"To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in the suffering."
-Friedrich Nietzche
Ralis woke up gasping for air, scrambling up to his feet and realizing that he is once again inside the glass chamber. He saw Irenicus, Bodhi, Yoshimo and the other man and woman looking at him with utter surprise in their eyes. Clearly they expected him to die after his Bhaalspawn soul has been taken, so they are obviously amazed that he survived.
"Well, you are a strong one indeed!" Irenicus smiled in amusement. "You resist beyond all reason!" After saying this, his amused smile faded away to the stern, callous scowl he usually has. "A pity you are dead on the inside."
Ralis coughed for a few seconds before speaking.
"You cannot turn me against myself. I have strengths that you cannot see," he said with confidence, though he couldn't deny that deep down, he felt strange.
He felt a numb, burning sensation deep within his chest. It wasn't painful, but it didn't feel good at all. He never felt this sensation before.
"I don't know what you faced while mired within the spell, but here in the world of the living, my plans have gone just as I wished," Irenicus told him.
"What do you mean? I still live," Ralis rebuked him.
Irenicus shook his head, faintly smirking with pride.
"I have drained you- drained you of the very thing that made you special. It is the worst of curses, and I should know," he said to Ralis.
Ralis had an idea. He tried using his best holy Bhaalspawn power, Call Upon Holy Might, but nothing happened. He lost his Bhaalspawn powers. He lost them all. Irenicus took it all!
"What do you intend, Irenicus? What are you up to now?" Ralis asked, hoping to get some information from him because he had a feeling that stealing his Bhaalspawn soul is only part of his scheme.
Irenicus shook his head once, refusing to take Ralis' bait.
"No, you warrant no villain's exposition from me. You are barely sentient now, I have taken your very divinity and drained you of your soul," Irenicus rebuffed him, then he approached the glass chamber once more. "The curse that was wrought against Bodhi and I has now ceased, and yours has begun. You will wither, you will wane, and you will die," Irenicus said coldly.
So my minor victory is short-lived... Damn it... Ralis cursed silently.
Irenicus turned his back on the glass chamber and descended down the stairs.
"Bodhi, remove this nothing... and Imoen as well. We are restored at their expense and need them no longer. Our revenge to come is now all the sweeter," Irenicus ordered as he walked past Yoshimo and Bodhi.
"As you would have it, my brother," Bodhi nodded.
Irenicus turned around to face Bodhi again just when he was eleven feet away from the only door out of this room.
"Of course. See to it as quickly as possible. I will tell our friends in the dark of our coming. We will plan our assault from here." Now Irenicus turned his attention to Ralis. "I bid you farewell, child of Bhaal, we shall not meet again," he said before walking away.
"Irenicus, you son of a bitch, I'm not done with you just yet! Just you... you..." Ralis exclaimed angrily, but his voice started to trail off because the burning inside his chest grew worse, causing him to black out.
Ralis struggled to open his eyes, they felt almost as heavy as lead, but still he tried to force them open until finally he succeeded. He found himself lying face up towards the ceiling. The ceiling is dark, he couldn't make out the features, so he sat up in a sitting position and noticed Imoen lying unconscious next to him, and he noticed Bodhi standing atop a platform elevated by a pillar, looking down at them. There is no way to get to her, no way Ralis could see, anyway. There are four wide stairways out of this room, one next to the elevated platform Bodhi is on, the other stairway is directly behind Ralis about 40 feet away, and another at the opposite end of the room to Ralis' left, and the last one is at the opposite end of the room to Ralis' right. On the brown marble floor in the middle of the room is three faces attached together inside a dark blue circle, the middle face facing forward, the one to the left facing the left, and the one to the right facing the right.
"And so your life does come to an end," Bodhi announced to Ralis in a seductively taunting manner, then she shook her head while clicking her tongue in mock pity for a few seconds. "A pity. You have proven resilient beyond all expectation. It is appealing to me. "
Ralis groggily stood up on his legs first before replying to Bodhi.
"Appealing enough that you should allow me to live?" Ralis asked because it doesn't make sense for the sister of Irenicus to be fascinated with him while Irenicus gave clear orders that Ralis and Imoen are to be disposed of.
Bodhi shook her head again then placed her hands on her hips.
"Not quite so much as that, though I am quite willing to postpone your death for the sake of my own goals."
Ralis wondered what she meant. Does she mean she has interests that clash with her brother's?
"What do you mean?" Ralis asked then briefly glanced down at Imoen and saw that she is still unconscious.
Bodhi crouched down with her pale legs spread apart and said:
"Your abilities have piqued my interest, and since you are to die, I would have you do it in an entertaining fashion." She paused there for a moment to sit down at the edge of the platform, then she crossed her right leg over her left leg, in an effort to get comfortable while conversing with Ralis. "Irenicus can be so dour when he wishes," she said in a bored tone, absentmindedly looking up at the ceiling. "He is set upon revenge for his banishment and can think of nothing else. A failing of his mind remaining flesh, I suspect."
Irenicus was banished? Where? Why? Ralis wondered, as that is new information to him.
He never bothered to ask Bodhi, knowing that she won't reveal any details when asked. She is only hinting his banishment to explain why she finds him too serious for comfort. Bodhi swiftly swept her legs clockwise away from dangling over the platform's edge, then she stood up on her legs, once again standing tall over Ralis down below.
"Undeath has given me focus, and in interest an the abilities of powerful creatures," Bodhi said almost seductively while slowly running her hands up her body from her waist to her chest, feeling every curve of her figure accentuated by her black leotard as she gently swayed her hips back and forth, and when she said the words "powerful creatures", her mind flashed back to Abdel Adrian, and the brief, yet fun fling they had together. "An interest in you. I will make your death glorious, as well as entertaining," she said the moment her hands touched the curves of her bust.
Ralis was not enthralled by her seductive movements at all.
"What do you have in mind?" He asked in a stern tone to let Bodhi know that he is not charmed at all.
Bodhi stopped feeling herself after she got the message in the tone of his voice.
"A game that you have no choice but to play. You will run my gauntlet, and you will do so because of the slim chance that you can make a difference. Do you see this passage before you?" Bodhi pointed at the stairs next to the platform she is on. "It is the darkest part of the asylum and its history: a test of clarity for its prisoners, by a director that delighted in dissecting the mind. Now he is under my... influence, and this place is mine to control. It is a masterpiece of madness, one that you will come to know intimately," she said smugly.
Great... This is a game of cat and mouse... Ralis thought glumly, then he put his hand on his chest and grimaced, feeling the heat stirring inside his body, making him feel somewhat sick.
