Author's Note: Thank you guys again for all the love! I super appreciate it. For this chapter:
MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING for needles, experimentation, etc. Read with care. (This is where it gets real.)
It was very early when the Legendary Chalice returned. Ginette was passed out on the laboratory floor, countless research notes scattered around her. The perfect opportunity. Chalice reappeared in the vents, surveying the lab. The coast was clear. Clutching a loaf of bread under her arm, she slipped through the cell block door, to the Elder Kettle. He'd been laid down on his bed, still breathing -just barely. Thank god. Ginette must have moved him when the Devil wasn't there. Chalice felt a twinge of pity for the martini glass. She had a kind heart, but the Devil controlled her actions. Everyone makes mistakes in life, hers just happened to have grave consequences.
Snapping back to the matter at hand, Chalice floated to Elder Kettle's side. "Hey..." She gently shook him. "Please, wake up. Elder Kettle, you've gotta wake up."
He coughed, struggling to breathe, eyes fluttering open. They didn't glow blue this time, to Chalice's relief. It was the real Elder Kettle, blearily staring back at her.
"You... I remember you." He wheezed. "You're the chalice I spoke to, in the vision."
Chalice nodded, smiling. "Yeah, that's exactly right. That's me. I'm here to help you, Kettle."
"How?" He coughed as Chalice broke a piece of the bread. "I-I don't think I have much time left, miss... The Sight. It drained all my life's energy. Please, don't waste your time on an old man like me. Go save my sons. Please..."
"No. I'm saving you too." Chalice replied, holding out the piece of bread. "Eat, please."
Elder Kettle's eyes shifted from her to the bread, and back to her. He took a small bite out of politeness. It was like someone flipped a light switch. He gasped, the light returning to his fading eyes. He began coughing, clutching her arm. Chalice handed him a cup of water which he downed in one swig. Chef Saltbaker's bread worked like a charm. Chalice breathed out a sigh of relief. If it could save Kettle, it could save the brothers too.
The coughing subsided. Elder Kettle's eyes were wide. He met Chalice's gaze, an expression full of wonder. "Who are you? Really?"
"I'm the Legendary Chalice, but you can just call me Ms. Chalice."
- Chapter Seven: The Strength and The Sight -
December 24th, 1930.
Today's the day. Injection day. Ironically enough, it's Christmas Eve. I've gotten the serums as stable as I could given the time restraints, but it's still nowhere near good enough. Stabilizing the side effects of the permanent variation of the serum has been a disaster. I'm only allowed to test those variants of the serums on imps -who have a significantly higher pain tolerance than mortals- and still, they've been dramatically affected by the serum's side effects. Some took a week or two to recover. Others died. Still, the Devil refuses to push out the date. I don't know what I'll do if those boys die... Having their blood on my hands. I don't think I could live with myself... I don't have any love for those boys in particular, they beat me to a bloody pulp, so if anything, I dislike them. But this? No one can justify this as payback.
The only thing that keeps me going is Elder Kettle. I peered in to check on him, Subject 1 -Djimmi, and Subject 2 -The Baroness. Then, I saw the most remarkable thing. Elder Kettle was still alive and stronger than ever! I couldn't believe it! The last time I managed to sneak in, he was on death's doorstep, but now he's back and better than before. I've never been the religious type, but I've found myself praying that the boys will have that same type of miracle. Maybe they will survive.
- Excerpt from the personal journal of Ginette, the Devil's appointed scientist.
The door to Cuphead and Mugman's bedroom swung open quite unexpectedly. The brothers were in the middle of an intense poker game -an attempt to celebrate Christmas Eve. Cuphead was sure he would win, itching to rub it in Mugman's face his hand, royal flush. But then, their fun was cut short. King Dice stood in the doorway, an oddly neutral expression on his face.
"Y'all need to come with me. The Devil's summoned you, down to the stony lonesome. Immediately."
A shiver went up Mugman's spine. The dungeons? He tried not to think back to his time down there when King Dice had made him decide between staying imprisoned forever and giving up his soul. But he didn't protest against King Dice. That wouldn't get him anywhere.
He shot Cuphead a worried smile, then got to his feet. "Yessir."
Cuphead rolled his eyes, tossing his hand onto the pile of cards. "Yeah, yeah. I won, by the way, Mugsy. Royal flush."
King Dice genuinely chuckled a little at that. A rare sight. That settled Mugman's nerves a little. Maybe this summons wouldn't spell certain doom for the brothers.
The three left the Devil's Palace, walking through the gardens. Mugman glanced at the fountain where the Devil had asked him such strange questions. He'd almost forgotten that encounter. Why had the Devil done that? Would he ever know? They passed through an archway, guarded by two statues of knight chess pieces, and began their descent into the dungeons below.
