Minutes Earlier…

Evelot wasn't one for conflict. She always let Phoebe handle the violent confrontations, lest she herself went into a blind panic and did something foolish. It was easier to run and hide than face down the demons roaming around the corner, and she knew hiding herself away in the bathroom was only delaying the inevitable.

The second she sensed someone was about to open the door, she sank into the floor with her Phantom Force, stashing herself away in her little pocket dimension of goodies. It was a nifty trick she learned from a friend a long, long time ago, and it made for a useful hideaway from all the crazy in her life.

The commotion seemed to escalate outside the realms of her pocket space, though sound distorted through the shadows. She believed she heard an explosion going off topside, and the thought of it rattled her.

Oh no. I hope Ammo and Pheebs are okay. Oh, they're probably worried sick about me. I have to find them, but I can't go up there! What if those strangers kill me?! Ack! I'll just hide down here until it's safe.

Evelot eventually found her way out of the shadows, dropping down to a lower level of the tavern. She was likely in the basement. She could make out some shapes sitting in the darkness, though nothing noteworthy. Even for a Mimikyu, she didn't have the most impressive night vision.

As soon as she plopped down to the floor, she froze as she heard a low moaning sounding through the darkness. "H-Hello?"

She took a step back, then shrieked as more moans sounded through the darkened basement. She couldn't tell where they came from or what they were. Did the fighting that took place upstairs weaken the support beams of the basement? Was she in a tavern that was doomed to collapse and crush her into paste?!

Or worse…was she being ganged up on by the same thugs that stormed the upstairs level?!

Evelot hurriedly pulled a spiked bat and a lantern out from her costume. "I-I'm warning you! I flail a lot when I panic! Don't come any closer, or I-I'll tear your eyes out with this bat! A-And I'll blind you with this lantern!"

Her skin crawled as more creepy moans sounded in response. She shuffled away until her back pressed up against a wall. Nervously, she pulled a makeshift flint and steel out and clapped the two attached items until a spark ignited the unlit wick within the lantern. Once the fire started up, she raised the lantern toward her supposed attackers.

"Fear my lantern, you…you…you…"

All thought stopped as her eyes lay upon the true state of the tavern's basement. The source of the sounds came from the absolute last thing she expected, and no words could describe the confusion and horror storming through her mind. Instead, she eloquently demonstrated her feelings in the form of a bloodcurdling—

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Sandstorm!" Amos filled the pit with a whirlwind of sand, pushing Phoebe up against the walls, and blasted himself to the top. However, despite his efforts, the metal grate blocking his way to freedom proved too durable to tackle through. All his upward momentum cancelled out, and the wind was knocked out of him before he plummeted back to the bottom.

Phoebe brushed the sand out of her face and grunted. "Smooth moves, Lamecaster."

"Shut. UP," he growled. He picked himself up and plucked a bullet out from his satchel. "I'm blasting a way out of here—"

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." The duo glared up at their captors through the grate. Alibrand smirked down at them. "Remember, this is an old building you're standing in. If you try to recklessly blast your way out of here, there's a chance this whole floor's coming down with you. I don't think your squishy bodies will be able to endure hundreds of pounds of weight."

Amos growled, but reluctantly lowered his gunarm. "This was all a set up, wasn't it? The party, the bounty hunters…you were just trying to lure us into a trap."

Wigbrand nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! And you fell for it! AHAHAHA!"

Phoebe winced. "I can't believe we blindly followed them into here. They were the only ones who would've set up this entire fiasco."

Alibrand chuckled. "Don't beat yourselves up over it. It's just business."

Amos scoffed. "So, that bullshit about getting away from the crazy in the Outlands?"

"Oh, that wasn't bullshit. We genuinely meant that." The conjoined brothers shrugged and laughed before Alibrand continued, "After all, with all the carnage taking place around us, it's nice to unwind from time to time and enjoy the day like it's going to be your last moments on this wonderful planet. What's the point in surviving if you're not living?"

Phoebe glared. "Then why set all this up just for us? What did we do that caught your attention?"

Wigbrand snickered. "Oh, we weren't planning on doing nothing until we heard about your group. If anything, we would've just let you pass without a second thought. We have our own priorities to attend to."

Alibrand crossed his arms and chuckled. "That being said, we were actually hired to hunt you lot down. Specifically, we were hired to capture the alchemist."

