Somewhere within the wild lands of southern Tethyr and not three miles from a bloody battlefield is a small encampment of soldiers and mercenaries currently recuperating from a disastrous battle they were in last night. It's almost sundown and people are currently busy tending to the wounded and preparing for dinner. Those that have gone into the nearby forest to hunt for whatever game is available are now just returning with their catch. Others are still combing the battlefield, looking for any survivors or to retrieve the bodies of friends and comrades among the undead corpses. Morale is currently low. They may have survived, but their commander and leader, Sir Kristov Jaxxton, is missing along with their precious cargo, the reason why they are all here in the first place, the Bhaalspawn Lauranna.

Within the encampment and in one of the few tents left, Colleen Voltain sits patiently in front of a young woman seated in front of her. The young woman is clearly well past annoyed and she looks just about ready to storm out of the small tent they are currently occupying. The tent is nothing to brag about. There are patches here and there on the canvass and it's barely large enough to fit a sleeping cot and two travelling stools, which are currently occupied by her and the young battle mage, Starla. "How many times do I have to tell you, you old crone, I wasn't on the hill when that explosion happened! I was at the bottom of the hill with Vaughn, trying to destroy the orb that was powering the undead! Wasn't that the plan? Are you growing too senile to even remember that?"

Colleen Voltaine, Senior Enchanter to the Crystal Academy of Tethyr, Magus Superior to the Order of the Arcana Sisterhood, Archmage to the Royal Court of Tethyr rubs her temple with one hand while trying to maintain her composure. Stopping herself from slapping the face of this disrespectful and petulant child seated in front of her is harder than all of the tests she has endured so far during her long life. That's partly why she's keeping her hands busy right now, to keep it from acting on its own accord. She needs to be patient with her. The girl has suffered enough having lost three of her closest friends in one single night, two of whom had died horribly. Besides, interrogation can be wearing on any person, especially if she's the one doing the interrogating. She tries to keep her voice even and calm as she replies to the girl. "I understand your frustration, Starla. You are not the only one who lost friends in this fiasco. So please, try to understand my frustration as well. I need to know every bit of detail you can tell me as to what happened to your group last night. Perhaps it will shed light on some much needed answers. You do want answers, do you not?"

The girl pouts for a moment, eyes red and face dirty with grime, but proceeds to sigh in resignation. Colleen still finds it hard to believe that such a youth could be so proficient with using both magic and blade work. "I've already told you everything that I can remember. Vaughn and I were having a hard time trying to destroy that thing. The four liches bound to it were very powerful and it was all we could do to defend ourselves. While we tried to figure out how to destroy the thing and defend ourselves at the same time, we felt a massive explosion from the top of the hill and the entire area we were in was bathed in a bright light. It disoriented us. When we did manage to get our bearings straight, we tried to look at the top of the hill to see what was going on. But before we could get a good look, an intense bolt of arcane energy slammed into the orb, completely destroying it in a massive explosion. We were caught in that explosion. The last thing I remember is being thrown off my feet and seeing Vaughn fly by me, slamming into a nearby boulder as I followed him only seconds later."

Colleen sighs. "Are you sure there's nothing else?" she asks in an almost desperate tone. "You saw nothing before the artifact was destroyed? Please, Starla. Any detail you can dig up could be very valuable."

The young battle mage looks her straight in the eye, green eyes filled with resentment. Her eyes are red from mourning her dead comrades. She also looks grimy. Her once lustrous dark brown hair looks unkempt and dark lines has formed under her eyes. The loss has hit her hard. Colleen suddenly feels a pang of guilt for putting the young woman through her interrogations so soon after the loss, but she has no choice. Any information she can get from her and Vaughn, any at all that would shed some light into what happened that night could help her in figuring out what happened to Kristov and the Bhaalspawn and perhaps tell her who their enemies are. The girl sighs in resignation and goes into deep thought, going through her memories of that horrible night. Her eyes suddenly lights up. "Wait. I do remember seeing someone before the artifact was destroyed."

Colleen's heart skips a bit. "Yes? Was it the Bhaalspawn?"

The young woman's brow furrows in concentration. "I'm not sure. It was too far away. She looked like Lauranna though, since she was dressed in those rags. But something about her features was different. Something about the way she stood and her expression. And also, the hair was different. Lauranna had golden hair. That woman had deep red hair, like the color of blood." She pauses for a moment, trying to see if there's anything else. She looks up at Colleen and shakes her head. "That's it. That's all I can remember."

