So, this is what it's like to be dead.

I'm...

bored.

So unfathomably bored. Annu left about 10 minutes after I got here for heaven knows why, maybe this whole celestial thing means she gets to pull this stunt at will. If so, maybe someone else could use a little help too! I mean, at least she's done this thing before, she could have told me that it's a huge nothingness of nothing. I didn't really get the chance to ask her much about it, she seemed distracted for some reason.

So bored.

Doesn't this place have anything to do? Picture a dark room. Now, picture a black hole inside this dark room. That's what it's like here. It stretches on forever, but there's nothing here. I think I see a pinpoint of light in the distance, maybe there's a plane there where something actually happens, because it definitely is not here.

How in Mystra's name did I get here, anyway? Let's try to figure this out.

Okay. We had that guide lead us onto the castle grounds. I thought the lighting system, however sickening, was at least excellent at providing something for my tired eyes. But in here, it's blinding. It took me a while to adjust, even after having been in the lit city. But it wasn't all that long, was it? No, not long at all until more of those Sahagwyn appeared. At least, I think they were Sahagwyn. They looked...mopier, and darker somehow. I thought the other fish people looked aggressive. My word, these things didn't even consider not killing us. I remember wondering if that kraken might have some small relation to this. He is god of the sea, right? ...okay, nope, didn't die there, I remember, we dispatched them handily.

...We talked to the lord of the city, that's right. Mamano.

What a PRICK. I mean, wow, he takes pompous ass right on to the next level. For one, he already changed the rules we were supposed to have, like the ten-day to execute this challenge within, dropped it to a single day. So unfair. Sure, he tells us the kraken wants us dead, but does that give him the right to break tradition? I had half a mind to turn back there and go to the inn and wait for him to show up. The other half of my mind was trying to be brave while simultaneously making sure I didn't wet myself. We made a few plaintive whines that I guess we could call "demands", but besides getting the device to lead us to him (I thought it was rather clever), we went like sheep to the slaughter. But no...I'm pretty sure not there.

Ugh, what a headache. Are you supposed to get a headache when you're dead? I don't want to go the afterlife with a headache, I'll be all cross and won't make friends well.

So we start following our light pointer, and we end up in an open room, with all these people just sort of standing there. Until Xon decides, in that way that only Xon can, to surround himself with all these people. Well, these people turn out to be a big lot of spellcasters. They were whipping out things I didn't have the slightest clue of. But, it went suprisingly painlessly at first. I was really starting to get the hang of that new bow, too. Okay, granted, the bow offers me a little help, but I'm still getting the knack for it. Oh, but how that battle ended. I don't think we've ever met a cleric this tough. At least, not one trying to kill us. But, get enough people surrounding and beating, and anyone will succumb. But he went back on his word! He told us no one would be in our way! And here we thought that, even if a prick, he runs a city that's more lawful than any I can remember having been to. Can't ever believe evil...

I'm still alive here. No, not alive. But not...dead, as I imagined it would be. I'm sure of it. Just because this place is so...so...well, not...doesn't mean I don't remember a thing or two about how different life felt. Life tingles. It tingles all over. I don't know if I'll ever be able to put words around just what that tingle is. Maybe my lute can. It's much more well-spoken than I. And definitely more coherent.

Then there were those walls. What was with those walls? Walls don't move! Except that these ones did. Painfully. Oh so painfully. Stone walls are just slightly more firm than my bones. And the rat guy. I've seen a few hobos and scuzzies, but this guy really does take the cake. Rats aren't troublesome, we know rats. We do rats. But I don't do walls anymore. I'm seriously considering living in a force bubble.

Then the doors. I think all of my problems are related to small spaces. Maybe our good evil friend is on the far side of that door, we thought. So we slam open the first door. There's a second one. So Annu blasts a hole through the second one. Brick wall. Walls fail us again. So this tiny room, we're supposed to go into, and close this door, and I'm sure then we would be sent to eternal doom. Or teleported somewhere. I wanted no part of this. So I did what any sane person would do. I climbed inside the bag of holding, and let someone else do the work. Oddly, it was similar to here and now. Except with more swords and stuff. And Xon. Xon made the place a bit more cramped ("get off my face!" "no, you get off my knee!"), but I think it worked out. But I have no idea what happened until we were let out of the bag. It's probably better that way...no, it's always better that way.

Then there were those monks. Dante's cool and all, but I don't think I like monks as a whole. But even scarier than the monks is the thing I'm going to call "whirling wooden dervish of doom". Training must be very painful in Dante's world. Hell, training was painful in my schooling. It's hard to forget taking your first magic missile in class. That wizard never did like me, it's not like I did anything terrible to him. Maybe I had some trouble paying attention in class, but we weren't even on that lesson yet!

Speaking of magic missiles, there were all those wizards. But, for once, after the first barrage, we didn't have to run in and eat forty more before we could do something about it. This older man actually apologized to us! To us! I can't remember the last time it wasn't our fault, whatever it was. We have a tendency of being, well, full of fault for the ordeal. Maybe not without reason, but still. Bless that old man, whomever he is.

But you know, I do remember all this pretty clearly. And I'm starting to get closer, I think, to where I am now...

This is it. This is the room with our lordly fiend. And it's lit, it really is. But not for long. We expected this, we knew it would happen. But I don't think any of us were quite ready for the eviscerating he gave Chicaseu. Sweet Mystra, that was just hideous. She held on somehow. I have no idea. Let's see, Dante somehow managed to put him on the ground. Bless that monk, however he learned how to take the legs out from under things, he's good. Then we all clustered around in our favorite formation "crush the bad guy's face in". And then...

...he grabbed from underneath his clothing, something. And he smashed it against his chest. Burning. So much burning. Hot fire everywhere, pain unending.

Until now.

There's no more pain here. Well, nothing really worth mentioning in that regard. If it just weren't so boring...

Someone's calling me. It sounds familiar. I like this voice. I want to follow it. I will follow it. Whatever it's leading me to has got to be better than this, I'm sure of that...

I don't want to open my eyes. I'm so weak, and tired. Just let me sleep for a bit.