows Rewrite

Episode Ten: The Will of the Hunter

“We have to get out of here.”

“What?” Cuphead, Cassidy, and Elder Kettle questioned simultaneously.

Mugman got up from the bed, barely stumbling. “We got to get everyone out of here. We’re not safe!” 

“Whoa, slow down, boy,” Elder Kettle said while helping Mugman up on his feet, which was noticed by Porkrind, Jerry, Chalice, Canteen, Natalie, and Aurora. “What’s going on?”

“We don’t have time. The-The Night Stalkers…they-they knew we’re here.” 

“Are you sure it’s not just a nightmare?” 

“It’s not! It’s-It’s real! All of it! We have to go now!” 

“Hey, kid, don’t panic,” Porkrind stepped in.

There was a sudden knock at the door, causing everyone to froze in terror. 

“Are the bad people here?” Aurora questioned, earning a quiet shush from Natalie. 

Cassidy stood by Mugman, holding his hand. Chalice stepped in front of Canteen to protect him from incoming danger, earning a blush from the metal canteen. 

The knock echoed through the house. 

Porkrind hurried into a kitchen to grab a frying pan with Jerry taking out his cannon guns. Elder Kettle grabbed the sword from the mantel in the living room as the three adult men stood together in front of the door. 

“You kids hide somewhere safe,” Porkrind instructed. “We’ll take care of this.”

“Dad—”

Cassidy watched her father and Jerry go with Elder Kettle to the front door. Elder Kettle motioned up to three with his fingers and opened the door. 

“AHA!!” all three of them screamed, only for them to realize that Ribby and Croaks were standing at the porch with a shriek. 

“WHOA! WHOA! We friendly here! We friendly here!” Ribby shouted with his hands raised up. 

Captain Brineybeard appeared behind them, carrying Cala Maria in his arms. “Aye, we aren’t goin’ t’ hurt ye!”

“I could turn them into stone if we need to get inside,” Cala offered.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Croaks responded. 

“Ribby? Croaks?” Cassidy recognized excitedly while running up to them. 

The frog brothers brightly smiled. “Cassi!!!” They lifted her up and hugged her with laughter and happiness.

Porkrind lowered his frying pan. “They’re not our enemies.” 

Dice approached the group.

“HE IS!” Elder Kettle growled while pointing at the sword at King Dice. 

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite)

*Hey guys! I'm back with another episode of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows rewrite. Wow! We are really getting close to the end, guys! I can't believe it! This is published on August 16, 2023. If you guys like this episode, don't be afraid to heart it, reblog, and comment! That will always be appreciated! Enjoy!*

Episode Twelve: Where Does The Knife Go?

Brineybeard sniffed the air with a bright smile on his face. He sniffed once more and sighed happily in the early evening.

“Ye smell that, lads! It’s the smell o’ the open sea, callin’ us back!” Brineybeard replied with a hearty laugh.

Ribby was next to him with his brow raised. “We ain’t gonna to fix the ferry if we keep staring at the sea.”

“Well, someone needs t’ look out for the Night Stalkers,” Brineybeard insisted.

“How are they going to come here? The storm is out there and they ain’t gonna—”

“LOOK!” Brineybeard gasped, pointing at the sea.

“It’s just a seagull,” Ribby said with a deadpan tone.

“No! Nah that! Look! Down thar!” Brineybeard said while pointing at a group of submarines hiding under the water.

“What the—?” Ribby uttered in confusion.

“Could it be ‘em?” Brineybeard questioned.

“Hey, what’s going on over—?” Croaks saw the submarines approaching the island. “I didn’t know there’s submarines.”

“Me neither,” Ribby responded.

Brineybeard picked the frogs up by the collar of their suits and hid behind the large boulder of the shore.

“What’s the big idea—?”

“Shh!” Brineybeard shushed Ribby before they watched the submarines docked near the shore.

The hatch opened above water and Hunter stepped out from it, earning gasps from the three of them. They hid behind the boulder.

“I thought we lost ‘em,” Croaks whispered to his brother and Brineybeard.

“Aye, me too,” Brineybeard muttered while peeking over the boulder. “Wha’ are those?”

“What?” Ribby questioned quietly.

“The goggles and gloves?” Brineybeard asked, causing the frogs to peek over to watch Hunter putting on the goggles and gloves.

“Yeah, what is he doing?” Croaks questioned.

“Why does it look like he’s talking to himself?” Ribby inquired.

They watched Hunter trying to grab something in thin air, almost as if he was trying to grab an imaginary person standing in front of him.

“Huh, maybe we shouldn’t be as afraid of him as we should. He’s just a delusional guy wearin’ goggles and gloves,” Ribby replied to Croaks and Brineybeard.

“I reckon we can scuttle ‘im right now afore—”

“Wait,” Croaks stopped Brineybeard once he witnessed the Devil teleporting beside Hunter along with Henchman and Stickler.

“Oh no…demons,” Ribby groaned in fear. “You guys don’t happen to have any Bibles or…crosses?”

Croaks and Brineybeard shrugged their shoulders.

“I figured,” Ribby uttered.

“Are you getting anything from that mug?” Devil questioned with his fist on his hip.

Hunter took off his goggles with a groan. “No matter what I do, his little ‘protector’ will defend him.”

“Who is his protector?!” Devil growled.

“I don’t know. He must be some sort of an angel,” Hunter said with a grumble.

“Angel?!” Devil snarled and looked up at the sky. “Oh, now you want to get involve?!”

Henchman gasped in fear. “You don’t think the Most High is gettin’ involved, do you?”

“I honestly wouldn’t be surprised,” Stickler indicated.

“Ugh, I’ve run out of patience, Hunter!” Devil growled at the tiger. “I want those cups’ heads and I want them now!”

“With all due respect, but those cups are a lot more powerful than any of us thought—”

“I don’t care how powerful they are! I want them dead! I want them and their families dead! I want their souls!” Devil barked at the tiger.

Hunter glared at Devil. “And you will get it! You will get your revenge. And it will be soon. We just need to plan better with our attacks. What does your rules say about taking souls out of the soul vault?”

Devil arched a brow. “Don’t take them out unless you can trade your soul for—wait, what are you getting at?”

“You have trouble with the Cat Burglar in the past, yes? Maybe…Maybe Mugman would remember who the Cat Burglar was that rescued him…”

“But how are you going to get into Mugman’s head without that irritating guardian angel protecting him?” Devil grumbled.

“I may not be able to make him suffer, but I can get into his memories without making him suffer. And maybe a little bit before his protector notices.”

“Memories?” Ribby uttered with a brow raised.

“So…is that what he was doing?” Croaks questioned. “Getting into Mugman’s mind…?”

“Aye, it sounds like that t’ me,” Brineybeard whispered to the frog brothers, hiding behind the boulder with them and eavesdropping everything Hunter and Devil were saying.

They witnessed Hunter taking the gloves off and putting on the goggles. There was a weird dial that was on the side of the goggles that would let the tiger toggle through the memories belonging to Mugman. 

~.~

Mugman fluttered his eyes opened with a groan. He blinked and soon realized that he was…back in the cell in the dungeons of Hell? How? No, this was just a dream. Right? He didn’t hallucinate all of his adventures and endeavors with everyone…right? Of course not. He knew better than that.

He got up with a bruised side and part of his porcelain skin cracked. He wondered how he even ended up with that before remembered his fight with the giant snowman. Right…what was that all about again? Wondertart? The very treat that was said to heal him, but it was just to give whoever ate access to the Astral Plane? That was what Cuphead told him along with Chalice, Canteen, and Cassidy. Natalie nearly got killed back there and she seemed different for some reason…a bit more stand-offish and not her usual self.

Mugman shouldn’t even be thinking about that right now. He saw the imp guards guarding his cell…just like how he remembered. And then a shadow swooped and took them out with the ball of yarn and looked at him with cat-like eyes.

“Cassi…” Mugman uttered, trying to understand why he was remembering his first time meeting Cassidy.

“So…that’s the name of the Cat Burglar,” a familiar voice uttered behind him.

Mugman gasped and tried to find the source of the voice. “HEY! I know you’re here!!! Come on out!” Mugman gritted his teeth angrily, his fists clenched until his veins glowed orange. He yelped in pain, tears streaming down his cheeks to keep looking at Cassidy under the brown hood.

“N-No, I-I’m not going to endanger her—” Mugman tried to close his eyes, but he realized that he couldn’t no matter how much force he put into it, he couldn’t. He couldn’t look away no matter how hard he tried to force his head to turn the other way. He watched her taking off her hood to show her beautiful face once again.

“NOOO!!!” Mugman screamed, his scream powerful enough to break away from the memory.

Everything came in flashes but it was only Cassidy. Her sweet smile when she was covered in paint from their paintball fight the other day before the Night Stalkers incident. Her adoring features when he sees her sleeping next to him, subconsciously holding onto him for dear life. Her sparkling eyes when she looked up at the stars with him. Her red furry beautiful face matched with the red dress she wore for their first date, staring into his eyes like she was looking into his soul so lovingly. Her compassionate voice when she asked if he was alright more than several times. Her bravery when she helped Canteen under Saltbaker’s basement, pleading him to help Natalie on the steps.

Mugman breathed heavily from these flashes of memories in fear for Cassidy’s safety. He tried to wake up, but that only brought him more pain.

“So…not all the red cats are dead,” Hunter’s voice growled.

Mugman glared at his surroundings. “I won’t let you hurt Cassi!”

“Safe place, Mugman. Remember the safe place,” Gabriel’s voice rang through his ears.

“Right. Right.”

Mugman closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. He tried taking his mind back to Elder Kettle’s house. He blinked his eyes open to where he was sleeping on the top bunk of the brothers’ bunk beds. Mugman brightly smiled and sighed in relief. He looked down to not see Cuphead at the bottom bunk. He hopped out of his top bunk and ran out of his bedroom only to realize that his safe place…was dark. He was confused as to why it was dark so suddenly. There was a glitch where blood marked the walls and guts and intestines laid everywhere.

Mugman screeched at the sight, causing it to flicker back to normal. He breathed heavily and shook his head. What did he just do? He went to the safe place like Gabriel said…right?

“G-Gabriel?” Mugman called, his body trembling. He looked around for Gabriel and couldn’t find him anywhere. “GABRIEL!!!”

“I’m afraid you’re protector won’t be coming to save you,” Hunter’s voice echoed behind him.

Mugman whirled around and saw Hunter with his gloves pointed at him, causing his veins to glow orange.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!” Mugman cried in pain while he tried to find some way to get himself free from this.

“I shouldn’t be surprised that you don’t know what these gloves do, huh?” Hunter replied with a smirk. “These gloves are made in finest leather from goats…fused with Tremaine to control anyone with Tremaine inside of them. Well…when I say control, I mean, let Tremaine influence your mind, make you into something more.”

“I don’t want this!” Mugman cried while struggling. “I wanna go home!!” He started to sob, his body shaking. “I wanna have a normal life where you’re not in it! I want you to leave me alone!!”

“Oh, I’m afraid I won’t do that. You’ve proven to be quite useful…how do you think we found you and your little group of friends and family hiding at the Ruth Mansion? How do you think we know that you are here in this little island in the bakery belonging to Tabitha Ruth? How do you think we found out who the Cat Burglar is? It’s all thanks to you, Mugman.”

Mugman started to tear up and shook his head in denial.

“You helped me, Mugman. You really did. You know, the Devil wants you dead. But I think you have proven yourself worthy of being kept alive. I’ll tell the boss to ease up on you…who knows, you might be one of his own someday.”

“NOOO!” Mugman screamed, breathing heavily. “NO! NO! I won’t let you hurt my family!”

“I guess that’s too late for that, huh?” Hunter replied with a wicked grin and walked out of the house. He shut the door behind him, causing Mugman to stumble after him. However, he couldn’t open the door, his tears streaming down his cheeks.

“OPEN THE DOOR!!! LEAVE THEM ALONE!! PLEASE!!!” Mugman breathed heavily, his body shaking even more. “I-I have to wake up and warn them.”

He closed his eyes and breathed heavily. But once he opened his eyes…he was back in the same place.

“No! NO! NO!!! Come on! Come on!” Mugman cried, blinking multiple times. He felt his muscles twitching. He fell to the floor, convulsing like a fish on land. The pain became excruciating all around his body, causing Mugman to scream in absolute pain. There were no words coming out of his mouth, just screams in agony and grief.

No matter how hard Mugman tried, he couldn’t wake up this never-ending nightmare…

~.~

Mugman’s scream was the first thing everyone in the bakery hears.

Cuphead rushed out of the couch and hurried towards Mugman, who had a room on his own with a bed. He tried to wake his screaming brother up, but it turned out futile.

“Mugsy! Mugsy! What’s going on?!?” Cuphead cried in fear, watching his brother sobbing and having the tears streamed down his ceramic face. Cuphead had never seen his brother like this and it scared him to death.

Murray entered the scene kneeled down next to Mugman. “Son. Son?!”

Elder Kettle rushed into the room with a candlelight guiding him. “Is he okay?”

“I’m not sure. Hold on.” Murray put his hand over Mugman’s head while his eye turned violet.

Murray was standing in front of Elder Kettle’s house, hearing his son’s screams from inside. He hurried towards the wooden door and pounded on it. “Mugman! Mugman! Are you okay?!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!” Mugman cried in pain.

“Hold on, son, I’ll help ya—” Murray felt someone pulling him back. He looked to see an unfamiliar cup stranger with red in one eye and blue in the other eye.

“Allow me,” the stranger said while sticking his sword between the door and the wall and broke it open. He stepped back to watch Murray stepping into the house, letting the violet light fill the house. Mugman was immediately scooped into his father’s arms, causing him to look up at Murray with his body trembling.

“D-Dad?”

“I’m here, kiddo. Are you doing okay? What happened?”

“H-Hunter…he’s here…he-he’s going to come after us.”

“No, son, it’s just a nightmare.”

“No, Dad, listen to me. H-Hunter is here. He’s going to come after us…he’s going to kill Cassi…protect Cassi…please.”

“Mugman…”

“Dad…please…protect her from Hunter…protect her from me…protect everyone from me…please…”

“Son…”

It was soon that Murray was pushed out of Mugman’s head.

Murray gasped, waking up and looking at Mugman now sobbing in his sleep.

“What’s going on?” Elder Kettle uttered in fear.

“Mugman…he’s seeing Hunter again…he told me to protect Cassidy from him,” Murray explained to Elder Kettle.

“Protect Cassi? From Hunter? Why is Hunter all the sudden after Cassi?” Elder Kettle questioned.

“I don’t know. He said that Hunter is going to kill Cassidy. Hunter is here right now,” Murray informed.

Cuphead listened to the conversation between Murray and Elder Kettle.

“We have to do something,” Elder Kettle replied. “Whatever is keeping Mugman from getting controlled by Tremaine is fading. We’re running out of time. We need to find a cure for him.”

“I’ve been looking for a cure for years…it’s not possible to find.”

“We need to save your son, Murray…it’s only a matter of time before Mugman is no longer himself,” Elder Kettle said, his voice cracked.

Murray nodded his head. “You’re right. Here’s what I know—” He guided Elder Kettle out of the room, discussing about Tremaine and its effects and leaving Cuphead alone. Cuphead looked over and caressed his brother’s face, wiping his tears away.

“C-Cuphead…?”

Cuphead frowned and sat on his bedside. “Hang on, Mugsy, we’re gonna find a cure for you. Just hang tight and keep fighting it just a little longer. We’ll find the cure before you know it.” He slid off the bed and hurried out of the room, tiptoeing over to Cassidy sleeping on Porkrind’s arm before being nudged by Cuphead. When she lifted her eyelid open, Cuphead gestured her to come with him.

Cassidy fluttered her eyes open and carefully got off of her father’s arm.

Cuphead headed towards Chalice and Canteen, waking them up quietly and gesturing them to follow him and Cassidy. He then approached Natalie, who woke up from her bed. Cuphead hand-motioned her to follow him.

Seeming to be interested, Natalie got up and followed Cuphead. The kids gathered outside to talk more privately.

“What’s going on?” Natalie asked with a yawn.

“Yeah, it’s in the middle of the night,” Chalice responded.

“Guys, Mugman is running out of time,” Cuphead broke the news to the kids.

“What do you mean?” Cassidy questioned worriedly.

“He ain’t got much time. Tremaine is going to take over him any time now,” Cuphead replied. “We need to find a cure for him.”

“Where?” Natalie inquired.

“If anyone knows anything, Quadratus would know things like this,” Canteen indicated. “If legends be true, Quadratus could know most things. Not as much as the Most High, but still considerable amount of knowledge.”

Chalice smiled nervously. “Are you sure we should go see him?”

“He’s the only one who could provide answers we need,” Cuphead answered with a shrug.

“Then let’s go,” Natalie determined. “Let’s go save your brother.”

Cuphead blushed and smiled at her with a determined nod.

The kids rushed into the forest with the night slowly transferring into early morning sunrise, trying to find a pool anywhere in the small island.

“Wait, how are we sure that Quadratus could be here?” Chalice questioned the others.

“According to legends, Quadratus can appear in any small pool in the world he wanted to be in. Sooo…he could be in any pool here—”

“There!” Cuphead shouted for his group.

“Finally!” Natalie responded with a tired groan.

The kids hurried over to the shiny pool, but they didn’t have any jawbreakers with them.

“Oh, looks like we can’t contact Quadratus,” Canteen uttered while searching for his pockets along with Cuphead and Natalie.

Chalice sighed and stepped through the group, dancing her fingers in the water to wake Quadratus up. Her fingers glowed gold, blinding the kids temporarily.

Quadratus’ face showed up, causing her to draw her hand away. The earth shook around them.

“I know all and see all!” Quadratus announced. “With one curse broken, a new curse will fall upon someone else! To break the curse permanently, you must call upon the powers of the Most High to redeem you sinners from the flames of Hell! Use your gifts from the Most High for good and never let evil influence your powers!”

Quadratus blinked his blue eyes open. “Now I must say that you kids have come to me for something serious. I could tell by your faces.”

“Yeah,” Cuphead stepped in. “It’s Mugman. He’s got Tremaine inside of him and we need to find a cure. Do you think you have it or know where to get it?”

“A chef only knows how to cook, but will never know the ingredients to cure such tremendous disease. You’ll need to figure out first the ingredients of what made Tremaine! Which was quite obvious if you stepped back and have seen how much Mugman as suffered. The chemical in question was made from the blood of the demon and the ashes and brimstone from Hell. Mix those three together and you got yourselves Tremaine!”

“And to find a cure, we have to use the opposite ingredients,” Canteen figured out.

“Correct,” Quadratus said with a nod. “Do you know what’s the opposite of those ingredients of Tremaine?”

“OH!” Canteen said happily. “It’s definitely gold mixed with the fluff of the holy fire and the feather from an angel’s wings.”

Everyone was dead silent by Canteen’s answer.

“Technically, that is correct. However, it is impossible to get those ingredients since Heaven is unreachable,” Quadratus responded. “There are other ingredients to combat Tremaine in this world. And here they are: milk, honey, and the blood of the Calix Animi warrior.”

“Calix Animi warrior? But aren’t they all dead?” Canteen asked, who now noticed Chalice sliding back into darkness in fear.

“You should find one,” Quadratus replied. “I’m not sure who was alive now. But there is one warrior of Calix Animi, you might need to find whoever it is and get the blood.”

Quadratus’ face disappeared from the pool.

Cassidy glanced over at the others. “How do we track down the Calix Animi warrior? We weren’t given on where to look.”

Chalice frowned and sighed. “Guys…”

“Yeah?” Cuphead asked.

Chalice sighed deeply. “I-I—”

“LET US GO!!!” Dice’s scream was heard from the distance.

“Oh no!” Cassidy shouted while rushing through the forest. Natalie followed after the red feline.

Cuphead glanced at Chalice. “Whatever you gotta say, save it for later.” He rushed after the girls.

Canteen and Chalice exchanged glances until Canteen widened his eyes in sudden realization.

“You’re part of the Calix Animi, are you?”

Chalice tilted her head.

“I thought you look familiar…I mean, I saw your face in books…you look like the Legendary Chalice.”

“Yeah…the Legendary Chalice ain’t so legendary anymore,” Chalice said sadly. “But let’s not talk about that. We need to help our friends.”

Canteen nodded his head. “Got it.”

Chalice and Canteen hurried into the woods.

~.~

 Cassidy rushed through the woods, hurrying until she felt a hand pull her back into the bushes. Before she could yelp, Cuphead shushed her and gestured her to look at the group of hooded assassins capturing everyone from Tabitha’s bakery, including Tabitha and Aurora.

The kids hid behind the bushes while noticing Mugman in the center, now awake and his body trembling. His blue nose was pale along with his straw. There were bags under Mugman’s eyes. Mugman stared up at Hunter, clenching his teeth in pain.

The kids saw the source of Mugman’s suffering from Hunter’s gloves. Devil was right there with a wicked grin on his face along with Henchman and Stickler.

“Well, well, what an unfortunate situation,” Devil said while looking at every group. “Where’s the rest of your group? I’m sure they would love to join you guys.”

“They got away from here, as they should!” Porkrind growled at the Devil.

“Well, aren’t you aggressive?” Devil replied while looking at Dice. “Hello, traitor.”

“I am not betraying you. If anyone’s betraying you, it’s Hunter!” Dice barked at his ex-boss. “Why won’t you listen to me?!”

“Watch your tongue, Dice. You forget who owns your soul,” Devil snarled at Dice.

“I’m tellin’ ya the truth!!!” Dice shouted at Devil. “Why can’t you just believe me for once?!”

“Because you’re a good-for-nothing lackey. Meanwhile, Hunter has done things that even you can’t even do. For example, he found out who the Cat Burglar is.”

Porkrind and Jerry let out quiet gasps in fear.

“And it was all thanks to Mugman here,” Devil said with a wicked grin.

Mugman shook his head. “No, no, it’s not like that!!” When he tried to move, he was held in place by Hunter’s gloves controlling his veins. “AAH! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to help them! I-I didn’t mean to help them—!”

“It’s okay, son, you had no choice,” Murray said solemnly, while being gripped around the arms, his hands away from the assassin’s bodies so that he couldn’t get into their memories.

“You know,” Hunter began while glaring at Murray. “Your son has helped me more than you ever did.”

“If my son had a choice, he would never help you,” Murray growled at the tiger.

“That’s besides the point,” Devil said, bringing the subject back. “We knew that the Cat Burglar is known as Cassidy.”

Porkrind started to breathe heavily in fear while Jerry stayed silent.

“And I figure you both knew that all along,” Devil said with a cheeky smile.

“I knew that piece of burden will bring us nothing but trouble,” Tabitha growled.

Natalie blinked in confusion and looked at Cassidy. “Cassidy, what did you do to anger the Devil?”

“Stickler, now that you’re of use for once, read the rules in regards of stealing souls from the soul-vault,” Devil commanded the teal demon.

Henchman rubbed his arm and looked at Stickler. “Stickler…”

Stickler raised his hand to stop Henchman from saying anymore. With a heavy sigh, he opened the book to read aloud. “Section 10: If anyone goes to hell and frees the souls from the soul vaults, that person will have to give up their own soul in exchange for the souls they’ve freed.”

Devil grinned at Porkrind, whose face turned pale. “Looks like your cat daughter owes me her soul.”

Porkrind shook his head. “NO! Don’t you take her soul!” He began to struggle in his restraints. “You’re not taking my daughter from me!” One of the assassins holding the pig down managed to punched him in the gut, causing him to double over.

“HEY!” Jerry growled at the assassins, but was knocked on the side of the head by one of them.

Dice shook his head at what was happening to Porkrind and Jerry and turned to Devil. “What about the cup’s soul?”

“Oh, he doesn’t owe me his soul. But Cassidy owes me her soul…and I know that she’s out there somewhere!” Devil said, calling to the kids who were hiding in the bushes. “Looks like they’re a little shy. Demonstrate what happens if Cassidy doesn’t come out and give me her soul.”

Hunter smirked. “Gladly.” With that said, he used his gloves to grip into Mugman’s veins, causing Mugman’s veins to glow bright orange. Mugman screamed in agony with tears streaming down his face.

“GO, CASSI!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!!” Mugman cried, his body shaking until he felt his nerves tightened around his body. “PLEASE, CASSI!!! PLEASE!!! G-GO!!”

“Aww, you rather protect your lover than save yourself,” Hunter said with a smirk. “Now that is unfortunate if she listens to you.”

Cassidy breathed heavily while watching her boyfriend suffering.

Cuphead watched with shock in his eyes and noticed from the corner of his eyes that the assassins were on their way towards them. Cuphead placed a hand on Cassidy’s shoulder, his hand turning red suddenly. She looked at him with shock in her eyes. He nodded his head to her to let her know that it was okay.

In the next minute, the rest of the group saw the assassins yanking Natalie, Cassidy, and Cuphead out of the bushes.

“Hey, let me go!” Natalie cried, her legs trembling.

“Ah, there’s the Cat Burglar—”

“I’m willing to give up my soul!” Cassidy blurted out, yanking herself from with some unusual strength.

“Ah, that was quick,” Devil said, grinning.

Cassidy strode forward with a brave face.

“CASSI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Porkrind screamed, tearing up. “PLEASE, DON’T DO THIS!!”

Cassidy approached, facing the Devil. She turned her around to her boyfriend, who was trembling behind her. She kneeled down and hugged him tightly.

“I love you, Mugsy,” Cassidy whispered in Mugman’s ear. “You’re the best thing I’ve ever had.”

Mugman found it strange that Cassidy said that…given to the fact that they…just started to date. Unbeknownst to him, Cassidy made eye-contact with Cuphead being held hostage by the assassins, who had tears filled to the brim of his eyes.

She nodded her head and let go of Mugman, pressing her forehead against his with a small clink sound.

“C-Cassi?”

Cassidy pulled away from him and turned to the Devil, spreading her arms out. “Go ahead. What are you waiting for?”

Devil grinned. “Ah, so eager. Is this out of love I’m sensing?”

Cassidy first turned to Mugman and then to Natalie, who looked at her with confusion, anger, and shock all mixed in. Then she looked at Cuphead, who shook his head rapidly.

Cassidy turned back around to face Devil. “Yes.”

“Ah, the things we do for love,” Devil replied while gripping Cassidy’s chest without hesitation.

“NOOO!!!” Mugman, Porkrind, and Jerry screamed in horror.

Devil stared into Cassidy’s eyes, seeing a bit of red shimmering. He ripped her soul right out of her body.

Porkrind gritted his teeth in anger. “You son of a—!!!! GIVE HER BACK!!! GIVE HER BACK!!!”

Porkrind was knocked out by the back of the assassin’s gun when he was struggling too much.

Cassidy’s soul was red surprisingly around her body.

Mugman watched with his eyes turned yellow with red irises. It was then Mugman broke through Hunter’s control and attempted to attack the Devil until Hunter grabbed him by the handle.

Devil grinned evilly. “Well, well, looks like part of our plan worked. Now, to carry out the rest of plan. Put them in the dungeons!”

The assassins nodded their heads obediently as Devil teleported an elevator big enough for everyone to fit through. One of the assassins picked up Cassidy’s dead body and entered the elevator along with everyone else. Once everyone fit in the elevator, the elevator closed and disappeared down underground.

Unbeknownst to them, Chalice and Canteen climbed down from the tree with their eyes widened in shock.

“We don’t have much time,” Canteen said in terror. “Our friends are taken down to Hell and Tremaine is slowly taking control of Mugman. What do we do next?”

Chalice sighed deeply and glared ahead of her. “I think I know someone who knows how to cook.”

“Who?” Ribby’s voice came beside them, earning yelps from Canteen and Chalice. The duo realized that Ribby, Croaks, and Brineybeard had been watching the whole scene as well.

“What are you guys doing here? Aren’t you fixing the ferry?” Canteen questioned.

“Aye, but we were goin’ t’ warn you about the Night Stalkers comin’ here on submarines...but we couldn’t find ye anywhere actually. We warned the whole village, but I'm nah sure if they believe us,” Brineybeard explained.

“Yeah, you’re a little late for that,” Chalice said with a stressed-out sigh. “They are going down to the Underworld with our friends. We need to make the cure for Mugman first and fast. We have the ingredients for the cure.”

“Ooh, already?” Croaks said with excitement.

“But what about us? What are we going to do…or how do get down there and rescue our friends?” Ribby determined.

Brineybeard thought for a moment until an idea hit him. “I got an idea, lads! Come on!”

“Wait, Briney?! Where are you going?!” Ribby shouted while following the pirate. Croaks joined them, wishing Chalice and Canteen luck.

Chalice glanced at Canteen. “Looks like we’re going to visit someone in prison.”

Canteen widened his eyes in shock as he watched Chalice strode forward. “Gee, I hope he ain’t gonna be mad at us about his bakery.” 

~.~

Mugman gasped awake, snapping his eyes open and breathing heavily to realize that he was in the cell within the dungeons of Hell…again. No, this had to be a dream again, right? Mugman tried move his arms, but he couldn’t. He looked down and widened his eyes in fear. He had a straitjacket on, his arms pulled around his body to where his hands were touching his back. He glanced over to see his lover’s soulless body in the cell, laying against the wall and facing him.

Mugman breathed heavily more with tears streaming down his face. He lowered his head and closed his eyes tightly to not look at her. When he tried to speak, he realized that his mouth was covered by a muzzle, causing him to cry even more in fear.

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t have a choice,” Murray’s voice soothed Mugman’s ears.

Mugman turned his head and found his father putting a hand on his son’s shoulder to comfort him. Elder Kettle nodded his head in agreement while watching Cuphead wondering around the cell he was stuck in with Natalie and Aurora. Natalie seemed to be glaring at Cassidy’s corpse, almost like she was mad that Cassidy was dead. Tabitha was in the other cell with King Dice, Porkrind, and Jerry.

Elder Kettle watched Cuphead approaching Porkrind, attempting to put his hand out to comfort him, which was kind of odd for Cuphead to do for someone else unless he was extremely close to them.

King Dice noticed this too while looking at Porkrind sulking in the corner. Dice frowned and headed towards the pig. “H-Hey—”

“Leave me alone,” Porkrind grumbled.

“I-I’m sorry about Cassidy,” King Dice uttered sadly.

“You’re sorry?” Porkrind questioned while turning to glare at Dice. “That’s the first. Where’s your sorry when you send souls down here, huh? Where’s your sorry when you led your boss right to us?”

“Porkrind, calm down—”

“Calm down!” Porkrind barked at Jerry. “The Devil took my own daughter!!! And-And you think I should ‘calm down’?! If she hadn’t gone with you on your stupid operation to save souls down there, none of this would never happened! I trusted you to protect her! Now, thanks to you, her soul is taken!”

“P-Porkrind,” Jerry uttered tearfully.

“I don’t care if she ‘wants’ to or what! The truth is, you should never let her into your operation!” Porkrind cried, his glare fading and his gaze softening. “She didn’t deserve any of this.”

“Porkrind…”

“Just…leave me alone,” Porkrind grumbled, turning back to sulk in the corner.

Dice and Jerry frowned to see Porkrind like this. Then, Dice noticed Cuphead watching the whole thing unfold with tears in his eyes. Dice sighed and walked over to comfort Cuphead.

“Don’t worry, kid, give him some time to grieve,” King Dice said while patting on Cuphead’s shoulder.

Cuphead started to cry. “I-It’s all my fault.”

“Hey, it ain’t your fault for what happened—”

“I’m such a burden,” Cuphead blubbered.

Porkrind perked his head up when he heard Cuphead said it.

“Hey, you ain’t—”

Poof!

King Dice gasped in shock when the red smoke cleared and it was revealed to be Cassidy crying.

Porkrind gasped and got up immediately. “Cassidy!”

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry!”

Porkrind’s arms reached through the bars and pulled Cassidy into a hug despite the bars between them. “Don’t scare me like that again. Please.”

Cassidy cried into her father’s shoulder. “Cuphead planned all of this! I-I don’t know why he did it! I-I should’ve stopped him or said something! But I don’t know what to do. It’s all my fault that Cuphead is taken!”

Natalie looked at Cassidy and then back to see Cuphead’s soulless body instead of Cassidy’s. Murray and Elder Kettle gasped in horror and trembled at the thought of losing Cuphead.

Mugman started to tear up more, now that he lost his own brother. His brother sacrificed himself for Cassidy, to protect her…just like Mugman wanted to protect her. But he would never think he would lose his brother. His body started to convulse against the wall, the burn in his veins growing more painful. He doesn’t have much time before Tremaine could take over him completely.

Natalie, however, glared at Cassidy. “Seriously?!”

Cassidy glanced over at Natalie, wiping her tears away. “Natalie, I—”

“I didn’t know you were the Cat Burglar!” Natalie growled, her fists clenched. “When I took you all in, I thought I was helping you hide from the Night Stalkers. I thought it was only going temporarily until the Night Stalkers stopped their killings. I didn’t think they were working for the Devil! The Devil has been after us this whole time is because of you! Because you took souls from the soul vault! Did you even think about how you’re going to anger the Devil by doing that?!”

“Natalie, I’m sorry. I just…I just—”

“Just what?! Wanna help?! You’ve ruined everything! My house is gone! My mother’s bakery is ransacked! I nearly died from that chef’s hand!”

“Sissy,” Aurora tried to call her sister.

“The whole Inkwell Isle City is destroyed because they were looking for you! All because you took the souls from the soul vault—!”

“Wait, Natalie, it’s not true—” Dice stepped in.

“You’ve endangered us, Cassidy!” Natalie growled. “You’ve endangered me, Aurora, and my own mother! Now, Cuphead is dead because of you!”

Tabitha looked at Natalie with a small smirk and her arms crossed.

“Natalie, I’m so sorry,” Cassidy uttered, her body trembling. “I didn’t mean to do endangered any of you.”

“Well, you did! Maybe you should’ve been dead along with your kind!” Natalie barked, now tears streaming down on her face. “Maybe you all should’ve been extinct if I’ve known how dangerous you all are!”

Cassidy shook her head with tears. “Natalie, you don’t believe that—”

“I do now more than ever!” Natalie growled. “Why can’t you be normal?! Why are you such a burden?!” Natalie screamed the last part, tears filling up in her bloodshot eyes until she realized of the words that left her mouth. Natalie gasped to realize what she just said and covered her mouth. She watched Cassidy tearing up, her tears streaming down on her face.

“C-Cassidy—” Natalie uttered in shock at herself. “I-I—”

“I will never be enough for anyone…will I?” Cassidy’s voice trembled.

“Cassi—” Jerry called while reaching his arms to comfort her, but she shrugged him off along with moving away from her father’s arms.

“No matter what I do, I’m always going to put people in danger. You’re right, Natalie…I should’ve been dead along with my kind.”

“Cassi, no!” Porkrind cried, trying to get through the bars to comfort his daughter, but he couldn’t.

“I tried everything to be your friend, Natalie,” Cassidy sobbed, her body trembling. “But I realize now that you’re just like everyone else who thinks I’m a burden. I’m sorry I’ve endangered you and your family. I’m sorry for even existing.”

“Cassi, I didn’t mean it—”

“You did…every single word.”

Natalie shook her head while Cassidy sulked in the corner, sobbing into the wall.

“Sissy, why are you so mean to Cassi?” Aurora uttered sadly.

Natalie frowned and shook her head. “Cassi…please—”

“Just leave me alone,” Cassidy uttered while hugging her knees and isolating herself from everyone else. “You know what’s funny. You’re the only friend my age who even thought to be friends with me. I guess the joke’s on me for even trying to get friends my age.”

“Cassi—”

“Just go,” Cassidy said, hugging her knees tighter.

Natalie frowned and drew her hand away. She looked up at her mother, who seemed proud of her. However, Dice, Jerry, and Porkrind shook their heads in discouragement.

“You know, it ain’t her fault that the Devil came to us with the Night Stalkers you know,” Dice corrected Natalie. “He wants Cuphead’s soul, not Cassidy. He’s only using Cassidy as bait for both of the cups. The Devil is not after Cassidy. He’s after Cuphead and Mugman.”

Mugman wanted to comfort Cassidy, but he didn’t want to be near her in fear that he would hurt her with the little remaining time he had left.

