Castle Death

by Joe Dever

  180

  Drawing on the power of your Kai skill, you take a deep breath and give voice to a single, unbroken tone. Sweat breaks out on your forehead as you raise the pitch of your voice steadily until it passes beyond the range of your own hearing. Suddenly, the bats shriek in unison. They twist and shudder, hurling themselves into the walls and ceiling as your cry paralyses their senses. As the few survivors whirl away into the darkness, you cease your call and hurry down the stairs. (If you used the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge, you need not deduct any ENDURANCE points from your current total.)

  Turn to 236.

  181

  The patrol comes to a halt less than ten feet from where you are hiding. The leader grunts an order and one of the black-clad armoured guards takes a flint from his pocket. He strikes it and sets light to a tar-coated torch fixed to the wall. The torch sputters into life, and you are caught in the glare of its vivid yellow flame.

  If you have a Bow and wish to fire at the guards before they react to your presence, turn to 206.

  If you wish to attack the guards with a hand weapon, turn to 332.

  If you decide to run through the chamber and attempt an escape into the opposite corridor, turn to 69.

  182

  You have no difficulty in looping your Rope around the hilt of the sword and drawing it towards you. It is a very plain, heavy-bladed weapon of poor quality and unworthy of your scabbard, but in this strange and hostile maze, this rough steel blade helps to restore your hope of survival.

  If you wish to leave the vault by the left tunnel, turn to 298.

  If you prefer to take the right tunnel, turn to 322.

  183

  No matter how hard you prod the slab it shows no sign of movement, but your probing does uncover something previously hidden beneath the dust. Carefully you scrape away the grime until the outline of a coiled snake is revealed, etched deep into the dull grey marble. Carved in the centre of its scaly coils is the number 123. Make a note of this number in the margin of your Action Chart — it could be of use at a later stage of your adventure.

  If you wish to jump across the slab and press on into the tunnel beyond, turn to 127.

  If you decide to enter the tunnel by walking across the slab, turn to 277.

  184

  Your lungs feel as if they are about to explode, but still the door will not open.

  If you possess some Sabito, turn to 230.

  If you wish to continue to try to open the door with your Magnakai Discipline, turn to 313.

  If you wish to swim to the surface, turn to 153.

  185

  A hollow sound, like the clatter of horses' hooves on cobblestones, arrests you in mid-step. Your basic Kai skills warn you that more of these evil creatures are running along the tunnel, heading in your direction. To proceed further would be suicidal. Over two hundred yards of narrow walkway separate you from the opposite tunnel, and as you turn and run, you pray that you reach it before the Dhax appear. Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–8, turn to 241.

  If it is 9, turn to 106.

  186

  As you strike the killing blow, your enemy cries out in agony, materializing as he falls at your feet. At first glance, he appears to be human, but as you search the body you discover otherwise. His eyes, now glazed and lifeless, are cat-like in structure; his fingers are short and tipped with claws; and his lower jaw protrudes several inches below his upper jaw. The skin is badly scarred but not by battle-wounds; they are the scars of crude surgery.

  There is no sign of the whip with which he attacked you, but you find a Spear slung by a cord over his shoulder, and a Silver Whistle (mark this on your Action Chart as a Special Item) on a chain around his blood-spattered neck. Instinctively, you place the whistle to your lips and blow, but there is no sound. Shaking your head, you turn to face the pit, and there before you, spanning the blackness, is a solid beam of blue metal.

  If you wish to cross the beam, turn to 6.

  If you choose to retrace your steps along the corridor, turn to 64.

  187

  The tunnel descends to a vast, cavernous hall. Spirals of yellow smoke rise up on either side of a narrow stone walkway that leads to its centre. There it meets another path running from east to west. Cautiously you advance along the walkway, your stomach unsettled by the stench of the sulphurous smoke and the sight of the dark, yawning void on either side.

  At the junction, you hear the sound of running feet echoing from an archway to your right. The footfalls grow louder and, suddenly, a man in leather armour bursts out of the darkness, his studded boots striking sparks on the stone pathway as he skids to a halt. Sweat pours down his lean and leathery face, and his eyes flash with fear. He casts an anxious glance over his shoulder before unsheathing his sword and advancing towards you.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 205.

  If you have a Bow and wish to fire at the warrior, turn to 79.

  If you wish to draw your weapon and prepare to defend yourself, turn to 95.

  188

  You dive through the gap, with barely an inch to spare, and the wall slams down behind you with a tremendous crunch. You lie flat on your back, your heart pounding fit to burst, your stomach churning at the thought of how near you came to death. Wearily, you get to your feet and press on along the tunnel, which is now noticeably cooler and clearer than before. You soon emerge into a hall that is filled with a strong, earthy smell. Two rows of great stone pillars support the roof, and a huge granite sarcophagus stands in the centre of the floor. From the black entrance of a tunnel to your right, you hear the clanking of armour and the sound of approaching footsteps.

