Before them the purple demon began to grow, nearly filling up the whole throne room. Its tentacles felt about, snaking around any stalagmites and stalactites they came across. The three of them watched in horror as energy just seemed to radiate from its center. None of them had ever felt anything so powerful. It instilled fear deep inside each one of them. In fact, its energy was so thick that the parasitic creature's core began to levitate above the cavern floor. David felt these psychic waves and finally opened up his yellow eyes, tongue still licking the ground. His gangly body shakily got up on all fours. He winced as he put weight on the arm that Cuphead had thoroughly bitten.
"Bow! Bow before me! I am the alpha now!" Boomed a voice telepathically for all to hear. It was so loud that it shook the cavern and traveled deep into the mortals' souls, like it was a speaker playing inside their minds. They all shivered at the tremendous power that seemed to have some sort of control over them.
"Stop! Cease! I order you!" The Devil spat back.
"You are no one's boss anymore!" It argued. A tentacle wrapped itself around David's neck and flicked him into the air. The black body crashed to the ground with a pained moan. "When I'm done with you there will be nothing left! Your reign is over!" Mug and his family watched as the muscular appendage grabbed him again and began to toss the already limp body around. The young mug no longer found joy in the Devil's suffering. For now it was just a creature that sorely needed help at that moment. Before Mugman could think anything else, the hand latched to his arm started to pull him away.
"Come! We must get out of here while it's distracted!" Elder Kettle urged his boys toward the exit. Cup was ready to follow his grandpa, but the mug child knew that leaving David was a death sentence for him.
"No!" Mug shouted and yanked his arm away from the kettle. "I'm not leaving here without David!"
"He can take care of himself." Kettle tried to convince his boy.
"Does THAT really look like 'taking care of himself' to you?" He asked while pointing to the black creature that was repeatedly getting its head slammed against the ground. Mugman's temper was raising at his guardian. Why did he insist on not helping his friend? It just didn't make sense to the little mug. "He's YOUR friend!" He added.
"Please Mugs! It's too dangerous!" The elder pleaded, trying to reach out to him. But Mug shied away from the gloved hand that attempted to grab him again.
"I promised Dice that I would save him. And I'm going to do it with or without your help!" Mug asserted before racing off into the tangle of tentacles. Cuphead gave a concerned roar as his little brother entered the danger zone.
Brown boots pounded against the cavern floor toward the furry body. Mugman noticed a tentacle whip the Devil's back every time he tried to get up on all fours. The parasitic creature was taunting its master, letting him get almost up before ultimately smashing him back down. Skinny limbs shook horribly under the demonic creature's body as it was forced to eat stone for the unknown number of times now.
"Stop this now!" Mug roared and punched a pulse of dark blue energy forward. It exploded on the muscular appendage, making the flopping thing flinch away from its target. Besides startling the demon, it had no other effect on the creature's health.
"You….!" Grumbled the colossal nucleus center. It now homed in on the little mug's energy. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me!" For it remembered how the boy so rudely plucked him from his previous nest. And he intended to punish the mug for doing such things. Tentacles started to snake their way toward Mugman. The young mug ducked and weaved, narrowly missing their curling ends that seemed to home in on him. One came down at him from above. He was so focused on this tentacle that he all but forgot to look at his feet. A second exterior vein tripped the boy. Mug began to pitch forward. Two muscles swatted his mug front and back, ultimately ping-ponging him between them. His glass body made contact with the ground for only a second before yet another squid appendage wrapped around his torso. Claws quickly came out as he tried to hold onto something. They merely scraped along the ground with an awful sound. It dragged him backwards and ultimately into the air. The mug child watched as he was brought level with the translucent center.
"I'll shatter every one of your bones!" The creature hissed and began to tighten his grip. Mug screamed in agony as the tentacle tried to squeeze the life out of him. His little gloved hands pushed against the purple muscle around his body. For he was desperate to get out of that situation. Luckily, Cuphead wasn't far behind him. The mutated cup leapt into the air with jaws open wide. Its fangs sank deep into the tentacle. In turn, the colossal demon shrieked in pain and dropped the mug child. Mugman clattered to the ground, feeling thoroughly disoriented from the pain. His surroundings started to become clear when his brother came to help him up. With a shake of the mug, he positioned himself in front of David and prepared himself for the onslaught of tentacles about to come his way. He seamlessly made himself his alter ego so he could fight to his full potential. Cup followed suit and took his place next to Mug.
