Flight from the Dark

by Joe Dever

  You carefully get to your feet and stagger towards the tunnel.

  Turn to 104.

  237

  You make full use of your Kai Discipline and quickly burrow deep into the loose earth of the wooded hillside. Covering yourself with your cloak, you pull a loose branch across your hastily dug shelter.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If you have picked a number 0–4, then you have passed undetected. Turn to 265.

  If you have picked a number 5–9, then you are not so lucky! Turn to 72.

  238

  The path meanders between several small, wooded hills and eventually leads to a ruined log cabin. It seems that it had burnt down not so long ago, for the ashes are still warm and a haze of smoke still lingers. You sense possible danger here.

  You may leave by the south route by turning to 42.

  Or you may take the north track by turning to 68.

  239

  As you push on into the forest, you hear the wings of the Kraan pass above the trees and disappear northwards. You ride on for nearly an hour until you come to a clearing. On the far side is a track that leads off to the south.

  If you wish to enter the clearing and take the south exit, turn to 34.

  If you would rather skirt the edge of the clearing and pick up the track further on, turn to 118.

  240

  The path leads along a ridge of wooded hillocks and changes direction towards the east.

  Turn to 79.

  241

  The wizard heeds your cry and spins around just in time to loose a searing bolt of energy at the Giak. The creature's head disintegrates in flames and its twitching body falls in a heap at the foot of the pillar. The Giak officer sees you and shouts, ‘Ogot … Ogot!’ to his cowering troops, who quickly run away from the ruins to the safety of the forest beyond.

  The young wizard wipes his brow, and walks towards you, his hand extended in gratitude and friendship.

  Turn to 349.

  242

  The lid of the sarcophagus slips to the floor with a dull crunch. You are looking at the remains of an ancient king, who lies still surrounded by his treasure. An ornate crown is still in position on his skull. The jaw of the skeleton is wide open and the darkness of the mouth seems strangely bottomless. A distant rumbling can now be heard from deep in the earth.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield, turn to 166.

  If you do not, turn to 9.

  243

  Hurrying through the forest, you stumble and fall down a steep slope which drops you in a heap on a hidden path below. On the path is a dead body. It is a Giak, a spiteful and ghoulish servant of the Darklords. Many centuries ago, their ancestors were used by the Darklords to build for them the infernal city of Helgedad, which lies in the volcanic wastelands beyond the Durncrag range of mountains. The construction of the city was a long and torturous nightmare, and only the strongest of the Giaks survived the heat and poisonous atmospheres of Helgedad. This creature that lies before you is a descendant of these Giak slaves. It has been killed by a sword blow to its head, and by its side lies a Mace. You may take this Weapon if you wish.

  Continue along the hidden path by turning to 97.

  244

  Your senses tell you that you are not alone. You are in very great danger. Return to the surface as quickly as you can.

  Turn to 93.

  245

  Arrows hit the water above you, and drop harmlessly past as you swim beneath the surface towards the opposite bank.

  Quickly you wade out of the river and dash for the trees. You are now out of range of the Giaks, who remount their Doomwolves and continue their chase.

  Turn to 190.

  246

  When the ferry reaches the middle of the lake, the man stops rowing and stands up. He laughs menacingly and pulls back the hood of his cloak to reveal himself. He is a Drakkar and you must fight him.

  Illustration XIV—He laughs menacingly and pulls back the hood of his cloak. He is a Drakkar and you must fight him.

  Drakkar: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 23

  If you win, turn to 197.

  247

  The merchant looks angry. He calls to his bodyguard. You must think of something quickly.

  If you decide to offer him something of greater value that you have in your Backpack, turn to 159.

  If you prepare to fight the bodyguard, turn to 220.

  248

  You reach the base of the hill and hurry into the forest. After only a few minutes you discover an old forest track.

  If you wish to follow this track north, turn to 44.

  If you wish to follow this track east, turn to 300.

  249

  You descend a flight of stone stairs that lead to a large chamber. A macabre sight awaits you. Directly opposite, across the large stone room, is an ornate archway with a corridor leading into the darkness beyond. The strange green light radiates from two lines of skulls each resting on a stone plinth. They face each other to form an eerie walkway across the room.

  If you wish to walk across the room to the archway, turn to 169.

  If you wish to attack the skulls, turn to 107.

  250

  Leaping from the top of the trunk, you land in front of two small furry creatures. You recognize that they are Kakarmi, an intelligent race of animals that inhabit and tend the forests of Sommerlund. Before you can apologize for your dramatic entrance, the frightened little creatures scurry off into the forest.