  If you wish to hide behind one of the pillars, turn to 110.

  If you wish to leave the hall by a tunnel to your left, turn to 201.

  If you decide to lie in ambush for whoever or whatever it is that is approaching the hall, turn to 319.

  189

  You duck and weave to present a difficult target to your enemy, but at such short range it is difficult for him to miss. The bolt hits you as you are diving forward, passing right through your skull and killing you instantly.

  Your life and your quest end here.

  190

  The tentacle shudders as you direct the full power of your psychic discipline at the huge, wounded eye. Its grip weakens and you seize the chance to tear yourself free and scramble to your feet. The use of your Magnakai Discipline has cost you 2 ENDURANCE points, but it has saved you from a ghastly death. Make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart.

  Turn to 41.

  191

  You grab the Fireseed from your pocket and hurl it to the ground. It explodes on impact with a blinding flash. Hissing and spitting, the serpent brood slither away into the shadows, eager to escape the stinging pain of the flames.

  More noises echo from the chamber. This time it is the chinking of armour and weapons.

  Turn to 346.

  192

  You recognize the symptoms of takadea, or ‘gaolrot’ as it is commonly called in your country. As you approach the trembling man, you reassure him that you mean him no harm, that you can help him if only he will trust you. Placing your hands over his eyes, you transfuse the healing power of your Magnakai skill into his sick body, concentrating your energy into reversing the terrible effects of the disease. When you remove your hands, his eyes are no longer opaque; they gleam with a cat-like intensity.

  ‘I can see,’ he says in astonishment, his voice cracked with emotion. ‘How can I ever repay you for this miracle?’ Before you can answer, the sound of running feet echoes along the corridor outside.

  ‘Follow me,’ he says, springing to his feet. ‘If Zahda's guards find you in here they'll kill us both.’

  Turn to 290.

  193

  The staircase seems to continue forever, coiling its way upwards through the solid rock, but eventually you
arrive at a landing from which a tunnel stretches into darkness. You are about to enter, when your basic Kai instincts alert you to a shallow step that crosses from one side of the tunnel to the other. A closer look reveals the step to be a perfect square of marble that covers the first ten feet of the tunnel.

  If you wish to prod the marble slab with a weapon to test for a trap, turn to 183.

  If you wish to jump across the slab into the tunnel beyond, turn to 127.

  If you decide to enter the tunnel by walking across the slab, turn to 277.

  194

  Wiping the gore from your face and hands, you fight back the nausea that rises in your throat when you think of how close you came to a grisly death in the jaws of the monster. The dim light grows suddenly brighter, and for a moment, you hear laughter, cold and distant, before the light dims once more to its usual murky glow and silence descends.

  Turn to 322.

  195

  Suddenly the corridor echoes to the clangour of an alarm bell. A solid sheet of iron crashes down from the ceiling to seal off the chamber behind you, and in the murky distance, you see a similar barrier descending in front of the wooden door by which you entered.

  Turn to 37.

  196

  The Arrow whistles through the air towards the oncoming sphere. Impact looks imminent until the black ball suddenly changes course, darting aside at the last possible moment to avoid the missile. The Arrow splashes harmlessly in the lake, and you are forced to shoulder your Bow and draw a hand weapon as the menacing sphere resumes its attack.

  If you wish to stand and fight this object, turn to 342.

  If you decide to evade its attack by moving deeper into the fissure, turn to 16.

  197

  Using every scrap of cover to hide your passing, you move through the chamber like a phantom. As soon as you set foot into the corridor beyond, you are confronted by an armoured guard. He screams a cry that is muffled by the visor of his black helmet and turns and runs towards a bell-rope that hangs from a hole in the ceiling.

  If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 266.

  If you do not have a Bow, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 40.

  198

  Suddenly you realize the horrific purpose of the hand. It is a predator, an evil sentient being that can only survive by consuming one form of nourishment — live human brain.

  Illustration XI—The hand is a predator — it can only survive by consuming live human brain.

  Diving and rolling, you avoid its initial attack, escaping with scratches to your scalp (lose 2 ENDURANCE points), but as it rises above you once more, you cannot help but fear that your life is soon to end. This creature is immune to Mindblast, but not Psi-surge in combat.

  Rahkos: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 30

  If you win the combat, turn to 22.

  199

  You recognize the dead man's hauberk as that of a Kakushi mercenary: the ten-pointed star of Nikesa, the symbol of that country's capital city, adorns each of the rusty buckles that fasten his chainmail armour. In a leather pouch hanging from his belt you discover 6 Gold Crowns, and inside the tattered remains of his backpack, there is a Rope and a hooded Red Robe.

  A close examination of the weapons shows them both to be quite useless: the bone-handled dagger crumbles to dust when you try to dislodge it from the corpse's skull, and the blade of the sword is dull and eaten by rust.

  If you now wish to continue along the tunnel, turn to 318.

  If you decide to climb the stairs and investigate the open trap door, turn to 93.