~.~

 “I finally got you, you meddlesome brat!” Devil growled while taking Cuphead’s soul into the room where the soul-vault. He took a turn towards somewhere else. “I knew you would try to trick me by pretending to be Cassidy sooner than later. Don’t get me wrong, she’ll still receive her punishment. And your dear brother won’t be there to save either of you.”

Devil shoved Cuphead’s soul into the small soul cage, where Cuphead couldn’t phase through as the soul. “You’re one of my prized souls now, Cuphead! Finally, after all that annoying patience! I finally got what I wanted! And that is you! I hope you enjoy your little stay here for eternity.”

Cuphead’s soul looked over the Devil’s shoulder. “Look! Behind you!”

“Oh, like you’re going to get me with that trick,” Devil scoffed.

“No, I’m serious! Behind you!” Cuphead’s soul yelled.

“Wait a minute, why are you—?” Devil suddenly felt a needle on his neck with some weird chemical. He hissed and winced away from whoever injected him with the chemical only to realize Hunter was the one holding the syringe. “You dare try to inject me with whatever poison you have! I should have you know that I—” Devil collapsed on the floor, unable to move. He tried to with all of his powers, but he couldn’t. What’s stopping him from even moving? HE’S THE DEVIL!!! HE’S MORE POWERFUL THAN THE MORTALS THAT ROAMED THE EARTH!!!

“That should paralyze him for a while,” Hunter said with a smirk before Devil blacked out. The assassins stood behind Hunter. “Take him to the lab. Extract his blood.”

Cuphead’s soul widened his eyes in pure shock.

Hunter smirked at the soul cup. “Enjoy your stay, little cup.” Hunter headed out with the assassins picking up Devil’s unconscious body and leaving Cuphead’s soul alone. 

To Be Continued...

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (REWRITE)

Hey, guys! I'm back with another episode! This is published on July 20, 2023. If you guys like this episode/chapter, don't be afraid to heart it, reblog, and comment! They are all much appreciated. Warning: serious monster transformation going on. Enjoy!

Episode Four: Bowlboy's Revenge

The court finalized the decision and declared thirteen-year-old Hunter insane. Therefore, Hunter was soon sent to Tremaine Institute again and this time, he might be staying there for a long, long time.

Hunter was in a straitjacket with his arms wrapped around his sides and he had a muzzle on to prevent him from biting someone once again. For the next three years, Hunter had been in solitary confinement, not that the teenage tiger mind though.

Dr. Linda, the silver spoon with red lipstick and blue eyeshadow, had an appointment with him today. She was quite observant. That could be dangerous if she wasn’t careful about asking the right questions. As per usual, Hunter was waiting for the doctors to get him out of solitary confinement and led him through the hallways with armed guards. Everyone at the Tremaine Institution feared him despite seeing him in a straitjacket and a muzzle, just the way he liked it.

In Room 201, Dr. Linda was waiting for him with a clipboard and pen. Hunter sat across from her and had his muzzle removed and his ankles were strapped on the front legs of the chair.

“Thank you, I’ll take it from here,” Dr. Linda said while dismissing the guards with a wave.

The guards nodded their heads in understanding and walked out of the room, leaving Hunter alone with the therapist.

“Welcome back, Mr. Manson. How are the medications treating you?” Dr. Linda said while looking at Hunter.

Hunter didn’t respond, but he kept his stare at her.

“No response, as usual. You know, it’s been three years since you’ve killed your parents. According to the jail records, you said that you listened to voices that told you to kill your parents. You haven’t talked about them after that. Do you still have those voices in your head?”

Hunter was kept silent.

“Mr. Manson, you need to say something at this point. I’m beginning to suspect that you’ve never heard voices. You were hungry from blood. Since you’ve killed Tommy Lee Cup through your little ‘experiments’, everyone’s been afraid of you. How could you murder your parents, who tried everything to help you?” Dr. Linda questioned.

This irked a response out of Hunter. “Since when have they helped me?”

Dr. Linda widened her eyes to finally get Hunter to talk after three years. She leaned back, a bit surprise to hear his voice finally. “They’ve sent you here when you are ten years old, right? They wanted to help you…they’ve seen that you needed help. They are doing what’s best for you.”

“They’ve only sent me here to make themselves look like good parents. I see that it worked like a charm,” Hunter said, now cornering a smirk.

Dr. Linda took notes of Hunter’s words and reactions.

“You know, doctor,” Hunter began. “I don’t blame you for thinking that my parents were wonderful. How would you know what goes on in that house? How would you know what secrets they hide? My mother was a teacher at a school and I bet those students didn’t see the secrets of her home. My father was the head of Manson Corporations where he has ran experiments upon experiments. I was only copying what he was doing when I was a child.”

“Does your father torture the ones he experimented on?” Dr. Linda asked.

“Yes. He made me watch them…if I have to point out what he had done for me that was good…it would be that,” Hunter said.

Dr. Linda wrote down more notes on her clipboard. “So…do you remember the night you killed your parents?”

Hunter chuckled in amusement. “Vividly.”

Dr. Linda looked at him. “You don’t have your parents anymore. You’ve lost them. Do you have any regret or remorse for what happened?”

He shook his head in response.

“According to the notes,” the therapist continued, “you said that you felt free when you killed your parents. What do you mean by that? How does killing your parents make you free?”

“I’m free from their secrets. I’m free from their control. I’m free from my father’s control and my mother’s fake ignorance. Don’t you see? I don’t regret killing them.”

“Mr. Manson…you said you heard voices that told you to do it, right? Technically, you’re not free because you could still be hearing voices, right? Did the voices tell you to stab your father nine times and stab your mother twenty-eight times and then eat her guts out? Most people when they hear voices, it would bring nothing but pain and misery to those who hear them. They were driven to kill without even knowing it and feel even a slight bit of remorse for their actions. But you seemed to know what you were doing. You knew what you were doing when you killed your parents. You’ve faked insanity, Mr. Manson. What do you say to that?”

Hunter smirked at her. “You know, Doctor, you should reconsider taking me as your client. You, of all people, should know the pressures of living in a household where you watch your father torture mentally ill patients like the ones here. But, of course, you are not blessed to see blood and screams as I do. You don’t see the beauty in it, Doctor. The sight of blood makes you faint if I stand corrected. Do you really think you can fix me, Doctor?”

Dr. Linda shook her head. “No. I youdon’t think I can heal you either. That’s something you should do on your own. Something I can help you with if you take the steps towards healing. But…I don’t think you want help. You claimed insanity to avoid the electric chair. I think you’re afraid of dying. You may fooled the therapist in the jail, but you don’t fool me, Hunter. And I’m not afraid of me.”

Hunter quirked a brow up and tilted his head to the side. “You should be afraid of me.”

“Why should I be?” Dr. Linda challenged Hunter.

Hunter didn’t answer except showed his fangs when he grinned wickedly.

Meanwhile, the armed guards heard a scuffle from a chair and scream from down the hall. The guards rushed down towards the hallway, looking for the source of the scream. However, there was no scream but they did hear gagging. The guards rushed to Room 201 and opened the door to find Dr. Linda on the floor, her silver body of a spoon had her head decapitated. With her headless body, she used her arm and pointed towards the window of the room. The guards looked to see that Hunter made it out of the institution.

“He escaped!” The head security guard alerted and rushed through the building with the other guards to find Hunter.

Meanwhile, Hunter rushed through the city without looking back, dragging the chair with him. He was still in the straitjacket, so he could run much faster. However, he had a head start to lose the security guards before they could find out which direction he took. He had to go through alleyways so that he wouldn’t be spotted by citizens. It was finally he reached a familiar place. It wasn’t his mansion, but…it was Mason Corporations. What was once a pristine building was now covered in moss and decay. Hunter looked up to see it shut down…a perfect place to hide.

Hunter noticed a small black tent over by the side of the ruined building and wobbled over to see a group of hooded assassins, camping out and hiding from the world until they saw Hunter.

“Is that the son of Robert Manson?” one of the assassins whispered to the other assassin.

“It is I, your heir,” Hunter said while stepping towards them.

“What happened to Robert?” the other assassin asked.

“Oh, he’s in a better place now,” Hunter replied with a smirk. “Now, I need to get out of this straitjacket and these cuffs. Give me a hand.”

The assassins nodded their heads in obedience while the assassins helped Hunter out of the straitjacket and uncuffed his ankles. Hunter moved his muscles a bit with a sigh in relief.

“Much better,” Hunter said and looked at his followers. “You’ve been waiting for my father’s return. But he won’t be coming back. I am here now.” He looked over to the ruined building.

“We scavenged the building,” the assassin said before Hunter could ask about the building.

“What did you find?”

“This,” the assassin showed a black and orange potion with the smell of brimstone, ash, and…is that blood?

“Was this my father’s newest creation?” Hunter asked.

The assassin nodded his head. “Robert—”

“Don’t…speak of his name.”

The assassin nodded his head timidly this time. “Uh, your father…he made this. It hasn’t been experimented yet.”

Hunter smirked at the potion. “Good. Good.”

~.~

Thirty-eight years later:

“YOU LOST THEM?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST THEM?!” Devil barked angrily.

It was dawn when Hunter delivered the news to the Devil that he lost them. This earned a cocky smirk from Dice as if Hunter wasn’t doing any better than he was. Henchman winced at his boss’s temper while Stickler was unphased by it. They were standing in the black tent where the assassins were making their weapons and avoiding Hunter’s room at all cost.

Hunter didn’t seem afraid of the Devil’s temper, looking at him dead in the eye. “I lost them. I underestimated the cups and everyone they cared about. That mistake will not happen again. However, I have an alternate plan on how to catch those cups and bring their souls to you.”

The devil grinned widely. “Oh, do tell.”

Dice lost his smirk and looked at the tiger with his arms crossed.

“It will involve patience,” Hunter stated. “Lots and lots of patience.”

“PATIENCE?!” The Devil yelled. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve tried to get that cup’s soul?! I’ve tried kidnapping his beloved brother and even that didn’t work! That cup still manages to keep his soul because of that stupid old tea kettle! I’ve tried over and over again to get Cuphead’s soul but his dumb blue-nosed buffoon of a brother keeps getting in the way!”

Hunter rubbed his chin. “What was the blue-nosed cup’s name again?”

Dice noticed something odd about the question, but Devil’s scoff snapped him out of it.

“His name is Mugman,” Devil answered with a groan. “I mean, what kind of name is that? Mugman? As I said before, I had the advantage when I kidnapped him, but then that stupid Cat Burglar got in the way and now I couldn’t contain any souls because he already released them all!”

Hunter was silent for moment and Dice could tell that there were some wheels turning in the tiger’s head.

“They say good things come to those who wait. And you, my friend, need to wait for a time to pounce,” Hunter said as he got out of the black and orange potion.

“Uh…what’s that?” Dice asked with a brow raised.

“This is Tremaine. One of my recent creations. Observe,” Hunter answered while snapping his finger.

The assassins brought out the red and blue clown. The clown was in the chair, struggling in the chair with his ankles cuffed to the legs of the chair and his body in the straitjacket.

“W-What’s going on?!” the clown panicked, earning a gasp of recognition from Dice. “W-Wanna hear a joke?! Here’s the joke! Uh, what do you get when you cross a fish and an e-elephant? Hehehe, Swim trunks! G-Get it?! Get it? S-Swim Trunks? No?…”

“Beppi…is that you?” Dice uttered the clown’s name.

Beppi The Clown glanced over at King Dice with a bright hopeful grin. “Dice! Boy, am I glad to see you! It’s been a long time—wait…why are you with the Devil?”

“One of your showbiz buddies, Dice?” Hunter asked.

Dice looked into Beppi’s fearful gaze longer before clearing his throat. “Well…uh, yeah…wait, what are you going to do to him—?”

“Didn’t I tell you to observe?” Hunter reminded Dice.

Beppi noticed the exchange between Dice and Hunter, struggling in the straitjacket and the cuffs. “Dice, Dice, buddy, you can talk them out of this. I know you can! You-You got a way with words! Please, just say something! Anything! Please—!”

The syringe that was filled with the black and orange substance poked into Beppi’s neck, injecting Tremaine into him.

“OW! Hey—!” Beppi’s voice was cut off once Tremaine started to take its hold inside of the clown. Beppi breathed heavily while shutting his eyes. “NO! NO! STOP!! STOP!!!”

Dice watched Beppi struggle in the chair in absolute horror.

Beppi’s orange veins covered his neck and face while he clenched his teeth to withstand the pain until he couldn’t anymore.

“AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! MAKE THIS STOP!!! MAKE THIS STOP!!!!” Beppi screamed in pain, convulsing on the chair. “DICE, SAY SOMETHING!!! PLEASE!!!”

Dice was rendered speechless while watching his old showbiz buddy being tortured by Tremaine. He saw Beppi’s eyes snapped open to reveal yellow eyes and red pupils. His red and blue skin got darker and his teeth sharpened. Fur grew out of his body, stretching his skin to the point where he was bleeding. His head became enlarged like a balloon and his screams turned into maniacal laughter.

“Oh my…” Dice uttered in fear.

Beppi glared at Dice with a blood thirsty grin. “I WILL EAT YOU ALIVE!”

His voice became demonic as he lunged towards Dice before being held back by the assassins. Beppi struggled against the hooded assassins as he was being taken away.

“I WILL EAT YOU ALL ALIVE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Beppi laughed as he was being dragged back into the darkness.

“Aw geez…” Henchman uttered with clenched teeth.

Stickler still seemed unphased by the clown’s transformation under Tremaine.

The Devil smiled evilly and clapped his hands giddily. “You know, if you injected that chemical into that annoying cup, we can have him under our control whether he has a soul or not! I will finally have his soul!”

“Now you see where I’m going with this. But it takes time and patience. That boy will become vulnerable if he isolated himself from his family. All it takes is the right time to pounce,” Hunter said with a smirk.

“D’aw, I don’t know, boss,” Henchman spoke up fearfully. “This seems pretty sketchy.”

Stickler raised his finger. “I agree with Henchman here. He has already delivered a lot of souls last night. If the Cat Burglar comes back and freed them all today, it would hurt our numbers greatly. We should worry more about securing the soul vault so that the Cat Burglar wouldn’t get to them.”

King Dice snapped out of his trance, not moving on from what he witnessed in front of him. “Is…there a cure for Tremaine?”

“No,” Hunter answered plainly. “Not as far as I know. Those two scientists of mine tried to find the cure for it when the outbreak happened fifteen years ago. It didn’t end well for them. One of them hid the potions that could prevent Tremaine for ever coming in, but it won’t cure it. And I intend on finding those potions.”

“Will those potions interfere with our plan? Devil asked with a brow raised.

“No. As long as no one has the potions, we should be good,” Hunter replied.

“Hrmm…that doesn’t sound reassuring,” Stickler commented.

“Stickler!” Devil scolded the teal imp and looked at Hunter with a grin. “I’m sorry about Stickler here. He usually likes to ruin the fun around here.”

“Is it because he’s a stickler for the rules?” Hunter asked with a brow raised.

The Devil chuckled at Hunter’s intended pun. “Oh my! Hahahahaha! That’s a good one! I oughta say, Hunter, you have been proving your worth to me and I’m starting to like you. We will put Tremaine into that cup!”

“Logically,” Stickler spoke up, “if we were to attempt to put Tremaine into the cup’s body, we will need to find a way to tempt him away from his family. That way they won’t be able to protect him.”

Dice nodded his head. “I mean, that shouldn’t be too hard. He does get distracted by the smallest of things.”

“He’s too smart for his own good,” Hunter remarked.

King Dice arched a brow. “Are we talking about the same person?”

“Think about it. He’s able to escape from the Devil’s hands and he easily escaped out of my grasp. He’s not as dumb as you think,” Hunter replied while looking at the bite mark on his arm. “Definitely not as dumb…”

“We are definitely not talking about the same person,” Dice pointed out.

“See, Dice? You’re making the same mistake as me. I bet that’s why you keep failing the Devil,” Hunter replied.

Dice immediately got defensive. “Excuse you! I didn’t keep failing!”

“Your show was shut down. You couldn’t catch the cup’s soul to save your life. And, you led the old tea kettle into Hell…basically you are the cause of him losing both of the cups’ souls,” Hunter called Dice out.

“Wait…how did you know about that—?”

“Devil, with all due respect, you should really reconsider who your number one is,” Hunter said to the Devil.

King Dice drew his brows together. "Why, you—!”

“Heeeey, fellas~!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked down to see a bowl child with freckles and bucked teeth looking up at them.

“Ew, what is that thing?” Devil questioned in disgust.

“That is a child, sir,” Stickler answered.

“Ew,” Devil uttered.

“Bowlboy?” Dice uttered in recognition.

“One of your showbiz buddies too?” Hunter asked.

“What? No…I mean, he comes to my shows before they shut down,” King Dice uttered.

“Hiii, Mr. King Dice~!” Bowlboy greeted.

King Dice shivered when Bowlboy greeted him.

“Ew, get him away from me,” Devil said, more disgusted.

“Whatcha talking about~?” Bowlboy asked innocently.

“Uh…we’re trying to get Cuphead’s soul,” Henchman answered.

“Henchman!” Devil scolded.

“Kill him,” Hunter ordered and the assassin raised his gun at Bowlboy.

“OOOH~! I know Cuphead and Mugman~!” Bowlboy pointed out excitedly.

Hunter lowered the assassin’s rifle to let the bowl speak. “You do?”

“YEAH!” Bowlboy exclaimed. “I tried to replace Mugman once, but Cuphead stabbed me in the back~! Funny how that sounds~. Hehehe.”

Hunter smirked at Bowlboy. “Do you want revenge on the cup brothers?”

“Well, I want to be their friend…I guess I’m not good enough for them~”

Hunter smirked even wider at Bowlboy’s answer. “C’mere, I got something special for you to do.”

“Ooooh! Tell me, tell me!” Bowlboy shouted excitedly. Hunter pulled Bowlboy aside and kneeled down to whisper to him. Hunter handed the syringe with Tremaine inside of it to Bowlboy, who gasped in excitement.

“Do you know how to track him?” Hunter asked Bowlboy.

“Yeah! Bowlboy always got tricks up in his sleeves,” Bowlboy answered with a sly smirk.

“Good. Good. Go on then,” Hunter replied and let Bowlboy go.

Dice arched a brow. “Why do you have to whisper to Bowlboy? Are you keeping something from us?”

“No, of course not, the plan is starting right now,” Hunter informed the Devil, earning a sly grin from the demon. 

However, Dice seemed more than suspicious of Hunter's actions.

~.~

Mugman felt something soft snuggling up on his chest. It was so warm and fuzzy. He could hear purring…wait, purring? He opened his eyes and soon realized that he ended up holding Cassidy in his arms, despite the pillow wall between them.

Mugman blushed in sudden realization that he was holding her in his arms. What happened last night? How did they get into this position? Cassidy might have moved over and hugged Mugman while he hugged her back. He wasn’t complaining though. She purred and rubbed her head subconsciously onto his chest.

Mugman looked around to find Cuphead, Chalice, and Natalie were still sleeping. He heard something sizzling in the kitchen and smell the pancakes. Elder Kettle might be awake making breakfast. He moved slightly before he could feel Cassidy’s claws digging through his shirt and piercing his skin slightly.

Mugman clenched his teeth to withstand the slight pain. “Uh, C-Cassidy?”

She purred, relaxing his body for a moment. He blushed more to find her rubbing her head against his chest and under her chin until she groaned and opened her eyes. It was then she realized that she was cuddling Mugman without knowing it.

“Oh shoot!” Cassidy jumped back and accidentally scared Mugman off the bed, waking the other kids up.

“Ow…” Mugman groaned in pain.

“Are you okay?” Cassidy asked when she peered over the edge of the bed, blushing madly. “I’m so sorry.”

Mugman blushed even more with sweat coming down the sides of his head. “O-Oh! Uh, um, don’t apologize…uh…I, uh, I was, um, I was just gettin’ up to get breakfast. See you later-bye!” He rushed out of the room with a blush on his face while the others were smirking at him.

Mugman entered the kitchen where Elder Kettle is cooking pancakes and sat on the round dining table with multiple chairs around. He laid his head down and covered his blushing face, which drew Elder Kettle’s attention.

“Uh…are you okay, Mugman?” Elder Kettle asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mugman said while his voice was muffled on the table.

“Eh…that doesn’t sound like you’re fine,” Elder Kettle indicated. He noticed Mugman’s head being red from the blush. “Are you blushing?”

“No…”

That didn’t convince the old tea kettle. Elder Kettle smiled softly. “Oh, I think I know what it is…it doesn’t happen to involve Cassidy, does it?”

Mugman perked his head up, his head redder than before except the liquid in his cup head boiled a bit. He faked a smile and a laugh. “Oh, uh, no. No, it doesn’t at all. I-I mean, she’s nice…soft…cute…cuddly…I mean, she’s kind and caring and sweet and kind—wait, I already said that.”

Elder Kettle sighed wistfully. “Ah, young love.”

“WHAT?! No, no, it’s not like that. Her and I are friends…uh, I mean, she’s cool. It’s not like I’ll be speechless when she sits next to me,” Mugman said.

On cue, Cassidy sat next to Mugman. “Good morning.”

Mugman started to wheeze to try to get words out of his lips to respond to her.

Cuphead entered the kitchen and smirked when his brother rendered speechless when sitting next to Cassidy. He sat on the other side of his brother with a teasing grin.

Cassidy arched a brow and smiled a bit. “Are you okay?”

Mugman cleared his throat from wheezing. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Totally fine. Hey, uh, want some breakfast?”

“I got pancakes!” Elder Kettle announced.

Chalice entered into the kitchen with Porkrind behind her.

“Ooh, pancakes!” Chalice said while turning into a ghost and sat next to Cassidy.

Porkrind looked at Chalice strangely before getting coffee. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to notice Jerry walking into the kitchen.

“You know, you should try to rest,” Porkrind replied and sipped his coffee.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve been through worse than this,” Jerry said while rolling his injured shoulder.

“You’re lucky that maniac didn’t get your heart,” Porkrind commented as Jerry took a seat next to Chalice.

The last two people who entered the kitchen was Natalie and Aurora.

“Bweakfasd!” Aurora pointed excitedly.

Natalie looked at Elder Kettle in shock. “Oh, you don’t have to make breakfast for us.”

“Oh no, I insist,” Elder Kettle said. “Take a seat, you two.”

Natalie blinked in shock while Aurora hurried and sat next to Cuphead.

“Hi, Cuppy!” Aurora chirped with a bright grin.

Cuphead chuckled. “Hey, Aurora, how did you sleep?”

“I slept good!” Aurora answered excitedly.

Natalie sat next to her toddler sister, anxiously waiting for her food.

Once the pancakes were ready, Elder Kettle passed them around to all the kids on the table except for Cassidy. Jerry got the pancakes as well while he gazed at it with a swivel of his tongue.

Elder Kettle noticed Cassidy frowning when her food didn’t show up. “Oh, Cassidy, I didn’t forget about you.” With that said, Elder Kettle took out a plate of freshly cooked salmon and pushed it towards the feline. “I heard last night that eating something sugary causes a bad reaction for you such as puking and pancakes has sugar in the ingredients. Sooo, I decided to cook you salmon instead.”

Porkrind softened his gaze at Elder Kettle. “Oh, um…that’s actually nice of you, Kettle.”

Elder Kettle smiled at the one-eyed pig. “Of course. Now, do you want eggs and bacon—”

Porkrind blinked in shock at the mentioned of ‘bacon’.

“The bacon doesn’t come from pigs, I swear!”

“Then where else bacon comes from?” Porkrind asked with an arched brow.

“The grocery store I would assume,” Elder Kettle uttered.

“It’s vegan bacon,” Natalie chimed in.

Elder Kettle and Porkrind looked at Natalie and then back at each other.

“I’ll just have some eggs,” Porkrind said while drinking his black coffee.

Meanwhile, Natalie looked at her stack of pancakes and gave three away to Cuphead, who seemed surprise by her sudden generosity until he noticed her measuring one flat pancake with a measuring tape that she got out from her pocket and cut it up into a tiny bit. She gave the rest to Aurora, who didn’t seem to worry about eating the pancakes.

Cuphead watched with a raised eyebrow and Natalie noticed him.

She blushed and drew her brows. “Don’t judge.”

“Hey, you judged me for being a peasant, so why can’t I judge you for eating your food so weirdly?” Cuphead argued back.

“Cuphead, don’t even start,” Mugman groaned. “Not this morning.”

“Sooo…what are we doing today?” Cassidy asked after swallowing a piece of delicious salmon, trying to move on from the current subject.

“We’re hidin’ from the Night Stalkers till they get bored of terrorizing civilians and hid back from wherever they came from,” Porkrind said while drinking more of his coffee.

“Do these attacks usually die down?” Chalice probed with her brow raised.

“They did fifteen years ago,” Jerry answered for Porkrind. “Usually, these attacks happen if they’re hunting someone down. They will kill everyone in their line of sight until that person they hunted down is dead. Then, they go right back into their hiding space somewhere in the city. No one knows where though. However, I do have a couple of ideas.”

“So…who do they hunt down last time?” Elder Kettle questioned Jerry.

“Oh, they were hunting down the red-furred cat species last time until they were all dead—”

Jerry’s sentence was interrupted by Porkrind’s firm stare at him. The creature glanced over at Cassidy, who had her eyes widened in shock.

“Are they my species?” Cassidy asked nervously.

Jerry blinked and looked at Porkrind. Then he glanced back at Cassidy. “Uh, I’ll, uh, be back. Hold on.” Jerry got up from his seat and pulled Porkrind’s arm down into the hallway.

Elder Kettle arched a brow at the two. “Strange. Makes me wonder who they were hunting down this time?” The tea kettle shook his head. “Anyway, we can’t go outside, but I’m sure there are plenty things to do inside.”

“Like what?” Cuphead questioned.

“Like reading!” Mugman stated excitedly. “I got a whole collection of books I’ve packed up from last night.”

“Reading? Yuck! I ain’t reading your romantic books involving a fish and a pirate!” Cuphead commented.

“First off, it’s a mermaid and a pirate. Second off, not all of my books contained romance! They have adventure! Excitement! And may I just add, daring?” Mugman said with a smile.

“Like dating a giant mermaid who will eat the pirate potentially? No way!” Cuphead said while stuffing pancakes into his mouth. “That’s gross!”

“You’re gross!” Mugman barked back.

“Wait…you read those kinds of books too,” Cassidy said with a gasp and her eyes sparkle.

Natalie groaned and shook her head. “And here comes another nerd.”

Mugman gasped happily, his cheeks red. “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!”

“Wait, wait, I gotta know. Have you read Romancing the High Seas series?” Cassidy asked excitedly.

“THERE’S A SERIES?!” Mugman shouted in pure shock.

“Yeah. It came out with a trilogy,” Cassidy replied.

“WHAT?! WHY DIDN’T ANYONE EVER TELL ME THAT?!” Mugman exclaimed excitedly, shaking his fists by his hips.

“Have you read the first book?” Cassidy probed, happy that someone shared similar interests of hers.

“Yeah, but the ending got spoiled for me,” Mugman answered sadly.

Cassidy gasped in shock. “Oh, what a tragedy!”

“I know!” Mugman cried dramatically.

“Whoever spoiled the ending must pay with their lives,” Cassidy growled.

“Oh, don’t worry, I already gave him a few good punches for it,” Mugman said in a more lighter tone.

“Oh, good. He deserves it,” Cassidy replied with a lighter tone too.

The group stared at Cassidy and Mugman strangely.

“Don’t read any books and spoil it for them. Got it,” Chalice muttered to herself. “Hey! I know what some of us could do if we ain’t interested in reading!” 

~.~

Chalice and Aurora watched Cuphead and Natalie playing checkers intently while Mugman and Cassidy got out their books they packed from last night.

Elder Kettle cleaned up the kitchen after the kids finished their breakfast. Porkrind and Jerry were nowhere to be found until they came out of the room they were talking in. They shared a few grumbles until Jerry decided to help Elder Kettle in the kitchen, despite being injured. Porkrind watched the kids, mostly noticing Cassidy letting Mugman look over her shoulder while reading the book.

Natalie pushed her red piece forward with a cocky grin. “Ha! Now it’s your turn, shorty?”

Cuphead shot a withering glare at her. “I ain’t short.”

“Would you rather have me call you peasant?” Natalie argued.

Cuphead scoffed and looked at his black pieces. He noticed one on the corner and reached for it with a bright grin. “Eh…?” Then he changed his mind. “Eh, no.” Then he changed his mind again about the same piece. “Ehhh…? Eh, no.”

“Go Cuppy!” Aurora cheered brightly.

Natalie shot a teasing smile at Aurora. “Aw, are you not cheering for sissy?”

“I knew you would win easily. Thad’s why I’m cheewing fow Cuppy,” Aurora answered with a cheeky smile.

Chalice smiled at Aurora. “Well, ain’t you cutie?”

Cuphead kept debating whether he should use the same piece over and over again much to the annoyance of Natalie.

“Will you just go already?” Natalie probed impatiently.

Cuphead grabbed the piece and skipped through the board and over Natalie’s pieces, winning the game. “Huh, I win.”

“Yay!” Aurora cheered.

Natalie pouted and rolled her eyes.

“Cool, it’s my turn,” Chalice said while letting Natalie get out of her seat and sit with her little toddler sister.

“I didn’d dhink Cuppy is going do bead you, sissy,” Aurora replied.

“Oh? Were you cheering him on because you thought he would lose?” Natalie asked with a soft smile on her face.

“Yeah. I’ll cheew fow you nexd dime,” Aurora answered.

Natalie giggled softly. “Good. Because I’m gonna need all the cheering from you I can get.” With that said, Natalie booped Aurora’s nose, causing the cup toddler to giggle. Cuphead stared at the two sisters with a fond smile on his face. However, he was surprised to see a more mature and softer side of Natalie, which got him blushing thinking about it.

“Earth to Cuphead,” Chalice called.

“Huh?” Cuphead said while looking back at Chalice.

“It’s your turn,” Chalice answered while pointing at the board.

“Oh, right. Right…” Cuphead replied while sweating around his ceramic head.

Chalice arched a brow and glanced at Natalie entertaining her little sister and then back at Cuphead. She smirked when she realized why Cuphead drifted off in the first place.

Meanwhile, Mugman leaned closer to read the book Cassidy was reading. He was too focused on reading that he didn’t realize that his shoulders were touching Cassidy’s, causing the red feline to notice and blush from the fact that he was next to her. She couldn’t tell what was making her blush around him. According to Porkrind, Mugman was annoying and irritating, but she didn’t find Mugman either irritating or annoying. Mostly just cute and a total goofball. Heck, Cassidy never knew why her species had gotten so much hate over the years, but there are some people out there who saw her as a person and thought nothing much of the politics around her species. Mugman was definitely one of those people who didn’t hate her kind. He probably didn’t know much about them and neither did Cassidy.

Which made her a bit suspicious of both Jerry and her father. Jerry mentioned that the Night Stalkers killed off her species years ago…Was she connected to the Night Stalkers somehow…? Was she the next target they were going after?

Mugman noticed Cassidy being deep in thought. “Hey, uh, are you done reading?”

“Hm?” Cassidy managed to snap out of her train of thought. “Oh, yeah, sorry.”

“No, don’t be,” Mugman said softly. “I’m just following along with the story. I can’t believe Mugbeard’s death is only fake!”

She smiled and giggled, excited to have someone sharing the same love for the book. “Yeah. I’ve already read the other two, but I won’t spoil it for you.”

“Good. I wanna see for myself,” Mugman said while watching Cassidy turning the next page. “I do hope that we get to see Ciela again.”

“Ciela is so stunning and beautiful. Man, Mugbeard is lucky for dating a huge sea beast like her,” Cassidy replied.

“Yeah, I’m happy to see Mugbeard back with his wits and talents.”

Both Mugman and Cassidy sighed lovingly at the thought of both Ciela and Mugbeard.

“If I wasn’t so afraid of water, I would love to have a mermaid tail like her and swim through the ocean,” Cassidy replied wistfully.

“What made you afraid of water?” Mugman asked, looking at her instead of the book.

“Oh, hehe, just an irrational fear is all,” Cassidy said while looking away.

Mugman tilted his head. “If you wanna talk about an irrational fear, I’m afraid of ghosts. Heh, they ain’t real…I mean…they are…but they aren’t at the same time—uh, I’m not sure if I explained it right.”

Cassidy loosened her shoulders a bit. “That’s not an irrational fear.”

“Oh yeah? How about scary movies?”

“Natalie made me watch one once and I couldn’t sleep that night,” she answered.

“Well, Cuphead would take me to scary movies every Friday. Had to change my pants at least three times,” Mugman replied in a low whisper. “Heh, that’s a bit too much information.”

“Well, now I know where we can go that isn’t so scary once we all go on a friend date.”

Mugman smiled softly at her. “Yeah. We might go see movies that are more light-hearted.”

Cassidy nodded her head. “To warn you though, we might get glares from people in public.”

“Why?” Mugman asked with a brow raised.

Cassidy pointed to herself, earning a soft gaze from the blue-nosed mug. “For as long as I can remember, I never knew why they hated me…I don’t know what my species has done that caused such hatred. I’m the only one left alive…and maybe the Night Stalkers might come after me next just to have my species extinct…”

“I doubt that,” Mugman replied softly to her. “The Night Stalkers would’ve been after you first if that was the case. I think…I’m not sure. But, you know, when you hang around with us, we don’t care if we get glares or not. As long as we are having fun and have a grand ole time, what those people think don’t matter, right?”

She smiled at him and nodded with a blush. “Yeah.”

“Besides, who would want to hate on someone like you? I mean, come on, they’re probably just jealous that you’re beautiful, smart, compassionate, kind, cute, and an amazing fighter.”

“Even though I almost got my butt kicked when you first met me?”

“Oh, don’t be hard on yourself. I haven’t done better in terms of combat. You probably did better than me,” Mugman said with a light blush around his cheeks. “Heh, I mean, you also got a voice of an angel and have the cutest purrs and you’re soft—”

He noticed Cassidy widening her eyes in shock at the unexpected compliments. His ceramic face blushed while he looked to notice Cuphead, Natalie, Aurora, and Chalice watching him. Cuphead and Chalice nodded their heads in encouragement for Mugman to go on. Aurora giggled and Natalie shushed her gently. Porkrind glared at Mugman with his one eye, smacking his fist against his palm. Jerry seemed confused and Elder Kettle smirked at Mugman.

Mugman turned his head to face ahead of him. “I’ll be right back.” The mug hurried out of the living room and into the bedroom, passing by the adults.

Cassidy blushed more when thinking about what Mugman was describing herself, hardly believing it to be true. Should she believe it? What if she isn’t what Mugman was describing? Cassidy buried her head in the book, the words scrambled in the book from her lack of focus. 

~.~

Mugman entered the bedroom and shut it. He locked it so that no one could come in during his rant.

“Mugman, you fool!” the mug growled at himself. “The voice of an angel? Cutest purrs? Soft? She’s gonna think I’m a creep. I can’t believe I just said that to her. We just met a couple of days ago. C’mon, Mugman, gotta be better than that. Cooler than that. Although, she might not like me that way…”

Mugman frowned and rubbed his shoulders with a sigh. “Who am I kiddin’? I mean, the worst she can say is no…right? Ooor, she called me a creep and never talk to me again…” Mugman groaned and shook his head. “What’s wrong with me? She’s too smart. Too cool. Too beautiful…with such a caring personality…maybe…hm…maybe I’m not her type.”

“Maybe you’re my type~”

Mugman yelped and whirled around to find Bowlboy in the shadows with a maniacal grin spread across his face. “Bowlboy?! What are you doing here?!”

“Oh, just wondering through the neighborhood when I heard a familiar voice of yours. Thought I drop by and give you a little present.”

“Ugh, Bowlboy….wait, how could you have good hearing? The windows and the doors were locked and I don’t think the walls were that thin.”

“Oh, you know, Bowlboy’s aallways got tricks up in his sleeves.” With that said, he pulled out a syringe. “Aaanyways, I got your present right here.”

