Voyage of the Moonstone (7 page)

You give voice to your battle-cry — ‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’ — as you leap fearlessly from the rear deck into the midst of the enemy horde. You slay three of the armoured warriors with the first sweep of your weapon, and cleave the sword arm from the body of another with your backstroke. Noise, death, and confusion press in on all sides, yet you remain ice cool in the heat of this fierce deck battle. A turbaned warrior with mad, glinting eyes hurls himself at you. He whirls his axe above his head to split your skull, but before he can land his blow, you leap into the air and send him cartwheeling backwards with a mighty kick to his chest. The moment your feet return to the blood-slick deck, you spring forward once more like a charging lion and whirl your weapon like a scythe before you. Its blade becomes a deadly blur as you cut a devastating path through the raiders' serried ranks. You have fought your way to within a dozen paces of Sergeant Dryan when suddenly the enemy launch a desperate counterattack in an effort to halt your inexorable advance.

Shadakine Raiders:
COMBAT SKILL
 36   
ENDURANCE
 40

You may evade this combat after three rounds by
turning to 13
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 97
.

You use your Discipline to will the spider to return to its nest. The arachnid obeys your mental command and scurries away to disappear through a crack in the uneven bamboo floor. Your close encounter with this potentially deadly spider plays on your mind and you find it impossible to go back to sleep (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points due to fatigue).

At first light you gather together your equipment and go down to the paddock to collect your horse. The hostel-keeper waves farewell from the kitchen window as you mount your horse and ride away across the courtyard.

Turn to 314
.

The leader of the troupe says nothing, yet the crestfallen look on his face is enough to tell you that you have answered his riddle correctly.
⁹
Your fellow passengers cheer and applaud your display of mental dexterity as you walk to the barrel to collect your prize of 10 Gold Crowns. (If you already possess the maximum number of Gold Crowns permissible, you share the coins out generously among those passengers who are travelling in your carriage.)

The show continues, but you are feeling tired and so you return to the empty passenger wagon. Before you pull your cloak around yourself and settle down to sleep, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points (unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery).

To continue,
turn to 290
.

As you ride across the firm sandy beach towards the excited crowd you see that they are gathered around the carcass of a whale. These poor villagers are celebrating their unexpected good fortune for this whale will provide them with food for a month, and enough oil to fuel their lamps until winter. A cheerful-looking old man hails you with his walking stick and you slow your horse to a halt.

‘You be bound for Bir Rabalou, good sirs?’ he asks. ‘ 'Cause if you is, then you'd do well to heed my advice.’

‘And what advice would that be?’ replies Ernan. The old man gives him a thin smile and then hobbles nearer to your horse. He does not say anything; he simply holds out his hand in the hope that you will pay him something for his advice.

If you wish to give this old man 1 Gold Crown,
turn to 219
.

If you choose not to give him anything,
turn to 313
.

Your basic Kai senses reveal to you that there is nothing evil nor hostile outside in the corridor, yet the fact that someone is knocking on your door at this late hour makes you feel a little anxious. You reach for your weapon belt and buckle it on before you move cautiously to open the door.

Turn to 116
.

Your Kai healing skills slowly neutralize the snake's deadly venom, yet as they do battle with the toxins in your blood, so your body is racked by agonizing convulsions: lose 8
ENDURANCE
points.

Fearing the worst, Oriah and the others gather around your trembling body and do what they can to make your last few moments of life as comfortable as possible. When suddenly you begin to recover they can hardly believe their eyes, for it is well known that the bite of a Jubai will kill its victim within one minute. Your companions are open-mouthed with shock when you stop trembling and sit up as if you are waking from nothing more than a troubled dream.

Turn to 90
.

You are shocked to see the attacking ship has a large cannon mounted on its prow. Moments after the pirates fire their gun, you hear the whistle of a heavy cannonball as it hurtles towards the deck of
The Pride of Sommerlund
. It rips through the gunwale a few feet from where you are standing and, as you dive to avoid it, you are hit in the legs by splinters of wood (lose 1
ENDURANCE
point).

Fortunately, the rest of the crew escape injury and damage to the ship is minimal. Sergeant Dryan commands his men to return fire and a volley of shots from the three swivel guns slams into the bow of the pirate ship with devastating effect. Two shots penetrate below the waterline and the third severs the bowsprit. As it falls into the ocean, it rips away sail and rigging which drag more than a dozen pirates overboard. In disarray, the enemy vessel veers from its collision course and founders in the wake of
The Pride of Sommerlund
as it enters the Bukimi Channel. Here your ship picks up a prevailing wind which propels it away from the second pirate raider. Soon both ships have disappeared and, when Raker is sure that the danger has passed, he warmly praises both the marines and his crew for the skill and courage they have displayed.

Later, as the ship navigates the narrow strait dividing the two Lakuri islands, you pass within a few hundred yards of the fire-blackened ruins of a beach settlement which nestles in a bay, overshadowed on three sides by cliffs. This is Kita Cove, formerly a secret base from where Captain Khadro launched his pirate fleet. As you stare at the charred remnants of the pirate settlement, you try to imagine what it must have looked like before the encampment was consumed by a tremendous fireball that sealed its doom. Suddenly, your daydreaming is interrupted when you see something moving among the ruins.

If you possess Kai-alchemy,
turn to 158
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 247
.

