In memorian to Michelle Trachtenberg, known for Harriet the Spy, Buffy, and Gossip Girl. May she rest in peace.
Chapter 17: Hellhounded
Up in the Pride Ring, there was a Hellhound district in Imp City referred to by locals as the Dog Park. While Imp City was mostly inhabited by, well, imps, it was also home to other types of Hellborn and even Sinners. This included Hellhounds, who for the most part lived very close together in the same part of Imp City where they could gather and run their own businesses without having to worry about the restrictions that they would face in other parts of the Pride Ring. The Hellhounds of the Dog Park lived in apartment buildings and townhouses and it was in one of these dark-colored apartment buildings that a certain Hellhound had decided to reside in. And that Hellhound… was Vortex.
Or Tex, as we have come to know him by.
This was where he lived and the inside of his apartment… there wasn't much to talk about. It was a studio apartment, which meant that the living room, the bedroom,and the kitchen had been combined into a single apartment. This was a very humble dwelling, with some wear and tear on the walls and very little décor around. Besides the kitchen, there was an old-looking couch that looked like it could have been something that Tex had found on the curb, a TV, a DVD shelf, and shockingly the floor was actually carpeted. And while there was a lack of décor, Tex more than made up for it by having pictures on his walls so they weren't completely bare. Plenty of these pictures had Kajedo in them. Some with just herself, some with both her and Tex in them. One of them showed the two of them at the pool together, Kajedo sticking out her tongue and making a peace symbol while dressed in a rather revealing bathing suit. But there weren't just photos with Kajedo in them. There were also photos of Tex with some other Hellhounds, including a few showing some younger Hellhounds surrounding him.
Out of all the possessions in Tex's apartment, these photos were perhaps the most valuable to him. After all, they weren't just photos to him. They were memories.
But where was Tex himself? Well, behind the couch there was a bed. And on that bed laid a sleeping Vortex, buried underneath the covers. This was the apartment that he often shared with Kajedo, but for now he was sleeping alone.
At least he was sleeping until he heard the sound of someone knocking on the door, followed by someone calling his name.
"Tex! You in here? Hello?"
The large Hellhound woke up, sticking his head out from underneath the covers. He let out a yawn and started to get up from his bed while muttering to himself, still in the process of waking up. "I'm coming, I'm coming…"
Before he answered the door, he quickly got himself dressed so that he would be presentable when he went to open the door, revealing a Hellhound woman standing in the hallway outside of his studio apartment. More specifically, it was an older white-blonde haired, white and brown-furred saluki Hellhound woman in a red tank top and jean shorts.
"Hey, Miss Pepsy, what's up?" Tex asked his neighbor with a brief yawn.
"Morning Tex, glad to see you up and about," Miss Pepsy responded.
"Good morning to you too, ma'am," Tex said with a smile. "So what can I do for you, Ms. Pepsy?" he asked, knowing better than to assume that Miss Pepsy was paying him a visit this early just to exchange pleasantries.
"Oh, well, I came over to ask if you could help me with my air conditioner," Pepsy explained. "It's been acting up again, and I was hoping if you could help check it out before I call for someone to come here to repair it."
"Sure, I'll be glad to save you a couple of souls," Tex said, still smiling. "Let me get my tool box, and then I'll be right on over."
A few minutes later, Tex was over in his neighbor's apartment, checking on her air conditioner. As he tinkered with him, Miss Pepsy was standing over him, watching him work while behind them her two pups were playing with their toys.
"So I didn't see Kajey in your apartment today," Pepsy brought up. "Is she around?"
"Nah, she actually went down to Wrath to help out a friend," Tex responded while checking on the thermostat. "Also to spend some time with her family."
"Oh, really?" Pepsy asked. "You know, I keep forgetting Kajey's from Wrath. She just… isn't what you would expect from a Wrath Hellhound. She's too… nice. And clean. And she doesn't talk like she is from there either."
Tex grimaced slightly, knowing that Kajedo wouldn't appreciate hearing that, even if it was true that Kajedo didn't fit the stereotype of a Wrathian Hellhound. Though even then, Tex had met enough Wrathians to know that they came in all kinds of flavors that didn't fit the mold of tough but simple farmers and cowboys who enjoyed violence and showing off their strength. He knew there were certainly demons in Wrath like that, but none of the Wrathians he knew fit that description. They weren't dirty, nor were they simple. Instead, they were honest and hard-working folks who took great pride in what they did.
"Well, she's always full of surprises," Tex responded, knowing that Pepsy meant no offense. He doubted that she actually knew any Wrathians outside of Kajedo anyway. "Your thermostat is good, by the way. Now I just need to check the filters."
"Alright," Pepsy replied. For a few minutes, she was silent as she watched Tex work. Then she spoke up again. "By the way, when are you and Kajey going to get married and have pups of your own? I believe you two have been together for quite a while now."
Tex paused, caught unprepared for this kind of question.
"Um… we haven't even talked about that yet," he admitted after a moment, sounding a bit embarrassed. "We're still a long way off from deciding anything."
"Hmm," Pepsy said. "Well, I'm not surprised you two haven't decided on anything, to tell you the truth."
"What do you mean?" Tex asked, looking up from the air conditioner.
Pepsy gave a shrug, not realizing that her pups behind her had gone from playing with their toys to wrestling with each other. "No offense to you, of course," she said. "I think you would make a fine father someday. No, the problem isn't you. The problem is Kajedo."
"Let me ask you again: what do you mean?" Tex wanted to know, showing an infinite level of patience with Pepsy, who seemed oblivious to both her pups and how her words could be taken the wrong way.
"To be honest, Tex, I just can't really imagine her settling down and being, well, a mother," Pepsy admitted. "I don't think she would be able to sit down long enough for it."
"Oh?" Tex asked as he came to defend his girlfriend's honor. "Come on, Pep, I'm sure Kajey would be good with pups of her own. She really likes kids and kids love her."
"I know she does and I'm sure they do," Pepsy said. "But not everybody who likes kids has what it takes to be a mother. You have to understand, I mean no disrespect. But as much as I like that pink powder-puff, I honestly just don't think she has the attention span or the patience to be a mother," Pepsy said while her living room behind her was becoming a chaotic mess as her pups wrestled and bit each other. "I think she would find motherhood boring and she wouldn't want to be tied down by something like that. She just isn't ready for that kind of responsibility."
Tex chose not to respond to that. Instead, he resumed working on the air conditioner in silence while thinking about what Pepsy had said. While she probably could have phrased it better, she wasn't completely wrong. Kajedo probably wasn't ready for the responsibility of having pups… but neither was Tex. He was just not at that point in his life yet.
Although he hoped that he would be some day.
Eventually, Tex screwed back the lid of the air conditioner and turned it back on, standing up and stepping back to admire his handiwork. The air conditioner was starting to work, letting out cool air around the apartment. He let out a sigh of satisfaction.
"Looks like it's up and running, Miss Pepsy," Tex told her.
"Oh, thank you, Texy," Pepsy thanked him while feeling the breeze from her air conditioner. She was feeling particularly grateful and that gave her an idea. "Say, why don't you join us for breakfast this morning? Don't worry, I've made enough pastries to feed all the Goetia in Hell."
Tex chuckled. "Well, I'd love to stay and eat, but-" He checked the time on the wall clock and shook his head. "But I'll take a rain check, since I have to go to work. It's my first week and I want to make a good first impression for my employer."
"Hmm, in that case, I won't hold you up any longer then," Pepsy said. "How about instead of sitting with us for breakfast, you take some of my pastries with you to eat on the way there. As thanks for the air conditioner."
Tex nodded and went to grab some pastries, guiding them into a paper bag. "Thank you, Miss Pepsy," he told her as he began to leave. "Have a good day!"
"You too, and good luck on your first week!" Pepsy told him, while remaining oblivious to the pups who kept wrestling each other and knocking over lamps and other stuff from the shelves.
After leaving his apartment building with a bag of fresh pastries in his hand, Tex walked along the sidewalks of his neighborhood, eating a few of the pastries Miss Pepsy gave him as he walked. The Dog Park, while not nearly as seedy as the worst parts of Imp City or Pentagram City… and certainly not as seedy as most of the cities in Greed, was still not a glamorous place to live in, though there was really nowhere in Hell outside of the mansions and palaces of Hell's elite and ruling class that could be seen as 'glamorous'.
