Author's Note: Hello all! This is my first ever fanfiction (it's extremely dear to my heart) and I'm very excited to share it! For context, The Strength and The Sight has been in the making since 2018 (when the Delicious Last Course was first announced) and I had always planned on releasing it along with said DLC. Now, 4 years and many rewrites later, both are finally ready!
A quick note before we begin, like in the Cuphead game, this novel uses 1930s slang (i.e. hoosegow, kibosh, etc.) as well as 1930s dialect for characters who speak with heavier accents (i.e. the: teh, naw, etc). This style of writing dialogue is not meant in any kind of derogatory fashion and is used to imitate the speech patterns/writing style of the original game.
With all that being said, have fun reading, and I hope you enjoy The Strength and The Sight!
Part One: Snake Eyes
"In gambling, Snake Eyes are often seen as bad luck; the worst possible outcome.
When you roll "Snake Eyes" there's sure to be trouble just around the corner."
Devil Defunct?
Has the Devil finally left the Inkwell Isles?
It has been 3 months since the dumbfounding defeat of the Devil, himself -by two youngsters at only 10 years old, no less! Now as the weeks go by, and all remains calm, the citizens of the Inkwell Isles cannot help but ask, "Is it over?"
The Devil's lair, Mt. Inkwell Hell, has sealed itself off, as if The Devil's Casino never existed. And that fiendish fiasco of a casino has remained closed ever since that fateful day. Though gamblers protest, the rest of us upstanding citizens breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
But even in our newfound paradise, rumors have begun to spread regarding the Devil's return. There are reported sightings of his devious imps sneaking about and some wonder if the Devil is in fact still here, lying in wait to strike.
To put our worries to rest, here today we have interviews from the vibrant victors themselves: Courageous Cuphead and Mindful Mugman!
Cuphead: "The Devil ain't ever gonna show his sorry face in Inkwell ever again, the big ol' crybaby! We beat him fair and square, so he's mighty scared of us. The Inkwell Isles ain't gonna be bothered by him and his goons ever again. And if he ever does come back, Mugsy and I will be waitin' for him!"
Mugman: "Well I sure hope he's never comin' back! But I can see how everyone's so worried. The casino closing all quick-like is sure strange. But my Elder Kettle says the Devil's prideful. He wouldn't be hiding here while everyone's makin' fun of him."
So there you have it, folks! The Cup Brothers, protectors of the Inkwell Isles, are sure that the Devil won't return. And if he does, he'll get a walloping of a lifetime!
- The Honeycomb Herald, circa. December 1930
- Chapter One: The New Deal -
When Cuphead awoke, he instantly knew that something was terribly wrong.
There had been a knock at the door. It had woken him up. Cuphead expected to see his messy bedroom filled with the morning sun. Elder Kettle would call out any second to tell him and his brother, Mugman, that breakfast was ready.
But, when Cuphead opened his eyes, he was greeted with something very different. His room was pitch black. That was strange. He reached up, expecting to feel the top bunk, Mugman's bed. Nothing. Thin air. Cuphead jolted up. Rubbing his eyes vigorously. Head swiveling around. Where was he? Was he still just waking up? He couldn't see anything.
Knock. Knock.
There it was again. Cuphead didn't acknowledge the knock. He kept expecting to wake up. He had to wake up. Any second now... But, he didn't.
The door swung open. A shadowy figure was looming in the doorway.
Cuphead froze. "H-Hello?"
"Get up. The Devil wants to see you."
Just a few months ago, roaming through the Devil's Casino would've been quite an exciting adventure. For the half-asleep Cuphead -who'd assumed the Devil was gone for good- it was a living nightmare.
Cuphead was forcefully led to the Devil's Throne Room. King Dice, who'd awoken him, knocked at the ornate door. There was a pause. Would Cuphead wake up now? Then, the door swung open by itself. The room beyond was completely dark. But, King Dice shoved him in anyways and the door slammed shut behind him.
Grimacing, Cuphead looked around. Nothing but darkness. He listened. Nothing but silence. His heart pounded like a drum. Tears welled up in his eyes. This was bad. Really bad. Then, footsteps. They came closer. Coming from behind. Approaching.
Cuphead took a shaky deep breath. He had to steel himself. He was still stronger than the Devil. He would fight him. He would beat him again. At least, he hoped so. The footsteps stopped. Directly behind him.
Snap!
A sickly red light began to illuminate the room. White and gold pillars lined the sides. In the center, Cuphead saw the Devil's red and gold throne, but the Devil wasn't sitting on it.
"How charming." The smooth voice of the Devil crooned from behind. "Little Cuphead coming all the way here to visit me." A clawed hand grabbed Cuphead's shoulder, digging in just enough for it to hurt. "I'm flattered, truly, darling."
