### 334

You have come to the edge of a deep canyon. The verdant walls of this massive gorge are carpeted with a rainbow of colour, and the air is alive with the busy noise of huge, buzzing insects. Everything is fecund and fertile and dripping with humid jungle heat. High above the gorge you glimpse for the first time the source of the light which illuminates this strangely wonderful realm. The canyon is set within a cavern, the walls of which seem to engulf the sky. At its apex there is an oval-shaped vent through which a concentrated shower of amber rays pours down, like sunbeams through a stained glass portal. You watch in awe as flights of dragonflies, each as large as a Vassagonian Itikar, circle languidly above the canyon on gossamer wings. They shimmer like streaks of liquid silver as they ride the thermal currents. The sight is one of great beauty, yet one you cannot fully enjoy. The instinct which led you to the rim of this gorge now tells you that the source of the power you seek lies several miles away and above, beyond the vent that is the source of this cavern’s light. Carefully you consider your predicament and determine that in order to escape, you must reach the vent—an exit that lies more than a thousand feet above the rim of the gorge.

If you possess Kai-alchemy (and wish to use it) and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Crown, turn to 329.

If you possess Kai-alchemy (and wish to use it) but have yet to attain the rank of Kai Grand Crown, turn to 146.

If you do not possess this Discipline, or if you choose not to use it, turn to 116.