"It has been some time since I have given chase to a worthy foe. Enter the maze of this place and seek an exit. I give you and your half sister time to run, after which I will come to feed. But you are not running solely for my benefit. I give you reason as well, to make the hunt more desperate. You may yet foil Irenicus, though the chance is small. His plans will take time, just about as long as my hunt. Run my gauntlet and your life ends... or is freed." She grinned, showing her fangs. "The hunt begins," she said, then threw down Ralis' swords, Kondar and Albruin to him before morphing into a bat and flying away.
After Bodhi departed, Ralis knelt down over Imoen and gently shook her, trying to wake her up.
"Imoen? Imoen, come on, wake up, we gotta go," he said.
Imoen's eyes fluttered open, and when she saw Ralis looking over, smiling, she gasped softly.
"Imoen! Are you all right?" He asked her.
"Am I all right? Are you all right?" Imoen asked him.
Ralis scoffed. "Who cares? Come here," he said with a relieved grin then he and Imoen embraced in a warm hug.
"I was so scared... You came all this way to get me, and we were almost... I'm sorry, Ralis, I was just so worried..."
Ralis released Imoen from his bear hug and helped her stand up on her feet.
"Never mind that. Are you hurt? What did he do to you?" Ralis asked her while helping her up on her feet.
Imoen opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out at first. Her lips trembled for a moment, though.
I... I don't know, really. Same thing he did to you, I guess... since we're... the same?" She managed to say.
Ralis nodded. "We are the same, Imoen. So is Abdel," he said.
Imoen's eyes widened briefly in surprise. "What? Really?" She shook her head. "Ralis, I need to tell you this. That man, he... he showed me what you are and... what I am. And then he took it away."
"He took your soul too?" Ralis asked her.
Imoen slowly shook her head, wincing in minor pain. "I don't know. I don't know who I am now, Ralis. You may not feel it yet, but the spell for me made me feel hollow. He took something vital... he says it was my divine soul? I find out I am a child of a god, and now I'm empty and dying. You are, too..."
Ralis shook his head and placed both of his hands on Imoen's shoulders.
"We'll survive by helping each other, like you helped me in the dream during the spell," Ralis assured her.
Imoen frowned in confusion now.
"The dream? Ralis, I had no dream during my ritual. Just blackness, and my will draining away," Imoen said.
Ralis does not know this, but the Imoen who helped him overpower Bhaal in the dream was not really Imoen at all, it was his soul taking the form of Imoen in the dream, helping Ralis overcome his instinct to murder as a child of Bhaal, otherwise he would have died after his soul had been stolen by Irenicus. Because his instinct got subdued in the dream with the assistance of his soul, Ralis survived the ritual.
"Has this affected you differently from me?" Imoen asked Ralis as he wondered who was the other Imoen in the dream if it wasn't really her. "You have been dealing with the Bhaal essence longer... perhaps you are more focused," Imoen guessed.
Ralis almost immediately recalled what Jon Irenicus said to him earlier before the ritual of soul extracting began.
You are stronger, more focused, and you are "aware". You are aware, and she is not. That makes you more able to focus.
"... Or perhaps it is more focused on you," Imoen said ominously, her eyes showing worry and concern.
Ralis shook his head in a clueless manner.
"What do you mean? We are the same now that you are aware. Aren't we?" He asked, hoping that he isn't grasping straws.
Imoen shook her head slowly, not because she knows that isn't the case, but because she is unsure of what to firmly believe.
"I don't know. You have described something very different than what I experienced. Whatever the case, we are faced with a similar fate for our mortal selves. I have been getting weaker, Ralis, and it has only been a few days since they performed the ritual on me. If we don't reverse what was done... if we don't restore our souls... we will probably both die."
"Then we've no time to waste. Let's get out of this labyrinth, regroup with Minsc, Jaheira and the others and get out of this hellhole," Ralis suggested, then he grabbed his swords and placed them in their scabbards.
"Good," Imoen nodded, but she never smiled. "I have missed traveling with you, Ralis, even when times were bad."
Ralis felt relieved to hear Imoen say that. An entire year of working hard to raise enough money to pay for the assistance of the Shadow Thieves paid off even though in the end, the Shadow Thieves lost the guild war and Bodhi offered to take them to Spellhold. Ralis couldn't help wonder as he walked with Imoen towards the stairway on the opposite end of the room away from the stairs near the platform Bodhi stood on; would events have played out differently if the Shadow Thieves won the guild war instead? If they had assaulted successfully Bodhi's vampire guild with the assistance of Rais and his party and slayed Bodhi? Would events play out differently if Bodhi and her guild were defeated instead? The answers will forever elude Ralis. All he can do now is forget thinking about what could have happened and focus on trying to find a way to survive to make all this suffering worth living through.
As soon as Ralis and Imoen placed heir feet on the first step of the stairs, Ralis faltered from placing his right foot up on the next step of the stairs. He quickly became disoriented and dizzy from seeing the world around his eyes spinning without warning. Ralis groaned and collapsed, and he could barely feel Imoen grab him and gently lower him to the floor, and he could barely hear her calling his name in alarm. It felt like he is losing his connection with the world around him. All he is conscious of is the rushing of his blood, and the steadily increasing heat of his body, as if he is about to have a fever. The strange feeling passed after almost a minute and thirty seconds. Soon his eye vision became clearer, seeing Imoen kneeling over him, his ears started to pick up Imoen's voice calling his name, and his body heat lowered to normal levels.
"Ralis? Ralis! Are you all right? You looked really sick for a moment there. How are you feeling?" Imoen asked him.
"I don't know," Ralis said as he gradually stood up on his feet and wobbled a bit. "Have you felt any ill effects since the spell they cast on you?" He asked.
Imoen frowned with mild concern and she darted her eyes left and right as she thought over her condition carefully. "I've been getting weaker, I think, but it hasn't made me all that ill yet." After saying that, she focused her eyes on her half brother's eyes with worry. "You take care, all right? It's really odd that you are sick."
Ralis nodded to show that he understood. "Let's get going before Bodhi comes back," he said, reminding her that they are on a time limit.
They walked up the stairs, ascending 45 feet up off the floor level then they walked down the elevated passageway lit by two torches on the wall. About 15 feet down the torch lit corridor, Ralis and Imoen noticed to their right is a life-sized statue of a man with no shirt wearing a green striped turban standing on a round table, and up ahead in a small room with a tall ceiling is a 48 foot tall stone statue of a man's head with a thick beard wearing a strange hat that resembles a fez with red jewels on the rim of the hat.
"What is that?" Imoen asked Ralis as he carefully walked to the front of the statue.
Ralis stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"I don't know. But I've seen something like this before... Back in a temple Hexxat needed to go to," he said while cautiously stepping towards the statue's line of eyesight ahead of Imoen.
"Who is Hexxat?" Imoen frowned in confusion.
