The End

The long line of souls awaiting judgment stretched as far as she could see, both forth and back, lined evenly on the white stretch of milky light, drawn among the stars. All around, the ink black darkness reined, unbothered by the tiny spots of white, an afterthought not worth mentioning in this empty cold void. The round globe of Toril, a place where she started, was now so far away… She could barely see it looking back, a realm now so tiny, the size of a silver coin, soon just one more dot surrounded by the blackness. Completely insignificant anymore.

It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was final.

Daria made a step, one leg forward and then the other, as the line moved a few inches. Each soul moving in a rhythm, a pulse going through the line. The place where she was heading wasn't visible yet, but the slow passing time didn't bother her. There was no hunger or thirst in this place, no hurt or boredom. Some souls tried to leave, in fear or desperation jumping from the white way into the black void, but devas quickly restored them back to their proper place. One was circling above even now, a colorful angel, it's wings shining with the first rays of a new day. Daria closed her eyes, savoring the warm touch of light on her face, as if brushed by the softest feather.

Every now and then, a higher ranking planetar or even once a solar, would descend to the line and pick a soul especially deserving, to carry them fourth to their god's side. Daria knew – hoped – she wasn't one of those. It was fine, where she was. She wouldn't fight this fate and besides who would she fight? And how? She was already dead.

Another step. Neither the soul of a farmwoman that stood behind her, nor that of a murdered drow before her, were very talkative. Daria watched a day pass lazily, the Abeir-Toril circling the sun to emerge on the other side. A dawn, down there, another day beginning for those left alive. Even if this was a sort of purgatory and she was meant to spend the rest of eternity here, it wouldn't be that bad. Far better that what she expected, clearly few steps above being consumed by a dead god.

Her whole life, gone, just like that. And how did it happen? Well, it wasn't important anymore, now, was it? But Daria had to admit, her adventure wrapped up nicely, beginning and ending with an assassination.


"Daria, are you alright?" Jaheira asked for what seemed to be the tenth time in this hour. It wasn't, some of the times Daria saw the same question before in a vision, but it was still getting too much. She smiled brightly at the half-elf, trying to project as much of the confidence and happiness as she felt into that smile. That seemed to cause the opposite effect.

"Maybe it would be better if you waited here?" Solaufein seemed to doubt her as well.

"No, she'd wander off somewhere and we can't spare another person to watch her" Jaheira started to to talk to her in third person, which Daria took as her cue to resume casting defensive spells in preparation for the battle. It was true, now that she wore an enchanted ring Xan made for her, she could leave her body and roam around as she pleased, without the risk of her body falling into an unconscious heap if she was away too long. Her beloved also promised to experiment with time dilution to help with the so far uncountered aftereffect of a trance. And Jaheira got over-protective again, seeing the sun elf stumble around, her spirit off to some distant future.

True, to keep an eye out on Sendai, always ready for an impromptu assassination, Daria had to be a bit… elsewhere. But she could still cast. And knew what she was doing.

A lightning shield joined the other abjurations protecting the druidess, this one shimmering and snapping uncontrollably. Jaheira eyed it warily. She already had a full protection against shock damage and besides, this one didn't look particularly safe.

"Melamin… Perhaps you should rest? I can finish the shields." Xan took her hand and kissed her fingertips, discretely checking for remnants of an incomplete spell that could harm her. For a second love blossomed in Daria's chest and filled her completely, she felt she could turn pink like Sarevok. So she did the first thing that came to her mind – put her hands in the unsuspecting enchanter's hair and pulled him close for a deep, intimate kiss. If he was surprised, he didn't show it, answering her almost instantly. She felt his tongue tangling with hers, his hands closing on her hips. All too quickly, he stepped away, reddening to the tips of his ears, when he noticed everyone's eyes were on them.

"I love you" Daria confessed, breath shallow, completely undeterred by the attention. "More than everything in this world."

"Yes. I mean… I love you too." Xan's flustered look couldn't cover the tenderness in which he spoke those words.

