Disclaimer: What the heck? This thing hasn't even been up for very long! How'd I get this many followers already?
Phantom Thief Fee: No kidding.
StoriesUnleashed: Terrible twosome? Be thankful you haven't stumbled across the fanart yet. Eugh.
ultima-owner: It does. Hard to write though, but I'm getting the hang of it.
RainbowCelin: King Dice, of course.
Guest: 50k as a total word length?
RainbowCelin (again): I was actually looking at other examples of movies and shows to get an idea of how to write this story. Roger Rabbit and Space Jam were my two biggest examples.
Rub37: Thanks!
DomesticatedPiggy: Thanks!
Plumalchemyst: Thank you!
"Speaking"
Thinking
Nicky looked around the hall, lost in thought. The Devil, or boss, as he had told her to address him as, handed her over to King Dice to ready her for her job. The manager seemed to have no quarrel with that, and led her out of the room. The girl wondered how long it'd take for the walls to fix themselves too, after the Devil's little rage-quit episode.
When leaving with King Dice, she had caught a glimpse of the wall's paint job slowly repairing itself. As if the accident never happened, and the strips went back upwards in reverse. Makes sense. I probably wasn't the first one to tick him off so badly. Though, how does that even wo-you know what? I'm gonna save myself the headache and stop thinking about it.
And why do I have to be average height? Nicky frowned, staring up at his back. The toon was taller than her by a fair amount, making her only stand to his chest. That didn't even compare to the Devil. He was several inches taller than King Dice. Taking note of the different numbered pips on his head, Nicky hummed to herself, and finally decided to speak. "So, where we headed?"
"'bout time you finally spoke again," he looked back at her, grinning. Does he always smile? Seriously, I have yet to even see this guy mad or… "I was startin' to think that your attitude back there was a fluke."
"You want me to speak back? Because I'm not looking to get choked again any time soon," Nicky replied. "No one's gonna run into us in here, right?"
"You can take of that disguise, if ya want." Flipping down the hood, she brushed her hair out from its confines. "Not bad," he looked over her again, and Nicky's hands clenched into fists. Freaking perv. He was way too interested in her unique appearance. "Ya see, doll, we can't have you wanderin' around lookin' like that."
"No amount of makeup is going to hide what I am. The cloak I… borrowed, will work just fine. Although," she looked at her hands, "gloves might be a good idea." Long ones that reached her elbows at best. In case something like what happened in the casino happened again.
King Dice paused in front of a door, and went to open it. "Might have somethin' that'll fit you." Moving into the room, Nicky followed after him. A storage room, filled with gaming supplies, dishes, and costume gear. Like the ACME factory, but condensed and specifically for gamblers. "Here we are." He picked up a pair of toon gloves, and handed them to her.
"Four fingers. Should have seen that one coming." Holding one glove up and comparing it to her hand, she shrugged. "It'll work." It was small enough that it wouldn't hang off loosely, but she'd had to have her fourth finger and pinkie shoved in the same finger. Putting them on, she slid them up to her elbows, hiding her skin and shirt as best she could. Kinda like… Jessica Rabbit's gloves, but with four fingers except five. Man, would she kill for a pinkie.
Still, how odd that something that looked hand drawn could feel so real.
It IS real. Keep reminding yourself that, Nicky. Forgetting that might cause some problems if she did. "Now then." King Dice adjusted his bow tie, and headed for the door. "We must be on our way, darling. Don't want those brothers getting passed the gateway without my say-so, do we now?"
"I guess not. But, uh, how are we gonna get there?" They walked towards the central part of the casino, and Nicky quickly flipped her hood back up. Honestly, besides the Devil's office and the actual casino area, I'm gonna get lost in these endless halls. "I'm guessing we're not on the right isle, so are we gonna walk there?"