Before Ralis could reply, a voice boomed as soon as Ralis stepped in the statue's line of sight.
"Only builder may pass. His hand alone shall open the way once focus of power is restored," the voice from the statue announced.
Ralis looked back at Imoen.
"I think this statue is actually a door out of this place, but we need the hand of the builder to pass through," he told her.
Imoen shrugged. "I guess we have no choice but to find the builder and get his help whether he wants to or not," Imoen said.
Ralis and Imoen retraced their steps back to the room where they started, descended down the stairs and headed towards the stairway to their left, going up 45 feet off the ground level and entering the new elevated passageway. This corridor is lit with more torches on the walls, and branches off like the letter "Y". When Ralis and Imoen looked down the right passage, the could clearly see that it leads 12 feet down the hall towards a dead end to a small room that contains many pots and urns with elaborate designs and patterns on them, and rolled up carpet rugs. It quickly became clear to Ralis and Imoen that the left passageway is the way to go, and they followed it instead of going to the obvious dead end. A few feet down the hall they saw a door directly in front of them, and another door down a small corridor to their left. They chose to head towards the door down the small corridor. Ralis drew Kondar out of his scabbard in case they might run into an ambushing creature. He had to make sure nothing in the next room would ambush them, because Imoen has no weapons to defend herself for now. When Ralis opened the door with his free hand, he discovered that there is nothing in the next room, only a dusty treasure chest and many coffins lined up around the walls of the room.
"There's nothing here," Ralis informed Imoen after checking the room, then he closed the door.
They headed back out into the main hallway and headed for the door ahead of them. Then they opened the next door three feet ahead of them instead of going down the hall to their right towards the other door. Ralis peeked through the partially open door and saw that down the corridor, 12 feet away, there is a room that has a dimensional portal rippling like the surface of water guarded by seven ice mephits. Normally Ralis wouldn't be hesitant to take on some mephits, but without his entire party at his side and him still feeling a bit sick, he is not feeling confident right now.
"Nope...!" Ralis said, then quickly closed the door before one of the mephits spotted him.
Ralis turned to look at Imoen and said to her: "This way is off limits for now. Mephits aren't tough, but they have us seriously outnumbered."
Imoen noticed the other door down the hallway and pointed at it.
"Let's try that one over there," she suggested.
"Ralis nodded. If it leads anywhere unpleasant, we don't take our chances, we go back to the room we started," Ralis warned her.
They headed towards the door, went through it, and found themselves in a passageway that branches out in two directions as an outlined circle around a wall that has dozens of statues with wide, gaping mouths. When one of the statues requested Ralis and Imoen to put their hands into its mouth, Ralis and Imoen finally decided to retrace their steps back to the room they started in, and when they got there, they descended up the stairs next to the platform Bodhi stood on before, then they walked down a long passageway until they came to a "T" junction. They decided to go to the right and followed the corridor to the second section of the labyrinth.
"How did you find me?" Imoen asked Ralis as they walked down the torch lit hallway.
Ralis chuckled. "That, Imoen, is a long story, so I'll give you the short version." He stopped to clear his throat first. "After Irenicus took you away, Abdel got us in contact with a man named Gaelan Bayle. He promised that he will ask his friends to take me to Spellhold if we paid them a lot of gold pieces. Uh, 40,000 gold pieces, if I recalled correctly."
"Whoa! That's a lot!" Imoen exclaimed.
"Yeah. Anyway, I spent all year trying to earn that money, and I met some new faces, along with familiar faces like Neera and Viconia," Ralis replied.
Imoen blinked. "Neera is here?" She asked.
"Yeah, even Minsc and Jaheira. I also bumped into Rasaad and Dorn during my adventures in Amn... And, uh... you are not going to believe what I am going to tell you next," Ralis said as they came to a split passageway and decided to go down the right passage instead of the left.
"What? What happened?" Imoen wanted to know.
Ralis scratched the back of his head.
"I, uh... Viconia and I... fell in love," he hesitantly said.
Imoen's eyes widened. "What...? Did I just hear you right? You and Viconia...?"
Ralis nodded, blushing, and Imoen smiled, partially in disbelief.
"I don't believe it. Come on. You're pulling my leg. You and the cold-hearted drow together, smooching? I can't picture that happening," Imoen said.
At this point, Ralis and Imoen were coming towards an arch leading into an open space ahead.
"Well believe it, the unbelievable happened. I..." Ralis was looking at Imoen beside him as he was speaking and walking forward, but when he and Imoen turned their heads to look at what's a head of them, they saw that in the room ahead beyond the stone arch, there are five kobolds armed with shortbows preparing to shoot arrows at them!
"AH!" Ralis exclaimed, and Imoen gasped in surprise then they leaped for cover behind the left stone pillar of the arch just a mere split seconds before the arrows started flying at them, but fortunately none of the arrows hit them or grazed them.
Ralis and Imoen stayed in cover behind the protective pillar as the kobolds yipped and barked, firing another volley of arrows in their direction. Some arrows hit the stone pillar, other flew past the stone wall, giving Ralis and Imoen a quick glimpse of them as they flew by.
"Damn it! I wish Bodhi was generous enough to give me my longbow back!" Ralis cursed.
"You have nothing but those swords? Can't you use your Bhaalspawn powers to take them out?" Imoen asked.
"No! I can't even cast Heal Minor Wounds anymore!" Ralis shot back.
The kobolds barked and fired more arrows even though they could clearly see that Ralis and Imoen are not in their line of fire. Their goal is to discourage them from firing back with their own arrows, they don't know Ralis and Imoen don't have their own ranged weapons yet.
"What about you, Imoen? Haven't you memorized any spells?" Ralis asked her.
"Spells?" Imoen repeated.
"Yeah! Didn't Grand Duke Liia Jannath teach you anything while I was away at Dragonspear Castle?" Ralis replied.
Imoen pondered over her memories, trying to remember what she has learned as a dual classed thief and mage. It has been a year since she has cast a spell. The last spell she cast, she recalled, was Magic Missile at Jon Irenicus. There was one spell she memorized that she hadn't used yet... Fireball! Of course! Imoen snapped her fingers when the memory came back to her in a flash.
"I got it! I'll cast Fireball at them!"
Ralis' eyes widened in alarm.
"But to throw the fireball directly at them, you'll have to expose yourself to their arrows!" He exclaimed.
"No I don't! I don't have to jump out in front of them and cast the spell. I can cast the spell while standing near the edge of this pillar, then cast the fireball, and then the fireball will explode near them instead of on them!
Ralis nodded when he understood the plan.
"Do it!" He urged.
