Strife enveloped the last thief in a pillar of fire, clearing the way for his party.
"Let's get the heck out of here!" Grabbing Jaheira around the waist, he half-dragged, half-carried her to the doorway. Ahead he could hear the sound of a fight dying out. And I'm almost out of spells, he thought dryly. Of all of them, Imoen was in the best shape, having made use of her sneaking abilities and spells. He pushed through the door, Jaheira trying to stand on her own, but he would have none of it. "You're injured, and the pack is only as fast as the slowest wolf," he told her, hoping to touch upon her druid's sensibilities. "You're right, of course," she sighed, allowing him to carry her. "lead on." Strange, he thought, I would never be able to carry her before, and now I feel like I'm as strong as Minsc. As they broke the surface, a massive explosion blasted shut the tunnel they'd just come through.
They stood up and dusted themselves off, looking around. Then Minsc let out a growl. "The cursed fiend!" Imoen yelled and started casting spells at Irenicus, whose name they had learned from his dryad slaves. After a bit more spell-casting, several mages gated in and began trying to "apprehend" them. Irenicus slew them all. And just as Strife was preparing for a final wild surge, they gated out. With Imoen and Irenicus in tow. Cursing, Strife tried to hold a gate open, but the mages had simply moved too fast for even his skillful spellwork. "Quickly, we must find our taken friend!" Minsc said with a mighty cry. "Don't be foolish, Minsc. We're in no position to rescue anyone," Strife said with a hint of annoyance in his coal black eyes.
As the group had ventured forth into the labrynth that was Irenicus' home, he had undergone a startling transformation. His eyes had become completely black, and every rest had brought new power, both mystical and physical. He could match Minsc in small blade fighting with equal strength and could easily overpower Imoen and Jaheira both in contests of raw magic force. Only in the subtle weaving of spells could he be beaten, and Imoen still suspected him of letting her win.
"I agree with Strife," Jaheira said in her placid voice. A voice which always seemed to sooth Strife's nerves when he most needed it. "We need allies, rest, and a plan." "Let's head to the slums," Strife suggested, "I have a hunch we'll find what we need there."
Whew! Well that's chapter 2. I'm still in school, so I don't have a lot of time, but I'll try to get some more content into chapter 3.