The citizen was quickly tied up; all of his focus was already on the storm, so it was rather easy for one of the other scouts to go behind him and knock him over with a quick sleep spell.
Though even with the illusionist asleep, the fake shale storm still raged, however it was no longer a problem to the scouts.
What the problem was, was that the citizen wasn't giving up any information when he got up.
The Golden Guard wasn't sure anymore if there were any wild witches, so even he was trying to interrogate the citizen, to no success.
"I'll ask you one more time, what is your plan? What are you trying to do?" the Golden Guard said.
There was some odd flesh thing that surrounded the citizen and held them up in the air.
"What am I trying to do? Give my final gift, the one I couldn't give," the citizen responded with a smile, "All I can do is hope it goes through," he said.
'So, whatever his plan is it hasn't finished yet'
Axel looked out the mouth of the cave and thought, he's been acting suspiciously, and he has a plan that's happening, but Axel didn't know what that was.
Looking out of the cave, Axel saw the greatly diminished shale storm. Some of the scouts had slapped the shale out of the sky to relive some boredom as they waited for the citizen to crack.
Other than the storm and the footprints of the scouts who slapped the shale, it was a pure empty field of white snow, he could almost see something in the snow, a pattern, but just like that, it vanished from view.
It was then that Axel began to think about how odd it was that in front of him was a flat plane of snow.
First, the Knee was a rather mountainous area, it was odd to not see a single rock. Second, the Axel couldn't see the footprints that were made when the scouts ran to the cave.
They had to have made some foot prints, and it wasn't snowing nor did it feel too windy, so where did the footprints go?
Axel began to walk around in the snow, trying to find out where his footprints were. After a while of stopping around, his foot eventually fell onto one of his footsteps, breaking the illusion that covered it.
Axel had made a mistake; he thought that there was only one trick up the sleeve of the citizen.
The citizen saw Axel fell and began to laugh.
"You see it don't you? My gift to my late wife," he said.
"Beetle what's he talking about," Grape asked turning to Axel.
"He's not here to get us ambushed, he wants us to starve," Axel said.
"Then we leave," Artichoke replied, "Grab him and came the way we came," they said.
"And the way we came was?" Axel asked.
"That way?" Artichoke asked pointing towards the way they came from.
"How sure are you, the illusionist covered our tracks, how can you be sure that while we were running, or even while we were walking, that he didn't twist the ground to make us end up who knows where?" Axel asked.
"Suppose I can't," Artichoke answered.
"Apple, can the beast you tamed bring us back?" Axel asked.
"Lost track of it in the shake storm," Apple replied, "Even if I didn't it would take too long to track us, especially through an illusion," they said.
"How about scrolls?" the captain asked.
"No signal," Lettuce quickly responded.
"I can find out way back," the Golden Guard said, "I'll fly out, find the way back, then come back and lead you there, this was my mistake anyways," he said.
"How about this?" the citizen replied, pushing against his restraints, "The Golden Guard can leave the other scouts to welt away, and the others will have no idea that he did!" he said with a laugh.
"The Golden Guard has said he will come back, and so he will," the captain responded.
'I don't like leaving my life in the hands of a witch, but I'm not seeing any other options'
"It's a decent plan, but before we do that, what about the beast in the basement?" Axel asked.
"It's asleep right?" the Golden Guard asked, "Let's kill it and get the problem over with," he said, holding up a glowing red staff.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Grape said jumping in front of the Golden Guard, "It's asleep! It's not a problem, we can just leave it alone," Grape said.
"It's not a problem now, but if it wakes up it could be a problem," Axel said, "Let's let's get it over with," he said.
"No, Slitherbeasts sleep extremely well, it would take a lot to wake those things up," Apple said, "It won't be a problem, let's just leave it alone," they asked.
"Golden Guard ordered it, so that's what's going to happen," the captain said.
"Just because someone ordered it, it has to happen?" Artichoke asked, "This Slitherbeast may have a family, killing it could cause great sadness in the one that live," they said.
"Wait is this thing sentient?" Axel asked.
"Kind of," the Golden Guard replied.
"Kind of isn't an answer, yes or no," Axel responded.
"Yes," Apple said, "They're smart enough to realize that they exist," they explained.
"Changes nothing," Lettuce said.
"It changes something," Axel responded, "We can't kill this thing because we're in its home, that's insane," he pointed out.
"Not what I meant," Lettuce responded.
"They meant that as your leader, my word is absolute, the Slitherbeast dies," the Golden Guard ordered.
"And so it shall be," the captain said.
———————————————————————
There was no fight, the Golden Guard walked up to the sleeping Slitherbeast, created a thin piece of bone, and executed the Slitherbeast.
Axel wasn't even sure why the Golden Guard brought the other scouts down to the beast. Maybe to show off his power, maybe just in case the Slitherbeast woke up.
Whatever the reason, the Slitherbeast still died, a witch killed a sentient being just because they were scared that it could be a problem.
Which was totally different from Axel who would kill a sentient being if they threatened earth. At least, that's what Axel was thinking as he watched the head of the sleeping beast roll by.
"Now I'm leaving to find our way home," the Golden Guard said leaving the other scouts.
As the Golden Guard left, Axel and the other scouts went back to the mouth of the cave, hoping to find something to do.
———————————————————————
"Good news," the Golden Guard said flying down to the others who were sitting and the floor.
"Full House! Read em and weep," Axel boasted laying down his cards.
The group of six scouts were sitting around playing with Axel's cards. The citizen would sometimes pitch in with how bad some plays were.
"I don't believe this," Apple said laying down a horrible hand.
"Darn again," the captain said showing his two of a pair.
"Why did I bet so much on a two pair?" Artichoke asked themself.
"Royal Flush," Lettuce interrupted showing their hand.
"No you don't!" Axel exclaimed.
"I do," Lettuce replied showing Axel their cards.
"Scouts!" the Golden Guard called out.
"Yes sir!" the captain said standing up straight as the other scouts remained sitting with their cards.
"I've found the way back home, let's go," the Golden Guard said.
"Hold on a moment," the captain said, "If we leave now, we'll be marching through the dark," he said.
"Yes, that is a thing we will do," the Golden Guard responded.
"You say we like you're not going to just fly," Apple pointed out.
"Our winter uniforms aren't made for marching at night, nor are they wind resistant not to mention the beasts out there," the captain said, "We stay here for the night and leave in the morning," the captain said.
"Too late, we'll bring the citizen in today," the Golden Guard said.
"All of my work, all for naught," the citizen mumbled.
"I will not and cannot allow the scouts to die on my watch," the captain said looking at Axel through their masks.
'The captain's standing up to the Golden Guard?'
"Fine," the Golden Guard said sitting down, we'll wait until morning.