During the mug and carnation's conversation, Hilda had also been around in the area. She sat under a tree near her observatory with a book, brushing up on her knowledge of location-specific weather phenomena. In particular, she was reading the section about the aurora borealis and how it was the brightest when contrasted against an arctic tundra. Unknown to her, a large black creature rested in the tree above her.
"Well, what do we have here?" Came a male voice from above the witch. It had a thick Hungarian accent like a traditional vampire would have.
"Huh?" She wondered aloud and looked up. The black creature hung upside down from a branch using the talons on its two feet. A large, round head emerged from its folded-up wings and looked down upon Hilda. This creature seemed to resemble a bat somewhat. However, it did not have any fur. Just thick black skin all over its body. Two large bat ears twitched as it listened intently to its surroundings. The bat nostrils were also very large for smelling the blood of wounded prey from many miles away. Its lips drew back as it smiled, showing large white fangs. They gleamed from the strong sunlight pouring down over Inkwell. The head craned around like an owl's as it got a good look at her.
(Inspired by this unused boss for the game, my version looks like a hybrid between a bat and a dinosaur. The face would be more bat-like with the nostrils attached to the face and large, semi-floppy ears. Essentially, the only features that would stay the same are the color scheme, head shape, and hands attached to the red wings.)
"Who are you?" She asked, a bit nervous of this new face on the island. Its large head and set of chompers alone were enough to intimidate anyone of equal or lesser size.
"Oh! Where are my manners?" The demonic bat then dropped to the ground, landing on its feet. It shook the very earth that the witch sat upon. Hilda immediately jumped up in alarm, instantly forgetting about her book that dropped to the ground and closed up. She wanted to be able to run away or lash out at it if need be. Her body backed away a bit as the creature landed a bit too close for her liking.
"My name is Hexter." It introduced itself. A four-fingered hand that was attached to his wing pointed to himself. The underside of the bat's wings was a bright red color, just like the inside of its ears. "Who are you, my dear?"
"Hilda." The witch answered as she continued to back away slowly, not taking her eyes off the creature or turning her back to it. Hexter noticed the female eyeing his fangs and talons. His legs were thick and muscular. Almost as if they came directly from a dinosaur instead of the stubby legs of a bat. Black claws tapped the grassy ground as the demonic bat thought about tearing into her flesh. He was also aware that the human could easily deduce this intention. And he wasn't about to let her slip away that easy.
"Say, would you like to go for a nice flight?" Hexter offered as his right hand grabbed the female's arm. Hilda saw the bat licking its teeth.
"N-no thanks! Please let go!" She said, almost on the verge of panicking. The witch tried in vain to slip her arm out of the creature's grip.
"No? You should be honored. I don't usually offer my meals a ride." It sneered, showing its fangs in a devious smile. The oversized nostrils twitched as it took in the female's scent. "Especially to such sweet-smelling blood! I haven't had human blood in ages!" The bat confessed, only making himself even more excited to tear into the witch. "I was supposed to be going to Inkwell Hell, but I think I can spare a moment for such a delicious morsel!"
Its grip seemed to tighten around her limb, ensuring that she wouldn't escape. This only made poor Hilda even more scared than she already was. But Hilda was not one to go down without a fight, even if she was scared.
"Let me go! I'm warning you!" She shouted in the bat's face. The human tried to be confident, but Hexter could still hear the fear in her voice.
"A threat from a human!" He laughed. "How cute!"
Without another word, Hilda swiftly brought up her foot. It hit the demonic bat square between the nostrils. The four-fingered hand let her go as it recoiled from the impact. Hexter rubbed the back of his hand along his nostrils to make sure the lesser creature had not made him bleed. The attack caught him off guard and allowed the witch a head-start for her observatory. Hexter flapped his mighty wings a couple times and took flight. It only took him a couple seconds to catch up with the human that tried her best to run for cover. Gleaming fangs grabbed the collar of her red dress. Hilda's slippers continued in a running motion as they were lifted off the ground. She screeched in fear as the bat climbed upward into the sky.
"Put me down!" The witch demanded. Hexter merely laughed at her through closed teeth. "Someone help!" Her arms tried to feel behind her in hopes that she could pry the teeth off her clothing before they got too high. But its teeth were too powerful to be budged.
