By the time afternoon arrived, Dice had already earned himself a grand reputation at the Devil's Casino. Thanks to his card skills and his charismatic personality, he'd managed to charm everyone, even the casino employees. He was feeling pretty confident and like he could get away with anything. Soon he'd be leaving as a very rich-man. Unfortunately Dice didn't know he would soon be gambling for his very life because Mr. Wheezy was going to send the trickiest opponent of all to challenge him. The Devil himself… After failing to get the die-headed young man to leave, Mr. Wheezy decided to go report it to the boss.

The Devil often presided in his private-office. It's been a bad day for him. All day he'd been trying to make phone-calls to get a wanted ad in the newspaper, unanswered mail was piling up on his desk; he had to read the annoying customers' complaints, it was a hassle trying to keep track of the schedule going on in the casino. He had to supervise all nine of his employees that kept his casino afloat. On top of that, he wasn't making as much money as he'd like. All in all, it's been stressful for the last two weeks.

If that weren't difficult enough, the Devil also had to govern all the damned souls in Inkwell hell and make sure they were comfortable in their little pit of never-ending despair. He was taking on way too much and he'd had to skip lunch today just to answer all these mail and get rid of the junk ones. There was no doubt about it… The Devil needed a manager. Someone who could help him run his operations. It wouldn't be easy. It had be someone the Devil could trust with the business, the money, and the customers. Someone who didn't mind being the Devil's pawn…

The Devil had been sitting at his desk and in his favorite golden armchair with red velvet cushioning. He was busily going over financial bills when he heard a knock at his door. Feeling irritated with this unwanted intrusion, the Devil didn't bother looking up. "Now is not a good time!" the Devil yelled back rudely. "Come back later!"

On the other side of the door, he recognized Mr. Wheezy's deep wheezing voice. "Sorry for the intrusion, boss, but I need to tell you something urgent."

This time the Devil did look up from his paperwork. "Urgent, you say?" he repeated. After a moment, the Devil decided to permit Mr. Wheezy entrance. "This had better be good!" The Devil decided to take a break from filling out all the forms just as Mr. Wheezy materialized in the ashtray on his desk. "Make it snappy! I've been up to my eyeballs in bills and mail all day today."

Carefully choosing his words so as not to add to the Devil's bad mood, Mr. Wheezy decided to get straight to the point. "Sir, there's a suspicious character in the casino," Wheezy explained. "I've tried getting him to leave but he wouldn't. The guy's a cheater and a highly skilled one to boot. You should see how he plays cards… Never seen anything like it."

If Wheezy hoped the Devil would be interested, he was sorely mistaken. "That's it?" the Devil snapped impatiently. "If there's a cheater in my casino then throw em' out! Do I have to do your job as well as my own? Quit wasting my time and get back to work! " With that, Devil returned to his paperwork.

It would have been wise to heed the Devil's orders and return to the casino, but Mr. Wheezy didn't want to be dismissed quite yet. He had to make the Devil understand that this was no ordinary fellow. "B-But boss! This guy is no pushover. I've got the lumps on my head to prove it!" Mr. Wheezy insisted. "The guy is a serious villain!"

"A villain?" The Devil stopped writing and looked up at Mr. Wheezy for a second time. "A villainous character in the casino?" Mr. Wheezy gulped nervously when the Devil flashed his devilish grin down at him. The Devil could be pretty scary too. "Alright Mr. Wheezy… You have my attention." With that, the Devil put down his pen, pushed back his chair and got up from his desk. "Show me this villain. Where is he? Do this for me and I might change my mind about crushing you under my foot…"

...


After leaving his office, the Devil was able to enter his own casino. The second he stepped into his establishment, he was aware that all the eyes of the casino patrons immediately darted to him. Everyone feared him and for good reason. Some avoided his piercing yellow eyes, some trembled in the shadow he cast, and some cowered in his presence. But the Devil didn't care about any of that. He was seeking the so-called villain who was causing a ruckus in his casino… Mr. Wheezy was there to meet him and now he called over Chips Bettigan.

"I've got the boss here. Where is that scuzzball?" Mr. Wheezy demanded.

"Ya'll find him over at the roulette table," Chips informed them. But then he grinned slyly at Wheezy. "It appears that Miss Pirouletta has taken quite a shine to em' too."

