News of the invitation to the ball spread like a beacon across the Inkwell Isle's. Of course, she was not very enthusiastic about it because Alicia did not want to go to a dance ball. Already because she hated dance ball. She didn't like them as a child and she didn't like them as an adult either. There were several reasons that Alicia could give. Elder Kettle was very surprised as he read the letter with the invitation.

"Normally only certain guests are invited to the ball" he said when he gave her back the invitation. "Why is that?" asked Alicia questioningly. She wanted to know why she was invited in the first place. She has not yet met the mayor. So how did he know her name and where she lives. "Because the ball is held on the mayor's property and he prefers only noble guests who behave" he explained as his gaze wandered from Alicia to the three cups that were currently making nonsense.

All three grinned nervously at him while hiding their arms behind their backs to hide the broken cuckoo clock and the hammer Cuphead was holding. "Anyway we need to get you some suitable clothes my dearest" he didn't hesitate for long and started measuring Alicia for her size and width so he could start working on the dress. Unfortunately, Alicia had to adhere to the dress code that was sent with the invitation.

However, Elder Kettle knew that Alicia did not like those typical dress colors like pink. The pink T-shirt still lay unworn in her closet. No, he opted for a different color. So while he was upstairs working on the dress, Alicia and the Mugs were bored downstairs in the living room. Only after an hour did the four of them hear the door close and Elder Kettle slowly walk down the stairs. All four were very surprised and wanted to see what the dress looked like that Elder Kettle was holding in his arms.

It was a navy blue gown with light blue ruffles that went from the shoulders down and separated the navy blue from the black that was in the middle of the dress. This was decorated with various gold floral patterns. From the neck to the chest the gown was closed with black buttons. Already good that I do not need help to get in or out of the gown.

A black belt went around her waist and was connected with a silver buckle like a normal belt. The arms were covered up to the elbow by the gown which followed the same pattern. Only the end was trimmed with black ruffles. A zipper allowed her to move her arms more freely than before. She did not have to wear a corset. That pleased her very much. She took off her clothes and got into the dress Elder Kettle has made for her.

She walked outside the guestroom and couldn't wait to see what the others would say to her dress. "Whoa Alicia you look..." Mugman couldn't close his mouth in amazement. "...Beautiful!" said Cuppy.

Okay, I know I look good in a gown, but do you all have to stare at me like that? Yes, she didn't feel well and the Cups saw that. "Well, looks like you have your dress for the ball. So what else do you need?" asked the older one of the trio. "Don't tell me there is more" Alicia said with an eyeroll.

But unfortunately, there was one more thing Alicia needed to know before she went to the ball tomorrow. "You need a ball partner to pick you up" Cuppy was holding the invitation plus another piece of paper with a number on it. It was the number 15.

On the other paper were all the participants marked with numbers. Alicia, however, was the only one who had a name behind her number, while behind her was the number 66. Really great that I do not know who my partner will be. Alicia wanted to hope that it was not the devil.


But what Alicia didn't know was that the devil also held an invitation in his hand with the number 51. Unlike Alicia, he could see who the other guests were. Or at least the female ones. As with Alicia, behind his name was the number 66, which with the number of the partner makes this. The devil was very good at calculating and knew immediately that his partner for the ball was Alicia. His index finger circled the number 15 as if he were stroking her hair. Where he got the invitation from, no one knew. Actually, it wasn't his name on the invitation, but King Dice's. The devil had grabbed this letter even before he could read it.

"Oh I feel like I'm on cloud nine" said the devil as he dropped into his throne, not realizing that King Dice was standing in front of him, apparently looking for something. "Uh boss I hate to bother you but did you happen to see a letter addressed to me..." he saw the letter in the devil's hand and suspected worse. "Boss I..." but before he could finish his sentence he saw the devil staring at him diabolically which really scared King Dice so he held his arms in front of his face not to look at the devil. He thought the devil might do something to him at any moment. But that was not the case. Instead of using his trident, with which he likes to threaten others, Dice only felt a hand on his shoulder to which he looked. It was the hand of the devil who seemed to want to talk to him.

His face still showed a smile but this time not a diabolical one but rather a friendly one. "Dice, Dice, Dice" his hand moved away from his shoulder and his arm was now resting on it. King Dice was even more confused than before. Especially when the devil walked with him along the throne room. With each passing second, Dice became even more confused and frightened than before. What was the devil up to with him? He asked himself while his head was buzzing with various thoughts that he would like to forget. Surely the boss would not want to tear his head off. Or would he?

Well the devil always wanted to go to this ball. After all, one heard various things about this ball. That not all are invited and therefore many residents were waiting outside the gates of the mayor's mansion was not unusual. It was almost like an event for the residents of the city, one might think. That King Dice was invited again he knew as well as the devil. But what did the devil intend to do with him? Did he want to force him to change the invitation on his name or something much worse that King Dice does not want to imagine. Well, the question could only be answered when he and the devil went through the door that was next to the gate that led out of the throne room.

