"…Our time is limited. We need to act fast."

With the Dukes reunited, they joined together for their daily lunch in the farthest corner of the mess hall, away from the prying eyes and ears of their fellow prisoners. Althalos sat at the foot of the table, hands crossed beneath his chin as he stared at his subordinates, who were all awkwardly picking at their gray, goopy meals.

"No dice. The food here's laced with an inhibiting drug," Frank said. "Even if we waited it out from our systems, that would leave us hungry and low on energy. They can easily apprehend us if we try to escape."

Marsaili crossed her arms and scoffed. "We wouldn't need to break out of prison if you three didn't get yourselves caught."

Frank glared. "Do you have any idea what we went through?"

"Do you have any idea what I went through?"

Terrick stared in disgust at his tray. "Who is the chef of this place? This meal clearly doesn't have any nutritional value. And…oh Arceus, it's disgusting."

Amos smirked. "That's probably because it was made by a Garbodor."

"AAAAHHH!" Terrick pushed his tray away and nervously clapped his hooves together. "I hate being in prison! E-Everything! Everyone! So filthy! I don't care how, but we need to break out of—" Frank shoved a spoon into his mouth and silenced him.

"Not if you let the guards hear us, we won't," he grumbled.

Althalos sighed. "Look, I know tensions are high right now, but we need to steel ourselves and work together if we want any chance of surviving. Who knows how long we have until Last Autumn decides to eliminate us?"

Ainsley groaned. "Why must they make everything so complicated? It's not like we have a reason to tattle about their secret operations."

"They have enough incentive to find us liable for treachery. They didn't get this taking risks. Eliminating us is just another means to the end."

Marsaili glared. "Well, you'll be happy to know some of us—" she said pointedly in Amos' direction "—have concocted a means of escape that should give us ample opportunity to flee the prison. A simple, but effective plan if I do say so myself."

Althalos sighed. "At this point, I'll take anything. What do you have?"

Ainsley grinned. "Marsaili and I have been digging a tunnel under our cell floor. We've been using our cots to cover it. It's been slow, but we aren't exactly expert diggers."

Marsaili crossed her arms and leaned back. "Problem is, it's taking too long. Any debris we scoop out has to be carried to the courtyard and dumped. At the rate we're going, it'll take us a good ten to twenty years before a sufficient tunnel is made. If one of us had access to Dig, it would go by a little faster, but the inhibitor drug would still slow us down."

Althalos closed his eye and nodded. "I see."

"Waste of time," Amos muttered.

Marsaili reached over and punched him in the shoulder. "You don't get to talk when you've been nothing more than a sourpuss since we got here."

"Your best plan of escape on a deadline is to dig a tunnel. Forgive me if I'm not howling to the moon at your unappreciated genius."

She growled. "Must you be so confrontational over everything?"

"You people give me no reason to have hope in anything when we're currently sitting over trays of slop that may or may not be the congealed sweat of a Garbodor."

Terrick's cheeks puffed up and turned green. "W-Wait…what—" He ducked his head under the table and vomited.

"We're going to die in prison because none of you couldn't be bothered to be competent!" Amos yelled.

Marsaili grabbed him by the collar and growled. "Oho! You have some nerve calling us out when you got your ass kicked by that stupid rabbit."

"You're the reason I'm in jail in the first place!"

"Because putting a bullet through my head is preferable to dealing with your literal toxic personality!"

Amos raised his corked stinger. "You want to see how toxic I can be?"

"Show me what you got, asshole—"

"ENOUGH!" Althalos slammed his hands down on the table, silencing them both. "We were all careless. We underestimated the potential of the Foresters, and now we're paying for it. All we can do now is make our peace with the situation and work toward seeing another sunrise before execution day comes for all of us."

Amos and Marsaili shot a glare at each other, but relented and sat back in their seats.

Althalos sighed. "We're all stressed at the moment. Let's not take it out on each other. Unfortunately, an escape tunnel seems to be the best chance we have in our current condition. We'll need our strength should it come to a fight."

Ainsley snickered. "I have no worries. I've dealt in death for too long to succumb to its icy grasp. If an executioner does come for our heads, I look forward to cleaving those shoulders of their burdens."

Rogier cracked his knuckles. "I agree. We'll snap their necks."

Terrick pulled himself from under the table, looking very pale. He dabbed the vomit dripping off his muzzle with a napkin and said, "If I…may offer a suggestion regarding the drugged food…"

Althalos nodded. "Speak."

"The guards here run on tight shifts, and we're in the middle of nowhere. They obviously have untainted food stored away somewhere. If one of us can muster the strength to steal from their supply, we'd be able to get our strength back up and hasten the escape."

Althalos glared. "But how would we steal the food without anyone noticing?"

Frank raised his hand. "I could start a fight in the courtyard during our free time. I don't need my moves to show off my raw strength."

Marsaili glared. "I could forgo eating long enough to shrink myself and rob the food locker. Someone can tag along and help me transport the food."

Althalos crossed his arms. "That could work, but the guards might notice we're not eating the tainted food. We would need to dispose of it."

Ainsley smirked. "Or someone else can eat it for us." She glanced at Rogier. "You've got a big stomach, tough guy. I'm sure you can shovel away a few extra meals. It's not like we'll need everyone at full strength to break out."

Rogier punched his fists together. "On my honor as a knight, I shall see this task done!"

Amos deadpanned. "You still have honor?"

Althalos sighed. "Then there's the matter of the tunnel. I could use my Abyss Clouds to crush up the rock. If I'm at full strength, it'll take no more than a couple days."

Terrick frowned. "But we don't know how much time we have left."

