Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Children of Bhaal	By : ConradKrausche Category: +A through F > Baldur's Gate Views: 13640 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Baldurs Gate, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
Sixth
Interlude: A son of Bhaal, a prophet and a bunch of holy warriors

They had raised their firearms to the air, waving them and some
of them even shooting into the air.

And they all were chanting my name: �Darnoc, Darnoc, lead us to salvation!�

Behind me stood my personal guard, a group of fanatics, which called
itself �Warriors of the New Era�.

�We are the fighters of Darnoc. We will vanquish all evil magic
and all evil gods. We are the hand of Darnoc, crushing his enemies. We are the Warriors of the New Era� they were murmuring their
litany.

Arkul stood in front of me, his arms and his staff rose to the air.

�I have seen the future and it is bright! Darnoc leads us into the New Era, the
pure and holy era of science and technology! Gone are the days of darkness, a dawn is appearing on the horizons! Behold, soon
all false gods will be vanquished and their evil magic will be gone forever
from our world! I am Arkul Sazzari, Prophet of the one and true God, Darnoc!�

�Darnoc is the only true God and Arkul is his
prophet! May all who not believe in him die!� the crowd chanted.

Memories appeared in my mind. Once again I heard the desperation in Im�s voice
before she disappeared forever. A deep sadness took my soul, but at the same time a burning hate and anger. I would find a way to bring
her back, my only love, my soul and my heart, who has
been taken from me. I would absorb the powers of those fools, who called
themselves �gods�, and also the Power itself. The assembled power I would use
to bring her back.

But first to other business. My movement was growing, already
the cities along the Sword Coast were burning (at least their
temples) and soon it would spread, engulfing the whole of Toril. My armies were undefeatable, carrying modern weapons with them and
crushing all our opponents.

We stood outside Atkatla, the capital of the
�People�s Republic of Atkatla and Baldur�s Gate�. I had many followers inside
the city too and that was why the rulers hesitated to close the doors in front
of me and my followers.

�My people hark to my words! We will take this
city and its inhabitants will be shown the purity of my way! Enter it and take
what is rightfully ours!�

They cheered and began to move, the Revolutionary Guard looking troubled at them, but not
able to do anything.

Inside the city we were greeted by our
followers, which were many. The Revolutionary Guard was standing by, watching, as I
and Arkul marched towards the government district and finally to the hall of government, the
former hall of the council. On the square in front of the hall I turned to my
followers.

�Behold the city of Atkatla! There is evil here and it must be
vanquished! Do, what has to be done!�

They cheered and began moving away, clutching
their firearms. Everyone not wearing the sign of the fire-spiter,
my personal, holy symbol, was surrounded and either converted to the �true
faith� or killed. Now the Revolutionary Guard reacted, but it was far too late, everyone who resisted was
slaughtered.

I, Arkul and my personal guard entered the hall. Inside were the
president and his ministers, starring frightened at me. The times of Mocilia,
who had gone into battle herself, were long gone. Those here were bureaucrats
and they would not live long.

�That is the judgment of god: For your evil
ways you shall face the punishment of death!� Arkul announced to them.

They fell to their knees and begged for their
lives, but my guard shot them all.

�What now, oh my Lord and God?� Arkul asked.

�Burn all the temples, kill anyone, who
resists!� I told him.

�Your will shall be done, my Lord and God� he
replied and motioned my guard to move out.

Going out again I watched as my followers
killed and burned. Soon the temple district was aflame and other parts followed soon. I heard screams and shots and fire
crackling.

Suddenly Paul, the Tyrant, Daukon and Conrad
stood next to me, looking at what has happening.

�So it has begun� Paul noted.

�And you have chosen what is right� the Tyrant
added.

�Believe me, it was the right choice� Conrad
assured me.

�I have no doubt of that. I will find a way to
bring her back, even if I have to destroy the whole multiverse in the process.�

�They murdered my wife in order to get to me,
you know. It was then that I swore revenge upon them and began to plan the
Great War. I was successful and they paid for
what they had done to me. Millions were slaughtered in this war� Daukon explained.

�So we aren�t that different, you and I� I noted.

�Oh, we all are a little alike, I think� Paul
said.

�Perhaps I should write down what is happening.
Would make an interesting story, you know� Conrad mentioned.

�You�re a writer?� I asked amazed.

�Yes, I am. Are you thus surprised? We are both highly creative and
intelligent. I create worlds in my head and bring them to live on paper. Alas,
I haven�t found a way to bring them into reality��

�But perhaps they are already real. Perhaps, if you
create a world, it begins to exist somewhere in the multiverse�� I mused.

�A pleasant idea, I think� Conrad commented.

�It is time to show them some of my �divine
power�� I muttered and changed into the slayer-form.

Marching through the streets, all my followers
fell to their knees upon seeing me. And wherever there was an infidel, I killed
them. I triumphed upon the field of slaughter, wading through rivers of blood
and heaps of body parts. And before me all resistance ended, there was no one who could
withstand my divine wrath, no one who could stand before the face of Darnoc, the one and true God.

Part Seven: Soul

Darnoc: Southwards

From my keep we wandered southwards, towards the entrance to the Underdark, where Elhan was waiting for us.
On our way there we had lots of time to talk about this and that.

Keldorn once approached me and Im, looking
worried.

�I do not wish to condemn you two for anything,
but it still worries me that you are together the way you are� he explained.

�Don�t you understand, Keldorn, it is as if I
and Im had been created to be with each other, something deep inside binds us
together, makes us one. If you�d have felt something like that, you would
understand.�

Long was Keldorn silent, thinking about my
words.

�I think I understand what you want to tell me,
Darnoc� There is� was something similar, although weaker, between me and Maria.�

�Ya �ave t� understand, anyone tryin�
t� rip our union apart we�ll kill!� Im explained.

Keldorn nodded gravely.
�Then whatever binds you together must be
indeed very strong, Imoen. And I would not dream of trying to take it away from
you, for it is indeed special.�

Keldorn dropped back some and I and Im were walking alone again.

�Darn, tell me �bout those research ya�ve
done int� whether we�re real siblings or not. What exactly�re ya doin�?�

As always, I was more than eager to talk about
my research: �You see,
I began looking at life forms, especially interested in what we inherit from
our parents. As you know, a child looks
similar to its parents and I asked myself, why. I
realized that certain characteristics are handed down, others are not. Some characteristics are dominant, others are recessive. And this goes with
everything, not only appearance.

There are some illnesses, which are also part of those characteristics, but mostly they are recessive. By studying several
cases, for example the inbreeding of the nobles, I realized that if two very
close relatives procreate, those illnesses become dominant in their children.
And that is why I was so afraid for us.�

�An�? What d�ya think now?�

�As I said, I don�t believe that our �father�
produced us using the same body twice. He probably took on another form each
time. This means we have inherited different characteristics and thus it won�t be a
problem, biologically speaking.�

She kissed me on the cheek and then smiled warmly.

�So ya�ve worried
needlessly, Darn. It�ll be a�right.�

I smiled also and took her hand.

�Yes, but it was still fascinating� I have a
thirst for knowledge, Im.�

We camped about in the middle of our way south.
During the night, I was visited by Lilacor in my dreams.

�Your powers are growing fast, Darnoc, my mentat.
Already you have made contact with beings from other universes and soon you
will have enough power to change the course of history, not only foresee its
path. But first, a warning: I can not tell you, what will happen, if you cannot regain your
soul. You must reclaim it, Darnoc! Irenicus is threatening everything you and
I are trying to create.�

Suddenly the figure of Lilacor was replaced by
the one of Irenicus.

�So we meet again, son of Bhaal.�

�What the hell are you doing, Irenicus?�

�I am finding a way to grow even more powerful
than the gods themselves. I will have my revenge and you will not be able to
stop me. Not any longer, although your powers are growing more and more.�

�You have no idea, how my powers are growing, Irenicus. I have seen the
future, I have changed it with my will and you are not part of it.�

He laughed and held up a fire-spiter. But it wasn�t like the ones I had, it was an
improved version, which could fire several shots before one had to reload.

�Arrogance comes before the fall, Darnoc. As you can see, I have improved
your weapons and I will continue to do so. My combined powers of magic and
technology will grant me might beyond imagination. Ironically, it was you, who
first brought me the idea of using technology. Thus you have created your own
doom.�

Anger rose in me.

�We will meet again, Irenicus, and when we do,
you will die, you fucking bastard! I am going to kill you for what you�ve done
to Im and me, do you understand, you son of a bitch, you piece of shit! I am
going to kill you personally and it will give me fucking pleasure, I swear it you! I�m going to fucking enjoy
every last, shitty bit of it!�

He glared at me coldly, not impressed by my angry
outburst.

�Do not overestimate yourself, Darnoc. If we ever meet again, it shall
be your death, not mine.�

Suddenly the figure of Lilacor stepped into my
dream again.

