Chapter LIV: Equilibrium

"Perhaps I should improve the security of my monastery. I had suspected that fool Faheed held a key… maybe I should have had him rounded up with the last arrests."

The Bhaalspawn monk Balthazar had looked supremely unsurprised when the party had stumbled into the chamber from the stairway that had lead up from the crypts of Amkethran, and for the first time Harrian realised that their arrival might not have been as entirely stealthy as he had assumed it would be.

The monastery was, as he had imagined, decorated simply, though this did not undermine the truly grand architecture of the building. Balthazar's audience chamber, where they had finally found themselves, was a huge, grand room, with a tall ceiling and a worrying number of pillars Harrian fancied he could see monks lurking behind.

Balthazar himself stood at the top of a small stairwell leading up to the simple, but imposing seat – was throne the right word, Harrian wondered? – of the head monk.

"A bit late for that, Balthazar." Harrian stepped forward, towards the Bhaalspawn, keenly keeping an eye on the movement lurking in the shadows of the chamber and reassured that the other six were as well. "Your secret's out. I know you were working with Abazigal and Sendai. I know you're the last member of the Five."

Balthazar raised an eyebrow, his expression impassive as he slowly began to descend the stairs. Harrian wished he could draw his sword without kicking off a fight straight away; he still needed answers. "It may seem that way, truly." Balthazar nodded. "But, in reality, I have been plotting their demise ever since Melissan recruited me into the Five."

There was a slight twitch of surprise from the others, and Harrian fought to keep his expression calm. "Melissan?"

"Indeed." Balthazar seemed almost amused at the surprise he had caused. "Melissan recognized the taint of Bhaal within me, just as she recognized it in Sendai, Abazigal, Yaga-Shura, and Illasera." His eyes narrowed slightly, and he regarded Harrian evaluatingly. "Just as she recognized it in you."

Harrian blinked. "And… if you wanted to wipe out the Five, why did you join?" He was more confused than challenging, at this point.

Balthazar shrugged. "Melissan lured me with promises of power and glory, but I followed her for a different reason. Only by joining the Five could I discover who the others were – and plot their demise."

"And you used us to get rid of them?" Imoen asked, stepping forwards, breaking the party's defensive formation as curiosity overrode safety. "Pointed us in the direction of your so-called allies so they could be wiped out without breaking your cover?"

Balthazar nodded, almost approvingly. "Well, it is not as if I was the only one to be plotting the demise of my allies. We all knew we would stand more of a chance working together and winning by deception than an outright offensive. It was not an ingenious ruse on my part."

"And Melissan. What about her?" Jaheira said, though she was still standing with her back to the conversation, in the small circle the party had formed to keep an eye on the monks lurking in the shadows. "Why would she gather the Five only to plot their destruction? If she wanted you removed as threats to the Realms, then why would she give you such strength of unity?"

"I know not," Balthazar admitted. "But ultimately, she and I both have what we want. Thanks to you, Harrian, the rest of the Five are dead. Though I do not doubt that I will have to deal with Melissan on my own terms, now."

"And once we're dead you can get around to resurrecting a dead God. Or do you want Bhaal's power for yourself? It's hard to keep track of which ambitions people follow," Harrian said, his voice wry.

Balthazar again looked surprised. "I have no such designs. Bhaal's taint is an evil blight upon this world. Why should I wish to bring the Lord of Murder back into existence? You know, only too well, of the chaos he can wreak." He nodded slowly. "Yes, although you were speedy indeed, word has already reached me of the battle in the desert. Of what Bhaal did there."

"So how is killing me going to stop Bhaal from coming back? We should be working together, if you're telling the truth, finding out what Melissan's done!" Harrian snapped, his hand going down to his sword hilt instinctively.

"Once all the Children of Bhaal are exterminated, Harrian, the Realms will be wiped clean of his tainted existence. When I know that I am the last, I shall perform a ritual suicide. Bhaal's taint shall be locked away forever, and his evil shall die with me, never to return." Balthazar finally looked somewhat sympathetic. "This is for the good of the Realms."

