Dimentio recognized that face. Rudiger was a glutton demon, and he was actually the one who told Dimentio he was one as well. He hadn't seen him since the skirmish at Darethend's castle, but he still disliked Rudiger.
He thought Rudiger was very annoying.
"What do you want? I'm in the middle of something."
"So, I took your advice. I went to stand up to the Sin of Gluttony, okay? And things went well for a while..."
Dimentio zoned him out as he thought. Rudiger had mentioned that the Sin of Gluttony demon was causing issues because of his gluttonous diet, and Dimentio told him to deal with the problem. He hadn't been trying to help, he had been trying to make Rudiger leave him alone.
"So that's how I found out that Demon Eaters are also glutton demons. But they don't need to eat food to regain energy, they take it from other demons by eating them! I had to get out of there, and that's when I came to find you." His tail happily swished side-to-side. "Can you help? Please?"
"I already said I had something planned."
"That's not the answer I was hoping for...Plus it can't be that important, there's nothing fun to do here."
"Why are you standing in the entrance, watching people enter and leave, like a stalker?"
"I was waiting for you! Come on, you'll enjoy your realm! Trust me on this."
"I will trust nobody until you leave me alone. I didn't think you were actually going to survive."
"What?" He followed Dimentio as the jester forced his way past him. "What do you mean by that?"
"I said that to get rid of you. You're annoying, and you reek. Do you even shower? Even I do that, and I don't like taking off my gloves and mask!"
"Oh, I just had a fish platter before you arrived. That must be the fish you smell. Doesn't it smell good?"
"N-no!" Dimentio fought back a gag. "Go rinse that smell out, you're making me ill!"
"Well, at least I enjoy seafood, unlike you. You can't be a glutton demon if you're a picky eater."
"I ate an Earworm Parasite, you have no say in the matter. Also, I've always hated the smell of fish, and the fact King Olly is allergic to it makes it better because I don't smell it all the time."
"Don't you want to see the Gluttony Ring?"
"Ring? Like a circus? I have a bad experience with a circus..."
"That's what the realms run by Sins are called, 'rings.'" He sighed. "Dimentio, I need your help, desperately. This will be over really quickly, then you can get back to whatever you were doing. Okay? I don't want to get eaten."
Dimentio scoffed, then saw the true emotion in his eyes. He was scared, and worried. "Alright, fine. I'll come with you. Just let me send him a message first-"
"No time! Come on, we're already probably too late!"
He grabbed Dimentio by the wrist and took off into the air. Dimentio hadn't flown in a while since Magica blocked his magic, and the feeling felt great. It would have felt better if Rudiger wasn't cutting off the circulation in his wrist.
He was also dangling sixty feet in the air, and not actually flying himself.
Dimentio pulled his legs into his chest. "Don't drop me! I can't fly right now, so if I die..."
"Relax, I won't drop you."
Rudiger landed and released Dimentio's wrist. Rudiger had brought him up to disappointment, as the town was completely destroyed and deserted. Rudiger gasped lightly.
"I-it looked better than this when I left...I had a feeling we were too late...But I hoped I was wrong..."
"Well, you tried. Ciao." Dimentio turned on his heel and tried to leave.
Rudiger grabbed Dimentio's ankle with his tail. He pulled him up by the foot, dragging him on the ground and lifting Dimentio to make eye contact with him.
"There might still be a chance. Let's look around first, before you decide to give up."
He dropped Dimentio on the ground. "Ow...That was very unneeded, Rudiger."
Rudiger ran off, and Dimentio sighed heavily. Dimentio trudged along behind him, stopping when he heard a sound.
It was a small voice, and it was faint. "This way!"
Just to get away from Rudiger, he followed it. It kept leading him somewhere, becoming further and further away just as he thought he caught up to it. He stopped at a large stone arch, a strange feeling just beyond it. He slowly stepped towards it, reaching a hand out.
"I wonder...Why does it call t-" He pulled his hand away. "Ah-I didn't get far in life by falling for strange tricks! Tch, I'd like to see you try and do that again." He turned and left.
