Vampirium (26 page)
You unsheathe your Axe and strike the boulder a mighty blow that shatters the rock and frees your trapped foot. You fall to the base of the ravine, but your natural agility enables you to twist in mid-air and land safely on your feet without further injury.
Quickly you ascend the steep gully wall and retrieve the steel tube. You tuck it into your belt and then climb back to the top of the ravine before you stop to examine what the tube contains.
Your Arrow strikes the cannon's pressure cylinder, but it fails to penetrate the thick iron skin and it ricochets away. Your failed attempt to destroy the cannon betrays your presence, and a handful of the Bhanarians leave the fight at the archway and come running towards the antechamber with their swords and axes raised to strike.
You shoulder your Bow and offer up a short prayer to Ishir to protect you as you get ready to meet their determined attack. With your battle-cry upon your lips, you pull open the door and flail your Kai Weapon at the first Bhanarian who comes within striking distance.
Bhanarian Guards:
COMBAT SKILL
37
ENDURANCE
40
If you win this combat,
turn to 144
.
‘Come, brave rangers. We must pursue the enemy without delay,’ you plead, in an effort to rally your exhausted companions. ‘They must not be allowed to steal away the Claw.’
‘Hold, Sir Kai,’ retorts Captain Gildas. ‘The enemy is too strong. They outnumber us, and they possess a weapon that can slay us all but with one bolt. Do you not recall what happened at Sunderer Pass? I have lost one good man already. I have no desire to risk any more in a reckless pursuit.’
‘Are you breaking your vow to help me, captain?’ you ask, reproachfully.
‘No, Sir Kai,’ he retorts. ‘My vow remains true. I simply propose we pursue the enemy at a safe distance. They may run with the Claw of Naar, but they cannot keep it from us forever. The tracker-gem that I've placed in the haft will always lead us to it, no matter where it may be hidden.’
‘You are right, Captain,’ you reply, apologetically. ‘Firstly we shall rest and recover our strength. Then we shall hunt down our enemy and reclaim that accursed artefact before they can deliver it to Autarch Sejanoz.’
Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
To continue,
turn to 201
.
You quickly recover from the shock of your watery encounter, and you strike out with renewed vigour for the opposite bank. Upon reaching the far side, you tie the rope around a sturdy tree trunk and signal to the rangers to begin crossing. All three cross the river safely, and together you approach Zuda under cover of darkness.
The road into the town is heavily patrolled by Bhanarian soldiers. When you nearly collide with one of these patrols, you are forced to seek cover in an empty woodcutter's hut.
To continue,
turn to 3
.
You halt beside the wrecked wagon and use your Animal Mastery to converse with the belligerent bird. To your surprise, you discover that the crow is not angry at all — he is trying to warn you. You learn that the forest is dominated by an evil shape-changer that feeds on human blood. The bird tells you that it has claimed many victims, including the poor souls who once ventured here long ago in this wagon. You are about to ask the crow where this shape-changer can be found, but something disturbs him. He takes fright and quickly flies away.
If you wish to turn back towards the north and leave the forest,
go to 91
.
If you decide to continue southwards along the trail,
turn to 170
.
You utter the words of the Old Kingdom Spell
Invisible Fist
and project your clenched right hand towards the closest of the onrushing creatures.
The power of your spell hits the beast squarely in the chest and sends it somersaulting sideways, out of control. With a sickening
thud
, it impacts against the rocky wall of the mountain pass and disappears from view.
To continue,
turn to 18
.
You thread your way through the crush of soldiers and enter the barracks unchallenged. The raised hoods of your robes keep your faces in shadow, and the guards fail to recognize that you are not native Bhanarians.
Beyond the entrance is a courtyard where several wagons, filled with provisions, are being unloaded. You and your companions each take a box from the rear of the nearest wagon and join a line of men who are delivering their goods to a kitchen store room located near the middle of the barracks complex. You leave your boxes here and then return to the courtyard to collect some more. As you are making your way back, you pass a door that your Kai senses tell you is unlocked. Quickly you slip inside and then signal to the rangers to follow. When all of you are safely inside, you shut the door and draw its bolt.
By the combined use of your
map
and your Grand Master Discipline of Astrology, you are able to determine that the ruins lie 75 miles due north of Yua Tzhan. If you can maintain a steady pace throughout the day, you feel confident that you can reach the city by nightfall.
To continue,
turn to 232
.
You call upon your improved Kai Mastery to conjure up a mist beneath the first arch of the bridge. Made eerie by the light of the torches that the soldiers are carrying, the sudden appearance of this mist startles the soldiers on the river bank. Fearing that a monster is set to rise up and consume the bridge with its fiery breath, they turn tail and flee in panic from the water's edge.