"Then we make every second count." He nodded at the others. "First order of business, acquire the untainted food. After that, we work on making that escape tunnel." He glared at Amos. "And that does mean everyone."

"…" The Gligar looked away.

"We're all in this together, Amos. Either way, we're at risk of dying. This way just offers us the best chance to escape."

"…" Amos sighed and glared at his leader. "We have to leave at night."

Marsaili smirked. "Aww, don't want those sensitive eyes getting burned to a crisp?"

He shook off her taunt and explained, "I've been here a while and had words with the warden. He didn't say it exactly, but he let it slip that the mines are unguarded during the night since it takes so long to break through the ground. If anyone tried robbing the mines, it'd take too long. That's why they use prisoners to mine them. We're expendable. We can dig the tunnel to the mines and use the cover of night to escape. I'll even map out the area on how best to direct the passage."

Althalos nodded. "Glad to have you onboard, Amos."

"You better hope this works."

"It will. It has to." Althalos reached out over the table. "Dukes of Buzzard, let's work together and bust our way out to freedom."

One-by-one, the Dukes set their appendages atop the ghost's hand, with Terrick going last and placing a napkin over the group huddle. They nodded to each other, firmly and confidently. They were going to prove to Last Autumn that they were to not be underestimated.

It was time for a prison break.

"First order of business, we need to distract the guards. Frank, that's your department."

Frank sat by the weight sets, casually lifting a dumbbell in his hand while scanning the recreation grounds. He spotted guards posted by all the major entrances, each vigilantly scanning for unscrupulous activity. He looked ahead and observed the various prisoners for a suitable target.

A smirk stretched over his face upon spotting a Drapion arm-wrestling with a Crabominable. He set his barbell down and approached the pair.

"Mind if I get the next match?" Frank asked.

Drapion smirked. "Sure. Hold on a second. HA!" He pushed down on the snow crab's arm and pinned it to the table. "Woo! Another win!"

Crabominable groaned and scuttled out of his seat. "I'll get you next time, you hear me!"

"Sure, sure." He laughed and propped his arm up again as Frank took his seat. "I'll try and go easy on you, new guy. I wouldn't want to break anything."

Frank's smile curled. "Oh, of course." He pressed his elbow on the table and linked his hand with the ogre scorpion's claws. "Ready when you are."

"Hmm. On the count of three. One, two, three—"

Frank stood up immediately and, before Drapion could react, pulled on his arm. The ogre scorpion was lifted out of his chair and tossed across the prison grounds, sliding off his face before slamming into the stone walls. Prisoners and guards jolted in surprise, turning their attention to the battle-hardened Throh.

Frank cracked his neck and raised his fists into the air. "Riot!"

The single word was enough to incite the unlawful prisoners to pick up whatever or whoever was in arm's reach and go absolutely crazy. Guards whistled and charged into the fray to suppress the rampaging criminals. Frank leapt into the pileup, laughing like a madman as he grabbed prisoners by their rags and battered them across anyone in his way.

"Ainsley and Marsaili, while he's distracting the guards, you two will rob the food lockers. Steal as much as you can."

After being alerted of the riot, guards fled their posts and ran to the prison yard. Ainsley and Marsaili peeked out from around a corner before shuffling down the hall. They stopped before the prison guards' recreational room, securely locked and inaccessible to all but those with the key.

Ainsley smirked. "Do your thing."

Marsaili nodded and shrunk herself down. Ainsley picked her up and held her near the locks, to which she jumped inside. As she rattled around with the internal mechanisms, Ainsley sat down and crossed her forelegs as she kept watch.

Once she heard a hardy click from within the door, she snickered and made her way inside the room. Marsaili hopped out of the lock and rode atop Ainsley's horn. They approached the individual storage lockers, each sealed shut behind a padlock.

"Ugh, that's going to take forever," Marsaili groaned.

"Get to picking, short stuff," Ainsley teased, tossing her at the lockers.

Marsaili grabbed onto a padlock, rolled her eyes, and dove in to work her magic again.

"Amos and Terrick, you'll plot out a map for the tunnel. Determine how we should navigate it and how far we need to dig."

The Gligar and Sawsbuck minded their business as they struck at the walls of the mine, but kept glancing over their shoulder whenever the warden passed by. They immediately looked away as soon as the warden looked in their direction. He gave them suspicious glares before moving onto the rest of the prisoners.

Amos checked over his shoulder one last time before nodding at his partner. Terrick stopped kicking at the walls and backed away to the other side of the mine. He closed his eyes and began tapping along the wall with his hoof, feeling out the subtle vibrations with each strike.

My training under Spring-Loaded Harriet has granted me increased sensitivity to vibrations. Feeling out for a potential weak point…

He struck over a few dozen times before finding a softer patch of earth behind the wall. After checking the spot a couple more times, he turned and rapidly kicked the wall until he left a sizable marker with his hoofprints.

He signaled to Amos, who nodded and lightly sprinkled sand out from his pincers. Gently stirring it through the air, he let it ride along the wind and map out the mine. He closed his eyes, sensing out the approximate location of the determined spot and their current orientation within the underground mine with the prison.

Once he determined their position, he subtly pulled out a piece of folded paper, opening it to reveal a rough sketch of the prison. He slobbered some Venoshock onto the tip of his pincer and traced an X over the approximate spot. Further details would be added for a more accurate drawing.

Still, it was a start.

"As for me, I'll be putting all my energy into making the tunnel."

Rogier groaned in the back of his cell, clutching at his stomach. It was a trying task, but he managed to eat everyone's share of meals at the cost of his own waning health. He lay helplessly across the floor, reaching up toward the ceiling with a quiver.

