City of Thieves - Attempt 3

There's no easy way to say this, but... I screwed up on my last attempt to complete this book.  I should have beaten it.  Skill 12, Luck 12?  There's no excuse for failing with stats like those, especially on a book I'm so familiar with.  So this time around, I'm getting serious.  No more screwing around, no more exploration, no more failures.  I will take the safest path, and do nothing that isn't integral to my success.  I'm not here to have fun now, I'm here to slay me a Night Prince.  Look out Zanbar Bone, I'm a-comin'!

For my third character I rolled a Skill of 10, a Stamina of 23 and a Luck of 11.  It's another really solid set of scores.  I might fall prey to the Moon Dogs, but otherwise I should be set.  Once again I chose the Potion of Fortune, and set off on my quest.

Not wanting to venture into unexplored territory, I took the same option with the gate guard as last time, and was thrown in prison for my trouble.  I ignored the old man who was offering to help me to freedom in exchange for gold, and instead searched my own cell.  Much to my surprise I found a loose stone with a key hidden underneath, and I quickly made my escape, killing the guards and getting my hands on a merchant's pass and two gold pieces (raising my total to 32).

At the initial intersection I once again headed east down Clock Street.  (I'm not sure why, because the northern path has the most gold, and also a shield that grants +1 to Attack Strength.  Clock Street has the winged helmet, which is just as good, but not as much gold.  I think that perhaps I forgot about the shield.)  I talked to and murdered the crazy hobo, and smashed the globe that contained the winged helmet.  I ignored the Ogre's house completely, and walked right past the boy who was trying to sell me healing water.  I wasn't able to ignore the three Dwarfs who tried to assail me, but a successful Luck test (reducing my Luck to 10) enabled me to avoid being clubbed unconscious.  The Dwarfs fled down an alley, but this time I resisted chasing them, as I remembered that they had robbed me last time.

Further down the street I found a flower shop, and went inside.  I took Mrs Pipe up on her offer to sell me a magic flower in exchange for two of my provisions (I was left with 8).  The flower's petals would supposedly turn to gold coins when dipped in dogs' blood, and I was eager to try it out.

I came to a jeweller's shop and went inside.  I had been here in my last game, but with no money.  This time I was loaded, so I bought a Ring of Fire for 8 gold pieces (leaving me with 24).  He also had a Ring of Ice and a Ring of Invisibility, and I might have forked out for all three if the book hadn't specified that I can only buy one.  (It's seriously irritating when gamebooks impose needless limitations like this.  Let me waste my money!)

I continued on to the market, where once again the old lady picked my pocket and stole a gold piece (leaving me with 23).  I ignored the food stall, as I had yet to lose any Stamina, and I also ignored the fellow playing the lyre.  I did play cannonball-catch with the smug muscle-man though, and this time I defeated him and pocketed 5 gold pieces.  At the equipment stall I bought everything: a throwing knife, a climbing rope, a butcher's meat hook, an iron spike, and a lantern.  This cost me 12 gold pieces (leaving me with 16).

That done, it was back to ignoring things.  I walked right past 'Madame Star, Clairvoyant', disregarded a sudden burst of rain, and paid no heed to the old man at the bridge.  Instead I went down the stairs under the bridge to see Nicodemus, who gave me my list of quest items: hag's hair, black lotus, black pearls, a silver arrow and a tattoo of a unicorn on my head.

After leaving Nicodemus I came to a junction, and turned east down Candle Street.  Down an alley I saw a black door with skulls painted on it, but I didn't go inside.  (I had money this time, and thus no incentive to try my hand at the poisoned pill game.)  As I walked along the street a pot plant smashed on the cobblestones right next to me, and I could hear arguing from a nearby house.  I went inside, and was confronted by this troubling scene.

