'Can you, just once, reconsider helping everyone you just happen to meet?' Astarion asks you with your team gathered in the new camp around a happily cracking campfire. All of you are wearing clean camp clothes, sharing food and tea or other beverages amongst each other. The vampire stands above everyone else and a few people give him tired glances. 'First, refugees, then some gnomes in the Underdark, then some random stray kid,' he points his hand at Yenna, who tremendously helped them that day with gathering potion ingredients and cooking. For a second she looks scared at his comment. 'Just how severe your savior complex is?'

You stand up and walk around Jaheira and Halsin to place your hands on the elf's shoulders. You give him a gentle squeeze and look at him seriously, pleasantly surprised that he did not retreat from your touch. A few months ago, if you dared to be so affectionate, your hands would have been probably cut off.

'Astarion,' you start gently. 'I know that it's not the safest course of action, but we killed so many of our foes. We killed Orin, a literal champion of God of Murder. I know that compared to Raphael she was probably a small fry, but I think if we plan carefully, we will succeed. And I think we are more than prepared.'

The vampire sighs and turns his gaze up to the sky.
'He used to like us, you know. I think it's no longer the case.'

'You are most likely correct,' you admit and look at Karlach pleadingly.

'Who cares! He's a devil. If he ever liked us, it's because he knew that there is a lot to gain here.'

'And dealings with the devils are never fair,' Wyll adds, supporting his seated position on his left hand. 'I think Tav did the best thing possible. If negotiations are not possible, then we can either put all of our trust in The Emperor and I do not like that, there is not a lot of differences between a devil and a mind-flayer, or steal the Hammer and free Hope,' the comment about not trusting the Emperor makes Lae'zel nod approvingly.

'But wouldn't it be safer to just steal the Hammer? Maybe we could actually buy ourselves time to escape.'

'No,' Karlach comments. 'Even if we will be able to escape with the Hammer and with or without Hope, we escape to the Material Plane. If you kill Raphael here, he just comes back. He will haunt us for the eternity. And then, you can be sure soldier that we run out of supplies, potions of healing, scrolls, Hells!' Karlach flexes her arms and makes a motion with her foot as if trying to kick a rock. 'Our own stamina as well. We either strike now, or just forget about it.'

You look at Karlach with admiration in your eyes.

'And as much as I don't like to go back there, because it is still technically inside Avernus, at least I am sure I will be on my best during the fight. The engine is at home in Avernus.'

You look around your group, eyes setting on Gale.
'And then, it leaves us with the case of the crown.'

'Right,' he replies awkwardly, but shoots you a puppy-like glance.

'I don't think we should even consider taking it ourselves, as much as some of us really do enjoy the idea of having so much power,' you gently squeeze Astarion's forearm and he smirks. 'I think that if there is a chance, we should either destroy it or have it in some kind of a hidden, safe place, which would mean - Mystra's domain.'

'Great point!' Gale points his finger at you.

You take a breath in and look across the faces of your allies. After all this time there are still moments when you find it hard to believe that you have so much authority as their leader. All of the eyes are glued to you and no one is trying to cut you off or interrupt your speech. They just want to hear your plan and it seems like they really do have a lot of trust in you. You weren't the one to give yourself credit for things that you in fact should acknowledge, even if some of more experienced warriors, such as Jaheira, actively complimented your tactic skills. Your fighting style was 'all means, no risk'. Well, when it comes to raiding a devil's mansion, it surely was anything but 'no risk' but you tried to keep it to the minimum.

'To sum up,' you announce. 'We managed to complete all of the tasks for the day, our potion supplies are back on the track, we have more Giant Hill Strength potions for you Karlach and Lae'Zel and myself. We have a leftover barrel of runepowder and a scroll that is capable of protecting us from anything,' you list out and look around, making sure that the protection wards are still active and Korrila isn't sneaking anywhere around. 'I also found out about something called the hellfire,' you look at Karlach to see if there are any reactions on her face. She lifts her eyebrows just a tiny bit. 'It seems that Raphael might be a wielder of hellfire infused magic and from what I understand, our usual potions of fire resistance will be of little help, as this is not just a simple protection against the fire element, it's literal infernal magic. However, on top of everything else, we also have very fancy arrows for Astarion, arrows which specialty is to slay fiends. I think it's about damn time we use them and it would be a good idea to dip them in that oil that increases vulnerability to fire. With the runepowder bomb, arrows, protection dome, arrows of fiend slaying, potions of speed and strength, I think our chances are incredible,' you look around your team. 'Who is willing to go?'

