With a whoop and a holler I land on the side of the pyramid near the top and begin a controlled slide. Ef Utan begins to slide down the pyramid not far from me and launches one of his TK punches into one of the overseers at the bottom. I take that as my cue and begin to yell…

“People of Mulhorand, your freedom is at hand! Rise up and take back your power from your oppressors!”

There’s a second of shocked silence and then the crowd of slaves below goes wild as they use shovels, picks and whatever else they can get their hands on to break their chains and join in the fight. I hit the ground running once we reach the bottom and weave my way through the crowds looking for that elf I talked to before… what was she called… The Mithral Scarab. If I can find her, she can help be organize the resistance and rescue of the people once we’re done with these slavers once and for all.

Ef Utan reaches the bottom and barrells through groups of slavers as golems and their 10th Pit riders are pulled down like the statues of deposed leaders. “What in the hells are Doomguard and Fated doing here?” I hear him yell in confusion before he begins to question their ancestry in Lower Planar Tongue.

I run past the offending bodyguard and dodge out of the way as Violetta focuses a blast of psionic energy into the crowd of slavers and golems before she collapses once again. We need some more help here… I know… we need a stampede! I turn quickly back towards the pyramid, grab Ef Utan, and slide down the edge of the hole to where the remaining large beetles that the slavers were using to dig are huddling from the noise and confusion. “We just need to give them some good incentive to run that way,” I suggest.

“Leave that to me,” Ef Utan says with a grin as he holds up a hand crackling with electricity. The large beetles squeal and chitter as he slaps each one of them on their hind quarters and charge up out of the hole in the sand at full speed in order to escape Ef Utan’s makeshift cattle prod.

I grin wildly and charge up the hill after them with guns ablaze as I shoot at two Doomguards at the top of the stairs, with Melchior following suit and Vedis hurling her mindblades. Lenata finishes the last one off with a barrage of magic missles as we get to the top to witness the chaos we have created. Overseers are being torn to pieces as dead slaves litter the sand. I whisper a prayer that Bast might guide their souls to the afterlife… for they fought well for their freedom and fought to their last breath against this unforgivable evil.

“Hey, it’s that guy I told you about!” yells Vedis as she points to a well-dressed man walking through the battle totally uneffected by the destruction around him. He stops and lifts his arms in a gesture before a large metal lion appears at his side.

“It’s a Shakti!” gasps Lenata in amazement. I can only assume she meant the lion.

Ef draws his sword and growls before charging towards the stranger. “And he’s got blasted Fated with him too!”

I’m about to run after him with the others when out of the corner of my eye I finally catch sight of the beaded hair of the Mithral Scarab in a struggle against a green-haired woman. She believed in me when none of the others would… I owe her! Making a quick decision I run through the battlefield and leap with claws drawn onto the unsuspecting woman’s back and quickly finish her off as I grab her hair and embed my claws into the back of her neck.

“You have returned! I am glad to see that you are well,” she says with a smile.

“As am I… time became very unpredictable inside that pyramid,” I reply. “If you still have that vial I gave you, gather the survivors and meet us behind the dune I told you about while I look for that sorceress leading these 10th Pit bastards.”

The Mithral Scarab nods and smiles wryly as she pulls an ornate dagger from her belt and tosses it to the ground at my feet. “No need… consider it a gift for all that you have done for us.”

I grin and put the dagger in my sash as I run back to check on my friends. The stranger has disappeared, and the lion, it seems, has returned to its original state of a small metal statue on the ground. I reach down to pick it up, but get stopped by Ef Utan’s hand on my shoulder. “Bad idea,” he warns as he shows me the burn marks on his hand.

Suddenly there is a cheer in the distance. I look to see what the cause could be… and behold a sight for sore eyes as a saber-wielding Hadozee, a well-dressed Shou… and a black-furred Catfolk lead the charge of a group of armed slaves into the battle to clean up what’s left of the 10th Pitt slavers.

Oh Gods… is it? “DASSAM!” I yell as I run towards him and leap into his arms, knocking us both into the sand.

“You’re supposed to take me with you, remember?” he chuckles as he rubs his cheek on my hair and wraps his arms around me.

I swallow the tears that threaten to fall as I smile into his chest and clutch his shirt. “I couldn’t help it… I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”

“Sssh… it’s ok… time to talk to your people, love.” He stands up and helps me from the sand before gesturing to the remaining Mulhorandi slaves gathering around us.

I quickly wipe my eyes before turning to the Mithral Scarab and the rest of the slaves who are beaten…battered… but free.

“It’s time to go home.”

_~~~~~~~~~

“The Nomad? You all came in that thing? You’re braver than I thought!” Violetta laughs as we get the last of the slaves through the portal and prepare to load them onto our ship. Space ends up being a bit limited… but considering the alternative, I don’t hear anybody complaining.

“So…” Ef Utan begins after everyone gets settled in. “We’ve got a Dvati missing his other half who is going to die a slow painful death if we don’t do something about it. I suggest we put him out of his misery.”

Word and I nod in agreement as Vedis and Lenata gasp in surprise. “I’m not to comfortable with that…” Vedis begins. “How about we take his body and brain to the Temple of Nephtys where I can try to commune with this lands representation of my god? Melchot was a Dreamer, after all…”

“Can’t argue with that I guess,” Ef Utan replies. “Just as long as we do something before he starts to suffer.”

After a few hours we return to the planet in the Shadowsphere with the Mulhorand outpost and Vedis and Lenata take the body of Melchot to the Temple of Nepthys. Prayers are said… offerings are made…and POOF! Melchot’s body and the canister with his brain in it disappear in a cloud of smoke.
Vedis sighs in relief. “There… now we can go.”

On our way back to the ship we pass the Temple of Maat and Ef Utan suggests we go in to make sure that everything is ok between the goddess and ourselves. “Last thing we need is for her cosmic foot to go stomping on us.” The others agree… but personally I can’t wait to get out of here and leave these temples behind.

Everything seems normal inside the temple this time… and when Ef Utan climbs into the scales, this time it balances. “Should we all take turns getting in again?” Vedis asks.

“Knock yourself out if you want to but I’m not doing it,” I scoff. “There aren’t any magical barriers keeping us in here this time, are there?”

“No…but…”

“Great, then the gods can keep their opinions about my personal life to themselves!” I roll my eyes and stomp out of the temple back to the ship. “I try to be good… I try and help people… travel across the galaxy to find them…” I mutter to myself.

When we get back to the ship I leap into the scaffolding and make an announcement to the ex-slaves looking at the settlement in wonder. “Those of you who wish to stay here in this city are free to remain. Once we leave with the Dream Stone the sleep should end and life should return to this sphere as it once was. Those of you who wish to stay, however, or go to somewhere else… arrangements can be made.” Cheers go up in the crowd as those who wish to stay start filing down the gangplank. When they are done, 15 slaves remain as well as the Mithral Scarab.

“What about you?” I ask as she walks over and I leap down to the deck. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go to Braal. Like you, I am a Seeker… and I have much to tell.”

“You and me both, sister,” I smile.