�Oh, I wouldn�t so sure of that, Irenicus.�

�Who are you?�

Lilacor grinned at Irenicus.

�I�m an intelligent computer program, an artificial, digital life form. But I
guess this doesn�t mean anything to you, right? And I am far more powerful than you, you fool of
a wizard!�

Suddenly Irenicus screamed, let go of his fire-spiter and grabbed his head with both hands.

�Get out of my head, get out of it!� he
screamed.

�You�re mine and now that you realize it, it is
too late for you, Irenicus. Once I thought that you were interesting, but now
you�ve grown into a danger to my assignment and I have to terminate you.�

Anger and hate flashed in Irenicus� face and
then he stood up again and glared at Lilacor.

�I am not beaten yet!� he screamed and
vanished.

�What the hell�?�

�Oh, he woke himself up. But I guess he�ll be
avoiding to sleep in the future� Lilacor explained.

I also awoke, hearing Im moan beside me, struggling in
her sleep with some invisible enemy. Quickly I took her in my arms and shook her, trying to wake
her. This woke her up and first she didn�t recognize, where she was.

�Leave me, please,
leave me, I can�t no longer�� she whimpered.

�Im, it�s me, nothing�s going to happen to you,
you hear me?�

She starred at me and finally recognized me.

�Darn, I� Irenicus, he� I saw �im,
Darn, it happened all over again� The
pain, it didn�t stop, it just grew more an� more� An� �is face, he just glared at me, like I�m some object, an�
he cut an� cut an� cut� An� then he brought in the man��

At this she suddenly screamed in terror and I
realized that the sheer memory of everything pained her. She had tried to hide
it from me, although sometimes I had seen her weeping in her sleep. But now it
had finally broken out of her, she was no longer able to cope with the
memories. I was afraid for her, for I feared that she might try to kill
herself.

Im�s body shook and I hugged and kissed her,
trying to comfort her.

�Listen to me, Im, I am here and I always be
here, understand? Whatever is in you, we can face it together and together we
will able to beat it. Draw from my strength, Im, as I draw from yours. I can
beat the evil inside of me because of you. You can beat the memories and the
pain inside of you because of me, believe me, Im.�

She nodded, but the tears kept on flowing. I lay besides
her, warming her with my body and after a
while she slept again, my arms put around her.

We reached Elhan�s camp in the afternoon of the
next day. The elven Lord was already waiting impatiently for us.

�Here is the Rynn Lathorne� I said and handed
it to him.

�Finally! What has taken you so long? Do not
say that silly war, for have you not realized that what happens here is more important?�

�Perhaps it is you, who hasn�t realized
something: The lives of countless people were at stake here. And believe me, I
would have known, if Irenicus succeeded.�

He nodded gravely and commented: �Perhaps you
would. But let us not linger here; we must enter the city of Suldanessalar immediately.�

Elhan gave command to General Sovalidas and
only took a guard of elite elven warriors with him. Then we departed to the northeast, into the
forests lying there.

It was already night, when we reached a part of the forest with huge trees.
There Elhan halted and took out the Rynn Lathorne. Suddenly a door appeared in one of the trees in front of
us.

�Ah, we have found Suldanessalar again! Come, follow me!�

Thus we entered the renowned and beautiful city
of Suldanessalar, capitol of the elves of Tethir.

Imoen:
Nightmare

So we finally set out finish it all, to reclaim
Darn�s soul and get some payback from
Irenicus. As we traveled southwards, I began more and more to feel that I
wouldn�t find peace, but had just left it behind me. The keep had been like a
new home, a safe haven, where I found at least some peace. And now we left it,
but where would we go and where would it end?

I took the time to be with Darn, talk to him about this and that.
Once Keldorn approached us and we had some serious
talking concerning our relationship. Darn also told me that he believed now that we two
weren�t real siblings at all, because Bhaal probably hadn�t used the same bodies,
when he raped our mothers.

We camped about halfway and I fell asleep
quickly, exhausted from the long march. And in the night, dreams came to me, nightmares.

First I saw myself sitting on the floor, my
knees drawn up to my chin. And then I realized that there was something wet on
my clothes and when I looked I saw� blood. Suddenly I realized that my body
hurt, pain seemed to be everywhere. And finally I realized that I was back in
my cell in Spellhold.

In front of me the head of Irenicus hovered,
but without having a body, blood dropping from where his shoulders would be. He
should have been dead, but he opened his mouth and his eyes and�

�Here we are again, Imoen� Never will you be
free of me; never will you forget the pain� I will haunt you all your life,
Imoen.�

Suddenly my body began to tremble and shake
automatically and I saw flashes of lightning flow through my body. And then I
felt, how I burned from the inside, how the electricity began to turn my
insides into ashes. Screaming, I tried to wake up, but I didn�t.

But it didn�t end there, suddenly everything
changed and I was in total darkness, only those horrible, yellow eyes glaring at me. I knew those eyes, the
eyes of my father, the eyes of Bhaal.

And then the figure in armor emerged from the darkness, suddenly surrounded by flames
and demons behind it.

�Welcome to my realm, my daughter. Welcome to
hell. Accept my gift, daughter. I am in you, take, what is yours!�

�No, I don�t want this, leave me! I don�t want
anything from ya!�

�Stupid bitch, I�m going to force you to accept
it, I am going to destroy you!�

�Together with Darn I�ll be able t� fight ya!�

�This idiot brother of yours, who
hasn�t accepted my gifts? I am going to destroy him� through you! Watch!�

Suddenly Darn stood in front of Bhaal and Bhaal
turned into the slayer beast. And he� he slaughter Darn, he ripped him to pieces, while I
screamed and attacked the beast, but my fists seemed to hit empty air.

�See, my daughter? See my power, accept it! You
will be mine, whether you want it or not! I will consume you!�

Then the slayer turned to me, advancing towards me and only one thing in mind: to
kill me, to destroy me and then consume me, until only it was left.

I backed away, but soon hit a wall of demons,
who threw me at the feet of the slayer. I screamed and tried to get up again,
but the slayer grabbed me and hit me with its claws, bit me and scratched me.
Finally it opened its huge fangs and brought me nearer and nearer. I tried to get free, but I
couldn�t, the teeth came closer and closer, until I was in its mouth and it
closed it, its teeth penetrating my body, crushing me.

Before it could kill me, I suddenly was on the
laboratory table of Irenicus; he bent himself over me, a knife in his hand.

�How long can you live without a heart?�

He thrust his knife into my chest and began to
cut, cutting all around my heart and finally grabbing it and tearing it out with his bare hands. He held it there, it was
still pumping, while I whimpered in pain, as my vision slowly faded and all
became dark�

But the dream wasn�t over. In a dream one
cannot die. Again things grew brighter and I was in my cell, sitting there,
still feeling the pain in my chest. And then the door opened slowly and�

There he was, the man who had raped me! He was
standing there, right next to Irenicus, his lustful glances moving over my
body, desiring me, wanting to force himself into me, whether I wanted or not.
No, no, not again, not again! I wouldn�t submit to this again, nobody would
ever do that to me again!

This time I would fight, he wouldn�t be able to
overcome me! I stood up, trying to ignore the pain, which wanted to immobilize
me.

�You won�t do this again t� me, Irenicus! Never!�

�But I will, Imoen, over and over again, until
it destroys you��

The man moved towards me, his hands ready to grab me,
but I stood firm, my hands formed into fists and when he was near enough, I hit him as hard as I could. But he didn�t seem to
be able to feel anything; he put his hands around me, grabbed me and lifted me
up, while I kept hitting him. What kind of magic was this? What new horror had
Irenicus invented here? How had he been able to make this man immune to pain?

He threw me down on the pallet, held me down
and� It happened again, there was nothing I could do, but to endure it, while
Irenicus stared at me, emotionless, observing the scene. But this time I wasn�t even
able to turn into the slayer beast, as if all my powers had left me. And then
Bhaal stood next to Irenicus.

�Now you�d like to have your powers back, don�t
you? But you rejected them and this is the price you pay. Every time you fall
asleep it will happen to you, over and over again, because you fight me! It
will happen, until you finally accept, who you are!�

First I didn�t realize that I was awake, I just
saw this face, thought that it was this man and that he was still...

�Leave me, please,
leave me, I can�t no longer��

But it was Darn and I heard his voice: �Im, it�s me, nothing�s
going to happen to you, you hear me?

I tried to see through the darkness, stared at the face and then finally
recognized him.

�Darn, I� Irenicus, he� I saw �im,
Darn, it happened all over again� The
pain, it didn�t stop, it just grew more an� more� An� �is face, he just glared at me, like I�m some object, an�
he cut an� cut an� cut� An� then he brought in the man��

I just screamed, terror consuming me, as I
remembered the words of Bhaal, my whole body was trembling, cold sweat broke
out. Darn embraced me closely and kissed me,
tried to calm me down.