"What?" Mr. Wheezy fumed furiously at this. "The nerve of that scuzzball! Move in on my girl, will he? He'd better keep his filthy mitts to himself." The cigar continued to angrily grumble in his jealously. The Devil on the other hand wasn't the least bit interested in his employees' crazy shenanigans. All he wanted was to meet this notorious gambler…

Heading over to the roulette section, the Devil's yellow-eyes traveled around the area, looking for the one he thought might be the mystery gambler. He wondered what kind of character it was. The Devil's eyes fell on one likely suspect… A dashing black wolf dressed in an elegant white tuxedo who was constantly hitting on attractive-looking toons while enjoying a cocktail. Now the Devil leaned over and asked Mr. Wheezy. "Is that the one?" he pointed a finger over at the wolf.

To his surprise, Mr. Wheezy shook his ashy-head. "Nah, that's not the scuzzball. "That" guy over there is!" Mr. Wheezy gestured with his head to point the guy out to his boss.

The Devil turned around to look and that's when he truly found something unexpected. The guy in question was not at all what he pictured. The character had a die for a head and was dressed in nothing but ragged clothes. By the looks of it, he looked really young, kinda cute, perhaps around his early twenties? The die-headed man was making bets and tossing the roulette ball onto Pirouletta who called out the winning numbers it landed on. Nevertheless, the Devil wasn't impressed and he rounded on Mr. Wheezy.

"What is the meaning of this? This can't be right! The guy is dressed like a hobo!" the Devil said impatiently. "You dragged me out of my office for this?"

"I'm telling ya, boss. The guy is scum!" Mr. Wheezy insisted. "I know he don't look like much but he's the real deal. Go on over and see for yourself!" The Devil continued throwing daggers down at Wheezy with his scary yellow eyes that the cigar knew this was his cue to leave. "Well then (cough)… Guess I'll head on over to Phear Lap's and bet on the horses!"

Mr. Wheezy retreated into the ashes and teleported away, leaving the Devil to stand there and grit his sharp teeth in aggravation. But instead on heading back to his office, the Devil continued to watch the die-headed man in the distance. Despite his poor-looking appearance, there was something about the fellow that made the Devil curious. The die-headed man was surrounded by many admirers and the Devil realized it was because he possessed an engaging personality and a fetching smile. Mr. Wheezy was right; the guy was an excellent player and a skilled gambler. And that's when the Devil sensed it… This man was not what he appeared to be. He was a villain and the Devil had to know him…

"Perhaps I will go over and introduce myself," the Devil grinned mischievously to himself.


Dice was on another winning streak. It's a good thing he practiced his throwing-arm. He gave the lovely Pirouletta a wink. "Ready to do another twirl for me, doll-face? I'll bet 21 on red," he said.

"Sure thing, handsome," Pirouletta giggled flirtatiously in return. After giving her dress-like roulette wheel a spin, Dice carefully calculated his move and then tossed the roulette ball with perfect-timing. The ball bounced on a couple numbers before amazingly landing right on 21 red on the spot. "21 red!" Pirouletta announced to the cheering crowd.

Just as Dice was smugly gathering his impressive collection of casino chips, everyone was already fighting over him. "Can I buy you a drink?" "Care for a cigar?" "Would you like some of my chips?"

And then a new voice caught Dice's attention. "Perhaps our big winner here would like to join me for dinner?" There were gasps from all around as Dice turned around and saw who'd spoken to him.

The casino customers stepped aside to make way for the tall fuzzy figure whose yellow eyes were on Dice. Long horns, sharp fangs, a forked tail… This had to be the one and only owner of the casino…the Devil himself. Dice saw right away that he was nothing like the goofy-looking demon decorating the roof outside. Fuzzy black fur, claws on his hands and feet, cat-like yellow eyes, and wearing a toothy grin. No doubt about it… He was face-to-face with the ruler of Inkwell Hell. Dice stared up into the Devil's intelligent eyes and realized that the casino owner was waiting for his answer. All eyes were on them… Dice never thought he'd attract the Devil of all people. He was intrigued…

"Sure. Can't turn down an invite from Old Scratch himself," Dice accepted politely.

"Good. Right this way," the Devil motioned with his arm for Dice to come along with him. The Devil was glad the die-headed man took the bait. He was going to learn everything he could about this man in rags who somehow ended up in his posh casino...

Dinner was a very pleasant affair. After getting over his initial surprise upon meeting the Devil, Dice quickly discovered that the Devil wasn't anything like he'd expected. He thought things would be awkward but the Devil was quite the conservationist and had no trouble on finding fun subjects to talk about. Another thing Dice couldn't help noticing was that people appeared to be watching them together. Upon first glance, the Devil was a very intimidating character but he was also surprisingly friendly. Dice kept his guard up just in case…

Among the crowd were Pirouletta and Mr. Wheezy who was also curiously watching the Devil and Dice interact together. "This isn't like the Devil at all," Pirouletta was saying. "The Devil never invites anyone to dine with him. What do you suppose the Devil is planning?"

