Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm back! :D
Apologies for the sudden week off, I wasn't expecting it either if I'm being honest. Midterms hit me pretty hard and I didn't want this chapter to drop in quality, so I chose to push it back by a week. I'm pretty sure that my posting schedule is back to normal, but, if that ever changes, Tumblr and Twitter will have the most update to date news from me!
One quick thing before we jump in: So, as I've come to discover, getting out a quality chapter every week is hard. Like, really hard. xD
So, my thought is I could post a shorter chapter every week, or post one regular-length chapter every other week. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I wanted to open up the ideas to you guys. Which one would you prefer? At the moment, I will continue posting every week, but if it ends up being too difficult to maintain quality, I will switch to one of the 2 options above.
With all that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I so so adore all of your guys' questions and interactions on Tumblr and Twitter and I want y'all to know it means a lot to me. Thank you for everything and I love you all! - Inkwell-Intrigues
Trigger Warnings: Mentions of death, burning alive, torture, and general angst. Keep yourselves safe and read responsibly!
The Legendary Chalice's room was a mess. The stone floor was covered in papers, the most critical ones hanging from the ceiling, and Chalice sitting in the center.
She'd hit the jackpot.
Sure, Chalice had expected to find some good intel in the laboratory's documents, but not this good.
She'd found Ginette's journal!
The personal thoughts of the Devil's appointed scientist! And- according to what she'd heard in passing, the Cup Brothers' adoptive mother.
Needless to say, she'd spent the past few days reading every entry almost to the point of memorization.
The martini glass's writing was striking and at times, quite painful to read. While Ginette's entries were vague about her past, Chalice sensed it was a source of constant suffering for her.
Thanks to the vague clues that Chalice found within the journal, she'd discovered that the Devil and Ginette had once been close. Very close. There were small references to her sneaking out to see him as a child, but she didn't sell her soul till she was much older.
Why?
And in the present- sixty years later, Ginette seemed to go between loving and hating the Devil. Not love in the romantic sense of the word. It was a bittersweet love that reminded Chalice of friends who'd long since fallen apart. Now all that was left was the broken pieces of their friendship.
Questions tantalized Chalice. It felt as if she was reading a storybook with most of the pages missing. She was certain that Ginette was her key to rescuing the boys, but how could she trust someone so shrouded in mystery?
But that wasn't Chalice's only problem. More concerningly, Ginette's soul still belonged to the Devil. If Ginette agreed to help Chalice but was caught and questioned, she would have no choice but to tell the Devil everything she knew. Sure, Ginette might have her free will intact for now, but that could be ripped away from her at any moment.
But, despite all the obstacles in her way, Chalice wasn't deterred in the slightest. In fact, this was the first time in months that she felt a spark of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could win this.
Chapter 16: Seeds of Change
Agonized screams echoed throughout the Devil's Throne Room, the sickly smell of smoke filling the air. The Devil took great pleasure in dramatic executions and this was no exception.
Cuphead couldn't bear to watch. He'd seen the imps dragging in an anguished fork woman. She had been screaming incessantly at the top of her lungs. Trying to attack the Devil. Clawing at his face. Attempting to wriggle free and strange him.
From what Cuphead could gather, she'd pulled a gun on King Dice in the middle of a poker game. The punishment for such a brazen act of brutality? Death by fire.
So, now Cuphead sat, curled up on the small red cushion he'd despised only a few months ago, trying to block out the hysterical cries of a woman burning alive. He couldn't breathe. The thick smoke filled his lungs. His eyes burned, tears welling up in his eyes.
All he could think was, "How could Mugman let this happen?"
Cuphead stormed up to his room, covered from head to toe in ash. He couldn't believe it.
Mugman had saved King Dice's life.
King Dice, the man who had abused them since the day they'd been snatched away from their home. The man who took great pleasure in hurting them at any chance he got. That was the man that Mugman had 'heroically' saved, leaving that poor woman to die.
Cuphead knew that the fork woman was far from innocent. But still, he felt bad for her. He could see parts of himself in her, like he was looking into the shattered remains of a mirror. She might've been unstable, but Cuphead felt that her heart was in the right place. If he'd been in her position, he probably would've done the same thing.
Would Mugman have left him to die if he'd been in that woman's place?
Cuphead didn't like thinking about that...
Still coughing from the smoke, Cuphead pushed open the door to his bedroom, his eyes focused on the ground. He knew Mugman was in there, waiting for him, and he refused to look his turncoat of a brother in the eye. It would make him far too angry.
