Hello my lovely readers! We are back with a new chapter!
This one is based on one of my favorite Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Episodes!
Now, let's continue our story...
Season 1, episode 6; Can't take the heat?
It was another sunny day in Inkwell. Audrey and Mugman had finished shopping in town and were heading back to the cottage. The area was not super busy, thankfully, but many were out and about, shopping, chatting or walking around.
"Alright, we got toothpaste, flour, soap, jars of tomatoes and a new book of piano exercises." Audrey announced, looking in the grocery bags. "I think we got everything, unless there's something I missed."
"Hmm, I don't think so." Mugman replied. "We're making homemade pasta and Elder Kettle needs some tomatoes for it."
"Doesn't he have a garden?" Audrey asked, as they crossed the street. "He plants veggies there, so it makes it more convenient."
"Yeah, but they're not ripe yet." Mugman explained. "He wants to get them at just the right time. That way, they'll taste really yummy!"
"Good call. Ok, we should head home." Audrey mentioned.
As the two were heading home, just then they heard a loud explosion that caused them and everyone else in that area to jump in fright and catch themselves. There was a small rumble but that didn't last long, making people murmur in confusion and talk to each other in wonder.
"Whoa! What was that?!" Mugman gasped, as he held onto Audrey's leg.
"I-I don't know, but nothing seems to be broken or destroyed." Audrey mentioned. "Does Inkwell have earthquakes?"
"No, not really…" Mugman trailed off. Just, then, they both heard someone call for them.
"Audrey! Mugsy!"
They looked and saw Josh and Cuphead rush towards them.
"You guys ok?" Josh asked as he hugged Audrey. "Cuphead and I were outside and we heard the explosion."
"We're fine, a bit startled, but fine." Audrey answered.
"It was crazy! The place shook and we didn't know where it came from!" Cuphead chimed in.
"Yeah. Where did that explosion come from?" Mugman wondered.
Then they heard someone shout "Look! Smoke is coming from Mt. Eruptus!"
The group looked where people were gazing at and sure enough, there was an enormous red volcano off on a small island. There were palm trees and other wildlife that surrounded the base of the volcano, which made Audrey wonder if there was a beach or something near the mountain.
In addition to that, they did indeed see smoke come from the top of the volcano.
"Guess that explains the explosion." Cuphead mentioned. "But, what could be the problem? It doesn't erupt like that all the time."
"I dunno, but something must be up." Josh replied. Then, he saw everyone head off and down to the docks. "Hey, where's everyone headed to?"
"We're going to Mount Eruptus and see what the problem is." A resident replied. "We wanna go see what's happening."
"You sure? It doesn't seem like a good idea to go near an erupting volcano…" Audrey mentioned.
"Oh, it'll be fine. We won't be too close to the mountain." Another claimed.
Josh wanted to argue, but the residents continued to head to the docks and boats.
"Yeah, sure, it's totally safe to be near an erupting volcano consisting of lava." Audrey sarcastically replied. "Have fun, maybe jump in for some laughs too while you're at it."
"That doesn't sound safe." Mugman stated. "And jumping in is really scary."
"Uh, Mugsy, I think she was being sarcastic." Cuphead claimed.
"Yeah, she was." Josh mentioned. "And that is one of the many reasons why I love her. No one has a sarcastic tone like she does."
"Awww thanks, hon. That's really sweet." She giggled, as she gave Josh a kiss. "But in all seriousness, it looks like everyone wants to go see what's happening to the volcano."
"Soooo, what? Do we stay here or do we head over?" Cuphead asked. "Because I wanna go see for myself."
"That might not be a good idea, especially with lava flowing around, it might get intense." Mugman reminded him.
"Still, if something's going on, then, maybe we oughta go and see it as well." Audrey suggested. "It's better than doing nothing and wondering what'll happen."
"Ok, but we all stick together, ok?" Josh informed the boys.
They nodded, held their hands and headed to the docks.
A few hours later, the group along with some of the residents, landed on shore and departed from the boat. The thing was, the volcano was a bit of a walk and the quickest way was through the jungle. It kinda felt like they were on tour with other people, seeing as they were 'oohing' and 'awing' the various plants, wildlife, and animals they saw passing by.
