"Be careful, lest in casting out your demon you exorcise the best thing in you."
― Friedrich Nietzsche

I'm lost. Confused. I think I'm slowly losing my sanity, too. I don't know if it is because I've lost a fraction of my soul, or because I'm still traumatized over what I've done to Yoshimo. It could be both, for all I know! I don't know how much longer I can hold myself together. If Gorion were here, what would he say to me? What words of knowledge would he have for me that would inspire me to keep pushing forward? I don't know. Thinking about him is too painful. Thinking of Yoshimo is too painful. Thinking about everyone who has died because of me is too painful. I've made some poor choices in the past. Choices that I wish I had the power to turn back the hands of time, go back to those dreaded moments and correct my mistakes,. But would it be possible to correct my mistakes? Is fate set in stone for us all?

Father Gorion used to tell me that none of the gods can control the fate of us mortals. Some of evil intent may try to direct our fates in order to fulfill their agendas, but in the end, their efforts can fail, if we fight against them hard enough. Well, for the past three years, I've been fighting my instincts to murder as a child of Bhaal himself, because I know that even though I am one of many of his children, born with the purpose of holding, or more specifically, borrowing a fraction of his divine power, a life that I did not choose to live, I'm starting to believe that my struggles have been futile. Even though I saved Yoshimo's sister, Tamoko three years ago by showing her that I can resist my instinct to murder, I couldn't save Yoshimo even though I told him the truth of what really happened to his long lost sister.

Damn that Irenicus! Damn him to the deepest part of the Nine Hells! A part of me is telling me that if I honed my strengths as a Bhaalspawn more, I could have killed him much earlier and prevented all of this from happening! I failed my father Gorion because I was weak, and I am failing my friends and lover because I'm a coward! A coward that is too afraid to use a power that might be unstable! Viconia is going to leave me because she knows that our bond alone is not enough to save her life from the Spider Queen! What should I do? Should I give in to my inner power at the risk of losing my identity? I don't know. Even if I try, maybe death by losing all of my senses is a better fate because I won't be able to see myself tearing those I cared about apart, I'll just be drifting into the void, completely oblivious to what The Slayer is doing... Argh, what am I thinking?! I shouldn't be thinking such thoughts! But still, it seems like a better fate than the alternative. If there is an alternative. Is there? Becoming a cold, unfeeling person like Althir is out of the question. All I do know is I don't want to see another one of my friends die when I have the power to prevent such a dark fate from befalling them. If I lose someone else, like Viconia, then... I fear I will lose myself. I will break like shattered glass. Gorion? Father? I need your help now, more than ever.

-Ralis Rutela

Nearly 21 minutes later, after navigating through the chaotic streets of Brynnlaw, being careful not to draw any unwanted attention to themselves and taking down any pirate who thought they could take on two seemingly not-so-threatening adventurers, Ralis and Hexxat just arrived at the docks, descending down the stairs until their boots touched the wooden floorboards of the docks that connect to more than a dozen piers, then they stopped for a moment, taking notice that there are many pirate ships docked here at the moment, as far as Ralis and Hexxat could tell. Many sailors and pirates were milling about on the docks, going about their business, unloading and loading cargo on their ships, no one even glanced at the 23 year old man with uncombed long brown hair and the chocolate skinned woman with large curly black hair standing next to him.

"Which ship is the Pirate Lord's?" Hexxat asked Ralis while looking around warily as if she expects an ambush of some kind.

Ralis stroked his beard twice in thought while turning his head left and right.

"Uh... Dock #12 or 13, if I recall correctly..." he said, silently hoping that he remembered what Saemon said accurately.

"Are you sure?" Hexxat asked.

Ralis nodded in agreement, trying to hide his doubts. "Of course I'm sure." He looked directly ahead and saw that up ahead, to the left and right is Dock 5 and 6, which means Dock 12 and 13 should be to their right, further down the harbor.

"We should go that way," Ralis pointed to the direction he thinks they should go, and without hesitation, he walked forward, with Hexxat walking alongside him.

They passed by several warehouses and sailors and pirates carrying their unloaded cargo to their warehouses or carrying their supplies from the warehouses, and so far no pirate saw fit to harass them for any reason. Ralis figured that it could be because he and Hexxat look like they don't have a copper to their names. Who would want to rob a couple of tourists who look poor? A bunch of desperate, or bloodthirsty pirates, maybe, but a sensible pirate should know when to spot decent prey when one comes along. A lion would not waste time hunting a rabbit because a rabbit doesn't have as much meat as a deer or pig would. But the pirates that Ralis and Hexxat had to kill in self defense along the way to get here were either desperate for a few coppers or silvers, or just plain stupid.

Eventually Ralis and Hexxat saw a large group of people congregated at the 13th pier, near a ship that is three times bigger than the other ships docked in Brynnlaw's harbor and includes a fully rigged system of ropes supporting the ship's masts. That is no common ship- Desharik's personal ship is more akin to a galleon. The moonlight is not casting much light on the harbor, so Ralis couldn't clearly identify the groups of people near this large ship. Even Hexxat with her darkvision ability could not identify who those people are. Darkvision is not the same as low-light vision. However, they noticed two tall silhouettes among the group, and they know of only two individuals who stand taller than anyone else in their party: Minsc and Abdel.

"Is that Minsc and Abdel I see over there?" Hexxat asked, Ralis, pointing down the pier.

Ralis frowned then looked at Hexxat in confused amusement. "Are you a mind reader or something?"

