The Darke Crusade (16 page)
The bolt hits the lock and, to your horror, it rebounds and hits you full in the chest.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. The number you have picked is equivalent to the number of
ENDURANCE
points lost as a result of this backfire (0 = 10). If you have survived this setback, make the necessary adjustment to your
Action Chart
.
Reluctantly, you abandon any thought of opening this door and retrace your steps to the junction. Prarg leads you along the opposite passageway until you come to a corner. He turns the corner before you can warn him otherwise, and finds himself staring at the brutish features of a Drakkarim Death Knight sergeant. The warrior's curses echo loudly along the narrow corridor as he draws his sword and comes striding towards your careless companion.
If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 241
.
If you do not, or if you choose not to use it,
turn to 113
.
As your slain enemies keel over backwards and splash into the mire, you spin around to see your companion grappling with a Ciquali in a desperate hand-to-hand combat. Prarg has lost his sword and the fight is going badly for him. The creature is by far the largest of the attacking pack and much of its muscular body is protected by armour, crudely fashioned from human bones. Anxious to help your companion, you rush forward and strike the creature a mighty blow at the base of its skull, opening a fearful wound. For a few moments the Ciquali continues to fight on as if unaffected by your blow; then its webbed hands spring open, letting Prarg, who is barely conscious, fall limply to the bottom of the boat. The beast touches a hand to its shattered skull and a look of astonishment fixes upon its ugly face when it sees its gore-stained palm. You raise your weapon to strike again, to finish the creature once and for all, but a second blow proves unnecessary. Its eyes roll backwards in their sockets; then stiffly the Ciquali falls sideways over the gunwale and sinks without trace beneath the slimy water.
As one, the remaining Ciquali turn away from the boat and disappear as quickly as they had come, slipping back to the cold, dark safety of their hiding places beneath the surface. Silence returns, and for a long moment you stand alert, suspecting trickery. Then slowly you relax; they have gone.
Aided by your healing skills, Prarg makes a speedy recovery from the battering he sustained in combat with the Ciquali chieftain. The boat, too, has survived the attack and you are able to continue without further delay. As soon as you pass the obstruction, you hoist the sail and catch the prevailing wind which propels you northwards along the channel beyond.
You are hungry after your encounter. Unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
To continue,
turn to 322
.
You clamber out of the cellar and set off after the Drakkarim with weapon in hand, determined to free your companion from their clutches, but as you hurry into the western avenue you see that they have already joined with the troops who are escorting the covered wagon. The wagon has halted and you count more than fifty Drakkarim jostling the helpless Prarg, bullying and cursing him vilely. More than one voice calls out in the Giak tongue — ‘Let's kill the Lencian spy!’
Fearful that they are going to beat him to death, you decide to charge headlong into the crowd in a desperate attempt to save him, despite the overwhelming odds against your success. But before you can act, a Drakkarim officer on horseback appears and commands the troops to order. An uneasy silence descends on the group; then dutifully they step away from Prarg and form up in a column facing the officer and his mount. Prarg, who has been left lying on the ground, barely conscious, is bundled into the wagon. The officer raises his hand and the wagon trundles off along the avenue towards a distant square, with the troop of soldiers marching smartly in its wake.
You follow and observe, taking in every aspect, every detail that might help you to free your companion. When you reach the square at the end of the avenue, you discover that it is dominated by a tall tower. It is Magnaarn's tower. His flag, emblazoned with the emblem of a black eagle clutching two fiery swords, flutters lazily from its slender wooden spire. The wagon draws up in front of a building adjacent to the tower and Prarg is dragged unceremoniously inside. Judging by the bars which adorn its windows, and the armed guards at its entrance, you hazard a guess that this is the Shugkona Gaol.
Patiently you watch the square for several minutes while you try to formulate a plan. Then the assembled troops are galvanized into action when an order from their officer sends them off in pairs to search the town for other spies. Several Drakkarim come towards your location and you are forced to seek somewhere to hide. Looking around you can see only two dwellings that may offer some hope of a safe haven. The first is a warehouse; the second a stables.
If you wish to hide in the warehouse,
turn to 324
.
If you choose to hide in the stables,
turn to 96
.
Huddled together in a corner of the compound, away from the other prisoners, is a small group of men-at-arms. The fronts of their tattered blue coats bear the emblem of a crown set above the crest of Vadera identifying them to be of the same regiment — the Imperial Vadera Guard — one of Lencia's finest. Using your Magnakai skills to avoid detection, you make your way to the fence and try to attract their attention. One of their number, a captain, sees you and is immediately suspicious. You signal to him to come closer and, reluctantly at first, he crawls towards the fence.
Illustration VIII—A captain of the Imperial Vadera Guard crawls reluctantly towards the fence in response to your signal.