  200

  Chunks of stone and iron are blasted into the upper reaches of the throne-hall by the increasing power of the eruptions. Boulders, some the size of horses, seem to tumble in slow motion all around the beam as you are drawn irresistibly nearer to the roof. Suddenly the beam fades and you find yourself standing on a circular plinth in the centre of a ruined temple near to the gatehouse of the castle keep. The glare of daylight blinds you, but as you gradually become accustomed to it you cast your eyes over the shimmering waters of Lake Khor to the town of Herdos, perched on the horizon. The walls of the fortress are beginning to crack and slant. Buildings are crumbling, and the ground is alive with constant vibration. You run through the ruined main gate as bolts of lightning are drawn from the sky by the dying power of Kazan-Oud.

  At the top of a ruined staircase you stare down at the lake far below.

  If you wish to descend the steps to the old jetty, turn to 122.

  If you choose to make your way to the beach, turn to 309.

  If you decide to dive from the cliff into the water far below, turn to 254.

  201

  You make your way quickly along the tunnel until you reach a chamber illuminated by a shaft of shimmering red light that descends from a square hole in the ceiling. A pair of huge iron doors fills the opposite wall, but in order to reach them you will have to pass through the eerie red light. Close to the archway by which you entered, another tunnel exits from the chamber, curving off towards the east.

  If you wish to walk through the red light to examine the iron doors, turn to 269.

  If you wish to leave the chamber by the east tunnel, turn to 272.

  202

  A howling blue fire leaps from Zahda's staff and instinctively you hurl yourself to the floor to evade its searing heat. The bolt screams past into the darkness of the hall, where it explodes in a splash of vivid sparks.

  Zahda screams with anger and frustration and attempts to crush your head with one vicious blow, but you save yourself by rolling aside, and the staff cleaves open the black iron floor. A gout of flame rises from the split and blisters the mad lord's hand; he shrieks like a wounded crow, and the staff drops from his fire-blackened fingers.

  You see your chance to attack and lash out, but Zahda is quick to react. He leaps backwards, unsheathing a glowing dagger as he steadies himself on the brink of the abyss. Lord Zahda is immune to Mindblast but not Psi-surge.

  Lord Zahda: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 45

  If you win the combat, turn to 149.

  203

  With your trembling hands clasped tightly around the slippery green rope, you fight to lock your feet together to prevent yourself from sliding into the heaving swell. The crack of splintering wood fills the night as the coracle shatters and sinks without trace. A sudden jolt runs the length of the rope, and a snaky head rises from the black water. It dips and swerves upwards, opening its jaws, set with fangs like long yellow knives, and fixing you with its blind white eyes. You are clinging to the body of a deadly Lekhor that is poised to strike.

  Illustration XII—You are clinging to the body of a deadly Lekhor that is poised to strike.

  If you wish to release your grip of this deadly serpent and dive into the water, turn to 325.

  If you wish to draw a weapon and defend yourself against its venomous attack, turn to 76.

  204

  The temperature grows higher with every step you take, but as the first flame washes over your body, you feel no heat or pain at all. The gout of flame feels cool and refreshing, like a breeze on a hot summer's day. You quicken your step and soon emerge from the heatless flames into the empty passage beyond.

  Turn to 240.

  205

  You sense that the man is petrified with fear. An aura of evil grows stronger by the second, radiating from the darkened archway like a terrible black heat. The evil is so strong that it blocks your Discipline, and you cannot be sure if the warrior is a friend or a foe.

  If you wish to draw a weapon and prepare to defend yourself, turn to 95.

  If you wish to avoid a confrontation by running into the archway opposite, turn to 47.

  If you have a Bow and wish to fire at the warrior, turn to 79.

  206

  You aim and fire a fraction of a second later, hitting the leader in the chest. He tumbles backwards, knocked off his feet by the force of your Arrow. His followers growl their anger, u
nsheathing long knives and axes as they press forward to wreak their revenge.

  Zahda Beastmen: COMBAT SKILL 28 ENDURANCE 35

  If you win the combat in three rounds or less, turn to 17.

  If combat lasts longer than three rounds, turn to 160.

  207

  The key fits perfectly. You turn it and the door gives way instantly, forced wide open by the huge weight of water pressing upon it.

  Turn to 172.

  208

  The trunk tumbles into the gap, followed by a deluge of rock and rubble. As the dust clears, you find yourself still staring at the staircase above.

  If you have a Rope, turn to 310.

  If you do not possess a Rope, turn to 211.

  209

  Your killing blow makes the Oudagorg twist back on itself, its head disappearing into the misty ceiling. There is a deafening crack as blue lightning engulfs its neck, crackling snake-like around its horrible body and filling the corridor with the smell of burning meat. The creature thrashes wildly for several minutes, and when its gruesome dance finally ends you see that the canopy of mist is no longer there. In the darkness above you see a deserted walkway and a metal observation platform.