Baldur's gate II_ throne of Bhaal - Drew Karpyshyn [89]
Abdel's stride never faltered. The magic of Abazigal had nearly ended his existence, but with the death of the half-dragon and the drow Sendai, Abdel had evolved yet again. The magically summoned elements of the mages were as ineffective as the physical blows of the warrior monks. Abdel was an unstoppable messenger of death.
The mages stepped aside, and a single, black-skinned figure stood in the tower's entrance. Like Abdel, this man was naked-though it was difficult to tell. His ebony skin was covered head to toe in tattoos. The colors and designs seemed to shift and writhe beneath the man's dark flesh, as if the symbols were alive with power. Though nearly a foot shorter than Abdel, the tattooed man's body similarly rippled with knotted, corded muscle.
The tattooed man called out, "Stop! This is not your battle."
Bowing respectfully, the warrior monks and mages alike stepped back and cleared a path for Abdel to approach. Not even caring if it was a trap, Abdel rushed at the black-skinned man, certain he was none other than Balthazar.
The man disappeared inside the door, and Abdel followed. As he leaped across the threshold he heard the horrible shriek of stone being warped and twisted. Glancing back over his shoulder, Abdel wasn't surprised to find the door had been magically sealed behind him, the rock of the tower walls closing over the opening.
He turned his attention back to the tower's interior. At the far end was a steep staircase leading to the second floor, but otherwise the first floor was empty. It resembled an arena, or perhaps a training ring. In the center of this circle stood the black-skinned Balthazar.
"This must end here," the monk said, his voice neither threatening nor afraid. "This must end now."
Abdel couldn't have agreed more.
Chapter Twenty
Abdel rushed the monk. Balthazar waited until his enemy was nearly on him, then turned to the side. His left hand slapped the tip of the thrusting broadsword down and away from his body. His right forearm smacked the wrist of Abdel's left hand, redirecting the path of Sendai's dagger as it sliced down from above. His leg shot out, tripping Abdel's feet so that the charging sellsword's momentum carried him stumbling past Balthazar to slam into the hard stone of the far wall.
Unharmed but burning with angry embarrassment at his foolishly ineffective attack, Abdel spun around to face his opponent once more. Balthazar still stood in the very center of the room, casually awaiting Abdel's next move.
"You do understand why your death must come to pass?" he asked nonchalantly.
"I know you want to bring Bhaal back to life, but that's not why I'm here."
With that Abdel rushed forward again, crouching low and keeping his feet wide, bringing his center of gravity close to the ground. This time the monk wouldn't be able to redirect his momentum with a simple twist of his body.
Balthazar also crouched down, then sprang up into the air as Abdel approached, flipping and twisting above the head of his surprised opponent. Balthazar's left heel caught Abdel in the back of his skull, momentarily stunning him. The monk's right foot delivered a stiff kick in the middle of Abdel's back, sending him sprawling face down on the hard floor.
Abdel flopped on his stomach gasping for breath. His head and back stung from Balthazar's kicks-he could already feel his body beginning to swell and bruise from the vicious blows. Unlike the army of monks he had waded through in the courtyard, Balthazar was able to inflict real injury.
It was the tattoos, Abdel realized. Like the runes on the weapons of the other members of the Five, the designs and symbols covering the arms and legs of Balthazar gave him the power to harm Abdel's body. Knowing he was vulnerable forced Abdel to change his tactics. He would have to approach with more