Continuing with the story.

I have to admit that the last two chapters were not that good. I don't know if there was a worm in there but I really hope it won't happen again so I apologize for that.

Since one thing is not yet completely clear about Alicia's soul, let me put it this way. She does not owe her soul to the devil. Cuphead and Cuppy do.

Also the thing with Alicia's blood will be cleared up too ;)

Until then


Alicia could not believe what she saw before her as the portal closed and she could see the figure better. She thought she was dreaming, but it was not a dream.

A anthropomorphic wolf with black fur, gray fur that went from his chest to the bottom tip of his tail. The rest was covered by his armor and the cloak he wore. Only his legs, arms, toes and hands were not covered. His two middle fingers were white, his ring fingers were gray and his thumbs, index fingers and little fingers were black. The same arrangement applied to his toes. The head was black except for the cheek. The cheeks and the lower side of the muzzle were white. A curved gray stripe separated the black fur from the black nose. The inner ears were gray. He had a red cut scar on both elbows as well as a skin color scar on his left ear that stretched from the front to the back. On his right eye he had three red claw scars. His eyes were unnaturally black with a red iris and a snake-like slit pupil.

From his knees down to his toes, he had several black bandages tied shut with a gold button and wrapped around his lower legs. His pelvis and most of his upper legs were covered and protected by a plate armor that was black and had a golden edge with several golden rivets that were additionally worked into the armor. He also wore the armor around his two forearms which were attached with brown hinges. A brown leather belt was connected to the lower armor and to the upper body. Two leather hinges that went crosswise were connected to the rest that disappeared under the brown fur-trimmed cloak. The inside of the cloak was black. Behind his back and hidden by his cloak, a large long wand peeked out, ending in a blue crystal stood right before her eyes.

"Is everything all right princess?" he asked her. This confused Alicia a bit until she realized what he meant by princess. "Oh uh... I'm not a princess," she said, but the wolf looked at her thoughtfully. "That's right you don't wear a crown" That too. Alicia rolled her eyes. "Well a demon wouldn't be suitable as a princess either". I beg your pardon? "Well first of all I'm half human half demon and I'm only wearing this stupid dress because I was invited to a ball!" said Alicia annoyed. The wolf looked at her confused. "Okay, so why are you tied to the bed?" he asked her, "Because an unwanted lover has tied me up here and would like to take me as his wife and queen even though I'm already taken." She crossed her arms annoyed as the wolf went to the chain. "Hmm I can change that" Alicia looked at him confused.

But just as she was about to ask him how he was going to do it, they heard someone approaching from outside. "Damn it, hide before he sees you!" said Alicia in panic as the wolf searched for a suitable hiding place until he crawled under the bed and looked from the bed to the door where he saw a pair of demon feet approaching the bed. "Ah has my dearest Alicia already decided if she wants to be my wife and queen?" said the voice. "Hmm let me think for a moment" said Alicia. "My answer is...", "Yes please say yes!" said the other voice. It remained quiet for a moment before Alicia continued speaking. "No".

It was quiet in the room. You could feel that. Until the other person in the room started laughing. It was not a sarcastic laugh but a diabolical laugh.


Don't make me laugh
Hahaha!
Don't make me laugh
Hahaha!
My funny friend
Don't make me snap in half

Alicia was confused as well as the wolf under the bed who felt the person approaching Alicia. She moved away from the devil who came closer and closer until he was very close to her and held her chin.

Don't be a card, dear
Don't play with the steaks
Don't make me laugh so hard
That you begin to break

He looked deep into her eyes which seemed almost hypnotic before he pulled her into his arms where he began to stroke her against her will behind her wolf ears.

Don't make me laugh

Some Imps appeared behind him who were also laughing.

Heheheheh!

Don't pull my leg

The devil continued to sing as he was about to kiss her again but she dodged his kissing mouth and was about to leave the bed when she was suddenly pulled to him.