"I think…this is the end for me," he mumbled.

Ignoring the Poliwrath's dying words, Althalos had gotten a head start on his assignment. Using his Abyss Clouds, he began to dig and crush up the floor, making a tunnel wide enough for everyone to get through yet small enough to be kept concealed by the patrolling guards. With the dead of night being the only time privacy was granted, he had to work fast.

He pushed through the hunger pains taking hold over the course of a few hours. His technique weakened, but he kept his mind set on the task at hand. He would only stop briefly to check Amos' map, which had been updated to make exact measurements in the distance and the angle of escape.

Althalos sighed and continued on ahead. I won't let my crew suffer in these iron restraints. If by some miracle, we may actually escape Last Autumn's wrath.

A few days passed. Marsaili and Ainsley hoarded up as much of the prison guards' food as they could without drawing attention to the stolen goods. They passed them around to the team, feeling the effects of the untainted meals almost immediately. It gave Althalos the strength he needed to continue on with the tunnel.

Still, their minds hung on the looming dread of what was to come. No word on Last Autumn coming for them. Not a single assassin or the like entering the prison and dealing the deadly blow while their backs were turned. They held on to hope that they were simply forgotten, as implausible that sounded.

Amos, out of all of the Dukes, remained the most pessimistic about the plan even with his contributions. He couldn't sleep. Days turned to weeks, and all he could do in that time was wait. Every night, he thought the same things over and over.

We're going to die.

This won't work.

This is pointless.

He wondered what kept his teammates' spirits alive for as long as they did. Everyone else had strong hopes in the plan, though perhaps that was because of their hopes in Althalos. He was the one confidently trusting in the plan's success, thus giving hope for the Dukes to cling onto. Amos had no reason to hope. Why should he? He was a wretched soul with no future of his own. Just a mercenary who found a suitable job to keep himself occupied. He never wanted to be a part of some big group, but now he was forced to sit back and rely on someone else to save him.

Why were they holding so strongly onto hope? It seemed like a pointless task. A waste of energy. The plan was going to fail, he knew it. He was going to die in this prison.

…And yet, he kept these thoughts to himself as he listened to the Dusknoir's grueling labor through the night. Perhaps the overwhelming feeling of pessimism was overshadowing his own insignificant, but still tangibly present hope flickering in the dark depths of his soul. Perhaps, despite never being willing to admit it, he wanted to believe in the success of the mission.

Did he have the right to hope in the escape's success? Did he have the right to live once they fled their iron shackles and escaped into the wide expanse of the Outlands?

He hated to admit it, but thinking about the plan succeeding put his racing heart and mind at ease just a little more. He allowed himself to recline back into his cot and close his eyes, soon drifting off into slumber. His pessimism remained strong, but…

Maybe, for once, he could hope for good things to come.

14th Hollow Moon, 907 – Night

The time had come.

After over a month of careful maneuvering and toiling through the dirt, the Dukes would finally see freedom on the other side of the prison walls.

They went about their usual activities as normal, keeping their heads low and feeding their tainted grub to Rogier, who wasn't doing too hot after stomaching it for weeks. In the event they had to get into a fight, they wouldn't have access to their strongest brawler. Still, if all went well, that wouldn't be an issue for long.

They anxiously waited until curfew went into effect. They were locked back in their cells and performed the usual roll call with the guards until the lights were snuffed out. They waited out the patrolling guards for an hour or two. They had studied the routes the night guards took and how long their floor would remain unwatched.

Once the last guard passed by the cells, it was time to spring into action.

Marsaili got to work undoing the locks to the cells and their shackles. Amos was relieved to finally have feeling back in his pincers once the box shackles fell off. Once all the cells were unlocked, they shuffled into Althalos' cell, where he moved his cot aside and revealed the escape tunnel.

"Stay close behind me," he whispered before descending into the hole. One by one, everyone followed him down.

They kept their hands to the wall as darkness submerged their vision. Frank had to help Rogier walk do to the overdose of inhibitor drugs still swimming through his system, and it took a great deal of willpower for the Poliwrath to suppress his pained groans.

"I've left the wall at the end of the tunnel intact," Althalos explained. "It shouldn't need much force to break open once we get through."

Amos, the only Duke aside from Althalos who could see in the dark, asked, "What do we do after we escape?"

"For now, the Outlands are our best hope of surviving. We'll have to lay low in one of the dingier towns until we make for proper civilization."

Ainsley smirked. "After that, we're going to hunt down Last Autumn and get some payback, right?"

"No."

"Aww."

Althalos glared. "I'm serious. I don't want to get anywhere near Last Autumn knowing what they're capable of. We wouldn't be strong enough to make a difference. For the time being, we may have to settle for getting actual jobs and taking shelter somewhere they wouldn't suspect us."

Terrick winced. "Problem is, Last Autumn has influences just about everywhere. If even one of Terrowin's spies hears about us, we'll be hunted. Worst of all, if that freak of a bloodhound of his finds out—"

"We're not going to encounter him. I don't plan on it, at least." Though, even Althalos seemed unsure of their chances of staving off him.

"Still, there aren't too many kingdoms we can hide out in," Terrick reminded. "The east is off the table, and I rather not take my chances living in Subterra. That place is bound to be filthy!"

Marsaili rolled her eyes. "And, you know, filled to the brim with surface-hating goons."

"…That, too."

Althalos glared. "Staying in the west is our best bet for now. We'll worry about the details when they come up."

Amos sighed. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Frank squinted. "Hey, I see some light up ahead."

Althalos nodded. "The cracks from the mine."