Mugman noticed a strange substance inside of the syringe that had the smell of ash and brimstone…wait, is that blood inside of it.

“Bowlboy…what is that thing?” Mugman asked fearfully.

“Hold still…”

~.~

Aurora waddled towards her bedroom to get her teddy bear. She noticed that it was shut for some reason. Aurora didn’t remember either Natalie or anyone else closing the door. When she approached her bedroom door, she could hear a quiet struggle going on the other side of the bedroom.

“Let me go—Let me go!” she heard Mugman groaned.

Aurora opened the bedroom door and noticed Bowlboy having his arm wrapped around Mugman’s throat from behind him and stabbing the syringe onto Mugman’s neck. Mugman managed to elbow Bowlboy’s chest with the last remaining sanity he had left.

“Mugman?” Aurora called timidly.

Bowlboy noticed Mugman groaning in pain and hurried out of the room through the opened window where he first came in the bedroom, leaving Aurora alone with Mugman writhing in agony. Aurora was too scare to walk into her bedroom.

“Aurora, what’s going on?”

Aurora turned to see Natalie coming up to her with Cuphead beside her.

“Mugman…” Before she could say anything, Mugman leaped at her, tackling her onto the ground. Luckily, he didn’t hurt her yet.

Cuphead winced and widened his eyes in horror to see his brother’s once blue nose darkened along with his blue-striped straw. Mugman’s teeth became sharp and he grew claws at the tips of his fingers that were stuck against the wall. His eyes became yellow with red irises around his dark pupils. There was fire in his mug head, blazing. Mugman stared down at Aurora with his forked tongue hanging out the corner of his mouth.

Aurora started to cry in fear.

“Aurora!” Natalie’s shout snapped Cuphead out of his horrified thoughts of his brother’s appearance.

With a determined look, Cuphead charged towards his brother and tackled him away from Aurora. He managed to wrap his arm around Mugman’s throat.

“Grab her!” Cuphead shouted.

Natalie grabbed Aurora and hurried away from them while Porkrind, Jerry, and Elder Kettle approached the scene.

Mugman flipped Cuphead over his blazing head and slammed him onto the ground. Cuphead groaned in pain while Mugman pounced on top of him, clawing into Cuphead’s shoulders.

“OW! Mugsy! C’mon! Snap of it!” Cuphead shouted at his brother.

Mugman growled while trying to bite Cuphead’s face off. Before Mugman could make anymore movements to harm his brother beneath him, he was grabbed by the handle by Porkrind and was thrown off of Cuphead and into the bedroom. Cuphead took a moment to recover and witnessed Porkrind shutting the bedroom door.

“You okay, Cups?” Porkrind asked.

“Y-Yeah,” Cuphead answered, his voice shaky.

Porkrind kept his hand gripping the knob, hearing scratches from the monstrous version of Mugman.

“Mugsy needs our help!” Cuphead called while getting up and going towards the door with the limp before he felt Jerry holding him back.

“That ain’t your brother,” Porkrind pointed out. “Something happened to him.”

“Dad! What’s going on?!” Cassidy shouted while arriving at the scene with Chalice tailing by her side.

“Natalie said that Mugman attacked Aurora! What happened?!” Chalice questioned urgently.

“We don’t know!” Porkrind said while hearing scratches at the door.

Elder Kettle gasped and dug into his pocket to get out two potions. Porkrind and Jerry noticed the blue potions.

“What are those?” Porkrind asked with his head tilted.

“I don’t know, but I was instructed on giving the boys these when they get older. Maybe it could help Mugman,” Elder Kettle informed Porkrind and Jerry.

Jerry looked down at Cuphead. “Go back with the others, Cuphead. We’ll take care of your brother.”

“But—”

“Do as he says, Cuphead,” Elder Kettle calmly instructed the cup.

Cuphead breathed heavily, reluctant to nod his head and return back with the other kids.

Jerry took out an empty syringe. “Here, put one of the potions in here.”

Elder Kettle filled the syringe with the potion and gave it back to Jerry. “I’ll hold Mugman while you put it in him.”

Jerry nodded his head and looked at Porkrind. “I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”

“Are you sure about this, Jerry?” Porkrind asked.

Jerry nodded his head and held the syringe close to him. He looked at Elder Kettle to see if he was ready. The old tea kettle nodded his head in confirmation.

Jerry glanced back at Porkrind. “Now.”

Porkrind opened the door, letting Mugman jump out of the bedroom. Once he landed onto the ground on all fours, Elder Kettle grabbed Mugman by the handle. Mugman growled and swung his claws around to scratch anyone who dared picked him up.

“Hurry! He’s starting to burn my hand!” Elder Kettle shouted once he felt the heat from his boy’s flaming head.

Jerry hurried over next to Elder Kettle and stuck a syringe on Mugman’s neck, pushing the potion into his body. Mugman stopped swinging his arms around and started to breathe heavily. Elder Kettle let Mugman go once he saw the flames were dying down. Porkrind and Jerry relaxed their bodies once they saw Mugman reverting back to normal.

Mugman stumbled around and fell onto his knees, his body shaking violently. The mug looked at his hands to see the claws were shrinking back into his fingertips but he could see something blue by the tips of his fingers. His vision was a blur while he lowered his hands to find Jerry and Porkrind standing in front of him.

“Mugsy!” Cuphead shouted happily.

Mugman whirled his head and saw his brother covering his shoulder as if he got injured. What just happened? Cuphead stopped going towards him once he realized that Mugman was staring at him in fear. He looked behind Cuphead to see the others holding concern gazes, including Cassidy. Natalie held Aurora in her arms, watching him with a soft gaze on her face.

“Mugman…” Elder Kettle called softly.

Mugman turned to look up at Elder Kettle, noticing the old tea kettle offering his hand to help Mugman up on his feet. Mugman grabbed Elder Kettle’s hand and then leaned his head against Elder Kettle’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

“W-What is going on with me, Elder Kettle? What’s happening to me?” Mugman cried, earning a soothing back rub from his caretaker.

“Shh, shh,” Elder Kettle soothed. “It’s alright…whatever this thing is…we’ll figure it out. We will figure this out.”

Mugman blacked out, falling asleep against his caretaker’s chest.

“It will be okay, Mugman. It will be okay.”

To Be Continued...

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows(Rewrite)

*Hey guys! I'm back with another episode of the rewrite of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows. This is published on July 16, 2023. If you guys like this episode, don't forget to heart it, reblog, and comment! That would be greatly appreciated! Warning: There will be blood, cannibalism, and violence, including gun shot wounds. If you don't like any of those things, please don't read. Enjoy!*

Episode Three: When The Innocent Becomes The Prey

Violence was always the answer.

As a ten-year-old, Hunter understood that. His father made him understand that. His cuts, bruises, and scars marked deep into his skin and shaped into what a beautiful mix of a victim and a monster he had become.

His father ran the Mason Corporations, something Hunter knew he would inherit soon. The Mason Corporations was supposed to give the medications out to patients with mental illnesses both rare and common and to diagnose them with proper treatments. No law in the Inkwell Isle said how the patients should be diagnosed. What most patients called the torture chamber, Hunter and his father called a lab. Many times, his father conducted experiments on the patients by giving medications that either works well for them or doesn’t. However, most of the time, it doesn’t work out.

Hunter heard many screams and cries of pain and agony from desperate people begging with all of their souls to be cured of this torturous illnesses that crippled them, only for them to form new illnesses along with it. Since watching his father running endless experiments of the ill lab rats, Hunter decided to experiment on his own.

Every day after school, Hunter would trap squirrels in cages and put the cages into the red round tub. Then, he grabbed a water hose and placed it in the tub, turning the water on. From there, Hunter watched as the squirrels in cages would fight for breath. Try as they could, the water eventually caught up to the squirrels. Hunter watched their heads disappeared into the water and the bubbles surfacing until the bubbles no longer came up.

Hunter would do this every day until a teacher caught him doing those experiments. Of course, the teacher expressed her concerns to Hunter’s mother and father without knowing that they were the wrong people to tell about her concerns about Hunter. After the teacher told Hunter’s parents about him, the young tiger could hear his parents yelling at each other at night.

“Please, Robert! We can’t keep hiding this! Everyone will know that you run the cult—”

“Shut up, woman!” Robert, Hunter’s father, shouted. “I told you not to tell anyone. I swear if you run your mouth and tell everyone about what I do, I’ll kill you. You hear me? Kill you!”

“Robert, please, if Hunter doesn’t stop acting like this, everyone in this city will know—”

“Then we’ll put him in a mental hospital. The city will see that there’s something wrong with my son and it’ll paint us as good parents for trying to help him,” Robert said. “Think about it, Victoria. The city will see that I am a good father to him.”

A sigh came from Hunter’s mother. “Right. We should do that.”

Hunter had his round ears pinned back with his fangs shown when he snarled.

The next day, Hunter was sent to the mental hospital called Tremaine Institute. The doctors there were trying to manhandle him into the hospital as the young tiger kicked and screamed, glaring at his parents for the last time in a long time.

If Hunter remembered his first three years at Tremaine Institute, there were kids there. What happened to those kids? Hunter was never friends with them. But there was one kid he liked to pick on. A very gullible kid who goes by Tommy Lee Cup, a schizophrenic child who was withdrawn from his peers.

Tommy Lee Cup had a big orange nose with a broken-off handle. His ceramic head was cracked as if he had damaged himself before going into the mental institution. His hands fidgeted together, his arms to his sides at all times, and his eyes always looked around the room for anything. He couldn’t concentrate on Hunter coming up beside him.

“Hey,” Hunter greeted the young cup. “I want you to show you something in Room 327.”

Tommy flinched back and shook his head. “We’re not allowed to leave here. Hey, look, someone drew a blue dog.”

“Really?” Hunter asked and then glanced at the kid. “Oh come on, I’m sure no one will notice us.”

“B-But—”

Hunter took Tommy by the hand. “C’mon. I promise it’ll be quick.”

Hunter led Tommy away from the room, leading him down the hall to room 327, right where a chair and an electroconvulsive machine with two dials and headphones were at.

Tommy’s scream could be heard later on in the night, down the hall. The doctors hurried down the hallway and bursted through the door to find Hunter using the electroconvulsive machine on Tommy. Tommy’s scream faded by the time the doctors moved away from the machine and turned it off.

“Don’t you realize what you have done?!” one of the doctors yelled at Hunter while the other doctors picked up dead Tommy from the chair.

Hunter’s response was a shit-eating grin that let his fangs glistened in the light, putting the doctor yelling at him in fear.

In the next three years, Hunter was in a straitjacket and had his mouth muzzled and barely having food to feed until Hunter managed to convinced therapists that he didn’t like hurting people anymore and he said it with so much fear and emotion. Heck, he copied Tommy’s tendencies with the fidgeting of the hands and not concentrating on the therapist talking to him. The doctors fell for it and released Hunter back to the world. However, the doctors didn’t know until too late that it was one of the worst mistakes they could have ever make.

Hunter was back home with his parents, dead silent. Hunter’s mother, Victoria, had chills down her spine while Robert was more than happy that Hunter was home. But Hunter could tell it was fake. For the first time in a long while, he was angry at his parents. His glare never withering when looking at both his mom and his dad. What was this growing flame in his heart? Anger? Betrayal? Revenge? Maybe all three?

Yes…all three.

In the dead night after his father went to sleep and his mother getting ready for bed, thirteen-year-old Hunter walked around the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife he could find. He hurried up to his father’s room as quietly as possible until he approached his father’s bedside. Then, without remorse, Hunter stabbed his father in the chest. Robert snapped his eyes open and was about to scream until Hunter covered his father’s mouth.

Hunter could’ve sworn he saw his father smirking underneath his paw. What a sick bastard. He kept stabbing his father in the chest until his father could stop screaming in pain. Robert still kept that sick twisted smile until he drew his last breath. Hunter became what Robert wanted. A monster just like him.

It was then Victoria came out of the shower with the robe on and saw Hunter standing over her husband’s dead body with a bloody knife. She screamed in horror and ran out of the bedroom, causing Hunter to chase after her. He slashed her leg, causing her to trip over down the hallway and limp her way towards the phone. She quickly dialed the number to the Inkwell Police Department. The phone rang for a short while.

“Inkwell Police Department, what’s your emergency?” the operator asked.

“You need to get to the Manson Mansion immediately! My son is—!”

Hunter stabbed her hip, causing Victoria to scream in pain.

“HUNTER, STOP IT!!”

Hunter didn’t stop as he kept stabbing his mother over and over again.

“MA’AM! MA’AM!!!” the operator shouted in panic.

Victoria screamed until she couldn’t anymore and laid on the floor. Hunter breathed heavily and started to let out little giggles of maniacal joy. He sunk his teeth into his mother’s flesh, tearing her apart piece by piece.

By the time the police showed up, they busted through the door and searched around the mansion until they finally found Hunter eating his mother’s dead corpse. When the flashlights shined on him, Hunter turned around to face the officers and gave the bloody grin.

~.~

Forty-One Years Later:

Inkwell city streets were burning in the dark night. Screams from surprised civilians put a smile on the old tiger’s face. Hunter, now as an adult, watched the civilians’ blood filling the sewer the waters and leaking into the cracks of the sidewalks. His followers didn’t hesitate to kill and deliver souls right to the Devil.

The Devil stood next to Hunter to watch all the chaos unfold in front of him with a wicked grin. “My, my, my, you didn’t lie when you said you would deliver more souls to you.”

“More souls to torture,” Hunter replied.

Behind Hunter and Devil, King Dice, Henchman, and Stickler were watching the destruction. While Henchman and King Dice was in horror of the sight in front of them, Stickler seemed unfazed by it and added more souls in his book.

“Hrmm, he did not hold back,” Stickler said while writing down the numbers.

Hunter glanced at Devil next to him with a smirk. “Since you’ve now seen what I’m capable of, why don’t I take care of those cups? I’m sure that will take the burden off of your shoulders.”

The Devil grinned wickedly. “Oh, that would be lovely.”

Hunter nodded his head. “Enjoy the view. I’ll be back with their heads.” The tiger walked away and motioned three assassins to come with him to hunt for those cups.

The Devil intake the smell of blood and corpses with a sigh.

King Dice slowly approached beside his boss. “Uh…Big D.”

“Hm?”

“Hate to be a downer, but don’t you think that this is a little…excessive?”

The Devil snapped out of his trance and whirled his head to look at his righthand man. “Excessive?!”

“D’uh, yeah, I was going to ask the same thing,” Henchman added.

The Devil widened his eyes in shock. “Are you kidding me?! Thisis what we live for!!! The chaos!!! The screams!!! The torture!!! That is not excessive!!”

“Hrmm, it’s a bit of a pain to add more souls to the slaughter,” Stickler said with his finger raised.

“Even you are against this?!” Devil barked. “You’ve counted souls for centuries and this is excessive to you?!”

“Ehhh, on the contrary, I am not against this. However, I do think that this is more extreme than what we have throughout the centuries. We should’ve saved all of this for the End Times,” Stickler noted.

“And do you know when that will be?” Devil questioned.

“Errm,” Stickler groaned while lowering his finger.

“Exactly,” Devil responded with a sass. He looked out towards the burning city with an evil smile. “Now, this is the beginning of a new era! Those who opposed me will fear me! I will be respected again! With the Night Stalkers in my grasp, I can rule the world! MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!” The Devil’s laugh echoed throughout the night.

~.~

The night was quiet while Elder Kettle’s house was filled with the sound of jazz music coming from Elder Kettle’s prized radio and the laughter from Cuphead, Mugman, and Chalice.

Elder Kettle was dusting the shelves and wasn’t paying attention much to his surroundings. Once he was done dusting the shelves, Elder Kettle turned to look at the cup kids playing with marbles on the living room floor with a small smile on his face. However, the old tea kettle started to notice that Mugman was starting to appear a lot more like an old friend that he knew from such a long time ago.

Murray.

The static interrupted his thoughts. Elder Kettle turned to see the jazz music was no longer playing on the radio. He sighed and headed over to turn the dial until—

“We interrupt this program to inform the listeners that there’s literal hell going on in Inkwell Isle,” the radio announcer spoke.

Elder Kettle widened his eyes in shock and turned the radio up slightly for him to listen in.

“The Night Stalkers are back and burning down the city! Single guardians, hide your children now! Better yet, leave the city and never return unless the situation dies down! Or else…oh no…they’ve found me. AAAAHH—!”

Elder Kettle heard slashing sounds and shut off the radio immediately with clenched teeth.

“Is…everything okay, Elder Kettle?” Mugman asked innocently.

“What’s the Night Stalkers?” Cuphead probed, feigning ignorance.

Elder Kettle bit his finger for a moment until he calmed himself down. “Okay, you listen to me and listen to me carefully. Pack your bags. We don’t have much time.”

“Wait, wait, where are we going?” Cuphead questioned.

“Pack. Your. Bags. Now,” Elder Kettle spoke more lowly.

Cuphead and Mugman were scared for a moment at their caretaker’s tone. But they headed up the stairs to pack their bags anyway. Chalice went with them to keep them company for a while. While they were doing that, Elder Kettle hurried to the kitchen and packed up the pots and pans needed for the trip until he came across two blue potions he’d kept hidden for fifteen years. He examined the potions and then looked behind him to hear the boys packing things up. With a sigh, he stuffed the potions in his pocket and hurried out of the kitchen.

Cuphead and Mugman carried their belongings in their bags with Chalice trailing behind them. Elder Kettle nodded his head in approval.

“Good. Good. C’mon,” Elder Kettle said while gesturing the kids to follow him. They headed towards the front door until they heard someone pounding the door. “Back. Back.”

The kids backed up with their caretaker. Elder Kettle hurried to the back door until he saw an unfamiliar silhouette hidden behind the curtain covering the top half of the back door window. Elder Kettle turned the kids and motioned them to go upstairs. The kids hurried up the stairs without question. They ended up going to Elder Kettle’s room and Elder Kettle locked the bedroom door.

“E-Elder Kettle, what’s going on?” Mugman uttered in fear.

They heard someone breaking down the front door from upstairs.

“Get behind me,” Elder Kettle softly commanded.

The kids obeyed and stayed behind the old tea kettle. They heard footsteps lurking throughout the house until they heard someone coming upstairs and down into the hallway. Elder Kettle firmly stared at his bedroom door, waiting for someone to break it down. Someone pounded on the bedroom door, causing the cup brothers to tremble in fear.

Chalice noticed the brothers’ fears, took a deep breath, and turned into a ghost behind Elder Kettle. She phased through the floor. Cuphead and Mugman noticed, but they didn’t say anything. They heard someone approaching Elder Kettle’s bedroom door.

“Boys, hide under the bed. I’ll take care of this,” Elder Kettle whispered to the cup brothers.

“No, I ain’t leavin’ you,” Cuphead argued with his fists clenched as if he was ready to fight whoever was on the other side of the door.

Mugman glanced around the bedroom to find a weapon for them to defend themselves. But it was too late as the door was broken down, revealing a hooded man carrying his rifle that was aimed at Elder Kettle. Cuphead put his arm out to protect Mugman with a glare at the hooded figure. However, the boys and Elder Kettle noticed the ghost of Chalice phasing herself inside of the hooded figure, taking over his body.

Cuphead and Mugman smiled ecstatically to see their friend using possession to possess their enemies while Elder Kettle stood there in pure shock and confusion.

Chalice, taking control of the assassin’s body, turned him around and aimed the rifle to the couple of assassins going down the hallway. Before saying or doing anything, Chalice used the hooded man to pull the trigger and shoot the two assassins approaching her and her friends.

The tiger approached up the stairs and hid behind the shelf with his Tommy gun. Chalice controlled the man to reload his rifle and aim the tiger coming out of his hiding spot. The bullets hit the man before Chalice could force him to pull the trigger. She phased out of him and through the floor once the assassin collapsed on the ground.

Chalice phased into the tiger, attempting to possess him but she underestimated how hard it would be to take control of him.

While Chalice was struggling to take control of the leader of the cult, Elder Kettle peeked down the hallway and looked at the boys’ bedroom on the other side of the hall. Upon realizing that the boys had a window in their bedroom, giving them a chance to escape from their invader.

“C’mon,” Elder Kettle commanded as he and the boys hurried across the hallway and entered into their bedroom. Elder Kettle closed the door and barricaded the door with the small shelf. The old tea kettle turned and hurried to open the window behind them.

The boys looked behind them to see Chalice phasing through the barricaded door.

“We better go now!” Chalice warned. “This guy’s not easy to possess!”

They heard someone kicking the door.

Mugman and Cuphead hurried to the window with Cuphead climbing out of the window first with Chalice flying out of the window. Mugman rushed behind him until he heard the door knocked down. Before he could make a leap out of the window, he was grabbed by the wrist.

Mugman turned back and looked in horror to find the old tiger gripping his wrist with a growl. However, Mugman bit down the tiger’s arm in self-defense, causing the mysterious tiger to howl in pain. Mugman rushed out of the window and hurried behind his family and friend. Elder Kettle grabbed the goat from the front yard and hurried through the woods.

Out of anger, Hunter, the tiger, peeked out of the window and fired bullets at them, but they disappeared into the dark woods. Hunter looked at the bite mark on his arm and instead of being angry about it, he gave a smirk.

“What a little animal,” Hunter growled and looked out into the woods. He heard the phone ringing suddenly. Hunter strode through the house and went downstairs where he saw the phone ringing near the doorway to the kitchen. The tiger picked up the phone to see who was calling.

“Kettle, you have thirty minutes to get your rusty heinie down here and pay your tab!” Porkrind’s voice came from the phone.

Hunter smirked to hear the familiar pig’s voice. Not that he knew the pig before, but Hunter could tell what the pig was known for…his shop.

Hunter knew where to go next.

~.~

“Kettle? Kettle?!”

The phone hung up on Porkrind in his shop.

Porkrind grumbled and placed the phone back on its stand. “Great. First, you didn’t answer and now you hung up on me for no reason.”

Cassidy entered the room with a raised brow. “Wait, why does Elder Kettle need to pay the tab? I don’t think he bought anything.”

“He’s got packages delivered by Jerry and Jerry had been complaining to me that he hadn’t gotten a cent out of Kettle every time he makes a delivery,” Porkrind said with a groan. “Don’t let people take advantage of you, sweetheart. It ain’t worth your time if all people do is take advantage of you.”

Cassidy nodded her head in understanding with a frown.

Porkrind noticed her frown and lost his irritated scowl on his face. He sighed and kneeled to meet her eye-level. “Are you still upset about Jerry?”

“No.”

Porkrind arched a brow.

She lowered her head with her ears pinned back. “I kinda missed doing deliveries with him.”

“Well, he shouldn’t have pulled you into his little secret operation. Even if it’s because you want to help, you need to understand that the Devil is bigger than any bully you will ever face. He ain’t going to be happy if he finds out that he and his imps were beaten by a small cat girl.”

Cassidy perked her ears up to look at her one-eyed father.

“Honey, I’ve seen you building weapons, but I didn’t think to ask what they were for,” he said while looking at a bunch of weapons of various of cat toys and arrows on the workbench.

She chuckled nervously.

“I gotta say though, the weapons you made are pretty nifty,” Porkrind complimented.

“Well, I did have the best teacher,” Cassidy remarked while referring to her father by looking at him with a soft smile.

They suddenly heard a knock from the door.

“Porkrind! Porkrind! Open up!” Elder Kettle urged in panic.

“The shop’s open you know!” Porkrind said, standing up to his feet and facing the door with his arms crossed.

Elder Kettle opened the door and let the kids inside first.

“Whoa, whoa, this ain’t a family hang-out!” Porkrind shouted.

Cassidy brightly smiled to see Cuphead, Mugman, and Chalice. “Guys!”

“Hiya, Cassidy!” Chalice greeted back.

“Hi!” Cuphead said with a wave.

“Uh…h-hi! Uh, how are you doing?” Mugman asked with a blush on his face.

Cassidy also blushed and giggled awkwardly. “Well, I’m doin’ alright. I enjoyed my lunch with Natalie…although I ended up vomiting from the sweets and…yeah…”

There was an awkward pause.

“That is way too much information,” Cassidy added.

“Oh, that’s okay,” Mugman replied. “Now I know where we won’t be taking you if we do go out together.”

“Or if it’s just Mugman who takes you out,” Chalice replied with a mischievous smirk on her face.

The mug’s ceramic face went red instantly. “Chalice…”

Chalice giggled at her friend’s reaction.

Elder Kettle locked the shop door.

“Hey!” Porkrind shouted at Elder Kettle while approaching the old tea kettle. “Why are you locking up the shop?! That’s supposed to be my job—”

“Porkrind, listen to me!” Elder Kettle urged and grabbed the pig’s shoulder. “There’s a madman comin’ after me and the kids! We ain’t safe out in the woods!”

Porkrind arched a brow. “Wait…I called you about paying your tab—”

Elder Kettle gave the pig money, who accepted it immediately.

“Oh, thanks…anyways, I called you about your tab and you didn’t answer. I mean, you did answer the phone, but you didn’t even talk…wait…did you answer the phone?”

“Uh…no. It must have been ringing after the kids and I got out of the house,” Elder Kettle replied. “That’s why I’m saying that there’s a madman coming after me and my kids! The Night Stalkers are out in the city now killin’ people!”

“Wait, what?” Porkrind questioned with a brow raised.

“The Night Stalkers! They’re at it again!” Elder Kettle said in a panicked tone.

The one-eyed pig widened his eye in shock.

Cassidy glanced up at her father. “At it again?”

Porkrind looked at his daughter. “Cassi, pack your gadgets. You may need them.”

Cassidy hurried to the back room and gathered her gadgets. She grabbed her quiver full of arrows and her bow. Before she headed back to the group, Cassidy’s ears flicked to hear someone walking around the shop. She froze in fear while her ears followed the sound towards the back door next to the table where she got her gadgets and weapon. She watched intensely at the knob turning. Once the door swung open, she jumped back with a gasp until she realized that someone coming through the door was Jerry entering from the back of the shop.

Cassidy gasped happily. “Jerry!”

Jerry smiled under the scarf covering his mouth. “Hey Cassi—”

The sudden gunshot sounded and the bullet crashed through Jerry’s shoulder, causing him to stumble into the shop. That grabbed Porkrind’s attention as he rushed to the back room and shut the back door. He locked it and helped Jerry up on his feet.

“Hey! Hey, Jerry! Are you okay?!” Porkrind shouted in a panicked tone.

“I…I think the bullet went through my shoulder,” Jerry said while losing some blood.

Porkrind glanced at Cassidy. “Grab the medkit.”

Cassidy hurried to grab the medkit out of the shelf as Porkrind carried Jerry to the front of the shop much to the horror of Elder Kettle and the cup trio.

“Looks like your maniac shot my friend,” Porkrind said while setting Jerry down on the counter, clearing anything on it.

Cassidy hurried and handed the medkit to her father.

Porkrind took Jerry’s green trench coat off and the red shirt underneath it to look at the wound better. Jerry was correct when he said that the bullet went through his shoulder.

Porkrind opened the medkit and cleaned the wound, causing the creature under him to wince and hiss in pain. “Stay still. The sooner we get you patched up, the better.”

They heard footsteps coming around the front door.

Elder Kettle glanced at the pig. “Don’t mean to rush you here, but hurry up.”

“I’m trying. I’m trying,” Porkrind groaned while cleaning up the wound. Then he stitched up his skin to close up the wound with the needle and thread.

Jerry only flinched for a moment at the stitching.

They heard someone pounding against the front door of the shop.

“Hurry!” Cuphead urged Porkrind.

“Give me a sec!” Porkrind barked at the cup before cutting the thread with the scissors from inside of the Med-kit. Finally, he wrapped Jerry’s arm with the roll of bandages. He was finally finished as he set the medical supplies back into the med-kit. The door was finally broken down, causing the group to turn around to find the familiar tiger raising his gun to the group. Before he could pull the trigger, Chalice acted quickly by turning into a ghost and attempting to possess the tiger once again. Hunter tried to fight against Chalice’s attempt at possession, but under her control, he was pulled back out of the shop.

Jerry tapped on Porkrind, gaining the pig’s attention. “C-Car…parked at…the front.”

Porkrind turned to see where Jerry was pointing at. In the woods and a couple of feet in front of the shop, the car was parked there. Porkrind narrowed his brows in determination and looked at Elder Kettle and the kids.

“C’mon! While that…uh…ghost child is distracting that maniac!” Porkrind urged the group while picking Jerry up from the desk.

Cassidy followed her father while Mugman trailed behind her. Cuphead hurried after his brother and Elder Kettle picked up the goat and ran after his kids. They all followed Porkrind out of the shop and towards the car ahead of them.

Porkrind placed Jerry on the passenger seat while Cassidy hopped over to the backseat. Mugman ended up sitting next to her with Cuphead beside him. Elder Kettle was next to Cassidy, holding the goat in his arms. Porkrind got into the driving seat to look for the keys.

Jerry handed him the keys from his pocket.

Porkrind took without hesitation and drove away as fast as he could away from the tiger.

Soon, Chalice phased out of Hunter and flew towards the car to catch up to the group. She changed back to her physical form, freaking the group out.

“So…where are we heading?” Chalice asked Porkrind.

“Somewhere far from the Night Stalkers,” Porkrind answered vaguely.

“I know where that is,” Cassidy said. “Take a left ahead.”

Porkrind nodded his head and took a left as instructed.

Meanwhile, Hunter recovered from fighting for control over his body with Chalice and looked to see the vehicle took off. He huffed in annoyance.

“Now, this is unfortunate,” Hunter said. He then looked at his arm that had the bite marks from Mugman. An idea slowly formed in his head. “What a little animal.”

Hunter shifted his gaze ahead of him and headed back into the city to report to the Devil of his new idea.

~.~

 It had been quiet since they left Porkrind’s shop.

Jerry’s half-lidded eyes stared ahead, covering his bandaged arm. He tried to stay awake, but Jerry didn’t realize that losing so much blood already was going to keep him down for a while.

Cassidy and Mugman were squished between Cuphead and Elder Kettle. Mugman tensed up when her body was pressed against his, a blush growing across his porcelain face. He was both embarrassed at this predicament and being this close to Cassidy made his heart race and his palms sweaty.

Cuphead noticed his brother’s body tensing up, smirking at him uncontrollably. Elder Kettle saw Mugman’s reaction as well and couldn’t stop smiling at the thought that one of his boys might have a potential crush on someone next to him.

Chalice had been observing her group from behind them, smirking at Mugman. Oh, she knew what she’ll tease Mugman with if they ever found a hiding spot.

Porkrind looked over his shoulder from the driver seat to check on his passengers. “Everyone doing okay back there?”

“Never better,” Chalice responded positively.

The rest of the group nodded their heads, even the goat in Elder Kettle’s arm nodded his head.

Porkrind looked over at Jerry. “How about you? You doing okay?”

“Yeah…I didn’t think the Night Stalkers are comin’ out tonight after fifteen years ago,” Jerry said while sitting up more.

“What happened fifteen years ago?” Cuphead asked with a brow raised.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. We’ll talk more about it once we find a hiding spot,” Elder Kettle said. “Which…I don’t know where we’re going.”

The car arrived at the lone one-story mansion, hidden deep into the woods and far from the city.

“Wait, Cassi, is this your friend’s mansion?” Porkrind asked his daughter.

Cassidy nodded her head. “Yeah.”

“What is this place?” Elder Kettle asked both Cassidy and Porkrind.

“Ruth Mansion,” Porkrind responded. “I’m not sure if that’s the best hiding place for us.”

“But it’s far from the Night Stalkers,” Jerry said.

“Yeah, I guess,” Porkrind said while parking the car in front of the mansion. “There’s a shoreline nearby. I’m going to dump the evidence there.”

“Wait, what evidence?” Jerry asked.

Porkrind arched a brow. “Evidence that we’re here…which you’re sitting in right now.”

Jerry looked down to realize Porkrind was talking about the car. “You know, the Night Stalkers are going to bust through this house whether the car was there or not.”

“Then we need to get good at hiding,” Porkrind determined while gesturing everyone to get out of the car.

Elder Kettle led the kids out of the car and looked over at Jerry. “Can you walk?”

Jerry stumbled out the car and walked around the front of the car. “Yeah, I can. Thanks, anyway.”

Porkrind drove off to dump the car into the ocean, leaving the group in front of the Ruth Mansion.

Cassidy led the group towards the front door of the mansion and knocked. They heard someone stumbling from the other side of the door. The door swung open and, in quick reaction, Mugman pulled Cassidy back from the sudden sharp sword swiping at her.

“Whoa! Whoa! We ain’t the Night Stalkers!” Cuphead shouted and then widened his eyes to realize Natalie was the one answering the door with the sword in her two hands.

Natalie gasped to finally recognize her feline friend with a bright smile. “Cassi!” She dropped the sword and zoomed over to hug Cassidy. Cassidy gasped in surprise that Natalie was hugging her.

“I heard about the Night Stalkers on the radio. I didn’t know if they got to you or not,” Natalie said. She broke away from Cassidy with a bright grin. “Come in! Come in!” Natalie rushed and picked the sword, dragging the sharp edge on the floor. The group seemed surprise that they didn’t have to ask to take cover in Natalie’s house, but they entered into it anyway.

Jerry shut the door behind him, but didn’t lock it yet. He picked up the sword Natalie dropped and placed it on the counter against the wall in the living room.

“Welcome to the Ruth Mansion. Mom’s overworking again over at Isle 4. So, I’m in charge,” Natalie said excitedly. “Oh yeah! There’s food in the kitchen! Beds to sleep on! Rooms to play in until this whole Night Stalkers thing will pass.”

“Wait…are you here by yourself?” Elder Kettle asked with a brow raised.

“Oh no, just me and my sister,” Natalie said before hearing tiny footsteps waddling out to the living room where the group was.

They looked and saw a toddler cup with dark brown liquid hair in between her small innocent eyes. She was wearing a blue gown and had a pink string shaped like a heart above her head, holding a teddy bear in her arms.

“Awe dhe bad people gone, sissy?” the toddler cup girl asked shyly.

Natalie smiled warmly. “No, there are no bad people here, Aurora. Look who showed up!” She referred to Cassidy, who gave a friendly wave to Aurora.

Aurora gasped and ran towards Cassidy. “Cassi!”

Cassidy enveloped Aurora into a hug with a giggle and a purr. “Hey, Rori, how are you doing?”

“Good! Good!” Aurora replied with a smile. “I didn’d dhink you would come ovew. Mommy says dhad you’we a buwden.”

Cassidy lost her smile and went. “Oh…”

“Bud I don’d dhink you’we a buwden,” Aurora said with a smile.

Cassidy’s smile returned to her face. “I’m glad you don’t.”

Mugman watched this interaction with a soft grin on his face.

Aurora noticed Cuphead and brightly smiled. “Cuppy!”

“Huh?” Cuphead uttered in confusion.

“Sissy dalks aboud you all dhe dime,” Aurora blurted out with a giggle.

Natalie blushed and shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

Cuphead smirked at Natalie. “Oh, you talked about me all the time?”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “If I were to be talking about you all the time, it would be how annoying and disgusting you are.”

“She says you’we cute when you get mad,” Aurora said.

Natalie blushed and walked over to pick her sister up. “Okay. It’s time for bed.” Natalie hurried back to Aurora’s bedroom to put her sister to sleep.

Cuphead blushed after Aurora’s statement and looked at Chalice. “Uh…is that a compliment or an insult?”

Chalice smirked at Natalie. Now, she knew who to tease along with Mugman.

Porkrind came in through the front door and stretched his arms. “I think we should all get some shut-eye.”

The group nodded their heads in agreement.

Natalie came back after putting Aurora to bed and wishing her goodnight. “Uh, I can show you guys the rooms you can sleep in.”

“That would be wonderful,” Elder Kettle answered.

~.~

Elder Kettle had a room by himself while Porkrind and Jerry shared a room together…mostly so that Jerry could sleep on the bed and Porkrind could keep watch to make sure no Night Stalkers come into the Ruth Mansion.

Meanwhile, Natalie showed Cassidy, Mugman, Cuphead, and Chalice to the bedroom with two bunk beds. One on the right side of the room and the other on the left side.