Heheheheh!

the Imps continued to laugh when they saw that Alicia could not escape the devil because of the chain around her leg. But she held on tightly to the bedpost and left light scratch marks as the devil pulled her to him and she lay with her back in his belly while he looked down on her from above with a devilish grin.

May I suggest you do best to beg!
If you say "no", miss
If you refuse
This is your notice that I refuse to lose

In his hand appeared Cuphead, Mugman and Cuppy, which he crushed with his hand so that only shards and the headless bodies remained. Alicia winced when she saw that.

Say "yes", my love
And go with a winner
Believe me, that would be wiser~

In the palm of his hand the three cups reappeared and turned into the devil and Alicia who were about to kiss until he clenched his hand into a fist again.

Say "no", to me
And your soul's my dinner
And Cuphead's the appetizer
Hahahaha!

He transformed into his dragon form and wriggled around her like a prey. She could not free her arms because he had wrapped himself too tightly around her. "Let me go!" she said, "I will only do that if you take me as your wife and rule the underworld with me". Alicia's answer was only a forked outstretched tongue. The Imps and demons, sans Henchman are laughing madly.

Get the picture?
Don't make me laugh
Hahahaha!
Or slap my knee
Hahahaha!
I'm no hyena
So, Alicia, what'll it be?

He let go of her while Alicia fell exhausted on the bed before the devil took her up like a bride to the altar and wanted to leave the room with her. But the chain prevented him from doing so.

Right this way to the Devil's Estate
Or write your epitaph!
You choose your fate! Don't make me wait!
And, darling
Don't make me laugh!

He showed her his kingdom and hoped that she would change her mind. But she was not pleased. He saw that. Alicia landed on the bed again when the devil threw her on it. The Devil laughs evilly as she is sprawled on the bed scared as the Devil's cackling shadow looms over her. "I will give you more than enough time to change your mind" said the devil as he approached her and slowly stroked her cheek. "How long it takes depends on you my dearest" he explained with a chuckle that sounded slightly threatening. "A day or an eternity!" with the last sentence he was on fire and the whole room was momentarily surrounded by flames.

The only answer he got from her was a nervous swallow before he left his bedchamber again. Alicia didn't know what to do until she felt someone coming from under the bed. "Okay now I understand what you meant by unwanted lover" said the wolf. He did not hesitate for long and went to the chain to destroy it with a spell. He took his staff from his back and the crystal began to glow as well as the chain which dissolved into light molecules. "Whoa!" said Alicia, amazed and terrified at the same time. "Don't worry your leg is fine" said the wolf. "Yeah, but the chain isn't!" she said, happy on the one hand to be able to move freely, but on the other hand to have to escape from the underworld. But how?

She thought about it until she remembered the escape with Cuphead when Gaston had abandoned her and just ran away like a cowardly chicken. "All right, now that you're free, let's figure out how to escape from here," the wolf said. "Um, yeah, before we do that, we should introduce ourselves properly first," Alicia suggested. The wolf nodded. "My name is Alicia Powell but Alicia will do" she said. My name is Blood" the wolf said and shook her outstretched hand before taking her in his arms. The size difference between her and Blood was clearly visible. He was also three heads taller than her. "Well then, it seems to me that you know your way around here better than I do" he said and looked at her "So which way do you want to go?" Quick as a flash Blood ran out of the dormitory past Imps and Demons who had their backs to them and didn't realize they were running past them. So they're not that smart, Alicia thought, as they ran past two large troll-like demons.

They scratched their heads while literally staring stupidly into space. "The elevator should be around the corner," Alicia said as she showed him where to go. She hoped so, since it was the same room where the devil had left her bleeding until he himself noticed she was bleeding. Oh please be there, please be there. She hoped so and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and the elevator was in sight. Oh thank god. She exhaled in relief as she and Blood approached the elevator. He lowered her down while she pushed the elevator door aside, ready to get in. Until they both heard a diabolical roar that could only mean one thing. The devil knew that Alicia was no longer in his bedchamber and was thus on the run. "Damn it we have to escape and we have to escape now!" she said and pulled on Blood's arms to drag him into the elevator. But he did not move. Actually, Alicia noticed it much too late, but above his head hovered three bright blue flames that had dragon heads with hollow eyes.