Imoen got to work casting the spell. Fortunately, she knows the version of the Fireball spell that only requires verbal and somatic components necessary to cast it. Imoen motioned her arms aiming at the spot closest to the group of kobolds without exposing herself to their line of fire, then she moved her hands and exclaimed the verbal component:
"Kelenta!"
A small ball of fire appeared in between her hands and she threw the fireball at the spot she was aiming at, and the fireball exploded there, catching the kobolds in the blast; Imoen and Ralis heard their shrieks of pain and terror among the fiery explosion.
Ralis and Imoen peeked around the pillar and saw five charred corpses of kobolds.
"Yes!" Ralis pumped his right arm victoriously.
They stepped out from behind the pillar and entered the open room, heading towards the bodies of the kobolds.
Ralis checked their weapons and found them still useful. He took one short sword off the scabbard of one kobold, then took its shortbow.
"Imoen, here. Take this short sword and this shortbow," Ralis said, handing the short sword and shortbow to Imoen, then he grabbed the kobold's quiver and handed it to Imoen.
Imoen put the short sword in her scabbard and attached the quiver to her belt because it is too small to attach to her back. The quiver had only four arrows left, so Imoen had to take the arrows from the other kobolds. When Ralis checked the kobold he looted again, he discovered that it also had two small bags of garlic. Why would a kobold have a bag of garlic? He looted the bags of garlic too, just in case he may need it later on. Now that Imoen has her own weapons now, she and Ralis continued further into the room, heading towards another stone arch. In the next room they saw a big red crystal surrounded by two kobold shaman and one kobold witch doctor with the skull of a gnome attached to her necklace. Imoen and Ralis quickly realized that the kobolds they killed were the bodyguards. A ritual is going on here, and the kobolds did not want their shaman to be disturbed.
"That's a... big crystal," Ralis said as he walked through the arch with Imoen, looking up at the red crystal seeing its top nearly touch the ceiling 18 feet above.
"(Come to me... Kurtulmak find focus in the crystal... feast from here... feast on your bones!)" The kobold witch doctor chanted while sitting two inches close to the crystal in Yipyak, the kobold language.
Kurtulmak is the kobold race's god, their creator. After Kurtulmak created the kobold species and taught them the art of pillaging and thieving, the gnomes got into an eternal conflict with kobolds, angering Kurtulmak so much that he claimed Garl Glittergold and other gnome gods as his chief enemies, which is why the kobold witch doctor's necklace has a gnome skull attached to it. In front of the kobold witch doctor close to the big red gem is something that looks like a bunch of glittering stars. What it really is is the focusing energies of the kobold's patron deity trying to use the red gem's power to create an avatar. It requires the concentration of the witch doctor to be successful. What the kobolds are trying to do is bring their god to the mortal plane and apparently help the kobold race conquer their gnomish enemies.
When one the kobold shaman noticed Ralis and Imoen enter the room, he yipped in surprise and exclaimed:
"(We discovered! No time! No time! Avatar not focused! Crystal not ready!)"
Then another shaman started panicking.
"(Avatar not formed! Kurtulmak not ready!)"
The kobold witch doctor was not startled by the presence of Ralis and Imoen, though.
"(Focus... but not fully formed! Protect me! Protect or we are shattered again and again! Call forth the Guardians!)" She commanded.
In the blink of an eye, three kobold warriors were magically summoned the moment Ralis and Imoen took action. Ralis rushed forward, dealing with the warriors in melee combat. Imoen managed to fire an arrow at one of the kobold shaman, the arrow pierced his neck. Ralis deflected sword strikes and attacked while dancing around the three kobold warriors trying to gang up on him. Since they are all armed with short swords, they had a difficult time trying to get through his long blades without getting cut, but unfortunately for them, trying not to get cut was unavoidable. Once they did get cut, they ended up twitching in pain on the stone floor, slowly dying. Imoen fired another arrow at the last shaman who was trying to cast the Sleep spell, but the arrow got to him first, piercing his chest. Now the kobold witch doctor is completely defenseless now.
"(No! Kurtulmak, we failed you! Forgive us!)" The kobold witch doctor cried in Yipyak mere seconds before Ralis cut her down in one swift strike.
With the witch doctor dead, the sparkling lights near the gem disappeared, leaving behind a piece of the crystal, and a faint, barely discernible mournful wail echoed in the room, but Ralis and Imoen never heard it. It was the mournful wail of Kurtulmak, depressed by the failure of his creations in trying to create an avatar for him. Ralis walked over to the red crystal shard and picked it up, believing it to be an important item since the kobolds were trying to get it, though he has no idea why.
"What is that?" Imoen asked, coming over to look at the crystal in Ralis' right hand.
He shrugged. "A red crystal. The kobolds were trying to get it. It might be useful." He looked around. "Well, I see no way forward. Let's go back and take the left passage," he suggested.
Imoen nodded in agreement then the retraced their steps back to the spot where Ralis told Imoen that Dorn, Neera and Rasaad had rejoined his group again along with some new faces, then they took the left passage into a room where they were attacked by an illusion known as the wandering horror in a room that emanates a thick cloud of smoke. After seconds of attacking the monster in the smoke filled room to no avail, Imoen realized that she and Ralis must leave the room until the smoke dies down. They left the room and were no longer attacked by the wandering horror, waiting three minutes for the smoke to die down. When it did, Ralis and Imoen returned to the room to realize that Imoen's hunch is true. Nothing attacked them now. They moved on down a very long corridor to a room where they had to fight a small group of undead. Nothing they couldn't handle. Then they had to fight a gelatinous cube in the next corridor ahead. Ralis and Imoen would have never known that the gelatinous cube was there if it didn't have the partially digested remains of three kobolds inside of it. After killing the cube, messing the floor with liquid and the remains of the kobolds, they made their way down the hallway into a grandiose room with a coffin there. The coffin's lid suddenly opened as soon as Ralis and Imoen entered the room, and a vampire emerged. A vampire that used to be a human man named Dace Sontan. Dressed in old yet flashy brownish-gold colored garb complete with a brown cloak that makes him look a bit regal, Dace is a man of average build and fairly high cheekbones with short cut dark brown hair, black eyes, thin eyebrows and pale skin with only a thin mustache as facial hair, no beard.
"Halt!" Dace commanded, and Ralis and Imoen froze where they stood. "Stand and speak that I would hear your lies! That Bodhi sent you, didn't she?! Are you to kill me, or are youas damned as I?"
Ralis had a feeling that this vampire is not on good terms with Bodhi. What Ralis does not know is Dace used to be the coordinator of Spellhold before Jon Irenicus took over, and he is the architect of Spellhold's maze.
"Ah, yes! She... sent us to destroy you! Show us the way you planned to escape!" Ralis exclaimed because he had a hunch that this is the builder that the statue was referring to.