‘You're not Drakkarim or Lencian. Who are you? What do you want?’ he hisses, through cracked lips that are blue with hunger and cold. ‘Is this another Drakkarim trick devised to torment us?’
‘This is no trick,’ you whisper in reply, trying hard to reassure him, ‘I'm an ally in the service of your King. I want to help you and your men to escape.’
He holds you with his steely-grey eyes and slowly shakes his head.
‘It's too late to help us,’ he says, sadly. ‘We're too weak to resist. Some have tried and they've all died in the jaws of the dogs. No, you save yourself, stranger. Forget us.’
‘But if you stay here you'll starve to death,’ you retort. ‘Surely it's better to die fighting than waste away. The garrison here is small, barely forty in number. I could cause a diversion and draw their dogs away. Your men may be weakened but still they outnumber the enemy five times over. For Ishir's sake, man, have you lost the will to live?’
The Lencian captain glances over his shoulder at his starving comrades and, when he turns to face you once more, you see a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes.
‘All of these men have been more than a week without food or shelter. Many have died, many are near to death. I fear they are too weak to fight an enemy who has food in his belly and a sword in his hand. Perhaps … if we had weapons … ’
‘If you do as I say, you'll have weapons enough to pluck this town from under their very noses,’ you reply, earnestly.
The Lencian narrows his eyes, and for a moment, the trace of a smile softens his gaunt features.
‘Very well, stranger. Tell me your plan.’
Thanks to your Kai skills, the two Tukodak guards do not see you until it is too late. From the base of the stone ramp you launch a lightning attack which dispatches them both before they can attempt to raise the alarm.
You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and a crackling blast of electrical energy leaps from your fingers. The fiery bolt hits the advancing creature, stunning it momentarily, but it soon recovers and presses home its attack with renewed determination.
You crash down upon the unsuspecting lancer, but the shock of impact does not unseat him and desperately he struggles to fend you off. He wounds your forearm with his sabre before you succeed in knocking him out of the saddle: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
You seize control of the startled horse and take off across the square, unholstering the lance as you gallop headlong towards the mass of Drakkarim soldiers who stand between you and the platform.
You reach the hamlet and hurry along its solitary road. Flanking you are two rows of low cottages, their thick-thatched roofs still intact despite the fiery carnage that has swept so near. Off to the right you see a barn-like building standing with its door ajar. A brazier of coals, an anvil, and a scattering of iron strips prove it to have once been a busy smithy. But now, like the surrounding buildings, it is seemingly deserted.
Illustration IX—A Lencian Crusader rushes out into the road brandishing a heavy steel mace in his left hand.
You are passing the open door when suddenly you hear a man's voice. He has a strong Lencian accent and he is cursing you, thinking you to be a turncoat Stornland mercenary. As you turn to face the smithy door, a Lencian Crusader comes rushing out into the road, brandishing a heavy steel mace in his left hand. You yell at him that you are loyal to King Sarnac, but he ignores your plea and swings his weapon wildly at your head.
Lencian Crusader:
COMBAT SKILL
34
ENDURANCE
36
Throughout this combat you are attempting to strike a blow that will render the knight unconscious. Fight this combat using the normal combat procedure.
If you manage to reduce the knight's
ENDURANCE
to zero or below,
turn to 272
.
As you struggle to kill the last Gorodon, suddenly you catch sight of Prarg attacking the creature from the rear. Having witnessed your desperate plight, he has brought the boat back to shore and grounded it nearby. Now, with his help, swiftly you seal the doom of this last swamp-creature.
Shaken by your hard-won battle, Prarg helps you back to the boat and places you aboard.
‘That was a mite too close for comfort,’ he says, as he frees the oars and sets them in place.
‘You can count yourself lucky to have escaped with your life. The first time I navigated these channels I lost three good men in a Gorodon attack. Those beasts are the bane of this accursed place … yet, 'tis true to say, there are other creatures here that are far deadlier.’
Soon you reach the west bank where, once safely ashore, you encamp on a strip of frozen loam that overlooks a bleak expanse of marsh. Night has fallen and so, too, has the temperature. From the shelter of your upturned boat you cast your experienced eye across the darkening skies and see banks of cloud, heavy with snow, scudding the distant horizon. They are an unwelcome sight, the precursors to a winter storm.
Prarg volunteers to continue the first watch but, mindful that his need for rest is greater than yours, you insist that he gets some sleep. For four hours you sit and scan the bleak horizon, your mind filled with unanswered questions about the mission and the dangers you have yet to face. While you ponder what awaits you in the near future, you remain watchful and alert, your encounter on the east bank still vivid in your mind. Fortunately, the increasing cold dissuades the Hellswamp's inhabitants from leaving their lairs this night and your watch passes without further incident.
Then the time comes for you to awaken Prarg. With a noticeable lack of enthusiasm he takes his turn while you settle yourself down to catch a few hours of much needed sleep.