The two cups exited the casino and walked next door to a golden gate with a lock on it. Cuphead looked down at the ring of keys he had been given. He scratched his cup, wondering which key would open the gate. The boys didn't have to wonder long before a large black key seemed to gravitate toward the lock.
"See? What did I tell you? Easy!" Cuphead boasted as he grabbed the key that pointed toward the lock. The key clicked inside the lock and the two cups pushed on the gate. It flew open with ease. A pulse of heat came flooding out of the Devil's lair. It was the fiery heat of Hell. And Mugman could tell this as a thick layer of sweat encompassed his glass body in an instant. He tried to wipe sweat away from his mug as he followed Cuphead further into the monster's domain. The two cups entered the Devil's lair, surprised to see a bright environment of red and gold colors. A multitude of expensive artifacts lined the Devil's quarters. Most likely all prizes from bets that he's won over time. Unfairly of course. Cuphead led the way as they approached a large throne. Its frame was a bright gold color and the cushions blood red. Upon this throne the Devil sat. His black furry body contrasted greatly against his surroundings. The only parts of his body that did not have fur were his gray four-clawed hands and feet and two white straight horns that extended from the top of his round head. Two imp ears protruded from the sides of his melon. He glared down at the boys with his piercing yellow eyes as they approached.
"Well, well, well... look how far you've come!" The Devil boomed, holding out his right arm in a welcoming fashion. In his other hand was a golden trident. "Not only did you bust up my good-for-nothing lackey, King Dice..." A skinny tail that ended in a spade shape lashed back and forth as he said this. "...but I see you've got my soul contracts, as agreed! Hand 'em over, and join my team!"
"Hold on there!" Mug protested. "The deal was we get the soul contracts to you, and you give ours back!" The little mug wasn't about to stand for the Devil's unfair treatment.
"Perhaps you didn't hear the deal, child." The Devil said casually. "And I quote my previous words, 'I MIGHT pardon you, little mugs'."
The two cups gritted their teeth, remembering that was indeed what the creature said.
"Mug's right! We're not just going to hand over the contracts to you!" Cuphead backed up his brother. Both of them had fistfuls of contracts that they now hid behind their backs.
"Oh, you'll be handing them over whether you want to or not..." The Devil sneered. His golden trident was then pointed towards the boys. Acting like a magnet, the scrolls flew from the mugs' hands toward the trident. They disappeared at the moment they came in contact with its pointed ends.
"Hey you can't do that!" Mug shouted.
"Where did those contracts go?" Cuphead questioned.
"They are now in my soul contract library, just like the rest." The creature replied. "Not that you will ever see them, or yours, ever again!" He then let out a wicked laugh.
"You better give ours back!" Mugman called out and pointed accusingly at the Devil.
"He's not just going to give them back, Mug. We'll have to force him to!" Cuphead explained to his brother before turning to the Devil. The little cup took off racing toward the Devil. He jumped, ready to loose a magic shot at the furry body. The Devil simply sat there and elongated his tail. The spade tail reached out and smacked the cup on his brim. Cuphead closed his eyes and yelped as the strike rattled his head. It felt like his cup had just gotten whipped. His body fell straight to the ground. The Devil gave a toothy grin as he enjoyed seeing the little cup in pain. Mugman gasped as he saw his brother tossed to the ground. He then balled his fists in anger and charged the Devil.
"You hurt my brother!" He shouted as he ran. "Now come 'ere so I can pummel you!" The Devil let the little mug come closer to him than the cup. He simply held out his right hand and caught Mug's head, stopping him in his tracks. Mugman swung his arms wildly in a windmill motion, trying to hit the Devil.
"You children are foolish to think that you can hurt me..." The black creature said. With a slight push from the Devil, Mugman fell back on his rear end. Despite the fact that it was boiling hot in the Devil's lair, Mugman trembled terribly in fear of the large and powerful deity. The little mug quickly scrambled backwards. Cuphead was now standing up and caught his brother by the shoulder as he almost backed into him.
"What are we going to do now, Cuphead?" Mugman asked as he stood up. Cuphead could see the worried look on his brother's face. He tapped a couple fingers on his cup, thinking about what the best option was. The room was silent for a few seconds as Cuphead stood there lost in thought. Mugman hoped that his brother would come up with a good and rational decision. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined what Cuphead was about to say.