"No, I just know they are the tallest people in your group," Hexxat replied.

Ralis nodded. "Makes sense," he said, then he and Hexxat walked down the pier until they were close enough to see that they finally reunited with their companions and Saemon Havarian, who are standing near the gangplank that will take them up to the deck of Desharik's ship. Aerie and Minsc were the first to notice Ralis and Hexxat approaching.

"There they are! Ralis and Hexxat are back!" Aerie announced to everyone.

"Boo's heart leaps with joy at the sight of seeing you return, my friend! Not so much for the vampire, but still, he is really joyous! Right, Boo?" Minsc said to Ralis then gently scratched Boo's head with the index finger of his right hand.

Boo squeaked happily in response while sitting on Minsc's left shoulder.

Saemon approached Ralis with a pleased smile on his face. Ralis was not smiling at him, but that did not stop Saemon from being relieved that the young man returned unscathed.

"There you are, my friend. Have you secured the sea-gate horn? I'm eager to flee this wretched isle," he said by way of greeting to Ralis as he stopped 4 feet near him.

"As am I, and yes, I have acquired the horn. Here it is," Ralis gave the horn to Saemon.

He gently took it into his hand, examined it and smiled, showing his pristine white teeth.

"Very good indeed," he congratulated Ralis.

Hexxat glanced up at the ship for a moment then turned her attnetion back to Saemon examining the horn as if it were a piece of treasure he longed to get his hands on.

"We got the horn, yes, but what about the men who run the ship? We can't leave this island if the ship's sailors will not cooperate with us," Hexxat told Saemon.

He looked at Hexxat still smiling, a hint that he had everything planned out.

"I've convinced the men on board that they should accompany me, and they will ready the ship for launch, no questions asked. We will be underway long before..."

Saemon let his voice trail off there into complete silence, and when he looked around at the wary eyes of Ralis and his group of friends and companions, he realized that he better be up front and honest with them. Chances are Desharik may have already caught wind of what is going on, as every pirate in Brynnlaw is loyal to him, and surely the pirates here in the harbor have likely noticed a large group of strangers loitering around his personal ship for hours, and have gone off to report to him. Which has surely happened many minutes ago before Ralis and Hexxat arrived.

"What I mean to say is that the Pirate Lord will not arrive in time to stop us. That is whom I meant, in no uncertain terms," Saemon cleared his throat after speaking, then said: "Hurry, we must away!" He rushed up the gangplank, eager to get on board the ship as quickly as possible. Ralis started to follow him, but he hesitated next to Abdel, Jaheira and Anomen.

"After you," Anomen offered to Ralis, showing the courteous act of letting his leader climb aboard the ship first.

Normally Ralis would have smiled at Anomen and acknowledged how humble he has become, but he paid little attention to Anomen at all, or anyone else, for that matter, he just walked up the gangplank, and soon everyone else followed after him. Then, a minute later the ship's deck, which is larger than the deck of Saemon's old ship is now only 55 people close to being completely crowded, which is a good thing because the sailors who are preparing everything need some room to walk around, otherwise most of Ralis' companions will have to go down into the ship's cargo hold. Ralis watched as Saemon impatiently asked the sailor who got finished checking the ropes that hold the sails together how long do they have left until they can leave, and the sailor said that they are two minutes away from being prepared, and for some reason, Saemon did not like those odds, he asked the sailor could they trim the time down to one minute. Ralis silently wished that Saemon would stop whining like an impatient schoolboy who desperately wants some candy, but he knew that they are on limited time. Who knows how long it will take for Desharik and his best pirates to arrive and stop them from commandeering his ship? But Ralis is not worried about whether or not Desharik will catch them. He is still depressed about what happened to Yoshimo. His companions could clearly see how depressed he is, but none tried to ask what troubled him, except Aerie, of course.

"Ralis, what's wrong?" She asked him.

"Leave me alone, please," Ralis said sullenly.

"Is it about Yoshimo? If it is, it's not your fault," Aeire said.

Ralis almost turned his back on her, his right shoulder almost pointing directly at her.

"I don't want to talk about it," Ralis said.

"But..."

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

Aerie opened her mouth to protest, but she felt someone put a hand on her right shoulder. She turned around to see Tashia behind her.

"Leave him be for now, Aerie. He's been through a lot," Tashia said.

Imoen walked up to Tashia and Aerie with a forlorn look on her face.

"We've been through stuff that'll scar us for a long time," Imoen told them.

Aerie looked at Imoen for a moment, understanding her plight and Ralis' but she wanted to help him like he helped her, but she reluctantly nodded and walked away with Tashia, asking her what can she do to help Ralis, to which Tashia replied there is nothing they can do, unless Ralis asks for help, and Imoen went with them, listening to Aerie as she told her about the days when she used to whine about her wings, and how Ralis helped her get over it.

A minute later, an event that Saemon had been dreading has finally come. Desharik arrived in the docks, accompanied with Cayia and 30 pirates that are armed to the teeth with scimitars and daggers behind them. They walked down the pier his galleon is docked at, and he stood directly in front of the gangplank, but made no attempt to walk aboard the ship.

"Saemon Havarian!" Desharik called angrily.

Ralis glanced over at Saemon and saw him grit his teeth and close his eyes in dismay.

"Aw, hell. Uh... I-I'll be below deck securing the... um... s-something, ah..." Saemon stammered nervously and tried to walk away, but Ralis grabbed him by the collar of his coat, forcing him to stand his ground under the scrutinizing gaze of the man he had been hoping he would escape from.