"Why's the Devil wanna meet us down here, King, huh?" Cuphead asked, breaking the silence. "It don't seem like him to wanna be down here in such a dingy place. I thought he was all about the fancy stuff, yeah?"
King Dice let out a frustrated sigh. It was obvious he was trying to remain courteous toward the cup, despite his grudges.
"Why don't you ask him when we get there." He said through gritted teeth. "I'm sure the Devil would jus' love to answer all your lovely questions."
"If you say so!" Cuphead said, emphasizing his enthusiasm to get on Dice's nerves.
Deep down, he was pretty nervous too. He didn't like this one bit, it felt very wrong, but there wasn't much he could do. So, he stayed positive. Maybe it would help lift Mugman's spirits. He could tell his brother was terrified of being back down here. He had to make sure Mugman felt a little safer with him by his side.
They bobbed and weaved through the dungeon's dark corridors. The brothers noticed all the imps watching, staring at them as they passed. Cuphead took Mugman's hand.
"It's gonna be okay." He whispered.
King Dice abruptly stopped mid-corridor. Mugman almost tripped over him. Dice didn't react, studying the wall.
"This is it." Dice whispered to himself.
"Uhhh, King? Didja have too much giggle juice there, pal? You, uh, brought us to a brick wall." Cuphead said.
King Dice shushed him, muttering a spell under his breath. "No, I didn't."
The wall began to fade. Cuphead and Mugman's eyes grew wide. Looming before them was a giant steel door. King Dice smirked at Cuphead, his eyes glowing a bright green.
"The Devil wants you to go in first, chatterbox."
Cuphead's expression of wonder evaporated. "First? What about Mugsy?"
"He'll be out here with me. The Devil requested you boys go in one at a time."
Cuphead's heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach. This just went from bad to worse.
Mugman gripped Cuphead's hand, trembling. In return, Cuphead forced a cocky smile. "Pssh, it'll be okay Mugs. Just don't sass cube-head too much while I'm gone."
"I-I won't." Mugman said, face full of worry. He reluctantly let go of Cuphead's hand. "Good luck, Cuphead. Come back soon."
"Eh, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Cuphead grinned, sauntering toward the big steel door.
It swung open for him. Mugman tried to see what was beyond, but he couldn't see much. Cuphead swaggered inside, shooting Mugman one last grin. Then the door slammed shut, locking behind him.
Cuphead's cocky face fell the moment the door closed. He was shaking, but he tried to hide it and bowed. He was in a bright room. The walls were pure white and the Devil stood in the center. It looked like a doctor's office from Cuphead's nightmares.
"Welcome!" The Devil said a wide grin on his face. "And merry Christmas Eve! I completely forgot that was today."
"Haah. Yeah. Me too." Cuphead nervously laughed, trying to keep up his confident front.
"Well, time flies when you're having fun I suppose." The Devil continued.
"Or when you're fighting for your life." Cuphead mentally replied.
"Lucky for you, I got you a gift."
Usually, the prospect of a gift would put Cuphead over the moon, but instead, all he felt was a sense of dread. "A gift, boss?"
"Of course! What kind of a person would I be if I didn't get my most beloved boys a gift?"
Cuphead's eye twitched at that.
"Come, come, sit." The Devil said, gesturing to the chair. "I promise you, this gift will change your whole world."
Though everything inside Cuphead screamed at him to run, he complied and sat. Something told him it would be much worse if he ran.
"Thanks, boss..."
The Devil's grin widened, highlighting his pointed teeth. "You're most welcome, my boy." He turned. "Ginette? Please, come and meet our esteemed guest!"
A door towards the back of the room opened and out came a martini glass. If Cuphead had been able to see just a little further, he would've seen Elder Kettle, eyes wide, staring at his son. But Cuphead didn't see him. His eyes were focused on the martini glass he'd fought three months ago, thanks to King Dice. Did she have as much of a grudge against him as the rest of the staff did? Probably. Seeing any member of the casino staff was a bad sign for Cuphead.
Cuphead forced a smile. "Hi, Ginette! Uh, long time no see, huh? Um. Sorry about beatin' you up a while back. I, uh, didn't wanna. Good ol' King was tryin' to save his pride, y'know? He made us fight y'all."
Ginette's face remained unreadable. Her hands were behind her back, balled into fists. Why did this damn cup have to be so nice to her at the end? Right before she sentenced him to almost certain doom. She wished he would've been rude instead. It would've made her job so much easier.
The Devil chuckled, breaking the silence. "Ah, how sweet! Well, the past is past, after all. I'm sure you've forgiven him, haven't you, Gin?"
Ginette shot the Devil a pointed glance. "Of course, boss."