Two old ladies dressed like little girls, fighting over a wooden duck.  (I'm sure there's a fascinating story behind all this, and it might shed some light on the inner depths of Ian Livingstone's psyche, but I don't want to know it.)  They turned to me and demanded that I give them toys, so I handed over my butcher's meat hook and let them squabble over it.  On a table were two bowls of hot soup, so I sat down and helped myself.  It was disgusting, but I finished it all, and it turned out to be full of herbs with beneficial properties.  I would have regained 4 Stamina points if I had ever lost any.

I left the house and continued, only to find that the street ended at a high stone wall.  I could here growls and cheering on the other side, so I climbed over to investigate.  I found a group of goblin-like creatures playing a game that involved a stick, a ball, and a lot of running.  They were Bays, playing their favourite game, Bays' Ball.  (Ugh.  It's painful just typing it out.)

I asked to join their game, and they handed me a bat and sent me in.  If I could hit the ball over the wall I would win the game for them, otherwise we would lose.  I made the requisite Skill test, smashed the ball over the wall, and was hailed as a hero.  They Bays offered me all sorts of gifts, which I pocketed greedily: 8 gold pieces (raising my total to 24), a Potion of Mind Control, a silver flute, a piece of chalk, an eye-patch, and a bunch of bananas.  I scoffed the bananas, then climbed back over the wall and retraced my steps back to the last junction, where I went west down Harbour Street.

I passed a beggar and threw a gold piece in his cup (leaving me with 23 gold pieces, but restoring my Luck to 11).  Later I passed an alley, and went to investigate.  I was attacked by a pair of Wild Dogs, which I made short work of.  I remembered the golden flower that I had bought from Mrs Pipe, and dipped the petals in the blood of the dead dogs.  The petals sparkled and popped, then transformed into 10 gold pieces that I eagerly scooped up (raising my total to 33).

I continued on, being sure to step aside when Lord Azzur's carriage went thundering by.  I soon came to the Black Lobster Tavern, and the docks.  There was a pirate ship anchored there that I was keen to investigate.  I boarded it my climbing a rope ladder.  On the deck were many boxes and barrels, but there was also a pirate on guard, so I ignored them and made my way below into the cargo hold.  There were two doors ahead of me.  I chose the door on the left, and found three pirates asleep in their bunks.

One of them had a small pouch hanging from his neck, and I decided to creep into the room and steal it.  I succeeded at the requisite Luck test, and was delighted to find six black pearls inside (my Luck was reduced to 10, then instantly restored to 11).  I had found one of the items I needed to slay Zanbar Bone.

I tried the other door, and found a bath full of steaming hot water.  I hid behind the door and waited to see who was about to take a bath, but I was disappointed to find that the captain was a fat man, and not a sexy pirate queen.  Once he was in the water I drew my sword and put it at his throat, and asked him if he knew where I could find the items I was looking for.  He didn't know, but he did tell me that I could find a silversmith named 'Ben Borryman' on Clog Street.  (I have always found that name amusing, mostly due to the meaning of the slang term borry.)  I took my leave of the captain and his ship, strutting confidently after my successful venture.

I headed north up Harbour Street, and came to a junction where Clog Street headed east.  I decided to leave Clog Street for later, and continued along Harbour Street.  The street soon came to an end, but I spent some time chatting with the wives of the fishermen, and one of them told me that some hags have been spotted in the sewers recently,  I gave them my thanks before heading back and going down Clog Street.

I came across what appeared to a young boy lying face down on the road, groaning in pain.  I stopped to help the boy, but in actual fact he was a Goblin, and I had to kill him in self defense.  In his pockets I found a clove of garlic, some knucklebones, and 2 gold pieces (raising my total to 35).

Further along Clog Street was a candle-maker's shop, and I went inside.  The shopkeeper was an Elf, with creepy blue eyes.  I bought a coloured candle from him for 1 gold piece (leaving me with 34), and then he invited me into the back room to see his "magic candle".  I wasn't sure exactly how euphemistic he was being, but I followed him anyway, into a room full of mesmerising purple candles.  While I stood transfixed he stole two of my items and 5 gold pieces (leaving me with 29).  I was unaware of the theft, but I would later be gutted to realise that he had taken my chalk, and my eye-patch.  What a bastard!

