The Cauldron of Fear (23 page)

With an outstretched hand you are able to detect the panel at the end of the passage. It is damp and crumbly and is covered with what feels like wet ropes. Suddenly one of these ropes coils around your arm, squeezing it in a vice-like grip. A wave of panic hits you as you realize you are being attacked by an angry Roctopus.

Roctopus:
COMBAT SKILL
 18   
ENDURANCE
 18

This creature is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge. Owing to the dark and narrow confines of the passage, you must reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 4 points for the duration of the fight.

If you win the combat,
turn to 139
.

You give a hefty kick and send a bench whirling against the man's legs. He falls heavily, slamming his head against the table and knocking himself out. The watching crowd find this greatly amusing, and while they are helpless with laughter, you escape through the door and along the street.

Turn to 146
.

Although you cannot gauge how deep you are, you know that your strength is fading fast. If you are to avoid a watery death, you must shed some of your equipment.

If you wish to discard half the number of items in your Backpack,
turn to 91
.

If you decide to discard your Backpack completely,
turn to 346
.

Your Arrow whistles into the dark alley and seconds later you hear it shatter harmlessly against a wall. As the rapid footfalls of the Giak fade into the distance you curse his escape, for you feel sure he recognized you. When he catches up with his unit and tells them what has happened here, they are likely to return with an entire army. Wisely you decide to leave; you remount your horse and follow the track that leads out of the village.

Turn to 63
.

The villagers swarm around you like hungry locusts, pleading with you to buy their humble goods. Most of the baskets contain food with a greasy, off-putting smell, and small earthenware flasks full of boza — a pale yellow wine with a bouquet like sour milk. Those villagers that are too poor to offer any goods at all simply cup their hands and beg for money. For every one Gold Grown you spend here you can purchase 2 Meals or one Flask of Boza.

If you wish to give the beggars some money,
turn to 163
.

If you decide to remount your horse and continue,
turn to 52
.

Desperately you throw out your hands and manage to regain your grip of the rung. The impact has left you shaken and bruised (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points) but at least you are still alive. With renewed caution you steady yourself against the jagged outcrop before continuing your descent.

Turn to 173
.

The commander walks slowly around your horse, his fierce gaze never once leaving your direction. ‘My dear friend, your companion appears to have lost his voice,’ he says to Banedon, with mock good manners. Then he signals to his men on the parapet and you hear the sound of a dozen crossbows scraping on stone as the soldiers steady their aim. Slowly you raise your hands in surrender; to resist would be suicidal.

Turn to 312
.

Brooker Court ends at a plaza known as Glassblower's Square. All the shops and houses in this area are owned by the Glassblower's Guild and, as a symbol of their wealth and influence in this part of the city, each of the slabs that pave the square is made entirely of coloured glass, several feet thick. Three roads lead from this plaza of glass: Lamp Street, Southgate, and Rainbow Lane.

If you wish to go north into Lamp Street,
turn to 110
.

If you choose to head south into Southgate,
turn to 278
.

If you decide to go west into Rainbow Lane,
turn to 245
.

Stones rattle beneath your horse's hooves as you skirt the slopes of the Tahou Hills. Nearly an hour slips by before you happen upon the mouth of a gorge that offers a shorter route to the north. You enter and ride along a dried-out watercourse that winds for a mile between turrets of dull-coloured rock before rising steeply into the hills. At this point a small stone hut sits overhanging the gorge. Candlelight flickers at its window and a wisp of wood smoke rises from its chimney.

If you wish to stop and investigate the hut,
turn to 18
.

If you choose to ignore it and press on,
turn to 123
.

You raise the Sommerswerd and its golden light plays across the creature's glistening black scales. The dragon-like eyes blaze with anger and a deep growl rumbles from its cavernous mouth as it makes ready to attack.

Illustration XX
—The creature's dragon-like eyes blaze with anger and a deep growl rumbles from its cavernous mouth.

Zadragon:
COMBAT SKILL
 43   
ENDURANCE
 58

This powerful creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).

If you win the combat,
turn to 93
.

Using your Kai Mastery you sense that Eastwall Lane leads directly to the Eastgate Barracks, the place where Sogh told you that Banedon is being held prisoner, Confident of your direction, you ignore the other street signs and head east.

Turn to 250
.