  If you wish to follow them, turn to 186.

  If you wish to continue, turn to 228.

  251

  You are lucky, they do not seem to have spotted you. They slowly move on and have soon disappeared along the far side of the ridge. You continue your run.

  Turn to 10.

  252

  In the centre of a small clearing you see a group of humans talking excitedly and gesturing wildly with their hands. There are two children, three men, and a woman. Their belongings are wrapped in bundles which they carry slung over their shoulders. Their clothes look well made and expensive but they are dirty and torn.

  If you wish to approach them and ask who they are, turn to 155.

  If you wish to avoid them and continue onwards on your mission, turn to 70.

  253

  The Doomwolves are soon on you and you must fight them one at a time.

  Doomwolf 1: COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 24

  Doomwolf 2: COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 23

  Doomwolf 3: COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 22

  Doomwolf 4: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 21

  If you kill them all in battle, turn to 278.

  254

  Your Tracking ability tells you that several trails from the right path lead off in the direction of the left path. They have been made by large wolves. The Darklords use such beasts to scout for their armies. They are vicious creatures and are often ridden by Giaks. The left path leads towards Holmgard, and the right path leads off towards the Durncrag Mountains. The choice of route is yours.

  If you wish to turn left, go to 32.

  If you wish to turn right, go to 146.

  255

  The creature that you now face is a Gourgaz, one of a race of cold-blooded reptilian creatures that dwell deep in the treacherous Maakenmire swamps. Their favourite food is human flesh!

  The Prince's Sword lies at your feet. You may pick up and use this weapon if you wish. The Gourgaz is about to strike at you — you must fight him to the death.

  Gourgaz: COMBAT SKILL 20 ENDURANCE 30

  This creature is immune to Mindblast.

  If you win, turn to 82.

  256

  You are awoken by the cries of Kraan high above you in the clear morning sky. Rubbing your eyes, you peer upwards through the canopy of branches to see three of the loathsome creatures fly off towards the north.

  You are sure you have not been spotted, but perhaps it would be best to leave now — just in case. You moun
t your horse and ride south along the highway.

  Turn to 224.

  257

  You find a stone portal in the east wall, but there does not appear to be any way of opening it.

  If you wish to examine the statue, turn to 133.

  If you wish to sit on the seat, turn to 161.

  258

  Using your Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter, you untie the ropes binding your hands. You wait for a chance to make a break for it and then sprint as fast as you can into the dense undergrowth. Black arrows whistle past you, but you are soon deep among the trees and safe again. You have lost your Backpack and Weapons but you have your life and limbs intact. You continue to push on into the forest.

  Turn to 50.

  259

  The room is getting colder. You gradually notice the smell of sulphur in the air. You can hear chanting in the distance. It sounds as if it is somewhere in another part of this cave. A slit in the stone wall opens, and the end of a black staff begins to appear. Suddenly a bolt of blue lightning leaps from the staff and hits you in the chest.

  As your life slowly drains away, the last thing you see is an old man dressed in black robes raising a dagger above your throat.

  Your life and your mission end here.

  260

  Swimming towards the bank, you can see the ranger spread-eagled at the water's edge. You reach him but only to find that he has broken his neck in the fall and is dead.

  Suddenly, two Giaks jump on you from above and you must fight them. You are unarmed and must fight the Giaks with your bare hands. Deduct 4 points from your COMBAT SKILL and fight them one at a time.

  Giak 1: COMBAT SKILL 11 ENDURANCE 18

  Giak 2: COMBAT SKILL 12 ENDURANCE 17

  If you win, turn to 156.

  261

  Sweating, and out of breath, you part the dense undergrowth to see a Kraan hovering over the wagon. Three ghoulish Giaks drop from its back, startling the horses. They advance upon the helpless children with their spears.

  If you wish to run back to the wagon and defend the children, turn to 208.

  If you want to run deeper into the forest, turn to 264.

  262

  The merchant takes your Gold and clicks his fingers. His bodyguard attacks you with his scimitar.

  If you wish to fight, turn to 191.

  If you wish to evade combat, jump clear of the speeding caravan by turning to 234.

  263

  Carefully, you follow the stream as it makes its way towards the east. Suddenly you notice something in the distance that brings you to a halt.