Phoebe's eyes widened. "Evelot?"

Amos glowered. "The only reason someone would be after her…" He slammed his pincer against the wall. "Who the hell hired you?! Was it Last Autumn?!"

Alibrand snickered. "Well, you could say someone has it out for you. A friend of ours named…Cain Underhill."

Amos' eyes widened. Flashes of that night back in the Outland prison, memories of Terrick being mind wiped and Ainsley melting into a puddle of her own flesh. The memories of trying to escape the mad doctor only to have his pincer and stinger rent from his body.

"C…Cain…"

Alibrand laughed. "Sounds to me he has it out for you. He really wants you dead. Whatever business he's running isn't our concern. We're just repairing a few favors, and killing you is among them. Once we capture the alchemist, the rest of you can die a pointless death."

Anger returned to the Gligar as he furiously beat on the walls of the pit. "When I get out of here, I'm going to turn you louts into mulch and stuff your entrails down that madman's throat! He's going to pay for what he did!"

The brothers laughed in response. "Oh, you're a crackup, Lancaster! Unfortunately, you won't be seeing the sun any time soon, not that you ever could in the first place."

"Yeah, yeah!" Wigbrand cheered. "Time, time, time!"

Phoebe crossed her arms and scoffed. "Well, this has been an enlightening experience, but you idiots seem to have overlooked a minor issue: you still have an entire town's worth of bounty hunters aiming to collect the reward money on our heads. I don't think they'll appreciate being lied to and used as sacrificial pawns just to take the credit for yourself. Not even a second party will satiate their anger."

However, that didn't seem to dissuade the brothers. In fact, their smirks grew, barely able to contain their maniacal laughter within. "Silly, silly woman," Wigbrand giggled. "They weren't hired just to weaken and trap you."

The duo's eyes widened. "What?"

Alibrand shook his head. "We are a part of a special group with one purpose: to cull the evil of the Outlands and maintain order from the shadows. After all, if there is no law and order in these lands, then someone's got to keep these animals in line. We weren't created for anarchy. Control and order are the natural steps to evolution. In our case, we manage the Outlands' overabundant population."

Amos felt an unnerving chill running up his spine, though couldn't figure out why. "What are you talking about?"

The brothers walked out of sight from the grate and retrieved something off the wall: a farming scythe. They spun it over their heads, around their body, before propping it over their shoulders. Alibrand chuckled. "We are the Caretakers of Gluttony—"

"And we shall provide a worthwhile service to the scum of the Outlands," Wigbrand continued as they walked toward the jailhouse exit.

"It's a perfect night…for a bloody harvest~."

Amos and Phoebe listened as the front door opened and closed above them. They looked to each other, both sharing a worried grimace. What the hell's going on?

The Scovillain brothers skipped out of the jailhouse, kicking the door closed behind them, and looked out into the snowy streets as the Outland bounty hunters gathered in front of the building. Those caught in the crossfire with Amos and Phoebe limped along, having to support themselves on each other, but still raring to go.

"Excellent work, everyone!" Alibrand exclaimed. "Thanks to your efforts, we've managed to capture two of the bounties. Now, where's the other one? The Scolipede?"

An Electrode covered in burns rolled up to the front. "Yeah, uh…he's kind of busy slaughtering some of our heavy hitters." Everyone went quiet as the sounds of bloodcurdling screams and an unholy roar echoed out from the far side of town, buildings collapsing in the distance.

Alibrand blinked twice. "Huh. Well, we'll worry about him later. The alchemist shouldn't be too much trouble to capture, so this has been a successful night overall." He and Wigbrand bowed to the bounty hunters. "Thank you once again for your assistance."

A Swalot glared at him. "So, who's getting the money?"

"Hmm?"

"You invited us all here to see who could capture and kill those pests first. So, who gets the money?"

Alibrand tapped his chin. "Ah, right, we did say that, didn't we? I did inform all of you about a big score that you would have to fight over. Hmmm, well…I suppose the only fair course of action would be to give the honor of collecting the bounty to whoever is most deserving." He glanced at his twin. "What do you think, Wigbrand?"

The green-headed pepper grinned manically. "Oh, I think we are the winners of this contest, dear brother! Yes, yes, yes!"

Alibrand chuckled. "Well, you heard it hear first. I guess we will be collecting the reward money ourselves."

