Cuphead and Mugman in "A Recipe For Evil"

A Salty Situation

Saltbaker reacted faster than Cup anticipated. The chef grabbed the child's wrist and then sent a punch to his gut. It winded the boy just long enough for the salt shaker to pull him close and wrap his thick glass arms around his small enemy. Cuphead thrashed about, throwing kicks and anything he could at the attacking man. The red cup was able to wriggle his way out of the grip. He didn't get far when Saltbaker grabbed him again. An arm promptly went around Cup's neck. The young cup squirmed around again, but the grip was much better this time. It began to tighten. He knew he had to get out of there before he suffocated. Cup pointed a finger back and began to blast Saltbaker with his spread shot right in the face, ultimately creating a big crack on the chef's nose. The salt shaker promptly dropped the child from the pain. It did not take long for the chef to lash out again, though.

He grabbed Cuphead's leg and tripped him up. Falling flat on the floor, the salt shaker advanced on him. The young cup went to turn around and face his adversary. He was met with two glass hands that came down on his neck and tried to strangle him. Cup tried desperately to get the adult's hands away from that vulnerable area. Desperate, empty gasps escaped from his mouth. The red cup knew he was in trouble if he couldn't find a way out of that hold and fast. His oxygen supply was dropping fast, making his eyes want to cross and blur. Cuphead's gaze desperately looked around for something within reach that could help him. Saltbaker's knife was just off to his right. Knowing that was his best shot, he lashed out his arm for it. His fingers came up just short of the weapon. But he wriggled them around and eventually got hold of the knife's handle. Cup jerked it back and let the glittering blade fall into the chef's arm. The sound of glass breaking accompanied the man's screams.

Cuphead yanked out the weapon as the salt shaker let go of him and backed away. The few seconds of the man's agony gave the cup child a moment to recover from the death grip. He coughed a bit and rubbed his neck but then got up. His porcelain body rushed the salt shaker, who was clutching his arm as a few grains of salt fell out. This left him vulnerable to another attack. Cup did not hesitate to run the butcher's knife into his torso. The shattering noise came even louder this time, as did Saltbaker's screams. Cup yanked out the knife again. He watched as the man fell to his rump, seemingly in utter agony. The salt shaker's hand tried to cover the hole, but it did not stop his salt from pouring out. As the chef looked up at him, the young cup saw fear in his eyes. Cuphead kept the knife pointed at him in case he tried to lash out again. Saltbaker's yellow eyes slowly closed. The red cup watched as every grain of salt drained from the man's body. It was only then that he lowered the blade.

"Serves you right for hurting my friends." Cup said in a serious tone. He stayed watching the body for a few seconds to make sure he was down for good. The body did not make a peep. Cuphead was satisfied with how the chef looked and turned around with the knife still in hand. He only made it a few paces when a big shadow seemed to loom over him. A shiver went down his spine. Cuphead spun around on his heels. The salt rose up, forming the shape of Saltbaker's body but without the glass casing. Black hollow holes were where his eyes should have been. The monster's salt grains pulled back into a wide, devious smile.

"Oh, this is not good..." The red cup sighed. He swallowed his fear and prepared for round two. Cup grunted and swung the knife across what was supposed to be Saltbaker's torso. A pocket of salt ejected from his body. The salt monster merely smiled and raised a nearly invisible salt eyebrow. Cuphead watched as the salt was summoned back to the monster's body. This would be something hard to defeat if it could heal like that, the young cup realized.

Saltbaker swung a punch that the boy avoided by jumping to the side. Using both hands, Cup tossed the knife toward the chef. The salt creature merely elongated its body, creating a hole in its torso that the weapon spiraled through. Cup watched as the knife kept going and hit a shelf behind Saltbaker. The wooden shelf swayed back and forth, threatening to vomit its contents down. A pink mushroom from the top shelf fell down and got absorbed into Saltbaker's body. The grainy body proceeded to more than double in size. Cuphead frantically started to pelt the beast with his peashooter shot. The chef hissed as if it stung when the pockets of salt were blasted off. But he plowed forward, the salt still returning to him each time it was removed.

Meanwhile, Spoonfred and Kiki worked to break a hole in the jar. The cat would scratch at it for a bit, then the utensil would take a turn to kick at it. They were weakening the structure, but could not seem to break it. Mugman sat there hopelessly watching. He knew it would be so easy if he were at full power. Even just a little energy would really help at this point.

Come on! Isn't there anything we can do to help? He pleaded with Tsundere.

Even if I helped you break the glass, I'd have no energy to do anything else. The demon explained.

But no one else can do anything because we're stuck in here. Mug pointed out.

Fair point. It grumbled.

So... will you help me? The young mug urged. Tsundere thought about this for a moment and then replied: Very well.

Mugman pulled his tired body to his feet. He watched as Spoonfred attempted to tackle the glass with his shoulder. The utensil merely rebounded back squealing "Ow!" and rubbing his shoulder.

"Stand back." The mug child told them. Both Spoonfred and Kiki heeded this warning and got out of the way. It took a few tries, but Mug eventually built up enough energy for a soccer ball sized projectile. The blast easily broke through the area the other two had been working on. The young spoon shielded his face from the shattering glass and the cat hid behind his legs. As soon as the coast was clear, he grabbed Mugman's arm and pulled him out.

"Great work! Come on!" Spoonfred urged the mug child that looked like he might fall back to the ground. He pulled Mug along with him as he went towards the back of the room. The young mug leaned up against a chair while the spoon untied his father. Forkington rubbed his arms a bit, still feeling the rope's tight hug. He thanked his boy for coming back for him.

After letting the utensils have their moment, Kiki jumped up onto a shelf. She pawed at a vile of liquid, knocking it down. Spoonfred acted quick to catch it. The feline trilled and flicked her tail at Mugman.

"I think she wants you to drink this." He told the mug child. Mug took it from his hands and looked it over. The liquid was a green color similar to the Miracle Heals that he had received from Djimmi. His gloved fingers plucked the cork-like top off. The substance fizzed and bubbled when it was exposed to the air. It even made his blue nose sting a bit, reminding him of the soda pop he always liked to drink from the candy store. The fizz seemed to drown out any odor that the beverage gave off.

Mugman hesitated to ingest this unknown liquid. Kiki chirped at him to hurry up. The feline tended to have good judgement on what he should do, so Mugman chose to trust her once again. Pushing any doubts away, the mug child chugged it down quickly. It ended up not tasting as bad as he feared it might. The liquid did indeed seem like a mix between the Miracle Heal and soda. Mug put down the empty bottle and looked his body over, expecting something visible to happen. Nothing seemed to happen at first. But then his energy started to build up so much that he began to glow a blue color.

"Whoa...I feel good!" Mugman said, moving his arms and legs around a bit. He could feel raw energy coming off him now. "It's like my energy has suddenly been replenished."

If that's the case, then we better not waste it. Let's go help Cuphead before this energy drink wears off. Tsundere said.

"I'm off to help Cuphead." He told them. "You all should get out of here. It's dangerous." Without another word, Mug took off in the direction from which he heard their struggle. This left the utensils and the cat to decide what they should do. Forkington urged his boy to leave like the mug had suggested.

"No, there has to be something we can help with." Spoonfred insisted. The fork hesitated for a moment, but the feline was with Spoonfred every step of the way.