"Am I the only one working here?!" Imoen chose the moment to complain loudly. "We're about to fight a dragon, ya know? Not a pack of gibberlings, not a feral squirrel, a real giant dragon. Or do you want to be squashed into a pancake?"

"Don't be mad, Immy. You'll get wrinkly" Daria teased, her humor unspoiled.

"Oh no, you didn't!"

Daria skipped to her sister to ruffle her hair, brushing against Jaheira's stormy shield, trying to assure the stern half-elf that everything was going to be alright and failing again. Xan stepped closet to pick up where she left off. Blood was still rushing in his cheeks, rich, red, pouring…


A soul behind her poked her side, when Daria missed a step. Realizing she was holding back the line, the sun elf filled the small space available before her, a foot forward and then the other. The sound of her step solitary at first, not the resounding echo that went through the line every few minutes. The soul behind her moved closer and the pulse picked up, a single wave on the mirror-flat surface of dark water, getting weaker as the distance grew.

"Sorry…!" Daria whispered, as always getting no answer but a glare from the drow. Over his shoulder she saw something she did not expect. An end goal of this journey, for now just a small circle of whiteness from the road mixing with the blackness of the void. But there was no mistake, the line wasn't going further than there. A gate to the blessed realms… and the hells. The order and the chaos. She read about it… the Great Wheel. It looked different in the books. A path to Arvandor was somewhere there, ahead, and maybe – just maybe – she would be allowed in. A day more, maybe two and she would reach the gates. Corellon could take mercy on her. Her life mas marked by chaos and death, and she was the cause to much of it, but there were a few good deeds there too… She stopped Sarevok's war with Amn, helped defend Suldanessellar, saved Imoen and almost stopped the Bhaalspawn Wars… If she was allowed in, one day she could see Xan again.

Settling back into the sleepy rhythm of a slow movement forward, Daria recalled her last good deed – slaying an evil dragon.


Lightning danced in the frisk air like a living being, an angry cat, snapping and hissing, then finally settling on releasing it's anger on an ice salamander. Two more lightnings spouted with a flash from the giant lizard's throat, making the battle so much more interesting, adding the element of desperate dodging to your static, back-stage life of a mage.

"This is a nightmare! Surely we are going to die!" Xan's voice remained, but the enchanter already dove into one of the craters left from a spell, doing his best to avoid being fried.

"I'm not dying here!" Imoen climbed on the top of the bunk, starting a chant to bleed the offensive dragon dry, trusting her reflexes were fast enough to avoid a jolt.

"It didn't go exactly as planned, but it was an adventure! I hope Gorion would be proud!" Daria shouted over the roaring dragon, barely heard by her friends. None had time to ponder the nonsense, when a small meteor shower fell on the dragon, forcing it to shake its head. Only Xan managed to cast her a worried glance, before having to dodge yet another bolt of electricity. It was almost impossible here, a good distance from the raging half-god. How by Tymora's breath were the front line fighters staying alive through all this?!

It wasn't easy, but it was a worthy effort, thought Minsc, slashing a shallow cut on the lizard's leg. Yes, it was a worthy battle, meant to inspire many songs, to teach the goodness and righteousness and value of butt-kicking to future generations. Many a wrong-doer would tremble, hearing of this day, settling for cooking porridge and serving others, rather than to continue on their villainous path and risk the heroic onslaught! Yes! A giant claw tearing through his torso gave Minsc a small pause, but what was such a small wound in face of camaraderie and trust? Even evil Sarevok was moved by such a display of prowess, moving to the ranger's side to cover him from the other claw, cutting at the vicious limb, his blows not so mighty against an enemy of this scale. Perhaps… Perhaps the floor was spinning a bit too much for it to be just a battle excitement. Perhaps Minsc had to sit down for a moment, to rest. Let his friends have a chance to kick some vile butts. Yes, that sounded…

Good…

An urge to nap was overwhelming, but luckily friend Anomen would have none of it, coming to his side to mutter something about vigilance and watching. He was right! Suddenly Minsc felt much more lively. He had to watch out! This was no time to nap! Not with a butt that big, requiring Minsc's foot to kick it!