"WHAT?!" the bounty hunters shouted, marching one step closer to the jailhouse and brandishing attacks at the brother.

"We thought you set this all up to help us with our financial troubles!" Grapploct exclaimed, clutching at his wounded chest.

"We want our cut of the bounty!" Garchomp roared as he covered his bleeding eye.

Alibrand shrugged. "I don't know what else to tell you fellas, but maybe your gangs should've tried a little harder to get the bounty if you wanted it so badly."

A Bastiodon glowered, stomping his front legs down. "You've got some nerve pulling a fast one over us, clown! If you're not going to give any of us the money, then maybe we should take it for ourselves." Murmurs of agreement sounded between the individual gangs, their charged attacks increasing in power and their weapons deployed for violence.

The Scovillain brothers, however, looked on with excitement. "Oh, don't look so down, everyone," Alibrand assured. "You all were invited here for a special purpose, and we couldn't have completed tonight without you. You're just about to witness true greatness like never before, and tonight's a special night for the occasion."

"Save the pleasantries, asshole!" Electrode shouted. "If we don't get our money soon, we'll be spending the rest of the night tearing you limb from limb!"

Wigbrand cackled. "What fun, what fun! Oh Brother, I cannot wait a moment longer! The night is young, and I can feel my skin tingling in anticipation! Enough stalling so that we may commence the harvest!"

The bounty hunters froze in their advance, staring at the Scovillain brothers in confusion. "Did…he say harvest?" Garchomp asked.

Alibrand smirked. "You all must've enjoyed the highs you got from those muffins. They're made with a special kind of pepper that only we know how to grow." The brothers swung their scythe above their heads as a cloud of pale green dust trailed off the blade. "Tonight is a special night, and we have all the time in the world to replenish our stocks. It's part of the cycle, after all. In order to survive in the Outlands, you have to make small sacrifices to keep the Freaks in check. Some powerful people only know of my existence, and they would hire someone like me to get rid of rival gangs and bounty hunters like you."

"W…What's going on?" Swalot mumbled.

Alibrand and Wigbrand cackled aloud. "Rejoice and witness the harvest! Let us take care of you personally!"

They struck the end of their scythe down on the ground, releasing a pale green wave that pulsed through the street and expanded across the town. The bounty hunters staggered back as a green mist seeped out from the glowing terrain, covering their mouths as it reached above their necks.

"Enter our territory. Enter…the Blood Pepper Harvest!"

Evelot dropped her lantern onto the floor, trembling at the horrible state of the basement and the occupants splayed out before her. "W…What is THIS?!"

Several Pokémon were present inside the basement, some easily recognizable and others completely unrecognizable in ways that made the Mimikyu want to vomit from sheer shock alone. Many were strapped down to tables, chained to the walls, or had their bodies buried in oversize flowerpots. Many of the unrecognizable creatures had their skin flayed off, showing off their twitching muscle tissue that made them groan in pain from the slightest movement. Another's flesh had completely melted over their bodies like metal warped from extreme heat. The damage was so bad that Evelot couldn't even tell the color of their bodies.

However, that wasn't the extent of the traumatizing display.

Each one of the Pokémon had open wounds or the like with blood-red flora growing out of them, each one producing bright red peppers. A poor Azumarill's right eye had been completely warped into a plant, hanging above the barely conscious rabbit's face. An Ariados with his legs nailed into a table had peppers growing out from his abdomen, tearing open the flesh like a cracked walnut. A Girafarig's body was coiled in plant matter and decorated in an array of peppers, some growing out of both his mouth and his tail. The flayed creature in the back had practically transformed into a garden of peppers.

Worst of all…Evelot could tell they were all still alive.

"W…What did I stumble onto?" she mumbled.

Her eyes skimmed throughout the basement reluctantly before landing upon a lone table revealed in the lantern light. She saw a book lying upon the table, and it appeared to be surrounded by an alchemy set. Gulping, she cautiously shuffled up to the table and hopped on.

She picked up the book and flipped through the pages, which detailed a number of formulas and equations used in the field of alchemy. The owner of the book was almost definitely a skilled alchemist, but what purpose did these trapped victims serve?

She would regret her choice to investigate the book as she landed on a particular page. It was a recipe often seen in potion making, but this one wasn't written out exactly as an alchemical recipe. It was actually…a cooking recipe. A recipe for…

Spicy. Muffins.