"Hehe, doll, you're gonna love this." As they passed through the room, Nicky winced at the sour glares from the skeletons at the table. Never gonna live that down, am I? Glancing up at King Dice, she noticed him keeping a steady look ahead of him, and quickly refocused herself. Exiting the casino altogether, they stopped right outside the door. "Hold on tight, doll face." He wrapped an arm around her, a little too tightly for her taste. Nicky struggled, having her face buried into his chest. NOPE.
"What do you mean hold on?" Before she could receive an answer, the toon spun on his heels, and disappeared through a hole that suddenly appeared in the stairs, taking the human with him. "Aaahhhh!" Screaming, she gripped his coat, feeling air rush around her. Freaking plot holes! As fast as it started, she felt gravity correct itself, and the two came up through a titled floor. King Dice kept his balance, while Nicky went flying from his arms and across the room. Somersaulting, she crashed into the wall on the other side, and groaned in pain as she slowly slid down the wall to the floor. Stupid cartoon physics. "I… hate this… world… so… much!"
King Dice waltzed over to her, and knelt over her head; the ever-present taunting look seemed so much more mocking now than ever. "Tell me, doll, did ya have a nice trip?"
"I will make sure nobody finds your body when I'm through with you," she quietly threatened. Chuckling, he held out a hand, and pulled the girl upright. "I'd threaten you more, but there's a good chance more harm could from that." Looking around the small room, Nicky guessed it served as a gateway between the isles that made up Inkwell. Small potted plants, and the same flashy décor as the casino. Though, as she looked out one of the two large windows, making up some of the pips of the dice, the scenery was quite nice. She could see the mountains from here.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Nicky turned around, and blinked in surprise. It's them. Cuphead and Mugman had walked into the house, looking around curiously before spotting King Dice. "You think you're just gonna ankle on over to the next isle?"
"We were hoping to," Mugman answered nervously, hiding behind Cuphead a little.
"Well that ain't how it works, genius," Dice shot down his wish. "You ain't goin' nowhere 'til you finish up here! That means givin' them debtors their medicine. All of 'em!" Cuphead frowned, and turned to his brother.
"C'mon, Mugs. Let's go see who we missed." The two went for the door, but King Dice interrupted them.
"Now, hold on a sec there. Who's sayin' I was done with you two? Boss went to give you two a lil' gift to accompany you. Doll face?" Really hating that nickname. Nicky moved over to him, and the boys looked at her in surprise. Ever thankful her face was shielded, she studied their expressions. Mugman seemed puzzled, while Cuphead glared at her suspiciously. Seeing that I just came from the casino with Dice, I can see why. "This here's Nicky. She's to be taggin' along with you two mugs and be reportin' your progress to me."
"Essentially, you're making me sound like a snitch," Nicky glared at him. "Peachy." Sighing, she directed her attention to the two stars. "I'm Nicky. What's your names?" That seemed to snap Mugman from his daze, and he smiled at her.
"I'm Mugman! And this is my brother Cuphead!" He tugged on Cuphead's arm, pulling him forward. The brother steadied himself, and smiled at her. Forced, Nicky noticed. He isn't trusting her one bit.
"It's nice to meet you, Nicky," he greeted, albeit bitterly. Finally. There were other people in this world other than the creepy Devil that spoke normal English.
"Likewise." Turning to King Dice, she finally noticed a chalkboard beside him. Several ticks were on it, and she guessed it had to do with their progress so far. "I'll meet back with them after they finish their job in this isle."
"Good. Now scram!" He barked at the brothers, and they scrambled out the house. Nicky paused, but when she noticed his glare changed to her, she rushed outside after them. "Hmm," he held a finger to his chin, watching the door close behind her. "Wonder if the boss knows anything 'bout where doll came from?" Wouldn't hurt to ask. The big cheese was the abercrombie in all things happening around Inkwell, him being here the longest out of any other Joe. If anyone knew what the story was behind that feisty dame, he would.
