Hello my lovely readers! We are back with a new chapter!
This one was super fun to work with, and this is one of my favorite episodes! I hope you enjoy as much as I did!
I should let you know I will be going out of town at the end of the month, so I'll see if I can get some in before I go. Thought I give ya a heads up.
Also, you may have seen the title have "Season one" at the end of it. I will keep making stories, but I will have the seasons in a separate group. It'll cause less confusion on which season we're on.
Now, let's continue our story...
Season 1, episode 8; Playing with Loaded Dice.
It was after a nice warm dinner and Audrey was in the guest room brushing her hair. She had a good day at work, especially getting praise from her boss about the format of an article she worked on.
While it wasn't the New York Times, it was still a good paying job and the other employees were super nice, even if they were busy as well, bees.
"I just hope the others won't look at me oddly." Audrey sighed. "I know I'm the only human working there, but I don't wanna draw attention to myself."
Just then, she heard the door open and Josh stepped in, looking out of breath.
"Whoa, easy, Josh. You ran a marathon today?" Audrey asked.
"No, not really." Josh gasped. "But I got some news. What are your plans tonight?"
"Erm, nothing comes to mind, just hoping to chill this evening." Audrey replied. "Why?"
"Ok, background first; I'm heading home and this random dude comes up to me and is all 'you got plans tonight?' and I was all 'whoa, I'm married' but he then told me he got these tickets to this popular game show." Josh explained. "He got these tickets months ago, but forgot he was doing something with his pals today, and couldn't return them. So, he gave them to me."
"Really? A complete stranger gave you tickets for a gameshow tonight?" Audrey asked. "Kinda sounds strange if you ask me."
"There wasn't anything sketchy about him and he sounded genuine too." Josh mentioned. "Plus, everyone talks non-stop about this show. It's super popular."
"What's the show called?" Audie asked.
"Lemme see…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the two tickets. "Oh it's called Roll the Dice."
He then hands Audrey the tickets and sure enough, it was written in big red letters "Roll the Dice." Around the title, there were die blocks around, music notes, and a background of Inkwell city.
"Wow, this really is something." She finally replied. "So, there's a show tonight?"
"Yeah, it starts in an hour." Josh informed her. "We should probably go before the line gets too long."
"Good call. Think the boys will be ok while we're gone?"
"They're playing with Elder Kettle's lucky tire outside. I think they'll be ok with being entertained." Josh replied.
Audrey nodded, set down her brush and followed Josh outside.
As they walked out of the cottage, sure enough, Cuphead and Mugman were playing with Elder Kettle's lucky tire, chasing it and giggling with delight. Audrey had to smile. It was cute when the boys played like that, not being at each other's throats or anything. While she wanted them to come, she needed some time with Josh, since she sees the kids every day.
Plus, a game show that's super popular? What could happen?
After a bit, the two of them arrived at one of the large buildings in the city, walking inside and finding a large stage and studio audience. There were several rows of comfy chairs, with a long pathway of light green stairs aligned with small lights. There were two balconies, one on each side, draped with purple curtains.
There were stage lights pointing at the stage with green flooring, a long green light that was titled "On The Air" in the center, several dice and other objects to the side and a blue curtain with diamonds scattered all over. There was a band of anthropomorphic cards with different jazz instruments, and a microphone in the center of the stage.
The place was bustling with people and objects, chatting and laughing with one another. The two made their way and found their seats in the middle of the audience. They looked around in awe.
"Wow, gotta admit, this place is seriously cool." Josh announced. "Feels weird being here."
"I know the feeling. Reminds me of the different game shows on T.V. back home." Audrey smiled. "Think it's really cool."
Just then, the chatter died down as the lights on the stage came on, the "On the air" sign lit up and there was a low drumroll.
"Live from beautiful Inkwell City...it's everyone's favorite game show, Roll the Dice!" The announcer boomed out. Audrey felt her heart race with excitement. She couldn't wait for the game to start.
"Featuring your master of ceremonies…King Dice!"
"Wait, King Dice?" The couple gasped, as the band began to play and the audience began to applaud and cheer.
Sure enough, coming on stage was none other than King Dice himself. He then began to sing and dance on the stage.
Dice: Heedle, heedle, heedle, heedle.
*He walked to the stage with confidence, showing off to the audience the amazing dance moves he's got. (yeah right)
Dice: Scooba-doo-doo be-doo-zay-ah,
*He spun several times in place, looking like a screw and very similar to how King Dice in the book would teleport after the trio allowed him to pass when they showed him the contracts. Kinda like a troll under the bridge situation.
Dice: Whoa, whoa!
*He concluded his little show and dance with outstretched arms, as the audience, minus Josh and Audrey of course, continued to clap and cheer for him.
"Ok, if I'm being completely honest, I had no idea he of all people would be here." Josh remarked. "It's bad enough we had to deal with him in the book."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Audrey grumbled, as she slumped down in her seat. She began having flashbacks of him, regarding her many unintentional encounters with him on her journey as a scribbler.
