Castle Death (18 page)
You plunge your weapon into the monstrous eye and gouts of a luminous jelly-like substance pour from the wound. A ghastly inhuman scream of pain rises from the ground beneath your feet. Jets of hissing steam erupt through the sand, and a stinging cloud of grit assails your eyes.
Illustration XV—You plunge your weapon into the monstrous eye and gouts of a luminous jelly-like substance pour from the wound.
You reel backwards, shielding your face from the blast, but an unexpected blow to your legs sends you sprawling to the ground (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points). Before you can rise, a warty, green tentacle coils round your waist and pulls you slowly towards the mutilated eye.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge and wish to use it,
turn to 190
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you do not wish to use it,
turn to 121
.
To prevent the guard from reaching the bell-rope you are forced to fire without taking careful aim.
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 6 or lower,
turn to 75
.
If it is 7 or higher,
turn to 162
.
You search the gleaming throne and the dais of black iron rock upon which it rests and discover a pentacle carved deep into the gold. As you trace its design with your finger, a sound grows above the din of destruction — a sound like the tinkling of a thousand tiny bells. In the blackness above the throne, a speckled glow appears. Slowly it descends towards you until a large section of the dais is engulfed by a column of shimmering blue light.
You reach up and 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.
The column of light is a magical transporter, a beam in which gravity has been reduced almost to zero. By entering it you will be drawn towards the surface level of Kazan-Oud.
Without hesitation you pocket the Lorestone and step into the magical beam.
Simultaneously, you jump across the slab, rolling over as you hit the solid floor beyond. The creatures laugh horribly. They raise their sinewy arms and spread their webbed fingers, shooting forth their talons like curved assassins' knives. They lurch forward to attack, blinded by bloodlust to the danger that lies beneath their cloven hooves.
In an instant their laughter turns to lamentation as the slab drops away and they disappear, screaming as they plummet, into a deep, dark abyss.
As the red light washes over you a tingling sensation passes through your body, leaving your muscles stiff and painful. Your limbs feel abnormally heavy, and soon you have great difficulty putting one foot in front of the other. Suddenly the ground shakes and a large slab of stone rises from the floor to seal off the exit. A loud hissing fills your ears.
A strangely bitter smell assails your nostrils. By the time you realize that the air is being flooded with a powerful sleep gas, pumped from vents hidden in the ceiling, you are already succumbing to its irresistible power.
A noise, like the sound of a thousand screeching cats, issues from the statue, and water pours from its eyes and mouth. The stream quickly becomes a raging torrent and threatens to flood the chamber. You turn and run towards the passage, but, to your dismay, you find the passage is now sealed off by a wall of solid stone.
With the water level at your waist, you wade across to the oval-shaped door and feverishly examine the lock.
If you have a Skeleton Key,
turn to 207
.
If you do not have this Special Item,
turn to 242
.
The hideous creature lets out a deafening cry as you strike your final blow. It crashes to the ground, displacing a ton of sand as its massive bulk settles on the beach. Attached to a heavy black chain around its loathsome midriff is a Gold Key. If you wish to take this Key, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item, which you keep in your pocket.
Your victory raises your spirits, but they soon sink again when you hear the unmistakable sound of rats — the chase has resumed.
You follow the tunnel for nearly an hour before arriving at a torchlit hall, whose walls are hung with beautiful tapestries, undamaged by the damp that pervades the upper levels of the grim fortress. It looks as if the hall is a dead end, and you are about to turn back when you notice a small door tucked away in one corner of the opulent chamber.
If you wish to open the door,
turn to 256
.
If you prefer to take a closer look at the tapestries,
turn to 305
.
A flood of armoured guards pours down the stairs, followed by a pair of hideous black-skinned, dog-faced creatures that wield long, glowing maces. You brace yourself for their assault, but they advance no closer. Instead the creatures make dreadful snickering sounds and raise their maces, tapping the ends together before simultaneously pointing them at you.
Suddenly you are torn with an agonizing pain, as your chest explodes in a gout of red flame. You topple backwards, your body almost rent in two by the bolt of destructive energy.
You have fallen victim to deadly Dhax power-staves, and your life and your quest end here.
At first glance, the door looks completely smooth: no locks, bars, rivets, or hinges mar its polished surface. However, a closer examination reveals a tiny keyhole set near to the floor.