Cagney and Mugman heard the female's cry for help just as they were having their moment of understanding. They both looked in the direction of the voice.
"That sounded like Hilda!" The flower exclaimed.
"Help!" She cried as the demonic bat ascended above the trees.
Forget what I said earlier! Cuphead can wait for a minute. The female needs us now! Mug's demon explained with an urgent tone in his voice. Almost as if he shared some sort of care for her just like its host. But how can we get enough height to catch them?
The young mug watched as the bat-like creature started to fly further and further away.
I certainly can't jump that far...
Cagney reached for the nearest tree and swooped up an armful of acorns. He prepared to chuck the small projectiles in the bat's direction.
No, you idiot! The parasitic creature growled at the flower internally. Mugman realized that Cagney could not hear his and had to say something himself.
"Cagney don't! You might hit Hilda!" He yelled up to the carnation.
"What do you suggest we do then?" Cagney spat back, dropping the acorns on the ground above his roots. Mug looked past the bright yellow face and up to the unknown creature that was still flying away.
"Throw me...." The little mug muttered to himself. That was how he would get enough height to save Hilda without endangering her by sending projectiles.
"What?"
"Throw me, Cagney!" He repeated loudly, staring the flower in the eyes intently.
But the flower was uncertain that it was the safest idea regarding the situation.
"Throw a child? But I don't-!"
"Cagney, you have to throw me now before they get too far away!" He reiterated to the carnation. Instead of arguing further, a leafy hand picked up Mugman. Cagney took a second to aim before launching the mug child soaring through the sky. Mug stretched his arms out with hands wide open as he came speeding toward the demonic bat's backside. His glass body landed on the black hairless body, immediately grabbing at the very large and very sensitive ears. Pulling as hard as he could, the bat ears were yanked backwards. Its dome-like head followed as it screamed in agony.
"Aaaaagghh!" It roared, dropping Hilda from its jaws.
Meanwhile, Cagney moved himself forward to be ready to catch the female. She screeched in fear as her frail human body came plummeting toward the ground. A large pool of green coils circled around and created a landing pad for her. The human slid along the roots like a giant slide until she slowly came to a stop on the ground.
"Are you alright, Hilda?" Cagney asked.
"Cagney?" She replied in surprise and slowly stood up. "....I think so."
"Good! Now I must go catch someone else." The flower said before shuffling himself along again, not giving any other explanation. Hilda instinctively followed the carnation to help out if she could. The female looked up and saw the little mug riding on the back of the dangerous creature that had just tried to abduct her.
"Mugman?!" She cried out in utter shock. How on earth did he get up there? She wondered. The child was now in danger because of his desire to save her. And this struck fear into the witch's heart. Hilda knew she would feel awful if something happened to Mugman because of her.
High in the sky, Hexter finally recovered from his screaming fit.
"You made me drop my meal!" He hissed at his unknown passenger. "Now you're going to pay!" The black body began to spin horizontally as it traveled even farther upward. It hoped to throw the pesky little mug off its back. Poor Mugman hung on to the bat's ears for dear life. He could feel his grip starting to slip off. His body had already lost contact with the larger one. The little gloved hands slid ever so silently off the tips of the ears. As soon as the intruder had let go, Hexter immediately took a nosedive to go after it. Mugman yelped in fear as it plummeted downwards after him.
How on earth does a young cup find his way up into the sky? The demonic bat was bewildered at where this little creature could have come from. He was both impressed and embarrassed at the thought of being interrupted by such a small and insignificant child. It had guts, that's for sure. Guts that he was ready to gobble up.
Mug watched as the wide and spacious mouth opened up as it neared him. A small growl of annoyance emitted from its throat. Or was it his stomach saying that it was hungry? In a moment of panic, the young mug let loose two fistfuls of dark blue magic. The powerful attack exploded on the bat's head, causing it to screech in pain and swerve off its planned course. Its collision with the creature's head caused an explosion that echoed over the range of Inkwell. Mugman felt the whoosh of the fangs narrowly missing his body. He began to breathe a sigh of relief when he felt something sharp and muscular grab his arm. Black talons wrapped around the mug child's skinny arm. Mug felt his body get tossed up into the air. It summersaulted over and over again. In a matter of seconds, the land and sky had passed by his view a good twenty to thirty times. The little mug spun so fast that his straw stayed in and only minimal liquid spilled out. As he came back down, the claws grabbed onto his arm yet again. It jolted him to the point that he thought his arm might get ripped off. Hexter then tossed him back into the air, spiraling just as fast as before.
