Chapter 18: Hell's newest Makeup influencer:Tucker?!

Sorry for the late update guys, I was meant to upload yesterday afternoon but I hated the chapter, so I re-wrote it. It was originally only a thousand words, but since I felt bad I doubled it to 2200, Enjoy.

Song recommendation for this chapter: [Sex yeah - MARINA]...on repeat.

....

[Location: Hell: The Second Ring - wrath - Cacti City Stadium]

As the concert buzzed with screams and moans from Sinners, Tucker found himself lounging comfortably with Ruby and Amethyst, two hours deep into the performances.

Verosika Mayday had already graced the stage with three of her songs, captivating the audience each time.

Throughout the night, Tucker and Valentina exchanged texts, both expressing their opinions about Verosika's talent.

Feeling content with the night's entertainment, Tucker decided it was time for a brief intermission on his part.

"I'm gonna stretch my legs for a bit," Tucker announced, standing up from the plush sofa.

"Oh, Tucker, while you're out, could you grab us more drinks, o! o! And some cock rocks too" Ruby asked, her eyes fixed on the stage. "The button to call the staff seems to have given up on us."

"Sure thing," Tucker agreed, however, he paused when he finally digested what Ruby had said."Sorry I think I heard you wrong, for a moment I thought you said co—"

Ruby smirked and interrupted him"I did!" They're actually pretty popular in the Lust ring. They make all kinds of flavours, sweaty nuts, I just nutted in your mum, we can't do this stepbro, two girls one cup....oh! and strawberry too.

"..."

For the first time in a long time...Tucker was left completely speechless.

...

Tucker soon after left the room feeling like there was still so much of hell he didn't know about...maybe there were things he didn't want to know.

Navigating his way out of the Ultra VIP section, Tucker did what he said, walking around the venue, just stretching his legs.

However, the venue soon had Tucker turned around, corridors blending into one another until...

Yes, you guessed it...he was lost.

Since he was lost he decided to find someone and ask them for directions, he approached an imp deeply engrossed in a conversation with his phone's AI, Karen.

"Why can't I get a girlfriend, Karen?" the imp asked, a tinge of hope and desperation in his voice.

Instead of an verbal answer, the phone cruelly switched to camera mode, confronting the imp with his own reflection.

"..."

The imp's reaction was immediate; he ran off, hurling his phone in frustration and leaving Tucker to stand there all alone.

"Poor guy."

Shaking his head in sympathy, Tucker continued his quest for directions, only to find the hallway he was in eerily deserted.

That was until a door flew open with a force that suggested urgency—or frustration.

'Huh, isn't she...'

Standing in the doorway was none other than Verosika Mayday, looking both impatient and distinctly unimpressed.

"Finally! What took you so long?" she snapped, pulling Tucker inside before he could utter a word of protest.

"I think you've mistaken me for—" Tucker began, but Verosika was already pacing towards a mirror, her irritation clearly visible by the growl she sent his way.

"My makeup artist bails, and then I get stuck with you? Look, I have less than 20 minutes to get ready. You better work some magic, or it's your fucking head, Got it!!!" she warned, her tone leaving no room for argument.

'I think she's got me confused with someone, completely different...but this could be a good opportunity to see how she is off the stage.

Tucker surveyed the makeup scattered across the table, a memory surfacing from centuries past when he used makeup and paint as tools for survival, on many occasions.

"Let's see what I can do," he muttered, more to himself than to Verosika.

Tucker picked up a brush, his movements hesitant at first but as he picked up the brush memories started pouring back in. "Any particular look you're going for, or should I just wing it?"

Verosika sighed, resigning herself to her fate. "Think glamorous but deadly. I want to dazzle and intimidate."

"Alright...I think I can do that."

As Tucker worked, Verosika looked at the mask and hood, and couldn't help but comment.

"What's with the hood and mask, what are you even going for, that sexy mysterious Zorro look was so last decade."

"Zorro???" Tucker asked with a confused inflexion in his tone, but Verosika ignored his question, too busy texting on her phone.

Verosika's phone buzzed sparingly with responses from Blitzo, each more terse than the last. "Ugh, this guy," she groaned, typing out rapid responses between Tucker's makeup applications.

"Trouble in paradise?" Tucker asked, lightly applying mascara to her lashes.

"Let's just say, managing a pop career and a personal life is more complicated than it looks, why am I even talking to you, hurry it up," Verosika admitted, before remembering she wasn't with her usual artist.

"I apologise if I stepped out of line," Tucker said continuing his work, but he could see Verosika's turbulent emotions.

As the minutes ticked down, Tucker's confidence grew.

The final look was nothing short of spectacular, even he was surprised at how well it turned out, but Verosika was over the moon.

"Wow, I stand corrected. You might just have a future in this after all," Verosika conceded, examining herself in the mirror.

"Wow, I really am sexy..." She complimented herself while checking herself out, she smirked and lifted her tit's up to adjust her dress, and Tucker decided to look away, respectfully.

"Im glad you liked it, Miss Mayday, I hope I captured the look you were going for..." Tucker said, packing up the makeup kit.

Verosika laughed, the clear distance that was there before now dissipating. "Good. Yeah, I guess it's okay, I'll give you 7 out of 10. Now, let's get this show on the road."

....

Unfortunately, Verosika couldn't enjoy looking at herself in the mirror any longer as

Her mood took a nosedive; Blitzo, her boyfriend, had stopped responding to her texts completely.

Her frustration were starting to grow but she did her best to calm them. The glow from her freshly done makeup dimmed with her souring mood.

Just then, a knock at the door and a staff member's voice broke through the tension. "Miss Mayday, you're on in two minutes!"

Verosika's response was a guttural growl as she hurled her phone across the room, the device clattering against the wall.

