The Hunger of Sejanoz (21 page)

‘I would be honoured,’ you reply.

‘Very well,’ says Chan, ‘if you are ready, I shall escort you to her quarters at once.’

Chan takes you into the chateau and leads you through its myriad corridors to a room on the first floor. A trooper whom you recognize opens the door and steps aside to allow you both entry. The chamber beyond is lavishly furnished, and the sweet smell of a rare burning incense hangs in the air. In a far corner you see the young Prince Kamada. He is asleep on a silken divan and is being watched over by his tutor Shavane, who is reading a book. His mother, the Princess, is seated at a table near a balcony window that overlooks the torchlit courtyard. You exchange polite greetings and then Chan excuses himself.

‘I shall be outside your door if you should need me, your majesty,’ he says, and promptly departs. As soon as he has gone, Princess Mitzu invites you to sit with her. She is anxious to know what fate has in store for her young son, and she asks if you will use your astrological skills to help her.

If you have reached the rank of Sun Knight,
turn to 62
.

If you have reached the rank of Kai Grand Defender and possess the Xi-die,
turn to 126
.

If you have yet to attain either of these levels of Kai Mastery, or if you do not possess this Special Item,
turn instead to 5
.

You wait patiently for Sergeant Yeng and his men to attack the command tent. As soon as you hear the unmistakable sounds of combat, you run forward and climb the ladder which leads to the flag-tower platform. The fierce sounds of the fighting attract the attention of the signalman and, as he peers over the edge of the parapet, he sees you climbing towards him. With a gasp of surprise, he reaches for his spear and attempts to impale you upon its gleaming steel tip.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 214
.

If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 52
.

If you possess neither of these skills, or if you choose not to use them,
turn to 39
.

You are enraged by the sudden death of Sergeant Yeng, but you are also wary that the same fate could befall you if you are rash enough to attempt a headlong dash through the far door. You scoop up the slain Sergeant's helm upon the tip of your Kai Weapon and approach the door from the side. At arm's length, you hold out the iron helm so that it alone appears framed in the doorway. Seconds later, another bolt of energy hurtles from out of the chamber beyond and shatters the helm in two.

You quickly dive through the open doorway and roll across the floor to the cover of a stout stone pillar.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 1 to the number you have picked. If your current
ENDURANCE
score is 15 or lower, deduct 1.

If your total score is now 2 or lower,
turn to 177
.

If it is 3–5,
turn to 158
.

If it is 6–7,
turn to 70
.

If it is 8 or higher,
turn to 232
.

You dismount and make a stealthy approach to the graveyard on foot. Peering through the gap in its encircling wall, you can see an open crypt door and hear the sound of distant voices. Behind the crypt you count six saddled horses. They are grazing the pale tufts of grass that fringe the gravestones. As the voices come drifting towards you on the warm breeze, you are able to determine that they belong to a gang of tomb robbers who have come here to loot this ancient burial site.

If you wish to approach the open crypt door,
turn to 274
.

If you choose to wait by the wall and observe the crypt,
turn to 183
.

By using the bough as a support for the carriage axle, repair of the damaged wheel rim is effected speedily. Chan praises your practical skills, and within the hour the caravan column is moving eastwards once more. An overnight camp is pitched on the highway itself, near a sleepy hamlet called Sansei, and the following day you make good progress on the sun-baked highway.

Shortly before noon of the third day of your journey to Rakholi, the caravan column crests the rim of a wide valley that lies 50 miles from the banks of the Tkukoma. Spread out before you now is the Vale of Nahba, a spectacularly strange region of the Chai Plain that is punctuated with hundreds of bore holes and geysers. Great columns of steam and scalding water are hurled skywards, driven by the pressure of gases escaping from deep below the surface. Some of the fissures descend for miles, passing close to the planet's molten core.

The highway traverses this alien landscape and, as darkness approaches, you find yourself at a place near the eastern rim of the vale. A night camp is established here among the bubbling pools and hollows, and an evening meal of poached eggs and steamed fish is prepared. After supper, you settle down and try to get some sleep, despite the constant distraction of the eerie noises that echo across this strange valley.

Illustration XVII
—Spread out before you is the Vale of Nahba, a sinister region of the Chai Plain.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 288
.

If it is 5–9,
turn to 30
.

The door to the catacombs is jammed shut. You have no other option but to force it open.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 203
.

If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 41
.

If you possess neither of these skills, or if you choose not to use them,
turn to 119
.

You launch a powerful psychic attack at three of the robbers. As soon as you see them fall screaming to the floor, clutching their heads in their hands, you kick open the door and attack their remaining three confederates. To your dismay you soon discover that one of your adversaries is armed with your Kai Weapon.
¹⁴

Tomb Robbers
(with Kai Weapon)
:
COMBAT SKILL
 44   
ENDURANCE
 48

If you win this combat,
turn to 128
.