Upon hearing the news that you have slain the Deathstalker, the mayor of Hikas summons you to his Grand Hall in the city's north quarter. Proudly the Vakeros lieutenant and his militia escort you across the city and during your march you receive the adulation of the grateful populace. The mayor hails you as the saviour of Hikas and he bestows upon you the freedom of the city. He decrees that the plaza, where the remains of the Deathstalker were destroyed, shall from this day forward be named after you in perpetual honour of your brave and gallant deed.

You are invited to stay at the Grand Hall and feast with the mayor and the other dignitaries of the city. You accept the invitation and enjoy a sumptuous meal (restore 3
ENDURANCE
points). Early the next morning, the Mayor presents you with a fine white stallion to help speed your journey to Elzian. You thank him for his generosity and, shortly before noon, you ride out through the gates of the Grand Hall, go south along the Avenue of the Sun, and cross the Bridge of Lanterns which spans the city's river. Citizens cheer as you pass through the southern quarter and they alert the guards at the busy south gatehouse so that by the time you arrive there you are able to ride through without delay.

A mile beyond the south gate, the road ascends to a ridge where you stop to look back at Hikas for the last time. It is a warm and windy morning and, as you cast your gaze across the rooftops and towers of the ancient city, the sultry breeze howls like a wild animal. For a few moments you feel a chill in your blood, for the sound reminds you of the Deathstalker's ghastly cry. But then you shake your head and dismiss it. The creature is dead and there are still many miles left for you to travel before your quest is done. You salute the city farewell and set off at a brisk pace along the weatherbeaten road that leads to Gologo.

Turn to 188
.

Despite his best efforts, you manage to stay on your horse and steer him towards the crest of the rockfall. The first boulders are beginning to smash down around you as he carries you valiantly to the top of the mound and gallops over the far side. You are half-blinded by dust, and you fail to see a boulder which hits you in the middle of the back and flattens you against the neck of your horse: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

When you are out of harm's way, you rein in your horse and turn him about so that you can take stock of the damage caused by the second rockfall.

Turn to 11
.

You whisper the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Silence
and instantly the thief's wailing cries cease to echo through the market. The shocked young man clutches at his throat and mouths vile curses at you but no sound emerges from his mouth.

‘Behold!’ you cry, in a loud and imperious tone. ‘The gods have struck this thief dumb for uttering such falsehood 'gainst me!’

Immediately the encircling crowd burst into laughter; they think that the two of you are street actors. One old woman is so amused that she congratulates the dumbstruck thief and then presses 1 Gold Crown into your hand in appreciation of your performance (you may keep this if you wish). The thief seizes this opportunity to escape and turns tail and flees across the square with the laughter of the crowd still echoing in his ears.
¹⁰

Turn to 96
.

A large wooden platform has been erected at the centre of the marketplace upon which twenty men and women are standing side by side with their heads bowed. These poor wretches wear heavy iron manacles which encase their wrists and ankles. Standing behind them are eight hard-faced guards, each with a loop of knotted rope that dangles menacingly from their wrists. The scorching desert sun beats down without mercy upon those in the line, yet if any of them should dare to move but an inch they immediately feel the stinging lash of a rope across their backs.

Over the years you have heard many tales about the slave auctions of Vassagonia, but you had never anticipated that one day you would witness one. This cruel auction fills you with feelings of anger and revulsion as, one by one, the slaves are dragged from the line and sold to the highest bidder. The owner of the slaves is a stout Vassagonian with small piggy eyes and a wart which sits like a ripe brown cherry on the end of his nose. Every time a slave is sold he cackles like a witch when the new owner steps forward to pay the auction price.

You are about to suggest to Oriah that you should leave the square and go back to the horses, when suddenly your Kai senses alert you to danger. Within the crowd there are many pairs of eyes that have been staring avariciously at your beautiful companion. The slave trader has become aware of this and you see him signal to his henchmen. Immediately they enter the crowd and move to encircle you and Oriah. You unsheathe your weapon and command the slaver to call off his men, but he ignores your order. Suddenly the crowd melts away to reveal his six muscular thugs. They are no longer holding knotted ropes; now they hold scimitars and axes with which they slash the air as they advance slowly towards you.

‘Slay him!’ shouts the slaver. ‘Slay the Northlander and bring me the girl!’ You must fight them.

Illustration II
—Six muscular thugs slash the air with scimitars and axes as they advance slowly towards you.

Slave trader's henchmen:
COMBAT SKILL
 33   
ENDURANCE
 36

If you win this combat in four rounds or less,
turn to 289
.

If you win the combat in five rounds or more,
turn to 195
.

To your dismay you discover that there are hundreds of tracks covering these cobblestones, and you cannot be sure which of them belong to the creature that you are chasing. Hurriedly you decide to follow the left alley, but as a precaution you direct the militia to go off along the right alley.

After a few hundred yards the alley opens out into a small square surrounded by private houses. There is only one exit from this square, other than the one by which you entered, and it is barred by a heavy iron gate. Lanterns surrounding the square illuminate the flagstones and you are unable to see any tracks that have been made here within the last hour. Suddenly the ghastly howl shreds the silence of the city once more. You focus your keen Kai senses and detect that it came from somewhere beyond the iron gate. Now you are sure that you have come the wrong way.

If you wish to retrace your steps back to the junction and enter the right alley,
turn to 14
.

If you decide instead to climb over the iron gate,
turn to 233
.