Content warning: Reference to a nekkid man and some dialogue is taken right from the game. Unless something happened while I was asleep, I still don't own any of the rights to the baldur's gate franchise.

Damiondred had just about had it with the delays, but was doing his best to hold his temper.

First, they had to guard a shipment that night. They did, though the Shadow Thief with them was killed by a vampire. They reported that back, and then were told that, the next night, they had to track two defecting members of the Shadow Thieves to the Five Flagons Inn. They did, and the defecters were killed just the same as was the contact they came to meet. Parchment in hand, the group returned to then be informed that they needed to go to the graveyard district (again, at night) and raid the vampire base.

Three days were lost with that, and it didn't help that a fourth was because Hexxat's contact finally decided to show up and send them dungeon crawling for some stupid black claw rod as they passed through the slums. He would have liked to say that he really listened to what Bhodi had said when they had fought, really he was simply frustrated with how she turned into a bat and escaped.

On the fifth day, they finally got on the damn boat and came ashore on the island the Spellhold was on but then two days were lost searching for a wardstone that would let them into the building in the first place. By the time they stepped in and spoke with the Coordinator, Xzar had been gone for a week and while the slight tugs that came paired with nigh inaudible whispers of his voice were as reassuring as they were weird, he was about ready to test the theory as to whether looks could -actually- kill people.

When he woke up in a glass tube after learning that he and his party had been poisoned because of the traitor captain and that the Coordinator was Irenicus, he focused and actually made the attempt. It was made worse by how, once the patients were shuffled into the other tubes, he counted Xzar among them and watched the necromancer weave his hands through a complicated pattern. A tug on his essence came a brief moment before green eyes went dull and lifeless and the body crumpled. He was fairly certain that he almost broke one of his own fingers when he punched the glass, but he was beyond caring. It had ever so slightly cracked, and he struck it again. He didn't even hear what Irenicus was saying through the pounding of his pulse. The worst part was that Imoen was standing nearby with a vacant expression on her face.

The mage bastard was casting some kind of spell, by then, and as the glass gave way before him finished his incantation. White hot pain seared through him before he knew nothing at all.

When he opened his eyes, Damiondred came to understand he was face-down outside of Candlekeep's massive stone library. Where there had been fountains there now was black pits through which stars could be seen, and he vaguely recalled seeing the place like this before in a dream. Imoen stood near, mumbling about not fighting, about finding her, and he reached out to her only for her to blow away like so much dust in the wind. Sitting up, he took stock of his surroundings and sighed at the demon that stood before the doors to the keep, watching him idly. It opened its maw as he stood and approached.

"This path is to the core... the depths of your soul. Only through sacrifice can you achieve such insight. Do you give of yourself that you will know yourself? Do you let go of what you are, that you might see from a distance? Choose what you will sacrifice to know yourself, to walk within. Give of your skill, your health, your mind, your will or your youth."

"I will give you nothing."

"Then the way holds fast. You do more damage to yourself with your bumbling."

The archer turned around and walked away, moving to sit down a short distance away. A glance back proved to him that the demon did not pursue, and that it simply seemed content to watch. He mulled it over for a moment, before sighing and pushing himself back to his feet and begrudgingly approaching the demon once more.

"You have changed your mind?"

"Is there any way out of here without giving up anything?"

It pointed to the holes where the fountains had been, and he knew immediately that it simply meant death.

"... -Without- dying?"

"This is the space that lay between, Child of Bhaal, and the result of your grey moments. Much like a dream, it stretches seconds to days while your body dies. Even if you choose nothing, you will disappear as did your brother."

"Right. I give of my health then."

It nodded, before stepping aside. Pushing his way through the door, he searched the bookshelves before catching sight of Imoen and bolting over to her, dropping the book he had picked up.

"Immy! I found you, we came to rescue you-"

"I... I can see you there... Wait... And we can win..." She reached up to put a hand to her head, frowning slightly as she shook her head.

"Imoen? Are you okay?" The archer leaned forward, reaching out to grasp her by the shoulder and shake her slightly. She reached up to grasp his arm and pressed a finger against his mouth.

"Shh... Before the shadows return to me. I have seen what is to come... One alone cannot fight... Together we must battle your instinct... Alone, you would fall whether you win or lose... but here, in my sight... we can defeat it. Lead the creature here - lead it to me - and we shall fight it together. Together... he does not expect us together... but he has shown me how... Go and lead the beast here. It is your only chance... and my last..."