They approached the end of the escape tunnel, finding their path blocked with a cracked wall spilling in the moonlight of the outside. The Dusknoir raised his fist to the wall and delivered a firm punch, taking down the brittle structure in one swing and spilling in the nighttime light.

Amos winced from the soft glow. "Ugh…"

The Dukes spilled out into the mine, finally allowing themselves a moment to stretch. The first part of the escape was done and over with. All they needed to do now was flee the mine and brave the journey into the vast enough of the Outlands.

"Oh, sweet heavenly bliss," Marsaili awed, spinning on her foot and laughing. "Freedom never felt so good."

Frank glared. "Keep your eyes on the task at hand, lady. We still need to get through the desert first."

She waved him off. "Don't be such a buzzkill, Franky."

Ainsley snickered and skipped on ahead. "Enough with the sappy shit! We've got some trekking to do!"

Amos stared out over the mine with a strange sense of…relief. They actually managed to reach the unguarded mine. There would be no one to catch them in their escape. Freedom really was within their reach. He could hardly believe the feelings of…joy he was experiencing.

Althalos sensed his silent joy and chuckled. "I told you I'd keep us safe."

"…" Amos scoffed and pressed on ahead. "I'm in my thirties. Don't treat me like a child."

"Hmph. My apologies." Althalos raised his hand and gestured to the mine's exit. "Dukes of Buzzard, let's move—"

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

The mercenaries froze as an applause sounded out behind them. Slow, methodical clapping that carried with it a sarcastic atmosphere mixed with sudden expanse of dread crawling up their backs. Try as they might to continue walking, the simple action left them paralyzed with no other choice but to turn and face down the shadows stalking them from behind.

Stepping out into the low moonlight was one of the last faces they hoped they'd never encounter. The mad doctor of Last Autumn, Dr. Cain Underhill. Dressed as sharply as ever, the Hypno slowly clapped with an amused grin on his face. Tagging behind him were a Milotic and a Skuntank, all standing loyally by the doctor's side.

The Milotic dressed in a simple scarf and long-ways blue vest. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail. She looked upon the group with disinterest.

The Skuntank dressed in a muted brown cloak with the hood covering most of his face. He dressed all in black with saddlebags strapped over him. They made clinking noises whenever he moved. He chewed on some leaves while eying up the Dukes with a grin.

Althalos grimaced. "Dr. Underhill…"

Cain ceased his clapping and tucked his hands inside his pockets, chuckling aloud. "Bravo, Dukes of Buzzard. A mighty fine escape attempt, if I do say so myself. I'm quite impressed with your inventiveness. It takes a great deal of patience to pull an escape like this off."

Frank set Rogier down and stepped forward. "How'd you know we were here?"

Cain chuckled. "Oh, I've been here for a while. Longer than you realized."

"What?!" they gasped.

Amos ducked behind Althalos for protection and kept a close eye on the Hypno. He wasn't sure why, but something seemed…off when he focused too closely on the doctor. Almost like there was a slight haze surrounding him.

How long had he been in the prison? And how come none of them noticed?

"I merely want to observe how far you'd get before the guards intervened." Cain sighed. "Alas, that's what you get from prison guards working in the middle of nowhere. They can only do so much, I imagine. Then again, I suppose no one was bold enough to make an escape like this until now."

Althalos pushed back his team and glowered at the doctor. "Just let us go, doctor. We promise we won't say anything about Last Autumn. We just want to—"

"You know very well that's not an option. Besides, you know too much, Althalos," the doctor stated. "We can't risk you giving away the location of our base." He pulled out his pendulum and spun it around his finger. "You were hired as an expendable resource. All you had to do was your job, and things would've gone smoothly for everyone. Instead, because of your incompetence, we now have a new potential problem to deal with."

"…The Foresters," the leader guessed.

"Right on the mark. The Fairy Knight is too much of a risk factor to get involved. Seeing as your men fell one by one to the Foresters, who knows how many secrets were leaked?"

Marsaili growled. "It's not like we had a choice!"

"Death or silence. Those were your only choices." Cain glared. "Spare me the excuses."

Rogier picked himself up and waved his fist. "Y-You came here to t-talk? Let's rumble, string…oh Arceus…" He collapsed onto his hands and knees, trembling as his face turned green. "Oh, my stomach…"

Cain sighed and shook his head. "It's a simple matter to resolve. I can even make this as painless as possible. I'm a doctor. I have some sympathy for the dead."

Ainsley growled. "We didn't spent weeks digging a hole out of this place just for some creep to call for our heads. You want us dead so badly? You're gonna have to earn it!"

Terrick gulped. "Uh, perhaps we can resolve this in less violent manners?"

Cain smirked. "In your conditions? You're practically throwing yourselves onto the guillotine." He snapped his fingers. "Arethusa. Plouton. Kill them." The Milotic and Skuntank stepped forward.

Althalos grimaced as he deployed his Abyss Clouds. "We can't have them on our tail."

Ainsley laughed. "Finally! Violence!" Digging her claws down, she sprung into action, throwing herself toward the danger as the winds stirred around her. "I'm going to cut you to ribbons!" She gathered the wind through her horn and launched a myriad of slicing projectiles at the trio.

Cain smirked and transferred psychic energy through his pendulum, turning the ring a bright teal. "Dreamer's Slash." The string extended with psychic energy, and he swung the pendulum like a whip. With adept flicks of his fingers, the enhanced weapon flailed through the air and sliced up the Absol's wind projectiles, scattering the psychic particles across the air.

Ainsley's eyes widened. "Eh?!"

Arethusa lunged amidst the confusion, channeling water through her lower half. "Aqua Tail." She whipped her body around and smashed the vortex of water across Ainsley's stomach.

