The Jungle of Horrors (16 page)
Read The Jungle of Horrors Online
Authors: Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund
The causeway comes to an abrupt halt, its jagged edge overhanging a sprawling tangle of reeds, marsh thistles, and black moss. The pools of dark water are few, but the hazards are much greater than before.
‘Those patches,’ says Paido, pointing across the wild landscape, ‘are quicksands.’ You stare at myriad tan-coloured patches where the weeds do not grow.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination,
turn to 142
.
If you wish to cross this quicksand bog,
turn to 21
.
If you decide to return to the junction and take the west spur,
turn to 175
.
Despite the tempting aroma, you push the meat stew away and settle for the dry provisions you carry in your pack. The monks appear upset by your refusal to eat their food. They whisper to each other and cast anxious glances at your untouched plate. Paido eats his stew, smiling delightedly as he fills his empty stomach. The monks hurry out of the refectory and return minutes later in the company of an elderly man, dressed in a hooded black robe. He carries a long black staff.
‘Has the Vakeros eaten?’ he asks, his voice strangely cold and monotonal.
‘Yes, master,’ reply the monks, ‘but the Kai Lord refused.’
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination,
turn to 93
.
If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 128
.
The bargee hands you a tankard filled to the brim with Chai-cheer. Its greenish hue does little to inspire your confidence, but your doubts soon dissolve when you taste the beverage — it is delicious. Paido raises his tankard and takes a great mouthful of the ale of his choice — Ferina Nog. Immediately he spits it out, wiping away its insipid taste on the back of his hand. ‘Bilge juice!’ he splutters, slamming down his mug.
‘You should be a sight more careful where you empty your mouth, stranger,’ growls a man to your right. He bends down and picks up his polished steel helmet. With a slow and deliberate twist of his wrist he empties it of ale, pouring the contents all over Paido's feet. Your companion curses and reaches instinctively for his sword.
If you wish to take action to stop a fight breaking out,
turn to 314
.
If you choose to do nothing,
turn to 253
.
The sword whistles past your head and gouges a chunk of stone from the courtyard arch. You hear the monks shouting and you dig in your heels, steering your horse through the archway and along a narrow street that leads to the quadrangle. At this early hour there are few obstacles to slow your escape as you gallop headlong through the twisting streets of Tharro. It is not until you reach the town's north gate that you finally rein in your horse to a halt.
It is late afternoon when you see the Temple of Ohrido, rising majestically out of the swamp mists and tangled vegetation. The sight of this towering ziggurat is so breathtaking that you are both stunned into silence as you feast your eyes on its untarnished splendour. Tier upon tier of gleaming white stone, shaped and formed into perfect symmetry, confront you. Huge foundation slabs support a level carved of golden rock, inlaid and decorated with gemstones. Above that sit strata of precious metals and then levels made up of crystal slabs, whose facets refract the colours of the rainbow. Upward climb tiers of ruby, sapphire, and emerald, that offer up a wedge-shaped spire of pure korlinium crystal to the sky.
At its base the swamp has shrunk back as if repelled by the radiant goodness of the temple. A perimeter of lush grass leads to a staircase of solid amber. You follow Paido as he ascends towards a pair of huge triangular doors set into the second level. Everywhere the glitter of gemstones and the gleam of precious metals radiate a purity unspoiled by the Danarg. Paido completes the complex procedures that open the great doors, taught to him by the Elder Magi in preparation for this mission. They part and you enter, stepping on a floor of glistening gold, a floor that has lain undisturbed for seven thousand years.
The monks of Talestria are infamous for their gluttony. Stories of their thirty-course meals and week-long banquets are well known throughout Magnamund. However, despite their voluminous robes, you cannot help but notice how slight these monks appear.
If you wish to stop and pay your respects to the deceased,
turn to 275
.
If you choose to continue on your way without stopping,
turn to 55
.
The pain gradually subsides, but a fearful numbness spreads through your body, paralysing your limbs and leaving you totally at the mercy of your enemy. He utters a cruel laugh and turns to leave the chamber. Swiftly you sink into a coma induced by the poison in your blood: it is a sleep from which you will never awaken.
Your life and your quest end here.
A powerful nerve toxin is injected into your throat, paralysing you from the neck down. Your vocal chords are frozen and you are incapable of shouting for Paido's help. A blind horror fills your senses as, helplessly, you watch the creature gorge on your blood, its shell-like body pulsating and swelling.
Your life and your quest end here.
‘What!’ exclaims Trost, incredulous. ‘Are you afraid of a snivelling grave poacher? If you'll not help me then I'll do the job alone.’
Before you have a chance to respond he leaves the table and advances towards the stranger. The man remains motionless, seemingly engrossed in his black book. Trost draws his sword and holds aloft the notice of death with his free hand. ‘You are Kezoor the Necromancer, an outlaw in this land.’ The man remains as still as a stone statue. ‘By the authority of Queen Evaine, I … ’
Trost stops in mid-sentence, his commanding voice little more than a stifled groan as Kezoor looks up from his book. His hard grey eyes glow with an unnatural intensity. Trost screams. His face becomes a mass of swelling and erupting boils. He collapses to his knees as the pain grows more intense.
