by Joe Dever
Turn to 196.
207
You tug an Arrow from your Quiver and draw it to your Bow. Then you pop up from behind the bough and send your shaft whistling towards the spider's bulbous great head. It strikes its skull, making it shriek with agony, but its steel tip does not penetrate deep enough to slay the beast. Angered, and in great pain, this fearsome abomination comes scuttling towards your hiding place with frightening speed. Swiftly you shoulder your Bow and draw your Kai Weapon just in time to meet its vengeful attack.
Skryza (wounded): COMBAT SKILL 46 ENDURANCE 40
If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Kaistar’ you may add the appropriate bonus gained from its unique properties.
You may evade this fight after four rounds by turning to 21.
If you win the combat, turn to 340.
208
You take hold of your Kai Weapon by the hilt, draw it back behind your head, and then hurl it at the Urgaroh with as much force and accuracy as you can muster.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Weaponmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 1.
If your total score is now 0–5, turn to 175.
If it is 6–8, turn to 80.
If it is 9 or higher, turn to 182.
209
You pass through the archway and climb the stairs to a landing where a long, tubular tunnel leads to an adjacent blockhouse complex. Twice in the tunnel you are forced to use your Magnakai Invisibility skills in order to avoid a confrontation with Drakkarim and Hammerland bandits. When finally you emerge from the tunnel, you find yourself in a torchlit chamber that is lined with bookshelves. Most of the tomes are badly burnt or have crumbled with age and neglect, but there is one on a high shelf that is still intact. Curiosity prompts you to retrieve and open this book, and inside you discover a phial of blue liquid wedged in a hollow gouged from the vellum pages. You withdraw the phial and hold it up to the torchlight, and immediately your Magnakai Curing skills inform you that this is Finglas — a rare and powerful healing potion. If you wish to keep this Potion of Finglas, record it on your Action Chart as a Backpack Item. When swallowed, it will restore 7 ENDURANCE points.
After a search of the remaining shelves, you discover another of this chamber's hidden secrets. It is a lever concealed behind a mouldering book. You pull the lever and a section of the bookshelf slides aside to reveal a hidden passage. You enter and follow this secret passageway to another door that opens onto a balconied landing. As you step through the door, it slams shut and locks behind you.
Turn to 6.
210
You draw upon your elemental powers to cause a sudden updraft of wind that deflects the orb away from the cage. With grim satisfaction you watch as the orb and its trailing chain explode above a crowded avenue, showering flaming oil upon the heads of the Hammerland bandits who have gathered there to watch your dramatic escape.
Turn to 50.
211
You are moving from one pillar to the next when you are seen by the Drakkarim. These ugly warriors are armed with heavy-bladed marine cutlasses and they draw them from their belts as they hurry to block your escape from the chamber. As they edge closer, you watch them approaching with an air of cool defiance.
Surprise registers in their bloodshot eyes when they take in the details of your tunic and cloak. This look quickly gives way to a blind rage when suddenly they realize that you are a Kai. With murderous growls, the two fighters raise their cutlasses and get ready to launch a simultaneous attack.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 268.
If you do not, turn to 343.
212
Quickly you reach into the pocket of your tunic and grasp the glowing amulet. Pain shoots all the way from your fingers to your shoulder as the red-hot surface of this cursed artefact burns deeply into your flesh (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). Despite the agony you suffer, you wrench the Black Amulet from your pocket and hurl it away. The evil object arcs through the air and hits the corpse of Xaol, exploding on impact with tremendous noise and heat.
Turn to 187.
213
The harsh tone of the pipe infuriates the Kraan. It emits a loud screech and then, to your horror, you see it come swooping down from the rafters. Its fanged beak opens and a foul black tongue trails from the corner of its foam-flecked jaw as it plummets towards you. Hurriedly you discard the Kraan Pipe (erase this item from your Action Chart) and unsheathe your Kai Weapon as the loathsome creature hurls itself upon you in a desperate, vengeful attack.
Helkona Kraan: COMBAT SKILL 38 ENDURANCE 40
If you win this combat, turn to 157.
214
Hurriedly you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Invisible Shield and circle your right palm before your face. The spell is only just materializing when the speeding arrow strikes and penetrates this barrier, yet it slows the missile sufficiently for you to be able to duck your head out of its path.
To continue, turn to 56.
215
You magnify your vision and scan the brooding sky. Swooping and soaring among the clouds overhead you glimpse two bat-winged creatures with scaly grey-green hides and long serrated beaks. One of these beasts is carrying a large object clamped in its mouth which the other is trying hard to wrest from its grasp. It claws at its rival's neck, forcing the creature to drop the object which plummets to the ground and splashes into the dust at the exit from the gully. The creatures continue to struggle, tearing maniacally at each other with beak and claw, until they drop from the sky, both mortally wounded. With grim fascination you watch as they tumble to the ground, still locked in deadly combat, and slam into the dusty soil.