Above the narrowest section of the mountain pass, the rangers have rigged a great wooden platform heaped with boulders and rocks. A length of rope has been tied to a prop which supports this platform, and it trails back to a hiding place overlooking the pass. ‘One pull on this rope,’ says Sergeant Paviz, flashing a wicked grin, ‘and the whole lot'll come tumblin' down on their heads!’
Captain Gildas tells you that the enemy squad is expected to traverse the pass before nightfall. He posts Ranger Durasso as lookout atop a high peak, and while you wait for the enemy to show, you pass the time in conversation with the captain.
Slowly the sun sets beyond the western horizon and a blanket of cloud rolls across the sky from the north, bringing with it a chill night wind. Then you hear Durasso whistling: it is the signal that the enemy have been sighted. Quickly you look down into the pass below and notice a group of dark figures moving along the mountain track.
If you possess Grand Huntmastery or Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 318
.
If you have neither of these Grand Master Disciplines,
turn instead to 112
.
Cautiously you continue your approach towards the enemy encampment. Upon reaching the edge of the copse, you catch sight of the Imperial Guards gathered around a campfire. They are eating the remnants of a roasted fanji, and their horses are tethered by silken ropes to the bough of a chestnut tree some distance away from the crackling fire. A few of the warriors are already asleep, including their leader. You observe him carefully and your Kai Sixth Sense tells you that the Claw of Naar is wrapped in the blanket roll he is using as a pillow. Having committed the details of the encampment to memory, you signal to Captain Gildas to follow as silently you slip away and return to your waiting companions.
Illustration XX—Imperial Guards gathered around their campfire.
You hear the musket's loud report, and then a blinding white light obliterates your vision. A terrifying numbness spreads rapidly from your neck to the soles of your feet, and you feel yourself tumbling forwards into a fathomless abyss.
The lead ball from the guard's musket has pierced the back of your skull and penetrated your brain. Mercifully, your death is swift and painless.
Sadly, your life and your mission end here in the barracks of Yua Tzhan.
The woman launches a bolt of psychic energy that lances your mind and fills your head with a fiery, agonizing pain: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
Fortunately, your mental defences knit together to repair the damage you have sustained from this opportunistic attack, and the pain in your head quickly recedes.
To continue,
turn to 236
.
Your refusal angers the Autarch.
You sense a sudden surge of psychic power, and you brace your mental defences in preparation to meet an expected attack. The Autarch launches a stream of psychic pulses but they are not directed at you; Captain Gildas is the target.
Gildas shudders as the pulses impact deep in his mind. His eyes open widely, but his pupils rise to the ceiling. He is in a trance. He draws his sword and, like a mindless automaton, he swings around and comes marching stiffly towards you. You shout his name repeatedly, but all he can hear are the Autarch's psychic commands to attack and slay you with his sword.
At first his blows are clumsy and easy to dodge, but the speed of his movements increases until you are backed against the chamber wall with nowhere to go. You have no desire to fight Gildas, but he will slay you unwittingly if you do not defend yourself from his relentless blows.
Captain Gildas
(Psychically possessed)
:
COMBAT SKILL
48
ENDURANCE
40
Conduct this combat as normal. All blows that you land upon Gildas are with the flat of your blade. You are attempting to subdue him, not kill him. He is immune to all psychic attacks.
If you win this combat,
turn to 117
.
As the flying creature disappears over the lip of the ravine, you wrench your foot free from the cleft in the boulder. Instantly, you fall towards the base of the steep gully, but your natural agility enables you to twist in mid-air and land safely on your feet without sustaining any further injuries.
You quickly ascend the steeply-sloping wall and retrieve the steel tube from the slate outcrop. You tuck it into your belt, and then you climb back to the top of the ravine where you pause to examine what the tube contains.
Your Kai Sixth Sense warns you that the one-eyed man and his cohorts are waiting outside in the main square. They are determined to ambush you and your companions the moment you step from the inn. Wary of their intentions, you ask the innkeeper if there is another exit from the taproom and he points to a curtained archway. It conceals a door which opens on to an alleyway running alongside the inn. You leave by this door and walk to the end of the alley, taking care to avoid the main square. Your mind is now focused upon the task of finding and retrieving the Claw of Naar before Autarch Sejanoz arrives, and when you consult your Siyenese Compass, you set off in the direction it indicates. It leads you towards the Military Quarter of the city, located on the east side of the main square. You follow an avenue lined with closed shop doorways, and soon you arrive at a busy barracks. The Siyenese Compass and your Kai Sixth Sense both tell you that the Claw of Naar is located somewhere inside this troop-infested building.
If you wish to try to find a way to enter the barracks undetected,
turn to 81
.
If you decide to observe this building from the cover of an unlit doorway,
turn to 242
.