As if Saemon had any way of escaping Desharik's gaze. Saemon knew that he couldn't walk away from Desharik's sight so easily, the only way he can escape is by taking this boat, but it can't leave now that Desharik has caught them.

"You'll stand where you are, Havarian! You've gone too far this time!" Desharik exclaimed, pointing his sword up at Saemon.

Saemon gave up on all attempts to walk away, bravely looked down at Saemon and held out his cupped hands in supplication.

"If I have wronged you in some fashion, I am dreadfully sorry. I was not aware of any offense..." He pleaded casually.

However, as everyone could plainly see, Desharik did not fall for Saemon's pleas of ignorance, even though he lowered his arm holding up his sword.

"Your pretty words are wasted on me, cur. I have seen your like a dozen times over and buried them all!" Desharik snarled. "I am lord of this isle, and yet you have undermined my authority at every turn! Trading falsehoods, cuckoldry, and now my ship suffers your touch!"

No sooner than the words left his mouth, Cayia blurted out: "Kill the scoundrel, Desharik! His mouth will spew nothing but lies!" Pointing accusingly up at Saemon peering down at them alongside Ralis and some of his companions.

Then Desharik turned his angry glare at Cayia, which greatly confused her.

"Your mouth is no better! How else would he have gotten the gate horn if not by taking your company again?!" Desharik roared in outrage.

Cayia felt her heart leap in her chest.

"B-but... Desharik, dear, you know my feelings for you..." Cayia stuttered, hoping that Desharik would forgive her, but judging by the gleam in his sharply scowling eyes, that is highly unlikely.

Desharik turned his entire body to face Cayia, then he sheathed his sword, and inhaled deeply before speaking.

"Madam... You are a ravening ditch pig," he said spitefully.

Before she could react to his reply, Desharik grabbed her hair and yanked her closer to him, causing her to yelp in surprise and pain. Then he pulled his dagger out of his belt and started stabbing the small blade into Cayia's abdomen in ruthless abandon while biting down on his lower lip, shocking Saemon, Aerie, Tashia, Minsc, Mazzy, the sailors with them on deck watching the spectacle, and even some of Desharik's pirates were in shock. After stabbing Cayia's stomach six times, he callously pushed Cayia off the pier into the water between the ship and the pier's edge, her body slowly sinking underneath the ship and her blood staining a small section of the water red. Saemon's face turned pale as a ghost, knowing he will suffer Cayia's fate if they don't get out of here quick, and Minsc couldn't believe what he had just seen. Desharik didn't look like a ruthless, physically intimidating pirate lord, but seeing him enraged has clearly changed Minsc's perspective on the man.

"You have brought me to the brink of madness, Saemon Havarian, and now I will repay you! Men, kill them all, but bring Saemon Havarian to me!"

"Sir, you must believe that I am totally sincere when I say- Ralis! GET HIM!" Saemon exclaimed.

Ralis did a double-take at Saemon the moment Desharik's pirates started running up the gangplank yelling with their swords drawn.

"W-what?!" Ralis exclaimed in confusion.

The first two pirates engaged Ralis and Valygar in a sword fight the moment Saemon and the ship's sailors moved a safe distance away to the port side half of the ship's deck, allowing Ralis and his party to engage Desharik's pirates.

"Your lackeys will not save you!" Desharik exclaimed.

The fight against Desharik's pirates was definitely a bloody one, but the good news about it is Ralis and his group initially have the upper hand. Viconia and Neera made sure to cast the Haste spell on Minsc and Abdel, knowing that with their strength in addition to their enhanced speed they will make quick work of Desharik's pirates, and it is a great strategy, as Desharik had no mages to buff up his pirates in any way. More pirates walked up the gangplank aboard the ship while those that were slain were pushed off the ship to land in the water, staining it more red, or on the pier near Desharik, who angrily watched his pirate lackeys get slain one or two at a time trying to fight their way through to Saemon Havarian.

Ralis parried a sword strike from a pirate and then roundhouse kicked him across his face so hard, spit flew out of his mouth and it sent him reeling back and he fell off the ship.

"Ahhh!" The pirate screamed, then landed on the pier's wooden boards head first, snapping his neck.

Desharik snarled in frustration and beckoned more pirates close by to join in on the assault, replenishing the number of pirates he has at his disposal from 19 to 36. Jaheira could clearly see that as long as they remain docked here, Desharik will send more and more pirates to fight them until they are too exhausted to keep on fighting.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Jahiera exclaimed before a pirate engaged her, forcing her dodge her attacker's sword strikes, then started attacking him back. forcing him to parry or dodge her strikes.

Valygar dispatched another pirate and kicked him off the ship.

"She's right! Desharik is just trying to tire us out!" He said.

"We have no alternative! We have to keep fighting!" Anomen exclaimed, then parried the sword strike of a pirate he is fighting, then maneuvered behind the pirate while holding his sword down and delivered a single slash behind his back, felling the pirate, but seconds afterwards two more pirates engaged him.

Two minutes of fighting later, Ralis and his group have killed almost 27 pirates now, but Desharik had managed to bring in more pirates to fight them bringing the number of pirates they must contend with back up to 34. By now the pier is littered with dead pirates that did not fall into the water, and Ralis and his party are starting to grow exhausted from fighting so many people in such a short time, and Tashia, Viconia, Nalia and Neera are running out of the spells they've memorized to use, and Jan doesn't have any illusory spells that are useful to them in this case. Ralis knew that if they don't get out of here soon, the sheer number of Desharik's pirates will overwhelm them. Their only hope of escape is to scare Desharik's pirates off the ship, but how can he possibly do that? With his soul stolen by Irenicus, he can no longer cast certain spells like Horror. After dispatching three more pirates and kicking them off the ship before they collapsed dead, an idea hit him.