'You really weren't lying, were you?' Helsik asks in a pure state of disbelief.

'Not at all,' you respond. 'Is there a way of telling if the master is in the house?' you ask without giving any particular details.

She waves her hand at you and you hand her over 200 gold again.
'I was about to say that it's not enough, but I am starting to believe that you are going to be one of my very few returning clients,' she admits with an impressed nod. She looks at Karlach, grasping a runepowder barrel sitting on her shoulder. She looks clearly worried at the sight of a flame aura dancing around tiefling's skin and the extremely powerful bomb.

'Don't worry, it won't light itself up,' you assure her, seeing the concerned look.

Helsik nods and turns around, then walks to some weird orb settled on top of a desk. She peeks inside, her back facing you for a few long moments.

'He is... somewhere...' she says. 'But it doesn't look like House of Hope. I see some rose petals,' she adds.

'He's in Sharess Caress then!' you say. 'That's perfect, he might be expecting some clients so he will be alert, but not guarding the place.'

You smash your clenched fist on top of the counter and breathe out. After glancing at your team, you point your chin at the staircase. You step towards the door and then you realize something.

'Oh no! Helsik, if we are to explode the barrel, wouldn't the flames go inside your house?'

She opens her mouth then nods, her eyes widened with anxiety.

'Will you close the portal after us?'

'But then we have no escape route!' Astarion reminds you. 'And then we will have to fight the devil.'

'We have to fight him either way, soldier, remember?'

The vampire straightens his spine and clicks his tongue but doesn't say anything else. He is clearly throwing a tantrum out of fear and has all the rights to do so. Facing off a devil in his own domain has got to be one of the scariest things your team has ever done. But then again, seeing the Bhaal's Temple might have been just as terrifying.

'I know of a portal room inside Raphael's house. To my knowledge there is a permanently activated portal to Baldur's Gate over there, so if you don't plan on blowing up the whole thing, my advice would be to head back through there when you are done.'

'Perfect!' You show her thumbs up and turn towards the staircase, heading to the top floor.

Your team follows you, the sounds of metal, leather and cloth armors rustling behind you and various scents of potions and oils coating weapons begin to mix together.

'Such a glorious battle ahead. Beheading the devil in order to free the enslaved prince Orpheus. It will make a fine tale for the young githyanki if we live to tell it.'

As you push the door leading to the closed portal open, all of you ignore The Emperor voicing his concern and doubts about your mission. You really do not like how ever since Raphael planted a seed of doubt in your brains, the ilithid started sounding a lot more desperate than usual.

You lean towards the skull and place it in it's designed place. The skull bursts in flames, simultaneously tearing a passage between planes in the middle of the bloody circle. You jump in, leading the way. Shadowheart, Lae'Zel, Astarion, Karlach and Gale follow you. The second you step inside, Hope materializes again.

'You are back! I hoped you would be. You didn't lie! You are back! Hope is back! I mean my hope is back.'

You slide across the floor to the Dwarf woman.
'We are back. And we are back for you.'

She brings her fists towards her torso and jumps up once with excitement.
'I knew this day will come!'

You place a reassuring hand on her shoulder and point your thumb at your team, briefly introducing her to your companions.

'The one with the runepowder bomb, the gorgeous tiefling woman is Karlach. The pretty-great warrior, I mean both pretty and great warrior next to her is Lae'Zel. She's the best githyanki I've met. The sweet white-haired Rogue is Astarion, he will support us with his bow today. The one casting a Mage Hand spell is Gale, very handsome as you can see. And the gorgeous cherry on top, another cleric just like you, is Shadowheart, she will aid us with protection today.'

Gale picks up the runepowder barrel with the Mage Hand from Karlach's shoulder and raises it up towards the ceiling.

