Chapter 33: Mobydick..Ha! Dick..

In the caboose, the shark demon Jaws, along with his henchmen Choncker and Fury, dealt with their loose ends.

After they got rid of the imp, Choncker turned to Fury, scratching his head.

"Hey Fury, why are we here anyway?"

Fury slapped Choncker on the back of the head. "You idiot, we're here for two reasons. One, there's a shipment of Asmodean crystal on this train. The boss wants to procure them for reasons we still don't know, but it has something to do with going to Earth."

"Asmomeman Crystal"

"No! I said Asmodean Crystal, you dumbass. There is a type of magical mineral that allows hell spawn to access the human world legally and without consequence.

They are mostly given to Succubi by 

Asmodeus himself for us demon folk to conduct Earth-related business."

Choncker's eyes widened. "Earth? But what about—"

Fury cut him off. "And two, the bratty son of the esteemed Von Eldritch family is on this train. Somebody paid a pretty penny to capture him alive. Too bad, I've always wanted to know what nobility tasted like..well the boss said they needed him alive...he never said in what condition hehehe!!"

Choncker stared at him blankly, before being distracted by a hell moth fluttering nearby. Fury sighed, just as the boss called him over.

"Fury! Keep an eye on the boy, will ya, I don't want any funny business going on today." Jaws ordered.

Fury nodded reluctantly before heading out, muttering to himself about babysitting duties.

...

Meanwhile, Tucker was in the battle of his life. He was sweating bullets, trying his hardest to push through the barrier, but it wasn't budging. He needed more, to push further....beyoooond!!!!!

Plop

That was the sound of him finally finishing his dump.

Smiling in satisfaction, he flushed the toilet and washed his hands before opening the door to see a shark demon staring at him, mindlessly.

"..."

"Can I help you?" Tucker asked.

Choncker, who was staring at him, asked a random but really curious question someone on drugs would ask, "Do you think clouds taste like marshmallows?"

Tucker blinked, taken aback, but he decided to go along with it. "Well, I guess if they did, the rain would be like hot chocolate, right?"

Choncker's eyes lit up. "Yeah, exactly! But no, I can't take breaks. The boss said I gotta keep an eye out."

Tucker raised an eyebrow at that but didn't react. As he walked back to his seat, he thought about the shark demon that passed earlier with the smell of blood and now this shark demon saying there was a boss and he was on the lookout.

It looked like despite wanting a peaceful travel, he might not get one.

Lost in thought, Tucker was already back in his chair when an imp passed by with a cart offering free peanuts. Tucker accepted, still a bit hungry, but before he could take a bite, a bored voice intercepted him.

"I wouldn't eat those. They're not actually peanuts."

Tucker looked in front of him. There sat a boy, sitting opposite him, not even lifting his head, apparently finding his book more entertaining. The cover read Moby-Dick, a classic in the literature world.

"Why? What are they made of?" Tucker asked.

The boy muttered something."Fatty acids, plant proteins, magnesium, *********, ****, *****, and also ****** ***..."

Tucker looked at the kid blankly as his face slowly contorted to the look similar to one of Edvard Munch's most famous paintings.

Tucker immediately set the pack of peanuts on fire, vowing never to eat peanuts in Hell... ever.

"..."

There was silence, but Tucker thanked the boy. The boy didn't respond, so Tucker tried to get his attention again.

The boy sighed, closing his book slightly. "Are you brain-dead, fox? I'm clearly ignoring you, and now I've wasted precious oxygen talking to you twice."

He went back to his book. The boy expected Tucker to get angry, to snarl at him—everyone does.

But Tucker wasn't angry. He tilted his head, his ears folding, making him appear quite cute.

He pondered for a moment before a mischievous look appeared on his face. He then did a few hand signs, and with a puff of smoke, a chessboard appeared in front of himself and the boy.

The kid looked up in annoyance but was surprised when Tucker just looked at him. In that look, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he had never had anyone look at him that way.

The boy narrowed his eyes, looking at the chessboard. "What are you doing?"

Tucker smiled. "I figured you might enjoy a game. You seem like the type who appreciates a good game."

The boy's interest was piqued, though he hid it well. "...Chess? You think you can beat me?" That may have sounded cocky but for good reason.

Tucker shrugged. "I guess there is only one way to find out."

"..."

The boy set his book aside, finally giving Tucker his full attention. "Fine. I was getting quite bored of reading anyway. I guess you could entertain me for a few minutes. Don't expect me to go easy on you."

"Haha, Wouldn't dream of it," Tucker replied, moving a pawn forward.

The game began, and for the first time, the boy seemed genuinely engaged. As they played, Tucker noticed the boy's skill and intelligence.

He was sharp, thinking several moves ahead.

After a few minutes of silent play, the boy spoke up. "So, why are you here?"

Tucker moved his knight, capturing one of the boy's pawns. "I'm heading to Pentagram City to meet a friend. Needed a change of scenery."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Pentagram City? I see, I've been a couple of times, a boring place if you ask me. What's your friend's name?"

"Lucy," Tucker said casually.

The boy's eyes widened slightly. "Lucy? As in... Lucifer?"...Does this man know Mr Lucifer..d-did I misgauge him.'

Tucker chuckled. "No, of course not, just a friend named Lucy. We've been pen pals for a while."

The boy seemed to relax a bit. "All right...Pentagram City isn't exactly known for being friendly."

Tucker nodded. "I can handle myself."

The boy moved his queen aggressively, putting Tucker's king in check. "We'll see about that."

Tucker smiled, making his next move. "You're pretty good at this. What's your name, by the way?"

The boy hesitated for a moment before replying, "...Oliver."

"Nice to meet you, Oliver. I'm Tucker," he said, offering his hand.

Oliver looked at Tucker's hand for a moment before snorting "Likewise. But I don't shake hands with the lesser."

Tucker retracted his hand, not offended in the least. He looked at the board, Oliver had him in check and the boy saw no way for Tucker to win.

But when Oliver saw Tucker's unbothered appearance...it somehow unnerved him. And then he made his move, and his eyes widened.

"H—How...!!

Tucker grinned as his closed eyes opened, shining like pools of crimson red blood." I believe that's called checkmate. Little one!"

...

Sorry there hasn't been un updated in the last few days I've been binging shows and movies I needed to catch up on and after watching all the episodes of Sandman...

I just couldn't help myself and read all the comics too, and I can only use this singular word to describe what I read:

.

.

.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!