Mugman, who was still nervous, clung to Audrey's hand as they passed by some odd looking bugs that flew by. She couldn't blame him. While she could tolerate some bugs, others were too creepy to be near.
After a bit of walking, the group came to a large open area where some of the residents were chatting and trying to figure out the reason for the eruption. They were a bit aways from the volcano, thankfully, but one thing they all agreed on; it was really hot.
"Whew. It's super hot outside!" Mugman exclaimed, wiping sweat from his head.
Yes, I just said that, Mugman. No need to repeat things.
"Well, we are near a volcano, which is probably why it feels super hot over here." Josh mentioned, as he took off his hat and fanned himself. "I know when Audie and I went to the Bahamas for our honeymoon it was hot, but this beats it."
"So, what now? We just stand here and be bored?" Cuphead asked impatiently.
"We're hoping to find the source of the earthquake, but it doesn't seem like-"
Before Mugman could finish, there was another earthquake, but this time, it was harder than the other one. That caused the people to freak out, again and run around screaming.
"Oh no! We must have angered it! It's going mad!" One screamed.
"We're doomed!" A second shouted.
"I'm too young and good looking to die!" Another wailed.
To make matters worse, the ground began to crack, making large holes around them.
"Oh no! The island is cracking up!" Audrey cried, seeing people run away in fear.
However, unknown to her, the ground began to crack near her and before she knew it she fell through the hole!
"HELP!" She screamed as she fell.
She pummeled down farther and farther until she felt something grab her dress, making her stop mid air. She looked and saw that it was a gloved hand that was connected to a fishing line.
It began to pull her up as she heard Josh call "We got you, Audie!"
The boys reeled her in and got her to safety, setting her down on the surface.
"Oh, thanks, guys. That was nearly the end of me!" She smiled, as she hugged each of the boys.
"No problem! We used your sketchbook to make that line." Mugman explained. "You ok?"
"I'm fine, thanks to you three." She giggled, as Josh helped her up. "A bit startled by that, but I'll live."
"Yeah, but sheesh, that was insane!" Cuphead gasped. "That was the biggest earthquake and scared the living daylights out of people!"
"Yeah, but earthquakes aren't this bad in Inkwell." Mugman pondered. "Wonder what caused it…"
While they tried to think of possible ways, they couldn't concentrate because of the heat. It was rather hot out and honestly, no one can think straight with heat like this.
"Whew. What would I give for some lemonade right now…" Cuphead sighed. "Wish we stopped by the house to get some water bottles or something."
"Guess we were in a bit of a rush." Audrey mentioned, fanning herself.
Just then, they all heard someone call out "Lemonade! Lemonade! Get your fresh squeezed lemonade!"
They looked over and saw two kids selling lemonade on a colorful stand. Almost immediately, people rushed to the stand and started handing them money and gulped down lemonade and then had seconds and thirds. Sheesh, people must be seriously thirsty.
"Wow, those people must be desperate for a drink." Josh claimed.
"Yeah, but where did those two kids come from and how did they get all that lemonade?" Audrey wondered.
It was a wonder about where they came from and how they got lemonade to people. However, unknown to them, they were actually two imps in disguise and from the volcano, a large pair of metal binoculars peered over the residents, as they gleefully drank the lemonade, but it then moved over to the heroes as they were confused and very concerned.
Turns out, the one who was watching them was none other than the Devil. That's right, folks. He's back, and I kinda was hoping we wouldn't. But hey, makes the adventure more exciting.
He was inside the volcano, but instead if it flowing lava below jagged rocks and crumbling ledges, it had a large command room, with a control panel, a large comfy chair that he was sitting in, imps running around with notes and maintaining a large green pipe that had a small opening in the center and was extended to the top of the area. The machine itself was in the middle of the area, and had a large pipe going upward.
The Devil chuckled as he gazed at the group, as Henchman approached him holding a tray with a tea cup and tea pot.
"D'uh, boss? What are you chuckling at?" Henchman asked.
"Isn't it obvious? I can see those fools down there, knowing they'll fall hook, line and sinker." The Devil chuckled. "This will help my new plan to take my love home."
"Well, I know this took a while but you think it'll work?" Henchman asked.
