Disclaimer:

I don't own Baldur's Gate, the great masterpiece of role-playing.

The story on hand, ‚The revenge' is fan-fiction. I wrote it, because I love to write, but I will not use ‚The revenge' in any commercial way.

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Rating: 'M'. Some scenes may be a 'T', but I had the feeling that a few scenes should be rated as 'MA'. I think, in general it's OK, to give 'M'. If you don't like that or if you are too young, don't read!

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Chapter8

Nightal 29th, 1369

Near Zazerspur, Tethyr

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The slave traders had rushed their captives through the snow-covered forest of the cold Tethyr.

Jaheira didn't know if she could stand this longer: The slavers had dressed them in thin clothing and gave them just one meal in two days. Many of the slaves had died on the way and the meagre rest of them wouldn't survive this much longer. But Zazerspur, the city the slavers headed, was a few miles away from their position and would be the end of their first stage: From there they would board a ship, which would bring them to Dambrath, a country in the south of Faerûn. There they would work the rest of their lives in mines, plantations or fighting pits.

If Jaheira thought about her chances to escape, she was realistic. With the slave-collars around their necks, they weren't able to escape, even if their chains were put down: The collar forced them to be obedient.

And she doubted that any of her friends and old allies was out there to help… These bastards had annihilated her grove completely and there was nobody else, who knew about Jaheira's situation.

She had been in hopeless situations before and she had learnt how to handle such moments, but this time it really was problematic.

Suddenly the group stopped and Jaheira was awakened from her thoughts.

She lifted her head and… froze.

There was a woman on their way – and Jaheira knew her.

A slaver in the first line of the trek made a step to her, "Go out of our way, girly! Or you'll regret that you met us."

Nalia grinned widely and focused the man, "You promise more than you can deliver, filthy slaver,"

"Eh…"

"Free your captives, give me your weapons and apologize to your captives for your crimes. Perhaps I allow you to live after you did that."

"You dare to threaten us? Who are you, stupid girl?"

"Oh, I'm your worst nightmare."

The slaver sighed and turned to an archer behind him, "Kill her!"

The archer smiled evilly, took an arrow on his bow string and shot within a second…

And stared at Nalia in disbelief. The arrow disappeared in a red mist, when it touched the noble.

The slaver grumbled, "You're a mage?"

Nalia still smiled, "My name is Nalia de'Arnise, I've killed a demi-lich in the Watching Keep on my own and I've brought down more criminals than you can count. I'm sure that you've heard from me."

The face of the slaver got pale, but Nalia kept on talking, "I've tried to talk this out, but when you shot on me, you've decided to fight… "

Suddenly her polite smile turned into an angry expression, "so if you want to fight, fight and die! No mercy for slave traders!"

Within a short moment she had cast a protection spell on herself and opened her hands to cast another spell.

"Stop her!" a slaver from the background yelled and almost in the same second two archers shot.

They were fast in shooting arrows… almost as fast as Nalia with her Tuigan was.

The arrows touched her protection shield and vanished. The archmage ended her second spell and a web of climbing plants shot through the snow covered ground.

Nalia crossed her arms and grinned, "In a normal case, I really hate to win a fight on this way, but when my enemies are slavers, it's not important to fight honest."

Five persons stepped out of the shadows and Jaheira couldn't believe it: There were Shelara, Keto, Chloe, Immy, Minsc and… Cernd.

Nalia made one more step to the leading slaver and hissed, "Put down your weapons… all weapons! Or we will kill every one of you without shedding a tear!"

The man sighed in despair and threw his sword to the ground, His followers did the same.

Nalia waited until the web had disappeared, then she ordered, "Put down these slave collars!"

He grumbled, but did as Nalia said.

Jaheira's eyes flashed in pure fury as the slaver unlocked her collar.

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She didn't hesitate a moment and tried to punch him immediately, but Shelara stopped the druid and pulled the slaver back.

Jaheira stared at her and hissed, "You want to save such a degenerated creature?"

The priestess nodded without a comment and Jaheira needed her last energy to don't shout at her savior.

"Listen, they are slavers and we must kill them in the name of the multiverse!"

"No, I won't… NALIA!"

One of the men jumped at her side, drew his knife and stabbed her repeatedly. Nalia cried in pain and collapsed.

The archmage looked to Shelara a last time…

…and then she died.

Silence.

The slaver grinned widely, "So I take one of you to the other side, at least."

"I wouldn't say that too loud," Imoen told and pointed to Shelera, who already knelt at Nalia's corpse and held her hands over her. Soft blue waves glided over the dead archmage and a strange light enveloped her. In the same moment her wounds closed.

"W… what does she do??" the slaver shouted in irritation and panic.

"Oh, she's resurrecting Nali. That's an easy job for sis', nothing special. She has resurrected every one of us during our adventures… Don't stare to me like a cow an oncoming army of halfling warriors! You'd have known that such a competent priestess like Sheli's able to resurrect one of her comrades."

"But…"

The archmage began to cough slightly and Shelara smiled at her, "No need to stay dead, old friend, but take a rest for a moment."

"Thank you, Shelara," Nalia whispered and in the same moment Minsc cleared his throat, "This guy had attacked us, although we let him alive. I think Larry would like to teach him a lesson."

"What? Where? Oh yes! I'm good in teaching lessons!"

Shelara sighed, "Minsc, please silence Lilarcor. Our situation isn't that funny. We're trying to free slaves…"

"…Please let me butcher any one… Perhaps the guy over there?…"

"MINSC! Silence your sword! Larry is too bizarre for this moment."

"You promised that I can butcher any one!"

"Larry, please behave yourself!"

"But you'd promised!"

"Larry…."

"I want! I want! I want! I want! I want! I want!"

Minsc sighed and put Lilarcor back in his sheath. Shelara heard as the sword grumbled a few moments, but she turned to the slaver again, "Listen, there's just one reason why you're still living: I'm not going down to your low level of morality. We're living in hard times and anybody else would kill you now, but I think I don't have the right to kill you, if you don't threaten my life directly."

"Thank…"

"The guards of Zazerspur will do that for us, I believe."

His face grew pale, "Eh… no! Please don't do that!" he shouted in panic.

Suddenly a beam of magical energy hit him. He rolled his eyes and fell to the ground… and snored.

Nalia turned to the rest of the slavers, "He's just sleeping, but the next one of you who makes a wrong move will die immediately… and forever, I promise!"

Shelara ignored her words and embraced Jaheira warmly, "It's good to see you alive, old friend."

"The same with you, mighty priestess of Sune. But… I see, your heart is still too soft, even when you fight against enemies."

"That's my way, Jaheira."

The druid sighed, but smiled, "Tell me, what's going on here. It's really surprisingly to see you together with our old companions."

The face of the priestess got serious, "We have to talk, Jaheira. The attack on your grove was more than a raid for gold or slaves. It was a well planed operation to annihilate our old group. "

"Eh…"

"Grand Druid?" a voice asked suddenly,

Jaheira turned around and looked into Cernd's eyes, "Cernd!"

The shapeshifter smiled happily, "All gods! I'm glad, you're alive!"

"Hm? No word plays and symbolic speech?" Jaheira grinned.

Cernd smiled, "No, not today… I'm just glad that you're alive."
Shelara smiled and turned to Imoen, "Hey, Immy, take Minsc and Chloe and tie those bastards."

"As you say, big sister."

The priestess saw as the three women did what she had told and tied the slavers. Their end would be fast. Zazerspur was known for its strict laws against slavery.

She looked to Nalia, "Hm… and Nalia…"

"Yes?"

"I hate it to resurrect you. Please don't die again."

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-tbc-