He found Rudiger, who stood in front of a palace. It was a dark purple, the roofs brick red, and ripped banners hanging from the windows.
"Everyone already left. It's just us. I'm going in."
Dimentio grabbed his shoulder. "You're pathetic. You won't be worth his time. I haven't been in the Gluttony Ring before, so I'll prove as a fresh, new challenge for him. Why don't you just...find something to eat; and let the adults do the talking?"
Rudiger glared at him as he walked to the doors. He strained to open the door, but he pushed it open and entered. He flicked his wrist, hearing a pop.
"I think I'm pushing myself too far. After this, I'm done with adventuring. Doing all of this physical work at thirty six is probably too much. Or maybe I could work out more? That would help, right? I am pretty thin..."
"Hello and welcome to the castle!"
He whipped around to find a demon standing over him. He bowed, staring straight at Dimentio. His skin was a pale orange, his hair white.
"What brings you here?"
"I'm here on behalf of a friend. I'm looking for the demon Sin of Gluttony..."
"That's me! Astaroth! It's so nice to meet you! What brings a human like you to the Gluttony Ring? Usually, they don't come to the Rings of Sin!"
"I'm a glutton demon as well..."
His stared into Dimentio's eyes. His eyes were white, with thin black pupils in the shape of a clover. "Oh! I see it now! You have the look in your eyes! Did you bring me anything?" He flew in a circle around Dimentio. "And speaking of which, what's with the getup? You do realize this isn't a kingdom, right? I don't take jesters. I'm more of a clown fan. They make fun of themselves, so I won't have to do it! Isn't it great?"
"He acts like me, but more idiotic and immature" Dimentio shook his head. "Leave me alone. I'm here to battle you."
"Fight me? Why? Because you little demons are on a little fetch-quest for me? You do realize what my power is, right? Because it takes a lot of energy to use!"
"You do realize that I don't care, right?"
Astaroth stared at him. "Why are you here to stop me, hm? Is it because you don't like my little game?"
"No, because I heard you were causing problems for Rudiger and the rest of the glutton demons. And I suppose that should bother me, since I'm part, but I could worry less about this situation. I'm only here because Rudiger wouldn't stop pestering me until I accepted the quest." He pulled a spear off the wall. "So let's battle! Ready for a show?"
"Alright then. I'll give you a show. A show you'll remember for the rest of your life! Which won't be long considering that I'm about to kill you. Ha."
He waved his hand and the area changed. It looked like a fighting ring. Dimentio kicked over a small statue that crumbled when it hit the ground.
"An Illusionist. So this must be what his 'castle' actually looks like."
"Well? Where's your fighting spirit?" His voice echoed all around, the echo's combining into one voice right behind Dimentio.
"What the-"
He became visible suddenly, behind Dimentio, and kicked him in the center of his back. Dimentio hit the wall, the wall cracking. He rubbed his face, wiping the blood from his mask.
"Ahahaha! You're nothing!"
Dimentio listened to the echo until it focused to one point. He thrust the spear that direction, but he'd stopped it between his fingers. He grabbed the spear from him and stabbed the stick into Dimentio's face. He hit his face a few more times, then tripped Dimentio for the fun of it. He tossed the spear at the wall, the point sticking to the stone. He kicked Dimentio into another wall.
He scoffed. "Rudiger got you to fight me? The coward couldn't do it himself? But you're probably a lot weaker than he is, so this isn't even a challenge."
He grabbed Dimentio by the head and slammed him into the wall repeatedly until Dimentio's head started to bleed. He grabbed his collar.
"Too bad for you. Now, stay still." He brought his free hand back.
Out of reflex, Dimentio bit his hand, digging his fangs into the demon's skin. He screamed, dropping Dimentio. The fall made his demon form reveal itself, and his tail flopped limply to the ground.
"Why did you do that? That isn't how this was supposed to play out!"