I continued down Clog Street and soon came to a shop, with a sign reading 'Ben Borryman, Silversmith' (snigger).  I went inside and resisted the urge to rob the old fellow for his silver, instead deciding to talk to him.  He didn't have any silver arrows in stock, but he offered to make one for 10 god pieces or two magic items.  I paid the gold (leaving me with 19), and after a short wait I left the shop with my silver arrow.  Two down, three to go.

I arrived at a junction, with Tower Street heading north and Stable Street heading east.  I went east, and was soon confronted by an old man with a wart on his nose, who wanted to sell me a drink of his miraculous healing potion.  I declined this tempting offer (mostly because I had yet to be wounded), and further down the street I came to a manhole cover.  Remembering the fishwives' tales of hags in the sewers, I lifted the cover and climbed down.

The sewer tunnel went north and south.  First I headed south, and soon I heard scratching, clicking noises ahead.  They grew louder, and I was confronted by a Giant Centipede.  I had no magic to defeat it with, so I was forced to kill it with my sword.  The centipede wounded me a few times (reducing my Stamina to 17).  Its body blocked most of the tunnel, and I had to climb over it, but soon I found that the tunnel ended at an iron grill.  I was unable to remove the grill, but I did notice a dark recess above it, where someone had removed some bricks.  I reached inside, and found a silver mirror.  Stowing it in my pack, I returned to the sewer entrance and headed down the north tunnel.

I could hear the sounds of squeaking and splashing, and see long shadows on the walls ahead.  It was a trio of Giant Rats, which I killed easily. 

While fighting the rats I saw something skulking in the tunnel ahead, so I investigated.  I was attacked by a Hag, who came at me with a knife, screaming words of demon sorcery.

I could feel her spell affecting my mind, so I drank the Potion of Mind Control that I had won from the Bays.  Her spell was now ineffective, and while she cursed at me I held her down and cut a clump of hair from her head.  Just for good measure I threw her into the sewer water before I departed and climbed back to the surface.  Now all I needed was the lotus flower, and the tattoo.

I continued along Stable Street, which turned north, and was confronted by a trio of men with red stars tattooed on their foreheads.  I would have asked them where they got their tattoos, but they seemed intent on robbing me.  I hurled my throwing knife at the leader, and succeeded at the requisite Skill test.  My knife lodged in his chest, killing him instantly, and the other two picked up his corpse and ran away.

I passed a lot of terraced sandstone houses, but one was made of white-painted brick, and had a door with a serpent's head carved on it.  The room inside was sparse, and silk curtains obscured an archway on the far wall.  From behind the curtain, a woman's voice asked who was there.  I replied that I was delivering flowers, and when she asked who they were from I said "Lord Azzur".  She drew the curtain aside, and revealed that although she had the body of a young woman, her head was that of a serpent.  (At this point the book describes that hero as "feeling uncomfortable", which seems pretty appropriate, and amusing.)

I had no flowers, and the Serpent Queen was growing impatient as I pretended to search for them in my backpack.  I decided to make a run for the front door, but her head darted out and bit me on the neck, wounding me for 4 Stamina points (leaving me with 13) and 1 Skill point (leaving me with 9).  I fought back, and although she wounded me twice more (reducing my Stamina to 9), I soon killed her.  In her house I found 12 gold pieces (raising my total to 31), which allowed me to restore 1 Luck point (which I didn't need).

I came to a junction, but had no choice but to continue north.  I passed by a wooden barn and went inside.  A blacksmith was there, busy making horse shoes, and I made conversation with him.  He told me that in his spare time he makes chainmail coats, and offered to sell me one for 20 gold pieces.  It was a hefty price, but I agreed to pay, as I needed to make up for the Skill I had lost from the Serpent Queen's bite.  He retrieved the coat from beneath a bale of hay, which gave a bonus of 2 Skill points (restoring me to 10), and I paid him the gold (leaving me with 11).