Your killing blow knocks the ghoul out of the hollow, sending it tumbling into the lake. More of the corpse-like creatures can be seen creeping along the shore, and the sound of their snuffling whispers and curses makes your blood run cold. They move with unnatural speed, eager to feast on your flesh.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 22
.

If you wish to evade the ghouls by leaving the hollow and climbing the steps,
turn to 104
.

If you wish to draw a hand weapon and prepare to fight them,
turn to 254
.

The father and the farmers are taking it in turns to ask each other riddles. In Anari it is forbidden to gamble for money on games of chance, but the wily Anarians get around the law by devious means. They gamble on being able to answer riddles correctly, which demands exercising skill rather than chance, and they wager goods, and sometimes their services, in place of money. By the time you join them the father and his sons have amassed quite an assortment of valuable items, and the plains farmers are clearly anxious to win back some of their lost possessions.

If you wish to join in and take an ‘Anarian gamble’,
turn to 115
.

If you do not wish to take part in their game but would rather engage the tavern owner in conversation,
turn to 268
.

If you would prefer to order a meal,
turn to 88
.

The wagon descends a steep hill that runs parallel to a section of the city wall under bombardment from enemy catapults. As you near the bottom of the hill, a huge stone ball drops from the sky and slams into the wagon, killing two horses, the captain, and you.

Tragically, your life ends here.

Slowly you inch your horse forward in the inky blackness until you glimpse a flickering light off to your left. You focus on this strange emanation until you can identify the source of the light. A swarm of glowing mine flies are hovering above a puddle of milky liquid, which is bubbling from a fissure in the tunnel floor. Your horse lifts its head, sniffs the cool air, and gives voice to a harsh neigh of danger, for in the distant shadows something alien is stirring.

Turn to 129
.

The first floor is soon set ablaze as the wind whips the roof fire into a raging inferno. A soldier, his face and uniform completely blackened by soot, staggers down the stairs and collapses into your arms.

‘The captain's up there … ’ he croaks, his throat burned from inhaling the scorching air. ‘He went to save his brother just before the roof caught.’

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus and have reached the Kai rank of Principalin,
turn to 159
.
¹⁷

If you do not have this skill, or if you have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training,
turn to 59
.

The sergeant draws his curved cavalry sword and levels it menacingly at your chest. ‘By the right of the Senate of Tahou, government of Anari,’ he snarls, in reply to your demand. ‘And by the right of majority — twenty rangers against two outlanders. Both of you drop your weapons — at once!’

If you wish to obey the sergeant's order,
turn to 24
.

If you wish to resist arrest,
turn to 85
.

‘Make sure he doesn't get away again,’ commands the officer, as his men surround you with a ring of spears. ‘This is the one that escaped from the South Gate tower. I wouldn't like to be in his shoes when they get their hands on him!’

The patrol march you along Rainbow Lane and then down a street called Southgate towards the South Gate tower. In less than fifteen minutes you find yourself delivered back into the clutches of the angry gatehouse guard.

Turn to 162
.

Using your Kai Mastery, you command the deadly Roctopus to retreat into its burrow. Slowly it responds, drawing its slimy tentacles away from the panel as it wriggles deeper into the wall.

Turn to 139
.

Freed from the weight of your equipment, you are able to rise swiftly through the black water and reach the surface, coughing and gasping for air. At first the incredible coldness stunned your limbs, but now it revives your senses and spurs you towards the distant shore that gleams dimly in the faint half-light.

Aching and numb to the bone, you heave yourself out of the lake and collapse on the flat, spongy rocks that line the shore.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination,
turn to 298
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 41
.

‘Look out, Lone Wolf,’ shouts Banedon, as you are rising from your seat. The soldier has drawn a curved dagger and he lunges forward to stab you in the heart.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination or Huntmastery,
turn to 36
.

If you do not possess either of these skills, pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–6,
turn to 260
.

If it is 7–9,
turn to 119
.

Your companion heeds your warning and shouts a reply, but you fail to hear what he says. A tremendous noise fills your ears as the giant snake rises into the air, lifted by a pair of powerful feathered wings. Two vulture-like legs, tipped with sharp, rending claws, scrabble the air as it dives towards your chest. A bolt of crackling energy surges past your head and streaks towards the onrushing snake. But the creature is quick to avoid Banedon's attack; it banks over to the left and the bolt arcs harmlessly into the distance. You barely have time to unsheathe a hand weapon as it closes for the kill.