'Do you know if Raphael always appears in this room when he teleports in?'

'Most of the time. We can be sure that he will not appear anywhere else today, because he will want us to believe that we can escape, just so he can enjoy our fear when he cuts off our exit route,' Hope explained in a chaos-less moment.

That does make sense. And that does certainly sound a lot like Raphael.

'Is Korrila home?'

'In the Archive.'

You scratch your neck. If Raphael really cuts off the theatrics and goes all out and ambushes you the second you lift a hammer, you will be done for. This is the only thing that you are not prepared for.

You push yourself to your feet and turn to your team. All of them are ready, waiting for your signal.
'Hope, please unlock the doors for us. I head straight for the Hammer, my team goes straight to the prison to take care of the imps guarding you,' you explain quickly and pop the cork of a speed potion. Your heart begins to race at an impressive pace. 'Good luck, everyone. Let's do this.'

As you draw a few controlled breath inside your lungs, you connect your mind, body and soul once again. The years of practice under the keen eyes of your monastery teachers and something that they recognized as your 'natural talent' allow you to enter the state of flow and tranquility almost on command. You acknowledge the physical form of your body, how terrified it is of your approaching encounter, but you utilize the fear to heighten your senses.

One of the greatest monastery teachings is to acknowledge some of our inner demons, while not attempting to get rid of them. Only a fool is not scared in the face of grave danger. Only a fool ignores the warnings of other demons. But at the same time, you would be an equal fool to let them fully control you.

When you enter a state of balance, ying-yang, all of your body, mind and soul become one again. The breath has a rhythm, matching together with hastily beating heart and the soul hums quietly with them.

In a matter of seconds, you enter a state of overflowing Ki, focusing on your Step of The Wind stance. You launch yourself forward with incredible speed, your mind set on your first, clear and simple goal. Go to the Archive.
Your team can't keep up with you, but then again, they are not supposed to. The second you dash to the Archive door, they turn to the right, continuing down the corridor, towards the prison.

The door slams open and for a second you get a flashback to your chaotic entrance to Raphael's room. The flashback goes away, the moment your eyes are set on Korrila.

'You fool,' she comments, but your muscles propel you forward.

The Archivist takes a few steps back and disappears in a cloud of cinders, clearly spooked by your arrival.

'Give me my heart's desire!' you say to the protection ward surrounding the Orphic Hammer and watch it drop down. Then, you grab the heavy weapon and turn around, amplifying your strength with Ki to aid you on your swift journey to the prison.

Korrila says something to your back, but you don't stop for chatting. When you leave the Archive, the debtors try to catch you, to attack you and each time one of them gets in your near proximity, they explode with flames smearing all over the floor, covering the marble tiles with infernal fire.

Your focus doesn't shift even at the sight of a massive orb rolling towards you. You simply switch the weight of your body to one of your sides, then leap towards a barrier and jump on top of it. You squeeze the muscles of your core and thighs maintaining the perfect balance as you quickly step on the railing before jumping down, just enough to bypass the orb covering your path.

As you pass the boudoir, you take a glance inside, noticing that the protection field is lifted. You take no time in wondering the reasons behind it, instead you dash to the end of the corridor. When you see the open hatch, you practically jump straight into the hole and land immediately into Karlach's arms. You throw the Hammer to Lae'zel and the sight of some burns and blood tells you that they smashed some of the imps to pieces.

Karlach sets you down and both of you run inside the prison, then jump on the metal platform with Hope suspended in the air, seeing Gale and Astarion fight the floating eyeball you've seen before. Astarion is clearly using his usual arrows, only relying on the radiant aura from the bow he is wielding. Although he likes to get the job done fast and efficiently, he is not wasting the Fiend slaying arrows on a small fry. A fantastic choice of action.

Lae'Zel smashes one of the Crystals and you catch Hope's feet, as she suddenly hangs suspended with just one wrist. You make a quick mental note to use the open Boudoir to your advantage after you've dealt with the defensive system of the House of Hope.