Evelot's eyes widened. "Wait…Wait a minute…" She fearfully looked over her shoulder, daring to look back at the torture victims. Now that she was really taking in the interior of the basement, she noticed various farming tools hanging off the walls, each stayed in the juices of the peppers and vines.

As it all came together, a violent rumbling echoed from the Mimikyu's stomach.

"Oh…Oh my—" She doubled over, vomiting in disgust over the table. "I…I ate one of those—OH GOD!" She kept herself propped up as she hurled over the side of the table, her body trembling in horror and chills.

Her head pounded with a swarm of thoughts and noises. Each breath felt like she was trying to inhale steel weighing down on her chest. Her vision went in and out of focus, the light blurring around her as she struggled to remain conscious. Though she never experienced it, she likened the feeling to seasickness, the motions of the waves rocking you back and forth during a mighty storm with the pressure beating down on your mind.

Of all the horrors she witnessed in the Outlands, even down to the act of eating other Pokémon, this was by far the worst thing she ever witnessed. She feared to think what other horrors lay deeper in the lawless lands, but she dared not let her imagination run wild over that possibility.

"I…I don't understand…" After composing herself, wiping her face clean, she picked up the book in her trembling hands and flipped back through the pages. "Th…They're turning blood into artificial soil for their p-peppers, but w-what source of alchemy would allow something like that? There's no way they have the knowhow to create…something like…that…"

Her eyes widened on an alchemical recipe for a potion, apparently linked with the recipe for their spicy muffins. However, she didn't bother to skim through the recipe as her eyes landed on a particular note scribbled at the bottom of the page.

"Procured by the Faucher Alchemists."

Thirteen Years Ago…

"And what business are you in that requires a growth formula of this variety, good sirs?"

"Oh, we're in the farming business, you could say. Crops in the Outlands are so hard to come by, but when you have the monopoly on certain vegetables these scum need, you have to expand your inventory."

"Well, this formula will do wonders to improve the fertility of any soil you mix it with."

"And how well will it work if we were to…inject it into ourselves? After all, we are plants, too."

"Yeah, yeah! Grow juicy peppers!"

"Well, we could certainly modify the recipe if that's what you're requesting—Evelot, don't cling so close to me."

"They…They look scary."

"Don't worry, sweetie. You're going to be fine."

"What a cute little girl you have. I could eat her up."

"EEP!"

"Sorry, our daughter gets very nervous around strangers."

"Oh, our sincerest apologies. Now, do we have a deal?"

"Evelot, go play with Number 17 and 24. We'll play later."

"Yes, my good sirs, I believe we can create this formula for you."

"Oh, thank you. This will be…most useful for our future harvests."

Evelot collapsed off the table, trembling on the floor and covering her right eye as it throbbed. She panted rapidly, looking around the room as her vision went in and out of focus.

She wasn't ignorant of the business her family dealt in. She assisted in numerous alchemical research projects for the betterment of the original Broken Glass Alchemical Company, and she knew they made their business serving the despicable lowlifes of the Outlands or those who ventured from the ten kingdoms in search of their aid.

But she never allowed herself to envision the transgressions committed in selling their research to eager clients. Poisons and potions alike, all of it was the same so long as they got paid. It was easier not to imagine what she couldn't see, but all she could see now were the results of her family's history. The harm they indirectly caused didn't mean anything at the time, but that was only because she never saw the consequences of their reputation.

She dug her fingers into her costume, squeezing down on the right eyehole. "Oh gods, what have we done?"

"Pull yourself together, Kitten~. Your time's not here yet."

She jolted up, frantically searching the room. She could've sworn she heard someone whispering in her ear. The voice…sounded familiar to her. It was a voice she hadn't thought of in five years, belonging to someone she thought she'd never see again. But was it real or the effects of her stress?

"That almost…sounded like…" She closed her eyes and frantically shook her head. "I-I can't stay down here forever. M-My friends are probably worried sick looking for me. Oh gods, they might not know about Alibrand and Wigbrand. What if they've been…?"

She nearly vomited at the sight of the living corpses still surrounding her, but she swallowed her disgust and staggered back to her feet. She took a moment to collect herself, taking deep breaths until her heartbeat returned to a somewhat normal rhythm.

After drawing her last calming breath, she reached within her costume and pulled out some equipment. "I lost one family. Never again."