"GAH!" she gasped before being thrown across the mine and skidding off the jagged walls.

Frank gripped into the ground. "Superpower!" He flexed his muscles and dislodged a chunk of the floor. He reared it over his head and threw it a the Milotic. "Take that!"

Plouton leapt into between her and flying boulder. "Death Fog." He opened the tip of his tail and expelled a torrent of purple gas into the air. It passed over the boulder and caused its surface to fizzle, rapidly decaying into sludge. He and Arethusa casually tilted their heads and avoided the remaining rubble flying past them.

Frank's eyes widened. "He melted all that rock almost instantly?!"

"Stay away from the skunk!" Althalos ordered.

"Dreamer's Slash—" Cain fluidly spun his pendulum in such a manner that it looked like he was spinning five of them at once. "Imaginary Five." He swiped across the ground, delivering five parallel slashes of psychic energy surging toward the group.

"Abyss Clouds!" Althalos slammed his hands down and conjured a wall of darkness. It absorbed the attack, but the recoil destroyed the wall and threw him back in the blast. "GAH!"

Amos jumped out of the way as the Dusknoir collapsed next to him. "B-Boss—" He froze as he felt a shadow looming over him. He turned his head up and found himself staring up at the devious Milotic, who licked her lips at the cowering Gligar.

"Oh yes, that's a beautiful shade of fear you're wearing~. Let me see more of your despair~."

His eyes widened. "What the—"

"Oi! Buzz off from the punching bag, lady!" Marsaili threw herself through the air, shrinking herself to the size of a bullet and kicked off Amos' forehead.

Arethusa raised her tail and blocked Marsaili's attack, though it pushed her back some. She winced as a single spot on her tail stung from the impact. Marsaili ricocheted off the Milotic, bouncing off the floor and walls around, and came flying back with a strike to the forehead.

"You've never dealt with someone like me before!" Marsaili taunted.

Arethusa, however, smirked. "How fun~." She coiled her body and surrounded herself in water. "Water Serpent's Den." She shot after the tiny Wigglytuff, channeling a column of water around herself.

Marsaili touched the ceiling and bounced off, but the rising water reached her faster than she anticipated. The moment her foot got caught in the current, she was dragged back and thrown around. "Not agaaaaaaain!"

The Milotic hovered within her vortex of water, laughing as she watched Marsaili fly around and around inside. "Pure Water Blast." She channeled a ball of misty white light, infusing it with the surrounding water, and fired as soon as the Wigglytuff came into her line of sight.

She blasted Marsaili out of the water and into the far side of the mine with a watery explosion. She flopped down onto the ground, reverting back to her normal size completely drenched. "Ugh…"

On the other side of the mine, Frank charged down Plouton with his muscles expanding to their limit while Terrick kicked off into the air, skipping along the walls at high speed. The Skuntank merely watched them with a dead-eyed expression.

"Too bad we're underground!" Frank taunted. "I could've made you into a nice splatter across the earth!" He clenched his fist and swung his arm into the unmoving skunk. "Now die!"

He hammered his fist into the skunk's underside, picking him up by the force of his swing. The Throh grinned at his successful attack, but soon faltered as he immediately realized something amiss. Though his attack surely connected, it felt off. He had delivered many brutal blows in his line of work and knew the feeling of a body crumpling under the weight of his strength.

But this one? He felt like dough bending against his fist. He was certain he struck the ribcage, but he didn't feel any bone underneath his soft, pliable form.

"What the?!" Frank pulled back and grappled the skunk. He threw himself back and smashed Plouton into the ground with a powerful suplex that made the mine quake around him. "DIE!"

But alas, the Skuntank continued to absorb the damage as his body crumpled and bend with the hits, seemingly unbothered.

Frank growled. What's with this guy's body? Is he like that shapeshifter?

"You done?" His eyes widened as the skunk raised his tail and pointed it at him. "Good."

Frank released the skunk and leapt out of the way. What's he—

"Phosphorus Cannon."

The tip of tail opened up, releasing a condensed beam of heat that ruptured through the air. It fired past Frank who barely avoided it, but he felt the searing heat it admitted that caused his skin and rags to burn. It blasted across the walls of the mine, leaving a scorched trail of melted stone dripping over the floor.

"What…kind of attack—"

"Noxious Fog."

Frank turned back in time as Plouton released a burst of purple gas at him. The pressure it was expelled at punched the Throh across the mine, knocking him onto his hands and knees. He seethed in pain as his skin itched and smoked. It felt like every inch of body was on fire. He tried to stand, but collapsed under the pain.

Plouton turned his tail toward the downed Throh. "All that strength and you fall to my illustrious science? This was the designated outcome. Now, Phosphorus—"

"Feint Attack!"

Appearing out of the skunk's blind spot, Terrick hammered his hindlegs into Plouton's side and sent him flying across the mine. He chased him down, building up speed as he skipped along, and blitzed after the flying skunk. His horns enlarged as he activated Megahorn, ramming headlong and burying the skunk into the wall.

"Frank, run!" Terrick yelled before retreated.

Plouton pulled himself out of the wall, appearing unbothered by the attack. His eyes lazily followed the bursts of air hitting off the walls. "He's one of Harriet's students…"

Terrick hopped along the walls and went after Arethusa. "Horn Leech!" He charged through her water veil and attempted to take her down, too.

The Milotic twisted her body and avoided the Sawsbuck's attack. She then coiled herself around Terrick and caught him out of his flight. "No, no, no. No more of that!" She propelled her body with water, using the momentum to launch Terrick into the ground.

