In the banquet hall of the Zoner Knights' gathering place, Gravixor and Peekol lay sprawled across the floor, their bellies round and stiff. Empty platters and crumbs surrounded them like the aftermath of a battlefield.

  Hido stood over them with another soldier, both of their jaws hanging.

  "They just ate twenty whole yellow cakes," the soldier whispered, trembling. "Each one... big enough to feed a family of five."

  Gravixor's and Peekol's eyes spiraled like dizzy swirls, their faces glazed in frosting.

  "Soooo good..." Gravixor mumbled faintly. "I need more... what's in it?"

  

  

  Peekol enjoyed the cake so much his fur began changing colors. He giggled, hiccuping. "Tastes better than berries..."

  

  

  The soldier cleared his throat, proud. "That's easy to explain. Converter machines."

  Gravixor and Peekol's heads shot up at the same time, voices overlapping.

  "We... converter machines?? They make yellow cake?"

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  Peekol licked frosting off his paw. "I wonder how it works..."

  Hido's face tightened. "...Maybe we shouldn't—"

  But the soldier's eyes lit up. "Oh! No, no, I can show you! Watch this!"

  Gravixor and Peekol's cake-high smiles widened as they peeked up expectantly.

  The soldier, too eager, pressed a button on his wristband. A holographic tutorial video flickered to life.

  On the screen, a cheerful Zoner soldier removed his boot, peeled off his sweaty sock, and tossed it into the converter machine. The machine hummed, beeped, and with a flash, out popped a steaming slice of yellow cake.

  The soldier in the video beamed. "See? It's a really simple process! Converter machines can condense anything down to edible food!"

  For a heartbeat, silence.

  Gravixor and Peekol's faces went blank. Their smiles dropped into wide-eyed horror.

  Then—

  "BWWAAGHHHH!"

  

  

  

  

  Both turned and vomited violently, frosting and crumbs splattering across the floor.

  Hido's eyes bulged. He smacked the soldier across the head so hard the hologram flickered out.

  "You idiot!" Hido barked. "Of all the conversion videos, you show them that one?!"

  The soldier clutched his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I, I just wanted them to understand!"

  Peekol groaned, clutching his stomach. "Boot cake..."

  Gravixor rolled over, pale. "Sock-flavored frosting... never again..."

  The entire hall roared with laughter, even as Hido dragged the blubbering soldier away by the collar.