If you wish to go and investigate the remains of these creatures, turn to 43.
If you choose to avoid them, turn to 106.
216
You step back a few paces from the head of the stairs and unsheathe your Kai Weapon in readiness to defend the observatory platform from these determined Drakkarim. Then the assault trooper leader looms into view with his jagged black sword raised to strike. He pauses for a few moments to allow his comrades to catch up with him; then together they charge up the steps and hurl themselves upon you with a reckless fury.
Drakkarim Assault Squad: COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 40
If you win this combat, turn to 143.
217
Your mastery of Nexus enables you to protect yourself and your clothing from the terrific temperatures at the rim of the fissure. Carefully you tread a narrow path along the crumbling edge of this rent, and pass through the fire-blackened breach in the fortress wall. When you come to the end of the fissure the dust clears, but your heart sinks when you see another wall looming above you. This stone barrier has only recently been constructed to shield the stronghold's inner buildings from the fiery heat of the fissure.
If you wish to attempt to scale this inner wall, turn to 37.
If you decide to turn back and search for another way into the fortress, turn to 83.
218
You examine the door's iron lockplate and determine that this mortise will be far easier to pick than the one that secures the left door. Diligently you set about the task, and after a few minutes the lock opens with a dull Clunk!
Carefully, you push open the door and enter a spacious chamber that is lit by ten globes of flickering white light. They hang suspended in the air with no visible means of support. The walls of this chamber are plastered and decorated with murals that depict the armies of Darklord Chlanzor despoiling the farms and cities of the Freeland Alliance. Standing against the far wall is a throne-like chair, crudely fashioned from a huge block of black marble. Veins of fluorescent purples and greens colour its surface, and the air around it shimmers like a desert haze.
As you approach this chair, you hear the door slam shut behind you. Instinctively you spin around and you see that there is no lockplate on the inside of the chamber door. Its su
rface is plastered and entirely smooth; it blends in seamlessly with the painted walls.
To continue, turn to 90.
219
Your search of this vile-smelling hall is rewarded when you discover a concealed door located in the far wall. What at first glance appears to be a coat peg is really the dial of a crude combination lock. You wipe away the grime that encrusts its numbers and examine it closely. By turning the dial to its correct numerical setting, you will cause the lock to disengage and the secret door will open.
Using your Kai Sixth Sense, you discover that the correct setting is the same as the solution to the following mathematical equation: 24 divided by 8, multiplied by 7, less 9.
When you have calculated the solution, turn to the section of this book that is the same as your answer.18
If you cannot solve the equation, or if your answer turns out to be incorrect, turn instead to 261.
[18] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.
220
You hear a gruff shout followed by the sound of heavy boots pounding up the stone stairs. Your stomach churns with the fear that the Drakkarim are about to storm the observatory platform, and again you risk your life by glancing over the parapet. Fortunately, this time you escape being used as a crossbow target, and you are able to catch a glimpse of a lone Drakkar ascending the stairs at a run. He is a barrel-chested Drakkarim assault-trooper clad in full battle-armour, with scarlet cape, plumed helm, and spiked shield. As he bounds up the steps two at a time, he curses loudly and slashes at the air with his serrated sword. His fearless charge is so recklessly courageous that it inspires his cautious comrades to leave the landing and follow in his wake.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 198.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it, turn to 291.
If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it, turn to 117.
If you do not possess a Bow, nor either of these Disciplines, or if you choose not to use any of them, turn instead to 16.
221
You recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Levitation and feel yourself rising up from the base of the wall. You ascend through the billowing clouds of smoke and dust until you draw level with the top of this barrier; then you cancel the spell and step onto its parapet. Quickly you follow the parapet to a place where it joins with the perimeter wall, and here you jump down onto the battlements and head off towards a distant gatehouse tower.
Through the murky air you glimpse an arched doorway in the tower wall and you run towards it. The door is unlocked and you are able to enter the tower and descend to ground level by way of a spiral staircase, but when you reach the foot of these stone steps, you are confronted by two Drakkarim who come striding into the tower through an open arch. With grunts of shocked surprise, the two leather-clad warriors snatch their swords from their belts and attempt to cut you down.
Helkona Drakkarim: COMBAT SKILL 30 ENDURANCE 35
If you win this combat, turn to 14.
222
Possessed by Zorkaan, the corpse of Xaol rises up from the floor and extends its twisted arms towards you. An unholy fire blazes in the necromancer's eyes as he moves across the hall with unnatural speed. You pray to the Goddess Ishir for her protection as this ghastly zombie leaps upon you and attempts to fix its corpse-cold hands around your throat.
