Zero Hour

[Brian]

"I'm sure he was chosen for many personal details, among them, expendability," Radagast warns.

"If he wants to talk, we'll hear him from the ground," Kevin says dourly.  "We're not letting him into the keep."

[Bjorn]

"Just as he is expendable," Bjorn points out, "so are most of the people here.  With your permission, my Lord, I will meet him at the halfway point."

[Rezantis]

"I don't really see what the point in listening to him is, in all honesty.  If they're doing this they think it's to their benefit, so really I think we're better off just shooting him."

Rez shrugs.

[Brian]

"If you insist," Lord Kevin says doubtfully to Bjorn.  "Though I agree with Nathan."

[Rezantis]

Rez levels a flat stare at Bjorn.

"You're going to insist on this idiocy, aren't you?"

[Bjorn]

"They may think that a parlay would be to their benefit," Bjorn says, coolly, ignoring most of what Nathan said.  "But that does not mean that it will be, or that we cannot extract benefit from it ourselves.  We lack knowledge about our enemies, and now they provide us with an opportunity to gain some."

He bows.  "I will return soon, my Lord."  And with that, he makes his way down to the gates, and through them, out to the battlefield, to meet the man in white.

[Rezantis]

Rez exhales loudly.

"He's not going out there alone.  Alec, wait here - and see if the gatemaster can drop a gate out there should things go . . . awry."

Moving quickly, he heads after Bjorn.

[Brian]

"I cannot create a gate on the field," Eske warns.  "The Seal prevents it."

The two of you rush down the switchbacks, to where the men are already opening the inner door of the gate -- the outer remains closed.

[Bjorn]

When Nathan catches up with him, Bjorn eyes him out of the corner of his eye, and then nods.  "All right," he says.  "I won't be so stupid as to say I'm not grateful for back-up.  Just do me a favour, and keep your mouth shut, and your face blank, all right?"

[Brian]

The inner door finishes opening with a dul 'whud'.

The men who run the gear that causes it to open look at you expectantly.

[Bjorn]

Stepping forward, through the inner gate, Bjorn says courteously, "Thank you.  And the outer gate?"

[Brian]

"Once you're inside," the gatehouse guard says dourly.  "May Liene watch over you where we cannot."

[Bjorn]

"Hammar guides us to victory," Bjorn says, as he leads Nathan forward up to the outer gate.  "Even if we fall, we will not fail."

[Rezantis]

Rez walks through with Bjorn.

"I can reign in my tongue when I have to, you know.  And there ain't no way you're going out here alone."

[Brian]

With the sound of a heavy weight on a ratcheted chain, the doors slam shut, leaving you trapped between in completet darkness.

You can hear each breath you take, and then the outer gate begins to slowly open, revealing the field, and the man (still walking forward -- he's at about the midway point now), all neatly illuminated by moonlight.