Author's Note: HUGE warning for this chapter. Lots of swearing, verbal abuse, and violence. Read at your own risk and take care of yourselves. 3
(Also thank you guys so much for all your kind words and reviews. I love seeing everyone's reactions to my albeit very dark work.)
"Dice, I need you to trust me on this. It'll work, I guarantee it. That day, when the serums were injected, the boy's eyes lit up like a goddamn Christmas tree. They glowed so brightly that the whole room was filled with light. That was The Sight, darling. I know it's in his mind, somewhere.
Hmm. Perhaps it's not too different from one's survival instincts, yes? In a part of the brain which you remain blissfully unaware till the need for it arises... Rough him up. Make it show itself.
Oh, and, do try not to kill him in the process. If you do and My Sight is wasted at your behest, I will never let you forget it."
- Chapter 11: The Fateful Fall -
"Ooh! What about him? What's his story?"
Ginette chuckled, glancing over to see Mugman pointing at Mr. Chimes, the wind-up monkey. The moment she saw the creepy old toy, she instinctively shrunk back. "Eughh, you really wanna know about that thing?"
The pair were working the casino floor today with Ginette back in her old job as a bartender. Apparently, Ol' Ethan pissed King Dice off enough to make the man snap. Now the rum glass was beaten half to death and would be recovering for the next month. Someone had to cover for him at the bar, and Ginette was it.
Mugman, who still hadn't shown any signs of The Sight's power, stayed with her in the bar while Cuphead trained with the Devil. It was nice for the boy to be out of the staff common room for once. As much as Mugman disliked the casino, being around other people was a breath of fresh air.
Business was slow today, leaving the pair bored and Mugman was people-watching. Ginette humored him, giving him tidbits of information on the individuals he asked about. It was nice to see the kid so perky.
"Well, that creepy-looking toy over there is Mr. Chimes." Ginette continued, leaning on the bar counter as she studied the monkey. "That thing has been around longer than any of us. I wouldn't be surprised if it was 800 years old. Or older. The Devil used it to lure in children way back in the day."
Mugman winced. "Yeesh. How could kids get lured in by that thing? It looks like it could eat you."
"Beats me. But, then again, it was a different time back then." Ginette shrugged. "I mean, cars weren't even around, maybe the kids back in the day thought a creepy wind-up monkey was the coolest thing they'd ever seen? I dunno. In any case, Chimes has been outta commission for a while. Now he just kinda lurks. Wheez thinks he spies on us casino folk for the Devil, and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he was right."
"I can see it." Mugman laughed.
The boy was sitting, curled up atop a chair behind the bar, next to Ginette who was washing dishes. Mugman's gaze shifted away from creepy Mr. Chimes, looking out across the casino floor. The sounds of soft jazz, the occasional clinking glasses, and hushed conversations were soothing. Mugman could get used to this. At least here with Ginette. Without her was another and much more worrisome situation.
As if on cue, Ginette tapped Mugman's shoulder. "Uh oh, here comes trouble." She said, pointing to the opposite end of the casino floor. There was the notorious man of the hour, King Dice.
With an anxious peep, Mugman scampered off his barstool and out of view under the bar counter. "Didn't Mister the Devil have him takin' a break from managin' or somethin'?" He whispered, tugging on Ginette's apron. "What's he doin' here?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Ginette replied tensely, patting the boy's hand reassuringly. "Just stay low and don't let him know you're here. I'll handle the rest."
Mugman nodded, hunkering down. The last thing he needed was King Dice getting mad. It was common knowledge that the manager despised the brothers, even the mere sight of them would send him into a fury. So, it was in Mugman's best interest to stay far far away from him.
King Dice's footsteps grew louder and louder, approaching the bar. Mugman's heart pounded. What if Dice got mad and tried to beat up Ginette as he'd done to Ol' Ethan? This couldn't end well…
The footsteps stopped. Directly in front of the bar.
"Gin."
King Dice's curt voice sent a chill down Mugman's spine. That man seemed to get more and more unhinged every day.
"Oh, King? Whatcha doing down here with us staff-folks? Ain't you supposed to be resting?" Ginette replied casually. She didn't meet his eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on the dishes she was washing.