Sergeant Yeng and his scouts are pleased that you have chosen to join them, and together you set off towards the distant plains settlement. It feels good to have a cooling breeze blowing through your hair after the plodding pace you have been forced to maintain while riding with the caravan train.

The inhabitants of the village give a cheerful wave as you ride through their humble hamlet. You keep your horses to a swift pace along the road beyond, and within the hour you catch sight of the Javai Forest on the horizon. Yeng gives the order to halt and you magnify your vision in order to get a better view of the distant tree-line. You can see the densely-packed pines, and the tall plains grasses swaying in the breeze. It is a pleasant but not a welcoming sight, for you know that both the trees and the tall grasses could provide ideal cover for ambushers.

You are unable to detect anything unusual in the distant forest, yet your Kai Sixth Sense is warning you of imminent danger.

If you possess Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 272
.

If you do not,
turn to 135
.

Shavane shrieks in protest as you tug the amulet from around her neck. Desperately she attempts to snatch it back, but you hold her at bay with your left hand as you raise her amulet aloft in your right.

The crowd gasps with astonishment when they see that the amulet bears the tiger's-head emblem of Autarch Sejanoz.

Turn to 74
.

Using your Kai Sixth Sense, you ask Bazan directly if trade is his only intention. Without hesitation he replies that it is, and at once you sense that he is speaking the truth. Quietly you whisper to Chan that you are convinced of this man's sincerity.

Turn to 283
.

The falling bough misses your legs by little more than a few inches. Chan grabs you by the arm and drags you to your feet, and then together you rush through the trees to escape from your hulking pursuers.

Only when you sense that it is safe to halt, do you throw yourself down upon the cool earth and fight to catch your breath. Chan drops to the ground close by, and you can tell that he is both shocked and saddened by the ferocity of the encounter and by the loss of his favourite stallion. Yet he proves himself to be resilient, and within the space of a few short minutes, he is back on his feet and ready to go. ‘Come, my lord,’ he says, resolutely. ‘We must press on. Let us flee this godforsaken place.’

Turn to 121
.

‘Bhanarian horse scouts have been sighted,’ he says, gravely. ‘A trader from Rakholi reported seeing a troop of enemy riders on the plain this afternoon, a few miles southeast of the Javai Forest. They were probably part of the Autarch's vanguard, out foraging for food, but the fact that they've already come this far north bodes ill for us. We'll leave here soon after daybreak tomorrow — and hopefully we'll stay ahead of the enemy until we reach the River Tkukoma.’

You acknowledge the captain's report and bid him goodnight but, as he is leaving, he suddenly remembers a second message he must convey.

‘Princess Mitzu wishes to consult with you. She has heard much about the astrological skills of the New Order Kai, and she wishes for you to conduct a reading for her. Will you indulge her highness, my lord?’

If you possess Astrology,
turn to 248
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 161
.

You return to the caravan and report the incident at the graveyard to Captain Chan. He sympathizes over the loss of your Kai Weapon, but he warns you that he cannot spare any of his men to help you search for the robbers who stole it.

The caravan resumes its journey and you reach the ruins of Zanaza just as the sun is setting. While you are helping to set up camp for the night, you learn from Sergeant Yeng that this city was destroyed over two hundred years ago by a devastating earthquake. You are preparing your own canvas shelter when you suddenly happen upon several sets of tracks, freshly made in the fine dust. Your pulse quickens when your tracking skills tell you that they were made by the tomb robbers. With the theft of your Kai Weapon still raw in your memory, you resolve to follow these tracks and hunt the robbers down.

Turn to 16
.

You draw an Arrow to your Bow and wait patiently for Sergeant Yeng and his men to attack the command tent. Soon you hear the unmistakable sounds of combat. The noise attracts the attention of the signalman and, as he peers over the parapet, you get ready to let loose the Arrow at his head.

If you possess Magi-magic and have reached the rank of Sun Lord,
turn to 186
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 276
.

You draw your weapon and strike out at the hellish worm-beast. It recoils from your blow and the tip of your blade misses its oozing skin by barely an inch. It spits again, and a gobbet of its corrosive saliva splashes your left arm. Within seconds, this corrosive fluid eats through the cloth of your tunic and sears your flesh: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

Illustration XVIII
—A worm-beast spits its acidic saliva directly at you.

Aided by your Magnakai Disciplines of Nexus and Curing, you bite back the pain and recover in time to launch a second attack upon this burrowing horror.

Nahba Worm:
COMBAT SKILL
 45   
ENDURANCE
 40

If you win this combat,
turn to 8
.