Colleen sighs. Instead of finding answers, more questions pop up. Who was this redheaded woman? Is she one of the Bhaalspawn's companions? Perhaps the ring hid more than the Bhaalspawn said. More questions in need of answers. "What a mess."

Her own recollection of last night is a blur. She remembers being frustrated at Kristov's stubbornness. She remembers fearing what the Bhaalspawn was planning. Several minutes had gone by since the Bhaalspawn had casted a spell to stop time within the area and the first signs of battle from the top of the hill emerged. She was helping with shoring up their failing defenses and destroying as much of the undead as she can when the same bright light Starla witnessed emanated from the top of the hill. Seconds later, a massive explosion resonated from somewhere behind the hill and a wave of foul energy cascaded through the battlefield, a wave that destroyed all the undead surrounding them and threw the living off their feet, even knocking some unconscious. She remembers seeing a second explosion from the top of the hill, an explosion of pure magical energy. She remembers panicking at that moment. She pushed herself up from being knocked down and rushed up the hill as fast as she could, with Dorn close behind her. When they got up the hill, all that remained were the bodies of Starla's friends and the telltale signs that a magical doorway was opened recently.

She was so deep in thought that Starla's sudden demand startled her. "Can I go now? I'd like some rest before I leave this place."

Colleen quickly recovers and pauses for a moment, but could not think of any more questions to ask. She's tired as well, having had little to no sleep since last night. She sighs. But there is one other thing though. She's heard that what's left of the mercenaries and adventurers the queen hired to bolster their army are now planning on leaving. Morale is low and most see no point in staying, with the army in taters and their quarry gone along with the leader of the army. Perhaps she can do something about this. "You can go, but before you do, I would like to ask one last favor." Starla doesn't say anything, but looks at her patiently. "I know that you and Vaughn will be leaving the army. I also know that the other mercenaries are planning the same. I ask that you stay. I may need your help."

The young woman thinks for a moment. When she finally decided to talk, her voice is filled with hesitation. "I don't know. Vaughn seems to have made up his mind. He wants to return to Waterdeep, says he's had enough of losing friends. He invited me to come with him, says I have a bright future in Waterdeep. He says he might be able to get me into one of the academies for magic."

Colleen looks deep into Starla's eyes. "But what do you want?"

The young woman pauses for a moment before answering, eyes locked with hers. "I want to avenge them."

Colleen mentally sighs in relief. "I want that as well, Starla. Please, convince Vaughn for me. We all want vengeance for what happened. Perhaps talk to the other adventurers as well, convince them to stay. There is still, after all, the second part of your payment from the queen herself."

The young woman's eyes harden. "No. The gold doesn't matter to me anymore. I just want to kill the monster that did this. I will try to convince Vaughn to stay. He can be reasoned with. Plus, I know that deep inside, he also wants vengeance. I'll also talk to the other adventurers. I can't promise anything though. They seem to be set on leaving."

Colleen's eyes soften for the young woman and she smiles warmly at her. "Thank you, Starla. That's all I can ask for. Now go and get something to eat. And clean yourself up. It's getting dark and you need rest. You need to take better care of yourself." Starla nods and gets up from her stool. She turns to leave the tent, eyes filled with determination. As she watches the young woman go, Colleen lets out a sigh. She hopes she can muster up the same determination within herself. Many lives are counting on her right now, Kristov among them. "Kristov, you fool, you pigheaded fool," she thought in frustration.

She stands up and decides to get out of the tent wanting some fresh air after spending almost the entirety of the day in it interrogating Vaughn and Starla. She walks out and is greeted by a busy but otherwise silent camp. The only noises she could hear are the moans of the injured or the dying. There is a level of gloom in the air that seems thick enough to smother what hope is left. Less than half of the Tethyrian soldiers remain and most of them are injured. Out of the ten wizards under her charge, only three are left. Of the seven that died, three of them were her closest friends and confidants. The mercenaries fared better, but not by much. Out of the hundred that accompanied the army, only about forty-eight are left. The priests though suffered the most loss by comparison. Only one remained out of the seven. After the undead had broken through and chaos started to reign within the living ranks, they targeted the priests immediately, seeing them as the greater threat despite the fact that the priests' ability to turn undead was curiously ineffective that night. The priests could not fight back effectively after holding the barrier that kept the attacks from the undead army at bay for so long.