�Listen to me, Im, I am here and I always be
here, understand? Whatever is in you, we can face it together and together we
will able to beat it. Draw from my strength, Im, as I draw from yours. I can
beat the evil inside of me because of you. You can beat the memories and the
pain inside of you because of me, believe me, Im.�

I tried to believe him, but I remembered the
vision I had earlier, when I was dead and Darn turned into this brutal tyrant,
slaughtering everyone, who refused to follow him. What if one day I was gone?
Would he be able to continue fight the evil inside?

Still, in his arms I found comfort and finally
peace. Next time I fell asleep, no nightmares haunted me.

Next day we reached Elhan, who led us to the
forests of Tethir. And there indeed with the help of the Rynn Lathorne we were
able to enter the city of Suldanessalar.

Darnoc: Suldanessalar

War was raging in the city of Suldanessalar, the signs were everywhere. Some of
the beautiful houses were burning and I could make out several demons and
Rakshasas attacking elven warriors and civilians. But the fight wasn�t lost
yet; some elves had barricaded themselves in several places and held them.

Elhan looked at the scene and didn�t like what
he saw. Especially the fact that some of the Rakshasas used firearms, the ones I had seen when I had
met Irenicus in my dreams. Irenicus had armed his followers with his new,
enhanced weapons. I definitely had underestimated his powers.

�So, what do we do now?� I asked Elhan.

�We need to find the queen Ellesime and the
high priestess Demin. This must be our first priority.�

�I rather meant the demons and Rakshasas.�

Elhan looked at his enemies and finally shook
his head.

�We never thought against such weapons, but we are still in possession of powerful
magic and our skills as archers are renowned. Perhaps we stand a chance against
them still.�

I turned around to my companions and looked at
them gravely.

�Well, this is it, now you�ve got a chance to
prove, how good you are with the new weapons. It will be a tough fight for all of us, but as a
team we might succeed. Keldorn, Minsc and Anomen, you come with me up front,
load your fire-tubes and fire-spiters. Aerie, Im,
stay behind us, use your weapons, but especially your magic, we will need it.�

I ordered Keldorn, Anomen and Minsc to form a
line with me, so we could fire volleys on any oncoming enemy. The elven elite warriors spread out and went ahead,
while our group advanced slower.

The house of the high priestess was a little to
the west and was surrounded by several demons. We could see Demin stand in front
of her house, trying to fight them off.

�Guys, let�s get moving! The high priestess
needs our help!�

We began to run towards her house and arrived just in time. Firing a volley
we shot down three demons, reloaded quickly and fired again, taking out the other
two.

Demin came down to us.

�Quick, you need to summon Rillifane, spirit of
the woods. Only he can help us now!� she shouted towards us.

I looked puzzled at her.

�What do you mean high priestess?�

�Irenicus has gotten into the palace and taken
the queen hostage. He is at the tree of life and tries to steal its essence. We
must act quickly, but only Rillifane has the power to destroy those demons
Irenicus summoned. You need to find the talisman of Rillifane, the moon blade
and the cup of life in order to summon the protector of the woods.�

�But where might we find those objects?�
Keldorn asked her.

�A little to the east you will find the house
of the talisman. The house of the moon is in the centre of Suldanessalar. The cup is guarded by the black dragon
Nizidramanii�yt on the glade to the west. Be quick, humans.�

The talisman was just lying in the house the
high priestess mentioned. The blade of the moon was another thing. When we
entered the house, an elven warrior held it in his hand, facing a demon.

�Give it to me, elf, or you shall die!� the
demon snarled at the warrior.

�I will rather die than do this! Feel the power
of the blade, creature from the abyss!�

He attacked the demon head on and when the
blade hit it, both the demon and the elf vanished in a bolt of violet light. I
took the moon blade and we continued to the glade.

Nizidramanii�yt looked a little like Firkraag,
but he was smaller and had black scales instead of red ones.

He looked at us as if we were food for him.

�Oh, good, good, the master sends more food for
me.�

�I am sorry to say so, but we aren�t here on purpose to serve as
your nourishment, oh mighty Nizidramanii�yt, although being of service in any
way to such a powerful dragon as yourself is an honor beyond any I know� I
replied; dragons always loved flattering.

�Ah, your tongue speaks well, human. Perhaps I
shall spare you for now. But if you are not here to feed me, what is the
purpose of your visit?�

�Oh mighty Nizidramanii�yt, Irenicus has
ordered you to guard a valuable artifact. Certainly, such a wise and powerful dragon as you has no need to
take orders from the likes as Irenicus.�

The black dragon looked at me proudly, clearly flattered.

�Of course not, it is by my own will that I guard this treasure. And of course
because of the payment my master has promised me.�

�Although such a mighty one as you has no need
for payment, you could simply take what you want.�

The dragon�s eyes glared at those words.

�Ah, I see the truth in your words, human. Of
course, I mustn�t let this elf command me. It makes a bad impression, if he
pays me.�

�I praise your wisdom for realizing this, oh
mighty Nizidramanii�yt.�

�And it is well that you do, for am I not
counted among the wisest beings on Toril?�

And with this he pranced past us, not even looking
at us. I, of course, immediately took the cup of life. Now we had all the
needed objects.

We headed back to the east, where the temple
stood. From afar we could see that several Rakshasas were standing outside, holding firearms in their hands. And they could
shoot several times without reloading, a great advantage, which we did not
possess.

�What do we do now?� Aerie asked.

�Don�t you have any magical solution to help us
out here?� I asked her and Im.

�Hm, there�s somethin� I could try out. Cloud o� death, makes them
unconscious. But I need some time t� conjure the spell,
ya need t� divert �em for a
while.�

Looking at the area, I tried to devise a plan for our
attack. Finally, I had an idea: We could use the house next to the temple as
cover and attack the Rakshasas with our firearms, while Im conjured the spell on
them.

Running low we managed to get to that house
without being noticed. I glanced around the corner and saw that the Rakshasas
weren�t really on guard.

�Im, now!�

I aimed at one of the Rakshasas and shot him
through the head, quickly taking cover again afterwards. The three other warriors in our group acted similar and thus we shot, took cover,
reloaded and shot again, while Im began to conjure her spell. Of course, the
Rakshasas were trying to shoot us too, but didn�t hit.

Finally Im finished the conjuring and suddenly
a dense, green cloud appeared amidst the Rakshasa, they all fell to the
ground, unconscious.

�Now�s our chance, kill them all!� I shouted.

We shot the unconscious Rakshasas and then
waited, until the cloud of death had finally vanished. Now we could enter the
temple.

Inside I placed all three sacred objects on the
altar. First nothing happened, but then a
kind of mist appeared next to the altar, changing into a form more and more. The
figure looked a little like an elf, but it had leaves instead of hair and was
taller than an ordinary elf. Leaves also covered its body, like fur.

�I know why you seek my help, human� the avatar of Rillifane began.

�Oh, you do? Then how can you help me?�

�Listen, Irenicus is trying to steal the power
from the tree of life. I cannot help you against him, but my spirits can take care of Irenicus� minions. You must
free queen Ellesime and thus break Irenicus� connection with the tree. Go to
the palace, you will find a stair there, which will lead you to the tree.�

When we left the temple, we witnessed, how the
spirits of Rillifane appeared out of nowhere and destroyed the demons and
Rakshasas by simply touching them. We went towards the palace, where we were awaited
by Elhan.

�Irenicus is at the tree of life� he explained.

�I already know, Rillifane has explained it to
me. Now I will go there and confront Irenicus, reclaiming my soul from him.�

�Then I wish you the best of luck, Darnoc.�

Im took my hand and pressed it firmly, as if to
assure me of her presence.

�We�ll get yar soul back, Darn, don�t ya
worry� she whispered.

The palace was not what I would have expected.
The inside looked like a beautiful, lush forest, a waterfall gently flowing
down at its northern wall. And next to it there was stair leading down. There
we would find the tree of life and Irenicus.

I turned around and looked at my companions,
who had traveled faithfully with me through all our perils.

Keldorn, holding a fire-tube in his hand and
the sword Carsomyr attached with leather straps to his back, looked firmly and
gravely at me.

�Keldorn, you have always been a trustworthy
and dear companion. Never will I forget your
wisdom and your kindness. But this is not your fight, if you wish to leave now
I will not blame you at all.�

He stepped over to me and put his hand onto my
shoulder.

�Never have I abandoned a companion in need and
I won�t start now, my friend.�

Then I looked at Minsc and Aerie, who stood
close to each other, holding their hands and smiling at me, while Boo was
sitting on Minsc�s shoulder.

�My dear Aerie and also Minsc, you two have a life
together. Please, do not throw away so lightly what you have gained.�

They also stepped up to me and smiled warmly.

