Cuphead and Mugman in "A Recipe For Evil"

The Devil's Plan

Back at the site of the bonfire, the cup brothers, Spoonfred, and Kiki huddled close to keep warm. The fire was starting to die down a little and Saltbaker was still not back with the said herbs. Cup reached over for the last couple pieces of wood and tossed them onto the pile. The flames hissed and rose up about an inch. Not nearly enough to last the night, they realized.

A sudden change came over the air. Almost like a physical whisper that removed the blanket from over the island. The sea breeze finally came in and tickled the feline's fur. She gave a short trill as her ears and whiskers twitched. Her emerald eyes looked about.

"What was that?" Spoonfred asked. Cuphead looked up. Even though he couldn't see a physical change, he could feel that it had happened.

"The barrier...it's gone." The young cup then looked to his brother. "You don't think....?" For he couldn't even finish his question. Didn't want to utter those words caught on his tongue. But the look on Mugman's face confirmed his suspicion. The solemn stare told him that the worst had just happened. "Oh no...." Cup couldn't help but feel that it was partially his fault for being unable to protect Chalice in her hour of need. "What do we do now?"

"You can start by explaining why you never came home." Came a familiar voice.

"Elder Kettle!" The cup bros rejoiced as their guardian came down upon the island on the back of the green dragon. Despite his great size, Grim planted himself down on the ground as gentle and quiet as he could. His stubby limbs curled under him as he went to lay down for the moment. The tan snout pointed towards the young spoon.

"Djimmi's been looking for you and Kiki, too." Grim snorted at the utensil as his passenger slid off his back.

"I'm sorry." Spoonfred apologized. This was the first time he truly realized that he had been missing for hours, too.

Kettle walked forward, ready to embrace his grandsons. One arm went to each of his boys as he pulled them in close. They squeezed tight, basking in the temporary relief of their grandpa's warmth. The elder pulled back a bit to get a look at them.

"At least you boys are o-" But the glassware stopped when he realized their condition was less than okay. "What happened? It looks like you two have been through a war."

"Well, sorta." Cup replied with a shrug. "Long story short, we were helping Chalice gather ingredients for a Wondertart when a psycho chef pulled Tsundere out of Mugman and tried to get him to search for his wife in the astral plane." They could tell Elder Kettle didn't know how to respond to this. It was a blank, horrified stare that said so much without anything actually being said. He tried to force himself to say something.

"But how did – you know what? I don't need to know." He waved it off with a flick of his gloved hand. "What's important is that you are all still in one piece. But it's a good thing I came prepared." The kettle turned and walked back to the dragon. Attached to one of Grim's spikes was a satchel. Elder Kettle fished around in the brown tote and pulled out two Miracle Heals.

"Thank you! You're the best, Elder Kettle!" The boys rejoiced at the sight of the familiar green liquid. They snatched their share away from their guardian and began to chug them down. Cup and Mug gave a sigh of relief as they consumed the last drop of the potions.

"We should probably get out of here before that furry red dragon sees us again." Grim mentioned to the group. Had the cup siblings still been drinking their Miracle Heals, they would have choked on them for sure. All they needed to hear was red and furry to know whom Grim was talking about.

"You saw the demon? Where was it going?" Cuphead frantically asked.

"That was a demon?" Kettle said, completely bewildered.