### 348

Your bold decision to turn back to the jetty buys you precious time; it also saves you from the jaws of an Ixian Gybia—a ferocious underwater predator. Seconds after hauling yourself out of the water, the massive body of this creature surges past, barely a few feet from where you are clinging limpet-like to the jetty wall. The sight of this huge monster electrifies you, sending you scurrying to the top of the jetty as quickly as your aching limbs will allow. From a makeshift hiding place among some wooden crates, you look down at the swirling water and watch as the Gybia circles the jetty in a wide arc. On its second sweep, it veers away and returns disappointedly to its underwater pen.

The jetty is teeming with undead soldiers who, under the direction of the same black-clad creature who released the Gybia, are busily transferring materials to and from the open mouth of the submarine. Getting past this creature and its undead minions in order to reach the shore looks, at first sight, a near-impossible task. Then you notice a means by which you could achieve your goal without having to face the predator for a second time.

Turn to 207.