B'arthon sat looking at Lon'thul, wondering if this was the end. The hunter's face wasn't giving anything away. He had the same goofy grin that idiot always seemed to wear.

That was when the noble noticed the strong scent of alcohol in the air. B'arthon knew neither he nor his guards had drunk anything but boiled water last night. Was it possible Lon'thul had? That didn't make any sense. Even the apparently easygoing hunter wouldn't do something so careless in the middle of an enemy camp. Thinking of the guards, the noble spared a glance toward the unmoving shapes on their sleeping pads before returning his attention back to the hunter. "Are they dead?"

Lon'thu'ls toothy grin somehow widened before he responded. "Nope, just sleeping really deeply. Really deeply." As he said this, he pulled out what looked like a small metallic needle, and the implication was clear. B'arthon's guards were drugged.

B'arthon knew that if he shouted, plenty of warriors would come running, but he was also quite sure that Lon'thul could kill him before anyone so much as opened the tent flap to see what was happening. Not enjoying the tension the hunter was obviously trying to create, B'arthon decided to get straight to the point. "So what's the plan. Kill me and walk out of here like nothing happened?"

Lon'thul shook his head and put the needle back in a pouch at his side. "No, not so long as you don't make trouble for me anyway. It was decided that your being alive would create more confusion than if you were found dead."

B'arthon laughed derisively but kept his voice low enough that Lon'thul wouldn't interpret it as 'making trouble.' "Typical. Jack's too kind-hearted to order an actual assassination."

The hunter's grin faded just a little. "Actually, Jack proposed just that. He wasn't happy about it, and I wouldn't have been either, but with you actively threatening the lives of everyone in our camp, it was definitely a resolution that was considered. It was S'haar who came up with this plan. In a way, right now, you owe your life to her."

Ignoring the obvious bait about him owing S'haar his life, B'arthon's eye's narrowed. "I'd rather not kill anyone..."

Before the noble could get into his speech about their camp joining his side, Lon'thul interrupted. "Great! Then at your earliest convenience, you can simply pull your army back, and we can put this whole mess behind us!"

The noble sighed. "I don't suppose you'd walk out of here right now and trust me to do just that, would you?"

Lon'thul chuckled but shook his head. "Sorry, but no. We've already got our own plan in motion right now, and I just needed to keep you busy while the drugs took effect. Which should be any moment now!"

B'arthon's eyes narrowed. "Then whaat are yooou goooing tooo..." B'arthon froze. Why was his tongue so clumsy all of a sudden?

Lon'thul grinned and held up another needle. "Oh, it's already been done. Apparently, you're going to have one hell of a headache once this wears off, but until then, you're in for a really fun night! Anyway, it's time for me to get going. You take care, and I'll pay you a visit again sometime soon!"

With that, the hunter turned and slid out of the tent. As soon as he was gone, and B'arthon knew he would live through the night, he took a deep breath and shouted. "Guaardss! Guuar...ds!"

The noble half expected to pass out, but instead, the world just seemed to continue to shift and spin around him. B'arthon squinted while he tried to concentrate, but his mind felt like it was moving through sludge.

A moment later, several guards pulled back the flaps of his tent and looked inside. B'arthon shook his head, which was a mistake as the world started spinning even worse. Finally blinking a few times, he looked up at his men. "Lon'thul... the hunter... er scout... he's here, in the camp... You need to find him... Now!"

The two guards looked at each other and grinned before answering. "Yes, Lord, we'll do a thorough check of the camp right now."

That infuriated B'arthon. He would not have his own men condescend to him like that. He slammed his fist into the ground to drive home his point, but the world spun again, and the noble fell over. He could see several empty mead skins that hadn't been here when he went to bed and realized the alcoholic smell from earlier was coming from a liberal amount of mead that had been "spilled" on him and his guards.

This couldn't be their whole plan, though... what was coming next? The noble tried to think through the haze, but his mind simply couldn't hold as many thoughts as usual. With a snarl, B'arthon threw one of the mead skins to the side.

-

Jack sat at the edge of the forest in silence. Even for him, this was a significant gamble. If Lon'thul failed at his job, if B'arthon's second in command on the opposite ridge realized what was happening too soon, or if luck simply wasn't on their side, this could be the end of everything.

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Angela walked slightly ahead of his position. She'd dragged the sled with Dek'thul tied into place and was now scanning everything within range. The master hunter quietly laughed. "I knew you were crazy, but even for you, this is a bit much! I can't believe you're walking right up to the camp like this!"

Jack didn't answer. Not that Dek'thul would understand if he had, but he was also scanning the forest while holding his rifle in a relaxed yet ready position. Of course, it was unlikely in the extreme that he'd notice anything before Angela's sensors picked it up, but he wasn't taking any chances either.

Finally, Jack sighed. They'd waited long enough. It was time for the show to start. Jack lit up his torch using a lighter he'd carried with him. A split moment later, Angela motioned, and a hundred more torches lit up behind them.

