GreekQuest (8 page)

84

 

Dappled sunlight. You're in a clearing in the woods.

 

Paths lead north to
135
, south west to
42
, or north west to
10
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

85

 

Ah, the merry sight of happy children romping in the school playground, the joyous sound of happy laughter tinkling -

Wait a minute, something wrong here. The place certainly looks like a school since it's packed with kids of about seven years old and upwards. But it's all boys - no girls at all - and scores of the boys must be old blokes of thirty, for heaven's sake! What's going on here?

You catch a passing youngster by the ear. “What's going on here?” you demand.

He twists out of your grip with the expertise and speed of a judo Black Belt. “How dare you treat me like a slave!” he snaps. “I demand we fight to the death!”

 

You're not really going to fight this seven year old child to the death, are you? You can refuse by telling him to act his age at
2
But it's your choice and if you really want to have a go at somebody smaller than yourself, you'll find the action at
158

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

86

 

You can tell right away this must be a Spartan encampment. Soldiers are racing up and down carrying heavy loads of rocks, washing themselves in freezing water, eating live scorpions, impatiently amputating broken arms that hinder their use of weapons and generally behaving in a very macho manner.

Two guards approach.

“Oh, you!” one calls. “Lay down your arms and come with us!”

 

No preliminaries, no by your leave. This is Sparta all right. But if you don't feel like doing what you're told, you can fight these two goons at
37
. Should you be weary of fighting at this stage of your adventure, you can equally well go with them at
144
And if you're really quick off the mark, you can make a break for Troy at
59
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

87

 

Dappled sunlight. You're in a clearing in the woods. But wait - there's a bearded character with a brownish cloak over his linen tunic seated beside an array of weapons and armour set out on the grass.

“Interest you in a few little security devices?” he asks. “Take your pick from this list.”

The list he hands you reads:

Breastplate -3 - 3 obols

Catapult +1 - 1 obol

Helmet -2 - 2 obols

Long sword +6 - 1 drachma

Shield -5 - 1 drachma

Short sword +3 - 3 obols

Short sword +5 - 5 obols

 

You can buy what you like from this list, provided you've got the wherewithal in cash. Once you've finished your arms dealing you can follow the path north to
156
, east to
99
, or south to
107
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

88

 

“Oh, that's very kind of you,” the priest smiles as he bites the drachmas and drops them into a pocket in his robe. “Here's your clue.”

With which he hands you a small piece of Egyptian papyrus on which is written:

If the gods live on Mount Olympus, go at once to 5, unless Apollo is a sun god in which case turn to 19. But if Apollo is not also known as Phoebus and has absolutely nothing at all to do with divine distance, ignore that last instruction and go instead to 28, unless Aphrodite is the goddess of light in which case you should go to 32 except when you believe Hera is the wife of Zeus, but was not the daughter of Titans in which case you should go instead to 72.

“I can't understand this mumbo-jumbo!” you wail, shaking the paper under the priest's nose.

“Tough,” he replies. “Did you ever know a priest who gave a money-back guarantee?”

 

No, neither did I. But you're still faced with the same lethal old choice, I'm afraid. Are you going to
5
,
19
,
28
,
32
, or
72
?

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

89

 

“Whee, isn't this fun!” shouts Achilles as he whips up the horses. Behind the chariot, the body of Hector bumps on the rocky ground.

But before you can reply, the familiar figure of Paris steps out of a small gate in the walls, an arrow in his bow.

“Hey, Paris,” Achilles taunts, “see what I've done to Hect -”

He stops abruptly as Paris's arrow catches him in the heel, killing him instantly.

“Now you,” mutters Paris, notching another arrow.

 

Which misses your heel completely, but passes through your heart, deflects on your rib cage, punctures your lung then rips out your throat and lodges in your brain. Go to
13
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

90

 

“Baby?” you ask innocently. “Did you say baby? No, I'm afraid I haven't seen him. Not at all. Not even in the distance.”

“How do you know my baby is a boy then?” the woman demands. “I never mentioned that.”

“Liar, liar, pants on fire!” chant the four young men in Greek, drawing short swords and hurling themselves upon you.

 

Each of those swords gives the boys +4 on a successful hit. Since their mother's bringing them up to be gentlemen, they'll attack one at a time, but the fact remains you'll have to dispatch all four to get out of this with a whole skin. As you've no weapons, you'll fight the first one empty-handed, but if miraculously you succeed, you can use his sword for subsequent fights. Each lad has a strapping 50 Life Points.

If the boys succeed in doing what their mother told them, go to
13
. If you manage, against all odds, to make it through this early punch-up, you can turn triumphantly to
69
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

91

 

“Right!” exclaims the huge man. “Have three obols!” With which he presents you with three small coins.

“Can I go in now?” you ask, testing the coins with your teeth.

“Not yet,” he says. “That was only the first question. The second question is: how many children has Hera? One, two, three, four or five?”

