by Joe Dever
Turn to 173.
272
You follow the tunnel for nearly an hour before arriving at a torchlit hall, whose walls are hung with beautiful tapestries, undamaged by the damp that pervades the upper levels of the grim fortress. It looks as if the hall is a dead end, and you are about to turn back when you notice a small door tucked away in one corner of the opulent chamber.
If you wish to open the door, turn to 256.
If you prefer to take a closer look at the tapestries, turn to 305.
273
A flood of armoured guards pours down the stairs, followed by a pair of hideous black-skinned, dog-faced creatures that wield long, glowing maces. You brace yourself for their assault, but they advance no closer. Instead the creatures make dreadful snickering sounds and raise their maces, tapping the ends together before simultaneously pointing them at you.
Suddenly you are torn with an agonizing pain, as your chest explodes in a gout of red flame. You topple backwards, your body almost rent in two by the bolt of destructive energy.
You have fallen victim to deadly Dhax power-staves, and your life and your quest end here.
274
At first glance, the door looks completely smooth: no locks, bars, rivets, or hinges mar its polished surface. However, a closer examination reveals a tiny keyhole set near to the floor.
If you have a Gold Key, turn to 333.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 54.
275
You tumble into the pit and are swallowed up by total darkness. You fall at a terrifying speed for what seems an eternity and, after several minutes, you lapse into unconsciousness. It is a blessing, for you are spared the agonizing pain of being burnt alive when your body hits a lava pool ten thousand feet below.
Your life and your quest end here.
276
Silently you aim and fire. The Arrow sinks feather-deep into the skull of the creature seated to your left. The others shriek with horror and surprise and leap from their seats, scrambling to take cover behind the table. Suddenly the clang of a bell fills the room, and the sound of running footsteps echoes along the corridor. Four warriors burst into the chamber, their weapons drawn, their bodies encased in shiny black armour. They take one look at the dead creature and hurl themselves at you in a frenzied attack.
If you wish to fire your Bow again, turn to 50.
If you decide to shoulder your Bow and draw a hand weapon, turn to 316.
277
You have taken only a few steps when you hear a faint whispering sound. You watch, horrified, as the hard stone floor beneath your feet disappears into a yawning black hole. Helpless, you tumble into the void, knocking yourself unconscious on a jagged outcrop of rock as you plummet into unknown depths.
Turn to 164.
278
The creature launches itself at the cocoons, shearing them from the wall with its razor-sharp mandibles. The air is filled with fibrous shards and dust, and you no longer have a hiding place. You have no choice but to retreat along the corridor.
Turn to 233.
279
In response to your psychic power, the sword rises from the block and glides towards your open hand. It is a 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 hopes of survival.
If you wish to leave the vault by the left tunnel, turn to 298.
If you wish to leave by the right tunnel, turn to 322.
280
Tavig is barely visible inside the massive fist that is retreating down the tunnel. His screams, and the low rumbling growl of the monster that holds him, echo in your ears as you unsheathe your weapon and give chase. You must strike on the move if you are to break the monster's grip and save Tavig from a ghastly death.
Illustration XVI—Tavig is barely visible inside the massive fist that is retreating down the tunnel.
Giant Fist: COMBAT SKILL 10 ENDURANCE 42
If you reduce the enemy's ENDURANCE score to zero or below in three combat rounds or less, turn to 291.
If you win the combat in four rounds or more, turn to 156.
281
Pressing yourself flat against the tunnel wall, you draw on your skill to mask the warmth of your body. Nausea rises in your throat as the loathsome snakes slither across your feet and coil around your legs, but to them you are of no more interest than the cold and clammy stones that cover the tunnel floor. The snakes move on, leaving you shaken but unharmed.
Turn to 346.
282
You hear footsteps on the stairs — more of the enemy are approaching. If they, too, are armed with crossbows, your chances of survival will be very slim indeed. Before you stand two great bronze doors, flanked on either side by tapestries and gold statuettes.
If you wish to open the doors and enter, turn to 159.
If you wish to examine the tapestries, turn to 74.
If you decide to stand and fight the approaching enemy, turn to 273.
283
The vast swarm reels back to feast upon the mutilated remains of their kin that lie piled in heaps all around you. Your arms, legs, and hands are bleeding from several small nips and gashes, where one or more of the rats broke through your formidable defence to bury their chisel-like teeth into your skin. Your victory has bought you time to think, but it will be only a matter of seconds before the rats launch another attack.
If you wish to climb over the reef of jagged rocks to your left, turn to 336.
If you decide to drag your coracle back into the water and escape from the bay, turn to 117.
