Dice wakes up to the sound of chirping in his ear. It is a blue-bird happily singing its' morning tune and Dice stands up from his slumber. He fumbles upon the papers that he has been working on. He remembers now, deciphering all of those papers, as the door opens. It is Cuphead and Mugman walking in. They notice the files all around him and start organizing them.
"Boys hold on! I got a system." Dice says as he notices them put them in a strange order.
"Backwards. You have to read them backward." Cuphead says and Dice sighs.
"I gotta get the rest done first." He says to them as Mugman is holding out a letter to him.
"What's this?" Dice says and Mugman answers.
"It is another cipher, but we can't figure out this one." Mugman looks around and sees all the papers. "Let us help you get these done. We do this as a hobby." He takes a paper and starts decoding it.
"Alright...wait, how'd you boys know about this?" Dice asks and Cuphead answers this time.
"Miss Porsha told us and this helped me to learn how to read. She used this to help me get motivated to read big books." Cuphead handed him a big novel.
Dice chuckles, "Well, she does love kids like you two." he opens the book and a piece of paper fall out. "Smart woman..." he says picking up the paper.
"Mr. Dice, I am almost done with the rest of the papers." Mugman says and Dice looks at him with surprise. Even he couldn't get them done that fast and the boy got it done in less than an hour or so.
"Alright, what we got?" Dice says as he begins reading the papers along with the Cup brothers. "Looks like I am goin' to Aster City..." Dice says aloud causing the boys to look at him.
"Let us come with you!" Cuphead asks and his brother nods in agreement.
"No, it is no place for kids." Dice replies as he organizes the papers in a neat pile. He places them in his bag and stands up to leave.
"C'mon! We beat the devil! We beat you! We can surely work together and stop this one!" Cuphead pleads as Dice turns around.
"What if you can't. What if something goes wrong and you two get hurt badly? I will not allow that! Now, you two go home and be with your grandpa." Dice replies sternly causing Cuphead to not silence his response.
"You're not my father, ya know!" Cuphead says rushing off.
Dice snaps back at him. "Well, you two's well being is now my priority! It has been since you boys saved me from that awful life back at the casino!"
"Cuphead! Wait! He's just looking after our safety!" Mugman says rushing after him.
Dice sighs, "Maybe a bit too stern...and harsh..." placing his hand over his face.
"Well, they are still boys." Dr. Kohl buds into the conversation.
"I know Doc... but they need to be kept safe, here." Dice reasons as he opens the front door to exit.
~~~ The City of Aster~~~
Posha wakes up before dawn arrives and gathers her things. She walks out the door while noticing the symbol on the front door. She taps it with her finger, causing the whole town to have a barrier around it, and makes her way out onto the docks. A boat is waiting for her with Blackruth and Wheezy on it. Porsha sighs as she steps into the boat and they sail off to her hometown, known as Aster.
"Are you ready to complete your family's work?" Blackruth smiles putting chains around her wrists. "Doll?"
"I am as ready as I will ever be. Let's just get this over with." Porsha glares at him and he laughs at her reaction.
"This will be fun! Say, Wheezy?" Blackruth pats Wheezy on his shoulders.
"Ya, boss...it'll be a doozy..." Wheezy replies while steering.
Blackruth notices Wheezy's unenthusiastic tone and pushes him into the water. "Change that tone of your Cigar Man." Porsha quickly pulls Wheezy back onto the boat and tries to dry him off. She lights up her hands and entities his head as fog rolls in.
Wheezy looks at her, "Why'd ya help me toots?" confusion ran through his mind.
"A little kindness never hurt anyone...and you'll need it where we're going." Porsha replies as Blackruth chuckles.
"Ah, yes...Aster City." He says interrupting them. "We are actually home now Dollface."
The fog clears revealing the City of Aster. The machines and mechanisms clanging and whirling around them as the docks met their boat. Blackruth transforms into a robe as feathers flew around him. He places his medallion in the center as people were cheering his name.
"The Prophet has returned!"
"He has brought the Porcelain Doll! We are saved from the curse!"
People boasting and proclaiming how wonderful this man is when Wheezy and Porsha knew he was a Devil in disguise. Wheezy gets out of the boat after Blackruth makes him. Wheezy holds out his hand and Porsha takes it. The three walk down the streets, still seeing so many people cheering, as Blackruth stops.
"My children! Please make haste! For I have brought you the daughter of the Moon and Sun!" He boasts as Porsha notices the peoples eyes. She looks at Blackruth who notices her observation. He snaps his fingers and Wheezy ushers Porsha to play along.
The cobblestone pathway and the people on the streets following Blackruth, Wheezy, and Porsha were now silent. Blackruth, now silent with his hands together, is walking with false grace and elegance. The crowd follows his actions and Porsha does not. Wheezy looks uneasy at her, but Porsha looks at him with stern eyes.