Dace growled in frustration.
"She did not come herself? Another insult to my genius! She turns me, takes my creation, and now she does not dispatch me herself!" He exclaimed.
Dace doesn't know, but Bodhi purposefully left him down here in this maze as an obstacle for Ralis and Imoen to overcome. She had this whole game planned out for many months.
"We shall battle here in this place I created, and forevermore it shall be sealed! If I do not have control, then no one shall! Only my hand shall open the way!" Dace exclaimed angrily.
It is at this moment Ralis realized that he needs Dace alive to get out of this maze. This just gets better and better.
"You are mad! Are you even listening, or do you simply wish to fight whomever you can?" Ralis snapped in frustration while Imoen pulled an arrow from her quiver and held her shortbow ready to fire at Dace if he tries to attack them.
Much to Ralis' dismay, Dace was not listening to him at all. He just started laughing.
"Ha HA! I removed the crystals that focus the magic for the door! Left it to rot in a pile of refuse! The kobolds have taken it now. They worship it, the fools! No way out for you! You'll starve here! Starve!" He exclaimed, hissing like a snake and baring his fangs.
Imoen acted immediately, firing her arrow and it struck Dace's left shoulder the moment he tried to cast the Dominate Person spell on Ralis, disrupting it when the arrow struck the bicep of his left arm. If he had completed the spell, he would have had complete control over Ralis and commanded him to attack Imoen. Ralis came at him with his swords drawn, and since Dace had no weapons, only his hands with sharp fingernails, he is at a disadvantage against Ralis, or so it would seem. Dace snarled as he pulled Imoen's arrow out of his arm, and but the time he pulled the arrow out, he dodged an overhead swing from one of Ralis' swords in time, otherwise his head would have been severed from his body.
"Don't let him touch you, Ralis!" Imoen exclaimed as she tried to aim carefully at Dace swatting away Ralis' swords and dodging them.
Ralis couldn't help wondering how is he possibly going to open the statue to get out of this labyrinth if Dace is an uncooperative vampire as he defended himself. Dace hissed and lunged at Ralis, and Ralis dodged aside, causing Dace to land on the ground, do a cartwheel and stand back up on his legs and face Ralis again, giving him another threatening hiss like an angry cat. Ralis then remembered the bags of garlic that he took from one of the dead kobolds. They must have had the bags of garlic knowing that a vampire is in the vicinity. How else did Dace know about the kobolds taking the crystal? They must have defeated him, sending him back to his coffin. With that in mind, Ralis had a great idea. He waited for Dace to try to attack him again.
When Dace tried to lunge at him again, Ralis dropped Kondar and grabbed one of the bags of garlic, holding it up so Dace can see it clearly. Dace sensed what is inside the bag by his keen sense of smell and he recoiled back.
"Gaah! Garlic!" Dace hissed.
Ralis grinned. "That's right! I know how much you vampires hate garlic. Question is, what are you going to do when I sprinkle these goodies all around your coffin, hmm?"
Dace gasped in horror. "No! Please!" He cried.
Ralis ignored his pleas, moving over to his coffin in the middle of the room then he began to sprinkle garlic all around the coffin using both bags. Imoen grinned, knowing that vampires need their coffin to heal themselves. When he was done, he moved away from the coffin.
"Noooo!" Dace cried in despair. "I will kill you for this!" He lunged at Ralis with his right arm outstretched at him, claws ready to tear into his flesh.
This is the moment Ralis had been waiting for. When dace got close enough, Ralis moved aside then sliced with Kondar upwards at Dace's outstretched arm, cutting his forearm clean off.
Dace stumbled then fell to his knees yelling in pain, unable to feel his right arm which is no longer attached to him. Then Ralis wasted no time stabbing both Kondar and Albruin into his back, causing him to transform into a gaseous cloud. This is where things take a bad turn for Dace Sontan. With the garlic sprinkled around his coffin thanks to Ralis, he can't enter his coffin to heal himself. If he doesn't get back into his coffin to heal himself within ten minutes, he will permanently die. Ralis and Imoen had to endure ten minutes of Dace crying in despair, frustrated that he can't go back into his coffin to save his life. When his time ran out, the gaseous cloud faded away, and Dace Sontan was no more. The only thing that remained of him is his severed arm on the floor.
"That was good thinking, Ralis," Imoen congratulated her half brother.
Then suddenly, the ghost of Dace Sontan materialized between Ralis and Imoen, startling them. Dace's ghost faced Ralis, and he had a relieved smile on his face.
"I thank you... Ralis... I am free in death... I must rest..." Dace said, then his ghost faded away into thin air.
Ralis noticed Dace's severed arm on the floor and picked it up.
"Eww," Imoen said.
Ralis chuckled. "I know it's disgusting, but this hand is our ticket out of here," he said optimistically.
Ralis and Imoen retraced their steps back to the room Bodhi had them start in, going back to the passageway that takes them to where the large statue head is located. Ralis stood in front of the statue, holding up Dace's arm in front of the statue's eyes.
"Focus of power may be restored, and the hand of the builder opens the passage. The way is open," the statue announced, then its mouth open wide, allowing Ralis and Imoen to crawl into it, finding themselves in a new corridor that takes them to a new section of the labyrinth.
"So... you and Viconia... How did that happen?" Imoen asked curiously as they walked down the hall into a small room with nothing noteworthy inside.
"Hmm?" Ralis looked at Imoen in confusion.
"I can't picture Viconia, the ice queen drow, falling in love with you, Ralis. No offense," Imoen said.
Ralis shook his head. "It's okay, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. She has fallen for me. Partly because I am a child of Bhaal. You know... evil woman's sexual fantasy, that sort of thing..."
"Hmm," Imoen nodded slowly.
"Anyway, I don't like to reflect on this. We aren't together anymore," Ralis said sullenly.
Imoen stared at her brother curiously, seeing genuine sadness in his eyes.
"You truly love her, do you?" She asked him.
Ralis nodded slowly. "Yes," was his only answer.
Imoen examined the room their standing in, seeing only three ways out. The corridor they just came from, the door close by it, and another door on the far side of the room.
"Do you think Bodhi sent Jaheira and the others down here too?" Imoen asked him.
Ralis shrugged. "I don't know. It's possible," he said with little certainty.
"What do you say we split up? I'll check that door over there, you check that door over there on the other side of the room," Imoen suggested.
Ralis' eyes widened in alarm.
"What? No! I'm not going to lose you again, Imoen! I worked my ass off all year trying to rescue you!" He protested.
"I'll be fine! I'm not defenseless anymore! Besides, we won't cover much ground if we stick together. Once I find everybody, we'll regroup back with you," Imoen promised, then she headed for the door near them, opened it and stepped through, shutting it closed behind her.
