The Buccaneers of Shadaki (6 page)

When first you enter the mists, it seems as if you are no longer sailing upon a sea of water. It becomes a blended sea and sky of deep blue light, without horizon or boundary — a limitless space. Gradually you detect vague shadows passing quickly by, and then distant sounds, like muffled whispers, surging then pulsing away before you can catch the words. Then you see globes of darkness hovering to and fro, and your Kai senses scream a warning that these are invaders, evil intruders in this realm of ghostly mist. They grow in numbers and begin to spiral around your boat, whispering and laughing and babbling all the while. You can feel your boat gradually slowing until it ceases to move at all. Fear grips you when you realise that these mischievous black spheres have the power to hold you prisoner, to keep you from ever reaching the shores of Lorn. Suddenly the vague sounds and voices in your mind begin to crystallize into words that you can understand.

You have proved your physical courage, foolish follower of Kai. But now you must put your mental strength to the test if you wish to find the Isle of Lorn.

The eerie voice laughs and you steel yourself to meet its mental challenge.

How great in number are the Warriors of Nhang?

If you think you know the answer to this challenge,
turn now to the section
which is the same as your answer.
⁹

If you do not know the answer to this challenge,
turn to 303
.

You concentrate on the wall of the hut, at a point directly opposite the guarded door, and then you summon forth the Old Kingdom power-word
Gloar!
The concussion of your spell-word hits the wall and punches a ragged hole through its bamboo timbers. You run at this hole and charge the weakened wall with your shoulder. It cracks and splits open, enabling you to force yourself through the gap and escape.

Turn to 308
.

You fight your way to the surface of the churning sea and gulp a lungful of air. All about you are flailing lumps of debris, foaming bubbles, and treacherous strands of rope and canvas that threaten to entangle your limbs and drag you to your doom. Breathing hard, you fill your lungs and feed oxygen to your blood before diving deep below the flotsam of the dying ship. You surface beyond the debris and swim for the shore, now less than a mile distant.

The waves bring you ashore upon a rocky beach where you crawl for shelter among boulders at the base of a chalk cliff. From here you see the wreck of the
Vargas
come drifting towards the shoreline to be smashed to pieces on the rocks. Gangs of men are pacing the beach, salvaging cargo and slaying any crewman who is washed ashore alive. They are wreckers, and your Kai senses tell you that they are led by an evil magician who possesses great power. You can feel the aura of his presence nearby, high upon the cliffs, and you know that he has been responsible for the wicked destruction of the
Vargas
and its crew.

Using your Kai camouflage skills to keep yourself hidden from the wreckers, you hurry away along the rocky coast. During your escape, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 290
.

You rejoin your companions and hurry with them through the flagstoned streets, retracing your route back to the harbour in the hope of reaching
The Azan
before the night closes in completely. You are within a few hundred yards of the harbour entrance when suddenly a patrol of the city watch come marching around a corner with their spears couched on their chainmailed shoulders. Their officer commands you all to halt and demands that you raise your hands above your heads.

If you wish to do as the officer has ordered,
turn to 228
.

If you decide to make a dash for the harbour,
turn to 330
.

You follow Melchar through a maze of passages which lead all the way back to The Song of the Silver Star tavern, and the young journeyman laughs with sheer relief at having escaped from Wrok's henchmen when finally you enter the sanctuary of the inn's crowded taproom. The innkeeper asks Melchar if his happy mood is due to a win at the derby. He tells him that, thanks to your advice, he did not bet and therefore he did not lose. He also adds the real reason why he is feeling elated and the innkeeper frowns.

‘Wrok's not a man to cross,’ he warns. ‘He's ruthless when it comes to getting even. I think you two had better stay in the attic tonight. Wrok's sure to send his lackeys out a-huntin' for you.’

You heed the innkeeper's warning and spend the night hidden in his attic room. Before dawn breaks you slip out of the tavern by a back door and say farewell to Melchar in the street outside.

‘Captain Leonghi's ship is moored down at the docks,’ he says. ‘It's called
Embassage
. I wish you a swift and safe journey to Nhang, Grand Master. I'll always remember our little adventure at the Caeno Derby and I hope we'll meet again one day when you return to Sommerlund.’

Turn to 244
.

As the last of the thugs exhales his final breath and crashes to the ground, you make a cursory search of their bodies and discover the following items:

• 6 Daggers
  
• 2 Swords
  
• 3 Gold Crowns
  
• 6 Nobles
  

You hurry along the alley and emerge into an open courtyard. Here the women of Masama are selling their wares, spread out upon gaily-decorated market stalls. Unlike at the warehouses and emporia of the quayside, the people who attend this market all appear to be natives of the city. As you pass by one stall you overhear two women talking about a place called Kitaezi. One of them insists that the whole city has been placed under a curse. You are about to turn back and ask them more about this city when suddenly you are approached by a tall woman who is swathed from head to foot in a fine blue robe. Anxiously she asks if you are a healer, and her piercing grey eyes continually dart to the satchel slung over your shoulder. It is as if she knows that you are carrying the Moonstone.

Your Kai Sixth Sense tells you that she means you no harm. You sense that she is greatly troubled and, when you ask what is wrong, she says that her daughter, Harni, is gravely ill. She pleads with you to come and help her and, although you deny that you are a healer, you feel compelled to answer her desperate plea for help.

Turn to 119
.