"....Perhaps we should take up his offer." The cup stated.
"What?!" Mug said in alarm. He was so shocked that his straw stood erect once more. "What do you mean, Cuphead? You can't seriously be saying that we join him!"
"I'm the older brother, and that's exactly what I'm saying!" Cuphead narrowed his eyes and spit back.
"Just because you're the older brother doesn't mean you're right about everything!" Mugman challenged, narrowing his eyes back. He leaned close to his brother so that they were nose to nose. Unbeknownst to them, a wicked smile grew on the Devil's face as he watched them bicker. Mug realized that this conversation was escalating and he backed out of his brother's personal space. After taking a deep breath, he tried to convince his brother that joining the Devil was not the answer.
"Don't you remember what Elder Kettle said? About doing the right thing when the time came?" He tried to reach the rational side of Cuphead.
"Aren't you tired of being pushed around all the time?" The cup questioned his brother.
"But Cuphead we beat every single one of the Devil's debtors! We've become pretty powerful!" Mugman clenched a fist, physically showing that he had become stronger.
"Need I remind you how many times we lost before that actually happened? The endless times we were burned, sliced, crushed, or even worse!" Cuphead pointed out. "If we had power like him, we would be the ones that all of the residents of the Inkwell Isles respected. And we would never be looked down upon anymore!" The cup boasted while pointing at the black monster in his chair.
"Cuphead, this isn't you." Mugman said softly, as he gently grabbed his brother's arm with both hands. The cup immediately yanked his arm away from the little mug.
"You can run home if you want. It's what you always do when you're scared. But this is what I'm choosing." Cuphead pointed to himself, being firm in his decision. He then started walking towards the Devil.
"But I-" Mugman started to say with an even more worried look on his face.
"Can it you little piece of glassware! Little cupface made a wise decision. And we're gonna have a hell of a time down here!" The Devil sneered. Cuphead stood in front of the Devil's throne, prepared to be given unlimited power. Behind him stood his younger brother that trembled in fear as he watched the procession.
"I wish to join you, mister Devil!" Cup called out.
"Excellent! You may feel a slight pinch as your newfound powers manifest." Warned the Devil as he pointed the trident in Cuphead's direction. A red beam of energy emitted from the fork and traveled towards the young cup.
"Cuphead!" Mugman cried out as the red energy consumed his brother. The room glowed a bright red for a few seconds. Once the blinding light died down, Mug noticed his brother lying flat on the ground, unmoving. The little mug raced to the cup's aid. Two eyes slowly opened to see Mugman standing over him.
"Cuphead, are you okay?" His brother questioned as he helped him to his feet.
"What just happened? I feel so dizzy...." Cuphead weakly said as he stood there. There was a pounding in his head that seemed to drown out the rest of the world.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Mugman beamed with joy and threw his arms around the cup. "I was so scared that he had done something terrible to you!" The little mug closed his eyes as he lived in that moment. He was unaware that Cuphead was doubling in size at that very moment. The sound of heavy breathing penetrated Mugman's cup. Startled, he pulled away from his brother. Only it wasn't his brother anymore. Now double the size of Mugman, Cuphead's shorts and straw were now a purple color. It looked like a bite had been taken out of his straw. His teeth became extremely large and sharp. Mug saw that his eyes were now as yellow as the Devil's and the pupils a fiery red. The possessed cup stood there, staring off into the distance.
(Author's Note: My alterations to Cuphead's demonic form include a much larger head, almost to the point where he is top-heavy. The teeth are also larger and a bright silver.)
"C-cuphead?" The little mug stuttered out as he shakily reached for his brother. Two red pupils looked in the mug's direction. Mugman gasped and quickly backed away. He was now trembling so hard that his straw rattled against his cup. His heart pounded so hard and fast that he thought he was going to drop dead. Little Mug truly felt lost and alone at this moment. He started to wheeze and almost sob at the same time. The young mug just wanted to sob and beg for his brother back. Mugman's terrified heartbeat and wheezing was music to the Devil's ears.