"Last time I checked, that ain't none o' your concern." King Dice shot back, reaching forward and snatching the plate from her hands. "I ain't here to talk with you, as much as I'd love that. I'm here for the kid."
Mugman froze.
Ginette maintained her innocent demeanor, meeting Dice's eyes. She tried to take the dish she'd been washing back, but Dice held it out of her reach. "Oh, you mean Cuphead? He's with the boss, training."
"Not him. The other one, Mugman. Boss told me to take him for a lil'. Work with him."
Ginette's eye twitched. She wouldn't let Mugman go anywhere with this violent monster unless she had no choice. Until then, she'd fight tooth and nail. "Ah. What do you need him for? He isn't showing signs of his gift if that's what you're after. I thought the Devil wouldn't begin his training till he actually showed signs of-"
"Well, ya thought wrong, Gin." King Dice said, threateningly leaning on the counter. His limited patience was running thin. "Boss told me someone is lettin' him get soft. I'm here to fix that. You wouldn't know anythin' 'bout somethin' like that, would ya, Gin?"
Her breath hitched. Mugman was terrified, but he didn't want Dice to get angry and hurt Gin. He had to do something. With a deep breath, Mugman leaped to his feet.
"I'm right here, sir!" Mugman called out, standing on his tiptoes just so he could see over the bar.
King Dice scoffed, throwing the dish back into the sink, splashing water all over Ginette. "Heh. Took you long 'nough, ya brat. Git out here, now. We've got work to do."
Mugman had indeed turned insufferably soft. While the boy tried to put on a tough front, King Dice could see through it like a pane of glass.
As he led the boy away, King Dice glimpsed Ginette take a long swig of booze. Her only coping mechanism for stress. He smirked. That bitch's love for giggle juice would be her undoing. Just wait till the boys saw her drunk. Then she'd be all alone again, the traitor.
King Dice showed Mugman a new room that day, an enormous library tucked away in the lower levels of the Devil's Palace.
"It's the Devil's study," Dice told him, "You an' I will be spendin' a lotta time in here nowadays. At least, till you figure out this gift o' yours."
Mugman's throat tightened. Which was worse, having no control over this 'gift' and being stuck with Dice? Or, having a gift and being subjected to the whims of the Devil? Cuphead had told him all about the Devil's 'training' regiment, the Baroness, and how he'd fallen and gotten paralyzed. Cuphead had nightmares of that day ever since.
King Dice gestured to a dark corner of the library with a small table with two chairs. "Sit."
Mugman did so, keeping his head low. He heard Dice sit down in the chair opposite him, placing something on the table.
"Jesus. Stop starin' at your damn feet. Eyes up, now."
There was now a chess board now sitting in the middle of the table with all the pieces set and ready to be played. King Dice lit a cigar while Mugman gawked, disdainfully eyeing the boy.
"Ya know how to play?"
Mugman nodded. His leg bounced uncontrollably. All he wanted was to go back to the bar. To Ginette. What if King Dice didn't let him go back cause she'd been 'too soft' towards him? What if he never saw her again? His breathing quickened. He could hardly focus.
King Dice wasn't amused in the slightest by the boy's 'antics', reaching across the table and roughly grabbing the boy by his handle. "Hello? Is anyone in there? Pay attention, dammit, or I'll hafta start breakin' fingers-"
"Yes! Yes! I-I'm listenin'." Mugman sputtered, eyes fixed on the table. "I-I ain't tryin' to be bad, I swear."
"You'd better not be." King Dice sighed, shoving Mugman back and taking a long drag from his cigar. "God, you're insufferable, kid."
The manager took a moment, letting out a long exhale. Smoke filled the air, making Mugman's eyes water. He hoped he wouldn't start crying. King Dice hated crying.
Clearing his throat, King Dice tapped the table, regaining the boy's attention. "So, all boss wants us to do is play. Easy 'nough, even for a fink like yourself, but there's one rule."
Pushing his chair back, Dice got up, walking behind Mugman. "You get to play without seein' the board."
"What?" Mugman yelped, whipping around. King Dice was mere moments away from pulling a blindfold over his eyes.