Taking a deep breath, Jack shouted into the darkness. He knew there were guards well within hearing distance. "We've come to negotiate the return of your master hunter and spy. Send a message to Lord B'arthon that he is needed here immediately!" A moment later, Angela projected a translation toward their intended audience.

Right about now, the guards of B'arthon's camp must be looking at the torches of an entire army standing just a little downhill from their position, appearing out of nowhere and wondering what to do. Should they charge immediately? Wait for the other warriors in the camp to form a proper battle line? Hold a defensive line while waiting for reinforcements from the other side of the valley? Now the guards are hearing that the army isn't here to fight but rather to negotiate, and there will be even more confusion. Runners will be sent, and orders will be sought. The question is, how long will it take those orders to arrive, and what will the guards do in the meantime?"

-

Hal'dek was awoken from his sleep by a guard. "My Lord, there is a problem that requires your attention."

The newly promoted Lord blinked away the sleep. "What is it? Are they trying to break through the lines?"

The guard looked confused. "I don't know precisely, but it appears they are gathering at the base of Lord B'arthon's camp. To what end, I couldn't say."

That surprised Hal'dek. He'd expected S'haar's camp to try and break through on one of the sides where they were the weakest or maybe attack his camp as the slightly smaller of the two, but to go confront the main camp that still had them outnumbered made no sense. But then again, that's why B'arthon was in charge. When he'd put Hal'dek in charge of the second half of the army on the far side of the valley, B'arthon had told him this was a far more unpredictable force than he was used to facing, and apparently, his Lord's claim had held true.

As Hal'dek walked out of his tent and surveyed the valley, he could see what the guard had told him was true. There were hundreds of torches on the valley's far side, just below the main camp's position. However, they didn't seem to be attacking, at least not at the moment. They were standing still. Perhaps they'd come to their senses and decided to surrender to Lord B'arthon? Having done so himself, Hal'dek knew that would be a wise course of action. Given the wary respect B'arthon had for this opponent, they'd probably be treated well once they'd been incorporated into his force.

Still, it was the new Lord's job to ensure his camp was ready for anything. Hal'dek turned to one of the nearby guards. "Go, make sure the entire camp is awake, armed, and in ranks. We may need to take action soon." Then turning to another guard, he issued a second set of orders. "Send runners to Lord B'arthon's camp immediately. Unless they begin an assault, I won't act without his orders."

Turning back to the sight, Hal'dek returned to his thoughts. As per Lord B'arthon's orders, he'd hold his ground unless an assault or breakthrough occurred. Still, it would seem the standoff was coming to an end this night, one way or another.

-

Lord Sal'zar sat in at the council that was debating what to do. Off to the side, one of the other Nobles was ranting. "So the entire enemy army showed up right outside our camp, and Lord B'arthon is too drunk to effectively lead our forces? I say we charge the enemy and be done with this farce! We've been out here far too long as is!"

There were a series of nods as others clearly agreed with the Noble in question, but Lord Sal'zar wasn't so sure. He remembered the impossibility of the wolgen hunt Lady S'haar had led, saving his village, as well as the powerful magics Lord Jack displayed before that, not to mention the brave hunter who'd escaped a mated pair of wolgen alone in the night. This was a dangerous opponent to underestimate.

As much as Lord Sal'zar owed these people, he'd sworn a blood oath when his village had capitulated to Lord A'ngles' armies, so he decided to be the voice of caution. "Well, they're not attacking, but they're in no position to escape unnoticed either, so we don't have to act rashly. Get everyone armed and in place to repel an attack or chase them if they flee, and we'll send orders to Lord Hal'dek to come up behind them and flank them. Then, once they're fully surrounded, we can wipe them out at our leisure or force them to surrender immediately. There is no need to give chase right now, only to lose them when they take flight again. In the meantime, we'll send someone to negotiate and keep them in place while we move. Besides, if we act too rashly and miss this opportunity, Lord B'arthon will likely see we're punished after he's sobered up."

This time there were even more nods and even some light applause. It was clear this was the plan they were going with. One of the other nobles spoke up again. "Lord Sal'zar, you've had dealings with these people in the past, correct? I say you be the one to go speak with them! Keep them busy while we move everything into position!"

That wasn't what Sal'zar had planned, but he supposed it was as good an idea as any. In fact, he found himself somewhat looking forward to the idea of talking with Jack and S'haar once more. Of course, the other nobles probably thought they were placing him at risk by forcing him to speak with the enemy, but Sal'zar trusted his old friends not to be the first to break the truce of negotiations. He felt a little guilty being in charge of the final defeat of his rescuers, but once they'd been outmaneuvered and surrounded in this valley, they had to know this was the only way this all was going to end. At least the old Lord could ensure it ended with dignity and as few casualties as possible.