�We could never do such a thing, Darnoc, too long have we traveled
together and have helped each other. And what would I say to Imoen?� Aerie
explained.

�Boo would never forgive me and also not my dear Aerie, if I would abandon you and
such a mighty task. Irenicus must feel the point of my sword penetrating his
evil body! He must pay for all the horrible things he has done to you and
Imoen!� Minsc added.

I turned to Anomen, who had remained a little
apart.

�Anomen, my dear friend, you are yet young and have a life ahead of
you. I also know that you and Nalia have something� Go to her, for you need
each other!�

He took my hand with both his hands and smiled.

�Darnoc, I cannot recount the countless times you
have helped me. I think it is only fair that I help you now.�

Finally I turned to Im and looked into her
brown, beautiful eyes, taking her hand.

�Im, I don�t want anything to happen to you,
you mean too much to me, I love you from the depths of my heart. Please, don�t come with me, if
you died, I would never forgive myself. You have your soul now; there is no
need for you to come with me. Take your soul with you,
it shall be like a part of my soul was going with you, for we are one.�

She approached me, until she stood right before
me, her nose almost touching mine, so I could feel her warm breath on my skin. Closer and
closer she came, until her lips touched mine. Closing my eyes I responded to
her kiss, put my arms around her and pressed her body tightly against mine, kissing her with
increasing passion.

Finally she pulled away a little, her breath
going fast, held my hands and looked deep into my eyes.

�Just so ya remember,
how much I love ya, Darn. Never forget it, my love, never
forget it! We�re one, ya said it an� that�s why I
can�t leave ya. I�d even follow ya t� hell, Darn.�

I gently stroked her cheek, looking at her.
There were scars and the deepest of them in her soul. They would never leave her
completely. Some wounds time cannot mend. Tears entered my eyes, as I remembered,
what Irenicus had put her through. Finally we would be able to pay everything
back!

We walked down the stairs and at their end
reached the tree of life. It was a huge tree, its branches covering a large area, growing chaotically all over the
place. And in front of us stood a tall and beautiful figure with golden hair, a
female elf: Queen Ellesime. At least her spirit, for she looked somewhat faint.

�Quick, you must help me! Irenicus is stealing
the trees power and soon it will be accomplished. He uses parasites to suck away the tree�s
power; you must destroy them, for as long as they are in place, you will not be able to
harm Irenicus.�

And with this Ellesime vanished
again. I looked around and saw immediately, what she
had meant with �parasites�. Several strange objects were attached to the tree and I could
see a kind of juice flow into them from the tree.

We approached all three of the parasites and destroyed them with our
swords, for we had to cut them off the tree. It was not easy, since their skin
was hard and they were firmly attached to
the tree.

But finally we managed and then we went towards the stem of the tree, where I
could make out the figure of Irenicus. Next to him stood a wooden cage, in
which I saw Ellesime. But suddenly the door of the cage opened and Ellesime
stepped out. Irenicus, hearing the noise, turned around and looked at Ellesime in
surprise.

�How is that possible? What has happened?�

�The son of Bhaal has destroyed the parasites, your plan has failed,
Joneleth! I beg you, is there nothing left in your heart of your older self? Do you not
remember our love, long past? If you would only have tried to realize your
mistakes, we would have welcomed you again and given back, what is rightfully
yours.�

Irenicus didn�t reply anything for a long time,
he seemed to think and reflect.

�No, there is nothing. I have tried, Ellesime,
I have tried to remember, but after you took away my soul, there was no way; I
couldn�t bring the feelings back anymore. There was only one thing left: my
determination. I would get my revenge. I will get my revenge!�

Ellesime shook her head, sadness in her eyes.

�Then it is true, you are no longer Joneleth of the elves,
but have become Irenicus.�

I stepped up to the two and asked: �Although I
don�t wish to interrupt this reunion, could someone explain to me, what the
hell you are talking about?�

Irenicus turned around to me, looking at me, hate in
his eyes. I was startled, for I never had seen any kind of feeling in them. But now he had
my soul and that gave him back, what he had lost.

�You have proven more resourceful than I would
have thought, Darnoc.�

�Oh, you clearly underestimated my powers,
Irenicus. I am here to reclaim, what is mine. Give back my soul!�

�Once already you have tried to steal the
powers of the tree of life and we have banished you for it, Irenicus. Although
I must admit that your sister has seduced you to do it, your crime was still
unforgivable. I will not stand by and let you repeat it!� Ellesime said firmly.

�Bodhi is dead, your majesty� I explained.

�So, she finally has found her just end��

�I will avenge my sister; you will pay for
this, both of you, Darnoc and Imoen!� Irenicus screamed in a sudden emotional outbreak.

�An� don�t we �ave a
right t� avenge us for all the thin�s ya done t� us, Irenicus? I remember every last bit o� it, ya son o� a bitch, ya bastard! I remember the knives, the
spells, the sick experiments and the rape! An� I�ll never forget, Irenicus, ya piece of shit, I�m gonna fuckin� kill ya for it!� Imoen
screamed back, her eyes flashing full of hatred.

My eyes glared in a cold hatred, as I drew out
my fire-spiter and pointed it at him. But Irenicus
just laughed and took out his advanced fire-spiter.

�I have created a better weapon already, Darnoc; you stand no chance against me
and my powers! I will not let you and Imoen destroy my plans!�

�If you are indeed so powerful, why didn�t you
calculate the future, as I did? I am able to see it all; I can see the paths of
time and probability. Can you, Irenicus?�

�Yes, I have done so! The calculations lead to
only one conclusion: A being will assemble all power in the multiverse,
becoming the only god in the process, the perfect being, which will change the
multiverse for ever. And I will be this being, it is inevitable!�

I laughed triumphantly.

�Your calculations are incomplete, my dear Irenicus. Yes, my calculations lead
also to this conclusion, the probability is more than 90%. But it won�t be you.
I have also calculated that the chance of your death is 95.438%. You will not
survive the coming fight, Irenicus!�

Irenicus stared at me in horror, his thoughts
racing.

�Damn it, you are correct! But there is still a 5%
chance that you will die and I will live. And I will ensure that this is going
to happen!�

Ellesime quickly glanced at me.

�I will leave you two and assemble my warriors. Elhan is near, I can feel him. Do
not fret, son of Bhaal, help will come soon.�

And with this she teleported away.

Irenicus glared at me and at Imoen, trying to
find a way, which ensured his survival. We were all armed and he was outnumbered, although
he had superior weapons and was a powerful magician.

Suddenly he raised his fire-spiter
and shot at me, but the shot was badly aimed and he didn�t hit me mortally. The
bullet penetrated my left breast, ripping a hole into my lung. I stumbled and
fell to my knees; bloody foam began to appear in my mouth, as I struggled with my
breath.

Im screamed and then began to conjure a finger
of death, while Keldorn, Minsc and Anomen shot at Irenicus, who had thrown
himself down on the ground, the shots passing above him. Aerie shot a stone at
him with her sling, hitting him into the back.

I tried to stay conscious and saw, how Im
released her spell, but it just bounced off Irenicus, not harming him the least. He aimed now at
Im and shot, but she had ducked before he had pulled the trigger, so the shot
only grazed her shoulder. Still, she gave a short scream and momentarily lost her balance.

Keldorn had reloaded the quickest and shot
again, hitting Irenicus� leg. Irenicus screamed in pain and fell to the ground,
his fire-spiter falling out of his hand. Desperately
he tried to find it again, but I finally managed to raise my own fire-spiter and shoot at him. The bullet penetrated his chest;
he stared in horror at me.

�I� no, this is not possible� I cannot��

And with this he died.

Suddenly something strange happened. Something
seemed to pull me, darkness began to take me and I felt, as if something dragged me downwards.

Imoen:
The tree of life

The city of Suldanessalar was a combat zone. Rakshasas and
demons battled the elves all over it and we went straight into the fight. We
helped out high priestess Demin, who then told us that we needed to summon the
spirit of the forest, Rillifane, but this could only be accomplished with the
help of three objects. Two we found quite easily, but the third one, the cup of
life, was guarded by a black dragon. Darn was able to talk him out of guarding it, though, by flattering him.

With the help of the three objects we summoned
Rillifane, who sent his spirits to battle the enemies of the elves. But still
Irenicus was at the tree of life. Before we descended to the tree, Darn asked all of us, if we really
wanted to come. Of course we all did, but I appreciated the gesture.

The tree of life was impressive, it was just
huge, gigantic, I never had seen anything like it. The
spirit of Ellesime appeared to us and told us that Irenicus used parasites to suck out the essence of
the tree of life. We of course immediately went to destroy them.

