by Joe Dever
After riding once around the building to assess its defences, you leave your horse tethered to a rail near a side entrance and approach the only door that appears to be unguarded. It is locked, but the crude bolt that secures it proves no match for your basic Kai skill of Mind Over Matter. The bolt clicks back, the door swings open, and you enter the building unseen.
Turn to 140.
329
Drawing on your considerable psychic powers, you raise a shield to deflect the energies that are assaulting your mind. Taktaal shrieks with anger and surprise as he senses that you are not what you appear to be. He has seen through your disguise and your true identity shocks him to the core.
Turn to 176.
330
For the following two days and nights the Intrepid remains a prisoner of the windless fog. Davan and his crewmen work tirelessly to repair the ship, and come the morning of the third day, when a gentle breeze arises with the dawn, the mainmast is secure and the sails are patched and ready to carry the ship onward. With the port side still holed and storms a constant threat in the open reaches of the Kaltersee, it has been decided that the safest course to steer is towards the coast. Then, should a sudden squall threaten, or a gale arise, the ship could run to shelter in one of the hundreds of coves that indent the rugged shore east of Point Vashna. However, to sail along this stretch of coastline is to risk hazards that could prove as dangerous as any storm. Darkland ironclads, unstable in high seas, favour the coast when venturing to and from their base at Argazad, and the cliffs and shores themselves are peppered with watchtowers and Giak encampments.
By early afternoon the fog has cleared and the Intrepid is making good headway through the cold, sparkling waves. League after glittering league fall away to the stern until, an hour or two before sunset, the lookout catches sight of the coast. ‘Land ahoy!’ he calls. ‘Land afore the bow!’ The crew are cheered by the news, feeling safer now that they are within sight of land, but their spirits are soon dampened when the lookout calls out again, this time in alarm. ‘Enemy off the starboard bow!’
Turn to 100.
331
Without the magical protection afforded you by the Golden Amulet, you soon succumb to the hellish temperatures and poisonous atmosphere of Helgedad. As your skin begins to blister and your lungs become paralysed, you fight desperately to hold on to life, but it is a fight you cannot hope to win.
Tragically, your life and your mission end here, beneath the streets of Helgedad.
332
Your lightning reactions save you from being hit by the heavy boom but you cannot avoid the burning canvas. In a matter of seconds you are completely engulfed in an envelope of fire and smoke. Instinctively, you fight to free yourself, and then suddenly you realize that your clothes are unaffected by the blaze, and that the tongues of fire licking your hands and face cause you no pain whatsoever. Without haste or urgency you cast aside the blazing sailcloth and emerge completely unscathed.
Turn to 101.
333
The winged reptilian tries its best to prevent you from climbing onto its back. It lunges with its beak and you suffer several painful wounds before finally managing to subdue it to your will: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.
Once the creature accepts you as its new master, it becomes totally obedient to your commands. You settle back in the comfortable saddle, and then pull on the great gem-encrusted reins and urge it skywards. The roof of Kraagenskûl's headquarters, and then Argazad itself, fall away at a breathtaking speed as the creature climbs into the night sky. High above the ironclad fleet, you turn the Zlanbeast towards the west and begin your flight to Aarnak.
Turn to 36.
334
A great cloud of dust and debris billows from the gaping hole, and as it slowly begins to clear, you see that most of the enemy warriors have been swallowed up by the collapsing deck. Beyond the hole you glimpse Davan, with a handful of the crew, defending the stern deck against an attacking swarm of Drakkarim, who outnumber them by at least two to one. Then you realize the enemy plan: if they can capture the helm they will be able to steer the Intrepid towards the coast and beach her in the shallows.
Quickly you climb into the rigging and swing across to the stern deck by means of a trailing rope. Davan sees you and gives a cheer as you jump from the rope and land among the enemy. You unsheathe your weapon and begin cleaving a path towards your beleaguered allies, who shout encouragement as you draw nearer. ‘For Sommerlund!’ you cry, and they take up your battle call. Then Davan's voice rings above the noise of battle: It is a cry of warning — ‘Archer above you!’
You glance upwards and a cold spike of fear stabs your heart. Staring down at you is the gloating face of a Drakkar. He holds a bow in his hands, and prepares to fire an arrow at your head. He mouths a curse, and then lets fly his deadly shaft.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you have completed the Lore-circle of the Spirit, add 3 to the number.
If your total is now 0–3, turn to 122
If it is 4–7, turn to 53.
If it is 8 or more, turn to 321.