"...False Prophet...just like the other ones..." Porsha mumbles and a person gasps shushing her.
Porsha rolls her eyes, staying silent now, as they reached the cathedral. Blackruth halts as he sings a melody, D-E-A-D-D-E-A-D. The doors open and the crowd praises his name as if he were a god. Porsha sighs and they enter the sanctuary as Blackruth sings the tune again shutting the doors.
"Now then, Dollface..." He says pulling a lever beside him. "Finish what your family started all those years ago."
The cathedral walls lit up with the markings that were in the casino and in her father's lab at Inkwell. The same hand, gripping a red scarf in the shape of an "S", and the triangles that followed it. The center of the floor transforms as well into an incomplete circle. It looks to be halfway finished as Porsha examines it.
"Get to work Dollface. You got limited time." Blackruth says exiting the building.
"Well then, that settles that." Porsha says getting a piece of chalk out of her bag.
"What ya gonna do with that?" Wheezy asks and Porsha as she sits down.
"Calling for help, for finishing this of course." She draws a pattern on the floor and a blue whisp appears in front of her. The little orbs get to work as she examines the circle. "This is incorrect...what were they trying to do..."
"They were trying to raise somethin' that did not want to be woken up." Wheezy replies to her as he tries lighting up a cigar.
"Oh, right...Blackruth was, but failed horribly without my parents' help." Porsha scoffs rewriting some parts of the circle.
"Wait, whaddya mean by that?" Wheezy asks kneeling down to her.
"You really don't know? How can you join them and not know this Mr. Wheezy?" Porsha replies as she gets up.
"Sorry, I-uh, just started this jig with him because of the boss' orders." Wheezy explains walking over to a machine.
"Oh, right, the 'Devil' told you so. You do know that that is even the real guy, right?" Porsha says pulling a lever beside her and a clicking noise is heard around Wheezy. He steps back, seeing the machines whirl and cackle in front of him, then turns to Porsha.
"Wait, are you say that the person I am working for is not even the big shot himself?" Wheezy answers his own question as the floor lights up partially.
"Maybe, the one Blackruth actually needs to impress is your boss." Porsha says handing him a file.
Wheezy looks at her, "This is the big wigs we're talkin' here...but no one has ever controlled it or this thing..." and then back at the file.
"Only one person did manage to control it." Porsha replies as more whisps are around her.
"Who?" Wheezy asks with anticipation.
"Can't remember because I was too young." Porsha looks and smiles while picking up a handful of the whisps.
Wheezy sighs, "Well, ya do work fast. Also, thanks for the save back there toots." he sits down in one of the pews.
"Why thank me? Any sane person would do what I did." She notices more blue whisps on her shoulder now.
"After a person tries ta shoot ya? No way!" He scoffs in disbelief.
Porsha moves some documents around her, "You would be surprised at how people take forgiveness." and organizes them.
"You're a strange gal...no wonder Dice has taken a liking to ya." Wheezy replies and the statement causes Porsha stop fumbling through the files.
"Well, he won't be saving me anytime soon. So, you can save that spiel for later." Porsha says as the doors open up.
"Dollface? Is it ready yet?" Blackruth asks ushering in the Devil.
The Demon stops, noticing the markings on the ground, and looks at Blackruth. "What in hell's name are you plannin' to do?" He growls at him, but Blackruth smiles.
"Why, I only want to show you the best of my capabilities, sir. Nothing more and nothing less than perfection for you, boss." He boasts again walking up to Porsha and puts his hands on her shoulder.
"A weeks time is all it takes...then you will get what you want, Blackruth..." Porsha says removing his hands from her shoulders.
"Good-good-good! Now, we cannot have any slip-ups. You do remember what happened to your dear old mother. Now, don't you?" Blackruth's words cut through Porsha as if someone was stabbing a knife right through her body. She can only nod as Wheezy notices her tightening her fists.
"All eyes are watching, so, do be careful, love." He says exiting the room into another hallway.
The Devil sighs and clears the whole area pitch black. Wheezy disappears with the snap of his fingers and Porsha is left with the giant demon bowing over her. He grumbles and hands her a note, then motions for her to read it.
"Why are you giving me this?" Porsha asks realizing the contents of the letter.
"Cuz, he needs to be stopped...I couldn't do it last time and lost the best man I ever made a deal with..." The Demon sighs for the first time in sympathy.
"You never even were able to make the deal with Dice. Blackruth was still alive and you just shoved that man right into your clutches!" Porsha says and the Devil shrugs.
"You are right, I did indeed, but for good reason. You saw that, after his mother passed, and his father almost killed him. So, I actually did what they told me to do, which was to take in that brat." He explains changing to meet her height.
