Castle Death (10 page)
You are standing in a passage, the walls and floor of which are completely sheer and smooth. Overhead swirls a mist that gives off a dim, diffused light, just sufficient for you to be able to see your way ahead. Without your weapons you feel naked and vulnerable, but you take some comfort in the fact that you still have your Backpack, your Gold Crowns, and your Special Items.
Cautiously you walk along the passage, expecting the unexpected, until you arrive at a circular vault. There, upon a block of marble in the centre of the floor, lies a steel sword. As you step into the vault, slabs of stone sink into the floor to reveal two exits: one to your left, the other to your right.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination or Psi-screen,
turn to 68
.
If you wish to pick up the sword,
turn to 224
.
If you wish to enter the left tunnel,
turn to 298
.
If you wish to enter the right tunnel,
turn to 322
.
The Arrow pierces the centre of the sphere and disappears completely. Fearing that your missile has proved harmless, you shoulder your Bow and are about to draw a hand weapon when suddenly there is a flash of light and a tremendous explosion. The black sphere bursts into thousands of pieces and is consumed in a fireball of brilliant yellow flame. A wave of heat sears your face (lose 1
ENDURANCE
point) and you are hurled backwards into the fissure by the blast.
The creaking door stirs the man from sleep, and he rolls over and cowers in the corner of his foul-smelling cage. His eyes are cloudy, like frosted glass, and his face and hands are pitted with disease.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing,
turn to 192
.
If you do not have this skill,
turn to 247
.
Your efforts have jammed up the door, creating enough space for you to squeeze underneath. You crawl into the chamber beyond and, aching with fatigue, stagger to your feet. You pause to catch your breath before entering the northern tunnel.
If the lock operates in the same way as those made by the Locksmiths' Guild of Holmgard, you need only press each button once to open the door. But in which order should you press them?
If you wish to press the first, then second, then third button,
turn to 123
.
If you wish to press the second, then third, then first button,
turn to 231
.
If you wish to press the second, then first, then third button,
turn to 213
.
If you wish to press the third, then first, then second button,
turn to 312
.
If you wish to press the third, then second, then first button,
turn to 321
.
If you wish to press the first, then third, then second button,
turn to 132
.
To your horrified amazement, the hand springs into the air and hovers above your head. Writhing fingers stretch open as the hand plummets towards your skull.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–2,
turn to 77
.
If it is 3–6,
turn to 198
.
If it is 7 or more,
turn to 235
.
The rats are unafraid of the water. They hurl themselves at you, clawing and biting at your back as you push the coracle out into the icy cold lake. Tumbling into the little boat, you swiftly dispatch the most determined of the rodents before paddling away from the bay. You have covered barely a hundred yards when the coracle lists heavily to one side. The rats have chewed through the wood below the waterline and you are sinking fast.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing,
turn to 234
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you do not wish to use it,
turn to 325
.
A wave of energy surges through your body as you close your hand around the Lorestone of Herdos (restore your
ENDURANCE
points score to its original total). Your senses tingle and a newfound strength wipes away the fatigue of your terrible ordeal, enabling you to assess the situation anew. You step into the blue beam and immediately you are drawn upwards, following closely on the heels of Zahda, who is struggling to stay in the centre of the column of light. He is gripped with mortal fear of you, and as he sees you gaining on him, he unsheathes a glowing dagger and inverts himself to face you as you approach. When you are at arm's length he launches a wild attack. Lord Zahda is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 2 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of the fight.
Lord Zahda:
COMBAT SKILL
23
ENDURANCE
45
If you win the combat,
turn to 200
.
Your basic Kai skill of tracking enables you to stay on Tavig's trail. As you retrace the route you took earlier, your mind is filled with urgent questions. Who or what is the Trakka? Where do the Dhax come from? Who is Zahda that Tavig spoke of so fearfully?
Suddenly your thoughts are shattered by a scream that resounds from the top of a staircase directly ahead. Tavig appears, clutching his face, blood trickling through his fingers. He is about to fall when the scaly green fingers of a gigantic hand reach out of the darkness and snatch him back. He vanishes from sight, but his screams grow louder.
If you wish to charge up the stairs to try to save him,
turn to 280
.
If you wish to escape in the opposite direction,
turn to 323
.
The wolf leaps at your chest, its claws ripping your tunic as it slams you to the ground with its monstrous weight (lose 4
ENDURANCE
points). Fangs flash before your eyes and fetid saliva splashes your face as you fight desperately to save yourself from the jaws of death.
Suddenly there is a ghastly scream. The wolf pulls away, its eyes fixed fearfully on the roaring jets of flame. At that moment a human form staggers into view, shrieking in agony and lurching from side to side; the wolf howls and lopes away as the flaming apparition stumbles forward, its arms flailing as it launches a wild attack.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus,
turn to 72
.
If you wish to defend yourself,
turn to 126
.