She remembered how much he bothered her, making her feel really uncomfortable when he held her close to him, not to mention when he had her in his grip when she was no bigger than a thumb, and hated it when he referred to her as 'dollface'.
To make matters worse, when she went back to Inkwell to help the boys and Chalice, she found out that he decided to hit on her good friend, Lexie Luthor. He went as far to almost kiss her when he took her dancing in his employer's ballroom.
Least to say, he had bad news written all over him.
As she glared at Dice, she couldn't help but notice some differences to him from his book self. Sure, he was the same sleazy blockhead with no social life whatsoever, but she saw a few small changes to him.
The buttons on his waistcoat were black, his bowtie was fuchsia purple, not to mention a bit smaller than the other one, the collar of his tailcoat was in a darker shade of purple, his eyelids were silver, and his shoes had a different design.
"Doesn't matter what Cuphead world I'm in." Audrey muttered. "He's still the same good for nothing lackey I knew and wished I didn't. And I am sooo glad Lexie isn't here to see him again."
Just then, Dice's voice interrupted her thoughts, calling out in loud, confident voice
"Alright! Let's jump right in! Who will be the first lucky contestant to Roll the Dice? Will it be…?"
Just then, the spotlight moved from him to the audience, as people waited with anticipation to see if they would be the lucky one. Audrey slumped down further in her seat, praying it did not land on her.
Thankfully, it didn't land on her, but an anthropomorphic telephone, the same one that she saw at the carnival.
"You!" Dice exclaimed.
"Yay!" He cheered, as he hopped out of his seat and made his way to the stage.
"It's your lucky day, sir! Get on up here and Roll the Dice." Dice beamed, as the telephone hopped on stage. He attempted to hug Dice, but he calmly held him back with one finger, making the telephone stop in place.
"Don't touch. Now, all you gotta do is make it through three rounds, then you get to enter the mystery prize room." He claimed, as he gestured to the curtain that opened up, revealing a billboard of himself, no surprise there, pointing to a brown door with many question marks around it.
"First up, Name That Tune!" Dice called. He began to conduct the band and they began to play a jazzy tune, while the telephone pondered the song.
"Ah! Little Brown Jug!" He finally replied.
"Correct!" Dice beamed, as a little 'ding' went off as the audience applauded.
"Huh, surprised he didn't do Minnie the Moocher." Josh chuckled as he applauded. "Even I knew that one."
"No doubt about that." Audrey smiled.
"Alright, now, on to the trivia round!" Dice announced. "Which is the only mammal that cannot jump?" He then moved the microphone towards the telephone to give him the answer.
"Hmm... The elephant." He claimed.
There was another 'ding' followed by Dice claiming "Correct!"
As the audience applauded, some characters were jumping near some elderly elephants who glared at them.
"Show-offs." The elephant growled.
Once the crowd died down, Dice announced
"Now, for the final game. All you gotta do is Roll the Dice!" Audrey then saw an anthropomorphic diamond card, who brought in a pedestal with two large dice attached to a metal rod to the center of the stage.
"Roll any number and you'll go to the mystery prize room." Dice instructed the telephone. He nodded and hopped onto the pedestal. He then rolled the dice as the drumrolled, waiting with anticipation…until it landed on two sixes.
"We have a winner! You are one lucky phone!" Dice announced, as the audience cheered and applauded. "Now, off you go to the mystery prize room!" He then led him to the prize room and let him in, closing the door.
He gave a wink at the audience, proclaiming "We'll be right back."
As Dice went backstage to freshen up, the audience had a chance to chat with one another.
"Wow, that was really something." Josh mentioned. "For a guy who's super sleazy, he knows how to put on a show."
"Yeah, but I still don't trust him." Audrey replied. "I know this is all different and all, but I still have a bad feeling."
"Makes sense. Do you want to leave and get ice cream instead?" Josh suggested.
"No, I feel bad for leaving, especially with the tickets you got." Audrey sighed. "I know he's evil and all, but I don't want to make a scene. Plus from the looks of things, it seems pretty harmless. A bit easy, but harmless."
"Understandable. And he's not the manager of a casino, but a gameshow host." Josh nodded. "How about this; we stay a few more rounds, and if you start to get bored, or things go south, we'll head out and get ice cream."
"Sounds good." Audrey smiled. There was a pause before she claimed "You just want to get the brownie batter, don't you?"
"I'm sorry, it's so good!" Josh groaned. Audrey started to giggle. She then wondered what the mystery prize room had. It could be fancy appliances, or expensive house tools. She didn't think that he would give them money, knowing how stingy he could be, but winning a new blender would be cool.
However, that was not the case.
With the telephone, he turned around, hoping to see his prize, but didn't see anything prize worthy.
"Hello?" He quietly called, a bit confused. The only things he saw were an old stove, an old mop and bucket, old cans and crumpled papers.
Just then, the lights flickered on the old stove and it opened, revealing a fiery furnace. From the furnace, a plastic long pipe appeared and began to suck on the Telephone.
"Uh-oh." He gulped.
He tried to get out, but was locked inside and felt the air pull on him hard. It didn't pull him in, but his soul, leaving him lifeless and colorless as before.
