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The three figures moved quickly and quietly from the shadows and crouched behind an outcropping of rock. An observer would have noticed how different two of them were from the third. One was dressed all in black leather and carried two sabers on his sword belt. He moved with the stealth of a jungle cat, ready to strike at any moment swiftly and lethally. The second was also dressed all in black leather but wore only a single short sword at her side. The third was dressed in midnight blue robes, traced with mystic runes and covered with pouches. Even with the staff in his hand he moved with as much stealth as his companions.
Their position in the rocks gave them a perfect vantage point to observe a camp spread out below. The slave pens at the outskirts of the camp were easily picked out.
"Now what Hawk," whispered the robed man into his friend's ear.
"Now?" grinned the man called Hawk at the mage, "Now we sneak in to the camp, free the slaves, steal the slavers' treasure, and escape on their own ship."
Their female companion shook her head and replied, "Afterwards I suppose you want to slay a flight of dragons or attack a beholder tyrant ship with only your dagger."
"Come now Tara," a gleam appearing in Hawk's eyes, "with your stealth, his magic and my swordsmanship we can avoid the type of fate you are alluding to. Cothor, you must have some magic that can get us to the slave pens undetected. Then we can free the slaves and attack their captors in force."
"Perhaps I do, but if I use any of my spells I won't be able to spelljam the slavers ship for our escape," answered the mage.
"I know, but there must be someone down there who can 'jam the ship," his expression turning grim, "besides would you rather leave those poor devils in the hands of the slavers, we all know what that's like."
"You are right, of course," he said as he raised his hands in defeat, "I must have been crazy to accompany you on this trip to begin with. I can render all of us invisible so we can sneak into the camp, but we must have a plan."
"True," Hawk peeked over the sheltering rocks, "see that guarded hut, odds are that it is the armory, I'll cause a diversion to pull the guards off the cells and the weapons. Tara, you free the slaves and arm them. Coth, the slavers must have a mage or priest down there, we'll leave him to you. After that make for the ship, we'll meet there and prepare our escape."
Cothor nodded his agreement and made the preparations to cast his spell. Taking an eyelash encased in gum arabic the mage whispered words that could not be comprehended and touched his companions.
"The slavers will never know what hit them," Hawk's voice came from empty air.
"Coth, I know how we can use this spell to make hundreds of gold pieces, " whispered Tara.
"Don't you mean steal hundreds of gold pieces, " replied the mage.
Being invisible no one saw Tara's smile.
After slipping down the rocks into the camp Hawk reached the place where he felt a diversion would draw the most attention, which was of course the fire about which most of the slavers where gathered.
Silently drawing the two wheelock pistols he had tucked in his belt he pulled back the hammers and carefully aimed at the heads of the two nearest slavers. Yelling, "Die slaver scum," Hawk fired both of his weapons, the attack ending his invisibility along with the lives of the two slavers.
In the next few seconds the guards who heard the shoots ran toward the fire. Dropping his pistols Hawk drew his swords as the remaining slavers around the fire leaped to the attack.
When the guards moved off Tara quickly picked the lock causing the gate to swing open. Looking around the slave pens Tara saw a group of halflings, scattered humans, and some lizard men. As she entered the cell and willed herself to visibility Tara exhorted the slaves as they gathered around, "Quickly, those of you who are still able to fight you must fight your way toward the weapon hut and freedom."
The slaves with Tara's help easily overpowered the few guards who tried to stop them.
Meanwhile Hawk's twin blades circled through the still surprised slavers. The speed of his attack and the cold fury that burned in his eyes caused more than one opponent to pause, giving Hawk the time he needed to perform a strategic retreat toward the slavers ship.
With Hawk's distraction the slaves quickly armed themselves from the slavers armory and took revenge on their captors. Within minutes the slavers where fighting skirmishes all over their camp in a vain effort to recapture the freed slaves.
The battle of blades and sinew was not, however, the only battle fought, the slaver mage intercepted Cothor on his way to the ship. The battle of art that followed would have been spectacular to observe if any of those present could have gotten to a safe distance.
Cothor quickly erected a shielding spell to block the magical attack of the enemy mage. He then fired his own blast of lighting, which was laughed off by his opponent as it was absorbed by the slaver's own mystic shield.
Magic both great and small flew between the two mages causing damage and death to all who could not escape its fury. Cothor was the first to stumble under his opponent's onslaught.
"And now you die!" screamed the enemy mage even as a huge green arm brought a bastard sword down on the slaver mage's head, turning his yell of triumph into a death-rattle.
"Thank you, my scaly friend," Cothor gasped as the tall lizard man helped him to his feet, "My Name is Cothor and I am in your debt."
"Nay mage," said the lizard man as he pounded his scaled chest, "Barkor and his tribesmen are in your debt, for freeing us."
"Glad to hear it," Hawk said as he stepped into view, "It appears as though the slavers have reinforcements who were waiting for such an attack, and discretion being the better part of valor, perhaps you and your tribesmen would help us get everybody on the ship. Also, is there any among you who can man the helm."
"The shaman of my tribe was slain when we were captured, but I believe a priestess of Ptah was with the human captives. I will personally bring her to you," Barkor replied as he moved off.
"Bring her to the ship's bridge," Hawk said over his shoulder as he and Cothor ran toward the ship. "Where's Tara," he asked the mage.
"Last I saw she was leading a group of slaves to the ship."
When the two arrived at the slavers ship they saw Tara lying on the ground with a group of slaves surrounding her.
"What happened," Hawk demanded.
A halfling stepped forward and said, "We had just cleared the ship when a group of slavers tried to board and take it back. She was out numbered but managed to wound each of the slavers. Before we could get down the gangplank to aid her the last of them ran her through with his sword."
Hawk moved over to Tara's body and kneeled beside her for a moment.
"Cothor, get them all aboard, we should get out of here as fast as we can, " Hawk told the mage as he stood and turned away from the surrounding slaves.
"Doesn't he care about his friends death, " inquired the halfling as he and Cothor moved the slaves toward the ship.
"Oh, he cares, but for him it's just another injustice to be laid at the feet of all slavers. I'm sure as he kneeled beside her he promised her spirit revenge, " Cothor explained to his diminutive companion.
"I doubt she cares much for revenge now, " muttered the halfling as he started up the gangplank.
"All aboard," yelled the lizard warrior as he guided the priestess of the god of travel to the ship.
"Many of the slaves were sailors before being captured by these scum," said Barkor to Hawk, as the other lizardmen rounded up the last of the freed captives.
"Good. Have them caste off all lines and get underway as soon as the cleric of Ptah mans the helm. The slavers may have reinforcements nearby and we're in no shape for another battle."
"What do we do with them all?" Cothor asked his friend as they rested in the cabin they had taken aboard their escaping ship.
"Most will wish to return to their homes," Hawk responded as he gazed out into wildspace, "we will give them each a share of the slavers' treasure and drop them in Waterdeep."
"And those that wish to stay with us, such as Barkor and his warriors . . . " Cothor inquired.
"We have a ship now, and we'll need a crew," Hawk said as gazed out through one of the 'eyes' of the hammership.
"Your crusade against the slavers begins in earnest now, with fresh lives to be wasted on a hopeless quest."
"They will all know what they have gotten into, and most want the same thing I do, revenge," he said as he turned to his friend.
"And Tara, " whispered Cothor.
"She knew the risks and accepted the danger of what we do, " Hawk replied as he turned back to the window. "Maybe we can't destroy slavery though out the spheres, but at least we can free some of its victims, and make it unprofitable."
"Let us hope we live long enough," murmured Cothor as he left his Captain.