"Excellent. Now Cuphead, lean back for me, will you? Relax. This gift I'm giving you will sweep you off your feet, better to have you safe and seated."
That was when the restraints appeared, locking Cuphead in place. His heart leaped into his throat. "Hey! What's the big idea? What are you doin'-"
"Relax." The Devil said, dropping the friendly facade. Cuphead's body instinctively obliged.
"Gin, take his vitals."
Mugman sat crisscrossed on the cobblestone floor, anxiously awaiting his brother's return. King Dice was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigar. No one has spoken since Cuphead walked through that door. Mugman was listening, trying to hear his brother through the wall, but all he could hear was the sounds of water dripping from the cobblestone. Everything else was silent.
He glanced up at King Dice. The man looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, twirling his cigar between his fingers. Dice met the boy's gaze.
"What're you lookin' at?"
"Nothing, sir!" Mugman squeaked, fixing his eyes on the floor.
"Thought so. Keep it that way."
"Yessir."
Mugman fidgeted, trying to keep his eyes anywhere but on the Dice. It was harder than he thought. The purple suit stood out from the dingy cobblestone like a lit torch. Mugman's eyes were instinctively drawn to it. He felt compelled to speak. Mugman wasn't sure why, but, he didn't want Dice to hate him. He wanted to make things right.
"I'm sorry about my brother, sir." He said, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. "I know he gets on your nerves a lotta the time. Especially when the casino first opened."
King Dice sighed. "Sorry won't fix it, boy. Your brother is a menace I only let live because the Devil has asked me to do so. You'd better be thankful for that."
"I am, sir. Very thankful. To him and you."
"Mhm."
There was an awkward silence. Mugman wasn't sure how to best keep up a conversation with Dice. It looked so easy when he was in the casino, laughing with patrons, but when Mugman tried it, the opposite happened. How could he fix this? Make King Dice not hate him and his brother? He tried to think of what Elder Kettle would do.
"Uh, is there anythin' I can do sir? To make it up to you?"
King Dice paused, refusing to look in Mugman's direction. He took a long drag from his cigar. "You can shut your damn trap. How 'bout that?"
Mugman nodded, remaining quiet for the rest of the excruciating wait.
Cuphead couldn't move. Couldn't tense up a single muscle in his body. He glared at the Devil, thinking of all the ways he'd beat him black and blue once he had his soul back. Ginette was taking his vitals. Blood pressure. Heart rate. That kind of stuff. Cuphead didn't have the slightest clue why, but his mouth refused to let him speak -let alone ask a question. All he could do was dart his eyes around the room, trying to figure out what was coming.
Ginette had a clipboard full of weird numbers and calculations. It was the ugliest math Cuphead had ever seen. There were big cabinets around the room, inside he could see glass beakers, bottles, and strange liquids. If only he'd paid more attention in science class. Maybe he'd know what those strange things were.
With a sigh, Ginette stood up straight, looking over the numbers. The Devil peered over her shoulder.
"Everything's ready, boss." She said. Her brow was furrowed and her face was twisted in a grimace.
"Well then? What are you waiting for?" The Devil hissed. "Do it, Gin."
She shrank back at that. Her eyes looked a little red. Cuphead watched her closely. Whatever the Devil wanted her to do, she didn't want to do it. But, she still did. With a shaky sigh, she produced a syringe from her lab coat. Cuphead's heart quickened. He hated any kind of shot with a passion. Whenever he went to the doctor, Elder Kettle would have to hold him down. Although shots were nothing more than a pinch, they terrified Cuphead. What was this gift from the Devil?
Ginette took the syringe, walking toward the back of the room. There was a large bottle of red liquid. It reminded Cuphead of the potion Elder Kettle had given them all those months ago. She filled the syringe, measuring the liquid down to the exact milliliter. Cleaning the needle, she approached. Ginette rolled up Cuphead's sleeve. Her hand was shaking. She cleaned his arm with a cotton swab. The disinfectant was cold to the touch. Cuphead shivered. His eyes welled up with tears. He pleadingly looked at Ginette. It was like looking into a mirror. Staring back at him were the same helpless eyes, just as trapped as he was.
"It's a pinch, nothing more, I promise." She whispered.
The needle pierced his arm. The red liquid flowed into his veins. Cuphead felt like he was going to throw up. Ginette cleaned the puncture and bandaged it. Her eyes were fixed on him, watching for any side effects to kick in. Cuphead grabbed her hand and squeezed it. He'd never been so scared in all his life. That was when the red hot pain kicked in. Eating, consuming him. The boy screamed at the top of his lungs. Cuphead was sure he was being burned alive from the inside out.
When the steel door swung open the second time, Mugman and King Dice snapped to attention in an instant, scrambling to their feet. By King Dice's estimates, they'd been waiting about an hour.