Once the pipe vanished and the opening closed, the telephone fell through a trapped door and landed outside on an old mattress, greeted by a huge sign with Dice's smug face on it reading "Thanks for Playing."
Turns out, that was the prize for playing; the loss of a soul and the gaining of defeat.
Meanwhile, while the show was still on break, Dice retreated back to his dressing room backstage and began freshening up for the next round. The dressing room consisted of a typical backstage room with a big illuminated mirror and a few pieces of furniture, namely a small table with a flower vase. There were several photos of Dice in and out of the room, of him being on stage.
Ok, ego much? He's pretty much in love with himself.
The anthropomorphic cards that were in there helped Dice prepare for the next part of the show. One added purple highlights to his spots on his head, another ironed out his coat and the other straight out his mustache. As they put the final touches, Dice snapped his fingers and shooed them away.
Once he was alone, he turned to his reflection in the mirror in front of him.
"Who's the host with the most, hmm?" He asked slyly to his reflection.
"You are, you handsome devil." The reflection replied, winking at him and blowing him a kiss.
Again, cartoon logic.
"Oh! You're terrible!" Dice blushed.
Ok, he reeeally needs to get out more.
Before he could say anything else, he saw a small light in the room blink, indicating that the break was almost over. He headed out of his dressing room and heard the announcer call out "Now, we return to your favorite radio game show, Roll the Dice!"
As he walked backstage, he passed two wanted posters that were taped to the wall. One of them was of Cuphead and the other was of Audrey. Cuphead looked excited in the picture, while Audrey had a sweet smile on her face.
Both were wanted by the Devil. For different purposes.
The audience clapped again as they saw Dice confidently approach the microphone. Audrey groaned, she hated seeing his ugly face, game show host or not.
"And we are back folks! Who will be our next lucky contestant?" As the spotlight began moving around, suddenly, the doors swung open and Cuphead and Mugman raced in, chasing Elder Kettle's tire.
"What the?" Josh looked as he saw them.
"Well, guess their tire gave them a run for their money." Audrey shrugged. She knew the boys wouldn't interrupt their date night, but seeing them here caused some concerns.
Just then, as the boys rushed near the stage, the spotlight landed on Cuphead, who stopped dead in his tracks.
"You! You're the next contestant on Roll the Dice!" Dice announced, as Cuppy's eyes grew huge with excitement and began to squeal with delight.
So much so, he rushed on stage and literally hugged Dice's leg. He gave a sheepish smile as he tried to shake Cuphead off him. Seeing he wasn't letting go, he decided to try something else.
"Welcome to the show! Now, let go of my leg and tell us a little bit about yourself." Dice smiled. Cuphead did so, which left his pants leg a bit wrinkled. Dice smoothed it out, and Cuphead took the mic from him.
"My name is Cuphead! I like roller coasters, and hot dogs, and tilt-a-whirl, and hot dogs, and flying swings and hot dogs, and throwing up on roller coasters in that order!" He replied rapidly.
"He said 'hot dogs' three times." Josh claimed.
"Apparently, he really likes hot dogs." Audrey replied with a shrug, as Mugman took his seat next to her and Dice slipped the mic back into his hand.
"What a lovely introduction. I-" Dice started, but Cuphead snagged the microphone from him once more.
"Wow! I can't believe I'm standing next to the King Dice!" Cuphead gasped, as Dice gave a smirk. Of course anyone would be thrilled to meet him in person. "You're waaay shorter in person!"
That made the audience laugh, and the young couple did everything they could from laughing so hard.
"Oh man, I wish I would have told Dice that sooo long ago." Josh chuckled. "I know he was taller than me, but I thought that would be cool."
"No argument there." Audrey giggled.
Dice gave a sheepish chuckle, as he took the mic again claiming. "Heh, heh right. So-"
"Wait. Everyone in town can hear this, right?" Cuphead asked. Audrey rolled her eyes. He probably was going to say something stupid like "Hi, Elder Kettle!" or something.
"That's right. First-" Dice started again, but Cuphead grabbed the mic and blew a raspberry before growling
"That's for you, Jimmy! And you know what for."
"Ok, I'm scared to know who Jimmy is and what happened." Josh mentioned. "Please tell me Cuphead didn't get into a fight with him."
"He's not likely to, but something tells me one of them did something stupid." Audrey shrugged. "And I have an idea who started it."
Cuphead slipped the mic back in his hands and replied "So, Dice, you're an entertainer, right? I'm kind of entertained too. I got a joke for you. These two cannibals are eating a clown, and, uh... wait, how did it go? Uh... wait. Uhhhhhhhhhhh…"
Audrey sighed. Of course, he would forget the punchline and was lost on how the joke actually went. For Dice, he was clearly annoyed at the boy, but looking closer at him, a thought came to him. He looked back at the wanted poster, then at him, at the poster and at him again.
Then, it clicked.
"Wait, this is gotta be the same kid the boss wants!" Dice thought. "He said he also wanted a lovely lady but where…"
He scanned the audience until he saw Audrey, giggling at Josh who was doing funny moves with his hat before placing it on her head.
