Vampirium (11 page)

You dive to the ground as the rangers' feathered shafts come streaking along the corridor. The swiftness of your reflexes saves you from being hit, and the arrows flash past to skitter harmlessly along the floor of the mess hall beyond.

To continue,
turn to 269
.

You cross the valley and, as you crest a distant ridge, you see the first rays of dawn sunlight brightening the eastern horizon. You continue to ride at a swift pace for you are anxious to put distance between your company and the Imperial Guards. But as the sun rises into a cloudless sky, you note a dense forest stretching like a dark wall along the southern horizon.

‘That's the Vanchou,’ calls out Gildas. ‘They say it's haunted.’

The trail continues due south towards the centre of the forbidding timberland. As you draw steadily closer, you feel an unnatural chill radiating from its tangle of sickly-coloured pines. You are inclined to disbelieve that it is haunted, yet you do not relish the thought of riding through it. Then a sudden sense of unease makes you glance over your shoulder, and your heart skips a beat when you see a column of dust on the track less than 3 miles distant. You magnify your vision and your worst fears are confirmed; the Imperial Guards have caught up and are fast gaining ground.

If you wish to leave the trail and ride east across grasslands,
turn to 250
.

If you choose to stay on the trail and enter the Vanchou Forest,
turn to 143
.

You are trying to think of a way to draw the soldiers away from the water's edge, when Captain Gildas comes up with a crude yet effective solution to the problem. He draws an arrow to his bow and picks off a lone Bhanarian soldier who is washing his tunic upstream. The luckless soldier topples into the river and is carried towards the bridge by the strong current. Lookouts on the bridge spot his body and they pass word to those along the river bank. As the body is swept beneath the bridge, they leave their canteens and their washing and go running along the bank in the hope of recovering his body downstream.

To continue,
turn to 127
.

Your search of the guards' pockets and packs uncovers the following Weapons, money, and Backpack Items:

• Dagger
  
• Sword
  
• Spear
  
• 50 Ren (equivalent to 5 Gold Crowns)
  
• Mirror
  
• Rope
  
• Food (enough for 2 Meals)
  
• Comb
  

You also discover a gleaming talisman that is engraved with the tiger's-head emblem of Autarch Sejanoz. It is strung upon a braided cord. (If you wish to keep this Gold Talisman, record it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item. You may wear it around your neck.)

To continue,
turn to 291
.

There is a great deal of activity going on at the main entrance to the barracks. Columns of Bhanarian spearmen, clad in black quilted uniforms with wide silk leggings, go marching through its gate every few minutes with an almost clockwork regularity. You suspect that they are mustering in preparation for the arrival of the Autarch, although they seem too heavily armed to be gathering for ceremonial parade duties. You also catch sight of some Xanon, and you sense that these creatures were among those whom you fought at the ruins earlier today.

You signal to Gildas and his men to follow as you skirt around the barracks and approach one of several smaller entrances that punctuate its northern flank wall. A line of wagons are parked here awaiting their turn to enter. While they wait, the drivers and their civilian helpers busy themselves by checking the food and provisions they are delivering to the barracks' kitchens. One driver is struggling to recover the contents of a crate that has fallen from the tailgate of his wagon and broken open.

If you wish to offer to help the driver recover his spilled load,
turn to 227
.

If you wish to attempt to hide in the rear of one of the wagons that is queueing to enter the barracks,
turn to 301
.

Captain Gildas lets out a shrill cry of pain as the musket ball strikes his right thigh. He clutches at the wound and you see blood oozing through his fingers. Fortunately, the lead ball has passed cleanly through his limb without striking bone, and you are able to staunch the flow of blood and seal his punctured skin by the use of your Kai healing skills alone. (The hurried use of your healing skills costs you 1
ENDURANCE
point.)

To continue,
turn to 290
.

The trader frowns. He is loath to lose a sale, at any price. After some thought, he says that he will accept 1 Weapon, 4 Gold Crowns, and 1 Backpack Item in exchange for the robes.
¹⁵

You agree to the man's price and you hand over the items he requests (remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly). Then you and your companions each take one of the loose-fitting robes and slip them on over your tunics. The thin, hooded garments are large enough to conceal your backpacks and weapons, and you are pleased to discover that they do not hamper your movement.