He didn't quite know what to make of that, until he turned around to see his mirrored image standing nearby with his hands folded behind his back.

"It's you she's talking about, isn't it."

"Yes." His mirrored image smiled slightly. "You were so close to getting him. You let yourself get too angry to realize who it was until too late, though."

"You're right. I made the same mistake as Sarevok, didn't I." The archer grimaced, before shaking his head. "So... Do we have to fight? I'd rather just get out of here, honestly."

"It's tempting. If I devour the spark of your consciousness, your body becomes mine. The Slayer becomes reborn, and I tear through this world in a glorious spray of blood."

"Seems a bit clumsy, but after what I just did I guess I don't have much room to talk. What would happen if I won this theoretical fight?"

"No, no you don't. You would wake up, but it would only be long enough to finish dying. With her here, though... She found a way to hold onto herself without the divine soul, using the remnants of her stunted taint to keep herself from breaking to pieces the way you are."

Damiondred ahh'd quietly, before pursing his lips. "Can't say I'm a fan of dying, nor of the thought of being eaten by you. Any chance of you working with me on this?"

"Hmm, well you -have- carved a swath of death recently. Our Faithful knew what was going to happen as soon as he was within the tube, and his prayers sustain us only slightly less than killing someone does. The problem with working with you, though, is that it means instead of devouring you..." His mirrored image trailed off, grimacing as the archer continued his words.

"... Is that you'd be devoured by me."

The mirrored image nodded. "He removed your divine soul. There wouldn't be anything keeping us separate, all that would be left is to determine which consciousness is left. Naturally, you can see why I'm not particularly fond of this option."

"I can. I can also see why it would come down to a fight, too. You know my plans, though. All I could ask is that you have faith that I complete them." Damiondred stepped forward, offering out his hand.

"Do you remember the table, and the hearts?" His mirrored image reached up, raking a hand through its hair. "If I do this, you have to keep one of them with you, above all others."

"I tried. He's dead-"

"The body is. The soul is still close. Viconia has the rod. Swear it to me. Swear it -on- me, so that should you fail I will rise up and devour you from the inside out."

Damiondred paused for a moment, before nodding and lifting his hand once more. "I swear it."

The mirrored image split and burst, spines sprouting out as it grew in size. Red scales sheathed it, and a long sinewy tail lashed behind it as it reached out with one large, clawed hand to shake his own. He looked back at Imoen and smiled slightly at the confused look on her face as they both turned towards her.

"So. What happens now?"

Tiny eyes watched the bolt of lightning streak through the tube the Bhaalspawn was trapped within and held a breath it didn't have. It saw the glow that suffused Irenicus, and waited for the bhaalspawn to disintegrate into a thousand thousand glowing sparks. A tiny jaw hit the floor as he failed to and instead lifted his head to stare at a surprised Irenicus.

"Well, you are a strong one indeed! You resist beyond all reason! A pity you are dead on the inside."

"You cannot turn me on myself. I have strengths you cannot see."

"I don't know what you faced while mired within the spell, but here in the world of the living, my plans have gone just as I wished. I have drained you- drained you of the very thing that made you special. It is the worst of curses, and I should know."

"I will not let you harm Imoen further."

"I have no doubt you would, but you are no longer a living threat. I have taken your very divinity and drained you of your very soul. The curse that was wrought against Bhodi and I has now ceased, and yours has begun. You will wither, you will wane, and you will die. Bhodi, remove this nothing... and Imoen as well. We are restored at their expense and need them no longer. Our revenge to come is now all the sweeter."

"As you would have it, my brother."

"Of course. See to it as quickly as possible. I will tell our friends in the dark of our coming. We will plan our assault from here. I bid you farewell, child of Bhaal, we shall not meet again."

Tiny eyes watched as the bhaalspawn pushed effortlessly through the rest of the glass, brushing shards away even as Irenicus began casting and vanished. It stiffened as dark eyes settled on it, the archers head tilting before he looked back at the vampire.

"You are going to tell me where my friends are, Bhodi."

"Why should I? Your life comes to an end. A pity. You have proven resilient beyond all expectation. It is appealing to me."

Damiondred threw his head back and laughed, only to shake his head and reach up as if to wipe a tear from his eye. "Well, if you like it that much, how about a game? If I win, take me to Irenicus. If I lose, I'll bare my neck and let you drain me with the same ease as sucking the juice from a plum. Ahh, but where would the fun be if I did it alone. Bhaal's balls, why don't I wager the lives of the people that came with me? Provided, of course, that they get to join me for it."