Noticeable features of the district included the apartment complexes and the Hellhound-owned businesses, such as the mom and pop shops, bodegas, restaurants, and bars. The Dog Park was unfortunately the only place where a Hellhound-owned business would thrive in Imp City.
However, some of the apartment complexes that Tex passed looked worn out compared to his much nicer looking apartment. The shabbier ones were more unsightly with some cracks in the walls and broken or boarded up windows. These kinds of apartments were known as, as the old folks would call them, 'The Projects.'
As Tex walked down the sidewalk, he stepped over the cracks of the pavement. At first glance, the Dog Park didn't look all that bad. But if you looked closer, you would start to notice the neighborhood's… shabbiness. There was graffiti sprayed on the walls of the buildings, including gang tags. There were grass-like weeds growing out of the cracks in the pavement and the corners of the buildings. Trash and litter filled not only the alleyways, but the streets as well. This was hardly the ideal neighborhood… but the Hellhounds made due with what they had.
All that was missing from this scene was the neighborhood crackhead but fortunately no crack was ever sold here. That was at least one benefit that the Dog Park had over other parts of Imp City and the rest of Pride. They had many problems in the Dog Park, but at least drugs were not one of their biggest ones, with any attempts to start selling drugs in the Dog Park being quickly stamped out. Drugs were the last thing that anyone wanted in the Dog Park… though of course there was still the local hound who was obsessed with bacon.
"Hey Tex," said a beagle Hellhound in shabby clothing, wearing a toboggan and scarf as he walked up to Tex. "You got any bacon for me?"
"I got some fresh pastries if you'd like some, Pooky," Tex offered.
"No man, I want bacon!" Pooky shouted as Tex walked past him "You better have bacon for me, next time! Ah, forget it," he said as he sniffed around while mumbling to himself. "Bacon, bacon, bacon…"
Up ahead, Tex saw a couple of Hellhounds talking to one another. These Hellhounds were obviously part of a gang, which Tex could tell from the signature bandanas that they were wearing around their heads, though fortunately they didn't seem to be causing any trouble. Instead, they were just chatting amongst themselves.
"And then I said 'baby girl, you know that I'm here for you, and can be with you-'" The hound stopped when he spotted Tex, he and his fellow members turning to look at him as he walked by. The hound gave Tex a respectful nod. "'Sup, Tex," he greeted.
"Fellas," Tex said as he gave them a nod back at them as he walked by without any trouble. After that, the rest of his walk was pretty uneventful as he finally made it to his destination: a mechanic's shop.
He entered the open garage of the shop and looked around. There were several cars around, as well as various car parts. The lighting was pretty poor, though not an issue for Tex and the Hellhound that was working underneath one of the cars, thanks to their better vision. That was at least one advantage that Hellhounds had over most of the other Hellborns.
Tex walked towards the hellhound working underneath the car, who suddenly stopped working when she took a whiff and rolled out from underneath the car. "I smell pastries."
Tex held up his bag of pastries. "Got some from my neighbor," he explained.
"And what did you do to earn them?" the Hellhound mechanic asked as she got up and wiped her filthy paws on her overalls. This hound was smaller than Tex and even a few inches shorter than Loona, but she was still built like a prize fighter. Though she wore a mechanic's overalls, which were stained with grease and god knows what else, it did little to hide her figure; she had the most impressive span of shoulders to match an equally heavy bust, and very muscular legs fitted those overall pants. Her crimson fur managed to shine even in the poor lighting of the shop and on the top of her head was an electric pink mohawk for her hair. Her name tag had 'Andromeda' on it.
"Miss Pepsy gave them to me for helping her out with her air conditioner," Tex replied.
"Always the good Samaritan, huh, Tex?" she asked with a playful smirk. "So how are her pups?"
"Oh, you know, same as always," Tex replied, making her snicker. "So is my car fixed up and ready to go, Andy?"
"Yeah, you can pick it up at the back of the building," she told him while looking around the garage. "You were lucky that I had an opening in my schedule between orders, since I've been swamped here lately."
"Really? I wish I could have helped you out on that if it was going to add to your workload," he offered.
Andromeda gave him a teasing look. "Well, big guy, that's quite the offer. But while you may be good at fixing air conditioners for helpless ladies like Miss Pepsy, we both know that you're useless when it comes to automobiles."
"Heh, yeah, that's true," Tex admitted with a slightly sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Besides, I don't mind the extra work," Andy said with a shrug. "After all, it helps me to save up for my own shop."
"Oh come on, this shop is basically already yours," Tex pointed out. "With how often your boss is out and not around the shop, you're basically running it yourself most of the time."
"Yeah, that is true," Andromeda said with a smile that hinted at pride. "But I want something that's truly mine, not something that is only mine because the power is too lazy to run his own damn shop. And in any case, I think I deserve a shop that at the very least has an actual office, unlike this place and its sad excuse for an 'office,'" she said as she pointed to a desk and a chair next to the car she was working on., the 'office' having to share the same space as the repair bay.
"So how is saving up going for you?" Tex asked her.
Andy frowned. "Well, I'm not there yet," she admitted. "Buuut… besides taking on some extra shifts here and there, I've also placed some money on the upcoming Death Race in Wrath."
Tex blinked in surprise. "Really?" he asked while staring at Andy in shock. "You're not really one to usually gamble, Andy."
"I know I'm not," Andy confirmed. "But I got a good feeling about Jessie Baskerville. I've seen how she does in a few drag races. She's a good racer, no, the greatest racer I know. And since she is a Hellhound, everyone is going to underestimate her. But I believe that she has a good chance of winning the Death Race."
"I hope you know what you're doing…" Tex said in a slightly worried one.
"Don't worry," Andy said while blowing her drooping mohawk out of her face. "You know I'm not that dumb enough to put all of my money on Jessie. If I lose the bet, sure, it will be a setback, but I wouldn't be starting back from square one. This is just a… calculated risk." She then realized something. "Say, your girl's still down in Wrath, right? Think Kajey's going to see the Death Race in-person while she's down there?"
"She probably would," Tex admitted. "I know she wouldn't want to miss attending something like this with her friends while she's down in Wrath."
"I'm jealous of her," Andy confessed. "But you know, if you'd like, you could hit up with me, Polly, and some of the guys when we come together to watch the Death Race on TV."
"Tempting, but I can't make any promises," Tex told her. "I don't know how busy I will be this week with the new job."
"Oh, right," Andromeda said with a nod. "I still can't believe that you've managed to land a bodyguard position with a pop star. You've come a long way."
"Hopefully, we will both be moving up soon," Tex told Andy, who smiled.
"Hey, thanks," Andy told him before she cheekily added "And hey, at least those muscles of yours aren't going to be wasted. I'm sure Verosika will find a good use for them by having you kicking creeps to the curb. But seriously, congrats on the job. I'm so happy for you. I actually thought you were messing with me when you told me about it. I couldn't imagine you landing a job with a pop star."
"Well, you gotta thank my friend, Loona, for the job referral," he told her.
"Loona… oh yeah, I remember you mentioning her," Andromeda said. "You gotta introduce us sometime, Tex, because I really do need to meet this Loona. She sounds really interesting, especially with all of the connections that she has."
"I think you'd like her," Tex replied. "So what do I owe you for fixing up my ride?"
Andromeda just smirked. "Well, since I don't want you to be late on your first day, how about for now you just toss me the rest of Miss Pepsy's pastries you have left on you?"
Tex nodded and tossed the bag to Andy. "Here you go."
"Thanks," she replied with a smile as she caught it. She opened the bag and took a moment to smell the fresh pastries, humming as she did so. "Mmm, and after you finish work I was thinking you could come back thank me more… in private…" she said with a sultry tone before taking his keys out of the pockets of her overalls and tossing them to him.
"It's a done deal," he agreed as he caught his keys mid-air.
"Pleasure of doing business with ya, Tex," Andy declared as she pulled out a pastry and started eating it while Tex went to get his car.
Later, Tex had driven to a dark colored building with red-colored window panes and black and white horns built onto it. This was the office building where Verosika's recording studio was. Currently, he was sitting in the meeting room, waiting for everyone to come in. He tapped on the surface of the table, waiting while looking up at the clock. As he saw the seconds slowly tick away, he began having doubts.
"They sure are taking their time," he muttered to himself before he sighed. "Where is everyone? I am in the right place… aren't I?"