Ralis reluctantly walked over to the other side of the room to the other door, opened it and moved down another passageway.
As soon as Imoen closed the door, she thought she heard a clicking noise, then she tried to open the door to no avail. The door magically locked itself. Imoen can only go forward now, find Jaheira, Minsc and the others, and find a new route and hope that it crosses paths with where Ralis is going. For the next 20 minutes, Imoen traveled from room to room in this vast labyrinth, checking for and disarming booby traps, and fighting small groups of kobolds and gibberlings along the way. They were all armed with swords, no ranged weapons, so Imoen made sure to use her shortbow against them to keep her distance because she is not wearing any armor to protect herself from sustaining any wounds. Eventually Imoen did run into Abdel, Jaheira, Minsc, Aerie, Althir, Tashia, Neera, Mazzy, Nalia, Valygar, Sir Anomen, Jan, Viconia, Rasaad, Edwin, Cernd, Dorn, Hexxat and Korgan, in a room where the deviants of Spellhold can heal themselves after enduring the harrowing trials of Dace Sontan's Spellhold maze.
"Imoen? Is that you?" Jaheira asked her in near disbelief.
"Yep... it's me," Imoen replied with a dry smile.
"*Gasp!* Rangers and hamsters rejoice! Imoen has found her way back to our goodly embrace!" Minsc cried joyously, and Boo let out a long happy squeal, holding a hamster pellet in his claws.
Neera ran over to Imoen and gave her a big hug.
"Imoen! Oh gods, I'm so glad to see you alive!" Neera cried.
"Ack! Neera! Long time no see...!" Imoen said in a raspy voice because Neera is hugging the air out of her lungs.
"Neera, let her go," Tashia said.
"Oh!" Neera released Imoen. ""Sorry. I just got a little carried away," she apologized.
"No apology necessary, Neera. It's good to see some familiar faces, especially you, Rasaad," Imoen said.
"It is good to see you again after a long time, Imoen. Where is Ralis? Was he with you?" Rasaad replied.
"He was, but we split up to try and find you guys," Imoen admitted.
Jaheira groaned. "That idiot! What was he thinking?!" She exclaimed in frustration.
"Neera, darling, calm down!" Abdel consoled her.
"Be at peace, Jaheira. If Ralis hadn't suggested the split up, Imoen would have never found us," Mazzy said.
"You can take us back to where you and Ralis left off, right?" Valygar asked Imoen.
She shook her head. "No, it's no good. The door is magically locked. We got to find another route to him." She paused for a moment and looked at everyone. "Hey, where's that Kozakuran guy? Is he still with you, Minsc?" Imoen asked him.
"Who, Yoshimo?" Minsc asked.
"Yeah, that guy. What happened to him?" Imoen asked.
"The sweet-talking, two-faced bastard betrayed us to Irenicus! He has been working with him all this time and we never figured it out until now!" Jaheira fumed. "By Silvanus, if I see him again, I'll... I'll..."
"Huh? Wait, Yoshimo betrayed you?" Imoen asked in disbelief.
"It's true, Imoen," Althir said, stepping forward. "We need to regroup with Ralis before Bodhi or Yoshimo find him," he said.
"That'll be easier said than done. But we better hurry," Imoen said.
After all has been said, they left the healing room and continued trying to find a way to Ralis with Imoen in tow.
Meanwhile in a distant part of the labyrinth 20 minutes after Ralis and Imoen split up, Ralis found himself in a fairly large room lit by three giant braziers on both sides, casting light in the middle of the room, but casting shadows in the corners. Ralis cautiously moved forward into the room, and when he stepped into the middle of the room ,he heard a voice echo nearby.
"I was hoping I'd see you again... Ani (Brother)."
Ralis froze. He recognized that voice. Up ahead of him at the light's edge, he saw a figure step out of the shadows and into the light. It is Yoshimo.
"Yoshimo...? What are you doing here?" Ralis asked him.
Yoshimo looked around for a moment, absorbing the scenery before replying to Ralis.
"... Are you familiar with the Path of Enlightenment, Ralis?"
Ralis slowly shook his head. "I know nothing about Kozakuran religion, I'm afraid," he admitted.
Yoshimo nodded. "I thought so." Then he started to slowly pace around, turning around every five steps. "The path to enlightenment is hard, yet those who value the rewards it brings strive to reach it regardless."
"What are you trying to say, Yoshi?" Ralis asked.
"I've done a great evil to you, my friend, but make no mistake, I am not without regret. To attain perfection under the eyes of Heaven, those who seek enlightenment follow these seven codes... One..." Yoshimo raised one finger. "..."Honor that which has gone before you. For the past is eternal." Two..." Yoshimo raised two fingers. "..."Honor and respect your Elders and the Ancestors. Show honor in word, thought, action, and deed." Three..." Yoshimo raised three fingers now while still pacing. "..."Speak not false words, nor engage in false deeds, for these are not li." Four: "Do honor to he who rules you, for the Earth is the Mirror of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven is the mirror of the Celestial One. Be obedient to your lord." Five: "Engage in no base thing, nor commit murder, for to strike another in the name of anger is not li." Six: "Do honor to those you must rule, for under the eye of Heaven, they are your equals. Be fair to those you rule." And seven: "Know that all things are One under Heaven, even the lowliest of creatures." I have only followed the first, second, third, fourth and fifth codes so far."
Ralis couldn't understand what Yoshimo's point is.
"I don't get it. What is it that you are trying to tell me?" Ralis asked.
Yoshimo stopped pacing and sighed in depression. "I have tried to walk the Path of Enlightenment all my life... but circumstances have forced me to make choices I regret. I have never spoken false words to you, especially about my sister, but I must honor he who rules me. I must be obedient to my lord, as the 4th code of the Path of Enlightenment dictates. If I do not... my punishment is death."
Ralis shook his head. "Don't let the fear of death shackle you, Yoshimo! You know Irenicus is a heartless man! Why help him like you owe him something?"
Yoshimo couldn't look Ralis in the eyes. He lowered his head towards the ground. "Ralis... I am under the influence of the Geas spell," he reluctantly admitted.
Ralis gasped in horror.
"NO!" He cried out.
Geas is an Enchantment spell that enables the caster to command any subject afflicted by the spell to undertake a task, or suffer possibly fatal pain and sickness that would potentially cause the subject's death.
"Do you understand now, Ralis? If I do not do as Irenicus commands, the spell he cast upon me will bring me immense pain until it kills me. And unfortunately, Ralis... Irenicus knows that Bodhi hasn't killed you yet, so... I've been ordered to kill you..."
Ralis staggered back a few feet.
