Baldur's gate II_ throne of Bhaal - Drew Karpyshyn [90]
Balthazar had landed nimbly on his feet after his gravity-defying maneuver and stood once again in the center of the room. He continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.
"I have no intention of bringing Bhaal back to life,'' the monk explained. "The evil of Bhaal must be purged from Faerun forever, Abdel. His taint must be wiped from the face of Abeir-toril. That is why you must die."
The sound of Abdel's bitter laugh echoed off the stone walls encircling them. "I know you are one of the Five! You hunted your own Bhaalspawn kin so that you might use their essence to resurrect our father!"
"I was one of the Five," Balthazar admitted as Abdel cautiously approached, his twin blades weaving hypnotic patterns in the air, "though I never shared their vision. They wanted to bring Bhaal back, and I want to ensure he stays dead forever. Killing those who shared our tainted blood was common to both their end and mine, so I aided them in the hunting of the Bhaalspawn. But all along I intended to betray them at the end, Abdel."
Abdel was barely even listening to the lies spilling from his enemy's mouth. He wouldn't let the words distract him from the task at hand. If the monk wanted to jabber away while the sellsword inched ever closer, Abdel would let him speak-until he silenced Balthazar by slitting his throat.
Although he rarely fought with a weapon in each hand, Abdel knew how to use twin blades to maximize his offensive advantage. He led with a series of high offensive thrusts and slashes from the broadsword, designed to drive the monk back and throw him off balance. He'd follow up by stabbing the dagger in toward his foe's kidney, forcing him to turn away from the tiny blade-and right into the heavy edge of the broadsword cutting down from the other side.
Something went wrong, Balthazar did not retreat beneath the first savage assault. He parried the sword with his bare left hand, turning his wrist so that the palm met the flat of the blade and deflected its arc harmlessly away. Abdel's second thrust was similarly met and turned aside. In desperation he tried to bring the dagger up, but a stiff kick from Balthazar's leg caught him in the elbow and knocked the knife from his numb grasp.
Balthazar ducked down and away from what Abdel had expected to be the finishing blow, letting the heavy broadsword slice harmlessly through the air less than an inch above his head. Before Abdel could reverse the momentum of his attack he was doubled over by a knee slamming into his groin. An instant later he was straightened up as the knee slammed into his chin.
Blinded by stars of pain, Abdel never saw the rapid flurry of punches to his midsection, though he did feel several of his ribs crack in quick succession. He felt a pair of firm hands wrap themselves around his wrist and heave on his arm, and Abdel was hurled through the air to land hard on his back.
"As long as even a single drop of Bhaal-tainted blood courses through living veins, there is a chance someone will find a way to bring Bhaal back to life," Balthazar calmly explained, not even breathing heavily after their confrontation. "Like all the other Bhaalspawn, you have the taint of Bhaal within you, and you must be killed for the good of the world."
The ceiling slowly came into focus as Abdel's vision cleared. His left hand was paralyzed. He couldn't even clench his fingers into a fist. Every breath brought agonizing pain as his cracked rib cage was forced to expand and contract. He coughed and choked as a trickle of blood crawled up his throat. He could feel his body struggling to restore itself, fighting to overcome the powerful sorcery contained in every punch and kick Balthazar delivered. His body was healing-slowly.
"What about you?" Abdel croaked, stalling for time. "You are also a Bhaalspawn. Must you die for your tainted blood?"
"I have learned to control the evil within me, Abdel," Balthazar replied. "These markings on my body contain my vile essence with powerful magics. I have devoted my