Author note: ladies and gentlemen, in this chapter, Sarevok finally enters the stage and joins the party! I know, I know, it's been ages since his last appearance, but there is a good reason for his long absence, as he's been busy starring in my Spartacus fanfic titled "The white serpent" in the role of my OC's faithful bodyguard. And he did an amazing job of it ;-)

oxoxoxoxoxo

Heat, intense and oppressing, like when she was in Cromwell's forge. And a strong stench of sulphur, mixed with blood and rotten flesh. Meg opened her eyes slowly, blinking owlishly at the dim light coming from above her head and she found herself in a wide cave, with a rocky floor, nearly black walls and a big door with five huge open eyes imbedded in its hinges, one at the top and two on each side.

"Where am I?", she wondered aloud, not really expecting an answer and she started when a voice she knew all too well came from behind her. "I'm not sure, but judging from the strong sense of Evil coming off of the very walls of this place, I think this is Hell, my love". "Anomen?", she whirled around and yes, it was him and he was not alone: all of her friends were here as well, looking a bit confused but at the same time determined. "Yes, Meg, I am here", he smiled, "We are all here". "Why? How did you... ".

Jaheira stepped forward, "When Irenicus died, we tried to wake you from the sleeping spell Imoen had cast, but no matter how hard we tried, it didn't work. Worse than that, you had stopped breathing and were even growing cold quite fast", she said, her voice catching slightly, "We thought you were dead, but then we noticed that your body had not dissolved like it was supposed to do, so Edwin guessed that you were suspended between life and death...".

"And I was right, wasn't I?", the Thayan intervened, "(Of course I was, I'm always right. Or at least nine times out of ten) The knightling tried to reach your spirit to call it back, but it seems like it was you who called us here instead". The Painbearer's face contorted with a mixture of anger, guilt and fear, "Why on Toril did you try to bring me back at all?", she shouted at them, "Why couldn't you just let me die and go on with your lives?". "Because we love you, you bufflehead!", Imoen shouted back.

"Yeah and look where that got you! You're trapped in thrice-Godsdamned Hell, instead of being on a peaceful sunny beach enjoying a fresh drink and having fun! You could be anywhere, doing anything, free and alive, instead of...Of...", Margaret Dawn trailed off and fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands, "I condemned you all. I destroy everything I touch, doom everyone I love. Bhaal must be so proud of me", she sobbed, despair overwhelming her completely as the light seemed to dim by the second.

"No, Daughter of Murder, you Sire is not at all pleased with you", a hissing voice came from the shadows and she stood and readied her Mace in an instant, her companions preparing themselves for battle as well. "Show yourself!", she shouted at the stranger. A big form emerged from her left: it was an impossibly huge Celebrilith, its greyish skin stretched on his skeletal ogre-like form and its red eyes glowed as it moved forward on all fours like an ape, "Your words, my command", it said, lying down at her feet and bowing its head.

Meg looked at it warily, "Ooookay. Do you know how to leave this place?". The demon nodded, still not meeting her gaze, "I do, mistress. You must retrieve all of the five Tears of Bhaal to open the eyes on the door, then you must get your soul back from the wizard, so you will be whole again and you will have the power to create a portal to the world of the living". "Where are these Tears, then?". "Behind me there are five flights of stairs, each one leading to a challenge room. Pass the tests and the Tears will be yours, Daughter of Murder".

"Tests. You're serious". "Yes, mistress". She sighed and muttered a string of the filthiest curse-words she knew under her breath, "Fine, what kind of tests await me?". It opened its hands apologetically, "I don't know, Daughter of Murder. It is for you to find out". "Wonderful. Is there more you can tell me?". "Your heritage grants you power in this plane, so your strength is greater here than it is in the mortal world. But be careful, for if any of you is killed here, the soul will remain trapped in the Abyss and you will be forced to serve in the Blood War for eternity".

