Zelgadis took the hit, and his spell contracted -- it blocked the hit, but barely. He fed more energy to it; deciding how long his patience for letting the people who still wanted to talk it out go. (It wouldn't be the first time such things worked, but Zelgadis wouldn't know where to begin here.)

"I've been threatened by far larger things than this," he commented. "And I don't really care about anyone's tragic backstory when I get brainwashed and then attacked when I object to it. Is everyone not ready to defend themselves clear?"