These looked in the same direction as Blood. Alicia also saw why her unwanted lover the devil appeared and was angrier than before. "You!" growled the devil as he pointed at Blood. "Stay away from my wife and queen and give her back to me!" he ordered him. Blood turned to Alicia who begged him not to do it or do anything stupid that might anger the devil. He just nodded and looked at the devil again "I would love to do that" Alicia was startled. Please don't tell me he's really doing it. "But unfortunately this beautiful lady here is neither your wife..." the devil growled as he flared up "...nor your queen" he said and looked at Alicia who was relieved that he had not handed her over. "So my answer to your question is no. I will not hand her over and wish you a pleasant day!" With these words he walked backwards into the elevator, switched the lever, which not only closes the door, but also the elevator disappeared. The devil, however, wanted to fire at it until he was spat at by three bright blue flames. "What the..." he looked around in confusion but saw no one else. The elevator reappeared but was empty.

You could see that he was angry. He was on fire again and roared. You could hear it resounding through the whole underworld, which frightened most of the Imps and Demons. Silk and the others also twitched and trembled when they heard his threatening roar. But that gave them enough time to remove their bracelets, which they had been huddling around for weeks. They all wanted to take revenge on Alicia for the punishment they received. Especially Silk who threw a strong hatred and resentment at Alicia. "That this human demon hybrid believes to be queen is ridiculous!" she said in a growling voice as she rubbed her bracelet against an axe. The marks were visible. It didn't take long for the bracelet to be gone and with it the banishing curse.

Then the five of them could hunt for Alicia again. She was still in the elevator with Blood and relieved to have escaped from the underworld again. "Oh man, that was close!" she said as she exhaled. Blood just looked at her in confusion. She noticed and knew that he didn't know about the whole thing. So she explained everything so that he at least knew why the devil of all things was after her, why she was a demon-human hybrid and why she was already taken.

"So in summary you are together with a devil from another world and queen" Alicia nodded, "You have the same powers as him and unintentionally ended up in this world with a character that comes from the same world as your husband" she nodded again. "And the devil here is still after you even though you told him several times that you are taken?", "Yes several times I don't know how many times I had to tell him but he still doesn't get it!" she said annoyed as she leaned against the wall while he continued to stare at her. He didn't really know what to say to that. But she does not lie. The ride to the surface didn't take much longer as the two appeared in front of the hedge maze. They both got off and the elevator disappeared in a cloud of smoke behind them. "Okay and where are we now?" asked Blood as he looked to Alicia. She was about to say something when she saw Sally looking worried and hugging her. "Ohhh Alicia my little sweetie" she said which confused not only Alicia but also Blood.

"Sally you're squeezing me to death!" said Alicia as the actress let go of her. "Sorry Alicia but I was just worried when you suddenly left and Jack too..." she fell silent when she saw Blood next to Alicia. "Ah there he is!" she said, confusing Alicia and Blood. Probably it was the little lighting, but maybe it was the fact that Jack and Blood almost looked alike. Alicia wondered if Jack was really Jack and not the devil in disguise. Anyway Alicia wanted only one thing and that was to go back to the cottage and sleep. Of course Blood followed her and offered to sleep in the guest room for the time he was here. "Oh, I forgot to ask you why you are here?" she asked him. Blood thought about whether he should tell her about the important mission he was on or not. She didn't seem to be a danger to him. "Actually, it's more of a secret, but since I know you're not a danger to me, I'll make an exception and tell you".