284
Covering your nose with your Kai cloak, you edge your way around the smoking flames and head towards the passage. As you step through the entrance, you walk straight into an invisible barrier, a field of destructive energy that flows between the two green pillars. With a thunderous concussion, you are repelled from the shield and sent tumbling back into the chamber (lose 8 ENDURANCE points; lose only 6 points if you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus).
If you are still alive, turn to 128.
285
The bats are ravenously hungry and have been stirred to a frenzy by the unexpected smell of their favourite food — warm human blood. It is too late to avoid combat; you must fight for your life if you are not to become their feast.
Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, you must double all ENDURANCE point losses you sustain during the fight, due to the bats' poisonous saliva.
Vampire Bats: COMBAT SKILL 19 ENDURANCE 32
If you win the combat, turn to 161.
286
An escort of armoured guards forces you along a steel passageway lined by a crowd of jeering minions. They punch and spit as you pass between them, and their foul curses ring in your ears. The guards halt before a huge door of iron and unlock the manacles that encase your bruised and bloodied wrists. The points of their spears never wander far from your throat, discouraging any attempt at escape. The door rumbles open, and a cheer goes up as you are pushed head-first into a foul-smelling pit.
‘Welcome to the maze,’ sneers the chilling voice of Lord Zahda from somewhere high above your head. You struggle to your feet and peer up at a ceiling of swirling mist. A faint glow is gradually taking shape, condensing and forming into the likeness of a human skull. Baleful green eyes stare down at you from bony sockets, and a powdered wig, like that of a high court judge, sits squarely upon its fleshless head.
‘You came here to kill but your plans have been foiled and now you must face the consequence,’ echoes a voice in the skull. ‘You have been sentenced to enter the Maze of Zahda. If you escape, your life may be spared; if you fail then you will surely die — a fitting end for one who came here in search of death.’
The skull retreats into the mist, and a deathly silence fills the pit. A semicircular shadow forms on the wall ahead; it grows larger and darker until it resembles the mouth of a
cave or tunnel. Suddenly a gust of chill air whistles from out of this darkness, and you realize that you are staring at the entrance to the maze.
‘Enter!’ orders the voice. ‘Enter or die where you stand!’ It is no idle threat. A crossbow bolt slams into the sand barely inches from your feet, and the click of a steel drawstring warns that another could follow if you disobey the command. Reluctantly, you step forward and enter the Maze of Zahda.
Turn to 111.
287
Mustering all your reserves of strength, you spring along the passage, spurred on by the sound of gnashing fangs. There is a dead end ahead, but a passage leads off to the right. You turn the corner as fast as you can, scraping the wall painfully with your shoulder as you fight to keep on your feet, but you are soon forced to a halt — the passage is blocked. Glinting in the dim light is a cluster of huge bubbles, floating languidly up and down between the misty ceiling and the polished floor. A slight breeze lifts them and they bounce towards you.
A snarl and the scraping of claws on stone tell you that the wolf is at the corner.
If you wish to push through the bubbles and continue along the passage beyond, turn to 84.
If you wish to stand and fight the wolf, turn to 245.
If you decide to cut your way through the bubbles with your sword, turn to 218.
288
Vivid green flashes of forked lightning and the rumble of distant thunder add menace to the towers and sheer stone walls of Kazan-Oud. Many of the roofs and turrets are in ruin; their twisted beams and floors lie open to the sky, giving the fortress a burnt-out and deserted appearance.
As you approach the tiny bay, which is tucked inside the shelter of a horseshoe reef of jagged black rocks, your eye is caught by the glow of tiny red lights, moving in the shadows at the base of the fortress wall. You notice a dry hollow among a group of rocks close to the shore that offers an ideal hiding place for your little boat. Silently, you disembark and drag the coracle up the beach towards the rocks. Seconds later you are halted dead in your tracks by the sound of muffled squealing. Sweat breaks out on your brow when a flash of lightning reveals scores of small red eyes close to the sand. A seething flood of rats, each as large as a puppy but gaunt and half-starved, is scurrying down the beach towards you like a torrent of black water.
With pounding heart, you search for some means of escape from this ravenous horde of squealing, snapping rodents.
If you wish to climb over the rocks and escape across a deserted beach, turn to 336.
If you wish to drag your little boat back into the lake and paddle away from the bay, turn to 117.
If you prefer to stand and fight the onrushing flood of giant rats, turn to 45.
289
Your light flares brightly in the moist gloom of the passage. A cavern lies immediately ahead, its high-arched roof a mass of dripping stalactites, hanging like thick spears of pearly white stone. Cautiously you step across the cavern floor, your skin prickling, as peculiar sounds emanate from the shadows.
You wind your way through a labyrinth of tunnels, slipping on moss-covered rocks, grazing your head on low ceilings and scrambling up and down steep ridges and rockfalls until you arrive at a smooth-walled chamber carved with precision from the hard black rock. A staircase ascends through an archway to your left, and directly ahead stands a massive stone door.