Finally we confronted Irenicus. I was ready
now. Although I always tried to battle my father�s essence, I hated Irenicus
with all my heart and I wanted to kill him. There was this dark spot in me, where I longed for
revenge. And it began to take over.

In that place Irenicus� history was finally
revealed to us. He had been once the lover of Ellesime, the queen of the elves,
but had been seduced by his sister Bodhi to try to use the essence of the tree
of life in order to reach power beyond any of the gods. His scheme had been unsuccessful
and as punishment his and Bodhi�s soul had been taken Ellesime tried to
reawaken his old nature, but Irenicus was beyond any such thing.

Irenicus also talked to Darn. He now was in possession of
emotions again and when Darn revealed to him that Bodhi was
dead, he swore revenge upon me and Darn. My hate and anger was kindled at those
words, he had done far worse to us two and now he got angry, when we came for payback?

When Darn pointed his fire-spiter at him, Irenicus took out an improved version. And
then they had a very fascinating conversation. It seemed as if their powers
have grown so much that they were able to calculate their own future and Darn revealed to Irenicus that the probability
of Irenicus� death was very likely.

After Ellesime had teleported away to fetch her
elven warriors, the fight began. Irenicus
shot at Darn and I tried to use a finger of
death on him, without success. Irenicus now shot at me, but I was able to duck
before he released the trigger and the bullet only grazed my shoulder. Still,
the sudden pain unbalanced me for a moment. And then Darn raised his fire-spiter
and shot Irenicus right into his chest.

When Irenicus died, something strange happened.
First Darn fell forward onto his face, dead. I rushed to
him, giving a scream of dismay, but then I felt something pull me and then all
became dark.

Darnoc: Hell

There was darkness all around me. Slowly, my eyes adapted to
my surroundings and I began to notice details. I could see fires and a square in front of me, some stairs
leading away from it. But when I turned around, I saw the most astonishing
thing: A huge door of stone, on it a golden skull surrounded by five dents in
form of tears. It was the sign of my father, Bhaal.
Suddenly mists appeared beside me, forming into my
companions.

�What�? Where�?� I tried to ask.

Keldorn looked around and then answered: �I believe
that we are in hell, my friend.�

�In hell? Then there will be many evil things
for me and Boo to kill!� Minsc commented.

�But� but how come that we�re in
hell?� Im asked.

�I guess that when Irenicus died with Darnoc�s soul in his body, Darnoc was dragged after it and he
dragged us with him� Aerie tried to explain.

I began to think, what this meant for us. The
realm of my father, finally I saw it. But this wasn�t a real place like what we
called �real�. Here only the mind granted power. If I would meet Irenicus
somewhere here, the battle between us two would be spiritual.

�If we are here, we might just explore this realm of
evil� Anomen suggested.

�Right you are, let�s do this!� I noted.

We walked over the square and towards the stairs on the right of us.
Walking down, the light grew brighter, for we came to a river of lava running
down in the gorge beside the stairs. The stairs themselves led to the entrance
of a cave.

�What �re we gonna find in there?� Im asked me.

She had felt it too. Something seemed to pull
me down, like a heavy weight. Something awaited us in there, something grave
and sinister. So I took Im�s hand, squeezing it a little. She looked at me,
smiling.

�Together, Im, let�s enter!�

�Yeah, we�ll manage everythin�
together, Darn. Remember, I said
that I would even follow ya t� hell? Didn�t
think that it would really happen, though��

Inside the cave we were greeted by a big,
strong demon with huge wings, its eyes glittering with pride and arrogance.

�Welcome, son of Bhaal, in the realm of your
father! In order to reclaim your soul, you must open the doors upstairs. This
you will accomplish by putting in the golden tears into the dents. One of those tears is in this cave, guarded by a fierce and terrible
creature. But you, Darnoc, are strong and mighty, you will be able to conquer it! No one can stand
before your power, claim what is yours!�

Something wasn�t right here, why was this demon
flattering me?

�What kind of beast is this?�

He looked disappointed at me.

�Are you afraid, Darnoc? I would have thought more of
you.�

�Just answer the question, demon.�

�Alright, it is a dragon. You already have
killed one of them and this beast is no match for you, Darnoc!�

�I have met dragon�s, with whom one could talk.
Why shouldn�t it be like this with this dragon?�

The demon looked desperately at me and then
finally admitted: �Yes, you could simply ask it and the dragon would give you
the tear, Darnoc��

I walked past the demon into the back of the
cave, where indeed there stood a black dragon.
�The demon told me that you are in possession of one of the tears. Would you be so kind to hand it
over to me?�

�Yes, of course, son of Bhaal, take what is
yours� the dragon replied and gave me the golden tear.

Back at the gate I put the tear into one of the dents. And when I
did this, I suddenly felt, as if I could withstand more than I could before. I
felt, as if I would no longer have to fear the forces of nature, for they
could no longer or not as much as before harm me.

The next stair led to another cave, where again
a demon awaited us. But this one was black-bluish and full of thorns and with
monstrous fangs, its eyes starring at me, as if it wanted to pierce me with
them.

Its voice was almost like its appearance, sinister, evil, creeping and
cold: �Ah, so you have arrived, Darnoc. There are two ways you can get hold of your
precious tear. You can take this cloak, created out of the skins of dryads and it
will protect you from the horrors inside. Or you can face the monsters on your
own, trusting in your own courage. What shall it be?�

I would never take such an evil gift and that I
told the demon.

�As you wish, but don�t say I haven�t warned you� the demon replied.

The beasts waiting back there were five beholders.
Once such beasts might indeed have scarred me or been a threat to me, but no longer.
One exploder took care of them, before one could even utter one single spell.

�Not much of a problem, those beholders. And
they should scare us?� Anomen commented.
�Yeah, I don�t think they�re up to date down
here� I replied.

Again I placed the tear into one of the dent and suddenly I
had the distinct feeling, as if weapons would no longer be a threat to me. I
could not tell how I came by this knowledge.

Down the third stair, a tall and haughty demon
awaited us, looking at us with �I am far better and more important than you�-look.
Something very cruel and entirely selfish was in its look also.

�Ah, I greet you, son of Bhaal. There are two ways you can choose in order to
reach the tear. Someone must bear the consequences, either you or one of your dear companions. What shall it be? If
you go to my right, you shall be punished, but your companions will remain unharmed. But if you go to the left, one
of your companions will die. Choose, son of Bhaal.�

I starred at my companions uneasily.

�Oh my, what shall we do? I don�t want ya t� come t� harm, Darn� But someone o� us killed that�s bad, it
really is�� Im whispered.

There was only one way: I would not let my
companions come to harm and face the consequences myself. They suffered enough for me.

Thus I entered the door to my right and
suddenly felt pain in my whole body. It came immediately and without warning, I groaned and fell to the
floor.

�Darn, what happened?� Im said, bending down next
to me.

�I� I don�t know,
there was suddenly pain��

�Ya
alright?�

�Yeah, yeah, it passed, don�t worry.�

Slowly I stood up and realized that there was
another door in front of me. So I stepped to it, opened it and walked through.
Suddenly I was aware that my ability to move fast and nimbly was suddenly reduced somewhat.
My quick reflexes had abandoned me.

Now clearly afraid I starred at the last door and slowly
began marching towards it. My hands touched it and
pushed it open, slowly I rose my right foot and stepped through. And what came
now, was hardest to bear. Suddenly I realized that I had forgotten things, but I couldn�t remember
what. It was an awful feeling, this knowledge. It plagued me since then; often
I brooded about what exactly I lost. Always I hoped that it was nothing I had
experienced with Im; I couldn�t bear the thought of loosing a memory of her.

When I put in this tear, I had the feeling, as if magic
would no longer do much harm to me and again this feeling seemed to pop out
of nowhere.

The fourth stair led us to a cave filled with
lava, a small, crooked and somewhat slimy demon awaiting us, its yellow eyes
looking greedily at me.

�So you�ve come, Darnoc� There�s a being, you must face
it and kill it. And I can give you the means to do it: Take this sword and slay
this being, Darnoc.�

With this he handed a black and evil looking
sword to me.

I walked across the cave and at its end I saw a
genie waiting for us.

�Are you in possession of one of the tears of Bhaal?�

�Indeed I am, but I cannot give it to you, Darnoc.�

�Why can�t you give it to me?�

�The sword will liberate the tear. More I cannot tell you.�

What did this mean? This genie was talking in
riddles. Perhaps, if I offered the sword to him?

�Here, take the sword, it is yours.�

The genie smiled, took the sword and in
exchange gave me the tear. And then he vanished.

I put the tear into the dent and suddenly I felt
that somehow my luck had changed to the better. My confidence had increased and
I felt as if it would be now more difficult to harm me.

The final stair led us into a large hall of a cave. And on the other
end, a surprise waited for us: My brother Sarevok in his armor, holding his sword.

�This cannot be, I
killed you!� I shouted at him.