That was when he heard the door to the meeting room opening up. He turned to see who was coming in, but it wasn't Verosika or a member of her posse… instead it was Ryan, who was playing on his handheld VoxTech video game console.
Tex was surprised to see this imp kid walk over and take a seat at the meeting table while still playing his game, not immediately noticing Tex since the young boy was too engrossed in his game. After a few awkward seconds, Tex decided to speak up. "Uh… hey."
Hearing Tex and pausing the game, Ryan looked up from his gaming device and finally took notice of Tex. He blinked in surprise before he nodded at Tex. "Hey."
"So um… what are you doing here?" Tex awkwardly asked him.
"I'm just waiting for my dad," Ryan replied while leaning back in his chair. "Uh, what about you? Are you sure you are in the right place, um…"
"Vortex, but you can call me Tex," he replied. "I'm here waiting for Ms. Mayday."
"Oh, my dad actually works for her," Ryan revealed.
"Really? At least that confirms that I'm at the right building then," he replied as he looked over at Ryan. "Wait, have I seen you before?"
Ryan just shrugged as he unpaused his game and resumed playing.
"So uh, where is Ms. Mayday?" Tex asked.
"Oh they're coming," Ryan said. "My dad just told me to go ahead to the meeting room while the adults were… talking."
Before Tex could ask what he meant by that, he heard the door fly open more violently then when Ryan had opened it. Tex turned to see Verosika coming in, her agent walking alongside her and her posse walking behind them.
"Come on, it's not that bad, Sheer," Verosika told the Baphomet agent.
"Not that bad?!" cried out the green Baphomet demon. He wore a green jacket and a tie with a dollar sign on it. He had pale skin, his wool was green, and he wore glasses. He had a short green lit candle on his head. "Very, you know how important your public image is in this industry!"
"That commercial we shot at the Triton Resort gave us good publicity, Sheer," Verosika argued. "It wasn't that bad."
"Not that bad?! Is getting involved in a hostage crisis 'not that baaad'?" Sheer pointed out with a huff. "Got me 'baah-ing' over this again… not to mention that incident at the arcade gave us some negative publicity, the kind of negative publicity that we can't afford right now. We don't want it to look like you attract trouble and destruction of private property wherever you go, since that makes it hard for you to give public appearances. Venues won't let us use them if they think you're going to destroy them!"
"You know that what happened at the Triton Resort and the arcade wasn't my fault," Verosika argued while crossing her arms.
"It doesn't matter if it was your fault or not, I don't care about that," Sheer said, shaking his head. "What I do care about is your image, Very. That commercial shoot was meant to be a safe way to re-energize the public's interest in you, but instead, your name is in the tabloid headlines before the commercial even airs despite ours and Gaap's attempts to kill the story before it got out!"
"Oh lighten up, Sheer," Milky told him, speaking up. "Our girl had that commercial in the bag. And that commercial actually got more exposure because she was almost killed while making it."
"She's right," Ace said while walking over to Ryan, who ignored the conversation between the adults as he played his game. "Those near-death headlines meant that more demons tuned in to watch that commercial than if it had been otherwise. And since it aired, that commercial has been circulating on social media."
"And speaking of social media, her accounts are full of fans expressing their sympathy for what she almost experienced," Kiki said as she showed Sheer her phone, switching between different accounts on various social media platforms to show all the recent hits Verosika had gotten. Sheer pushed his glasses up as he looked at the screen. "People do love a good survivor story."
"Look, I'll admit, that incident at the arcade definitely wasn't my best look," Verosika admitted with a sigh. "Although I'm sure it will go away. But we actually managed to spin the Triton Resort incident in our favor and I think it will help us. Since, well, the actual commercial was a shit show in my opinion. It would have been forgotten by now if I had not nearly been killed while making it. I was the victim of the situation, which is good for us, because we can exploit the fans for their sympathy." She smiled. "Honestly, being held hostage was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Well… perhaps you do have a point, Very," Sheer reluctantly admitted. He shook his head and gave a sigh. "But despite that, we should-" He then turned and saw Tex for the first time, causing the sheep demon to panic. "GAH!" he cried out upon seeing the large Hellhound in front of him. "W-What are you doing here?!"
Seeing Tex there, Verosika quickly went over to calm her agent. "Relax, Sheer, Tex is here as my new bodyguard. I told you that I was getting one, remember?"
"B-b-bodyguard?!" Sheer asked, trying to calm down and get over his surprise, though he was still clearly intimidated by Tex. "He's your new bodyguard?!"
"Yes," Verosika said as she tried to reassure him. "And you can relax around him. He came highly recommended and he passed the job interview and background check. Besides, aren't you the one who is always telling me that I should have more security anyway?"
"I… I did say that," Sheer admitted before gulping nervously as he turned to Tex and looked up at him. "Um, nice to meet you, um…"
"Vortex, sir," Tex responded, keeping his tone friendly and calm. He wasn't surprised by Sheer's reaction to him. It wasn't the first time that someone had responded to him like that and he had learned from experience that the best response was to try to be as non-threatening as possible by not raising his voice or coming across as confrontational in order to de-escalate the situation.
Of course, Tex knew that some demons would still always be scared of or be uncomfortable around someone like him, no matter what he did. But even in those cases, Tex didn't want to lash out and make them even more scared of him.
Verosika sighed and turned to Tex. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, Tex. I wanted to come in sooner but, you know…" She glanced at Sheer, who awkwardly shuffled away and took his seat at the meeting table.
"It's fine," Tex replied. "I'm a patient guy."
Verosika smiled. "Good to hear that," she told him. "Because a big part of your job is going to be waiting on me. But now that you're all here, introductions should be made, although you probably recognize the members of my crew from the Triton Resort." She turned to her posse, who had all taken their seats. "Everyone, I'd like you all to meet Vortex. He's going to be my new bodyguard. Vortex, this is my crew. They do… well, they do a little bit of everything for me. But mainly they help give my performances, both here and up on Earth."
This did catch Tex's interest. Of course, he knew that succubi demons like Verosika were the only Hellborns allowed to travel to Earth on a regular basis through use of Asmodean crystals. Tex himself had obviously never been up to Earth, having only been able to experience humanity through the Sinners that end up in Hell and through whatever human media he and Kajedo had been able to get their paws on. But he did wonder what it was really like up on Earth and how it compared to life in Hell.
"I'd like you to meet Ace," Verosika said, gesturing to one of her incubi.
"Sup, and you've met my son, Ryan," Ace said while affectionately patting his son's head.
"Hi, again!" Ryan shouted with a smile as he looked up from his game for a moment to wave at Tex before returning to his game.
"Then there's Josh," Verosika said as she pointed to Josh.
"Hey, dude," Josh said, giving him a wave.
"Milky," Verosika said as she pointed to Milky, the shortest of her posse.
"I may not look like it, but I'm a good sucker," Milky said as she winked and smiled at Tex, making him slightly uncomfortable.
Verosika immediately noticed this and shot a quick glare at Milky. "Okay, just making this clear now, Tex is off limits, got it?" she asked her posse, earning groans from a few of them before she introduced the last member of her posse. "And that's Kiki."
"I'm the sharp one," Kiki declared, folding her arms together.
"And you've already met my agent, Sheer," Verosika said, referring to the Baphomet demon.
Sheer cleared his throat. "It is nice to be acquainted with you, um, Mr. Vortex," Sheer said while sliding his card over to where Tex was sitting. "I hope that I can expect good protective services from you."
Tex smiled. "I look forward to working with all of you," he told his new co-workers. "But please, call me Tex."
After work, Tex drove back to the Dog Park district. But he didn't go straight home. Instead… he had to make a stop somewhere else first.
He was now standing in front of a townhouse, knocking on the front door. After a few seconds, the door was answered. A large Hellhound opened the door and he looked pleasantly surprised to see Tex standing in front of him, immediately breaking into a huge smile.
"Tex?" asked the large Great Pyrenees breed Hellhound man with a black nose and red sclera eyes with white irises. He wore a blue button shirt with khaki pants. He was taller than Tex by a few inches. He quickly embraced Tex in a big hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you!"
"It is good to see you too, Strom," Tex replied as he hugged the larger Hellhound, his foster father. "Are Lacey and the others home?"
"They are," Strom confirmed as he released Tex from the hug. "Which is lucky for you, because we had no idea that you were coming over today!"
"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise," Tex said. "Especially since I got some good news to share."