"Oh, yes it will. And not only that, but I got two imps down there giving out lemonade." The Devil smirked. "They will soon run out of cash and will give anything to have such a sweet refreshing drink. Including handing my bride over to me, and…their own souls."
"D'uh well, gotta hand it to ya, boss." Henchman smiled. "You really thought hard on this one."
"Indeed I did. And I have a little surprise for those fools, especially since I have a secret weapon." The Devil claimed.
He then gestured to Grim Matchstick hooked up to the machine with magic bonds and his mouth near an opening of the machine. He tried to move his head from the shaft, but the chain around his neck prevented him from doing so.
"How'd you managed to get him without gettin' torched?" Henchman asked.
"Oh, it's amazing what you can get when you use a little, persuasion." The Devil smirked. Looking through the binoculars, he replied "I believe it's time for the citizens of Inkwell to deliver my bride to me, special delivery."
He then pulled a leaver from his control panel and jerked the chain that Grim was attached too. Grim gave him a nasty growl before he blew in some fire through the shafts.
The Devil chuckled vilely as he rubbed his claws together.
"Oh, how I love being rotten." He snickered.
Meanwhile, the group had finished a glass of lemonade when they heard the residents arguing and shouting at the kids.
"Oh, great. Now what's wrong?" Audrey wondered.
They headed over and heard the commotion.
"You ran out!?" "You can't be out!" "We paid good money for it!" "We paid all of our money for it!"
"Guys, guys! What's wrong?" Josh asked, annoyed.
"They're out of lemonade and we're dying of thirst!" One answered, fanning himself with his hat. "We ran out of cash and it's hotter than my mother's oven!"
"Look, I know it's hot, but I'm sure once we start moving and seeing what's going on, we can-"
But before he could finish, just then, a burst of smoke appeared to them, startling them. It swirled around until it created a black void with raging red eyes staring at them. They all trembled in fear and both cup brothers held unto each other.
Then, it spoke in a deep, dark voice.
"Greetings, Islanders. The earthquake was an example of my power. If you want to avoid disaster, you must sacrifice the human girl from another world in the volcano at sundown.'"
"Wait, WHAT?!" The group shouted. Josh held Audrey in a protective state. While Audrey was freaking out, a thought came to her.
"Why am I getting Super Mario Bros. Super Show vibes? That one episode where they were at a volcano…?"
"Look, I get it, we want to survive and the earthquake back on the Isle was crazy, but sacrificing my wife is not a good idea!" Josh argued. "There has to be something else we can do!"
The residents looked at each other and murmured in agreement. It was a bad idea to kill someone's wife, let alone the main character of this story.
Just then, it continued to speak;
"Do as I say or I will DESTROY YOUR HOME!"
It then made the area shake badly, making the people lose their balance. After hitting the ground, the void vanished and they were all terrified.
"Oh gosh, this does not look good." Mugman trembled, as everyone stood up.
"I know we're scared, but we can't sacrifice Audrey!" Cuphead protested.
Then, one of the people grabbed his wrist and said "Sorry, but in order to save our home, we gotta do what's necessary!"
Turning to the others, he shouted "Grab the girl! Throw the others into a pit."
Sure enough, the other residents grabbed and separated the group.
"Let go of me!" Audrey shouted.
"Leave me alone!" Mugman cried, as he, Cuphead and Josh were being dragged to a hollow pit.
"Cut it out!" Josh snapped. Then, they tossed them into the pit and they landed with a thud, along with Audrey's bag. Audrey, on the other hand, was pushed down and her wrists and ankles were being tied together.
"Y-you're making a big mistake!" She shouted, squirming. "Please don't do this!"
"We need to take her to the top and throw her in!" Another resident shouted.
They all agreed and two began to carry her to the volcano. The guys got up and saw that Audrey was in danger.
"I don't know why they think this'll work, but I am not telling her father or mother that she died due to a misunderstanding!"
Just then, Mugman saw the bag glow and opening it up, he saw the book illuminating a light. He flipped through the pages, he came across a blank one and it began to write something.
"Josh, look!"
He looked and saw what it read
Mix-ups are common, can happen on the fly.
Ones made by the wicked, can lead many into a lie.
"What does this mean?" Cuphead asked.
"No clue, not sure why they keep coming up like this, but we don't have much time." Josh explained. "We need to get up there and save Audrey!"