Both went through this. Dice closed his eyes while the devil pushed him in. His thoughts showed him various bad things that were in the room where he and the devil were standing. What kind of things are you wondering? Well, instruments of torture. Those were Dice's thoughts, anyway. But when he opened his eyes, he more or less realized that he was in a walk-in closet.

In it were many different clothes and costumes that the devil used or wore. Some of them stood out the most like the white tailcoat with a matching top hat, white spats and a red bow tie, a blue and purple prince-like theater costume and pink ensemble with a black top hat and high- heeled boots. Dice didn't know what to say about these clothes but then he saw something that caught his eye.

A grey waistcoat and a black tailcoat that went down to the waist, a pair of trousers and a pair of black leather shoes.. A white top hat hung on the hanger. A dark gray walking stick with a diamond on the handle completed the outfit. "Amazing isn't it Dice?" the devil asked King Dice who was more than thrilled with the suit. Sure the colors were not his and could use a purple hue but still it looked perfect.

"Boss this suit is beautiful why have you never worn it?" asked King Dice curiously as he looked at the suit more closely. The devil already suspected that Dice would ask him that. "Well Dice, actually this suit was meant to be worn at the Inkwell Ball" he took the suit off the hanger. Dice let his fingers off the suit which the devil looked at more while he sighed softly.

His gaze wandered from the suit to the mirror, which was also in the walk-in closet. To these the devil went together with the suit and Dice who followed him. The suit fit both Dice and the devil. But the former had unfortunately drawn the lucky ticket and was allowed to go to the ball. "Dice, I want you to try on the suit and then return to the throne room," Dice nodded. "I want to discuss something with you. Something very important" the devil gave him the suit and left the room.

Alone in the closet, Dice did not hesitate long and changed clothes. His purple tailcoat, lavender waistcoat and dark purple pants lay on a chair with red upholstery that had similarities with the devil's throne while Dice put on the suit and was almost ready. Two things were still unresolved or didn't fit in. His bow tie did not match the outfit and in the pockets of the suit were grayish gloves that did not fit King Dice because they were much too big and suitable for the devil.

Patiently, the devil waited on his throne for his former number one to come out of the closet. That he called him former was no coincidence. The devil was still angry that King Dice had not managed to catch Alicia and the souls of the two cups. So if he wants to become his "number one" again King Dice must either bring the souls from the two cups or bring Alicia to him.

The door opened and Dice walked out of it while putting on his left glove. You could tell he was having trouble getting them on properly so they didn't look too big. With the suit on, he went to the devil who was more than pleased with King Dice's new look. "Well the suit looks great but my hands are a little too small for the gloves" Dice took off one glove while trying to keep the other one from slipping out of his hand.

"Is that the only thing that bothers you?" you could hear the devil's annoyed voice trying to control his anger. He inhaled, stood up with his trident in his hand and walked towards Dice while exhaling. "Listen Dice, I said a while ago that I would give you a second chance" Dice nodded. He remembered that very day. He had lost his show that day thanks to the two cups who still owe the devil their souls.

But what did the devil want from him? He could use his magic and enchant the guards and guests. Why should Dice put on this suit now? Well, it looks like this question will be answered quickly. "You must know that I thought about it for a long time and I followed Lilith's advice" Dice knew what advice he meant. "That's why I want you to go with Alicia at the ball and lure her into the maze".

On the mayor's estate, behind the huge mansion, there was a maze that led to his koi garden. Only the mayor knew how to get there. For good reason, because his koi were very special to him. Not everyone was allowed to touch them or even see them. But that he liked to brag about them you could see when you entered his estate or when you saw his gate.

"Okay lure her into the maze. Got it" but King Dice wanted to know one more thing. "And what after that? Do you want me to knock her unconscious? Or?" he fell silent as he saw the raging devil in front of him on fire and staring angrily at King Dice. "You won't harm a hair on her head or I'll wipe you out and use your ashes as tobacco!" Dice gave a fearful and nervous gulp as he grinned nervously.

"Understood B-B-Boss" Dice trembled while the devil slowly calmed down and made his way to his throne where he sat down, still holding the trident and thinking about Dice's question which he immediately answered. "You'll see Dice" with a snap of his fingers Dice disappeared in a puff of smoke and left the devil alone in his throne room. Well not quite alone.

"Henchman! Amnon!" both demons appeared next to his throne "Yes boss?" Henchman said while Amnon tried not to tremble too much with fear. But unfortunately it was rather the opposite. The husky demon was shaking as much as a certain dog named Courage. "Get my demons ready!" he commanded the two. Both demons nodded and disappeared from the throne room. The devil was now alone and was absorbed in his thoughts of how to have Alicia for himself. For himself all alone.