"Why don't you come in so you can tell them yourself," Strom said as he invited Tex inside his home, closing the door behind him after Tex stepped in. As they walked toward the living room, Strom loudly called out "Hey everyone, guess who's here!"
"Who is it, Maelstrom?" asked Lacey, an adult female Rough Collie hound with black hair tied into a ponytail. She was wearing a flannel red shirt with blue capris pants. When she saw Tex, she looked surprised… and then delighted. "Oh my Lucifer, Tex!" she shouted as she hurried over to hug him, peppering his face with small kisses. "Ooh, it's so good to see you again!"
"You too, Lacey," Tex said with a smile, both of their tails wagging as they hugged. After his foster mother finally let go of him, he spotted someone seated on the couch in the living room, scrolling through her phone. "Hey, do I see little Cyclona?"
"I'm not little, Tex," said Cyclona, a black haired, red and white furred Hellhound teenager who looked to be about a year or two younger than Loona, around fourteen or fifteen. She wasn't even looking up to acknowledge that Tex was there, instead being too busy looking at her phone. She wore a red hoodie with black stripes around the sleeves and a black skirt with gray leggings.
"Well, it's nice to see you too, Cy," Tex said as he patted her on the head, making Cyclona smile even though she tried to hide it behind her phone.
"Tex? Is that you?" asked a young Beagle terrier mixbreed hellhound boy who looked to be between twelve and thirteen. He was wearing a blue jacket over his white shirt, black pants, and sandals. He was seated at a nearby table, having only just noticed Tex was here as he took his headphones off his ears and closed the screen of his laptop. "Hmm, my models didn't predict this."
"Sorry to prove your models wrong, but can't a big bro stop by to pay his family a visit, Twister?" Tex asked as he walked over to his brother. "What does that big brain of yours predict next?"
"Um… that you're gonna headlock me?" Twister asked.
"That's right!" Tex said as he locked his brother in a headlock, Twister laughing as he tapped on Tex's arm.
"I tap out, I tap out!" Twister shouted before Tex let him go.
"So how are your science projects going?" Tex asked his younger brother.
"Doing great, I think I just made a breakthrough on my force-field generator," Twister revealed. "I might even be able to get it up and running before the annual Extermination!"
Before Tex could reply to this, his ears picked up a nearby voice.
"Got you now, Tex!" a hellpup shouted as he came down from above in an attempt to tackle Tex, who immediately managed to catch the brown-furred bulldog Hellhound wearing a green jacket and black pants. "Hey! Let me go!" the bulldog shouted while struggling in Tex's grip.
"Still trying to beat me in a fight, huh Ringer?" Tex asked with a chuckle. "Here's a tip: if you want to get the drop on someone, don't announce yourself first."
"Ringer! What did I tell you about climbing up the ceiling?!" Lacey scolded as she came over while Tex set Ringer down.
"I used the grappling hook this time," Ringer, who looked to be around ten or eleven, pouted.
"Wait, when did he get a grappling hook?" Tex asked.
Lacey sighed and shook her head. "I'll give you two guesses," she said as she looked at the nearby staircase, seeing two other boys trying to spy on everyone without being seen. "Ty! Eddie!"
"Crap, we got caught," said a Jack Russell Terrier Hellpup wearing a red sweater shirt and blue pants. Both he and the other Hellpup looked like they were eight or nine, only barely older than Amaroq. "Sorry Lacey, me and Eddie won't give Ringer anything like that again."
"At least not until his birthday," said a white furred Hellpup with blue hair. He was wearing a gray jacket with a blue and black shirt and gray pants. He only had one leg, however, and he was holding a support stick next to him. He gave a cheeky smile and waved to Tex. "Hey, Tex. Good to see you, man."
"Ty, Eddie, staying out of trouble, I see?" Tex asked with a smile.
"Since you two boys are already upstairs, why don't one of you wake up Twirly from her nap?" Lacey suggested.
Ty sighed. "Fine, I'll go."
"Nah, stay with the big lug, I'm faster," Eddie told him as he walked up the stairs with use of both his support stick and the handrailing as he went to wake his sister.
Ty walked down the stairs and walked over to Tex, giving him a hand shake. "Hey Tex, how's life of independence doing for you?"
"Doing good," Tex replied with a nod. "How's the usual mischief?"
"Well… I didn't burn the house down, despite my best efforts," Ty said with a grin. "But other than that, things have been good."
After that, it didn't take long for Tex to hear another voice from upstairs.
"Tex's here?! Texy's here!"
Hearing the sound of someone rushing down the steps, Tex turned to see a Papillion Hellpup girl. She was clearly the youngest of the family, looking to be around five or six, a little younger than Amaroq. She was wearing a purple sweater and red pants and she ran up to Tex, who knelt down so that she could run into his arms and be held up by him.
"Texy! You're home!" she shouted while hugging her big brother. "I've missed you!"
Tex smiled, his biggest smile yet, as he hugged her back. "I've missed you too, Twirly."
Once Eddie made it back and everyone was gathered in the living room, he spoke up. "So what brings you here today? Did you bring a gift?"
"Tell me you brought the skull of someone you fought!" Ringer suggested.
"No, nothing like that," Tex told them as he put Twirly down. "I actually have an announcement to make… I got a new job! A full-time job at that!"
"A new job?" Lacey asked in excitement. "Wow, Tex! Congratulations!"
"Yeah, what kind of job did you get?" Strom asked him.
"Well, I now work as a bodyguard for this famous pop singer," Tex explained with a slightly mischievous tone. "You probably know her… something… May…" he teased, noticing Cyclona's ears lift up in surprise.
"No way… are you saying you're working with…?!" Cy asked as she lowered her phone and looked up at Tex.
"The Verosika Mayday?" he asked with a confirming smile.
"No way, man…" Ty said in surprise.
"When do we get the tickets?" Twister asked.
"Oh, you gotta be bullshitting me," Cy said while standing up. "There's no way you're working with the Verosika Mayday! You're just messing with us!"
"It's true, see?" Tex said as he held up his phone, showing a picture of him with Verosika and her posse, shocking Cy and the rest of his foster siblings. "Loona, a friend of mine, was the one who recommended me to her."
"I can't believe it…" Cy said as she slumped down on the couch, still in shock. "How do I explain this to my friends…?"
"Tex gets to hang out with the Verosika!" Twirly shouted as she jumped up and down in excitement, her tail wagging. "Aren't you all excited?!"
"Any way you can hook me up with her, Tex?" Eddie asked. "Like, if she's interested in getting a new agent or manager who can help her out."
"Is there an opening for one more bodyguard?" Ringer asked as all of their talking began to overlap with each other.
"Now calm down, everyone," Strom said as he managed to calm all of the kids down before turning to Tex. "Son, we can't say enough of how proud we are that you've landed a job like this."
"Yes, you've done quite well for yourself, Tex," Lacey commented with a smile.
"Thanks, that means a lot to me coming from you guys," Tex replied.
"So exactly what kind of stuff are you going to be doing for Verosika?" Ty asked as Tex saw him and the rest of his siblings all looking up at him in anticipation.
Tex just smiled. "Well…"
Throughout the week, Tex accompanied Verosika as she made several public appearances throughout the Pride Ring.
At a shopping mall, Verosika was making one of these public appearances to have a fan-signing. Tex was standing in front of the table Verosika was sitting behind, keeping an eye on the line of fans waiting for their autographs.
"Here you go," Verosika said as she handed a signed photo of herself to a fan.
"Thank you! I can't wait to show this to my friends!" the teenage imp fan shouted before they rushed off.
"Alright, send over the next one," Verosika said as Tex did a sweep of the next fan in line.
"Alright, he's clean," Tex said as he let the fan walk over to Verosika's table, Verosika recognizing this fan when she saw him, causing her to let out a small groan.
"Oh, it's you again," Verosika said to… Jonathan, Cray's cousin.
"Hey Verosika! I got this new shirt for you to sign," Jonathan declared while holding up his shirt, which showed a full body image of the pop singer. "Can't wait for the next signing!"
Verosika just sighed at the young Goetia boy as she signed his shirt.
At another public appearance at a music store, Verosika was signing CDs.
"Alright, here you go," Verosika said as she handed the CD to a fan while Tex kept watch. So far, things had been going smoothly…
…until there was one creepy fan who tried to sneak past the line and get close to Verosika. Tex heard him crawling on the floor, heading to Verosika's table, but Tex quickly stepped in front of the fan, looming over him with an intimidating glare.
