The Jungle of Horrors (17 page)
Read The Jungle of Horrors Online
Authors: Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund
Your weapon cuts through the membrane and penetrates the creature's shell. It emits a shrill noise and the shell implodes, drawing a swirl of dust and air into its rotten core. You step back as a foul stench rises from the hole, and wipe away the ichor which stains the tip of your blade.
‘And to what do we owe the honour of your visit to Tharro?’ asks Trost the soldier, in a polite but inquisitive tone.
‘It's on the way to Syada,’ replies Paido. ‘We're going there in search of some work. We heard about the attack on Luukos, and we reckon there'll be a few rich farmers there who'll pay handsomely for us to protect their interests.’
Trost chuckles and rubs his stubbly chin. ‘I mean no offence, but if Zegron and his rabble attack the farms near Syada it'll take more than two free-lances to turn their tails. If I were you I'd stay in Tharro — there's plenty of work there for the likes of you. Take my advice and leave Zegron to the army. We'll blunt his nose, don't you worry.’
A shudder runs through the floor as the barge gets underway. A new passenger has boarded at Honey Lodge, a thin individual with hard grey eyes. He descends the tap-room stairs, pausing to shake rain from his cloak and wide-brimmed hat. Slung at his side is a narrow-bladed sword and clutched in his hand is a leather-bound book, its cover as plain and as black as his sombre clothing. Without saying a word he takes a seat in the shadows of the opposite corner and opens his book to read.
The deadly korovax has multiplied in your bloodstream unchecked. Suddenly your thigh muscles contract, causing you to stagger and fall. Paido rushes to your side, lifting you out of the choking airless mist that covers the forest floor. You are shaking from head to toe as opposing muscles pull against each other uncontrollably. Cramp grips your chest like an iron vice, preventing you from breathing and, in the course of three short minutes, you slip into unconsciousness, and from there into a sleep from which there is no awakening.
Your life and your quest end here.
A distant echoing whistle issues from the monk's open mouth. Steadily it rises in pitch until it passes beyond the range of your hearing. At that moment a terrible pain courses through your head. The pain and pressure grows until your skull feels ready to explode.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen,
turn to 186
.
If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 230
.
The light fades and you step down from the dais, your senses aglow with a newfound wisdom and strength. Having witnessed the fulfilment of your quest, Paido beams with joy as you return to his side. He congratulates you and bids you follow as he turns towards an archway of silver set into the crystal walls of the chamber. ‘Come, Lone Wolf. We have a long journey ahead of us. We must leave without delay.’
The thought of returning to the dangers of the Danarg fills you with dread. Paido senses your anxiety. ‘Don't look so dismayed,’ he says, still smiling. ‘This temple will provide the means for our safe return, you will see.’ Intrigued by his answer, you follow in silence as he leads you through the archway and up a long flight of marble stairs to another chamber, also constructed of crystal but veined with a marble that glistens like liquid fire. It is solid korlinium. At the centre of the chamber, its hull resting on a cradle of steel, is a Levitron — an ancient skyship. Like everything else that you have seen in this wondrous temple, the craft is untarnished by time. Paido ushers you aboard and prepares to power the craft. A shudder runs through the hull as the engines rise in pitch and slowly it lifts from its bed of steel. The chamber is built in the spire of the temple and the roof now slides open to allow the Levitron to rise into the darkening sky above the Danarg.
Paido sets the controls and sets the ship's starguider on a course for Elzian. Then he joins you at the bow-rail for one last look at the Temple of Ohrido. It glows red in the light of the setting sun, but the shimmering glow is blemished by shadows that swoop back and forth across its tiers. You assume it is just a trick of the twilight, until your ears are filled by a sudden and terrifying shriek.
The man's voice, gruff and gravelly, demands that Paido state good reason for the intrusion or suffer the consequences of trespassing on private land. Paido answers with a sound far louder than you ever imagined could be made by a human voice. The force of the shout hits the man in the chest like a clenched fist, slamming him backwards through the timber parapet rail of the platform. He lands with a dull splash, spread-eagled atop a mound of manure and rotting vegetation.
‘Vakeros power-word,’ explains Paido, in answer to your unspoken question. ‘Someday I'll teach you the technique, Kai Lord.’
If you wish to search the mill,
turn to 306
.
If you wish to leave the mill and continue your ride north to Tharro,
turn to 318
.
The hounds growl fiercely as they lope towards your hiding place. It is now impossible to avoid detection — you must stand and fight.
Hunting Dogs:
COMBAT SKILL
15
ENDURANCE
25
If you win the combat,
turn to 231
.
The merchant is quick to note your fascination with the Grey Crystal Ring. He offers to exchange it for any Special Item you may have that is of equal interest to him. He would exchange a Lodestone, a Jewelled Mace, or a Silver Helm for the Grey Crystal Ring.
If you possess any of these Special Items and wish to swap one of them, do so, remembering to make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
.
To leave the shop and continue,
turn to 204
.
Paido shouts for help. The Vordaks have forced him back to the rail, and he is in danger of falling overboard.
If you wish to go to his aid,
turn to 169
.
If first you wish to gather up the black crystal cubes and throw them overboard,
turn to 50
.
‘She's the best fortune-teller in the whole o' Talestria,’ beams the old woman, full of pride. ‘She's never wrong 'bout what she sees, though there's some folk who'd rather not know what's in store for 'em. If you be wantin' your fortune read it'll cost you 80 Lune — in advance, if you please.’
