51

As you fall, you throw out your hands and manage to grab hold of a thick timber which lies across the gaping hole. Splinters of rotten wood dig deeply into your hands, causing you to cry out in pain (lose 2 ENDURANCE points), but the discomfort does not cause you to lose your grip. With grim determination, you haul yourself out of the hole and continue across these perilous ruins, taking more care than before as to where you tread.

Eventually you clear this section of the city and find yourself in the midst of a once-grand building which now lies derelict. Through one of its shattered windows you look out upon a concourse littered with more than a dozen Giak dead. Their posture, and the nature of their wounds, tell of a savage street battle fought here within the last few hours. Perched on nearby rooftops are a flock of vulture-like birds, cawing delightedly, their bellies distended by a surfeit of Giak meat.

The distant clang and clash of steel tell you that the fighting is not over; it has simply moved on. The noise prompts you to stay crouched in the ruins whilst you consider your next course of action. From this position you survey the street and notice a narrow stairway, directly opposite, which leads down to a crypt door. You focus on the dark portal and sense at once that it is open and unguarded.

If you wish to cross the street and investigate the crypt, turn to 228.

If you choose to ignore the crypt, turn to 303.