Read The Buccaneers of Shadaki Online
Authors: Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund
The Buccaneers of Shadaki (12 page)
The bolt glances your shoulder and spins you to the ground: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. The old man emits a cry of shocked surprise when he sees you scramble to your feet and unsheathe your Kai Weapon. He turns tail and runs towards the village, shrieking hysterically.
You hear him calling the men of the village to gather their weapons. He denounces you, saying that you attacked him without provocation, and he orders that his men put you swiftly to the sword. Quickly you turn and run towards the ridge. You know that it would be useless to attempt to reason with these people and so you resolve to reach the trail and make a hasty escape.
The moment you voice the answer to the challenge,
10
the black globes disappear and the mist fades to reveal a lush, green, volcanic island that is crowned by a halo of silvery cloud. Your pulse races with anticipation as you feel the sea return beneath the keel of your craft, and a wind to propel you towards this wondrous isle. You have met the challenge and you have triumphed. Now you shall reap your reward by landing upon the shores of Lorn — the mystical realm of the exiled Shianti.
To continue,
turn to 15
.
[10] This is the correct answer to the question posed in
Section 2
.
Your Kai camouflage skills keep you hidden despite the glare of the gaolers' torches. As soon as they have passed by, you slip inside the guardroom and retrieve your confiscated equipment (you may now erase the asterisks from your
Action Chart
).
As you are sheathing your Kai Weapon into your belt, you hear the guards returning along the corridor. Looking around, you see that there is one other exit from this room — a heavy oak door which is banded with strips of black iron.
You raise your Kai Weapon and launch a swipe at the creature's neck. With stunning speed, the beast grabs your forearm with its free claw and stops you landing your blow. Its talons bite into your flesh and its crushing strength makes it hard for you to keep hold of your weapon: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
The deck lurches as the ship is hit by a wave and the sudden movement throws the creature off-balance. As its grip slackens momentarily, you are able to twist yourself free from its claws and escape into an adjacent cargo hold.
The man curses you quietly under his breath and then he melts away into the taproom crowd. You leave the tavern and approach the Masama Warehouse. On entering this vast building you discover that it is filled with huge quantities of raw and basic commodities such as metals, grain, cloth, timber, and leather. As you inspect these basic materials you come across several crates of linen that are branded with a crown and star, the mark of Siyen. Your Kai senses tell you that it could be part of Radyard's cargo.
The owner of the warehouse approaches and asks the nature of your business. He has an oily smile that you could find easy to dislike. You ask if he knows Captain Radyard and his slippery smile turns into a scowl.
‘I charge for information,’ he snaps. ‘Hand over 3 Nobles or be on your way.’
If you wish to pay the man 3 Nobles (1 Noble = 1 Gold Crown),
turn to 315
.
If you refuse to pay him,
turn to 217
.
The captain complies with your powerful psychic suggestions and, without really knowing why, he orders his helmsman to steer towards the distant speck in the sea. As you draw closer, you see that the man is lying unconscious upon a raft made of coiled ropes and smashed timbers. A crewman brings him aboard and together you carry him to your cabin where you wrap him in a blanket and use your Kai healing skills to bring him back to consciousness.
As slowly the man recovers his senses, you learn that his name is Gregor Luggs. He is a Lourdenian sailor and sole survivor of a pirate attack which destroyed his ship and killed all of his fellow crewmen three days ago.
‘It was the Shadakine who done it,’ he says, trembling with anger. ‘They came upon us at night. Out o'the dark with not a deck light showin'. After they'd took all o'the cargo, they turned their cannons on us. We didn't stand a chance.’
Gregor thanks you repeatedly for saving his life. Another few hours and he would have died of exposure. As a mark of his gratitude he gives you an ornate Silver Clasp (record this on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item which you keep in your tunic pocket) and he insists that he pay you for allowing him to share your cabin and food. He takes 10 Gold Crowns from his belt pouch and offers them to you (if you decide to accept them, remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly).
To continue,
turn to 339
.
You magnify your vision and focus on the tangle of burnt timber and ash that lies heaped inside the ruined hut. You are unable to see anything clearly, but you sense that there is something lying buried there. You tell the elder of your discovery and you see a flicker of fear in his old eyes. He says that there is nothing in the hut that could be of interest to the dragon, but your senses tell you otherwise. They also tell you that he is lying.
A group of villagers armed with long spears rush to the hut and attempt to stab the dragon. The creature roars at them and then flaps its leathery wings and begins to circle around the settlement once more. You slip away from your hiding place and hurry down to the ruins for you are determined to discover what it is that the dragon is seeking. Guided by your Sixth Sense, you uncover a bronze statuette from beneath the ashes. Then the dragon returns. It lashes out at the villagers with its clawed forelimbs and smashes their spears to matchwood. The men retreat in confusion and the dragon lands and settles itself beside the hut. You move to unsheathe your weapon but you freeze when suddenly the dragon speaks to you. The creature has the voice of a man.
