Really short story!!!
...
[Location: Millie and Moxxie's Apartment]
Moxie was in the Kitchen washing dishes when he suddenly had the urge to ask a question.
"Millie, what do you love most about me?"
Without any thought or hesitation she replied"Your loyalty."
That got a smile. Then he decided to ask another.
"And the least?"
"Your stamina."
"..."
...
Like I said, a really short story. Now onto the chapter.
...
Tucker was in his room at Valentina's tower, packing his things. He had decided to stay a few more days in Gloutvile before heading to Pentagram City.
He was excited about the move, but today, he had another thing in mind. After packing most of the essentials, he decided to visit the Lexicon Library.
Despite the prevalence of smartphones nowadays being used to look up knowledge, the information Tucker sought could only be found there.
.....
He made his way through the bustling streets, greeting a few familiar faces along the way.
"Tucker, my man! You got any spare change?" a scruffy demon named Hargrove asked, holding out a cup.
"Again, Hargrove? What happened to the last 'loan'?" Tucker chuckled, dropping a few coins into the cup.
"I invested it," Hargrove said, puffing out his chest.
"In what..?" Tucker inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh... lottery tickets. But hey, you can't win if you don't play!" Hargrove grinned sheepishly.
"Good luck with that," Tucker said, patting him on the shoulder.
Further down the street, he encountered another acquaintance, a rather rotund demon named Blorp who was busy trying to fix a bicycle.
"Blorp, what happened to your bike?" Tucker asked.
"Ran over a chicken. Damned thing didn't even move!" Blorp complained, holding up a bent wheel.
"You know, Hell chickens are notoriously stubborn," Tucker replied with a straight face.
Blorp stared at him for a moment before both burst into laughter. "Yeah, well, I'm on my way to get it fixed. See you around, Tucker!"
The final encounter before reaching the library was with a trio of succubi. They waved at Tucker, with predatory eyes.
"Hey, Tucker, want to join us for some fun later?" one of them asked, winking seductively.
"Sorry, ladies, got some serious studying to do," Tucker replied, trying to maintain a serious tone but failing as they giggled.
"Your loss," another succubus called out, blowing him a kiss.
Shaking his head with a grin, Tucker finally arrived at the Lexicon Library. He was greeted by a droopy female goat demon behind the reception desk who looked like she didn't even know where she was. Tucker tried to communicate with her.
"Hi, I need to find some specific information. Can you help me?" he asked.
The goat demon blinked slowly before smashing her head onto the desk, immediately starting to snore.
Tucker paused, bewildered, before deciding to find his way on his own. He walked over to a map of the library and gasped.
The library not only had one floor but, if he was seeing it right, there were over 1,000 floors. "Am I really going to find the information I need?" he muttered to himself.
Undeterred, he trudged on to the 257th floor, where the information he needed might be located.
The spiral staircase echoed his footsteps, each step feeling like an eternity. Over an hour later, he finally reached his destination. Rows upon rows of books stretched out before him, a seemingly endless sea of knowledge.
"Alright, no point in complaining," Tucker said to himself. He started in the T section and began his search.
...
Another hour quicly passed with no luck. Just as he was about to continue, his body moved on its own.
[Shwaaaaaa—]
Without realizing it, he had summoned his boken and had it an inch away from the demon chest standing right behind him.
Tucker was shocked. He hadn't even sensed this demon before he was within a sword's length.'Looks like I've lost my edge a bit.'
"It's rude to sneak up on people, you know," Tucker said, turning around to face one of the most unique demons he had ever met.
The demon was tall, standing around 10 feet in height. They were a bird-type demon with silky midnight wings for hands and two bird-like legs.
Their eyes shined like the silver moon, and snow-colored feathers adorned the ends of their wings, around their neck, and forming a diamond-shaped mark on their chest. The demon's expression was not amused.(Pic)
The demon looked at Tucker for a moment before speaking. "Floor 288, shelf 1045, fifth book on the bottom shelf from the right. It has a red cover." His voice sounded ancient, but it suited the demon nevertheless.
Before Tucker could ask why the demon told him this, they disappeared with a sudden whoosh.
Tucker stood there, pondering the encounter. After a few seconds, he memorized where he was in his search and made his way to the floor the bird demon mentioned.
The journey down the spiral staircase to the 288th floor wasn't as long and arduous as the climb to the 257th.
Finally, he reached the designated floor. He navigated through the labyrinth of shelves until he found shelf 1045. Bending down, he counted five books from the right and pulled out the one with the red cover.
The title of the book read,"The Hidden Twin Dragons of the Shrine." Tucker couldn't help but freeze.
This... this was the book he had been looking for. But how could that bird demon have known what he was searching for when Tucker hadn't even mentioned it?
Could he read minds? No, that was impossible. Tucker had met a demonic monster many centuries ago with that ability, and it had no way of pushing through the mental blocks he had put in his mind.
'So how...?'
"..."
He could think about that later. For now, he needed to sit down and delve into the book.
He pressed his demonic fingers on the cover, gently feeling the yin and yang dragons before opening it.
"Once upon a time, in a verdant valley nestled between towering mountains, lived two dragon brothers, Azur and Vermil..."
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[ Location: Valentina tower]
A few hours later, Tucker walked back to Valentina's tower.
He didn't even greet Fizzie like he normally did. Instead, he made his way straight to the balcony, looking out into the distant sky.
He could see Heaven far away, feeling so close yet knowing it was as distant as Mars was from Earth.
As he was lost in thought, Valentina walked in with two cups of hot chocolate, each topped with marshmallows. Tucker finally noticed her and apologized for not greeting her properly.
Valentina waved it off. "No worries, mon cher. Here, have some hot chocolate," she said, handing him a mug.
Tucker accepted it with a grateful smile, taking a sip and feeling the warmth spread through him. He looked back out at the sky.
"You know, you're only here for two more days," Valentina said softly. "After that, you'll be gone."
He nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, I guess I will be...Thank you for everything, Valentina. I'm glad I saved you that day and decided to become your bodyguard."
Valentina shook her head. "Non, Tucker. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I don't know where I'd be without you."
They sat down together on a bench, Valentina leaning against Tucker. He asked her who she would hire to protect her now that he was leaving.
"I have it covered, mon cher. No need to worry," she assured him.
He also mentioned Hammerstein, expressing his concern that the demon might not be dead. "I double-checked, but I couldn't find his demonic essence. Just to be safe, keep your guard up."
Valentina chuckled. "You worry too much sometimes, Tucker."
That may be true, but it was always better to be safe then sorry and regret later on...
And what she didn't know was that he had placed a few protective seals around her tower and on her body.
These seals would last over two years before running out of energy, although an attack could deplete them faster.
They both sat in silence, looking up at the sky. Finally, Valentina decided break the silence.
"Tucker, before you leave, could you do one more favor for me?"
Tucker chuckled. "There's no need for favors between friends, Valentina."
She smiled mischievously. "Then, tomorrow, we're going on a date."
Without thinking, Tucker agreed. "Sure, sounds—wait, what?"
Valentina smirked as she turned to leave. "Be ready by nine," she said, her hair covering one eye, making her look even more alluring before she disappeared inside.
Tucker sat there...speechless. D-did Valentina just ask him out on a date?