‘I'll finish this worm!’ snarls Paido, incensed by Trost's agony and the cruel gloating laugh of his tormentor. He draws his sword and strides across the hold, but before he can strike a blow, the necromancer conjures forth a new, more horrific summonation.
Snatching the seed from your pocket, you throw it with all your strength at a crawling lizard-beast that is slithering towards you on its belly. You watch with dismay as the Fireseed bounces off its soft, fibroid skull and plops harmlessly into the mire. (Remember to tick this lost Fireseed off your
Action Chart
.)
Cursing your luck you unsheathe your weapon as the creature rears up to attack.
You spend a cold, wet, and thoroughly miserable night on the plain south of Tharro. A fresh storm rolls in from the west making it impossible to light a fire or dry your already damp clothing. It is dawn when the rain finally eases off, but the storm gives way to a biting wind that chills you to the bone (lose 3
ENDURANCE
points). You must now eat a Meal or lose an additional 3
ENDURANCE
points.
The garrison of Tharro still refuses to allow you into the town, so you are forced to set off towards a line of distant hills that fill the northern horizon. Grey-brown grasses brush your shins as you cross this wild, uncultivated plain, encroaching on the deserted track that leads to the frontier town of Syada. An eerie, unnatural silence accompanies your ride, broken only by the rare cawing of ravens, circling high overhead.
By midday you are deep among the hills. The terrain becomes increasingly rocky, undulating like a storm-tossed ocean. The tall plains grass has given way to sad little plants, scraggy and deformed, stunted by the winds that sweep down from the barren wastes of Ogia. The track passes through a narrow valley, where a small stone cabin stands beside the entrance to a disused mine. As you approach you see a face at the cabin window.
If you wish to stop at the cabin,
turn to 85
.
If you wish to investigate the mine,
turn to 120
.
If you choose to continue along the valley,
turn to 152
.
Your heightened Kai sense warns you of approaching danger. Riders from Warlord Zegron's advance guard have broken away from the main army groups and infiltrated the hills to the east. Having followed the stream, and looted several hamlets along the way, they are now poised to ambush refugees as they try to escape along the track to Tharro.
Forewarned by your improved Magnakai Discipline, you tell Paido of what lies ahead. ‘If we continue along this path, we may be riding to our deaths,’ he answers grimly. Rather than running the risk of ambush, you leave the track and take to the hills.
You recognize the delicious aroma: this purple liquid is a liqueur made from the fruit of the Larnuma tree. It is very nutritious and each draught will restore 3
ENDURANCE
points when consumed. There is enough for two draughts. If you wish to keep the flask, record it on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.
An hour passes and you breathe a sigh of relief, glad to have left the Ghagrim settlement far behind. You forego a rest and press on along the track until you reach a promontory of rock on the northwestern tip of the island. There you stop and snatch a few hours' sleep while you wait for the dawn.
You fight to erect a mindshield to counter the searing pain of this psychic attack, but your defence is too weak to withstand the onslaught. You scream in agony as the assault cuts deep into the fabric of your mind: lose 8
ENDURANCE
points.
If you are still alive,
turn to 60
.
No sooner have you dispatched the two dogs than you are faced by their angry masters. ‘There they are!’ screams the leader. ‘Destroy them!’
The monks raise their swords and charge along the central aisle, screaming and howling like men possessed.
Monks of the Sword:
COMBAT SKILL
22
ENDURANCE
36
If you win the combat,
turn to 328
.
You hang your dripping Kai cloak over the back of an empty chair and draw it close to the blazing log fire. Your entrance has drawn curious glances from the tavern crowd and you can hear them speculating, in hushed voices, on the purpose of your visit. Paido removes his Backpack and hooded cape before joining you at a table. The whisperings increase as the plains folk catch sight of his dark skin and plaited, flaxen hair.
‘Pay no attention to them,’ advises the dwarf. ‘They're a might suspicious folk an' news of late's done nought to better their nature.’ You nod benignly and assure the dwarf that they have nothing to fear from two travel-weary adventurers on their way north in search of work. Paido reaches for his pack and removes half a loaf of black bread and a slab of salted pork. He is about to offer you a share when a loud voice, full of indignation, rings in your ear. ‘And what do you think you're up to?’
It is the voice of the cheerful dwarf, although the sight of you preparing to eat your own food in his tavern has greatly soured his mood. He strides across the floor and scatters Paido's food with the back of his hand. ‘Get out!’ he bellows, his face growing redder by the second. ‘Get out before I throw you out!’
If you wish to gather your belongings and leave the tavern,
turn to 294
.
If you choose to resist the innkeeper's attempt at throwing you out into the storm,
turn to 49
.
You push open the door and step inside, your weapon poised to counter any sudden attack. The door slams shut and a scar-faced rogue leaps out of the shadows and attacks you with a pick-axe handle.
Illustration XI—A scar-faced rogue leaps out of the shadows and attacks you with a pick-axe handle.
Rogue Miner:
COMBAT SKILL
17
ENDURANCE
25
If you win the combat,
turn to 321
.
Speed, dexterity, and courage save you from being impaled by the advancing spears. You pull the reins, wheeling your horse around on his hind legs so that his flailing front legs force the soldiers to pull away for fear of being kicked senseless. Before they have a chance to recover, you and Paido have galloped out of the courtyard and disappeared like shadows into the darkness.