�You forget that you are in hell, dear brother. I have the final tear, but I won�t give it to you. You do
not deserve it, you are not worthy of your father�s heritage. Prove to me that you accept your
father�s gift and I will give you the tear! Turn into the slayer-beast and
embrace your heritage!�

�No, I will not give in to my father�s will!
Never, Sarevok, even if I have to kill you a
second time!�

�Then perhaps you, Imoen, will embrace your
father�s gifts?�

Imoen shook her head defiantly.

Sarevok growled angrily.

�Then die, fools! Join each other in death, as
you joined yourself in love during life!�

He raised his sword and charged. My hand moved down to my belt
and took out my fire-spiter, which I raised and
pointed at my charging brother. I pulled the trigger and my brother was flung backwards, a hole in his armor right where the chest was.

�You� you killed me again! I curse you; I curse
you and your damned sister! Your love shall not last long, your fortune shall
be short and your time together cut away before reaching their fullness! If I
can�t have the life I deserved, you two shall not have it either!�

And with that he died� again. His last curse
troubled me, though. Alas, they came true in the end�

Back upstairs I long starred at the door, realizing that if I
put in the tear, the door would open and I would face Irenicus one last time. Thinking
it through, I decided to give my companions and myself a break first, before we
fought against Irenicus once again.

�Alright, listen to me; we�re going to take a
rest, before we finish our business here. I guess we all need it.�

They all agreed to that and so we set up camp
in hell. An odd feeling, but when thinking through it I couldn�t see any
difference to other camps we had set up.

Im and I went away from the others; we both
felt that we needed to talk in privacy.

�Look, Darn, what�re we gonna
do after we beat Irenicus?�

�Well� I guess we�ll return to the keep. Or did
you have something else in mind, Im?�

�Yeah, I �ad. I think we need some time for
ourselves, some time alone, without anyone else around us. Remember the vision we both
�ad down in Irenicus� dungeon? It�s so long ago, but I
�aven�t forgotten yet� I wanna
find such a place, Darn. A place, where we�re gonna find some peace. An� where I
perhaps finally forget.�

I looked at her worried.

�You still have nightmares, Im? I noticed, you know.�

She sighed and starred to the ground.

�Yeah, I still �ave �em. Every night, Darn. Every night I see it again an�
again. But somehow, when we�re together, it�s easier
t� bear, ya know.
I think, in time it may pass.�

�I�ll help you as best as I can, Im, you know
that. I will share with you what I have and take some of your pain. Together we�ll carry it, Im.�

I felt her soul right next to me; she stretched
out to me, as if she tried to fill my emptiness with her soul, sharing some of it with me. Suddenly I
saw it also, like she saw it every day and night. It was horrible, but I bore
it for her. I had promised to help her and if she could load some of it into
me, I would be better able to help her, for then I could understand her and realize
what plagued her.

Although it were only seconds, it seemed like
eternity, as I lived through endless torture, pain and suffering. No longer a
story, but now part of myself, I finally realized the horror Im had gone through and which
still haunted her. She was a strong personality, I realized, probably the
strongest I ever met. Most people would have completely broken and perhaps even
committed suicide, but she kept on going.

When she had finished filling her memories into
me, sobs shook my body and I embraced her closely, seeking comfort in her arms.

�Im� I� I� I didn�t realize that�. that it was
so horrible. Oh, Im� I�m so sorry, Im, that he put you through this, I will
never forgive myself, Im� So horrible, the pain, Im, all this pain��

�There was nothing ya
could �ave done, Darn, so say no more. I�m glad ya came in the end an� I�ll never forget it. But now ya know, ya understand, don�t ya, Darn?�

I nodded, I indeed understood now. Although Im
tried to conceal it from the others, something was indeed broken inside of her,
something which probably never would mend entirely. There are some wounds, which never will
heal. And hers were of that kind. But now I shared them with her and this made it
easier for her. More and more it seemed that we truly were one single being and
no longer two.

She stroked my hair with her right hand and
kissed my eyebrows, her left hand on my shoulder, wandering slowly down my
back. I felt her pain, but now it was also my pain, binding us even more
together. My fingers moved over her cheeks and her lips, finally I hugged her
closely and put my face next to hers, my nose in her hair, smelling it. She
moved her hand under my shirt (my armor I had taken off at the camp) and touched my
skin, while kissing my cheek and then finally my lips. Feeling her warm, soft and sweet lips, my longing
grew, her hand sent shivers down my back, as it touched my skin. So I began to
respond to her kiss, more and more passionately, sweat began to run down my
face and on hers.

Not usually the place associated with love, but
we didn�t care where we were. I loved her and it was responded, even if this was
hell, where all hope has left and only despair remains. In that moment I forgot
where we were completely, only noticing her and my wanting, growing and
growing. Perhaps it was the glimmer of hope, which had arisen in me, the glimmer of hope that
I soon would have my soul back. For I already had her souls beside me, inside
me, around me, giving me strength. Without
our mutual love, we both long would have perished, as Irenicus had planned it.
But together we were able to hold back the evil wanting to take control of us;
together we were able to bear on.

I wanted her more than ever before, almost
automatically my hand found its way downwards and began pulling of her shirt,
while I still kissed her. Im, driven by the same sudden urge, took my hand and
helped me take off this nuisance, which parted us. Finally freed of this artificial cover, I moved my hand over
her bare and smooth skin and then lowered
my head, kissing it, moving over it with my lips. Im reached over my back and
pulled at my shirt, trying to take it over my head, so pulled away from her and
let her do it. Then I put my arms around her and pulled her towards me, until our skins touched and
were pressed closely together. I pushed her back a little, until she leaned
against the nearby wall, where I again began to kiss her, this time on her shoulder and
moving up to her throat.

Her hands reached down and she began tearing at my trousers, finally pulling
them free. While I kissed her breasts, she began opening her trousers, but I
moved her hand away and pulled them down myself.

Putting her hands on my shoulders in order to
stabilize herself, she tried to move herself up, but didn�t manage, so I helped
her by pushing her. She put her legs around my waist and I pressed her against the
wall, entering and at the same time stabilizing her. My hands moved through her
hair, my lips touched hers, her breath quickened, as I pushed into her, faster
and faster. She gripped my shoulders hard, while I kissed her throat and a moan left
her lips. Touching the drops of sweat on her warm and smooth skin, I put my arms around her head and pulled it towards me, thrusting into her. Again she
moaned and I searched her lips with mine, finally finding them and kissing them, her
moans silenced by my lips, her fast breath touching mine. Sweat covered our
bodies as I released her lips and buried my face in her breasts, still
thrusting in a more and more quickening rhythm, her hips moving with me, her
moans going with the rhythm and finally reaching a crescendo in a scream of
total ecstasy and delight, as I emptied into the warm inside of her body.

Still breathing fast, we still leaned against
the wall, her head resting on my shoulders. Finally I put her down slowly on
the floor and lay next to her, putting my arms around her, kissing her cheek, her
fine and straight nose and finally her slightly red and gracefully, fully
shaped lips. The floor was hard, but warm from the fires and lava in the
gorges.

�I will never leave you, Im� Whatever happens,
we will be together, even if it means to face exile and hardship. And whatever happens, never
will my love for you end. I just wanted you to know that, because tomorrow� who
knows? I am not so certain about beating Irenicus here��

She smiled and kissed me, stroking my hair.

�All that I knew, Darn, I feel the same� But there�s somethin�, I� I don�t know how t� tell ya��

I looked into her beautiful, brown eyes long
and deep, trying to read her mind. Her feelings were clear, there was her love, bright and
burning, but there was a dark sadness and a feeling of uncertainty.

�Try, Im��

�I� ya� Somethin� horrible�s
gonna happen. Ya� changed. In the future. Don�t know when. There was evil in ya, a lot o� evil an� I shuddered when I saw, what
happened. An� I wasn�t there, I wasn�t there� I should be at yar side, always, but I wasn�t there
an� ya did all those horrible thin�s��

Tears began to run down her gentle face and I
kissed them, trying to comfort her.

�The future isn�t written, Im. We�ll create our
own future. I am going to make sure of that, I promise to you! We are going to have a future together,
living together for all eternity.�

What fool had I been! My ambition to create
this future led me into the trap, which I had tried to avoid. By trying to
create the future, the future created me. And the results were horrible. But
one is always wiser afterwards� Back then I was full of love and passion
and Im was the only thing on my mind, nothing else mattered. I was blind. I was
a fool.

I lay on my back and Im put her head onto my
chest, so put my arms around her shoulders and pulled her close to me. Thus we slept peacefully,
not heading the dangers ahead. These hours belonged to us and no evil thought
disturbed them. Nothing could penetrate the barrier of our mutual love that night.
We were one and soon we�d be whole.