As I continued, a man in rags with a ball and chain came running down the street.  He collapsed at my feet and begged me to cut him free, as the guards were right behind him.  He claimed to have been jailed for being unable to pay his taxes, but I didn't believe him, and besides that I didn't want any trouble.  I handed him over to the guards, and they paid me 5 gold pieces as a reward (raising my total to 16).  The guards claimed that he was an escaped murderer, and I wasn't sure who to believe, but the important thing was that they allowed me to go on my way.

Soon I came to the public gardens, and I paid a gold piece to enter through the turnstile (leaving me with 15).  The gardens were beautiful, though not very large, and soon I found a large earthen bowl containing lotus flowers.

The shrubs nearby had been cut into the shape of animals, and a sign read "Do Not Pick the Flowers", but I had to take one.  My quest depended on it!  As expected, the hedges came to life and attacked when I picked the flower, but I was prepared.  I burned one with a blast from my Ring of Fire, and made my escape with the lotus flower in my clutches.  Now all I needed was the tattoo, and I would be ready to face the Night Prince.

I came to a junction where Mill Street headed east and west.  A group of town guards was approaching from the east, so I headed west.  To my left was a narrow lane, and there was a boy approaching with a barrow laden with fruit.  I ducked down the lane, and found a tattoo parlour.  Inside I was greeted by a large, tattooed man with the unlikely name of Jimmy Quicktint.

He offered to tattoo my forehead for 10 gold pieces, which I reluctantly paid (leaving me with 5).  I specifically told him to do it really small, and right at the hairline so that I could wear a hat and cover it up.  Soon he was done, and I left the shop feeling like a right knob.

Two large guards were approaching as I left the shop, and as they drew nearer I could see that they were Trolls.

I didn't fancy climbing the city wall, so I had little choice but to walk past them.  No doubt suspicious of my tattoo, they asked what my business was in Port Blacksand.  I claimed to be a merchant, and even showed my merchant's pass, but they were still suspicious.  The larger Troll, named Sourbelly, asked if I was one of the fancy folk who have been selling spices on Pepper Street.  Having not seen a Pepper Street while in the city, I said that I wasn't, and that I was selling daggers at the market.  Sourbelly told me that my business in the city was over, and that they were going to escort me to the city gates.  I had found the items I needed to battle Zanbar Bone, so I didn't argue, and allowed them to kick me out of the North Gate.

I began my long journey to Zanbar Bone's tower, enjoying the fresh air now that I was away from Port Blacksand.  As night fell I camped under an elm tree and ate a meal of stewed rabbit (raising my Stamina to 11).  In the morning I cut a branch from a yew tree and made a bow.  As I tested it a dove landed on a branch nearby, with a message attached to its foot.  The message was from Nicodemus.  The senile old bugger had been incorrect about the items I would need to face Zanbar Bone, and I only needed two of the three ingredients (hag's hair, lotus flower and black pearls) he had asked me to find.  He was unsure which two were correct, so it would be up to me to guess.  I made my decision, ground them into a powder, and set off in a foul temper.

On my journey I was attacked by an Orc, which I killed without much trouble.  (This was a random encounter, where I rolled against a table to see what type of monster attacked me.  I remember that the Ape-Man has some kind of treasure, but I'm not sure exactly what it is.)

I pressed on towards the tower, and at this point I ate two provisions (restoring my Stamina to 19).  Soon I could see the tower in the distance, and smell decay in the air.  The moon was rising, and I was too stupid to wait and approach by day.  I marched up to the door, but a howl startled me, and I was attacked by a pair of Moon Dogs, Zanbar Bone's trained killer hounds.  This was a tough battle, though luckily I only had to fight them one at a time.  They reduced my Stamina to 9 before I was able to dispatch them.  I also used a few Luck points during the battle, to increase the damage I dealt (reducing my Luck to 8).  After the fight I ate three more provisions (leaving me with 3, and restoring my Stamina to 21).