"Go on and run home, little mug." The Devil told the child. Mugman immediately turned and dashed towards the door. "But I think you'll find that if you're not with us, then you're against us..."
Mugman had almost made it to the door when he heard an unfamiliar voice echo toward him.
"Where do you think you're going?" Came a demonic voice from the cup that used to be his brother. The demon cup pointed a finger at the door. A red beam emanated from the finger and immediately closed the door in front of his brother's face. Mugman skidded to a stop to avoid running into the door. He immediately tried to open it. Locked. The little mug turned around and saw the demonic cup's gaze locked on his location. It started to walk towards him. Mug could feel the power within Cuphead just radiating off him. It was almost like pulses of heat. The monster stopped a few steps in front of Mugman. It raised its hands and arms and opened its mouth, showing off the sawblade-like teeth. A deep growl gurgled between the fangs. The large hands lowered toward Mugman to try to grab the smaller cup. Mug dove between the larger cup's legs to avoid being grabbed. He turned toward the Devil once more.
"What did you do to my brother?" Mugman questioned the monster.
"I gave him just what he wanted and now he's mine." The Devil replied. "His soul is damned to Hell for all eternity! Now it's your turn to choose: join us...or perish!" The little mug looked nervously from the Devil to his own hands. Joining the Devil meant becoming like his brother now is. Mugman certainly did not want that. But he knew that if he showed any signs of resistance, they would kill him. Mug stood there trembling. The little cup truly did not know what to do.
"Go ahead and take your time." The Devil urged. "I've got the best seat in the house after all!" He crossed his left leg over his right, settling in for a good show. Mug cocked his head to the side, unsure of what he meant. He soon realized exactly what the black creature meant. The demonic cup proceeded toward the little mug once more. Mugman turned to face his brother.
"What say you, little mug?" A demonic voice hardly reminiscent of Cuphead's bellowed out of the cup body. Its teeth were so big that it could not close its mouth completely. The demonic cup's breathing was audible to both Mugman and the Devil.
"Cuphead can you hear me?" Mug called out, hoping he could somehow reach his brother.
"Cuphead is no more....and you will be too!" The demonic voice answered him and narrowed its eyes. Cuphead balled his fists. These clenched fists then started to glow red. The cup's right hand thrusted in Mugman's direction. A pulse of red energy launched at the mug. The little mug dashed out of its way. Before he could say or do anything else, another red pulse traveled toward him. Mugman ducked just in time as it flew over his mug. Each of these pulses exploded upon impact to the ground. Cuphead started to rapid-fire these shots. Mug could barely get out of their way as each one exploded and became closer to him.
"That's right! Dance little mug!" The demon cup taunted as he kept the attacks coming. Mug was thrown to the ground as one explosion came too close. He quickly scrabbled his hands and boots along the ground to get back up. Mugman knew that Cuphead would not let up on the attacks, so he had to keep moving. He also realized that he couldn't keep this up forever. A large golden vase caught his eye. The little mug dove behind the vase, hoping to have a moment to rest. This moment was short-lived as one of the pulses shattered the artifact. The Devil saw this and became agitated.
"Watch it you disconfigured child! Those artifacts are priceless!" The Devil spat.
So, he doesn't like his things to be destroyed....perhaps I can use that to my advantage, Mugman thought. Here goes nothing!
The little mug dashed over to the wall and unhooked a piece of artwork. Grabbing the painting with haste, Mug did not get a good look at what the picture was. To him it just looked like an explosion of colors. All he knew was that it was portrayed nicely within a bright gold frame. So nice that he felt it should be destroyed by his brother. With a big heave, the little mug tossed the framed picture toward the demonic cup. Cuphead promptly released another red magic pulse. It came in contact with the so called priceless artifact. The painting and its frame were instantly disintegrated by the sheer power.
"Stop it you little pest!" This angered the Devil even more. Mugman saw a golden chest. Presumably filled with golden coins and other treasures. Skidding over to the treasure chest, Mug tried to lift it. The object didn't even budge.
Guess I'm not that strong...
Mugman then pushed the chest forward toward the demonic cup. He ran a few paces with it before shoving it off. Another red pulse exploded on the chest. All of the golden coins, along with the chest itself, melted out and spilled all over the floor.