"What's the plan?" He asked his little brother.
"Protect David!" The young mug replied with a snarl as he leapt forward.
"You got it, Mugs!"
Both mutated brothers fought with a fury to keep the muscular limbs at bay.
Elder Kettle stood at the edge of the battlefield, looking quite worried for his boys. What was he to do? He certainly didn't have any special abilities anymore. The kettle looked over his shoulder and saw his cane lying on the ground. For it was no longer a sword. That had faded back to normal just as he did. With little other option, Kettle went to pick up his cane. He rushed back to his position just outside the lashing tentacles. The tan kettle noticed the furry body behind them beginning to stir. Its glowing eyes opened and watched them ever so carefully. Elder Kettle could only imagine the enraged beast taking advantage of his grandsons while they were distracted.
"Boys!" He cried out and tried to get their attention. But they didn't hear. Not over their vicious snarls and the shrieks of the demon. The elder just had to help them somehow! Kettle began to whack away at a muscular limb that lay before his feet. However, its owner took little notice of the energy source that he had already taken from. It only began to care when the cane broke through a layer of the muscle. The demon gave a moan and began to thrash that tentacle about. Cuphead noticed the limb flopping dangerously close to his guardian and went to protect him. This left Mugman to protect the ruler of Hell by himself for the time being.
Five tentacles furiously lashed at the mug child at the same time. It was an intense battle for Mug. He clawed, bit, and used magic against the appendages. All the while, the demon slapped the child upside the mug, pulled at his limbs, and tried to trip him up.
David merely watched the goings on. His eyes lazily followed the mug child's movements.
Why is the boy risking his life to protect me? The Devil wondered. It just didn't make sense to the furry lump that lay there as his body went numb. The dark spirit within David urged him to get up and do something. His gray toes wiggled as they tried to get feeling back into them. Skinny limbs pressed against the ground, shaking like twigs. For the demonic creature was desperate to not go out lying down. Unfortunately, its minion could sense that he was stirring. It was time to stop toying around with the pesky little mug and finish what he started.
A tentacle made its way past the tooth and claw fury and wrapped around Mugman's torso. It lifted him up with ease and tossed the glass body to the side. Mug hissed in pain as he bounced off the wall and hit the cavern floor, almost going limp himself.
David had almost made it to his hands and knees when a muscular limb whipped his back. It made him face plant into the stone beneath him. But it didn't stop there. The tentacle gave him a constant whipping, keeping its former master down. And then all of a sudden it stopped. He could still hear the deafening sound of the limb crashing down. Could it be that he had become so numb that he didn't feel the pain anymore? A yellow eye began to flutter open to venture a peak. What he saw made both of his peepers go wider than he thought possible. Crouched over his body was Mugman, taking the full beating for him. Each lash made the child's limbs wobble and his straw rattle in his head. The mutated mug's eyes were squeezed shut and teeth gritted tight as he fought to endure the pain.
Elder Kettle ran around the tentacle that Cuphead was fighting with and made for his other boy. He just had to pull him out of there before the life was beat from him! For Kettle could not bear to see his boy on the verge of death again.
Come on! Is that all you've got? The young mug's demon taunted as he panted from the effort of staying strong.
No, don't! Mug tried to deter him.
You want a piece of us?
"No! I want five!" The colossal nucleus boomed and went to pick up the child again. Mugman felt the appendage that had been whipping him curl around his torso. It began to lift him up. A gray paw acted quick and grabbed the young mug's leg before he got too far. Elder Kettle could see that his grandson was in a static tug of war between the Devil and the demon. If one decided to give a swift pull, Mug could easily lose a limb. Kettle could only imagine his old friend planning just that. His tan body rushed forward and met the furry one.
"Let go of him, David!" The elder roared and brought his cane down on the demonic creature's head.
