The world doesn't quite narrow to just Zevran; Alistair is a warrior, he has been since he was ten years old, and he's been more afraid than this. He's seen more terrible things. He knows how focus on the steps, the blade, the shield, like an obstacle course or a sparring match, with the fear of death or injury set aside to be dealt with later. He remembers the people behind him (not helpless, but less hardy, that's why he and his shield have pushed to the front) and he sees the people in front of him.
All things considered--the cuts, the lifeless bend of Zevran's head, how much they are going to kill everyone else in the room--he keeps a very cool head.
But the world does narrow a little. Enough that the glyph escapes his notice until he's put a foot directly onto it and stuck, frozen, shield raised and sword ready--for a second. He's strong enough to move, slowly, and Templar enough that a second later white light spills over his skin and his armor and forces the world to harden into a state that doesn't bend to allow for glyphs--or for spellcasting, or for barriers, if anyone is too close.
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The world doesn't quite narrow to just Zevran; Alistair is a warrior, he has been since he was ten years old, and he's been more afraid than this. He's seen more terrible things. He knows how focus on the steps, the blade, the shield, like an obstacle course or a sparring match, with the fear of death or injury set aside to be dealt with later. He remembers the people behind him (not helpless, but less hardy, that's why he and his shield have pushed to the front) and he sees the people in front of him.
All things considered--the cuts, the lifeless bend of Zevran's head, how much they are going to kill everyone else in the room--he keeps a very cool head.
But the world does narrow a little. Enough that the glyph escapes his notice until he's put a foot directly onto it and stuck, frozen, shield raised and sword ready--for a second. He's strong enough to move, slowly, and Templar enough that a second later white light spills over his skin and his armor and forces the world to harden into a state that doesn't bend to allow for glyphs--or for spellcasting, or for barriers, if anyone is too close.