Wild, Wild Wrath

Wild, Wild Wrath
Season 1, Episode 8
First Aired (USA) May 18, 2024 (FF) May 18, 2024 (AO3)
Episode Guide
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"Wild, Wild Wrath" is the eighth chapter of LC Presents: Helluva Dad.

Synopsis

The trio hunkers down in the Wrath Ring in order to protect Amaroq for a while, but trouble still manages to find them.

Plot

Years ago…

Welcome to the Wrath Ring, a large rural area with an old western style culture and deserts that were home to many hellish beasts. The sky was orange, the landscape dotted with volcanoes with orbs of lava that floated above them and old mine shafts and railroad tracks. The Ring was also known for its farmlands that were very important to the rest of Hell, since most of the food that fed the citizens of Hell came from Wrath.

Wrath was also a great spot for camping trips… if one could stand the heat.

"Aw fuck!" Blitz cursed while he set up a tent, taking a pause to wipe the sweat off his forehead. The imp was with his young daughter, little Loona, who looked tired from the heat. "This heat is killing me more than the Exorcists on Extermination Day," he muttered while fixing up the tent for him and Loona.

"Why do we have to camp in the hottest ring of Hell?" Little Loona asked him, panting from the heat while holding up a mini-fan. "Why can't we go somewhere like the tourist towns in Greed or Envy for a vacation?"

"Sorry, Loony-Toony, but we can't afford to go on vacation there," Blitz pointed out. "Besides, the tourist attractions in Greed and Envy are just overrated schemes to put more money in the pockets of Mammon and Leviathan."

"But isn't Leviathan like the Sin of Envy?" Loona asked him. "Why does the Sin of Envy care about money anyway?"

"That's the answer," Blitz pointed out. "Mammon may be the greediest, but Leviathan envies popular places outside of his domain. It's why those two have so much in common, one grabs all the cash and another wants the cash from the other's pocket. Least that's what I hear." He connected the sticks to form the tent. "Besides, camping out here in Wrath is a far more authentic experience."

He looked over to Loona, who still looked bothered by the heat. Blitz paused and walked over to sit beside his daughter. "Hey," he said. "I promise that Wrath can be fun too. We can do all sorts of fun things around here."

"Really? Like what?" she asked him.

Blitz just smiled. "Well, for one, we can go horse riding…"

---

The sky was now purplish-red as night settled over Wrath. Blitz had finished setting up their tent and had made a campfire as well. Now he was opening up a bag of marshmallows as he helped to show Loona how to toast them. He helped her put one in a stick and hold it over the campfire.

"So how long until I know it's good?" Loona asked him.

"Just wait until it's brown and gooey, kid," Blitz responded while holding his own stick with a marshmallow. "They taste great after heating them up."

Once they finished roasting the marshmallows, Blitz and Loona blew on their snack. They then looked at each other, smiled, and started tearing into the marshmallows like starving dogs, getting white stuff around their mouths.

"This… is so good," Loona said.

"You know what would also be good? Weenie-roasts!" Blitz shouted as he held up a pack of hotdogs.

---

Later in the night, Blitz held up a guitar and started to play it. He wasn't great and Loona winced slightly whenever he struck a bad note, but that didn't stop him from singing a campfire song.

"On the first part of the journey, I was looking at all the life," he sang while strumming the guitar. "There were plants and birds and rocks and things, there was sand and hills and things!"

Loona stopped cringing from her dad's guitar playing when she heard him singing, which managed to make his guitar playing sound slightly better. She smiled and began to bop her head sideways. "The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz, and the sky with no clouds! The heat was hot and the ground was dry, but the air was full of sound!"

"I've been through the desert on the horse with no name, it felt good to be out of the rain," he sang, standing up while getting into the song. "In the desert, you can remember your name! Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain! Ba~la~lalalalala, lalala~lala! Sing it with me, Loona!"

"Ba~la~lalalalala, lalala~lala~!" he and Loona sang together into the night.

---

The next morning, the two were shown holding up their revolvers while having a bunch of cans lined up a good distance away from them. Blitz shot some of his cans down before reloading.

"See this, Loony?" he asked her while shooting more of his cans. "Your old man is like a real gunslinger with how fast he can reload."

Loona looked at him, stunned by how quickly he fired and reloaded, as she held up her own revolver. She aimed at the cans and, remembering her earlier lessons with her dad, managed to shoot some of them down. Once she ran out of bullets, she tried to quickly reload just like her dad, but she ended up dropping some bullets on the ground. After she finished reloading, she accidentally squeezed the trigger too early. "Gah!" she yelped.

"Loony, are you alright?!" Blitz asked in concern, running up to her.

"Yeah, I accidentally fired," Loona responded while looking at where the bullet had gone. He saw a dead rattler. "I think I shot that snake…"

"Well, it was a rattler and it could've bitten us," Blitz responded while hugging his daughter. "But I'm glad you didn't shoot yourself, pumpkin." His face then went from relieved to stern. "However, what have I told you about putting your finger on the trigger when you aren't ready to shoot?"

"Not to do it…" Loona said while looking down.

"That's right," Blitz said. "Your finger should only go on the trigger when you know you're going to shoot and where you're shooting. Otherwise you fire your gun accidentally like you did just know and that is very dangerous, understand?"

Loona nodded. "I was trying to make quick reloads and be a gunslinger like you…"

"Well, that's why we practice," Blitz told Loona. "You can't expect to be good at something right away. But right now, how about we put the guns away?"

"Am I in trouble?" Loona asked.

"No, not at all," Blitz reassured her. "I just thought after that scare we could try something different. "First, let's clean up. And when we're done, we go horse-riding."

When Loona heard that, her tail started to wag.

---

After renting out some horses, Blitz and Loona rode on the demon horses through a valley in Wrath.

"Ya! Ya!" Blitz shouted as he led his horse down through the clear valley. Loona followed as she just bumped on her saddle. "How do ya like horse riding, Loony?!"

"It's bumpy!" Loona responded with a grimace while riding on her horse.

The two rode up to the mountain, where they would see a view of the entire valley. In the distance, they could make out small towns, farm communities, and birds flying over the volcanoes while the sun rose up in the sky.

"Now this," Blitz said while looking at the view. "This is just like in the movies. It's what makes it all worth it."

Loona looked at the sunrise and sported a smile. "Yeah, it does," she replied. While Loona wasn't as enthusiastic about horses as her dad was, she still enjoyed moments like this and was glad that she was here with her dad.

---

Later, the two were attending a rodeo where they watched some bull riding and rodeo clowns performing.

"Pfft-AHAHAHA! Look at those clowns go, Loony!" Blitz laughed while eating popcorn as Loona laughed along.

"Is that bull trying to stomp him, daddy?" Loona asked, seeing the bull chasing after one of the unfortunate clowns.

"Oh yeah, this is way better than Mammon's shit shows back in Greed," Blitz said as the two watched the clown getting thrown up in the air while screaming. The two shared a laugh as the rodeo clown ended up getting tossed between the demon bulls. "Yeah! Toss that clown around!" he cheered for the bulls.

"Yeah! Toss him like salad!" Loona cheered along.

---

After the rodeo, the two walked out together while Loona happily ate some cotton candy. She noticed a flier she stepped on and she went to pick it up.

"Hey dad," Loona said. "What's a Harvest Moon Festival?"

"Hmm, let me see," Blitz replied as he looked at the flier. "Oh yeah, I think I've heard about this. Every year they would have this kind of festival to celebrate their bountiful harvest. There is music, food, oh and the Pain Games to see who's the toughest imp in the Wrath Ring of Hell."

"Wow…" Loona replied, looking interested. "Is it happening now?"

"Oh I'm afraid not, hon," Blitz admitted. "We won't be around when the festival comes."

Loona's ears dropped. "Dang…"

"Hey, cheer up, Loony," Blitz said, trying to reassure her. "Perhaps we'll be able to attend the Harvest Moon Festival another year."

Loona looked up at Blitz and smiled. "I would like that. Do you think you would enter the Pain Games?"

Blitz shrugged. "I see no reason not to. I am pretty tough, aren't I?"

Loona nodded. "The toughest!"

Blitz smiled. "Then we definitely have to go sometime, just so you can cheer me on," he said while patting her on the head. "But right now, I don't think we need the Harvest Moon Festival to have fun."

Loona thought about it before nodding again. "You're right," she admitted. "This has been really fun."

And at this point, Loona didn't even mind the heat as much. Just as long as it was the two of them having a good time together…

---

Present Day. Still Wrath.

Loona was sitting in the passenger seat of the van, the window rolled down as she looked out at the desolate landscape of the Ring of Wrath. She had been thinking about the first camping trip Blitz took her on a long time ago, since coming here felt nostalgic to her. She remembered the valleys, eating the marshmallows, shooting cans…

"After two days in the desert son, my skin began to turn red!"

Hearing Blitz singing, she looked at her dad beside her, driving the van. He continued to sing. "And after three days in the desert sun, I was looking at a river bed!" he sang while shown to be wearing a red cowboy vest with white spots, a short-sleeve white shirt, black long pants, and his usual boots. "Whoo! And the story it told of a river that flowed, made me sad to think it was dead! Ba~la~lalalalala, lalala-lala~!"

"I haven't heard you sing that song in years," Loona admitted. She was wearing a black short top with a button flannel shirt worn like a jacket and the sleeves ripped out. She was also wearing black shorts with red ripped trims along with her usual black sleeveless gloves.

"Well consider this as a special occasion, since this is practically a vacation for all of us," Blitz told her while driving. "Just like the ones we used to take in Wrath."

Loona smiled, but then she sighed with a frown. "As much as I would like that, we can't forget the real reason that we came here." She gestured to who was behind them. Unlike their previous trips to Wrath, it wasn't just the two of them this time.

Moxxie and Amaroq were in the backseats of the van while in different outfits. Moxxie was wearing a gray vest over his white button shirt, a black bow-tie, black pants, and black boots. Amaroq was wearing a black vest with a brown button shirt, black jeans, and a sunhat.

Amaroq looked outside the window with curious eyes, pressing her face on the glass. "Wow. I've never seen or been to Wrath before," she commented. "No large buildings or concrete, it's all rocks here."

"It is amazing, isn't it?" Moxxie asked her. "Unlike the other Rings, Wrath is a desert."

"Yup, this place is considered a paradise for cowboys and bounty hunting Hellborns," Blitz mentioned.

"Hey Mox, you've mentioned that you're part Wrathian before," Loona recalled. "You were born here, right?"

Moxxie nodded. "Of course, though I mainly grew up in Greed, I still have a lot of respect for the Wrathian Hellborns here."

"What is this place like?" Amaroq asked them, her tone curious as she turned to Loona.

"Well, at first glance this place may seem to be barren and desolate, but the Wrath Ring is actually where most of the food in Hell comes from, since the farmlands here are perfect for growing crops and raising livestock thanks to the volcanic ash making a natural fertilizer," Loona explained. "However, Wrath can also be dangerous. It is filled with monstrous beasts that hide in their caves and rattle snakes that get into your cowboy boots," she said with a slightly dramatic tone. "Not to mention the most hardened and roughest Hellborns you can imagine, along with the current Sin of Wrath… Satan."

"Ooh…" Amaroq said in awe, before realizing something about Loona's wording. "Wait, current Sin of Wrath? Was there a previous ruler?"