The tower door was locked, so I pulled the cord to ring the bell.  A few minutes later it was answered by a thin, pale-skinned man with hollow eyes.  I attacked him with my sword, but to my surprise he was unaffected.  He touched my arm, and left a mark that smelled of putrid flesh and dealt 2 points of damage (reducing my Stamina to 19).  This was a Spirit Stalker, one of the Night Prince's faithful servants.  I stepped back and unshouldered my bow, and fired a silver arrow through its heart.  The creature died, and I retrieved my arrow before entering the tower.

I was in a marble hallway, with two shields on the wall and a spiral staircase leading upwards.  One of the shields had a unicorn crest, and the other a black tower.  I took the shield with the unicorn on it.  Unbeknownst to me it had been taken from a goodly knight who had been killed by Zanbar Bone, and using it allowed me to add 1 Skill point.  I was already at maximum Skill, so it was of no use, but it was still a cool thing to find.

I went up the stairs to the next level of the tower.  There was a door there, and a bedroom inside, but I ignored it and continued climbing.  On the next level was a door, which I opened.

The room was full of art objects, but of more interest was the pale young lady approaching me.  She was friendly and inviting, but the blood-red lips and the fangs were a dead giveaway.  I threw my clove of garlic inside, grabbed the key, fled outside and locked her in before running up the stairs.

On the third floor was a door, which I opened.  It was pitch-dark inside, and I could see nothing.  (At this point I would have been able to see if I had a golden owl.  I'm pretty sure that this is what the Ape-Man I mentioned earlier had.)  I decided not to enter the room, and continued climbing.

On the next floor there was a white door and a black door.  A voice from nowhere started mocking me; it was Zanbar Bone, telling me that I had no hope of ever finding him, before laughing maniacally.  I shrugged my shoulders and opened the white door.

Inside was a room with a stone sarcophagus.  I lifted the lid, and found a mummified corpse inside.  Now mummies in Fighting Fantasy are never just mummies, and as expected this one got up and started walking towards me.  I threw my lantern at it, covering it with burning oil.  As the mummy was consumed by fire, I looted its sarcophagus and found the long-lost Ring of the Golden Eye, which would allow me to detect illusions.

I left the room, and went through the black door.  The room inside was decorated with macabre objects.  There was a black cat sitting in front of a table, and on the table was chest containing a golden skull.  I went to investigate the chest, but the Ring of the Golden Eye told me that it was all an illusion.  The cat was really Zanbar Bone, and now he was standing before me, a skeleton in a black robe with green, translucent eyes.  Before I could react, Bone pulled three teeth from his mouth and hurled them to the ground.  There was a puff of smoke, and three Skeletons stepped forth to fight me one at a time.  They weren't all that strong, but they got a few hit in (reducing my Stamina to 13) before I destroyed them.

Zanbar Bone was walking towards me with his hands outstretched, trying to touch my skin.  I drank my Potion of Fortune (raising my Luck to 12), raised my bow and shot my silver arrow.  With a score of 12 I couldn't fail the Luck test, and my arrow pierced his chest.  He was paralysed, but I would have just a few moments to rub the powder I had made into his eyes and destroy him.

At this point, I had to choose which two ingredients I had used in the powder.  Was it hag's hair and black pearls?  Black pearls and lotus flower?  Or Lotus flower and hag's hair?  (It's a shame that the whole book hinges on this choice.  It's a three-choice guessing game, with no clues as to the correct answer, and it can be really irritating to get to the end and guess wrong.  I can never remember which option is the correct one.)

I chose lotus flower and hag's hair, and rubbed the compound in Zanbar Bone's eyes.  He decayed before my eyes, much to my relief, and became nothing more than a pile of dust.  I set the tower ablaze before I left, and returned to Silverton, where the mayor and the people gave me a hero's welcome, and bestowed me with an orb worth hundreds of gold pieces.

Success!