The Slayer... Transform into The Slayer.

Where did that idea come from? He felt unsure if it was his idea or not, and he found it suspicious that the idea of relying on the form of The Slayer came to him during this circumstance. Could it be his instinct trying to take advantage of the tough situation he is in? At this point, he does not have any other options to consider. But if he transforms into The Slayer, he won't be able to identify friend from foe, he will attack anyone in Slayer form. The only way to prevent that from happening is to order everyone to hide below deck.

"Everyone!" Ralis called to his party, the sailors and Saemon Havarian.

Before he could explain to them what he has in mind, he had to fight off another pirate. After spending 20 seconds of fighting the p irate and running Albruin into his chest, Ralis tried to inform everyone what he has in mind again.

"Get down to the cargo hold or hide in the ship's cabin! I have a plan!" He said.

"What?!" Saemon exclaimed.

"Why?!" Mazzy looked genuinely confused.

"Just do it! I have a trick up my sleeve!" Ralis said.

Saemon nodded.

"You heard the man! Down into the ship! Let's go, everybody!" He exclaimed.

The sailors and Saemon descended down into the ship's cargo hold while Ralis' companions retreated into the cargo hold one at a time. They only retreated after killing the pirates attacking them. First Nalia went, then Althir, then Jan, Viconia, Tashia, Neera, Edwin, Aerie, Minsc, Jaheira, Abdel, Mazzy and Anomen. The more of Ralis group retreated into the cargo hold, the less allies Ralis had by his side to face more pirates that climbed on board, he not only had to defend himself, but he also had to defend Valygar, Rasaad, Cernd, Imoen, Dorn, Hexxat and Korgan from getting double teamed until they went down the cargo hold. Dorn was the last person to get down into the cargo hold, because he and Korgan were the most reluctant about retreating, they wanted to stay and continue causing a bloodbath with Ralis, but he told them it is to protect their lives for future battles.

Now Ralis is all alone on the deck of Desharik's ship, surrounded by 15 pirates, and more of them climbed aboard the ship, surrounding him with their swords drawn. If this works, this will be the first time Ralis has willingly become The Slayer. The problem is, he doesn't have a clear idea how to do it. If he can't do it, then he will be a dead man in a matter of seconds.

"Any last words, chum?" One of the pirates sneered at Ralis.

Ralis did not reply, he just focused on trying to get angry, hoping that it is all he needs to do to become The Slayer. After seconds of trying to force himself to get angry, it happened. He felt his body heat rising, and his breathing became low, threatening growls. From the eyes of the pirates, they saw Ralis' body darken to a dark gray color and his eyes became completely bloodshot red. At first they were both confused and bewildered at what is happening to him, and before they could consider what to do next, dark orbs of energy surrounded Ralis, covering him completely for a few seconds, then they dissipated to reveal that he has transformed into a hideous humanoid monster.

"What in the name of Umberlee's sweet teats is that?!" A pirate with long red hair exclaimed in shocked horror.

The Slayer roared angrily, giving thep irates directly in front of it a good glimpse of its sharp fangs, and the yellow saliva that drop from its fangs, startling the pirates and even Desharik who still stood at the pier near the gangplank, but couldn't see what was going on aboard his galleon because his ship is tall enough to obscure what is happening in the middle of the ship's deck. All he could hear is the roars of some otherworldly beast, and the screams of his pirates coming from the ship's deck. He saw some of his pirates get thrown off the ship in various directions, and in addition to that he heard the sound of claws ripping armor and flesh, which sent cold chills running up and down his spine. The pirates who were not yet attacked by The Slayer willingly abandoned ship, jumping off Desharik's ship to land in the water.

"What...? What the hell...?" Desharik couldn't believe what he just saw. What was it that spooked his men so badly?

He started to climb up the gangplank, and as soon as he saw The Slayer surrounded by seven mangled bloodied bodies, the bloodshot eyes of the monster met his, and his blood ran cold. The Slayer then started to come after him, and Desharik, overcome with fear turned around, jumped off the gangplank, and as soon as his feet hit the bloodstained floorboards of the pier, he leaped into the water to avoid getting attacked by The Slayer.

Fortunately for him, The Slayer did not pursue him into the water nine seconds after Desharik dove into the water, The Slayer transformed back into Ralis. By the time Desharik swam back up to the surface and gasped for air, Ralis walked back up the gangplank and called for Saemon and his new sailors to come back up to the deck and prepare the ship for sailing. Desharik couldn't process what just happened. Wasn't he about to get attacked by some hideous monster that looked like it came from the Nine Hells? If so, where is it? While Desharik was trying to get his bearings, Saemon and some of the sailors returned back on deck. Two sailors withdrew the gangplank the moment Desharik struggled to climb back onto the pier, his drenched clothes made his body feel heavier than it should. When he got back on his feet on solid ground, he looked up at his ship in time to see Saemon and Ralis peering down at him.

"Damn you, Havarian! You will live to regret this!" Desharik snarled like a rabid tiger.

Saemon laughed heartily.