"Indeed," Moxxie replied. "The original Satan used to reign this over land, back when it was known as Treachery, which I guess is appropriate considering that Old Satan tried to overthrow Lucifer. Back then, it was a frozen wasteland. Crops, beasts, and Hellborns couldn't survive in this place. During the war with Old Satan, he made the volcanoes erupt, heating up the entire Ring and causing the ice to melt, permanently changing the nature of the Ring, so after the water dried out and the Ring became a desert, it was renamed Wrath while Lucifer was rebuilding and reorganizing Hell. Things were once very different in Hell. For example, Sinners used to be sent to all of the Rings, not just Pride. Treachery was reserved for Sinners guilty of treachery against those with whom they had special relationships. They were trapped here, frozen in the ice. Back then, Hell had nine rings, or Circles as they used to be called, instead of seven."

"Nine Rings… what happened to the other two?" Amaroq asked

"Nobody knows, kid," Blitz responded. "They were lost during Old Satan's Rebellion. He didn't just mess up Wrath, he messed up all of Hell. Those other two Rings were probably destroyed, or at the very least forgotten."

"To this day, scholars have been trying to theorize what happened to the other two Rings," Moxxie said. "Some say they got repossessed by other afterlife entities and pantheons, others say they just stopped existing in our realm. If Lucifer knows what happened to the lost Rings, he isn't talking."

"Ooh…" Amaroq said in a curious tone.

Loona looked outside the window to see the land. "I can't help but feel nostalgic."

"I feel the same," Moxxie responded while looking out the window. "My mom used to take me here a lot, either to visit family or practice my shooting."

"Really?" Loona asked him. "That sounds great. Dad and I used to shoot targets down here as well when I was young."

"Say Loony, can you check the map?" Blitz asked her. "Trying to figure out where we're going."

"Don't worry, it should be around here," Loona said while fishing in the glove compartment for a map.

---

Soon afterward, the van stopped in front of a farm. Loona, Blitz, Moxxie, and Amaroq stepped out.

"Is this the place?" Blitz asked while getting out the luggage.

"Well, according to what Kajedo told me, this is where her friend's farm is," Loona replied while helping to get Amaroq out.

"Strange, it looks like no one's around here," Moxxie noted while looking around to see some vegetation, such as a slightly overgrown garden and some trees.

"They're probably inside," Blitz said as he began to walk over to the house. But then Loona's ears picked up something.

"Wait," Loona said, getting everyone to stop. "We're not alone out here…"

"I think I heard something too," Amaroq admitted, looking around and seeing a red blur rush behind the van.

Blitz and Moxxie looked around the area, both imps pulling out their guns. Loona held Amaroq protectively as they prepared for whatever welcome they were about to get. But even they couldn't be ready when they were rushed…

"YAH!" they screamed as they were tackled by red furred, rabbit-like demons that jumped on the group. The creatures laughed as they pounced and bounced on top of Loona's head, Blitz's butt, and Moxxie's back. Amaroq was lucky enough to avoid them.

"Hey! Get off of them!"

The red creatures were suddenly caught in a lasso. They were pulled away from the trio, allowing Loona to get up, helping Blitz and Moxxie up as well.

"Everybody alright?" Loona asked. "Amaroq, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Amaroq assured her.

"Oh, what were these things?!" Blitz asked before they turned to their savior.

"Sorry for that, fellas," spoke a demonic-looking girl with a Wrathian accent. She appeared to be a slim, gray skinned demonic-looking teenage girl with yellow sclera eyes with red irises and round black pupils. She sported a dragon-like snout with sharp grooves that looked like teeth. She had a long, thin, lizard-like tail, and short, messy blond hair. She wore a cowboy outfit, which consisted of a brown cowboy hat with a brown feather in it, a brown whip attached to her belt, a brown bandanna, and a clabka belt with a monster skull ornament. The rest of her outfit consisted of a short-sleeved brown shirt, long brown pants, and tall, black cowboy boots with black fingerless gloves that came up to her elbows. "These Hell Sprites are cute and harmless, but they can also be very annoying."

"I can see why," Loona said as she looked at the owner of the farm. "You must be Carrie then. Kajedo sent us here."

"Oh, I know about that," Carrie said as she let go of the Hell Sprites. "Go on! Get!" she told them as the Hell Sprites scurred away from the farm. She then walked over to Loona and raised her hand up. "Carrietta Kweewa, folks call me Carrie, nice to meet you. Kaj has told me a lot about you, so I was expectin' ya here."

"Yeah, nice to meet you as well," Loona replied as she shook Carrie's hand. "The others are my dad, Blitz, the short one is Moxxie, and the pup's Amaroq."

"Just want to say, thanks for letting us stay here, Ms. Kweewa," Blitz said while looking around and whistling. "Man, you have a good farm here."

"Thanks, and yer all more than welcome here at my farm," Carrie said. "Any friends of Kajedo's is a friend of mine. Now, let me show you yer rooms."

The four were eager as they picked up their luggage and followed Carrie toward the house.

---

That night, Loona and Amaroq got prepared for bed in their own bedroom.

"How are you feeling, Amaroq?" Loona asked her while helping to tuck Amaroq in. "Your first night in Wrath. Exciting, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Amaroq replied, though she didn't sound too enthusiastic.

"Well, I'm here if you need me," Loona said as she went to her own bed.

Amaroq lifted her head up and looked over at Loona. "Well… there is one thing I'd like to ask you."

"Oh? About what?" Loona asked her.

"About… your brother," Amaroq said, which surprised Loona. "I was wondering if you wanted to talk about him, since, well… you didn't say anything about him to your dad. And… I want to know if it's true that you… killed your baby sister-"

"Amaroq," Loona interrupted. She sighed. "Can you not talk about it? And can you especially not bring it up to my dad?"

"But why?" Amaroq asked. "Don't you trust him?"

"I do," Loona clarified. "But it's just that… it's a part of my past that I'm not proud of and that I'm not comfortable talking about."

"Oh… well, that's fair," Amaroq replied. "I promise to keep it a secret."

"Thanks, kid," Loona responded before looking down ."Though… what Cyrus said… was the truth." Amaroq looked over at her as Loona continued. "I didn't mean to get my baby sister killed… but it's still my fault all the same."

Both girls were quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry," Amaroq said after a few seconds.

Loona gave another sigh. "It's okay, kid," she said. "This is my shit, not yours. Let's just… forget about it, okay?"

Amaroq nodded. "Okay."

"Good night, Amaroq," Loona said as she turned off the lights and got in her own bed.

"Good night, Loona," Amaroq said as she laid in her bed while looking up at the ceiling.

---

In another guest bedroom, Blitz and Moxxie were getting prepared for bed.

"Well, isn't this just like back in prison, Mox?" Blitz mentioned while looking out the window. "Us rooming together, I mean. Though at least this time, there are no fears of getting shived." He then noticed Moxxie's look in his reflection on the window and he turned around. "Why the long face, sport?"

"Oh, well sir, I'm just… concerned about Loona," Moxxie said. "She wouldn't tell us why she had her breakdown outside the apartment in Pride."

Realizing what Moxxie was referring to, he looked down. "I know how you feel, Mox. I'm concerned for Loony too. But me and Loona have an understanding between each other. If she wants to talk about it, she'll talk about it. Otherwise, no need to pry into her business."

"I… guess so, sir," Moxxie said as Blitz sat next to him on the bed.

"And besides, I think being here can do some good for us," Blitz told him. "Cause I've thought of a lot of activities we can do around here. We can go horse-back riding, sing Dolly, hit the saloons…"

"Sir, I don't think that's wise since we're trying to keep on a low profile," Moxxie pointed out. "We are not on a vacation and it's not smart to treat this lightly…"

"I know that, Mox. But Loona and Amaroq are both kids," Blitz brought up. "They need something to get their minds off of what happened at that fur farm. What they need is a distraction from that and whatever else is bothering Loona."

Moxxie thought about it and realized that Blitz did have a point. "Right, they do need a distraction… but what about Khan?"

"Oh don't worry, Mox. I already got that covered," Blitz reassured him. "I'll give the big tiger daddy a call tomorrow, there are probably few things we can do for him while we're in Wrath to make it up to him. Relax, Mox. Everything is going to be fine."

And yet as both imps went to bed, Moxxie wondered who Blitz was trying to convince more. Moxxie… or himself?

---

The next morning, everyone was downstairs having breakfast when they saw Moxxie pass through, about to head out.

"Well, I better be going," Moxxie said while holding onto his satchel.

"You sure you don't want to stick around with us for today?" Blitz asked him.

"Yeah, Carrie made breakfast," Amaroq said while eating bacon and eggs.

"I'm sure that would be nice, but there's some family members in Wrath I wish to see while I'm down here," Moxxie replied. "I'm sure that they'd be thrilled to see me… I hope."

"Hey, Mox, I'm sure your folks will be thrilled to have you visit them," Blitz commented while thinking about his own sister and how she very much didn't want to see him the last time they met. "If you want, we could come with you and meet them ourselves."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Moxxie told his boss. "Maybe you can meet them some other day, but I haven't seen them in so long and would like this to be between me and them."

"We'll miss you," Loona said as Carrie walked over to Mox.

"Here, for the road," Carrie said as she handed Moxxie a carton of breakfast.

"Thanks, Carrie," Moxxie replied as he now prepared to head out. "Well, I'll see you guys when I get back."

"Make sure you tell them all about me, Mox!" Blitz shouted while Moxxie walked out.

Once Moxxie was gone, Blitz turned to the girls. "Alright, guess it's just us. Anything to do in the morning?"

"Well, I got some chores to do," Carrie said.

"Really? Well, maybe we can help you out on that," Blitz offered.

"Ah that's no need, you guys are guests," Carrie said.

"Hey, we don't know how long we'll be staying here, so the least we can do is help you out. Right, Loony?" Blitz asked her.

"Eh, probably better than cleaning the rooms at the resort," Loona shrugged after eating her waffles.

"I would like to look around the farm," Amaroq said.

Carrie looked at them and smiled. "Well, why don'cha city folks come and help out then if ya sure?" she asked them.

---

And so, the trio helped out Carrie around the farm with her chores. Carrie gave out chore duties to each of them.

"Alright, Blitz, you can help out by collecting eggs, milking the cows, and brushing the horses," Carrie told Blitz. "Loona, you can help me out by feeding the animals, giving them water, stacking the hay, and cleaning the pins. As for you, little buttercup," she she said as she handed Amaroq a broom. "You get sweeping duty."

"That doesn't seem too bad…" Amaroq said.

"Well, consider yourself lucky, kid," Loona said, patting her head. "We'll handle the harder chores."

---

As everyone went to do their chores, Amaroq was around the porch when she saw the trio of Hell Sprites from the other day passing by the farm house and heading toward the farm.

Blitz was currently heading into the hen house with a basket while whistling 'Oh McDonald.' As he went inside to collect the eggs, the Hell Sprites snuck in as well.

Blitz looked around at the demon hens. "Don't mind me, just collecting some devil eggs around here," he said as he went to get some eggs from under the devil hen… only to feel something bite his hand. "YOWCH!" he shouted as he pulled his hand out, seeing a Hell Sprite with its teeth in it. "Get off of me, you little-?!" He was then pelted by eggs from the other Hell Sprites. "Gah! No! Yah!" he cried as the Hell Sprites kept pelting him with eggs while laughing.

Amaroq overheard the chaos in the pen, but she continued to sweep. "I'm sure it's nothing he can't handle," she said while sweeping the porch with a smirk.

---

Loona held up some bags of fertilizer and placed them down in the garden. Carrie was mighty impressed by her strength.

"Wow, I didn't think you could lift all that fertilizer by yourself," Carrie said while holding her own bags to place down.

"Impressive for a city folk like me?" Loona asked teasingly while Carrie snickered.