Natalie put her fists on her hips with a smile in pride. “This is where I usually have sleepovers.”

“If you have any friends,” Cuphead muttered to himself.

However, Natalie heard that and rolled her eyes. “At least that’s more than you.”

“Okay, okay,” Chalice said. “If we’re going to hide from the Night Stalkers, we all need to get along. That includes you both.”

Natalie and Cuphead glared at each other while Cuphead stuck his tongue out to her. Natalie stuck her tongue out in response.

Chalice sighed. “Okay. How about you both shake hands and call it a truce between you two for tonight?”

Cuphead groaned and looked at Natalie. He extended his hand out to shake Natalie’s hand.

Natalie squinted Cuphead’s hand. “Did you wash your hands?”

“Are you serious?” Cuphead growled.

“What?! You could be touching something gross and I’ll end up sick because of you. I can’t have that,” Natalie said with her arms crossed.

“Just shake his hand, Natalie,” Chalice said with a groan.

Natalie rolled her eyes and looked at Cuphead. “If I end up sick, I blame you.” She shook his hand.

Chalice smiled grandly. “Great! Now let’s get some sleep.” She transformed into a ghost and flew up to the top bunk on the left side of the room.

Natalie blinked in surprise at Chalice’s sudden transformation.

“You get used to it,” Cuphead stated while going over to the bottom bunk bed below Chalice and laid there.

Natalie turned to Mugman and Cassidy. “Have a good night you two.” She climbed up to the top bunk bed on the right side of the room. That only left one bottom bunk bed. It was big enough to fit both Cassidy and Mugman, but they weren’t sure if they should sleep on the same bunk together.

Mugman glanced over at Cassidy. “I’ll take the floor.”

Cassidy perked her head up and shook her head. “No, you can go ahead and take the bed. I’ll take the floor.”

“No, I insist. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“No, no, I insist that you sleep on the bed.”

“Just share the bed,” Natalie said with a groan in annoyance.

Cassidy and Mugman looked at each other, blushing.

“U-Uh, it’s only for one night…right?” Mugman replied mostly to himself.

An idea struck the red feline’s head. She crawled onto the bed and used the pillows to separate both him and her. “There. That way we won’t roll on top of each other by accident.”

Mugman got onto the bed and laid there next to the pillow wall Cassidy created between them.

“Well, goodnight, Mugman. I’ll see you in the morning,” Cassidy said while turning over to face the wall, hiding her blush.

Mugman turned over with his back to her, blushing as well. “Uh…goodnight.”

After a tense moment, they both fell asleep on the bottom bunk.

To Be Continued... 

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite)

*Hey guys! I'm back with another episode of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows Rewritten! This is published on August 11, 2023. If you guys like the episode, don't be afraid to heart it, reblog, and comment! That would be greatly appreciated! Warning: Body transformation, possession, and blood. Enjoy!*

Episode Ten: The Will of a Hunter

Something was there. Mugman knew it. He wasn’t crazy unless he could blink and wake up from this nightmare.

A stone statue of a brave cup in the deep underground of withering Sugarland had his eyes flickered between blue and red.

Blue and red.

Blue and red.

Blue and red.

Mugman was tossing and turning on the bottom bunk bed below Natalie. Cassidy was sleeping next to him. She didn’t seem disturb by his constant tossing and turning.

Mugman moaned in discomfort as his dream continued.

There was electricity and fire gripping on both sides of the stoned cup statue, getting brighter and brighter until the fire and electricity broke through. Both spread across the underground, engulfing everything and anything around the statue.

Mugman’s eyes shot opened, revealing his pupils to be bright blue. His veins became brighter blue while he could feel his insides being electrocuted. Everything started to hurt while he tried to clenched his teeth to not scream and wake the others up until he collapsed on the floor. He had no control over his body convulsing on the floor. He felt his teeth biting his tongue to the point where he could feel blood trickling up to his bottom lip.

Mugman could see something completely different though despite feeling pain. He could see stars above him with endless galaxies upon galaxies. He couldn’t count them all to calm himself down because he could lost souls roaming through the blue liquid plane, each of them lost.

“Calix Animi sumus.

a Altissimo sumus electi.

Altissimi tueri liberos vovemus.

Votum est pugnare cum angelis et daemones eicere.”

Mugman breathed heavily, trying to figure out why his vision suddenly changed into a beautiful heavenly place with luscious green forest, just as beautiful as the forest he used to live in. He could feel himself being pulled into the luscious forest with the smell of pine everywhere infiltrating his nose much more than it used to. It was then, he saw a small building of twelve objects gathered in a circle, speaking in a foreign language that Mugman couldn’t understand.

“Calix Animi sumus.

a Altissimo sumus electi.

Altissimi tueri liberos vovemus.

Votum est pugnare cum angelis et daemones eicere.”

Those words repeated themselves until Mugman heard more closely, translating into a language he could understand better.

“We are the Calix Animi.

We are chosen by the Most High.

We vow to protect the Most High’s children.

We vow to fight alongside with angels and cast out the demons.”

Mugman gasped in shock. What was going on here? Who was the Calix Animi? He saw a familiar cup stranger in the crowd…wait he looked like that stoned statue cup, but he couldn’t remember the name of his until—

The blue in Mugman’s vision faded away, causing him to gasp as if he hadn’t breathed in a while. He looked around to find that he was still in the bedroom and was surprised that his friends, his girlfriend, and his brother slept through all the commotion he was making unknowingly. Once Mugman sat up, blood started to leaked out from his mouth. He covered his mouth with a shocked gasp, realizing that he might have bit his tongue too hard.

He rushed out of the bedroom and hurried to find a bathroom two doors down from Natalie’s bedroom. He didn’t hesitate to enter the bathroom and shut the door, blood leaking out of his fingers. Mugman strode to the sink and uncovered his mouth, seeing blood falling out of his mouth. Luckily his tongue was okay, but it was bleeding.

Mugman washed his mouth and stroked his bleeding tongue, getting as much blood out as he could before grabbing a dry cloth and stuck it on his tongue. He breathed heavily, trying grasp of what he just saw in his vision. He took deep breaths to calm himself down, groaning. It was all probably just a stupid dream. But what happened back there? There had to be a reason why he was flapping around like a fish.

Did it had something to do with whatever orb there was down below Sugarland? Did Cuphead have the same dream? Will Cuphead have the same dream? Wait, was that why Cuphead could shape-shift suddenly? Was it the red part of whatever that orb was?

There were so many questions that he deserved to know. Mugman deserved to know what was going on with him and his brother. That would be the last time Cuphead and Mugman will ever touch anything.

Mugman looked up and saw his reflection, his eyes widened in shock. He could himself in the mirror, but he looked too different. His irises were red in his yellow eyes, sharp teeth grinning wickedly at him. His big blue nose wrinkled and darkened. The flames erupted from his ceramic head and his claws gripped the porcelain sink.

The mug breathed heavily as he could’ve sworn he saw his reflection leaping out of the mirror to get him. Mugman stumbled back with a gasp against the wall, but he blinked and the creature that looked so much like him disappeared without a trace. He could hear his little maniacal laugh.

“W-What is going on?!” Mugman screamed, not sure what he was seeing all around was real. It was sudden that he could feel the familiar pain in his head again. Oh no, not again. Mugman growled while clutching the side of his head.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop,” Mugman groaned in pain, his hands gripping the sides of his ceramic head. “No, no, no, please—”

Mugman felt hairs coming out of his body like fur, his vision turning red around him like blood. He watched his hands transformed into paws with claws extended out of the tips of his fingers. Breathing heavily in panic, he looked to see the door unlocked. With the last bit of sanity he had left, he pushed through his pain and locked the door so that no one could come in and get harmed by him.

“S-Stop! Please…I don’t want this…I don’t want this…”

Mugman felt the tip of his tongue torn apart, making a forked tongue like a reptilian monster. He gasped in shock while feeling his conscious slip away. He could no longer control his body. He couldn’t control the laughter coming out of his mouth.

~.~

“NOOOO!!!” Mugman cried and fell through the darkness. He screamed all the way down, not sure what he was doing or what was going on. Someone else had taken hold of his body and he needed to get it back before he could hurt anyone by accident.

He collapsed on the floor with a groan in pain. He blinked his eyes open to realize…he was in the same place before. In the bathroom in the Ruth Mansion. Wait, was this all a stupid dream? What was going on?

“Hello, little animal.”

Mugman gasped and whirled around as he felt someone picking him up by the throat slamming him against the wall, losing the center part of his handle. It was that tiger stranger once again.

“WHO ARE YOU?!” Mugman cried while thrashing his feet. He watched his veins glowing orange at the tiger’s touch. “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!”

“Aww, you haven’t figured out already? Your father was dumb enough to bring you into his little lab. You oughta know something.”

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!!! I WAS ONLY A BABY!!!” Mugman screamed in pain from the burn he felt in his veins. “STOP!!! STOP!!!”

“Well, if you can’t remember what I want you to remember, then maybe you could remember something so recent. How about where you are right now?”

“I’ll never tell you that!” Mugman growled, spitting at the tiger’s face.

“Oh, don’t worry, I have ways of getting you to tell me…whether you mean to or not.”

With that said, Mugman was thrown into the mirror, transporting him outside of Natalie’s house. He blinked open his eyes and gasped. He shook his head and looked, trying to prevent whoever was messing with his head to come near the house.

“No, I won’t! I won’t let you—!” Mugman felt his handle being grabbed by the tiger and the intensified burn throughout his veins. “LEAVE ME ALONE!!!”

He snapped his eyes open to see Natalie’s house in full view. Mugman screamed in pain, his body going limped from the pain.

“Good. Good. Don’t get too worried about it, you’ll be the only one left alive,” the tiger whispered cruelly into his ears.

“NO! NO! I WON’T LET YOU HURT THEM!!!”

“Oh, I won’t be the one to hurt them.”

Mugman blinked as he felt something damped on his gloves suddenly. He lifted his hands up to see…blood. Nothing but fresh blood. The tears started to edge out of the mug’s face, his head shaking in denial.

“NO! NO!!! I DON’T WANT TO HURT THEM!!!” Mugman cried, transporting back in the bathroom with the tiger holding him hostage.

“Mugman…Mugman, are you in there?!” Elder Kettle’s voice called from the other side of the door, panicked.

“No, Elder Kettle! Get away from me!!!” Mugman cried while struggling against the tiger’s grip.

“Mugman! Mugman, you okay in there?!” Cuphead’s voice echoed from the other side.

“I’ll go see what’s going on,” Chalice’s voice said with determination.

“NO! CHALICE! STAY AWAY!!!” Mugman screamed while sobbing uncontrollably.

“Wait, I can hear some weird maniacal laughter on the other side of the door,” Jerry’s quiet tone uttered.

“Yeah, I agree. Kettle, I think the potion was wearing off,” Porkrind’s gruff voice said in a timid manner.

“Mugman! Mugman! Are you okay?!” Cassidy’s sweet angelic voice soothed his ears a little.

“CASSI! CASSI!!!” Mugman cried.

“Your little family and friends won’t hear you scream. They’ll only hear your bloodlust laughs as you slaughtered them into pieces.”

“NOOOO!!!! GET AWAY!!!! GET AWAY!!!!” Mugman begged his family and friends.

“Don’t worry, Mugsy! We’ll help ya!” Cuphead shouted in determination.

“NOO!!! CUPHEAD!!! STAY AWAY!!!”

“Hold on, Mugman!” Cassidy encouraged.

“NOOO!!! I SAID STAY AWAY!!!” Mugman said as his veins went from orange to blue in an instant, confusing the tiger holding him until the electricity was shot out of his body. The tiger stumbled away while Mugman was dropped to the ground, watching electricity spreading across the bathroom and onto the door. He heard yelps in shock from the other side of the door, now happy that his family and friends had gotten the message.

“What the heck?!” Canteen’s voice shouted.

“Stay away from the door!” Natalie replied loudly at, if Mugman had to guess, Aurora.

Mugman heard someone else coming into the bathroom. He turned his head to find someone familiar and yet…not so familiar at the same time. It was a cup stranger, walking into the bathroom through the wall with the ball of electricity on one hand and red fire on the other hand. He charged towards the tiger and tackled him away from Mugman, who was dropped on the floor on his butt. He looked up to see the cup stranger pinning the tiger against the wall with his swords summoned on his hands magically.

“Who are you?! What are you?!” the tiger growled at the cup stranger.

Mugman looked up at the cup stranger with some sense of admiration.

“Let’s just say that I’m his protector,” the cup stranger replied with a smirk. With the telepathic force, he controlled the electric waves to electrocute the tiger.

The tiger screamed in pain and disappeared into thin air.

Mugman’s surroundings disappeared until it was black void. Before Mugman could question the identity of the cup stranger, his surroundings changed automatically. Now, Mugman was in someplace warm and familiar…in the living room of Elder Kettle’s house.

“You okay?”

Mugman looked up at the cup stranger, who held a hand up to help the little mug up on his feet.

Mugman nodded his head and took the stranger’s hand, standing up to his feet. “W-What just happened? Who are you?”

“You’re in the safe place now,” the stranger explained. “The name is Gabriel. Gabriel Arch-Cup.”

“Gabriel Arch-Cup—?” Mugman widened his eyes in shock. “Wait! You’re that stone statue in the caverns in Sugarland with the weird glowing orb thingy and-and—holy cow.”

“No one has come this far to touch the Eternal’s Orb,” Gabriel, the cup stranger, responded. “You two must have my blood to get the orb.”

Mugman blinked his eyes in shock. “Wait, wait, wait, you’re telling me that—Wait…this doesn’t make sense. You said you’re my protector.”

“Yes, as a member of the Calix Animi, I vow to protect anyone who absorbed the orb, and that would be you and your brother.”

“Calix Animi…what’s that?”

Gabriel frowned. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard of us. If you are my descendant, how far into the future are you?”

“Future…? Do you mean right now as I’m living?”

“I guess that’s what I mean.”

“Uh…I don’t know.”

“Huh, okay. What year are you guys in?”

“Uuuuummm, maybe 1936.”

“Oh wow! Okay, I wasn’t expecting that.”

Mugman arched a brow. “Wasn’t expecting what?”

“Well, to be three centuries old…heh, I guess I’ve been living in the dark for too long.”

“Three centuries old?! Whoa! You’re really old! But…you don’t even look old.”

“I died a long time ago.”

“Oh…”

“What I should’ve said was that I’ve been trapped underground for three centuries. I’ve sworn myself to protect anyone who has my blood and absorbed the Eternal’s orb. You and your brother found me.”

“Does that mean you’ll protect Cuphead too?”

“Mhm.” Gabriel nodded his head. “Although, you’re brother is a little…”

“Annoying?”

“No.”

“Stupid?”

“No.”

“Weird?”

“Chaotic…Reckless.”

“Oh yeah, that’s typical for Cuphead.”

“So are you though.”

“I’m not that chaotic and reckless.”

“That’s debatable based on you and your brother’s memories.”

Mugman crossed his arm with a huff. “Well then—wait—! You looked through our memories?!”

“Yeah. Kind of. I kinda want to see who I’m protecting. That’s how I know that your safe place was at Elder Kettle’s house.”

They heard voices coming from the other side of the door. Mugman and Gabriel looked at the door.

“It’s time to wake up,” Gabriel said.

“Wait, what?”

Gabriel walked towards the door and opened it, revealing a bright light flashing before their eyes.

Mugman covered his face and glanced at Gabriel. “Wait, Gabriel!”

“Hm?”

“Will I see you again?” Mugman questioned.

“You’ll see me again. Maybe sooner than later,” Gabriel replied while stepping into the light.

Mugman could hear voices of his loved ones, calling to him to wake up finally. He clutched his chest and stepped through the light. 

~.~

Mugman groaned in pain while fluttering his eyes open. He found himself laying on the bottom bunk bed with the morning blinding his eyes. His vision was no longer red and he didn’t feel claws digging through the mattress. He was back to normal…how? How did this happen?

Mugman flicked a gaze around him to find Cuphead by his bedside along with Cassidy, both smiling excitedly to see him awake.

“You okay, bud?” Cuphead asked softly.

Mugman sat up with a groan while rubbing his ceramic head. “Ugh, kind of…what-what just happened? D-Did I hurt anyone?”

“Nah, ya didn’t. BUT YOU BLEW OFF THE BATHROOM DOOR WITH SOME SUDDEN BURST OF ELECTRICITY!!!” Cuphead shouted excitedly. “THAT WAS SO COOL! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?! TELL ME! TELL ME! TELL ME!!”

He was swiftly interrupted by Elder Kettle picking Cuphead by the handle and pulling him away from his brother.

“Cuphead, give your brother some space. He’s still recovering,” Elder Kettle responded softly. He shifted his gaze at Mugman. “Are you okay, son?”

“Y-Yeah. Just a bit hurt in some areas,” Mugman uttered with a nervous smile. Then he widened his eyes in sudden realization. “We have to get out of here.”

“What?” Cuphead, Cassidy, and Elder Kettle questioned simultaneously.

Mugman got up from the bed, barely stumbling. “We got to get everyone out of here. We’re not safe!”

“Whoa, slow down, boy,” Elder Kettle said while helping Mugman up on his feet, which was noticed by Porkrind, Jerry, Chalice, Canteen, Natalie, and Aurora. “What’s going on?”

“We don’t have time. The-The Night Stalkers…they-they knew we’re here.”

“Are you sure it’s not just a nightmare?”

“It’s not! It’s-It’s real! All of it! We have to go now!”

“Hey, kid, don’t panic,” Porkrind stepped in.

There was a sudden knock at the door, causing everyone to froze in terror.

“Are the bad people here?” Aurora questioned, earning a quiet shush from Natalie.

Cassidy stood by Mugman, holding his hand. Chalice stepped in front of Canteen to protect him from incoming danger, earning a blush from the metal canteen.

The knock echoed through the house.

Porkrind hurried into a kitchen to grab a frying pan with Jerry taking out his cannon guns. Elder Kettle grabbed the sword from the mantel in the living room as the three adult men stood together in front of the door.

“You kids hide somewhere safe,” Porkrind instructed. “We’ll take care of this.”

“Dad—”

Cassidy watched her father and Jerry go with Elder Kettle to the front door. Elder Kettle motioned up to three with his fingers and opened the door.

“AHA!!” all three of them screamed, only for them to realize that Ribby and Croaks were standing at the porch with a shriek.

“WHOA! WHOA! We friendly here! We friendly here!” Ribby shouted with his hands raised up.

Captain Brineybeard appeared behind them, carrying Cala Maria in his arms. “Aye, we aren’t goin’ t’ hurt ye!”

“I could turn them into stone if we need to get inside,” Cala offered.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Croaks responded.

“Ribby? Croaks?” Cassidy recognized excitedly while running up to them.

The frog brothers brightly smiled. “Cassi!!!” They lifted her up and hugged her with laughter and happiness.

Porkrind lowered his frying pan. “They’re not our enemies.”

Dice approached the group.

“HE IS!” Elder Kettle growled while pointing at the sword at King Dice.

“Whoa! Whoa!” The frog brothers shouted.

“He works for the Devil!” Elder Kettle shouted at the others.

“Oh, then he’s gotta go,” Jerry said while pointing his guns at Dice.

Porkrind tilted his head while aiming his frying pan at Dice. “You gotta a lot of nerve to show up here without your boss creepin’ around.”

“Look, I know you all don’t trust me, but believe me when I tell you that Big D and the Night Stalkers ain’t that far behind us,” King Dice alerted the rest of the group.

“Big D?!” Porkrind and Jerry gasped.

“Yeah…?” Dice uttered. “You know, the Devil.”

“Oh, I thought you were…talking about…down there…between your…you know what, nevermind,” Jerry said with a groan.

“Aye, he’s right! The Davy Jones ‘n his cult o’ killers are on thar way here right now!” Brineybeard agreed with King Dice.

The three men began lowering their guards down slightly.

“If we’re leaving, we’re leaving you behind,” Elder Kettle growled at King Dice, pointing his sword at him.

Dice widened his eyes. “Hey, the Devil wants to kill me too, you know!”

“Oh boo-hoo, Mr. Fancy Man. I’m sure he’ll welcome you back with open arms if you surrender yourself to him,” Elder Kettle snarled at the gambler.

“Kettle?”

Elder Kettle perked up at the familiar sword and looked over beside Dice, his weary eyes widening in shock to see Murray standing there with only one eye and a handle missing. A gasp escaped his lips while he dropped his sword.

Murray smiled a little to see Elder Kettle again. “It’s been a while, has it?”

Elder Kettle covered his mouth, trying not to cry in seeing Murray again. Cuphead and Mugman walked outside to see Elder Kettle in utter tears. They had never seen the old war-veteran and former arsonist almost breaking down crying.

“Is…everything alright—?” Mugman looked up at Murray along with Cuphead. Murray tried not to cry in front of his boys, smiling through the tears.

“Who are you?” Cuphead asked with more of an abrasive tone.

Elder Kettle managed to clear his throat first. “He’s your father, boys.”

Cuphead blinked in shock along with Mugman.

“Dad?” Mugman uttered in shock.

Murray nodded his head.

Mugman felt tears edging out of his eyes while running up to Murray and leaping into his father’s arms. Murray almost stumbled from Mugman jumping on him and knocking him down. He embraced his son, finally letting the tears fall from his eye.

Cuphead examined his father with the look of skepticism. Not that he didn’t believe that Elder Kettle would lie to them about who their father was…but he couldn’t believe he saw his father…after fifteen years. It was awkward to say the least. There was so much to catch up on. So much to even talk about. Where was his father in the past fifteen years? Why did he leave them? Why were they abandoned?

Murray noticed Cuphead not running into his arms. If Murray had to be honest, he wouldn’t blame Cuphead for being skeptical. He extended his hand out for Cuphead to join them in a hug. Cuphead looked at Murray’s hand with the look of confusion before shaking his hand with a friendly smile. Murray chuckled a bit at his son’s reaction and shook his hand too.

Murray broke away from Mugman and set him down. “I feel like I owe you boys a lot explanation, do I?”

Cuphead nodded his head while Mugman wiped the tears away and nodded.

“I-I remembered…” Mugman almost whimpered. “I remembered Mama and you and Cuphead…I-I remembered the tiger trying to kill us.”

“How could you remember all of that?” Murray asked with a curious tone.

“I-I don’t know.”

Murray frowned and sighed. “The tiger you remembered was named Hunter. Hunter Manson…he’s…not a good guy. It’s best if you stay away from him.”

“Will do!” Cuphead replied with a thumbs up.

“I-I can’t…” Mugman uttered tearfully.

Murray tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Mugman started to tremble. “I-I—I keep seeing him…in my dreams…he-he was trying to—” The little mug started to weep, his small body trembling.

Elder Kettle clenched his teeth. “Mugman has Tremaine inside of him.”

“What?!” Murray gasped in shock and looked at Mugman.

Mugman started to cry. “He’s torturing me with it…”

“Wait, what? You never told us that,” Cuphead pointed out to Mugman.

“I-I didn’t want to worry you guys,” Mugman answered.

Everyone was dead silent.

Murray looked at Jerry. “Do you have extra guns?”

Jerry looked at Porkrind, who shrugged his shoulders, and then back at Murray. Jerry dug out one extra cannonball hand gun and handed it to Murray.

“Thanks,” Murray responded.

“Yeah…Hunter sent Bowlboy to inject Tremaine into Mugman,” King Dice said with clenched teeth.

“WHAT?!” the group gasped in shock.

“Okay, in the kid’s defense, he didn’t know what he was putting in Mugman…the kid likes to inject random weird stuff into people…which was mostly harmless until Tremaine happened,” King Dice responded.

“Look, as much as we like to catch up with each other and reunite, the Night Stalkers are right there,” Cala Maria said while pointing at the army of hooded figures coming towards them in the woods.

“Oh no, they’ve followed us!!” Croaks shouted in panic.

“You saying it’s my fault?!” Ribby barked with his fists clenched.

“So what if I did?!” Croaks snarled back. The imaginary bell rang as the two frogs were punching each other.

“Are ye serious right now? GET INSIDE NOW!!!” Brineybeard shouted at the frogs.

The frogs didn’t hesitate to hurry inside, carrying Cassidy inside while Porkrind and Jerry pulled Elder Kettle into the house. Murray picked up Cuphead and Mugman and hurried inside.

King Dice saw the Devil among the Night Stalkers with a glare at the house, breathing heavily in fear.

“Dice, get in!” Ribby shouted for Dice.

Brineybeard noticed Dice being frozen in terror at the sight of the Devil and stepped forward just to grab the gambler by the shoulder and yanked him inside of the house. 

~.~

Natalie, who had been inside of the house the entire time with Chalice, Canteen, and Aurora, put a protective arm over her baby sister while Ribby and Croaks barricaded the door after Dice was pulled inside.

Brineybeard turned Dice to face him. “Listen t’ me, lad, he won’t listen t’ ye if ye try t’ explain the situation. He doesn’t care. He sees ye as someone who’s easily replaceable. Ye’re worth more than that, mate. Don’t forget that.”

Dice blinked in shock at the pirate’s words. Even Cala Maria was shocked from his words while sitting on his shoulder. She blushed a bit from even hearing those words, even though it wasn’t meant for her at the moment.

Brineybeard nodded his head and focused on what was going on outside of the house.

“Oh man, we’re going to die here,” Ribby uttered in fear. “We was doin’ just fine running a boat restaurant…now…we’re going to die.”

“I don’t wanna die,” Croaks sobbed. “I’m sorry we was always fightin’!”

“Me too. Me too.”

Brineybeard widened his eyes in shock. “Belay that! Ye ‘ave a boat?”

Ribby glanced at the pirate. “Uh…yeah.”

“It’s a ferry boat though,” Croaks uttered.

“That’s more than enough!” Brineybeard determined. “Come on, we got t’ get off o’ this island! Thar be an island across the way that could get us further from the Night Stalkers!”

Chalice brightly smiled at the idea. “Yeah, I know a friend from another island! He’ll be more than happy to help with this whole Tremaine situation!”

“I sure hope so,” Ribby muttered lowly as they heard more and more footsteps surrounding the place.

“Come on, we gotta get out of here!” Cuphead determined.

Natalie clenched her jaw. “Oh, Mom’s going to be so mad at me for leaving this house a mess.”

“I think you should consider more about you and your sister’s safety,” Porkrind pointed out to Natalie.

“We gotta go!” Jerry urged the group as they were on their way to the back door until they were met with more hooded assassins breaking down the door. They froze and looked to see the front door broken down.

Cuphead and Mugman gasped to see Devil among them.

“There, now I can kill all of you right where you stand!”

Cassidy growled with her ears pinned down on her head.

Brineybeard took out his sword along with Elder Kettle. Ribby and Croaks put up their gloved hands to ready to fight anyone coming near them. Cassidy extended her claws with her teeth clenched, standing by Porkrind and Jerry. Porkrind had his frying pan ready with Jerry taking out his pistol. Murray stood in front of Cuphead and Mugman and aimed the pistol he was given at any assassin who would dare come near them. Natalie hugged her little sister closer with heavy breaths in fear. Chalice stood in front of Canteen with a growl and her fists clenched.

“What are we waiting for? Kill them all!” Devil barked at the assassins.

Cassidy snarled at the assassins raising their guns at them.

Dice shook his head and stepped in between the group and the Devil and the cultists. “Wait! These cultists do not have your best interest, boss! They have an underground cell with your name on it!”

Devil widened his eyes.

“Hunter is going to stab you in the back and rule Hell! You gotta listen to me! He’s trying to take over the world by ruling Hell! You gotta believe me!” Dice shouted in a pleading tone.

“Aye, we heard it all, ain’t that right, lads?” Brineybeard asked Ribby, Croaks, and Cala Maria.

“Yeah! He’s also going to trap Dice underground too,” Ribby spoke out.

Croaks nodded his head in agreement.

“Look, you may hate us, but I heard their plan in the underground cell as well,” Cala Maria responded with her arms crossed and her eyes glowing red. “Believe us or not, your choice. But we won’t let you have our souls.”

“YEAH!” Ribby and Croaks shouted in determination.

The Devil arched a brow in confusion. “You’ve all hated me. How do you expect me to believe you?!”

“Please, listen to them! They were there with me!” Dice shouted at the Devil.

“He ain’t goin’ t’ listen t’ us, lad! We won’t convince ‘im otherwise!” Brineybeard reminded Dice.

“Kill them all!” Devil growled at the assassins. The assassins raised their guns at the same time Cala Maria shot laser beams out of her eyes, turning the assassins all around them into stone, including Devil.

The group stood in shock at the fact that they didn’t have to fight the assassins until they saw more coming towards them.

Dice looked down to notice the orange glow within the cracks of the stoned Devil. “It ain’t gonna hold long. We have to go!”

“Now ye’re talkin’! Come on!” Brineybeard said with a bright smile, hurrying to pick Natalie and Aurora up in his one strong arm while his other strong arm was holding Cala Maria on his shoulder.

Murray picked up the boys and rushed out the back door with Brineybeard, Cala, Natalie, and Aurora, followed by Elder Kettle, Porkrind, Cassidy, Jerry, Chalice, and Canteen.

Ribby and Croaks were the last to get out behind them, barricading the door with a nearby board leaned against the wall. Elder Kettle picked up his black goat just grazing outside in the backyard.

They hurried towards the town, being followed by the assassins, including Hunter.

Ribby and Croaks noticed their ferry parked on the shore a few blocks away from the coastal town.

Ribby looked at the gang. “Hey! We’ll meet youse guys over at the port!”

The gang nodded their heads in understanding when they saw the frogs taking off towards the ferry as fast as they could.

Hunter had the assassins split up to go after Ribby and Croaks while he stuck with the assassins chasing after the rest of the gang. 

~.~

They hurried into the coastal town with the assassins chasing after them.

Cassidy realized they were hitting a dead end at the port. “Guys!”

Everyone widened their eyes in shock once they hit a dead end. They stood at the edge and watched Hunter approached them with his assassins behind him.

Mugman trembled watching the tiger who was in his dreams becoming real in front of him. “You.”

Cuphead heard his brother and then glared at Hunter. He raised his finger guns, clenching his teeth in anger. The tips of his fingers glowed blue. “Don’t you take another step or else I’ll shoot!”

Hunter smirked at the small cup. “How cute. Where was that need to protect your brother when you owed the Devil your soul?”

Cuphead growled, his eyes turned into red flames and the glow went from blue to red quickly. Hunter broadened his eyes at this sight before dodging when the fireballs fired at them by hanging on the side edge of the port.

The group widened their eyes in shock at Cuphead’s new abilities. Cuphead’s veins glowed red while he zoomed towards the rest of the assassins who dodged his fire attack. He punched one of them in the stomach, breaking his ribs with multiple cracks sound. He slammed his fist into another assassin’s jaw, completely broke it off of his mouth.

The group watched with more shock at Cuphead fighting the assassins violently. They looked at each other and got out their fists and weapons to join the fight. Cala Maria fell back into the ocean while Brineybeard put Aurora and Natalie down from his shoulders and led the charge towards the assassins, slashing his swords against the incoming assassins. Elder Kettle managed to swipe his sword at the assassin’s stomach causing him to bleed.

Murray put Mugman down and tackled the assassin coming towards them, getting into his memories with his eye glowing violet. Murray chose a memory to torture the assassin with and left him there to scream in agony. Then, he used his pistol Jerry gave him to shoot the assassin approaching him.

Mugman’s eyes suddenly turned blue. What was happening to him? His vision was blue, seeing skeletons fighting against each other. He couldn’t tell which were his friends and family and which were his family until he could feel a burst of electricity burst out of his hand, electrocuting the assassin, who was about to attack Murray. Murray turned around and watched his son’s body trembling at this newfound power he had inside of him. Murray loaded his gun and noticed the other assassin coming towards them, jumping in front of his son to defend him.

Jerry and Porkrind charged towards the assassins with the one-eyed pig struggling against the bigger assassin. He heard someone coming towards them and saw Cassidy climbing on the assassin, scratching his face up with an aggressive meow. The assassin felt a bullet on his shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain. Cassidy jumped back onto her father’s shoulder, holding onto his overall strap. They looked to find Jerry loading his pistol to fire the next shot.

Dice noticed Jerry fumbling to load his pistol and the assassin raising his rifle out of anger. He looked around people fighting while sighing heavily. It was then his eyes turned green as he took out his deck of cards and threw an ace of spades onto the tip of the assassin’s rifle, blocking the bullet from firing at Jerry. Instead, the bullet ricochet back inside of the rifle and exploded at the back, managing to get the assassin in the head. They looked to see Dice’s eyes turning green while all the cards surrounded him, ready to fight more than ever.

Canteen gasped in horror and watched three assassins coming towards him at the edge of the pier. He closed his eyes to accept his fate until one of the assassins turned around and shot two other assassins behind him. Canteen glanced up with eyes wide when he witnessed the assassin shooting himself after he shot the other assassins. Chalice’s ghost form popped out of the assassin once the assassin pulled the trigger and possessed the other assassin charging towards Natalie and Aurora and used him to shoot the incoming assassins.

Chalice phased out of the assassin once she made him shot himself and transformed back to her physical form with a sigh of relief. “Wonder when Ribby and Croaks were going to show up with the boat.”

She looked back and she noticed Canteen’s eyes dilated with a big blush across his face.

“Wow…” Canteen uttered.

“What?” Chalice questioned with a brow raised.

Canteen shook his head. “Nothing…uh, you…uh, you fight good as both ghost and mortal…I guess?”

Chalice gave him a flirty grin. “I could teach ya if you’re ever up for it.”

“That would be cool,” Canteen said, wiping off the sweat on his forehead.

“Get away from us!” Natalie shouted at the assassin, drawing both of Canteen’s and Chalice’s attention towards her and her sister.

The assassin raised his gun at them. Natalie hugged her sister, shielding her from the potential bullet. Before Chalice could turn into a ghost and defend Natalie and Aurora, everyone felt something shaking underneath the port. It was then that Cala Maria appeared, growing bigger than any skyscraper in Inkwell Isle City. She used her eyes to turned the assassin coming towards Natalie and Aurora into stone, which earned a look of admiration from Aurora.

“Ooh, big fishy!” Aurora called with a bright smile.

Cala Maria fired laser beams from her eyes with the ends of her hair turning into snakes hissing at the assassins coming towards them.

Hunter managed to recover and looked to find his assassins being out bested by the group. The tiger growled and looked to see Mugman with his eyes glowing blue. He smirked and put on the brown gloves with buttons on them, the same gloves Dice found in the secret room. He raised them up and pushed the buttons, managing to cause Mugman to stumble and groan in pain. Mugman breathed heavily while the blue in his eyes faded. He saw his veins turning from blue to orange. He gritted his teeth in pain and looked up to find Hunter torturing him from the side with those gloves.

Hunter chuckled lowly until he heard someone dashing towards him. He turned quickly and noticed Cuphead punching him in the chest, causing Hunter to lose control of Mugman and fall over into the water. The group saw more assassins coming towards them.

Finally Ribby and Croaks arrived with the ferry boat at the port.

“GET IN!!!” Ribby shouted for the group.

The red in Cuphead’s eyes faded, causing Cuphead to collapse. Murray picked Cuphead up along with Mugman, who almost fainted too. Murray carried both of his sons into the ferry boat, followed by Elder Kettle, Porkrind, Jerry, and Cassidy. Natalie picked Aurora up in her arms and hurried to the ferry with Chalice and Canteen.

Brineybeard picked up Canteen and Chalice and threw them up into the ferry. The buff pirate picked up Natalie and Aurora and placed them on his shoulders while climbing onto the deck of the ferry boat. Dice stayed behind and saw Devil approaching the scene with more assassins.

Dice clenched his teeth, feeling conflicted about his choices. Should he join the others and prolong his fate or should he accept his fate now? Dice looked up and saw Porkrind and Jerry watching this unfold from the deck.

Jerry and Porkrind exchanged glances while Jerry took out his gun and aimed it at the Devil, shooting the bullets at the Devil to temporarily slow him down. The Devil growled in pain as Dice watched in shock.

“Hey!”

Dice looked up and saw Porkrind’s hand extended to Dice.

