25

As the bandit falls dead at your feet, Sergeant Yeng and his comrade come crashing through the foliage and leap into the hide. Yeng is amazed that you have put paid to the bandits so quickly, and when he turns them over with the toe of his boot, he quickly identifies them as members of the gang led by Captain Kronar—the renegade Chai army officer. Yeng raises his sword to finish off the unconscious bandit but you stay his hand.

‘We’ll take this one back with us,’ you say. ‘He may be of more use to us alive than dead.’

Your return to the encampment with a prisoner causes quite a stir. Captain Chan is anxious to question the man, and he orders Yeng to throw a pail of cold spring water over him, but this fails to revive the unconscious bandit. Then you approach the man and use your Kai healing skills in an attempt to restore him to consciousness. A small circle of curious courtiers gather to watch, and they gasp with amazement when he suddenly awakes with a start. With fear-filled eyes, the man returns the stares of his captors and begins to beg for mercy.

Sergeant Yeng slaps his face with the back of his calloused hand and demands that he identify himself. Immediately, the bandit clamps his jaw shut and refuses to utter another sound. You use your psychic skills to probe his mind and discover that he is unusually strong-willed and resilient. You sense that he would be unlikely to break under physical torture.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it, turn to 80.

If you possess Kai-surge and wish to use it, turn to 231.

If you possess neither of these skills, or if you decide not to use them, turn to 13.