'Gale!' you shout to the wizard as soon as he finishes one last imp with a Witch Bolt spell. 'We need two water elementals on top of the hatch. There are some Infernal spheres rolling around the corridors.'

'I'm on it!' he responds and uses a Misty Step to teleport himself out of the prison.

'Astarion, are your arrows coated?'

'Coated and ready!'

Perfect, everything is going just as planned. Karlach and Lae'Zel were already oozing with the strength, so you don't feel the need to confirm if they drank their potions.

Lae'Zel jumps from one platform to the other - the sight of githyanki psionics always leaving your mind blown - then smashes the second crystal to cinders. Hope lands in your arms and you jump toward the exit with her, afraid that she might be too weak to do that on her own.

'I can't believe the day I am free is today,' she admits to your ear.

Your two warrior companions join you and Astarion with Gale lead the way up the ladder. When you climb to the top of the hatch, you notice that some of the fire has been put down and the rolling spheres are already taken care of. The two water elementals swirl around the place, making sure no other orb rolls into your team.

Hope stands on her feet and you command your team to push forward. Astarion spots a few debtors hiding in the corners, trying to ambush you, but before they have a chance to do that, an arrow is sent their way and they explode in a wall of flames. The moment you approach the gargoyle statues, you tell your team to step inside and you yourself dash forward. You have taken no damage, but you've seen some burns on Karlach and Lae'Zel, so you let them know with a quick command to splash themselves with water.

You dash to the top of the bedroom.

'Haarlep!' you shout and the devil sits on top of the bed, tilting their head curiously. 'Please, get out. We are bringing hell to Hells.'

'Are you going to play here?' they ask.

'No, but I just wanted to warn you before you could get hurt,' you say.

'What in the fuck am I seeing?' Karlach asks, suddenly spawning next to you.

Haarlep grins but you gently grab Karlach's arm and lead her away.
'I will tell you everything later, I promise. Are your burns alright?'

'Only the internal ones left!' she says, referencing her engine.

You nod once and you see that Hope also decided to use the rejuvenating pool to her advantage. You gather your team around the entrance, scanning them wordlessly with your eyes, then burst into run heading to the portal room. Hope is right, Raphael does not interrupt you until you are a few meters away from the exit. Except that the exit is not there, Helsik deactivated it as the two of you established.

The air grows thicker and you can hear a sound similar to a distant explosion. A split second later you are blinded by a bright light and the master of the house steps from the beam onto the floor of his mansion.

Lae'Zel and Karlach step towards you, guarding your both sides. Hope is behind you, Astarion next to Karlach on your right and Gale is next to Astarion, closing the circle around Hope.

Raphael materializes and looks at all of you gathered in front of him with anger in his eyes. His brows are furrowed and you know that despite your recent meeting, he still didn't expect you to have the audacity to waltz into his house again and this time take his prisoner and his Orphic Hammer.

You start switching your Ki stance, using the moment that is going to be spent on his theatrics, to enter a state of amplified defense and offense: Statement of a Soul, the Last Will.

It's now or never.

'You.'

Raphael is most definitely displeased with every single one of your companions, but his words slice through to you like a dagger, his invasive gaze never leaving your eyes. He snaps his fingers and your heart drops to the floor, but jumps right back up, as you realize that he just summoned Korrila. The dwarf joins him at his side and Raphael snaps again, this time summoning Yurgir.

That does leave a bit of a bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

'Korrila, tell our unwelcomed guests about your role.'

'I let you chose your destiny,' she says obediently. 'Twice. Master doesn't give second chances. And you still had one and chose to make a fool out of yourself.'

'So you were a spectator, then?' you ask and the glance you give her could turn her flesh into stone. 'Just like you've spectated all of those years. Witnessed your sister being tortured.'

The radiant aura explodes from your body as the words leave your mouth. For a second, the light covers your eyes entirely. Raphael stares at you and chuckles, then claps a few times.

'SISTER OH SISTER! I've wept and cried but all would be well if you were just there by my side.'

You tighten your fists, fury taking control over all your senses. You would do everything to smash her dumb face onto the floor, punish her for doing all of that to her sister. You recall Korrila's record of the conversation with Hope. How could she be so vile to do this.