"I can see why Kaj has taken a liking of ya," Carrie mentioned, surprising Loona, who hid a tint of her blush.

---

Blitz had moved on to milking the Hellcow, despite being still covered in egg.

"Are you alright, Loona's dad?" Amaroq asked him while sweeping.

"I'm alright, hon, just a simple cow milking ain't so harmful," Blitz assured her as he got up and picked up the buckets of milk. "Alright, time to-GAAH!" He then got squirted with milk from the Hellcow, the Hell Sprites squeezing the udders while pointing them at Blitz, antagonizing him once again. "Hey! Cut that out!" Blitz shouted at them. He dropped the buckets and rushed towards the Hell Sprites. "Come here, you!"

Blitz chased after the Hell Sprites, who laughed at him. They went underneath one Hellcow's udders and when he followed them, he spooked the Hellcow.

"MOOO!" the Hellcow mooed.

Amaroq shut her eyes and winced when hearing the sound of Blitz getting kicked by the Hellcow. She heard his screams as he was launched into the sky.

"YAAAAAOOOOOWWWW!" Blitz cried as he landed in a field, creating a cloud of dust.

---

Loona and Carrie were stacking the hay together while they chatted.

"So how did you meet Kajedo?" Carrie asked Loona.

"Well, it's a long story, but I first briefly met her and Tex at a bar," Loona explained while stacking the hay. "We didn't talk much then, but after I got my job at the resort, a co-worker of mine, Clara, took me to a party and it turned out to be one of Kajedo's. We were able to properly introduce ourselves to each other there, even if it wasn't the best night for me…"

"Oh, I know what you mean," Carrie replied.

"How do you-" Loona started to say before realizing what Carrie meant. She groaned. "You saw the memes, didn't you?"

Carrie gave her a sympathetic nod. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, it's no problem," Loona reassured her. "While the night didn't end great, some good did come out of it. I ended up meeting Kajedo, Tex, and Mick." She then turned to Carrie. "How about you? How did you and Kajey know each other?"

"Well, we grew up in the same town together, actually," Carrie said. "You know that Kajedo's from Wrath, right?"

"Oh yeah, I know." Loona replied.

"Anyway, her family and mah family are friends with each other," Carrie explained. "But even after Kajey left Wrath, we still stay in touch. I've even met some of her other friends she's made, and let me tell ya. Compare to them, you're one of the most normal."

"Well, I haven't met some of her other friends yet," Loona admitted. "But I'll take your word."

"So how do ya feel about Kajey and Tex?" Carrie asked her, which made Loona pause.

"Oh, um… I think they're pretty great," Loona replied, hiding her blush. "I still haven't known them for too long, but I do already feel like I can count on them. They're both… good, honest people. Kajedo knows how to show someone a good time and Tex… Tex is a reliable, dependable guy. I actually recently helped him out get a new job where he would be treated well and take less crap."

"Say, Kajey mentioned him now working for the famous diva, Verosika Mayday, thanks to a friend," Carrie said before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh my Satan, do ya mean-"

"Yeah," Loona nodded. "Me and Verosika go way back. My dad dated her once…"

"Whoa… lucky son of a bitch," Carrie said before turning to Loona. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that-"

"Hey, it's fine. I know the difference in how it's said," Loona reassured her.

"I must say, Tex and Kajey sure are lucky to have a galfriend like you then, if you were able to get him a gig like that," Carrie said before noticing Amaroq sweeping. "So um, what about the little buttercup, there, Amaroq? What's her deal?"

Loona looked over at Amaroq and gave a sigh. With a sad look, she explained the deal to Carrie. "Me, dad, Mox, Mick, and some others we know rescued Amaroq from a fur farm."

This shocked Carrie. "F-Fur farm?! Dear Lucifer…"

"Yeah, it wasn't a pretty picture," Loona said while looking down. "We learned that there was a Hellhound shelter that was a front to traffic Hellhounds to that farm for their fur. The whole operation was being run for this Sinner named Cruella De Ville." Just saying her name produced venom in Loona's tone, which Carrie noticed. "When we got there, there was a lot of kitsunes that we freed, but Amaroq was the only Hellhound still alive. We made sure to bring that place down and burn all the furs, but we knew we had to lay low for a while afterward. Which is why we're all the way down here in Wrath."

Carrie looked shocked upon hearing all of this. "My word, I feel so bad for the little gal."

"Well, hopefully being here will get her mind off of things," Loona said before they heard a noise.

"Gah! Quit it, you little red fuzzballs!" Blitz shouted while escaping from the horse pens. The Hell Sprites giggled and laughed. "I-I'll teach you three a lesson!" he shouted while marching back in… which was followed by the sound of a hellhorse's neigh and Blitz being kicked out from the pin. "YAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Loona, Carrie, and Amaroq saw him fall into the hellpig pen. Loona rushed over. "Dad! Are you okay?"

"Barrel roll…" Blitz replied with a dizzy look.

---

After they finished helping out Carrie with her chores, the trio of Blitz, Loona, and Amaroq decided to pay a visit to the nearest town. They walked around a small western-style town filled with townsfolk, hellhorses, and hellmules.

"Ah, don't you just love being in an old west town like this," Blitz commented as he took in the authenticity. "All it's missing are some bounty hunters, gold-miners, and a corrupt mayor."

"I've never been to a place like this before," Amaroq admitted, looking around in awe. "It's a lot different from Pride."

"Yeah, and less crowded," Loona pointed out as she looked around until she spotted a place. "Hey dad, think we can eat there?"

Blitz looked over to a small two-story house with a tin roof, a pair of double-swing doors, and a large wooden sign that depicted a snake dripping venom into a shot of glass that was just above the entrance. Blitz turned to a nearby imp that was leaning against a building while dressed in cowboy gear. "What's this place called?"

"That?" the imp asked as he looked up. "That's the Snakeskin Saloon."

"The Snakeskin Saloon, eh? Well, this outta be interesting," Blitz replied, as he, Loona and Amaroq headed toward the saloon.

Upon going inside the saloon, the trio were greeted with the smell of chewing tobacco and whiskey, something that the two Hellhounds were especially sensitive to. They looked around, spotting a large bar that was built off to the side and numerous round tables that were facing a small, wooden stage in the back. On the stage were musicians that were pretty much playing country-style music. The patrons were either chatting among themselves or cheering for the performers.

"Welp, this is definitely a saloon alright," Blitz declared.

"Ugh, smells worse than the bathrooms at the resort after lunch hour from a Garbees," Loona winced, covering her nose at the smell.

"Say," spoke a patron imp, noticing Loona and Amaroq. "Why are there dogs in this here's bar?"

"Yeah," another replied with a malicious chuckle. "Shouldn't they be outside with leashes?"

"What farm did y'all run away from?" another patron mocked.

Loona glared at them while holding Amaroq protectively. "Back off!"

"Yeah, leave them alone if you know what's good for ya, pal," Blitz said while glaring at the patrons.

"Or what?" the imp challenged before being called out.

"That's enough outta that, ya here?!" shouted a gravelly voice that got the patrons to shut their lips. Loona, Amaroq and Blitz turned to see an elderly imp woman with white hair tied up into a bun, a gold tooth, and a scar over her left eye. "I don't want you idiots to scare off my potential customers, they're just as welcome here as anyone else, alright?!"

The patrons immediately turned back to their table. "Yes, Granny," they said like fearful children.

The imp granny in question turned to Blitz's group and gave them a smile. "My apologies for that. Your business here is just as welcome as anyone else's."

"Thanks, ma'am. We really appreciate that," Blitz thanked her.

"Name's Granny Magma, by the way. Welcome to the Snakeskin Saloon," she greeted them while shaking Blitz's hand, surprising him with her strong grip. "Why I've never seen you folks around here before, so if I reckon, y'all must be tourists who came down here for the upcoming Harvest Moon Festival and the Pain Games," she assumed. "Cause we got a lot of folks coming from them other Rings this time of year."

"Pain Games?" Amaroq asked curiously as Blitz stepped in.

"Uh yeah, why yes, that's why we're here," Blitz claimed. "Me and my daughters have always wanted to watch them, haven't we, girls?"

"Yeah, yeah that's the reason we're here. Right, little sis?" Loona asked Amaroq, getting her to play along.

"Uh yeah! Pain Games and Harvesting," Amaroq said, going along.

"In fact, I'm thinking of participating in the Pain Games myself," Blitz suggested, causing the patrons to fall silent and look at him. This was followed by the sound of mocking laughter, much to Blitz's confusion and dismay. "What?"

"Heh, a city folk like you entering the Pain Games? Get real!" one patron declared.

"Yeah, what a riot!" another replied while laughing out loud.

Blitz just glared at all of them before Granny Magma calmed everyone down. "Alright, alright, enough laughing like hyenas!" she told them off before turning to Blitz. "Now if you wish to enter the Pain Games, feel free to do so. I welcome some competition, especially since new blood helps to keep things interesting," she said with a smile.

Blitz smiled back. "Oh, I think I like you, Granny Magma," Blitz replied.

"Well, let me show y'all yer tables," Granny Magma said as she led them to a table near the stage. "By the way, if yer looking for a place to stay, I got some rooms available for you and yer family."

"Thanks, but we already got a place to stay, ma'am," Blitz replied as he, Loona, and Amaroq sat at their table.

That was then Granny received a whisper from one of her employees. "Ah, looks like our best entertainment's ready," she said as she marched up onto the stage as the patrons hollered around. "Alright y'all, simmer down!" she told them, but they continued to get rowdy. "QUIET, YOU BUNCH OF PROM MISTAKES!"

The patrons immediately quieted down after that while Blitz, Loona and Amaroq looked around in confusion. "What's going on here?" Amaroq whispered.

"Think we're getting a show," Loona responded.

"Alright, now that ya calm down, we're about to bring out the best singer in this here's saloon!" Granny Magma declared with a smile. "I know you all expect her, I know you've all came to see her. She's here to break your hearts and pull those strings! The only demon in Hell who has the true voice of an Angel. Give it up, for the bodacious and sizzlin' gal of Wrath… the lovely EMBER!"

The patrons clapped and cheered as Granny Magma stepped off the stage. Blitz's group watched out of curiosity as stepping ongo stage was someone the patrons were eager to see as the spotlight fell on her…

"Thank you, thank you!" spoke the tall, gorgeous imp that could rival Verosika Mayday in terms of beauty. She was an imp with a slim but curved form, with cute freckles on her face. She had a flow of long white hair and was wearing a green flannel shirt tied up below the chest to show off her midriff. She wore denim daisy dukes and a pair of knee-length cowboy boots. To say the least, she was pretty much the definition of Southern beauty. "Now I hope y'all are ready to hear the tale I'm about to tell."

She held her guitar and plucked the strings. The patrons were quiet enough to listen to Ember's singing.

"There's a town down the road," she sang. "Where I ain't been before. Nobody knows my name, or what I'm looking for…" she shut her eyes as she continued. "Maybe things will be a little different, 'cause they can't stay the same. I'm gonna ease on down the road… where nobody knows my name."

Blitz, Loona, and Amaroq got into the music. It was true what Granny Magma had said, Ember had the voice of an Angel. The band got in tune with her singing.

"I've got to keep the dust a' movin', up around my heels," she sang. "There might be a change for me… just over that distant field." She then looked up. "Even when the past comes callin', looking for somebody to blame. I'll be easin' on down the road, where nobody knows my name."

The song she was singing managed to hit Blitz and Loona on a personal level. Blitz thought of his sister, while Loona thought of her brother. Neither knew how the other was feeling.