The evening fell quickly. Alicia sat in the living room still wearing the dress sewn by Elder Kettle. She didn't feel comfortable in it, but she couldn't change it anyway. At the moment, anyway. Alicia was sitting in the living room for a reason: she was waiting to be picked up. Or rather her partner for the ball. Impatiently Alicia looked at the front door and the now repaired cuckoo clock. If you could call it repaired. It was covered with glue and seemed to look more like a first-grader's art project.

The cuckoo hangs out of the clock and made a soft "cuckoo" sound before hanging down even more. "Has he still not shown up?" "Man then you're going to miss the ball" the three cups came down the stairs and sat down next to her on the sofa. Alicia didn't mind that she would miss the ball. On the contrary, she was very happy about it. "Well if he doesn't..."

knock, knock*

Well, so much for that. Her partner stood in front of the front door and waited for her. Curious who her partner would be, Alicia reached for the door knob and slowly turned it to the right to open the door. She was reluctant to let the devil stand behind the door and be her partner. But when she saw the shoes, she was relieved on the one hand, but when they looked familiar, she just rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Well my goodness who do we have here a beautiful woman in a beautiful gown" said King Dice as he looks around Alicia to examine her. "Hmm I like that a lot" Ofcourse you do. He stood in front of her again leaning on his walking stick. He seemed to be waiting for a response. "Um can I help you with anything?" she asked. Dice chuckle. "Um yes you could my dearest". He came closer to her but she blocked him with the door.

But he pushed the door aside with his walking stick and walked closer to Alicia. "Well I heard you are invited to the Inkwell Ball and well your lucky to have me as your Partner my dearest!" he said and stared at her with his eyes. "Wait. You are my partner?" Alicia rolled her eyes. Why him. Psycho Dice, of all people, had to be her partner for the ball. Well, better than the devil.

She didn't know why but she nodded and had chosen him. "Well shall we?" asked Dice her. She nods and follows him outside the cottage. She had a partner and could go to the ball now. She walked with him to the car that was waiting for them outside. It was a 1930s Cadillac V16 sedan in black and white. The driver was hidden behind the dark Windows. Unbeknownst to Alicia, however, Henchman was sitting in the driver's cab wearing a driver's suit and a hat to hide his appearance although his tail was visible.

Dice opened the door for Alicia before going around the other side and getting inside the car himself. Cuppy and Mugman watched her as the car drove off.

The car quickly arrived at the mayor's estate. The koi statues standing on the pillars holding the gate together were hard to miss, as was the emblem inside the fence. Of course, also a hedge maze. She was impressed by the garden which was huge but still it did not change her mind. She did not want to be here. The car drove up to the estate where the other cars were parked and let the guests out in front of the entrance. It was a curved entrance in the middle of which was a fountain that Alicia guessed had another koi statue spouting water from its mouth instead of an angel or something.

The clerk standing infront of the car door helped her out of the car before Dice arrived and led her into the mansion. In the entrance area, all the mayor's servants and maids were standing, each holding a tray with with sparkling wine or red wine offering it to the guests coming in. But Alicia refrained from doing so. She and Dice followed the other guests into the ballroom, which was decorated with marble. The floor was made of wood and reflected the huge chandelier that hung in the middle of the hall. The tables were placed on the edge so that there was enough space for the dance floor, which had a parquet floor so that you could dance there without any problems. An orchestra was also present as well as a familiar face. Wait is that Ludwig? She looked closer.

Ludwig mainly looks like a normal human in terms of body, however, his head is a phonograph. He wears a black suit and pants with yellow buttons, on the inside is a yellow and blue shirt with a white fluff, while he mainly wears white gloves. he was as big as King Dice if not bigger because of the funnel. But he also seemed to be similar in character to King Dice. A snob. "What's he doing here?" she asked, which confused Dice.

He looked to Ludwig who was getting ready to play the orchestra."Oh, he's here for a performance the mayor wanted to have," he answered her question. Yeah...sure... They both walked over to their table . But before Alicia could sit down, she suddenly saw someone she knew sitting at the next table.

A skinny, fair-skinned, tall woman with curly/fluffy light blonde hair, which is divided in three sections with bangs wearing white short-sleeved coat with a blue botton under her chest over a light blue top, a pair of white gloves, high-waisted wide sea-blue pants with black band and a pair of black Mary Jane shoes with small heels sat on the table and paid no attention to Alicia.

It was Sally Stageplay. An actress at Inkwell Theater if not the owner of the theater. Dice immediately caught her eye "Oho, you know her?" Sally turns around curiously. Alicia, however, ducked her head so Sally wouldn't notice her and shrugged and turned her attention to her husband. It was not long before the mayor appeared, an old anthropomorphic Great Dane wearing a royal robe, and sat down on a throne next to the stage on which the orchestra was standing, waiting for his signal. With a snap he opened the ball and with it the buffet.