"No... no, no, no, no, no..." Ralis couldn't believe his ears. "Yoshimo, we must find a way through this. I swore an oath to you, as your brother, that I would help you find your sister!" He desperately pleaded.
Tears fell from Yoshimo's eyes.
"My sister is dead, Ralis."
Ralis froze in complete shock.
"... Irenicus told me everything when I met him. She was murdered in Baldur's Gate two years ago. Murdered by the worst sort of man to walk the face of Toril. My long journey has ended in failure, Ralis. The one family I had left had been stolen from me. Irenicus promised me that I would have a chance to get at the man who killed her if I accepted the Geas."
"At the expense of killing your best friend and brother? Yoshi, please, think this through! There must be another way!" Ralis urged him.
Yoshimo shook his head, closing his eyes.
"There is no other way, Ralis. There are no alternative paths here. I wish things ended differently... I wish... I am sorry..." He let his voice trial off there, and he paused for a few seconds... then his eyes sprang open, glaring sharply at Ralis with hatred. "... No. I am not sorry," he said in a cold tone, then he pulled his katana out in one swift motion.
Ralis felt his heart pounding in his chest and he took a few steps back.
"Yoshimo, please..."
Yoshimo ignored Ralis' pleas and readied himself, preparing to run at his target.
"Kakugowokimeru! (Prepare yourself!)" Yoshimo shouted, then he sprinted towards Ralis at top speed!
Ralis rolled forward past Yoshimo right at the moment he attempted to swing his katana at Ralis' head! Ralis swiftly stood back up on his feet and Yoshimo skidded to a stop holding his katana in a fighting stance!
"Draw your weapon! I won't give you another chance!" Yoshimo demanded.
Ralis almost reluctantly pulled Albruin out of its scabbard and then he shifted into his own fighting posture, staring down Yoshimo as they steadily circled each other clockwise, sizing each other up carefully, looking for an opening to attack, except for Ralis, of course.
"This is insane, Yoshimo! Please, stop!" Ralis exclaimed.
"Shut up and fight!" Yoshimo shot back and came at Ralis with a flurry of slashes.
Ralis relied on his agility to parry each quick blow, and find a way to strike back with his own. The fight became an intense life or death game of who can anticipate whose moves better, as Yoshimo and Ralis occasionally tried to fake each other out, sweeping for the legs and trying to kick each other in the chest to catch them off guard. Ralis mostly stayed defensive, only switching to offensive to exhaust Yoshimo rather than trying to kill him. Yoshimo, on the other hand, is apparently trying to kill Ralis, his strategy is similar, try to wear down Ralis, then deliver the killing blow. Blades clashed at rapid speeds, the combatants ducked, jumped and dodged, the battle got heated very quickly and lasted for three minutes.
Afterwards, Ralis and Yoshimo pulled away from each other, their faces already sweating as they were breathing heavily. Ralis was surprised that he managed to survive this long. Yoshimo is one of the most lethal swordfighters he has ever faced.
"Why the sudden change in attitude towards me, Yoshimo? Why?!" Ralis demanded.
"Isn't it obvious? Because it is YOU who murdered my sister!" Yoshimo snarled.
"Huh?!" Ralis dropped his guard immediately, and Yoshimo took advantage of that.
He slashed at Ralis' chest, creating a gash in his armor and drawling a little blood! Ralis had no time to register what just happened as he staggered back because Yoshimo kicked him down to the ground.
Ralis couldn't get up in time because Yoshimo stood over him in seconds. The Kozakuran man planted his boot on Ralis' chest, pinning him to the ground.
"Yoshimo, if I'm right... your sister is Tamoko! If she is your sister, then Irenicus lied to you! I did not kill her!" Ralis said.
"Why should I believe the word of a demon spawn?" Yoshimo growled as he prepared to impale his katana between Ralis' eyes.
"Because there are circumstances that you are not aware of!" Ralis shouted.
Yoshimo gasped and stopped himself from impaling Ralis, he also removed his boot off of his chest.
"Let me explain, Yoshimo. Two years ago, your sister, Tamoko, worked for my half brother Sarevok, and for the Iron Throne as one of their assassins. She and Sarevok were lovers, or so she thought. When I met her, Sarevok ordered her to fight me if she wanted to win his trust and love back. I refused to fight her even though she tried to tell me there is no other way. But I still refused, no matter how much she begged. In the end, she gave up and walked away when she realized how different I am from Sarevok."
After hearing Ralis' explanation, Yoshimo staggered back in shock and dropped his sword.
"Do you see, Yoshimo? Your lord Irenicus deceived you!" Ralis exclaimed.
Yoshimo knew Ralis is telling the truth, and as a consequence, he started to feel the pain inside his body welling up and getting worse when the Geas spell realized that he is faltering from his orders.
"Stop talking!" He cried as he sank to his knees, clutching his chest with one hand.
"I may be a Bhaalspawn, but I am not like Sarevok or my father Bhaal!" Ralis said with sheer confidence.
"AAAGHHH! DAMARE! (SHUT UP!)" Yoshimo screamed in pain, writhing on the floor as the Geas inflicted more pain on his body.
"I refused to kill Tamoko, now I REFUSE to kill you, Yoshimo!"
"NO! LIES!" Yoshimo cried.
"You're my brother, Yoshimo! I forgive your sins towards me!" Ralis sheathed Albruin and helped Yoshimo stand back up on his feet despite the intense pain he is feeling. "If we kill Irenicus, maybe it will free you from his spell! I'm not giving up on you!" Ralis assured him as he helped limping Yoshimo across the room.
Little did Ralis know that Yoshimo was reaching towards his belt with his right arm. He grabbed Ralis' dirk, Avenger, which is strapped against his belt, the blade glistening because it is coated with wyvern venom, gently pulled Avenger out, and then... stabbed it straight into Ralis' stomach! Ralis gasped in shock and the pain caused him to bend over, and the intense pain Yoshimo felt quickly abated once Ralis got stabbed!
"No redemptions! No second chances!" Yoshimo snarled curtly into Ralis' ear as he slowly twisted the dirk in Ralis' guts! "The impulse to murder runs through your veins! It is is the definition of who and what you are! You are a FOOL to believe that I would claim a poisonous creature like you as my brother!"
Yoshimo pulled Avenger out of Ralis' stomach and watched Ralis collapse to the floor. Ralis began to feel the venom slowly destroying his body form the inside, creating excruciating pain, and tears fell from Ralis' eyes, not just from the pain, but from his emotions being hurt by what Yoshimo said. Is this how his life will end? Killed by the hands of a man he once trusted with his life?!
"Wake up from your delusions and face the truth, Ralis! You are a demon! An oni of the West! I am doing all of Toril a favor by putting you out of your misery!" Yoshimo exclaimed.