"Whaddya you want?" Cuphead spat, glaring up at the Devil. "You here for a rematch?"
The Devil laughed. "A rematch? You're quite funny, dear. But, if you insist."
Cuphead was flung into the air. He screamed. Chains appeared, binding his arms and legs. He struggled. Tried to shoot. But all he managed to shoot was the ground beneath him.
"LEMME GO! THIS AIN'T A FAIR FIGHT! YOU DIRTY CHEATER!" He screamed. The Devil summoned a gag to silence him.
"Cuphead, I must admit, you've made my life very very hard. Humor me with this: Do you have any idea what you've done?"
Cuphead looked away. He refused to give the Devil any type of satisfaction. The Devil's clawed hand grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up into the Devil's owl-like eyes. They were a piercing yellow. Filled with anger; excitement. The thrill of the chase before the kill. Cuphead tried to look away, but the Devil held the boy's face steady. Cuphead's gag loosened.
"Do you know why, Cuphead? Tell me." The Devil hissed, his teeth curving into a hungry smile. Cuphead didn't answer. "TELL ME." The Devil roared, smashing his pitchfork into Cuphead's leg. He winced but still didn't speak.
"Well then, I guess I'll have to tell you." The Devil growled, grabbing Cuphead by his shirt and throwing him face-first onto the floor. "You see, dear Cuphead, after you welched out on our deal, my casino's patrons tried to do the same. Lying, cheating, the whole nine yards. I'm sure that even you can understand the problem that creates, don't you?"
Cuphead looked up with a cocky grin, then spat at the Devil. He refused to let this cheater win.
The Devil kicked Cuphead in the chest. He slid across the room. Crashing into one of the pillars. His body seared with red hot pain. "Is this a game to you? Huh?" The Devil screamed, yanking Cuphead up like a rag doll.
"This isn't a game to me, Cuphead." The Devil continued, smashing Cuphead into the pillar. "You did this to me. YOU DID THIS. YOU RUINED EVERYTHING. DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?"
With each sentence, the Devil bashed the boy into the pillar. Still, Cuphead didn't give in. The Devil paused, seething with anger, then threw him to the ground. He turned away, fists clenched. "No one is coming to save you. You know that, right?" The Devil continued, much quieter now. "No one is coming. No one knows where you are."
That cracked Cuphead's resolve. Just a little.
"In fact, do you have any idea where your brother is?"
Cuphead instantly tensed up. The Devil smirked. Mugman. How could he have forgotten Mugman? Where was he? Cuphead felt sick.
"If you be a good boy and answer me, I'll think about telling you where he is."
"What have you done to him, you dirty cheater!" Cuphead suddenly yelled with an intense ferocity. He tried to stand but collapsed. The chains around his arms and legs seemed to grow tighter.
"You still haven't answered me, darling." The Devil hissed, striding towards Cuphead. "If your insolence continues, you will never see Mugman again."
Cuphead desperately wanted to challenge him, but he knew better than to risk Mugman's safety. "...Fine. Yeah, I get what I did to you. To this whole place. I made it close down. Cause no one respects you anymore. Is that what you wanna hear?"
"Precisely!" The Devil exclaimed. "Well done!"
"Well, I told you… Can you tell me where Mugman is now?"
Cuphead was hit upside the head with the pitchfork. "I WASN'T FINISHED." The Devil roared, kicking Cuphead again. "So, you admit you did this, don't you?" Cuphead weakly nodded. He barely had any energy to stop himself from crying.
"Good, good. And you agree that because you cheated on our deal, you ruined my lovely casino. This means you are in the wrong. Isn't that right, dear?"
"N-no… You shouldn't have taken the souls of those people-"
"DO YOU WANT MUGMAN ALIVE OR DEAD?" The Devil screamed. "I'M LOSING MY PATIENCE, BOY."
Dead? Cuphead's resolve finally broke.
"NO, NO! PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM! YES, I WAS WRONG, I WAS BAD. I'M SO SORRY. JUST PLEASE, DON'T KILL HIM." Cuphead wailed. Tears now streaming down his face.
The Devil's expression of rage began to shift to the smug face of victory. Sweet victory. "I'm so glad we're beginning to see things eye to eye."
Snap!
Suddenly the chains around Cuphead's arms and legs disappeared. The boy let out a gasp, scrambling as far away from the Devil as he could.
The demon chuckled. "Not so fast. We're not done here yet. There's still the issue of the damage you caused."
Cuphead's heart sank. "Y-you want my soul, don't you?"
"Exactly! Your beautiful soul would make things go back to normal and save your brother's life. A wonderful suggestion!" The Devil said, clapping with glee. "I'm proud of you, Cuphead." The demon snapped his fingers once more. Cuphead watched as a soul contract appeared in a burst of light with a feather quill. "Come here."