"Ohh... I have a maze that it would be so fun watching you flounder through... Very well. I will transport you and your friends there-" Bhodi frowned as Damiondred drew the two handed sword and swung it, cleaving through the glass tank that held Xzar's body before hauling him out by the scruff of his neck. "What are you doing?"

"I swore an oath. I'm keeping it."

Tiny eyes widened as the bhaalspawn approached and knelt down, offering out a hand that seemed impossibly large.

"I'm not done with you yet, my Priest. Come on."

Damiondred tucked the undead mouse atop his head, before turning and nodding to Bhodi as she led the way, reaching to snag Imoen by the hand and lead her along. The rest of his party were in one of the rooms that had previously housed the patients, and he brushed off their questions as vampires stared hungrily down at them as he approached Viconia. The door closed behind them before the ceiling and floor lit up, glowing painfully bright and leaving everyone blinking as they realized they were in the middle of a large room with walkways along the edges.

"Viconia."

The drow turned, squinting as the archer came into focus. She took stock of him, of how his hand bled from the shards of glass that remained lodged between his knuckles and the very dead necromancer he was dragging by the robes to the vacant-eyed human in pink that was vaguely familiar to her. "Abbil? What happened?"

"Later. This is more important. Do you still have the rod?" Dark eyes seemed to stare through her, and she suppressed a shiver.

"I do. He seems to have been dead for some time-"

"The soul is present and accounted for. There will be no issues. Use the rod." The body was laid out as best as could be done with one hand until the others moved to help him, and he carefully settled the mouse on Xzar's chest. Viconia drew out the rod and gently tapped it against the crown of the necromancer's forehead and the body sucked in a breath before green eyes gained life and he stared blankly towards the ceiling.

"Xzar."

The necromancers eyes flit towards the bhaalspawn and blinked rapidly for a moment before he spoke, voice hoarse. "I saw. I saw all of it."

"Good. How do I fix her?" Damiondred tilted his head towards Imoen.

"Reclaim what was taken." Xzar sat up slowly, peering around at the others. "Edwin, Haer'Dalis, Hexxat, A... Bear? Right. Wilson. Yourself, and Viconia. Good."

"Now then. I'll explain on the way. Xzar, I believe these are yours." The archer let go of Imoen's hand so that he could dig through the bag of holding Hexxat's coffin was kept in, producing the effects the necromancer had removed when he had left the party. The former Zhent nodded and started to get dressed as the archer turned towards the rest of the group. "For some of you, this is the first time meeting my sister. For others, this is the second time. Most of you know that I am... was, a bhaalspawn. Although Imoen and I grew up together, we always thought we had completely different parents. Seems we have one in common. Irenicus used her as bait and as a reagent, the first to get me here and the second to steal her divine soul and pass it along to Bhodi, I would assume. She called him brother, after all."

"He did the same thing to me, but took mine for his own. He said he was familiar with this curse, and from what I can remember of our time in his previous lair I won't feel much in the way of emotions for a while. The dryads said he was dead inside, and he said much the same thing of me. He thinks I will wither and die soon, that I'm no longer a threat to him." Damiondred studied each of the people in the room in turn, eyes narrowing. "I intend to prove him wrong. I may not feel anger at the moment but I remember the taste of it. What he did to me, does not erase the past. He will pay. But first, I have a new name on my list, and one that is more important. Bhodi."

"The vampiress?" Hexxat lifted her chin, before grinning widely.

"Yes. Vampires turn to mist when killed but she made a grave mistake, taking Imoen's divine essence into herself. We're going to go through this gauntlet, find her and take back what was stolen from my sister, and then pursue Irenicus. Edwin, did you consider my proposal?"

"I did. It is a good one, and I agree to the terms that were laid out. It is... Unfortunate, that the girl is catatonic but I will make due. (It makes her company less bothersome, if nothing else.)"

"Thank you." Damiondred turned towards Imoen, reaching out to brush some hair out of her face. "This is Edwin. He is the most dangerous mage I have ever known. I had intended him to protect you, to have to convince you of the importance of this, but I suppose this can be seen as things working out in my favour. He will keep you safe"

She didn't respond, but the archer thought perhaps that was for the best as he led her over to the Thavian. "Follow us at a short distance until we get out of here."