The orchestra played classical music that was well suited for a waltz. "Shall we Alicia then?" asked Dice to her. Alicia did not want but she nodded. Both stood up and walked to the dance floor with a few guests.

Despite the dress, Alicia could dance well and didn't threaten to step on it or fall on the floor. She didn't know why, but she looked into Dice's eyes. Normally she would never dance with him, however, she suddenly had a strange feeling inside her. What is going on with... me...? She looked to King Dice and blushed. She had not just seen her husband or were her eyes playing tricks on her? "Is something wrong?" he asked her. "I was just thinking about someone, that's all," she said.

The hours passed and so did the mood of Alicia who was more than bored. Most of the guests with the exception of Sally and Ludwig were rather boring. If Ribby and Croaks were only here I would love to talk to them. But they were not here. So she did what she always does when she is at a party where she doesn't know anyone. Go outside and look at the surroundings.

But before she could do that, she had to tell her partner that she would be gone for a while. So she walked away from the windowsill she was sitting on to her table. There she found only a piece of paper on which the following was written:

"Alicia if you are looking for me I am in the maze. I want to talk to you about something".

Annoyed, she rolled her eyes, got up and went outside to the garden. "What does he want to talk about now?" Alicia asked herself annoyed. Alicia went to the maze and entered it "Hmm okay it's worth a try!" while she went into the maze. She didn't know that she will soon meet a certain demon.

The maze was not as difficult as Alicia thought. Sure, she hit a few dead ends, but she could always find her way around. "Damn gown!" she cursed as it caught on a shrub and she tried to free it without tearing her gown. She was reluctant to tear it up because Elder Kettle had put a lot of effort into it. She kept walking until she found the end of the maze. She was in a large area where a cherry blossom tree grew with a table and two chairs, several statues, stone benches and a small pond with koi fishes. She walked over to it and looked into the reflection.

She looked into the pond and realized that she was back in her demon form. Fortunately, I am alone. Well, except for the two koi that approached her. Their mouths were wide open as if they were telling Alicia that they were hungry. Alicia looked around and saw a bucket with fish food. She grabbed some of the food and wanted to feed the fishes but they suddenly disappeared. Alicia hadn't moved or thrown anything into the water that could have frightened the fish.

But she guessed what it was when she saw someone in the reflection. I knew it. She rolled her eyes when she knew it was the devil. "I knew you'd show..." she turned to face him but suddenly she was surrounded by many big demons blocking her way. "Well, I missed you, my love," he said and was about to kiss her, but she stopped him when she turned away from him. But he was like a limpet and emerged from a cloud of smoke in front of her.

Now she was no longer afraif but annoyed, "Could you please stop that?" she said. "What my love?" he asked her with a seductive look. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and walked past him. She didn't want to see him but he disagreed and kept appearing in front of her. "Don't do that and leave me alone!" she said annoyed with her arms crossed.

"I will if you just do me a favor my dearest" he said and showed her the marriage proposal that appeared in his right hand while a blood red quill appeared in Alicia's hand. "Sign the marriage proposal and become my wife and queen of the underworld". Now she was even more annoyed. She did not answer him. Why should she? She was already married with Lucifer.

So she decided to overcome her fear and walked past the demons while paying no attention to the devil. Why should I? But before she could enter the maze, her way was blocked by thorny vines. She knew who to blame and growled in annoyance while she turned around. "Well, my dearest Alicia, I didn't want it to come to this, but you left me no choice but to-" Before he could say anything, Alicia crawled under the thorny vines and ran into the maze. The devil growled, "Catch her and bring her to me!" he ordered the demons who followed Alicia into the maze.

She ran as fast as she could through the maze, which was a bit of a handicap with the gown, because she flew down from time to time, but was still able to get up. A troll-like demon saw her and tried to grab her but she dodged him so that he only tore out a piece of hedge. The demons had no chance to catch her, the devil realized that, so he went after her himself. "Finally out of the maze," she said happily.

But Luck wasn't on her side. The Devil appears behind her and boy was he mad "I wouldn't say that my dearest". She turned around and saw the devil behind her. Alicia twitched when she saw him and was about to run when her gown got caught in something and she fell to the ground.

Damn gown! She turns around to see what her gown was stuck in when she noticed the Devil's tail around her foot. He drags her closer to him with his tail and she falls in his arms. Slowly he strokes her hair. That she did not like it he ignored just as her attempt to flee "Don't run away my dearest" said the devil as he stroked her cheek. "It won't do you any good to free yourself" with his free hand he took out his trident. "Oh please don't tell me that we..." it was already too late.