Cuphead had to force himself to obey the command as much as he didn't want to. He stood up shakily and walked over to the Devil. He slightly raised his hand. What if he shot the Devil right then and there?
The Devil noticed instantly and slapped his hand down. "Don't. You. Dare. Unless, of course, you want Mugman dead."
Cuphead's hands shot down at his sides. His entire body shaking. The Devil handed him the large quill and pointed to the dotted line. "Sign it."
"D-do I have to?" Cuphead said feebly. This was the last time he would have his soul. He had to make it last.
"What do you think?" The Devil snarled. "And you'd better hurry, boy. I'm getting impatient with you. I may just do away with Mugman if you don't-"
"No no no no please don't!" Cuphead said, sobbing again. "Please…"
"THEN SIGN IT!"
Hands shaking, Cuphead grabbed the large quill in his hand and signed the contract. His handwriting was crooked. He dropped the quill the second it was done.
"There. Now, was that so hard?" The Devil chirped in a sickly sweet voice. The soul contract rolled up and disappeared. It was done.
Cuphead sank to the floor. Defeated.
"Now, I will warn you, darling, this will hurt." The Devil said, placing his hand on Cuphead's shoulder. He was grinning ear to ear.
"W-What..?"
Sharp pressure hit the center of Cuphead's chest. Something was being ripped out. He screamed. Fell to his knees. A blue orb. His soul. Floating outward.
"You're mine!" The Devil hissed.
Drip. Drip. Drip
Mugman groaned. The sound of dripping water had woken him. The ground beneath him was cold and wet. Where was he? He tried to sit up but fell flat on the ground. His arms… His legs… He couldn't move.
"H-hello…?" He called out, panic rising. "C-Cups? Cups, where are you? CUPS?"
As his eyes adjusted, he saw a barred door. Moss and vines clung to moldy slabs of stone. The iron shackles that held his arms and legs. He was in a prison cell. Mugman opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. His throat was dry. He tried, again and again, to scream as he had only moments before. Now only little cracked squeaks inched their way out of his mouth.
He struggled to remember anything. He had gone to bed the night before, just like every other night. There'd been a strange sound. He had sat up. Then everything went black.
Something terrible was going on and Mugman didn't know what it was. His sobs grew worse, his entire body was in pain. He tried to think of what Cuphead would do, but that made him feel worse. Not knowing if Cuphead was safe terrified him.
What if he'd been stronger? Maybe he wouldn't have ended up in this awful place. There was no questioning that Cuphead was stronger than Mugman. He was just secondary. That had to be the reason he was here. He was just too weak. A failure. He sat there, crying for what felt like days. Wishing he could've been better. Stronger. With his brother.
Slam!
Mugman froze. Someone was coming. He scrambled back into the darkness. Keys jangled. A lock clicked. Creaky hinges swung open. A bright light shone. It was in his face. Too bright. Mugman yelped, curling up into a ball.
"Up, now!" A commanding voice ordered. A hand grabbed Mugman's face, forcing him to look up. It was King Dice. He was holding a lantern. "I said, get up!"
Mugman tried to jump to his feet, but his shackles tripped him. He fell flat on the floor. He heard the clink of the lantern being put down. He struggled to get up but kept failing. King Dice grabbed him by the torso and stood him up.
Mugman tried his best not to start crying again. He bit down on his tongue. King Dice picked the lantern back up, eyeing the boy disdainfully.
"A-are you here to kill me..?" Mugman whispered. "P-please don't hurt me… I'll do whatever you need, just…" He lost all composure and began to bawl. "J-just please don't kill me!"
King Dice let out a long sigh, massaging his forehead. "No. I ain't here to kill you. If I was here to do that, I woulda done it already. Now shut your damn trap."
Mugman frantically nodded. He had to bite down hard on the insides of his cheeks to keep himself quiet.
"I'm here cause the Devil sent me down here to talk. Thanks to you an' your brother welchin' out from your deal with the Devil, this here casino's reputation has been damaged. All our patrons were thinkin' they can get away with cheatin', lyin', an' tryin' to squeeze their way outta deals." King Dice began, circling Mugman like a shark.
"Now we're stuck in this limbo of bein' closed down till you pay off your debt. If it were up to me, you an' your brother would be dead, your heads up on pikes outside the clip joint, but the Devil seems to have other plans for you."
Mugman felt like he was going to throw up. He kept his eyes focused on the ground. Maybe this was all just a terrible dream. Maybe he'd wake up any second now. But, that moment never came.
King Dice continued. "The Devil was kind enough to give you a choice in the matter. You can surrender your soul to the Devil or stay down here in this hoosegow, forever."
"B-but… Why can't you just let me and Cups go?" Mugman whimpered, "We won't cause any trouble again, I promise-"
King Dice slapped him across the face. Mugman keeled back, his whole face stung.