"Good call! Hey, why don't we use her sketchbook? It makes objects come to life so maybe we can use it to get out." Cuphead suggested.
"Good thinking, Cups!" Mugman smiled.
Josh then took the sketchbook and began to draw a rope ladder. Once it was drawn, the page began to glow. It then created the latter and they managed to attach the ends to rocks that were near the edge of the pit. Once they were secured, they climbed up, snuck from the other residents, and rushed to the volcano.
Of course, The Devil happened to see them from his hideout.
"Oh, blast it! Those stupid mortals are coming!" Turning to his imps, he barked. "Go stop them from stealing my bride!"
They saluted and rushed off.
As he looked back, he saw that two residents carrying Audrey made quick work up the volcano. They were about to toss her in, as well as he was getting excited, but for some reason, they stopped and began to discuss something. Then to his surprise, they set her down and began chatting with one another.
"Wha?! What are those idiots waiting for!?" He asked, clearly annoyed.
"D'uh, I think sundown, boss." Henchman reminded him. "It's, uh, what you told them."
He pondered it over for a second and realized he was right. He did say to do it at sundown and since it was still light out, they decided to wait.
"Just because I said it, doesn't mean I meant it…" He grumbled, as he looked back at the boys.
Much to his anger, he saw they were getting close and might have a good shot of rescuing Audrey. He didn't want that, especially since he planned this for days. Literally, pulled all nighters and everything.
With the boys, they carefully and quickly climbed the mountain, hoping to save Audrey from a terrible fate.
"Ya know, I just wanted to watch Netflix with my wife." Josh muttered. "I never imagined myself climbing a volcano, saving her from being killed."
"Huh, kinda think this might become a running joke." Mugman claimed to his brother.
And it did.
As Cuphead nodded, just then he gasped and shouted "DUCK!"
They did and nearly avoided some explosives that came from in front of them. They quickly took cover behind some large rocks, but the explosions didn't stop coming. It was pretty dangerous to have items like these, especially on an active volcano.
"What do we do?!" Mugman shouted, clinging to his brother.
"We have to fight back!" Cuphead cried. "Isn't there anything we can use?!"
"Hard to tell where they're throwing and who's throwing!" Josh replied. "Looks to me like someone does not want us to save Audrey. And I have a good idea who's behind this…"
They needed to see where the blasts were coming from. Using Audrey's sketchbook, he made a small hand mirror and arched it to get a good view. Turns out, they were coming from pillars not too far.
Seeing where they were, Cuphead had an idea. "Hey, let's fight bombs with boulders! We can shoot rocks at them with a slingshot or something!"
"That works!" Josh smiled. "Let's try that."
He then drew three slingshots that were durable enough to hold strong and large rocks. They then loaded up, moved into position and fired rocks and large boulders at the enemies.
After a while, the explosions stopped and they were victorious. They panted a bit before they continued upward to save Audrey.
The Devil, who was watching, was getting really annoyed with Josh's win over his imps.
"Argh! Here comes that stupid mortal to rescue Audrey and I have two morons waiting for sundown of all things!" He growled.
He needed an idea to get Audrey to him as fast as possible. He couldn't just show up, since he didn't want to spoil anything, since the residents think it's a powerful being. He wanted to keep it that way.
But with them waiting for sundown, it would be a matter of seconds until Audrey was rescued.
Then, he had an idea.
"I'll fix those imbeciles."
Using his magic, he created smoke and swirled it around and around until he casted it out, grinning wickedly.
With the two residents, they were proceeding to chat while Audrey squirmed her hands, trying to loosen the ropes.
"Sheesh, for happy people, they sure know how to tie knots really well." Audrey grunted as she struggled to free herself. "These are harder to come undone than that ketchup stain I got on my shirt."
Just then, the same burst of smoke appeared before them and created that same void with creepy red eyes, making the two jump and scream.
"I see you're stalling to bring the sacrifice in the volcano." It reminded them. "But I did not allow you to FOOL AROUND!"
"B-but you said we had to do it at sundown!" One protested, shaking with fear.
"Y-yeah, we-we didn't wanna make you more upset than you already are." The other trembled.