If you wish to run past the fiery attacker and into the roaring jets of flame,
turn to 204
.
The tentacle lifts you into the air, tightening its grip with each passing second until almost all the breath is squeezed from your lungs. Suddenly you are hurled towards another massive boulder, which opens to reveal a monstrous jaw dripping with loathsome saliva. You are swallowed whole.
Your life and your quest end here.
You are forced to cut a path through the horde of creatures that huddle on the steps leading to the jetty. Creatures are crawling out of the ground itself; everywhere you look black slimy hands are bursting through the surface, squeezing their way free from Kazan-Oud through the scores of fissures opening up in the sheer rock wall.
Near to the base of the steps, you are dragged to the ground by a clutch of loathsome slaves. They pay dearly for their mistake but not before your Backpack is torn from your shoulders (erase your Backpack and all that it contained from your
Action Chart
).
When you reach the jetty you are covered from head to toe in the blood of your foes. The sight is so frightening that all resistance melts away, and creatures hurl themselves into the lake rather than face the fearsome straight-backed, white-skinned killer of their kin. Beneath the jetty steps you discover an arch, sealed off at one end and with a weed-encrusted stone door at the other. Inside are a small wicker coracle and a paddle.
Having fought off the most determined of Kazan-Oud's horrors, you launch the coracle, jump aboard, and paddle frantically towards the distant glimmer of the power-shield. The deafening death-cry of Kazan-Oud echoes in your ears.
As you press the third button you hear a distinct
click
. The panel slides open and you find yourself staring down a flight of steps that lead to a strong, iron-shod door.
If you wish to enter the sarcophagus,
turn to 216
.
If you choose not to enter,
turn to 102
.
By focusing your Kai skill on the sword, you can cause it to rise from the marble block and move through the air towards you.
If you wish to use your mastery of Nexus in this way,
turn to 279
.
If you decide to leave the sword undisturbed and leave the vault by the left tunnel,
turn to 298
.
If you decide to leave by the right tunnel,
turn to 322
.
His heart beats a dozen times then stops. You close his sightless eyes and lay his sword upon his chest, in the custom of the land of Slovia when a warrior falls in battle.
If you decide to leave the body and continue,
turn to 323
.
If you wish to search the body before you go,
turn to 227
.
With a cry that shakes your soul, the creature leaps forward to claw at your throat. The creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, double all
ENDURANCE
points that you lose during the combat, due to the severity of the burns you sustain.
Flame-man:
COMBAT SKILL
14
ENDURANCE
40
If you win the combat,
turn to 147
.
You clear the slab with one bound and press on along the winding tunnel. A warm, damp wind whistles along the rough-walled passage, carrying with it a rancid smell of sulphur and decay. For over an hour you walk down the tunnel, leaping over fissures in the uneven floor and taking care not to tread on glistening blue-black worms that slither away into cracks in the rock when your light invades their damp, dark world.
Eventually the tunnel opens out into an oval-shaped chamber. A staircase, festooned with cobwebs, ascends to an open trap door in the ceiling. The familiar pale green glow of the power-shield filters in through this portal. At the foot of the stairs lies the mouldering remains of a body partially encased in armour. A rusty sword is clenched in its skeletal fist, and a bone-handled dagger protrudes from the base of its skull.
If you wish to climb the stairs to the open trap door,
turn to 93
.
If you wish to examine the remains of the body more closely,
turn to 199
.
If you wish to leave the chamber and continue along the tunnel,
turn to 318
.
As the flames die down and the smoke clears, you see the blackened hand lying at the base of the plinth. To your horror and amazement it begins to move, flexing its charred fingers jerkily. Open-mouthed, you stare in disbelief as it suddenly springs into the air and hovers above your head. Its writhing fingers stretch open as it plummets towards your skull.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–1,
turn to 77
.
If it is 2–6,
turn to 198
.
If it is 7 or more,
turn to 235
.
You recognize the herbs to be crushed Adgana leaves, a plant that grows in abundance in the Bavari Hills of northern Dessi. One dose is enough to increase your
COMBAT SKILL
by 6 points for the duration of a fight.
However, Adgana is shunned by most professional warriors and its use is outlawed in the Lastlands because it is highly addictive. If you decide to take this potion prior to combat, there is a small chance that you could become addicted. As soon as the combat is resolved, you must pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If the number you pick is 0 or 1, you have become addicted and your
ENDURANCE
score must be reduced by 4 points. This reduction is a permanent loss to your basic
ENDURANCE
points score.
Should the opportunity to use a further dose of Adgana ever arise, its effect on that occasion will be only half that of the original dose (i.e. it will increase your
COMBAT SKILL
by 3 points instead of 6).
If you now wish to examine the sarcophagus,
turn to 83
.
If you wish to enter the tunnel from which the Beastmen appeared,
turn to 323
.
If you wish to leave the hall by the other tunnel,
turn to 201
.