"Shut it, kid. Sit straight an' don't struggle." King Dice replied, aggressively wrapping the cloth around Mugman's head, covering his eyes. "If you got somethin' to say, take it up with the boss. I know as much as you do, absolutely nothin'."
"B-but, how am I supposed to play when I can't see?" Mugman said, voice shaking.
"I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine." King Dice chuckled derisively. "The only advice the Devil told me to give ya was: 'Learn to see with your eyes shut.'"
"But… That don't make any sense, sir. A-are you sure-"
King Dice slapped Mugman across the face. "I know it don't make sense, dipshit. I'm followin' orders, same as the rest of y'all. Now, start playin' or I'll snap your legs to look jus' like good ol' Cuphead's did."
Wincing at the mention of Cuphead's injuries, Mugman dropped the issue. He could hear King Dice walking back over and sitting down. All was quiet.
"Well? Play, you're up first."
"Y-Yessir…"
Mugman's hand trembled as it reached out, trying to find his chess pieces. There was one. He almost knocked it over. King Dice let out an audible groan. Was this piece a bishop? No. A knight. Mugman could use his knight. Mind spinning in panicked circles, the boy placed the knight somewhere he hoped was correct.
"Wrong. Try again."
Mugman flinched, picking the piece back up and trying to feel for the chess squares with his index finger. He wondered if he looked as stupid as he felt.
He did.
King Dice couldn't bear to watch. It pissed him off too much. Why was the Devil wasting his time having him play babysitter to the most worthless kid of the century? Was this the Devil's way of punishing him for his drunken mishap last week?
As much as the Devil pretended to not be upset, Dice knew that the whole situation irked him. Employees gossiping in backrooms when they should be working, Dice getting himself drunk on the job, and Mugman's powers not working as they should. They might have the casino back and better than ever, but nowadays new problems kept popping up.
Mugman tried to move his knight again. He'd accidentally put it all the way on King Dice's side of the board.
"Wrong again." Dice said, downing a shot of bourbon. This was going to be a long day. "Learn to see without your eyes, like the Devil told ya." He sighed, rolling his eyes as he said the stupid mantra again.
"But, how?" Mugman whimpered. His hands were shaking. "How can I? I-I don't know what to do, Mister King Dice, please-"
"I DON'T KNOW EITHER, OKAY?" King Dice yelled, banging his fist down on the table. "God, you are the stupidest an' most insufferable kid I've ever met. An' that's sayin' somethin'. Fuckin' useless piece of shit. I wish the serum woulda killed you, then I WOULDN'T HAFTA DEAL WITH YOUR BULLSHIT." He screamed, his voice echoing out through the library.
Mugman jerked back, trying to get away, knocking over the chess pieces on the board. He gasped, hearing them clatter onto the floor. Apologizing profusely, he tried to pick them up, but all he did was bang his head against the table. Tears streamed down his face. He couldn't even process what was happening.
"Jesus fuckin' christ..." King Dice muttered, burying his face in his hands. "I work my ass off for fifteen years to git into the Devil's good graces, but then I git forgotten about... ALL BECAUSE OF THIS WORTHLESS KID?" He kicked Mugman to the floor angrily. "ALL 'CAUSE YOU AND YOUR PIECE O' SHIT BROTHER CAME INTO MY CASINO."
King Dice's eyes burned with tears. His makeup ran down his face. "I hate you."
Mugman didn't reply. He was curled up, still blindfolded, sobbing quietly. He wanted Ginette to come and save him. Take him back to Cuphead. Away from this monster.
Dice growled impatiently, he refused to give this child a second more of his precious time. Abruptly standing up, he grabbed Mugman by his handle, ripping the blindfold off. "C'mon."
Mugman covered his eyes, tensing up for another blow. "W-Where?"
"Back to Gin, or your mother, whatever the hell you call her." King Dice said. "Damn whatever the Devil says, you ain't nothin' but a waste of my goddamn time. The weakest child I've ever seen. God I wish you'd jus' die already. It would be easier for everyone..."
"Y-You're right." Mugman stammered.
King Dice paused. Bathing in his moment of victory, hurting the person who'd hurt him so much. "Say it again."