One other disturbing thing that has been lingering in her mind since last night is the way Starla's companions died. The Halfling woman looked like she died suddenly and without any form of mutilation, but the other two were bloated and covered with black veins. They were barely recognizable. News was brought to her just this morning by one of the soldiers looking through the dead for survivors. It seems that some of the soldiers and mercenaries were found in the same state as two of Starla's friends. It's clearly poison and a potent one at that. This is strange since none of the weapons from any of the undead were found to be poisoned. She even inspected them herself. She will have to examine the bodies further though to be sure. Did their enemies employ assassins? If so, who were their targets? Was it the Bhaalspawn or was it Kristov? She sighs. More questions added to the pile.

While still pondering on their dire situation, Colleen notices a young man running towards her tent. Upon a closer look, she realizes he looks to be one of the scouts she sent out this morning to look for any signs of Kristov and the Bhaalspawn. Her heart starts to beat faster. Did they find something? Not able to contain herself, she starts to make her way towards the young man with haste, determined to meet him halfway. Some of the resting soldiers notice the commotion and starts to slowly move towards the scout. She manages to reach him ahead of them though. "Well? Did you find anything?" she demanded.

The young man takes a moment to catch his breath. He must have run a long way. Colleen could barely maintain her patience. After what seemed like an eternity, the boy finally manages to speak, although in a breathless manner. "My lady, we found some odd tracks half a day's ride north from here. The tracks look to be that of a horse, but larger and heavier. The imprints were also burned into the grass. They look fresh and they seem to be heading roughly northwest. Jarith, the one with me, decided he'd follow the tracks and leave behind signs for us to follow."

Colleen's eyes widen in alarm. "What?! He went ahead to track them alone? Is he an idiot? Has he forgotten what our enemies are capable of?"

The young soldier panics and quickly tries to explain his fellow's actions nervously. "My lady, you don't have to worry! Jarith's a fine tracker! That he is! He won't get caught, I swear. He's a veteran and he's never been caught. He says tracking them could be important. He says he'll maintain a safe distance if he finds them. He also says he'll report back to us as soon as he finds out where they're headed."

Colleen is still annoyed, but there's no helping it. She hopes this Jarith is as good as he says. In any case, imprints burned on the ground would mean a nightmare. It must be from the necromancer and the death knight that attacked them. Northwest? That's roughly in the direction of Darromar. Are they heading for the capital? Why? "Anything else? Were there any signs of the Bhaalspawn or Kristov?"

"No, my lady, only the tracks. There were some humanoid tracks, but they belonged to only one person. There was also a lot of blood. Whoever it was must be injured, gravely."

Colleen takes a moment to think. Northwest. They could be tracking the Bhaalspawn. They must have found some way to track her. Perhaps a trace spell they placed on her before she disappeared along with Kristov. But this is only a theory. They could be heading for the capital. If so, why? In any case, they will need to follow those tracks. "Good work, soldier. Rest for now. We will move out as soon as we can."

She turns to the rest of the gathered soldiers and was surprised to find Dorn behind her. She hadn't noticed his arrival. He looks worn. The lines under his eyes indicate he hasn't slept at all since the battle. Right now, his eyes looks intense though despite the deep tiredness in them. She opens her mouth to give him instructions, but he doesn't give her a chance. "Only half a day's ride, huh? Good. I'll spread the word. We'll break camp as soon as possible. They can't have gone far, seeing as they are injured."

It's clear to Colleen that he isn't dealing well with Kristov's disappearance. It also doesn't help that out of the three lieutenants, he's the only one that survived. She adopts a stern look and raises herself to her full height in preparation for the coming argument. Dorn Salvador is notoriously stubborn, even more so than Kristov. A good soldier, but still stubborn. "No. We will not break camp this late in the day. We cannot go stumbling in the dark with half of our surviving army barely able to stand. And injured or not, our enemies are still dangerous."

Dorn growls at her. She could practically hear his teeth gritting. "Listen here, wizard. As of right now, I am the highest commanding officer left in the army. I am in command here. We will break camp now and follow those tracks. Do you understand?"