"Hey." Came the voice of his brother. He sounded tired but relaxed, blissfully aware of the execution he'd caused.
Cuphead didn't respond, slamming the door behind him and throwing himself onto his bed.
"You, uh, have a rough day, Cuphead..?"
There was a tense silence that followed.
Cuphead stared up at the ceiling, calculating all the possible things he could say, but came up empty. No words could express the immense frustration building up in his heart.
Mugman was watching him, perched on the edge of his bed as he fidgeted anxiously. Why was Cuphead covered in ash? What was with that bitter look on his face? It made Mugman's heart begin to race. Something was very wrong.
Finally, Cuphead let out a long sigh, and spoke. "Why'd you do it?"
"...What?"
"Why'd you let her die?"
Mugman tensed up. Suddenly, Cuphead being covered in ash seemed much more sinister. An ominous feeling clawed at Mugman's panicked beating heart.
"Y-you mean the, uh, fork lady? The one who tried to kill Mister King Dice?"
Had the Devil killed her? Had Cuphead been there? Did he see it? Mugman felt like all the air in his lungs had dissipated.
What had he done?
"Uh, yeah. Who else?" Cuphead scoffed, shooting the horrified Mugman a bitter smile. "And I'm sittin' over here tryin' to understand what in the hell you were thinkin'! From how I see it, all this gal wanted to do was to kill King Dice, y'know, one of the people who kidnapped us. Who almost killed you! And you defended that cube head, lettin' her die."
Mugman sat, frozen in place. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. His mind refused to believe it. No, he couldn't have sent that woman off to her death, right? She'd be fine. Right?
"And it wasn't a nice death, Mugsy." Cuphead continued, roughly grabbing Mugman's arm. "She died kickin' and screamin'. And guess who got the 'pleasure' of watchin' her burn alive? Gee, thanks Mugsy, you sure know how to just make my day, dontcha?"
"CUPHEAD STOP!" Mugman screamed, wrenching his arm away from Cuphead's grasp.
Mugman couldn't do this... His mind was racing. Guilt crashed over him like a wave of water. The woman was dead. And it was his fault. He couldn't breathe. Tears poured down his face and he broke down into uncontrollable sobs.
Cuphead rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, just cry it up. That will make everythin' right."
Deep down in Cuphead's heart, he knew he was going too far, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. This anger... It was controlling him. He'd kept it locked away for so long, but no there was no hiding it away.
"And you know what?" He continued, his voice rising in volume. "This coulda been our ticket outta here while the Devil was distracted because of Dice dyin'. We coulda figured out a way to escape! And you threw it away for what? King Dice?"
The very thought of a missed opportunity to escape snapped Cuphead's fragile psyche. In an instant, Cuphead lunged forward, grabbing Mugman by the shoulders. Mugman screamed, trying to break free, but Cuphead's grip was too strong.
"He got Mama locked away! And you saved him?" Cuphead yelled, shaking Mugman. "You choose to side with the Devil over me and Mama? HOW COULD YOU?"
Mugman instinctively braced himself, expecting to be hit. But no blow came. Cuphead's grip loosened, staring at his terrified brother.
What was he becoming?
Swearing under his breath, Cuphead let go, storming to the other side of the room.
Mugman didn't move. His face filled with shock and disgust. Who was this? This wasn't Cuphead. It couldn't be. His brother wouldn't do this to him... Or would he?
"W-what is wrong with you?" Mugman snapped, aggressively wiping his tears away. He hated being angry, but this was the last straw. He was so tired of being screamed at. Being hit. Being hurt. And now he was being betrayed by his own brother? Something snapped inside him.
"For someone who's accusin' me of sidin' with the Devil, you sure are soundin' a lot like him!" Mugman continued, forcing himself to get up, hands balled into fists.
That hit a nerve. Cuphead whipped around, opening his mouth to reply, but Mugman kept going.
"Even if I did let King die, what happens then? I leave that crazy lady alive, wavin' her gun around? Her mind was all kinds of messed up Cups! She was dangerous and coulda killed a bunch of people!" Mugman said, taking a step forward. In his heart, he was terrified, but he refused to let it show. His eyes were beginning to glow and he instinctively stretched out his hand. Cuphead fell back onto the ground, clutching his now-pounding head.
"And what about the Devil?" Mugman continued, his outstretched hand clenching into a fist. Cuphead let out a cry of pain. It felt like his brain was being crushed from the inside.
