[LUPO SOLITARIO] Libro IX: The Cauldron of Fear

[Jesper]

Like most southern Anarian peasants, these farm hands are simple folk. They have heard nothing of the war in the north, and know nothing about the Darklord armies that are poised to assault their capital. All they are able to tell you is that a great many wagons carrying ‘Takas’, or rich city folk, have travelled the road to Navasari in the last ten days.

They would be happy to share their humble meal of corn soup with you, but the smell of their dung fire has destroyed your appetite and you refuse their offer politely. Banedon, who has been talking with the owner of the house, returns to his horse and nods at the signpost. ‘It’s pointing the wrong way. A few days ago one of the Takas’ wagons ran into it and nobody has bothered to fix it yet.’

With a wave, the farm hands bid you farewell as you urge your horses back onto the highway. You are now hungry and must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

Turn to 318.

A bello

Five miles along the highway you reach another junction, where a cart track bears off to the west. A whitewashed stone marker at the side of the road says:
SIDARA—5 MILES

If you wish to follow the cart track to Sidara, turn to 45.

If you wish to stay on the highway to Tahou, turn to 145.

Dove si va ?

[Kaluisurrr]

andiamo a visitare le famose bellezze che offre sidara

[-=Rho=-]

45

[Defender]

La tizia con cui ha parlato prima Banedon ha detto di stare lontani da Sidara, io seguirei il suo consiglio.

Tiriamo dritto.

[Kat]

145

[Jesper]

2 a 2, il prossimo voto, anche se duplicato, decide

[-=Rho=-]

45

[Jesper]

Sidara express!

The track takes you to the outskirts of a small river village. It looks deserted but as though the inhabitants have left in a hurry, taking nothing with them. A window shutter slams repeatedly in the distance, and you feel the chill of premonition as you ride along the empty cobbled street. As you approach the river wharf you suddenly hear new sounds, sounds that make you stop your horse dead in its tracks. You can hear the harsh voices of Giak soldiers.

Turn to 120.

Le bellezze Giak

Silently you slip from the saddle and peer around the corner. In the middle of the street beyond, a company of Giak scouts are sifting through items they have looted from the village. Two of the evil creatures are loading their booty onto the back of a Kraan, a large, black-winged creature, while the others cram their ill-gotten gains in their pockets and packs. What they cannot carry they delight in despoiling, leaving behind a trail of filth and debris in the buildings they have ransacked.

‘Oka der!’ shouts their officer, brandishing a long, black sword with a jagged edge. ‘Akamaza ek!’ His greedy soldiers are reluctant to obey his commands, but a few blows with the flat of his blade quickly change their minds. Muttering and snarling, they scurry off into a side alley, reappearing a few minutes later astride large, grey wolves. ‘Rekenara kluz!’ growls the officer, and the pack ride out of the village, heading north along the bank of the River Churdas.


Illustration VII—Two Giak scouts are loading their booty on to the back of a Kraan.

The Kraan and its two riders take to the air, but the beast is so overburdened with loot that it cannot clear the rooftops. Frantically it beats its leathery wings, hovering erratically just a few feet off the ground. The Giaks urge it on with kicks and punches, but to no avail. Suddenly it lurches forward and the Giaks tumble head-first onto the cobblestones a few feet from where you stand. ‘Orgadaka!’ they cry, as they catch sight of you and Banedon hiding at the corner.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 12.

If you wish to attack the Giaks with a hand weapon before they have a chance to stand, turn to 285.

If you choose to avoid combat by remounting your horse and galloping along the track that leads out of the village, turn to 63.

Abbiamo trovato i Giak dalle palle giganti della copertina! Che vogliamo fare ?

[-=Rho=-]

12 , queste "palle giganti " sono da lootare , vediamo di non missarle

[Earenia]

uppo archetto 12

[Kaluisurrr]

go di arco diddio

[Jesper]

You draw an Arrow and take aim at a Giak’s chest. He opens his yellow-fanged mouth to shriek for mercy, but his cry is cut short as your feathered shaft pierces his heart. The other Giak rolls away from the body of his partner and scrambles to his feet, desperate to escape a similar fate. ‘Aki-amaz!’ he whimpers, hysterically, as he scurries towards the shadows of an alley.

If you possess at least one more Arrow and wish to fire your Bow again, turn to 229.

If you decide to let the Giak escape, turn to 57.

Siamo stati riconosciuti! ‘Aki-amaz!’ significa "Lupo Solitario"

Vogliamo che diffonda il panico tra i suoi amici Giak, o lo sfrecciamo?

[-=Rho=-]

"Aki amaz' ? "Rispondigli " Mi t'amaz a' ti " e tiragli un altra freccia , a fai rollare quelle ditina magiche coi " dadi "

[Defender]

Spara spara!

[Sturm]

Sempre e comunque kill then loot! Creiamo un Giak puntaspilli! Oyea