So he told her his important mission and the reason why. "So you're looking for a magic artifact that will help save your home?" said Alicia. Blood nodded, "Yes, with this artifact I can prevent the five-year war from finally ending and Vudetopia from blossoming again," he told her. "But the artifact won't be so easy to find," of course it won't be. "It is known to change its form and thus its use". Alicia was a little confused about that. "What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked him. Blood looked to her and stopped. She stopped as well. "What I mean is that depending on the form it takes, it changes its ability and power. If it takes the form of a sword, you can not only cut through anything but also travel through other worlds," he explained to her.

"And what form has it taken now?" she asked, confused. Blood thought. "That of an hourglass with which you can control time," he said. The two continued to talk as they approached the cottage. But no one noticed that Amnon had overheard the conversation. He disappeared to pass the message on to the devil. "The boss will be pleased," he said nervously before disappearing. The latter sat on his throne, annoyed and still angry. He breathed deeply in and out to calm himself. But his thoughts were only directed at the wolf who had taken Alicia away from him. "Who does this wolf think he is?" he asked himself as his fur began to burn again, "Stealing my dearest Alicia!" he took a deep breath before he burst into flames in a rage and cried out. "AAAAaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" his anger was heard by the Imps and Demons. So they avoided him to avoid being caught by his flames.

Amnon arrived just as he saw how angry the devil was. He dodged the flames and tried to draw attention to himself while almost clumsily threatening to land in the flames until the devil grabbed him by the collar or rather the harness ring that was attached to his collar. "What is Amnon?" the devil asked him."I-i-i-i uh have g-g-good n-n-news b-b-b-boss" he said in a trembling voice before the devil calmed down and dropped him to the ground and sat on his throne. "I hope it's good news," the devil said, reaching for his trident as Amnon swallowed nervously.


Also nervous were Cuppy and Mugman who were still worried about Alicia. It was already an hour past midnight and she had not yet returned. Since neither of them could sleep, they were the only ones who stayed downstairs in the living room and waited for Alicia to arrive. Elder Kettle and Cuphead meanwhile slept upstairs in their rooms. "Do you think something has happened to her?" asked Mugman Cuppy. Cuppy shrugged his shoulder, "I don't know." Neither knew what to do. Looking for her would be impossible. Where to start looking and even if they knew where she was, how to get there? Both were about to despair when the door opened and they saw two figures. The light switch went on and they saw Alicia and the wolf.

"Alicia!" the two mugs yelled as they ran toward her and hugged her legs. She was glad to see them again. But when she heard sobbing, she felt bad. "Hey, I'm fine, you two, I arrived safely," she said as she stroked them both. The sobs woke up Elder Kettle and Cuphead, who were walking down the stairs. "What's wrong?" asked Elder Kettle yawning as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. But both fell silent when they saw not only Alicia but also the wolf standing behind her, was more than confused. He had never seen humanoid beings with cups for heads containing a white liquid with a straw. That he had to digest that first was clear. "Okay, that's a little strange," he said, scratching his head as the others looked at him.

"And who is that?" asked Cuppy, slightly angry. The others had different feelings when they saw the wolf. Elder Kettle was rather shocked and couldn't close his mouth, Cuphead was amazed while Mugman was afraid and hid behind Alicia. "Oh uh that's Blood he..." Damn what am I going to say now? That she was thinking about it Blood noticed and helped her. "I helped her after her actual partner dumped her" that only made the four of them angrier. "She was sitting alone in the forest when I came to this world and I brought her here". The four bought the lie and offered him to stay. "You're welcome to use the empty bed in the guest room," Elder Kettle said as he yawned and went upstairs with Cuphead and Mugman.

This pleased not only Blood but also Alicia who wants only one thing and that is to go to bed and sleep. So the three went to the guest room. Cuppy helped Blood to get the empty third bed ready before he could go to bed too. He noticed that Cuppy had something against him but he didn't want to talk about it now.

