"Go to this location and find the other escaped gnome slaves. They'll tell you what to do next." Aoko waved her hand, slashing the gnomes' shackles with the Mordenkainen's Sword, then left them a map before turning to check the corpse of the drow mage.
At first, the gnome slaves were at a loss, but upon seeing Aoko break their shackles and then ignore them, they immediately picked up the map from the ground and bowed deeply to her in gratitude.
Aoko paid them little attention and instead summoned Mage Hand to strip the equipment off the drow's body.
In Faerûn, if you had to name the most lucrative profession for looting, wizards would surely top the list.
That's because wizards not only have to carry their spellbooks, but also a fair number of scrolls. Wealthier wizards would also have plenty of enchanted gear on them—just like this dead drow mage.
Aoko casually flipped through the drow's spellbook and found its spells were mostly written in Underdark Drow, with most belonging to the Enchantment and Necromancy schools, and the highest-level spells were only sixth circle.
Although not of great use to her, there were some unique signature spells of the drow that were worth studying and referencing.
Aoko activated Detect Magic and scanned the body from head to toe, finally fixing her gaze on the drow's boots. The magical aura from these boots stood out particularly against this guy's otherwise shabby gear.
Controlling Mage Hand, Aoko removed the boots. She had no intention of wearing someone else's boots, but the permanent magic on them piqued her curiosity.
From the mithril-stitched runes, Aoko learned the boots were called Nightform Shadow.
Their magical effect prevented the wearer from being entangled, restrained, or slipping on smooth surfaces, and granted the wearer the Misty Step spell effect once every two hours.
Setting aside legendary artifacts, these boots were among the strongest of ordinary magic items. From the wear and careful maintenance, it was clear the drow mage had cherished them.
But now, they belonged to her, Aoko thought calmly. Thank you for the maintenance; their functionality is still intact.
Aoko did not intend to put them on directly. Instead, she planned to use special alchemy to extract the permanent magic from the boots and transfer it to other gear—a costly process, but the effect was well worth it.
After tossing the Nightform Shadow boots into her subspace, Aoko looked around the room. The gnomes had all fled.
An ancient, crumbling archway stood nearby, stacked with half-shattered boulders. No one was likely to continue this excavation.
Aoko happily collected the drow mage's spellbook and scrolls, left the dig site, and entered the main street. Several duergar craftsmen noticed her and gazed in confusion at the human woman, wondering what she was doing here.
"Your employer's already been dealt with!" Aoko's magically amplified voice echoed through the streets. The drow mage's corpse dangled in midair, gripped by her Bigby's Hand. "If you know what's good for you, get out now—or I'll kill every last one of you!"
"Quick, call the guards!" some duergar craftsmen shouted in panic. "Is that human woman insane? How dare she kill the emissary from Menzoberranzan?"
Others were more rational. Understanding her meaning, they dropped their work and fled without a word.
Because they saw the bodies of two heavily armored duergar soldiers lying at the gate of the dig site.
Aoko was satisfied with the effect. She hung the unlucky drow mage's corpse on the city wall and also nabbed the helmet from one of the duergar heavy soldiers—it turned out to be a fine magical item, and she planned to give it to Holga.
…
Xenk easily defeated his target—which was to be expected. An evil mage, bound by anti-magic shackles, would stand no chance against a paladin's holy strike, and Xenk decapitated his foe with ease.
Carrying the drow's head through the streets, Xenk's unmistakable aura of justice sent all nearby duergar fleeing.
Doric and Simon's encounter was even more brutal. Not because they failed, but because the drow mage died in a particularly gruesome way.
Transformed into an owlbear, Doric was not entirely rational and displayed some of the beast's natural instincts, tearing the defenseless drow mage to pieces in a blood-soaked frenzy.
Simon had to suppress his nausea while picking through the remains to salvage a usable magical ring, which granted a permanent Jump spell effect.
Everything else, including gear and spellbook, was destroyed by Doric's rampage.
This left Simon and Doric in a bit of trouble, since they had little proof to show the duergar. So, dejected, they went to meet up with Holga and Edgin.
However, thanks to the outstanding performance of Aoko and Xenk's teams, chaos had erupted in the camp. Some duergar ran toward the lakeside docks, while others took the opportunity to loot.
Life surged; all things competed in a vigorous spectacle.
Edgin, an experienced rebel and former Harpers bard, truly found his calling.
Playing, singing, and cajoling, he stirred the suspicious and timid gnome slaves into a crowd of more than a hundred, marching boldly down the street with no one daring to stop them.
Even when a few stubborn duergar tried to intervene, Holga—already buffed—swiftly cut them down, boosting the team's morale further.
The human merchant caravan in the camp cautiously stayed in their area, refusing to interact with Edgin's group, who didn't press the issue.
When the three teams plus nearly 150 liberated gnome slaves finally gathered, many people knelt, and a chorus of cheers and sobs erupted, expressing long-held emotions.
Aoko and the others did not blame the gnomes for anything—they understood that freedom and life are the most precious things in this world.