Imoen made a face, "Doesn't sound funny at all", she commented, "Meg, let's get outta here as soon as possible, okay? I don't fancy being forced to fight until the end of times". "If you had not followed me, you would not be risking anything now", her half-sister noted, "So, demon...What's your name by the way?". The Celebrilith blinked, surprised, "Nobody ever bothered to ask before...My name is Ripper, mistress".

"Ripper, good. Do you have more information for us?". "No, mistress, that's all". "Okay, thank you, then", the Painbearer leaned down and patted its head with a smile, "You can go now". It looked at her with wide eyes, taken aback by that kind gesture, "I...As you command, mistress. Farewell", it stood and left, but it looked back at her with a puzzled expression twice before disappearing in the darkness.

She looked at her companions, "So...It seems like we have little choice but to take the stairs". Edwin snorted, "You are a constant source of trouble, danger and annoyances in general, you know this, right? (First a Gnoll fortress, then the sewers of Baldur's Gate, then the Copper Coronet and now the Abyss! This girl has a habit of dragging me to the worst places of the Multiverse! Next time we will probably end up in a Gnomish village complete with turnip fields)", he muttered with a horrified shudder.

Margaret Dawn couldn't help chuckling and quickly moved to hug him, "I'm so very sorry for causing you such discomfort, Edwin, but I promise you will be out of here soon". The Thayan tried to glare at her, but at length he slipped an arm around her shoulders and held her for a moment, "All right, now take your paws off of me and choose a flight of stairs, I don't have all day". "Well...I'd say we begin with the stairs to our right and then go counter-clock wise, what do you think, guys?". "Yes, yes, now move".

She nodded, but before she could take a single step, Jaheira grabbed her arm, a stern look on her face. "Meg?". "Yes?". The druidess gave her a hard cuff on the head, followed, to everyone's surprise, by a tight hug, "Why didn't you tell me, child? If only I had known how much, how deeply this was eating away at you, I could have...".

"You could have done what?", the Ilmatari cut her off sharply, disentangling herself form the Half-Elf's arms, "There was nothing you, or anyone else, could do to help me. Only Jon could, but that chance is gone now. All I would have accomplished by telling you would have been to make you worry and to hurt you even more than I already have. This pain is my own to bear". "You don't have to face it alone", Anomen intervened, "We are here for you and...".

"And nothing!", she snapped, emerald eyes burning with sudden anger, "For heaven's sake, I'm a Painbearer! Do you even know what that means? That's not a title you earn by whining like a crybaby and dumping your emotional shit on everyone around you: it's earned by swallowing your pain, rage, sadness and despair day after day after godsdamned day with a smile on your face until you die! I'm not allowed to lean on anyone, I must carry it on my own, that's my duty, that's what I deserve!". "But my love...".

"Oh, spare me, I'm really not in the mood for your pity", she snarled, "We have more pressing concerns at the moment, so all of you close those traps of yours and move your asses before I decide to just kick you down the stairs", she concluded, stalking to the closest staircase without sparing them another glance while the sky darkened, a deafening roll of thunder sounding above them and lightning flashing way too close for their comfort.

Imoen gulped, "W-what was that?", she whispered, scared by the sudden menacing change in their surroundings. Edwin frowned, "I think her anger is influencing this place. The demon from before said that she has power over this plane, so the, shall we say, 'weather' changed to reflect her emotional distress. Since we don't know how far her influence extends, for safety reasons I suggest avoiding to upset her further from now on (I really don't want to suddenly find myself under a rain of fire just because Meg is pissed off!)", he muttered. Everyone nodded and hurried to follow Meg before she got out of their sight.

oxoxoxoxoxo

At the end of the stairs was a huge room, nearly completely dark with the only exception of the part they stood in, which was dimly lit by a couple of torches. "Get ready", Meg whispered, clutching more tightly her enchanted Mace, "There could be any kind of...". "So you're here at last. I've been waiting for you", a rumbling male voice, deep and sensuous, came from the other side of the room and a figure moved towards the party.

