### 33

Reluctantly the marines follow as you descend the stairs. The moment you set foot in the taproom you are surrounded by armed guards and made to hand over your Weapons (delete all normal Weapons from your Action Chart; you need not delete your Kai Weapon which you keep hidden beneath your cloak). Once you and your companions have been disarmed, you are herded towards the counter to join more than two dozen others who are of foreign nationality. The officer in charge of the armed guards then strides to the middle of the taproom floor and proceeds to inform you in an imperious tone that you are to be taken to the Funtal’s castle where your trading papers and travel documents will be scrutinized. The others, who all appear to be traders and merchants, are outraged when they hear this decree. They protest loudly and many refuse to leave the tavern. They say that it is all just a cynical ploy by the Funtal to confiscate their cargoes.

Kol appears by your side and he whispers to you to follow him. As the Funtal’s guards move in and grapple with the angry merchants, you and the marines slip away with Kol and hide in the cellar below the tavern’s kitchen. An hour later, as dawn is breaking, the tavern falls silent and you emerge from your hiding place to discover that it is now completely empty.

Turn to 255.