The Buccaneers of Shadaki (9 page)

You run through the darkening jungle forest and do not stop until you are sure that your pursuers have abandoned the chase. After a brief rest you press on through the dense moss-covered trees, relying solely upon your tracking skills to keep you moving in a southerly direction. At last you emerge from the jungle and rejoin the trail shortly after dawn the following day. In the distance you see a bridge across a steep-banked river. A glance at your
map
tells you that this is a tributary of the River Ito, and you decide to stop here to rest for an hour before continuing your hard trek to Caeno on foot.

Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 300
.

Your heart misses a beat the instant you recognize the face of this unhappy young woman. It is Oriah, the highborn daughter of the Funtal of Fio Fadali, the runaway who travelled with you aboard
The Pride of Sommerlund
on its ill-fated voyage out of Barrakeesh. Ever since she was abducted in the mountain town of Kilij you thought it unlikely that you would ever see her again. Yet here she sits, alone and dejected in a hall that is overflowing with an abundance of riches.

‘Oriah?’ you whisper hesitantly, hardly daring to believe that it is really her. She raises her head and her eyes widen with shocked surprise when she sees you. Then a smile, filled with hope and joy, lights up her tear-streaked face. She leaps from her chair and comes running to you to throw herself into your arms.

‘Oh, Grand Master,’ she sobs, ‘I never thought that I'd see you again. How did you know that I was here?’

You tell Oriah of what has happened since you arrived in Ghol-Tabras, and that you had no idea that she was here at all. She explains that after she was abducted by slavers in Kilij, she was sold to Sesketera who brought her here to his citadel. She is to be kept imprisoned in this hall until their wedding day, one month from now.

‘Let us escape from this place together,’ you say, but she shakes her head.

‘No, it cannot be. Sesketera is holding my friends. They are his hostages. If I leave the citadel before our wedding day he will put them to the sword. I cannot leave. But I know how I may help you to escape. Come, Grand Master, follow me.’

Turn to 78
.

You swallow a mouthful of the food and, to your surprise, it tastes remarkably good. Yet after a few moments you suddenly sense that something is seriously wrong. You begin to feel faint and light-headed, and you are having difficulty focusing clearly.

Automatically your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus works to counteract the powerful narcotic that has been added to the food. It induces you to vomit (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points), and then it swiftly neutralizes the remaining toxins from your blood. The bald man realises from your reaction to his drugged food that you are a follower of the God Kai. He shrieks with rage and curses you in a vile language that you do not recognize. Even so, the mere sound of his curses sends a shiver of dread coursing down your spine, like a trickle of icy-cold water. He denounces you to the others as an agent of the City Council sent to spy on their meeting, and he orders them to attack and slay you. The men react slowly to his frantic commands. It is as if they are struggling to awaken from a deep sleep. You have no wish to fight these men and so you turn and run towards the park entrance to escape from them. As you reach the open gate, you glance over your shoulder to see that the bald man is preparing to hurl a dagger at your back.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Disciplines of Grand Huntmastery
and
Grand Nexus, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 5 or less,
turn to 241
.

If it is 6 or higher,
turn to 135
.

The bolt hits you and slams you to the ground, yet the protection afforded by your Grand Mastery absorbs much of its deadly power: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.

Stunned and shaken, you struggle to your feet and shake your head in an effort to clear your blurred vision. Images swirl before your eyes, weaving and coalescing to create a fearful sight. The flickering night-creature has fixed itself to the neck of your horse, like some nightmarish vampire. Tethered by his reins, your mount is unable to escape from the leech-like maw of this supernatural creature.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 19
.

If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 122
.

If you possess Kai-surge and wish to use it,
turn to 169
.

If you possess none of these skills, or if you choose not to use any of them,
turn to 349
.

The barman is reluctant to talk. You suspect the reason for this is because you have not had the courtesy to purchase some of his food and ale. When you repeat your question he replies curtly:

‘Lord Zinair of Dessi, you say. Yeah, I think I've heard of him. Lives in the North Quarter some place. Don't know exactly. You'd be best asking the City Guards. They'll be sure to sort you right.’

You thank the man for his advice and then you leave the tavern and continue along the avenue. At length you arrive at a busy market square. On the far side of this square you see a City Guard patrol who are policing the market.

Remembering the barman's advice, you decide to approach them and ask for their assistance. You are confident that they will know where Lord Zinair can be found.

Turn to 172
.

As he stalks closer, Sesketera suddenly realises that you are not a native Shadakine. Your fair skin and your Kai tunic reveal to him that you are from the Northern continent of Magnamund.

‘By the ghost of Agarash,’ he hisses, through his gritted teeth, ‘you're an infidel. You defile the House of Sesketera with your presence here. By the gods, I'll make you pay for this insult with your life!’

Sesketera lifts the spear in his right hand and spins it by the haft. It is an impressive display of control which leaves you in no doubt that he is a formidable fighter.

‘Vengeance will be mine!’ he screams.

Illustration III
—‘Vengeance will be mine!’ screams Sesketera.

If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 274
.

If you do not possess a Bow, or if you choose not to use it,
turn to 245
.

Before you reach the top of the pit wall, the villagers close in and finish you off with arrows.

Sadly, your life and your quest end here.

As the last gaoler drops his club and falls lifelessly to the grimy floor, you stagger back against the wall and gasp for air. When you have recovered from the exertion of this deadly unarmed combat, you immediately set about dragging the bodies away into the corners of the cell, beyond the field of vision of anyone who should look through the peep hole in the door.

While you are going about this grisly task, you notice an Iron Key hanging from a gaoler's belt. (Mark this on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item. You need not discard another item in its favour if you are already carrying the maximum number of Special Items.) You leave the cell and lock the door using the bolt, and then you hurry along the corridor to the guardroom to retrieve your confiscated equipment (you may now erase the asterisks from your
Action Chart
).