"It's going to roar again!" Jaheira's shout made them all scatter, all but Minsc. The berserker let out a roar of his own and dove forward, slashing at the dragon's exposed throat, escalating the stream of cackling electrical energy, made only fiercer by the dragon's pain. The world disappeared in white light, they all went blind, hearing only the echoes of the roar that erupted from the toothy maw. Then the time resumed nonchalantly as if nothing happened, expecting the battle to resume. Now the cave, filled with the smell of ozone, was cut in two by a charred bed, only seconds ago filled by a river of lightning, ending at the feet of deafened and clearly disoriented druidess. Jaheira was surrounded by a sphere of a built up and unstable electricity.

"GO FOR THE EYES, BOO!" Minsc shouted, encouraged by his friend's prowess. To take on such a mighty blow, that was indeed a hero's achievement. He plunged his sword deeper into the dragon's gullet.

"Tastes like chicken!" Lilarcor the sword enjoyed the battle even more. Blood poured at the berserker and his sword and his hamster too. The giant lizard roared, backing away, this time only with pain. The mages took the break in dodging to finish their incantations, unleashing the deadliest curses they had in their arsenal.

"NO!" the beast roared at them, feeling his defeat as the essence of his father was forcefully drained from his blood. "You will not have this victory! I will not allow it!"

A swan song. A portal opened on the side of wyrm's head and in one lethal swoop a drow blade stabbed the dragon's eye, a flying flaming dagger following right behind, dealing the finishing blow. The portal closed before the heavy body began to fall, Solaufein appearing back by Daria's side. The sun elf smiled catching her magical dagger, careful not to lower her eyes to the sticky spell her dark elf friend just teleported into.

"I need to get out! Fall back!" Jaheira put all of her voice into a warning, to outshout the cackle of swirling mass of energy around her, critically unbalanced and ready to explode any second now.

"The portal!" Imoen pointed to the closest exit, a closed magical shortcut outside. Jaheira rushed to activate the rune on it, woefully unprepared for the drow waiting for it to open, to ambush the weakened party. A second later and the assassination squad would have breached the portal themselves, but that way they were surprised too, at least a bit. The drow unsheathed their weapons and struck.

And this was when it happened.


Almost there… The pulse was becoming irregular so close to the gate, each step allowing one more soul to end it's fate and claim the place where eternity would greet them. The white and the black side of the gate, so simple, so literal. The sun elf craned her neck but couldn't see any devas or other guardians, anyone at all, deciding on which side of the gate you belonged. It seemed to be a free choice. Her worries lessened somewhat, but there was still the fear, an irrational terror that Bhaal waited for her somewhere in the void, allowing her this hope, this dream, just to grab her, pull her down with him last minute, into the eternal nothingness.

So close… The end was so close. The souls barely formed a line now, more than one trying to see what awaited ahead, feet shuffling, stepping in place, though there were no outright attempts to skip the queue. There was only last moment of her life Daria could recall… Then she would leave everything… everyone behind. The drow before her didn't hesitate a moment, choosing the dark side of the gate. Daria took the other route.

She looked forward, her eyes reflecting only the promise of peace she was given.


With a growl Jaheira collided with the first drow emerging from the portal, unable to stop from the full sprint she went into to put as much distance from the party as she could. The storm barrier on her sparked one last time upon the collision… and exploded.

Sarevok dropped his sword immediately, as per Daria's instructions. The diviner saw this moment many times before, she was barely paying any attention as she was tying up the last strings at this point. Considering all the possibilities she could think of, she navigated the net of causes and effects, weaving them into a new version of the future. Seconds passed fractions at a time – seven assassins made it through the portal, jumping in with a practiced synchronization. Her party couldn't see them all just yet, all drow were covered in invisibility but one – the one Jaheira crashed into. The druidess shouted out a warning – quickly, desperately. For Daria the time flowed differently, lazy in its inevitability. The first knot she made on the silver threads of today's little fates snapped into place. The drow drew the electricity in, creating a chain lightning that chose it's path – to the metal frame of the portal, frying everything in between. The assassins were Sendai's most elite squad, their inborn magical resistance enhanced with a plethora of magical items would otherwise be frustratingly difficult to overcome for either an enchanter or battle mage. But a bolt of energy equivalent to an adult dragon's breath was no ordinary spell. It was a force of nature. And the little adamantine dagger in assassins hand drew it's full force.