If you have a Gold Key,
turn to 333
.
If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 54
.
You tumble into the pit and are swallowed up by total darkness. You fall at a terrifying speed for what seems an eternity and, after several minutes, you lapse into unconsciousness. It is a blessing, for you are spared the agonizing pain of being burnt alive when your body hits a lava pool ten thousand feet below.
Your life and your quest end here.
Silently you aim and fire. The Arrow sinks feather-deep into the skull of the creature seated to your left. The others shriek with horror and surprise and leap from their seats, scrambling to take cover behind the table. Suddenly the
clang
of a bell fills the room, and the sound of running footsteps echoes along the corridor. Four warriors burst into the chamber, their weapons drawn, their bodies encased in shiny black armour. They take one look at the dead creature and hurl themselves at you in a frenzied attack.
If you wish to fire your Bow again,
turn to 50
.
If you decide to shoulder your Bow and draw a hand weapon,
turn to 316
.
You have taken only a few steps when you hear a faint whispering sound. You watch, horrified, as the hard stone floor beneath your feet disappears into a yawning black hole. Helpless, you tumble into the void, knocking yourself unconscious on a jagged outcrop of rock as you plummet into unknown depths.
The creature launches itself at the cocoons, shearing them from the wall with its razor-sharp mandibles. The air is filled with fibrous shards and dust, and you no longer have a hiding place. You have no choice but to retreat along the corridor.
In response to your psychic power, the sword rises from the block and glides towards your open hand. It is a plain, heavy-bladed weapon of poor quality and unworthy of your scabbard, but in this strange and hostile maze, this rough steel blade helps to restore your hopes of survival.
If you wish to leave the vault by the left tunnel,
turn to 298
.
If you wish to leave by the right tunnel,
turn to 322
.
Tavig is barely visible inside the massive fist that is retreating down the tunnel. His screams, and the low rumbling growl of the monster that holds him, echo in your ears as you unsheathe your weapon and give chase. You must strike on the move if you are to break the monster's grip and save Tavig from a ghastly death.
Illustration XVI—Tavig is barely visible inside the massive fist that is retreating down the tunnel.
Giant Fist:
COMBAT SKILL
10
ENDURANCE
42
If you reduce the enemy's
ENDURANCE
score to zero or below in three combat rounds or less,
turn to 291
.
If you win the combat in four rounds or more,
turn to 156
.
Pressing yourself flat against the tunnel wall, you draw on your skill to mask the warmth of your body. Nausea rises in your throat as the loathsome snakes slither across your feet and coil around your legs, but to them you are of no more interest than the cold and clammy stones that cover the tunnel floor. The snakes move on, leaving you shaken but unharmed.
You hear footsteps on the stairs — more of the enemy are approaching. If they, too, are armed with crossbows, your chances of survival will be very slim indeed. Before you stand two great bronze doors, flanked on either side by tapestries and gold statuettes.
If you wish to open the doors and enter,
turn to 159
.
If you wish to examine the tapestries,
turn to 74
.
If you decide to stand and fight the approaching enemy,
turn to 273
.
The vast swarm reels back to feast upon the mutilated remains of their kin that lie piled in heaps all around you. Your arms, legs, and hands are bleeding from several small nips and gashes, where one or more of the rats broke through your formidable defence to bury their chisel-like teeth into your skin. Your victory has bought you time to think, but it will be only a matter of seconds before the rats launch another attack.
If you wish to climb over the reef of jagged rocks to your left,
turn to 336
.
If you decide to drag your coracle back into the water and escape from the bay,
turn to 117
.
Covering your nose with your Kai cloak, you edge your way around the smoking flames and head towards the passage. As you step through the entrance, you walk straight into an invisible barrier, a field of destructive energy that flows between the two green pillars. With a thunderous concussion, you are repelled from the shield and sent tumbling back into the chamber (lose 8
ENDURANCE
points; lose only 6 points if you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus).
If you are still alive,
turn to 128
.
The bats are ravenously hungry and have been stirred to a frenzy by the unexpected smell of their favourite food — warm human blood. It is too late to avoid combat; you must fight for your life if you are not to become their feast.
Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, you must double all
ENDURANCE
point losses you sustain during the fight, due to the bats' poisonous saliva.
Vampire Bats:
COMBAT SKILL
19
ENDURANCE
32
If you win the combat,
turn to 161
.