"When the burnin' sun surrenders, will he still remember me. I never told him I was goin', out where the wind blowin' free," Ember sang while strumming her guitar. "If he thinks about me tonight, I know he won't miss the pain. Cause I'll be takin' it down the road, where nobody knows my name…"

She then did a guitar solo, which got the crowd going. She knew how to dance her fingers on the strings, especially on an acoustic. Blitz's group also looked impressed by her performance as a musician. After her little solo, she would reprise the song.

"When the burnin' sun surrenders, will he still remember me. I never told him I was goin', out where the wind blowin' free… If he thinks about me tonight, I know he won't miss the pain. I'll be takin' it down the road, where nobody knows my name…"

After she finished her song, the patrons cheered for Ember as she took a bow. They all clapped, whistled, and cheered for Ember. "Thank you! I'll be here all day!" she shouted as she waved to them.

As they clapped, everyone in the saloon heard the sound of the swing doors being slammed open. They turned and saw the large head of a giant cobra-like creature being thrown into the saloon, everyone falling silent as the head rolled across the floor. When they saw who had thrown the head, no one dared to speak. Instead, they all turned away in fear.

Blitz, Loona and Amaroq watched as a large figure came into the saloon, which fell into a dead silence. Even Ember paused when she saw him coming in. Loona was surprised to see this large, strong figure who brought with him a sense of fear and dread that washed over the patrons of the saloon. It especially surprised Loona because this figure… was a Hellhound.

He was the biggest Hellhound she had ever seen. He was of timber-wolf canine descent, with black fur all over and scars above his muzzle and left eye. He sported a mullet-like mane and wore a jean jacket, a belt, and jean pants. He walked over to the bar, sat down, and looked at the bartender.

"My usual," he said.

The bartender nodded, shivering as he ducked down. Loona heard the unusual sound of machinery going on under the bar, followed by steam. The bartender popped up, handing the Hellhound a glass. "H-Here you go, sir."

"Thank you," he said as Loona, Blitz and Amaroq got a glimpse of this wolf's glass. Their eyes widened in shock when they realized he wasn't drinking some kind of alcoholic beverage… it was melted iron.

They watched him gulp the melted iron down his throat like it was any other drink. As he drank, Loona looked around, seeing that no one dared to talk while in his presence. She had never known any Hellhound to cause this kind of reaction. Nor had she ever seen or heard of a Hellhound as big as this one. He was taller than Tex in the height department…

But then the Hellhound noticed Loona while he was drinking, his eye falling on her. Loona was startled by him staring at her, but she didn't dare look away. This kind of stare he was giving her… she didn't like the look in his eyes. All Loona could do was gulp while trying to hide her own fear, keeping silent while the Hellhound finished drinking the whole glass of liquid iron.

He then sat the glass down and sighed. He got up and placed some souls on the counter. "Keep the change," he said before he walked over to the door, grabbing the monster head to drag it back out with him. Everyone steered clear of the Hellhound as he left the building.

After a few good seconds had passed since the Hellhound left, the patrons began to resume their noise in the saloon. Blitz, Amaroq, and Loona were left in a shock, especially Loona.

"Who the hell was that?" Loona asked.

---

Elsewhere in Wrath, Moxxie had finally found the address… of a certain house.

He looked up at the home, showing some hesitation. He wondered what his extended family would think about him now. It had been a while since he visited them… with his mother. But Moxxie didn't want to have come all this way for nothing. Wrath was perhaps the least appropriate place to get cold feet.

"Alright, Mox, you can do this," Moxxie muttered to himself, taking deep breaths to build up his courage. Once he was ready, he walked up to the front porch. His hand up, as he proceeded to knock on the door. The imp waits until he hears the door start to open.

"Yes, can we help you-"

An elderly short imp woman with white curly hair, black short horns, a pink dress with a white apron, and white heel boots let out a gasp when she saw Moxxie. Next to her was a hefty elderly imp man with curled down horns, a brown button shirt, gray mustache, jeans, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. Like his wife, his eyes widened in shock when he saw Moxxie.

"H-Hey, Abuela, and Abuelito," Moxxie said as he awkwardly waved to them before rubbing his arm. "Sorry it's been so long…"

"Oh Moxxie!" his Abuela shouted as she went to hug him, his Abuelito going to hug him as well. "It's so good to see you."

"It's been a long time, son," Abuelito told him.

Moxxie hugged them back, smiling. "Yeah, I know. Sorry it took me so long to visit…"

"Why don't you come in," Abuela offered. "We'll call the rest of the family, tell them that you're here."

"You don't have to do that," Moxxie tried to say. "I'm sure they're busy with their own stuff…"

"Too busy? Ha!" Abuela laughed. "I'll drag them here myself if I have to. But I know that won't be necessary. They'll all be delighted to see you."

Moxxie smiled and stepped into the house as his grandparents showed him in. The house was Spanish colonial-inspired, the walls decorated with family pictures. He recognized pictures of his mom, including pictures of her as a teenager and ones with her and her sister. Moxxie stopped to look at a baby picture of himself, with his mom holding him. He smiled at the picture, but his smile vanished as he remembered the good times he had with his mother… up till her death…

"It's been too long, Moxxie. Last time we saw you, you were just a little imp," Abuelito said while rustling his head. "Not too little to hold a rifle though."

"Yeah," Moxxie replied with a chuckle. "My mom's lessons paid off though."

"Are your musical tastes as good as hers?" his Abuela asked him.

"Does knowing all the lyrics to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats count?" Moxxie asked while he was led to the living room.

"Why don't you sit down while I make you something, Moxxie," Abuela told him while leading her grandson to a chair.

"Thanks, Abuela," Moxxie responded. "So how have you guys been? I'm sorry that I haven't reached out to you guys as much as I should have, because, well, you know…"

"Oh, we understand," Abuelito responded, looking at Moxxie with sympathy. "We don't hold it against you, Mox. Especially with that so-called father of yours…"

"Yeah," Moxxie nodded, looking down.

"But you don't have to worry about us, Moxxie," Abuela assured him. "Some of the family, including your cousins, visit us regularly. I can't wait to see their reaction when you're back."

"Yeah, you'll be the man of the hour," Abuelito responded, making Moxxie smile.

---

After they were finished in the saloon, Blitz, Loona, and Amaroq looked around town some more.

"So, when do you think your friend will meet up with us?" Blitz asked Loona.

"I think Kajedo should be here soon…" Loona responded as she went to check her phone.

"Hiya, Loony!" Kajedo shouted as she popped up from a barrel next to Loona, startling her and making her drop her phone while Blitz and Amaroq were startled as well.

"Satan on a stick, Kajey!" Loona exclaimed. "You almost scared us!"

"I'll say," Blitz said while getting up.

"Hehe, sorry, I just like to surprise people," Kajedo said as she climbed out of the barrel. She was wearing a cowgirl outfit with a white cowgirl hat, a brown cowgirl gilet, and a short blue top. She also wore jean short-shorts, a holster belt with a gold buckle, and white sandal boots. "Loony! So good to see you!"

"Hey, Kajey, glad to see you too," Loona replied while hugging Kajedo.

"What do you think of this outfit? Cute, isn't it?" Kajedo asked, showing it off.

Loona looked up and down at Kajedo's cowgirl outfit, making her blush. "Y-Yeah. It suits you."

"Thanks you," Kajedo replied. "And I also want to say thank you for getting Tex that job as a roadie for Verosika Mayday! Who knew this cool gal knew a famous pop star?" Kajedo nudged at her with a grin.

"It's no big, I was just helping out for a friend," Loona responded.

Kajedo then noticed Amaroq. "Oh, I didn't know you had a little sister," she says while kneeling down. "Hi! I'm Kajedo, what's your name?"

"Amaroq," Amaroq responded. "And I'm not really Loona's sister…"

Loona slightly winced, but nobody noticed it. "Amaroq is the girl we saved back in Pride. Amaroq, this is Kajedo, a friend of mine. She grew up in Wrath and was the one who suggested we stay with Carrie."

"Carrie told me that you three would be in town!" Kajedo shouted. "Since I know these parts of town, I could show you around! Hehe, that rhymes."

"Well, I'll leave Kajey to you two," Blitz told Loona and Amaroq as he started to walk away.

"Where are you going, dad?" Loona asked him.

"I plan on making a few calls so it'll be a while," he answered. "Just remember to stay out of trouble."

"Don't worry, dad, we will," Loona said as Blitz walked away. She then turned to Kajedo. "So Kajedo, you grew up in Wrath. What can you tell us about these parts?"

Kajedo just smiled. "Why don't I show ya?"

---

As Kajedo showed them around town, their first stop was a local clothing store.

"If you want to blend in, you gotta look the part," Kajedo told them while seeing Loona and Amaroq in their own cowgirl outfits.

"Well, I do look the part now," Loona commented. She was wearing a black cowgirl hat with a black button sleeveless shirt and red scarf, showing off her midriff, a black skirt with tassels and black gloves, and black cowgirl boots with her paws sticking out.

"I do look cool in this," Amaroq replied while wearing a blue fedora with a gray scarf, a brown gilet with cow-pattern shirt, jean skirt and brown paw-boots.

"Oh, I agree," Kajedo complimented. "Ami, you look adorbs in that outfit, and Loony, you look smokin' with the outlaw look."

Loona gave a tinted blush. "Heh, thanks Kajey."

Kajedo then led the girls around town. They heard distant gunshots. This shocked Loona and Amaroq, but Kajedo looked unbothered by the sounds.

"Did you hear those shots?" Loona asked.

"Oh, must be another stand-off," Kajedo said casually.

"…the what now?" Loona asked as they saw two morticians passing by carrying a pile of dead cowboys on a stretcher between them, much to hers and Amaroq's shock. "What the-?!"

"Yup, that makes-" Kajedo said as she led them over to a sign that showed the town's population, which had decreased. "350 townsies," she said before hearing another gunshot, causing the number to decrease again. "Oops, make that 349."

"What the hell, Kajey? Is this town safe?!" Loona asked while holding Amaroq protectingly.

"As long as you're not holding any guns, you'll be fine," Kajedo assured them. She looked around, smiling. "Man, I haven't been back in Wrath for a while. This is bringing back so many memories." She noticed a hunchbacked imp with distorted eyes and black clothes. "Hey, there's the local undertaker, Petey!" She happily waved at him. "Hi, Petey! I see that business is good!"

"Oh it is, thanks for noticing, Kajedo! Ehehe," spoke Petey who had a Peter Lorre-esque accent. He was pulling some coffins.

Loona and Amaroq looked disturbed by this, but then they noticed a stand-off between two cowboys facing off against each other in the street. Loona covered Amaroq's eyes by the time the two men drew their pistols, shooting at each other. One fell dead. "Christs…"

"Ooh, there goes the sheriff," Kajedo said. "That makes… the 3,495,659th one this town has had. And the 15th one this year, according to Carrie."

"That many?!" Loona asked while looking around. She saw multiple hold-ups going on. There was a robbery taking place at a loan bank, at a pie stand, and she even saw a horse robbing a blacksmith. It continued like this as they walked through the town. At one point, she saw two imps riding toward each other on cowboys. When they were close enough, the horses suddenly threw off their riders, pulled out guns, and started shooting at each other. But then she saw a dead body just lying in the street. "Whose body is that?!"

"Oh, that's our mayor… he's dead," Kajedo said. "According to Carrie, he died three days ago."

"Three days?!" Loona asked in shock. "And nobody bothered to move him?!"

