The Jungle of Horrors (22 page)

Waiting until the last possible moment, you release your Arrow, sending it burrowing deep into the creature's eye. It roars with pain, its legs scrabbling the mud as it sways and then crashes down with a mighty splash. You do not wait to see if your shot proved fatal but shoulder your Bow immediately and follow Paido as he picks up the signal from the temple's spire.

Turn to 129
.

A sudden chill makes you shiver (lose 3
ENDURANCE
points). ‘Are you all right?’ asks Paido. ‘Perhaps we should go below and shelter from this filthy storm.’ You answer with a nod and follow him down the taproom stairs to the welcoming warmth of the hold. The soldier Trost greets you on your return but you fail to notice him — you are too busy scanning the hold for the stranger. You see him, seated alone in a shadowy corner opposite your table, quietly reading his black book.

Turn to 166
.

Your Kai sense detects a pocket of marsh gas further along the south spur. Your Magnakai Discipline would protect you from it, but Paido would be vulnerable to its harmful effects.

If you choose to continue along the south spur,
turn to 123
.

If you decide to take the west spur,
turn to 105
.

To the left of the main door you notice three symbols engraved in the speckled blue stone: a bed, a horse, and a loaf of bread. You recognize their significance, for you have seen similar markings on hostels and monasteries during your travels in the east. By displaying these symbols the monks of this temple offer travellers a meal, stabling for their horses, and a bed for the night.

If you wish to take advantage of this offer,
turn to 78
.

If you choose not to stay here overnight, you can investigate the watchtower by
turning to 14
.

You lift Paido across your shoulders once more and return to the rear of the hall to investigate the locked door. As you pass the pulpit your Sixth Sense is aroused by the feeling that this podium is not all that it seems. Curiosity conquers caution and you stop to examine it more closely.

Turn to 96
.

‘I wish to see Tadia,’ you say, bowing politely so as not to appear threatening to the frail old crone. ‘Are you the fair lady I seek?’

A smile crumples her face and a blush, like an angry bruise, discolours her leathery cheeks. ‘I am her mother,’ she says coyly. ‘What is it you wish to see her about?’

Before you can answer, a young woman's voice calls from inside the house, ‘Show them in, mother. I've been expecting them.’

The old woman leads you and Paido to a room at the top of the stairs. Books and charts, stacked high on shelves and scattered about the floor, fill the room which is illuminated by daylight streaming through a domed portal in the ceiling. A massive bronze telescope is fixed to the portal and below it rests a circular table of carved bone set with gems. Seated at the table is a beautiful young woman. Her hair is silken gold, and around her high, pale forehead she wears a circlet of jet inlaid with runes and mystic symbols.

Illustration XIX
—Tadia wears a circlet of jet inlaid with runes and mystic symbols.

Turn to 42
.

A full moon and a cloudless sky make your passage along this secret path much easier. It follows a tortuous route through the tall plants, around mossy mounds full of crawling insects, past the dark entrances to underground warrens, and skirts the fringe of a thicket of trees. Paido halts and crouches down, ignoring the bloated spiders that scuttle around his knees, and points through a gap in the trees to a settlement of crudely made huts. Dark shapes move between them, human once, but far from human now. ‘Ghagrim,’ whispers Paido, with fear in his voice. ‘The man-beasts of the Danarg.’

In the distant past the Ghagrim were a gentle, primitive folk, who lived as one with the animals and the birds, cared for by the Elder Magi in their jungle paradise. But the Danarg has changed and so too have the Ghagrim, poisoned by the evil that conquered the land.

If you wish to approach the huts,
turn to 172
.

If you choose to avoid the Ghagrim and continue along the secret track,
turn to 229
.

You unhook a flask of water attached to Paido's belt, tip your healing potion into it, and shake it vigorously. Carefully you tilt back Paido's head and pour the mixture into his mouth, a drop at a time: in his comatose state he is unable to cough and it would be easy to fill his lungs by accident. It is a slow and painstaking process, which takes hours to complete.

It is dawn of the following day before you know for sure if you have saved his life.

Turn to 103
.

Night is closing in and the shops that line the narrow street are shutting their doors. Lanterns flare into life, their yellow glow warming the chill west wind as the townsfolk return to their homes at the end of another day's trading. But there is one shop where the doors remain open. The sign hanging from its balcony reads:

If you wish to enter the shop,
turn to 147
.

If you prefer to continue along the street,
turn to 204
.

The slimy stench of the creature drives your horse wild with fear, forcing you to dismount and advance along the tree-bridge to meet it. Suddenly there is a fearful cry as your panic-stricken horse careers backwards into Paido's mount. He fights to keep control of his own frightened horse but the panic is infectious and, with a crack of splintering wood, their stamping hooves split the edge of the tree-bridge. You watch with horror as both horses fall headlong into the watery abyss. Paido leaps from his mount as it falls, grabbing hold of the edge of the splintered wood, but it is wet and you can see his fingers slipping. Instinctively you move to save him, but the stinging lash of a clawed paw reminds you of the creature you must face first.