“Are you gonna get on or what?!” Porkrind called.

Dice gasped in shock at the gesture and then looked back. He took a deep breath and finally made up his mind. He grasped Porkrind’s hand as the pig pulled him up into the ferry with Jerry helping them.

The ferry boat moved away from the port as fast as it could while Cala Maria gave them a boost with her tail splashing the water, causing a large wave to push the ferry away from the port. She glared back at the assassins and continued fighting them. Cala Maria felt a sting on her arm and she looked to see a huge syringe shot on her arm. She realized it was something that had knocked her out before as she started to breathe heavily, collapsing on the port.

Brineybeard saw all of this with tears welling up in his eyes. "CALA!!!" 

The ferry moved forward, causing the pirate to breathed heavily at this sudden loss. 

~.~

 The ferry boat traveled in the middle of the ocean with Croaks driving it. Ribby looked ahead with his hand over his eyes to block the sun blinding him.

“How far is this other isle?” Ribby asked the group camping on the deck.

Chalice hopped on the railing, looking over at the ocean. “It should be that way. Hopefully, we’ll be safer there.”

“That was quite a fight you guys put up,” Ribby commented. “Is everyone alright?”

“Yeah, we're alright. We're alright. ,” Porkrind said while looking at the kids. Natalie was playing hopscotch with Aurora while Canteen used his binoculars to look around the ocean. Cassidy was frozen on the deck when surrounded by water, but Porkrind sat by her to let her know that he was here.

Brineybeard was still coping with Cala Maria not catching up with them and losing her again. 

Porkrind sighed deeply and looked at Dice to see him looking back from where they came, processing what he was even doing on this ferry.

Jerry came up behind Dice and tilted his head. “Uh…are you doing okay?”

Dice turned to look at Jerry. “Oh, uh, I’m fine, thanks. Just deep in thought about something.”

Jerry nodded his head in understanding. “About what?”

“Oh. Just stuff and things.”

“Like Big…D…? You know, I’m calling him the Devil. That name didn’t sound appropriate to say in front of the children,” Jerry responded with a huff.

Dice chuckled at Jerry. “Yeah. Only his number one could call him that.” Dice frowned and sighed deeply. “What am I even doing? I mean, I wanna help in any way I can, but no matter what I tell him, he ain’t gonna listen to me.”

“He doesn’t listen to anyone,” Jerry cut in with his arms over the railing. “He’s the Devil for goodness sakes. You think he’s been around longer than everyone else and doesn’t listen to anyone all because his pride got the best of him. Such a shame really.”

Dice frowned. “Guess he’s gonna find out the hard way.”

“I think he knows,” Jerry replied.

“What makes you say that?”

Jerry glanced up at Dice. “First off, the Devil is a master of manipulation. If he can manipulate anyone, he can tell when he’s being manipulated pretty easily. Either he was dragging this longer to play or he’s waiting for Hunter to break the deal and get his soul. You’re probably ruining his fun by telling him something he already knew but didn’t want Hunter to know he already knew.”

Dice tilted his head. “Then why try to kill me?”

Jerry shrugged. “Maybe he thought you’re betraying him by joining our side.”

“I guess. But I wasn’t joining your side. I’m just…I…just…”

Jerry frowned to see Dice glancing down at the calm waters. “Just what?”

“I don’t know what I’m even doing. I got that guy out from the underground cell he’d been trapped in for years and helped him reunite with his boys and now I’m freeing all the prisoners and fighting by your side. I mean, I had no intention on doing any of this. I just want to be able to fight the Night Stalkers and Hunter. They were going to put me and Big D in those cells. And for what?! So that they could put Tremaine in us like they already did with Beppi and the Baroness in some sugar kingdom?! I refuse to be a part of their experiments! I can’t suffer like that. I don’t want to suffer like how Beppi suffered. Like how Mugman suffered. But I didn’t think I was fighting by your side.”

“Well, you did save my life back there at the port,” Jerry said with a small smile behind the scarf. “That I’m thankful for.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Well, it’s a life you saved. The Devil didn’t care about lives. He cares about collecting souls. You seem to care about lives…just a tad.”

Dice huffed an amused laugh. “Well, I care about my life.”

“Yeah, but you still saved mine,” Jerry responded.

“Let’s just say that it’s an one-time thing then.”

Jerry nodded his head. “Okay. Okay.” There was a pause as Jerry looked out into the calm seas. “I have a question. You say you’re the Devil’s number one, right?”

“Not anymore,” Dice said sadly.

“Are you doing all of this because someone else took that spot from you?”

“Psh, no!”

Jerry arched a brow at Dice, causing him to groan.

“Okay, maybe a little. Hunter had taken that spot actually. He had done everything Big D wanted, but I knew there was something off with him. What he offered Big D was too good to be true. I had to find out for myself if what I’m feeling or thinking was valid. Turned out it was. I thought that if I tell Big D about my ‘discoveries’, he could get me back into his number one spot. Guess that backfired, huh?”

“Either that or he thinks you’re rebelling against him by freeing the prisoners and fighting with us,” Jerry responded.

“But I didn’t do that to spite him! I did it to fight Hunter and his cult of maniacs!”

“That doesn’t matter to him. He sees that you freed the prisoners and if you think Hunter has that much influence over the Devil…which I highly doubt…the Devil might be inclined to believe Hunter more since Hunter probably did more things the Devil wanted than you did. I honestly don’t think he values you at all. He wouldn’t be so quick to shoot you if he does value you. When the time comes and if it were your life on the line or Hunter’s, he would choose Hunter since he’s done more ‘useful’ things than you have.”

“But I’ve delivered souls before and they’re just as subtle as how Hunter does it. And it has worked until those cups showed up,” King Dice grumbled. “Since then…I guess I got myself out of touch and I’m not even sure what I’m even doing.”

Jerry frowned and looked at the water. “You’ll figure it out. You’re the King Dice after all. I’m sure you’ll figure out something eventually.”

There was a brief silence while Dice smiled at the creature next to him.

“What’s your name? I didn’t catch it,” Dice asked Jerry.

“Jerry.”

“Thanks, Jerry.”

“No problem.”

Murray walked out onto the deck with Cuphead and Mugman barely gaining consciousness from using their powers earlier with Elder Kettle following them.

Cassidy noticed and smiled brightly to see Mugman. “Mugsy!”

Mugman lifted his head up just in time to see her jump into his arms. He nearly stumbled from her weight suddenly being pressed against him, but he embraced her anyway.

“Are you okay?” Cassidy replied while cupping his porcelain face.

“I’m fine now that you’re here,” Mugman responded with a love-sick smile. She smiled, blushed, and purred. She gave him kisses by licking his big blue nose. Mugman giggled. “C-Cassi, that tickles!” She rubbed her head against his with her purrs growing louder, making him giggle a little more.

The group smiled at them while hearing something booming from the sky.

Ribby looked up at the clouds. “Huh, I wonder what’s going on.”

“‘ave ye taken the ferry this far out into the ocean afore?” Brineybeard asked Ribby.

“Eh, not really,” Ribby responded.

“Guys…I think we’re approaching a storm,” Canteen uttered, pointing at the darkness ahead of them, lightened up by lightning strikes on the water to reveal turbulent waves up ahead.

Ribby widened his eyes. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“Wha’ do ye mean that everythin’ will be fine? Look at it! Thar’s goin’ t’ be a storm up ahead ‘n the ferry could only take so much water afore it sinks!” Brineybeard shouted at the frog.

“We should try to avoid the storm,” Elder Kettle suggested.

“Impossible. We can nah get around the storm. The rogue waves will consume us if we try t’ run from it,” Brineybeard responded.

“Guys…” Canteen uttered in fear.

Everyone looked to see their first rogue waves.

“EVERYBODY, TAKE COVER!” Ribby screamed for the others to go inside of the ferry. It was already too late as the first wave crashed into the ferry boat, knocking it back halfway before it would land right back into the water. Everyone sighed in relief except for Canteen and Brineybeard.

“LOOK OUT!!” Canteen screamed, watching the wave crashed ahead of them and rushing towards the small ferry. Luckily for them, the ferry was able to hobbled over it, rocking back and forth.

Dice glanced ahead and saw another wave towering over them. “WE’RE GOING TO SINK!!!”

“TAKE COVER!” Brineybeard yelled. Everyone held on for dear lives, closing their eyes to accept their fates. Cuphead brought Natalie and Aurora behind him to protect them while Mugman pulled Cassidy behind him and used himself as a shield, his hand reached out towards the water.

The water strangely bend to Mugman’s hand, letting the ferry ride over the wave and slid down into the water.

Ribby noticed with his brow raised. “WHAT THE—?!” They soon ran into another rogue wave, taller than the last. However, the tall wave soon let the ferry ride over it, crashing on the other side where it wouldn’t hit the ferry.

“The waters! They be nah crashin’ into us!” Brineybeard pointed out.

Ribby turned to ferry from the inside. “CROAKS! STEP ON IT!”

Croaks, steering the ferry, pushed onward through the storm.

Mugman fluttered his eyes opened and looked to see his hand glowing blue and the waters glowing blue, submitting to his control.

Cuphead noticed this with a bright smile. “WHOA, MUGSY!!! YOU’RE CONTROLLING THE WATER!”

“WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING, KEEP IT UP!!” Porkrind yelled for Mugman.

Mugman’s nose started to bleed from controlling the waves throughout the storm and Murray noticed this.

“Son, don’t hurt yourself!” Murray shouted.

Mugman didn’t listen as they got over to the other rogue wave, however it was a bit rocky and crashed down with them on top of the wave, shoving them forward.

Cassidy hanged onto Mugman when the water started to flood the deck.

Chalice fell off the ferry, but she was saved by Canteen grabbing her arm and pulling her up. He smiled at her with a blush.

“Now, we’re even!” Canteen said.

Chalice smirked at him.

Mugman breathed heavily until he collapsed on his knees.

“Mugman!” everyone called out as the last rogue wave crashed into them from the side, tearing the ferry apart wood by wood. Everyone was knocked out of the ferry by the huge rogue wave, drowning them in the ocean.

Everything went black. 

To Be Continued...

[elm-writes-stories]

Should I release teasers for the chapters for my stories?

I'm not just talking about Cuphead: Isle of Shadows and Cuphead: Isle of memories rewrite. I'm talking about if I ever made future fanfics for fandoms like Lackadaisy, Murder Drones, other Cuphead-related, FNAF/Nut Job cross-overs, Green Eggs and Ham, and all of the other fandoms I might get into for the future. I didn't want to leave you guys in the dark and be inactive until I release the next episode/chapter. So, what do you guys think?

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite)

*Hey guys! I'm back with another episode of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows Rewrite. This is published on August 14, 2023. If you guys like this chapter/episode, don't be afraid to vote and comment! That would be great! Enjoy!*

Episode Eleven: The Chef's Ingredients

Mugman’s body was numb to the cold.

He could feel something developing inside of him, almost like another set of lungs…or gills? He gasped as his eyes shot opened. He started to breathe…underwater? Mugman looked up to the surface and saw the rough waves clashing throughout the storm. He blinked and saw the pieces of the ferry boat sinking towards the bottom of the ocean faster than his group were.

Mugman watched his friends and family drifting in the ocean, blacked out. The young mug breathed heavily in fear. Are they dead? He didn’t know what happened until his vision went blue again. He didn’t know what was going on, but he could feel lips moving and the strange words he spoke causing the water underneath the raging storm to move.

“Cape nos ad litus.

Cape nos ad litus.”

Mugman tried to understand what he…himself…was saying. His ears foreign to the language until it was translated the more the language repeated itself.

“Take us to the shore.

Take us to the shore.”

Mugman could feel something moving him. He was too paralysed to look, but he could tell it was huge, bigger than any fish he’d seen. Mugman could feel himself slipping towards the back as he finally managed to see what it was that was carrying him. It was a whale…strangely…with its eyes glowing blue like Mugman’s. He looked to see more whales coming into the scene with their eyes bright blue like Mugman’s, carrying his friends and family. It was almost like the whales were controlled by him, carrying them all towards the shore. Was this all a weird dream? He wouldn’t know. 

~.~

Mugman gasped heavily, his chest heaving. He coughed out the water and sat up on the sand, his body trembling. He could feel his nose bleeding against and wiped the blood off. He blocked the sunlight with his hand. He looked out onto the ocean to see the storm ahead of him. He blinked to realize they were at the other side of the storm and glanced down at the others who were laying on the sand with him.

Mugman gasped to find his brother groaning awake. “Cuphead. Cuphead!”

Cuphead groaned. “Huh? What just happened—?” He looked down to notice Natalie laying on his chest. With a blush, he moved her off of him gently and patted her head.

King Dice sat up with a groan until he noticed sand on his damped purple suit. “Ugh! Dang sand! Now, I need to get this to the cleaners—” He looked out into the ocean and blinked in confusion. “Wait, are we—dead? How in the world did we get here?”

Mugman rubbed his head. “That’s a bit hard to explain.”

Soon, Ribby and Croaks raised their heads with groans.

“Did we make it?” Croaks uttered while they looked around the shore to see pieces of their ferry boat washed up on the beach.

“Our boat! It’s destroyed!” Ribby cried.

“You sayin’ it’s my fault?!” Croaks barked at his brother.

“So what if I did?!”

The imaginary bell rang as Ribby and Croaks started to punching each other, waking Captain Brineybeard up from next to them.

“Argh, will ye two stop fightin’ ‘n--wait, where are we?” Brineybeard questioned his surroundings. “How did we end up here?”

Chalice and Canteen sat up from the sand, their hands holding until they noticed and blushed.

Chalice smirked at him. “You know if you wanna hold my hand, you could’ve just asked.”

Canteen swiftly moved his hand away from hers, blushing madly. “Wha—?! Oh, I…that, uh, I wasn’t trying to hold your hand or anything—”

While Canteen was stuttering with Chalice smirking at him, Porkrind, Elder Kettle, Jerry, Natalie, and Murray got up from the sand with Porkrind spitting the sand out.

“Goodness…what just happened?” Jerry uttered before looking around the shore. “Wait, are we in the other island?”

“I guess…” Porkrind looked to not find Cassidy. “Cassi…CASSI?!”

“Cassi? CASSI?!” Mugman screamed in fear.

Natalie looked around for her baby sister. “Aurora?! Aurora?!”

Aurora popped out of her sister’s bubbled brown hair. “Sissy!”

Natalie brightly smiled and lifted Aurora off of her hair. “Aurora! You okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Nope, I’m fine!” Aurora replied happily.

Natalie hugged her. “Oh man, that was so scary.”

“CASSI?! WHERE ARE YOU?!?” Porkrind called for his daughter.

“I’m right here.”

Everyone turned to see Cassidy perching on the pier on the beach.

“I went to dry myself off. Sorry,” Cassidy asked with a blush.

“CASSI!” Mugman pounced on her on the pier, causing the group to widened their eyes in shock.

“Phew,” Porkrind sighed in relief.

Cassidy giggled at Mugman snuggling her. “Aww, I’m okay. I’m okay, Mugs.”

“I’m so happy you’re safe,” Mugman said while snuggling her.

Chalice looked up at the sign and gasped in happiness. “Guys! We’re in Inkwell Village!”

Everyone looked at the sign with her.

“Meaning…?” Porkrind uttered.

“Meaning that we’re safe here,” Chalice responded.

Natalie clenched her teeth. “Oh boy.”

“What?” Murray asked Natalie.

“Mom is here. She has a bakery over there,” Natalie pointed out.

“Let’s go to it!” Cassidy replied while hugging her boyfriend and cuddling with him with purrs. “Maybe your mom knows about the Night Stalkers situation and can help us out.”

“Cassi, you give Mom way too much credit,” Natalie responded with a bit of sass in her tone.

“Why not try?” Dice uttered. “Maybe we could convince her. If that doesn’t work, Murray can get into her memories and paralyze her.”

“What?” Murray responded with confusion.

“Aye, great idea! Check t’ see if Natalie’s mom will take us in. I’ll help Ribby ‘n Croaks rebuild thar ferry. Let us know if thar’s a safe galleon where we could stay at,” Brineybeard suggested for the group.

“Well, what are we waitin’ for? Let’s go!” Cuphead responded excitedly.

Natalie sighed deeply and carried Aurora in her arms. “Okay. Just…act proper around her please.”

Natalie led the group away from the shore.

“What does she mean by acting proper?” Murray said with a brow raised.

Elder Kettle shrugged his shoulders. The group went up to follow Natalie and Aurora while Captain Brineybeard stayed behind to help Ribby and Croaks rebuild their ferry. 

~.~

The group walked through the village, standing out from the amount of sand stuck on their wet clothes and seaweed in either their hairs or their ceramic heads.

There were two bakeries across from each other. One of them led into the forest at the back and the other one was blended into the village. Natalie led the group to the bakery that was near the woods. She stood in front of the door and looked at the window displaying “We’re Closed” sign. She jiggled the knob to see that it was locked.

“Figures,” Natalie sighed and put Aurora down. She knocked on the door with the group standing behind her. She waited anxiously while Aurora held her sister’s hand to comfort her.

There were footsteps coming up to the door and the locks clicked. The door opened to reveal a woman cup with bags under her eyes and brown bubbly hair that was messy like Natalie’s.

“Mama!” Aurora replied happily.

“Oh my gosh! Aurora, what happened to you?!” Natalie’s mother gasped and leaned down, cleaning Aurora’s face.

“We god indo a huge sdowm an we ended up hewe!” Aurora replied with a big grin on her face.

“Ugh, now look at you two, you’re so dirty and—Natalie, what have you been eating? You’ve gained weight,” Natalie’s mother responded while cleaning Natalie’s face as well.

“I’ve tried to exercise,” Natalie uttered defensively.

“Well, try harder,” her mother responded. “Remember how I taught you to measure your food? Have you done that?”

“I have. Plenty of times, Mom,” Natalie said with a groan.

“There’s no need to squabble,” her mother replied. “I’m only looking out for the best of you and—is that a chip on your head?!”

“WHAT?!” Natalie gasped in fear while her mother tilted her head forward.

“Oh no, no, no, Natalie, your beauty won’t recover from this chip,” her mother said with a sigh.

“Hey, she ain’t that bad-looking,” Cuphead spoke up, earning a screech from her mother.

Natalie turned to see Cuphead standing by her. “Um…Mom…this is my friend, Cuphead.”

“Friend? Please, don’t tell me you’re still friends with that—”

“Hi, Ms. Ruth,” Cassidy uttered with a wave at her.

“Great, you’re still friends with that burden,” her mother groaned, earning glares from Porkrind and Jerry.

“You know, you don’t have to make it so obvious that you hate my daughter, Tabitha,” Porkrind growled at Tabitha, Natalie’s mother, while pulling Cassidy beside him.

“Oh, hello, swine,” Tabitha sneered. “I thought you and your little family of peasants would’ve been dead by now by the Night Stalkers, especially along with that burden of the daughter of yours.”

Mugman glared at Tabitha, his eyes turned yellow with red irises. Before he could attack Tabitha, he was held back by Canteen, Murray, and Cuphead.

“Not yet, Mugsy,” Cuphead determined.

“Alright, alright, why don’t we all calm down for a second?” Elder Kettle responded. “Look, uh, Ms. Ruth, we need a place to stay. Do you think you could let us stay for at least one night?”

“Ugh, not while you all look like that,” Tabitha said, looking at the group disgusted.

Chalice put her fists on her hips. “Well, excuse us for being so dirty. If you have running showers, maybe we could clean ourselves and live up to your standards of perfection.”

“And let the drain be clogged up by so much dirt? I don’t think so,” Tabitha responded with sass.

King Dice plastered a smile. “Tabitha, look, we are in a situation with the Night Stalkers…you know, they’re going to kill all of us if we don’t, you know, hide. So…if you can kindly give us someplace or point us to the direction we need to go to be safe if you won’t take us in.”

“Please, Mom, they’re my friends,” Natalie pleaded.

“No,” Tabitha said. “They’re all peasants. I can’t believe they dragged you and Aurora into this situation.”

“They didn’t. I let them in the house,” Natalie said.

“You did what?!” Tabitha yelled. “What did I tell you about letting in complete strangers?!”

“They’re not strangers! They’re my friends!” Natalie growled.

“Then pick better friends. So far, you have peasants and that burden as your friend,” Tabitha argued back with her daughter.

Mugman growled, his teeth sharp while he lunged towards Tabitha, but was held back by Cuphead, Chalice, Canteen, Cassidy, and Murray.

“Whoa, calm down, Mugsy!” Cuphead shouted.

“No, let him go, I wanna see what happens,” King Dice responded.

“Ugh! What are you, a rabid dog?!” Tabitha uttered in disgust.

“Yeah, you might not want to insult Cassidy in front of him since they’re together,” Natalie warned her mother.

“Yeah, I’m not letting that thing in my bakery,” Tabitha growled while pulling Natalie and Aurora into the bakery. “Find somewhere else to stay.”

“Mom!” Natalie shouted.

Tabitha shut the door with Natalie and Aurora inside of her bakery.

“Well, that didn’t go well,” Dice said with a groan.

“Plan B!” Chalice determined once Mugman settled down and breathed heavily to calm himself.

Mugman’s eyes went back to normal as the group saw Chalice running off.

“I know another place where we might get help!” Chalice determined.

The group hurried after Chalice to wonder where they were being led to next.

~.~

The group went to another bakery in the village square as Chalice opened the door to the other bakery. She peeked and gestured fore everyone to follow her.

“Hello, is anyone home?!” Chalice called while the cup brothers caught up with her.

“Huh, no one is here,” Mugman assumed.

“Either that, or he’s busy with something. He’s usually packed with customers,” Chalice replied.

“Who’s he?” Canteen questioned.

“He’s the famous Chef Saltbaker…well, famous in this town,” Chalice replied with a bright grin. “Everyone here knows him.”

“Even Tabitha?” Porkrind questioned.

“I guess so. They were competing each other right now and Chef Saltbaker won by a landslide,” Chalice responded.

They approached the front counter with Cuphead peeking over.

“Hello?! Is anyone here?!” Cuphead called. He noticed the bell and started to ring it annoyingly until it broke from his uncontrollable strength. “Oops.”

“Hold your horses! Man, I only get one minute of break and y’all would come running to me—” The anthropomorphic saltshaker with the chef’s hat entered the room with a tired sigh. The chef gasped to see Chalice at the front counter. “Chalice?!”

“Chef!” Chalice responded with a bright grin and leaped into the chef’s arms, who laughed in joy.

“Oh, Chalice, it had been some time since I’ve seen you last!” Saltbaker responded. “How are things back in the big city? Not too much I hope.”

“Oh, great! How are things here in the bakery?” Chalice questioned with a bright smile.

“Oh, a bit difficult at times. But, you know, now that you’re here, I’m working on a special ingredient just for you and your new friends! Give ole Saltbaker a second!” The chef said while entering back in the kitchen.

Dice nodded his head. “He seems fine.”

“I don’t know…he seems a bit too jolly for my taste,” Porkrind responded with a brow raised.

“Yeah,” Jerry whispered.

Murray nodded his head in agreement.

“Oh, you guys can be so cynical sometimes,” Elder Kettle responded. “He seems super nice.”

“I wouldn’t be fooled by his super niceness,” Porkrind replied with distrust.

Saltbaker came back with the plate of cookies and a grand smile on his face.

“Cookies?!” the kids gasped in delight as Saltbaker laid the cookies in front of them.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in,” Saltbaker responded happily.

The kids started to dig in the cookies except for Cassidy, who rubbed her arm shyly.

Saltbaker noticed and leaned on the counter to look at her. “You okay? You don’t like cookies?”

“Oh…um…I’m allergic to sugar,” Cassidy informed the chef.

“Oh! Well, that’s fine and dandy. We got cats in this area who’s allergic to sugar. Soooo, I made sugar-free cookies instead for cats like you!” Chef Saltbaker said while pulling out another plate of cookies that were ‘sugar-free’.

Cassidy sniffed the cookies and ate one of the cookies, her mouth melting at the taste. She started to eat some more, the taste becoming addicting.

Saltbaker smiled with glee and looked at the adults. “Would you gentlemen like anything to eat? The options here are endless.”

“It’s no wonder you beat the Ruth bakery by a landslide, you have too many options to choose,” Elder Kettle responded with glee while looking at all the sweets displayed.

“Aw, I wouldn’t brag. Believe it or not, Tabitha Ruth was once my apprentice,” Saltbaker indicated. “I would say she’s still learning. The problem with her cooking was not that any of her stuff tastes bad. They tasted delicious, don’t get me wrong. But…she doesn’t make them with heart and soul. She gets weary after cooking for a while…not that I blame her in anyway. One gets tired from cooking after a while. Especially if you get the townspeople demanding you to make pastries left and right every single day and screaming and yelling at you to ‘hurry up’ and such. Gets irritating after a while…very irritating.”

Saltbaker said the last part darkly with yellow irises in his eyes before clearing his throat and his irises went back to normal. “Anyhow, no one appreciates good cooking anymore.”

“I appreciate your cooking,” Cassidy said innocently.

“Aww, that’s very sweet of you,” Saltbaker replied with a soft smile. “You’re the first person I heard that from for a long while. Anyhow, enough of this ole chef’s rambling, how are you kids enjoying the cookies?”

“Pretty good—” Mugman’s head twitched, causing him to breathe heavily. He could feel Tremaine acting up again inside of him. He tried to be calm, but his friends and family started to notice, including Saltbaker.

“What’s going on with him?” Saltbaker asked with a brow raised.

Chalice clenched her teeth. “Did you hear anything about what’s happening in the big city?”

Saltbaker shook his head. “Too busy to really listen to the radio. What’s going on over there?”

“Well,” Chalice began to explain. “There’s a cult called the Night Stalkers and they were killin’ people left and right. One of them managed to inject Mugman with Tremaine.”

“Tremaine?” Saltbaker questioned.

“Yeah, it’s a chemical that makes you go insane,” Cuphead added.

“And makes you into a monster you didn’t want to be,” Mugman responded sadly, looking away.

Saltbaker clenched his jaw. “Oh my. It sounds dangerous.” He turned around to rub his chin for a second until a grin spread across his face. Saltbaker turned back around to face the group. “You know, there might be something that will help get this Tremaine chemical out of ya.”

“Really?!” the kids gasped in happiness.

“Have any of you ever heard of a Wondertart?” Saltbaker asked.

The group shook their heads.

“Weeell, let me tell you. The Wondertart proves to be just as delicious and delectable as all the dishes. It will grant any wish you make once you take a bite and one bite only. If Mugman desires, he could have a bite of this wonderful Wondertart and wished Tremaine away.”

“A-And it will go away for good?” Mugman uttered in pure disbelief.

“If so desire, yes,” Saltbaker replied. “You got to be specific with your wish though. You only get one.”

Mugman’s smile brightened. “You hear that, guys?! I might get Tremaine out of me!”

“You think you can make that for us?” Chalice asked Saltbaker.

“Well, I would, but I don’t have the ingredients for it. I tried to get it from the others, but, uh, they think I’m insane for bringing up the Wondertart. Here are the lists of ingredients I need to make this,” Saltbaker said while showing the kids the ingredients.

“Distillery Dough. Pineapple Mint. Desert Limes. Gnome Berries. And Icy Sugar Cubes?” Canteen said while reading the ingredients.

“Yes,” Saltbaker answered. “You should get the Gnome Berries from Glumstone up in the mountains. The Icy Sugar Cubes are being kept by Mortimer…that ole stubborn goat. Good luck convincing him to give away the cubes. The Howling Aces should have the Pineapple Mint and Esther should have the Desert Limes. Oh! The Moonshine Mob had a secret underground bunker where they kept all the Distillery Dough. Good luck trying to get them to hand over the dough without a fight.”

“Are you sure this will help Mugman?” Murray questioned.

“Oh, by a lot. Think about it, your son won’t have to suffer under Tremaine anymore. Wouldn’t that be great?!” Saltbaker replied to Murray, almost like he was selling him something.

“I don’t think I trust this,” Murray uttered.

“Please, Dad,” Mugman replied.

Murray could see the look in his son’s eyes, his body trembling from Tremaine trying to take control of him earlier. Murray sighed heavily. “Alright. We’ll get you the Wondertart.”

“We should split up. It makes the whole trip faster,” Chalice suggested.

“Then meet back here?” Cuphead asked excitedly.

“Yep! Let’s go!” Chalice replied as the group hurried out of the bakery, not knowing that Saltbaker cornered a wicked grin behind them. 

~.~

Murray didn’t like to be separated from his boys after being separated from them for so long. He didn’t even trust King Dice with Cuphead when they decided to split up. Of course, King Dice wasn’t even thrilled to have Cuphead stick by him. However, Murray knew that if anything happened, his boys had their own unique powers to protect themselves with. With that being said, Murray was stuck with Canteen.

“Sooo, the Howling Aces are this way,” Canteen muttered to himself. “We might have to plan to fight them just in case. Hey, what can you do? I saw you fight before. What did you do that one assassin?”

Murray scratched the back of his head. “Well, I can get into people’s memories and look into their past. Sometimes, when fighting them, I go into their most torturous parts of their past and use it against them. They would stay in it for a while.”

“Ooh, you can use that against them if it ever came down to it,” Canteen said with a bit of fascination. “Wait…where did you even get these powers?”

Murray shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Ever since I was born, I always had this ability whether I meant to use it or not.”

“Interesting and fascinating. Did your parents ever tell you where it came from?”

Murray rubbed the hole where his missing eye was. “I don’t remember. I can only remember half of my life. Luckily, I remembered the half where my boys were born.”

“Oh…that’s…your eye—”

“Was shot out of my own head by Hunter Manson himself.”

“Geez,” Canteen said nervously. They walked towards the base where the Howling Aces were presumedly at. “Okay, we’re here…should we—?”

“Oi, who are you?!”

Canteen and Murray jumped and looked up to see the bulldog up on top of the roof, jumping down on his combat brown boots. He cracked his muscles and headed towards them both.

“You must have been new here. Haven’t you read the sign?” the bulldog soldier said while pointing at the sign that said ‘No trespassing’.

“Uh…we didn’t see it on the way here…uh, we apologized,” Canteen said while sweating from the sides of his head.

“Bulldog,” they heard a female voice calling out for the bulldog in front of them. They watched the slender saluki dog coming besides Bulldog, wearing a yellow uniform.

“Take it easy,” she said. “You’re going to strain yourself gettin’ angry like that.” She then looked at Murray and Canteen. “Sorry about Bulldog…he can be very territorial. The name’s Sergeant O’Fera. How can I help you?”

“Canteen Hughes,” Canteen introduced himself nervously. “And that’s Murray.”

“Murray Cup,” Murray added, rubbing the back of his head with a blush.

She craned her neck up to look at Murray. “Aren’t you a tall fella? What do you boys need?”

“Um…well, we were wondering if you guys have, um, Pineapple Mint,” Murray inquired.

“Oh, is that so? Yeah, you can have it,” O’Fera replied with a nod. “Cooking something special with it?”

“Oh…uh, yeah. Sort of,” Murray uttered nervously with his face turning more red.

O’Fera nodded her head in understanding. “I’ll be back with the Pineapple Mint.”

Both Murray and Canteen blinked in shock. They watched Sergeant O’Fera walked away for a moment and then come back with the Pineapple Mint in the red dog dish.

“Here you go,” Sergeant O’Fera replied in a friendly tone. “Don’t worry, we got plenty of it in storage for everyone in the village.”

“Oh, thank you,” Murray said with a friendly smile.

She exchanged a smile back at him and looked at Bulldog. “C’mon, Bulldog, we got a plane to repair.”

Bulldog nodded his head and followed O’Fera back to base.

“I was not expecting that,” Canteen whispered after the dogs walked away.

“We should get going,” Murray suggested.

Canteen nodded his head in agreement and they both walked away from the Howling Aces base.

~.~

Cassidy and Porkrind headed up the mountains, tiptoeing up the to the snow until they encountered gnomes mining a face made of stone. Both the father and daughter duo looked to see a small garden where the Gnome Berries were grown. Before they could reach it, they were noticed by one of the gnomes.

“Hey, it’s a cat!!!” one of the gnomes called the other gnomes.

The other gnomes looked to see the red feline.

“It’s a red one!”

“Get her!”

Porkrind and Cassidy gasped in shock when the gnomes hurried towards them, only to grab Cassidy and took her over to where they were mining at.

“HEY! YOU LET HER GO YOU—!!!”

“Oh my gosh, she’s so soft,” one of the gnomes said, petting her head. This shocked Porkrind before he could jump and kick gnomes off of her.

Cassidy was also shocked by how it turned out, afraid that the gnomes would throw her off the mountain.

“Aww, gee, she’s so cute! Look at her fluffy face!” the other gnome gasped while caressing her fluffy cheek.

“And her tail is the fluffiest!” the gnome near her tail squealed.

“Can we keep her, Glumstone?! Can we keep her?!” The lead gnome asked excitedly.

The stone broke off, revealing a face of the giant with his head shaped like mountain tops that would fool anyone into thinking there were more mountain tops. Cassidy and Porkrind widened their eyes in shock at the monstrosity in front of them.

“Ugh, what’s the hold-up now—? Oh, why hello there, little kitty,” the giant, Glumstone, greeted with a big warm smile.

“Can we keep her, please?!” the lead gnome begged.

“Hi,” Cassidy uttered in a friendly tone. “I-I’m Cassidy.”

“SHE TALKS!!!” the other gnome gasped in shock.

Glumstone sighed in discouragement and glanced at Cassidy. “Forgive them. It’s not often we see people coming up here.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Cassidy replied with a small friendly smile. “We don’t mean to intrude.”

“Oh, well, that’s quite alright. The gnomes would love to have you visit up the mountains. Heck, you can come to my puppet shows if you want,” Glumstone offered with a smile.

“I’m sure that sounds fun, but…um…I wanna say about the gnome berries. Is it okay if we can take them?” Cassidy asked.

The gnomes nodded their heads excitedly.

“Yeah, yeah! We’ll get basket for you right now!” the lead gnome stated as the other gnomes hurried over to the small garden and put the gnome berries into the basket and gave it to Porkrind.

“Hey, if you ever get the time, we’re going to need seeds to plant the gnome berries again,” Glumstone commented.

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Cassidy replied. “Thank you so much, Glumstone.”

“Why, thank you. And hey, don’t you be afraid to come up here and watch the puppet show! The gnomes would love to have you there!” Glumstone called.

“Thanks, Glumstone! I’ll be sure to be there,” Cassidy replied while hurrying with her father. The gnomes and Glumstone bid Cassidy goodbye as they were walking away.

“Wow, I was not expecting that,” Porkrind whispered to his daughter.

“Let’s be glad that we don’t have to fight a giant and his army of gnomes over the gnome berries,” Cassidy replied.

Porkrind nodded his head in agreement.

~.~

Cuphead could feel his body burning up from both inside and outside walking through the hot desert with King Dice. King Dice was sweating from all over the place, his suit damped again from his sweat.

“Why did we choose to go to the desert?” Dice complained while wiping the sweat off of his brow. “Or why did I choose to come with you?”

“Eeeh, maybe you want to take my soul to the Devil?” Cuphead guessed.

“As much as that would be a great opportunity to do that, I don’t have anything that could bring your soul to him,” Dice grumbled and wiped the sweat off of his brow. “Besides, you might burn me alive before I could even catch you.”

“Maaaybe.” Cuphead smirked at Dice and then shape-shifted in Devil. “Oh, Dice~! You have been such a good number one for me. And because you have been such a good number one for me, I’ll give you a little treat.”

Dice gave Cuphead a deadpan stare. “You ain’t gonna fool me into thinkin’ you’re Big D.”

“Yeah, uh, why are you callin’ him Big D?” Cuphead, as Devil, said while looking down. “He doesn’t look like he has a big di—”

“OKAY!!! Why don’t we just focus on gettin’ those desert limes and not scare the citizens by you pretending to be the Devil?!”

Cuphead was transformed back to his normal self. “Oh, no problem, I can be your twin.” He shape-shifted to King Dice, freaking out the real King Dice next to him. “Oh hello there, good-looking~. How’s it hangin’?”