Xaol Zombie (possessed by Zorkaan): COMBAT SKILL 55 ENDURANCE 43
This possessed creature is immune to psychic attack. If you are wielding ‘Alema’ or ‘Valiance’, you may add the appropriate bonus gained through their unique properties. You may reduce the total damage inflicted upon you by 5 ENDURANCE points due to the protection you gain from wearing the Platinum Amulet. However, unless you possess the Discipline of Kai-screen, you must reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 3 for the duration of this combat.
Conduct this combat in the normal way for three rounds only. If you survive these initial rounds, you may continue by turning to 260.
223
Through the peephole you can see the central section of a large, torchlit chamber. Seated here around a refectory table are three swarthy bandits attired in mercenary garb. The eldest of the group gulps wine from a battered pewter goblet as he talks loudly with another who is polishing a rust-pitted sword.
You magnify your vision and see a short tunnel receding from an archway on the far side of this chamber. At its end you notice the gloomy grey light of the city pouring through a semicircular portal. You focus on this distant light and your pulse quickens when you are able to make out a section of a bridge that connects this blockhouse complex to the central citadel. You appear to have found a route to the citadel, but in order to reach it you must find a way past the bandits occupying the hall beyond. Carefully you push against the cold iron door and feel it move on its hinges; it is unlocked.
If you possess Assimilance and have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian, turn to 149.
If you possess Kai-surge and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian, turn to 4.
If you possess neither of these skills, or if you have yet to attain the rank of Kai Grand Guardian, turn instead to 25.
224
The sticky liquid splashes harmlessly into the trees. As you scramble for the cover of a fallen bough, the angry spider swivels itself in your direction and moves closer.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 207.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it, turn to 324.
If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it, turn to 190.
If you do not possess a Bow, nor any of these Disciplines, or if you choose not to use them, turn to 279.
225
You retrieve the Sommerswerd from the ground and marvel at its craftsmanship and fine balance. Then you hurry to the prison-sphere and thrust the tip of the golden blade into a ragged tear that was made when Lone Wolf hurled the Sommerswerd at Zorkaan. Crimson sparks erupt from the rent in the sphere as determinedly you work the sword with a sawing motion. The split lengthens until you are able to reach in and grab hold of Lone Wolf's tunic. Carefully you pull your unconscious leader out of his sorcerous cell, and then you sheathe the Sommerswerd in his scabbard before you heave his limp body over your shoulder. Fearing that Xaol's absence may soon come to the attention of his minions, you cast your gaze around the necromancer's hall in search of a way to escape. The doors by which you entered have been sealed shut, but your keen eyes and your Kai senses alert you to two other possible routes out of this chamber. The first is a narrow door located in the wall directly behind the throne of bones, and the other is an archway that is covered by a thin velvet tapestry.
If you wish to investigate the narrow door, turn to 262.
If you choose to examine the curtained archway, turn to 177.
226
Your psychic Kai powers warn you that the object buried in the dust is a cursed crown, an implement of torture crafted by Darklord Chlanzor's Nadziranim — his evil magicians. This cursed crown was used by the Nadziranim to extract information from the Talestrians shortly before their deaths.
Wisely you avoid touching the crown, for you suspect that the dreadful power locked within it could do you great harm. You offer up a short prayer to Ishir to guard the souls of the three prisoners who met their end here, and then you leave the pyramid and turn towards the iron steps.
Turn to 135.
227
A massive force slams into your back and a sudden explosion of light obliterates your senses. The bolt from the Urgaroh's staff tears through your body, killing you instantly.
Tragically, your life and your mission end here, upon the platform of the observatory tower of Gazad Helkona.
228
Patiently you watch and wait until the Krorn has finished eating its breakfast. The creature then emits a loud belch, gets up from its block, and comes waddling across the chamber towards the arrow slit. It is about to peer through
the aperture when you launch a surprise attack.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Assimilance, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 1.
If your total score is now 5 or lower, turn to 155.
If it is 6 or higher, turn to 18.
229
Instinctively you know the precise location of your Kai Weapon and you are able to retrieve it speedily. But as your hand closes once more around its hilt, you sense the sudden arrival of a new and powerful evil.
Turn to 67.
230
As the bandits and the wolfhound approach, you use your Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility to mask your body scent. The wolfhound is 10 yards from your hiding place when suddenly it begins slavering at the mouth, and then it breaks into a lolloping run. Your Sixth Sense warns you that this creature has detected the bitter aroma of the Dargorse Buds secreted in your Backpack.
If you possess Animal Mastery, turn to 318.
If you do not possess this Discipline, turn to 292.
231
You watch with grim glee as the heavy statue falls end-over-end towards the ascending Drakkarim warriors, but before it collides with the leading assault trooper, its course is deflected and it smashes through the parapet to drop harmlessly into the well of the shaft. The Drakkarim curse you vehemently and hasten their determined advance towards the observatory platform.