Imoen:
In Bhaal�s realm

When I could see something again, I found
myself in a strange place. It was dark, but I could make out red and yellow light,
the light of flames. My companions stood next to me and behind us was a huge
door, the sign of Bhaal on it. But the tears were missing, where they should
have been, there were only dents.

We discussed our situation. Somehow Irenicus�
death had dragged Darn into hell and he had dragged us
with him. We finally decided to explore this place.

There were five stairs leading away from the
square we were on. We started with the one to the left. As we
descended, I felt that something evil, dark and grave was awaiting us. Darn felt it too and took my hand.
Together we kept on descending.

Inside the cave we finally entered, we were
greeted by a demon, who set Darn the task to slay a mighty beast. Strangely
the demon kept praising Darn�s skill as a warrior, as if he wanted to kindle
pride in Darn. But Darn seemed to see through this scheme
and asked, what kind of beast he had to fight. Finally the demon revealed that Darn could simply ask this creature in
order to receive one of the missing tears. The beast, a black dragon, indeed gave the
tear to Darn, without us having to fight him.

After placing the tear in one of the dents, we descended
the next set of stairs. Another demon awaited us there and offered a cloak made
of dryad skins to Darn, but he refused. The demon told us that something frightful awaited
us, but it turned out to be just a group of beholders, of which Darn took quickly care with an exploder.

In the next cave a choice was offered to Darn: Either to go right and face all
the consequences himself or go left and sacrifice one of his companions. Darn of course choose the right path,
but it was difficult for him. At the first door he fell down, his face full of
pain. At the next door he halted and looked at his fingers.

�I think I�ve lost some of my dexterity�, he
muttered.

And finally, when we passed through the last
door, his face turned into a mask of confusion and horror.

�I� they took away some of my memory!� he
finally explained.

In the next cave the demon offered a powerful
magical sword to Darn and told him that he needed it to slay the being in the cave. It was a
genie and Darn found out that he simply could give
the sword to the genie in order to receive the tear.

In the final cave came the greatest surprise: Sarevok awaited us. Our half-brother
first told Darn that he wouldn�t give Darn the tear, because Darn had refused his father�s gift. He
then asked me, if I wanted to accept it, but I also refused. And then he
attacked us, but was quickly killed by Darn. With his last breath, he cursed
me and Darn. He told us that our love wouldn�t
last long and that he couldn�t have the life he deserved, we wouldn�t also.

Before Darn placed the last tear, we all agreed to take a rest. I
and Darn moved a little away from the
others, so we could talk. There were things I wanted to ask him; things about
our future.

�Look, Darn, what�re we gonna
do after we beat Irenicus?�

�Well� I guess we�ll return to the keep. Or did
you have something else in mind, Im?�

Oh, indeed I had. If I was completely honest, I
thought that we needed loneliness. For so long we both had endured hardship and suffering, I thought it
was time for us to finally find some peace somewhere. A
quiet, safe place, where we could both share our love,
without having to worry. A place, where I finally could be free of those
memories haunting me.

�You still have nightmares, Im? I noticed, you know.�

Every damn night I had them, they didn�t cease,
they continued, didn�t stop. Perhaps
Irenicus had been right and I would never be free of him. Still, when I was
with Darn, somehow it was easier. Sometimes
he was even able to drive the nightmares away. He then asked something, which I will
never forget. He asked, if there was a possibility to share my pain. He wanted to receive my
memories, so he could help me better.

So I spilled them over into his mind, all of
it, every last bit of torture. It almost broke him, especially since it all
came at once and he fell to the ground, sobbing. He got up and embraced me,
burying his face in my breast, sobbing on.

�Im� I� I� I didn�t realize that�. that it was
so horrible. Oh, Im� I�m so sorry, Im, that he put you through this, I will
never forgive myself, Im� So horrible, the pain, Im, all this pain��

His words warmed my heart, he finally and truly understood
now, we both shared everything now, there was nothing between us anymore, we became more and more one. My feelings for him replaced
everything else that was there, my longing, my desire growing more and more.
Even though this was hell, still our love shone bright, a flame, which couldn�t
be extinguished, not by Bhaal, not by Irenicus, not by anyone.

Gently I kissed his eyebrows and stroked his
hair, wanting to comfort him. My hand was on his shoulders, but I began moving
it down his back, pulling him closer to me. He looked into my eyes and his
hands touched my face, moved over it, my cheek, my eyebrows, my lips. And then
he suddenly put his arms around me and pulled me towards him, putting his face next to mine, his cheek
against mine and my face in his hair. My hand almost automatically moved down
and under his shirt, feeling his bare, warm skin, while I began kissing his cheek, moving
more and more forward until my lips met his, my tongue extending, touching his tongue and
the inside of his warm, wet mouth, feeling his warm, soft lips against mine, smelling them,
drinking them in. It was warm down here in hell and soon sweat began to
break out on my whole body and on my face, also on his and I smelled the salty
taste of it.

My longing grew and met his, our desire awoke
and arose and our bodies locked together,
growing warmer and warmer. There was nothing but him,
nothing but our passionate desire, my wanting for him. His hand grabbed my
shirt and began pulling it off and I helped him, wanting to get rid of
everything which parted us. He touched my now bare skin, he felt its warmness, its smoothness and he began
kissing it, while I pulled of his shirt. Now our skins were against each other
directly, I felt the sweat on his body; we were pressed against each other.

Suddenly he pushed me softly against the wall
and kissed me again, from my shoulder upward to my throat, nibbling at it. My
hand reached down and pulled down his trousers, while he kissed my breasts,
which began to harden. And then I opened my trousers and stripped them down, we were now
finally freed from all artificial covers, our whole, naked bodies
touching each other, feeling each other.

I wanted him to enter me; I wanted to feel him
inside of me. So I tried to put my legs around his waist and with a little
help of him I managed and then he pressed me against the wall and I felt him
penetrate me. He touched my hair and pulled my head towards him, kissing me, thrusting him
into me, faster and faster. My desire formed itself into a moan and again he
kissed me. After a passionate kiss he released my lips and put his face against
my breasts, using it to support himself and thrust stronger and faster, while
my thighs moved with him, my moans of delight accompanying him, growing louder
and louder until finally all inside of me seemed to explode in pure, unbearable delight and exited my mouth as
a scream, while I felt how he emptied his essence into me, how he pulsated and
filled me.

Still panting from our mutual labor I put my
head onto his shoulder, resting and feeling this peace, the aftermath of this
delight, but now quieter, gentler. After a while he moved me away from the wall
and put me gently onto the floor, lying down beside me, putting his arms around me, kissing me softly.

He told me that we never would be separated, but then also expressed his
worries concerning tomorrow�s fight. It was then that I finally explained my
vision to him, how he had changed and how I hadn�t been there with him. He then
said that the future wasn�t written and that we would shape our own future.
This thought, this belief I keep in my heart, I hold onto it. Perhaps we really
could shape our future; perhaps there was a chance for us�

Darnoc: Irenicus�
end

Next morning I put in the last tear and suddenly felt as if now I could
have a greater influence on people and be better able
to learn from my experiences. And then the
gates opened.

Irenicus stood behind them, looking as he
always did.

�So, you followed me down here, Darnoc. Here we will finally decide
whom your soul belongs to. Bu this battle is not a battle of weapons, it is a
battle of will. Reality is not what it is elsewhere. And my will is strong, son
of Bhaal.�

�Mine is too, Irenicus. Do not underestimate my
determination, which is increased by Im�s love for me, the strength I draw from
her. Together we are more than a match for you, Irenicus.�

�Yeah, we are, ya bastard! I�m gonna
kick yar butt right where it belongs,
Irenicus! Ya�ve made yar final move, there�s no escape now.
An� believe me, we�re gonna
take back what is ours.�

I felt, how my will melted together with Im�s, we were one will and one personality, with the power
of two, facing Irenicus with my soul in him. As he realized this, for a moment
I could see fear on his face, but just for a moment. Then he had himself under control
again.

�You aren�t scaring me, you two! I�m going to destroy you both
here and now! Come on; let us finish this once and for all!�

He immediately changed into the slayer-beast,
but he seemed to have grown somewhat. The hate and rage inside of him seemed to
give him even more power than before. He had become, what I had refused to
become. A wave of pure hate stroke me and I stumbled back.

But then something happened. It seemed as if an
invisible barrier was appearing around me and Im, holding back the power of Irenicus� hate. He screamed in
disappointment and tried to increase his mental attack, but again was beaten
back. I held Im�s hand close and our wills were united, fighting him off.

Im took out her bow and I my fire-spiter, we pointed our weapons at Irenicus and shot. Irenicus
realized, what we were doing, and immediately used the power of his hate to
hold back the projectiles.

�We need to break him, Im, help me!� I
whispered.