He turns to go, but her voice stops him in his tracks. "Have you forgotten what Kristov told us before the battle started, Dorn? I believe he said that if he was to fall that I would be in charge."

Dorn doesn't turn around. He remains silent, which means this could get dangerous. The soldiers around them are tense. They look at the lieutenant, nervously waiting for his reply. After what seemed like an eternity, Dorn finally breaks the silence and his voice sounds dangerous. "He's not here, is he?"

Despite her outside appearance of confidence, Colleen is a little nervous. She's never heard Dorn like this before. She shakes off the feeling and manages to reply without sounding nervous. "You plan on disobeying him then? Very well, go ahead and break camp. Let's see how far you get in the dark with half our people still battered and bruised. Let's see what Kristov has to say if you do find him and he sees how reckless and stupid you've been." Dorn visibly quivers at every word. He doesn't say anything after the tirade. The soldiers around them seem to be frozen in place, too afraid to move perhaps. After a few moments, she slowly approaches Dorn and gently places a hand on his arm. She could feel his muscles tense. His eyes are like burning coals. She lowers her voice. "Dorn, please, we need to work together. I cannot do this alone. I want to find him as well. You know that. But we cannot be reckless about it. The soldiers and the mercenaries need rest. We will only lose more ground and people if we make a move now."

After several seconds, Dorn relaxes and lets out a deep sigh. "Very well, we will rest for now." And with that, he begrudgingly walks away.

Colleen mentally lets out a sigh of relief as he watches Dorn go. Good. She's given Starla and herself more time to convince the rest of the mercenaries to stay. She then turns to the rest of the soldiers. "The rest of you, get back to your duties. We need to recuperate as fast as we can if we are to gain some ground." The soldiers slowly goes back to whatever they were doing, murmuring amongst themselves as they go.

As the small crowd melts away, they reveal Gideon who, apparently, was at the back of the crowd all this time, listening to the confrontation. He shuffles slowly towards Colleen with his characteristic stoop and with hands behind his back. Gnarled old Gideon has always been odd to Colleen, but she doesn't really know much about him, other than the fact that he's very good at politicking. She's also heard odd and outlandish rumors here and there, but nothing that concerned her or her work in the academy. It was only when she joined this mission that she started to really pay attention to the unassuming old man. And her observations of him have piqued her interest. She sees now why the King and Queen would take him on as an adviser. He's no ordinary politician. Those old and tired eyes hide a keen and observant mind, like a hawk watching its prey. His posture is deceptive as well. He may have a stoop, but his stance speaks of confidence. Arrogance, even. She will need to watch him closely. There is still the question of who betrayed them after all.

As the old man approaches, he offers her a warm smile. He starts to speak in his characteristic dry tone. "Good afternoon, Archmage Colleen." He then blinks his eyes and takes a look around him and at the darkening sky. "Or should I say good evening? My, how time flies."

She eyes him curiously. "And a good evening to you too, Councilman. I trust you are well? You look about ready to fall with fatigue."

The councilman sighs before replying in his dry voice. "Yes, I am. I've spent the entire night helping with the wounded. Sadly, some didn't make it."

Colleen sighs as she turns to look at the nearby soldiers resting. She could hear groans of pain among them. "Yes, it's been a long day for all of us."

The councilman moves in beside her. "Yes, very disheartening. But we must not lose faith. We still have our orders."

"Yes. I know. As you've heard, our scouts have found some tracks we can follow. Hopefully, those tracks will lead to some much needed answers," she discreetly looks at the councilman from out the corner of her eye. "Like who betrayed us."

The councilman scoffs. "Every soldier here is loyal, of that I am certain. The mercenaries were screened meticulously by my own agents. None here would ever betray Queen Zaranda."

Colleen is skeptical. "Really? Because this really looks like a well-laid trap to me, like someone informed them to wait for us here, at this exact location. I've already ruled magic out as a way of tracking our movement, since me and the rest of my charges were extra vigilant in watching out for such spells. This leads me to believe that some of us here were secretly feeding them information through other means."

"My dear, if you remember correctly, we encountered a lot of merchants within the desert. Any one of them could have informed our enemies. Not to mention any number of vagabonds could have spotted us while we were on the move."

"But to know exactly where to wait for us? I find that hard to believe considering that we were following no particular path. We backtracked not once, but twice since leaving the desert. No, Gideon. Someone was feeding our enemies information on our exact location."