The trident touched the ground and in a cloud of smoke the devil disappeared along with Alicia, the demons and the Car. She was now in the underworld, lying tied by the foot on the devil's bed. She knew that she was back in her demon form, since she was back in the underworld. The Devil was directly above and grinned at her with a seductive look.

But that was not the worst he could do. He tore open her dress in a few places with his claws so he could examine her fur better. The onyx colored fur pleased him. Her eyes also looked very special. The yellow and the red around her black pupil was very special.

He could stroke her fur and look into her eyes every minute. She was more than perfect for him. Simply everything fit except for one thing. His eyes saw the silver Wedding Ring with the Ruby in the middle. He was not happy to see that "Hmm, that wedding ring" said the devil annoyed. "Don't you dare touch it!" she said as she pulled his hand away from the ring.

She knew what he was up to and would not let him remove her ring. "Keep your claws off of my wedding ring!" she said in a growling voice as she freed her hand from his grip. "Oh this old thing we can replace very quickly my love" he said and tried to grab her hand but she was smarter and turned away from him.

But he was stubborn and didn't give up so easily "Alright I'll give you some time to think about becoming my wife and queen". He turned and went out the door when he heard the chain attached to the bed clink. Smiling, he turned around and saw Alicia trying to catch him with her claw. However, the chain was much too short to reach him.

"Ah ah ah my dear. I tied the chain to the bed for a good reason". He came closer to her while she tried to keep her distance from him. But the chain prevented it which he pulled to bring her even closer to him. His mouth came very close to hers and a kiss ensued. An unwanted kiss from Alicia's side. It took a very long time until the two lips separated from each other. He tingled from head to toe as he detached himself from her.

You could see that he liked to kiss her. It was like a drug for him. He wanted to have more of it. Alicia, on the other hand, did not want any of it and felt disgusted. "I'll see you again, my dearest, and until then you stay right where you are," the Devil left his bedchamber.

Alicia was now alone. She was angry and annoyed about him. He had kissed her without her permission. She wanted to punch him in the face for that. But before she could even think about it, she had to get rid of the chain. But how? She felt that only a strong magic could break the chain. This magic could not conquer them. She needed help. And this help appeared any moment.

Suddenly a portal appeared next to the bed. Alicia rubbed her eyes as she looked closer to the portal. Someone came out of the portal and stood right next to the bed. Wait, can it be? Yes, it was an anthropomorphic wolf with a cloak and a wand in his hand.

"Um..." she fell silent as the wolf looked to her. His gaze wandered from the chain wrapped around her leg to her. "Looks like you're in a bit of a pickle," the wolf said. "You can say that" Alicia didn't know if he was friendly or hostile. But she sensed that he was good and one of the two characters Quadratus told her and Cuppy who could help them both to get back home.

She still couldn't believe what she saw before her as the portal closed and she could see the wolf better.

It's an anthropomorphic wolf with black fur, gray fur that went from his chest to the bottom tip of his tail. The rest was covered by his armor and the cloak he wore. Only his legs, arms, toes and hands were not covered. His two middle fingers were white, his ring fingers were gray and his thumbs, index fingers and little fingers were black. The same arrangement applied to his toes.

The head was black except for the cheek. The cheeks and the lower side of the muzzle were white. A curved gray stripe separated the black fur from the black nose. The inner ears were gray. He had a red cut scar on both elbows as well as a skin color scar on his left ear that stretched from the front to the back. On his right eye he had three red claw scars. His eyes were unnaturally black with a red iris and a snake-like slit pupil.

From his knees down to his toes, he had several black bandages tied shut with a gold button and wrapped around his lower legs. His pelvis and most of his upper legs were covered and protected by a plate armor that was black and had a golden edge with several golden rivets that were additionally worked into the armor.

He also wore the armor around his two forearms which were attached with brown hinges. A brown leather belt was connected to the lower armor and to the upper body. Two leather hinges that went crosswise were connected to the rest that disappeared under the brown fur-trimmed cloak. The inside of the cloak was black. Behind his back and hidden by his cloak, a large long wand peeked out, ending in a blue crystal stood right before her eyes.

The wolf looked at her confused while Alicia could not close her mouth. "Is everything all right princess?". Princess? She looked at him confused when he said that until she looked at her half torn dress and knew why he called her that. "Oh uh... I'm not a princess," she said, but the wolf looked at her thoughtfully. "That's right you don't wear a crown" That too. Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Well a demon wouldn't be suitable as a princess either". I beg your pardon? She was a demon but still he should not insult her. "Well first of all I'm half human half demon and I'm only wearing this stupid dress because I was invited to a stupid ball!" Alicia was annoyed while the wolf looked at her confused. "Okay, so why are you tied to the bed?" he asked her, "Because an unwanted lover has tied me up here and would like to take me as his wife and queen even though I'm already taken." She crossed her arms annoyed as the wolf went to the chain. "Hmm I can change that" Alicia looked at him confused.