"Cuphead?" Mugman called out, hurrying forward, but it was the Devil who met him instead. Mugman bowed, trying to remain calm. "W-where's Cuphead, boss?"
"He's inside." The Devil replied sweetly, wrapping his arm around Mugman. "Come in, come in! You too, Dice."
"Ah... Yes, boss." King Dice said. He shot the Devil a confused glance, but only got an unreadable smile in return.
The laboratory made Mugman feel sick at just a glance. The whole place looked like a living death sentence, then in the center sat an ominous chair. It reminded Mugman of the big chairs you sit in at the doctor's office for an operation.
"Sit, please." The Devil said with a smile. He muttered a few words to King Dice and the casino manager strode towards a door in the back of the room, slipping through. Now it was Mugman and the Devil alone together.
"Where's Cuphead?" Mugman repeated, fidgeting nervously.
"Don't you fret, he's off playing with the new toy I got him for Christmas. It is Christmas Eve, you know."
Mugman didn't buy that for a second. His brow furrowed, scrutinizing the Devil. He began to get out of the chair. Something was very wrong. He felt his adrenaline kick in. He had to find Cuphead and fast.
"You don't believe me?" The Devil laughed. "I suppose you were always the more perceptive one."
The Devil grabbed Mugman and shoved him back into the chair. The restraints appeared. Mugman shrieked, struggling against them.
"What is wrong with you?" He wailed. "Where is my brother? What did you do to him?"
"I gave him a gift." The Devil said calmly. "I made him more than he could ever be before."
Meanwhile, King Dice entered the cell block, immediately barraged by people yelling at him. He saw the boys' guardian, Elder Kettle. The genie, Djimmi. The Baroness, Bon Bon. They cried out. Demanding to know what Ginette had done to Cuphead. Screaming to be let out. King Dice walked past them, eyes focused ahead. Ginette was hunched over Cuphead, eyes full of worry. The boy was screaming out in pain. Hot to the touch.
"His fever is up to 110," Ginette said. "Please, keep him cool. Have him drink water if you can." She frantically gestured to a few wet rags and a bucket of water. "Keep him alive, or the Devil will have both our heads." She grasped King Dice's hands, tears in her eyes. "I know you hate me, King. But please keep him alive."
King Dice wrenched his hands out of her grasp. "I'll do it, toots. But not for you."
Ginette weakly smiled. "Of course. The Devil will be very proud of you."
Mugman was incredibly distressed by the time Ginette returned. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and he begged her to know where Cuphead was.
"Why haven't you ordered him to relax yet?" Ginette hissed, storming up to the Devil. "How on earth am I supposed to do this with him going into a goddamn mental breakdown?"
"I'm sure you'll manage, darling. I humored you with Cuphead." The Devil replied. "Now I get my way. If this one dies, he was weaker and expendable anyway. No large loss. I'm sure I can find someone else for The Sight."
"You're sick. You know that?" Ginette spat. Not even bothering to hide her tears.
"I'm well aware, my dear. I told you, I can't help it. Their fear is delicious. Now you play along, or I'll make you suffer twice as much as Mugman will."
Ginette turned away from the Devil, sick to her stomach. Her eyes met Mugman's. He was such a small boy. He had the same look of desperation Elder Kettle had. She hated it. Taking a deep breath, Ginette approached, kneeling beside him.
"Mugman. Mugman, please calm down. It's gonna be okay, I promise." She held his hand. "I wish I could save from this. I really do. But... I can't. All I can do is help make this easier, okay?"
His terrified eyes were locked with hers. He squeezed her hand so tightly she wondered if he'd break her fingers. "O-okay."
Mugman was still hyperventilating, but he calmed down a little, letting Ginette do her work. She was gentle, like a mother, as she checked his vitals. Her voice was comforting, but her actions were quite the opposite. The moment she brought out the syringe, Mugman began to wail and scream again. Ginette hurried to his side, comforting him, promising it would only be a little pinch.
The Devil watched in silence. A wide maniacal grin across his face. He'd always suspected this procedure might kill Mugman, but it was a risk he was willing to take. He'd had his fun with the boy; built up a facade of trust. Mugman's fear and look of betrayal was more than worth the effort the Devil had gone through for him. If he died, oh well. If he survived, then the Devil would shape him into something phenomenal. Either way, the Devil always won.
Then came the injection. It was quick. Mugman clutched Ginette's arm, burying his face into her shoulder, trying to be brave. At first, nothing happened. The Devil was intrigued. This was quite different than Cuphead's reaction. Mugman's gasps for air slowed. He began to calm down.
He smiled weakly at Ginette, who was watching him anxiously. "You were right, Miss Ginette... Just a pinch. Nothin' more."
Then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and the whole room was enveloped in bright blue light.