Break Open

Lucius checked to make sure none of the fallen individuals were people he knew. Thankfully, Lily was behind him with Kevin even further back. Reni, his uncle, was also near Lily, so he didn't breathe the toxic smoke. The casualties were mostly in the first lane.

Fred, angry at losing people in his group, looked at the distant village with hatred before calming down. They had to come up with a new plan, so they gathered near the outpost and started suggesting ideas. Most of the plans would not work or would result in heavy casualties until Lucius proposed one.

''We have a forest here; let's cut down logs and make two battering rams with a small roof on them so we can go under it and ram the gates. The archers will cover us from behind, and if any goblins rush out, they can shoot them,'' Lucius suggested.

''What about the black smoke?'' Fred questioned, pointing out the flaw in the plan.