The explosion blew the invisibility from the assassins, in a cloud of dust. Three more drow emerged from the portal, only seconds late, momentarily shocked to see only half of their team alive, one dying in agony, fried almost to a crisp. And in that moment they knew, they were not going to survive this ambush – they went in too soon and that cost them dearly. But that only made them more desperate and deadly.

Jaheira stood dazed in a circle of burned ground, small sparks still dancing on her armor and shield. Luckily she had a full protection against electricity before Daria surrounded her with the storm – another thread skillfully woven. The drow didn't approach her, sensing a trap. Two took the unarmed Sarevok from both sides. Solaufein hurried to his ally's side, but the sticky enchantment that claimed his boots sent him sprawled on the ground, where it would be safe. Sarevok didn't need his help anyway, his full plate armor protection enough against the poison coated blades and he didn't need more than his hands to break an elven neck. Minsc took care of two more, Imoen shot down one before he got close enough…

One was left, hidden in the shadows, yet unnoticed in the chaos and the dust, with the most powerful enchantments protecting her from harm, her blade coated in a poison that only needed one shallow cut.

It was subtle. Sendai came to kill one of her sisters, ready and prepared to retreat any second, should the risk outweigh the profit. She had only one strike, before she'd have to use her secured escape route. The attempt alone cost her much already – the gear she could not recover, the men she could not resurrect, a golden opportunity, Abazigal's death – all wasted because of impatience. If she fled right now, it would all be a horrible loss. But if she took out at least one…

Which one to strike? Imoen was weakest, but there seemed to be more magic on her right now, not enough of her defenses depleted in the battle with a dragon. On the other hand, the famed Gorion's Ward stood only few steps away, seemingly unaware of her half-sister's presence, drained and weakened, dazed. An opportunity like that could never happen again.

The sun elf knew how weak her defenses needed to appear, to attract the assassin and give her team a shot at killing Sendai without the need to infiltrate her enclave. Sendai knew that once Abazigal fell, none of her traps or servants would be enough to stop the Gorion's Ward. This was her gambit – a desperate use of her only ace. And she chose not to attack Imoen, who she had a chance to kill.

Daria breathed a sigh of relief, feeling drow's attention focus on her. The greed – Sendai's biggest flaw. In a second the drow would strike, aiming under the sun elf's rib. A stone skin wasn't enough to stop the blow – a mare scratch was enough to deliver a fatal dose of the poison, the assassin really outdid herself on this front. But she would notice a Mantle or any stronger defense and switch targets… In the next vision Daria needed to figure out a way to immobilize or stall her long enough for one of the warriors to get in a killing blow in. Maybe she could use Anomen? She'd have to position him closer and make him look weaker, somehow…

Harshly the world interrupted her idle thoughts, a sharp pain exploding on her side, dragging her back to where she should be focusing. To the present – now, when Sendai was attacking her in real life, not in a vision. Daria gasped, seeing the poisoned dagger come closer in a second arc. This wasn't a vision? This wasn't a vision! But she wasn't ready yet! She had no plan at this point, no more threads knotted and tied, all she held in her grasp was ripping apart, the entire web she wove to protect her loved ones, thin lines of magic, tattering, gone… She failed, she failed, she didn't protect a single thing…

The dagger fell and was intercepted by a Moonblade, clumsily, luckily, catching it before it dove deep into Daria's heart. She felt as if Heavens themselves were holding breath, as she looked into Sendai's eyes, angry purple, and saw them triumph. It was too late.

Sendai dropped the dagger, twisted an onyx ring on her finger and disappeared in a blink.

Daria was left empty handed. She looked around, seeing all her friends looking back at her in shock. The shallow wound on her side pulsated, burned. In a few seconds they would find out what she knew now. She lost.

Knees buckled under her. It didn't hurt, dying was supposed to hurt more? Then there was nothing.


Daria stepped into the light.