"(As if I have never acted as a bodyguard before...!) I know what I am doing, Damiondred. You would not have hired me for this if you did not think me capable." Edwin scowled, using his staff to poke and prod Imoen until she was standing beside him. Th archer draped his familiar around her neck, before nodding and stepping back to look at the rest of the group.

"Let's go."

Most of the puzzles were easy enough to figure out. Items were matched to statues, riddles were answered, a djinni was spoken with and mithril tokens were inserted into a construct of sorts that eventually spat out three pairs of boots and a set of armor that Haer'Dalis immediately traded up to. A second bag of holding was found and used to hold the majority of the yet-undivided loot while they worked their way through the tests an apparition demanded of them. Stepping through the provided door, the group found themselves within the asylum once more, and the archer canted his head to the side.

Something was pulling him towards it, and he led the party through the halls until he entered the room Bhodi had led them from perhaps half an hour before. Stepping into the room, he looked towards the source of the pull and grunted when he spotted Irenicus, who was talking idly with Bhodi even as he packed some of the equipment away into a bag.

"I asked you to kill them, Bhodi. It is unlike you to fail me."

"You do not order me around, brother. My spawn did your work, and my prize is the right to choose when I kill them." She grinned, before moving to lean against the broken tank. "Besides, you seem so confident that they cannot kill you. I like watching their struggles."

Damiondred stepped forward, about to open his mouth before doubling over and wheezing, clutching his chest. Hands settled on his shoulders before recoiling, and from somewhere far way he heard Xzar snapping out orders to the others to get back. Pain erupted across his back and shoulders, and laughter assaulted his sensibilities as white-hot pain and rage overtook him.

"Look, even now his body fails him..."

Xzar had seen paintings of the full thing before. He had felt an echo of the bonfire that had burned the moment the archer had doubled over and struggled to draw air. Laying his hands on Damiondred's shoulders the necromancer had felt the muscles start to ripple and bulge and turned to the others with his arms raised and splayed out.

"Back! Back! Hexxat, at my side! Viconia, Wilson, Haer'Dalis! Corner! Do -NOT- challenge him, weapons down!"

Muscle ripped and tore with a particularly wet sound as behind the necromancer, the archer's form tore and spines burst out of his back. A line of growths surged along his back before fusing together and tearing free, slapping down onto the ground with a meaty thud in the form of a tail that effectively doubled the growing height of the bhaalspawn, shreds of clothing shaking free as it eventually stilled and rumbled out a low tone. By then, Xzar had planted himself squarely between the Slayer and the bulk of the group, Hexxat standing beside and slightly behind him with wide eyes.

A fanged maw lifted, nostrils flaring as a short-muzzled face turned to orient on the group. Xzar bowed his head, mumbling quietly under his breath before a shimmer of reds and blacks flickered around him.

"Sanctuary? How-?" Hexxat reached back to clamp a hand over Viconia's mouth as the Slayer rumbled out a low, predatory growl. Pushing itself up, it approached and nosed the shimmering field.

"A gift of the dead god? I thought I stripped every ounce of his essence from you with your divine soul." The voice of Irenicus echoed through the room, and the Slayer's white glowing pupils set on a background of polished black constricted to mere pinpricks as it turned around to orient on the sound. He scoffed, raising his hands. "Perhaps you are a threat after all. No matter. I will end you now-"

The Slayer hit him with the force of a much larger creature, howling all the while. The first strike flung Irenicus across the room like a rag doll as his spell completed. A rose bloomed over the Slayer's head, only to wither and disappear as it was ignored in favour of another charge and second swat that slammed the mage through another of the glass tubes. Bounding along in pursuit, the lengthy maw snapped open and closed around air as Jon vanished and reappeared across the room in front of Xzar.

"Very well then. Let us see if it will dare. You cannot lower your protections without it attacking you as well." Turning towards the Slayer, Irenicus smiled, looking pleased as it slowed and halted in front of him. "A kernel of intelligence resides with it still, it see-"

Xzar positively beamed as the tail coiled around Jon's foot and hauled him away and into range of the claws that raked sharply across his torso, tearing great furrows in the layers of Stoneskin that he hurriedly raised and hissing as it found no purchase in the flesh therein. Frost spread out from each point of contact before the Slayer dropped to all fours and twisted, slamming the mage against the floor and then partially through the nearby wall. It aimed to slam him against the floor once more save for how he vanished out of the grasp of the spined tail and reappeared next to Bhodi, the appendage meeting the floor with an empty slap.