But you still know this is not the right course. The energy of your rage quickly threads an armor of resolve and you set another clear goal. Korrila will not die. Not here. Not by your hand. Not like this.

'Hope, you are such a piteous thing. All it takes for you is one crumb from the table and you forget about the centuries of starvation. This insolence has earned you centuries more,' Raphael states, his face twisted with disgust and anger. 'I might even forgive your little rebellion once you are suitably chastised,' his cold facade drops to reveal a hint of a dreamy expression.

'This is NOT a rebellion. It's a revolt. I am REVOLTING!'

'Ha! Ha! Then HOPE dies today!' his smile fades away when he turns your head towards you. 'Commander, you can salvage the trophies from these insects once I'm done with them. But make sure that this one sees everything.'

You grit your teeth and look deep into Raphael's eyes. If there is anything that disturbs your balance today, is the sight of him. You are still not sure. You still want to allow yourself for hesitation, but you know you can't. It's not about your life now. The fates of Hope, Gale, Karlach, Shadowheart, Lae'Zel and Astarion are in your hands. You lead all of them over here so you cannot allow your resolve to waver.

'These insects,' Yurgir says quietly. 'Struck me down beneath the Shadowlands. They are worthy opponents.'

'Yurgir!' you call to the orthon, looking into its burning snake eyes. 'Don't you want to face a real challenge as a fellow warrior?'

The devil smiles and you are shocked by the amount of softness suddenly visible on his face.

'Facing a devil in his own domain. That takes courage, little rabbit. I am with you.'

Your heart squeezes at his response.

'Am I to understand that you wish to die here today?' Raphael asks, not even looking at Yurgir, his eyes never leaving yours.

'I do not wish to die with them. I wish to fight with them!'

'It's all the same in the end. So be it,' Raphael pauses and traces his thumb on his fingers, dropping the eye contact with you. 'If you have any last words, make it quick. It will only take a moment to finish you.'

You stare at him and strengthen your aura. You open your mouth, but the words can't leave your throat.

'Some part of me will miss you.'

You shake your head once instead and hear him say:
'Very well. Now... down come the claws.'

He takes a half step backwards, raising his hands towards the ceiling. The second he does this, you can hear a dreadful sound of the organs. His amused, toothy grin vanishes from his face as he notices the barrel suspended in the air. You launch yourself like a torpedo towards Korrila. She manages to cast two Eldritch Blasts which sting your skin, burning the first layer of your light armor. In the same second, Gale casts a wall of wind attempting to push Yurgir to the side. The orthon is too heavy, but gets a hint and moves closer to one of the four shining pillars. Shadowheart casts the Dome of Invulnerability around your team and when you manage to grasp Korrila, you can already see the shield hiding your teammates.

'Stupid DWARF!' you shout and toss the warlock towards Lae'Zel, who throws her inside the protection spell.

Raphael leaps towards you and you duck low to the ground, but his claws slice through your back. The pain is burning, but you know that your life depends on you pushing forward. You rotate your leg around and Karlach leaps forward, grasping your ankle just to jerk you towards the protection spell. Once you and Karlach are about to enter behind the cover, Gale releases the Mage Hand and Astarion sends a Firebolt the barrel way.

In a moment of improvisation, Karlach manages to throw a void bulb to the center, targeting some armored cambions that appeared in the room at Raphael's command, pulling them all except Yurgir to the centre of the explosion. You get back to your feet and guard Lae'Zel and Karlach with your spread arms, as the explosion takes out every single one of Raphael's minions.

You can feel Hope casting a spell on your back to stop it from bleeding, while Yurgir chuckles a few times, clearly amused by the plan you came up with.

The smoke from the explosion falls down surprisingly fast and you can see an outline of Raphael's cambion form as he is struggling to regain his balance. You expect that his ears are ringing but he took surprisingly little damage from the explosion itself.

Karlach, wielding the Orphic Hammer again, dashes to one of the four pillars emanating with odd, greenish energy, similar to the souls you've seen floating around the corridors in this house. You and clearly the rest of your team suspects that their aura might be powering him up. You've seen enough of similar things to this one to know better than to ignore them.

