Cuphead and Mugman in "Fate Will Find You"

You Are Alone, Little Mug

"Put that finger away, boy!" King Dice snarled as he tightened the death grip. The mug child made a small shriek of pain. It was unintentional and only caused his air supply to drop even faster. Mugman's other hand retreated back to the object that tried to crush his windpipe. He tried to let out another scream due to the unbearable pain, but it was choked out. The hold was suffocating. It was so powerful that it brought tears to the little mug's eyes. He tried desperately to slip his hands between the large fingers and push them away.

"Good. Now we have an understanding of each other." Dice put a wicked smile on his face. Mug's feet thrashed back and forth in the air. "Tell me where Cuphead and Elder Kettle are." He interrogated his unwilling victim.

"N...no!" Mugman barely squeaked out with eyes drooping. He tried to cough to get air and hopefully move the hand ever so slightly.

"No? Perhaps I didn't make myself clear.... You don't have a choice, boy!" The king said, clearly enjoying this too much.

"I... I won't! N-never!" The mug child's oxygen supply was dropping by the second. Mug realized that the grip seemed to ease up for a second. It was just long enough for the boy to take a single breath. Mugman realized King Dice was keeping the hold just tight enough so that he could still get information out of him. It meant the die man wasn't going to kill him just yet.

"I don't know whether to call your persistence foolish or brave." Dice admitted.

A surge of fear came over Mugman's heart as he realized the casino manager was going to keep asking for information about Cuphead and Elder Kettle until he finally squeaked. No matter what, he couldn't let that happen. No matter how painful the chokehold or whatever other types of torture he inflicted.

I can't let him find my family....! Mug thought with all the bravery he could. His eyes narrowed in anger before he brazenly swung a foot upward to bump the man's arm. Dice merely glanced at the fearless attempt, not having been injured in the least bit. In fact, the die man just laughed in the child's face.

"Now that's just pathetic.... I might actually feel sorry for you... if I didn't enjoy this so much!" The person dressed in purple roared.

Let me go! Y-you're nothing but a lackey! A pawn! Mugman silently yelled at his adversary. Dice merely laughed again, almost as if he had heard the mug's desperate threats.

I'll die before I tell you where they are!

King Dice almost seemed to take this as a challenge.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" He then walked over to the cliff that overlooked the sea. The die man held out the little mug over the heart-wrenching drop. Mug's eyes nervously shifted to the side to see the waterfall crashing down hundreds of feet to the ocean. The poor young mug wondered if the die man would really release the grip and let him plummet all the way down to a watery death.

"Where is your brother and precious guardian?"

Please Dice! You don't have to do this! You don't have to be like the Devil! Mugman now pleaded inside his head. Any words inside his mind were better than saying anything out loud, Mug thought. That is, if he had any breath to actually say anything, anyway. The casino manager and child made eye contact with another. The little mug now had a pleading look instead of his previous confident one.

"Just say where they are and all this stops...." Dice taunted the child. He then made his right hand glow purple and held it next to Mug's head. The child's eyes shifted to the side to see the purple magic mere inches from his face. Meaty gloved fingers flexed as they threatened the little mug. Beads of sweat started to form on Mugman's face as fear gripped his heart. Mug was trying to be strong for both himself and his family. But the fear and pain just came too much for him and he couldn't help but silently break down to himself.