335
The Giak groans and clutches at his wounds as he staggers backwards and crashes down upon the barrels and cases. Curious to discover what they are transporting, you roll his body aside, prise open the largest crate, and rummage through the contents. It is filled with Giak and Drakkarim uniforms, enough to dress a hundred troops. The other cases contain an assortment of weapons and other military equipment, and the barrels are full of a wine too foul to even think of tasting. Then an idea springs to mind, an idea that could make your passage through the Darklands much easier and greatly increase the chances for your mission's success.
Turn to 271.
336
Your Arrow strikes the Drakkarim horseman but wounds him only superficially, merely grazing the side of his neck. However, the sudden pain makes him cry out and snatch the reins to his chest. His startled horse rears up on its hind legs, throwing its rider to the ground. You drop your Bow and draw a hand weapon before leaping upon the prone Drakkar, determined to finish him before he has a chance to recover.
Turn to 175.
337
Your first blow shatters the skull of one bird, sending it cartwheeling wildly across the surface of the sea before finally death stills it. The remaining bird shrieks in alarm, but rather than take fright and fly away, it hovers above you as if waiting for the right moment to strike. With a chilling caw, it darts towards you, determined to exact its revenge for the death of its mate.
Illustration XIX—The sea-scavenger darts towards you.
Sea-scavenger: COMBAT SKILL 22 ENDURANCE 10
This creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).
If you win the combat, turn to 14.
338
The creature smiles, bows, and then shuffles away along the corridor, a quiet sniggering sound issuing from his thin mouth as he makes his way towards an iron-runged staircase. You watch him disappear up the stairs, and then you close and lock your cabin door. Tired and hungry, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points before you can settle down to sleep.
After several hours, you awake to the sound of a loud click, barely audible above the increased din of the Lajakeka's engine, and at once you sense that your cabin door has just closed. Swiftly you rise from the bunk and rush to the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever, or whatever, gained access to your room while you were asleep.
If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control and have reached the Kai rank of Mentora or higher, turn to 273.
If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training, turn to 98.
339
Your quarters turn out to be cramped and smelly, sandwiched between the ship's galley and the bilge. Despite the lack of space, and a stomach-churning smell redolent of dead fish, you manage to snat
ch a few hours' sleep before you are awoken by a grey dawn haze filtering through the grimy glass of the cabin's solitary porthole.
Up on deck the captain stands alone at the forecastle rail, scanning the empty horizon through his telescope. You join him and take the opportunity to deliver the envelope you are carrying.
‘ 'Tis a brave and risky venture you've committed yourself to, comrade,’ he says, his grey eyes devouring the words of the parchment, bearing the seal of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, which he finds folded inside. ‘Yet these be risky times. I can only surmise what lies beyond your journey to Dejkaata, but of one thing you can be sure — I will do all in my power to see you safely there.’
Immediately he issues orders to turn the ship about and steer a new course — north by northwest. The crew react to the sudden change of plan with great speculation, yet, despite the dangers they know they may face, none challenge their captain's decision or voice dissent.
Turn to 241.
340
You spring forward and strike a blow that would have decapitated a mortal creature. But the moment your weapon hits Taktaal's flesh, it disintegrates in a flash of sparks. The Darklord laughs as he closes his clawed hands around your throat and squeezes the life from your body.
Tragically, your life and your mission end here in the Tower of the Damned.
341
You try to dodge the spinning blade, but you trip over the body of the dead Drakkarim gunner and the sword hits you squarely in the chest. White-hot pain engulfs you like a raging fire, burning your body and numbing your limbs. It reaches its zenith, and then disappears as, reluctantly, you surrender to death.
Your life and your mission end here.
342
You turn to run but your exit is blocked by a squat, horny-skinned creature with baleful, milky-coloured eyes. These eyes roll like balls of mist inside its head as it advances on you slowly, an axe of black steel held in its clawed hands, poised to strike you down.
Illustration XX—The Xaghash advances towards you, its axe poised to strike you down.
Xaghash: COMBAT SKILL 32 ENDURANCE 42
If you possess the sword Helshezag and wish to use it, remember to add the appropriate bonuses to your COMBAT SKILL.
If you possess the Sommerswerd and wish to use it, turn to 208.
If you win the combat, turn to 106.
343
Your killing blow sends the Ictakko spiralling towards the ceiling, twisting and weaving like a punctured balloon. It crashes into a cluster of stalactites, impaling itself on the spear-like formations and dislodging them with the impact of its vast weight. For a fleeting second, you glimpse the creature's ghastly features — its pear-shaped horny head and bulb-tipped antennae; its spider-like abdomen and transparent wings — before it plummets into the cold, inky darkness of the crevasse.
Turn to 87.