"And you think one of us here is the culprit?"

She turns to look directly at the gnarled councilman. "I know for a fact that you were the one that convinced Queen Zaranda to spare the Bhaalspawn's life. She was set on having her hunted down and killed. You protested and convinced her to do otherwise. Why?"

The councilman chuckled at the accusation in her voice. "You think I betrayed our location? How exactly did I do it, my dear?"

"When all this started, no one was allowed to send out any form of message as a way to ensure the secrecy of the mission. You were the only one authorized by Kristov to do so, but only to inform Queen Zaranda of our progress and nothing else. You sent out a message the night we captured the Bhaalspawn. Who knows how many more you've sent out since then and to who? Too bad the hawk master is dead. Otherwise, I could have interrogated him quite thoroughly on this."

"I see. You know what I think? I think you are the traitor, Colleen."

Colleen's eyes widen at the blunt accusation. "Me?" She scoffs.

"Yes, you and your colleagues. After all, you did say you were the ones who were keeping us all safe from any form of divinations. How do I know you were doing exactly what you said you were doing, instead of sending the enemy our exact location, hmm?"

Colleen was already fuming by the time Gideon finished speaking. She's about ready to cast a spell to dig into the mind of the councilman right then and there for even thinking of accusing her or her charges. But she forces herself to calm down instead. She understands exactly what the councilman is trying to say. "I'm sorry, Gideon. I'm just tired. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. You're right. We could have been found in any number of ways. Pointing fingers now would be counterproductive to our situation."

The councilman chuckles again. "It is good to know that you can control that temper of yours. I was about ready to run as far away from you as possible with the way you were looking at me just now. In any case, there is nothing to forgive. We are all tired and on edge after what happened."

She sighs. "Yes. It's best we focus on finding the Bhaalspawn and Kristov instead of giving in to paranoia."

"You are quite right, my dear. On that note, I believe I may have found a way for us to do that. It might be more reliable than, let's say, following some tracks that could lead to our deaths."

Colleen is genuinely curious and looks expectantly at Gideon. "Really? Why didn't you say this from the start? You could have lead with it, you know."

Colleen didn't think the councilman's voice could get any drier, but apparently she's wrong. "My dear, I was going to tell you, but then you started accusing me of being a traitor, remember?"

Colleen tries to retain a semblance of calm before speaking. "I'm sorry. What have you found?"

The councilman continues on dryly. "Well, a little while ago, I was trying to get more bandages and herbs from what's left of our supplies. After getting proper permission from the quartermaster, I rummaged through some sacks and crates when I heard a hiss. I had the sense to duck and was lucky enough to avoid an attack from a fairy dragon. Tymora must have blessed me today considering that I was able to catch it using one of the empty sacks before it could get away."

Colleen could barely contain the excitement from her voice. "The Bhaalspawn's familiar! Where is it now?"

"I rushed to one of your surviving colleagues and I told him to keep it safe while I inform you of my find. I think his name is Darren. I left them in a tent near the quartermaster."

This is very fortunate indeed! Now, they potentially have two leads in finding Kristov and the Bhaalspawn. She is curious though. How come it stayed here? She remembers putting it in a magically sealed cage, intending for it to be a hostage to give the Bhaalspawn incentive to not betray them. She then remembers giving the cage to Danielle, one of her charges, for safekeeping. When she found Danielle among the dead last night and the cage crushed open, she had thought the familiar would be long gone by then. Why is it still here? Did the Bhaalspawn plan all of this, to use her familiar as a spy? No matter. She can't use it now. But Colleen can. Done right, she could use the familiar to trace its mistress's location. "Yes. It's possible. It might be difficult, but it can be done."

She notices the councilman looking troubled for some reason. "You're going to use it to track Lauranna down. I'm no mage, but I have a feeling it might not be very pleasant for the familiar."

Yes. That's true. It's going to be painful for the familiar in question. It might even die after all this is done, but only if it doesn't 'cooperate' per se. It could try to deny her access to the bond it shares with its mistress. If it does, well, she's done torture before. If it means finding out where Kristov is, she's ready to do it. She is ready to do anything to keep her promise. "Alyssa, I will keep your son safe. This I swear," she whispers to herself.