"You are really trying my patience, child!" The Devil yelled at Mugman with his eyes now turning red. Mug then came up with an even better idea: instead of having the Devil's possessions destroyed, he should have Cuphead destroy the Devil himself. The little mug then ran himself in the Devil's path. Cup's gaze followed suit as he leaned down and aimed his large liquid cannon in their direction. Using his hands to steady himself, Cuphead unleashed a powerful red beam from his cup cannon. Mugman dropped to the ground with his hands on his mug for protection. The beam traveled over the cup child and exploded on the black furry body. Mugman nervously looked up to see the results of his plan. The black fur smoked and stood up on end. His eyes now bulged with red veins as he became infuriated. Mug thought his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. The creature growled in anger. He thought about squishing the meddlesome child with one fell swoop. However, he felt that such a method would let the mug off the hook too easily. After composing himself, he simply leaned down and outstretched his right arm toward Mugman.
"Buzz off and go play with your brother! And leave me and my property out of it!" The Devil roared as he flicked his wrist upward. His knuckles punched Mug's glass head, sending the cup's body flying away from him. Little Mugman landed on his bottom. He didn't even have to turn all the way around to know what was behind him when he heard deep breathing. The little mug tried to take off running. Cup simply held out a finger and caught the smaller cup by his britches. The elastic in Mugman's shorts sling-shotted him back to Cuphead's grip. Now with a firm hold on Mug's torso, the demon cup looked into his small enemy's eyes. Mug tried to push away from Cuphead. His smaller hands tried to weasel their way between the demon cup's fingers to push them away. He tried in vain as Cuphead's grip was like steel.
"Cuphead, you know I would never hurt you. And I'm not going to fight you. Please snap out of it! You can't let the Devil control you!" Mug hoped his words of peace would calm the demon. Unfortunately for Mugman, the demon cup had only one desire: to destroy anything and everything. The little mug looked fearfully into his brother's eyes. He saw two silhouettes form in the flames of the cup's pupils. One resembled him and the other looked like Cuphead. Mug watched fearfully as the demon cup shared his thoughts with his victim. The larger silhouette grabbed the smaller one by the mug with both hands. It then aggressively ripped the mug head in two. Mug then screamed in terror as he realized that Cuphead's fantasy could easily become reality. Mugman's legs and feet swung wildly in his panic. A brown boot swiftly made contact with the cup's gut. The monster moaned in shock and dropped its prey.
Mugman took off running once again. To where he did not know. Just anywhere to get away from his possessed brother. Cuphead saw the young mug running away and decided to give chase. His larger boots thumped loudly against the Devil's tile floor. Poor Mug's heartrate only sped up as he realized the once stationary cup was now moving toward him with a purpose. Mugman took a quick glance behind him. Cup made his hands glow red once more. He then loosed more pulses of red magic at the mug that refused to join him. The young cup barely made it out of the way from the pulses that the larger cup shot at him. Mug soon found himself being chased in circles around the Devil's lair. He was able to stay one step ahead of his demonic brother. However, Mug was getting tired from running. His breathing was erratic to the point that he was almost wheezing. He was now sweating profusely. Mugman didn't know what caused it more: the high-temperature of the environment or the excessive sprinting and fear that trapped his little soul. He wanted more than anything just to go home and have everything back to normal. To have his brother back. And to certainly have never seen the dreaded casino or its wicked owner.
The Devil tapped two claws on his leg, getting impatient. He craved to see the little mug get severely thrashed by his own brother. A wicked smile grew on his face as he came up with a diabolical idea. The Devil elongated his tail once more. He waited until Mugman took one of his periodical glances back to place his spade tail in front of Mugman's left leg. Just as planned, the little mug tripped over his tail. His glass body tumbled forward as he yelped in shock. Mug turned around just in time to see his brother lunging for him with both red fists outstretched. A powerful double punch landed on Mugman, sending him flying away. The little mug screeched in pain as his fragile body tumbled over itself multiple times. He could feel the tiles below him being uprooted from the sheer force of the blow. The young mug's body slowly came to a stop. Mugman lie on his back in pain. His eyes were tightly squeezed shut and teeth gritted together as he groaned in pain. He feared that Cuphead would be waiting for him if he opened his eyes.
