Hello all! On to the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!
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Brother's Soul
Chapter 4
Mugman felt his insides burning. That was the best way he could accurately describe what he was feeling at the moment. It seemed like his insides were literally on fire, like his body was cracking and breaking into pieces, and nothing could stop it.
He needed his brother more than ever, but it seemed like Cuphead was frozen, large eyes locked onto him. Mugman couldn't find his voice to scream at him to get him away from that madman, before he became like King Dice! A helpless lackey!
But despite his pleas, Cuphead didn't move. Not one time. He just watched. Helplessly.
Mugman's vision grew dimmer as the dark flames corrupted who he was. He found himself growing angry at Cuphead for bringing them here, for not listening to him for ONCE and just turning back and going home, where they belonged! None of this would have happened if he hadn't decided to be a nosey cup and stick his nose where it didn't need to be!
And now look where it got him. Captured. The Devil was a very cruel creature, and if King Dice was in the same mess as he was about to be... then he knew this was only the beginning.
The last thought on his mind before he found himself surrendering to the darkness... was that Cuphead was going to pay.
It was HIS fault this happened, and now he would pay the price.
'But why does... that matter? No... he didn't know. I didn't know. We thought we... we won...'
Mugman was starting to realize his thoughts were very scattered. Maybe the fear was sinking in, or maybe it was the concept that he and his brother, the so called heroes of Inkwell Island, failed.
The Devil survived, but how did he do it? And what was Dice doing here?
Mugman was losing consciousness, and this time, he opted not to fight against it.
'Cuphead...he'll save me... he always... does...' Mugman thought as he felt himself disappearing, or sleeping. It all felt the same- he was going into the darkness.
Something, a very small something in his head, told him to hang on, to fight, to keep fighting until Cuphead found him. But at that moment, he didn't have the energy to do anything.
'Cuphead...hurry...'
"Nnrgh... uhh..." Cuphead let out a groan as his eyes fluttered open. He slowly sat up and tried to stop the odd ringing he was hearing, rubbing the left side of his face and checking to make sure he hadn't cracked anywhere.
"Man, that hurt. What the heck happened anyways, Mugman-" Just as he said his brother's name, everything hit him all at once, and he jumped up, his blaster ready.
"MUGMAN!" No one but him was in the dark, damp, empty room. Cuphead spotted the fallen groceries where his brother had been captured, and he staggered towards them, unsure of what else to really do. "Mugman, no... What have I done..."
It was his fault... if he'd just LISTEN to Mugs when he said not to return back here...! What on earth was he thinking?
"Elder Kettle... I gotta get home... I gotta ask him what to do..." Cuphead looked for the exit, and was soon able to locate it a couple feet away from the fallen groceries.
Something told him to stay and look for clues as to where his brother had been taken, and logically, that was the right thing to do. But emotionally, the little porcelain cup's thoughts were all over the place, and he wasn't thinking straiand his feet began shuffling their way in that direction, as if they had a mind of their own. The whole walk home, Cuphead ignored stares from passerbys at his ragged and beat up appearance, his mind blank at what just happened.
"He's going to be so mad... I got us both into this mess...Mugs..." Cuphead mumbled to himself. So many other things ran though his mind, and all at once.
His brother had been captured.
The Devil was back.
King Dice was back.
They didn't save the island.
The residents were still in danger.
And this time, unless he could figure out a way to convince the others that they still had a battle to fight, he had to do this completely alone.
"Cuphead? Mugman! Where are you boys?"
Elder Kettle sighed as he checked off another street closest the grocery store. He was worried- they should have been home hours ago, and Mugman wasn't answering his cell phone. Where could they have gotten off to?
Stopping to think, Kettle crossed his arms and thought hard. He knew his adopted sons were prone to getting into trouble, more Cuphead than Mugman, and ever since they saved the island, they've been restless.
Well, Cuphead was. He never stayed in the house for longer than an hour before he was bored out of his mind and would wander off, looking for trouble.
Mugman usually went along, but he was far more careful than his brother... so where could he be?
'At the least Mugman would have called. I'm worried those two got themselves hurt, or... worse-'
Elder shook that thought out of his head completely. There was no reason any of those boys would have gotten into that much trouble! But then, where had they gone?
He decided to check the usual hang out spots that were known to him. First, he stopped by Cagney's farm and spoke to him and the Root Trio- he knew they were some of the devils' debtors and became good friends with Cuphead and Mugman after the battle.
He crossed his arms as Cagney shrugged and said, "I'm 'friad I haven't seen them boys." Cagney had noticed the worried expression on Kettle's face, and while he was curious to know what was going on, he had a feeling it was a family matter. "Maybe check the creek? Weepy sees them run there sometimes- they might just be pullin' your leg."
Elder Kettle thanked him and took him up on his suggestion. He checked the small creek that the boy frequented often. Again, there was no sign of them.
"Cagney, the creek, the town... they aren't at any of them!" Elder fretted to himself. "Where could they be?"