"Who exactly did you guys still have to get anyway?" Nicky looked around her, and let a small smile cross her features. She always was a fan of nature, and the forest was really beautiful. It reminded her a little of watercolors. Though, she should probably also check out her traveling partners at the moment too.
Cuphead was probably the oldest, judging from how cautious and protective he was of Mugman. They both wore black shirts, brown shoes, and classic four fingered cartoon gloves. There were physical differences though, besides the color of Cuphead's shorts being red and Mugman's being blue. Cuphead had a smaller head, him being the cup, while Mugman's was taller and narrower. Cuphead's eyes were more pressed together with a smaller nose. His brother's eyes were spaced apart and his nose was much larger.
The straws helped too, she guessed. Both striped with their corresponding color. Cuphead's was bent, while Mugman's was straight. Red and Blue… Mickey and Oswald. Dang it. Of course there'd be references to them here.
Cuphead pulled out a parchment from his shorts, and unrolled it. "Let's see. We still need to see Hilda Berg and Cagney Carnation. We might want to read those aeroplane blueprints before we go against her." Rolling it back up, he shoved it away before Nicky could peek over his shoulder at it.
Their voices… they kinda remind me of the Disney brothers themselves. Cuphead reminded her a bit of Oswald, with the resentful attitude he held, and his voice. Which, if Epic Mickey gave anything away made him sound like Fred Jones… and Megatron. Still, gotta admire Frank Welker. Mugman sounded a little more dopey, with a bit of a childish Goofy vibe. Sort of… Billy West-like. "If you don't me asking, how old are you two?" They looked up at her, as they ascended a wooden stairwell built into the cliff.
"13," Mugman answered. He moved back to walk beside her, as Cuphead still took the lead. The older brother frowned at this, before muttering a response.
"I'm 14. You?"
"I'm 18," Nicky said. There weren't too many people living around here, so her stress level had decreased since her arrival. Climbing up the final set of stairs, they reached a cliff that overlooked the entire isle. "Wow. This is a view." The salty sea breeze blew at her cloak, and she watched the waves roll far below them.
"What's that? You two want to fly in a plane like I do? Ha!" She turned to look at the brothers, seeing them walk over to a canteen by a set of blueprints. I think he's a canteen. "You're not sitting in any cockpit 'til you study those blueprints!" Nodding, they unfurled the paper, and read over the instructions.
Wait a second. They're around 3 feet tall, so… uh oh. "Hey, uh, I just thought of something." Rolling up the blueprints, they turned to look at her. "There's two of you, and no doubt since this is your mission, there's two planes. And since I have to tag along to make sure you guys get the job done…"
"Then you just sit here and watch. End of story," Cuphead said, shrugging her off. The toon handed them two tiny planes, which when put on the ground expanded into normal-sized. More toon logic, I take it. They had to have some way of taking them with them. No doubt flying would pop up in the future.
"Well, she can just join one of us then!" Mugman declared. Cuphead and Nicky shared a look, and turned to face the satisfied boy.
(Time Skip)
Nicky squirmed in the tiny seat of the blue plane, her legs pressed against her chest in a squished position. "You know, maybe it would have been better to sit and watch from the cliff. Pair of binoculars, or a telescope perhaps?"
"Too late for that!" Cuphead shouted over the wind. The three had found goggles inside the planes, and had put them on before takeoff. Nicky was nervous beyond belief to be a passenger of a plane driven by a child, but then she reminded herself that normal logic didn't apply here; to her annoyance and relief. While they were young, they seemed a lot more brave than she was. She hadn't seem them falter at the fact they had made a deal with the Devil since she first met them. Of course, they could just be hiding it well. "Here she comes!"
Hilda Berg. The toon reminded her a little of Olive Oyl from Popeye, with her facial features. But for some reason, was a lot larger than she thought she'd be. Probably has to do with selling her soul. Being under the control of the Devil, she'd expected some characters to put up a fight. Flying over the isle, she took in a deep breath of air before transforming into a blimp. "Oh, Hindenburg," Nicky mumbled to herself. "Like that airship disaster in the late 30s." Name play. Real clever.