"You're half right, Desharik!" Saemon taunted Desherik, then turned his attention to the sailor behind the ship's steering wheel. "Cast off! We set sail immediately!" He told the man.

"Aye-aye!" The sailor nodded in agreement, then the ship began to move, reversing away from the harbor while the other sailors pushed the mangled bodies of the pirates The Slayer killed off the ship into the water and tried to clean the blood off the deck's floorboards.

Desharik could only watch in rage while his ship gets commandeered. Saemon took one last look at the angry pirate lord as the ship turned hard to starboard side facing directly at the sea gate many yards away that prevents them from going out into the open ocean, then he turned to look at Ralis, who is exhausted from his transformation into The Slayer. Saemon doesn't know how Ralis managed to clear the ship of Desharik's pirates by himself, but he saw no reason to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"As for you, Ralis, I know you are not one of my henchmen, and I should not order you about so."

"Thanks. I did all I can do..." Ralis said then licked his lips, feeling a little thirsty, but relieved to be finally back out into the ocean even though they have yet to pass through the gates.

Ralis walked over to the port side of the ship and stared out at the lawless town of Brynnlaw one last time in deep thought. Saemon slowly joined him, but Ralis did not notice Saemon beside him, he was deep in his thoughts, looking distant and sad. Saemon slowly pulled a short sword out from his bag and examined it. It is not the Soultaker Dagger, he already gave it to Abdel, but this blade is not a dagger, but a short sword, a special one at that, adorned with gems on the hilt, and a small scabbard concealed the blade, preventing Saemon or anyone else who would hold it from getting cut by accident.

"As much as I do not want to give it up, I have possessed this blade too long," Saemon said aloud, catching Ralis' attention, and his eyes were drawn to the blade in Saemon's hands.

Saemon smiled softly when he noticed Ralis examining the short sword.

"It is yours, to cement our friendship," Saemon offered.

Ralis shook his head.

"Stubborn idiot," he muttered under his breath so Saemon couldn't hear him. "How many times must I tell you, Havarian, I do not consider you a friend yet. Besides, you gave us the Soultaker Dagger, and I am plenty grateful to you for that," he said aloud and sullenly.

Saemon nodded. "I understand that you still do not trust me, but please, understand that I am sincere in trying to win your trust back. Take this blade. I don't need it either. Consider it payment for a battle well fought and for many more to come!"

Ralis looked at the blade again, sighed, then shrugged indifferently.

"If you wish, though I would prefer gold," Ralis said.

"Nonsense! It is a fine blade, and you are more than deserving. I will take no answer other than yes."

With that said, Ralis grabbed the short sword out of Saemon's hands and put it in his inventory bag.

"It wouldn't kill you to accept no as an answer once or twice in a while," Ralis grumbled at Saemon, who only smirked at him, then he walked away from him.

The ship sailed closer and closer towards Brynnlaw's sea gate, and Saemon held the gate horn ready. When the ship got 40 feet away from the sea's gates, he blew on the horn, making a loud trumpeting noise, and seconds later, the gates opened, revealing the vast ocean beyond. As soon as they passed through the gates, the sailors unraveled the foremast, mainmast, and mizzenmast, enabling the ship to pick up the gust of wind, improving its speed. Saemon stood near the beakhead of the ship, spreading his arms wide, feeling the cool ocean air assault his body as he started laughing.

"We are free! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! We are free!" Saemon grinned excitedly as the sailors milled about the deck doing their work, and Aerie, Anomen, Minsc, Abdel, Jaheira, Imoen and Nalia returned above deck to check on Ralis and invited him below deck to recuperate.

A day has passed since they departed Brynnlaw now. It is almost highsun now, and everyone had just recently enjoyed a fairly decent meal of vegetable soup with water, ale or mead, depending on what beverage they preferred to drink. As hours passed most of Ralis' companions besides Tashia and Aerie started to notice that Ralis has become uncharacteristically distant towards them, He mostly preferred to be alone, staring out at the sea and not talking to anyone unless it were absolutely necessary to speak to them. Imoen was concerned about Ralis' sullen behavior as much as anyone else who cared, but she understood more than anyone else that their ordeal with Jon Irenicus has changed their personalities for the worst, and it will take a long time for them to recover from their psychological wounds. Imoen also took the opportunity to catch up with Neera and Rasaad, since she hasn't seen them since they fought the Iron Throne alongside Ralis, and she also got acquainted with Tashia, Aerie, Valygar, Mazzy, Anomen, Korgan and Cernd. She was surprised to learn that Abdel and Jaheira have become a romantic couple.

Though the voyage across the ocean has been calm for a single day without incident so far, Ralis couldn't help but notice that the air around the ship is tense for some odd reason. Though he has been trying to distance himself from his companions since yesterday, Ralis couldn't help but notice that Saemon Havarian hasn't been above deck since they departed Brynnlaw. The next day later, Ralis noticed that Saemon still refuses to come above deck with him and some of his companions who prefer to kill time for a while by gazing out at the vast, open sea around them... without getting seasick, that is, like poor Korgan. Ralis never asked Saemon what is bothering him. To tell the truth, he hasn't been talking to anyone, and that made Tashia, Aerie, Neera, Minsc and Rasaad concerned. It is completely unlike Ralis to close himself off from everyone. And it is also uncharacteristic for Saemon Havarian, who should be so happy to leave Brynnlaw that he should be coming up to the ship's deck frequently, to stay below deck as if he feels safe there, as if he expects some great tragedy to befall them soon, and by trying not to set foot outside the safety of the ship's walls, he will be safe from it. The course he has set is true though, and Ralis guesses that in nine days or less, they should be back in Athkatla, if they can navigate past the Nelanther Isles without being provoked by pirates.