"Ouch, ya moron! Can't you tell when someone's trying to help?" He tried to hold the elderly person away with his foot to avoid his melon being beaten anymore.
"Help? Yeah, right!" Kettle scoffed and tried to hit him again. A solid clonk to the head sent the Devil spiraling to the ground again. Without the black creature to hold him back, Mugman became a prisoner to the colossal demon's tentacles. Each one of his limbs were seized with the muscular appendages. It began to tug on them like he was being quartered and drawn. The mug child screamed in agony as his arms and legs were stretched to their limit. This was the end, Mug was sure of it. There was no way out of that hold. And nothing he could do.
Elder Kettle watched as David leapt up to where his boy was being held captive. Making his paw froth with black magic, the Devil gave a powerful swipe at the tentacle holding the mug's torso. It cut right through the thick muscle. The demon shrieked in absolute pain and dropped its victim. A severed tentacle hovered where Mug had just been. Kettle observed that a combination of blood and mucus seemed to spurt out of the limb. David winced and nearly collapsed as he made it to the ground yet again. He saw another muscular appendage coming down toward the boy and quickly rushed forward to drag him out of the way. Claws grabbed onto Mugman's shirt and pulled him to safety as the limb crashed down on the spot where his body had sprawled out.
"Now we're even." The Devil grunted as the mutated mug started to come back to his senses. He slowly went to sit up. Never had he imagined that the ruler of Hell would actually save someone's life. A mutated Cuphead saw how the demon reacted from its severed tentacle. He promptly gnawed on the limb he was fighting with until its wormy end popped off. It screeched again and lifted the muscular appendage away from the large-fanged child.
"I suggest you get out of here while you can." David said to Mug. They both moved in opposite directions as more of the creature's limbs tried to whip them again. After rolling himself away, Mugman voiced his worry for the Devil's sake.
"But what about you? How are you going to stop it?"
"There is no stopping it." The furry being said as it constantly kept moving. For the tentacles kept homing in on him. If he stopped even for a second, the purple limbs would catch up and rip off his body parts. "There is no way to reverse its size change once it has consumed so much energy. The only solution now is to trap him in the deepest, darkest part of Hell." His right paw twisted under him and caused his body to collapse onto the ground. Yellow eyes squeezed shut as a purple tentacle prepared to come down upon him. Cuphead promptly tackled the vein and wrestled it to the ground. Glowing red hands kept the end of it down as it wiggled like a worm that had been freshly plucked from the dirt.
"But you can't do it by yourself!" Mugman asserted.
"Perhaps not." The Devil admitted as his shakily got up on all fours. "Perhaps I do need….help." It was clear that it pained the dark spirit to confess to needing help. For he could barely utter the word and he couldn't make eye contact with anybody while saying that either. "If I create portal, will you boys use your powers to push it in?" Both the cup brothers nodded in his direction with looks of conviction. Kettle made his way over to where everyone was having a conversation.
"What can I do to help?" He offered. The black creature narrowed his eyes and stared the elderly glassware down.
"Unless you've got something to say, I suggest you stay out of my way!" David growled at his old friend. To this, Elder Kettle stayed quiet. He stared sympathetically but could not bring himself to actually say anything. Mug stared at his grandfather in a similar manner.
Why can't you just apologize to him? The young mug silently wondered.
"Hmph! That's what I thought!" Scoffed the Devil and turned his back to him. "Okay, boys. I'm going to need you to cover me while I make a run for my trident. I'll need whatever magic is left in there to help conjure the portal. When I give you the signal, unleash that head cannon thing you do and that should be enough to push it in."
"Understood." The brothers said in unison with another nod.
"But David I don't think-" Elder Kettle started to chime in.
"Shut your damn mouth!" The furry creature snapped back without looking. "I think you've done more than enough!" A skinny tail lashed in front of the kettle's face, telling him to back off. "Let's go!"
Cup and Mug followed the ruler of Hell as he dashed right towards the demon's center. Purple tentacles began to close in all around them.
"Don't think I didn't hear that!" It boomed. "You will never succeed!" The parasitic creature dwelled on the thought of crushing each one of them with its tentacles. Its dark thoughts fueled the purple limbs to be even more ruthless than before.