"Well, now it is sundown!" The voice boomed. "ON WITH THE SACRIFICE!"
The void disappeared, making Audrey more scared than before.
"Guess we oughta do what he says." One piped up.
As they approached her, Audrey cried "No! Stop! You can't do this! This is a trick!"
"Sorry, we don't want to endure his wrath." The other claimed as he picked her up by her arms while the other person grabbed her by her ankles.
"L-look! We can do this!" Audie trembled, squirming a bit. "We-we have to find another way! This is not a good idea!"
As they moved near to the ledge, Audrey could feel the intense heat from below and her heart raced harder and harder. This wasn't looking good at all.
Just as they were about to throw her in, suddenly they heard "STOP! DON'T THROW HER IN!"
They looked and saw Josh and the cups bolt to them, waving their hands like maniacs.
"Don't do it!" Cuphead shouted.
"You can't sacrifice her!" Mugman cried.
"Sorry, man, we gotta do what's best for the isle." They claimed.
Then, with a swing, they threw her in, with her screaming at the top of her lungs.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
The trio watched in fear as Audrey fell closer and closer to the lava.
Will our heroes manage to save her from the deadly lava or does the Devil have other plans in mind?
Tune in next week to find- I'm kidding, this isn't a two parter. Be silly of me to leave it on a literal cliffhanger.
Josh began to panic more than he did previously and then, just before Audie landed in the lava, an imp flew from a small opening in the cave and caught her, flying back in with her.
Now, it made sense to Josh what was going on.
"I can't believe this! This was all a trick!"
"Yeah! The Devil is behind this!" Cuphead announced.
"He must have been the same one that had that creepy void show up and caused the earthquake!" Mugman added. "But the good thing is he didn't hurt her."
"I could care less. He almost killed her and now we need a way to get into his hideout."
While they pondered their next move, meanwhile, Audrey, who was squirming in the imps arms, was brought to the main control room.
"Hey boss! We got her!" the imp called. The Devil, who was sitting on his chair, turned and smiled wickedly at her.
"Well, it's so nice to see my blushing bride come and visit." He crooned, as he approached and took her from the imp. "I've missed you sooo much."
He carried her like a groom carrying his bride and sat down on the chair, placing her on his lap, as Audrey squirmed in his arms.
"Oh my, oh my, aren't you very fussy?" He smirked, wrapping an arm around her waist and stroked her cheek with the other. "Try to relax, darling. You're going to be with me from now on."
"Argh! I can't believe you'd stoop this low just to kidnap me!" She shouted, jerking her head away. "You tricked the residents to throw me off! You could have killed me!"
"Now, why would I want to kill my bride? Would seem pointless to do." He sneered. "Besides, now that you're safe with me, I can finish my masterplan."
"It won't work! And I'll never marry you!" Audrey shouted. "I am a married woman!"
"Yeah, like I care." The Devil simply replied. "Perhaps, I should get rid of that pest and have you all for myself."
He then pressed a few buttons on his control panel and grinned lustfully at Audrey. She did not like the look of that.
Back on the surface, the boys felt an enormous shake and saw the lava bubbling. Freaking out, they rushed down the volcano and heard an explosion, followed by lava flowing towards them.
"Yo, Cuphead, got any ideas?" Mugman asked in a panic.
"Yeah! Run for your lives!" Cuphead replied.
"Great plan!" Josh mentioned, adjusting Audrey's bag on his shoulder.
With that, the three ran at great speed from the lava. It was amazing how well they ran from it, despite them not having background in running or track, unlike Audrey who did run track, and kept a good distance.
However, while they had a good run, the lava was getting closer.
"Bad news, dudes! It's getting a bit hot over here!" Mugman called.
They rushed down a rocky path and as they saw the lava come from another side, Cuphead tripped and rolled while the others ran after him.
"Whoa!" Cuphead cried.
Just then, he rolled to several stone rocks and strangely, a palm tree. When Cuphead tumbled there, he leaped up and grabbed a hold of one of the leaves of the tree. Suddenly, it pulled down and the stones revealed a small entrance to a secret cave.
"Hey! Guys! Over here!" He called, waving to them. Letting go of the branch, the three guys rushed into the cave, barely missing the lava flowing.
They gasped and panted, relieved to be safe.
