Castle Death (16 page)
A great toad-like face stares unblinkingly into your eyes as it emerges from the shadows to bask in the green light that illuminates the beach. Its body, pale and bloated like a huge, fat worm, slithers into view, and you shudder at the sight of the open sores that disfigure its skin.
Illustration XIII—A great toad-like face stares unblinkingly into your eyes.
A ghastly noise echoes from deep within its open mouth as it rears up to attack you with a razor-sharp tongue. Due to the surprise of its attack, you cannot make use of a Bow.
Zagothal:
COMBAT SKILL
29
ENDURANCE
28
If you wish, you may evade after two rounds of combat;
turn to 229
.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility, you may evade combat at any time without losing
ENDURANCE
points;
turn to 70
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 271
.
You slip and fall but miraculously you manage to hang on to the invisible beam. Your legs are stinging (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points) but you ignore the pain, concentrating all your effort on swinging them back onto the beam. Just as you succeed, the crack of the whip resounds once more and burns its mark across your back (lose another
ENDURANCE
point).
When the whip cracks a third time it cuts only air, for you have crawled out of range of its cruel bite.
A searing current of pain runs the length of your arm and explodes in your head. Lights flash before your eyes, and you collapse into unconsciousness.
As your hand closes around the hilt of the sword, somewhere in the mist above your head the voice of the skull speaks a chilling rhyme:
Hand to take;
Spell to break;
Stir a terror
In your wake.
If you still wish to pick up the sword,
turn to 96
.
If you decide not to take the sword and wish to leave the vault by the left tunnel,
turn to 298
.
If you prefer to leave by the right tunnel,
turn to 322
.
Only the faint green light of the power-shield illuminates your moving target. You notch an Arrow and take careful aim as it speeds up the beach, weaving in and out of the boulders that litter its path.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, add 3 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–6,
turn to 196
.
If it is 7 or more,
turn to 112
.
Without any warning, the hand springs to life. It stands upright on its fingers, the first two drawn back so that it resembles a monstrous spider preparing to attack. You step back aghast as it scurries around in a circle on the granite plinth.
If you wish to attack the hand,
turn to 116
.
If you have a Fireseed and wish to throw it at the plinth,
turn to 157
.
If you wish to skirt around the plinth and enter the passage beyond,
turn to 302
.
His pack and the pockets of his leather armour contain the following items:
- Enough dried meat for 1 Meal
- Rope
- Blanket
- Dagger
- Vial of Blue Pills
- Bottle of Water
- Power-key
All the items, with the exception of the Power-key, which is a Special Item, are Backpack Items. If you wish to take any of them, remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, you can identify the nature of the Blue Pills by
turning to 43
.
To leave the body and continue,
turn to 323
.
The stone blocks crumble on the third blow, and you waste no time climbing through the hole and into the rough-hewn tunnel beyond. The canopy of mist no longer obscures the ceiling and the tunnel is dark and damp; you feel sure that you have escaped from the maze.
The tunnel twists and turns like a gigantic snake until you arrive at a wall made up of planks of wood. The timber is rotten and you have no difficulty gaining access to the vaulted corridor beyond. The tunnel on this side of the wooden wall is far cleaner and drier, and you walk easily along it until you come to a junction: a passage crosses from left to right.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship,
turn to 330
.
If you wish to take the passage to your left,
turn to 20
.
If you wish to take the passage to your right,
turn to 92
.
Your heart pounding, you run as fast as you can towards the shelter of the rocky base of Kazan-Oud. Panting for breath, you reach the glistening black stone wall, where you discover a ragged fissure that splits its sheer surface. You are about to step in, when the rustle and slither of unseen things, echoing from the inky darkness, make you hesitate.
If you wish to enter the fissure,
turn to 16
.
If you wish to press on along the beach,
turn to 173
.
As soon as you swallow the pills, you feel your body relax and your lungs cease to ache. Oxygen is being drawn from the water around you, absorbed by your body through the pores of your skin.
Freed from the immediate threat of drowning, you apply yourself to finding a way out of this watery tomb.
If you wish to try to open the locked door,
turn to 66
.
If you wish to examine the statue,
turn to 168
.
There is a soft
click
and the panel slides open to reveal a set of steps leading down to a wooden door, its timber reinforced with bands of iron.