In a desperate attempt to rid the poison out of his body, Ralis grabbed Albruin, and the poison quickly got neutralized by the sword's magic. But by the time Ralis pulled Albruin out of its scabbard to defend himself against Yoshimo, he kicked the sword out of Ralis' hand then Ralis tried to grab Kondar but Yoshimo kicked the blade out of his hands too, then he crouched down on his knee and attempted to stab Ralis one final time with Avenger. Ralis used both hands to grab Yoshimo's the wrist of the hand holding Avenger, then he kicked up with his left leg, his knee hitting Yoshimo's chin, stunning him, then Ralis used this opportunity to pry Avenger out of Yoshimo's grasp and stab the dirk into Yoshimo's knee. Yoshimo screamed in pain and collapsed on the floor. Ralis looked ahead of him and saw that his sword Albruin is only nine feet away! Without his Bhaalspawn powers, his wounds haven't healed and is still leaking blood, so Ralis had to crawl on his belly towards Albruin, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
When Ralis was 6 feet away from Albruin, Yoshimo noticed Ralis crawling for one of his swords, pulled Avenger out of his knee, and used all his strength to stand up on his good leg, and start limping towards Ralis in an attempt to finish off him for good even though the poison is starting to affect him too. Ralis' heart is pounding fast, pumping more blood out of his stomach and chest as he madly crawled for the sword. Yoshimo realized that he'll never catch Ralis in time, so he decided to prepare to throw Avenger at Ralis, but his eye vision is getting blurry because of the poison, and he realized that his chances of missing are high, so he had no choice but to chase Ralis and stab the dagger into him before he can reach his sword. Yoshimo found that he is limping faster than Ralis crawling, so he was confident that he would finish off Ralis before he can grab his sword. Ralis desperately crawled faster, knowing that Yoshimo is catching up, and when Albruin's handle was finally at arm's length, Ralis reached out frantically, grabbed it and pulled it towards him! Yoshimo leaped at Ralis, hoping to body slam him and at the same time impale him with the dirk before he could turn his body over, but as soon as Ralis pulled his sword in close, he quickly turned his body over and pointed the sword up at Yoshimo!
"NO!" Yoshimo screamed!
Yoshimo ended up body slamming the blade of Albruin, and the blade punched right through Yoshimo's left lung! Yoshimo gasped in shock, and time seemed to stand still for a moment. Ralis gently pushed Yoshimo off of him and pulled Albruin out. Yoshimo and Ralis lay on the floor together, side by side, both of them exhausted and losing blood.
"Well played, Bhaalspawn... Well played..." Yoshimo smiled then coughed.
Ralis coughed with him.
"I... *cough, cough*... I did not want this to happen," he said.
Yoshimo chuckled then coughed some more. "Does it really matter? You won, I lost. Nothing will change that."
Ralis shook his head. "This doesn't feel like a victory..."
Yoshimo frowned then coughed some more. "Strange words, coming from an oni such as yourself."
Ralis shook his head incredulously. "My blood and my will are two separate things, Yoshimo. *cough!* Yes, I have nightmares from time to time, and I am tempted to murder sometimes, but... *cough, cough, cough*... in the end, I still have a choice. We all do."
Yoshimo scoffed weakly.
"Spare me your sermons, demon spawn," he waved a hand dismissively at Ralis, turning his head away.
"The Path of Enlightenment, Yoshimo!" Ralis exclaimed in mild frustration. "Remember? "Speak not false words, nor engage in false deeds, for these are not li." I followed that code too. You never spoke false words to me, I never spoke false words to you either..."
Yoshimo slowly turned his head to look at Ralis with surprise and amusement in his eyes.
Yoshimo gasped softly. "You... You are really sincere..." He said, the awestruck tone of his voice revealing how surprised he is.
Ralis nodded in response, and Yoshimo felt relieved to know that he can still trust the man he betrayed.
"I have a request for you, Ralis," Yoshimo said, his voice getting hoarse and raspy as if his throat is dry. "I am going to die soon. When I do, my soul will remain bound and tormented by the Geas spell. There are only two ways to free my soul. Kill the man who placed the Geas on me, and we both know that is impossible. The... *cough* ...other way to free me is to cut my heart out... and... *cough, cough*... take it to a priest of Illmater... They will know what to do..."
This is too much for Ralis to bear. He couldn't bear the thought of losing another friend, even if that friend happened to be a traitor.
"Yoshimo, no! Hang in there! There's no need for me to do that! I can save you!" Ralis exclaimed, trying to crawl closer towards him.
Ralis reached out for him, stretching his right arm out over Yoshimo's chest, trying desperately to cast Cure Minor Wounds with all of his might... but nothing happened. No arcane energy flowed from his hands to turn fatal wound Avenger caused into a flesh wound. Without his soul, he can't save Yoshimo the way he wants to.
"Did you forget, Ralis? *cough, cough, cough*... Irenicus has taken what made you special and powerful. Without it... you are nothing more than a living husk..."
Ralis shook his head in denial. "I still have my will! It saved me from dying, and I'm sure it will save you too! I'm not giving up on you, Yoshi! We are going to get through this so I can prove to you Tamoko is alive!" Ralis exclaimed and tired to cast Cure Minor Wounds again, and still nothing happened.
Yoshimo smiled weakly.
"Ha ha ha ha ha... Ah, I forgot all about your humanitarian based enthusiasm..." Yoshimo said, reminiscing on the past. "I was so motivated to avenge my dear sister Tamoko that I had forgotten that was the one thing I liked about you..." Yoshimo paused to look Ralis into his eyes. "Your optimism. Your immovable drive to defend and rescue those you care about... It is an admirable trait you have. A trait I respect. *Cough, cough, cough, cough*... After a year of adventuring alongside you... I had a feeling that Irenicus was wrong about you. Now I know without a doubt."
Ralis said nothing, his eyelids are open so wide, his eyeballs are fully moist with tears. Yoshimo suddenly coughed up more blood, two streams of blood ran down the sides of his face from the edges of his mouth towards his ears, a sign that he will expire any second.
"Remember my request, watashi no kyōdai (my brother), and you will have no reason to mourn my passing. Watashi wa tengoku de anata o machimasu (I will wait for you in Heaven), my friend and brother. Never... lose sight... of the... path to... enlightenment..." Yoshimo managed to say his last words before he went still.
Ralis slowly reached out at Yoshimo's face and closed his eyelids shut. Then instead of trying to stand up on his feet, he broke down completely, sobbing and wailing like a heartbroken child for eight minutes. He couldn't think of anything else to do, he is at a complete loss. After losing so many people in his life... Gorion... Ophyllis... Skie... Dynaheir... Khalid... Ajantis and Haer'Dalis... He is unsure if his sanity can can hold out much longer.