A terrible grin came on his face. He had them right where he wanted, and was about to make a special delivery.
Quickly taking the mic again, he announced "Now, a quick word from our sponsor. We'll be right back."
Dice quickly slipped off stage and left Cuphead by himself, waving giddily to the audience. As the people chatted once more, Josh arched an eyebrow in confusion.
"Wait, didn't we just take a break? Why are we going to commercial again?"
"I dunno. I know Cuphead can be a handful, but he couldn't have been that worn out." Audrey mentioned. "Something's up."
"Yeah, and I'm gonna find out." Josh began to get out of his seat and moved to the aisle. Just then, Audrey's book glowed again and turning to a blank page, she saw words writing.
Game shows can be fun
Some with no strings attached.
Be wary about the host.
People have met their match
As Josh was about to make his way down the stairs, Audrey called out "Wait, Josh! You need to be careful! I know this isn't Dice from before, but he's still got some tricks up his sleeve!"
"Don't worry, I won't be long." Josh assured her. As he made it to the stage, he saw that everyone, including Cuphead, was pretty distracted, giving him a chance to slip backstage.
As he quietly walked, he ducked behind a large stacks of boxes and saw Dice rush up to a telephone on the wall. He also saw the wanted posters of Audrey and Cuphead, which made him nervous.
"Oh no. He's got a bounty on Audrey and Cuphead." He muttered. "Not what I wanted to see on date night…"
Dice picked up the phone and instructed to the person listening on the other end
"Get me the boss."
Meanwhile, in the underworld, the Devil was enjoying a nice, warm bubble bath, with a rubber ducky included, as Bash finished giving him a neck rub and Shriek fanned him with a large paper fan. The king had cucumber slices on his eyes, dreaming blissfully, as he listened to smooth jazz on the radio that was nearby.
However, his time of relaxation was interrupted by Henchman, who was holding a telephone, informing him
"Uh, hey, boss. Phone call."
The Devil frowned as he groaned. "Urgh. This better be important…" He took the phone from Henchman and put it to his ear, wondering who could be calling at a time like this.
Now, for situations like this, there's usually a line that shows both parties speaking to one another, even in completely different rooms or areas. Josh did see that, but thankfully, neither the Devil nor Dice saw him. He decided to listen in on the conversation.
"It's your number one calling." King Dice confidently replied, looking at his gloved hand.
"...Who?" The Devil asked after a second, which made Dice perplexed. That caused Josh to giggle.
Ok, that was one of the best moments, him not knowing his own employees.
Collecting himself, Dice replied "Erm, King Dice? Your number one? You know the one you hired for the show…?"
That made sense to the Devil. "Dice, you know I'm very busy. What do you want?" He asked, annoyed.
Oh yeah, being in a bathtub, playing with your rubber ducky. Yeah, that can be time consuming. *Eye roll*
"I just captured two people you might be interested in." Dice cooly replied, putting this free hand in his pocket. "A beautiful lady from another world and a certain... cup?"
That got his attention.
Sitting up really fast, while making the cucumbers fall off his face, he gasped.
"You actually have them?!"
Bash and Shriek were surprised by this. They stopped what they were doing and listened in.
"You know it, boss." Dice replied. "All you have to do is just sit back, relax, and I'll deliver that gorgeous woman and that boy's soul directly to you."
"This is why you're my number one." The Devil gleefully replied. Then he asked
"Is my bride on stage with the cup?"
Just then, they heard Henchman call out "Head!"
"Thank you, Henchman." The Devil groaned, annoyed.
"Not yet, but I have a way for her to come on." Dice replied. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind playing along as well."
"Good to hear. Oh, and number one? A few things."
"Yes?" Dice asked proudly.
"First, when bringing my bride here, do not, under any circumstances, harm her in any way." The Devil informed him. "She needs to be in absolute perfect condition when she comes, and then we can plan the wedding."
"Oh, of course, boss." Dice replied. "I wouldn't dream of doing that. She is rather lovely."
Josh rolled his eyes. Great, now he had a crush on her.
"And one final thing." The Devil remarked. "I hate disappointment."
With that, while making Dice nervous in the process, he simply hung up, gave the phone to Henchman, and placed his hands behind his head, leaning back with satisfaction.
"Ahhh…soon, my lovely Audrey, you'll be allll mine." He sighed happily.
Back with Josh, he saw Dice hang up the phone and took a deep breath.
"Ok, just gotta get them to the boss. No pressure, you've been doing this since you got hired. How hard can it be?"
Seeing there was no time to waste, Josh scrambled from his hiding place and rushed back to the audience…when he bumped into one of the cards, who was carrying some powdered makeup.
"Oof! Sorry-!" Josh, started, but then heard Dice come from behind and claim
"Well, lookee here! Looks like we got a fan with us. Though while it's flattering, I'm afraid backstage is for employees only."
"Erm, right, sorry." Josh muttered as he dusted the powder off his shirt. "I guess I got a little confused about where I was in the studio."
