Castle Death (17 page)
As you reach the centre of the bridge, the leading rats are flowing up the slope of the arch. You turn and confront them, drawing a weapon in preparation for a fight to the death, if necessary. As they swarm nearer, you lash out, cleaving them from the narrow apex to fall, splashing, into the torrent of water below.
With your third blow, a shudder runs through the stone, causing you to stagger and fall. You land on the opposite bank, winded but otherwise unharmed. A loud crack fills the night and the whole centre section of the bridge collapses into the gully with a tremendous splash. Safe now from the ravenous rats, you can afford to continue along the beach at a less punishing pace.
Your mastery of this Lore-circle enables you to understand the creatures' strange language, and from the shadows of the entrance you listen intently to their conversation.
‘Repairs in the central shaft are nearly finished. In three suns' time we will be able to continue,’ comments a reedy voice.
‘We cannot wait that long,’ interrupts another, its voice deeper and angrier in tone. ‘Lord Zahda ordered the tunnelling to begin again without delay. We must obey his command.’
‘But the risks are too great,’ retorts the first voice. ‘We lost a hundred slaves in the flood — next time we may lose more than just slaves.’
A noise in the corridor alerts you to approaching danger: a patrol of armoured guards is heading in your direction.
If you wish to try to sneak through the chamber and attempt to reach the opposite corridor unseen,
turn to 343
.
If you wish to hide in the shadows of the doorway,
turn to 181
.
The hound bounds forward and leaps at your chest, slamming you to the ground with its monstrous weight. Its fangs flash before your eyes, and a burning saliva stings your face. With all the strength you can muster you fight desperately for survival.
The creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).
Hound of Death:
COMBAT SKILL
22
ENDURANCE
40
If you win the combat,
turn to 259
.
Your command works: the pain quickly subsides. However, the creature's rubbery tendril is still drawing closer to your vulnerable throat. Snatching up your weapon from the hot, black sand, you lash out and sever the tip, but instead of blood, or what would pass for blood in the body of this ghastly creature, a flame sparks into life like a sputtering fuse. The brain ceases to move, hovering motionless above the sand, as the spitting flame burns fiercely along the thin tube of flesh.
‘You need not fear me,’ you say, trying to calm the frightened man. ‘I will not harm you.’
The sound of your voice stops him shaking. He turns his scarred face towards you and asks, ‘Have the Elder Magi sent you here?’
If you wish to answer the man,
turn to 340
.
If you wish to leave the cell without answering his question,
turn to 142
.
Before your last defeated enemy hits the ground, you are sprinting along the corridor, anxious to leave the chamber and the dying guards far behind. You pass through an archway that leads on to an open landing at the top of a spiral staircase and hurry down. At the bottom, a tunnel leads off to the west and the east.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship or Divination,
turn to 171
.
If you wish to go west,
turn to 29
.
If you wish to go east,
turn to 272
.
Snickering with evil delight, the creatures stalk closer and closer. Talons spring from the fingers of their leathery, webbed hands, and their eyes blaze with wild red fire as they prepare to pounce.
Illustration XIV—Snickering with evil delight, the Dhax stalk closer and closer.
Dhax:
COMBAT SKILL
27
ENDURANCE
35
You may evade after three rounds of combat by running into the archway opposite;
turn to 241
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 141
.
You close your hand around the Lorestone of Herdos, and your senses reel as a wave of energy washes over your body (restore your current
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. A vibration runs through the iron floor, a forewarning of the eruptions that will tear Kazan-Oud to pieces. Swiftly you descend the spiral stairs and sprint along the tube, oblivious of the heat and noise that buffet you mercilessly as you run towards the distant hall. There, you find everything in chaos: Zahda's minions, his guards, and his slaves run in blind confusion as they try to escape from the impending doom.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship or Divination,
turn to 338
.
If you wish to fight your way up the stairs to the prison cell complex level and try to escape from there,
turn to 300
.
If you choose to ignore the stairs and follow the corridor on this level,
turn to 315
.
You can see the faint outline of stepping stones, stretching across the beach to a narrow crack in the rock wall. You sense that there is an entrance there.
If you wish to descend to the beach and investigate further,
turn to 303
.
If you decide to climb the staircase to the entrance above,
turn to 82
.
It takes several minutes of continuous probing and twisting with the tip of your sword to persuade the plate to slide across, but still the door does not open. The effect of the pills is beginning to wear off now, and the pain is slowly returning to your chest.
If you wish to continue to probe the lock with your sword,
turn to 4
.
If you choose to abandon the door, only the statue offers any hope of escaping from this chamber;
turn to 168
.
Swiftly you take aim and fire, but the creature escapes with just a graze across its dog-like forehead. Screaming with fury, it hurtles along the walkway and throws itself, clawing and snapping, at your face. You drop your Bow and unsheathe a weapon just in time to receive its attack.
