Author note: Aaaaaaaaand I'm back, folks! Writer's block is gone and now I'm back on track with a new chapter for you! Yay! ^-^

Also, you know when in-game, after the first challenge, there are those six blue discs on the ground and they don't do anything at all, no matter what you do? (believe me, I tried everything) Well, pretty as they are, I didn't really see the point in having them there if they're not useful, so I made them useful by giving them healing properties.

oxoxoxoxoxo

After a fitful rest, the party gathered in the kitchen, where the two sisters treated their companions to a delicious breakfast consisting of fried bacon, eggs and a strawberry cake with honey and milk cream icing: they still had no idea where Cespenar had gotten all that stuff from, but it didn't really matter as long as he paid for it (Meg had given him a handful of gold coins to leave to the people he stole the food from, despite Imoen's protests that Imps did not have to worry about the common practice of paying for anything).

"You are a very good cook, my love", Anomen complimented his betrothed as he munched happily on a slice of cake. "Hey, in case you forgot, I helped with that too, mr Holy Knight", the pink-haired thief intervened, pouting and he chuckled. "Of course, Imoen, you are quite skilled as well". "Sooooo…Meg's good at cooking, good at fighting and what else is she good at?", she asked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Immy!", Margaret Dawn blushed hard, having fully understood where her half-sister wanted to go with that, "Stow it!". "Oh, come on sis, it's perfectly natural and 'sides, guys like skilled ladies, isn't that what Eldoth said?", Imoen grinned, but yelped as Jaheira cuffed her on the head. "Enough with such lewd talk, child". "But…". "I said enough". "Oh, pooh. Fine", she grumbled, pouting, "Spoilsport mutton-mongering riff-raff".

The Helmite's face turned crimson, but he forced himself to keep his cool, "So, if we are finished eating, I suggest we face the first challenge: the sooner, the better and besides, we won't be able to leave until we have defeated whatever foe is waiting for us in there". Meg sighed, "More tests…I'm really fed up with all this 'know-yourself' crap". "At least we are in your own plane", Sarevok said, "Whatever it is, I doubt it could kill you or cause you serious harm, not to your body anyway".

"But it could still screw with my mind to try and pull my strings as though I were a godsdamned puppet", she replied, "Well, no sense is wasting our time with useless chit-chat. Let's get this over with", she added, standing and quickly walking towards the first challenge room. As soon as they were all inside, the barrier fizzed and closed the entrance, cutting their only escape, not that they had any intention to run anyway.

A misty figure appeared in front of them, solidifying until it became a short and decidedly overweight man dressed in typical farmer clothing, with simple brown breeches, a black shirt stained with dirt and leather boots that looked like they seen better days.

"You are here", he said, his voice quiet, "My name was Gavid and I was a farmer, like the man who raised me. I lived in a small village and I had a peaceful life…But then I started hearing whispers in my head and hunger for blood in my bones. I didn't know what it was…But it felt good. I felt strong. I murdered three girls of the neighborhood before they found me with bloodied hands and killed me for my crimes".

"Your point being?", Meg asked flatly, surprising her companions, "We have a challenge to face here, so make it short, I'm fed up with spirits, visions and whatnot trying to lecture me and bore me to death at every godsdamned turn". Gavid tilted his head to the side, "You have killed many, their blood is on your hands…". "Wow, now that's an earth-shaking revelation!", she quipped, dripping sarcasm, "What part of 'make it short' didn't you get?".

"Fine. You will face your judgment now", he vanished and from the very ground emerged three packs of four Gnolls each. "Take them down!", she ordered to the others, gripping her mace harder and throwing herself in the battle. For each Gnoll that was dispatched, out of thin air came a Drow, then it was Mind-Flayers and finally, when the last Mind-Flayer fell, Bodhi herself appeared in the room. She too was taken down, this time by a combination of Meg's mace of Disruption to the head and Minsc's axe Azuredge in the stomach.

Gavid materialized once more before them, looking quite surprised, "So…You survived your punishment. Interesting. But then, the longer you live, the more blood you shed, so there is really no end to the circle…Or is there?". "Don't know, don't care", the Ilmatari replied, her voice strained by pain as she pressed her hand on the wide bleeding gash in her abdomen, "And these guys were much weaker than the real thing anyway. You got something useful to say, say it, otherwise scram", she concluded: she was sick of tests and even if the day was barely at the beginning, she had already reached an impressive eight out of ten on her 'pissed off' scale.

He raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and vanished without a word and the room seemed to shift around them, the very walls changing their color from dark grey to soft brown and six discs made of what looked like polished lapislazuli emerging from the ground, placed in a circle and each of them was engraved with a different rune.

Edwin looked down at his robe, his eyebrows nearly reaching his hairline as the blood and entrails caked on it slowly vanished and the tears and holes closed, leaving the fabric spotless and whole as though the battle had never happened, "Well, it seems like the creatures in this plane can't damage our clothing at least", he commented with a happy smile, "(Mother would fly into a rage if I ruined this robe)".

"It seems to work also for our wounds", Sarevok added, as the long bleeding gash on his left arm closed on its own. "Finally some good news: at least the challenges won't make permanent damage", Margaret Dawn commented with a relieved sigh as the pain subsided, kneeling on the ground to take a better look at the discs, "Sweet lord Ilmater!". "What is it, my love?", Anomen asked, moving to her side. "Take a look: this is the symbol for Greater Restoration and that one is for Neutralize Poison".

He walked counter-clock wise from there and observed the other four discs, listing the spells as he recognized them, "Cure Disease, Remove Curse, Remove Paralysis and…", his grey-blue eyes went wide as coppers, "It can't be…This rune is the one for Resurrection!", he choked. "And here I got a headache to memorize Resurrection last night! What a waste of time", Meg muttered, but Jaheira frowned.

"It was not at all a waste of time, child: apart from the fact that we don't know how many charges this disc has, there is also the matter of bringing here the person needing the spell. What if this pocket plane of yours does not accept anyone other than ourselves in it? Or if the discs don't work on anyone else?", she replied and her daughter bit her lower lip. "Uhm…You're right, I didn't think of that. Besides, I have to memorize spells every night anyway, one more can't hurt. Still, it's good that we can count on these discs as an emergency resource. So, what say you, shall we leave?".

"Sure!", her half-sister exclaimed, "Let's get this adventure started!". They moved to the portal and when the Ilmatari approached it, the swirling mist sparkled and a booming disembodied voice came from it. "You can use the Planar Door to reach many places. Where do you wish to go?", it asked. "Bring us to Saradush", she answered without hesitation and the portal turned completely black while its borders shimmered silver. "The way is open". She squared her shoulders and shot a look at her companions, "You all ready?". Anomen smiled, "We are at your side, as always". "Let's go then", she took a deep breath and stepped through, the others close behind.