"I hope it's something gruesome," Mr. Wheezy replied smirking. "That sleazeball needs to be put in his place. But enough about that." Mr. Wheezy turned his attention to the curvaceous lady sitting beside him and now he wore an affectionate smile. "Care to join me for dinner my lady luck?" Mr. Wheezy waggles his eyebrows suggestively. "I still owe you for helping me win that bet."

Pirouletta tittered coquettishly down at the smooth-talking cigar. "Dinner? I'd love to! What will we have, Wheezy?" she asked battling her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Hope you like "smoked" ham." Ha, ha, ha, (cough) I'll go send a request to the chefs!" Mr. Wheezy said, disappearing into the ashes of his tray.

The Devil was glad for the chance to eat something after working his forked-tail off all day. However he was much more interested in the man sitting across from him. Now was the perfect time to learn about his die-headed companion. "So tell me all about yourself." The Devil asked.

"There's not much to tell," Dice said nonchalantly. He was enjoying his Sirloin Steak too much while sipping his glass of red wine. He couldn't remember the last time he had a high-class meal like this. The Devil had really good taste. Although he knew he shouldn't get too used to all this luxury.

The Devil didn't give up easily. "Come now, you're a pretty interesting guy. Surely there must be something?" Then the Devil decided to switch tactics. "Can you at least give me your name?"

"Uhhh…it's Dice." When he saw the Devil eying him skeptically, Dice merely shrugged his shoulders with a silly smile. "I know. Not my idea." But feeling a need to give an explanation, Dice began confiding more in the Devil. "Actually… I was never given a proper name. People just call me Dice. I was found on the doorstep at the orphanage. I didn't like it there so I ran away when I was a kid. I've been on my own ever since…"

Dice stopped talking right away upon realizing he's said too much. It wasn't like him to talk about his background to anyone. And yet for some odd reason, it was easy talking to the Devil. Now Dice decided to quickly change the subject. "Well I guess you don't need an introduction, eh? The Devil… Not very creative, is it? Mind if I just call you Devil?"

The Devil's impish grin widens. "Not at all… Devil and Dice… it doesn't sound too bad." And he was also beginning to see why everyone was so taken with this Dice lad. He needed to learn more. "Let's continue with our conversation. I'd like to know everything about you."

Despite his misgivings, Dice soon found himself telling the Devil more about himself. Dice had no family or friends. He was usually a drifter that wandered from one place to the next. He's never had a home or money. He did whatever he had to in order to survive. So far Dice had been careful to keep quiet about his shady dealings, but he couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that the Devil could see right through him. Those striking yellow eyes certainly seemed to size him up. After a while, Dice's instincts told him that the Devil was definitely scoping him out. Best to cash in his casino chips now and leave this place. Finishing his meal, Dice rose up from his chair and decided to play it safe.

"Thanks for the meal, Devil," Dice said graciously. "Well would cha' look at the time. Best to call it quits and cash in my chips. Thanks again for the lovely evening!" With that, Dice turned and started making his way through the crowd. The other casino patrons were also making their leave. He would get the money he earned gambling and maybe buy himself a place to live at last.

Suddenly Dice felt a big hand on his shoulder which stopped him in his tracks at once. He turned his head to look and he saw it was the Devil. The Devil had followed him… Dice stared into those crafty yellow eyes and almost felt hypnotized by them. The Devil's hand was more like a big paw with his claws gently digging into Dice's shoulder. As if being careful not to hurt him… Devil was still grinning at him and being this up-close, Dice realized for the first time that the Devil was charming in a devilish sort of way. A real handsome devil… Dice couldn't believe he was having "those" thoughts about the ruler of Inkwell Hell. It troubled him that he could actually find this fuzzy beast attractive in the slightest.

The Devil saw he had Dice's full attention. Now it was time to make his move… "What's the rush? Surely you don't have to run off now? How about one more game? I hear you're quite the card-sharp. Care to play a game of poker with me?" And then the Devil added for good measure. "I'll make it worth your while."

Dice thought it over and couldn't resist the lure of challenging the Devil himself. "Okay Devil…you're on. One game of poker couldn't hurt." Dice smirked and the Devil smirked back…

Five minutes later, the Devil and Dice sat at the table where the Devil insisted on dealing out the cards. Dice had to admit the Devil was no slouch when it came to gambling. Once they held their deck of cards in their hands, the Devil looked over at Dice and suddenly asked a question. "Tell me, what's the reason why you came here?"