  Lying in the rushing water like a great black dam is a dead Kraan. You creep nearer, under cover of the foliage, until you see three arrows deep in the beast's chest. Trapped beneath the beast is the body of its rider. It is a Giak, a spiteful and malicious servant of the Darklords. Many centuries ago, their ancestors were used by the Darklords to build the infernal city of Helgedad, which lies in the volcanic wastelands beyond the Durncrag range of mountains. The construction of the city was a long and torturous nightmare, and only the strongest Giaks survived the heat and poisonous atmospheres of Helgedad. This creature is a descendant of these Giak slaves. It seems that this one must have drowned. The Giak's pouch contains 3 Gold Crowns. (You may take these if you wish.)

  You may continue downstream, by turning to 70.

  Or you may leave the stream and make your way on foot through the wooded hills to the south by turning to 157.

  264

  You have not gone far when you hear the sound of battle to the west.

  If you wish to follow the sound, turn to 97.

  If you would rather continue south, turn to 6.

  265

  You quickly move off into the forest before more Doomwolves or Kraan appear.

  You have walked for more than an hour when you reach the top of a rocky hill. The sight that befalls you on the other side is one of hope. But there is also a daunting challenge to be faced.

  Turn to 142.

  266

  As the beast writhes in its final death agony on the black stone floor, the portal in the east wall clicks open to reveal a corridor beyond. You quickly dash through the secret door just as it crashes shut.

  Turn to 209.

  267

  Covering your nose with your cloak, you cautiously approach the dead beast. The sharp smell of its fetid black blood makes your stomach churn, but you are determined to press on. Then you notice a large saddlebag strapped to its chest. Opening the bag, you find a Message written on an animal skin.

  Illustration XV—Opening the bag, you find a message.

  Deeper in the bag is a Dagger. You may keep both the Message and the Dagger if you wish.

  You leave the body and continue eastwards along the path.

  Turn to 125.

  268

  You black out for only a few minutes before you are revived with a measure of strong spirit. Feeling weary but thankful to be alive, you lean on the shoulders of the King's men and you stagger towards the outer defences.

  Turn to 288.

  269

  The madman lies dead at your feet. Two soldiers soon appear at the doorway and immediately congratulate you. They tell you that he was an escaped lunatic whom they had been tracking for the last two days. One of the soldiers gives you 10 Gold Crowns reward money and offers to escort you to the citadel.

  If you accept his offer, turn to 314.

  If you would prefer to trust your own sense of direction, turn to 7.

  270

  You hear the angry cries of the enemy drift across the lake. You must leave here before more Kraan appear. You mount your steed and push on further into the forest.

  Turn to 21.

  271

  You feel very weak. The poison of the snake has entered your bloodstream and you can feel the muscles of your body involuntarily tightening and relaxing. Your legs suddenly collapse beneath you and you feel the slimy water of the marsh close over your head.

  Your life ends here.

  272

  Keeping a watchful eye on the sky above, you move quickly along the track. You recall that this route leads to Fogwood, a small cluster of huts that have been used by a family of charcoal burners for nearly fifty years. After twenty minutes you reach the edge of a clearing where the huts are grouped in a small circle. There is no sign of the usual mist of wood smoke which gives Fogwood its apt name, and the huts are unusually quiet.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Tracking, you may turn to 134.

  If you do not possess this skill, you prepare your weapon and stealthily approach the huts. Turn to 305.

  273

  The outer fieldworks of the city can now be seen. Drawn across the river is a line of barges chained together to form a floating barricade. You can also see soldiers running along the log walls of the fieldworks, and you can hear the faint noise of battle drifting from the west.

  If you wish to approach the barges, turn to 179.

  If you wish to take cover in the trees, turn to 51.

  274

  In your haste to avoid the enemy, you catch your foot in a tree root and you are pitched head over heels in a tumble of dust and leaves. You quickly get to your feet and, crashing through the undergrowth at the base of the hill, you run into the forest. You have been running for nearly ten minutes when you discover that you have lost your Weapon(s). Well, at least you still have your life and your Backpack. Wiping the grime from your face, you push on through the trees ahead.

  Turn to 331.

  275

  You have followed this twisting track for about twenty minutes when you hear the beating of wings high above the trees. Looking up you see a large Kraan approaching from the north, its huge black wings casting a gigantic shadow on the trees below.

  On its back are two creatures armed with long spears. They are Mountain Giaks — small ugly creatures full of hatred and malice. Many centuries ago, their ancestors were used by the Darklords t
o build the infernal city of Helgedad, which lies in the volcanic wastelands beyond the Durncrag mountain range. The construction of the city was long and torturous, and only the strongest of the creatures survived the heat and poisonous atmosphere of Helgedad.

  Quickly you dive for the shelter of a large fern tree as the Kraan passes overhead. With heart pounding, you pray that your quick reactions have saved you from being spotted.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 345.

  If the number is 5–9, turn to 74.