She came closer to me and embraced me, kissing
my lips. I responded and so we were locked together, our love rising like a
burning flame, increasing in its heat and strength. And then we flung the
emotions at Irenicus, like another projectile. Irenicus screamed in terror, as
he realized, how his defenses of hate were crushed by our passionate love. He
was powerful, yes, but he was also alone, while we were together. Alone he
couldn�t face us two, couldn�t fight back our love.

We forced our passion and love onto him, fighting
against the feelings of hate he was building up against us. Slowly the
projectiles of our weapons, Im�s lightning and my bullet, were closing in on
him. With a final scream his defensive barrier of hate broke and the
projectiles continued their path, with increased speed, the power of my and
Im�s union forcing them onwards. They both hit Irenicus and he was at the
same time shaken by electricity and flung backwards by the force of my bullet.

I and Im stepped towards his broken body. He was still alive,
but just barely. But his eyes still reflected his hate against us.

�So you think you�ve defeated me? You may have
won over me, children of Bhaal, but my revenge will come eventually.�

�You are a dying elf, nothing more, Irenicus. You no
longer hold any power over our destinies and soon I�ll have my soul back.�

�Fool! I have seen your future, Darnoc, and it won�t be a happy one
together with your beloved Imoen. Your love, which defeated me, shall in the
end be defeated itself. You will bring ruin upon yourself and Im, Darnoc. You will destroy everything,
you and Im are both just the pawns in a game of greater powers. And you will not be
able to escape it.�

�Don�t ya say that,
we�ll create our own future an� ya won� haunt us
anymore, Irenicus! We�ve defeated ya entirely. We�ll
decide upon our destinies, Irenicus. No one will take us apart, no one, d�ya hear! If someone tries, I�m gonna kill the bastard!� Im screamed at him.
Irenicus laughed viciously.

�Silly little girl, do you really think you can
cheat destiny itself? Do you really think that no one can destroy your union?
Oh, and concerning me haunting you: I will haunt you your whole life. Never
will you be free of me; never will you forget what I have done to you. Do you
really think that I haven�t studied the nature of intelligent beings and their
psyches? I have, Imoen, I have thoroughly and my experiments were all based on
my findings. And as you know, I have been successful. Never will you be free; I
have left my marks in your soul forever.�

Still laughing silently, his laugh faded and
finally stopped in a choke. Irenicus� was dead and this time for good. Suddenly
I felt how a power flowed from him to me; I felt the void inside of me being
filled. My soul was back where it should have stayed and immediately it reached
out to Im�s soul, uniting itself with hers. No we two were completely one,
body, spirit and soul.

Suddenly everything vanished and was replaced
by the palace of Suldanessalar. In front of me
stood Ellesime and behind me a group of elven nobles, among them Elhan.
My companions stood besides me, Im standing left of me.

�Finally you have returned. Your friends we
could bring back fairly quick, but you and Imoen� It took some time. Somehow
your souls had difficulty coming back, because they are tied together.�

�Then� then everythin�
really happened?� Im asked.

But there had been no need to. We both felt
that it was true and feelings of joy and happiness filled us both. We just were
a little shocked that it finally had happened and that now we were together.

No longer caring about what anyone would think of
us, we kissed each other right there, sharing our joy with the other. We were
free and perhaps now would be able to find peace. I hoped it back then,
desperately. And for some time it even seemed as if it would came true.

For several weeks I and Im lived together in
the city of the elves, not heading what happened around us anymore. For those weeks, we
had found a place of peace. But alas, it was only in order to prepare us for what should come. It wasn�t
over yet, our struggle not completed, the curse not broken. We were still
children of Bhaal and our father�s blood still ran through our veins, cursing
us with evil. For some time we had found a place, where evil was locked out for
at least a while. But soon it caught up again with us.

Imoen:
Revenge

In the morning, Darn placed the last tear and the door opened, Irenicus
standing behind it. Finally we would end this; finally we would get our
revenge.

�So, you followed me down here, Darnoc. Here we will finally decide
whom your soul belongs to. Bu this battle is not a battle of weapons, it is a
battle of will. Reality is not what it is elsewhere. And my will is strong, son
of Bhaal� Irenicus explained in his cold voice.

Just you wait, Irenicus, we�re going to see,
whose will is stronger here! You are a cold-blooded, cruel bastard, who knows, what he wants. But I
and Darn, we have something you have lost
long ago: love. And together we would destroy you!

My and Darn�s will melted together, we became
one, focusing our power on Irenicus. And he was afraid, I could see it, he knew
that we were stronger.

�You aren�t scaring me, you two! I�m going to destroy you both
here and now! Come on; let us finish this once and for all!�

Whom did he want to fool? Not me!

Irenicus changed into the slayer beast, but he
was bigger than Darn had been, when he had changed into
it. It indeed seemed as if Irenicus had increased his powers. And then hate
struck me like a bolt of lightning, making me stumble backwards. I only didn�t fall, because I managed
to grab Darn�s hand.

I stretched my soul towards Darn and he took it, embraced it. Our
love began to surround as and protect us from Irenicus� hate, he couldn�t
penetrate this barrier.

We pulled out our weapons and shot at Irenicus,
but he formed his hate into a barrier and was able to hold our projectiles.

Darn whispered to me: �We need to break him, Im,
help me!�

I stepped up to him, he embraced me and we
kissed each other passionately, feeling our love, fueling the flame inside of
us. It was too much for Irenicus, he couldn�t withstand this power, he screamed
and then the projectiles moved at him, gaining speed and hitting him.

He wasn�t dead yet, but almost.

�So you think you�ve defeated me? You may have
won over me, children of Bhaal, but my revenge will come eventually� he said
full of hate.

Darn answered in a cold voice, knowing that
Irenicus no longer had any power: �You are a dying elf, nothing more, Irenicus. You no
longer hold any power over our destinies and soon I�ll have my soul back.�

Irenicus laughed and exclaimed: �Fool! I have
seen your future, Darnoc, and it won�t be a happy one together with your beloved Imoen. Your
love, which defeated me, shall in the end be defeated itself. You will bring
ruin upon yourself and Im, Darnoc. You will destroy everything, you and Im are both just the pawns in a game of
greater powers. And you will not be able to escape it.�

He had no power left, he wouldn�t define our
future, he would stop haunt me! He was nothing more than a broken, dying elf!
He wouldn�t mess with our future, we would form it ourselves, I and Darn would create it together! And I screamed this
at him.

Again Irenicus laughed, as if he knew something
we didn�t, as if we were fools, not seeing the truth.

�Silly little girl, do you really think you can
cheat destiny itself? Do you really think that no one can destroy your union?
Oh, and concerning me haunting you: I will haunt you your whole life. Never
will you be free of me; never will you forget what I have done to you. Do you
really think that I haven�t studied the nature of intelligent beings and their
psyches? I have, Imoen, I have thoroughly and my experiments were all based on
my findings. And as you know, I have been successful. Never will you be free; I
have left my marks in your soul forever.�

Although he finally died after these words, I
felt deep inside that he was right. Never would I be completely free of him.
The scars he gave me, not only the visible
ones, would stay forever with me and form me. I was no longer the same Imoen I
had been before, I was, what he had made out of me and what I had tried to save
from this disaster. Before I had been a joyful, mischievous girl, until he had
broken me. I had tried to put it together, but hadn�t managed. The result was
something different. I still could be cheerful and funny, but inside there was
a sadness, something dark, which stayed. Was this, what they called �being mature�? I guess that
it was. But wouldn�t this mean that most people never became mature at all?

Gorion had once called me �the eternal child�,
shaking his head at me. I guess not so eternal after all�

Once Irenicus was dead, hell vanished and was
replaced by the beautiful inside of the palace in Suldanessalar. I was lying on the floor, next to
my companions and looked into the faces of several elves.

�They have awakened, finally, your majesty!� an
elf exclaimed.

An elf helped me up and I saw Darn beside me, also just being helped
up by an elf. Queen Ellesime stood in front of us.

�Finally you have returned. Your friends we
could bring back fairly quick, but you and Imoen� It took some time. Somehow
your souls had difficulty coming back, because they are tied together� she explained.

I asked her, not really able to believe: �Then�
then everythin� really happened?�

In my heart I felt that it all had been true,
though. I knew it, but it all had been so� unreal. Darn approached me, smiling, his heart full of joy. I could feel his soul
now and felt the same joy, as our souls melted together. Now we were truly one
and whole. We longer cared about what others thought of our love, it was too precious for us to
let go of it, for we realized that we were meant to be together, we were truly
more like one being than two. Who had created us like this? I didn�t know and
didn�t care, I was just glad to be with him.

So we embraced and kissed each other, as if we
were alone together, forgetting the world around us. Would we now finally find
peace? Would it finally end? How much I hoped it, how much I longed for it!
Alas, it was far from over�
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Children of Bhaal