"Can I help you?" Tex asked, his arms crossed.
"Um… no," the fan said, but before he could crawl away, Tex grabbed him by the shirt with one hand, lifting him off the floor.
"And what exactly were you doing?" Tex questioned as the creep squirmed in his grip.
"Uh… floor sweeping?" the creep asked with a grin before some suspicious contraband began to fall out of his coat: some clippers and tweezers, followed by some rope… and a camera.
Tex looked down at the suspicious items, then looked back up at the creep with a not-pleased-at-all expression, making the creep gulp nervously.
Moments later, Tex had kicked the creep out of the store, sending him running while sending a clear message to anyone else with similar ideas.
"Thanks, Tex," Verosika thanked him with a smile once Tex had finished throwing the creep out.
"Hey, it's what you're paying me for," Tex replied with a shrug… and a small smile.
Another incident happened at a hotel, where a fan was trying to cut Verosika's hair, but Tex managed to stop him from doing so.
"Just one snip!" cried out the fan as Tex carried them away from Verosika. The fan attempted to stab Tex with the scissors, but Tex grabbed their arm and gave it a squeeze, making them drop the scissors. "Fuck!"
"And stay out!" Tex shouted as he walked out of the front entrance, spun around with the crazed fan in his hands, and threw the fan up in the sky, the fan disappearing over the top of the nearest buildings.
Once that was taken care of, Tex returned to the room Verosika was in and found her being tended to by members of posse, particularly Kiki and Josh.
"You okay?" Tex asked, checking in with his employer.
"Yeah, thanks for saving my hair, Tex," Verosika told him with a sigh. "I wonder how long he had been hiding under that bed…"
"I wonder how long he knew you were going to be in this room," Tex said. "Want me to take it up with the manager?"
"No, I'll call to complain," Verosika said with a sigh. "Maybe I should get a new room… or a new hotel."
Later, Verosika was set to appear at a cake festival. But before the festival even began, a fan spotted Verosika and tried to go over to her.
"Verosika! Give me your life!" shouted the crazy succubus fan. She was holding a cake knife and was dressed as a chef. "I want to eat and absorb your life essence!"
"Shit, not her!" Verosika cried out as Tex stepped in to block the crazed fan's path to Verosika.
"Back off!" Tex shouted as he was forced to dodged a knife attack from the fan.
"Get out of my way, ya mutt!" she shouted as he stopped her from getting to Verosika. She did manage to get in a lucky stab on Tex's arm, but then Tex grabbed her knife hand and twisted it, causing her to scream in pain. "Yaah! Why you-?!"
But before she could even finish that sentence, she was pinned to the ground by Tex, who managed to hold her down despite her crazed squirming.
"Security!" Tex shouted as some of the security guards for the festival rushed over to apprehend the crazed fan, taking her from Tex and dragging her away while the fan kicked, screamed, and even foamed at the mouth.
Tex watched as the fan was taken away and then noticed the knife wound on his arm. He took a deep breath as Verosika walked up to him.
"Thanks again, Tex," she told him.
"Just doing my job, ma'am," Tex said, attempting to stay formal despite the blood that was coming from his arm
Verosika noticed the knife wound and frowned. "You should get that patched up."
"Oh, this?" Tex asked, gesturing to the wound. He shook his head. "Oh, this is nothing. I'm just glad that you weren't hurt, ma'am."
"Not the first time somebody has tried to 'absorb my life essence'," Verosika said with a sign before taking another look at Tex's wound. "And we definitely need to patch that up. I can't have my bodyguard bleeding everything. Its not a good look."
"Hmm, fair," Tex said. "So… you know that woman?"
"Chichi? Yeah, I know her," Verosika said while nodding to Ace to get a medical kit for Tex. "She was someone I knew from high school…"
Later, at another public event, Tex had bandages wrapped around his arm while he was standing next to Verosika, who was holding a large pair of scissors.
"And now, after granting the owner a generous donation to aid in the repairs, I hereby declare the grand re-opening of this arcade!" Verosika shouted with a very fake smile as she used the scissors to cut through the ribbon, the gathered crowd cheering for the grand re-opening. After cutting the ribbon, Verosika shook hands with and took photos with the arcade owner, still keeping that fake smile throughout the whole thing to hide her annoyance at having to do this.
By her side, Tex and the posse were clapping along, Tex leaning over to whisper "Is this the arcade I've heard about?"
"Yeah," Kiki responded. "But don't ask for details. Least, not in public…"
Later, at the recording studio, Tex was doing one of his other duties besides body-guarding: helping the posse to sort through the fan letters and the fan mail, checking them and sorting them out into piles.
"This one's good," Ace said after reading the letter, placing it onto a pile with the other 'good' letters that were okay to send to Verosika. "How are you doing, Tex?"
"Some of them are actually pretty sweet," Tex replied with a smile. " Like look at this one. 'Dear Verosika, you are my biggest inspiration. I'd like to know what kind of conditioner you use since I wish to have hair as shiny as yours, etc. Love Cecilia from Sloth.' This one's just a heartfelt letter from a kid in Sloth."
"One for the good pile then," Josh said as Tex placed the letter in the pile. "Sika is going to love reading that one."
Tex nodded and then lifted a package, taking a sniff… and wincing. "Dear Lucifer, this one's smells like something's bleeding…"
"I got this one," Milky said as Tex handed her the package and she went to throw it into the other pile, which was inside a burning bin labeled 'Kill it with fire', adding the package to the other letters and packages were being burned.
"I don't understand some of these fans," Tex said while holding up another letter.
"All fandoms have their crazies," Josh told Tex. "It comes with the territory of being famous, unfortunately. That's why it is our job to keep these crazies away from Verosika so that she doesn't have to stress out over this stuff."
"I am surprised Verosika even lets fans send her things," Tex admitted.
"Not all of them are bad," Josh pointed out as he looked at another letter. "A lot of them just want to tell her how much they love her, how much they appreciate her, and how much she inspires them. Those are the kinds of letters that Verosika loves the most."
At another point, Verosika and her crew were in the recording studio while Tex and Ryan were waiting in the other room. To pass the time, Tex and Ryan were playing a racing game together on the video game console that was set up in the lounge. Since Tex wasn't actively body-guarding Verosika, his demeanor had shifted. He was no longer serious and intimidating, instead reverting back to his more casual and chill demeanor that he had when he wasn't on a job. Eventually, Ryan won the game.
"Yes! Score one for Ryan!" Ryan cheered with his arms up before he turned to Tex. "Um, I mean, good game, Tex."
Tex just smiled. "You too, Ryan," he told him.
"But seriously, thanks for playing with me, Tex," Ryan said as he sat back on the couch they were both sitting on. "I pretty much always have to play by myself while my dad is working. Of course, I just easily beat him when we do play together, since he's pretty garbage at video games. Unlike you. You're really good at this. Not as good as me, of course. But still pretty good."
Tex chuckled at this. "Thanks, I sometimes play with my younger siblings back home, so I have plenty of experience," he told Ryan. "I think that some of them are around your age."
"Really?" Ryan asked. "Maybe you could introduce me to them someday. I mean, you're pretty cool, so they must be pretty cool too, right?"
"Yeah, they are pretty cool," Tex agreed with a smile.
The two continued gaming together, though as they did another question popped into Ryan's head. "Hey, Tex," he said as he paused the game. "How did you get this job anyway?"
"It was thanks to a good friend of mine, Loona, who recommended me for this job," Tex answered, causing Ryan's eyes to widen in surprise.
"Loona?" Ryan asked before grinning. "Wow, I didn't know you knew Loona!"
"Yeah, we're friends," Tex confirmed. "Are you friends with Loona as well?"
"Yeah!" Ryan shouted as he stood up on the couch. "Loona is probably like the coolest demon I know! I got to know her while we were at the Triton Resort filming for that commercial. Meeting her was the best part of the shoot."
"So that's where I saw you before," Tex realized. "You were at the Triton Resort. I think I saw you with Loona."
"Oh, you were there too?" Ryan asked. "But you do agree that she is really cool, right?"
Tex smiled. "Yeah, Loona's pretty cool," he agreed.
Later, Tex was helping to pack up the equipment in the studio. Verosika was pacing nearby, constantly checking her phone. After a while, she looked up to Tex to speak up to him.
"Hey, Tex," Verosika said. "Can we talk?"