Anapheg:
COMBAT SKILL
 18   
ENDURANCE
 50

This creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 2 points for the duration of the combat, for the creature is also attacking you with the power of its mind.

If you win the combat,
turn to 197
.

The hiss of the crossbow bolt surges in your ear as it passes within inches of your skull. Paido leaps to his feet, his jaw agape at the speed with which you reacted to the deadly missile. He shakes his head in disbelief and draws a dagger from his sleeve, hurling it at the dwarf in one fluid movement. It sinks into his black beard and sends him tumbling backwards. He reappears for an instant, trying desperately to dislodge the blade buried deep in his throat with his fingers, but he has suffered a fatal wound. He gurgles his death-cry and drops to the floor, his flailing arms bringing down a shelf full of bottles.

Turn to 70
.

A full moon bathes the island in its ashen rays, maintaining perpetual twilight. The trail enters a dense thicket of trees, and you can see that it leads to a settlement of crudely made huts. Dark shapes move between them, human once, but far from human now.

‘Ghagrim,’ says Paido softly but with fear in his voice, ‘the man-beasts of the Danarg. Come, let's get away from here while we still can.’

Turn to 272
.

The stew tastes as good as it smells, and you both make short work of your meal. The monks smile and nod their heads approvingly. ‘Come, the dean wishes to see you before you retire,’ says one, motioning you to follow as they leave the refectory.

The dean's chamber is a domed, hexagonal room hung with tapestries depicting strange and grotesque creatures. Numerous plinths stand upon the richly carpeted floor, each supporting large bowls filled to the brim with a silvery liquid. A gust of air disturbs the tapestry on the far wall. Seconds later it is moved aside to reveal an elderly man in a hooded black robe.

‘Have they eaten?’ he asks, his voice strangely cold and monotonal.

‘Yes, master,’ the monks reply with one voice.

‘Good,’ he says, stepping closer. ‘Leave us.’ The monks depart, clicking the door shut behind them. Gradually the light in the chamber grows dimmer.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination,
turn to 343
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 190
.

One of the black crystal cubes lying on the deck suddenly explodes, sending a cloud of crystal shards screaming through the air. You are hit in the leg by this shrapnel — lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

With horror you realize that if one of these deadly cubes should puncture the Levitron's pressure tank, the skyship will be torn to pieces in the resulting explosion.

If you wish to gather up all the remaining crystals and throw them overboard,
turn to 50
.

If you wish to help Paido fight off his Vordak attackers first,
turn to 200
.

‘And finally, for my last puzzle, I offer this beautiful treasure,’ he says, as he draws a small silver box inlaid with pearls from the pocket of his robes. ‘This priceless artefact was stolen from the treasure hoard of Valborg the Enchanter,’ he exclaims.

On hearing this wondrous revelation the tap-room comes alive with excited chatter. You are inclined to disbelieve the tale of the box's origin but, nevertheless, it is a beautiful object and is undoubtedly worth at least 100 Lune, perhaps more.

Silence descends on the hold as all await the Count's final puzzle. ‘When I was last in the market of Garthen,’ the Count begins, ‘I asked an egg trader how many eggs he had sold that day. He replied: “My first customer said that he would buy half my eggs and half an egg more. My second and third customers said exactly the same thing. When I had filled all three orders I was completely sold out of eggs and yet I hadn't broken a single egg all day.” How many eggs had the egg trader sold in all?’

If you can answer the egg riddle,
turn to the entry number
that is the same number as the answer.
¹³

If you cannot answer the riddle,
turn to 133
.

They snicker with malice as you approach slowly, your weapon held in readiness in case they attack. The smell of the marsh gas ties a knot in your stomach as you move deeper into the cloud. Paido halts; he can go no further. He drops to his knees and is violently sick. The creatures make a sound like laughter and slink forward to meet you in combat.

Rahgu:
COMBAT SKILL
 23   
ENDURANCE
 33

These creatures are immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge. Unless you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus and have reached the rank of Primate, deduct 8 points from your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of the fight, due to the insidious effect of the marsh gas.

You may evade after three rounds of combat;
turn to 48
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 344
.

The door is unlocked. You flick the latch with the toe of your boot and enter a gloomy passage that descends to a cellar. Casks of ale and dusty bottles of vintage wine fill the cubby-holed walls as far as your eye can see. Thick, vaulted columns support the ceiling, and the air is sweet with the smell of burning tallow.

You kneel and rest Paido against the cellar wall while you examine the glass vial you found in the kitchen. Your fears and suspicions are immediately confirmed — it contains poison. The clear, sticky fluid is sap from the gnadurn tree, a substance frequently used by assassins because of its lack of flavour or scent. The monks must have put some of this poison in the stew that Paido unwittingly consumed. The sap is deadly and you must act swiftly if you are to save his life.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing,
turn to 320
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 261
.

You sense that the innkeeper is hiding behind the bar with a loaded crossbow in his hands, just waiting for the chance to fire.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 215
.

If you wish to hurl a Fireseed over the counter,
turn to 33
.

If you wish to shout a warning to Paido,
turn to 176
.