Mydnight's Hero (36 page)
You climb out of the chamber and slam the trapdoor shut. Then, using your Kai Weapon, you cleave the iron ring from the stone so that the trapdoor cannot easily be opened. Karvas is having difficulty staying awake and you volunteer to sit the first watch so that he can rest. You spend your watch listening to the rain beating on the slate roof and the desolate sound of the wind whistling through the mountains. When Karvas takes over, you pull your warm cloak close around your shoulders and settle down on the floor to sleep. Karvas wakes you shortly after daybreak. You have slept for only three hours yet you open your eyes feeling refreshed and alert (you may restore 3
ENDURANCE
points).
Before you leave the hut and resume your journey along the trail, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points (unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery).
To continue,
turn to 292
.
Karvas suggests that you use the rope he found in the dungeon cell below. Taking one end, you tie a slip knot and make it into a lasso. Then you cast the loop of rope at the lever it the hope of catching it and pulling it down. Your aim is true. Yet, upon the instant that the rope touches the lever there is a tremendous flash of yellow light, and a searing wave of energy hits you in the chest and knocks you backwards down the stairs.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If the number you have picked is even (i.e. 0, 2, 4, 6, 8), deduct 1
ENDURANCE
point from your current total. If the number is odd (i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9), deduct 3
ENDURANCE
points.
To continue,
turn to 69
.
You pass the hours before daybreak in a restless, semi-conscious state. You cannot sleep properly for your mind is tormented by the gnawing fear that your mission has come to an early and tragic end. You rise before dawn and try to overcome your melancholic mood by tending to the three wounded crew members. Through the use of your Magnakai Curing skills you are able to accelerate their own natural healing processes so that, when daybreak finally arrives, they are no longer incapacitated by the injuries they received in the crash.
As the grey morning light filters down through the canopy of the forest, it reveals a corridor of smashed and flattened trees lying in the wake of the crippled
Starstrider
. Acraban and his bo'sun make a lengthy inspection of the craft and then report their findings.
‘The glad news is that she's repairable,’ pipes Bo'sun Gora, confidently. ‘She looks bad but her engine's as sound as a bell. We've the materials and tools aboard to fix 'er stabilizers, and there's mor'n enough timber 'round here to patch up the decks and hull.’ Acraban nods his agreement yet, unlike his bo'sun, his face remains dour.
‘Aye, she'll fly again,’ confirms Acraban, ‘but it'll take us close to a month to craft the parts we need to repair the stabilizers.’ He turns to Prince Karvas and says: ‘Alas, my lord, by then it will be too late to reach Seroa in time for your crowning.’
‘What if we were to seek aid from the craftsmen of Bakhasa?’ you say, knowing by instinct and a brief study of your
map
that this city can be no further than 100 miles away to the east. ‘Could the repairs be made any sooner with their help?’
‘Expect no help from that quarter,’ replies Karvas, coolly. ‘During my time in Mydnight I heard many stories about Bakhasa and its ruler — the Imperial Autarch Sejanoz. They were all chilling tales. They say it's a cruel and evil place — a city without a soul where human life counts for little. If you wish to live to see your homeland again, Master Acraban, you should not seek the help of the Bakhasians. Better by far to keep your work hidden from their eyes.’
‘But, my lord,’ replies Acraban, ‘what of your kingdom? Are you prepared to surrender your birthright to Baron Sadanzo?’
‘No, never!’ retorts Karvas, suddenly angered by the wizard's suggestion. ‘There are twenty-one days yet before the feast of Harvestmas. With the blessing of the gods, I vow I shall be in Seroa on that day to claim my ascendance.’
The Prince proposes to set off for Seroa on foot. He says that he will go alone and that you should stay here to help Acraban restore the
Starstrider
, returning with him to Sommerlund once the repairs are complete. Politely you refuse his proposal. You have vowed to Lone Wolf that you will carry out your mission and, despite adversity, you will not abandon your duty. It is a matter of Kai honour that you should escort him to Seroa.
When consciousness returns and you prise open your eyes, to your dismay you discover that you are lying upon the straw-covered floor of a prison cell. Prince Karvas is lying unconscious at your feet. Carefully you raise his head and, by the use of your innate Kai healing skills, you are able to coax him back to full consciousness.
Through the bars of a high cell window you can see that night has fallen. The noise of raucous celebration is being carried on the evening breeze, and it is a sound that strikes a chill into your heart, for it tells you that your mission has failed. Sadanzo has been crowned King of Siyen, and in every tavern throughout this capital his robber knights are celebrating their leader's rise to power.
The iron door clangs as its bolt is pulled. It creaks open and a grim-faced gaoler throws your Weapons and equipment into the cell. ‘You're free to go,’ he growls, ‘not that you're likely to be free for long now that Sadanzo rules the roost.’ The gaoler turns you and Karvas out onto the street, and as you walk dejectedly away from the gaol, you witness a band of Sadanzo's robber knights looting houses and shops. They pillage the homes and livelihoods of the innocent in defiance of the city guard who are now powerless to stop them.
The sight makes Prince Karvas' blood boil and he resolves to do something about it. ‘Come, Grand Master,’ he says, excitedly. ‘We may still have one chance left to triumph over Sadanzo. We must seek out Phedros — the Marshal of the Realm.’
Confident in your natural agility, you descend the rough stone wall until you are able to lower the buckle-end of your belt to within reach of the Prince's free hand. The instant he grabs the buckle, you assist him to climb back to the surface. Gasping for breath, you drag yourselves over the lip of the cavity and collapse onto the cold stone floor of the hall. When Karvas reaches over to shake you by the hand, you happen by chance to notice that he has a crescent-shaped birthmark on his right wrist. Between gasps of breath, he thanks you earnestly for your timely help. Had you not acted when you did he feels certain that he would have lost his grip and fallen into the raging river.