"Sure," Tex said once he finished packing up the equipment. "What's up?"
"Well, I was just wondering… have you heard from Loona lately?" Verosika asked. "Lately I've been trying to text and call her, but I haven't gotten any responses. The last update I got from her said that she and her dad were going down to Wrath and that I might not hear from her in a while… I'm starting to get worried."
"Oh," Tex said. "Well, you shouldn't worry about it too much. Cell reception in Wrath is pretty weak due to how spotty it can be there. So your texts and calls probably just didn't go through to her phone."
"Are you sure?" Verosika asked, still worried.
Tex nodded. "My girlfriend is down in Wrath as well, and she's been keeping me updated about Loona and her dad," he revealed. "And she told me that they're doing fine."
Verosika sighed in relief. "Thank Asmodeus, that does ease my worries," she said as she sat down on a chair, looking as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Tex looked over at Verosika, his own curiosity getting the best of him. "So Loona never told me about how you two know each other," he pointed out. "So if you don't mind me asking… how do you know her in the first place?"
Verosika looked down, hesitating. When she met Loona it was during a part of her life that she didn't like to talk about, even if her relationship with Loona was a positive one. However, she knew that Tex was Loona's friend and after all he had done for her, including taking a knife in the arm for her, she decided that he deserved an answer. She took a deep breath.
"Okay… thing is, I knew her dad back before my career really took off," she revealed. "We… used to date back then."
Tex's eyes widened in surprise, though he didn't interrupt her.
"Blitz and Loona were living in Greed back then. Loona was so little back then and we became… close." For a moment, she smiled while fondly reminiscing on those memories. "And for a while, I was a part of her life and she was a part of mine. At least until… me and Blitz broke up." Her smile faded away as she recalled the break-up. "And yet despite how me and Blitz ended things on bad terms, I still care a lot about Loona. She… she's the one thing that Blitz managed to not screw up," she admitted while looking down. "I've known and met a lot of demons who were left worse off because of him… but Loona isn't one of them."
"I did meet him briefly," Tex admitted, thinking back to the one party where Blitz had to pick up Loona. "He does seem to really care about her and Loona has told me about how lucky she feels to have him as a dad. He… does sound like he's a good dad."
"Yeah," Verosika agreed with a small chuckle as she realized she was praising Blitz. "It's like, he knew that Loona was the one demon whose life he couldn't afford to fuck up, the one demon that he had to do right by no matter what." She looked up while leaning back against the wall. "Blitz may have been a shitty boyfriend… but he's not a shitty dad."
Later, after Tex got off work, he went to attend a party that was being held at a Hellhound bar in Dog Park. Tex was just one of many Hellhounds at this party.
"Alright, drink up!" shouted one of a pair of spotted hyena Hellhound twins. One of them had vividly magenta head fur while the other had poisonously turquoise head fur. Each of them had a notched ear piece, one of the left and one of the right, and matching set of diagonal slashes across their shoulders. "How's the orders going, Pollux?" asked the magenta haired hyena.
"Gonna need another tank to fill for our chums, Castor," Pollux, the one with turquoise hair, stated. He was slightly more muscular than his twin, his voice carrying a faint tinge of accent that wasn't quite as thick as his brother's. "Cause these hounds won't stop drinking!"
"No shit, that's because we make the most awesome beer around here!" Castor declared as the other Hellhounds at the party cheered.
Cheering along was Tex, who then drank from his cup. As he drank, he saw a familiar face coming toward him and he smiled.
"Hey, Tex," said the hound that walked towards him. She appeared to be a kitsune-hound hybrid with a bushy tail, brushed down hair, a wiry muscled physique, blue irises in her red sclera eyes, and fox-like ears. Her fur was luxuriant ebony, tipped with a flare of crimson that went with an under-pelt of red sweeping up the front of her torso flickered and swished. She wore a tank top and a tightened flannel shirt tied around her waist over her dark jeans that went out at the knees.
"Hey Stormy, been a while," Tex replied.
"I heard from the grapevine that you got yourself a new job," she said with a proud smile and a bit of a Spanish accent. "A full-time job at that. I hope you don't start thinking that you're better than the rest of us perras just because you're rolling with a pop star now."
Tex chuckled. "Never," he told her.
"Good," Stormy said, still smiling. "And you know, this means that you won't have to take any more odd jobs for Rufus."
"You're right," Tex said with a nod. "Are you still working for him?"
"I am, though only part-time," she confirmed while giving a dismissive wave. "Honestly, it's not too bad. It's not like the work you used to do for Roof. I just tend the shop for him while he's out… though, I do wish he would let me do more," she muttered.
"At least he's being good to you," Tex pointed out.
"Hey, Texy!"
Popping into their conversation was another hound. This bubbly albino hound had long, amethyst hair done in a thick braid and a blue halter top that showed off the purple canine skulls dyed into her furred shoulders. Her bright, pink eyes shone from her red scleras. She was lanky, her white fur accented with tribal tattoos in eye-catching lilacs complimenting her violet hair.
"Geez, Polly!" Stormy shouted, jumping a bit. "You gotta stop doing that."
"Oh, sorry," the hound apologized as she turned to Tex. "So how ya been?" she asked before she started to really ramble. "Heard from my sister that you got a new job recently, I heard it's with a pop star. At first I was shocked, then I couldn't believe it, but then I grew suspicious and thought maybe you did-"
"Easy now, Polly," Tex said, getting the chatterbox to ease up, though he was used to this. Polaris, or Polly as her friends knew her, was not that different from his girlfriend in many ways, like how they both loved to talk. In fact, if you were just meeting her for the first time, it would have been easy to think that Polly was Kajedo's sister instead of Andromeda's. "I've been doing fine, and yes, I got a new job as a bodyguard for Verosika."
"Shut the fucking door and fuck me up!" Polly declared in shock. "So Andy wasn't lying! I knew it! Tell me, is she as pretty as they say? Also, how is Kajedo, and when is she coming back? I miss her parties…"
"Yes, Kajey's doing fine, and I don't know," Tex answered all her questions.
"Alright! Alright! Can I get a moment of your time?" called out Andy, who was standing up in her chair as everyone turned to see her holding up a mic and a cup of beer. "I'd like to make a toast!" she shouted as she raised her cup. "A toast about why we're all here! Not just to celebrate me making a shit load of souls off of Jessie Baskerville's win at the Death Race, but to also celebrate a Hellhound winning the Death Race in the first place!"
All the hounds, including Tex, Polly, Stormy, and the hyena twins cheered at this.
"When I placed my bettings on Jessie, those bookies thought I'd be betting on the wrong racer. But lore and behold, I showed them!" Andy declared as some laughed. "But not only did Jessie win, sharing first place with another Hellhound named Driver-X, but a hound named Twitch came in second!"
They all cheered again.
"One for the history books!" one hellhound cheered.
"Also, I'd like to serve a toast to my good friend here, Tex," Andy said as all eyes went to Tex. "He's moved up from doing odd jobs around Pride to working full-time as a bodyguard for Verosika Mayday herself!"
Hounds cheered and a few patted Tex on the back while Tex just gave a humble smile.
"And it's thanks to that friend of his who was at the Death Race, Driver-X… or better known as Loona, right?" Andy asked.
Tex gave a nod. "Yeah, that's her name," he confirmed.
"Wait, really? Your friend was at the Death Race?" Polly asked as Andy stepped down and walked over to them.
"Well, according to Kajedo, it happened by accident," Tex said as everyone whispered to each other about Loona.
"She accidentally entered the most dangerous race in Hell and won?" Stormy asked in disbelief. "Okay, you have got to bring her over here with you the next time we get together?"
"Yeah," Castor spoke up. "Because we've been hearing about this mysterious Hellhound known as Loona for a while now."
"I am starting to think that she isn't real and you just made her up though," Pollux jokingly replied. "Since according to you, Tex, not only did she know Ms. Mayday…"
"But she's friends with Prince Stola's daughter," Castor mentioned in a joking manner.
"And survived the Death Race!" Pollux pointed out.
Tex smiled at the joking hyena brothers. "Well, I promise that I'll try to get Loona to meet you all soon."
"Well, we'll be holding you to that promise, Tex," Andy said while patting his shoulder. "Cause we'd all love to see what she's like…"
That night after the party, back in Tex's apartment, the sound of knocking on the door once again woke up Tex, who stirred from his slumber.