"GAH!" he yelled as he crashed and skidded off the ground. He rolled himself around and got back onto his hooves. "Ugh, I'm covered in so much dirt." He shook his head and growled. "I won't let you get away with that aga—"

"Dreamer's Slash."

Terrick staggered and screamed out in pain as a sharp blade cut across his back. With spraying out from the attack, he collapsed forward, only to be caught by the head. His legs went limp, being held up only by the grip strength of the malevolent doctor looming over him.

Cain smirked. "You and Marsaili are Harriet's students, eh? Even novices taught by her are a handful. I'll be taking you out first."

Althalos gasped. "Terrick!"

Ainsley, Frank, and Marsaili pulled themselves together and charged down the doctor. Cain gave them a passing glance before whipping his pendulum and sending out a myriad of psychic slashes that split open the earth. It not only threw them back, but sent them crashing into Althalos and Amos, knocking them all to the ground.

Arethusa and Plouton joined Cain's side, the former chuckling aloud. "Why can't they just stay still? Oh well, at least we get to savor their fear a little longer."

Terrick shuddered in Cain's grip, too weak to pull himself away. "W-What are you going to do to me?"

"…" Cain's grin grew. "Make an example out of you."

"H-Huh?!"

Althalos pulled himself up and shouted, "Enough! Kill me instead! Leave the rest of my crew alone!"

Cain lifted Terrick higher off the ground and laughed. "Now, why would I do that? Kill you? I'm a doctor. I don't kill." His grin grew into a crazed smirk. "I operate."

Terrick's eyes widened as an ominous blue and black aura flared out from the Hypno's grip. "W-Wha—"

"Mind Crush."

The dark mines soon lit up in a blinding flash of psychic energy emanating from the doctor. Terrick's body seized up, and he let loose a bloodcurdling scream as the energy infiltrated his body. He flailed his legs, desperately trying to kick the doctor off as the world deteriorated around him.

"TERRICK!" his team cried out.

Amos watched from behind the group, his legs shaking as he backed away from them. His heart raced uncontrollably, pleading for him to take his chance and run while he still could. With any luck, the others would serve as a decent distraction, buying him enough time to escape or hide. It was a long shot, but staying behind guaranteed death if he wasn't careful.

And yet, as he watched Terrick writhing in the mad doctor's hold, he felt a sense of…rage building inside his chest. He never truly cared for the Dukes of Buzzard, only staying with them as long as he did for the sake of a job. He never made any meaningful connections with them. He didn't care what became of them back then.

But after toiling for weeks to escape the prison, just to see all their hard work disintegrating before their eyes…

It made him angry. Angrier than he ever felt in his life.

As the seconds ticked by, Terrick's screams died down, nothing more than helpless moans. His eyes glazed up like he was falling into some kind of trance, or something much worse. His desperate struggles turned into weak squirms. The will to live was being drained out from the helpless Sawsbuck, and everyone was too paralyzed to act.

Amos had enough.

He picked up a pebble and pinched it between his pincer, channeling a torrent of sand around it. He steadied his arm and took aim at the unaware doctor.

Cain's maniacal smirk grew as more and more of Terrick's will faded from his eyes. "Fall into endlessness, you useless pawn—"

BANG!

Amos built up all the pressure he could and fired the pebble straight into Cain's leg. The doctor recoiled from the hit and dropped Terrick's unmoving body. Cain almost seemed unfazed by the attack as he went on to inspect the bleeding wound.

A sigh of relief could be felt around the Dukes, but their troubles were far from over. They stared at Terrick and his blank expression. His eyes were stuck in a lifeless gaze. Though they could see he was still breathing, it was obvious whatever the doctor did to him was interrupted partway through.

"Well—" Their attention shot back to the doctor as he patted down his bleeding leg. "I tried to give you lot a peaceful death…" He pulled out his pendulum and channeled psychic energy through it. "But it seems I need to take more gruesome measures."

Not wasting a second of the distraction, Althalos conjured up his Abyss Clouds and yelled, "Run, now!" He unleashed a furious storm of darkness onto the trio, hoping to end it all in one shot.

Arethusa jumped ahead of her group. "Aqua Tail!" She swung her vortex-covered tail and smashed it across the dark clouds. She broke them apart and sent the particles scattering harmlessly over the air.

"Death Fog." Once Arethusa cleared away, Plouton unleashed a jet of purple gas from the tip of his tail, barreling straight toward Amos.

"Look out!" Althalos lunged and shoved the Gligar out of the way, sparing him of the deadly gas. However, it came at a cost as it completely engulfed his left hand.

The flesh sizzled near instantly from the brief contact with the gas, and Althalos pulled himself away as the vapors lingered off the affected appendage. He screamed out in agony as the gas burned over the flesh, tearing it apart bit by bit. Globs of his skin slid off from his fingers, dripping onto the floor and burning the ground. He tried to conjure Abyss Clouds to blow the vapors off his hand, but his concentration waned from the unbearable pain.

Amos watched his boss writhe around in agony, shuddering as he watched the flesh drip off from his hand. He could see the bones of his fingers as more of the outer layers peeled away. The gas would not cease until everything it touched was disposed of.

N-No…

Ainsley cackled and charged ahead, springing off the walls to give herself the aerial advantage. "I'm going to enjoy butchering you idiots!"

Plouton turned and fired his Death Fog into her. The Absol conjured up a barrier of winds around herself, causing the gas to flow around her instead. She laughed as she blew the gas away from her.

"That won't get through! My wind barrier is impenetrable!"

"Frost Whip Tail!" Ainsley's eyes widened as Arethusa suddenly sprung up from behind her after the gas cleared away. She summoned up her Aqua Tail, channeling cold winds around it, and slammed it down onto the Absol's wind barrier.