The wolf walked up to the chain and pointed his wand at it. The crystal began to glow just like the necklace. But before the wolf could continue, they both heard a familiar voice slowly approaching the door to the bedchamber. "Damn it, hide before he sees you!" said Alicia in panic as the wolf searched for a suitable hiding place until he crawled under the bed.

Under the bed, the wolf looked at the door that opened. Two demon feet entered the room and walked towards the bed. "Ah has my dearest Alicia already decided if she wants to be my wife and queen?" said a deep voice "Hmm let me think of that for a moment". "My answer is...", "Yes please say yes!" said the other voice. It remained quiet for a moment before Alicia continued speaking. "No".

Silence returned to the room after Alicia gave her answer to the devil. One could feel the silence. Both Alicia and the devil just stared at each other. Well, Alicia didn't pay any attention to him and looked away than even looking at him.

Until the other person in the room started laughing. It was not a sarcastic laugh but a diabolical laugh. The silence was only interrupted by a diabolical laugh. "What's so funny?" Alicia asked the devil who abruptly interrupted his laughter. "Oh, Alicia, I know you're lying because inside you want to be with me," when he said "me" he put his hand on his chest before his tail turned her chin to him and lifted it

so that she looked into his eyes.

Am I listening to music or am I just imagining it? No, Alicia wasn't imagining it. She heard music and saw how the bedroom changed, except for the bed. It slowly became a stage on which Alicia stood in the spotlight while behind her appeared a group of Imps wearing white bow ties, cuffs and top hats with red, yellow, blue and purple covers respectively in that order. Small black walking sticks held in their hands and grinned at Alicia while they waited for the devil.

Don't tell me he's about to start singing?


Don't make me laugh
Hahaha!
Don't make me laugh
Hahaha!
My funny friend
Don't make me snap in half

With his hand he held Alicia's head while with the other hand he slowly caressed her cheek and looked at her in love. Alicia, however, was anything but in love with him and wanted him to let her go.

Don't be a card, dear
Don't play with the steaks
Don't make me laugh so hard
That you begin to break

The Imps danced along to the tune in the background. They danced in sync, tapping their sticks on the floor as they tap-danced with their feet.

Don't make me laugh

The devil stared deep into Alicia's eyes before releasing her chin and leaping onto the stage, dressed similarly to the Imps. Only his top hat was white and had a black band. Does the bow tie have to be pink? asked Alicia who was not very pleased by his appearance.

Imps: Heheheheh!

Don't pull my leg

The Imps also sang along while following the devil's movements. The wolf looked out from under the bed to see if he could get out of his hiding place. But he stayed on the safe side under the bed while Alicia didn't know what to say to the dance performance.

May I suggest you do best to beg!
If you say "no", miss
If you refuse
This is your notice that I refuse to lose

With a skillful turn, the devil jumped from the stage onto his bed and held Alicia in his arms. That she did not like it did not bother him. On the contrary, he took the opportunity to run through her black hair and caress her cheek.

Say "yes", my love
And go with a winner
Believe me, that would be wiser

"Never!" Alicia gave him in response. She didn't want to be his wife and certainly not his queen. But the devil disagreed and hugged her so tightly that her face was pressed into his fur. "How can you not say no to this fur?" said one imp. "Yes, and the boss never holds someone like you" mentioned another imp.

Say "no", to me
And your soul's my dinner
And Cuphead's the appetizer
Hahahaha!

The spotlight fell from the devil onto a wall and showed two shadow figures. One was both Cupheads and the other was the devil. The devil grabbed the souls of the two cupheads, pulled them out of their bodies and swallowed them whole while laughing diabolically.

Get the picture?
Don't make me laugh
Hahahaha!
Or slap my knee
Hahahaha!
I'm no hyena
So, Alicia, what'll it be?

The light fell again on the devil and Alicia who were staring at each other again. His hand ran over her cheek while she closed her eyes and turned her head away. She guessed what he was going to do when she felt his kiss on her cheek.

Right this way to the Devil's Estate
Or write your epitaph!
You choose your fate! Don't make me wait!
And, darling
Don't make me laugh!


He turned around with her in his arms until he dropped her on the bed. Alicia lay surrounded by pillows and looked at the devil who grinned seductively at her while the Imps bowed behind her on the stage and disappeared. She was alone with him again and it annoyed her. "Well my dearest?" he lay down next to her so that his chest was at her eye level.

"For the last time, no, I will not become your wife and queen!" she growled, but the devil didn't mind. He laughs evilly as she is sprawled on the bed scared as the Devil's cackling shadow looms over her. "I will give you more than enough time to change your mind" he approached her and slowly stroked her cheek. "How long it takes depends on you my dearest" he explained with a chuckle that sounded slightly threatening. "A day or an eternity!" with the last sentence he was on fire and the whole room was momentarily surrounded by flames.