"Fuck, who is it at this time of night?"
This was not Tex's voice. Rather, it was Andy's, who was next to him on his bed, her bare, muscular body underneath the covers as she grabbed a pillow to cover her head with.
"It's probably Miss Pepsy," Tex replied as he got out of bed, picked up his pants, and put them back on.
"Well, tell her to stop knockin'! I need my sleep!" Andy complained.
As Tex finished getting dressed, the knocking continued, getting louder and… more violent.
"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming!" Tex shouted as he went over to the door, opening it. "Alright, I'm here, now-" He paused when he saw who was on the other side of the door. His words died in his throat… and his gaze narrowed.
"Hello, Tex. Hope I'm not… interrupting," said the Sinner demon that Tex now stood face-to-face with. This demon was a walking animal corpse with a bloody half-deformed thylacine skull for a head and a scarecrow-like body wrapped in bright neon leather. And the skull was grinning, twin plumes of yellow-green starlight burning away in the empty sockets where his eyes were supposed to be. Of course, the eyes were disconcertingly jovial and his huge jagged mouth spread in an insane animal parody of a clown's grin.
Then there was the smell. The smell of rancid meth and carrion wasn't new to Tex, but it was a smell that he couldn't stand.
"Its the middle of the night, Oz," Tex pointed out, crossing out his arms. He knew that the best way to deal with someone like him was to show no fear.
"Yes, that's right," Oz said. "Wouldn't want to wake up the neighbors now, would we? Especially that MILF and her cute little pups." He made a clicking sound with his non-existent tongue. "I would hate to have to wake them up…"
"What do you want, Oz?" Tex asked, refusing to flinch.
"Oh, I'm just a humble messenger," Oz explained. "I'm here to tell you that… Rufus wants to have a word with you."
"Is this about a job?" Tex asked him.
"The Overlord's business is not mine to discuss," Oz told him. "My only instructions were to tell you that you were being summoned."
"You could have called," Tex pointed out.
"But that wouldn't communicate the same… seriousness of the summoning," Oz said while trying to peek around Tex and look through his door, Tex moving his body to keep the Sinner from eyeing Andy. "You have company, Tex?"
"You were here to deliver a message," Tex said, his tone stern. "Well, message received. Thank you, you can go now. Go tell Rufus-"
"I am not your messenger, boy," Oz interrupted, the light in his eyes turning a bright blue. "I don't take orders from you. Go tell Rufus yourself." He then paused, clicking his invisible tongue again. "Of course, you don't have to go talk to Rufus if you don't want to. You could ignore the Overlord, stay here with your bitch." This earned a snarl from Tex, but Oz ignored him and continued. "But if you do, the next time that Rufus sends me here might not be to give you a courtesy call… and you know how hungry I get."
Tex held his snarl for a bit, then took a deep breath as he looked at Oz. "I'll be on my way."
"Try not to keep Rufus waiting too long," Oz told him before he walked away, Tex slowly closing the door.
"Tex?" Andy spoke up, having gotten out of bed. Her arms crossed over her chest while she looked concerned for Tex. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just had… a talk," Tex replied as he slowly turned to face her.
"I hate Oz," Andy muttered as Tex walked back over to her. "He's a monster."
"That, I don't disagree with," Tex replied with a sigh as he sat down on the couch to think about his situation.
"But… what do you think Rufus wants you for?" she asked him.
"I… don't know," Tex admitted. "But I'm not too worried. Sure, Rufus is an even bigger monster than Oz. But at least Rufus is a reasonable monster…"
Tex knew that he had to deal with his business and that he had to deal with it tonight.
He now stood in front of a huge three story shop that had a jaunty awning, old world class oak armor, and a pair of bay windows flanked with an imposingly thick wooden door below a sign that was finely polished brass that glowed in the night. As for the sign, it read: THE EMPORIUM GALLORIUM.
Tex took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself. He then stepped inside the shop and was met by the smell of wood polish, gunpowder, and pipe tobacco in a Victorian era honey trap for art enthusiasts with a taste for cordite.
The place looked like an antique shop for those with a taste in mechanics. Various shelves and displays showed off devices that were simple and complex, ancient and new. There were automotive tools and instruments for torture, tools for lock-pickers and carjackers alike. Up on the ceiling there was a trio of brass chandeliers that were casting golden light over an ocean of sparkling metals and glowing wood furniture. The floorboards were waxed, with a single swath of blood red carpet stretching from the door to the counter that was made of mahogany wood with a long glass-fronted case. One side had some deadly weapons while the other hosted a lot of vintage pocket watches. Nearby, a dozen grandfather clocks were ticking soothingly in a dark corner.
But out of everything in the shop, what ended up drawing Tex's attention was the one behind the counter: a rangy, charcoal-furred wolf demon that was working on a clock. But Tex knew better than to mistake this wolf demon for a Hellhound. No, this wolf was a Sinner demon. And not just any Sinner demon. He was many things. An artificer, a gunsmith… an Overlord.
The Sinner wore a cream-colored shirt, a double-breasted burgundy waistcoat with a double row of brass buttons, and a matching tie. He sported an oversized fang from the right side of his mouth. He was quite tall, at least seven and a half feet tall. But his most unique feature… were his eyes. The right orb was black and gold, while the left was ghastly silver white with an off color iris. It was a focal point for the bloody scar or wound running from his missing left ear, down across his blind eye, tugging the left corner of his mouth before finally disappearing under his shirt collar. It was quite ugly, even for Hell.
"I was told that you wanted to see me… Rufus," Tex said as he walked over to the counter, his nose picking up the smell of tobacco and alcohol that surrounded the Sinner.
"Yes, yes, I did," Rufus said. He didn't look up at Tex. Instead, he continued to work on the clock that he was tinkering with. He gave a thin smile, his oversized fang turning that smile into a predatory leer. "First, I just want to say… congratulations on your new job," he said with a grin.
"You've heard about that?" Tex asked him, although he knew that he shouldn't be surprised. There was very little that Rufus didn't know. Or at the very least there was very little about Imp City and those who lived in it that Rufus didn't know. Even more valuable to Rufus than souls was information.
"Come on, Tex, you know that all the information in Imp City eventually gets to me," Rufus pointed out. "Always gotta keep up to date with what's buzzing around here. But I'm actually quite happy with this."
"You… are?" Tex asked.
"Of course," Rufus said. "Having one of my hounds working for someone like Verosika could be very useful in the future." He rubbed his own chin while going back to work on the clock. "Drake is going to be jealous when he hears about this…"
"Um, yeah, about that," Tex said as he cleared his throat while watching the Overlord work intently on his clock. "Because I have a new full-time job and steady pay-"
"Which is good," Rufus said while tinkering with the clock. "More souls to provide for herself and your family. This is a good move for us, Tex."
"Yeah, um… because of this… I probably don't need to take any more work from you anymore," Tex said, which caused Rufus to pause, something Tex noticed. "Since…"
Rufus stopped working on the clock, shutting his eyes as he tightly gripped the tool he had in his hand. "And what makes you think that you could just… decide to stop working for me, Vortex?" he questioned Tex.
"Look, it's nothing personal," Tex said while seeing Rufus walk around the counter. "I really appreciate all the work you have given me over the years. It's just that-"
"Let me make this clear to you, since I know that you're very intelligent and capable of understanding me, Vortex," Rufus said, the tone and the use of his full name making Tex flinch as Rufus gave him a look, his ugly mug's attention now fully on him. "Did you really think that I just gave you work so that you could support your family? Because I pitied you?"
"No…" Tex said, looking down.
Rufus nodded. "That's right. No, I gave you work because you were strong and tough and I had use for that," he reminded Tex, pointing his long fingered claw at the Hellhound's chest. "And I still have use for my sergeant now. I didn't just call you in to say congrats on your new job; I called you in because I want to make it clear that you working for Verosika changes nothing about our relationship." He then got close to Tex, making him look him in the eyes. "I don't have a job for you right now, but I will in the future, and that will supersede everything else, because you are still one of my hounds… understand?"
Tex stared up at Rufus… and sighed, knowing that he couldn't afford to mess with the Overlord. "Understood… sir."
Rufus gave a smile and patted Tex on the shoulder. "Good boy," he told him before he turned around and returned to the clock on the counter. "Now, it's good that we have this understanding, since it is in the best of your interests… and your family's interests as well."
Tex's ears perked up in confusion. "What are you getting at…?"