Dhax:
COMBAT SKILL
20
ENDURANCE
26
You may evade combat at any time by running into the archway opposite;
turn to 277
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 141
.
You dive straight and true, avoiding the bodies that float on the surface, and enter the water at a perfect angle. Unfortunately, the water is scalding hot — fissures of molten lava have erupted through the brittle crust of the shallows. You scream all the way to the surface, but the shock paralyses your limbs and you sink like a stone shortly afterwards.
Tragically, your life and your mission end here.
A number of trees were unearthed by the falling tower, and one of them lies balanced precariously over the edge of the rock wall above. You focus your Kai Mastery on this trunk, and after great mental exertion, you cause it to topple over the edge. As it crashes down the stairs, you fight to steer it end over end so that it comes to rest across the gap. But it gathers speed too quickly and is soon falling out of control.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If your current
ENDURANCE
points total is 20 or more, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–2,
turn to 154
.
If it is 3–8,
turn to 208
.
If it is 9 or more,
turn to 52
.
A dark corridor greets you beyond the door. You enter and feel your way along the wall, guided only by a tiny light in the distance. The sudden screech of metal sends a chill down your spine, and to your horror, you see a wall of black iron falling in front of the door.
Another crack cuts the air, and you flinch as the invisible whip draws a crimson line across your thigh (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points). You strain your Kai senses trying to discover the location of your enemy, but the magic that shields him is very strong.
Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 2 points for the duration of the fight. If you possess a Blanket or a Red Robe,
10
you may wrap it around your arm as extra protection from the blows of your enemy (it will increase your
COMBAT SKILL
by 1 point).
Invisible Whipmaster:
COMBAT SKILL
24
ENDURANCE
26
You may evade combat after three rounds by running back along the passage;
turn to 64
.
If you win the fight,
turn to 186
.
[10] Alternatively, you may decide that it is acceptable to use a Towel from the public baths in Barrakeesh, if you are carrying one.
The faint green glow of the power-shield is the only source of light in the cave. Cautiously you advance, but you are soon swallowed up by the darkness, and progress becomes painfully slow.
If you have a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox,
turn to 289
.
If you do not have any of these items and wish to continue ahead in total darkness,
turn to 277
.
If you prefer to abandon the cave and return to the beach below,
turn to 30
.
Wiping the dead wolf's blood from your eyes, you turn to face the floating bubbles that cluster in the corridor beyond.
If you wish to push your way past them,
turn to 107
.
If you wish to cut a path through them with your sword,
turn to 151
.
If you decide to retrace your steps to the vault and take the other tunnel,
turn to 322
.
The tunnel reeks with the rancid odour of decay, and to your dismay, you discover that it is no more than a shallow cave — a shelter for a clutch of gigantic eggs, each one as large as a barrel of ale. They rest upon a bed of packs and torn clothing, belonging to previous adventurers who fell foul of the giant snake.
If you wish to examine these items more closely,
turn to 148
.
If you wish to search for a way to escape from the tunnel,
turn to 346
.
Both the skull and the echo of its voice gradually disappear, to be replaced by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from the passage behind. The gloomy corridor looks deserted, but the footsteps are growing louder and louder.
If you have a Flask of Wine or a Bottle of Water,
turn to 18
.
If you have neither of these items,
turn to 304
.
The door is locked, but the mechanism is so rusted that it crumbles under the slightest pressure. Inside is a squalid little room filled with barrels, crates, and dusty bottles of wine, all sour. On a damp wooden bench lies a Short Sword, and beside it a plain circular Shield (if you wish to take either of these items, remember to mark them on your
Action Chart
, the Shield is a Special Item which adds 2 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
when used in combat).
If you wish to search the room further,
turn to 73
.
If you decide to leave the room and explore the stairs,
turn to 11
.
As your brain is starved of oxygen your vision grows dimmer, and you feel light-headed. Gradually the pain that burns in your chest fades away as unconsciousness smothers your senses. You sink slowly to the floor, weighed down by the water that now fills your lungs.
11
Your life and your quest end here.
[11] If you have used some Sabito recently, their effects have worn off after being submerged for too long.
The crowd howls its approval as a rickety, hunchbacked creature, swathed in a hooded robe, approaches the platform on which you stand manacled to the wall. Deftly he strips you of all your weapons and passes them to an ugly-faced dwarf, hovering close by his side.
‘Take him to the maze,’ commands the white-haired lord. His cruel, mocking laughter echoes in your ears as you are dragged from the hall in chains.
Erase all weapons and weapon-like Special Items from your
Action Chart
and make a note of them on a separate piece of paper in case you should rediscover them at a later stage of your adventure.
Now
turn to 286
.