David had nearly made it past the nucleus-like center when he heard a cry of pain behind him. He stopped short and looked over his shoulder. For Cuphead had become prisoner of one of those muscular appendages. He screeched as it wound tightly around his torso.
"Augh! It's stinging!" Cup's garbled voice shouted. The demon had indeed started to sting the child just like a jellyfish would an unsuspecting swimmer.
"Hang on, Cup! I'm coming!" Mugman called out and raced forward to save his big brother. But the demon had anticipated this. Three tentacles curled up like cobras before lashing down upon the mug child. The mutated cup noticed sparks of pure white electricity frothing on the underside of the appendages.
"Mugs, look out!" He tried to warn his sibling. But Mug was already rushing headlong with glowing hands ready to strike. His right fist collided with a tentacle that merely wrapped itself around the mug's arm. It then tossed him back to where he came from. The three appendages glowing with electricity began to lash at the blue mug.
"Ow, ow!" He squealed as bolts rippled throughout his body. It very much reminded him of how he had been hit with a taser the other day. Mugman wasn't sure which one was worse. On the one hand, the taser affected his whole body all at once. But the tentacles sent surges of pain each time they slapped him. The young mug was helpless to do anything as his glass body was violently tossed about between the three appendages that continued to assault him. Eventually they stopped. Mug found himself face down against the cavern floor. His body roared with pain. It felt as if his limbs were still twitching in response to the residue electricity in his system. His weak appendages pressed against the ground and struggled to bring himself up. The mutated mug only got about half way up to his hands and knees before collapsing again. He had only moved maybe a couple feet from his starting position. Mug tried again to inch himself along the cavern floor like a worm. Using all the strength he could muster, he summoned magic to his right hand and lifted it up towards the opposing tentacles.
"You're seriously going to try that again?" The demon taunted. One of its muscular limbs promptly wound its way around Mugman's throat and dragged him to his feet. Clawed hands groped at the tentacle that gagged him. It went tight but not to the point of suffocating him. For a different spot on the young mug attracted him. The creature's psychic waves picked up on a vulnerable spot on the child's torso. It sensed the many punctures that it had previously made with the kettle's claws. The exposed energy here was like a homing beacon for the parasitic creature. It greedily sent in another tentacle to infiltrate that point. Mug roared in pain as the pure muscle seemed to punch and grind into his gut like a giant knuckle.
David had considered whether or not to go back for the cup brothers when the mutated cup had roared in pain. Well, more like the faun did. The dark spirit would have left them all for dead long ago if it weren't for the shred of humanity that was left in the hybrid. In the end, he kept going for his trident. The furry creature knew that his powers were dwindling. If he went back out there without his weapon, they would all surely meet their fate. His gray paws grabbed onto it and picked it up. The balled end of it was pressed against the ground as the Devil used it as a cane to bring himself up to a bipedal stance.
By now, both of the cup brothers now roared in pain. The dark spirit grunted in annoyance. For it would have to save the boys again. If the colossal demon killed the young cups, his plan would surely fail. He needed their help to imprison his former minion. The creature was so focused on torturing the brothers that it did not sense the Devil until it was too late. David used the trident to help himself jump high. Turning the pronged end down, the black creature let himself fall onto the nucleus center. The three pointed ends sank into the squishy, translucent mass. It screeched in pure agony, dropping the cup brothers. All of its tentacles seemed to jut out from its body and wriggle around. Almost as if it were a human child throwing a fit. Through its tantrum, a tentacle singled out the pain-giver. A purple appendage reached up and plucked the weapon out of itself, taking the ruler of Hell with it.
David bounced off the ground after being violently thrown by the oversized parasite. His body fell limp for a moment, causing him to drop the trident. It clanged to the stone floor only a few feet before him. The Devil shook his head to get his bearings. A gray paw started to reach for the golden weapon. He stopped mid-grab when his piercing yellow eyes saw something within the nucleus-like center of the demon. It was a shadow from the past. A tall, skinny body with snake-like limbs and tail came into view. David's jaw dropped open as it spread open its wings and stared out with glowing yellow eyes. It was the dragon. Or at least a shell of it. The demon had picked up on its master's fear of that very night when he killed the beast. Every shred of fear he had felt that night came back to him all at once. Frozen in place, David could not shake away that deep-seated fear. In fact, his furry body began to shake as he stood mid-grab.