"Yeah, we haven't even gotten an appointee yet," Kajedo replied with a shrug. "I guess that's politics for ya."

"Why are you not bothered by any of this?" Amaroq asked, a little disturbed that Kajedo is treating this whole thing as normal.

"I grew up in Greed and live in Pride. I'm used to the occasional gang war and turf war," Loona admitted. "But as normalized as violence is there, even this is a bit much."

"Oh, this is just how it is in Wrath," Kajedo said with a shrug as they continued to walk, heading away from the violence. "It's part of its character!"

As they walked around some more, a pair of imps spotted the Hellhound girls. "Hey lookie here, them little doggies are out here in their costumes!" shouted one of them.

"They must've been here for some dog show pretendin' des people!" the other replied as the imps laughed at the three. "Awwooooo! Howl, little doggies!"

The three looked at the hillbilly imps mocking them, Loona scowling. "Hey, fuck off, you bunch of inbred shitheads!" she shouted, flipping them off.

"Awooooo! Yuk, yuk, yuk!" they continued to mock. "Ain't they look ridiculous?"

"Yeah, especially the short one!" one of them mocked as they laughed while Amaroq looked hurt by their comments. This made Loona even angrier.

"Why you no good-!" Loona was about to charge at them, but Kajedo stopped her.

"Hahahaha! Good one, guys! You two should be comedians someday," Kajedo told them before pulling Loona and Amaroq away. "Come on, let's go explore more."

"Kaje…" Loona said while the imps kept heckling them.

"Go on, little doggies!" one of them called out.

"Yeah, and return those clothes where yer get'em! Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk!" the other responded as they continued to laugh, much to Loona's anger.

Once they were away from the imps, Loona looked over to Amaroq, who seemed upset. "Amaroq, are you okay?" she asked her.

"I'm fine…" Amaroq said while just looking down.

"Hey, don't pay those guys any mind. They probably think dirt and rocks is part of a balanced breakfast," Loona assured her while patting Amaroq's shoulder.

"Yeah, Ami," Kajedo said, brushing off the whole thing with a smile. "Those guys are just joking, you don't have to take them seriously. They're just trying to be funny."

"Uh Kaj, those imps weren't being funny," Loona told her. "Those guys were being legit jerks to us."

"Relax, Loony, it's no big deal," Kajedo waved it off, still smiling. "Don't make a bigger deal out of this than it deserves. Just forget about it. Please."

"Kaj, I don't know how things are done around here, but I've encountered assholes like those guys before," Loona said. "I would love to see how they'd react to that large Hellhound from earlier."

"Wait, large Hellhound?" Kajedo asked in confusion, tilting her head.

"Oh, it's just a big guy we saw at the saloon," Amaroq replied.

"Yeah, about yay tall, scars all over, a timber-wolf breed, and he drank melted iron," Loona said. "Whoever he was, the imps down in that saloon were terrified of him." Loona then noticed that Kajedo's eyes were widened in shock and Kajedo's smile had finally vanished. "Um… are you alright, Kaj?"

"…You… you saw… him?!" Kajedo exclaimed in shock and horror.

"You're familiar with him…?" Loona asked in surprise.

"Familiar? Loona, Amaroq, that Hellhound you saw was no ordinary Hellhound… he's Chase," Kajedo explained to them. "He's got quite the reputation in Wrath. Hell, he has a reputation in all Seven Rings!"

Loona and Amaroq looked at each other. "What is he like?" Amaroq asked.

"Chase is this Hellhound that kills monsters for a living. He spends most of his time slaying monsters in the wastes of Wrath and the seas of Envy," Kajedo explained to them. "I have heard a lot of stories about his exploits."

"What kind of stories…?" Loona asked her.

"Well, I heard that his first kill made him the last baby that the doctor ever delivered," she explained. "I also heard that he once survived a hydrogen bomb explosion when he was ten years old and the only thing it did was give him a bad tan. I heard that his hearing is so sensitive, he can hear a butterfly's heartbeat from the other side of the Ring. They say that his howl can shatter mountains, that he can reach up to mach 2 speed, and hippos are part of his diet plan! And he heals his wounds by flexing his muscles! Apparently even the Ars Goetia had trouble containing that big galoot!"

"What…?" Loona asked in confusion while Amaroq looked up at Kajedo in awe.

"Though, I don't know which rumors are true and which are not," Kajedo admitted. "But if even half of what I've heard about Chase is true, then there's a good reason to be afraid of him. Everyone has to tread lightly around him out of fear of being the next victim of his brutality. He's like the ultimate life form of Hell…"

"Okay… Kaje, I don't know how to say this lightly, but it sounds like his exploits are over exaggerated," Loona scoffed. "I mean, the guy may seemingly be like Ivan Drago strong, but the way you've made him out to be sounds like he's stronger than an Overlord or a Goetian. You make him sound like he's literally omnipotent."

"But those are the stories about his exploits, Loona!" Kajedo argued. "Like, there's even parts about him walking into a volcano just to sunbath from the lava!"

"Okay, that just sounds BS," Loona told her. "Kaje, you can't honestly believe this stuff…"

"That's because you haven't heard half of the things he can do, Loona. Like he could turn a man into twenty hamburgers if he could! I even hear he can sense evil intent…"

"How?!" Loona argued as the two were back and forth about the topic.

Amaroq just watched the two older girls arguing before her ears picked up the sound of music playing. She heard the tunes of a banjo, which piqued her curiosity. She stepped away from the two teens, following the sound of the banjo playing.

"Look Kaj, I'm just saying-" Loona glanced at Amaroq, noticing her walking away from her. "Amaroq?" she asked before following the young pup. Kajedo followed as well.

Amaroq stopped in front of one building. On the porch in the shade was a red-furred jackal demon boy who had black eyes with red dots, two small horns coming out the top of his head, and a black red shirt with red edges around. He looked to be as old as Amaroq and was playing the banjo. And he was playing it really well, but he stopped when he noticed Amaroq watching him.

"Uh… hi," he said, waving awkwardly to her.

"Hi," Amaroq replied. "You play that instrument really well."

"Oh, thanks," he replied.

"What is that thing anyway?" Amaroq asked, pointing at the banjo.

"You don't know what this is?" he asked, surprised by her question. "It's called a banjo, really common for folks down here." He looked at her, tilting his head in curiosity. "Have you not heard of the banjo before?"

"I haven't," Amaroq confirmed.

"Oh, you're not native to Wrath then, are you?" he indicated.

"I'm from Pride, actually," Amaroq confirmed. "The name's Amaroq."

"Ah, you're from the top donut then," he replied as he stood up and walked over to Amaroq. "The name's Dame, nice to meet you, Amaroq."

Kajedo and Loona watched this, the former speaking up. "Aw, Amaroq made a friend. Let's go greet him-"

"Wait, don't butt in on this," Loona said, stopping her. "Amaroq's found someone her age to talk to. Best not to ruin this for her."

"So they really don't have banjos up in Pride?" Dame asked her.

"I mean, maybe," Amaroq replied. "So how long have you played it?"

"A while, I'm a natural at it," Dame said.

"I can tell, what were you playing?" she asked him.

"Froggy in a Courtin," he answered. "So what brings you down here to Wrath?"

"I'm on a vacation," Amaroq quickly answered before she pointed to Loona and Kajedo "Those two here are with me. That is Loona, my friend, and the one with the pink cotton-candy hair is her friend, Kajedo, who grew up here."

Dame looked over to Loona and Kajedo, who waved at him with a smile, before turning back to Amaroq. "You know, I've spent my entire life in Wrath," he admitted to Amaroq. "What do you think of the Ring so far?"

"Well, I'll admit I'm still quite not sure about what the people do around here besides working and shooting at each other," Amaroq replied.

"Actually, we-" Kajedo tried to interrupt but Loona pulled her aside.

"Don't interrupt," Loona scolded her.

"Well, there's a lot of ways to have fun around here," Dame said before he suddenly seemed to get an idea. He smiled. "Why don't I show ya?"

"You will?" Amaroq asked.

"Yeah, show you around and how to have my own brand of fun here," he offered.

"Hmm… okay!" Amaroq decided. "I would like that."

"Great!" Dame shouted, smiling. He seemed to be getting more excited, his tail wagging. "Cause we're going to have a lot of fun in this town…"

---

Back with Moxxie, the rest of his mother's side of the family had come over to see Moxxie after getting word from his grandparents.

"Ooh, it's so good to see you again, Moxxie!" shouted a tall, slender imp woman with long wavy black hair and a purple flower on the right side of her hair. She resembled Moxxie's mom but with white whisker marks, purple eye-lashes, magenta skin, and purple lips. She wore a pink flamenco dress with pink frills and purple swirls. She hugged Moxxie, who hugged her back. "Look at you, so big! Yet, still small!"

"Heh, nice to see you again, Aunt Magentina," Moxxie replied with a smile before feeling a light punch on the shoulder.

"After so many years, you haven't changed much, little hombre," said an imp man with light red skin. He had a black handlebar mustache and was wearing a blue poncho, a gray hat, a gray shirt and pants, and black boots. His horns were on the side pointed downwards.

"Oh, I think I grew a bit taller, Uncle Machete," Moxxie said. "But it is good to see you two, and is that little Rubella over there?"

"I'm not that little, cousin Moxxie," said a teenage imp girl named Rubella. She had her father's skin and horns and her mother's wavy hair, which had purple highlights. She also had braces, white freckles, a white shirt with Verosika's face, a black hoodie jacket, and black baggy pants. "In fact, I'm almost taller than you are, despite the fact you're older than me."

"Alright, enough with the jokes of my height," Moxxie said before three other imp kids appeared around him.

"Hiya-cousin-Moxxie!" the triplet of imp boys said up to him. Each had short horns and wore black mariachi suits with different colored waistbands, ties, and the trims of their sombreros: red, blue, and yellow.

"Oh, you three must be the triplets," Moxxie said. "Let's see… you're Jam." He pointed to the red suited one. "And you must be Jazz." He pointed to the blue suited one, "And you must be Jive," he said to the yellow suited one.

"That's right!" Jam the red confirmed.

"We're Jam, Jazz, and Jive!" Jazz the blue declared.

"And we love to play music," Jive the yellow added.

"And we also put up a fight!" the triplets shouted in unison with their fists raised up.

"These boys are good, even if they're still in that kind of 'same unit' phase," Magentina mentioned before hearing a baby's crying. "Oh, and I can't forget the youngest…"

She went over to Abuelito, who was holding a baby imp. Moxxie looked over at the baby with a smile. "She's a lovely little one, Aunty," he said.

"Thanks, Moxxie," Magentina replied while holding the baby imp. "Say hello to your cousin, little Rosalina," she said while holding the baby girl up to Moxxie. "Here, why don't you hold her?"

"Sure, Aunty," Moxxie said as he held little Rosalina. "How old is she?"

"About five months," Magentina replied as Abuela came back into the room.

"Food's ready, everyone!" she announced.

Soon, the family was gathered around the table to eat. Moxxie got a taste of his Abuela's cooking, immediately flooding him with memories of his previous visit.

"Mmm, this is good, Abuelita!" Moxxie responded excitedly. "The Wrathian fried rice with scurry chicken is just how I remembered!"

"Eat as much as you like, Moxxie," she replied with a smile. "You could use some more meat on your bones."

"Uh, yeah," Moxxie said, a little bit embarrassed by that comment. Thankfully, nobody else used this as an opportunity to comment on his scrawny figure. "So how has everyone been doing lately?" he asked his family around the table.

"Well, our little Rubella is an athlete for Satan High," Machete declared proudly. "They say that she's a runner up for a scholarship at Astaroth University."