"Oh the usual," Dice replied while busily studying his cards. "Just lookin' to make a quick buck. And this here casino seemed like the fastest way to make it." Then he carefully made sure the Devil was distracted while he secretly did his sleight of hand under the table. "So tell me, what's it like being the Devil?"

The Devil cocked an eyebrow at this funny question. "What's it like? What do you think?" he snickered. "I'm the ruler of Inkwell Hell. I collect the souls of the damned and I tempt toons into sinning." The Devil grinned evilly. "I don't have a very good reputation, I'm afraid. Everyone in the Inkwell Isles hates me. They call me a monster and for good reason."

As Dice listened to the Devil talk, for the first time ever he began to feel genuine sympathy. "So everybody hates you? Y'know, we have a lot in common you and me." Dice grinned evilly back at the Devil sitting across from him. "We're both pretty despicable characters, ain't we? I gotta say; I'm not exactly a nice guy myself."

The Devil chuckled amusedly at the smugness in Dice's grin. "A guy who isn't afraid to admit he's a sinner? Sounds like my kinda guy…," the Devil looked impressed. And then he knew… This was one tainted soul he had to have for his collection. "You seem like a daring type. Why don't I raise the stakes?"

"I'm listening…," Dice said interested.

"If you win at this game of cards, I will gladly reward you all the loot in the casino. But if you lose…," the Devil grinned darkly. "Your soul belongs to me. Deal?"

Dice stared into those yellow eyes, thought about the enticing offer, and then made his choice. "Ya got yourself a deal…," he said with no hesitation.

Ten minutes into the game and Dice used every trick at his disposal to turn the game to his advantage but much to his surprise, the Devil proved to be just as good as him. As determined as he was to win, Dice couldn't help but carefully observe the Devil from the corner of his eye and tried predicting his moves, but the Devil was far too tricky. Meanwhile, the Devil took notice of Dice wearing the perfect poker-faced expression, which told him that this guy was definitely no amateur. Another thing that caught his attention was Dice's sleight of hand abilities which told him that his die-headed companion was a very clever feller. All the more reason to claim his soul… Finally the big moment arrived.

"It's time…," the Devil chortled triumphantly. With that, he laid his deck of cards onto the table. "Straight-Flush. Now then, let's see you beat that."

Dice calmly looked up at the wickedly grinning Devil. "Oh but I just did," he boasted. With a smirk, he laid down his own deck of cards onto the table. "A Royal Flush…"

The Devil's evil grin vanished at once and was quickly replaced by a dumbfounded scowl. "What? Impossible! Y-You couldn't have gotten a Royal Flush! Let me see your cards!" He leaned over and looked down at the cards and sure enough saw that it indeed was a Royal Flush. It consisted of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of the same suit. Nothing can beat this five-card hand combination in the game of poker.

"What can I say?" Dice couldn't stop smirking in self-satisfaction. "They don't call me the gamest in the land for nothing. Although I'll admit you were quite the… the uh…," Dice trailed off upon realizing the Devil was giving him the vilest look. Without warning, Devil lunged for Dice and grabbed his arm. There he forcefully thrust up Dice's sweater sleeve and exposed the hidden cards that came spilling out onto the floor.

"I knew it…," the Devil said with a nasty grin at the horrified Dice. "Mr. Wheezy was right. You are a cheat. And this is the secret to all your success, isn't it?" Devil tightened his iron-grip on Dice's arm until he was practically dangling him an inch off the ground. "You dare try to cheat me? The ruler of Inkwell Hell and owner of this casino? You my friend are either very brave or very stupid."

"Does this mean I'm goin' to hell?" Dice said nervously. He was desperately trying to keep calm but he was already starting to succumb to fear. He should have heeded the warnings. The Devil was dangerous and now he was at this demon's mercy. "C-C-Can't we talk about this? How about another round? Y-Y-You don't wanna take my soul. It's no good to anyone."

As Dice tried talking his way out of it, he so happen to look over at the Devil's deck of cards and noticed something off about them. "Hey wait a sec… Those cards…. They're marked cards… Those kinda cards are only used for…" Then it dawned on Dice. He looked up at the Devil who still held onto his arm. "You cheated too!" Dice accused.