As you are sheathing your Kai Weapon into your belt, you hear the sound of footsteps descending a flight of stone steps at the far end of the corridor. More gaolers are approaching; they have been drawn to investigate this lower level by the dying cries of their brother guards.

Desperately you scan the walls of the guardroom for some means of escape and suddenly you see that there is one other exit from this room — a heavy oak door which is banded with strips of black iron. You rush to this door and twist its handle to discover it is locked. With the sound of the approaching footsteps growing ever louder in your ears, you take the Iron Key from your pocket and offer up a prayer to Ishir that it will open this door.

Turn to 125
.

Your advanced Kai healing skills rapidly overcome the powerful toxins contained in the poison, yet this internal battle leaves you feeling weakened: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

You stare defiantly at the man in the tree and his eyes widen with shock when he sees that you are still alive and standing.

If you possess a Bow and wish to use it to return fire at the sniper in the tree,
turn to 343
.

If you do not possess a Bow, or if you choose not to use it,
turn to 255
.

You utter the words of the Old Kingdom Spell
Invisible Fist
and project your hand at the creature's head. The force of your spell makes the beast stumble, but it quickly recovers its footing.

Angered by the pain you have dealt it, the creature turns its ghastly stare on you and hisses vehemently. Quickly you reach to your Kai Weapon in readiness to defend yourself from its attack. Yet it does not attack you; it continues to stalk its chosen target. Gemulkin frees himself from the wheel, but before he can get away, the beast is upon him like a hungry lion. It grabs him by the throat and lifts him off the deck. You race across the slippery decking and raise your weapon to strike the creature in the side. Callously the beast hurls Gemulkin into the sea and then spins around to face you. Your first blow opens a wound in its chest, making it shriek loudly. But it recovers and it lashes out at you to connect with your shoulder. The force of the blow knocks you sideways and sends you sliding across the slick deck to fall headlong through an open cargo hatch.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 307
.

If it is 5–9,
turn to 266
.

You direct your Kai powers at the river in an attempt to divert its current and send the drowning man towards the safety of the bank. However, the current proves too strong to be altered using your Discipline of Elementalism alone, and you are physically and mentally weakened by the exertion of your attempt: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

Having discovered that you cannot help the drowning man using your Grand Mastery alone, you are forced to resort to more direct and conventional methods. As he goes under for the last time, you dive into the muddy water and swim across the surging current. Guided by your Sixth Sense, you locate his body and then pull him to the surface. You fight to maintain your grip as the powerful current sweeps you downstream, and you are propelled along for more than a mile before it finally deposits you on the opposite bank. As you drag the man from the water, you notice a group of huts in the distance. You are about to haul the unconscious man over your shoulder and set off towards them, when suddenly you detect that he has no pulse. Using your Magnakai Discipline of Curing you are able to restart his heart and empty the water from his lungs, yet you are unable to restore him to full consciousness. The sudden sound of voices makes you look towards the huts where you see a group of natives pointing excitedly in your direction. They are all wearing jerkins and loincloths made from animal hide, clothing that is identical to that worn by the man you have saved from the river. You call to them and wave your arms to attract their attention and they quickly respond. You are expecting them to be pleased that you have saved one of their kinfolk, but as they come closer you are shocked by their unexpected response.

Turn to 20
.

You leave the Tower of Truth and pass along a wide stone ramp that gently descends to the great canal that encircles the city of Elzian. Few of the city's Vakeros natives are abroad at this early hour and the streets and avenues are empty and quiet. A warm mist wreathes the barges and ships that are moored along the canal bank and, in the pre-dawn twilight, these vessels take on a ghostly appearance.

By the time you find
The Azan
, the sun has broken through the mist and the city is beginning to stir. Captain Jenkshi and the crew of the Suhnese trader are busily preparing their ship to sail, yet they immediately stop their work to welcome you and Lord Rimoah aboard. Jenkshi is a lean, yellow-skinned man with wide almond eyes and a small blunt nose. His slick black hair is tied in a knot atop his head in the Suhnese style, a fashion that is also favoured by all his crewmen. He orders one of his men to show you to your cabin at the prow, but before you go you bid Lord Rimoah farewell and thank him for all that he and the Elder Magi have done to aid your quest.

By the time
The Azan
is ready to sail, the mist has vanished. Having inspected your cabin you return to the foredeck where you settle yourself in the sun and enjoy the ever-changing views of the lush farmlands and Vakeros settlements which border upon the canal. For 90 miles this waterway cuts a wide furrow through the southern jungle of Dessi. To the east the horizon is dominated by a solitary mountain, and you marvel at its snowy peak which is the steepest you have ever seen.

‘That's
Kas-kalahmout
,’ says one of the friendly Suhnese crewmen. ‘In your language, I think it has the meaning:
Chair of the Heavens
.’

By midday you come to the estuary of the canal and
The Azan
heads out into the open waters of the Gulf of Tentarium. Captain Jenkshi joins you on deck and offers to share some of his food. While you eat you learn from him that the voyage will take little more than three weeks to complete, including visits to ports of call along the way. You ask him about the notorious Shadakine pirates who plague these waters and he answers you with a shrug of his muscular shoulders.

‘Relax and enjoy the journey as best you can, my friend,’ he says, jovially, as he finishes his food and wipes his mouth on his silken shirt sleeve. ‘You're in safe hands. I and my crew have sailed these waters all our lives and we've yet to meet a buccaneer we can't outwit or outrun. Breathe easy. You've nothing to fear from those mangy curs.’

Turn to 277
.