Peddling a unicycle under her feet, the woman began summoning small red blimps to fire bullets at them, and Cuphead and Mugman quickly dodged around them in their planes. "Brace yourself!" Mugman shouted, watching her inflate before a gust of wind came out of her mouth, blowing her past them and leaving a jagged constellation in front of them. Nicky leaned to the side to watch Hilda laugh mockingly as she flew back around, and Mugman dove under the attack. "Are you alright, Miss Nicky?"
"I'm fine! Focus on what's in front of you!" She shouted, gripping the sides of the plane. Once Hilda came back around, Nicky's heart thumped as she transformed into a cloud bull. "Taurus." She was attacking in forms that involved the sky. Ramming forward, she tried to ram them with her horns. Mugman managed to avoid them, but Cuphead ended up with one horn scratching the side of his plane.
"I'm okay!" He shouted. Firing back with a stream of bullets, Hilda changed back into her airship form. With a speedy hand twirl, she launched a tornado at them. "Move!" The whirlwind rammed them, and the three were sucked into the vortex. Nicky kept one hand on the plane, while holding down her hood with the other. Gunning it, they dove upwards, and flew out at the top.
Hilda though, launched herself at them again, and once they avoided the stars found her in a new form. "Sagittarius." What's with all the freaking zodiac signs!? The centaur cloud fired golden arrows, which were fairly easy to dodge. The homing blue starts that followed, not so much. Both planes took a hit from them. Returning to her form, Cuphead fired two large black bombs at her, and the damage on her body was visible from their distance.
"We're wearing her down, Mugs!" He shouted to his brother. "Keep firing!"
"Roger!" Only a few seconds in after he said that, Hilda Berg began to cry out in alarm, realizing her fight was close to an end. Holding her head, she gave a pained cry before her arms and legs began to flail about drastically.
"Holy cow!" Nicky cried out. The blimp turned into a freakin' moon with a face! With a loud cackling laugh, her head extended from her body, showing golden mechanics behind the face connecting it to the moon. Red and brown UFO's and golden stars flew past them, and the brothers doubled up their speed to avoid getting struck down by the lasers. "How much longer!?"
"She's almost knocked out!" Mugman answered back. "Cuphead! You know what to do!" The older brother gave a nod, and Nicky watched in amazement as the toon and the plane combined into a ticking red nuke. Sailing towards her, Cuphead crashed into Hilda's face with a loud boom. Reappearing beside them as if nothing happened, the three watched her crash and burn. Her moon shape was crumbled, her teeth were chipped, and her nose appeared to be broken. The toon slowly moved towards the bottom of the cliff, and Cuphead directed his plane down to land by her. Mugman joined him, and landed just as Hilda turned back into her normal form, standing only an inch or so shorter than Nicky did.
"Alright, Hilda Berg. Hand it over," Cuphead demanded. Groaning, she fished into her dress and pulled out a contract. Grabbing it from her hand, he rolled it up and tucked it away into what Nicky guessed was some form of subspace. The woman picked herself up from the dirt, and held her arm in pain.
"You boys best know what you're getting into," she grumbled. Nicky watched her walk off, covered in bruises and scratches.
This… this was what she had signed her soul over for.
"I think we do." Sighing, Cuphead turned to look up at Nicky. Giving her a calculated look, he finally grinned. "Not bad for a couple of cups, huh?" Nicky nodded slowly, and watched them go to shrink the planes. If this was the first isle, then who knows what waited them further down the road. I'm gonna die surrounded by cartoons, Nicky's heart dropped. It's gonna be freaking etched on my tombstone.
This story's gonna be picking up steam soon. Surprised I already got three chapters out, and it hasn't even been a week yet.
Until next time!
Angel
