Hello all! Here is the next chapter! I'm sorry this took so long; honestly, I think I lost interest in writing for awhile, but scrolling along on Pinterest and actually finally getting my hand on the game itself definitely rekindled my interest once again. So here we are!

Please enjoy! I own nothing.

Brother's Soul

Chapter 5

King Dice and the Devil carried an unconscious Mugman deeper into a tunnel, farther from the battle scene that was the old Devil's Casino. The entire walk down, the Devil muttered to himself, and Dice was silent as he walked next to him, his eyes going from a strange green to a dark purple. He was no longer King Dice.

Mugman wasn't bound, which would've been surprising to any other person, but Devil wasn't worried. He knew without Cuphead to help defeat him or to defend him from harm, the Devil had him right where he wanted him. Besides, he'd fallen in battle fairly quickly, so there was no need to restrain him. He wasn't the stronger of the two and he knew it.

He glanced over what was left of his shoulder at King Dice, and narrowed his eyes in anger and distrust. He still had no faith in the lackey who lost such a big bet the last time, and who was defeated so easily by two little kids. But that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Even after defeat, Dice actually tried to run out on his contract! Again! If there was one thing the Devil didn't like, it was being lied to and stabbed in the back. And Dice broke both of those rules one too many times, so the Devil had to deal with him in the most severe way he knew how.

Especially since this was the last and final time that this weak, useless, pathetic excuse of a toon tried to escape! The Devil growled at the very thought- his strongest, his most cunning, stabbing him in the back! Repeatedly, at that!

'If you really thought that you were going to get away with what you did, you pathetic excuse of a man... you have NO idea who you're dealin' with, fool!' Devil thought with a sick grin as the ideas and the thoughts all played out in his head like a wonderful trailer.

He was very determined to make King Dice, Cuphead, and Mugman pay, and make sure his other debtors knew why you don't mess with the devil.

'Y'all will pay...on your very souls...'

Flashback: After the Battle, Inside the Casino...

Dice couldn't breathe. These damn kids... these damn, damn kids! How did his game plan actually FAIL?

He staggered back to his bedroom after such a humiliating defeat. His cheek was partially chipped with pieces falling off, his eye swollen and purple, his body cracked in places and his beautiful purple and white suit completely damaged. He ran his fingers along his exposed left side and could feel smears of cold blood as he removed them, staring at the red liquid with a look of anger and disgust.

He lost... no way he was free from the Devil now... Even though those brats took his soul contract, he was a very special case.

Even if they did best the Devil, even if they somehow saved the other debtors, he was doomed to be his lackey, his slave, and there was nothing he could do about it!

"U-Unless... I have to. I know this is risky. I know I'm a fool for even trying but I..." Dice slammed his injured hand on his table, his entire body trembling with fear and pain at the thought of what he had to do. His last chance.

"I can't stay here, not any longer... I can't..." His hand balled into a fist and gritted his teeth- who was he kidding? Of course he was a fool!

The Devil would kill him, that was certain. But Dice knew it was never that simple with his former boss. He knew the monster that he was, and how much he would suffer before he would die... what sick things he would put him through...

Dice stood up straight at the memory, his hand moving to his neck, then his chest, both still showing a noticeable scar.

"He'd never let me go... even in death, that sick bastard has a hold over me..." he chuckled wetly to himself as a few stray tears slowly made their way down his face. He shook his head, cursing his weakness but not caring at the same time-who would see him, anyway?

Who would save a sleazy toon like himself?

"H-He'd kill me because those little brats didn't... because he knows I'm weak... so what do I have to lose, except what's left of me, huh?" he tried to convice himself.

Dice took a deep breath, let it out and wiped his face. The pain from his battle didn't compare to the agony he'd suffered for so long at the hands of that manic.

"It doesn't matter now. It's either now or..." He fixed his appearance as best he could, tried to pretend he was confident this would work- whatever 'it' was.

"... I'll die trying. I need to get out of-"

And then, he heard a loud shriek. The room shook violently for a few moments, then stopped. Dice's eyes widened in disbelief, as that meant only one thing.

The Devil was... bested. By them! By those runts!

If there was a god up there someplace, Dice thanked it. He had an opportunity- he didn't know where he was going or if the residents of Inkwell would ever forgive him for what he did. His soul contract was still very much active and there was always the chance he'd pay for this with his life.

No... he WOULD pay with his life. Running out on contracts was something the Devil didn't take lightly.

But he needed to at least try. He couldn't take anymore.

Leaving everything but his trusty glove, some weapon die and his playing cards, Dice swallowed back the nauseous feeling in his gut and snuck out of his room, down the hall and through the large double doors.

He froze. Laying motionless on the ground, completely battered, arms torn apart from his lanky body and bloody as hell to boot, was his 'boss', the Devil. Dice smirked as he quietly tiptoed past him, refusing to look back.

He wished he had.

The Devil stopped in front of what used to be his personal office. It was still standing, but the large and eloquent front doors were destroyed, as was his favorite chair and desk. All that was really left was just a empty room. A very destroyed, empty room.