She hurried to the nearest peppered victim and plucked the stems out of their exposed flesh. She ignored their guttural moans of pain and hurried to the table, setting up all her alchemical equipment and containers of ingredients.

"Got to work fast, got to work fast…"

Not a second could be wasted. As soon as the Scovillain twins unleashed the territory across the town, the bounty hunters forgone their independent goals and sought to join forces for a single purpose: kill the monsters that manipulated them into servitude.

Alibrand and Wigbrand cackled aloud as the bounty hunters rushed them down. Gleefully twirling their scythe, they charged into the fray, using the farming tool to vault over the crowd and unleash a flurry of slashes into their shoulders and backs. The bounty hunters seized up in pain, collapsing onto their knees with blood dripping through their clothes.

"Fun, fun, fun!" Wigbrand cheered.

"Agreed, Brother! Tonight is the time for revelry!" Alibrand exclaimed.

The Electrode bounced after the twins, generating sparks off his body. "Discharge!" He spun and unleashed a wide blast of electricity through the street, the sheer force of the bending thunderbolts carving through the earth they skimmed over.

The brothers landed and spun their scythe, using it to absorb and deflect the electricity around them. "Shall we partake in merriment before the harvest may commence, Brother?" Wigbrand asked.

"Yes, time to enjoy ourselves!" Alibrand exclaimed. "You strike first, Brother!"

"Goodie, goodie!" The green-headed pepper inhaled and fired off a myriad of seeds coated in flames chomping at the air. "Mini Pepper Scattershot!"

The Electrode winced as the seeds exploded across his body. "GAH!" More green dust erupted around him, sticking to his open wounds. "Dis—"

The brothers rushed in and slashed across the electric orb's front, knocking him away. As they did, a Mandibuzz and Breloom joined forces to strike from above. As the vulture flew circles around the brothers, Breloom unleashed a barrage of extendable Mach Punches, striking from multiple angles.

The brothers spun their scythe the best they could to defend themselves, but were struck at least three times in the stomach and back. They pressed their hand down and channeled more of the misty terrain's aura to expel higher into the air, reaching up to the edges of the surrounding rooftops.

Mandibuzz hurriedly flapped her wings as the mist rose. "Dark Pulse!" She fired pulsating rings of darkness, blasting upon the Scovillain's position. She saw the shadow of their form escaping through the mist, so she tracked their movements with her Dark Pulse.

The brothers dodged and weaved through the green mist as Mandibuzz increased the pressure of her attack. Alibrand positioned the scythe in front of himself and bit down on the blade. Wigbrand tightened their grip and pulled on the tool, scraping it along his brother's teeth until the potential energy released. A blade of fiery teeth fired out from the mist and slashed into the vulture's wing.

"Extra Spicy Crunch!"

"GAAAAH!" The Mandibuzz fell out of the sky, forcing Breloom to jump off and dive after the brothers.

They dodged his first Mach Punch, then parried his punch barrage with their scythe. They skillfully weaved the farming tool through his attack rush before slamming the butt of the scythe into his neck. Breloom sputtered and stumbled over himself, struggling to draw a breath. The brothers spun themselves around and delivered a single slash to the mushroom creature's stomach, spraying a fountain of blood over the snow.

Taking to the rooftops, an Espathra leapt over the buildings and fired upon the street with Psyshock. The brothers dodged out of the way, only to again dodge a sudden Hyper Beam from a Golduck. Though the attack left the duck stunned from the recoil, it served to get the brothers into position for Grapploct to leap out of the shadows and grapple them from behind.

"Got you!" His tentacles coiled tightly over the brothers, forcing them to drop their scythe. "You're not going anywhere."

"Hold them still!" Garchomp yelled, charging headlong toward the trapped Scovillain with Dragon Claw. "I'm going to tear that conniving cheat to ribbons!"

Despite being tied down, the brothers merely smirked at the rampaging land shark. "Too late~," they whispered.

As he readied to bring his Dragon Claw down on the brothers, a stabbing pain erupted from the Garchomp's right eye. He cancelled his attack and stumbled back in pain, clawing at his face as something festered below his skull. Soon, the Grapploct and the nearby bounty hunters were feeling similar effects, the former dropping the brothers to clutch at his shoulder wound.

The Scovillain picked themselves up, dusting off their clothes before retrieving their farming scythe. "I see my Blood Pepper Harvest is finally kicking in. It takes a little time to activate, but all of you running around trying to kill us only sped up the process," Alibrand explained.

