The Jungle of Horrors (11 page)

The bargee brings a round of Chai-cheer to your table and you drink to the health of Queen Evaine of Talestria. The mood soon becomes much friendlier and you learn that the soldier, whose name is Trost, is on his way back to his post at the Tharro garrison after enjoying a week's leave with his family in Phoena.

As you drink your ale, the sound of applause rises above the hubbub of conversation. An elderly man, tall and distinguished-looking, walks slowly to the centre of the floor and bows to his audience. His pale face and silver-grey hair are a stark contrast to his richly embroidered robes of crimson and gold. He smiles warmly and introduces himself as Count Conundrum, the prince of puzzles. For your amusement, he will pose some brain-twisting conundrums. So confident is he that none will be able to answer his riddles correctly that he is offering 20 Lune to anyone who can prove him wrong. A hush descends as the passengers await his first puzzle.

‘If one-and-a-half geese lay one-and-a-half eggs in one-and-a-half days, how many eggs will three geese lay in eight days?’

If you can answer the Count's riddle,
turn to the entry
with the same number as your answer.
⁹

If you cannot answer the riddle,
turn to 141
.

As you near the stream, a dozen mounted warriors appear, the pounding hooves of their jet-black horses churning the water as they race along the gully to your left. Their leader, clad in a fearsome bronze helm, draws his axe — it is the signal to charge. With a blood-curdling yell, they sweep up the rocky bank and come thundering towards the track.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 209
.

If you wish to draw a weapon and meet them head-on,
turn to 88
.

If you wish to evade them,
turn to 185
.

‘Leave us,’ commands the black-robed figure, ‘and summon the brothers.’

The refectory door slams shut, and you hear the sound of a metal bar being drawn. There is a hiss of steel against leather as Paido unsheathes his sword. He levels the blue blade at the sinister monk and narrows his cat-like eyes. ‘What do you want with us?’ he says, his voice sharp and threatening. But the monk offers no reply. He stands motionless, his eyes fixed firmly on you. Paido repeats his demand, but his voice sounds weaker. The sword trembles in his hand and, with a groan, he collapses, scattering plates and cutlery as he hits the table and rolls to the floor.

Turn to 238
.

After your encounter with the Taan-spider, you are both in need of a rest. You stop to recover your strength; you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. Paido is optimistic that you will reach the temple by sundown if you can avoid encountering any more of the Danarg's hostile inhabitants.

Turn to 220
.

You climb the creaky stairs that lead to the front door and rap the wrought-iron knocker. The door squeaks open slowly and you are greeted by what appears to be a bundle of rags and hair. After staring at it for a few moments, you realize with disbelief that the ill-smelling mound before you is alive. The hair parts and a face appears, crevassed with dirt-encased wrinkles. ‘What do you want?’ croaks the old woman, grinning a yellow, mirthless grin.

If you have met Jako,
turn to 329
.

If you have not,
turn to 193
.

Your senses reveal that Paido's sword is magical — it has the power to kill the enemy you now face.

To retrieve this weapon and use it against the Helghast,
turn to 47
.

The numbness in your arm spreads rapidly across your chest and up your throat. Your vocal chords are frozen, making it impossible to shout for Paido's help. You must act swiftly before your lungs and heart are affected by the powerful anaesthetic.

If you wish to plunge your hand into the pool of water,
turn to 263
.

If you wish to slam your palm against the tree,
turn to 83
.

If you have a Fireseed and wish to crush it with the palm of your hand,
turn to 15
.

Once more the Count repeats his conundrum. He allows his audience to ponder on it for a few more minutes, but still no answer is offered. Finally he pockets the silver box and declares his puzzling at an end. At first the crowd groan in disappointment, but they are quick to show their appreciation by applauding loudly when the Count leaves the hold. ‘Honey Lodge!’ shouts the bargee. ‘Five minutes to Honey Lodge.’ A group of farmers gather up their belongings, say farewell to their travelling companions and begin to climb the tap-room stairs as the barge slows to a halt.

If you wish to go up on deck and watch them disembark,
turn to 73
.

If you prefer to stay in the tap-room,
turn to 236
.

The sword strikes you squarely between the shoulder blades, sending you tumbling from the saddle. You fall awkwardly, driving the blade deeper into your back. For countless seconds you lie staring at the sky, unable to move, feeling nothing. Before the anaesthesia of shock wears off you are surrounded by enemies who show no mercy.

Your life and your quest end here.