"A.U.? Wow, Ruby, that's about all the way down in Sloth," Moxxie said.

"It's not that big of a deal," Rubella said, rolling her eyes as she ate. "I got offers from other colleges from different Rings too. Guess that's the perks in being a grudgeby player…"

"You should see her on the field, cousin Moxxie!" Jazz spoke up.

"Yeah, she loves to knock the teeth out of her opponents," Jive declared.

"And use them to get past obstacles!" Jam added.

"Looks like you're going to places, Ruby," Moxxie said, making his cousin smile.

"Heh, you got that right," Rubella replied.

"What about you three?" Moxxie asked, turning to the triplets. "Being musicians and all, what instruments do you play?"

"I blow the horn," Jazz replied.

"The bass," Jam said.

"And the drums," Jive added.

"Those three are the top of their music classes in school," Margentina said. "My little men will become the best and deadliest mariachi in all of Wrath."

"I'm sure they will," Moxxie said as he noticed their knuckles. "You've been in a few fights, haven't ya?"

"Yup, we beat up bullies," Jam said.

"And each other," Jive admitted.

"And the hellpigs we have to tie up at the rodeo club," Jazz mentioned.

"Have you guys thought about entering the junior Pain Games?" Moxxie asked.

"We wish, but mama won't allow us," Jazz pouted.

"Now boys, you three are too young to partake in those games," Margentina told them. "Those Pain Games are dangerous, when your father entered them he almost lost all of his teeth and had to drink from a straw for a month."

"It's true, I could've died that day," Machete told Moxxie, who looked alarmed.

"Aren't the junior Pain Games supposed to be less extreme than the main one?" he asked, looking over at Rubella, who shrugged.

"Never entered them myself," she admitted while eating.

"I don't want to take any chances," Margentina said with finality in her voice.

Moxxie then turned to his aunt and uncle. "So, how about you two? What have you been up to?"

"Well, I'm a street performer from time to time, mostly to advertise my dance classes," Margentina explained while feeding Rosalina. "And my Machete here is a jack of all trades for hire."

"Electricity, catering, organizing, cargo delivery," Machete listed off. "There is a huge demand around Wrath for skilled imps who can fill temporary positions and do odd jobs. And I occasionally help out here as well, sometimes bringing Rubella and the triplets with me."

"But what about you, Moxxie?" Abuelito asked. "What have you been up to lately?"

"Yeah, working up at Pride must have some perks," Abuela said.

"Pride? Oh Mox, you're working up at the big top now!" Margentina said, nudging him.

"It's not that big a deal, really," Moxxie responded humbly. "I did have trouble finding an apartment, since the housing situation up there isn't great. I ended up having to share an apartment with a Sinner, but he's actually a pretty good guy, even if some of his tastes in friends are a bit questionable."

"Have you met a lot of Sinners?" Machete asked.

"A few," Moxxie admitted. "Although I will admit that work is the reason I came down here to Wrath, since my new boss had to come down here for something."

"What kind of jobs do you do for him?" Rubella asked.

Moxxie hesitated, not sure if he should tell his family about Khan or not. "Well, we do jobs for this big company in Pride," Moxxie explained. "Mostly delivery stuff and other errands. The pay is good. I get called in whenever my boss needs me to assist him with anything."

"Is he a good boss?" Machete asked.

"Yeah, I would say he is," Moxxie said with a nod. "For example, he had no problem with me coming here to spend time with my family. He's cool like that."

"Sounds like you've been doing good, honest work," Magentina said with a smile. "I know your mother would be proud of you, Mox."

Moxxie smiled at this, though he did notice the relief on the faces of his aunt and uncle. Though they didn't say, Moxxie knew they were glad that he wasn't doing stuff for his father anymore…

---

Meanwhile, Blitz was on a pay phone, speaking to someone on the other end.

"Oh, it's good to hear you're doing okay, Blitzy," Stolas said over the phone. "Have the girls settled in okay?"

"They're doing alright, thanks for asking, Stolas," Blitz told him.

"Well, I'm relieved to hear that," Stolas responded. "I have been worried about all three of you. And I must warn you to be careful, Blitzy. I've seen enough of the Wrath Ring in previous years to know the kinds of ruffians that come from that Ring. Let me tell you, I certainly wouldn't let any of them work in my house." Blitz couldn't help but roll his eyes at Stolas's elitism, but he didn't comment on it as he let the owl Goetia continue. "I'd hate for those ruffians to do anything to you and the girls, Blitzy. Are you at least keeping a low profile?"

"Not to worry, Stolas, this isn't my first rodeo," Blitz told him.

"Blitzy… I knew that you were in the circus, but I didn't even think that you were ever a rodeo clown," Stolas said, taking it a bit too literally. But before the annoyed Blitz could correct him, Stolas continued. "Are you planning to take the girls to a rodeo?"

Blitz gave a frustrated sigh. "For the love of… look, I'll see you during the Harvest Moon Festival. We can discuss our next move there."

"Yes," Stolas agreed. "I do wish I could come down to Wrath earlier, but my social obligations prevent me from doing so. Although you know, you and the girls could have stayed with me…"

"Oh I'm sure your wife would have loved that," Blitz sarcastically pointed out.

Stolas sighed over the phone. "Yes, Stella would have been an issue," he admitted before getting an idea. "Ooh, perhaps I could send some of the Hellhounds on my security staff down there to help you and the girls…"

"Absolutely not," Blitz said, shutting down the idea. "That would just attract more unwanted attention, Stolas. Besides, I have the situation under control."

"Are you sure, Blitz?" Stolas asked with a worried tone. "I can help."

"Look, I do appreciate your offer, Stolas. I really do," Blitz told him. "But I can take care of myself and the girls before the Harvest Moon Festival just fine. Besides, I've been through worst shit with the kind of work I do."

"Well… if you're sure…" Stolas said, sounding reluctant. "Alright, I'll leave things up to you. But I do look forward to seeing you at the Festival."

Blitz managed to smile. "Me too, your highness."

After ending the call, Blitz put more change into the pay phone and tapped in another phone number. He looked a bit nervous, since he was about to call… Shere Khan.

"This is the Khan Industries business number, how can I help you?" asked a voice that Blitz did not recognize.

"Wait, who the fuck is this?" Blitz asked.

"Ansur, one of Mr. Khan's assistants," said the voice on the other end.

"Ansur?" Blitz questioned. "What, do you have a brother named Question or something? Where's Penzi? I was expecting her to answer."

"Ms. Skirtz is busy right now," Ansur told Blitz. "To whom am I speaking with?"

Blitz gave a frustrated sigh. This was not going how he wanted it to go. "Look, tell them Blitz is calling. They'll know when they hear it."

"Blitz… Blitz… I'm sorry, but we don't have a Blitz on our payroll," Ansur said.

"WHAT?!" Blitz exclaims.

"But we do have a Blitzo though," Ansur pointed out, which made Blitz pop a vein.

"Grrrr… THE 'O' IS SILENT, YOU BRAIN-ROTTING ASSHOLE!" Blitz shouted at the phone, his mouth foaming in rage as his eyes were bloodshot with anger. "NOW YOU'RE GONNA PUT ME THROUGH TO THE RIGHT PERSON, OR SO HELP ME-?!"

"There's no need to shout, Mr. Blitz…" said the voice of Shere Khan over the phone, making Blitz fall silent.

"S-Shere Khan," Blitz gulped. "H-Hey! Look, I wanted you to know that I might be unavailable for a while…"

"I'll give you a chance to explain yourself," Shere Khan told him.

Blitz took a deep breath. "Okay, so something came up and I had to be temporarily relocated to the Wrath Ring. It was very short notice. I had to bring my daughter and Moxxie with me, for all of our safety… I hope you understand-"

"Actually, Mr. Blitz, I quite do understand your situation," Shere Khan said, surprising Blitz.

"Really?" he asked.

"I am not without reason, Mr. Blitz," Khan reassured him. "In fact, this is a good opportunity. I do have some business in Wrath I've wanted to be taken care of. You already being there is perfect, since I'll just entrust that business to you."

Blitz looked relieved to hear this. "Don't worry, I can take care of whatever business you need, sir."

"Good, I'll have the information sent to you," Khan told him. "And Mr. Blitz…" His tone suddenly changed. "In the future, I prefer that you tell me in advance if you decide to move to another Ring," he warned him. "Understand?"

"D-don't worry, sir. I promise to keep you in the know from now on," Blitz swore.

"Good. Until we speak again, Mr. Blitz," Khan told him before he hung up.

Once the call was ended, Blitz hung the phone back up before giving a huge sigh of relief.

---

Meanwhile, Amaroq was having fun with her new friend, Dame, while Loona and Kajedo watched them. Currently, the two kids had markers and were going around town finding as many wanted posters as they could, drawing mustaches and other things on them.

"Hey, look at this guy," Amaroq said as she drew a ridiculous-looking mustache, swirls on the eyes, and stink lines over the imp cowboy on the poster.

Dame snickered. "Hehe, good one, Amaroq!" he said before getting inspiration. "Ooh, I got an idea…"

A few minutes later, Dame had some darts and was throwing them at a wall covered in wanted posters. He managed to hit the wanted poster with the highest bounty on it.

"Wow, good throw," Amaroq commented.

"Yeah, you want to try?" Dame asked her. "Try to go for the higher bounties."

"Sure," Amaroq said while Dame handed her some darts. The two then took turns throwing darts at the posters, trying to beat the other on who could get the highest score.

Watching this, Kajedo looked intrigued. "Honestly, that looks fun. I've never thought about doing that with the wanted posters."

"Yeah, I wasn't this creative when I was a kid," Loona admitted. "Back then, I'd just poke holes in big erasers out of boredom."

"Oh, you too?" Kajedo asked her.

After that, the two kids decided to pull some pranks. Specifically, Dame decided to help Amaroq get some revenge on the hecklers that mocked Amaroq, Loona, and Kajedo earlier. The racist hecklers were currently in a saloon, eating some food.

"Hyuk, hyuk, I've never drank this much before!" one of the heckler-imps declared to his buddy.

"Yeah," his buddy replied, neither of them noticing some peppers being dropped into their drinks by Amaroq and Dame, who were poking their heads over the railing of the second floor of the saloon, which was directly above the table. They watched in anticipation as the two imps grabbed their drinks, not seeing the peppers in them as they gulped them down with their eyes closed, swallowing the peppers…

Now, normal peppers are already very hot. But Hell peppers are even worse, as these imps are about to-

"GAAAAHH!"

"My mouth!" one of the hecklers cried out, fanning his mouth. "My mouth is on fire!"

The two then burst out of the saloon, looking for water. "WATER! WATER!" they cried out as Amaroq and Dame rushed out a window and onto a roof. They held up two buckets and poured them onto the heads of the imps. The two coughed, now covered in water.

"Gah! I'm wet!" one of the heckler-imps complained. They look up, only for the buckets to be dropped onto their heads. "Gah! Buddi, it's dark!"

"I can't see a thing, Hekler!" Buddi replied as they bumped into each other while wearing the buckets.

Amaroq and Dame shared a laugh as they watched the two struggle before Amaroq noticed a horse nearby. Getting an idea, she whispered into Dame's ear, giving him a plan as he held up a slingshot.

The two imps were struggling to get the buckets out of their heads, which was surprisingly hard to do so because of their horns getting stuck in them. "How do you get out of these things?!" Hekler shouted while they were near a demon horse. It was then the horse felt something hit its rear, causing its eyes to widen and its legs to kick the closest things to it. In this case, it was the two imps, who were launched into the air.