Devil snapped his fingers, silently ordering Dice to lower Mugman onto the cold, hard ground. Then, the strange glow in his eyes vanished, and Dice weakly crumpled to the ground. The Devil went over to him and stood over him, waiting with a knowing grin for him to come around.

It didn't take long. Once the daze wore off, however, Dice realized the state of his situation and he stared up at his boss, eyes wide with fear.

"Oh, hello there, Dicey. You remember me, dontcha?" Devil grinned evilly, leaning closer to his face. Dice didn't know what he could do at that point. He could only hope he would still be in one piece when this was over... although with his past behaviors, that hope was slim to none.

"Wh-what d-d-did you want with me...?" He stuttered out weakly. He couldn't remember anything that happened before he ended up here, but his fear wasn't helping with jogging his memory, either. Then again, right now... he wasn't sure he was breathing at the moment.

Last he could recall... He ran... he ran and he hid in Inkwell Isle III... so how did he find him?!

The Devil said nothing, running a scarred finger down the toon's cheek in a lovingly manner and giving him that same sick grin before he turned his attention to his other prize. Dice followed suit, and saw the unconscious blue mug now in the Devil's hand. His head spun as he realized who the blue mug was.

"That brat... what... what's going on...?" He whispered to himself. He looked at the Devil, still terrified but also curious. Then the toon glanced down at his hand.

A purple card rested in his palm, Mugman's duality printed on the front-the naturally sweet on the left, and a dark, evil grinning version on the right. He blinked in realization- that particular card was used for one reason and one reason only.

"You know, Dice... you're my most trusted right hands man." The Devil started, breaking him out of his thoughts. He turned around, still holding the blue mug in his busted hand. He was regarding the now very fearful toon with a mad smile, and coupled with his damaged body, it looked like something out of a horror film. Dice weakly shuffled back, unsure if he should speak.

"Well, wait. You were my most trusted. Until you actually tried to back out of your deal again. And lost to these two little twerps, to boot?!" He emphasized the last few words with a hard shake of the unconscious mug. His sudden, manical laugh startled Dice, causing his heart to race faster and him to move away even more as the Devil slowly moved towards him.

"Now, now. Why are you afraid? Come on, Dicey! I ain't mad at you- you know me so much better than THIS!" The Devil's voice rose louder and louder as he advanced, until Dice ran out of space to move. Before he knew it, the tall toon found himself trapped at his former boss's mercy.

"P-Please, wait! B-Boss, wait!" Dice whimpered, gagging as his tail wrapped around his neck. He heard a clunk as Mugman fell to the ground. Was it undignified for him? Yes, oh yes, it was.

But he didn't care-he didn't want to die! Not like this!

Then he saw it. That glint in the Devil's eyes. Duce's pale skin turned paler as he knew what was going to happen. Why he'd been brought back. Why he wanted the kid.

"You know, don't you. What I'll do to you." The devil whispered sadistically. Dice slowly lost the will to fight as he felt a hand moving slowly across his chest, moving lower and lower. His eyes filled with tears as he finally realized his nightmare was coming true and he couldn't do anything about it.

"No... please..." Dice tried one last time to beg for his life. The Devil tsked, chuckling as he removed Dice's bloody clothing, leaving him bare with his boxers. He squeezed his neck just a little tighter, and the toon was certain he was going to pass out. One arm dropped to the side, his vision starting to blur.

"Please, don't..." he whispered breathlessly. "S-Spare me..." He felt the Devil brush his lower region and wanted to scream and push away, but couldn't. 'Not again... I can't... handle that again!'

The Devil, raised his hand, now slightly covered in his blood. " Now you see... I mean what I say. You will pay, you and those damn kids. I promise you... and you know me, don't you, King Dice?!"

The muffled screams of Dice as his back was slowly, painfully, split open caused his powers to end. This broke the control he had over the cards, which also freed Mugman's captured soul and sent it back to his body.

Due to the spell, the battle, and how long his soul and body had been separated, Mugman was extremely weak and vulnerable. His eyes fluttered open, unable to move much else. From the drop, he'd gained a new crack on his back and handle.

"Di...ce...? D-Devil? C-Cup... head..." Mugman was too worn out and confused to register that Cuphead wasn't around, and he was in some serious trouble. He did, however, register screaming. Pain-filled screams, he assumed; it was so loud. Was that coming from him...?

'I-Its not... me. Or C-Cuppy... but, my body hurts. F-Feels like I'm on fire... or something.' Moving was pointless since he was out of energy and staying awake wasn't doing much, either. He tried to see what was going on around him, but that same pain-filled scream soon pounded in his head and he groaned, trying instead to silence the noise.

Dice felt the smooth porcelain of his back become sticky and wet with his blood. He was practically dangling in the Devil's grip at this point, losing blood and growing faint by the second. He tasted copper in his mouth, and couldn't speak around the sheer pain he was in.