"No problem. It can get puzzling in my studio, but the audience is just out that way." Dice claimed, pointing to the curtain.
"Right, thanks." Josh smiled. He started heading out, trying to keep a cool face. He needed to go warn Audrey and Cuphead about what he heard and how they were in grave danger if they didn't leave.
"Ok, keep it cool. Just get out and warn them…" Josh thought.
Just then, he heard Dice ask "Though before you go, would you like a quick tour of the place? I know I need to get back soon, but I can spare a minute or so showing ya around."
"While that's nice of you to offer, I need to get back." Josh mentioned. "My wife is waiting for me so I should go…"
Josh was about to leave, when Dice snapped his fingers, making more cards appear and blocking his path.
"Oh no, please. I insist on giving you a tour." He sneered. "Hate for you to miss out."
Josh had little time to react because the cards grabbed him, pinning his wrists behind his back. He struggled and grunted, trying to break free, but to no avail.
"Ya know, the boss did mention to me how annoying you are." Dice continued, as he sauntered towards him. "He was pretty mad you took his bride away from him."
"That's because she's not his bride! She's my wife!" Josh snapped. "She has no interest in him whatsoever, especially with all the danger he's put her through!"
Dice chuckled. "He's just trying to get his point across."
"What point?" Josh growled.
"The point being you'll never measure up to being with her." Dice taunted. "She needs to be with someone who's powerful, wealthy, handsome and can bring people to their knees. You can't reach that."
"I could care less about money and all, but she chose me because I love her for her." Josh argued. "And I overheard your stupid phone call. You won't get Cuphead's soul or my wife."
"See, that's where you're wrong." Dice remarked. "This game is stupid easy, and people have a better shot at winning. Even an idiot can suceeed without any issues. Getting them to win won't be difficult."
Turning to his cards, he ordered "Take this boy and lock him in my dressing room. Make sure he doesn't leave until after the show is over. I won't have him interfere with the boss's special delivery."
They nodded, bound Josh's wrists, shoved a gag over his mouth and dragged him to Dice's dressing room. Josh saw Dice tauntingly wave goodbye before he was out of sight. Once Josh was gone, Dice chuckled and rubbed his hands together.
"Ohh, this is too easy! I have them right in the palm of my hand. I'm sure the boss will praise me for my work and if I'm lucky, which I know I am, I might land a spot on being the boss's best man at his wedding. Now, to get dollface onstage."
As he confidently returned to the stage, people applauded while Cuphead was still waving. Dice took a quick spin before announcing
"And we're back! Now, before we begin, I would like to have a volunteer come up and help our little contestant as a wild card. Who would like to help out?"
Almost immediately, everyone's hands shot up, waving around like crazy shouting "Oh! Oh! Me! Pick me!"
Now, the only people who did not raise their hands were Audrey and Mugman. She had reasons not to but Mugman was a different story.
"How come you didn't raise your hand?" Audrey asked.
"Erm, I-I get stage fright." Mugman mumbled, as he slumped down a bit in his seat. "When I'm on stage, I practically freeze up."
"Ahh that makes sense." Audrey nodded, rubbing his back. "To be honest, I get a bit nervous with being in front of people. I was nervous during my wedding, but I felt better when I kept my eyes on Josh."
Mugman nodded and suddenly, the spotlight fell right on Audrey. She was shocked and everyone turned to see her, while Mugman slumped further in his seat.
"You! You can come on stage!" Dice announced, looking directly at Audrey.
She began to panic. She didn't like the idea of being onstage, especially with Dice. She wanted to be as far away as possible from him.
"Erm, I-I think I'll pass, but thanks for the offer." She sheepishly replied.
"Oh come on, maybe you need a little motivation." Dice claimed. People then began clapping and cheering for her, encouraging her to get on the stage.
She tried to ignore the peer pressure, which was hard for her to do when she was in college during fun events, and saw that Mugman looked like he was on the verge of having a panic attack.
Swallowing her pride, she then got up and headed to the stage. As she walked on stage, Dice approached her with that stupid grin on his face. Next to the Devil's seductive grin, she absolutely hated his. Made her wonder if he was planning something that she didn't know about.
"Welcome to the show, miss! How about you give the audience a little introduction of yourself?" He grinned, handing her the mic.
Audrey narrowed her eyes at him, especially since she was getting major PTSD from the last time she encountered him. While he wasn't the same one from the book, as you folks will see soon enough, he was still the same sleazy, cheatin' second in command to the Devil.
Not wanting to cause a scene, she gave a simple smile and took the mic.
"Sure, be happy to." She replied. "Uh, hi, my name is Audrey. I am a human, as you can see. I am happily married, I enjoy reading, writing, spending time outside, playing the cello, singing and baking."
"How sweet. Though, hearing you sing, maybe you and I could do a duet together." Dice leered.
The audience, not thinking it was anything bad, oohed and giggled. She pursed her lips together, trying hard not to lash out at him.
Then, an idea popped in her head. She then smirked at him and announced confidently
"While I think that sounds like a great idea, I get busy, especially working at the Honeycomb Herald. I am a reporter there and I was editor in chief where I'm from. I get to hear and read all the amazing stories that happen. There was one story I heard that really stuck out."