Dice sighed heavily. “I hate you right now.”

“Oh, you know you love me because I am you,” Cuphead, as King Dice, teased.

“Stop it,” Dice grumbled.

“Nope,” Cuphead, as King Dice, answered.

Dice and Cuphead, as King Dice, found the blue wagon with them looking up at it. They exchanged glances before Dice sighed heavily.

“Could you go back to being yourself, Cuphead? It’s getting weird to look at myself standing right next to me,” Dice said with a groan.

“But you look at yourself in the mirror all the time.”

“Well, yeah! The difference is I don’t have some weird shape-shifting child pretending to be me when I look at my reflection,” Dice responded with a huff in annoyance.

“Alright, alright, I’ll change back,” Cuphead responded while coming back to his normal self. “You’re no fun.”

Dice sighed. “Let’s just get these Desert Limes and get it over with.”

Dice and Cuphead entered the wagon that was filled with music and laughter. They froze and noticed them with their judgmental gazes.

Cuphead cleared his throat and shape-shifted into a random cowboy. “Yee-haw! I’m a cowboy!”

Everyone’s judgemental gaze faded away in an instant, replaced with pure shock.

“That kid can shape-shift,” the cowboy, who had poker chips as a body, uttered in shock.

Minutes later, everyone gathered around the bar with Cuphead in the center of the circle, laughing and drinking when Cuphead was making funny shape-shifting impersonations of everyone at the bar.

Mr. Wheezy, the anthropomorphic cigar, wheezed to death from seeing Cuphead impersonating him.

“Boy, I haven’t laughed like that in decades,” Mr. Wheezy commented.

“Hey, hey, kid, can you do Esther over ‘ere?” Chips, the stack of poker chips, laughed and pointed at Esther, the brown cow, next to him.

Cuphead shape-shifted to Esther, impersonating her.

Meanwhile, Dice sat there in silence and looked over to find a crate of desert limes. When no one was watching, he sent two cards over to push it the crate over to him. He quickly picked it up and snuck out of the wagon.

Dice tried to get Cuphead’s attention to let him know that he got the desert limes, but Cuphead wasn’t paying attention and was having too much fun. So, Dice snuck out of the wagon and started to move away, hoping Cuphead got the message that Dice wasn’t there along with the desert limes.

“Hey, Ginette, give this kid the strongest drink you got!” Esther Winchester ordered from the bartender, a martini glass known as Ginette.

Ginette slid the shot glass of strong whiskey over to Cuphead, who shape-shifted back to himself. “It’s on the house!”

Cuphead gulped down the shot of whiskey. However, it burned his throat and the pit of stomach, igniting the flames from within him. His body became on fire and exploded the wagon, destroying it into pieces. The cowboys and cowgirls in the wagon had soot all over their bodies from the sudden explosion from Cuphead.

Cuphead blinked his eyes and laughed nervously before turning to notice King Dice right outside of the wagon, running with the crate of desert limes. He then looked back at the crowd. “Uh, haha, I guess I’ll get going.” Cuphead rushed off and caught up with King Dice at super speed.

“Hey, they stole our desert limes!” Ginette gasped to notice.

“GET THEM!!!” Esther growled.

Everyone from the wagon got up from the seat and chased after King Dice and Cuphead, chasing them out of the desert.

~.~

Chalice and Elder Kettle snuck underground of the Moonshine Mob’s lair, searching for Distillery Dough.

“So, Chalice, how long have you known Saltbaker?” Elder Kettle asked with a brow raised.

“Oh, since I was a little. He practically raised me until I decided to go into the big city and go big, ya know? He always got a little room for me up there…but…I’ve kind of noticed he was acting strange lately.”

They snuck towards the lower bridge, finding two more higher ones above them.

“Huh? So, I guess I’m the only one who thought he was a nice guy.”

“He is…but…he seems…more irritated than usual.”

“HEY! What are you bozos doin’ here?!”

Elder Kettle and Chalice jumped at the sudden voice as they saw a gray spider descending down towards them with only a web and a pretty pink blond bug sitting on one of his eight legs.

“Youse twos got a lotta nerve to show up here!” the spider growled at both Chalice and Elder Kettle.

“Take a breath, dear,” the light bug whispered to his ear.

“Don’t worry, darlin’. I ain’t stressin’ myself out…yet,” the spider said with a glare at Chalice and Elder Kettle. “You better have a good explanation on why you both were down ‘ere.”

“Charlie! Charlie!” the caterpillar mobster entered the scene from behind the spider named Charlie. “We got the cops at the casino!”

“Now ain’t a good time, Lenny. Can’t you see I’m interrogating our trespassers?” Charlie responded to the caterpillar named Lenny.

“But, Charlie—”

“Well, well, if it ain’t the Moonshine Mob,” the head of the bug cops said while entering the other side on the top bridge above Elder Kettle and Chalice. “You’re under arrest for the violation against federal prohibition laws!”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THAT ENDED THREE YEARS AGO!” Charlie yelled at the bug cops.

“I’m not finished!” The head of the bug cops barked. “And for selling illegal drugs through the means of your Distillery Dough!”

“Hey, we are coming for that!” Elder Kettle responded with a gasp. “I didn’t know there are drugs in the dough!”

“Well, none of ya are gonna get it!” Charlie growled while taking out a button and pressed to summon bombs wrapped in spider webs with an evil laugh. He charged towards Elder Kettle and Chalice, who dodged out of the way for him while the bug cops hurried to go after him.

The blonde bug turned on the music, making it more intensifying.

Lenny hurried over to hide somewhere in fear.

“What are we going to do?” Elder Kettle questioned Chalice, who looked up and saw the distillery dough up on the high shelf. She turned herself into a ghost and flew up to pick it up and flew back down.

“Got it!”

They felt something shake underneath them as they saw a huge anteater bursting through two bridges while the cops were chasing after Charlie and the other gang members. With an evil grin, the anteater tried to get the cops with his nose and tongue in his nose.

Chalice and Elder Kettle freaked out and rushed out of the underground way, letting the chaos unfold by itself when leaving.

~.~

Mugman knew he should’ve packed a coat for the snowy trails towards the large igloo. Jerry was all prepared with a trench-coat, hat, and scarf, which made Mugman regret not taking his coat even more. Jerry noticed Mugman freezing in the cold and unwrapped his scarf to wrap it around Mugman’s neck to at least keep him warm. Mugman widened his eyes in shock to see Jerry’s under bite from his scarf.

“You’re going to give me back that scarf once we’re done here,” Jerry replied.

“S-S-Sounds good,” Mugman said with a shiver.

Jerry knocked on the icy door of the igloo, waiting for someone to answer.

They heard someone opening the door, turning out to be a wizard with a worn-out purple wizard clothes and a pointy hat.

“What d’ya want? I’m in a middle of my spa,” the wizard, Mortimer, said while flicking the cucumbers off of his eyes.

“Uh, we don’t mean to interrupt, but you don’t happen to have icy sugar cubes, do you?” Jerry asked with a brow raised.

Mortimer arched a brow. “Saltbaker sent you here, didn’t he?”

“Oh, uh, well—”

“Nah, you don’t have to tell me. I already know,” Mortimer responded, interrupting Jerry. “Tell him that he ain’t gonna have my sugar cubes.”

“But we need it to cure him,” Jerry replied while pointing at Mugman shivering in the cold.

Mortimer crossed his arms. “Cure him from what? Tremaine?”

Mugman widened his eyes in shock.

“You don’t think I can’t tell by the way your veins are glowing right now,” Mortimer said, pointing at the orange-glowing veins shown on Mugman’s body to keep himself warm against the cold. “It’s only a matter of time before you lose control and snap.”

“Just give us the icy sugar cubes and we’ll be out of your hair,” Jerry said urgently.

Mortimer tilted his head. “Is it because of this stupid ‘Wondertart’ craze Saltbaker has? I’m telling you the same thing that I told him. Don’t cook something up like the Wondertart. It will only consume you in darkness.”

“I thought it has the power to grant wishes,” Jerry uttered in confusion.

Mortimer put his fists on his hips. “That’s what he thinks. But if you want it so badly, then I might as well challenge you to a dual.”

“Me?” Jerry uttered.

“No, him.”

Jerry glanced down to see Mugman breathing heavily in fear.

“If you think that this Wondertart can grant your wish to cure yourself of Tremaine, then why not make it worth fighting for, eh? You’ll be matched against Jupiter and if you win, you’ll have the icy sugar cubes. You lose and you won’t have them. No catches. It’s that simple. You think you’re up for it, kid?” Mortimer asked with a smirk.

Mugman took a deep breath and nodded his head. “I’m up for it.”

“What?! Are you insane?” Jerry gasped in fear for the mug.

“You got yourself a deal, chap,” Mortimer replied while putting his cold hand out for Mugman to grab. Mugman didn’t hesitate and shook the wizard’s hand.

Soon they were teleported into the ring with all the cheering snowmen and snow women while Jerry was seated up as the audience watching the ring.

“I would be careful if I were you. Jupiter will not go easy on you, little mug,” Mortimer said while teleporting onto the seat next to Jerry. “LET THE MATCH BEGIN!”

Mugman heard something coming out of the doors of the ring, sauntering towards him. He squinted and looked down to see a tiny little snowman, assuming to be Jupiter that Mortimer mentioned.

“Aww, he’s so adorable—”

The snowman became larger and larger, interrupting Mugman’s cooing words and towering over him with an orange bucket over his head. Broken handcuffs were on his wrists and his eyes were hollow, his mouth resembling a cage when he grinned.

The liquid in Mugman’s head leaked out of his blue straw in pure fear and then he screamed, running from the large round snowman. The snowman, Jupiter, rolled after him in a snowball, bumping into a wall when Mugman turned a corner. Jupiter bounced over the mug and landed right in front of him, transforming into a refrigerator, firing large ice cubes that broke into pieces after him. Mugman dodged all of it with heavy breaths, earning laughs from Mortimer.

“Go on! Punch the big guy! He ain’t gonna bite!” Mortimer taunted Mugman.

Jupiter transformed back into a snowball, rolling after Mugman and running him over this time. He transformed back into a snowman, using his arms to pick up crushed Mugman and throw him across the ring.

The audience cheered for Jupiter while Jerry gripped his coat in fear.

“You’re insane!” Jerry shouted at Mortimer.

“Nah, don’t worry, he’ll be fine,” Mortimer said while both Jerry and Mortimer witnessed Mugman getting thrown around like a rag doll across the ring. “Ooh! Come on, is that all you got?! You oughta try a little harder, son!”

Mugman breathed heavily, his body bruised from being beaten up by Jupiter. Before he could even try to get up, he was picked up by the leg and thrown again across the ring. The mug could’ve sworn that he was feeling like he was losing control of his own body. Not…now!

Mugman barely looked up before being socked in the face.

“Stop this! Let me fight in his place!” Jerry shouted at Mortimer.

Mugman collapsed onto the snowy ground, having a black eye from impact of the punch. Jupiter raised his fists up, ready to slam it down on Mugman.

Mugman gritted his teeth, his veins now glowing blue instead of orange. He raised his finger guns, letting out bursts of electricity that caused the large snowman beast to stumble back away from the mug.

The audience gasped in shock while Mortimer leaned forward in interest.

“Ooh, now, this is getting intense,” Mortimer said with a wicked grin.

Mugman breathed heavily, his eyes glowing pupils glowing blue. The orange glow tried to take over his blue veins, causing him to scream in pain. However, his scream turned into a sonic scream that pushed Jupiter away from him. The audience was dead quiet while Mugman charged towards Jupiter, punching the snowman as rapid as he could and sending electric shocks from each punch the mug gave the snowman. Then he gave one final blow to the stomach, sending electric shocks inside of Jupiter.

Jupiter stumbled back away from the mug, laughing in a cocky matter until he could feel his stomach vibrating. It was then that the snowman realized that Mugman sent more electric shocks inside of him, causing him to burst up and losing the top half of his body. His bottom half ran towards the other direction in a cartoony fashion while collapsing first. Mugman started to mutter words before losing the blue in his eyes and collapsing in the ring.

Mortimer and Jerry watched with shock while Mortimer gave him an orange bag of icy sugar cubes. “A deal’s a deal. He won the battle fair and square.”

Jerry took the bag of icy sugar cubes and hurried down into the ring. “Mugman…Mugman..”

“Cultus mali venit.

Cultus mali venit.

Cultus mali venit.

Cultus mali venit.”

“Mugman?”

“The cult of evil has come…

The cult of evil has come…

The cult of evil has come…

The cult of evil has come…”

Jerry picked Mugman up and carried him out of the igloo along with the icy sugar cubes while Mortimer watched intensely, fascinated by what just occurred.

~.~

 Porkrind and Cassidy were the first to get back to Saltbaker’s bakery along with Murray and Canteen.

Murray looked around for his boys, now growing more concern for them. “Have you guys seen my kids?”

“Nope,” Porkrind answered while examining their surroundings. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Those boys of yours are tougher than you think.”

“I know that,” Murray responded. “I’m just…worried about them.”

Porkrind softened his gaze at Murray and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I understand your concern. Kind of the curse of being a dad, am I right?”

Murray let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah.”

“AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

They turned their heads to find Cuphead speeding through the village, bumping into Porkrind’s stomach. It felt like a punch in the gut as the pig doubled over to cover his belly.

“Wow! Sorry, Porkrind…I’m still gettin’ used to these powers,” Cuphead glanced up at his father. “Hi, Dad!”

Murray immediately enveloped Cuphead into a hug, who found it weird that he was being hugged by his father.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Murray said with a sigh of relief. He broke away from his son and looked at him in the eyes. “Have you seen your brother?”

Cuphead shrugged his shoulders as King Dice entered the scene with the crate of desert limes.

Porkrind noticed King Dice’s suit torn and tattered into pieces, trying not to huff a laugh. “Had it rough out there?”

“Yep,” Dice responded. “The people in the desert area are insane! They almost killed me!”

Porkrind looked behind Dice to make sure they weren’t being followed. “But you’re still here.”

“Thank Sa—I mean, Thank the Lord,” Dice replied while clearing his throat.

“Go! Go!” Elder Kettle shouted.

They looked to see Elder Kettle arriving with Chalice, carrying Distillery Dough.

“Man, they’re insane down there,” Chalice replied. “Say, where’s Mugsy?”

“Let’s go find him!” Cassidy determined.

“No need,” Jerry’s voice uttered.

The group turned their heads and widened their eyes in shock to see Jerry walking towards them with the bag of icy sugar cubes and a bruised Mugman in his arms.

“Mugsy!” Cassidy shouted and hurried over to her boyfriend. Jerry put Mugman down so that she could check on him.

“What happened to him?!” Murray questioned in fear.

“Uh…it’s a long story,” Jerry responded while rubbing the back of his head. “Let’s just say that he was thrown into the ring by this crazy old wizard and won the fight.”

“But the Wondertart is for him though…is he going to be awake for it?” Canteen questioned the others.

“I’m not sure,” Jerry uttered. “He said some strange words in both Latin and English…that’s…that’s weird.”

“YOU FREAKS!!!”

Porkrind perked his ears up and whirled around along with the group. They saw Tabitha, pissed off and angry, charging towards them with Aurora waddling behind her.

“Mama! Mama!” Aurora called while Tabitha went for Porkrind and slapped him on the face.

Porkrind stumbled back from the unexpected slap. “HEY! What did I ever do to you?!”

“You gotta a lot of nerve doing that!” Jerry growled while standing between Porkrind and Tabitha.

“You freaks took Natalie!” Tabitha growled.

“What? I thought she was in the bakery with you,” Dice responded while checking to see if Porkrind was okay.

“She was and now she isn’t there. You took her!” Tabitha growled.

“Did you ever think that maybe your daughter ventured off on her own and hadn’t returned yet?” Porkrind snarled at her, covering his cheek.

“Maybe if your burden of a daughter hadn’t filled Natalie’s head with some silly little adventures, we wouldn’t be having this problem,” Tabitha responded with a glare at Porkrind.

“Call Cassi a burden one more time, I dare you,” Jerry said with his brows drawn together and his fists clenched.

“Mama! It’s not Cassi’s fault!” Aurora begged. “I saw where Natalie went!”

Cuphead perked his head and looked at Aurora. “Do you know where she is?”

“The big bad salt man took sissy!” Aurora confessed to Cuphead.

“Big Bad Salt Man. Hey, that’s Saltbaker!” Canteen gasped in shock.

“Why would Saltbaker take Natalie?” Chalice questioned.

“Let’s go find her!” Cassidy determined.

“I’m sure Saltbaker has his reasons,” Chalice said with a small nervous laugh. “We’ll be back.”

Chalice hurried inside of Saltbaker’s bakery with Cassidy, Canteen, and Cuphead hurrying behind her.

Murray picked up Mugman and cradled him while the adults watch in shock.

“S-Should we go in there with them?” Elder Kettle questioned.

“Nah, they’ll be fine…I think,” King Dice responded. 

~.~

Chalice, Cuphead, Cassidy, and Canteen explored the bakery until they saw a trap door over the counter that led down in the darkness.

“Did you know he had a trapdoor there?” Canteen questioned Chalice.

“No…I hadn’t seen that before. It looked recent that he added it,” Chalice theorized. “Come on.”

They descended down to the dark dungeons, their eyes widening in shock.

“Chalice, something’s up with Saltbaker,” Canteen uttered in shock.

“I knew he was acting weird,” Chalice replied. “C’mon. We should be finding Natalie down here.”

They froze when they looked to their left, seeing Natalie’s soulless body chained up.

Cuphead gasped in shock and then clenched his fists angrily, his eyes turning red. “Oh he better be prayin’ right now.” Cuphead stormed to the light where they saw Saltbaker’s silhouette.

They entered the lab room where Saltbaker was setting up the machine.

“You gotta a lot of nerve taking Natalie’s soul like that!” Cuphead growled with his teeth gritted.

Saltbaker turned his head, his eyes yellow. “Oh, haven’t I forgot to put the most important ingredient on the list for you? The most important ingredient to this delicious Wondertart is a living soul!”

Saltbaker gestured to the glass containing Natalie’s soul, pounding on it in panic.

“GUYS! GUYS!!! HELP ME, PLEASE!!!” Natalie’s soul screamed in fear.

“Speaking of ingredients, where are the rest of the ingredients?” Saltbaker said with an evil smirk.

“We ain’t gonna give it to you!” Chalice growled, her eyes filled to the brim of the tears.

“Why didn’t you tell us that it’s going to cost a soul as well?!” Cuphead said angrily.

“Well, you want to cure your brother of this so-called Tremaine, don’t you?” Saltbaker responded with a sly grin. “You would need all the ingredients to make this delicious Wondertart.”

Canteen noticed a hidden poster on the wall and went to look at it as the kids were arguing with Saltbaker. He looked at the ingredients list to see a soul ingredient being crossed out. Then, he noticed the capabilities that it could.

“Have access to the Astral Plane.”

Canteen widened his eyes. “Guys, the Wondertart doesn’t grant wishes! It’ll give him an ability to have access to the Astral Plane!”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” Saltbaker grumbled while glaring at Canteen.

The kids glared at Saltbaker.

Chalice turned into a ghost and charged towards Saltbaker, attempting to possess him. Cuphead’s fist turned red with anger and started to punch Saltbaker in the face out of pure anger and hatred.

Cassidy hurried over to the glass where Natalie’s soul with Canteen following behind her.

“Why did you lie to us?!” Chalice, in Saltbaker’s head, screamed at him.

Saltbaker ate a mushroom, which had the ability to kick Chalice out of his body.

“Why would you do this?!” Chalice cried, tears streaming down on her golden face.

Saltbaker softened his gaze at her before getting punched in the face by Cuphead. “Okay, you had your fun, little cup!” He ate another mushroom causing him to grow bigger than before, bursting through the ceiling above him.

Cassidy and Canteen dodged the falling debris as they approached the glass where Natalie’s soul was held. Cassidy used her claws to scratch through the glass, which fell over. Natalie’s soul gasped to see Cassidy extending her hand out for her friend. Natalie grabbed Cassidy’s paw and was pulled out of the glass while Cuphead and Chalice were fighting Saltbaker in his large form.

“That’s for lying to us about the Wondertart!” Cuphead barked angrily, punching Saltbaker’s nose, breaking it in half. “That’s for hurtin’ Natalie!”

“You dining room dunce! You think you can beat me?! You’re in my world now!” Saltbaker barked at the dishes.

Cassidy hurried out of the lab with Natalie’s soul in her arms with Canteen hurrying behind her.

Saltbaker noticed them. “Get back here!”

They rushed back to Natalie’s soulless body while Cassidy stuffed Natalie’s soul back into her body. She lock picked the chains around Natalie’s wrists with her claws as Natalie took a deep breath.

“Oh my gosh! Wh-What just happened?” Natalie panicked.

Everything shook around them as they saw Saltbaker’s hand reaching towards them. Cassidy picked Natalie up in her arms and rushed through the dungeon with Canteen running behind her.

When they reached towards the exit of the hide-out, Canteen’s ankle was grabbed by Saltbaker’s finger, pulling him back to his lab room.

“HEY! LET ME GO!”

Cassidy noticed this with a gasp and set Natalie down on the stairs.

“HEY!” Natalie cried when Cassidy left to get Canteen, grabbing his arms and pulling him.

Cassidy snarled and used her claws to scratch Saltbaker’s hand, causing Saltbaker to yelped and let go of Canteen’s ankle.

Canteen’s ankle was crushed while she helped him up on his feet and hurried away from Saltbaker’s hand.

She noticed Mugman showing up the scene, recovered from what happened earlier. Cassidy didn’t have to say anything for him to pick up Natalie in his arms and carry her out of the dungeon. They hurried out of the bakery to meet up with the rest of the parents.

“What’s going on?!” Porkrind questioned the kids.

“You!” Esther growled. She and her crew stormed towards Dice in an aggressive manner.

Glumstone, the Howling Aces, the Moonshine Mob, and Mortimer arrived at the scene.

“Hey, you forgot something—what’s going on?” O’Fera questioned.

“Saltbaker, he—”

They felt the earth shaking suddenly, interrupting Cassidy and endangering everyone in the village.

“Watch out!!” Dice yelled.

Saltbaker broke through the roof of his bakery and towered over everyone in the village, except for Glumstone. The whole village gasped in shock while Murray noticed Cuphead and Chalice fighting Saltbaker.

“What the—?!” Bulldog gasped in shock.

“Saltbaker?!” Esther screamed in horror.

“He didn’t consume the Wondertart, did he?” Mortimer asked Jerry.

“He hadn’t even made it yet,” Jerry uttered in fear.

“I knew he’ll be consumed by darkness,” Mortimer replied solemnly.

Saltbaker growled at Cuphead and grabbed him with his giant fist, squeezing him. Cuphead screamed in pain.

“Let my friend go!” Chalice cried while getting onto his broken nose, trying to get him to release her friend.

“Chalice, stop!” Saltbaker growled. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Then stop hurting my friends!” Chalice said while her ghost form was strangely turning into gold. She became brighter than a sun, blinding Saltbaker.

Murray watched this unfold and hurried over to Saltbaker.

“Murray! What are you doing?!” Elder Kettle cried in fear.

Murray jumped up on the rooftop and climbed on Saltbaker’s leg, his eye glowing violet. Saltbaker’s veins turned violet, reaching up to his eyes. Before Saltbaker could notice Murray on his leg, his vision went violet.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Next order! Next order!

“Hurry up, will you?!”

“Come on, what’s taking so long?!”

Saltbaker cooked for as many people as he could in the town, but it was never enough. Never catching a break, never resting, no, he was never a person who gets tired…right? It didn’t just go on for one day. It went on for years…and years…and years! Saltbaker finally snapped one day, using all of his resources to search up for the answers to his problems. Finally…he has his answer.

The Wondertart…If he could get his hands on it, why, he’ll rule the Astral Plane and he will no longer be pushed around. Everyone in the world deserved to be drowned by his fury. This world will be made of salt and he wouldn’t mind that one bit.

Then…there was another memory he almost forgot about. It was when he was working in the bakery, overworked as usual, until he heard something collapsed in the trash can with a scream. He hurried outside to see what the commotion was and he saw someone stumbling out of the trashcan. It was a young chalice toddler, with a gap between her teeth and her innocent eyes looking up at him in fear. Her stomach growled as she hugged it with a groan in pain. He softened his gaze at her and gestured her inside with a small friendly smile.

Once she was inside, he cooked up a full meal with some desserts alongside with it. She smiled and ate as much as she could. At that moment, that was the moment Saltbaker decided to take her in. He had a room prepared for her to sleep in, and he felt this joy when she sees her own room for the first time and slept on the big comfortable bed.

She would help him out in the kitchen when serving the customers, bringing back his love and passion for cooking since he has someone to help around the kitchen. She was growing up right before his very eyes, watching her dance in the streets for extra coins for herself.

“When I grow up, I’m gonna be a dancer! And I’m going to be the best dancer in this whole world!” Chalice, as a little kid, would always say.

“I have no doubt you will, Ms. Chalice. I have no doubt that you will.”

Saltbaker was shrinking back once his memories of Chalice filled in his mind, almost like it was calming him down.

He released Cuphead, who fell with a scream before O’Fera caught him in her arms.

“You okay, kid?” O’Fera asked.

Cuphead nodded his head shyly.

“Good,” she said while putting Cuphead down and watching Saltbaker shrank down to his normal size, with Murray moving his hands up a bit to Saltbaker’s shoulder.

Chalice floated downwards and watched Murray removed his hand away from Saltbaker’s shoulder. The violet from Saltbaker’s eyes disappeared as he gasped like he hadn’t breathed in a while. There were tears in his eyes as the bug cops hurried to get the padi wagon.

He looked up to see Chalice, staring at him with innocence…the same innocence she had when she was younger. Saltbaker glanced back to see his destroyed bakery and then back at her.

“I’m sorry…” Saltbaker uttered to her.

He was handcuffed and was guided into the wagon to take him to jail. Saltbaker frowned and sat in the wagon, not even trying to struggle against his restraints.

Tabitha watched Saltbaker being taken to jail and then looked at the homeless group with a sigh. “Well, since you’ve taken out my rival, I guess I’ll let you stay for a night.”

The group arched their brows in confusion.

“Only for a night!” Tabitha grumbled and led them into the bakery.

The group glanced at each other in confusion and decided to enter Tabitha’s bakery while the rest of the villagers watched in shock at the event that just happened.

To Be Continued... 

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows(Rewrite)

*Hey guys! I'm back with another episode for Cuphead: Isle of Shadows rewrite. I seriously love doing this series so far. This is published on July 22, 2023. If you all like this episode, don't be afraid to heart it, reblog, and spam the comment section! That would be appreciated! Enjoy!*

Episode Five: Nightmare on Forest Street

“Are you sure you want to bring Melvin here?” Jack Cat asked while working in the secret lab somewhere in the middle of the city late at night with his best friend, Murray Cup.

“Yeah, Lily Rose has Cooper,” Murray said, carrying baby Mugman in his baby carrier strapped on him. “Elder Kettle is out to do his weekly mustache wax or whatever he's got going on.”

“Doesn’t he do it in the mornings though?” Jack asked.

Murray chuckled a bit. “I guess. I’m not sure how long his mustache wax usually take.”

“You should,” Jack teased. “You guys were in the military together.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I just don’t pay attention.”

“Ha, figures,” Jack said while writing down the ingredients. His red fur stood on its end when he came to discover something odd about the potion they were making. “Are you sure that this is going to prevent Tremaine from getting inside of people?”

“If used before being injected with Tremaine, yeah,” Murray stated in a matter-of-factly tone. Murray looked down and noticed baby Mugman staring at the potions with some interest. “See something shiny, Melvin?”

Baby Mugman tried to reach for the potions to drink it with a little whine, but Murray moved his baby away from the potions.

“These are not drinks. Unless you want to explode after drinking one of them,” Murray said with a chuckle.

“Seems your son is interested in science,” Jack said, predicting baby Mugman’s movements. “My daughter is more of a reading type. That kid tried to read before even knowing how to talk.”

“Well, maybe that’s her way of learning how to talk,” Murray replied with a tease.

Jack nodded his head. “At least, Shayna has Porkrind to talk to about all of this. I know I ain’t home often enough to help her through it.”

“You’re not thinking that she, um…?”

“What?! No! I trust Shayna. And I’ve met Porkrind before and he seems like a good guy, so I trust him.”

“You know that they dated once, right?”

“Oh, I know that. Shayna and I don’t keep secrets from each other,” Jack said.

“Except you being here.”

“No, she knew that too. She knew that’s the reason why I come home late. She knew why I’m doing this. But I think she doubts that a cure from Tremaine is going to stop this hatred of our kind.”

“Hey, we’re going to find a cure for Tremaine…then everyone here won’t hate you and your species,” Murray reassured his friend.

“But it’s more than that. It wasn’t just the Tremaine outbreak. Hunter had hired designers to make some awful things about us, creating stereotypes that only makes their hatred grow. Like this!” Jack showed a poster that had the red-furred felines with horns and spiked fur, dancing around the pit of fire like demons worshipping the Devil with the words in bold white letters that said "Stop the demons". 

“It’s no wonder people tend to think we’re some kind of Devil worshippers.”

“That looks…really bad,” Murray uttered, speechless.

Jack sighed. “I’m afraid for Shayna and Cassidy. I’m afraid that they will get killed eventually and I won’t be there to protect them. I don’t think this cure will stop the growing hatred of my kind.”

Murray placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “That’s why you’re getting all the credit for this. Despite all the bad things that those posters show, you did one good thing. A big one, in fact.”

Jack shook his head, doubting Murray’s plan. “Murray—”

“There they are!”

Murray and Jack whirled around and saw a few hooded figures stomping into the secret lab. Murray managed to grab the potions secretly before hiding it his pockets in his slacks. Hunter stormed into the lab with a glare at both of the men.

“You got some nerve working on a cure,” Hunter growled.

Jack stepped between Murray and Hunter, also protecting Baby Mugman. “You need to stop this madness, Hunter. Before it’s too late—”

Before Jack could try to calm the situation down, Hunter pulled out a gun and shot Jack in the chest. Jack covered his bloody chest and collapsed onto the floor.

Baby Mugman cried in fear from the sound of a gunshot while Murray covered his son’s eyes to not see the bloody display of his best friend laying on the floor.

Murray didn’t have time to grieve for his best friend because he knew him and his son were next to the slaughter. No, he wouldn’t let them be next. Murray hurried out the door before Hunter could shoot him.

Hunter growled, showing his fangs. “After him!”

The two hooded assassins followed instructions and went after Murray and baby Mugman.

Hunter looked over at Jack, who was gasping for breath. The tiger glanced around at the assassins. “Rile up the angry mob. Have them kill every one of his species. Make sure not one of those red cats is left alive.”

The assassins nodded their heads and stormed out of the lab.

Hunter looked back down at Jack, who was struggling to survive. With a smirk, Hunter crouched down to get a closer look on Jack’s terrified expression when he realized that his family was in danger.

“Too bad you couldn’t save your precious family,” Hunter replied with a menacing chuckle. “But don’t worry, your wife and child will soon join you.”

Jack drew out his last breath.

Hunter stood up on his feet and headed out of the lab, leaving Jack’s body there to rot. 

~.~

Fifteen years later:

It had been a couple of days since Hunter sent Bowlboy out to get Tremaine inside of Cuphead…or what Dice was assuming was Cuphead. However, Dice could tell that something was off with Hunter. Either because Hunter whispered something to Bowlboy that wasn’t part of the plan or…maybe Hunter wanted Bowlboy to do something more unforgivable than inject Tremaine into the cup’s body.

Dice gasped to see Bowlboy returning back to the Night Stalkers camp with a more guilty look on his face. Devil, Henchman, and Stickler noticed as well and walked over to Bowlboy.

Hunter smirked and walked over to the bowl. “Did you do it?”

“Yeah,” Bowlboy said without sounding sinister or maniacal like usual. Dice thought that Bowlboy somehow saw something that traumatized him more than any words could express. “What did I just inject into Mugman?”

“Mugman?!” Devil gasped in shock. “You’re supposed to get Cuphead! Not Mugman, you idiot!”

Hunter watched Devil stormed into the tent with Henchman and Stickler following him inside. But Dice stayed outside.

Hunter nodded his head with a smirk. “You better run…”

Dice sighed in discouragement and was about to head into the tent until—

“But you said to get Mugman,” Bowlboy pointed out.

Dice froze and looked over at Hunter and Bowlboy.

“I said…run,” Hunter growled, his hand gripping the gun.

Without another word, Bowlboy zoomed away from the Night Stalkers camp. Hunter turned around and looked at Dice, who stared at him with an arched brow.

“What are you really planning, Hunter?” Dice asked with a growl.

Hunter only smiled coyly. “You’ll soon see, Kingsley. You’ll soon see.”

Dice was offended when Hunter called his real name. Before he could snap at the tiger, he could see the intention of using that name in the tiger’s eyes. Should Dice be afraid of Hunter? He watched Hunter entered the tent, passing by him.

Dice needed to find Bowlboy and find out what exactly was going on, but he couldn’t do that if Devil knew he was gone. He had to pick a good time to take off and find Bowlboy.

~.~

Mugman had been blacked out for a couple of days and Cuphead could only stare at his brother on the bottom bunk bed near the door. Cuphead refused to get out of the room no matter how many times Elder Kettle would try to tempt him with ice cream or sweets. What happened the other day to his brother really affected Cuphead’s mood and sweet tooth. Cassidy would also come in and stare at Mugman almost a few hours a day, praying silently to herself that Mugman would be okay.

Cassidy came in today and sat next to Cuphead, watching Mugman sleep for a little while.

“Is Mugman okay?” Cassidy asked softly.

Cuphead could only shrug as an answer, earning a sad sigh from the red feline.

They heard footsteps and Cassidy looked up to find Chalice and Natalie entering the room.

“How’s Mugsy doin’?” Chalice asked both Cuphead and Cassidy.

“Is he gonna wake up?” Natalie questioned. “It’s been a couple of days.”

“I-I don’t know,” Cassidy stuttered. “I hope he wakes up soon.”

Chalice looked at Mugman laying on the bed and then back at Cassidy with a soft smile. “Hey, Cassi, I might need your help with something. You know, watching over Aurora and all.”

“Sure,” Cassidy said and stood up from her seat. She looked at Natalie, who stared at Mugman sadly.

Cassidy rubbed her arm nervously and walked past Natalie, following Chalice out of the room.

Natalie glanced down at Cuphead softly. “You feelin’ okay, shorty?”

“I ain’t short,” Cuphead droned.

Natalie smiled that she got a response from Cuphead. She sat next to him and watched Mugman sleep with Cuphead. “Um…I wanna thank you for, um, saving my sister the other day.”

Cuphead perked his head up and looked over at her with a tiny blush. “Oh, uh, it’s nothin’.”

Natalie frowned. “Well, it’s somethin’ to me. Sooo…thank you.”

Cuphead nodded his head. “No problem.”

There was silence for a moment until Cuphead thought of something that led him biting down his wobbling bottom lip. Natalie noticed it and wasn’t sure whether to ask him or not until—

“It’s all my fault,” Cuphead admitted.

Natalie tilted her head. “Your fault? How?”

“Mugman kept me alive when I owed the Devil my soul. He knitted the invisible sweater for me to protect me. I mean, he always has my back no matter what. He was my best friend and my brother all in one. And I…oh, nevermind, I bet you don’t want to hear a peasant’s rambling.”

Natalie softened her gaze and then looked down when she remembered how she met Cuphead and called him a peasant. Well, Cuphead was a peasant compared to her and her family, but a part of her felt…bad for some reason for calling him that.

“Aurora is like my best friend and my sister all in one too,” Natalie said, trying to relate to Cuphead. “I’d do anything to protect her from everything going on now. I guess Mom kind of left us and probably didn’t come back for us when the Night Stalkers situation happened.”

Cuphead turned to Natalie with an upset look. “Did she forget about you both?”

“Probably…or maybe she couldn’t go home…I like to think the best of her sometimes…but either way, Aurora and I are left to fend for ourselves…I can’t believe we’re in a situation where anyone now could find us and kill us. Like, look what happened to Mugman. Someone insane must have injected something into Mugman that caused him to be like this.”