"Still wanna beg for your pathetic life now?!" Dice tried to answer, but nothing came out except a weak, gurgling noise. 'I-I've never felt so scared like this before...' he thought as his consiousness drifted into darkness. 'I'm r-really going to die... he won't... let me go...'

The Devil looked down the semi conscious mug, swinging Dice around like a rag doll over him. Mugman felt small drops of blood drip onto his arm and face, but couldn't really see who it came from. He couldn't really think around the pain of having his soul shoved back into his body.

"Awww, don't worry. You'll be replacing this sorry piece of shit here, boy. I'm not gonna hurt you... so long as you don't fail me." The Devil tossed Dice across his room. He hit the wall with a weak gasp before he crumpled into a heap on the ground.

Mugman couldn't keep his eyes open. He still hadn't registered just how much danger he was in, nor the fact that Cuphead was no where to be found to protect him. Everything felt heavy and he was drained.

'I wonder... where Cuppy is... ' he thought as he lasped back into unconsiousness himself. 'Don't... feel good...'

Dice's vision faded in and out. The sad thing was, the blood loss wasn't going to be enough to kill him. He knew what was to come. He just didn't know if he had the strength to fight against it. The last thing he saw was the Devil twirling his playing card in his blood covered hand before he blacked out.

The Devil snapped his fingers, summoning his trident. Like him, it too, was beaten and bruised. He then looked Mugman over and, in the complete opposite of his earlier treatment, gingerly picked him up and cradled him, as if he were his child.

"Huh. Can't believe that useless fool actually had such a powerful card up his sleeve. Least he did something right." Devil looked at the card.

The card was now missing the good half of Mugman, which meant his soul had returned to his body. Mugman groaned but otherwise made no move to open his eyes.

"Looks like that piece of shit Dice has to use the card for my plans to work. Fine. Not an issue for me." Using his tail to drag Dice behind him, the Devil made his way out of his room and down the hall.

"The magic he uses can't be that strong. I'll learn it easily. I'll just make sure he's broken beyond saving. He'll learn... not to mess with me again!"

King Dice struggled against his bonds, without much luck. This wasn't the first time he'd tried to back out of his deal, but apparently, this was the last time as far as the Devil was concerned.

Even though he was fairly large and built, the toon right now felt like a child. What was happening? What was he trying to do?

"Ahh, look at that... perfect." The devil slowly, methodically, walked in. Dice whimpered, unsure of why he was here. Devil crawled close to him on the bed, causing Dice to finally speak.

"B-Boss..? What's going on? Why am I here?" He asked, hoping he could get out of trouble. Devil gripped his thight, sinking his claws in and causing him much discomfort. Dice winded but tried to keep himself poised.

"You didn't really think I'd let you go, did you?" Devil growled, taking his other hand down the toon's shirt. He popped the buttons of his shirt and vest, exposing his bare chest.

"You know why you're here, don't you." This time, he raked his claws down his chest. Seeing the blood slowly trickle down his bare chest, the winced, pained look on his face was only spurning him more. A sick grin started spreading across his furry face.

"N-No, Boss- I-I don't-"

"You've been trying to break your deal, King Dice. And I don't like when I'm played." His fingers pulled the buttons of his pants, and Dice panicked.

"W-wait, B-Boss, I can ex-"

The icy cold feeling traced down his pants, and soon, they were ripped off, leaving him trembling in his boxers. The Devil pressed closer and closer, grabbing his neck and squeezing tight. The lack of air sent waves of panic though him and he began to struggle against his grasp.

"Please, don't... s-stop... please..." He whimpered. "It won't-"

He was... crying? No, he shouldn't be crying! He was his strongest henchman, for pete's sake!

'T-That's right... I... should have known...'

But looking into the Devil's eyes made the toon feel smaller and smaller by the second. It was then Dice finally acknowleged what made him stay for so long, endure what he had.

Fear. It was fear.

'...I'm scared to death of the Devil...'

The same feeling that kept him from breaking his deal time and time again. Despite the small confidence boost he had earlier, as he lay gasping for air, still tied up on the Devil's bed, he knew.

He could never be free.

"Awww, I know." With a powerful cracking sound, the Devil's tail struck Dice's face with enough force he was tasting blood. He didn't dare lift his head as he felt the hopelessness wash over him. Blood dripped from his lips onto his thigh, and he counted each one, needing to drift away from all this.

"I know you THINK you can defy me. But the truth is, you can't, King Dice." The Devil said with a sickengly sweet tone. He wrapped his tail about the defeated toon's neck and forced him to face his signed contract he now had floating in front of him. Dice could only stare at it, too tired to attempt to fight him off.

This was his life. No matter what he tried, it failed. This was his last chance, and he blew it.

'...its over... my life is his now...'

As he passed out, the Devil issues one last warning:

"Don't you forget, KING. I own ya now, boy. You better remember it... or I'll kill ya next time. Git that?!"

And done! It's been awhile since I've actually done FanFiction given what's been going on. I'm getting back into the fandom so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Until next chapter!