"Oh? Do tell." Dice claimed.
"Well, back home, I reviewed this one game show host, someone like you." Audrey explained. "He had everything; wealth, fame, power, the love and devotion from an audience. He was on top of the world."
Dice smiled. Of course, he was impressed that someone like him was famous. Audrey decided to take a turn on the story.
"However, one night, without warning, someone came up from behind him and stabbed him in the back!" Audrey exclaimed, making the audience gasp in fright. "He was stabbed with a knife, there was so much blood, in front of a live audience."
Her voice began to become mysterious and spooky, making Dice a bit nervous.
"Is-is that so?" Dice asked, a bit scared.
"To this day, no one has found out who it was. Some may think it's a cute girl with strawberry blonde hair, along with her handsome husband."
Then in a normal voice she claimed "But that's just me. The case is still open. Not a lot of leads."
"That's uh, great. Great to hear." Dice muttered, tugging at his shirt collar and gulping. Taking the mic, he announced more confidently. "Now, for this round you will be Cuphead's wild card. All you have to do is help him whenever he needs assistance. Sounds good?"
Audrey nodded and stepped a bit to the side. Since they wouldn't be needing her for a while, she didn't want to get in anyone's way.
"Alright, let's get started!" Dice announced as he stood near an excited Cuphead. "First up, you need to-"
"Name That Tune!" Cuphead announced taking the mic. Dice snatched it back, but managed to keep himself from losing his cool. How long that is going to last, I'm not sure.
He then skidded to the band and conducted the trombone player to play a song. To Audrey's surprise, it was a song she knew very well, and something Cuphead would know too, as Dice retreated back to Cuphead.
"Oh, that's too easy. It's... wait. I know this." Cuphead pondered. Audrey arched an eyebrow.
"He doesn't know this song?" She thought. "It's a song I've known since I was little."
"Hmm... "'Sprinkle, Sprinkle, Mr. Car'?" Cuphead guessed? Audrey gave herself a facepalm.
And thus began the long concern on how he doesn't know the song. Trust me, you folks will see it.
Even Elder Kettle, who was listening at home, was thinking the same thing. "'Sprinkle, Sprinkle, Mr. Car'?!"
Grabbing and shaking the radio, he shouted. "Come on!"
Back at the studio, Dice calmly answered" "Erm, no."
"Hmm, then I better use my help line!" Cuphead beamed. "Next to my brother Mugman, Audrey is one of the smartest people I know!"
Dice snapped his fingers and the spotlight landed on Audie. She felt a bit uncomfortable, but she took a deep breath and replied
"It's a very well-known song, it's about what's in the sky at night, they sparkle you sometimes see it zoom by if you're lucky…"
Cuphead pondered over before answering "Hmm in the night sky, sparkling…oh! I know! It's Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"
There was a ding followed by Dice announcing
"Correct! And now, on to the-"
"Trivia round!" Cuphead cheered. Audrey could see that Dice was really getting annoyed, especially since he replied through gritted teeth.
"Isn't he great, folks?" Taking a deep breath, he asked "Now, the dreaded Poodoo Cave Monster lives in which cave?"
"Hmm…" Cuphead thought, trying to come with a good answer.
Audrey watched as Cuphead pondered hard, rubbing his fingers on his temples, banging his head with his fist. She wasn't sure if this was a trick question or something, but to her, the answer was pretty simple.
Dice was getting more irritated, and needed to get this done fast. Trying to put on a professional look, he claimed.
"The "Poodoo Cave" Monster. Let's just think out loud a little. Say the name of the cave monster."
"Poodoo?" Cuphead asked.
Then another ding went off as Dice proclaimed "Correct!"
As the audience applauded, Audrey arched an eyebrow.
"Wait, did he just practically give the answer to him?" She asked herself quietly. "He's making this way too easy for him. But how did he not know Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? Either he knows this is rigged somehow and is playing him, or he's being stupid on purpose. Yeah, I'm going with the ladder."
Just then,Dice politely pushed Cuphead to the right of the stage, where the pedestal was with the dice, and announced
"Now, it's time to Roll the Dice! Roll any number and go straight to the mystery prize room. Literally, any number. It's basically impossible to lose." He then gestured to the mystery prize room door.
"And then I'll get what's coming to me!" Cuphead beamed with delight.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Dice replied, with a terrible sickening grin on his face.
Audrey did not like that one bit. Something was very wrong and she began to wonder if coming on stage was a bad idea. She looked out in the audience and saw that Josh's seat was still empty.
"Oh, no. Where is he?" She muttered, as Cuphead hopped on the pedestal. He cracked his knuckles, his neck, turning his head around like a creepy doll from a horror film, spat in his hands, rubbed them and proceeded to reach for the dice. King Dice waited with great anticipation and Audrey was scared out of her mind. He was about to roll until-
"Wait! I remember how the joke goes!" Cuphead announced as he turned to the audience. Audrey wasn't sure if that was supposed to be something good or something, but she didn't want to argue.