Ainsley shook off the brief scare and grinned. "What did I tell you? That won't—"

However, much to her horror, ice crystals appeared with her wind barrier the longer the power clash between the attacks went on. The accumulation of ice building up within the wind currents drastically slowed down its rotation, dulling its impenetrable quality.

Arethusa smirked at her helpless expression. "A quick splash of cold to slow down those currents. It's nothing but a thin sheet of ice."With the wind barrier effectively neutralized, she struck full force into Ainsley, smashing apart her slush-covered barrier and throwing her across the mine.

Ainsley smacked into the top of the escape tunnel and crashed onto the floor. Dazed, she pressed her feet down and tried to stand back up. "Th-That won't…stop…" she wheezed.

"Kill her."

Her eyes widened at the sound of Cain's order. Looking up, she found herself staring directly at Plouton. Without hesitation, he fired upon her with his Death Fog, engulfing her in an instant. She tried to run out of the gas before it took effect, but it was over the second it touched her body.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The Dukes froze in fear at the sound of the diabolical Absol's screams. Althalos pulled his attention off from his melting hand and gazed upon the horror show taking place off to the side.

Ainsley stumbled out from the gas, screaming and clawing at her face as her flesh began to peel back. "ALTHALOS! ROGIER! SOMEONE! HEEEEELP!" she cried with tears running down her eyes.

"Ainsley!" Marsaili screamed.

The Absol staggered onto her right foreleg, which collapsed apart under her weight as the flesh bubbled and oozed out like puss pouring out from an infected wound. Her horn sagged with the flesh peeling back to reveal the bone underneath. She clawed at her irritated face, ripping apart more of her deteriorating flesh out of fear.

She tried to scream out to them again, but the gas reached the inside of her mouth, burning at her vocal cords. She let out a silent scream, reaching out to her team, as her tongue flowed out through her bottom set of teeth like sludge. Her eyes deformed and dripped down her face like bloodied tears, spilling over the puddle of flesh pooling under her body.

More and more of her skin peeled away until her internal organs joined their fate. The team, unable to turn their eyes way, could only gawk as her heart, lungs, and the rest of her innards spilled out over the ground like sludge. Her malformed skull sagged forward as the muscles began to melt. Her brain oozed out from her hollowed eyes, spilling like water from a water pump.

Soon, unable to support its own way, the skeletal corpse collapsed to pieces over the liquified flesh as the acidic gas faded off from the remains.

The Dukes trembled in place, unable to muster screams or tears for the gruesome display of execution. Never in the history of their criminal careers have they ever witnessed a more excruciating method of death, imagining the endless plain the Absol was put through up until her final moments of consciousness.

Cain, however, didn't bat an eye at the remains and turned his attention to the stunned group. "Now, how shall we finish this?"

Althalos looked down at his own melting hand as the last of the flesh peeled away. His bones had fallen off from his wrist, leaving behind his severed wrist as spectral blood poured out. He glared at his injury, conjuring Abyss Clouds to seal it.

"Ainsley…" He turned toward Cain and growled. "You'll pay for this!"

Cain scoffed. "Wrong answer." He readied her pendulum. "Guess it's the cruel and ruthless route instead—"

"RAAAAH!"

Suddenly, much to everyone's shock, Rogier burst onto his feet and charged down the Hypno with a full-body tackle. Cain staggered back and coughed up blood from the heavy blow while Rogier locked his arms around him.

"Grab Terrick! RUN!" he roared.

"How are you even moving?!" Marsaili gasped.

"Less talking, MORE RUNNING!"

Amos saw Arethusa and Plouton getting ready to counterattack and picked a handful of pebbles. He leapt and fired them off like bullets, forcing the duo back. "Hurry, now!"

Althalos fired out his dark clouds and wrapped them around Terrick's unresponsive body. Once he scooped the Sawsbuck up, he pulled him over and rested him atop his shoulder. "Dukes of Buzzard, run!"

Cain scoffed. "Pathetic. Dreamer's Slash: Imaginary Twenty!" With a quick flick of his pendulum, he knocked Rogier back, delivering a myriad of slashes that cut the Poliwrath's body up.

"GAAAAAAH!" Rogier screamed, flying across the mine.

Althalos caught him with another Abyss Cloud and pulled him to safety. "Marsail, Frank, Amos!"

They followed after their leader with Amos firing off warning shots to keep the trio at bay. He managed to shoot Arethusa through her body and blasted into Plouton's right cheek, staggering them both.

Cain spun his pendulum and deflected the shots aimed at him. He smirked and whipped his pendulum, extending it across the mine. "Dreamer's Slash: Ego Hunter!"

Frank saw the incoming attack heading toward them and shoved Marsaili out of the way. He screamed out as the pendulum pierced through his shoulder and sliced it up. Upon rearing back the pendulum, it sliced open Frank's shoulder and sent his arm flying through the air.

"AAAAAGH!"

Cain laughed and swung again. "I'll go for the head next!"

Marsaili gasped and pushed Frank down. She bit back her own screams as the attack shredded through the top half of her left ear, spraying blood over the air. "AGH!"

"And this next one seals the deal—"

BANG!

Cain recoiled as another pebble fired into him, this time through the shoulder. He clutched it and glared over at Amos as he scooped up another helping of pebbles.

"Boss, take Marsaili and Frank! I'll hold him back!" he shouted.

Althalos called upon more clouds to pick up the injured duo, who were beginning to lose consciousness. "Amos, we need to—"

"Don't wait for me!" he shouted. "I don't need your help getting out of here! Worry about yourself!" He swiped the air and conjured up a mighty Sandstorm that completely engulfed the mine.

