Free The Jungle of Horrors by Joe Dever Page A

Lune
Bow cases (wood) — 20 Lune
Bow Cases (leather) — 12 Lune
Bowstrings — 4 Lune
    You may purchase any of the above equipment, using Gold Crowns to pay for the items if you wish (1 Gold Crown = 4 Lune). A Quiver holds a maximum of six arrows, and to carry more than six arrows you will need to purchase an extra Quiver. Bow cases, wrist and finger guards, and bowstrings are all Backpack Items.
    If you possess the Silver Bow of Duadon, turn to 304 .
    If you do not possess this Special Item, you may leave the bowyery and continue; turn to 264 .

170
    You retrace your route through Topham, past the abbey and water-mill, and follow the track westwards to the Great North Road. The hours spent in the saddle have made you tired and hungry — you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
    To continue your ride to Tharro, turn to 280 .

172
    Stealthily you approach the huts, using your Kai hunting skills to muffle the sound of your passage through the foliage. Unfortunately Paido is unused to such woodcraft. He fails to see a clutch of dried twigs on the ground before him, and they crack loudly under his foot. You freeze in your tracks, your eyes fixed on the huts ahead.
    Turn to 272 .

174
    The monks appear upset by your refusal to eat. They whisper to each other and cast anxious glances at your untouched plate. Paido is busy eating 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 staff of plain black iron.
    ‘Has the Vakeros eaten?’ he asks, his voice strangely cold and monotonal.
    ‘Yes, master,’ the monks reply, ‘but the Kai Lord refused.’
    If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 93 .
    If you do not possess this skill, turn to 128 .

175
    Gradually the causeway descends into the stinking mire, delivering you back to the ankle-deep ooze. A chilling howl drifts across the swamp from the north, and for a few fleeting seconds, all the scuttling, slithering, and other small noises cannot be heard.
    You are hungry and must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
    Turn to 56 .

177
    When Paido finally climbs down from the tree, his face betrays his anxiety. ‘What is wrong?’ you ask impatiently.
    ‘There is no signal,’ he replies. ‘I have scanned every direction with the starguider, but it can detect no korlinium signal. It isn't damaged, of that I'm sure. It's simply as if the temple has disappeared.’
    You take the device from Paido's hand and climb the twisted tree trunk. He shouts instructions and you set the starguider into operation, scanning the distant horizon and waiting for the tell-tale click that will reveal the direction of the lost temple of the Elder Magi. But Paido is right — there is no signal; and without a signal there is no hope of finding the Lorestone of Ohrido.
    You are about to abandon the search and jump down from the tree when you see something on the northern horizon that you hadn't noticed before. An island of red volcanic rock rises out of the mire, one of four flat-topped islands grouped in a diamond close to the eastern edge of the crater. Perhaps the temple is on the other side of that island. Perhaps that is why the starguider will emit no signal?
    You climb down and ask Paido what he thinks. He stares to the north and ponders the problem. ‘Yes, it is possible,’ he says thoughtfully, ‘it is just possible.’
    Turn to 292 .

178
    Your force yourself to swallow the potion and to stay conscious long enough for it to take effect. Gradually you feel your strength returning. The pain and nausea disappear and your limbs stop their uncontrollable shivering as the potion and your latent Kai skill neutralize the toxin in your blood.
    Now you use your skill to try to save your companion's life. Placing your hands on his chest, you transfer the warmth of your healing power into Paido's poisoned body,