The Hunger of Sejanoz (15 page)

You raise your right arm and utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
as you gallop towards the Princess's carriage. An arc of blue flame leaps from your fingers and strikes a beast in the back, spinning it around and sending it tumbling headlong onto the highway where it is crushed by the pounding hooves of the following team.

Turn to 243
.

You utter the words of the Old Kingdom Spell
Shield
and hurriedly make a circle in the air before you with the palm of your right hand. Your speedy action saves you from being hit directly by the worm's deadly saliva, but you are caught by several fine droplets that burn your face and clothing: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

Shocked by your unexpected resistance to its deadly attack, the worm quickly retreats back into its bore hole and disappears from view.

To continue,
turn to 2
.

You draw your Kai Weapon and lead the attack with your stirring battle-cry upon your lips: ‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’

Bhanarian Cavalry Command:
COMBAT SKILL
 50   
ENDURANCE
 50

You may add 3 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this combat, for you have three Imperial Chai Guardsmen fighting by your side.

If you win the combat,
turn to 266
.

You use your Weaponmastery to detect the location of your missing blade. After several minutes of meditation you determine that it lies somewhere at the end of the passageway to your left.

Turn to 94
.

Chan details two other troopers to accompany him, and then he places you in charge of the caravan's escort while he is away scouting the copse. As you are watching the captain and his men riding off towards the distant pines, you are joined by Sergeant Yeng. He informs you that it is very unusual for plains ravens to gather in such numbers. You magnify your vision to take a closer look at these circling birds, and your Kai Sixth Sense tingles with presentiment as you focus upon them. What you are feeling seems to confirm that there is something behind what the sergeant has said.

The captain and his men have been gone for little more than fifteen minutes when you suddenly catch sight of one of his men galloping back across the plain towards the caravan. He is waving wildly and you sense at once that something is seriously amiss.

Turn to 292
.

You caution Chan, warning him that these creatures are no ordinary Agarashi. You fear they will slay your horses if you should attempt to charge them. You insist that your best chance for survival is to abandon your mounts and escape into the trees on foot, while you still can.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Kai-surge, add 1 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 0–4,
turn to 68
.

If it is 5 or higher,
turn to 181
.

You have survived the Autarch's psychic attack, yet it has served its purpose. Distracted by the pain that coursed through your head, you fail to see his Imperial Guard Captain rushing at you from the side until it is too late to counter his determined attack. With a fearful yell, this warrior lunges at you and attempts to drive the tip of his sorcerous stave deep into your chest.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 33
.

If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 212
.

If you possess Kai-surge and wish to use it,
turn to 188
.

If you possess Elementalism and have reached the rank of Kai Master Superior or higher,
turn to 242
.

If you possess none of these skills, if you have yet to attain the required level of Kai Mastery, or if you choose not to use any of them,
turn to 223
.

Silently you approach the bandits and circle around behind their position without being detected. You are drawing your Kai Weapon when a crow, sitting upon a branch directly above you, suddenly takes to the air. The sound of its cawing and the flapping of its wings startle the bandits, and they glimpse you as they turn around. Quickly you raise your weapon and leap into their hide. You land the first blow, striking one bandit a glancing hit upon his leather-capped head. It gashes his scalp and sends him crashing unconscious to the soft earth. His comrade snatches up his axe and retaliates by taking a clumsy swipe at your head. You dodge this blow easily, and then you press home your attack.

Illustration X
—A Javaian bandit swipes at you with his double-edged axe.

Javaian Bandit:
COMBAT SKILL
 28   
ENDURANCE
 28

If you win this combat,
turn to 25
.

A shock awaits you when you wake at dawn. An urgent bugle call summons the garrison to arms. You grab your equipment and hurry up the steps to the battlements and stare out across the southern plain. In the distance you see a large enemy force of cavalry and infantry, manoeuvring in readiness for an assault upon the fort. You are joined by Captain Chan. He casts his seasoned eyes across the grim spectacle and issues an order to Sergeant Yeng to make sure that the Khea-khan and his entourage are below ground. Once they are all safely in the catacombs, Yeng is to secure the portal and report back. Chan summons all of his troopers to the battlements to reinforce Kasarian's depleted garrison. ‘We will be hard-pressed to repel this attack,’ he confides.