"He would've figured out that I let King Dice die sooner or later. Think of Mama, what if the Devil decided to kill her as punishment for me lettin' King die? What would me lettin' King Dice die have solved? What would it have done? Tell me."
Cuphead kept his eyes locked with Mugman's, holding onto his aching head, but he didn't reply. Mugman stared at him, waiting, then the glow in his eyes faded and the pressure in Cuphead's mind ceased.
Mugman's vision cleared, and suddenly he understood what he'd just done. Instantly his threatening glare was replaced with an expression of horror. Cuphead wasn't the only one who didn't know his own strength.
"I-I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry..." Mugman whispered.
"You're right. You shouldn't have." Cuphead responded with a bitter smile, groaning as he tried to get up. "But... I shouldn't have done what I did, either. I was bein' a grade A jerk, blamin' you for that lady dyin'. You're no killer. The Devil was the one who killed her, not you. We're just... Caught in the crossfire I guess... No matter what we do, we're still gonna get shot."
Mugman weakly nodded, turning away. "What's happening to us?"
"Mugsy, I wish I knew..."
The sound of scuffling footsteps caught Ginette's attention. She stirred, groaning as her fresh wounds seared in pain.
It had been three days since Cuphead had found her, and that was the only thing that kept Ginette going. She was so weak now, on the cusp of death, but the memory of that boy's face lighting up the moment he saw her was her guiding light. She wouldn't give up. Not in a thousand years. Cuphead and Mugman needed her, and she would not fail them.
The footsteps grew closer. Ginette could hear the faint sound of the boys' voices. They were here. They'd come back to see her.
"…Cuphead! Mugman!" Ginette croaked, dragging herself toward the front of her cell.
No one had bothered to replace the cell door, opting to chain Ginette to the wall instead. And so, Ginette crawled to the end of her chain, calling out as loud as she could muster for her sons.
"Mama!" Cuphead called out. The footsteps picked up their pace, hurrying towards her.
"I-I'm here, boys. I'm here." Ginette said, trying to spot them in the dark hallway. She could see them, just barely.
"I can see her, she's right there! C'mon!" Cuphead exclaimed, yanking along Mugman.
Neither brother had known how to apologize after their fight. Sure, they'd had fights before, but not like this. In the past, it had been petty fistfights. Maybe they'd accidentally break a plate or two, but that was it. But now? With powers beyond their comprehension? The thought of Cuphead accidentally breaking Mugman's arm or Mugman possessing Cuphead and accidentally driving him to insanity haunted them. So, Cuphead did the one thing he knew would help. He took them to Ginette.
He'd wanted to tell Mugman about Ginette earlier, but the brothers barely saw each other. They were always off training or passed out, trying to squeeze in every minute of sleep they could before another grueling training session. As terrible as their fight was, the aftermath ended up being the perfect time to tell Mugman about Ginette. Cuphead had excitedly ushered Mugman down into the dungeons. As they went, he'd told Mugman the tale of how he'd found Ginette, or as he called her now, Mama.
Although Cuphead was brimming with excitement at the chance to see Ginette again, Mugman's feelings were more complicated.
Despite what everyone said, Mugman still felt that it was his fault that she was down here. If he'd just been a little stronger, this never would have happened. Every day since she'd been taken away, Mugman had dedicated himself to getting stronger -to never let this happen again-, but still, he felt feeble and useless.
As they drew closer, Mugman wondered if Ginette would let him call her Mama as well. He wasn't sure. After all the hardships she'd gone through because of him, would she even want anything to do with him? Should he run? Perhaps it would be better if Ginette never saw the person who'd gotten her here. Mugman didn't want to run, of course. All he wanted was to be in her arms once again, but he didn't deserve it...
But, before Mugman could break free, they were there. Cuphead pulled him forward, smiling with tears in his eyes.
"We're here, Mama. Mugsy and I are here."
The silhouette of Ginette moved into the light and Mugman felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He could barely recognize her underneath all of her injuries. Tears filled Mugman's eyes. This was his fault. He tried to speak, but no words came to him.
Ginette's expression was unreadable. Her freshly swollen wounds hid her once familiar face. It looked as if she was smiling, but Mugman couldn't be sure.
"Mugman…" She murmured, her voice cracking.
His whole body was shaking. Mugman stared up into Ginette's eyes, using every ounce of energy he had not to break down crying.
"I- I'm sorry, Miss G-Ginette." He stuttered, forcing himself to use formalities when speaking to her. "This is all my fault that y-you're in here. I-I know you must hate me, so I won't take up too much of your time, but -"
Mugman was cut off as he was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. Ginette held him close. He couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. Perhaps a bit of both.