Taking the mic and walking to the center stage, making Dice more annoyed than he was before, Cuphead recited the joke.
"Two cannibals are hanging out eating their lunch, which is a clown, you see? 'Cause they're cannibals. And one cannibal says to the other cannibal 'Does this taste funny to you'?"
There was the classic drum joke sound as the audience laughed. Audie held back a giggle, not because it was funny, ok maybe a little, but Dice was looking really ticked at this point.
Imitating Dice, Cuphead announced. "We'll be right back."
The band began to play, but Dice stopped it and shouted.
"No! We are not going to break!"
He picked up Cuphead and brought him back to the pedestal. Then, hopping up and down like a child having a temper tantrum, he shouted "Roll the Dice!"
The audience, thinking it was part of the act, began to chant "Roll the Dice! Roll the Dice!"
"Oh boy, he looks steamed." Audrey muttered, as she looked at Dice's really annoyed expression. His face did change when he saw Cuphead reach for the dice once more.
"Oh jeez. He's going to win!" Audrey panicked. She then rushed forward to try and stop him, but Dice grabbed her and pulled her back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, dollface. Don't want to intrude on this glorious occasion." He chuckled.
"Let go! He can't win!" Audrey shouted, trying to pull herself from his grip. She felt him wrap his arms around her, pinning her arms to her side.
He then leaned close and whispered to her "What? And let the boss down? You know I can't do that. He's been wanting you back with him."
Audrey's eyes grew with fear, remembering how close he was to her and made her feel really uncomfortable. She wanted to punch him or stomp on his foot or something, but with the audience seeing that, things will go very badly for her.
Cuphead, who wasn't seeing the immediate danger with Audrey, grinned and confidently replied "Watch this."
With that, he rolled the dice, a bit too hard, as they spun faster and faster. Audrey's heart raced as she watched in fear and Dice waited with great excitement. Then, the pedestal began to shake a bit, as the dice gained speed and then without any warning, they flung off and rolled on the stage, landing on a four and a one. And then shattering.
All were shocked when they saw that, including Dice, as his mustache bended and snapped in shock. He rushed over, letting go of Audrey in the process, and held the broken pieces in his hands.
"How..?" He whimpered, trying to make sense of it all.
"Whoa, didn't see that one coming." Audrey mentioned.
"Aw, dang it. I guess I lost." Cuphead shrugged. "Oh, well. I had fun."
He was about to head off with Audrey when they heard Dice claim "Oh, that's actually a good thing!"
As he approached Cuphead and began to push him and Audrey to the prize room, he quickly stated "When the dice shatters, you go directly to the mystery prize room. Yay! In you go."
Just as he opened the door, they heard an anthropomorphic elephant call out "Hey! He lost! He's not supposed to get a prize."
"This show is rigged!" The female elephant argued.
"You! Shut up! Get in there!" Dice snapped, shoving both heroes in.
However, the audience began to boo and argue as it became clear to Cuphead what was going on.
"Rigged? Hmph!"
Heading off the stage and taking Mugman's hand, he announced "Come on, Mugsy. Let's leave with our dignity intact.
"No! You have to win!" Dice cried.
"Serves you right for making a gameshow like this!" Audrey snapped. Before she could leave, Dice grabbed her once more and attempted to shove her in.
"I may not have that cup, but the least I can do is send the boss's bride to him!" he sneered, as Audrey struggled in his grip.
"LET ME GO!" Audrey screamed. "I am not marrying your stupid boss! I'm a MARRIED WOMAN!"
"Yeah yeah, like that's going to change my mind. In you go!" He then proceeded to force her inside, which made the audience more mad, when suddenly, someone grabbed Dice's shirt collar and pulled him back hard, making him release her.
"Hey, what-?!" Dice started as he turned around
*SMACK!*
Josh punched him hard in the face, flinging him back hard and helped Audie to her feet, hugging her in a protective state.
"You stay away from my wife, you blockhead!" Josh snapped. Turning to Audie, he asked "You ok?"
"Yeah, now that you're here. What happened?" Audrey asked.
"He was on the phone with the Devil regarding you and Cuphead." Josh replied. "I wanted to warn you, but I got caught and was locked in his dressing room. We need to go."
"My thoughts exactly." Audie nodded.
Holding each other's hands, the two rushed out just as Dice groaned and stood up, seeing them scamper out of the studio.
"No! NO! You're not leaving!" Dice shouted. Grabbing a metal end of his mustache on the billboard, he growled "You're going in that room, one way or another!"
He attempted to charge at the group…but was thwarted by Elder Kettle's lucky tire, oh yeah kinda forgot about that, as it smacked him hard, nearly hit the young couple and ran over the boys, rolling them out of the studio. Not thinking much about it, the couple rushed out, following them home.
Dice groaned once more and got up, just as he heard flames behind the curtain and saw an elevator pop up from them. It had a black and dark blue exterior with a slightly darker-coloured patio door, and a yellow and red circle resembling the demons' eyes on top.
The door opened and it was Henchman who greeted him, not the Devil.