"GAAAAAHHHHHH!" they cried out.

Amaroq and Dame rejoined Loona and Kajedo as they looked at the two heckler imps, who had landed in a nearby truck. But not just any truck… a trunk full of dung.

"Nasty…" Loona said with a satisfied grin.

"Hehe, those two are quite the pair, aren't they?" Kajedo asked as Loona nodded in agreement, seeing Amaroq and Dame laugh at the predicament of the hecklers.

"Gah! There's dung everywhere!" Hekler cried out in disgust.

After getting payback, Dame took Amaroq to a field where some musicians were playing music and some of the locals were dancing around. Dame went over to them and started playing the banjo. "Mind if I join, fellas?" he asked them.

"Go ahead, kid," one of the musicians responded with a smile, encouraging Dame to play on the banjo with the rest of the country music band.

It was like a street jamboree. Besides Dame's banjo, the other imp musicians were playing their guitars, string instruments, jugs, and accordion. Kajedo decided to join the other locals dancing in the field, encouraging Loona and Amaroq to follow her. After a moment, they did so.

They all laughed, clapped, and danced along to the hoe-down. Loona laughed while hanging her arm around Kajedo while Amaroq did her own dance as well before dragging Dame away from the band to be her dance partner. Dame protested at first, but after some encouragement from the other musicians he went with Amaroq, joining the laughing and dancing as they all enjoyed the moment.

Afterward, the four walked around the outskirts of town, sharing a laugh.

"I haven't enjoyed a good hoe-down in a while," Kajedo said, smiling brightly. "What did you think, Loona?"

"Well, as my first hoe-down," Loona said with a smile. "That was pretty fun."

"Yeah, and Dame played well with that band," Amaroq pointed out. "Although he's not as good with his feet, apparently."

"Hey, you were the one who dragged me into dancing with you," Dame said with a shrug. "But you do got some good dancing skills, Amaroq."

"Honestly, I didn't even think my paws could move around like that," Amaroq admitted before noticing something in the distance, outside of town. "Say, what's that tent?"

They all turn, seeing a large tent being set up. Kajedo gasped when she saw it. "Oh my Satan, I think the circus must be in town!" she shouted with a giddy look.

"The circus?" Loona asked, seeing the tents being set up. "Huh, of course they'd be here around this time."

"What do you mean, Loona?" Amaroq asked her.

"Granny Magma said they get a lot of tourists from the other Rings around the time of the Harvest Moon Festival," Loona reminded her. "So the circus is probably here to take advantage of the crowds that will be here for the Festival."

"Ooh… you think we could go there when it's finished being set up?" Amaroq asked Loona.

"Oh… well, I don't know," Loona admitted, looking hesitant while rubbing the back of her neck. "I mean, dad would probably not allow us to go there."

"Why not?" Amaroq asked her.

Loona sighed. "It's complicated, but dad… doesn't have a good relationship with the circus. He grew up in one that was owned by his dad. And back when we were living in Greed, he had to work in the same tent as Robo-Fizz." She had an annoyed look as she remembered recently facing that robotic menace. "So yeah, he's not on good terms with circuses."

"I didn't know your dad grew up at the circus," Kajedo said, looking just as interested as Amaroq about the subject.

"Yeah, what else can you tell us?" Amaroq asked, her tail swinging in excitement.

"Oh, not much, since my dad doesn't talk about his childhood," Loona admitted. "Apparently, my grandfather was an asshole to him, and I know better than to pry. But, I do know that my aunt Barbie was in the circus with him and so was Fizzarolli."

"WHAT?!" Kajedo screamed in shock, startling Loona, Amaroq, and Dame. "Loona, are you saying that your dad knows THE Fizzarolli?!" she asked her.

"Yeah…" Loona confirmed.

"EEEEEEEEK!" Kajedo squeed, which got the others to cover their ears. "I love Fizzarolli! I'm surprised that you didn't tell me this earlier!"

"It's not something I want to go around advertising to people, since I do know how weird people already get about Fizz," Loona admitted, shivering slightly as she thought about what people did to the Fizz-Bots that Mammon sold… which she did not want to talk about.

"So have you ever met Fizz?" Kajedo asked her.

"I have, though I haven't seen him in a while," Loona said.

"So do you think you could arrange a meeting between us?" Kajedo asked with an excited smile, getting up and close to Loona's face.

"I… I'll think about it," Loona replied, trying to hide her blush while Kajedo was up close to her. "But I make no promises."

Kajedo jumped in joy and excitement before hugging Loona. "Thank you, Loony! I'll remember it!"

"I said I'll think about it…" Loona muttered while blushing from Kajedo's hug.

"First, I learned that you personally know Verosika Mayday," Kajedo pointed out after letting Loona go. "Now I learn that you personally know Fizzarolli. Loona, what other celebrities do you know that you have not told me about?"

"Just the two, and it isn't like I've met one of the Deadly Sins or something," she said while looking at Kajedo. "Although… I did meet the Princess of Hell."

"SHUT UP!" Kajedo shouted, getting Loona to wince. "You met Lucifer's daughter?! When?!"

"Not too long ago, at the Triton Resort," Loona said, looking a bit uncomfortable. "She mistook me for someone she knew and she hugged me."

Kajedo looked like she was about to faint.

While the two teenagers talked, Amaroq and Dame were talking amongst themselves.

"Thanks for letting me hang out with you, Dame," Amaroq told him. "I can't remember the last time I had this much fun."

"Don't mention it, Amaroq," Dame replied with a smile. "You have been really fun to hang out with as well. Though, I do have a question to ask you…"

"Sure, anything," she replied.

"So… what exactly is Loona to you?" he asked her. "I mean, it's obvious that you're not related to her, since you said she was your friend, but she is much older than you and she seems to be looking out for ya."

"Oh, well, she and her dad have been taking care of me," Amaroq admitted. "I actually don't know them very well, but they seem nice."

"How did you meet them?" he asked her, causing Amaroq's ears to drop.

"I… don't want to talk about it," she replied before changing the subject. "How about you? What can you tell me about yourself, Dame? You said you lived here, right?"

Dame hesitated. "Oh, well… yeah, I guess I've lived here in Wrath all my life, but I'm not actually from this area in particular," he admitted. "Truth is, I've been kept inside most of my life, but today I took the chance to leave my home and see more of the world."

"But aren't your folks worried about you?" Amaroq asked in concern.

"I doubt they've even noticed that I'm gone," he said with a shrug before realizing how that sounded. He quickly corrected himself. "D-don't get the wrong idea! My parents do love me! Really, they do! They're just busy most of the time and I plan on going back before they notice my absence," he explained. "I just wanted an adventure."

Amaroq was about to say something, but then she paused and sniffed the air. "Crap."

"Excuse me?" Dame asked.

"I smell-" Amaroq said before a lasso was thrown over her, pulling her back.

"What the-?!" Dame shouted as he turned around.

"Crap!" Amaroq cried out as she was grabbed by the smelly imp from before, who glared at her.

"Amaroq!" Loona and Kajedo shouted, noticing the two imps.

"You dogs!" Hekler shouted, pointing at them. "You all must be responsible for our misfortune!"

"Time to make fur coats out of you!" Buddi responded while holding his guns up at Loona and Kajedo, stopping them from coming up to the rescue of Amaroq. "Don't move a muscle!"

Loona and Kajedo raised their paws up, looking worried for the kids. Hekler held up Amaroq, who struggled.

"Let her go!" Dame shouted as he went up to bite Hekler, who cried out in pain.

"YEOWCH! Get off of me, you red furred freak!" he shouted while kicking Dame away…

---

"Damian! Where are you?!"

Elsewhere in town, two figures were looking for someone. Of the two of them, one looked the most worried and was calling out. "Damian! Please come out!" shouted a thin blue demon with red trims near his orange eyes. He wore black and red shirt similar to Damian's, but it had a skull on it. He looked frantic. "Oh, why would he come to this backwater town?!"

"Relax, Pixie Styx," said a Southern-Belle accented woman who was very easy on the eyes. She had long, pink hair with white stripes and tan skin that looked a bit shinier than regular skin. She had pink eyes with red dots and pink lips. She also wore a long pink dress with white edges, one split up to her mid-thigh, pink boots, and pink arm gloves. "He's close. We'll find him before he gets into some kind of trouble."

"Easy for you to say, woman," he said to her. "And stop calling me Pixie Styx, it's Major Styx to you!"

"Right…" she said, rolling her eyes.

"At least I'm taking this seriously," Styx said while looking around.

"So am I," the woman shot back.

"You know that if we don't find him before his father notices that he's missing, we will be the ones punished even if nothing bad happened to him!" Styx pointed out before grumbling. "Or at the very least, I will get punished. Since you're Damian's favorite, you will get off easy. Even though it's your fault that he snuck out while you should have been watching him!"

"Hey, I was changing my batteries, okay?!" she retorted. "You know that I need to be charged! You should've watched him while I was energizing!"

"I was busy with important matters!" Styx argued.

"How is pencil pushing more important than the boss's son?!" she yelled at him.

While they argued, two imps passed by and noticed the woman arguing with Styx. "Wow, ain't she a beaut?" one imp asked.

"I'll say, better looking than my wife," another replied.

"Ugh, you really need to move on from your wife jokes," his friend told him.

"Jokes?" he asked in confusion.

Suddenly, the woman stopped arguing with Styx, her eyes glowing. "I know where Damian is."

"You do?" Styx asked her.

"Yeah… and he's in trouble," she replied as her eyes changed to red.

---

Dame fell to the ground while Hekler held up a gun, aiming it at him.

"Let me show you dogs what happens when you mess with the wrong people of this Ring!" he declared while laughing. "Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk!"

"You don't get to hurt Damian!"

Hearing a robotic voice, Hekler stopped as he suddenly felt a sharp pain. He ended up letting go of Amaroq, who fell down as Hekler… split in half, both halves falling to the ground.

"What the-?!" Amaroq shouted as she looked up. Behind the now dead imp was a tall, pink, robotic figure. It was the woman with Styx, but she now looked more metallic, her arms turning into blades and saws, her legs stretched out and her eyes having turned red.

"Hekler!" Buddi cried out. While he was distracted, Loona used her magic, grabbing hold of his guns and pulling them out of his hands. "Hey! Get me back my guns!" he shouted, turning back to Loona before the robot woman's claws slashed across him. "Gah!" he cried as he too was sliced into pieces…

"Threat neutralized," she declared before turning to the Hellhounds. "Now as for the rest…"

"Wait, wait, we're not a threat!" Loona waved at her.

"Tentra, stop!" Dame shouted, appearing in Loona and Kajedo's defense. "They're not the ones that hurt me!"

"Damian?" the woman, named Tentra, asked as she changed back to her previous form. "Oh thank goodness you're okay!" she shouted as she grabbed him in a hug, lifting him off the ground as she checked up on him. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked dotingly.

"I'm fine, Tentra! You're embarrassing me in front of my new friend," he told her, not liking it when Tentra babied him. He then saw Styx rushing over to them. "Hey Styx, perfect timing."

"Young master Damian," Styx said while catching his breath. "Oh we've finally managed to catch up to you! Do you know how worried sick we were?!"

"Aw, so you do care, Styx," Dame responded.

"Do you know that you're not supposed to be around these parts of the Ring?!" Styx scolded him. "This is no place for a dark prince like you, young master."

While this was going on, the Hellhounds were still in shock about what just happened. Loona helped untie the ropes around Amaroq before speaking up.

"Um, hey," she said, getting their attention as they all turned to her. "Um, hope you don't mind me interrupting, but… what the fuck is going on?!"