Anomen gaped at seeing the man who was coming out of the darkness: the stranger was two point thirteen metres tall, with dark skin and close-cropped dark hair, he was powerfully built with wide shoulders and impressive muscles in his arms and legs and he wore black armour quite similar to that of a Deathbringer. Despite his size and the heavy armour, he moved with the easy grace of a panther, self-confident and radiating strength both physical and of character, but the most remarkable thing about him were his eyes: they were the colour of amber and their gaze was as sharp and intense as a laser ray.

"Sarry!", Margaret Dawn threw herself in the newcomer's arms, tears of joy running down her cheeks and the light in the room brightened as though the Sun had just come out from behind the clouds, "Big brother...Sarry...". "I'm here, Maggie", Sarevok murmured softly, kissing her hair and hugging her tightly, "Ssshh, don't cry, my little wild rose, it's all right, I'm here with you". She clung to him as if for dear life, shaking with sobs, " I missed you so, so, so much!". "I know, little sister. I missed you too", he kissed her again, with such tenderness that the Helmite couldn't help feeling a stab of jealousy.

"How are you? What did they do to you?". "They didn't do anything, to be honest: Ilmater answered your prayers and spared me any torment. And since I had a lot of free time on my hands, I used it to fight against the Demons and I've become even stronger than before", the warrior smirked, "They're not as tough as people say". She chuckled and dried her cheeks, "They're not weak, it's just that you're too much for them to handle", she said, her eyes shining with pride, love and adoration, "You're always the best, Sarry". "If you say so, Maggie. But we'll have time to catch up later: now we must deal with Irenicus".

"He's here, isn't he? I can feel his presence, though I have no idea where he's hiding". Her brother nodded, "He's here indeed. Do you know where 'here' is?". The Ilmatari bit her lower lip, thinking, "I guess this is our Sire's realm, but...It's different from how I had imagined it". "Because this is not exactly the Abyss: this is more like a...A pocket plane, created by your own mind to protect you from the evil of the Abyss itself. There are some rooms in here, each of them hosting a challenge that will help you know your soul and your powers better".

Meg frowned, "Why would I need to do that?". He touched the tip of her nose with the same smile he used to give her when he was teaching her the alphabet, "Think, little sister: what are you looking for?". "I'm looking for Jon". "And why are you doing that?". "To get my soul back...I got it! I need to know my soul, because it's my soul I'm looking for and to find it, I have to know it!". Sarevok nodded, "Excellent, Maggie! I'm so proud of you".

His sister beamed, "Really? Yay! But...", she sobered, "So there's no easy way for us to get to Jon, right?". "Since when there is an easy way for those like us? But I found something that will help", he reached into his pack and took a tear-shaped rock out of it, "This is one of the Tears of Bhaal that will open the door. I could only find this one, though". "Oh, Sarry, you're amazing! Thank you", the Painbearer exclaimed, hugging him again.

Feeling left out, Anomen cleared his throat, "Excuse me...", he said and his betrothed started. "Oh, silly me, I didn't even make introductions! Guys, this is my big brother, Sarevok. Sarry, they're my friends: Immy you already know. And that's Jaheira, you remember her, right? And that's Minsc, with Boo, his Miniature Giant Space Hamster. The Red Wizard is Edwin, the Elven girl is Aerie and that is Yoshimo. And last but not least, Anomen, well, sir Anomen: he's my betrothed".

The knight smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Sarevok. Meg told me a lot about you", he said friendly, but received a withering glare in return from the other man. "Betrothed, eh? And what makes you think you're worthy of my Maggie?", the warrior growled walking up to him, his amber eyes burning dangerously. "I...I know I'm not worthy of her. I've always known it", the Helmite stammered, barely stopping himself from taking a step back.

The Ilmatari put herself between them, "Come on, Sarry, don't bite him: he's a good and honest man who treats me right, you can trust him. Please?". Sarevok looked at the knight for a moment longer, then he relaxed and nodded, "Fine, then. But our little...Chat...Is merely delayed, sir knight", he warned the younger man, then he wrapped an arm possessively around his sister's waist, "Let's go, Maggie". She leaned slightly into him and the two walked up the stairs, followed by the rest of the party.