Garchomp collapsed to his knees, panting as something wiggled under the skin of his skull. "W-What…going…on—AAAAHHH!" He arched back as a green stem grew out from under his bleeding eye. The oily skin of the plant burned at his cornea, causing him to scream out in even greater pain. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The Scovillain looked around themselves, marveling as bounty hunters dropped one-by-one with plants growing out of their wounds or punching holes out of their skin. Some had plants growing out of their mouths even, making it difficult to breathe. All of them felt the horrible burning sensation of the plant's oily texture rubbing against their wounds and skin, eliciting screams of torment from all under the effects of the domain.

The brothers propped their scythe over their shoulders and laughed. "What a bountiful harvest tonight, brother!" Wigbrand exclaimed. "The blood really gives the peppers that delightful, juicy flavor. Oh, I want to pick some off right now and indulge!"

Alibrand raised his hand. "Patience, Brother. The peppers still need to grow and ripen. Fortunately, it seems no one seems to be in the mood to continue the fight."

"You…bastard—GAAAAAH!" Garchomp collapsed again, feeling the skin across his back break as vines continued to spread under the surface.

Alibrand snickered. "That's right, keep taunting me. See how little it'll help you. The more of this atmosphere you breathe in, the more my territory's spores will infest your body. By all means, take a deep breath of this intoxicating air. I bet someone with your physique will make a fine garden to cultivate. All of you will make wonderful additions to my garden!"

"MUFFINS!" Wigbrand cheered.

"Yes, yes, and more muffins for you, Brother—" They paused as a hand grabbed them by the ankle. Or rather, a tentacle grabbed them. The Grapploct was trying to pull himself up even as vines were growing from under and through his eyes. So many plants were bursting out from his right eye socket that the eye itself was being torn and split open.

"You…won't get away…with this…" he wheezed.

Alibrand tutted at the dying octopus. "I'm sure plenty of your own victims said the same thing." With a flick of the wrist, he slashed the tentacle in two with his scythe. The blood spilt over the snow with the beginning of saplings growing from the red.

Wigbrand snickered with delight. "Fun, fun, fun—" His eyes widened. "Uh, Brother? I just realized something. Won't Evelot get caught up in the atmosphere if she breathes in too much of this stuff? We are supposed to bring her in alive."

Alibrand shrugged. "We'll put her in a flowerpot and send her to Cain that way." He then glared down at the street. "Curious, though. I gave her like two of those muffins, and they should've driven her mad with excitement like the rest of these barbarians. She wouldn't have the common sense to be hiding from us."

"Maybe the dosage was off."

"It's the same dosage we give everyone. If she can get drunk on half a mug of ale, I don't think she would just shrug off two of our muffins like they were pancakes. She should be running around like a madwoman on fire, not sequestering herself like a coward." He tapped his chin. "There's no way she could have an immunity to the peppers…right?"

Wigbrand looked around at the struggling bounty hunters before counting off on his fingers. "By the way, weren't there four of these guys we were supposed to hunt down? Let's see, we captured the bickerers. The alchemist is missing. That only leaves—"

The brothers jumped as something came crashing down behind them. Spinning around, they saw it was a bloodied and eaten Slaking with signs of pepper vines growing out of his wounds. Seconds after the body crashed down, a monstrous roar blared out through the town.

Alibrand shot a deadpan glare in its direction. "Oh. Right."

A building came crashing down as Magni barreled through it with reckless abandon. His face and clothes were splattered in blood. His eyes shrank into animalistic slits, and he bared his sharp teeth to all that moved in his sight. Pepper vines were growing out of the few wounds on his body, but his hulking size allowed him to fight through the growing pain.

His feral gaze soon landed on the brothers. He could smell the foul stench of the atmosphere coming off the both of them. He reared his head back and let out another monstrous roar threatening to split the earth in two.

The brothers staggered back by the sheer presence of the Scolipede's domineering physique. Wigbrand stared in awe at the giant, licking his lips expectedly. "Oh, he would make a fine garden. I wonder what special flavor we'll get from his blood~."

Alibrand grinned and pointed the scythe toward the raging Scolipede. "Let's find out~!"

