The heroes were treated to a slap-up feast on returning to Prince Kalamanka's palace, though the Prince was obviously out of sorts over the jaw-dropping validation of The Steppe Tiger's prowess.
The evening featured the Prince's trademark needling of The Steppe Tiger, but it was subdued compared to the previous occasions on which this boorish behaviour had been demonstrated. Some of the staff seemed in awe of Waldmont, and he noted some pointing at him and saying "Ghost Blade". It seemed his fame would be a thorn in the sode of Prince Kalamanka from this day forward after all.
Pleading exhaustion, the Prince eventually left the feast, and the heroes were soon seeking their own beds, yawning greatly after the strong wine they had been served.
Wilhelm, Waldmont and Forsyth woke the next day with pounding heads and parched throats to find they were stripped to their underwear and boots, and were imprisoned in a deep pit. Not only that, their hands were all but useless as they were locked in fiendish metal looms, immobilizing their fingers while equipping each finger with a razor sharp metal claw!
The Prince appeared at the lip of the pit some 30 feet above them and began taunting them. On the wall of the pit was a map of the Prince's estate, showing some detail and calling out green areas and possible sources of water. Forsyth noted that there were marks on the pit walls that might very well have been left by someone wearing the damnable claws trying, and failing, to climb out of the pit.
A flask of water was thrown down and each Earthman fumbled it to their lips with their new clawed, stiff fingers. Wilhelm sustained cuts to is face when he was distacted while drinking. However, the water revived the men and their fatigue faded.
The Prince explained that the fourth hunt would involve the Prince and certain guests who shared his Ground Cleanser sentiments hunting their most valued prey - humans!
Looking around the heroes saw that the pit was about 60 feet in diameter, with a gated tunnel leading out. The Prince explained that once the gate opened, they would have four hours to make whatever progress they could toward the mountains. If they reached the mountains, they would be released unharmed.
The gate opened. The team studdied the map for a few minutes, then trotted out, through a tunnel to the lush jungle-like woods outside the palace walls.
The outer gate slammed close.
The heroes decided to circle the Palace walls, which were almost 100 feet high and unscalable, looking for the main gate so as to possibly ambush the Prince's party and regain the initiative, but were attacked by a dread Green Koko. Wilhelm snarled and leapt into close combat with the giant snake, improvising with his new claws to good effect, dispatching the beast in short order.
A few minutes later a distinctive baying was heard and not long after that the team were attacked by a pack of roogies, the most common scavenger of the Martian steppes. Working together as best they could, the heroes fought off the beasts in desperate hand-to-maw melee. Once one roogie was dead, the others backed off, and as soon as the Englishmen had left, the roogies tore into the carcass, snarling at each other for the best parts.
Some time was lost when the team blundered into a swarm of durge flies, but they recouped and decided to set a trap for their would-be hunters. The best plan they could devise involved tricking the hunters into moving out onto the steppe while actually making their way o the main gate of the palace in the hope of gaining entrance, where perhaps, just perhaps, there might be some Marian staff who would render aid to The Ghost Blade and his friends.
The party encountered two more Green Kokos which were killed before they could inflict any damage and eventually they reached the escarpment leading down to the steppe. The need to get out of the woods as quickly as practicable was emphasized when yet another Green Koko attacked and had to be dealt with. Clearly, overnighting in the woods was not an option worth considering unless the situation became hopeless.
The team split into two parties and two trails were faked, one along the escarpment edge, one down onto the steppe. The sunds of hunting horns and Martian ribaldry was heard from the distance, and the team carefully retreated into the depths of the woods.
Suddenly a trapdoor was opened in the ground cover, and a ragged, bearded, emaciated human beckoned the heroes into the hole it had covered. Whispering, the team introduced themselves to their host, who called himself Sam Wiseman, survivor of an aircraft crash a few months before. Wiseman was an archeologist, on Mars researching a project, and had survived the wreck of his craft by dint of his woodcraft, keen alertness and scavenger instincts. He rummaged around in his small and cluttered hide and found picks with which he was able to remove the claws from the heroes' hands.
The team decided to improvise spears by lashing a set of claws to a pole, of which Wiseman had a supply left over from his construction of the trapdoor roof over their heads.
Not long after this was done their hiding place was discovered by Martian troops, beaters for the Princes hunting party. A fierce hand-to-hand combat broke out, and the Englishmen were victorious but couldn't prevent one Martian from screaming a warning. Wiseman realized his camp was compromised, and led the heroes to a second hideout he had prepared. Unfortunately, he had not had time to stock it as well as the discovered hideout.
But it would have to do.
On the plus side, the main gate of he palace could be seen from their new vantage point. An uneasy night was spent, with each human grabbing a fitful few hours of sleep in turn between watches and studying the guards on the balconey atop the front gate of the palace.
Morning saw the arrival of a flock of High Martians at the palace, and shortly after that the Prince and his party sortied from the palace mounted on Ruumet Breehrs. Trusting to their faked trail distraction, the heroes stayed put and spent their time working up a length of rope and a grappling hook from jungle vines and a set of claws.
The hunting party seemed to have fallen for the various ruses set by the heroes, and night fell with no sign of their return to the palace. Forsyth, Waldmont, Wilhelm and their new friend Wiseman crept closer to the main gate as the night drew in and the sentries grew tired and negligent, prefering to spend time by the hot coals burning in the brazier than stand staring into the cold dark for the Prince's return.
Choosing their moment, the heroes threw the improvised grapling hook onto the balcony. Forsyth swarmed up the rope and engage both sentries with his claw-spear, sending both to wherever dead Martians go. The others climbed up to join him, though Wilhelm had difficulty and had to be pulled up.
Grabbing the sentries weapons the four Earthmen descended into the inner courtyard, then made for the kitchens where they surprised a servant.
The servant froze, then, in Koline, welcomed The Ghost Blade, offering him and his friends food and water.