Harrian stared in disbelief. "You're asking me to voluntarily give myself up, allow myself to just be killed?"

"For the good of the Realms," Balthazar repeated. "You know what Bhaal can do. You've seen what he has done. I am truly certain that the last of the Bhaalspawn alive stand only in this room. We can lock the taint away forever, keep the God of Murder truly dead. It is a sacrifice that could safe Toril!"

Imoen shifted a little. "Some of your monks are Bhaalspawn," she said. It wasn't a question.

Balthazar nodded. "Before I truly understood the true depths of the Lord of Murder's evil, I travelled to find youths imbued with his taint. I thought I could raise them free of their father's sway. We are more controlled men than most Bhaalspawn, but I realised before long that this would not be a universal solution. We are all willing to die so that Bhaal will be locked away."

Harrian stared at the floor. "If you kill me… kill Imoen… kill your monks… and you then commit the ritual suicide… Bhaal will be gone forever?" he mumbled. Imoen looked slightly sick, but didn't argue.

Balthazar stepped over. "A sacrifice for the realms," he said quietly, sympathetically. "You have seen what evil Bhaal has been doing. You yourself have struggled for control. Do you know how you would stop Bhaal, once you killed me?"

"No," Harrian admitted. "I just knew that you were one of the Five and so needed to die."

"Don't listen to him," Sarevok said at last, his expression stony, glancing around with only a mild concern as ten monks stepped out of the shadows and approached, subtly encircling them all. "He's not just one of the Five, he's one of the Eight. This isn't how the Prophecy has decreed the Bhaalspawn Saga would be resolved."

"Screw the Prophecies! We can end it all here, now!"

"You want to die, Harrian?" Anomen asked dubiously. "Imoen?"

Imoen glanced away. "I don't want to die. But… it's inevitable… is this a way to solve it?"

Sarevok scowled, glaring at Harrian. "You are being a coward. This is the easy way out so you do not have to battle through Bhaal's taint and end this a better way. You get your heroic sacrifice, you get to save the Realms, and you don't have to live." He looked at the approaching monks. "You should not be throwing life away so carelessly."

The monk approaching Sarevok hardly had time to react as the huge warrior reached up to grab his greatsword, swinging it over his back and bringing it down in a two-handed blow that struck the young man in the shoulder, splitting him in two.

And then the idea of a peaceful resolution by collective suicide ended.

Harrian, too, was not quick enough to react as Balthazar retaliated against Sarevok's attack. The Bhaalspawn monk lashed out instantly with an open palm that struck Harrian in the chest, and he felt the wind get knocked out of him as he was sent flying backwards across the chamber, landing flat on his back on the polished stone floor with a thump.

The monks were unarmed, but deadly fast with their hands and their feet. Jaheira found herself locked into an unending pattern with the opponent she was facing, every blow she aimed at him with her scimitars being deflected with a whack on the flat of the blade, or simply dodged. Next to her, Reynald was in a defensive mode, having not even had time to draw his sword before a pair of monks had set upon him, and he found himself having to knock aside fists and feet with the gauntlets, though it was not a process he was having a huge amount of success with.

Imoen, too, had been forced to draw her short sword in the close range of this fight, and was engaging a youthful monk faster than any of his peers in a struggle that consisted mostly of both of them moving like blurs to avoid the blows of each other. Behind her, Sarevok was having less luck with his fighting style relying more on brute strength than speed, and the monk he had engaged in combat was effectively running circles around him as he swung his heavy blade ineffectively. Anomen, too, was being forced to use the advantage that was a shield to block incoming blows from feet and hands, on the defensive rather than fighting back.

Harrian was struggling to regain his breath as he took in all of this, and with the fire in his ribs as his lungs filled up each time with life-giving air, he had to recognise the fact that something was broken. His hand came down to one of the healing potions at his belt, which he gulped down painfully but gratefully, before taking in the rest of the scene.