"Big deal! This is my casino, I'm allowed to cheat!" The Devil protested. Then he added with relish. "I'm still taking your soul…"

This time Dice fought back by trying to break out of the Devil's tight grip. "No way. You can't take my soul!" To his surprise, the Devil did release him and allowed him to slip away. "You and I both cheated. We didn't win and we didn't lose either. Therefore you ain't getting' my soul, Devil."

The Devil scowled furiously down at him for a few moments. Dice expected for the Devil to argue but he was surprised again when the Devil instead smiled understandingly. "You know something? You're right, Dice. I didn't play fairly and neither did you. To tell ya the truth, I'm amazed that anyone can outsmart me like that. I've never met a character like you before. You're brilliant. "

Dice hadn't been expecting this. Nobody has ever complimented him before. Dice had been called degrading names all his life but the Devil was eying him with actual admiration. Then he placed a hand on Dice's shoulder and he was being gentle again. "Perhaps I can help you…"

"Help me?" Dice frowned suspiciously.

Devil nodded his head. "That's right. I can help you. How'd you like to work in the casino? The work here is pretty good. I'll make sure you're treated well. You can stay here if you like." When he saw Dice looking doubtful, Devil went on. "Think about it, Dice. You have no home, no money, you have nothing. Nobody in Inkwell wants you around. I know how it feels to be hated and unwanted. But you don't have to be an outcast anymore."

As Dice listened entranced to the Devil's comforting words, the Devil suddenly magically summoned a parchment and placed it on the table. Dice looked down at the piece of paper in front of him and saw that it looked like some kind of contract. "However… I need you to do something for me," the Devil said mysteriously. "I will give you a home…in return I'd like for you to sign this soul contract with your name. And when you do… you can belong here…forever."

There the Devil placed a pen next to the parchment. Dice studied the contract, then the pen and thought about what to do. "Sooo…you're sayin' if I sign this contract, you'll let me stay?" he asked the Devil.

"That's right," the Devil promised. "I feel bad for you. Having to live on the streets, nowhere to go, constantly fighting for chump-change. But I can give you the life of luxury you've always wanted. All you have to do…is sign the contract."

Dice thought about the struggles he'd suffered all his life. Thought about all the disrespect and mistrust he got from the Inkwell residents. It was a very tempting offer. He looked up at the Devil and despite wearing a neutral expression; Dice could see the calculating glint in those yellow eyes. The Devil watched excitedly as Dice picked up the pen, leaned over the paper, and lowered his hand. And then Dice started to laugh… Dice couldn't stop laughing from the hilarity of it that he actually put the pen down and looked up at the Devil who was looking at him with a bewildered expression. Dice did the one thing that hardly any of the Devil's victims were ever savvy enough to do… he pushed the soul contract away and actually rejected it.

"Heh, heh… Didja really think I was gonna sign it? What do ya take me for?" Dice jeered.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you signing it?" The Devil snapped.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Dice didn't mince words with the manipulative demon. "I may be many things but a fool isn't one of em'. You're still after my soul, aren't cha?" Dice said shrewdly. "Well I'm not gonna sign it. I don't need your help. You can take your precious offer and stuff it!"

The Devil was baring his fanged teeth viciously down at the arrogant Dice. "GRRRR… How dare you! Are you saying my soul contract isn't good enough for you? Nobody throws an offer in my face! Just who do you think you are?"

Dice turned his back on the Devil with arms still crossed. "Nothin' personal, Devil. When you live on the streets, ya learn a thing or two. And lemme tell ya, I ain't stupid enough to sell my soul." From behind Dice, the Devil was so enraged…he began to shift-shape. "Getting me to sign some lousy contract? How dense can ya get?" The Devil's neck stretched snake-like and he grew bigger and bigger. "But still… Can I cash in my poker chips now? You can kindly send me on my way with my money."

"GRRRROOAR!" Dice spun around and realized to his shock that before him was a ferocious snake-like dragon towering over him with its sharp fangs and forked-tongue. The Devil was glaring down at him. "Let's see you try to talk your way out of this one you sleazy half-wit!" Dice stared in wide-eyed horror as the Devil began to advance on him.

A brawl is surely brewing! It's on!"


I'll bet you all thought for sure Dice was gonna sign the soul-contract. But being a con-artist himself, Dice wasn't born yesterday! And now it looks like Dice has a big fight on his hands. You'll also notice that I not only ship Devildice, but I also like Pip and Dot as a couple and for some odd reason, the Wheezy x Pirouletta ship is really appealing to me. I like how this chapter was done. Now all readers has to wonder is can Dice take the Devil on in a fight? Will he end up losing his soul? An update chapter is on the way! Thanks for reading so far! See ya soon!