"Y-You're right, sir." Mugman sobbed. "I ain't nothin' but a worthless, weak, kid who's better off dead. I-I'm so sorry I can't be better sir... I'm sorry I ruined your life. I didn't wanna. Honest. I wish I could help make you happy and make the Devil forget us and appreciate you. I'd do anythin' to help you. I swear... I'm. I'm so sorry, sir. For everythin'."
King Dice, who detested crying, should've thrown the boy down the stairs the moment the sobs started. But he didn't. He didn't speak, glancing down at the boy's sorrowful face. That damned apology caught him off-guard. It was genuine. It reminded him of something… Someone. Something he knew better then to dwell on.
"Don't try an' play me for a fool." He sneered, yanking Mugman forward. Despite the boy's sincere apology, Dice refused to let it sway him. That was how you got soft, and once that happened, it was game over. He met the boy's eyes, flashing a cruel grin. Mugman gasped. As if he somehow knew what was coming. Instinctively curling up. Bracing himself.
Then King Dice threw the boy down the stairs.
Mugman tumbled all the way down to the bottom, Over 10 floors below, smashing his head into the wall. He'd taken quite the fall, but didn't scream like King Dice expected. He seemed to be still awake, just laying there, body splayed out.
Rolling his eyes, King Dice hurried down to him. Such a drama queen. He scooped Mugman up, examining him. It couldn't be that bad, right? Or could it? The boy's eyes were glazed over, like his mind was disconnected from his body, and his breathing was shallow and labored.
King Dice's blood went cold. Oh shit. How hard did the kid hit his head? Was he dying? He hadn't meant for Mugman to hit his head like that. The Devil told him to rough the kid up, that's all he was trying to do. He wouldn't get in trouble for this, right?
Shit, shit, SHIT!
King Dice broke into a panicked sprint, pushing past patrons, trying to find Ginette. She'd know what to do. How to save Mugman's life. If this kid died on his watch, the Devil would have his head. He forbade himself from ever disappointing the Devil again.
Ginette saw King Dice coming from a mile away. Running as fast as he could. Carrying a limp Mugman. She had a bar full of patrons waiting on their drinks, but she didn't care. She dropped everything, sprinting. Leaping over tables. Shoving through crowds. She didn't give two shits. Mugman needed her.
King Dice had to skid to a stop to keep himself from crashing into Ginette, who instantly snatched Mugman from Dice's arms.
"What happened?" Ginette hissed, frantically checking his pulse. "What the hell did you do?"
"He fell down the stairs and ain't respondin'." Dice gasped, clutching onto a pillar to keep himself from collapsing.
Mugman still appeared to be awake, but he wasn't responding to anything or anyone. Not even the sound of Ginette's voice snapped him back to his senses.
Ginette inspected his head, looking him up to down. He'd fallen hard. Like he'd been pushed. "You liar." She hissed, glaring at King Dice. "You pushed him, didn't you? You sick fuck."
"Watch your tone, bitch! I was told to rough him up, alright?" King Dice said defensively, shoving Ginette back. "The Devil told me you'd made him too weak. I was brought in to fix that."
"Well, you did an absolutely stellar job, Cab." Ginette growled, her eyes beginning to glow with demonic magic.
King Dice grabbed her wrist. "Don't you dare use that name!"
"I'll use whatever name I damn well please! You might've just killed my son!"
"Oh wow, really?." King Dice laughed, twisting her arm. "How delusional are you, Gin, honestly? This kid ain't your son. Y'know the fuckin' SECOND he gets outta this clip joint, he ain't gonna want nothin' to do with you. You're nothin' but a tool to him-"
Ginette wrenched her hand free of Dice's grasp, backing up. "SHUT UP!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her anguished cry overpowering all other noise in the casino. With the wave of her hand, magic coursed through her veins. In a single sweeping motion, King Dice was sent flying back, hitting his head against the wall.
Casino patrons screamed, beginning to flee. Blood poured down King Dice's face, but Ginette didn't care.
Not even bothering to see if he was alright, Ginette turned back to Mugman. His eyes were closing. His breathing was fading.
"No. No, NO, NO! Mugman, please stay with me! Stay awake! Mugman, PLEASE!" Ginette wailed, shaking him. Mugman didn't wake up, his head limply rolling back like a corpse's...