"Uh, Boss wants to see ya." He announced.
Dice took a heavy sigh and hung his head in defeat. He was in for it now.
Elsewhere, the group rushed home, making it safely to the cottage. The couple was out of breath, as the boys rolled to the front door, smacking into it.
"Ok, that was way to close." Josh panted. "Not a fun date night, huh?"
"Yeah, not what I was hoping for." Audie mentioned. "Sorry it didn't go well."
"Eh, it's fine. Got to punch him in the face." Josh shrugged. "Always wanted to do that."
Audie smiled and she and Josh proceeded to the door as the boys stood up. Just then, it opened and Elder Kettle looked pretty mad. At first, they wondered if he found out about them playing with his tire, but then he shouted at Cuphead
"It's 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'!"
He then stormed inside and the boys looked at each other, shrugged and followed suit. The young couple headed in and prepared to go to bed. After a crazy event like that, they needed rest.
As Audie slipped on her nightgown, she had a thought. While Dice failed to take her and Cuphead to his boss, she worried he might have more chances to get her.
"I don't care if he's a stupid gameshow host. His boss is not getting me." She thought. "We just need to be more careful with him as well as Dice. Who knows what'll happen next."
Meanwhile, Dice and Henchman rode the elevator down, Dice looking completely defeated, as he should be, and Henchman was looking excited as he saw Dice next to him.
"Uh, gee, Mr. King Dice, sir, I know this is a little bit awkward, but, um, could I get your autograph?" Henchan asked, trying to contain his excitement.
"Not the time…" Dice growled, as Henchman had a sad expression on his face.
Ok, rude!
The elevator came to a stop, followed by a ding. Dice opened the door, quickly tied his bow tie and stepped out trying to be cool and confident.
"Hey-hey! Oh, um…" he started, but saw that the Devil was not in front of him. He did see his throne turned away from him. "You're way over there…"
He nervously walked down the carpet to the throne, eyeing the scary paintings that were hung side by side. They were all images of him, terrorizing and attacking souls, while in his different forms; his spider, goat, and serpent form.
That basically says "You're dead."
Dice swallowed hard as he passed by them, muttering. "Done some redecorating, I see."
He approached the steps to the throne and began with "Uh... Say, um, how-
"So, Dice, you know Henchman, don't you?" The Devil asked, his chair still turned away from him.
Dice looked back nervously as he saw Henchman peeked out, waving "Hi!"
Turning to his boss, he replied. "Yeah. I know Henchman…"
"He's a big fan of your show. Never misses an episode." The Devil cooly informed him, waving his finger from side to side.
Dice became more nervous when he mentioned that. Swallowing hard, he replied in a shaking voice. "Is-is that a fact?"
"He was telling me that tonight, you had your first loss. Ever." The Devil additionally mentioned.
Now, he knew he was in hot water. Very hot water.
"Look, I can explain-!" Dice started, tugging at his collar.
The Devil interrupted him by roaring
"SILENCE!"
The throne turned, as the flames erupted, making Dice startled. When he looked, he saw he wasn't sitting on his throne. He was confused at first, but when he turned, he saw the Devil standing next to him looking mad. That caused him to yelp like a little girl.
Ha, ha. Classic.
"You had them right in the palm of your HAND!" His employer roared.
Then, using his pitchfork, he levitated Dice off from the ground, turning him menacingly around the throne room.
"I am very, very disappointed!" The Devil growled.
"Give a second chance to your number one!" Dice begged. Then, The Devil dropped him, making him fall on his face. He looked up at his employer who glared at him.
"You are no longer my number one. And you will not be hosting your precious little show." He informed him.
"But if I'm not hosting, then who?" Dice asked, his voice cracking.
A few days later, Audrey and Josh were in the studio, waiting once more for the show to start.
"Can't believe you got another set of tickets for the show by the same person." Audrey sighed. "After last time, I never wanted to step foot into this place ever again."
"Yeah, same, but I did hear they have a new game host." Josh pointed out. "He's a lot better than Dice, but is still getting used to hosting."
"Oh, really? Who is it?" Audrey asked.
Before Josh could answer, suddenly the announcer called out
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight's master of ceremonies, the Henchman!"
Playing the same theme song, Henchman, who was wearing Dice's suit, which was far too big for him, shuffled on stage, as he announced
"Uh, hi! Time to Roll the D- whoa!"
Unfortunately, he tried to pull off a crafty spin and ended up stumbling and tripping, landing in the tuba and getting stuck.
Audrey and Josh looked at each other.
"Sooooo…ice cream?" Josh asked.
"Sure, I can go for a scoop." Audrey shrugged.
The two quickly scampered out of the studio and headed to get ice cream.
At least they didn't have to name a tune to get it.
I mean really, who can't name Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?
Well, that was a bit close. Glad they were able to get out, but seriously, who can't name Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? Eh, I guess that's how life goes. While Dice may be out of the showbiz, he's not going to stop till he reaches the top once more. "Toon" in next time for a thrilling adventure!
Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to leave a review, but let's avoid the flames please :D