"Now this is more like it!" The Devil praised his slave and gave a short applause. Mug did not want to get up, not even sure that he could. His body felt stiff. The sound of heavy breathing entered his cup. He shakily and reluctantly opened his eyes. Cuphead was indeed standing over him. Mugman covered his mug with his hands and arms. He feared that the demonic cup would squish him.
"What are you waiting for? Get up!" The cup demanded.
"Huh?" Mugman said and slightly lowered his arms.
"I'm not going to strike an enemy when he's down." A demonic voice said.
Th-that's Cuphead! Only my brother would say something like that!
Mug felt a spark of hope in his chest upon hearing those words. The Cuphead he knew would never strike any fallen enemy. It was an altruistic trait that both of the brothers shared. Fiery pupils followed as the little mug shakily stood up.
"Cuphead is that you?" Mugman called out as he slowly stood up, hoping that his brother could hear him. The heavy breathing that constantly emitted from the demonic cup ceased. It watched carefully what the little mug was going to do next.
"I-it's me. Mugman. Your brother." Mugman slowly held out his right gloved hand. The monstrous cup stood there, unmoving. "Don't you recognize me?" The cup still remained silent. It simply watched as Mug's hand came closer to him. A small smile started to grow on the little mug's face. He really thought he was getting through to Cuphead. The gloved hand was now inches from Cup's face. In an instant, the moment changed. It took the demonic cup less than a second to clamp down its jaws on Mugman's arm. The little mug screamed in absolute pain. His eyes closed in reaction to the pain. Tears filled them as they opened. Mug tried to yank his arm away, but Cuphead's grip was like a bear trap. Mugman continued to scream and fight against his brother's grip. He had felt a great deal of pain before when dealing with the Devil's other runaway debtors. But this pain seemed so much worse to him. Especially for the fact that his own brother inflicted this very torture on him. The sharp pain seemed to intensify every second that passed by in the demon cup's grip. With watery eyes, Mugman saw two silhouettes in his brother's eyes once more. This vision showed Cuphead crushing his little brother's body in his fangs. Mug's silhouette hung limp and lifeless from the jaws of death. After sharing its darkest thoughts, the demon crunched down harder on Mug's arm. Poor little Mug screamed louder as he felt cracks forming all over his arm. He thought for sure that his arm was going to shatter into a million pieces.
Unaware to the demon cup, an orange magic shot was being charged in Mug's left hand. Out of pure instinct to get away from the pain giver, Mugman lobbed an orange fist at Cuphead's large dome. It hit the monster just above its piercing yellow eyes. The blow stunned it for a second. Large jaws opened just enough for Mug to slip his arm out. Brown boots started moving immediately upon contact with the tile. Cuphead took one more chomp at his small enemy as it attempted to run away. Two fangs caught Mugman's back as he desperately tried to escape another death grip. Large cracks formed on his glass body where the fangs made contact. The small mug fell forward from the strike. He landed on his stomach, trying to avoid putting weight on his severely cracked arm. Mug whimpered in pain as he lay shaking on the ground. White liquid oozed out of his cracks. His eyes watered as he looked back up at his brother with utter fear.
"Get up! I won't say it again!" The possessed cup roared at the small victim. Mugman closed his eyes and turned his head away.
"Are you deaf child? Do what he says!" The Devil backed up his slave. He slammed the back end of his trident on the ground. The loud noise made the little mug flinch and curl his legs up toward his torso.
"You're only stalling your own demise." Cup taunted the little mug that used to look up to him. Mugman reluctantly tried to push himself up. Sweat rained off his body as he trembled terribly. The white liquid in his mug sloshed over his brim, making puddles on the Devil's perfect tiles. It took the little mug a full ten seconds to find the strength to stand up. Two depressed eyes looked up at the demon cup. Mugman had to fight back tears of pain with every breath he took. This pain was both physical and emotional. His breathing was now audible to both Cuphead and the Devil. Mug's left hand found its way to his right arm. He tenderly held the arm that was close to shattering. Cup's pupils flared to life with fire as his victim faced him once more. Poor Mugman saw this and closed his eyes. He tried to turn his mug away from the violent cup. Not that it would help any from the demon's rage. With a deep, gurgly breath, Cuphead made his right fist glow red. A powerful right hook smashed Mugman's torso and head. He cried loudly in pain as his body was launched from where he stood. The little mug was forcefully tossed to the ground once again. Cuphead stood and stared with emotionless eyes. Both cups heard the Devil give a small chuckle of joy as Mugman's body fell motionless yet again. The demon cup took a few steps so that he was standing over his small prey.
