Grosska Rotnail stirred her bubbling cauldron of Butter-Blood, watching the golden liquid swirl with dark magic. Her candy-striped tentacles twitched with excitement. Soon, Ashwood would be hers—every person transformed into her sweet, monstrous servants. She needed helpers to spread her plague faster. Her clawed fingers grabbed chunks of moldy muffins from a nearby basket. She dunked each piece into the cauldron, watching the Butter-Blood soak into the green-spotted dough. The muffins twisted and grew, sprouting tiny arms and legs. Sharp teeth burst through their crusty surfaces. The Moldy Muffin Men climbed out of the cauldron, chattering with high-pitched squeaks. Each creature gripped a fork or spoon stolen from her kitchen. Grosska pointed one tentacle toward the door. "Go to the water tower. Pour this in." She handed the largest minion a vial of Butter-Blood. The small monsters scurried out into the night, their weapons clinking. Grosska watched them disappear into the darkness. By morning, everyone in Ashwood who drank the water would start to change. Her confectionery plague would spread through their bodies, turning them into candy creatures under her control. She laughed, the sound echoing through her lair. But the water would take time to work. Grosska needed something faster, something to pull victims directly to her. She plunged her claws back into the cauldron and pulled out a dripping mass of sugar and syrup. The mixture hardened in her hands, forming a tall figure with empty eyes. She breathed dark magic into its mouth. The creature's lips split into a wide smile. When it opened its mouth, a sweet song filled the air. The Sour Siren would pull people close with its voice and enchanted treats. Grosska handed it a cart filled with candy. "Go where people walk. Sing to them. Make them eat." The creature nodded and rolled its cart toward the door. Grosska's tentacles waved in triumph. Her plague would spread from every direction now. Still, she needed more power, a place to create an endless supply of cursed sweets. Her pink eyes glowed as she dragged herself across the floor toward an abandoned building she had claimed. Inside sat her greatest treasure—the Scary Bake Oven. Dark smoke poured from its iron door. Strange symbols covered its sides, glowing with her magic. She opened the oven door and tossed in handfuls of ingredients. The oven rumbled and shook, baking dozens of cursed cookies, cakes, and candies at once. Each treat carried her plague, ready to transform whoever ate them. Grosska grabbed a tray of finished sweets and grinned. With her minions spreading poison through the water, her siren luring victims with song, and her oven creating cursed treats, Ashwood would fall. Every person would become hers. Her confectionery kingdom was beginning.