"Mugman... None of this is your fault." She whispered. "None of it. Don't you ever say that it is, or that I hate you. I promise, Mugman, I will never hate you. You boys are the sons I never had, and I will always love you, no matter what."
Mugman struggled to comprehend what she was saying. It wasn't his fault? He was the son she never had? She loved him? No longer able to keep his emotions under control, Mugman began to cry. He clutched onto her, crying tears of relief. The three were reunited once again.
The boys told Ginette everything over the next few hours. The woman, Mugman saving King Dice, the execution, and -of course- the brothers' fight. The fight itself didn't worry Ginette, all siblings fought. It was in their nature. What worried Ginette was how they described the way that they'd fought.
From how it sounded, Cuphead was beginning to take on the Devil's fiery temper. Would Mugman follow suit? Or, would he become manipulative? He'd used his powers to debilitate Cuphead in mere moments. What else could they do? Would these outbursts get worse? As much as Ginette hoped not, it was very much possible.
Now, the brothers were asleep. Neither had wanted to leave Ginette's side, so they opted to spend the night with her in the dungeons. While they slept, Ginette lay awake, her mind racing.
Her worst fear was materializing before her very eyes. The brothers were beginning to change. Ginette had always known it was inevitable, but it didn't make it any easier. Fears swirled throughout her mind, tantalizing her with possible futures.
When would the Devil order Cuphead to perform his first execution? Or force Mugman to trick someone into selling their soul? When would the King of the Underworld teach them his favorite torture techniques? Or show them his love for breaking bones?
When would the boys give in to his influence and begin to become like him?
Ginette could see their fangs in the dim torchlight. She was sure that wouldn't be the last change they underwent. Would the Devil change their eye colors like he'd done with Dice so many years ago? Would he turn them into feral beasts as he'd done with Hocus?
Tears clouded Ginette's vision. She held the boys close, weeping, mourning what was to come. There was nothing she could do to stop it, as much as she would lie to herself and say she could. The boys would change one day. Become like the Devil.
Ginette would fight against their corruption every step of the way. That she was certain of. But, how long would the Devil allow her to fight against his plans? How long before he took care of her once and for all?
Ginette knew she was going to die. The Devil wouldn't put up with her forever, especially with her constant undermining and rebellion. She assumed her death would be staged. An 'accident'. The Devil would swoop in and comfort the distraught boys, becoming their one and only safe place. Their father.
How could she fight this? How could she change her fate? Ginette didn't know, but, if she was going to thwart her unavoidable death, she'd have to do it soon, before it was too late.
When morning came, it was -much to Ginette's surprise- not Cuphead and Mugman who awoke her. Instead, she awoke to the sinister face of an imp staring down at her.
"You're quite bold for a prisoner, I must say." It warbled, brandishing a large whip. Ginette felt sick.
Whipping her head around, she looked for the brothers, but they were nowhere to be seen.
"Do not worry, they are long gone from here. His Majesty specifically requested for us not to torture you in their presence." The imp continued, giggling.
"Where are they?" Ginette hissed, glaring at the imp.
"With their father, where they should be." The imp replied, pacing around her. "They were late to their training this morning because of their little excursion." It wagged its finger at her. "Naughty naughty of you to let them spend the night. Perhaps the Devil will extend your stay once again, hm? Maybe that will teach you to respect the boys' father and his plans for them."
"No! Please, anything but that!" Ginette exclaimed, struggling against her chains. "Please, just tell him I'm sorry. I didn't mean for them to be late, I swear! They needed sleep, the Devil knows that. Please just-"
The imp raised its whip, preparing to strike her across the face. Ginette braced for impact. Squeezing her eyes shut.
Then, there was suddenly a sick squelching sound, yelps in pain, and a loud thud.
Ginette flinched back and kept her eyes squeezed shut. What the hell could that be? She could hear the sound of a body being dragged away. Was she next? Ginette's mind was racing, trying to accept her fate when she heard someone clear their throat. It was a girl.
Slowly, Ginette opened her eyes, prepared to be impaled as well. Then, her eyes adjusted, and in an instant, Ginette's mouth fell open. It was the ghost girl, the Legendary Chalice. She'd returned.
The Legendary Chalice grinned, the imp's body skewered on her spear. "Betcha didn't think you'd ever see me again, huh? You and I have a LOT to talk about."