Then you hear a distant boom, and when you look to the enemy lines, you see a puff of white smoke near their centre.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 206
.

If it is 5–9,
turn to 57
.

You step away from the bodies of the Bhanarians and look to the flag-tower. There you see Sergeant Yeng at the parapet. He gives you a thumbs-up signal to confirm that you have now taken control of the enemy command post. You hurry to the tower and meet Yeng at the foot of its wooden ladder.

‘Go and round up some horses, Sergeant,’ you say and he acknowledges your order with a salute.

Quickly you ascend to the top of the platform and peer over the parapet to see Sergeant Yeng and the others gathering up enemy horses so that you can make a speedy escape. You pick up the signalman's flags and issue an urgent order to the attacking troops to withdraw immediately. As soon as you see that the enemy have obeyed your command signal, you look out across the plain towards the west. A smile spreads slowly across your face when you see Captain Chan is leading the caravan at speed towards Fort Vlau. Hurriedly you descend the flag-tower and join Yeng and his troopers. You leap into the saddle of a Bhanarian steed and dig in your heels, sending the mount lurching forwards. With the warm summer wind blowing in your faces, you and your brave comrades gallop across the plain to rendezvous with the caravan at Fort Vlau.

To continue,
turn to 284
.

Despite the setback, the repair of the damaged wheel is duly completed 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 along the sun-baked highway.

Shortly before noon of the third day of your journey to Rakholi, the column crests the rim of a wide valley basin 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 soar 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 noises that echo eerily across this strange valley.

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
.

Using the Brotherhood Spell
Mind Charm
, you question Trooper Yankin repeatedly about the incident. Under the influence of your spell he says exactly what he has already told Chan and the others. Your suspicions are soon confirmed — this man is speaking the truth. He did not put the viper in Prince Kamada's cot.

Turn to 67
.

Chan reminds his men that they are standing the second watch, and then he orders them to go and get some sleep. As they disperse, he offers the Xi-die to you as a present.

If you wish to accept Chan's gift, record the Xi-die on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item that you keep in the pocket of your tunic. You need not discard another Special Item if you already hold the maximum number permissible.

To continue,
turn to 204
.

You offer to tend to his wounded men and Kasarian is grateful for any assistance you can provide. The Bhanarian attack was unexpected and casualties were high. More than half of the garrison have either been killed or wounded.

Once you have finished attending to the Lissanian wounded, you assist the garrison commander with repairs to the fort's breached wall. It is nearly nightfall by the time you finish your labours and are able to rest.

Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 149
.

You follow the passageway to a circular chamber with badly scraped walls and a smooth wooden floor. A wooden door is set flush into the opposite wall. Your Kai Sixth Sense warns you that something is wrong here, but the chamber is empty and you cannot see any obvious dangers. High above, you glimpse the ceiling. It is stained a dull, sooty black.

If you possess Telegnosis and have reached the rank of Sun Lord,
turn to 42
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 27
.

You shout out the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
, and direct the resulting bolt of electrical energy at the body of this vile worm. Your blue-white bolt rips through its corpse-like flesh, killing it instantly. But as its body disintegrates, you are caught by the spray of its corrosive blood: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 2
.

Having agreed to lead the scouting party, you decide to take Yeng and one other man only. Under cover of darkness, you leave the encampment and approach the woodland. Using your Kai tracking skills, you are able to lead the two Chai guardsmen through the tall grasses without giving away your presence to any enemy that may be lurking nearby.

You are within several yards of the tree-line when you detect the sound of hushed whispers. Then you catch the glint of moonlight on the lens of a telescope, and your senses reveal that two bandits are crouched in a nearby hide, observing the caravan encampment.

You whisper to Yeng and the other man to wait where they are. ‘Be ready to support me,’ you say, barely breathing the words. ‘I'm going to circle around them and attack from behind.’

Yeng gives you a thumbs-up signal and wishes you good luck as you crawl away through the dense foliage.

Turn to 148
.