If you wish to enter the sarcophagus,
turn to 37
.
If you decide against entering,
turn to 102
.
Your Arrow pierces the leading creature's arm. It staggers and howls abysmally as a thick, green fluid oozes from the wound. To your surprise and disgust, the others leap upon their injured companion, biting and clawing at the wound with their teeth and talons. The limb is swiftly torn from the body and consumed.
If you wish to draw another Arrow and fire again,
turn to 152
.
If you decide to shoulder your Bow and evade these ghoulish creatures by escaping into the archway opposite,
turn to 241
.
Relentlessly the worm moves forward, forcing you back up the ramp towards the oval door. But there is no escape this way — you have no choice but to fight the repulsive creature. The monster is especially susceptible to psychic attack. If you choose to use Mindblast or Psi-surge during combat, double all
ENDURANCE
point losses sustained by the enemy.
Oudagorg:
COMBAT SKILL
17
ENDURANCE
17
If you win the combat,
turn to 209
.
You recognize the tangle of greyish-green weed half-submerged in the waters around your sinking boat. It is Black Lakeweed, a carnivorous plant commonly found in the swamps and freshwater lakes of central Magnamund. Forewarned by your Kai Mastery, you dive into the lake and swim submerged until you are clear of the deadly plants.
The hand is fast, but you are faster. Diving and rolling, you avoid its initial attack and crouch ready to receive its next attempt. It rises once more and, as you stare at its ghastly form, you suddenly realize its horrific purpose. It is a predator, an evil, sentient being that can only survive by consuming an exclusive form of nourishment — live human brain. You fight back your rising fear as it speeds towards you. This creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge) in combat.
Rahkos:
COMBAT SKILL
18
ENDURANCE
30
If you win the combat,
turn to 22
.
A stone room awaits you at the bottom of the stairs, featureless and bare except for a weapons rack hanging on the wall in the far corner. It holds a Spear and a Broadsword, both in remarkably fine condition. Two torchlit tunnels offer exits from the chamber; one descends to the north, the other to the east.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship,
turn to 139
.
If you wish to enter the north tunnel,
turn to 187
.
If you wish to enter the east tunnel,
turn to 101
.
You dive and roll, but your Backpack hits the falling wall and jams. In the next instant you are crushed by twenty tons of solid stone.
Your life and your mission have come to a tragic end here.
Rolling the body over with the toe of your boot, you quickly check for useful items and discover the following:
- Axe
- Short Sword
- Dagger
- 2 Gold Crowns
Remember to mark any items you wish to keep on your
Action Chart
before making your escape down the stairs.
The sharp crack of splintering wood fills your ears as you are thrown bodily through the air. The stinking cobblestones of the jetty greet your return to earth, and instinctively you roll on landing to lessen the shock of impact. You are winded but otherwise unharmed. Staggering to your feet, you see two rough-hewn staircases at the far end of the jetty: one ascends to a cave-like entrance in the sheer rock wall; the other leads down to a tiny beach covered with boulders and black sand.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship,
turn to 251
.
If you wish to climb the staircase to the entrance above,
turn to 82
.
If you wish to descend to the beach below,
turn to 30
.
You cover fifty yards before the passage opens into a large, circular chamber. There, on a plinth in the centre of the floor, rests a severed human hand. The skin is mottled and swollen, the fingers black and decayed. Beyond the plinth, the passage continues straight ahead, flanked by two pillars of speckled green stone.
If you wish to examine the severed hand,
turn to 226
.
If you wish to skirt around the plinth and enter the passage beyond,
turn to 302
.
A bolt of red fire whistles past your head and explodes just above the archway. Fragments of rock graze your scalp and you are momentarily blinded as you run through the debris. As you raise your arm to wipe your face on your sleeve, another bolt catches you squarely in the back and pitches you flat on your stomach.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, deduct 1 from this number. The resulting figure represents the number of
ENDURANCE
points you have lost due to the attack. Fighting back the pain, you clamber to your feet and stagger into the dust-choked tunnel.
You peer into the keyhole but cannot see beyond the plate that hides the mechanism. The water reaches your chin, submerging the lock completely, and you are forced to tilt back your head in order to breathe.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus,
turn to 327
.
If you do not have this skill,
turn to 153
.