It is only later, when you are re-threading your belt through the loops in your tunic, that you discover you have lost one item from your Backpack. It fell out during the rescue and was carried away by the underground river. You may erase any one item of your choice from your
list of Backpack Items
.
To continue,
turn to 200
.
You queue for over three hours before eventually you reach the clerk's window. When you ask the mousey-looking man if he knows where you can find Prince Karvas of Siyen he shakes his head. Irritably he stabs an ink-stained finger in the direction of the reeve-sergeant's table, over on the far side of the hall.
‘You should ask Sergeant Hozla that question. I only change money here. If you have nothing to exchange then move on and let the next man step forward to the window.’
If you wish to take the clerk's advice, you may join the queue for the reeve-sergeant's table by
turning to 127
.
If you choose to exchange some of your Gold Crowns for Torqs, the linen currency of Sheasu,
turn instead to 74
.
You call upon your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen to protect your mind from this psychic attack. The pain in your head lessens, yet your protection does not extend to Prince Karvas who is now on the verge of unconsciousness. You sense that a psychic assault this powerful, and at such close quarters, could permanently paralyse or kill him outright within a matter of seconds.
If you possess Bardsmanship and a Flute and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Sentinel,
turn to 81
.
If you possess Kai-surge and wish to use it,
turn to 344
.
If you do not possess these skills, or if you have yet to attain the required level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 25
.
Using the Brotherhood Spell
Levitation
you rise effortlessly to the top of the wall. You then counter the effects of the spell and step between the spikes. You are getting ready to leap down into the training field that lies beyond the wall when suddenly you see a guard standing directly below you. Instinctively you leap onto his back and force him to the ground. He tries to shout out but a swift blow to the base of his skull renders him unconscious before his cry has left his lips. Immediately you scan the perimeter of the field and the buildings beyond in case you have been seen, but there appears to be no other guards on duty.
If you wish to search the guard's pockets,
turn to 246
.
If you do not,
turn to 16
.
Quickly you intone the words of the Old Kingdom Battle-spell
Shield
and circle your right hand behind your head. The spell materialises barely a second before a speeding crossbow bolt hits it and is deflected away from your back. Its buckled tip trails a line of sparks as it skims across the flagstones and embeds itself in the courtyard wall.
The searing flash of the lightning strike burns the skin on your face and hands (lose 4
ENDURANCE
points), and leaves you blinded for a few fearful minutes. When your vision returns, you muster all of your Kai senses and focus them on the narrow strip of land which separates the fissures. Bolts of searing energy leap out of these chasms and soar past the skyship on either side to explode with thunderous cacophony among the roiling clouds. The crew cower with terror, but you maintain your nerve and let your Kai skills take full control of the wheel. After several nerve-racking miles the fissures eventually taper off and then disappear completely.
As the
Starstrider
emerges from the gauntlet of deadly white fire, the crew gives a loud cheer in appreciation of your skilful helmsmanship. Gladly you acknowledge their praise, but you keep a grip on the helm for your Kai senses are screaming a warning that the danger is not yet over.
You are stunned by the shock of impact upon hitting the water and unable to avoid Prince Karvas and his horse when they come crashing down on you from above. The collision knocks you unconscious and your arms become entangled with your horse's reins. As he is drawn under by the strong current, you are dragged with him to your doom at the bottom of this deep river. Death is mercifully swift.
Tragically, your life and your mission end here in the murky depths of the River Ioma.
You are woken at daybreak by the rattling sound of heavy chains and the mechanical thumping and buzzing of a steam-driven sawmill. The fearful noise is almost deafening, yet it fails to awaken Karvas who is sleeping deeply after yesterday's tiring trek. You let him sleep on for another hour before you are forced to awaken him. A trio of rugged timber workers have arrived in an ox-drawn wagon to collect logs for transportation to the river barges. Unfortunately, they have decided to take the logs behind which you are hiding. As they busy themselves fixing hooks and chains, you and Karvas slip aboard their wagon and cover yourselves with a tarpaulin. Once the loading is complete, the men take their seats at the front of the wagon and set off for the river.
Through a rent in the oily canvas sheet you watch the drab houses and streets of Bakhasa filing past. The wagon slows as it approaches the city's main bridge, and then it comes to an unexpected halt. A black-clad guardsman appears and you hear him say to the driver that he wants to inspect his cargo. The driver argues with the guard, insisting that he be allowed to continue on his way. Fearing that you may be detected if the guard prevails, you and Karvas slip away from the wagon and hurry into the ruins of a warehouse close by.
From the cover of this derelict warehouse you watch the soldiers and citizens of Bakhasa going about their daily business. Only twenty days remain before Harvestmas, and as the hours tick by, you become uncomfortably aware that time is running out. With 1,200 miles yet to cover, you know that the success or failure of your mission now hinges on your being able to find some sturdy horses. Throughout the long day you observe the traffic of people who are using the surrounding streets, yet rarely do you see any on horseback.
On the north side of the warehouse there stands a domed building with an adjoining bell-tower. As dusk approaches, you propose to Karvas that you should try to reach the top of this tower. Using your keen sight you will get a better view of the city from there and, with luck, you may be able to locate the nearest stables. The Prince agrees to your plan. He will remain here in the warehouse while you attempt to gain access to the bell-tower. Night is closing and, as you wait for the streets to empty, you study the building opposite and determine two ways by which you may enter its tower: by a side door at street level, or by an open window in the second storey of the tower.
If you wish to try to enter the building by the side door,
turn to 154
.
If you choose instead to attempt to climb the tower wall and enter through the open window,
turn to 271
.