He turned around and decided to see if one or both of them maybe arrived home while he was gone. He was hoping none of them was hurt, or worse.
He arrived at the front porch, only to find a familiar red shirt standing there, looking rather strange. The shirt alone brightened Elder Kettle's mood altogether, even though there was no sign on Mugman.
"Cuphead? M'boy, you're safe!" The old ex knight exclaimed. But as he walked as fast as he could to him, wanting to hug him first and then slap him for making him worry, Cuphead slowly turned around, and Elder froze in his tracks.
The elder was a bit caught off guard when he saw Cuphead's odd expression, but it was when Elder actually saw the tears rolling down his cheeks, as well as the messed up clothing, he knew something had in fact happened.
"Cuphead? What is the matter?" Elder asked. He got no reply.
"Cuphead! Snap out of it! Where is your brother? Where's Mugman?"
At the mention of his beloved little brother, Cuphead found it hard to speak past the lump in his throat. He took three steps to close the gap between them, and hugged his adopted father with all his strength.
Now Elder Kettle knew something bad happened. Cuphead was never this affectionate with him, unless he was sick, and barely even that sometimes. Nonetheless, he broke the hug and led his son inside their home, steered Cuphead towards the dining room table, and put some water to boil to make them both some green tea.
"Cuphead, I was looking for you and your brother. What happened to you? And where is Mugman?" Elder tried again as he sat down across from Cuphead. Again, Cuphead didn't answer, but his 'thousand yard stare' was beginning to scare Elder Kettle even more. Something really bad must've happened, and unless Kettle could get some information about Mugman's location, they were running out of time.
"Cuphead!"
That seemed to work- it broke the frightening stare, at least, but Cuphead was still not talking. Elder Kettle sighed. "Cuphead... m'boy, you're scaring me. What's the matter? Where is Mugman?" he tried again.
"I'm so sorry... I messed up, Mugs..." he mumbled to himself. Elder leaned forward to hear what he was saying, and Cuphead finally snapped out of whatever he was in and looked up at his father.
'E-Elder...? Wait... when did I get here? What happened to me just now- oh. Wait. Mugman... he keeps asking where he is...'
The high pitched whistling sound of the kettle on the stovetop solidified Cuphead's grip on reality. He was home... but without Mugman. And he had no idea how to begin to explain to Elder Kettle what happened... mostly because he still couldn't believe it himself.
"... Cuphead. Talk to me. I'm getting worried. What happened?" Elder tried yet again after setting down two cups of tea. Cuphead stared into the steaming hot cup for just a split moment- the reflection of the Devil and King Dice, the few short moments it took for them to kidnap Mugman, all flashed through his head.
"E-Elder... Kettle... Mugman... I-I lost him... I lost him, The Devil, he took him away!" Cuphead finally got out, angrily punching the wall and just about anything his hands could reach. Elder Kettle just sat there, baffled. He was somewhat used to Cuphead destroying the home, and luckily, he stored all the more valuable objects in a secret room below the home.
"Slow down, Cuphead. What do you mean the Devil took him away? You two bested that sneaky beast!" Elder said, confused. "The Devil is gone! But what happened to Mugman?"
Cuphead shook his head as if he were trying to disregard what Kettle just said, knocking it down as he started pacing and mumbling something under his breath. Elder tried to get through to him, even though he had no idea what was going on.
"Cuphead! Listen, you must calm down! Cuphead!" Elder Kettle tried again, only for it to fall on deaf ears. Finally, he had enough, grabbed Cuphead by his shoulders, and shook him, just a bit, just enough to get the cup to stop mumbling whatever he was mumbling.
If he were being completely honest with himself, Elder Kettle was very scared. Something terrible had happened, but Cuphead wasn't saying what it was. And the Devil? There was no way that beast was alive! They defeated him! And where on Earth was Mugman?!
"Cuphead! Relax!" Elder tried to advise his young boy, but it fell on deaf ears. It seemed as though Cuphead simply ran out of anger. Cuphead just stared, not really looking at Edler Kettle. After a few minutes, Kettle felt it was okay to release him. He struggled to bend down and pick up the fallen chair, but Cuphead got it for him, still moving almost like a zombie.
"Cuphead. You said the Devil took Mugman?" Kettle decided that he would have to play along with whatever was going on and have someone else look into the matter once Cuphead was calmer. Cuphead nodded.
"... can I go to my room? My head hurts." Cuphead asked quietly. Elder Kettle nodded. The little cup got up silently and made his way up the stairs to his room, leaving a very confused father to muse on what he managed to get out of him.
"Cuphead... what happened? And where could Mugman be...?" Kettle wondered. "Perhaps I should talk to Cagney about this. Maybe he can tell me something about what that boy is rambling on about." Elder looked around the pieces of porcelain and holes in the walls, and sighed.
"Cuphead will have to help me fix up the place first. But that can wait until later... let me make sure he's alright."
And complete!
Please let me know what you think so far!
Until next chapter!