However, on the fourth morning since their departure from Brynnlaw, a lone ship is spotted the east, which is directly in front of them, only two thousand meters away, and a visibly shaken Saemon orders a change of course, going southeast to avoid sailing directly towards the ship, hoping that the ship won't change course and follow them. They pass by the unknown vessel in a considerable distance of only less than 1,540 meters away, and right when Saemon thought the ship would not follow them, he got the shock of his life. He saw the ship change course and sail directly towards them, clearly following them. The chase lasted for 40 minutes, and as time passed, Saemon increasingly nervous, and rightfully so. When Ralis and Rasaad examined the ship tailing them, they noticed that as the ship steadily grew closer, it doesn't look like any other ship they've seen before. It's strange design makes it look like a giant fish with fins on the side. What ship has sails on all sides, port, starboard and rear end, giving the vessel the distinct appearance of a gigantic fish? The design is just impractical.

Eventually the strange ship got so close that Saemon and the sailors had no choice but to stop, drop anchor and let the people on this strange ship board them. The fish-like ship came up to the ship's port side, and then turned its tail on the port side of the ship. Ralis, his companions, Saemon and the 20 sailors on deck watched in silence as they saw a wooden bridge unravel from a hole under the tail end of the ship, and the bridge's end successfully connected to the ship. Everyone readied their weapons, prepared for whatever may come out of the ship.

"All right, men, prepare yourselves to be boarded. All weapons ready," Saemon announced, trying to sound like a calm, collected captain who always has a plan in mind even though his heart is hammering in his chest.

He glanced over at Ralis next to him holding both Kondar and Albruin in his hands.

"Don't worry, Ralis, I'm sure this won't be any trouble at all," he whispered to the young man, but Ralis paid little attention to him.

A minute later, the first four occupants of the ship emerged from the fish-like ship's hole end, crossing the bridge they've created. Ralis and his party tried to examine the four individuals as much as they could since they stood behind three rows of armed sailors. The occupants of the fish-like vessel look human, but they are not human. All four of them are of the male gender, standing 5'10, wearing body armor that partially reveals their lean yet muscular, leathery yellow colored skin, their hair color is russet and they all have small, highly placed triangular noses. Ralis has seen their kind before, but regardless of that, he did not recall his last encounter with the githyanki even though he should.

The first wave of pirates attempted to attack them as soon as the four strange looking men boarded the ship, four sailors charged at them with their swords drawn, yelling. One of the githyanki warriors cast the spell Agannazar's scorcher, and a destructive jet of flame struck one of the sailors in the chest, killing him almost instantly, burning his body to the third degree in nearly less than three seconds. The other three sailors managed to get close enough to the githyanki warriors to engage them in combat, but they were almost easily outmatched. Ralis, his entire party and the 2nd and 3rd wave of sailors did not attack the githyanki yet, they are analyzing the capabilities of the githyanki in battle and figure out if the githyanki are here to negotiate or attack them. After half of the first wave of sailors have been killed in sword battle against the four githyanki visitors, the rest of the sailors who are part of wave one rushed in to attack the githyanki warriors, along with a sailor who was part of the second wave. However, before the sailor from the second wave could join his allies in battle, a fifth githyanki appeared behind the sailor, teleportation into the vicinity by the Dimensional Door spell. Before the sailor could turn around and attack his unexpected attacker, the githyanki warrior started to use his psionic abilities to calm the aggressive tendencies of the sailor. The 2nd and third wave of sailors watched in surprise and horror as the githyanki warrior used his psychic abilities to calm the sailor and instill feelings of despair and hopelessness in him.

"I give up... I can't go on... There is no point... I must die..." The sailor said to his fellow sailors and without any sign of resistance, he effortlessly reached for the dagger in his belt, brought the blade up to his neck and cut it open, spilling dark red blood all over the deck and collapsing to the deck's floor like a rag doll.

This terrified the surviving sailors so much that they lost the courage to raise their swords against the githyanki now. Even some of Ralis' companions were in shock at what they just witnessed. Saemon pursed his lips, but he didn't say a word yet. More githyanki came aboard the ship, bringing their numbers on board the pirate lord's galleon from five to ten. Though Saemon's hired sailors and Ralis and his group still outnumber the githyanki, they refused to attack. Ralis noticed that even Dorn and Korgan seemed to posses the common sense not to attack them just yet, though in Korgan's case, it may be because he is feeling a bit seasick, and Dorn knows that since he is not a Blackguard anymore, he must choose his battles carefully instead of attacking anyone in his way without hesitation. One of the githyanki warriors, who seems to be the leader, started inspecting everyone he came across, as if he is looking for a certain person.

Saemon leaned towards Ralis and whispered: "Ready yourselves... I know not who these ruffians are... Desharik's men, perhaps?"

"No, I don't think so," Ralis whispered back.

When the githyanki captain came up to Saemon and Ralis, his angry eyes focused on Saemon.

"The githyanki demand! You have the relic of holies!" He snarled, pointing an accusing finger at Saemon's chest.

Saemon frowned in confusion and pulled his head back a few inches. "Pardon? I am sorry, but I do not know what you are talking about. Eh- speak clearly that I might understand."

"Understand!" The githyanki captain gnashed his teeth, then grabbed Saemon by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to the githyanki captain's face. "We see all that you do! Say mon HaVaran, you have trespassed and taken what is not yours!"

