Without missing a beat, Bron assessed the situation, noting who was were with a barely perceptable turn if his head, decades of experience ranking threats and possible problems and making up solutions in mere seconds.<br/><br/>"The mage and any other spellcasters that might be in hiding stand down, shut up, and submit to being gagged. One intelligible syllable, and all of you die. For what it's worth, your friend over there would just be wasting mana. We've all got magic resistant armor. We just don't want the aggravation.<br/><br/>"Secondly, all of your possessions will be put in a pile. Arms, armor, supplies, and any trinkets, worthless or not. We will take pleasure in doing a cavity search, and if we find anything in there, again, you all die.<br/><br/>"Thirdly, you do as we tell you when we tell you. Any hesitation or resistance, you get hurt. Badly. Cause us any irritation, you die, painfully.<br/><br/>"Lastly, any attempt at escape, or communicating with your friends will equally mean your lives. Play by our rules, and I guarantee you a comparatively safe journey until we reach an old associate of mine. After we've got our money, you'll be rid of us."<br/><br/>He looked at the pitted metal club that the woman evidently thought was a blade, and gave the merest quirk of his lips in mirth.<br/><br/>"And by the Earthmother, put that thing down. You are embarrassing yourself."