Cuphead frowned at the reminder of what happened a couple of days. “Yeah…has Aurora told you what happened or what she saw before Mugman attacked her?”

Natalie shook her head. “She’s too shaken up to even tell me what happened…”

“I don’t blame her. I’m still shaken up too,” Cuphead said admittingly.

Natalie looked back at Mugman. “Yeah, me too.” She sighed and looked at Cuphead. “I know Mugman means a lot to you. But…why do you blame yourself for all of this? It ain’t your fault Mugman ended up like this.”

“It is…” Cuphead said sadly. “Long story short, I lost a game at the Devil’s carnival and owed him my soul and Mugman made sure that my soul was in tact until that contract was expired. I could’ve just live and let be if I knew my soul contract was expired after thirty days. Then I saw the Devil’s pitchfork and we were just horsin’ around. Devil showed up and demanded it back, but I was such a dummy that I didn’t give it back to him…so…he took Mugman. Mugman hadn’t been the same since Devil kidnapped him. Heck, Mugman wouldn’t even tell me what happened down there.”

Cuphead’s lips wobbled while tears edged out of his eyes. “Then the Night Stalkers came after us, Mugman is injected with whatever that thing was, and-and now I don’t know when he will ever wake up. I never thought Mugman would ever get hurt because he kept me alive for so long…I-I didn’t think Mugman would be the target. I-I didn’t think that Mugman would get hurt like this. I-I should have never taunted Devil…I should have never gone into that stupid carnival. I should’ve stopped while I was winning that stupid game. But I didn’t…I was so focused on winning big! I-I just—” That was when Cuphead broke down crying in front of Natalie, who seemed confused as to know what to do.

Natalie frowned to see Cuphead like this.

“If it weren’t for me…Mugman would never get hurt. Mugman wouldn’t have to save me every time,” Cuphead whimpered, wiping the tears away. “I-I’m such an idiot. I wish-I wish I could take back everything I did. I wish I could take back those stupid words I said before Devil abducted Mugsy…I-I wish…I-I wish…”

Cuphead’s body stopped shaking once Natalie placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Should’ve. Would’ve. Could’ve,” Natalie replied softly but firmly. “Your brother needs you now more than ever, just as much as you need him. And now with whatever is going on inside of Mugman, he definitely needs you to help him during this really hard time. He needs you, Cuphead. You can look back and think of all the things you should’ve or shouldn’t have done, but the reality is that Mugman would think the same for you as a brother and a best friend. So be his brother and best friend that he needed right now.”

Cuphead calmed down a bit and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. Those words felt like a slap in the face, but in a good kind of way.

“Thanks, Natalie, I needed that,” Cuphead said with a blush.

Natalie smiled softly with a blush as well and nodded her head. They heard a knock at the door and they looked to see Elder Kettle and Cassidy peeking into the room.

“Hey, Cuphead, can I talk to you…alone?” Elder Kettle asked.

Cuphead looked at Natalie, who got up from her seat.

“I’ll, uh, go make sure Aurora is okay,” Natalie said while exiting out of the bedroom.

Cassidy rubbed her arm nervously once again. “I can look over Mugman and make sure if he’s okay.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Cassidy,” Elder Kettle said. “You can’t be too careful nowadays.” He shifted his gaze at Cuphead. “There’s something I need to talk to you about…something I should’ve told you boys a long time ago.”

“What is it?” Cuphead questioned.

Elder Kettle gestured to Cuphead for him to follow the old tea kettle. Cuphead moved off of his seat reluctantly and left Cassidy to watch Mugman.

Cassidy sat in the seat Cuphead was sitting and frowned at the mug. “Stay strong, Mugman. Please, stay strong.” 

~.~

Cuphead followed Elder Kettle into the room that Elder Kettle resided in. It was an old dusty room that had the picture of an old lady teapot on the empty wooden desk across from the bed.

“Shut the door, please,” Elder Kettle requested.

Cuphead did so as requested. “So…what’s going on?”

“It’s…It’s about your parents,” Elder Kettle finally admitted.

Cuphead widened his eyes. “You’ve never brought them up.”

“That’s why I’m bringing them up now,” Elder Kettle said while sitting on the bed. He patted on the spot next to him to gesture Cuphead to sit next to him. Cuphead did so and looked up at Cuphead in curiosity.

Elder Kettle took out a note and handed it to Cuphead. “It’s probably faded, but this was given to me when you both were dropped off on my porch.”

Cuphead squinted at the words. He was never the best reader but the words in the letter seemed easy to understand.

Dear old friend. Please take care of our boys, Cuphead and Mugman. They are our pride and joy that we must sadly give away for their safety. Do not be alarm when you see those two potions in the basket. These potions are our gift to the boys once they’ve grown old enough. The potions will protect the boys. Thank you, dear friend. We trust that they will be safer in your hands. Sincerely, Murray and Lily.

Cuphead blinked in disbelief of the letter. “Murray and Lily?”

“Those are the names of your parents,” Elder Kettle said.

Cuphead looked up at his caretaker. “Why are you telling me this now?”

“Well…you see, I think I know what it is that Mugman has inside of him. It’s called Tremaine…it’s a chemical that causes people to become…how I should I say it? A monster. Your father tried to find a cure for Tremaine, but he only made these two potions for both you and your brother, hoping to prevent Tremaine from ever going inside of you both. Your father was a good man and he wanted nothing more than to keep you boys safe. I was suppose to give these to you once you boys were old enough…but…I guess fifteen years go by and there was no worry over Tremaine until…Mugman got injected with it.”

Cuphead frowned and tilted his head. “What’s gonna happen to Mugsy?”

“I’m not sure,” Elder Kettle answered sadly. “I mean, the potion was supposed to prevent Tremaine from going inside of him, not cure it. So…maybe it could prevent Tremaine from taking a complete hold of Mugman. I’m not sure how long that will last though. That’s why I wanted to give you the other potion.” Elder Kettle handed Cuphead the remaining potion. “This will protect you from Tremaine going inside of you if you take it before it does. I’m not sure what will happen, but I know that Tremaine will never get to you if you take a drink of the potion.”

Cuphead took the potion and frowned. “I wish Mugsy has the same opportunity.”

“I know. And I made the mistake in thinking that Tremaine is no longer existent. I won’t make that mistake with you,” Elder Kettle replied solemnly.

Cuphead stared at the potion in his hand. He looked up at Elder Kettle. “Elder Kettle, what…what were my parents like?”

Elder Kettle blinked and smiled warmly. “I think you got most of your father’s personality. Hehe, he was so reckless at your age. He likes to blow stuff up…kind of like you.”

Cuphead grinned and giggled at the thought of his father being like him.

“Your mother…well…I think Mugman has most of her personality. She’s protective over your father and you boys, wanting to make sure that you all were safe,” Elder Kettle said with a smile. “I’ve met both your parents while I was serving in the military. Your father was a soldier and your mother was a nurse. I don’t know how they hit it off, but they hit it off and once the war was over, your parents got married and had you boys. I wish they were here to see you boys grow up.”

Cuphead frowned and looked at the potion. He took a deep breath and popped the cap off. “Well…here’s to my parents then.” Cuphead raised it up like he was proposing a toast a bit. Elder Kettle watched his boy drinking the potion and taking a big gulp. Cuphead shook his head in disgust. “Ew, it tastes gross.”

Elder Kettle chuckled a bit. “It’s probably spoiled by now but it should work still-”

Without knowing, Cuphead’s fingers glowed blue and shot out of his hands before realizing what was happening. Elder Kettle ducked and covered for it once it blew up the table in front of him.

“Wow! That was an accident!” Cuphead shouted in fear.

“It’s okay. You were just given those powers. It might be a little hard to control them.”

Cuphead clenched his fists so that his fingers would randomly shoot out...this blue stuff. “Whoa...this is actually cool. Can I play with it?!”

“Well...if you are going to play with those newfound powers of yours, take it outside.”

“Wait, what about Mugsy? Will he be okay?”

“As long as someone is watching him, he’ll be fine.”

Cuphead opened his palms and looked at his hands with a bright smile. “Can’t wait to show Mugsy this.”

~.~

“Stay strong, Mugman. Please, stay strong.”

Mugman gasped and snapped his eyes open. He looked around to find that he was in a dark forest with a white fog around him. He couldn’t see what’s around him except for the dark willow trees rooted near him.

“Hello?” Mugman called while standing up from the ground. “HELLO?!”

His voice echoed through the dark forest, but no one responded.

Mugman frowned and rubbed his arms from the sudden cold. He was too afraid to move forward through any direction of the forest. What if they were ghosts? No, he wouldn’t have a nightmare about ghosts…right? Oh no, he thought he heard someone laughing maniacally. It was unfamiliar laugh.

“You little animal.”

Mugman tensed up once he felt someone’s presence behind him. Before Mugman could turn around and look at who it was, he was snatched by the arm. Mugman had time to look back to see a familiar tiger with green eyes grabbing him.

“You?!” Mugman recognized instantly. “L-Let go of me!”

The tiger threw Mugman across the forest and into the dark safe box. The door closed, leaving Mugman in crowded darkness.

“HEY! LET ME OUT!!” Mugman cried while slamming his feet against the door. “LET ME OUT!!! LET ME OUT!!! CASSIDY!! CUPHEAD!! ELDER KETTLE!! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP ME!!”

He felt the walls closing in on him, squeezing him tightly.

“PLEASE!!! HELP ME!!!” Mugman shouted until he soon realized that he was just dreaming of all this. He shut his eyes, hoping he will wake up back somewhere safe. When he reopened his eyes, it didn’t work. Mugman blinked a few more times, but it wasn’t working.

“Trying to wake up from this place?” the unfamiliar voice crooned. “Too bad your friends and family won’t be there to save you.”

“HEY!!! LET ME OUT!!! PLEASE!!! I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE!!” Mugman cried, breathing heavily and tears streaming down his face. He felt paws grabbing his shoulders and yanking him back into the darkness through the wall behind him.

“I need something from you, Mugman. And you’re going to give it to me.”

The touch from the tiger’s paws burned into Mugman’s skin, causing Mugman to howl in pain.

“W-What do you want from me?!” Mugman screamed in agony.

“You were there when your father took those potions…what do you remember of that night?”

“W-What? What are you talking about?! I don’t even remember my own parents! LET ME GO!!”

“Oh, you do. It’s somewhere deep in your little liquid brain of yours.”

Mugman could feel his body burning up from the tiger’s grip. He could feel fur coming out of his porcelain body and his teeth sharpening. His vision turned orange and red while his fingertips grew claws.

“And I’m not going to stop until I get what I want,” the tiger growled.

“Whatever you want, you can have! I’m tellin’ ya! I don’t remember!” Mugman cried.

“Let’s find out, shall we?”

The tiger gripped to the side of Mugman’s head. Mugman screamed in more pain until he couldn’t anymore.

Mugman blinked and gasped once he stood in the living room of an unfamiliar house. Everything was a blur except for the crib. He walked over slowly to it and peeked over to find him and his brother sleeping in their crib together when they were babies.

“What the—?”

Mugman heard humming from the kitchen and turned to the humming sound. The hums came from the silhouette of a cup woman washing the dishes as Mugman tiptoed to the kitchen. He peeked in and noticed her. She was taller than he was with blonde liquid hair braided to the side. She had a skinny red handle on the back of her head along with a red dress that she wore a pink apron over. She seemed perfectly content with her life of having only two boys to raise.

Mugman recognized her instantly, tears forming in his eyes. “Mama…” He reached his hand out to touch her, hoping that she will turn around and recognize her own teenage son. But she was too far out of reach. He felt someone grabbing his handle, burning into his skin again.

“AAH!!” Mugman screamed in pain.

“Take me to the night where I killed your mother!”

“W-What?” Mugman uttered in tears.

“Come now, you do remember that night, don’t you?”

“N-No, I don’t!!! LET ME GO!!”

“You’re a liar.”

“I’m not! I’m not! Please, let me go!!”

“Not until you take me to that night—”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

The burn increased throughout the young mug’s body while Mugman cried in pain.

“MAMA!!” Mugman screamed in fear and agony.

Mugman blinked and was taken to another memory. The one where everything was all a blur except for his father. He watched his father running through the forest in the snow storm with the baby carrier attached to him. Mugman noticed his baby self crying in the baby carrier. Mugman might have witnessed something horrific when he was a baby. Why couldn’t he remember it? Mugman watched and saw a street sign…for some reason, it wasn’t blurred either.

“Forest Street?” Mugman uttered. “Why do I remember that?”

“Keep remembering,” the tiger’s voice growled behind him.

Mugman breathed heavily while following his father towards the unfamiliar cup house in the woods. His father entered the house and Mugman followed him. Mugman watched his mother turned around when his father entered the house.

“What’s going on?” Mugman’s mother asked.

“Remember what we talked about?” Mugman’s father questioned.

His mother shook her head. “No…”

“Yes, Hunter found out about t̸͚͗h̴̤͋e̷̺͛ ̷̬͠ċ̵̝ư̴ͅȓ̸͜e̴̖̓. He ḱ̶̺i̶͎̍l̵̳͠l̴͓͒e̶̙̚d̸̦̂ ̴͚̊J̵̨̈a̴̜̚c̷̙͊k̷͚̉ ̶͔̈́ and he’s coming for us! Take the boys to Elder Kettle. They’ll be safer with him!” Mugman’s father commanded while handing his wife the basket to put the babies.

Mugman’s mother shed a few tears before picking Mugman out of the baby carrier and placed him in the basket. Mugman watched with tears in his eyes while his mother put Cuphead in the basket. She covered the babies with the blanket and Mugman’s father hurried over and hid something strange in the basket. Mugman couldn’t see what it was and, frankly, he couldn’t see the two blue glowing lights either. What were those?

Mugman watched his parents hugging each other with the basket between them, earning sniffles and cries from baby Mugman and Cuphead.

“We’re so sorry,” Mugman’s mother sniffled while kissing the boys’ foreheads.

“So sorry,” Mugman’s father added, his voice croaked. They heard footsteps coming towards the door. His father glanced at his mother. “You know what to do.”

Mugman’s mother nodded her head tearfully.

“Don’t you remember what those potions were made of?! Do you even remember what happened before this?!”

Mugman felt the burning touch, causing him to scream in pain. “I told you! I don’t remember!!! Let me go!”

“You liar! I know your father would spill all the secret ingredients!”

“I WAS ONLY A BABY!!!” Mugman screamed at the tiger angrily. “I DON’T REMEMBER ANYTHING!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!”

He could hear a growl and grabbed Mugman’s arm again. This time, Mugman didn’t hesitate to bite down the tiger’s paw, causing Hunter to yelp in pain.

Mugman breathed heavily and witnessed someone kicking down the front door of the house. It…It was that tiger again…but he couldn’t see Mugman. Mugman gasped in shock and looked up at the tiger that was behind him before, but now…he disappeared.

“Go, Lily! Go!!!” Mugman’s father cried to Mugman’s mother named Lily.

Mugman watched his mother taking off through the back door while his father was fighting the tiger and the couple of assassins off. Everything was a blur after his mother left but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hear the voices.

“Leave them alone!” Mugman’s father barked at the tiger.

“You know, Murray, you should’ve think before showing your little Melvin the secret ingredients,” the tiger snarled. The sound of the gunshot scared Mugman back out of the house. Everything shifted around him and Mugman breathed heavily in fear.

Mugman looked up and saw his mother, running up to Elder Kettle’s tea-pot house. Lily, Mugman’s mother, placed the basket on the porch and knocked on the door harshly and urgently. She hugged her two boys, Cuphead and Mugman. Mugman stepped closer to his mother and the basket and started to sob. Lily placed her last forehead kisses on their heads before whirling around to hear someone coming for them.

“I’m so sorry,” Lily said while running into the snow storm. She waved her hands to draw the attention of the hooded assassins and the tiger. She ran away from the tea-pot as far as she could to keep the boys and Elder Kettle safe. The hooded assassins and the tiger ran after her into the darkness.

Mugman heard the door opening and looked behind him to find Elder Kettle standing at the doorway. He looked down at the baby cups in shock.

“Oh my!” Elder Kettle gasped in shock and picked up the basket. He took the babies in immediately and shut the door.

Mugman stood out there in the snow, his tears streaming down his ceramic cheeks. He clenched his teeth to hold in his whimpering until he heard a gunshot from the distance. Mugman whirled around and tried to see what was going on out there.

Once he squinted, Mugman could see silhouettes of the assassins and the tiger dragging out his now dead mother. Mugman started to breath shakily, whimpering.

“M-MAMA!” Mugman screamed for her, but he knew that she couldn’t hear him. He collapsed on his knees and sobbed uncontrollably, mourning at the death of his mother.

Mugman felt hands gripping his arms suddenly. The mug started to struggle in the tiger’s hold.

“You little animal,” the tiger growled behind him.

Mugman clenched his teeth in pain once he felt it burning his skin. “I’m going to kill you! You hear me?! I’m going to kill you for this!”

The tiger only smirked at Mugman. “My, my, I knew there was that lust for blood in you. I guess you and I are not as different as I thought.”

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO THEM!!!” Mugman screamed while thrashing his feet. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” the tiger said with a laugh. “I don’t doubt that one bit.”

Mugman could feel burn intensifying while he screamed in agony. He could feel his body shifting back into a monster he feared he was already.

“LET ME GO, YOU FREAK!!”

“Ah yes, you want blood, don’t you? You want vengeance for what happened to your parents, don’t you? Doesn’t their screams of pain satisfy you? Aren’t the sound of gunshots beautiful?”

“I…said…let…me…go!” Mugman growled while yanked his arm out of the tiger’s grip and slammed his fist against the tiger’s stomach.

The tiger released Mugman’s other arm while covering his gut. Before Mugman could leap to attack him, the tiger disappeared without a trace and everything went dark around him.

Mugman breathed heavily, his fists shaking from clenching them too hard. The blue-nosed mug collapsed on his knees and sobbed again, feeling his body shaking from the burns. Before he could close his eyes and let his mind take him somewhere else, he heard something in the distance.

“Hello?! Is anyone here?!”

Mugman lifted his head with tear stains on his cheeks. He squinted at the distance and noticed a mysterious shiny figure walking around the darkness.

“Hello?! Is anyone here?!”

Mugman reached his hand out to the figure and was about to say something, but he was soon cut off.

~.~

Mugman gasped awake, his eyes snapped open. He started to move around frantically until he felt a soft touch from a paw rubbing his arm soothingly.

“Hey, don’t get up too fast,” Cassidy’s angelic voice spoke.

Mugman glanced over to find Cassidy sitting next to him with her paw on his arm. He sat up and looked around to realize that he was in the bedroom where the kids had slept before.

“W-What happened? How long was I out?” Mugman asked her.

“A couple of days,” she answered awkwardly. “Give or take.”

“Oh…”

“Are you okay?” she questioned immediately. “You were crying in your sleep.”

“I-I was?” he said with a blush. “I mean…I-It was just a stupid nightmare.”

She frowned. “You wanna talk about it?”

“I rather not.”

She nodded her head in understanding. “If you ever want to talk about it, um, just know I’m here to listen.”

He smiled softly at her. “Thanks, Cassidy.”

They both noticed she still had her paw on his arm with small gentle strokes. They both blushed madly while Cassidy removed her paw from Mugman’s arm.

“Sorry, that wasn’t appropriate to keep my paw there…um…”

“Oh, it’s fine…you’re perfect-I mean, you’re okay. I mean…ugh, you know what I mean.”

Cassidy giggled and decided to tease him with a smirk. “Oh? Do you mean that I don’t have any flaws?”

He blushed at her teasing, but he decided to tease back. “Well, I don’t see any flaws so far. I know I’ll find ‘em eventually. Just you wait.”

“Hehe, my flaws are pretty obvious.”

“Really? Then I must be blind from your beauty to not see any flaws so far,” Mugman flirted, causing her to blush.

“Oh, so you think I’m beautiful?” she flirted back.

He blushed madly. “Hehe, well, what else can I say? You’re the cat’s pawjamas.”

Cassidy bursted out laughing at the cat pun used, causing Mugman to giggle along with her. She laughed harder until she snorted like a pig. She covered her mouth and nose with an embarrassed blush.

Mugman looked at her in shock and then wheezed in adoration. “Aww! That’s so cute! I wanna hear it again!”

She shook her head. “No, I hate my laugh.”

“Aw, I love it! It’s so cute.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. And I don’t care who says otherwise,” Mugman said with a smirk.

Cassidy rolled her eyes playfully. “You’re such a goofball.”

“Ahem.”

Cassidy and Mugman looked up and saw Porkrind standing by the doorway with a withering glare and his arms crossed.

“Do you mind not flirting with my daughter?” Porkrind said with his brow arched up.

Mugman blushed and realized he leaned a bit too closely to Cassidy during their flirting. He backed up immediately. “Uh…we’re not flirting.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Porkrind said, unconvinced by Mugman’s statement.

Cuphead came into the room with a bright smile. “Mugsy, you’re awake!” He hurried and jumped onto the bed just to hug Mugman.

Mugman gasped in shock for a moment before hugging his brother back. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too, bud. I miss you too,” Cuphead spoke softly.

Elder Kettle entered the room and smiled at the boys.

Cuphead broke away from his brother. “Oh, Mugsy! C’mon! I got something to show you! C’mon!”

He took Mugman by the hand and pulled his brother off the bed.

“Okay, okay, I’m comin’. I’m comin’,” Mugman said while being led outside through the kitchen door in Natalie’s backyard where Natalie played with Aurora and Chalice sat next to the goat grazing on the grass and watching them enjoying themselves until they saw Cuphead and Mugman running outside.

Aurora tilted her head and approached Mugman, looking up at him in confusion whether she should be afraid of him or not after a couple of days.

Mugman instantly remembered almost attacking Aurora with a quiet gasp in fear. “Uh…I’m sorry…I, uh, wasn’t myself a couple of days ago.”

“Id’s okay. I knew id wasn’d you,” Aurora replied while stepping back by her big sister for protection just in case.

“We’re glad to see you back on your feet, Mugsy,” Chalice said with a grin.

“Hold on, hold on, I got something to show you all. Hold on, ready?” Cuphead said while forming his hand like a finger gun. The blue glow was at the tip of Cuphead’s index finger. “Bang!” He released the blue glow like a bullet. The blue ball hit the fence and left a burn mark along with the other burn marks, indicating Cuphead’s little practice earlier.

Cuphead smiled in pride. “Awesome, right?!” He turned around to find Mugman, breathing heavily in fear. “Uh…Mugsy…you okay…?”

Mugman snapped out of his trance and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Oh, okay. Try it out, bud!” Cuphead encouraged his brother.

“Wait, what?”

“We both got those potions inside of us!” Cuphead said. “Try it out!”

Mugman looked at his finger strangely and pointed his finger at the fence. The blue glow zapped out of his finger and hit the fence and left a burn mark there.

Cuphead brightly smiled and nudged Mugman’s shoulder. “See?! Isn’t that awesome?!”

Mugman chuckled at his brother’s excitement. “Yeah, it is.”

“Come on! Let’s do it again!” Cuphead said while using his finger guns to shoot the blue glow at the fence.

Mugman fired the blue bullets along with his brother with a laugh.

Chalice smirked mischievously and approached the boys. Once she got the boys’ attention, she formed her hands into finger guns and shoot a gold glow at the fence.

The boys beamed and the trio started to fire glowing balls at the fence, laughing in a good fit of fun.

When Cassidy came out, Natalie and Cassidy watched with soft smiles at the boys playing with their newfound powers with Chalice.

To Be Continued... 

[elm-writes-stories]

Teaser for Episode Nine of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows Rewrite!

Episode Nine: Take A Gamble

“Mr. Manson,” Jack began the conversation. 

Hunter turned to look at Jack. 

“We’re sorry to bother you, sir, but I don’t think this Tremaine you speak of is working,” Jack replied. “It doesn’t strengthen the test subject.”

“It causes the test subject to suffer within it, letting it become a monster,” Murray added.

Hunter cornered a smirk. “It’s supposed to do that.”

Murray and Jack looked at each other in confusion and then back at Hunter. 

“Now, let’s move up a little, shall we? Let’s say…a person,” Hunter replied. 

Murray and Jack blinked and nodded their heads obediently. 

“Yes sir,” they both said. 

Hunter gave them a nod and moved on to focus on his other projects. 

“This isn’t what we signed up for,” Murray whispered to Jack. 

“Quiet, Mr. Manson could hear you,” Jack warned his friend. 

“We didn’t sign up to make people suffer,” Murray stated. 

“M-Maybe Tremaine won’t have terrible effects on people.”

“Jack, did you not see what it did to that rat? Who knows what Tremaine is going to do to a person?” Murray pointed out to the red feline. 

Jack bit his lips.

“Look, I know you got family to feed. So do I. But I don’t think doing this is a good idea for a job,” Murray replied. “And something’s up with that Manson guy. I don’t think…I don’t think he’s normal.”

“You realize that they got recordings everywhere, right?” 

“I’m just sayin’. I’m just sayin’.” 

Jack sighed deeply. “We need to find out why Tremaine causes other people to suffer. What are the ingredients in it? Why does it cause people to suffer? We need to know.” 

“I’m with you till the end,” Murray replied with determination. “As much as I don’t think this is a good idea to stay here to find out sensitive information, I’ll stick by ya.”

“What about you? It might be risky and it might get you killed—”

“I ain’t too worried about it,” Murray responded with a mischievous smile. “Let’s do it.”

For months working for Mason Corporations, Jack and Murray tried to find sensitive files they weren’t allowed to see while working on Tremaine at the same time. They needed some tinkering a bit until…they finally found a file that had the ingredients to Tremaine. 

“Here we go,” Jack said while taking a deep breath.

[elm-writes-stories]

Teaser for Episode Eight of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows Rewrite!

Ya'll wanted to have the teasers so...here is the first teaser for Episode Eight under the cut.

Cassidy was groaning and covering her face in utter embarrassment, concerning both Jerry and Porkrind in the bedroom. 

Porkrind was the first to approach his daughter by sitting next to her on the bed. “What’s going on, hun?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Jerry asked while sitting next to Porkrind.

Cassidy uncovered her face to reveal that she had been blushing. “I did something stupid last night.”

“What kind of stupid?” Porkrind uttered.

“I-I don’t know…I, um, I can’t believe I did it last night. Now he’s going to think I’m a burden.”

“Who’s going to think you’re a burden?” Jerry questioned.

“Mugman.”

“Mugman?” Porkrind repeated. “What did you do that would make Mugman think you’re a burden…?”

“I-I—” Cassidy took a deep breath and looked up at Porkrind and Jerry. “I kissed his cheek.”

“You did what?” Porkrind asked with a brow raised.

“I kissed his cheek…I don’t know what came over me. I…I thought he was such a loveable goofball and kissed him on the cheek without even thinking about it. I-I—I can’t believe I did that—”

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Jerry soothed the red feline. “I’m sure he didn’t think anything of it.”

“Do you know what’s worse? He almost kissed me on the lips last night and I almost kissed him back,” Cassidy said with a groan.

“I’m sorry, he did what now?” Porkrind said with a growl. 

“Wait, he almost kissed you on the lips last night?” Jerry questioned. “And you almost kissed him back?”

“Yes!” Cassidy cried while covering her face. “I have feelings for him and I don’t want him to hate me for that.” 

“Aww, Cassi, it’s okay. Knowing Mugman so far, I doubt he would hate you for it. I mean, if he was the first to initiate kissing…well, it means that he has feelings for you too. Ain’t that right, Porkrind—? Porkrind, put down the knife!” 

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite)

*Hey guys! I'm back with another episode of the rewrite of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows! This is published on July 26, 2023. If you guys like this episode, don't forget to heart it, reblog, and comment! That would be great! Enjoy! Warning: gore in the beginning.*

Episode Six: Pure Sweet Bliss

Cassidy couldn’t breathe.

No matter how hard she tried to swim out of this dark, crowded closet, she couldn’t get out. She was stuck underwater with the bubbles escaping her lips. The laughs from heartless souls were heard from the other side of the door.

“Look at her! She looks like a mop!”

“Aren’t you going to clean the floors, mop-head?!”

Cassidy pounded her fist against the door, losing her breath. She wanted to scream and beg someone to help her. Her father. Mugman. Anyone on the other side of the door.

“She can’t be saved! She belongs to the Devil!”

“Don’t let this foul demon work at our church!”

Cassidy could feel something burning under her. The heat intensified while she kept pounding on the door. She screamed in pain, but the water muffled her scream and bubbles came out of her mouth. She couldn’t move now due to the pain. The mocking laughs still continued and there was nothing she could do to save herself.

Cassidy only closed her eyes and blinked open to find that she was no longer underwater and she could breathe now. She was in the closet still. Cassidy opened the door and it led into a burning school. She coughed from the smoke and hurried towards the exit of the school. She could hear her peers screaming in pain and when she turned back, she saw the children who made fun of her were now burning. Even if those kids were bullies, Cassidy wouldn’t want to leave them behind. Before she could hurry back to rescue her peers, she saw them transforming into demons with horns and sharpened teeth. They had little wings that popped out of their backs.

Cassidy stood by the exit, her pupils shrinking in horror to see her peers turned into demons as they all looked at her with red irises around their pupils like she had seen with Mugman before.

“Come to Hell with us, Cassidy,” they all crooned.

Cassidy didn’t hesitate to take the exit and run from the burning school. The safest place she could think of was at her father’s shop. She hurried through the forest, feeling the fire behind her. Cassidy saw her father’s shop up ahead and hurried inside. Once she was inside, she gasped in horror to see her one-eyed father lying on the floor with his blood and guts scattered on the floor. She noticed Jerry laying against the wall, his stomach cut open and his intestines falling out.

Her heartbeat raced and saw more dead bodies in the back room. She recognized them all. Natalie. Aurora. Chalice. Cuphead. Mugman. Elder Kettle. They were all dead. Cassidy breathed heavily, trying to contain the tears. Her tears streamed down her furry cheeks.

“They risked it all just to save you,” a voice echoed into the room.

Cassidy turned to see a red feline staring back at her. Oh no…it was Cassidy except more demonic. Her black hair was longer and she was wearing a red dress. Her eyes were red with white pupils staring into Cassidy’s eyes.

“Please, not this again,” Cassidy uttered fearfully.

“Oh come now, Cassidy. You should’ve known that you’re a burden to your friends and family. No matter what they tell you, you’ll always be a burden. They don’t care about you. No one cared about you. You should’ve burned along with your species. Your ‘dad’ should’ve left you out there in the cold.”

The flames grew all around Cassidy, burning her father’s shop.

“But no…he took you in, not knowing how much of a burden you’ll be to him. Your biological parents abandoned you, because they knew better than he does. Your parents knew better than your new friends do. Wait and you’ll see. You’ll be a burden to them and they wouldn’t want anything to do with you.”

Cassidy could feel the chains snatching her wrists and ankles and held her down before she could run away.

“And they’ll die to protect you…and it’ll be all your fault,” the other Cassidy growled and watched Cassidy being consumed by the flames.

Cassidy screamed in agony, finding it pointless to struggle in the chains. 

~.~

Cassidy winced and opened her eyes with a gasp. She realized that she was holding onto Mugman, her claws digging into his shirt. She clenched her teeth to hope that she wasn’t waking him up only for her to notice that Mugman was sound asleep.

With a quiet sigh of relief, Cassidy scooted over Mugman, yanking her claws out of his shirt. Why did she always end up holding onto Mugman for dear life? A blush covered her face and she shook her head to snap her out of her thoughts. She managed to get up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom to clear her head. What she didn’t know was that Mugman woke up to the sound of footsteps leaving the room.

Cassidy went outside through the back door and sat on the back porch steps with a deep breath in and exhaling slowly. She repeated those steps and looked up at the stars. Cassidy counted the stars silently to calm her nerves.

Meanwhile, Mugman walked into the kitchen and peeked through the window on the back door to see Cassidy sitting there, her black hair shimmering in the moonlight. Mugman smiled a bit to see Cassidy there. He wasn’t sure if she wanted some alone time or she was expecting someone to sit next to her to enjoy the stars. Mugman bit his lips for a moment and glanced over to look at the time to find the wooden coo-coo clock on the wall read 3 am. It was too early to wake up in the morning and he should go back to sleep. However, Mugman didn’t want to go back to sleep. Maybe he will face that maniac tiger again in his dreams.

Mugman sighed and decided to spend the rest of the early morning with Cassidy. After all, he didn’t want to wake the others. Mugman opened the door and it creaked, causing the red feline to whirl around.

Mugman smiled shyly. “S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare ya.”

Cassidy’s shoulders relaxed once she saw Mugman. “You’re fine. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“You’re fine,” Mugman said while sitting down on the porch steps next to her. “Did…I wake you up?”

“No, I just woke up from a bad dream.”

“Oh…um…how bad was it?”

She rubbed her shoulder. “It’s just a stupid nightmare.”

He frowned and looked up at the stars. “It sure is a nice night out.”

She looked at him with a soft grin and then back up at the stars. “Yeah, it sure is. I usually like to count the stars.”

Mugman tilted his head, keeping his eyes on the stars. “How many have you counted so far?”

“About twenty.”

Mugman started to count the stars along with Cassidy, hoping to pass the time with her. She got up from her seat and walked forward into the backyard, laying down on the grass. He joined her and watched the stars without craning his neck so much.

“You know, Dad and I used to go up on the cliff and looked at the stars above the city lights,” Cassidy said with a small smile at the memory. “You’d be surprised how many more stars there are the more you go up the mountain side.”

“I didn’t think Porkrind would be the type to be into looking at the stars,” Mugman uttered in surprise.

“Well, Dad’s not the most opened person in the world,” she responded. She frowned for a moment.

“Yeah, I figured.” He noticed her frowning at the sky. “What’s wrong?”

Cassidy bit her bottom lip. “It’s probably stupid.”

Mugman turned over, prompting himself on his elbow so that he could look at her. “You can tell me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I hear stupid stuff all the time from Cuphead. I’m sure what you’re about to say ain’t gonna be stupid.”

Cassidy chuckled. “You’ll change your mind though.”

“How do you know?” Mugman asked softly.

She twitched her ears and looked back at the sky.

He placed a hand on hers, gaining her attention back to him. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable telling me. But I do want to let you know that if you ever need to talk about something, I’m here along with the others. We’re all a team, Cassi, and you’re part of that team. Don’t ever forget that, okay?”

Cassidy looked up at him with a soft gaze and smiled up at him. She nodded her head in understanding.

With a satisfied smile, Mugman laid back down on the grass and stared up at the stars. However, Cassidy noticed that his hand was still holding onto hers. She was about to make a comment about it, but she thought it was cute that he held her hand subconsciously and looked back at the stars.

~.~

Cuphead woke up with a tired moan. He could see the sun peeking through the curtains draping over the window behind him. Raising his hand to block the sun, he noticed that his brother and Cassidy were gone along with Natalie. Cuphead blinked in confusion and looked up at the top bunk to see Chalice was still sleeping. How odd.

Cuphead got up from the bed and ambled out of the bedroom with a yawn until he heard an irritated groan.

“Ugh, stupid thing,” Natalie’s voice came from the bathroom to the right of him. Out of curiosity, Cuphead headed towards the bathroom and looked in to find Natalie weighing herself. “Great, now I’m overweight.”

“Overweight?” Cuphead spoke up, causing Natalie to jump and yelp in shock.

When she realized Cuphead was just standing there with confusion written on his face, she relaxed a bit but tried to give off an irritated look to disguise her relief.

“You gave me a heart attack,” Natalie replied while stepping off the scale.

“Sorry,” Cuphead apologized while rubbing the back of his head. “You don’t look overweight.”

“Hey, I am not fat—! Oh…uh…um…you don’t think so?”

Cuphead tilted his head. “I know so…ooh! I want to see how much I weigh.”

She stepped aside and let Cuphead go on the scale to weigh himself. The weight was shown to be one-hundred and twelve pounds.

“Huh, not bad,” Cuphead replied while he stepped off the scale. He looked at Natalie. “Are you sure you’re overweight?”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “Ugh, yes. Let me show you.” She stepped on the scale and the scale read as one-hundred pounds.