"Whew. That was way too close." Mugman sighed.
"You're telling me! He really wants us dead." Cuphead gasped. "I did not think he'd go this far."
"Well, the good news is we're all safe." Josh mentioned. "But where does this lead to?"
They looked and saw a pathway that stretched far into the dark. Drawing flashlights, Josh and the cups strode down the passageway. After a bit, they saw a light head that got brighter and brighter the closer they got to it. They then came to a large area and saw a huge pipe leading upwards. They must have been in the volcano because it was very hot where they were at and could hear lava flowing through the pipe.
"Sheesh, this is one huge tube." Cuphead gasped.
"Yeah, but what's it doing inside this volcano?" Mugman wondered.
"I have a funny feeling that the Devil used this, to make lava flow as much as he wanted." Josh replied.
"I ain't no expert on lava works, but in order to control it, ya need to have some kind of machine or something." Cuphead stated. "Unless he's really good at handling lava himself."
"Yeah, I'm going with that first thought." Josh claimed. "Come on, the path continues that way. Let's find out for ourselves."
The cups nodded and headed down the path. Meanwhile, The Devil was busy making some final modifications to his machine, while Audrey was sitting on a comfy chair near the machine. A few imps were keeping an eye on her, which made it hard for her to escape or come up with a plan.
"Argh! Stupid Devil for kidnapping me! There's got to be a way out of here!" Audrey thought. "I can't do this alone and I don't know where Josh and the boys are…"
Just then she heard a grunt and it sounded close. She turned and she was surprised to see Grim Matchstick. She remembered seeing the boys fight him in the story while she got a view from the tower.
She saw there were some differences with this one. While he was still the same dragon, he had three heads instead of one. Everything else was pretty much the same. She did, however, see that he was very sad, as a chain was connected around his neck and was near the machine.
"Oh you poor thing. He's forcing you to make it hot, isn't he?" Audrey asked, turning to him a bit.
He grunted and nodded sadly. He then nudged his head over to a cage holding a large yellow egg with dark orange spots. It took Audrey a second to realize its importance.
"Ohhh, I see. He took your egg and because it has little ones inside, he threatened to hurt them if you didn't power up his machine, right?" she calmly asked.
He sadly nodded and hung his head in defeat. Audrey felt her heart tug. She knew if she had children of her own, she would do anything to protect them. He wasn't evil, just being a defensive dad.
Still, as much as it hurted her, she didn't want to sit on the sidelines. She had to do something. Surrendering and agreeing to marry the Devil wasn't an idea she wanted to play out. She needed to get the egg away from him so he could be distracted.
While she thought of a plan, suddenly out of the corner of her eye, she saw Josh and the boys near a secret entrance. Thankfully, the imps that were watching her left to collect new instructions from their master.
Seeing as an opportunity, she moved herself over a bit until the boys saw her. She gave the signal to be quiet and nudged her head to the egg. They were lost at first, but then Mugman pointed out Grim.
"He must be the one making the lava and explosions." He whispered. "And seeing that egg, it could be the reason why."
"I agree. We need to get that and Audrey away from The Devil." Josh whispered. "Once we do, we can free Grim and stop the machine."
Cuphead pondered over a bit and then came up with a plan, as his straw shot up and a little bulb appeared over his head, giving a 'ding!' sound.
"Saaaayyy, I have an idea. Mugsy and I can grab the egg and send him on a wild goose chase." Cuphead smiled. "While he's busy, you go in and rescue Audrey and that dragon."
"You think he won't bite us?" Mugman asked. "I know he's held against his will, but he's still a dragon and can breathe fire on us."
"I hear ya, Mugsy, but judging by his situation, he's more ticked off at the Devil than he would be with us." Josh mentioned. "Ok, let's go with this idea, but we should act fast. Something tells me he's got another plan cooked up."
The cups nodded and then carefully moved in the Devil's hideout. As they sneaked to the cage, they heard him and Henchman talk.
"Gee, boss, now that you have Miss Audrey, what are you planning to do now?" Henchman asked.
"Simple, I'm going to teleport her back to the underworld, where she'll be safe and sound." He sneered. "Once she's home with me, I'll set the lava machine and give the residence a nice lava bath. I'll bury the isle head to toe in lava and the souls of those fools will be mine!"