The sun is setting as you catch your first glimpse of Tharro on the road ahead. Mud-coloured walls, tall and fortified, surround the houses which sit atop a broad grassy rise known as Fortress Hill. Soldiers in tunics of scarlet and grey patrol the walls and stand guard at the huge wooden doors that grant access to the town's south quarter.

You ride along the straight dirt road towards a stone bridge, which arches across a man-made canal encircling the hill. Once over the bridge, you pass up a ramp leading to the gatehouse. At the gate, a square-jawed soldier in silver chainmail demands to know your business before he will allow you entry to the town.

If you wish to show him your Pass,
turn to 68
.

If you do not wish to show him your Pass, or no longer have it,
turn to 92
.

You follow the stream until it enters a long corridor of towering trees that descend towards the bank of a swift-flowing brook, a tributary of the River Syad. You stop here briefly to bathe your faces in the icy water and to stare at the mass of blue-green giant trees that fill the western horizon.

‘The Mordril Forest,’ says Paido, a note of trepidation in his voice. ‘It was once a wondrous forest, a place of light and goodness. The trees grew strong and the birds and beasts were the fairest of any forest breed. But the Mordril has grown dark and dismal of late. The Danarg encroaches, feeding its sickness to the soil and poisoning the saplings and the creatures that dwell there still. It is a doomed forest, doomed to become part of the Danarg swamp.’

You remount your horse and cross the brook. As you climb the opposite bank you notice a set of freshly made tracks in the soft earth.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship,
turn to 256
.

If you do not have this skill,
turn to 342
.

The man spins around in shocked alarm at the sound of your voice. An instant later Paido appears at his back and hits him at the base of the skull with the edge of his open hand. The man grunts and drops heavily to his knees before keeling over the edge of the platform. With a dull splash, he lands face down atop a mound of manure and rotting vegetation.

If you wish to search the mill,
turn to 306
.

If you choose to leave the mill and continue your ride north before the man regains consciousness,
turn to 318
.

Your sense of time slips away as you trek through the seemingly endless expanse of bleak grey trees. Slowly you become aware that you are on an incline, and as your passage becomes steeper, you notice large outcrops of pitted volcanic rock.

‘We're approaching the Danarg crater,’ says Paido, his quietly spoken words echoing loudly through the eerie forest. Suddenly you recall the words of Lord Rimoah during your period of preparation in Elzian: ‘The Danarg occupies the crater of an ancient and massive volcano. Once it was a lush jungle of fertile vegetation, but now it is a cancerous wound that poisons all who dwell there … ’

By noon you have climbed to the lip of the crater and begun your descent. Gradually the tall, straight trees of the Mordril Forest thin out giving way to twisted trunks and stunted saplings as the land sinks deeper and deeper. Imperceptibly the forest ends and the swamp begins. The ground is softer, and tall, black rushes appear in clumps around misty pools of stagnant water. From tortured husks of trees hang thorny vines, as tough and as cruel as sharpened steel wire. So thickly are they entwined around some trees that they have strangled them, leaving empty coils where the trunks have rotted away. The stench of decay fills your nostrils in the humid yet cold air.

You wade through ankle-deep slime for nearly an hour before reaching the edge of a huge, murky pool. Whirls and eddies disturb its surface, warning of the creatures that lurk below.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship and have reached the rank of Tutelary,
turn to 203
.

If you wish to skirt around this pool to the north,
turn to 36
.

If you wish to skirt around it to the south,
turn to 300
.

The merchant grins delightedly as he pockets your gold. You take the Grey Crystal Ring from the display case and slip it onto the index finger of your right hand. It fits perfectly.

Mark this Grey Crystal Ring as a Special Item on your
Action Chart
. If you wish to dispose of any Special Items (with the exception of the Ring you have just purchased) the merchant will pay you 8 Gold Crowns for each item you sell.

To leave the shop and continue,
turn to 204
.

You reel back from the edge, blocking Paido, who is following close on your heels. Your swift reaction has saved you both from falling to certain doom in the chasm. Shaken, you turn away from the edge and follow the track instead.

Turn to 229
.

‘Very well,’ says Count Conundrum. ‘Just to make our journey to Tharro a little more interesting, if there is anyone here who can answer my next puzzle correctly they will receive from me forty Lune.’ A chorus of delighted whisperings emanates from the crowd.

‘In winter,’ he begins, ‘the ice-lilies of Lake Adon double in area every twenty-four hours. It takes sixty days from the time the first ice-lily appears until the lake is completely covered with them. On what day is the lake half covered with lilies?’

If you can answer the ice-lily riddle,
turn to the entry
with the same number as your answer.
¹⁰

If you cannot answer the riddle,
turn to 338
.