“A hundred pounds?” Cuphead read with his brow arching in confusion. “That’s not overweight.”

“Yes, it is. I’m supposed to be ninety pounds. Not a hundred. Oh no, I knew I shouldn’t have gone wild with the sweets the other day with Cassi. Ugh, I’m so stupid. Oh, Mom’s gonna see me as just a fat girl and…oh no, I might not be pretty enough for her. I-I did all the measuring for each food I eat. I made sure that I don’t end up fat like Porkrind. Uh…no offense to Porkrind of course. I-I might be too fat to be considered beautiful.”

Cuphead tilted his head. “I think you’re beautiful.”

Both of the cups exchanged glances with their faces red from Cuphead’s compliment.

“Be-Besides,” Cuphead continued with his face more red. “You ain’t fat. Although…I think you’re bit underweight…”

“No, I’m not,” Natalie denied defensively. “I just got to go back down to the normal weight I’m supposed to be…hmm, ooh! Exercise!”

“Natalie…”

“Let’s take a swim! There’s a lake a few blocks from here,” Natalie said. “We can invite Cassi, Mugman, and Chalice for a swim! I’m sure it will be fun!” With that said, Natalie took Cuphead by the hand and pulled him down the hall. Chalice walked out of the bedroom and noticed Natalie rushing down the hall while holding Cuphead’s hand.

“Hey, have you seen Cassi and Mugsy?” Chalice asked Natalie and Cuphead.

“I don’t know,” Cuphead uttered.

“Let’s go find them!” Natalie determined, continuing to pull Cuphead down the hallway. Chalice smirked at both Natalie and Cuphead while following behind them.

Aurora waddled out of her bedroom and saw her big sister going to the backyard with Cuphead and Chalice. Wanting to join whatever fun they were getting into, Aurora followed behind the three of them.

Once they reached outside to the backyard, they found Cassidy and Mugman sleeping on the grass and facing the sky.

Natalie was too energetic to consider whether to wake them up gently or not. “Wake up, lovebirds!!!”

Mugman and Cassidy snapped their eyes open and jumped back. Their eyes widened at Natalie, Cuphead, Chalice, and Aurora until they realized they had been holding hands for a while. Mugman immediately let go and quietly apologized. Cassidy frowned a bit that they were no longer holding hands, but she nodded her head and masked it with a forgiving smile.

“We’re gonna go swimming!” Natalie announced excitedly.

“You know, I haven’t been swimming in a while,” Chalice said with a ponder.

Aurora clapped her hands. “I wanna swim too!”

Natalie looked at her little sister with a bright smile. “Hey, it gives you a chance to learn how to swim.” She shifted her gaze back at Mugman and Cassidy. “What d’ya say?!”

“I haven’t been swimming in a while either,” Mugman said with a soft smile. “It sounds fun.”

“Yeah, it does sound fun,” Cuphead agreed.

Natalie looked at Cassidy. “What d’ya say, Cassi?”

Cassidy rubbed her arm nervously. “Um…I think I’ll pass.”

Natalie groaned. “Oh c’mon, Cassi, you never wanted to try anything with me. I gotta drag you everywhere, girl.”

“But I—”

“C’mon, Cassi, it’s only a swim. It ain’t gonna kill you,” Natalie replied without concern.

Chalice shot a withering glare at Natalie. “Why don’t we do an activity where everyone can participate in? Including Cassidy?”

“Yeah,” Mugman agreed with Chalice. Then he looked at Cassidy. “We can find something else we can all do together.”

“Oh!” Cuphead shouted. “We can go to the carnival—”

“With the Night Stalkers still out there?” Natalie asked with a drone.

“Uh, how about to the movies?” Cuphead suggested.

Natalie sighed. “The Night Stalkers are still out there in the city. C’mon, the lake ain’t far out and no one will even see us.”

“But Cassidy doesn’t want to swim,” Chalice argued with Natalie.

“Yeah, she does. She’s just shy,” Natalie said.

Cassidy rubbed her arm shyly.

Mugman turned to Cassidy. “It’s up to you, Cassidy. You don’t have to swim if you don’t wanna swim.”

Cassidy looked up at the group, noticing them all looking at her to make a decision.

Aurora folded her little hands. “Pwease, Cassi?”

Natalie held her sister by her side and give her a sad pouty face along with her sister.

Cassidy sighed reluctantly after seeing Natalie and Aurora. “Let’s go swimming.”

Chalice, Mugman, and Cuphead gasped in shock while Natalie and Aurora cheered.

“Let’s get our bathing suits, Aurora!” Natalie cheered excitedly while carrying Aurora inside the house to get their bathing suits.

Chalice sighed. “Guess I’ll find mine.” She walked off, leaving the brothers with Cassidy.

Mugman looked back at Cassidy. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Cassidy nodded her head with a plastered smile. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

Mugman and Cuphead seemed unconvinced by Cassidy’s answer, but they didn’t push either.

~.~

The girls were in their bathing suits and the boys were wearing their red and blue shorts while walking through the woods to find the lake Natalie mentioned barefoot except Chalice was wearing heels. Natalie was leading the group with an excited grin and Aurora on her shoulders.

Cuphead and Chalice seemed to not be excited about swimming as they were this morning. As much as they both would love to swim and have fun, they were more concern about Cassidy than what they wanted.

Mugman walked beside Cassidy, trying to find any sign that she changed her mind about swimming. Part of him knew that she was afraid of the water. He didn’t know how afraid, but he knew the discomfort when the idea was first brought up. Another part of him was mad at Natalie for pushing Cassidy into doing something she didn’t want to do.

“Cassidy,” Mugman uttered.

“Hm?” Cassidy responded.

Mugman looked at the group and then back at Cassidy. “If, um, you’re afraid of the water and don’t want to jump in it, I can stay out here with you while everyone else swims around.”

Cassidy shook her head. “Oh no, you don’t have to. I’ll jump in. Don’t worry.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I, uh, know how to swim,” Cassidy replied.

Mugman arched a brow. “Um…okay.”

They finally reached the huge round lake with the wooden dock stretching a little until the deep end. Natalie put Aurora down on her feet and sprinted off the wooden dock.

SPLASH!

Natalie popped out of the water with a giggle. She looked at her group. “Hop on in! The water’s warm!”

Aurora waddled over and jumped off the edge of the wooden dock, dog paddling to her big sister with a giggle.

Cuphead and Chalice looked back at Cassidy, who gestured them to go ahead and swim. They exchanged glances at each other.

Cuphead shrugged and sprinted off towards the wooden dock and jumped off the edge, making a big splash. He popped his head out of the water with a bright smile. “Wow! The water is really warm!”

“Really? I wanna try,” Chalice said. She hurried off the dock and jumped in as well.

Mugman watched his brother and his friends laughing in the lake with a soft smile on his face and then looked back at Cassidy, who was waiting for Mugman to go.

“It’s okay. You can go ahead. I’ll be right behind you,” Cassidy reassured Mugman.

“Are you sure? We can jump in together if you want,” Mugman offered.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll be right behind you.”

Mugman frowned.

“Hey,” Cassidy spoke. “I’ll be okay.”

“O-Okay. If-If you’re sure.” Mugman took a deep breath and sprinted off the wooden dock and jumped into the lake.

Cassidy watched with a soft smile on her face to see Mugman popped his head out of the water. He looked at Cassidy, followed by everyone else’s gazes.

“C’mon, Cassidy, jump on in!” Natalie shouted with encouragement.

Cassidy crept up on the wooden dock slowly and looked into the water. When she noticed how deep it was, the red feline began to breathe heavily.

Flashes of memories played in her head of when she was little and was dragged onto the wooden dock. She was thrown off the edge of the wooden docks by the bullies from her school, causing her to drown.

“C’mon, Cassidy!”

Cassidy was snapped out of her trance and looked up to see Natalie encouraging her to jump. The red feline gulped and stepped back from the edge. She took a deep breath and ran on the wooden dock towards the lake, pushing her fears in her heart until she approached the edge. With hesitation, she jumped off the edge of the wooden dock and into the water.

The group widened their eyes in shock at Cassidy’s sudden bravery.

“Yes! Let’s go, Cassidy!” Natalie cheered for her.

“Well, I’ll be darn,” Chalice said with an impressed tone.

Cuphead noticed the bubbles forming but Cassidy wasn’t swimming up. “Uh…why are there bubbles?”

Mugman looked and noticed that Cassidy wasn’t swimming up. He widened his eyes in realization that Cassidy lied earlier about knowing how to swim and dove into the water to get her.

The group watched with shock and looked to see Mugman swimming up with Cassidy in his arms. They both popped their heads out of the water as Mugman swam towards the shore of the lake.

Cassidy coughed out the water once she was laid on the shore with Mugman.

“Are you okay, Cassi?” Mugman asked worriedly.

Cassidy’s red fur was drenched, her black hair covering her face until she parted it to see the group looking at her in concern.

“Cassi?” Mugman uttered, gaining her attention to him.

Cassidy was embarrassed by her looks and moved away from the shore. She started to run into the woods with tears in her face.

“CASSI!” Mugman called while reaching his hand out for her.

Natalie gasped in sudden realization. “Oh shoot, I forgot she didn’t know how to swim.”

Chalice and Cuphead turned to give Natalie a withering glare.

“Seriously?” Cuphead growled. “That’s not something you would ‘forget’ about your friend.”

“Give me a break! I forgot!” Natalie argued back.

“How could you forget about something like that?!” Cuphead yelled at Natalie.

“CASSI!”

The others turned to find Mugman running out of the shore and chasing after Cassidy through the woods.

“C’mon! Let’s get our two friends back! We’ll get onto Natalie later!” Chalice responded while picking Aurora up.

Cuphead gave Natalie one last glare before following Chalice out of the water. Natalie scoffed and followed after Cuphead and Chalice. 

~.~

Cassidy ran through the woods without knowing where she was going. But she wanted to go as far away from everyone as she could. She sobbed while getting the water droplets off of her red fur. She saw a dark passageway through the tree and didn’t hesitate to take it. It seemed like a tunnel but there was a light at the end of it. Cassidy ran to the light of the tunnel until she entered someplace she thought was strange.

The landscape was creamy and smooth like an ice cream. There were gummy bears hanging off of candy cane trees and boulders that looked like jawbreakers. The lollipops in multiple of colors were a stand in for flowers and the yellow and white striped candy corns were scattered everywhere. The smell of sweets filled her small nose and her ears twitched at the sound of music and children singing the candy song.

“Uh…where am I?” Cassidy uttered.

“You’re in Sugarland, darling!”

Cassidy whirled around at the direction of the feminine voice coming from the pink cake castle with creamy pointed rooftops. The castle had yellow eyes with black pupils and candy can gates for its mouth.

The woman popped out of the castle and floated it down towards the red feline in her round dark pink dress and red and white striped top. She had dark pink shoes with pink and white striped socks underneath and white creamy straps over her shoulders. She had a light brown hair with her bang curled up and an ice cream cone for her hat with the white lace at the pointy end of it. She held the candy cane as her cane and smiled at the red feline.

“My name is Baroness Von Bon Bon and today is your lucky day!” The woman, Baroness Von Bon Bon, announced grandly. She gestured to the entire landscape with her white gloves that went up to her elbows. “You get to eat aaalll the sweet treats you desire.” Her green eyes shimmered when she stared at Cassidy with a big crazy grin on pink-skinned her face.

Cassidy blinked and looked around the place. “But I’m allergic to sweets.”

Baroness Von Bon Bon’s smile faded instantly as if she was offended by the cat’s language. Then she giggled. “Hehehe. You got a sense of humor, don’t ya? ‘Allergic to sweets’. That’s nonsense. Who would be allergic to sweets?”

“Um…I would be…look, your highness—”

“Oh no, I’m no queen. I’m the baroness,” Baroness Von Bon Bon said while taking a cupcake. “I only eat sweet treats.” She kissed the cupcake before munching on it.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t eat your candy,” Cassidy uttered softly.

“Oh, don’t be sorry. I admire how you are able to resist my tempting offer so easily. Most disgusting children just caaan’t resist the tasty treats!” Baroness answered with a small smile. She wrapped her arm around Cassidy. “Say, you seem like a fun person to be around. Wanna live in my castle?”

“Well, I would like to…but…um, I wanna get dried off…I look like a wet mop,” Cassidy said with a little laugh at herself.

“Oh, I would totally do that,” Baroness Von Bon Bon answered happily while clapping her hands.

The castle crept towards them roared at Cassidy, blowing the air to dry the red feline off. Cassidy’s red fur was puffed up as if she got electrocuted instead of dried off.

“Perfect,” the baroness said with smile on her face. “Just perfect.”

“Thank you so much,” Cassidy replied gratefully. “As much I would love to stay, I want to go back out there to see my friends.”

“Aw, you’re not stayin’?” Baroness Von Bon Bon said with a sad pouty lip.

Cassidy felt bad for saying no to the Baroness’ offer. “Well…you can come out with me if you want.”

“Oh, I can’t leave Sugarland on the account of an ancient curse,” Baroness replied more creepily at the end. “But that’s a story for another time.”

Cassidy gasped as if she had an idea. “I can break the curse for you.”

“Oh, that’s okay, darling—” Baroness stopped herself mid-sentence and looked at Cassidy with a smirk. “You want to break an ancient curse?”

“Yeah, that way you can leave here without worrying about the curse,” Cassidy suggested.

Baroness pondered for a moment. “Weeell, there is a way to break the ancient curse. No one was bold or brave enough to break it for centuries. I mean, even I am not brave enough to break it. Either that or I didn’t care to leave. But you know, I haven’t gone out in centuries. Sooo, if you can break this curse, then we can walk out of here and visit all your little friends that you cared about so deeply.”

“Okay…”

Baroness used her cane to guide Cassidy and point at the building in the shadowy area of Sugarland. “There is an ancient relic that was supposed to break the sugar curse. You can either eat it or crush it. The curse will break either way. Do you think you’re up for it?”

Cassidy nodded her head.

“Great! Oh, and I almost forgot, there will be a secret code to get to source of the curse. Fail to crack the code and you will be stuck with your fears forever,” Baroness said creepily.

Cassidy gulped in fear.

“But I’m sure you’re smart enough to not do that,” Baroness said positively.

“Do you know the code—?”

“Nope. You have to figure that out on your own.”

Cassidy sighed deeply and faced the abandoned building. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”

Baroness watched the red feline going towards the dark building with an evil grin. 

~.~

“CASSI!” Mugman called while searching through the forest with the others.

“We’ve looked everywhere!” Cuphead shouted and searched around the forest. “She ain’t here!”

“Keep looking!” Mugman demanded while storming ahead of the others.

Chalice looked through the bushes. “Casssiii? Where are you?”

Natalie searched around the trees with a groan. “Ugh, where did she take off to?”

“Oh, I dunno, if it weren’t the fact that you guilt-tripped her into jumping into the lake, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Cuphead answered angrily at Natalie.

Natalie glared at the cup. “Hey, it’s not like she drowned! She’s okay!”

“She almost drowned if it weren’t for Mugman!” Cuphead argued back at her.

“Hey!” Mugman shouted to get their attention. “Will you two stop arguing?! Right now, we need to worry about Cassidy!”

“We’re trying to find her, Mugman! We can’t find her anywhere!” Chalice replied. “Maybe she went back to Natalie’s house.”

“No way, she wouldn’t even know the way home since she had never been to the lake,” Natalie said with a sigh.

“Oh, so you knew she would be lost here in the woods but you ‘forgot’ that she can’t swim?! What kind of a friend are you?!” Cuphead called Natalie out.

Natalie drew her brows together. “I’m the kind of friend looking for Cassidy right now!”

“No, you’re not!” Cuphead stated without missing a beat. “You’re the kind of friend that is reckless who does reckless things regardless whether that would get others killed or…!” Cuphead frowned in the sudden realization of what he was accusing Natalie of. Natalie reminded him a lot of himself before the Devil abducted Mugman. How reckless he was and how he could’ve had Mugman almost killed in the Devil’s grasp.

“Or what?” Natalie growled at him.

“Or taking advantage of the fact that they’re always there until they ain’t anymore,” Cuphead said more softly.

Natalie lost her glare at him when he suddenly had a softer tone.

Aurora turned to notice a dark passageway through the tree. “Cassi?”

The group turned to the little girl and looked into the dark pathway. Mugman and Cuphead gasped in recognition and peered down the pathway.

“Oh no,” Mugman uttered in horror and rushed into the pathway.

“Mugman, wait!” Cuphead shouted while chasing after him.

The girls chased after the boys with Natalie lifting her sister up in her arms. They hurried down to the end of the tunnel to find that they were in someplace…sweet.

Cuphead and Mugman were in horror from their previous experiences with the sugary wonderland called Sugarland.

Chalice and Natalie looked around while Aurora brightly smiled and reached her tiny hands out towards the sweets all around her.

“I hope she ain’t here,” Mugman uttered in fear.

“Me too, bud,” Cuphead replied.

Chalice arched a brow and put her hand on her hip. “Uh, what is this place? And…Cuphead, why is your straw red and gummy all of the sudden?”

“NO, NOT AGAIN!!!” Cuphead screamed in panic, while his body turned into gummy red arms.

“WE’RE TURNING INTO CANDY AGAIN—!!” Mugman shouted while his arms and body turned into a gingerbread cookie. The brothers screamed in fear.

“Oooh, so you turn into candy here? Gotcha,” Chalice said.

“The Baroness is going to eat us!” Mugman yelled at the girls.

“Baroness?” Natalie and Chalice asked simultaneously.

Aurora turned her head to the side. “Is id dhe big scawy casdle coming afdew us?”

Natalie looked at her sister. “What big scary castle?”

Aurora pointed at what she was looking at.

The pink castle appeared from the side with the Baroness on top of it, causing the kids to scream in fear.

They zoomed through Sugarland with the castle chasing them, not knowing that they were running into the shadowy parts of Sugarland.

The baroness saw that they were going into the abandoned building to be safe. “Wait, don’t—!”

The kids went through the entrance of the abandoned building, instantly turning Cuphead and Mugman back to normal.

“Wait a minute, what just happened?” Cuphead uttered in confusion.

The kids stopped and looked at the baroness, who growled in anger.

“Ugh, you outran me again!” The Baroness snarled. However, a sinister chuckle soon followed after her snarl. “Oh, this is better. There’s this red cat that came through here. She said that she’s going to help break the curse, oh, I don’t know her name…”

“Cassi!” Mugman gasped in shock.

The Baroness smirked. “You better find her before she fails to crack the code to break the curse. Or else she’s stuck in her worst fear for eternity.”

“The curse?” Cuphead uttered. “Oh yeah, you mentioned something about it.”

“Uh, Cuphead…” Chalice informed Cuphead.

“What?” Cuphead turned around to see his brother taking off into the building.

“CASSI!” Mugman called.

“Mugman, wait up!” Cuphead yelled while chasing after his brother.

Chalice hurried after the boys while Natalie carried Aurora in the building, causing Baroness to chuckle.

“Oh yeah, they definitely won’t break the curse. Oh well, guess they’ll be part of Sugarland forever,” Baroness said to her castle with a maniacal chuckle. 

~.~

“MUGMAN, WAIT!!” Cuphead called, but Mugman didn’t listen.

“CASSI, WHERE ARE YOU?!” Mugman’s voice echoed through the abandoned building.

Cuphead caught up with Mugman and tackled him onto the ground. “Mugman, hold on—”

“Let go!” Mugman growled and shoved Cuphead off of him while standing up.

“We don’t even know what part of the building she is at,” Cuphead argued. “Look, I know you got a thing for her, but if you keep shouting like that, who knows what enemies you will draw to yourself.”

“She’s our friend, Cuphead. As her friends, we need to find her before something terrible happens to her.”

“What if the Baroness is just bluffing?” Cuphead said to Mugman.

“And this is exactly why we get into messy situations. Because you ain’t too worried about everything and think that people are always just bluffing about the consequences,” Mugman growled, his eyes turning yellow with red irises. “You, of all people, are the reason why we can turn into candy here in the first place! You are the reason why Devil abducted me! Why can’t you stop acting like people are bluffing for two seconds?!” Mugman soon snapped out of it, his eyes reverted back to normal and widened in pure shock.

Cuphead winced back with his eyes broadened in horror.

“I-I…” Mugman uttered in fear of himself. “I didn’t mean it…I—” He looked to see Chalice, Natalie, and Aurora staring at him in fear.

Mugman shook his head while watching his hands trembling. With tears in his eyes, Mugman took off.

“Mugman!” Cuphead called and chased after his brother.

The girls watched the boys running through the dark hallway.

“I guess we are splitting up,” Natalie said while pointing at the hall ahead of them. “I say we go down that hallway.”

“Good idea,” Chalice uttered and led the way down the hallway.

Meanwhile, Mugman ran down the dark hallway until he tripped into an unknown hole, falling into the dark pit. He crashed against the rocks and tumbled onto the ground.

Cuphead hurried to the edge of the pit and looked down. “Mugsy, are you okay?!”

“I’m fine! I-I just—” Mugman said while holding his injured arm. He gritted his teeth and felt them being sharpened. The mug shook his head. “No, no, don’t. Please.”

Mugman stumbled through the hallway.

“Mugman! Where are ya goin’?! I’ll get help—”

Mugman hurried through the darkness of the cave, trying to get away from his brother as much as possible. He started to cry in the darkness from both of the injury and from trying not to let Tremaine take hold of him. But it seemed to come up every time he was either in pain or angry. What was going on with him? Once in the dark cave where he couldn’t see, he breathed heavily and took a seat on the rock. He let out a sob while holding his injured arm close to his side.

“Hey, buddy?”

Mugman whirled around and found Cuphead sitting by him on the rock.

“You doing okay?” Cuphead asked.

“What does it look like?” Mugman muttered. “I got Tremaine inside of me…and-and I’m scared that I’m gonna hurt you or the others eventually. I almost hurt Aurora if you hadn’t been there to save her. N-Now, I’m afraid it’ll take control again one day. I-I feel like a ticking bomb, waiting to go off. And then what? I kill you, Cassi, Chalice…I’ll kill everyone I love. And-And I don’t want to…I never wanted to. I never asked for this.”

Cuphead patted his brother’s back. “Hey, whatever is going on, we’ll figure it out. We’ll get it out of you before it could take hold of you.”

They heard something move in the shadows around them.

Mugman began to tremble. “I-Is it the Night Stalkers?”

Cuphead looked around the darkness until he felt something sharp swooped into arm, cutting deep enough to draw blood out. “OW! Hey!” Cuphead formed his finger guns and aimed it at whoever swiped at him. His fingertip glowed blue in the dark, revealing the monsters appearing like rocks. Their blue and red eyes examined the blood belonging to Cuphead.

“Wait, they’re not attacking us,” Mugman uttered softly while noticing the rock monsters glancing at Mugman and stepping closer to him. He closed his eyes, waiting to be swiped next. The rock monsters examined Mugman’s injured arm and moved Mugman’s hand off.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Cuphead interrogated the monsters.

“Hold on—” Mugman clenched his teeth when he felt something sharp pierce barely through his skin, collecting his blood too.

Both of the brothers looked up in shock and watched the monsters that had both their blood going up to the door and injected the blood into the a hole on each side of the door. The door opened and the red and blue glow blinded the brothers for a second.

“What the—?” Cuphead uttered in confusion while watching the rock monsters stood by the door with their red and blue eyes fading away.

Mugman and Cuphead looked through the door and headed inside to find a wide hallway with stoned statues of strangers they didn’t recognize.

However, they shifted their gazes up to find an emblem with the shield with the water within it and a red striped straw diagonally across over the door. The spoons were behind the shield, crossing each other from behind while there was a weirdly shaped tea-pot on the top middle of the shield. The brothers squinted at the words.

“Calix Animi,” Mugman read out loud.

Cuphead looked at one of the statues on the right of someone familiar and looked at the words engraved on the statue. “The Legendary Chalice.”

Mugman turned to the statue. “Hey, that looks like our friend, Chalice.”

“Oh yeah. Wait….is Chalice the Legendary Chalice?”

They took a while to ponder it.

“Nah!” both of the brothers answered themselves. They continued onward until they reached a room where the bright blue and red glow came from.

It was a strange orb, held by the stoned hand of a cup not so familiar to them. They couldn’t see half of his face but they could see his name written under his feet.

“Gabriel Arch-Cup?” Mugman uttered while tilting his head.

“Huh, strange name,” Cuphead said while casually taking the orb.

“Cuphead, what are you doing?!” Mugman scolded his brother.

“What? I wanna see what it is,” Cuphead indicated, his hands on the red side of the orb.

Mugman rolled his eyes and took the orb by the blue side. “Put it back before we get in trouble—”

They saw the orb glowing brighter, interrupting Mugman’s sentence. Before either of them questioned what was going on, the orb split up in their hands. The red fiery glow jumped into Cuphead while the blue electric glow zapped into Mugman.

Both of the brothers fell onto the ground.

Cuphead had never been in so much pain before. He felt like his insides were burning up, causing the cup to scream in pain. He managed to squeeze one eye open and watched his brother convulsing on the floor as if he was being electrocuted. Everything around them was starting to shake and Cuphead had gain the sudden strength to bare the pain and push through to help his brother. 

~.~

Chalice, Natalie, and Aurora opened the door to the grand round room to find a stand in the middle of the room with a small safe on top of it and a piece of paper by the foot of the stand.

“Huh, that must be the source of the curse,” Chalice assumed with her fists on her hips.

“Make it stop…”

Natalie, Chalice, and Aurora looked to the side to see Cassidy cowering in the corner, her eyes purplish pink.

Chalice tilted her head and hurried over to Cassidy with Natalie and Aurora trailing behind her.

“Hey, Cassi, what happened?” Chalice asked. “Are you okay?”

Cassidy hissed at them.

“Why are you hissing at us?” Natalie questioned. “We’re your friends.”

“Maybe it wasn’t at us,” Chalice said to herself.

“Stay away…please…don’t throw me into the lake again,” Cassidy replied tearfully.

Chalice softened her gaze at her feline friend. “Hey, we ain’t gonna hurt ya. We’re going to find a way help you. Just hang tight.” Chalice reverted into a ghost and turned to Natalie and Aurora. “Watch her, I’ll be back.”

Natalie nodded her head in understanding and watched her feline best friend cowering away from them.

Chalice floated around the room in search for something like a code. She picked up the piece of paper and saw that half of it was torn off. The ghost chalice looked around for the other half. She peeked through the closet on the other side of the room and saw a candy statue of a canteen with goggles. She tilted her head when she noticed there was another half of the paper in his hand. She took it out of his hands gently and noted the other half of the paper. She pieced it together and saw that it was a code.

Chalice hurried back towards the middle of the room and entered the code that was on the paper. The code activated the safe and opened the door to reveal a round pink gumball. She looked at the piece of paper and saw a note at the bottom of the page that said:

“Don’t eat the candy!”

Chalice picked the candy up and shrugged. She dropped it onto the ground and reverted back to her physical form to crush it. 

Once she crushed it, the purplish pink faded from Cassidy eyes, letting her see Natalie and Aurora standing in front of her. 

"Cassi!" Aurora cheered happily. 

"Uh...you okay?" Natalie uttered.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cassidy said while waving off whatever happened to her off.

Chalice saw the cream of the canteen statue she saw before melted off of the silver canteen. The canteen gasped for breath and stumbled from his spot, shaking the remaining candy treats on him.

“Ugh, I thought I was going to be stuck here forever,” the canteen spoke while dusting himself off with a frustrated sigh. “So…who broke the curse—?”

The canteen’s sentence was cut off by looking at gold chalice looking back at him. The canteen blushed from staring at her for a bit too long at the fact that Chalice was wearing the bathing suit and shook it off.

“Uh, how rude of me to not introduce myself. The name is Canteen,” Canteen said while putting his hand out. He found a bit of ice cream on his glove and shook it off. “Canteen Hughes.”

Chalice smirked at Canteen and shook his hand. “Chalice.”

“Chalice,” Canteen repeated her name, almost in a wistful way until he shook his head. “Sorry…uh…I, uh, thank you for breaking me free and…wait, did you actually break the curse?”

“Yeah?” Chalice replied while showing the crushed candy.

Natalie, Aurora, and Cassidy approached the scene with confusion written in their faces.

Canteen rubbed his chin. “Huh, I thought something dramatic would happen once you break the curse—”

Everything was shaking around them suddenly as if an earthquake struck them.

“Oh, there we go,” Canteen said nonchalantly.

“We gotta get out of here!” Natalie shouted in panic.

“C’mon!” Chalice encouraged while running out of the room.

Cassidy followed her friends out of the room while watching everything collapsing.

When they reached down the hall where Chalice, Natalie, and Aurora split up with Mugman and Cuphead, they heard running footsteps approaching them by the side.

They turned their heads to find Cuphead running towards them with Mugman passed out in his arms.

“What did you two ding-dongs do?!” Chalice shouted at Cuphead.

“Don’t have time to explain!” Cuphead answered while noticing Cassidy. “Oh, hi, Cassidy.”

“Look out!” Canteen yelled when one of the debris almost fell on Cassidy if it weren’t for Chalice pulling Cassidy out of the way.

“C’mon!” Chalice urged while the kids ran through the building. 

~.~

Mugman groaned in pain and fluttered his eyes open. He realized he was carried in Cuphead’s arms, heading towards the exit of the collapsing building.

“We’re almost there!” Canteen shouted to the kids as they finally stepped through the exit.

They halted to the stop once they saw the Baroness outside, waiting for them with gritted teeth in anger.

“Why can’t you all be easy to trick?!” The Baroness growled at the kids as the building finally came down behind them, leaving the dust everywhere.

“Because we’re smarter than you think,” Chalice talked back with her brows drawn together.

Cuphead noticed his brother waking up and set him down on his feet.

Cassidy had her ears pinned back with a hiss at the Baroness, catching Mugman’s attention.

Mugman gasped happily. “Cassi!”

Cassidy looked at Mugman and frowned, looking away sadly. Mugman softened his gaze while not understanding why she was sad all of the sudden.

“That’s it!” Baroness barked at the seven kids. “I’ll have you know that I don’t eat disgusting children. If I can’t eat you all, then I might as well take it to the next level.”

“Wait a second, we broke the curse,” Canteen pointed out.

“Well…not for this land though. What I didn’t tell you was that the ‘curse’ you broke was your own curse. If you break one or both of my rules, you’re cursed to turn into candy here until either you go back to the real world, but you will be turned into candy once you come back here oooor you come to this building…which was somehow destroyed and break your curse there,” Baroness explained.

“Huh?” the kids uttered in confusion.

“Yeah, once you break your curse, let’s just say that your rule-breaks are erased. Most kids aren’t lucky…or didn’t know anything about it.”

Cuphead looked at him and his brother and realized that they hadn’t been turned into candy. The cup gasped in realization. “Wait a minute! That’s why Mugman and I aren’t turning into candy here anymore!”

“That’s why I was able to get out of being the statue,” Canteen thought to himself.

“That’s how I got out of being under some sort of a spell that had me stuck in eternal fear forever,” Cassidy recalled.

Baroness sighed. “Yes, it will only be temporary until you break the rules again. Which by then, the gum ball will form and you will have to break it again.”

“Oh…so…we’re free to go?” Chalice uttered.

Baroness smiled evilly. “You can stay here as long as you want unless you want to break the rules again.”

“Aaaand goodbye!” Cuphead determined and ran through Sugarland.

The other kids followed after him while Baroness watched from on top of her castle with a maniacal giggle.

“Oh, they’ll be back for more fun,” Baroness said while grinning.

Meanwhile, Cuphead picked up speed without even knowing it, outrunning the kids following him.

“Hey, slow down!” Chalice shouted but they seemed far to him for some reason.

Cuphead rushed through the passageway without knowing he was going faster than he could run initially.

It was sudden that Cuphead made it through the pathway and bumped into someone with a large belly, causing him to bounce back a few feet. He groaned in pain and looked up to realize that it was Porkrind.

“What the—?”

“Cuphead!”

The rest of the kids rushed out of the dark passageway with heavy breaths.

Canteen took deep breaths. “Man, I haven’t run like that in forever since I—hm, I’m not sure how long I’ve been in Sugarland as a statue. But probably awhile.”

Porkrind quirked a brow. “Why are you all in swimwear?!”

Natalie grinned nervously. “We were taking a swim for a while.”

Porkrind glanced over to notice Cassidy also wearing her swimwear. “You went for a swim too?”

Cassidy rubbed her arm anxiously.

Porkrind softened his gaze and sighed. “We have been looking everywhere for you kids. Do you mind not running off like that again?”

“Can’t make promises,” Chalice quipped with a smirk.

Porkrind rolled his eye. “C’mon, let’s get back to the house.”

They were all walking through the woods with Porkrind.

“So…is there anything I missed in the real world?” Canteen asked the kids.

Chalice wrapped her arm around him with a bright grin. “Boy, do I have a story to tell you. So there was this group called the Night Stalkers—” As Chalice explained the situation they were in to Canteen, Cassidy walked next to Mugman.

“You okay?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine now. I want to apologize for earlier…for lying about knowing how to swim,” Cassidy said sadly.

Mugman frowned. “Yeah, I can tell you lied. I know you’re trying to put on a brave face in front of us. But you don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not around me.” He blushed a bit. “Or around Cuphead and Chalice. Honestly, we just like to have fun. As long as we are all having fun, it doesn’t matter what happens. You’re part of the friend group now. And if you can’t do certain activities like swimming, then I can stick by and keep you company. I really don’t mind that at all.”

Cassidy frowned. “I just didn’t want to be a burden to you…or to the others. That’s kind of why I lied earlier.”

“You’re not a burden to us. Who told you that?” Mugman asked with his brows drawn, almost as if he wanted to punch whoever told Cassidy that.

“No one…I just…felt like that sometimes.”

Mugman held her hand to comfort her. “You ain’t a burden to any of us. And I speak for me, Cuphead, and Chalice. Probably Natalie, Aurora, and Canteen too. I’m pretty sure Porkrind, Elder Kettle, and Jerry didn’t feel that way at all. You’re part of the group now and you ain’t weighing us down. If I have to convince you every hour of every day that you aren’t a burden until you see what I see in you, then so be it. You’re our friend, Cassi…don’t ever forget that, okay?���

Cassidy blushed from his words and held his hand tighter. “Thanks, Mugsy.”

Mugman smiled and nodded his head. They continued to walk back to the Ruth Mansion, now holding hands subconsciously without any reason why.

To Be Continued... 

[elm-writes-stories]

Teaser for Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite) Episode Eleven

Episode Eleven: The Chef's Ingredients

“Hello?! Is anyone here?!” Cuphead called. He noticed the bell and started to ring it annoyingly until it broke from his uncontrollable strength. “Oops.” 

“Hold your horses! Man, I only get one minute of break and y’all would come running to me—” The anthropomorphic saltshaker with the chef’s hat entered the room with a tired sigh. The chef gasped to see Chalice at the front counter. “Chalice?!” 

“Chef!” Chalice responded with a bright grin and leaped into the chef’s arms, who laughed in joy. 

“Oh, Chalice, it had been some time since I’ve seen you last!” Saltbaker responded. “How were things back in the big city? Not too much I hope.” 

“Oh, great! How are things here in the bakery?” Chalice questioned with a bright smile. 

“Oh, a bit difficult at times. But, you know, now that you’re here, I’m working on a special ingredient just for you and your new friends! Give ole Saltbaker a second!” The chef said while entering back in the kitchen. 

Dice nodded his head. “He seems fine.” 

“I don’t know…he seems a bit too jolly for my taste,” Porkrind responded with a brow raised. 

“Yeah,” Jerry whispered. 

Murray nodded his head in agreement. 

“Oh, you guys can be so cynical sometimes,” Elder Kettle responded. “He seems super nice.” 

“I wouldn’t be fooled by his super niceness,” Porkrind replied with distrust. 

Saltbaker came back with the plate of cookies and a grand smile on his face. 

“Cookies?!” the kids gasped in delight as Saltbaker laid the cookies in front of them. 

"Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in!" the chef responded in excitement.