8

The bullet whistles past your left ear, close enough for you to feel the draught. The proximity of the shot spurs you to greater effort and, with a sudden burst of speed, you sprint the remaining few yards across the plateau and along a trail into the trees beyond. Almost immediately the trail drops steeply, causing you to lose your footing and tumble head over heels. When eventually you come to a stop, you are covered from head to toe with scratches and other minor abrasions: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.

From here your descent through the forest continues with comparative ease. Soon you reach the stream that you discovered during your ascent, and you stop here briefly to try to determine if you are still being pursued. The surrounding trees seem unnaturally quiet, and it is easy to imagine that an assassin lurks behind every trunk.

With trepidation you continue, leaving the trail to follow the water as it flows west towards the Swisshelm Mountains. You cover twelve miles without incident and by early evening you arrive at a small bridge where a road, running north to south, crosses the stream. You check your map, but the road is too minor to be listed. You are hungry and must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

If you wish to leave the stream and follow the road, turn to 43.

If you choose to continue along the stream, turn to 175.