Saemon closed his eyes while the githyanki captain was shouting into his face because spittle was flying out of his mouth, and stopped breathing during that moment because he did not want spittle to fly into his eyes, and find out whether or not the githyanki captain's breath smells bad or not.

"Please, the name is spoken with more of a flourish, and a good deal less spittle," Saemon calmly said.

"Your name will be spoken with blades for tongues!" The githyanki captain snarled, then released Saemon from his grasp, but did not back away from him. "You took the relic of holies! We will follow as we must!"

Ralis eyed Saemon suspiciously, coming to the realization that the reason why Saemon needed his company is to protect him from the githyanki. But does Saemon really have this relic? What does it look like? Ralis hasn't seen anything in Saemon's possession that looks like a sacred relic. Maybe these githyanki pirates are mistaken. Saemon brushed the spittle off of his face using his right hand, then he surveyed his surrounding, noticing that the sailors who are still alive, the githyanki captain and his fellow warriors, Ralis and his group of companions are all looking at him. Saemon felt his heart jump at seeing so many eyes focused on him, but he made sure not to look nervous, instead, he feigned innocent, just like he did with Desharik four days ago.

"Now who would be foolish enough to steal from the githyanki...? Er... if that is what you are," Saemon said.

To his eyes, the githyanki are basically a human looking race with yellow skin, bright black eyes, highly placed triangular noses and ears that are more pointed and serrated than the ears of an elf.

The githyanki captain snorted, but did not say a word in response to Saemon's remark.

"I plead innocence, and demand that you search me that I might prove it! Search all aboard if you wish!" Saemon exclaimed, his voice sure and strong.

The githyanki captain nodded. "That is the intent! Inside and out!" He said.

Ralis nodded in agreement. He understood that the only way to get through this farce is to allow the githyanki to observe their possessions.

"Search us all if you must. You needlessly delay our journey, and we'd like to get this overwith!" He proclaimed.

When Ralis turned to look at Saemon he saw a rather serious look in Saemon's eyes.

"Now, Ralis, you'll have to trust me on this matter. I will provide for all those concerned," Saemon said.

Ralis did not understand what he meant. Why would he say such a thing? Why does he expect my trust? Ralis wondered.

The answer soon came to him, and it was not what he expected. Saemon turned to face the githyanki captain, and he spread his arms wide.

"Search away, Captain! You will not find any such object on me." Saemon paused for a moment, then turned his scowling eyes to look at Ralis and his party, which confused Ralis and made his arms and legs numb, a telltale sign that something not good is about to happen. "Although I don't know about these ruffians on deck!" Saemon pointed at Ralis and his party with his right hand. "I don't like the look of them. Give them a thorough look!"

Ralis blinked in surprise and glared. "Saemon!" He hissed.

"He planted the relic on you! Son of a bitch!" Abdel said.

"Just providing for those concerned... me. My apologies, Ralis," Saemon said.

While all this was happening, the githyanki captain cast the Detection spell, and the spell informed him that the relic of holies is indeed aboard this ship, Saemon or his guests are trying to hide it.

"The blade belonging to the githyanki is aboard! Detection does not lie! All will perish for this insult!" The githyanki captain declared.

Ralis realized that Saemon had set him up for the start! That beautiful short sword he gave him when they departed Brynnlaw is the relic of holies the githyanki are looking for! That sweet-talking Saemon set up Ralis and his party to take the punishment meant for him! Ralis started to charge at Saemon, but Minsc and Valygar held him back.

"But you can search and take the true thieves! Take the whole crew if you want!" Saemon exclaimed.

This caused the sailors to start throwing vulgar words at Saemon, even Ralis had his own profanity to shout at him.

"I swear to Tyr, I'll tear your manipulative black heart apart and feed it to the maggots, bastard! I'll make sure you rot in the Nine Hells, you turd eating maggot!" Ralis exclaimed while almost frothing at the mouth, trying to break free from Minsc and Valygar's grasp.

Amidst the uproar of expletives shouted at Saemon, the githyanki captain shouted: "Examples must be set! none must attempt such a crime again! Destroy them all!"

That means the githyanki doesn't care who is guilty, everyone will be slain, including Saemon even though he is trying to plead innocent and make Ralis and his group guilty.

Saemon lowered his arms in defeat.

"This just isn't a good tenday..." He muttered.

Then the fight suddenly broke out on deck, swords clashed, spells were being cast, the entire deck of Desharik's commandeered ship erupted into total chaos. Already five sailors were killed and Korgan managed to take down one githyanki warrior with the assistance of Valygar. Saemon tried to escape the chaos by climbing up to the ship's look-out position high above. As he tried to climb up the ladder of the mainmast, a sailor tried to cut his legs off, but he got killed by the githyanki captain's sword, who wanted to get to Saemon first. While everyone else was fighting on the ship's deck, the githyanki captain and Ralis holding the relic of holies in his hand were climbing up the mainmast after Saemon, Ralis being a few feet behind the githyanki captain and Saemon being several feet above them. Once he got up to the ship's look-out spot, he looked around, seeing nothing but the vast sea around him and cloudy gray skies above, and he thought that he felt a few drops of water fall on his shoulders and head. He saw that the only places he could move on the top mast of the ship is across the wooden logs left or right that hold the mast in place.

