Baldur's gate II_ throne of Bhaal - Drew Karpyshyn [94]
Melissan opened her eyes to witness the rapid terra-forming of what she already considered her domain. This world obeyed her every whim and desire, yet something was lacking. Melissan felt the power of Bhaal's immortal essence pulsing through the ground at her feet. It hung like a static charge in the air. She was able to bend that essence to her will, but she herself was not yet part of that essence. She was still a mortal in a god's realm.
It was only then that she noticed the single door, standing without walls or frame in the middle of the world. Cautious and curious, the mortal who would be a god approached the odd portal.
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Melissan has been using you, Abdel," Balthazar patiently explained to his helpless opponent. "Perhaps she suspected the Five now saw her as no longer necessary and were plotting against her. Perhaps she learned of my desire to betray her cause. Or perhaps she simply realized the Five were becoming too powerful for her to control.
"Whatever the reason, she played us off against each other. When you came to Saradush she manipulated you into killing Yaga Shura, and she tricked Gromnir into opening the gates of the besieged town. In one fell swoop she slaughtered nearly all the remaining Bhaalspawn and managed to turn you against the Five."
Balthazar paused to gauge Abdel's reaction. The crippled warrior shook his head in denial. "No," he said through gritted teeth, "I don't believe you."
"What you believe does not matter. Once we are both dead there will be none of Bhaal's offspring left for Melissan to manipulate, no one to listen to her promises of glory, and no way for Melissan to bring the Lord of Murder back to life."
The pain from his demolished joints made cogent thought difficult for Abdel. Balthazar had to be lying, but why? What could the monk possibly gain by spinning such a web of deceit? The big sellsword shook his head, trying to clear away the indecision. Unraveling Melissan's role in the events of his recent life would have to wait.
Abdel pushed his confusion down, burying it beneath simpler, purer thoughts.
The Five had killed Jaheira. Balthazar was one of the Five. Balthazar must die.
Abdel knew he was overmatched. The monk was too skilled for the warrior to defeat in combat. He had wanted to avenge Jaheira himself, but looking at his horribly mangled sword arm and the bone jutting from his lower leg Abdel now knew that was not to be. Yet vengeance was still possible.
The fires of Bhaal flared up within him, and Abdel abandoned himself to his father's evil. His body exploded, sending bits of flesh spewing around the room as the Ravager broke free.
The roof of the building wasn't tall enough for the demon to stand to its full height, but the beast simply hunched forward and braced itself by placing two of its arms on the stone floor. The other pair of clawed limbs extended out before the creature as it scuttled toward the doomed monk.
The sight of Abdel's transformation into the hideous manifestation of Bhaal's evil did not surprise Balthazar. He had expected this. He was prepared.
Balthazar ducked beneath the swiping talons of his enemy. He spun away from the gnashing, snapping jaws and delivered a series of hard kicks and punches to one of the abomination's back legs. His blows bounced harmlessly off the hard exoskeleton of the monster.
The Ravager kicked out its leg, moving so fast Balthazar never even saw the attack coming. A gigantic foot caught the monk in the chest with enough force to turn his bones to dust. But Balthazar's body was able to absorb the force and roll backward with the blow. Instead of shattering every bone in the monk's torso, the kick simply sent him tumbling backward in a series of backward somersaults that stopped just short of the stone wall.
The Ravager spun toward the monk again, its immense size effectively cornering Balthazar