Turn to 82
.

The reptilians hear you and fix you with frightened stares. They wrap their webbed hands around the leathery egg protectively and slink quickly down the stairs. You run to the top of the staircase and peer down into the gloom, but you can see nothing in the darkness.

If you have a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox,
turn to 33
.

If you have a Fireseed and wish to throw it down the stairs,
turn to 106
.

If you choose to unsheathe a hand weapon and descend the stairs into darkness,
turn to 224
.

At the very moment of his death, the shimmering web of energy that encases the Zakhan's body flares with a scarlet brilliance so intense that you are forced to avert your eyes for fear of it blinding you. The light surges and fades, leaving behind a mound of glowing fragments that crumble and dissolve noisily until all that remains of the Zakhan and the Orb of Death is a dark stain on the earth where they fell.

Spurred on by your triumph, the Anarian defenders rally themselves and counterattack to secure the West Gate. The Vassagonians who gained entry are either killed or forced back into the moat as the gate is quickly retaken. A cheer resounds from the city wall, a cheer that becomes a chant carrying word of Kimah's demise to the enemy beyond the moat, and gradually the advancing legions slow to a halt as their hope of an easy victory dies. Officers ride to and fro, cursing and threatening their men with all manner of punishment, but their morale is severely shaken; the ranks of armoured warriors merely stand in shocked silence and refuse to advance. The sound of distant trumpets is heard and all eyes turn to the south to see wave upon wave of mounted warriors emerging from the hills around Varta. They pour from every valley and pass to fill the southern flats with regiments of horsemen resplendent in uniforms of blue, white, and grey.

‘Our prayers have been answered,’ says Chiban, as he and Banedon rejoin you at the city wall. ‘Behold, the allies of Anari have come to aid us in our darkest hour.’ He points to the advancing cavalry and you recognize, fluttering from their lances, the battle standards of three countries: Firalond, Lourden, and Kakush. Then the thunder of their horses' hooves fills the air and a wave of joy surges through you as you witness their first charge devastate the enemy's ranks, throwing them into chaos and confusion. A great battle ensues as the enemy slowly gather themselves to resist this unexpected assault. By noon two of their armies have been smashed and routed, and the third fights a desperate rearguard action as it covers the chaotic retreat westwards.

At last the fighting around the city comes to an end, and the defenders give voice to their elation that their home has been saved from the hordes of Darklord Gnaag. Senator Zilaris proclaims you ‘the saviour of Tahou’, and the victorious cheers of the citizens echo through the burning streets and across the flats that lie strewn with enemy dead. (If any of your Weapons or weapon-like Special Items were confiscated by the South Gate Guard, they are now gratefully returned to you.) You gaze at this grim panorama and your blood runs cold. But it is not the sight of the carnage that grips you with fear, it is your growing awareness of a powerful evil that is taking shape above the West Gate. A billowing black cloud forms in the sky, and from out of this cloud there comes a harsh and terrible voice.

‘I will be avenged,’ it booms, its resonance shaking the battlements on which you stand. You steel yourself, half expecting a bolt of lightning to leap from the cloud and hurtle towards you, but no such attack materializes. Instead, the chilling voice continues in a mocking tone. ‘Know this: you will pay for your defiance with your life. I, Gnaag of Mozgôar, have the three remaining Lorestones that you seek, and I shall destroy them when I destroy you, Kai Lord.’

A gust of wind catches the cloud and it clears swiftly, but it leaves behind a numbing dread that fills your heart, for you sense that the words were no idle threat — the terrible voice of Darklord Gnaag spoke the truth.

Your quest has succeeded, for the wisdom and strength of the Lorestone of Tahou is now a part of your body and spirit, and your defeat of Zakhan Kimah has turned the tide of war decisively against the Darkland armies. But the shocking news that the Darklords now possess the remaining Lorestones of Nyxator heralds the start of a new and deadly perilous episode of the Magnakai quest.

If you have the courage of a true Kai Master, the challenge of recovering the last Lorestones from the clutches of your mortal enemies awaits you, beginning in Book 10 of the
Lone Wolf
series, entitled:

The Dungeons of Torgar