Mydnight's Hero (37 page)
A concussive blast of air strikes you less than a second after you hear the noise of the explosion. It hurls you sideways across the deck and slams you head-first against the base of the mainmast: lose 5
ENDURANCE
points.
Stunned, shaken, and barely conscious, you take hold of the mast and use it to help you pull yourself back onto your feet.
You swim to the edge of the moat and drag yourself out of the stinking water. As you take hold of the Prince's hand and haul him out onto the bank, you see a group of horsemen riding across the drawbridge. Most are armed with lances bearing Sadanzo's eagle's-head pennant, and their red-faced leader is shouting and pointing at you with his sword.
Illustration XX—You see a group of horsemen riding across the drawbridge.
Arrows continue to fall. They thud into the muddy rim of the moat and splinter on the paved road that encircles the citadel. You grab Karvas by his cloak and pull him to his feet. It is too dangerous to stay here a moment longer. On the far side of the paved road you can see a row of boarded-up houses, an alleyway, and a baker's shop.
If you wish to attempt to escape from the deadly hail of arrows by running into the alleyway,
turn to 157
.
If you wish to try to escape by entering the baker's shop,
turn to 30
.
Desperately you attempt to dodge the tip of your enemy's lance, but your reflexes have been dulled by the shock of your fall and you react too slowly to avoid being hit. The razor-sharp tip penetrates your chest and punctures your heart, bringing a death that is mercifully swift and painless.
Tragically, your life and your mission end here on the Bakhasa Trail.
You launch a sharp pulse of psychic energy at the Inquisitor-major's mind which leaves him reeling (deduct 1
ENDURANCE
point for the use of this Discipline). He drops his accursed hunting horn and lolls drunkenly in his saddle before the pain in his mind dissolves and his senses return. He fears that you are a powerful sorcerer and, with a look of abject terror in his eyes, he orders his hunting party to return at once to the foothills. Blindly he wheels his mount about, trampling and crushing his horn beneath his horse's hooves in his desperation to get away.
As the hunters gallop off across the plain, towards the distant horizon, you use your Magnakai Curing skills to revive Prince Karvas fully before you continue your ride east towards Varedo.
You draw an Arrow to your Bow and let it fly towards the nearest shrine-bearer. The shaft buries itself in his chest and the force of its impact knocks him to the ground. As he releases his grip of the platform, it tilts over and the tiger-head idol tumbles from its wooden base. It hits the ground with a mighty crash, breaks in two, and releases a whirling cone of red flame from its hollow core that engulfs the remaining bearers. In the blink of an eye the three men are transformed into smouldering heaps of ash.
Cries of fear and outrage echo along the street as the Bakhasian soldiers witness the deaths of their comrades and the destruction of their unholy symbol. Before they can gather themselves and give chase, you and Karvas rush across the street and make a hasty escape along the dark alleyway beyond.
You hand over all of your money (erase everything from the Belt Pouch section of your
Action Chart
) and the ticket seller pockets the coins with glee. ‘Where are our tickets?’ demands Karvas, but the thin man merely waves his hand disdainfully and retorts: ‘I told you, all tickets are sold. Just go aboard and lie low with the cargo 'til tomorrow. Once she's underway, you'll not be needing tickets. It's a straight voyage down the river to Seroa. She'll not be stoppin' along the way.’
You hurry aboard and make your way to the cargo hold in the belly of the boat. You make yourselves as comfortable as you can among the bales of linen and flax stored here. After a short while you hear the
clang
of the riverboat's bell. It is a signal that she is about to set off for Seroa in fifteen minutes' time, and a last call for passengers who are still in Xaia. Once everyone is aboard, the gangplank is raised and the riverboat's waterwheel begins to turn. As you feel the boat getting underway, you settle yourself down among the bales and quickly drift off to sleep.
To continue,
turn to 46
.
The blacksmith pockets your bribe and bids you follow him to a smaller room at the rear of his workshop. In the quiet privacy of this adjoining room he tells you all he knows about Prince Karvas of Siyen.
‘The Prince don't live here in Mydnight,’ he says. ‘He did once, when he first came to Sheasu … that be ten years ago now. Then this woman arrived and they got wed. He took her up-country. They live up there on the north coast somewhere. They rarely visits Mydnight these days. Fact is, I haven't seen them for more than a year.’
You thank the blacksmith for the information and leave his workshop. On returning to the quayside you resolve to explore the tangle of alleyways that make up the city's eastern quarter in the hope of finding someone else who is willing to tell or sell what they know about the Prince. Unfortunately your efforts garner no further information. As the sun begins to settle on the horizon, you finally abandon your search and hurry back through the darkening passageways towards the market square.
Wizard Acraban and Lord Zinair are already waiting aboard the
Starstrider
by the time you reach the square. The magician orders the boarding cage to be lowered and you are winched up to the skyship. Both are anxious to hear your news of Prince Karvas' whereabouts for their own enquiries have yielded little useful information. You inform them of what you have learned — that the Prince has a wife and they are living somewhere on the island's northern coastline. Lord Zinair has discovered that Amarelda is the name of Karvas' wife, and Acraban has learned that they last visited Mydnight exactly a year ago.
‘You have done well, Grand Master,’ says Lord Zinair. ‘The citizens of this city are a secretive breed, yet you may have prised enough from them to help us find our reclusive Siyenese Prince.’ Turning to Acraban, he says: ‘I propose we travel north at first light and commence a search of the northern shoreline. It will be easier to espy his retreat from the air than to attempt a search by land.’
Acraban nods in agreement and passes word to his young crewmen to prepare the
Starstrider
for a voyage north at first light.
Your advanced Pathsmanship skills reveal to you that the weather is going to deteriorate over the coming few hours. The rain will return, and it will be far heavier than you experienced last night.
Your combined Kai skills warn you that the door is guarded by a powerful spell of protection. This spell, in turn, is masked by another spell to prevent its detection. Karvas reaches out to pull the lever but you quickly snatch his hand away. To touch this spell-protected lever with a bare hand could prove fatal.
If you wish to attempt to discharge the spell by throwing something at the door,
turn to 330
.
If you wish to try to open the door by striking the lever down with the tip of your Kai Weapon,
turn to 146
.
Congratulations, Grand Master. Your mission is complete. In the face of great adversity you have met the challenge and you have triumphed. You have upheld the highest traditions of the Kai with honour and dignity, and you have displayed exceptional strength and bravery throughout your ordeal. The succession of Karvas is an important victory in the war against Evil, for it has prevented the throne of Siyen, Sommerlund's richest ally, from falling into the hands of an agent of Naar. You have earned the respect of the Siyenese people and they will never forget the debt of gratitude they owe you.
Following the celebration of his succession, King Karvas arranges for you to return home to Sommerlund by sea aboard his royal caravel. The voyage is swift and uneventful, yet upon reaching Holmgard you learn of a new and deadly threat that has arisen to challenge the Kai. If you wish to confront this threat, the nature of the challenge will be revealed in the next exciting
Lone Wolf New Order
adventure, entitled:
Rune War
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