"D'uh wow, boss. You really thought about this." Henchman smiled.
"Indeed I have. Once the isle is taken care of, I can plan my wedding with my sweet, darling Audrey and she will be my queen!"
While he cackled, The Cups managed to get to the cage. They tried opening the door but it was locked. Not wanting to waste time picking the lock, they took one end of the cage and carefully made their way to the exit. However, they weren't close when Mugman felt a sneeze. He tried to ignore it, but it overpowered him and he sneezed.
"ACHOO!"
The Devil and Henchman looked and saw what they were up to.
"Hey! That's mine! Give it back!" The Devil shouted.
"It ain't yours! If ya want it, ya gotta catch us first!" Cuphead taunted, sticking his tongue out.
With that, he and his brother scurried off, laughing their heads off. The Devil was not happy. I mean, it makes sense. I would be angry if someone took my stuff.
Turning to his imps, he barked. "Don't just stand there, you pathetic dunderheads! GET THEM!"
His imps saluted and scampered after them. While they were chasing the boys, Josh quickly slipped in and rushed over to Audrey. He gave her a hug and kiss.
"You ok? I was really scared when they threw you off." He reminded her.
"Yeah, I'm good, but we need to find a way to stop that machine." Audrey informed him, as Josh untied her. "We need to set Grim free and stop the Devil from flowing Inkwell with lava!"
"You got it. Also, the dragon's name is Grim? That's cool, I didn't know about that. What was he in the storybook?"
"Oh, another debtor the boys fought." She explained. "He's kinda like those dragons you read about in fairytales, but he is such a sweetheart."
She petted his cheek, which caused him to blush. The couple started to unchain Grim, when the Devil took notice.
"You! Argh, you annoying pest! Get back from my bride!" He growled.
Josh held Audrey back from him. "She's not your bride! She's my wife! And I won't let you have her or destroy Inkwell!"
"We'll see about that!" The Devil snapped.
He grabbed his pitchfork, aimed at Josh and fired an energy blast. Josh shoved Audrey out of the way, but had no time to react, as he was hit in the chest, flung back and slammed into the wall behind him.
"JOSH!" Audrey screamed. She rushed over to help him, but the Devil grabbed and pulled her back, making her pin to his chest.
"Ah ah ah my lovely. You're not going anywhere." He sneered, as he used his magic to retie her wrists and ankles.
"Let me go! Get your hands off me!" She shouted, squirming in his grip. He had her bridal style and nuzzled his face on her cheek.
"Awww I couldn't possibly do that." The Devil cooed. "I love holding you close in my arms. I'm sure you'll learn to love me, when you become my wife and queen."
"I'll never be yours! You can't make me!" Audrey protested.
The Devil ignored her and pressed his face on the crook of her neck and deeply inhaled the scent of her perfume. That made her really tense and tried to move her head away from him.
During that time, Grim saw what was happening and he did not like it! With all his might, he began to tug hard at the chain. At first, nothing was happening, but seeing Audrey in danger really got him motivated. He pulled and tugged so hard it began to come loose. Then, just as the boys rushed in with the cage, Grim yanked back and freed himself, letting out a thunderous roar.
That started the group, including the Devil.
"What?! No!" He shouted.
Grim then looked over at the machine and using his three heads, cause three are better than two, breathed fire, causing the machine to overheat.
"NO! NO! DON'T DO THAT!" The Devil cried as he rushed over. "YOU'LL CAUSE IT TO EXPLODE!"
Josh got up, rubbed his head and saw the Devil holding Audie in his grip. Annoyed, he ran over, and smacked the sketchbook over his head, making him shout in pain and dropped Audrey. He quickly helped her up and untied her once more.
Just then, the machine began to overload, and steam, causing the place to shake and before anyone could react-
*KABOOM!*
The machine exploded, causing lava and fire to burst all over.
Now, people were in a full-on panic, which is normal,and ran out as fast as their legs could carry them. The Devil and Henchman, who were running behind them, were nearly avoiding Grim's flames, as they jumped and yelped in pain.
While it was funny to watch, trust me I'm laughing at this, the lava was getting closer to them.
"Oh jeez! It's getting hot in here!" Cuphead cried, while he and his brother carried the cage.