It's trying to disorient us! The demon hissed.
Yeah! Mug answered before getting caught and thrown a third time. It's working!
Calm yourself, Mugman. Keep your eyes on the opponent and strike it in a vulnerable spot.
The little mug forced himself to stop spinning as he reached peak height when gravity began to kick in. Mug closed his eyes to adjust his vision. When he opened them back up, he zeroed in on a patch of skin above the creature's eyes. Summoning claws to his left hand, he winded up and used the fall to deliver even more power to his strike. Hexter hovered in that same spot, dumbfounded that the child was able to escape from the spin cycle. It didn't even react until after the mug's claws raked across its head. The demonic bat roared in agony as it began to bleed. Mugman continued to fall past the creature that would have caught him if he had not done that. He screeched in fear as he was rapidly approaching the ground.
His glass body suddenly came to a halt as it made contact with something soft and green. Mug slowly pushed himself to sit up and found himself on the flower's hands, staring into the great yellow face of Cagney. His orange petal-mane seemed to shine as both of the creatures gave a sigh of relief. The carnation then placed the child on the ground. The little mug swayed back and forth a bit, regaining his balance.
Hexter, on the other hand, began to fly away. He didn't get far when blood started to seep into his eyes. The red liquid stung and caused him to squeeze them shut. Rapidly losing height, the black body collapsed onto the ground. Hands swiped across his eyes to relieve himself of the stinging sensation that burned his eyes. However, it didn't stop the stinging that was the source of the blood.
Cagney swooped up another handful of acorns and began to chuck them forward. Now that there was no one else to worry about, he threw them as fast and as hard as he could. The bat groaned in annoyance as the projectiles bounced off his back.
"No snack is worth this much trouble!" He grumbled before taking flight again.
"And stay away!" Cagney yelled, acting tough to impress his friends. The flower then turned back to the mug and witch as he was sure the demonic bat would not come back.
"Are you okay, Hilda?" Mugman asked her.
"I'm fine. The real question is: are you okay?"
"Yeah." He replied.
"Thank you." She said, looking between her two saviors with a large smile on her face. "Both of you."
"It was Mugman's idea to be launched up there to save you." The carnation explained, knowing that Mugman was the one who deserved most of the credit. Hilda then turned back to the child.
"That was really risky." The witch said in all seriousness. "You could have been killed!" She placed a sympathetic hand on the mug child's arm. Mug recoiled back as a stinging sensation seized his arm. He winced as he realized he had actually been injured in the skirmish. The opposite hand instinctively pressed hard on the wound.
"You're hurt!" She gasped.
"Don't worry, Hilda! It's just a scratch! Really!" He tried to convince her that it was nothing to worry about. But the witch didn't believe him and neither did the carnation. Hilda gently reached out to remove the hand from the scratch wound so she could see it better. Mugman let her move his hand out of the way. He knew that trying to hide it from the female was impossible. For she could be just as stubborn as Cuphead when she felt something should be her concern. The three of them looked on as the mug's white life liquid pooled at a spot high on the arm where his shirt had been torn. Mug tried to steady his breathing so that he wouldn't be tempted to touch at the wound and make it worse. Concentrating on something else would help take his mind off the pain that festered on his arm.
"Stay right there, Mugman. I think I have something that will help." Cagney said as he shuffled off to retrieve said item. This left the witch and mug to stare at one another. In particular, Hilda stared at the bleeding wound on the child's arm. She couldn't help but feel that it was partially her fault that the poor boy got hurt. Mugman could feel the silence becoming a bit too awkward, so he broke it by saying a few kind words.
"I'm just glad you're safe." He confessed. "I don't know what I would've done if it had eaten you. I would never be able to forgive myself, that's for sure." Hilda interrupted the little mug's speech and pulled him into a hug. Mug's eyes grew wide at the sudden gesture of gratitude and affection. She held the child tightly to her torso. The young mug slowly wrapped his arms around the female, not wanting to let this moment slip by too fast. His eyes drooped closed in content.
"Don't ever do anything like that again, you crazy boy!" The witch said, still sounding very serious.