He decided to move left seconds before the githyanki captain caught up to him. Saemon tried his best not to look down as he carefully balanced himself on the wooden beam trying to put some distance between him, the githyanki captain and Ralis. The githyanki captain tried to follow Saemon across the wooden beam, but he didn't feel as confident as Saemon does in walking across the wooden beam. Ralis got up to the look-out spot next, but as soon as he did, the ship suddenly rocked twice! Saemon lost his balance and fell, but as luck would have it, he managed to grab a rope connecting to a mast as he fell, and he cut the rope using his dagger and swung back down to the upper deck. The githyanki captain fell off the beam too, and like Saemon, he grabbed a rope as well and swung his way through the network of ropes connecting the masts back down to the deck. Ralis almost didn't get as lucky as they did. He fell off too, dropping the relic of holies and he almost failed to grab a rope himself, but he managed to swing his way to the foremast and he slid down the foremast's pole to the deck.

While Saemon, the githyanki captain and Ralis were climbing up the mainmast, the sailors were getting defeated by the githyanki one at a time, every 10 seconds, they were simply not prepared to fight warriors from the Astral Plane. However, Ralis' party were holding out just fine, especially with the support of magic spells form Viconia, Imoen, Aerie, Edwin, Tashia, Nalia and Jan, but Cernd and Jaheira never used their druid spells during the fight, and Neera stayed out of the fight fearing that if she tries to use her magic, she might cause a wild surge, and who knows what might happen? The wild surge might cause the ship to take in water, and that would be a terrible effect. Unfortunately, two of the githyanki warriors turned their attention on the spellcasters when they could, one of them used his psionic abilities to subdue Edwin, hitting him with a psionic blast that knocked him off his feet while he was busy trying to cast the Flame Arrow spell, disrupting it. Edwin fell flat on his back, hitting his head and he became groggy and dizzy, from both the psionic blast and the mild head concussion. As he struggled to retain consciousness, the sounds he heard sounded muted, as if they were happening far away. He could barely hear the sounds of blades clashing, shouting and yelling, the sounds of the battle happening on the deck.

"I... I feel so... tired. 'Tis like I see two or three of everything. (I am seeing four. Definitely four...)" Edwin muttered to himself nearly delirious.

He tried to get up on his feet, but he is too dizzy to steady himself, and he eventually saw Aerie approach him while everyone else continued fighting, her intent is clearly to use her magic spells to heal him.

"Edwin! Hold your... hold your ground, and I shall try to heal you!" She exclaimed, then prepared to cast Heal Major Wounds on the Red Wizard.

Edwin moaned and shook his head in denial. "(No, get her away, she knows!)" Edwin mumbled while shaking his head in protest. "She knows! Augh, I bleed! Get away from me, girl, get away!"

Aerie ignored his protests and successfully cast the spell on him, healing his bleeding head and the throbbing pain in his head subsided, and his eye vision became clear. One of the sailors broke away from the fight and went below deck to check on what made the ship list to the right so suddenly after Minsc and Abdel helped him take down another githyanki. The githyanki warriors froze half of his fellow sailors with the Hold Person spell. When he checked the cargo hold, he noticed that his feet are in water. There is water in the cargo hold! How could this happen?! The ship hasn't taken any damage, unless... He ran back up to the upper deck and shouted:

"Prepare to abandon ship! She takes on water! Sahuagin board us! This ship is doomed! Ready yourselves for the water!"

Saemon's eyes widened, then he darted his eyes toward the lifeboats on the port side of the ship. He also noticed Ralis near the bow of the ship coming towards him.

"This would be my cue to leave. Farewell, Ralis! Good luck!" Saemon gave Ralis the two-fingered salute that he did when they first met, then he ran for the lifeboats.

Ralis would have caught him easily if a githyanki warrior hadn't gotten between him and tried to cut him down, forcing him to parry the strikes.

As Saemon prepared his lifeboat, the githyanki captain grabbed the relic of holies and recalled that one of the sailors said that the sahuagin are going to board the ship. He has never seen a sahuagin before, but he has heard of them. Humanoid fish monsters, those that fear them usually call them sea devils.

"Sahuagin? I did not anticipate this. Back to the ship!" The githyanki captain exclaimed to his warriors that are still alive.

The githyanki boarded their ship and retracted their bridge just mere seconds before the sahuagin showed up, climbing aboard the ship with spears and javelins in their arms, and by the time the sahuagin boarded the ship to fight the sailors who still live, and Ralis and his party, the githyanki ship were already pulling away, and Saemon in his lifeboat, his hair drenched with water and clothes mostly wet, is rowing away from the ship, watching as is slowly sank to the ocean below.

The ship lists to one side as the cargo below decks violently shifts. There is no opportunity for Ralis, his party or the pirates who weren't killed by the githyanki to make for the other lifeboats, they were too busy fighting off the hostile sahuagin, and everyone eventually got thrown overboard. While underwater, Ralis could hear the muted rumbling of the water around his ears as he held his breath and fought his way back up to the surface. He gasped for air as soon as he emerged, and he looked around trying to find out what happened to Imoen, Abdel, Viconia and the others, but he couldn't see them, and the current dragged him down underwater again in less than five seconds. Ralis tried to escape the undertow, but he couldn't, it is far too strong, and as he slowly lost consciousness, he wondered if his last sight will be the disappearing bastard Saemon Havarian, saving his own skin as expected using a magical spell he memorized that will magically teleport him back to the safe shores of Amn. If he had known this would happen, he would have opted to enter the portal after Irenicus regardless of the possibility of venturing into the Underdark.