You take your seats and the croupier deals out five cards to each player. Gregor wins the first round, and the second, and the third. Very soon it becomes apparent that he is quite an expert at Lourdenian Draw. After little more than a dozen rounds of play he has collected over 50 Nobles. For your part, you make use of your Magnakai Disciplines to help you win a more modest sum.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If the number you have picked is odd (i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9), you win 4 Nobles. If the number you have picked is even (i.e. 2, 4, 6, 8, or 0) you win 6 Nobles (1 Noble = 1 Gold Crown).

The other players become disgruntled and one by one they leave the table. Soon there are not enough players to be able to continue, and when no new players come forward the croupier declares the game closed. Grinning like a well fed cat, Gregor pockets his winnings and together you leave the Lucky Horse Inn and continue your walk along the main street. Soon you arrive at the Lourdenian Consulate where a guard at the gate allows you both to enter and wait in its cool, tree-shaded courtyard. A few minutes later you are met by the consul's assistant, a rotund little official called Cheary. He is shocked to hear of the pirate attack, and he urges Gregor to accompany him inside the consulate to make a full written report. He says that it could take several hours, possibly even a day or two, and so you decide that now is a good time to say farewell to your companion. Before you go, Gregor offers you his heartfelt thanks for all you have done for him, and he hopes that one day soon your paths will cross again.

‘If you should ever visit Pforodon,’ he says, ‘stop by the Singing Lamb Tavern on Spike Street. If I'm not there, the landlord will know where you can find me.’

You wish Gregor a safe journey home, and then you leave the consulate and make your way back along the main street to the harbour. The heat and dust of the afternoon are making you thirsty and so you stop to drink from a freshwater fountain set into the wall of a crumbling old temple. The hustle and noise of the street crowd is becoming oppressive and you yearn to find somewhere quiet where you can rest before you return to the ship. Looking around, you notice two places which promise some respite. The first is a public park which stands upon a cliff that looms above the city to the east of the harbour wall. The second is a narrow, deserted alley that wends its way into the city's Old Quarter.

If you wish to visit the park,
turn to 291
.

If you choose to explore the city's Old Quarter,
turn to 126
.

You land a metre short of the grassy edge and fall headlong into the deep dark pit. The base of this trap does not contain sharpened stakes or any other such deadly contrivances, yet it proves to be just as fatal when you are knocked unconscious upon hitting its rocky base. Tragically, you never regain consciousness; the villagers close in and finish you off with their bows.

Your life and your quest end here.

You hear the spear come whistling towards you and instinctively you dive headlong through the doorway to avoid it hitting you in the back. Your lightning-fast reflexes save your life, but they do not save you from injury. As you dive, you lose your footing and fall heavily at the base of a spiral staircase: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

Turn to 59
.

As you leap, you draw your legs up high enough to avoid being slashed by the creature's talons. On landing you quickly retrieve your Kai Weapon and turn to attack the beast before it can fully recover its senses.

Zhürc:
COMBAT SKILL
 51   
ENDURANCE
 39

Due to the advantage of your initial attack, ignore any
ENDURANCE
point losses that you sustain in the first round of this fight. If the Kai Weapon you wield is ‘Valiance’, you may apply the bonus gained due to its unique properties.

If you win the fight,
turn to 50
.

As you tumble over the side of the boat, the tip of the officer's half-pike misses you by inches. Upon hitting the water you sink like a stone, but your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus soon frees you from the cord that binds your wrists and you are able to strike out for the distant shore. Only once you have passed beyond the shadow of Sesketera's flagship do you dare come up for air. As you break the surface, you notice that the crew of
The Triasus
are scouring the sea, straining themselves to catch a glimpse of where you are. A marine on the prow deck spots you and, to your surprise, Sesketera's crew begin to laugh and jeer.

You are trying to fathom the reason for their laughter when suddenly you are struck in the back by a heavy, powerful blow.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If the number you have picked is odd (i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9) reduce your
ENDURANCE
score by 3. If the number you have picked is even (i.e. 2, 4, 6, 8, or 0) reduce your
ENDURANCE
score by 5.

To continue,
turn to 243
.

You are awoken during the night by the sound of squeaking. You prise open your eyes and, using your infravision, you see a pair of rats are busily gnawing at your Backpack. You lash out with your fist and they run squealing for the safety of the darkness.

Any food (Meals) that you have in your Backpack has been spoiled by the rats (erase all Meals from your
Action Chart
).

After this disturbance, you find it difficult to return to sleep. Erase 1
ENDURANCE
point due to a broken night's rest.

Turn to 66
.

Quickly you take your musical instrument from your backpack and play the first few verses of the Eldenoran national anthem, entitled ‘Mighty Duadon’. The loutish Eldenorans begin to cheer and stamp on the taproom floor in time to the music when they recognize their banal battle song. Soon they are all singing along, including the captain who releases his grip and lets the gasping crewman drop in a heap to the taproom floor as he joins in with the chorus.

You motion to the others that now would be a good time to leave. Without a word they move towards the door, pausing only to pick up their injured comrade as they go. The Eldenorans are soon singing so loudly that they do not notice when you cease playing and hurry out of the tavern. You join the others outside and laugh with them at the incredible stupidity of the Eldenorans. It is hollow laughter, but at least it helps to relieve the frustration of having to return early to
The Azan
.

Turn to 268
.