Alicia took a deep breath in and out while she went through the whole thing again in her head. She was now alone again. Alone and chained like a dog. Well, she wasn't completely alone either. "I understand now why you don't want to be with him" Alicia heard from under the bed. She flinched at first but then she remembered. The wolf that came out of the portal slowly crawled out from under the bed and turned to her.

His eyes that were pitch black except for his irises that glowed ruby red. One could think that they sparkled or even burned. In any case, this seemed so to Alicia. "Yes, and I'm happily married and taken," she added. The wolf did not say anything. He just looked at her and drew his wand. "Let's get you out of here," he declared, and the chain and crystal lit up blue.

The chain glowed even stronger until it dissolved and Alicia was free of it. She was now no longer chained to the bed and could escape. But the question remained how. How should she escape from the underworld if she does not even know where the exit is. Is there an exit at all? She did not know that.

"Well then" she looked at the wolf who held out his hand or rather paw. She hesitated a bit but Alicia reached out and grabbed his hand while the wolf slowly and gently took her off the bed. "Thank you" she thanked him. "Oh don't mention it Alicia" Wait how does he know my name? The wolf saw the confused look on her face and knew she needed an explanation.

The wolf scratched nervously behind his head while Alicia waited for an answer from him. "I suppose you're wondering how I know your name, aren't you?" Alicia just nodded and looked at him apprehensively. The wolf cleared his throat before continuing "I'll be happy to explain how I know your name on the way out of here" she didn't want to hear that answer but it was better than nothing and she didn't want to stay here anyway so she nodded and followed the wolf out of the bedchamber.

As the wolf promised her, he explained how he knew her name. But one thing still gave her a headache: "Wait, if you know my name and you're not from this world, how do you know my name?" They both turned a corner and leaned against a wall and remained silent. A few Imps flew past them The wolf checked to see if the coast was clear and gave her a hand signal so they could continue. "I know him because I'm not the first time here in this world" Now Alicia was even more confused. "You're right, I'm not from this world, I'm from another," the wolf explained as he and Alicia ran on to look for an exit. From time to time they hid behind rocks or in corridors to avoid being discovered by Imps.

The wolf explained to her that he came from a world called Vudetopia and that he came here to search for a sacred artifact that he could only find with her help. "Wait, how am I supposed to help you with that?" asked Alicia as she and the wolf hid again. "You'll find out soon enough, but for now, let's get out of this place" they both went out of hiding again and found themselves walking down the hallway in the Devil's Throne Room again. The aegean blue carpet with denim border that ended with golden embellishments went up to the throne that stood on a small rise in front of two stairs. The throne was red upholstered with golden borders on the backrest while the armrests were made of fabric and seemed to be very comfortable.

Besides the throne and the carpet, there were several columns in the throne room and something that caught Alicia's eye. It was an elevator. An 1930s elevator that just stood there without a case around it as it usually was the case. But this did not bother Alicia. She and the wolf knew that this was the ticket out of here and didn't hesitate for long. They ran to the elevator whose door was wide open.

Alicia felt herself getting closer and closer to freedom the closer she and the wolf got to the elevator. Nothing could get in their way. Or could they? "I'm going to kill you!" Alicia couldn't react that quickly as she was suddenly pushed to the ground. She felt claws on her chest that slowly drove through her clothes. Sharp claws to be exact.

Alicia knew that these were not the claws of the wolf but those of someone else. But from whom? She opened her eyes and saw a familiar face that she would rather not see again. It was Silk and oh boy was she furious. "I don't know what the devil sees in you, but I promise you this, you will..." before she continued, Alicia only heard Silk get hit in the back of her head and pass out in front of her. What knocked the Malamute Demon out was the wolf using his wand and knocking Silk out with it. Now the two of them could enter the elevator without further problems and escape from the underworld. But the question was how did the elevator work? Alicia pressed every button, even pushed the lever back and forth, but the elevator did not move. "Come on!" said Alicia in frustration as the wolf watched her.

The latter saw the key with which he could turn on the elevator. "Maybe you have to put the key in him first?" Alicia looked at him confused until she saw the key in his hand. She felt fooled and took the key she was about to insert into the keyhole next to the lever. "WHERE IS MY ALICIA?!" suddenly roared through the underworld. The devil had found out that Alicia was no longer in his bedchamber.

"Damn it we have to escape!" said the wolf while Alicia tried to insert the key into the keyhole out of sheer panic and fear. But she kept missing, which gave the devil more than enough time to search for her in his throne room. While Alicia tried to insert the key and the wolf calmed her down, the devil appeared in the throne room not far from the elevator. "Where could she be?" he asked himself, searching behind his tapestry, his throne, even behind the columns.