"This is entirely your doing, Bhodi. But no matter. It will wear itself out and die all the quicker for it." He reached out to grasp his sister by the shoulder, and they both vanished just as the Slayer slammed through the space they had occupied, barreling through the remains of the glass tube that the archer had been imprisoned in before. Raising its head, it let out a bellow before Xzar turned to the rest of the group and gestured for them to stay before hurrying across.

"Da~Mi~On-" The spined tail snapped about his waist and hauled him in close to the teeth, claws raking across but stopping just shy as the snarl shifted into a rumble. He gave it a pained smile as the tail tightened painfully around his ribs, wheezing slightly. "Oof. Yes yes, safe, see? You know me, to the very center of your being. You would not hurt me, would you? No more than you would yourself?"

The points of glowing white that marked the pupils grew somewhat larger as it continued to rumble, though at the necromancer's tugging on the spines along its tail seemed to slowly catch on and relax its grip. Contemplatively, it settled onto its haunches and canted its head to the side, clawed hands coming up to wave over its face before a confused whine emerged.

"Good, good... Frrriends, yes? Yes. I can breath like this. Hexxat! Come here, but approach slowly! I have an idea!"

"Why does it not attack you as it did the mage?" The vampire eased carefully closer, going utterly still as it snapped its gaze to her and hissed.

"Nooo, nono, this is Hexxat Heeexx-at. Not food. Not foe." Xzar waved a hand to get the Slayer's attention, before leaning and reaching out to gently pat the approaching vampire on the head. "Hexxat is, uhm... Friend. Hunting-companion? Pack member. He scents himself upon my flesh and the very substance of my spirit. He hears the words spoken by the Faithful. Leader has proven to be exceptionally intelligent, if a smidge unwise, and 'tis still him in there."

It rumbled, hissed, sniffed and eventually mimicked the necromancer's gesture carefully if somewhat awkwardly, patting the vampire on the head. Maw opening, it started to croon before flinching and raising a hand to its head. Xzar dropped to the ground out of the loosened coil of tail with a worried glance before turning to the vampire. "We thought as much... Speak to him of your transformations. Talk to him. Describe it, how it feels. Bhaalspawn who turn into the Slayer do not last long at rest, for their cause is murder, and he has never previously changed his shape."

Hexxat ahh'd quietly, understanding now why the necromancer had called her over beyond her enhanced durability compared to the rest of the party, and raised her hands to get the Slayer's attention. It growled low, only to let out a pained hiss and clutch at its chest with its other hand, watching her. "Picture yourself as you should be, Damiondred. Hair, limbs, skin. Dark eyed and tanned. Short, blunt nails. A delicate nose. Long legs, long arms. Remember what it felt like to wear boots, how your hair felt when it got in front of your face."

Xzar looked back and forth between the two, eyes partially closing as he focused and reached out to carefully lay a hand on the Slayer's side. It flinched, craning around to stare at him before clasping both hands over its face and letting out a growl that reverberated through the room. As the vampire continued to talk, he could feel the muscles spasm and contract before the Slayer seemed to almost collapse inwards on itself. Scales receded, spines retracted and bones snapped even as tendons and cartilage crunched and crackled. The necromancer stepped forward as the archer collapsed, wheezing and groaning while the rest of the party approached.

"Abbil? Xzar, will he be okay?"

"Yes, with rest-"

"Xzar... Xzar I think... I think I understand..." The archer tried to get his own feet under him, wincing as the necromancer steadied him. "... Why... Why Ira didn't do that so often."

"A painful transformation?"

"Yes, but... For a moment, I had emotion. Rage, glee... My head hurts."

The drow stepped forward, laying a hand on his shoulder as she completed a prayer of healing.

"Thank's, Viconia."

"You may thank me by putting some trousers on, Abbil."

Nahhh I wouldn't let Xzar stay dead forever. He's too important. He has a Big Moment upcoming far into the future that I've already written out and it'll probably take all year to get to it. Finally, we find out part of what the contents of the letter Xzar gave to Edwin!
Bears are -very- good at taking down people, though Wilson's low mental stats tend to get him murdered by mind flayers. Level drain is his bane too since that stunts his natural regeneration.
Questions? Comments? Consistency issues?
Leave a message after the tone,
-KD