Damian saw Loona, Amaroq, and Kajedo's shocked and confused looks. He chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, right. I do owe you guys an explanation."

"Yeah, like who's the robot lady and the blue fuzzball?" Amaroq asked as she pointed to Tentra and Styx.

"Blue fuzzball?!" Styx asked, looking offended.

"Well, these are Tentradora and Styx," Damian introduced them. "They're my caretakers."

Kajedo checked out Tentradora, resisting the urge to howl. "Damn, your caretaker is hot!"

"And… you're a robot?" Loona pointed out, focusing more on the fact that Tentradora was a robot. "A very… unique robot…"

"Oh yes, well I was built in the Lust Ring by Asmodeus himself," Tentradora explained. "But that was before I was reprogrammed to be Damian's nanny."

"Yeah, that checks out," Loona said while seeing Kajedo drool over Tentradora.

Amaroq then spoke up. "Say, the fuzzball called you a 'dark prince'… what did he mean by that?"

"Prince…?!" Loona asked as she gave a thousand-yard stare.

"Oh, that…" Damian looked reluctant to tell them. He turned to his caretakers and sighed before turning back to the Hellhounds. "Well, the thing is… my father is… Satan."

There was a moment of silence as the three Hellhounds let that sink in.

"Whoa…" Amaroq said in shock.

"I just thought you were some kid…" Loona admitted.

"You mean to tell me… we've been hanging out with one of Lord Satan's kids?!" Kajedo asked before giving him a bow. "Your majesty…"

"There's really no reason to do that…" Damian told her, looking embarrassed.

"Come on, young master," Styx said, patting Damian's shoulder. "We have to go back to the palace before we're missed."

"Can I say goodbye first?" Dame asked him, giving Styx puppy-like eyes.

As Styx looked down at Dame, he couldn't help but relent. "I'll allow it," he said with a sigh as Damian went over to Amaroq.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," he said to her, looking down. "Sorry that I wasn't completely honest with you, Amaroq."

"That's okay, I still had a lot of fun with you," she replied with a smile. "Actually, I would like to hang out with you again sometime."

Damian immediately brightened up when he heard that, his tail wagging. "Do you mean that?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod, smiling at him.

Damian smiled back and turned to his caretakers. "Tentra, Styx, do you think me and Amaroq can hang out again sometime?"

"Well… um…" Styx didn't know what to say about this, but Tentra spoke up.

"We'll see about that, dear," she said with a smile.

Damian smiled back at her before turning to the Hellhounds. "Bye Amaroq, I hope to see you again."

"You too, Dame," Amaroq replied as the two high-fived.

"And goodbye to you two," Damian told Loona and Kajedo.

"Yeah, take care, kid," Loona said, waving at him.

"We had a wonderful time with ya, dark prince!" Kajedo declared.

Damian was still smiling as he joined Styx and Tentradora, turning to give the Hellhounds a final wave. "See ya later, guys," he said before all three vanished in a cloud of pink smoke.

This left Loona, Amaroq, and Kajedo alone. They were silent for a while, still processing what just happened. Loona looked around at the dead imps and decided to give a suggestion.

"Let's get out of here and find my dad," she said.

"Good idea/Yeah, let's go," Amaroq and Kajedo agreed as the three Hellhounds left together.

---

Later, in another part of Wrath, a large shadow was cast over the walls of a volcano… while being followed by a much smaller shadow. The larger shadow belonged not just to any demon, but to one of the Deadly Sins: Satan himself.

Satan wore a black cloak that covered most of his body and he was hunched over. Only his red furred head stuck out, showing that he was a goat-like demon with large, red horns from the side, and two smaller horns on top. There was another set of horns under the larger ones on his head. He also had black sclera eyes with red irises with black dots. When Satan huffed, hot embers came from his nostrils.

He was just making his way through his palace (which was a volcano, of course) when he heard the sound of a banjo. He looked down and saw that the one playing it was his son… Damian, who appeared in front of him.

"Hiya, daddy!" Damian shouted, playing the banjo while looking up at his father.

Satan sighed. "Son, how many times have I told you to get rid of that useless thing? Why don't you play a much more sinister instrument, like the violin? It would be more suiting."

"Eh, the fiddle is more uncle Lucifer's thing, dad," Damian told him.

"Son, I mean it," Satan told him sternly, his eyes glowing red.

But his mischievous son just stuck his tongue out and played another string on the banjo. He then giggled, which caused Satan to grab the banjo from him. "Hey! Dad, no, give it back!" he cried, only for his dad to throw the banjo away into a nearby pool of lava. Damian watched helplessly as his banjo was destroyed and he started to cry black tears. "Dad… why did you do that?"

"Because you will never learn to be a fearsome demon playing that silly thing!" Satan scolded him.

Damian just gave a sad whimper as he scurried away from his father and headed straight to his room, shutting the door.

Seeing his son's reaction, Satan suddenly looked a bit regretful. He thought he was just trying to make a point to his son, he didn't want to upset him. He took a deep breath, pulling a violin out from his cloak and looking at it. He walked over to the door to his son's room and knocked on it. "Damian? Son?"

In his room, Damian had his face buried in his pillow. He angrily turned to his door when he heard his father's voice.

"WHAT?!" Damian shouted as he came out from his room.

"Why don't you give the violin a chance?" Satan suggested, handing the violin to his son. Damian took it and then looked up at his father, who had a very sincere expression. "I just want you to gain a more evil demeanor-"

SMASH!

Hearing the smashing sound, Satan's eyes widened when he saw the violin broken on the floor. Damian had his arms crossed as he pouted at his father.

The two just looked at each other with scowls for a moment… before they broke into huge smiles. They started to laugh, Satan proudly picking his son up in his arms and hugging him while Damian hugged his father back, rubbing his head against his father's.

In a weird way, those two really did love each other.

---

It was night now.

Moxxie was outside of his grandparents' house, leaning against the fence. He was looking up at the sky as joining him was his Abuela.

"Wonderful night, isn't it?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Moxxie agreed. "The nights here are so much better than the ones in Greed and Pride. Despite this Ring's rough and dangerous reputation, there is beauty out here that you can't find in the other Rings. Just… no light pollution or air pollution around here."

"Better than the city?" she asked him and Moxxie nodded. "Yeah, your mother always liked the night skies up here as well. She said that it was always one of the things she missed most about Wrath."

"Yeah, I know," Moxxie replied. He sighed.

"I miss her too," Abuela said, sharing Moxxie's sadness. "But there is something I want to give you while you're here." She held up a case, handing it to Moxxie.

His eyes widened when he saw the case, realizing what it was. When he took it from his grandmother and opened it, he gasped upon recognizing the purple base-like guitar that had horns sticking out, the sound hole having six teeth around it. Up on top was a heart-shaped head. The base of it resembled a demon's head.

"This… this is mom's…" he said, his hands shaking.

"Yes, I know that she'd have wanted you to have this," Abuela told him, patting his shoulder.

"I… I don't know," Moxxie said, hesitating. "I'm not sure if I deserve to have it…"

"Are you afraid, Moxxie?" she asked him.

"Well…" Moxxie said as he looked down while his grandmother looked concerned for him.

"Are you afraid that you're too much like your father?" she asked him in concern. He winced at this, falling silent. "Moxxie, look at me," she said, tapping his chin up to look at her. "In my eyes, all I see is Scarlet's boy, not Crimson's. You are farther from your father than you think you are."

"I'm… I was worried that my family down here… wouldn't want to see me," Moxxie admitted, making her scoff.

"As if I wouldn't like seeing my grandson visit from time to time," she said as she tapped on his shoulder. "You're always welcome here. That never changed."

"But Abuela, mom died because of my father," he pointed out.

"But she got to be truly happy because of you," she told him.

Hearing that, Moxxie fell silent for a moment. He looked down at the guitar, tapping on it. "I remember my mother playing it to me when I was a kid."

"Well, I remember that well," she told him with a gentle smile. "I'll leave you alone with it," she said, patting him on the shoulder again before she started to go back inside.

Moxxie was left with the guitar, now alone. After a few minutes of uncertainty, he picked it up and held it in position. He strummed the guitar a few times, which brought back a certain memory…

---

"Wow, mommy, you sure know how to play the guitar well," Lil' Moxxie commented while watching his mother play her guitar.

"Thank you, though music is something that is passed down in our family," Scarlet told him with a soft smile. She was a fairly tall imp woman with six white spots resembling freckles on her cheeks, digitigrade legs, a thinner frame, dark flowing hair with two black horns erupting vertically and three thin white stripes. She wore a blue minidress with a navy-blue breast piece with thin red stripes, a frilly white blouse underneath, and tied together at the waist was a large red bow. She had a red flower in her hair, white elbow gloves, and white heels with red soles and bows. "Which means that one day, you will be playing just as well as me."

"Can you play that song again?" he asked her.

Scarlet nodded at her son. "Of course, my little Moxxie," she told him as she strummed the guitar again…

---

Moxxie strummed the guitar, playing a tune. He started to sing the song his mother sang to him, all those years ago. "Let's go in the garden, you'll find something waiting…"

---

"Right there where you left it… lying upside down…"

At the Snakeskin Saloon, Granny Magma finished pushing the last of the drunks out of her saloon. She smacked her own hands, then turned around to see Ember, who held up a broom. The two gave each other smiles as they started to clean up.

---

"When you finally find it, you'll see how it's faded…"

Camping outside of town was the Hellhound known as Chase. He was cooking up his latest kill: a bandit and his horse.

---

"The underside is lighter when you turn it around."

In his room, Damian was making a drawing of himself with his newest friend: Amaroq. He smiled when he finished the drawing.

---

"Everything stays right where you left it, everything stays…"

At the circus that Loona, Kajedo, and Amaroq had seen earlier, the tent had finished being set up. The Ringmaster looked up at it, tucking his hair into his top hat while wearing his red coat.

---

"Everything stays… but it still changes…"

At Carrie's farm, Loona, Blitz, Amaroq, Kajedo, and Carrie had gathered around the campfire. They all were roasting marshmallows, Loona helping to teach Amaroq how to toast them. Once the marshmallows were nice and toasted, the two girls shoved the marshmallows into their mouths at the same time, devouring them.

Blitz watched this and he smiled, being reminded of himself and Loona when he saw Loona and Amaroq, since she was teaching her just like how he did all those years ago.

---

"Ever so slightly, daily and nightly," Moxxie sang while playing the guitar, letting out tears in his eyes. "In little ways, when everything… stays."

As he finished, he put the guitar down. He looked up at the night sky, thinking about his mother.

---

Meanwhile…

In an unknown part of Wrath that looked like an old cave or abandoned mine, a group of robed imps had gathered. They were chanting over a tied up imp as they each held up knives.

"No… please, no!" the imp cried out before the hooded imps drew their knives and started stabbing at the imp's body.

Blood spilled onto the slab the imp had been on and the blood poured down towards a statue. "The ritual is complete!" the leader of the cultists declared. "We offer this sacrifice, and all before it, to the true lord of this Ring! All hail… the original Satan…"

He gestured to the statue, which depicted a humanoid demon with a muscular physique, black skin, two curved horns, sharp fangs, sharp claws, yellow eyes, and enormous bat-like wings.

"Chernabog!"

The other cultists began to chant. "Chernabog! Chernabog! Our one true Satan, Chernabog!"

Things weren't always simple, especially in the Wrath Ring…

Trivia

• This chapter marks the beginning of the Wrath Arc.
• This is the first chapter to be released after Book 2's conclusion.