From the lower branches of a tall tree within the encampment, a large owl watches on as Colleen and Gideon start to walk towards the quartermaster's area. Unbeknownst to the two, the owl has been listening intently for some time now. It takes a moment to consider whether or not it should follow Colleen and Gideon, but finally decides to not do so. It hoots before it silently flies off into the distance towards the battlefield. As soon as it's far enough from the encampment and away from prying eyes, the owl suddenly changes into a small falcon. It increases its speed as it continues eastward towards the desert. In its haste, it doesn't notice a shadow lurking among the bushes near the battlefield, watching it fly by.

A shadow lurks within the shrubbery. He notices an owl fly overhead. As he watches it with interest, the owl suddenly changes into another type of bird. A falcon. It increases its speed as it heads eastwards towards the desert. The shadow growls in frustration. He should have killed it when he had the chance. Those fools still in the desert would have had a harder time following if he had killed it. His reactions are getting muddled. His hands are quivering. His heart is pounding within his chest. He's finding it harder to focus after last night's fiasco. Foiled again!

When they had found their prey in the middle of the army of Tethyrian soldiers, the battle was already at full swing. The air was thick with rage and the scent of blood. It was difficult making their way through the chaos of the battlefield unseen. He even had to take out a few of the mercenaries and soldiers just to get to his prey. When they did finally get close enough, something happened. The air seemed to ripple and all of a sudden, his prey is gone. A moment later, there was an explosion at the top of the hill. He quickly raced through the army and up the hill. Despite being delayed by the undead, he managed to get near the top. He noted the others made it through the chaos as well. He signaled them to create a perimeter near the top of the hill in order to prevent anyone from escaping. He wanted her all to himself. The others obeyed, knowing what awaited them if they even hesitated to do so. He was so close he could smell his prey's scent. He was so close he could feel the warmth of her skin. He was almost there when a bright light washed over him and blinded him. Time seemed to stop. He heard a voice as smooth as silk say something he could not completely understand. It took time for him to recover…time she used to escape! When he did finally recover and found that his prey was nowhere to be seen, he almost howled in frustration at that moment. His rage filled him to the brink of insanity that he lashed out at whoever was left alive on that hill. He didn't bother to look at who it was he killed that night. They didn't matter. What mattered is that she escaped again!

When the others found out what had happened, he had already retreated off somewhere in rage. He could practically feel their surprise and the judging eyes that followed. All knew he has never failed before. All knew his reputation of success. But they also know of his brutality and his sadistic nature. None dared to voice out the failure. If they had, he would have slit their throat and cut out their tongue before they could finish a sentence.

Right now, none of them have any idea where to begin searching for their prey. The others are currently hiding within the encampment listening for any news as to where she is. He, on the other hand, has decided to stay near the battlefield. Currently, the smell of blood and decay seem to calm him better than the scent of unwashed bodies and the sound of the dying. Last night's failure has affected him deeper than the others know. His hands are constantly shaking. His movements seem lethargic. It's hard to keep focused. He knows anything will set him off right now, so he left the others to do the reconnaissance work. It would not do if he lost composure completely and go on a bloodbath in the middle of that army. It's been too long since he's had a warm body to ravage.

Suddenly, he notices movement among the corpses in the battlefield. He quickly stills himself, focusing on a particularly large mound of decaying corpses nearby. A moment passes and a pale and slender hand suddenly emerges from beneath the pile of corpses. Whoever it is, it's struggling to get out from underneath the pile of death. When it finally manages to get out, he realizes that it's one of the mercenaries seeing as it's not wearing a standard Tethyrian uniform or armor. It's a woman with short crop golden hair. Her clothes are bloodied and torn. When she finally manages to stand, he notices that she's clutching her abdomen and is limping. She's severely injured. He quickly takes a look around to see if any of the soldiers and mercenaries is still looking through the corpses for their dead. None seem to be within the immediate vicinity. Like a viper, he strikes quickly. He musters all the focus he has left and rushes out of the shrubbery he's been hiding in for the better part of the day. He unleashes one of his poisoned daggers, the one with his special poison. The woman doesn't know what hit her. He slices her leg a little and he grabs her as she begins to fall to the ground. With her limp body in tow, he quickly makes his way back to his hiding place. She may not be who he truly desires right now, but she will have to do. Finally, all that pent up frustration that has been gnawing at his sanity will finally be released. Oh, the sweet release.