The screams coming from outside the jailhouse alarmed Amos and Phoebe as they struggled to climb up the pit. Amos kept hurtling himself into the air to break open the grate, each time landing back on the pile of bones with a new bruise to his back. Phoebe tried climbing along the walls, but couldn't get a good grip into the stone to reach the top. Pieces kept tearing away, causing her to fall back onto Amos' bruised stomach.

"AGH!" he screamed before kicking her off. "Get the hell off me, woman!"

She picked herself up and growled. "It's your fault we're even down here! How did you not notice a pit in the ground?!"

"I did notice it! I just didn't think they've kick us down here!"

"For a paranoid nutcase, you sure do suck at being paranoid!"

"Oh, so what's your excuse?!"

"I can't see in the dark, asshole!"

"Well, I can barely see in the day! My eyes ain't what they used to be!"

"Nice excuse, old man!"

"You're half a decade younger than me, you lousy bitch!"

"You want to call me lousy?! How about we talk about how you…you…" Her eyes trailed up to the top of the pit and shrunk. "Uh, Lamecaster?"

He looked up and gasped as a pale green mist started crawling over the grate and seeping down into the pit. They pressed their backs to the wall, pulling their stomachs back as the mist cascaded down to the floor.

"Oh…shit," she grumbled.

Amos clenched his teeth. "Suddenly went from bad to worse…"

Immediately, the Scovillain brothers were put on the defensive as Magni rushed them down. They blocked with their scythe and steeled their stance as the giant Scolipede rammed them through a building like it was a house of twigs. They hooked over his horns and flipped over his head before he could smash them into the ground.

"Extra Spicy Crunch!" Alibrand bit down on the blade, and Wigbrand pulled, firing the blade of fiery teeth.

Mangi spun around and summoned a giant boulder littered in purple spikes. "Stinging Smash!" He launched the boulder, smashing the fiery blade apart. The rock split open, launching hardened stone spikes dripping in poison.

The brothers deflected the rocks as they fell back into the snow, but Magni's Speed Boost kicked in and allowed him to strike them with Megahorn before their feet could touch the ground. They coughed up their green blood before being plowed through a destroyed building. Magni dragged them through the earth, bashing them repeatedly against the ground, before whipping his head and launching them through a row of buildings ahead.

"Protect…friends!" Magni roared.

The brothers pulled themselves out of the wreckage, laughing ominously. To Magni's shock, the injuries they sustained were steaming and slowly closing themselves up. "Oho, you want your friends? You can join them once we prepare the banquet!"

Magni glared. "Healing…?"

Alibrand chuckled. "Oh yeah, I guess you aren't aware. See, under the effects of our Blood Pepper Harvest, killing us is next to impossible. As we speak, the seeds that have infested throughout your body are sapping away your nutrients and turning them into peppers. However, because the components of this technique utilize Leech Seed, every single goon under our territory is also accelerating our regeneration. You'll turn into a delicious meal—"

"And we get to watch without consequence!" Wigbrand cackled.

Magni grunted as more vines stretched out from his wounds. "Stinging Spear!" He enlarged his horns with a cluster of poisonous spikes and charged the brothers down.

They didn't even bother dodging and allowed Magni to impale them. Even as the attack blew out their back, they continued to laugh like it was nothing. They spun their scythe and delivered a few quick strikes across the Scolipede's hide. Magni grunted through the pain, but ended up deactivating his attack.

The brothers jumped off his head and landed a safe distance away. Even with the poisoned spikes jabbed through their body, they remained unhindered. Wigbrand pulled one spike free and crushed it in his grip. "Not even your poison's potent enough to outpace our healing!"

Alibrand smirked. "Why don't you sit down and just accept the inevitable? You can't kill us, and you can't leave without abandoning your friends. Might as well go down with them all."

Magni snorted. "Friends help friends! Stinging Shriek!" He inhaled deeply before letting loose a thunderous roar laced with poisonous spikes.

The brothers attempted to deflect them, but the force of the shockwave threw them off balance. They protected their heads as the miniature spikes sliced and dug through their skin.

"Stinging Scissors!" Their eyes widened as Magni rushed them down, both horns enlarging into the shape of giant purple blades. He brought the edged horns down around the brothers who were forced to catch them in their hands. The effects of Magni's Stinging Shriek lessened their durability, causing the attack to cut deep through their hands.

"GAH! Not fun!" Wigbrand cried.

Alibrand growled. "Brother, together!"