344
The creature strikes and you dive aside, inches from a gruesome death in its powerful jaws. Snapping repeatedly it twists its supple neck to follow your escape across the shattered, body-strewn planks, and lunges again when you reach the stairs that lead to the stern deck. This time you save your skin by pulling yourself into the rigging, and, as you are climbing aloft, you see the Xargath crash through the stairs and into the hull. It tries to withdraw its head but it cannot: it is held firm, trapped among the splintered timbers. This may be your only opportunity to defeat this terror before it breaks free and drags the ship to the bottom of the sea.
If you wish to attack the Xargath while its head is trapped in the wreckage, turn to 35.
If you wish to avoid combat by hiding in the crow's nest, turn to 277.
345
The tube proves difficult to remove from its mounting, but you manage to prise it loose with a strip of steel which you find lying at your feet. You invert it and reconnect its copper cables, but the moment that the last cable is brought into contact, there is a blinding flash of white light and you are engulfed by a blast of flame and twisted metal. Your act of sabotage has set off an explosion which has completely destroyed the ironclad juggernaut and half of Argazad harbour, but it has cost you your life and sealed the doom of Magnamund.
Your life and your quest end here.
346
A curved steel door slides shut, sealing the entrance, and plunging the gloomy chamber into total darkness. Then a narrow column of yellowy light pours onto your head, and a man's voice, loud and full of arrogance, shatters the silence.
‘What brings you here, Drakkar?’ he booms, filling the chamber with resounding echoes. He speaks a curious dialect of Giak that sounds vaguely familiar. It is a dialect common in Magador, a border territory now occupied by Darkland armies. ‘I seek the Slavemaster,’ you answer. ‘I have come from Argazad to report that Sommerlund is burning!’
‘That is welcome news indeed,’ comes the reply, in a tone far less severe.
The steel door slides open and your Giak escort are dismissed. As it clangs shut behind them, the light grows brighter until you can see clearly the man to whom you have just spoken.
Turn to 81.
347
You draw a hand weapon just in time to meet your enemies' attack. They swarm around you, howling with primal fury, their teeth bared and their faces contorted by hatred, as they raise their swords to cut you down.
Drakkarim Marines: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 40
If you win the combat, turn to 28.
348
The Ligan draws level with your hiding place and then halts. Suddenly a tingling sensation ripples your scalp, as a wave of psychic energy washes over your mind. The Ligan turns his head and holds you with his cruel gaze, probing your thoughts. He finds what he is looking for: you are an impostor. He gives a high-pitched shriek and snatches a dagger from his belt as he hurls himself maniacally upon you.
Ligan: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 26
Unless you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen, deduct 1 ENDURANCE point at the beginning of every round of combat, owing to the creature's persistent psychic attacks.
If you win the combat, turn to 246.
349
Your speedy dispatch of the guards buys you precious time in which to escape from the outpost and disappear among the rocks and crags that line the roadway through the pass. Loudly the alarm bell echoes between the walls of solid rock, its dreadful clang reverberating in your head. You run for more than an hour before the sound fades completely.
Turn to 137.
350
Only a circle of fire-scorched steel marks the spot where Darklord Gnaag finally met his doom. You look upon this patch of twisted metal and your spirits soar with the realization that you have defeated your arch-enemy in mortal combat. But your mission is yet to be completed. Quickly you remove the Crystal Explosive from your Backpack and approach the Transfusor. You place it in position, next to a shaft connected to the Lake of Blood from which the device draws its power. Once the crystal is primed, you hurry out of the chamber through the archway by which Gnaag entered. Guided by your instincts, you find your way around the tower to the oval landing platform, and to the means of escape from the Black City which awaits you there — Gnaag's Imperial Zlanbeast.
You are high above the city, steering the reluctant Zlanbeast eastwards to Aarnak, when the crystal detonates. Within moments it starts a chain reaction, which destroys the Transfusor, reduces Helgedad to a fiery holocaust of shattered granite and twisted steel, and brings about the rapid demise of the Darklords and their armies scattered throughout Magnamund.
Your victory is total. At last you have fulfilled your destiny to avenge the Kai and rid your land of the evil that has threatened her for thousands of years. You return to Sommerlund a conquering hero, and, as Kai Grand Master, you begin the task of restoring the Kai to their former glory. The chronicle of your struggle against the Darklords will pass into legend, inspiring future generations of Kai warriors to keep alive your ideals of bravery, skill, and selfl
ess courage. Yet the saga that is the story of your life does not end here. In future times the chronicle will tell of the adventures you undertook during your Kai Grand Mastership. Until the time comes for their telling, may the Gods Ishir and Kai watch over you, Grand Master Lone Wolf, hero and saviour of Sommerlund.
The next book in the Lone Wolf series is entitled The Plague Lords of Ruel.
Numbered Sections
1-10: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11-20: 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21-30: 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31-40: 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41-50: 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51-60: 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60