"I will if it saves you." Mugman said humbly as they continued to embrace one another. The mug child's demon could sense a heavy grief over the female's heart. It was not new. The source was somewhere in the past, the parasitic creature could tell.
She has suffered a great loss.The demon told its host. What it is, I don't know.
This made the child wonder if it might have something to do with the reason she made a deal with the Devil. As far as he knew, she had never shared the story of how or why it happened to anyone. They then exited their embrace. A gloved hand was placed on Mug's cheek.
"My little hero." Hilda said as she gently caressed his mug.
"I've got an herb that will lessen the pain." They heard Cagney's voice approach. The witch stepped to the side as the flower came forth with a large leaf that had been smothered in a clear gel on one side. "It's probably going to feel cold for the first few minutes." He warned as his leafy hands went to wrap the leaf bandage around the mug's arm. "Try not to do any drastic movements and it shouldn't leak either." The leaf was so large that it easily wrapped around the skinny, glass arm. Its two ends were tied together to make sure it was nice and tight against Mugman's wound. The little mug stared at the leaf bandage for a couple seconds before turning back to the carnation.
"Thanks, Cagney. It feels better already." Mug thanked him.
"Well, now that the excitement is over, why don't I help you find Cuphead?" The carnation offered. The young mug was surprised that Cagney was being so friendly after what they had recently went through.
"Really? You would?"
"You can count me in, too!" Hilda added. Joy filled the child's heart as he realized he now had friends again. Mugman could not remember the last time he had felt this happy to be surrounded by friends that were not his family members. The three of them then set off to find the other cup child. Cagney and Hilda followed close behind the little mug, waiting for him to direct them in different directions. They had reached the border of the first section when they heard Cup's voice ring out through the forest.
"Help! Please!"
Mugman followed the source of his brother's cries to find that he had fallen victim to another one of Spoonfred's suspended net traps. The mug child and his friends stayed out of sight for a few seconds as they watched Cuphead try to swing himself to grab the tree branch that housed the rope that held him aloft. His gloved fingers barely missed the branch in his latest attempt to get free. A sigh of defeat emitted from the cup child. Mug then approached his suspended sibling, motioning for the witch and flower to stay back for a little. They nodded in understanding as the little mug made his presence known. Cuphead immediately made eye contact with his little brother, feeling relieved that someone was here to help. But then his heart sank when he remembered their last conversation. He had told Mugman that he didn't need him. Boy, was that far from the truth now. It was such a stupid mistake, Cuphead thought. He just hoped his little brother would forgive him.
"Hey, Mugs." Cup said sheepishly as the net still swung around and began to rotate. He craned his cup around to see his brother again. "Do you think you could get me down?" Mug, however, just gave him an annoyed look as he crossed his arms across his chest. It would take more than just a hello to convince Mugman to let him down. Mug felt that he was owed an apology before proceeding to help his big brother. It was only fair since he would have been safe if only he had listened to Mugman. Going after Spoonfred was a mistake, Cuphead realized.
"I'm sorry for not believing you about our friends. Well, they're not really our friends..." The cup confessed as the net began to make another circle. "I just want you to know that you have my full trust. And I know I made you feel like you weren't important. Never will I choose someone over my brother. Not ever. I do need you, Mugman. And I'm sorry for not being there for you." The net twisted back around so that he faced his sibling. "I know I can be hard-headed, and a jerk, and a blabbermouth, and even a blockhead. But underneath all that I'm just..."
"Just like me." Mug finished. "I get it, Cups. You don't have to call yourself any more names. I accept your apology." He then went over to the rope holding his big brother aloft.
"Hey! Were you just waiting for me to call myself a blockhead?" The young cup playfully teased.
"Maybe." Mugman replied with a chuckle as he began to gently cut through the rope with his claws.
More like a glass head!The demon chimed in.
"Glass head! That's a good one!" He laughed to himself.
"What was that, Mugs?" Cuphead urged, not hearing what he had said.
"Nothing, Cup." His little brother quickly replied. Mug then lowered him to the ground. The rope fell to the ground around him, allowing the young cup to stand up and get free from its clinging properties. Mugman smiled as he approached. Cup went to hug him when he noticed the leafy bandage wrapped around the mug child's arm.
