“Alright, I have a plan, but its not great and is luck reliant,” Aleister said. “It would be much better if I could get the other villagers in on it, but that isn’t possible now, so pray to Lilith that it pans out.”

“What is it?” Mitre asked, worried.

“So we’re going to inch closer and closer, away from the Thall in the middle. Then when I see the best opportunity, I’m going to sneak up and surprise attack, that group of gnolls. The villagers should then recognize that opportunity and kill them. This should catch the other gnolls off guard, and allow the other villagers to kill the other groups of gnolls, leaving only the Thall and an even smaller number of gnolls left. The villagers will surely use this opportunity to run and—.”

“What’s wrong?”

Aleister sighed as he slumped down onto the ground. “The more I say my plan out loud, the dumber it sounds.”

“It sounds good to me!”

“Well, it sounded good to me too, before I said it out loud. Now, not so much. And I think it could work if I could get the other villagers in on it, but I can't. There's too much panic right now.”

“Then what are we going to do?” Mitre asked.

Aleister shook his head and sat down. He needed to brainstorm a possible solution. But it was to no use. There was nothing he, just one person, could manage to do. He needed the cooperation of all the villagers in order to make any of his ideas work. An impossibility.

He stood up and told Mitre to follow him. The two of them made their way forward, closer to the southern gate. Not long after, a couple of villagers that were previously bystanders joined in and killed a few gnolls. The Thall gnoll showed no outward change, but Aleister felt like it was already becoming bored, maintaining its playful front.

Along with that, the infinitesimal chance of them sneaking behind the gnoll pack vanished because of the villagers gaining a temporary upper hand. As the villagers continued to fight, this advantage continued to grow. Aleister saw the hope and belief that the threat of these creatures was overblown on the villager's faces. The overall morale in the air increased. But he knew it was a trap. The Thall did nothing more than bait the villagers into believing they had a chance at victory and surviving.

The moment arrived when the Thall decided that enough playtime was over. With one swing of its flail, it crushed three villagers simultaneously. Each skull on the flail made an impact and obliterated the faces of villagers, leaving behind a bloody paste of meat.

Aleister winced upon witnessing the mess as panic boiled over. The other gnolls also erupted with their full strength, with each group matching the ferocity of the opposing villagers. Many of the villagers continued to fight, holding onto hope, while others gave up, knowing resistance was futile.

The gnolls were simply too powerful for nothing more than farming villagers and completely overtook them. With an satisfied look, the Thall gnoll advanced and continued its slaughter.

He held Mitre’s hand tight. Ready to burst out into a sprint at any second as they continued to sneak past several buildings, inching closer and closer to the gate, but staying just far enough. Their best opportunity would arrive soon as the gnolls already torched the area, burning the night sky. But much to his dismay, the Thall gnoll stayed centered in front of the gate. It possessed the biggest threat, as there was no way Aleister could deal with it for even a second. With a look of defeat, he dragged Mitre further and further away before deciding to head back to the town hall.

Upon arrival, he saw a couple of villagers shared his same thoughts. The ones he recognized included Branne, Martin the butcher, Tilusi the stone mason, Delilah and her family, Athas, and Malia, a priestess of Lillium. On top of the statue, the same black raven. He could tell from how its eyes reflected the moonlight.

Mitre saw his father and ran straight to him, tears flowing out of his eyes. Gilmore looked up, not surprised. He embraced Mitre and as he looked over to Aleister, said, “I heard that there was a third unaccounted for Thall that attacked the south gate. I hoped that the two of you would still escape. Unfortunately, back here isn’t necessarily a safe option either.”

“It makes the separation and reunion between us quite anticlimactic, doesn’t it?”

Mitre tried to force a laugh, but Gilmore didn't even bother.

“Tough crowd, huh." Aleister pinched his shirt and aired out his body. "Anyway, I wouldn’t have come back if I thought it possible for us to escape. Alas, the Thall acted as the gatekeeper .”

“Daddy, where’s mommy?” Mitre asked. “Are we going to die?”

“We will not die. I promise,” Gilmore said, patting Mitre's back. “Mommy is busy in the chief’s office, so she can’t be here right now.”

Aleister sat down next to him. “So, what have the two of you been doing in there?”

“As you might have guessed, the two of us are Weavers."

“I didn't dwell on it too much, but I'm not surprised. It lines up and accounts for a few inconsistencies. Although, I'm not sure why you didn't tell me earlier."

"The both of us still don't have our powers back." Gilmore let out an exasperated breath of air. "It wouldn't have done you any favours to have known."