"Get up! I'm not done with you yet!" Cuphead roared once more. Despite the unbearable pain, Mug was able to utter out a few words.
"I-I won't! You can't make me get up!" The little mug refused to stand up again. In fact, he wasn't sure if he could or not. A deep growl bellowed from the demon cup. Mugman was unaware that a large gloved hand was now reaching down for him. He shrieked in fear as he was lifted aggressively by his mug. Cuphead placed the child with his feet towards the ground. Little Mug felt his feet touch the ground, but he couldn't tell if he was actually standing or not. A red fist clouded his vision once more. For a few seconds, he didn't feel anything. It wasn't until his body hit the ground did all of the pain come rushing back to him. The pain was like electric shocks rippling throughout his small glass body. He was now sobbing loudly as the pain encompassed his whole body. Mug could feel white liquid continue to ooze out of the cracks. The liquid soaked his clothes and mixed with his sweat, creating a sticky feeling on Mug's body. Cuphead walked forward so that he was standing over his brother again. He waited impatiently for the mug to stand up. The demon cup heard words coming from Mugman.
"Please.....help! Somebody....help!" Cuphead heard the little mug say. Mug could barely get out those words between his sobs and deep breaths. The pain felt like a sharp knife in his chest every time he took a breath. He knew nobody was around to help. But he was desperate to escape this torture.
"Cuphead..." The little mug said as tears streamed down his face. A possessed cup just stared down at him. It wanted to roar at him again. So he did.
"There's no one here to help you! And once I'm done with you, I'll put an end to Elder Kettle!" Mugman's gaze shot up to Cup as he threatened the boys' only guardian.
"No...no, you can't! You won't!" The little mug tried to challenge Cuphead.
"How do you expect to save that old coot when you can't even save yourself!" The demon cup taunted. Mugman didn't take kindly to his grandfather-figure being insulted. A bolt of energy came over him and he stood up in a split second.
"Don't you dare talk about Elder Kettle like that!" Mug yelled at the larger cup. His eyes narrowed and his fists balled as he got angry. "I'll get y-!" Mugman tried to yell at the demon cup more but was stopped when a red fist made contact with his head. The Devil saw that the punch landed on Mug's eye.
"Oh!" He winced as it looked like a brutal strike. His wicked smile then returned to his face after feeling sympathy for a split second. Mug slid along the tile and slowed to a stop. Lying on his back once more, he now suffered from a black eye. His left eye was barely able to open. Muman moaned and sobbed in pain as he saw a blurry figure of his brother proceed toward him. The little mug shakily turned over to his stomach. He couldn't bear to look at the monster that his brother had become.
Please stop... I can't take much more...
Mugman prayed that his suffering would be over soon. He felt a boot slide under his torso. It then flipped him over. He held back a shriek of pain as the cracks on his back seemed to grow a little larger. A gloved hand reached down for him. The demonic cup squeezed a little as it picked up the glass torso. Poor Mugman winced as he did this. The possessed cup looked into its victim's eyes for a second. It then smiled and tossed the child into the air. The Devil watched as his cup slave jumped up after it. A glowing red hand smacked into Mugman's torso. It grabbed him, turned around, and ultimately slung him to the ground. Mug hit the ground and instantly felt paralyzed. Each of his limbs felt numb and he could barely lift his head. The demonic cup landed on the ground with its feet and one hand. One balled hand kept it from tumbling over due to its oversized head. The young mug lay on his right side. Cuphead watched as the smaller cup shook and sobbed on the ground. The whole world seemed to lose shape to Mugman as he lay there with his eyes tightly shut.