"Nothing dire… at least not yet," Rufus said as he picked up his tools and went back to fixing up the clock as he took out a spring. "But I will need you, Tex, in the future… because of the tiger."
A surprised Tex blinked. "Shere Khan?"
"Correct," Rufus replied. "I have received information that Khan's ambitions are growing. Lately he has taken a greater interest in Imp City and is looking to expand his influence here and that's not something that should be taken lightly by anyone. Not by me, and not by you." He looked up at Tex, his expression serious. "If Shere Khan tries to make a power grab, we need to be ready for him."
Tex's expression turned from surprise to worry. He knew what kind of Overlord Shere Khan was, even if most of his dealings were kept outside of Imp City. But everyone knew that nothing good comes from that big cat businessman whose hunger was even more infamous than Oz's. If Shere Khan were to set his sights on Imp City, on the Dog Park… it would be bad for every Hellhound there, including his family.
"Do you understand?" Rufus asked Tex, his tone serious.
"I do, sir," Tex confirmed with a nod.
"Good," Rufus replied, giving him a nod back. "You're dismissed. Good night, Tex."
Tex paused for only a moment, then turned to leave the shop. Once Tex was gone, Rufus continued to work on his clock for a few minutes, then he shook his head in frustration, putting his tools down. Taking a break from working on the clock, he pulled out his phone, flipped it up, and called a number on his contacts list.
"Hey, it's me," Rufus said. "I just wanted to say thanks for the tip about Shere Khan. You were right. I checked with some of my contacts and Khan has been trying to sneak into my territory, right under my nose. You and your employers have obviously been watching his movements closer than I have."
"You don't have to thank me, Rufus," said the voice on the other end. "Knowing about Mr. Khan's recent moves are in both your best interests and my employer's, since that tiger's ambitions have finally overreached."
"I agree," Rufus said while staring back at his clock. "Although I suppose it helps that Shere Khan recently ended an arrangement he had with one of your employers. I imagine that makes him more than happy to try to screw Shere Khan over."
The voice on the other end of the phone chuckled. "And are you complaining?"
"No," Rufus said. "As long as it benefits me, I don't care why Vox has it out for Khan. But this was definitely worth the information I traded it for," he said as he went back to work on his clock, having the phone held by his shoulder. "So… how is the Wrath Ring, Alexei?"
The next day, at the recording studio, Verosika walked over to Tex, trying to get his attention.
"Hey, Tex," she said to him, waving his hand in front of his face. "Tex…" she said, seeing that Tex seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.
Tex was not paying attention to anything around him, instead thinking back to the conversation that he had with Rufus, replaying it over and over again. It wasn't until he heard the sound of snapping fingers that he snapped back to reality.
"Tex, wake up!"
"Huh?" Tex asked as he looked up at Verosika and realized that she had been trying to get his attention "Oh my… I'm so sorry, Verosika. I-I didn't mean-"
"Hey, calm down," she told him. "You're not in trouble. I'm just… are you okay, Tex?"
"Yeah, I just… spaced out for a moment," Tex admitted. "But I promise that it won't happen when we're out in public."
"I know," Verosika said, reassuring him. She pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on. "I think you've definitely proven that I can count on you. You've done a good job bodyguarding me at public events. I want you to know that."
"Oh, um… thanks, Verosika," Tex replied.
"But those public events are going to be nothing compared to what comes next," Verosika said with a smile.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked her.
"Well, my recent appearances, combined with the commercial I shot, have done great things for my public image," Verosika answered him. "I'm quite relevant at the moment, and I want to capitalize on that in order to broaden my appeal. So… I'm going on a concert tour with visits to each of the Rings… minus Gluttony, of course. It has been a while since I've performed, but there is no better time for a revival. Now you are going to see what it is like to go on tour with Verosika Mayday, so you better pack up your stuff and get ready."
Tex blinked in surprise, realizing that this meant he would be traveling with her across six of the seven Rings of Hell. "Wow, that's… that's amazing, Verosika!"
"I know!" Verosika said with a giddy look. "Oh, and I want to know that our first stop of our tour will be in Wrath during the Harvest Moon Festival, one of the biggest local events there. I've never performed in Wrath before, but I already have my posse choosing the best outfits for it."
"Really?" Tex asked her while showing some concern. "Are you sure that this is a good idea? Given how rough Wrath is…"
"Well, it took my agent a lot of convincing to let me start there," she admitted before she reassured him. "But don't worry, I am hiring extra security for this tour. Protecting me won't fall on just you, but I still want you with me by my side. After all, there's another reason I want to stop in Wrath first…" She took her sunglasses off, revealing a twinkle of fondness in her eyes. "I was hoping that the two of us could check in on some old friends while we were there."
Tex's eyes widened upon realizing who she was referring to. Now knowing the true reason they were heading to Wrath first, Tex smiled.
Because he knew that he would be seeing Loona and Kajedo again.
Okay, before any of you jumped into conclusions, just want to remind you guys that Tex and Kajedo are in an open relationship, meaning that Tex isn't really cheating on Kajedo with Andy. Kajedo knows about it and is fine with it. She even encourages it, even.
Okay, so… explanation time.
This chapter wasn't originally planned out. We did started writing the Harvest Moon Festival, but we were having some trouble(I was experiencing ennui, and writer's block). So we've decided to take a break for a few days and work this out. Although, the Harvest Moon Festival is still next.
But beyond needing a break, we've also decided to make this chapter because it was our lpan to have Verosika and Tex return during the Harvest Moon Festival, the first time they've returned since the auction chapter. But while we were building up to that moment, we then realized… that Tex needed some more love in Helluva Dad. This arc has done a lot for Kajedo. We've met her family, seen where she grew up, and met some of her friends. Meanwhile, Tex has been absent from this arc except for a quick text message he sent Kajedo.
So that raises the question… what has Tex been doing all this time?
So we've decided to use this chapter to show some of the things he has been doing during the Wrath Ring arc, as well as show some of the other people in his life like we've showed some of the people in Kajedo's life. This included showing Tex's family, who otherwise wouldn't have appeared in Helluva Dad for a while.
There is something else we did realized is that Tex rarely gets any love, even in a lot of fan works. He's almost always a supporting character, so we decided it would be nice to make him the lead for a chapter, show some of his day-to-day, and flesh out his personal life.
This chapter can also be seen as a prelude to the Harvest Moon Festival. It helps sets up Tex and Verosika traveling to the Wrath Ring to meet Kajedo and Loona, and it reminds readers of the threat that Alexei poses. It's also meant to set up future storylines, including Shere Khan making more moves on Imp City.
And we also wish to thank Ernor for his OCs from Shadows Over Hell: Andromeda, Polaris aka "Polly", Stormy, Castor, Pollux, Oz, and Rufus. He let us use them and we highly recommend his fic. We originally didn't plan to have his OCs this soon, but we realized a Tex chapter was the perfect place for them.
Also some OCs made such as Verosika's agent, Sheer, a Bahomet demon from Sloth. Miss Pepsy is a Hellhound neighbor of Tex's who I kinda imagined she'd be voiced by Lauren Tom. Pooky, the bacon addict hellhound, named after Chris Rock's character from New Jack City, which I've recently watch(love the camera angles and soundtrack).
There's also Tex's family, who were mentioned before and that this chapter's a good way to introduce them. Maelstrom and Lacey are his foster parents, and they're also expies of Victor and Rosa Vasquez, and his foster siblings who are expies of the Shazam family. Cyclona being Mary Bromfield, Twister as Eugene Choi, Ringer as Pedro Pena, Ty and Eddie are that of Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman Jr, and Twirly is based off of Darla Dudley.
Next chapter will be at the Harvest Moon Festival, as well as the start of concluding the Wrath Ring Arc.
Review Section:
Matteso585: 1) Maybe. 2) Diana will be seen eventually somewhere after the Wrath Ring arc. 3) No spoilers. 4) Both.
Cooki15xd: We'll get to see more lore and other myths referenced in Hell.
Crash X Fusion: Hope this chapter will serve as an appetizer before the Harvest Moon Festival.
Shuffollower: Well hopefully your theory remains in the next chapter.
Ultimate-drax: It was not our intentions to make that statement. What Cain/David said is a matter of opinion, not a fact.
Spantidem7: 1) Yes. Also, Loona being surprised by Charlie hugging her was more unexpected since well, she's never met Charlie before up to that point.