"You barbarians!" he roared, planting himself directly in the path of the surging crowd.
His frail posture vanished, replaced by a towering, powerful figure radiating fury.
From beneath his heavy wool cloak, he drew a massive, weathered woodcutter’s axe.
He swung it in a wide, warning arc, forcing the nearest attackers back. "You are about to meet Mr.
Hill! You have broken the rules! This is not the Festival Night! You dare to poison guests?"

He stood between us and the mob like an ancient oak in a storm.
His axe was not merely raised in threat; it challenged them to come closer.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold," he thundered. "I hope there’s still room in the kitchen!"
Hill turned briefly toward us: "Get them out of here!"

The crowd hesitated for a heartbeat, their greedy intent momentarily checked by Mr. Hill’s defiance.
But the innkeeper snarled—"Traitor!" he spat—and lunged forward with a long,
curved butcher’s knife that flashed in the light. That broke the spell.
The mob surged forward, a wave of grim faces and flashing blades.
Knives—cleavers, hunting knives, short swords—were drawn from belts and boots, catching the firelight like glaring stars.

Mr. Hill met them head-on. His axe swung down with brutal, terrifying force.
It was no parry; it was an execution. The blade struck the innkeeper’s neck with a sickening,
wet *thud*. The innkeeper’s scream was cut short instantly as his head cleanly parted from his shoulders
and hit the stone floor with a grotesque thud, his eyes wide open and sightless.
A fountain of dark arterial blood sprayed over the nearest patrons and the worn cobblestones.
Pistol shots rang out.


The crowd recoiled; a beheaded innkeeper and two gunned-down thugs brought a momentary hush.
We ran to the Jeep. "Stefanie," Egon shouted, "can you drive a Jeep?"
Without a word, Stefanie took the wheel, and Egon and I scrambled into the back seat.
The vehicle accelerated, tires spinning. In the distance,
I saw that Mr. Hill fleeing into the woods, and the tavern burst into flames.
"Yikes—he was seriously pissed off."