126

It is still dark when you are woken by Urik the following morning. ‘Come, Wizard—no time for sleep now; time for haste.’ Still groggy with sleep, you rise, take up your Backpack and Staff, and make ready to leave.

‘What about food?’ you ask.

‘Food?’ Urik sniffs, derisively. ‘Food grows on the land … water falls from sky … down from mountain river … only foolish man wish to carry the earth and the sky upon his back in little bag. Come now.’

Urik disappears through the door of your room and you have no choice but to follow. You follow Urik in the half light as he clambers along the wooden walkways of the Kundi colony. The air is warm and damp with dew and the clouds hang low above the trees of the Azanam. Already, Urik has nearly disappeared from sight in the thick mist and you struggle to match his pace as he steps nimbly from one platform to another. Soon the Kundi village is far behind and you are travelling along the thick branches of the giant Azawood trees.

If you have the Magical Power of Alchemy, turn to 216.

If you do not possess this Power, turn to 257.