"David, what are you doing? Grab the trident!" Kettle called out. But the Devil did not seem to hear him.
"Grab the trident!" The cup brothers reiterated. They watched as the satanic creature seemed to snap out of it for a second. Its paw kept going toward the golden weapon. Before he could actually reach it, the colossal demon sent out its most powerful attack yet. Psychic waves started to emit from its center, shaking the whole cavern. The power was so rich and concentrated that it made a sound like the speakers getting tested for a rock concert. It hit the furry creature like a tidal wave, curving his slender body up to its hind legs and arching the back. It felt like he was trying his best to endure the explosion of a nuclear bomb. The Devil screamed in agony as the pulses tugged at his body. It was as if it were trying to separate the dark spirit from its host. That he started to feel disconnected from his furry outer layer. In fact, Elder Kettle and the cup brothers witnessed his fur starting to break down into a viscous material. It was black and sludgy like its form had been in Mugman's dreams. David's body still held shape, but it was clear that the dark spirit was having a hard time holding onto its host. Patches of gray fur started to peak out from beneath the inky shell. Kettle watched as the yellow eyes shifted in his direction. A paw – no, a human hand – started to reach out for him.
"K-k-ke-e-ettle! H-he-elp m-me! P-Pl-ease!" David's voice barely rang out over the deafening sound of the psychic power. It sounded as if he were trapped inside a radio and the signal was getting drowned out by too much static. The psychic waves separated the dark spirit from its host just enough that the onlookers caught a glimpse of the faun underneath. Its fur had turned gray, showing its true age. The sight of the faded color and wrinkled skin seemed to snap Kettle out of his trance. That the faun was in fact still there and not completely gone.
Cup and Mug witnessed their guardian actually moving to help David for the first time in so many years. It was a happy thought that they might have finally gotten through to their grandpa. But then fear hit Mugman. There was no telling what that power would do to Elder Kettle. For he did not have the protection of a parasitic creature covering his soul. The mug child could only imagine his guardian's glass skin getting peeled off like the skin of a potato. Mug pushed himself up from his half sitting position and ran towards the kettle's location. Cuphead acted instinctively and followed his brother in the attempt to shield both the elder and the satanic creature from the devastating attack.
As soon as the boys stepped into the line of fire, that same pain that David felt washed over them. They both screamed with large jaws agape. The young cup's creature hung on for dear life. A black webbing that mimicked the child's shape started to stretch out behind him.
"Don't let go!" He told the parasitic creature in a strained voice. However, it felt like he was having trouble staying connected to his own body. Almost as if there were three different layers getting stretched out: Cuphead's body, his soul, and then the demon. Like they were a triplet of monkeys in a barrel that were barely holding onto one another.
"I was going to tell you the same thing!" The creature spat back, sounding like it was in just as much pain as its host.
Mugman felt the pain too. However, his embedded demon wasn't going anywhere. For it was too deep within the child's soul to be pulled away. Mug's parasitic creature felt like it was getting pushed against the backside of the soul. Like it was firmly stuck to the wall of an intense spinning carnival ride called the Gravitron.
Meanwhile, Kettle tried his best to reach through the squirming black goo that acted like a net around the faun's body. It tried to resist the touch of a mortal. The elderly kettle flinched when the viscous material seemed to slap at his fingers. But then he made up his mind that he needed to reach David. A gloved hand reached in and grabbed a human arm. He began to drag the body away from the line of fire. The hybrid stayed limp all the while. It could sense that it was being helped. But from who he didn't know. Seconds later, David's eyes fluttered open to venture a peak at who it was. They began to bubble with water as he realized whom was standing before him. It was just like old times, he thought. David and Kettle out doing daring feats and putting themselves in danger for the sake of others, doing anything and everything to protect one another.