If you wish to examine the stone door, turn to 274.
If you wish to ascend the stairs, turn to 193.
290
You follow him to the end of the cell block corridor, the angry shouts of Zahda's gaolers ringing in your ears. A staircase looms ahead, descending to a lower level, but it is guarded by a grim-faced Beastman, armed with an axe. Double all ENDURANCE points lost by your enemy during this combat, for the Beastman is also being attacked by your newfound partner.
Beastman Gaoler: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 22
If you win the combat, turn to 220.
291
A terrible moan shakes the tunnel as your blows sever a finger from the monstrous hand. The others instantly spring open, dropping Tavig, bloodied and dishevelled, in a heap on the gore-stained floor. As the hand withdraws into the gloom, you kneel by Tavig's side and try to aid him as best you can. His injuries are severe; he is on the very brink of death.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, turn to 133.
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 125.
292
The air becomes thinner, and slowly, painfully, you weaken and collapse. Consciousness soon fades and you are spared the agonies of death by suffocation.
Your life and your quest end here.
293
Stealthily, you cross the cracked, flagstoned floor of the Great Hall, your muscles and nerves tensed for the sounds of danger. The constant sound of dripping water and the howl of the storm add to the utter desolation of the chamber. A thorny jungle of briars climbs the walls with greedy claws, coiling around the rotten frames of paintings and weaving through damp and mouldering tapestries.
Suspended above the fireplace is a great Anarian broadsword, its pitted steel blade pointing to one side. Your eyes travel along the blade to the shadows of the fireplace, and you notice something lying in the grate. Moving nearer, you see that it is the body of a dead man. Behind it is a panel, wedged open by the corpse, and, peering into the gloomy opening, you can just make out some stairs disappearing down into the darkness.
Illustration XVII—The body of a dead man is lying in the fireplace; behind him, a panel is wedged open and you can just make out some stairs disappearing into the darkness.
If you wish to examine the dead body, turn to 146.
If you wish to explore the secret passage, turn to 11.
294
As you pull yourself onto the cold iron platform, you see the maze spread out below you like the surface of a massive brain, each chamber a cell populated with perils created by the devilish imagination of Lord Zahda. A criss-cross of interconnecting walkways is suspended above the maze by gigantic chains that vanish into blackness. You hurry along the iron path towards a staircase that descends to an arch beyond the boundary wall of the maze. As you run through it, you can hear an alarm bell echoing in the vastness above: your escape has not gone unnoticed.
A vaulted corridor lies beyond the arch, which leads to a junction with two exits.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, turn to 330.
If you wish to take the passage to your right, turn to 92.
If you wish to take the passage to your left, turn to 20.
295
The creatures are so engrossed in their discussion that they do not notice you enter the chamber.
If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 276.
If you wish to attack them with a hand weapon, turn to 31.
296
Your killing blow severs the Lekhor's head, sending it spinning into the cold black waters below. A wave of shock ripples through its body, and suddenly you are falling, its limp torso still gripped between your feet. Seconds later you hit the lake with a loud splash and sink like a stone.
Turn to 158.
297
The relentless attack begins to take its toll (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). You know that you cannot resist this psychic battering for much longer — you must do something to stop it.
If you have a Fireseed and wish to throw it at the plinth, turn to 157.
If you wish to run forward and physically attack the hand, turn to 116.
If you wish to run between the two green pillars and escape into the passage beyond, turn to 103.
298
After a few hundred yards, the passage turns abruptly to the right. Glinting in the dim light is a cluster of huge bubbles floating languidly up and down in the passage ahead. A slight breeze lifts them, and slowly they bounce towards you.
If you wish to push your way past them and continue on your way along the passage, turn to 107.
If you have a sword and wish to strike out at them, turn to 151.
If you decide to return to the vault and take the right tunnel, turn to 322.
299
The warrior leaps to safety as you draw your weapon and face the snarling enemy. ‘Brave fool!’ you hear him cry, his footfalls fading into the tunnel.
Snickering with delight, like cruel and hungry predators that have trapped themselves a feast, the creatures slink forward. Talons spring from the tips of their webbed fingers, and their eyes blaze with wild red fire as they get ready to pounce.
Dhax: COMBAT SKILL 27 ENDURANCE 35
With a trap at your back, you cannot evade combat and must fight these creatures to the death.
If you win the fight, turn to 339.
300
You fight and claw your way up the crowded staircase and run headlong into the prison complex. Chunks of stone and iron drop from the ceiling as wave upon wave of explosions rock the foundation of the fortress. You cross the complex, cutting down anything that impedes your path, and race along the one corridor that has not been blocked by a rockfall or chasm.