"Come on," said Frodo as he, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Jim, Johnny, Kerrigan, and Artanis approached the gate.
Jim knocked the wooden gate and a different human porter answered, "Two men, a strange woman, and some … whatever. What do you all want?"
"We're heading to the Prancing Pony."
The porter opened the gate holding a lantern, "There are four hobbits too. What's more, out of the Shire by your talk. What business brings you to Bree?"
"We wish to stay at the inn. Our business is our own," Frodo replied.
"All right, young sir. I meant no offense. It's my job to ask questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful," the porter allowed the group of eight to enter.
"I've been to this town before, follow me and stay together," Jim remembered the time that he and Tychus Findlay had been to the Prancing Pony.
They proceeded through the streets passing the buildings made of wood and hay. Jim, Kerrigan, and Artanis attracted attention from the humans living in the town. "Jim, why are the people staring at us?" said Kerrigan.
"We are what people don't always see," Jim replied.
"From the looks of these people, they're like Terrans, except they're primitives. It looks like technology doesn't exist here. Perhaps it is their first time to see a Protoss," Artanis stated the facts. From his previous dealings with humans, Terrans had a variety of technology but they were less advanced than Protoss.
The group of eight reached a building with a sign of a horse labeled, "The Prancing Pony." "This is it, everyone," Jim announced and they entered the structure. Like before, there were men drinking and talking amongst themselves. Some of the men stared at Jim, Kerrigan, and Artanis.
"Excuse me," Frodo called out to the man with mustache in the counter.
"Good evening, little masters. What can I do for you? If you're seeking accommodation, we got some cozy hobbit-sized rooms available. Always proud to cater to the Little Folk, Mister …?"
"Underhill. My name's Underhill."
"Underhill, yes."
"We're friends of Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we've arrived?"
"Gandalf? Gandalf," the innkeeper had to figure it out. "Oh, yes … I remember. Elderly chap. Big grey beard, pointy hat. Not seen him for six months."
The disappointed Frodo turned to the other hobbits. "What do we do now?" Sam asked.
From the answer, the group of eight had their supper.
"Sam, he'll be here. He'll come," Frodo tried to reassure his friend.
"Get out of my way!" a man said rudely to Merry carrying a jug.
"What's that?" Pippin asked.
"This, my friend, is a pint," Merry replied.
"It comes in pints?" Pippin got off. "I'm getting one."
"You got a whole half already!" said Sam.
"I knew it," Jim thought.
"What are you thinking, Jim? You seem to know something," Kerrigan read his mind.
"Something's not right," Jim spoke softly so that the hobbits could not hear him.
"What is?"
"Father, you know something?" Johnny asked.
"Just as the Overmind saw, Saruman double-crossed Gandalf holding him prisoner somewhere," Jim recalled what he saw.
"Who is Saruman?" Artanis asked.
"The greatest of the order of Wizards," Jim replied.
"Should the wizard join forces with Amon, he'll pose a threat to us," said Kerrigan.
Jim had difficulty believing that Saruman betraying Gandalf and the Free Peoples was coming true.
"That fellow's done nothing but stare at you since we arrived," Sam got Frodo to become aware that someone in the corner wearing a hood was staring at him.
"Father, someone is staring at us," Johnny said as the same someone was staring at him, Jim, Kerrigan, and Artanis.
"Excuse me," Frodo got the innkeeper's attention. "That Man in the corner. Who is he?"
"He's one of them Rangers. They're dangerous folk, wandering the wilds. What his right name is, I've never heard, but around here he's known as Strider."
"Strider," Frodo muttered.
Jim remembered that he overheard a conversation between the elf king of Mirkwood Thranduil and prince Legolas. Strider was mentioned and Legolas had to find out his real name. "Never thought the Strider is here for real. What does he want?" Jim thought.
Frodo fidgeted with the ring that called out, "Baggins."
"Did you hear that?" Artanis asked.
"Is it the ring?" Jim turned to Frodo who closed his eyes.
"Baggins? Sure, I know a Baggins. He's over there. Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side … and my third cousin, twice removed …" it was Pippin talking to some of the men.
"Are you out of your mind?" Jim thought. He, Johnny, Kerrigan, Artanis, and the Strider watched Frodo got off his seat approaching Pippin.
"Pippin!"
"Steady on, Frodo."
Frodo slipped and the ring flew out from his hand. It slipped into Frodo's finger as it landed. To the surprise of the people, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Jim, Johnny, Kerrigan, and Artanis; Frodo disappeared and the Strider got off from his seat.
"The ring is like a cloaking device," said Kerrigan.
About a minute later, Frodo took off his ring and the Strider grabbed him on the shoulder then pinned him to a wall, "You draw far too much attention to yourself, 'Mr. Underhill.'" The Strider pushed the young hobbit to a room.
"What does he want?" Artanis asked as he readied his psionic blades.
"We'll find out," Jim prepared his revolver and Johnny took out a sword.
Sam, Jim, Johnny, Kerrigan, and Artanis went upstairs while Merry took a candle and Pippin carried a stool. They broke into the room where the Strider as a fair-looking man with coal black hair and small beard took Frodo and Sam shouted, "Let him go! Or I'll have you, Longshanks!"
"Drop your sword, right now! And put your hands up where I can see them!" Jim ordered aiming his revolver at the Strider.
"You have a stout heart, little Hobbit. But that will not save you," the ranger placed his sword into the floor while talking to Sam. "It won't do you any good to kill me," he placed his hands up into the air while speaking to Jim. "You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo. They're coming," Strider turned to Frodo.
"Who?" Kerrigan asked.
Nine black riders broke into the town crushing the porter during the process and searched the Prancing Pony. When they did so, the innkeeper hid from them out of fear. The black riders entered a hobbit-sized room and stabbed the four beds. They screeched out of disappointment when they found that there was no one in each bed.
The Strider had taken the group of eight to a room across the road from the Prancing Pony. He looked out into the window while Jim, Johnny, Kerrigan, and Artanis looked out for the hobbits that were in bed. "Not these sounds again," said Johnny as they heard those blood curtailing screeches that woke the hobbits.
"If those black riders are not humans, what exactly are they?" Artanis asked.
"They were once Men. Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question. One by one, falling into darkness," the Strider explained while the black riders left the inn on horseback. "Now they are slaves to his will. They are the Nazgul. Ringwraiths. Neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you."
"This is insane," Kerrigan commented.
"How can some small metal rings turn those humans into … Ring … Wraiths?" Artanis asked.
"They have some sort of dark spell," Jim made an assumption. "How do we kill any of these wraiths?" he wondered. The Nazgul were not like any opponent Jim, Kerrigan, and Artanis had faced before.