 

Nice to get a bit of money, but can you answer his second question. If you think the answer is one, turn to
3
. If two, turn to
15
. If three turn to
27
. If four turn to
57
. If five turn to
71
. If you haven't a clue, you can always get back to
61
and select another destination.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

92

 

“I'm afraid it's going to be a fight,” you say reluctantly.

 

As well you might. Not only are you tired from your fight with the guards, but Achilles has an infinite number of Life Points on account of his Mum (the sea nymph Thetis) dipping him in the River Styx when he was a nipper to make him immortal. Your only chance is to get him in the heel, which was the only bit didn't go into the water since Thetis was holding him by it at the time. If you can strike a heel blow, only possible by throwing a double six, you'll knock him unconscious long enough to stop the fight. If not you will score no damage against him whatsoever, despite what the dice may show. If you manage to stop the fight, turn to
79
. If Achilles kills you, read about it at
13
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

93

 

Dappled sunlight. You're in a clearing in the woods.

 

Paths lead north east to
99
, south east to
58
, south to
78
or south west to
107
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

94

 

“Well done!” exclaims Achilles, absently tying Hector's corpse to the back of his chariot so he can drag him about in full view of the city walls. “Now, do you want to come with me while I bounce this body a bit or would you prefer me to write you a note of safe passage to King Menelaus who's an old friend of mine?”

 

Decisions, decisions! If you fancy a tour of the city walls with Achilles (and Hector in tow) turn to
89
. If you'd prefer safe conduct to King Menelaus, go to
101
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

95

 

You wake up with a pounding headache. The first thing that hits you is the smell. The second is the gloom. You pull yourself painfully to your feet, every muscle aching and look around. You're in a tiny stone-flagged chamber that feels suspiciously like a prison cell. You've been lying on a bed of filthy straw, your only covering a scrap of paper that turns out to be a map of Sparta left by the last miserable wretch who used this place.

You move across to the door and examine the lock. From your modern, sophisticated viewpoint it appears a simple mechanism, probably fairly easy to pick, given time. But before you can test your skill, you hear footsteps outside and a cheery voice calls, “Wake up inside - it's time for the slops they call dinner round here!”

 

Obviously a guard, so now you have a choice. You can jump the guard when he comes in at
134
or you can eat your slops, regain your strength and try to pick the lock later at
74
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

96

 

“Well,” you remark cheerfully, “I could do with an honest day's toil slaving in the sun for a pittance of a wage.”

But in fact it isn't too bad at all. Everybody's extremely chatty and quite prepared to talk about their life in Sparta. One of the women and two of the men turn out to be slaves.

“I was captured by pirates and fetched 300 drachmas when I was sold,” says the man who spoke to you first.

“You mean you don't own this place?” you ask, amazed.

He shakes his head. “No, I just run it. Lots of educated slaves like me end up running businesses. I'm saving up tips to buy my freedom. When I do that, I might go into partnership with my present master.”

This isn't at all the way you imagined slavery to be. “Are there many slaves in Greece?” you ask curiously.

“About one third the population in Athens,” he tells you. “Much the same in Sparta, although most of us are sent to the hinterland to farm since the Spartans are tough and don't much like house slaves looking after them.”

“What do you do if you're not farming?”

He sniffs. “House slaves help the women look after children and the old people. Others do building work. The clever ones are in craft shops like us. There's a sword maker down the street owns more than thirty slaves in his forge. And you know Lysias, the orator -?” You shake your head, but he ignores you. “- well, he has a shield factory that keeps a hundred and twenty slaves busy.” He shrugs. “Anyway, it's better than the silver mines. There are about forty thousand of us down there. Dreadful conditions.”

Enlivened by the conversation, the day passes quickly. You collect your wages and are about to leave when the freeman of the party suddenly calls after you, “Want to spend the night at my place? You're good company for a barbarian and it'll save you looking for digs.”

 

Nice offer. You can take it up at
131
. But if you're feeling anti-social, you can give him the finger at
151
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

97

 

“Wrong!” shouts the huge man, casually hurling you all the way to 61.

 

So pick yourself up, dust yourself off and select another destination from your
61
map.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.

98

 

Achilles leads you to the largest of the tents, with guards at the entrance. They salute him smartly and gesture him to enter. A muscular, grey-haired man looks up as you walk in.

“I want you to meet an interesting young barbarian, Menelaus,” Achilles says easily.

Menelaus? Oh wow, this must be the King Menelaus, Helen's husband, who started the war when Paris nicked his wife. He looks you up and down, frowning thoughtfully. “You aren't the youngster working for Zeus by any chance?” he asks.

“Yes, I am,” you nod.

The king stands up and dismisses Achilles with a wave. “Good,” he says. “So you can tell me how to shorten this war. What I want to know is if I should fight that villain Paris in single combat or try some other tactic. What do you think?”

 

Interesting question. If you think he should fight Paris go to
129
. If you think he should try something else, turn to
108
.

 

Please select an option from the previous page.