"Didja think I'd jus' let you two go after all you did?" Dice hissed, eyes filled with an almighty rage. "The casino is closed 'cause of you. You ruined everythin' I've ever worked for. Naw. You're going to pay." He gripped the collar of Mugman's shirt, leaning in close. "An' I'm gonna enjoy every moment of your an' your brother's misery."
Mugman trembled. Unable to look away from King Dice. He'd never seen someone so angry.
"Stop jus' lookin' at me." King Dice scowled. "You're testin' my patience. Make your choice, or I'll choose for ya."
Mugman couldn't think. His mind was too frantic but he couldn't just sit here. "W-what about Cuphead?"
King Dice rolled his eyes. "He lost his soul an' is up in the casino with the Devil. If you ever wanna see him again, choose wisely."
"I… I'll do it. I'll give up my soul." Mugman whispered.
King Dice clicked his tongue in response. He looked... Disappointed. His eyes glowed and the shackles around Mugman's hands disappeared. Then Dice pulled a soul contract out of his pocket. "Sign it."
Mugman tensed up, still trying to think of what Cuphead would do. What if he fought King Dice, found Cuphead, and they escaped together? He'd fought King Dice before, he could do it again. He went into a defensive stance, shooting at King Dice.
But, Dice easily dodged the blasts. He'd learned from their last encounter. King Dice, already thoroughly aggravated, let out a frustrated sigh. He grabbed Mugman's hand, shoved the quill into it, pinning the other hand behind his back, and gave Mugman another harsh slap for good measure.
"You ain't so strong without your brother, huh?" King Dice hissed. "Not so cocky now, huh? Do you think you can just take everythin' I've ever wanted an' worked for in my life away? Huh? No. You're gonna sign this goddamn contract right now or I'll smash your head in."
Mugman's heart pounded. The tears came again, welling up in his eyes. His cheek still stung from the slap. He gave in. Resigning himself to his fate. He signed it and let himself cry.
"Shut it or I'll give you somethin' to cry about." King Dice muttered, grabbing hold of Mugman's arm.
The manager's eyes glowed and the shackles on Mugman's legs disappeared too. Mugman yelped in shock. Before he had time to process what was happening, King Dice was dragging him out of the cell and up the stairs. Both his arms were tightly gripped by King Dice.
"Don't. Try. Anythin'." King Dice growled. "The Devil won't complain if you're missin' an arm or two, so don't mess with me."
The two were almost to the Devil's Palace. Mugman kept his head low till King Dice spoke once again. "Now, the Devil's gonna decide what to do with ya." King Dice huffed, pulling Mugman towards the palace doors. "An' you will bow when you see him. It's custom for the servants of the Devil to always bow. Is that clear?"
"Y-yes." Mugman shakily responded.
King Dice dug his fingers into the boy's arm. "Yes, sir."
"Yessir…" Mugman repeated, grimacing in pain.
The two entered the Devil's throne room. It looked the same as it had last time Mugman had seen it. Now he was here under very different circumstances. The Devil was lounging on his large throne, a wide smile on his face. King Dice shoved Mugman forward. The boy stumbled and very slowly looked up to meet the Devil's gaze. The Devil was looking down at him eagerly. It was terrifying.
Mugman almost froze up, but he remembered what Dice told him. He bowed. Mugman's knees were weak. Tears fell down his cheeks. He didn't have enough energy to stand back up, so he forced himself to kneel.
He hated it. But what else could he do? If he submitted, there would be less pain. And maybe he could see Cuphead again. So he gave in.
The Devil's smooth laughter echoed throughout the throne room. "He's an obedient one, ain't he, Dice?"
"Indeed." King Dice responded, surprise in his tone. Mugman squeezed his eyes shut. Focused on his breathing.
"I like this kid quite a bit." The Devil chuckled ominously. "I'm glad we kept him alive. He might just be of some use after all."
Mugman's blood turned ice cold. How close had he been to death?
"Suppose so." King Dice scoffed. Judging from his tone, he didn't seem to share the Devil's enthusiasm that Mugman was still alive.
"Aw, why the long face, Dice? You're not intimidated Mugman, are you?" The Devil shot back coyly.
"O' course not." King Dice hissed, grabbing Mugman's shoulder and roughly pulling him back to his feet. Mugman nervously peered up at Dice. The manager was seething with anger. Suddenly Mugman found the floor very interesting.
"Well, I'm glad that's all settled! Now, his contract." The Devil continued, stretching out his hand. King Dice stiffly walked over, handing him the contract. The Devil took it and whisked it away with a snap.
Suddenly, a sharp pain hit Mugman. He whimpered in pain. It was like a knife to his chest, digging deep down into his core. It felt like it was carving something out. Mugman screamed, begging them to stop. A small blue orb floated out of his chest. It was translucent. Glowing. His soul was gone.