Both the kettle and the faun stared at one another panting for a few seconds. A wave of relief and guilt washed over the glassware's heart at the same time. It was now that he realized how selfish he had been. He wasn't wrong in protecting his family, but that he left an important member behind. Kettle had abandoned his brother in arms when he needed him most. Just now did he understand why the faun had been so mad at him. All of those years living in guilt started to melt away from his heart. And now he had to face what he had done. The elder understood that now. There was something he had to do…
"I…..I'm so sorry, David." The kettle began to cry as well. "For everything. I never should have cut you from my life. I should've helped you when you asked me to, but I was just scared. That's what a real friend would have done. I'm no friend to you, I know that. I just hope that one day you can forgive me."
"Th-thank you, Kettle. That's all I ever w-wanted to hear." David said weakly, letting his forehead press against the stone floor. The dark spirit could feel that its host was silently forgiving the mortal.
Are you serious? It hissed at him. This man ruined your life! He deserves to suffer! The black webbing surrounding the faun's body started to reach for the elderly glassware. David sensed this and reached out with his hand. He violently pulled the inky substance to the ground and held it there.
How dare you!
"Th-the only reason we're alive right now is because of Kettle and his family! You know that!" He argued with the voice in his head. The word family hit them like a ton of bricks. For the cup brothers were still trying to endure the berating psychic force.
They looked over just as the colossal demon changed the energy it was radiating. No longer did it try to push and pull on their parasites and souls. Now it was even worse. It felt like the concentrated magic got under their skin and began crushing. Cuphead and Mugman were subjected to such an awful feeling they didn't know was possible. Their screams sounded out with even more desperation. For it felt like it was trying to turn them inside out. The cups began to bleed despite the fact that their skin had not been broken. It started at their heads and rolled all the way down to their feet.
The sight of the boys' life essence seeping through their clothes caused Kettle to panic. He tried to rush forward toward them. But a human hand grabbed his arm and held him back.
"Kettle, no!" David said. "If you try to help, you'll die in seconds!"
"I have to save them!" The tan kettle cried in desperation.
"I'll do it." The faun panted and tried to get himself up. Kettle watched as the black webbing started to settle about his body again. It started to revert him back to the unidentified furry creature. The Devil felt feet begin to materialize under him instead of hooves. He used this to get himself up on all fours. David had only taken one step when he collapsed yet again.
"David!" The elderly glassware gasped and ran to his side.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Help me up!" It demanded. The faun's voice was starting to become dark and aggressive again. Elder Kettle obediently did what he was told. Both of them panted as they stood side by side, watching the horrible sight of the cup brothers getting mangled by a demon's mental powers. What were they to do? David couldn't walk properly without help and Kettle had no protection from the otherworldly powers. Everything seemed lost at that moment. The Devil hopelessly tried to go forward. His gray paw let go of his aid as he stumbled forward. Part stagger and part limp, the furry creature wasn't getting anywhere very fast.
The world seemed to collapse before the cup brothers. All they knew was pain. They had exhausted all their lung power and could only stare out with wide eyes and jaws agape. Cup and Mug's bodies were wet from their life essence. It seeped into their eyes and blinded their already failing vision. There was no more thinking or doing. It was just accepting the wet numbness that slithered over their souls.
Just then, a blur of glowing purple shot past everyone. It flew through the air as sleek as a paper plane. The rectangular object shoved itself into the demon's squishy center. It was then that Kettle and David saw that there was an ace of spades on the sheet of paper that was halfway sunk into the oversized parasite's core. The creature screeched in pain, sending out one last shockwave that threw everyone tumbling to the ground. David and the kettle grunted as they thudded against the cavern floor. The cup brothers, however, stayed silent. All the while, the colossal demon squirmed its tentacles about the piece of paper jutting from its tender torso. It was confused as to why it could not grab onto the thin and slippery piece of paper.
Elder Kettle rubbed a gloved hand against his small lid as his other pressed firmly against his cane in an attempt to get up. He moaned a bit before his spout perked up and looked about. The sight he was greeted with was so horrific that even the Devil himself could not have conceived of it.