"Isn't there anything we can do to get to safety?!" Mugman cried.
While running, Audrey remembered the end of that Super Mario Bros. episode. Bowser had made a fireproof lava boat to get him and Princess Peach to safety, but thankfully, the Mario Bros. stopped Bowser, saved the Princess and rode the boat to safety.
Thinking quickly, Audrey, after taking her sketchbook, drew a similar lifeboat, with the ability to keep them safe, and shouted. "Guys! Hop in!"
They did and when the lava flowed by, they were secured and unharmed.
"Whoa! So cool!" Mugman beamed.
"Yep, you get a lot from watching Mario cartoons during slow days." Audrey smiled.
"What made you go back to watching it?" Josh asked. "Not saying it's bad, love that show, but just curious."
"Oh, it was after Lexie told me how you guys escape from the casino." She smiled. "I thought it'd be fun to look back on the show I grew up with."
Josh nodded and heard the Devil scream in pain, as Grim blew more fire at his butt.
"Jeez, he screams like a girl." Josh giggled.
"ARGH! THAT'S IT! I'M OUT!" The Devil shouted. He quickly tapped his pitchfork, teleporting him and Henchman out of the area.
That didn't bother the group much, since his plans were already ruined and the machine was practically destroyed. What did bother them was the blocked path ahead.
"Oh no! The tunnel ends!" Audrey cried.
They got closer and closer, fearing they would crash into it. Then, Grim took a deep breath and blew a huge fireball at the wall, making a huge hole and allowing them to slide down with the lava and out of the volcano.
"Whooo! This is awesome!" Cupehad cheered. "Way cooler than the waterslide!"
"I can't look!" Mugman whimpered, covering his eyes.
Thankfully, the group landed harmlessly and the lava flowed carefully to the side. As they came to a halt, the residents cheered for them on both sides.
"Open your eyes, bro!" Cuphead smiled. "We made it!"
"Whew, close one." Mugman sighed.
After getting off the boat, and freeing Grim's egg, the group told everyone what really happened and how the Devil was the one pulling the strings behind this whole thing. They felt really bad and each apologized to them.
"We're so sorry, guys." One claimed. "About this whole thing. How could we be so stupid?"
"It's alright. He got the best of you guys and used that to his advantage." Audrey calmly replied. "We're glad we were able to stop him and save Inkwell."
Then, Grim gently stroked his egg with his talon and suddenly it began to move, cracking a bit. They all looked as it moved and cracked more until it opened up to reveal a three-headed baby dragon.
"Awwwww!" They all sighed with delight.
"It's a baby dragon!" Mugman beamed. "Oh, that does make sense on why the Devil had him do that."
"Hey, parents would help their kids when they need it." Josh shrugged. "I know my folks have helped me a lot growing up. Even when I thought I was really in a jam."
"Well, we're glad you're all ok and we promise to be more careful in the future." Another person claimed.
Everyone nodded in agreement and Audrey smiled.
"Glad to hear it. Since we found out what happened, we should head back. I could go for some ice cream to beat the heat."
They all accepted it and headed back to the boats. The heroes waved goodbye to Grim and the baby, and followed the residents.
While it wasn't the way they hoped to finish the day, they were happy to know it was over and could rest easy for the evening.
"I also think we made a new friend." Audrey smiled, as she looked back at Grim. "And hopefully a new alley."
As they headed back for home, elsewhere, the Devil was back in the underworld throne room, being tended to his wounds.
"Oooowwww. That did not go as planned…" He groaned, as Henchman placed an ice pack on his head. "I had her right there."
"D'uh don't worry, boss." Henchman assured him. "You'll get her next time, I know you will."
"I hope so." He muttered, as he slumped back on his throne.
He was mad that his plan was a failure, no doubt, but what ticked him off more was Josh taking away Audrey. He gripped tightly at the arms of the throne and knew he had to do something to get rid of him to get his bride.
He wasn't going to give up and was willing to do anything to get her.
Whew! That was crazy! Good thing that the egg is safe and the heroes rescued Audrey. But the Devil is not willing to back down anytime soon. Let's hope Josh and co. can keep her far away as possible from him!
Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to leave a review, but let's avoid the flames please :D