"Mugs, what happened?" He questioned as his curious hands went to touch it. For he was concerned at why this unusual bandage was there. His sibling immediately shrank away to be spared of anymore pain due to someone touching it.
"No worries, bro. It's just a scratch!" The little mug explained, hoping that would satisfy Cup's curiosity. Cagney emerged forward now that the two cup brothers seemed to have had their moment of understanding.
"I suggest leaving the wrapping on for a few hours." He said, startling Cuphead. For the young cup had thought they were alone. But now he realized that both Cagney and Hilda had heard all that. "If it still stings, you can always come back for more spread."
"Thanks, Cagney. I think I'll be fine." He replied. His mug then turned to his sibling. "We should be getting back before Elder Kettle finds out that we strayed away from home again."
"Ah, being scofflaws, huh? I wouldn't expect anything less from you two!" The flower teased, swaying a leafy finger back and forth. "Don't hesitate to come back for anything plant related, or if you even just want to talk!"
"That's nice, Cagney." Mugman tenderly smiled. Cuphead stood there watching the conversation with his jaw dropped open. Since when did they start being friends again? "We'll see you later."
"Mugman!" Hilda called over. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure, Hilda. Do you mind, Cup?" Cuphead finally woke up from being in a trance while listening to their conversation. His cup merely nodded as he was still at a loss for words. Both Cuphead and Cagney left the scene to let the two have a moment together. Mug smiled as the female approached him. Her facial expression turned serious as she kneeled down. She could see the confusion on the child's face as she placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. His eyes glanced from the hand to her eyes.
"Mugman, if there's ever something wrong, you need to tell someone. I don't doubt that you have everything under control right now, but if anything ever comes up, just know that you can always talk to me, too. Please don't ever keep your feelings in. It could lead to something unintentional happening or.... It could be too late to change something that could've turned out differently." Her eyes started to tear up as she spoke to the mug child. "Promise....promise me that you'll never keep your feelings in! Always tell the truth!"
"I...I promise." Mug responded. He wasn't sure why this conversation was directed at him. It seemed like that was something Elder Kettle should be talking to him about, not Hilda.
"Good." The witch sniffed as she tried to hide a tear that was rolling down her cheek. Hilda then stood up and removed her hand from the child's shoulder. "I'll see you soon, Mugman." He watched as she walked away and back to her observatory.
What was all that about?Mugman wondered, scratching his head with a single finger. His brown boots wandered in the direction Cuphead went, which was also the way home.
It's a clue to her past, Mugman.The demon told him. Didn't you feel her grief when she told you that?
I guess I wasn't paying attention to that.
Something was held in for so long that by the time it came out, it was too late to reverse whatever had been done. It changed her.Even though it happened a long time ago, she is still hurting in her heart. It seems that it won't ever be fully mended. But the bottom line is, she doesn't want you to make the same mistake.
I...I never knew that she was so sad. Hilda always seems so happy.
Don't worry, Mugman. We will protect her at all costs. Just like Cuphead. The parasitic creature reassured him.
Sure, Cuphead and Hilda were on the list of people the demon wanted to protect. But what about Elder Kettle, the very person they were training for to gain his trust? It seemed to Mugman that the demon still did not respect his grandpa in any way. That he thought of him more as a thing than a real person with feelings. The demon seemed to understand that about Cuphead and Hilda. However, it seemed to be having trouble with accepting the fact that Elder Kettle was just the same as them.
The young mug dragged himself toward home with a heavy heart. When he saw Cuphead waving him over, the mug tried to put on a happy face. The cup brothers made their way home in plenty of time. Elder Kettle was still nowhere to be seen. Mugman made sure to sew up his shirt and remove the leaf bandage before his guardian returned. Cuphead kept on the lookout while his little brother did so, giving periodical updates. The wound itself seemed to have stopped bleeding by the time he had to take it off. When Cup gave the signal that Elder Kettle was almost home, Mug quickly put on his shirt and tossed out the leaf bandage where the kettle would not see it. Any evidence that they were out of their home was sure to get them in trouble again. So Mugman took every precaution he could think of to cover his tracks.
Kettle was never suspicious about them wandering off. The cup brothers acted natural and he believed them when they said it had been a boring day at home. Cup and Mug furtively winked at one another behind their guardian's back as he went about his usual business.