"Who told you? And no more bullshit! This cult is apart of everything now and needs to be stopped! Why are you, the so-called, Devil, obeying these orders?" Porsha asks and the Devil sighs again, but more in frustration.
"They were going to destroy Hell itself and only have Heaven remain." He spoke the truth and Porsha couldn't believe it.
"Wait, that's impossible! The world would be without balance...with good and evil, there has to be an equal justice system!"
"You are right, but mankind is blinded by all the 'good' they think they have made." The demon says as he changes the room to normal as Wheezy gasps for air. "It was nice to finally chat in person with you, Miss Porsha." The Devil walks into the other hallway where Blackruth went as Porsha looks away.
~~~Back to Inkwell Isle~~~
Dice is packing his things as Mugman opens the door to his room. "What is it?" Dice asks packing the three outfits he has into the bag.
"What are you doing?" Mugman replies to Dice's question with another question.
"Packing for the trip." Dice answers as he turns around to look at the little mug.
"Why are you doing it?" Mugman asks and Dice chuckles nervously.
"Because she asked me to."
"No, she didn't. She said to not do what you are doing." Mugman says holding up the letter in his face.
"Well, yes, but-look kid..." Dice couldn't find the words to explain it and then Mugman smiles at him. Dice looks concerned by the kid's expression, "What's with the look?" and asks hesitantly.
"I know why, but you need to figure it out for yourself!" Mugman beams like a light helping Dice pack other items into his bag.
Dice sighs, "How's your brother holdin' up?" and packs his latrines next.
Mugman scoffs, "He always gets like this when he knows he can't go on an adventure. Just give him time and he'll get over it...at least that is how it's been these past years." as he looks for some shoes.
Dice shows Mugman the shoes, "Well, that's...okay, but what about you?" he asks.
Mugman stops what he's doing and starts to stare at him. "Whaddaya mean? I am fine with whatever my brother says so..."
"No, Mugman, what are you wanting to do?" Dice reiterates again in a different way.
"What I want to do?" Mugman pauses then he finishes his words. "I want to save Miss Porsha from that awful place. She's stuck in that city because of us not wanting to help her parents when they needed it the most."
"I want to see you actually ask miss Doll out on a date! So, we are going to get her back!" Cuphead interrupts the sweet moment with his sentence. Dice can feel his face getting red like a blooming rose from the boy's words.
"What are you talkin' about!?" Dice says trying to get the thought out of his head.
"It is obvious. You two like each other. RIght?" Mugman asks as his brother nods excitingly in agreement.
"You boys, this is not a fairytale. There is no damsel in distress where a knight in shining armor will come to her rescue. There is no happy ending where the guy gets the girl of his dreams either!" Dice explains as he picks up his bags and leaves the house.
Cuphead looks at Mugman and smiles. "We'll see about that."
"Cuphead! Mugman! Where are you two?" Elder Kettle says in the other room as Cuphead leaves a note on the kitchen table.
The boys leave the house as Elder kettle notices the letter. He reads it, sits down in his chair, and he reclines back. "Well, take care of my boys, Dice."
Meanwhile, Dice has gotten on a ship that has docked in the Isle. Carla Maria sneaks the cup brothers aboard the ship and into Dice's cabin. Dice breaths in and has one final look at Inkwell Isle before he departs. He realizes once the ship is out of the harbor that almost half of the third island is gone in Inkwell. Dice knows that he has to stop it before the whole town is nothing more than a memory. He walks down to his cabin and sets his bag on the bed. He sits down on the bench inside the cabin as Cuphead moves out of the way.
Dice jolts up, noticing someone in the room with him, and sees Cuphead's straw poking out of the covers. "Wait a min-" Dice pulls over the covers and then moves the curtain over the luggage.
"Cuphead. Mugman." Were all the words he could muster to try and contain his frustration.
"Look we know what we are doing at this moment looks bad." Cuphead starts and then finishes his thought aloud. "We are only doing this for Miss Porsha and for you to have someone to tag along with. It looks like you need as much help as of late and Inkwell is not going anywhere...well we aren't just blissful kids, ya know? We know Inkwell is disappearing and Miss Porsha has something to do with it! So, that's why we disobeyed you!"
Cuphead sits down, criss-cross applesauce, and crosses his arms. Mugman imitates Cuphead's actions and they both give Dice a serious stare. Dice sits down on the bed, sighs deeply, rests his arms on his knees, and looks down to the floor. He stares at the boys with an "Are you kidding me?" stare because he cannot believe this is happening. No, wait, he can because they are just a stubborn as him.
"I give-I give...you two will not leave my side, understand? Once we get to this city everything will change. This is not like Inkwell or the Casino at all."