"NO!" He cried out in utter horror. Before he and the faun lay his boys, resting in puddles of their own life essence. Their jaws and eyes were still wide open, the last moments of terror still frozen on their faces. The kettle stumbled in between the two mutated cups. He didn't know which one to turn to first. Anguish ate away at his insides. Cuphead and Mugman were lying there motionless. It was impossible to tell if they were breathing with all that sticky essence clung to their bodies.
David came limping up to the elderly glassware's left. Another figure came rushing up to his right. The cube-shaped head and purple suit made it clear who it was.
"Am I too late?" Dice asked solemnly as he stared down at the cup brothers. He was still tenderly holding his injured arm that was slowly mending back together. The other two people stayed quiet for a moment. Kettle shuffled forward and bent down. Each gloved hand resting on a boy's cup.
"Please wake up, boys!" He sobbed. "I can't lose you, too! You're all I have left…." Tears flooded down the kettle's face. His heart was losing hope by the second. It pounded furiously against his chest even faster than the tears came. "Please come back to me!"
David stared on with drooping yellow eyes. The faun's heart felt heavy, like it would have been crying too if its demon had not blocked it from doing so. For the dark spirit was confused. Why did these mortals sacrifice their lives for it? They should have let him suffer. For that is what it would have done if it had been the other way around.
I….don't understand. Why does everyone want to cry when someone dies? Also, why do you want to cry? The dark spirit seemed a bit put out with its host, choosing now of all times to want to be sentimental.
Because it's my fault this happened. David silently replied.
Uh, yeah! It's been our fault for the death of hundreds! Well, for me millions.
No, I mean I started all of this. I told you that I wanted revenge on Kettle….but I never meant for it to go this far….
"Kettle…." The Devil started to say and took a step forward.
"They're not gone!" Elder Kettle sobbed. "They can't be! Isn't there something you could do for them?" His tear-stained face looked to the furry creature. But he was asking the Devil to heal someone. To ask the dark spirit of such efforts was unheard of. It was like asking a bowling ball to move by itself. For it would not budge no matter how much you pleaded with it. Its presence made David give the kettle an awful glare. The faun quickly shook it away and returned to his sympathetic stare. Dice watched as his former boss did nothing but stand there. Out of both hope and ideas, the tan kettle turned his spout back towards his seemingly dead grandsons. The die man approached the young mug and knelt down by him. Mugman's hauntingly blank stare seemed to look right through the former casino manager.
"Come on, kid. You didn't give up on me, now I'm not giving up on you." A gloved hand was gently placed on the boy's limp and wet arm.
"Huh?" His green eyes shot wide. For there was still a glimmer of life deep down in the mug's soul. It was a small piece of energy that seemed to run around in circles in the mug child's core. Like it was trapped in a small cage inside of itself.
"They're not dead!" The king exclaimed.
"Wh-what?" Kettle couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Boss, come feel this! What do you make of it?" Dice urged the Devil to diagnose what was going on with them. David stepped forward and put a gray paw on Cuphead's arm. He felt the same thing happening within Cup's body. Yellow eyes focused on reading the energy for more information. The faun stayed quiet for a moment before responding.
"….The demon's trapped them inside their own minds."
"Trapped them-? What does that mean?" Kettle urged for more information, hopefully some that could help him save his sons.
"It means they're not dead….yet." The die man explained. "But if they don't wake up soon, they will be." Fear shot down the kettle's spine.
"Cuphead! Mugman! You have to wake up now!" He began shouting.
"They can't hear you." The Devil grumbled. It flattened its imp ears against its head in hopes of drowning out the elderly person's yelling.
"Wha-? Then how can we get them to wake up?"
"The boys might not be able to hear us," Dice began. "But their demons should be able to. We have to tell them to wake up their hosts, and fast!"
"I'll work with Cuphead. You two take the mug." David said. Elder Kettle was a bit hesitant to leave the young cup at the hands of the Devil, but he certainly couldn't do both at the same time. Especially when he couldn't make a spiritual connection with them like Dice and David could do. His spout eventually nodded and focused down on the young mug.
The Devil bowed his head and closed his eyes as he attempted to nudge the demon awake.