If you want to pay the old woman 80 Lune (or 20 Gold Crowns), do so and
turn to 20
.
If you prefer to ask her about the barge to Tharro,
turn to 37
.
If you wish to leave the Ferry House,
turn to 89
.
Your first blow smashes the soft fruit to a pulp. At this the other fruits drop from the tree, springing open as they hit the ground. Long, thin, fleshy legs emerge from their squat bodies and they scuttle away into the surrounding marsh at an alarming speed.
You draw an Arrow to your cheek and take aim at the necromancer, but passengers run wildly across your field of fire and you dare not release your Arrow for fear of hitting one of them. Precious seconds elapse as you await a chance to fire.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with bow, add 3 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–4,
turn to 184
.
If it is 5–7,
turn to 4
.
If it is 8 or more,
turn to 213
.
Paido dispatches his enemy as quickly as you put paid to yours. You retrieve your horses and gallop away from the quadrangle. At this early hour there are few obstacles to hamper your escape as you ride headlong through the twisting streets of Tharro.
It is not until you reach the town's north gate that you rein in your horse to a halt.
A blue flame burns at the tip of the creature's staff. It flares and forms into a ball of pulsating energy. The Helghast shrieks with malicious glee as it whirls the staff once around its head, sending the screaming ball of blue fire towards your chest.
If you choose to dive to the floor to avoid the flaming missile,
turn to 27
.
If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 39
.
If you wish to attempt to deflect the fireball by striking it with your weapon,
turn to 258
.
The track winds through the centre of the valley, following the course of a stream that meanders towards the River Phoen. It flows alongside a white-brick house, turning its waterwheel with a comforting, regular sound. As you ride past the house and over a tiny, hump-backed bridge, a cluster of cottages and an abbey come into view. In the grounds of the abbey a burial is taking place. A circle of monks dressed in hooded brown robes are lowering a coffin into one of several freshly dug graves.
Illustration XII—Monks in hooded brown robes are lowering a coffin into one of several freshly dug graves.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination,
turn to 76
.
If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 221
.
This creature is especially susceptible to psychic attack. Your mental energies pierce its sensitive nerve centre, causing it to crash to the ground in agony. Blinded by the pain, it cannot pursue as you turn and make your escape.
The deadly danger spurs you to a super-human response. Instinctively you pull yourself away from the arrow, your eyes following its flight as if it were travelling at a fraction of its true speed. As the shaft whistles past and disintegrates against the wall, you have already unsheathed your weapon and begun to advance on the bowyer. He stands frozen, his eyes wide with fright and disbelief. You strike him. He parries the blow with your Silver Bow but it spins from his trembling fingers. Hurriedly he draws a sword.
Bourn the Bowyer:
COMBAT SKILL
19
ENDURANCE
24
Due to the swiftness of your attack, ignore any
ENDURANCE
point losses you sustain during the first round of combat only.
If you win the combat,
turn to 87
.
The creature's sucker-like hands seal themselves around your waist as you fight to unsheathe a weapon.
Xlorg:
COMBAT SKILL
22
ENDURANCE
30
Owing to the surprise of its attack you must fight unarmed for the first two rounds of combat.
If you win the combat,
turn to 313
.
The man springs to his feet and unhooks an axe from his belt in readiness for combat. He wears a knee-length surcoat of scarlet cloth over a suit of heavy chainmail, and upon his chest is emblazoned a crest depicting a castle and an open hand. Paido hesitates, not from fear of his opponent, but because he has suddenly recognized the uniform of a soldier of the Tharro garrison.
‘There'll be no fightin' on board my barge!’ booms the angry voice of the captain. ‘Sheathe y'weapons or I'll shine some daylight through yer gizzards!’
The captain stands at the foot of the tap-room stairs, a hollow tube of steel clutched in his hoary hands. Most of the passengers now have their fingers jammed in their ears in case he should fire his primitive-but-deadly Bor musket. Paido lowers his sword and apologizes for his rashness. He offers the soldier an ale and the man accepts — but on one condition — that it is not a mug of Ferina Nog!
The creature emits a shrill noise as its shell implodes with tremendous force, drawing a swirl of dust and air into its rotten core. At once the tendril falls limp and all feeling returns to your body. Dazed and shaken by the ordeal you stagger away from the hole as the foul stench of the creature's ichor taints the air.
The stench of scorched fur hangs heavily in the tap-room, a reminder of the ghastly spiders. The smell turns your stomach, and you motion to Paido to follow as you go up on deck to watch the bargees dispose of the bodies. Contemptuously they weight Kezoor's corpse with bricks and hurl it over the side, but Trost they lay in an oaken chest and the captain leads your fellow passengers in prayer as it is lowered respectfully into the Phoen.
The heavy rain and the burial have delayed the journey. The bargees try to make up lost time by whipping the ghorkas, but to no avail. The muddy towpath and their waterlogged fur prevent them from pulling any faster. It is mid-afternoon by the time the barge arrives at the next stopping place — Ferry House. A ramshackle building is perched precariously on the edge of the river bank, and an old wooden jetty juts out from the side, its empty platform almost submerged by the swollen river. Two plains farmers disembark here. You hear them talking excitedly about the events they have witnessed, their voices gradually fading as the barge moves forward again.