Having concluded your business, you thank the trader and bid him farewell. Then you leave this village and continue your ride south across the plain.

Turn to 118
.

When the last of the bridge guards has fallen to your blows, or thrown down his spear and fled from the fight, you circle around and then charge your horse towards the barrier.

He sails across the bar and, one by one, the rangers follow your lead. Without looking back, you canter across the bridge and along the road that winds into the hills beyond.

Turn to 272
.

You struggle to your feet and push yourself on towards the waiting rangers. Gildas and his men are ready to take off the moment you reach them, and, as you haul yourself onto your mount, you hear the anguished screams of the squad leader echoing across the plain. With a cry of triumph on your lips, you dig in your heels and gallop away from the copse as fast as your steed can carry you.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4
turn to 293
.

If it is 5–9,
turn to 64
.

The soldiers chase you through the back streets of Zuda until you are cornered in the courtyard of a tall crimson-coloured tower. Desperately you scan the walls of the courtyard but there is no way out, except by way of the narrow passageway that led you here.

Marching along this passage comes a squad of the Autarch's Imperial Guard. They are carrying what appear to be hollow stubby spears, connected by metallic piping to cylindrical backpacks. One of the advancing soldiers raises his spear and a puff of bubbling steam gushes from the tip. In the next instant, a solid projectile smashes into the wall behind you, spraying you with slivers of stone.

Illustration V
—An advancing soldier fires at you with his terrifying steam-gun.

If you possess a Red Key,
turn to 166
.

If you do not have this Backpack Item,
turn to 226
.

You pull out the Gold Talisman that you wear on a cord around your neck, and show it to the sergeant. He inspects it carefully before nodding his approval. Believing that you and your companions are Imperial Guards from the Autarch's court in Otavai, he steps aside and allows you to enter the barracks.

Turn to 110
.

The rock hits the edge of your
Shield
spell and is deflected away from your body, but as it tumbles past it strikes your shoulder with a painful blow: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 339
.

You hurl your blade and it whirls through the air to strike the squad leader in the chest, dealing him a deep and mortal wound. The force of the impact tips him out of his tub and sends a torrent of water cascading into the fire. His dying cries mingle with a loud hiss of steam as the bath water extinguishes the fire and sizzles on the red-hot grate.

You rush forward and tug your Kai Weapon from the dead man's chest. Then you turn aside the bath tub to see what he was reaching for. Lying among the soap suds you discover a Bor pistol, its flint and firing powder now waterlogged and useless.

Your Kai senses tell you that you are very close to the Claw of Naar. You look at your Siyenese Compass once again, and now you see that its needle is pointing to a painting which hangs above the fireplace.

To continue,
turn to 137
.

Your horse sails across the barrier, and the rangers jump their mounts over it with consummate ease. Then you gallop across the bridge and follow the road as it wends its way up into the hills beyond.

Turn to 272
.

You retrace your route back to the perimeter of the forest and turn eastwards, leaving the trail. You soon discover that the tall plains grass makes the going increasingly difficult. It binds around your horses' hooves and frustrates your attempts to hasten their pace. For 5 miles you force your mounts to wade through this sea of verdant vegetation until you catch sight of some stone ruins on the slope of a distant hill. It is the remnants of an ancient village, and it is bisected by a dried-up watercourse. You scan the site and notice dark pools of liquid scattered throughout the area. The pungent aroma of crude oil can be smelt wafting on the breeze.

Your Kai Sixth Sense tells you that the ruins are deserted. Captain Gildas is anxious to press on for fear of being caught by the pursuing Bhanarians, but you command him to pause for a moment. Your instincts are warning you of a hidden danger.

If you wish to enter the ruins of the ancient plains village,
turn to 138
.

If you decide to make a detour around them,
turn to 109
.

You speak the words of the Old Kingdom Spell
Invisible Fist
and thrust your right arm stiffly towards the distant steam-cannon. A wave of energy surges from your clenched fist and speeds across the mess hall to strike its iron cylinder with a resounding
Clang!

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. For every level of Kai rank you have attained above Kai Grand Sentinel, add 1 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 4 or lower,
turn to 33
.

If it is 5 or higher,
turn to 61
.