He had to reason, as he clambered to his feet, that the only one of the party who was displaying any kind of real success against these opponents was Haer'Dalis. The remaining four monks had encircled the bard, who was standing with both Chaos and Entropy drawn, moving like a blur as he whirled around to deflect every incoming blow. No hit was making it through his wall of blades, and every now and again he would lash out to strike one of the opponents, usually only with a light injury, but clearly doing them more damage than they were doing him.

Harrian couldn't remember Haer'Dalis ever fighting like that before. But Balthazar didn't give him time to consider this as the monk leapt over the rest of the fighting to land before Harrian, striking out with his fist again in a blow that the Bhaalspawn thief only just had time to dodge.

The Equaliser came out and into his hand, and Harrian took a few steps back to win space, knowing he would have the reach of his blade if he kept Balthazar at bay. His left hand came beside his back, he straightened up, and lifted his sword slightly, in a classic duellist pose.

The fighting from there was fast and furious, and primarily defensive on Harrian's part. Balthazar couldn't hurt him provided he kept the reach of his blade, but should the monk get past this protective perimeter he would be able to land devastating blows Harrian would be unable to deflect.

Reynald was already down, having been beaten into submission by his two opponents, but Jaheira had finally despatched hers, and was now faring far better against the two monks who had defeated the fallen paladin.

Meanwhile, Anomen and Sarevok had formed a twosome of brute strength, Anomen defending against blows as Sarevok lashed out. As Harrian spared them a glance, the two of them exchanged a brief look before charging one monk, their collective bulk slamming into the rather small and wiry young man who had been unable to dodge a combined weight of almost four hundred pounds, and was beaten into submission the moment they had been able to physically grasp him.

Imoen's lightning-fast fight against the young monk who had to be another 'lesser' Bhaalspawn was still ongoing, her blade giving her reach but his training giving him speed. But finally there was Haer'Dalis, still a whirling defensive frenzy of swords. One of his opponents was already down on the floor, and this only meant that the bard could focus his attention far more easily upon the remaining three monks, giving back as many blows as they were trying to hit him with.

Harrian was in something of a stale-mate against Balthazar, maintaining his defence and keeping the monk at bay, but unable to land a single blow himself – every time he struck at the other Bhaalspawn, he either dodged quickly or knocked the attack to one side with a tap to the flat of the blade, and tried to break through the defences.

Jaheira had finally had a chance to get some spells off, and as her skin darkened and grew more solid with nature's aid, she threw herself almost recklessly at one of her monk opponents, shrugging off all of his blows and able to strike him down with an attack that would have been almost suicidal without magical assistance.

Anomen and Sarevok were fending off their last opponent with a primarily defensive stance, but Haer'Dalis was now only one against two, his twin blades speckled with flecks of blood. And, behind them all, was Imoen, still locked in the fight against her Bhaalspawn opponent.

Balthazar froze when that fight was suddenly ended with an inexplicably fast slash from Imoen that struck her opponent in the chest. The wound was light, but blood was drawn, and it sent the monk staggering for a moment – long enough for Imoen to run the young man through.

Harrian felt as if someone had punched him in the gut, and from glances it looked as if Balthazar and Imoen felt the same. The head monk stumbled before him, his eyes wide, before he fixed Harrian with a desperate glare. "No! That was… the last of the children…"

"What? We're still here!" Harrian snapped, faltering with surprise for a moment.

Not a very long moment, it transpired, as Anomen and Sarevok appeared almost simultaneously behind the Bhaalspawn monk. A greatsword swung across at chest height, and a huge mace came crashing down, aiming at a skull. Both blows were strong and fast enough that only dust hit the ground.

The fight had suddenly gone from tough and well-matched to over, in a matter of seconds.

Harrian spat a curse. "Damn it! There were still… answers!" he snapped, more instinctively and out of frustration than real anger.

Anomen took a step back, looking slightly tentative. "Should we have left you to discuss in the middle of a battle?"

Harrian paused, frowning. "No, I… sorry." He sighed. "Thank you. I only…" But the sentence was left unfinished as, again, he found himself pitted into deep, familiar blackness.