'Astarion!' you shout and the elf jumps up to the pedestal, getting a better angle as he releases an arrow of fiend slaying.

He pins Raphael's foot to the marbled floor and you open your hands, dashing towards the massive cambion. He snaps the arrow while the head is still stuck inside his flesh and reaches his claws towards you. But dealing a blow is not your real goal here. You know he is going to be hyperfixated on you during this combat and you plan on exploiting that weakness.

You generously bend your right knee and aim at his belly, but your punch doesn't earn any reaction from him. He reaches to you, grabbing your head and in the same moment, Lae'Zel's sword lands on top of his head. His focus shifts and he uses his horns to slide the blade away from his skin. He continues to grasp your head, but you can feel the shift in his strength. Sensing your only opportunity, you amplify the Ki aura swirling inside your body and touch his belly, interrupting his own life force flow - a special shugenja monk technique.

Lae'Zel rotates her sword and slices him across the torso. The devil groans and throws you at Astarion. The momentum of his throw overwhelms you and you are unable to cast any spell that would nullify the impact. Astarion catches you but falls to the ground and both of you smash to the destroyed pillar behind you.

Raphael casts some infernal version of Burning Hands, leaving scorching marks on Lae'Zel's skin. The githyanki goes on her knee and Karlach jumps in, quickly engaging the opponent. Yurgir smashes the last pillar into pieces and fires a massive crossbow bolt at Raphael.

The master of the house burns the projectile before it hits him, but it buys you and Astarion just enough time to join in. Korrila either gave up or has been knocked down, as you do not recall her casting anything besides the Eldritch blasts.

Raphael blocks the Orphic Hammer with his forearm but grins in pain, the legendary weapon capable of smashing a soul prison is clearly infused with enough power to hurt even a devil in his own domain.

Suddenly, a wave of bright light passes through the room and you can feel your Ki accumulating a newfound power from the aftereffects of the spell.

'Divine Intervention!' Hope shouts, raising her staff, her eyes glowing with light. Your skin covers with goosebumps and you dash to Raphael, engaging him in a ruthless battle.

Although it's completely unfair, the battle is going in your favor.

Gale casts a Cold Shield on you and when Raphael's fist meets your head, you only feel it bounce back as the Weave releases a freezing shockwave. Your Furry of Blows targets his throat, jaw, eyes and throat again. You can hear a swoosh and in the next moment an arrow pierces through his flesh.

His eyes are filled with infernal rage. He blocks another strike from you, knocking you down with a swing of his tail. Then, he grasps Karlach's horn and leaps forward, smashing his knee into her torso. She coughs out blood and is sent flying across the room a second later. Lae'Zel slices through the skin on his feet, knocking him off balance and Astarion adds another arrow, piercing through his left calf. Raphael smashes githyanki's vambraces, crushing her bone underneath the steel armor.

You grab his horns and pull him towards the ground, as Yurgir charges in, smashing the back of Raphael's head. The cambion falls down and you roll away, then pull him again, twisting his body towards you. Shadowheart casts healing spells at Lae'Zel and Karlach, then sends a Guidance Bolt Raphael's way and your blows land on Raphael's vital points as you sit on his torso.

You can see the blood covering the floor below him, mixing up with his crimson shade of skin. You keep punching, staggering him, dealing relentless blows, feeling the tears of frustration and mental exhaustion gather in your eyes.

'Sign it!' you shout at him, as his body rest below you. 'Sign the deal!' his eyes keep staring at you, reaching your soul. 'SIGN IT!' He grabs you but with another arrow piercing his shoulder, his arm falls limply to the ground. 'SIGN IT WITH ME!'

'No more deals, little rabbit,' Yurgir says above you and you raise your hands, trying to stop him from dealing the final blow.

He doesn't. The orthon's fists tear through Raphael's skull, breaking his horns, smashing his face into pulp. Some of the blood lands on you and you feel the exhaustion taking control over you. Your shoulders fall to their sides and you can't help but release a quiet sob, feeling the Ki, the life force, leave the cambion's body forever.

No more deals. It's over. The house of Hope is now a tomb.