Everything was dark. Mugman could hear voices far off and away, muffled, like they were in another room. But, no matter how he tried, he just couldn't focus on them. Where was he? What'd happened? He couldn't remember. It made his head hurt. Instead, Mugman began to focus on his surroundings. This must just be a dream, right?
It was all dark, but Mugman had been growing accustomed to that in the past month. Darkness, while a little scary, was actually quite peaceful. There was no King Dice here to hurt him. No Devil. No mysterious gift he had to learn to control. There was nothing but peace and quiet.
Crash!
A loud sound echoed out from far away. Like someone had hit a wall. Hard. Mugman whipped around, head swiveling evey which way to find the source of the noise.
"H-Hello?"
No response.
Despite his better judgement, Mugman decided to follow the sound. Would it reveal to him where he was? Or was this just a strange dream? He wasn't sure. Mugman didn't remember going to sleep, the last thing he remembered was the library. What could've happened that led him here?
Moving forward cautiously, Mugman walked in the direction of the loud crash. Surveying the area ahead, he couldn't see anything. Was he going the wrong way? What even was the right way in this place?
With a frustrated groan, Mugman paused. Trying to remember how he got here. Trying to understand where he was.
Then, he heard the sound of crying. It was soft. Like someone didn't want to be heard. But Mugman could hear it. And he took off towards it.
"Hello? Is someone there?" He shouted, following the sound. "Hello? Somebody? Anybody?"
Mugman was so focused on looking ahead, he tripped, falling directly onto someone.
"Oh! I-I'm so sorry!" Mugman yelped, scurrying back.
The figure was curled up in a ball. Crying. This was the person he'd heard.
"H-Hey…" Mugman said softly, reaching out to put his hand on the figure's shoulder. "Is everythin' okay? Can I help you in some way, sir?"
The figure's crying stopped the moment Mugman touched his shoulder. His hands began to shake. His head twisted around backward to look at Mugman. It was King Dice.
"DIE!" The horrific form of King Dice screamed, lunging forward and tackling Mugman. "GIVE. HIM. BACK. I. WANT. HIM. BACK."
"Stop!" Mugman yelped, trying to kick King Dice off of him. "Please! I'll help you! I-I promise! What can I do?"
The shadowy King Dice pinned him to the ground. Bloody tears streaming down his cheeks. "You ruined EVERYTHING."
Suddenly the figure of King Dice turned to smoke, leaving Mugman laying on the floor. Colors began to hungrily worm their way into the darkness. The world around him slowly turned from pitch black to an oozing blood red.
Then, there were footsteps. Snapping out of his frozen state, Mugman scrambled back, head swiveling around. What was happening?
A silhouetted King Dice strode into view. No. Not him again.
Mugman sprinted away from him, looking for somewhere to hide. He had to escape, but… No matter how fast he ran, he didn't seem to get any further from King Dice. More strangely, King Dice didn't even seem to notice the boy.
Instead, the manager was smiling, quite a rare sight. He looked genuinely happy.
Then came another sound. Children laughing. But not just any children. That was… Cuphead's laugh and his own as well?
Dashing out from behind him, Mugman was surprised by two strange figures of himself and Cuphead. Just like King Dice, they didn't seem to see him. Instead, they beelined toward King Dice, soul contracts in hand.
The dice tried to shove the boys away. He couldn't let them be better than him. What if the Devil wanted to replace him with them?
But to Dice's horror, they persisted, pulling out their signature finger guns. Large blasts of magic soared through the air, hitting King Dice and knocking him to the ground. No. No. He couldn't let them win… But he stood no chance against them. Dice was bleeding, severely injured. He cried out for help, but none came.
The silhouettes of the brothers looked pleased with their handiwork and dashed off into the distance. He shouldn't have gotten in their way. They wouldn't have been forced to fight him then. But now wasn't the time to ponder, they had the Devil to beat.
Then, the scene shifted. This was much later now. King Dice was healed and healthy once again, but his happy smile was gone, nowhere to be seen.
In came the Devil, dragging along the silhouetted Cuphead and Mugman. He turned to the shadow children, his smile wide and ominous.
"Kill him."
And the two shadowy children happily obliged, eating King Dice alive.