### 149

As you deal the creature the killing blow, its body crackles and disintegrates into a million motes of light that dissolve into the darkness like a swarm of fleeing fireflies. You rush to aid your horse who is lying motionless among the boulders, but sadly you discover that it is already too late to save him.

Fear and uncertainty haunt you as patiently you await the dawn. The being that attacked and slew your mount was not of this world; it was a creature born wholly of evil magic. With a gnawing sense of dread, you leave at first light and follow the jungle trail to the west. The forest and vegetation are teeming with life, yet as you go deeper into the jungle so the sounds become fewer and more distant. By midday you have covered 20 miles and arrived at a place where there are no sounds at all. The eerie silence surrounds you for several miles further until your Kai hunting skills detect a faint noise. It drifts towards you from among the towering trees to the right of the jungle path. Cautiously you leave the trail and make your way towards the source of this solitary sound.

If you possess Assimilance, turn to 335.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline, turn to 296.