Luckily it hadn't broken, so she could still use it.

Despite her irritation, she managed a backhanded compliment towards Tucker. "Well, at least one thing went right tonight. Thanks for the save, even if you're not as good as Shelly. But don't let my comment inflate your ego too much; we wouldn't want you to start thinking you're as indispensable as me," she said, half-joking but with an undertone of sincerity.

With that, she stormed out of the room, her heels clicking assertively against the floor.

Tucker followed at a distance, his senses suddenly alert. His ear twitched; he'd heard something unsettling from across the hall.

Choosing not to follow Verosika further, he turned down a corridor, only to come face-to-face with a gang of twelve shark demons armed to the teeth—literally.

Without hesitation, Tucker sprang into action, his movements were ferocious and fast.

He struck the first shark in the throat, a swift punch that left the demon gasping, before delivering a roundhouse kick that sent him sprawling into a nearby supply closet.

What followed was a symphony of shouts and curses. Each shark demon attacked him after seeing one of their own beaten.

"Guess it's a bad day to be a shark?" Tucker quipped, ducking a wild punch and responding with a precise jab to another shark's jaw.

The fight was reminiscent of a Jackie Chan movie, with Tucker using his surroundings to his advantage, turning mundane objects into weapons and shields.

A mop became a staff, a bucket a helmet, and a cart a battering ram.

As he subdued the last of the sharks, Tucker couldn't help but sigh, as the second to last Shark came at him with a taser, it only took a single look from Tucker to stop him in place.

"..."

"I apologise for my previous behaviour, I will see myself in the closet" He wasn't as stupid as his other fellow sharks, he voluntarily threw himself into the closet.

There was only one Shark left, but he had two broken legs so he wasn't going anywhere.

With the immediate threat neutralized, Tucker's mind raced. Why target Verosika? Kidnapping her, planning to replace her with an animatronic look-alike—it made no sense.

She didn't seem the type to be entangled in loan shark dealings. He had heard them talking about the plan when he left Verosika's room so that's how he knew.

Determined to get answers, Tucker dragged the shark that had two backward legs for a nice chat.

"Hello there my friend, here's what's going to happen, you're going to tell me who you work for, you won't hide a single detail, and then I'm going to gently throw you into that closet with the rest of your friends, sound good."

"Huh, you ain't gonna make me talk, my lips are sealed shut. Do your worst."

"I see...I have a no-killing rule, so I won't threaten you with your life....but I have other ways of making sharks sing."

"Ha!! And who...huh, what are you...no...noooo..don't..... please...anything but...NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

.

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After extracting crucial information from one of the captured shark demons, Tucker discovered what the whole plot was about: the stadium was targeted for destruction in a grand, explosive finale due to a betrayal one of the owners had committed against Hammerstein, the shark demon loan boss.

The reason behind Verosika's intended kidnapping remained unclear, however, he could hazard a guess.

Tucker was particularly shocked to learn that Hammerstein was still alive; he vividly remembered Valentina's decisive kill strike against the shark demon.

"Thanks for the chat," Tucker said dryly to the shark demon before knocking him out with a swift hit to the head.

He then proceeded to shove the unconscious body into the supply closet with the rest of the shark gang, his finger glowed brightly, and he traced the outlines of the door soldering it shut.

Now alone with his thoughts, Tucker pondered his next move. The stadium was filled with "innocent" demons here to enjoy the concert, unaware of the danger their in, and unlike Sinners, hellborn weren't so immortal.

"Well, there's only one thing to do," he murmured, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

.....

Navigating back to the Ultra VIP section proved to be a challenge. Tucker, despite his best efforts, found himself lost several times within the stadium.

By the time he finally arrived, Ruby and Amethyst had managed to secure the snacks and drinks he had originally been asked to get.

"I'm sorry about the wait," Tucker apologized as he settled back onto the couch, his little outing having taken much longer than anticipated.

Amythyst, ever the peacemaker, gently knocked on her sister's snout to quiet her impending complaint.

"It's okay, Tucker. We figured you got caught up in something. We got hungry and went ahead to grab what we needed. Tried to find you, too, but you were nowhere to be seen."

"Yeah, I, uh, got a little lost on my walk," Tucker admitted with a sheepish grin, appreciating the twins' understanding.

....

As Tucker, Ruby, and Amethyst engaged in their heartfelt exchange, their moment of tranquillity was abruptly interrupted.

The door to their Ultra VIP room slammed open with such force it seemed to reverberate through their very bones, only to be quickly shut again.

The sudden intrusion was followed by a cacophony of shouts and the shuffling of multiple footsteps outside the room, creating a brief but intense atmosphere.

Yet, as quickly as the disturbance began, it moved on, the sounds fading into the distance.

The man who had burst into their room so abruptly paused, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Few!!! That's the last time I ever use a glory hole in this stadium, what type of glory hole needs a payment fee anyway?"

He let out a relieved chuckle, glad to have found a temporary hiding spot from whatever pursuit he had managed to escape.

But his relief was short-lived.

"Oi, ass-wipe, who the fuck are you."That was of course none other than Ruby.

As his gaze lifted and swept across the room, he realized his chosen hiding spot was not the empty as he had hoped for.

Three pairs of eyes stared back at him. One full of curiosity and another filled with caution.

For a brief moment, the room was engulfed in a tense silence, the kind that speaks volumes without a single word being uttered.

Then, as recognition dawned, both Tucker and the unexpected guest locked eyes, a spark of realization igniting between them.

They pointed at each other simultaneously, a gesture that broke the tension as swiftly as it had built.

And then, in perfect unison, they exclaimed each other's names...

"Armyn!!"

"Tucker!!!"