"Agh!" Cain staggered and shielded his eyes from the sand.

"JUST GO!" Amos yelled.

Althalos hesitated to comply, but then remembered the debilitating state of the rest of his crew. He growled angrily and before shouting, "You better come back to us alive, Amos! Don't you dare die on us!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

"AMOS!"

The Gligar snarled. "FINE! I swear, I'll find you guys! NOW GET LOST!"

Althalos nodded. "You better!" With that, using the gusts of wind from the Sandstorm, he propelled himself out of the mine and took flight into the open skies of the Outlands.

Once he no longer sensed Althalos under the domain of his sand, he spread his wings and flew back on the draft. He clicked his pincers and fired out a barrage of pebbles, tracking Cain's movements as he maneuvered through the dense storm.

"I'm about sick and tired of Last Autumn!" Amos shouted. "I'm going to rip your eyes out and feed them down your throat before unloading an entire chamber of bullets up your ass! No one gets to decide how I live and die, you hear me?!"

"Dreamer's Slash—"

Amos gasped as a myriad of psychic slashes pierced through the dense sandstorm. He rode the winds, barely dodging the blades.

"—Imaginary Ten!" Cain dashed through the sand, shielding his eyes behind his arm. "You're a brave one, aren't you?" He spun his pendulum and released another storm of psychic blades. "Do you even understand what you're up against? Master Terrowin tasked me with keeping his plans in motion. You're up against the might of the criminal underworld. Escape today, and you'll be hunted for the rest of your life!"

Amos kept firing off pebbles through the sandstorm, curving his shots to strike down the Hypno. He glared over his shoulder as the wind carried him toward the exit. Once I get out of the mine, I can escape into the air. He won't be able to reach me. I might even catch up to Althalos and the others—

"Pay attention, mercenary."

His eyes widened, feeling the haunting aura of the doctor permeating above him. In the moment he looked away, Cain had already closed the distance and leapt to his height. Amos tried firing more pebbles, but the doctor kicked him across the stomach and sent him hurtling across the mine.

"GAAAAAH!"

Amos flew out of the mine's entrance and crashed into the ground. With fear overtaking him, he pushed through the pain and rose to his feet, fleeing into the endless plains before him. His eyes flickered frantically, trying to locate Althalos. Even with his vision exceeding better under the low light, he couldn't see the Dusknoir anywhere.

"Shit!" Amos growled. "Altha—"

SHIIIN!

Amos staggered as the psychic wire flashed past him, cutting through his wrist and severing his right pincer. He stumbled forward, ducking under the wire as it nearly caught his neck, but it wrapped around his stinger and sliced it off in a clean stroke.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

He fell on his face, curling his bleeding arm and tail against his body. Blood smeared over his rags and body as he clenched the wounds shut, but the pain was immense. His vision blurred. His mind waned, threatening to take him into endless darkness. He struggled to remain awake.

I…don't want to die here.

Laughter echoed behind him, allowing his mind to hold onto consciousness a bit longer. He craned his neck and glared at the Hypno as he stepped out from the mine, dusting the sand off his shoulders. He looked upon the trembling Gligar with a confident grin.

"This pain will only get worse," Cain said. "You won't survive the night."

Amos curled himself up and started spitting Venoshock over his wounds. The pain nearly made him pass out instantly, but he bit back his bloody screams and applied the acidic poison until it seared his wrist and tail closed.

"I won't allow anyone to interfere with Master Terrowin's vision." Cain bowed to the struggling Gligar. "It is my sworn oath to propagate his ambition to all of Virdis and cure it of its infection. Dr. Cain Underhill, at your service."

Amos pushed himself onto his knees and balanced on his remaining pincer. "Fuck. You."

Cain smirked. "The Outlands really does bring out the worst in people. Oh well." He spun his pendulum, charging it with energy. "You're too exhausted to dodge this next attack. Do yourself a favor and stay down."

Amos clenched his teeth. "I'm not…going to die here. I'm going…to kill every last one of you. You'll…regret crossing me. I swear it."

Cain laughed. "Why should I be scared of a weakling like you? You're nothing out here!" He swung and fired out the psychic blade across the ground.

"Sandstorm!" Amos punched the ground and released a large burst of sand. It disrupted the psychic blade and pushed Cain back in the wind.

"Agh!" He dug his fingers through the ground and kept himself anchored as the winds blew.

The harsh sandstorm blew for about two or so minutes before dying down. Cain dusted himself off and glared ahead, seeing no sign of the Gligar anywhere. He looked through the skies, but couldn't locate the mercenary within the vicinity.

"Hmph…"

Eventually, Arethusa and Plouton limped out of the mine and joined up by their boss' side. "He escaped?" Arethusa asked.

Cain crossed his arms. "He had more strength left than I anticipated. He used the last of it to slingshot himself through the air with his Sandstorm. He's already out of visual range. Still, I don't think even he knows where he's going."

Plouton glared. "How far do you think he'll get?"

"Not very. Depending on how long he can stay conscious and how high he shot himself. He could pass out and die in the inevitable crash, but…" He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'll send word out to my contacts to look into the matter. He's not our primary target, anyway."

Arethusa raised her brow. "And what of Althalos and the rest of his gang?"

"Fortunately, we have someone who can take care of them." Cain turned around and began walking back to the prison, laughing to himself. "They're not going to survive a minute out here."

Arethusa and Plouton looked at each other, shrugged, and followed behind the Hypno as he kept on laughing.

"We're in lawless territory now. Rules change out here. This is the place where honor goes to die. The only rules to abide by…are death and survival."