"If you're so strong," Dimentio gasped, "then why hide at first? Fight me properly. Like two-Now's not the time for that...!" He shook it off.
He wrapped his hand with a gauze that Dimentio assumed he had on him from the start. Dimentio watched him use his fangs to rip it. He then watched as the blood on the gauze started turning black from the normal red.
He didn't like Dimentio watching him, and kicked the jester in the face. He grabbed him by the throat, holding him high in the air.
"Look at what you made me do. You made me lose my façade. You made me lose my focus. You bit me, for crying out loud. I was going to spare you, but now I think I'll just eat you here and now. Then I'll teach Rudiger a lesson next."
Dimentio wasn't paying attention, he was watching the blood going leaking through his tightly-wrapped gauze. Dimentio was still trying to pry his hand off him, of course, but his focus was making it hard to breathe.
Astaroth looked a bit concerned. "Wh-what are you staring at? Why are you looking at me like that?" He looked at his hand, letting go of Dimentio. "How the-?" He started wrapping it again. "This isn't right, what's going on with you? Stop staring at me like that! You're defenseless!"
Dimentio found he was drooling, and wiped it off, along with the blood from Astaroth's hand when he bit him. "I'm not staring at you like anything?" He dug his claws into the floor, preparing to pounce. "But I do know how this fight is going to end, Astaroth."
Rudiger was drawing in the ground with a stick when he heard a scream. He shot to his feet.
"That came from the castle. Hang on, Dimentio! I'll save you!"
He flew there, since it was faster. Dimentio was leaving just as he landed in front of the door.
"Dimentio? What's with all the blood on your clothes?"
"The...what?" He looked at his poncho. "Wait, what happened? I remember being slammed into a wall and then I bit him...I think I was knocked out then?" He wiped some blood from his face. "Ew, where did all this come from? Now I need new clothes."
"Did you...Actually, I'm just going to assume you killed him. I heard a scream and thought you were in trouble so I came to help and then you were fine. But yeah, you need new clothes."
Dimentio took off his poncho and wrung it out. "This is so very disturbing. Tell no one of this, understand?"
He nodded quickly.
"Now, if you don't mind, could you tell me where to get new clothes? I need to be presentable for my father."
"Oh, there's this great clothing store in the greed ring! We can go there next! But you might want to cover that with something until we can get some less...gross...clothes. I'm thinking a cape!"
"No."
"Aww, you're no fun!"
A demon poked their head out from a building. "Did you just kill the Sin of Gluttony?"
"I...think I did?" Dimentio said honestly. "I did just black out back there..."
Another exited the same building. "Oh no...You're going to be the most wanted demon around. Killing them can put a huge bounty on your head!"
Dimentio chuckled. "You think I care? I've had plenty of wanted posters hanging up before. I'm certain a few dimensions still want my head. A little bounty never scared me."
"You don't understand," the first said. "We have the worst bounty hunters in existence. One can even travel to different worlds!"
"Come off it, it's not a big deal! I'm just going to spend the day with my father, then I'm never coming back. Some bounty hunters coming for me won't be allowed through The Gate. After all, my best friend is in charge of it!"
"Your best friend?" Rudiger said softly, and Dimentio couldn't hear him.
"Anyhow, where are you two from? I need to head back to the main city soon, or I'll be late."
"We're from the wrath ring. We came down here because well..." The horned demon tapped his finger together. "Things are going down pretty bad there too. We wanted a break from the Sin of Wrath's recent...development. He's getting mad at everyone. He's like the Queen of Hearts now. Do one thing out-of-place, and it's off with your head."
Dimentio crossed his arms. "That's just not my problem. Ciao! I'm off to the greed ring to get some new clothes!"
"You need to pass through the sloth ring to get there," Rudiger said. "So why don't we check up on how they're doing?"
Dimentio muttered something under his breath then responded, "Fine! I'll go! Stupid little..." He started muttering again, but Rudiger decided not to ask him to repeat what he said.
"Great! Off we go! The sloth ring awaits!"