The next day, the whole thing from last night was explained again in more detail because most things had already been forgotten. Alicia and Blood did not hold it against them. "So after what you did for Alicia, you're welcome to stay here too" said Elder Kettle as he put a slice of pancakes on his plate. "But if you want to stay here, you'll have to help out around the house like everyone else." Blood nodded "Don't worry I won't be a burden to anyone" he said before eating his pancakes. That the three cups reacted differently to him was clear but it settled down again and the three quickly got used to their new roommate. Even Cuppy, who initially had a grudge against him, quickly got used to him and made friends with him quite quickly.

"Hey tell me, what can you actually do with magic?" asked Cuphead as he pointed to his wand. Blood, who just had Mugman on his lap, looked at him, "Oh, various things. I don't even need a wand for some of it" he explained, confusing Cuphead and Cuppy. "Like what?" asked Cuppy until he realized he was floating in the air with Cuphead. "What the..." , "Wow that's awesome!" the two said with different reactions. Cuppy just wanted to get down while Cuphead flew around the room. Literally. Alicia, who had just come out of the kitchen, was startled when she saw Cuphead flying past her. She was about to ask why he was suddenly flying until she saw Blood raising his right hand, which glowed light blue like Cuphead and Cuppy.

Alicia had to giggle "Oh wow flying cups" Mugman was about to get off the couch when he too suddenly flew. The three of them flew around the room having the time of their lives. "We should put the three of them down before Elder Kettle sees this and has a panic attack" she looks at Mugman who was not very pleased. "If it wouldn't bother anyone but I'd like to be brought back down to the floor!" asked Mugman. But that it was not a quiet request Alicia and Blood knew. So he lowered Mugman who was sitting on the sofa next to him again. That he was glad to sit on solid ground again pleased the younger brother very much. Not very pleased were the two Cupheads who wanted to fly further through the room. But the housework calls and had to be done. And that without the help of magic.

As quickly as Blood settled into the cottage, he learned more about Alicia and Cuppy. He knew what powers she had and even offered to tutor her in magic that could be used without a wand. She accepted the offer. She had already forgotten about the devil, but when Blood saw the wound around her waist she had to think about it again when he asked her about it. "I got the scar from the devil," she said and changed her clothes. Blood was not very pleased. Only the thing with the kidnapping and the flirting although she was taken made him angry. His pupils thinned while his fur fluffed up.

"This will be the last time he bothers you" Blood said as he put his things in the closet he shared with Cuppy. His wand, cloak and bags were in there with Cuppy's spare clothes. Or rather, Cuphead's spare clothes. "I hope so, but it won't be the last time we see him," Alicia said as she lay in her bed and looked over at Blood who was also lying down. "Unfortunately, that's why I'm always worried about Alicia," Cuppy said as they both looked over at him. But Blood winked at him "Don't worry I'll protect her too" he said and the three slowly fell asleep.


"Meanwhile, in the underworld. The devil was back with the Imps who were taking care of Alicia's blood. He didn't know how, but he had somehow obtained the blood from the one woman it took to mix Alicia's blood. "Sally, Sally Stageplay was her name," the devil said as he looked at the photo of her and then looked to the other. The photo also showed a woman but she was not human. Well, human-like. For whatever reason, she wore an ice cream cone on her head with a feather on the tip. He didn't know who she was or where she was. But he knew at least where he could find the one in case he needed more blood samples from her. For now, the sample he got from Sally was enough.

No matter how he gets the other blood sample he will soon be ready and force Alicia to become his wife and queen. "If her blood mixes with ours, no harm can come to her," he said with a diabolical grin that looked very scary. He knew how he would force her to do it. Even if it is not his way, but violence was the solution to his problem in this case. But she had now also gained a wizard wolf as an ally. And he would not leave her alone. Not after the rescue operation. "I'll get him and the three cups out of the way somehow" he said, sitting back on his throne. He grinned and had an idea. A diabolical idea. "And I already know how". He laughed devilishly when he thought of what he would do to the wolf and the three cups. "Oh Alicia you can and will never escape me" he said as a photo of her appeared in his right hand. "Never" he said and stroked it.


Song: Don't make me laugh from The Pebble and the Penguin