"Mini Pepper Scattershot!" They combined their Fire Fang and Bullet Seed, blasting Magni in the face with explosive, biting seeds.

Magni clenched his eyes shut and endured the attack with all his might. However, with his eyes closed, the brothers caught him by surprise and sliced across his face with their scythe. Blood gushed out from the open wound, throwing the Scolipede back.

"RAAAAAAAAAH!" Magni screamed.

The brothers twirled their scythe and delivered a sharp blow into the megapede's side. They gripped the handle tightly and ripped it from Magni's flesh, tearing his skin open.

"GYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Magni roared. He raised his head high and summoned a spike-covered boulder. "Stinging Smash!"

The brothers retreated backwards once the boulder came crashing down. Poison-tipped rocks jettisoned from the explosion, smashing into anything in their path. Once more, the brothers deflected the spikes with their scythe, only getting scratched in the side by one. Their accelerated healing patched up the wound instantly.

"He looks mad!" Wigbrand laughed.

Alibrand smirked. "Then let's make him madder!"

"Extra Deluxe Spicy Dragon Sauce!" They both spat up a viscous red fluid sprinkled in light green powder from their mouths. It splashed into Magni's face, causing him to scream out even louder than before. "Rampage, you savage!" they taunted.

Magni vigorously shook his head and glowered furiously at the brothers, his eyes stinging red. Forgoing all rationale, he charged headlong at the brothers.

They danced around his charging tackle and slashed across his uninjured side. Magni screamed as the blade tore along his skin, but the pain burning in his eyes overrode any desire for a tactical retreat. Regardless of the pain, he turned back around and charged the brothers down at max speed.

Predicting his charge, the brothers launched themselves into the air and sliced across Magni's back as he passed under them. Blood sprayed out over the snow and across their faces before they landed. They watched as Magni fumbled through the snow and crashed face first into the wreckage of a building.

Wigbrand jumped up and clicked his heels together. "Fun, fun, fun! Spicy muffins forever!"

Magni struggled to pick himself back up, panting as the pain tripled across his body. His exposed wounds started to produce pepper vines that forcibly peeled the skin open. He smashed his face into the snow, seething in agony as the mix of pepper oils on his wounds and face burned at his concentration. He couldn't think about anything but the searing pain going across his body.

Wigbrand cackled. "Guess this one's all muscle and no brains! The muscle of their group can't even stand up to us!"

Alibrand spun the scythe deftly in one hand and approached the struggling monster. "Enough of the taunting, Brother. This one might prove a bit too dangerous to be kept alive."

Wigbrand whined. "Aww, but he'll taste so delicious!"

"It's a sacrifice we need to make."

"Ugh, fine!"

Magni panted coarsely, sensing the brothers approaching him. He struggled to get back onto his feet, but the pain wouldn't subside. He collapsed into the snow, the cold doing little to ease the burning going on through his body. He felt the blade of the brothers' scythe tracing across his skin, pressing against his exposed wounds.

Alibrand glared. "No hard feelings, big guy. It's just business." He raised the scythe and twirled it above his head. "We'll make this quick and painless for you. Goodnight~."

Magni snapped his eyes shut and tensed up his muscles in a desperate bid to buy himself time. Alibrand raised the scythe high, tightened his grip, and swung it down for the Scolipede's neck.

Inches from making contact, the scythe came to a stop. Ailbrand's eyes widened as he felt his brother taking control of their shared body by force while his attention was diverted in the direction of the tavern. Alibrand snarled. "Wig, I told you, we can't keep him alive. I'll find you someone else to chow down on later—"

"Brother, I sensed peppers being picked," Wigbrand mumbled. "Peppers have been plucked from our garden."

Alibrand glared. "What are you talking about? It takes about ten to twenty minutes for the peppers to grow. The only other place they could be growing would…be…" His eyes widened. "The basement?"

Wigbrand nodded frantically. "Someone's raiding our secret garden, Brother! The one under the tavern!"

"…" Alibrand gasped. "The alchemist! She must've found her way down there."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It could be if we don't stop her!" Alibrand glared at Magni. "Looks like you get to live a little longer. Hopefully you'll grow some nice peppers by the time we get back. Come on, Wig!" The brothers took off running back to the tavern.

Magni clenched his eyes shut, continuing to fight with his burning nervous system as plants pushed out from his open wounds. "F-Friend…Evelot. Must…protect Evelot…"