The dragon pleads with you for the return of the statuette, for he says that it will remove the curse that has changed his shape. Your Kai senses detect that the creature speaks the truth, and that he is not the evil bane that the elder and the villagers have led you to believe. You notice that the elder and his men have left their hiding places and are now running towards the hut. You focus on the elder and see that a strange transformation has taken place. He is no longer the frail old man that he was; his face has become younger and it is contorted with a savage rage. Your Kai senses detect an aura of evil that is chillingly familiar. It is identical to that which surrounded Ulonga the Shaman and you sense that he, too, is a necromancer. He orders his men to take aim at you with their bows and blindly they obey his command. The dragon urges you to escape with him while you are able, and hurriedly you rush forward to climb upon his back as the first volley of arrows comes whistling through the hut.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess Assimilance, add 1.
If your total score is now 4 or lower,
turn to 311
.
If it is 5 or higher,
turn to 134
.
Suddenly the growling stops and you sense that the creatures are preparing to attack. Hurriedly you draw a weapon as two wolf-like animals come bounding towards you from the rear of the cave.
Kholo:
COMBAT SKILL
40
ENDURANCE
28
These creatures are especially susceptible to all forms of psychic attack: double all bonuses if you possess Kai-surge and elect to use it.
11
If you win this combat,
turn to 101
.
[11] As the Kholo is ‘especially susceptible to
all
forms of psychic attack’, it seems reasonable that you may double all bonuses conferred by the use of Mindblast as well.
Instinct and years of Kai training make you throw yourself to the ground. The blowpipe dart passes within inches of your scalp and then embeds itself in the stem of a broad-leaved plant. Black fluid oozes from the puncture hole made by its tip and you watch aghast as the plant rapidly shrivels and dies.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it to return fire at the sniper in the tree,
turn to 343
.
If you do not possess a Bow, or if you choose not to use it,
turn to 255
.
You hear the spear come whistling towards you and instinctively you dive headlong through the doorway to avoid being struck in the back. Your swift reactions save your life but they do not save you from injury. The tip of the spear gouges your back and the force of impact knocks you to the ground: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.
The two henchmen draw their swords and the people pressed around them begin to panic. As a clear space forms, you see Melchar stoop to pick up a bottle dropped by the crowd. He hurls it at one of Wrok's men and it strikes him squarely on the forehead, leaving him sprawled unconscious on the ground.
His confederate whirls his shiny blade around his head and attacks you like a charging bull.
Wrok's Gate Guard:
COMBAT SKILL
30
ENDURANCE
30
If you win this combat,
turn to 331
.
The bolt hits you and a brilliant flash of white light obliterates your senses: lose 8
ENDURANCE
points. For a few moments you lose consciousness; then your senses return and you struggle to your feet. Stunned and disoriented, you shake your head in an effort to clear your blurred vision. Images swirl before your eyes, weaving and coalescing to create a fearful sight. The flickering night-creature has fixed itself to the neck of your horse like some nightmarish vampire. Tethered by his reins, your mount is unable to escape from the leech-like maw of this supernatural creature.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 19
.
If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 122
.
If you possess Kai-surge and wish to use it,
turn to 169
.
If you possess none of these skills, or if you choose not to use any of them,
turn to 349
.
You throw yourself to the decking and take cover behind the wooden parapet of the prow as the enemy's shot rips into the sails and rigging. Suddenly you hear a tremendous crack directly overhead that makes you glance up at the topsails. To your horror you see a section of the foremast has been shot through and it is now falling towards the deck, directly at the place where you are taking cover.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 0–3,
turn to 28
.
If it is now 4–6,
turn to 348
.
If it is 7 or higher,
turn to 231
.
You estimate that you are less than a mile from the mainland coast — a comfortable distance for a good swimmer, especially for one who possesses the strength and stamina of a Kai Grand Master.
You say farewell to Captain Radyard and he thanks you for your selflessness. He orders his crew to hoist the sails, and he tells his bo'sun to wave a white flag from the stern deck to signal to Sesketera that he is complying with his commands. A longboat is launched from
The Triasus
to collect you. It is carrying an officer and six marines, each armed with a half-pike and a Bor pistol. Radyard suggests that you go to the head of the boarding ladder so that you can surrender to the longboat's officer when he comes aboard.
‘Who said anything about surrender?’ you retort.
‘But … I thought … ,’ stutters the captain.
‘I've no intention of surrendering to Sesketera!’ you say, and before Radyard can utter another word, you vault over the gunwale and plunge feet-first into the clear blue sea.
You leave the taverna and follow the road into dense timberland. It is an uncomfortably hot and humid region, and you are made to feel even more uncomfortable by swarms of tiny insects that bite any exposed areas of your flesh (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points). Judging by the number of bites you sustain, you suspect that these insects consider Sommlending flesh to be something of a delicacy. During your trek to Jazer, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose a further 3
ENDURANCE
points.
As the sun approaches the horizon, the road passes across a high plateau before descending towards the shimmering green waters of the Jazer Strait. The city of Jazer nestles in a wooded bay and you arrive at its east gate shortly after sunset. A notice board fixed to the gatehouse wall informs you that you have missed the last ferry, a service which carries road travellers across the strait to connect with the trade road to Tiklu and beyond. The next ferry leaves tomorrow morning at an hour after dawn.
It is a warm night, and as you wander through the streets of this city, you contemplate where you should best spend it.
If you wish to find lodging for the night,
turn to 138
.
If you decide to sleep in the open,
turn to 203
.