But nowhere did he find them. He slowly became impatient and angry. He wanted to bring Alicia back to his bedchamber come what may. But where was she? Apparently not in the throne room, otherwise he would have... His gaze fell on the elevator in which Alicia was with the wolf. "Damn it!" said Alicia when she saw the grin on the devil's face that she wanted to smack away. "There you are my dearest" the devil approached the elevator with a seductive grin. Alicia rolled her eyes in annoyance as she tried to insert the key into the keyhole. The devil approached the elevator and couldn't wait to hold Alicia tightly in his arms, caress her cheek and have her with him.

But there stood in his way the wolf that is in front of him. This only made the devil angrier. "Move you useless mutt!" the wolf of course did not put up with. What for also. He growled slightly as he reached for his wand, from whose crystal three blue flames appeared, each with a dragon's head and hollow eyes.

These spread around the wolf and opened their mouths from which came blue flames that lit up together with the crystal until they were bright enough to almost blind not only Alicia but also the devil. Both protected themselves from the bright light and either looked away or held their arms in front of their eyes. Alicia did both and finally managed to push the key into the keyhole, activating the elevator and lighting up the buttons.

Alicia didn't hesitate for long and pressed the button that said surface on it and flipped the lever to close the elevator door. Before the devil could say anything, the elevator burst into flames and sank into the ground. Of course, he didn't like that at all, which is why he growled and was on fire while yelling and screaming in rage.


Back on the surface, the elevator appeared not far from the cottage. The door opened as the flames disappeared and Alicia and the wolf exited the elevator. "Finally back on the surface" Alicia said with relief as if she had just finished a marathon. "Thanks for the rescue..." "Blood" Uh what? Alicia looked at him confused. "That's my name" explained the wolf whose name was Blood.

"Okay Blood a really nice name. A bit strange but still interesting" said Alicia nervously. But that was not because the wolf was staring at her strangely, but because of why the wolf needed her help. Not only was she supposed to help him find the artifact, but she was also important for something that was yet to come. What that was Blood could not tell her.

Whatever it was Alicia wanted only one thing and that was to go home and lie down in bed. No matter how she looked now it didn't matter. The dress Elder Kettle had worked on consisted mostly of holes left by the devil. It was going to be fun explaining that to him. But there was one other thing Alicia had to explain to the four of them. Blood followed her every step of the way to the cottage as if he were her bodyguard.

While Alicia and Blood approached the cottage, Cuppy, Cuphead and Mugman nervously wait in the living room for Alicia's return. It was almost midnight and she had not yet returned. Neither of them could sleep, they were the only ones who stayed downstairs in the living room and waited for Alicia to return. Elder Kettle meanwhile slept upstairs in his room. "Do you think something has happened to her?" asked Mugman.

Both Cups shrugged their shoulders, "I don't know." Neither knew what to do. Looking for her would be impossible. Where should they start looking? All three were about to despair when the door opened and they saw two figures. The light switch went on and they saw Alicia and a wolf.

"Alicia!" the three cups yelled as they ran toward her and hugged her legs. She was glad to see them again. But when she heard sobbing, she felt bad. "Hey, I'm fine, you three, I arrived safely," she said as she stroked them on the heads. The sobs woke up Elder Kettle, who was walking down the stairs. "What's wrong?" asked Elder Kettle yawning as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. But he felt silent when he saw not only Alicia but also the wolf standing behind her.

Blood had never seen humanoid beings with cups for heads containing a white liquid with a straw. That he had to digest that first was clear. "Okay, that's a little strange," he said, scratching his head as the others looked at him.

"And who is that?" asked Cuppy, slightly angry. The others had different feelings when they saw the wolf. Elder Kettle was rather shocked and couldn't close his mouth, Cuphead was amazed while Mugman was afraid and hid behind Alicia. "Oh uh that's Blood he..." Damn what am I going to say now? That she was thinking about it Blood noticed and helped her. "I found her when she was on her way back home and running through the forest" he turns to her. "She was sitting alone in the forest when I came to her and I brought her back home". The four bought the lie and offered him to stay. "You're welcome to use the empty bed in the guest room," Elder Kettle said as he yawned and went upstairs with Cuphead and Mugman.

This pleased Blood and Alicia. Both wanted only one thing and that is to go to bed and sleep. So the three went to the guest room. Cuppy helped Blood to get the empty third bed ready before he could go to bed too. Cuppy was skeptical at first about the wolf who introduced himself as Blood, but when Alicia trusted him, he trusted him too.

The night went without problems for Alicia. Even if she would have wished not to end up in the devil's bed. At least she remained faithful to Lucifer. What if he finds out? Will he be angry with her? Alicia didn't want to know. The important thing was that she was back with her friends and safe from the devil. For the moment, anyway.


Song: Don't make me laugh - The Pebble and The Penguin