The Eye of Winter's Fury (105 page)

‘Look – just ahead!’ Caul points with his spear, picking up the pace.

The light from your weapons falls on a set of stairs leading up to a stone balcony. Behind it is an immense wall of ice, bulging into the hall. A runic door has been carved into the glacier’s surface, but there seems no way of opening it or passing through.

You hurry up the stairs, looking desperately for an alternate means of escape. Caul immediately moves to the balcony rail, where a stone plinth overlooks the hall below.

‘Over here!’

You hurry to join him, surprised to discover that the stone has a number of runes engraved onto its surface. They follow a snaking pattern, which mirrors the winding pathway you have followed through the hall.

‘What’s it do?’ asks Caul. ‘Will it get us through that?’ He glances back towards the wall of ice.

‘No, I think these are defences.’ You touch one of the runes, pouring your magic into its grooves and channels. A second later, the rune-shape flickers and then bursts into a bright crimson glow – kindling further lights along the hall as a selection of the stone rings pulse with magic. Only those that contain orbs have lit up. The others have remained dark and lifeless.

You spot several glass spheres lying next to the plinth, each one radiating a different coloured glow. ‘The orbs . . . Perhaps we can use them to defeat the guardians.’

Caul pulls a confused frown. ‘I’ll leave that up to you. I’ll work
on the door.’ He reaches inside his furs, producing a dagger of black stone. Dwarven runes are etched along its length, sparkling with silver light. ‘A Skard gave it to me. They call them Atataq – the wonder fire.’ He places his thumb and forefinger over the runes, producing a spark and then a flame from its tip. ‘Do what you can to hold off those guardians.’ The trapper dashes over to the ice wall and begins cutting into the frozen door with the heated stone of his dagger.

You turn back to the rune-covered console, trying to fathom its purpose and how you can use its power against the advancing statues. Turn to
600
.

727

Ignoring Ratatosk’s fervent protests, you draw your weapons across his throat, ending his life. You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
616
.

728

‘Found these on some bodies, Skards by my guess.’ He shifts his gaze nervously to Skoll, who is hovering by the entrance. ‘There’s Dwarf work in the horn and totem, real nice rune crafting. The sword, though, that’s something else. Almost tempted to keep it.’ He snorts, scratching at his bristly chin. ‘Nah, take it. Less weight, more speed.’

You may purchase any of the following for 200 gold crowns:

You may now purchase first aid supplies (turn to
639
), view Hal’s treasures (turn to
674
), trade your own items (turn to
95
) or leave and return to the quest map.

729

The floating mountain is only a few miles ahead – but your pursuers are much closer, and gaining fast. Caught out in the open, you watch as the two decaying dragons sweep past in a flurry of wings. The largest of the two opens their jaws, belching a cloud of noxious green gas into the air. The other hisses the words of a spell, surrounding you in a black miasma of magic – a cursed aura that saps at your strength, leeching away at your precious reserves of magic. With no chance of outrunning these dogged foes, you have no alternative but to fight:

	Special abilities
	Aura of enfeeblement : While Tiamort is alive, you cannot use speed abilities.
	Choking cloud : You must lose 2 health at the end of the first combat round. This damage increases by 1 each round up to a maximum of 5. Once Luicris is defeated the cloud decreases in damage by 1 in each subsequent round, until it reaches zero.
	Rough ride : If you have the keyword frazzled or rocked on your hero sheet, you may lower both opponents’ starting health by 10.
	Fire at will : You may use your nail gun or dragon fire ability in this combat. (Note: If your transport’s stability has been reduced to zero, you can no longer use its associated ability.)

If you manage to defeat the two zombie dragons, turn to
651
.

730

‘Go on then, big shot, let’s see what you got. Remember, I got a good eye for a good hide, so don’t be expecting winter prices for any summer skins. You can keep those for yer long-johns.’

The trading post will purchase the following items from you:

Remember to remove any sold items from your hero sheet. (If you have the
trapper
career you can increase the value of each pelt by 5 gold.) When you have updated your hero sheet, return to
685
to ask another question or return to the quest map to continue your adventure.

731

You edge further into the shadows, pulling down your hood to conceal your face. The last thing you wanted was to draw attention to yourself, but now you feel eyes upon you – curious and questioning.

Talia notes your nervousness with a smile. ‘Relax dear, I don’t bite.’ The bard tosses her hat onto your seat, then takes the chair opposite. ‘You’re new around here, aren’t you?’

Your silence draws an amused smirk from the woman. ‘Silent type, huh? Well, I’m Talia – a ray of sunshine around this bleak forsaken dirt pile. What about you, handsome?’ She takes a delicate sip of her ale, her eyes focused intently on the shadows beneath your hood.

Her accent is cultured, the jewellery sparkling on her fingers and in her ears calling to mind the high-born women from court. ‘You draw a lot of attention,’ you hiss, glancing over her shoulder.

‘Yes, I do have that effect. And around here, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Distraction can work wonders, especially on these simpletons.’ She arches an eyebrow. ‘Do I distract you, handsome?’

You pull back your hood.

Talia leans back in her seat. ‘Well, lookee there – hmm, you do have a certain cadaverous charm, I’ll give you that.’

‘What do you want?’ You tug your hood down as the barman walks over and places a tankard of watery ale in front of you. He glances at Talia thoughtfully, then returns to the bar.

‘I’m on a mission,’ the woman says, once he is out of earshot. ‘A dangerous one.’ She drops her voice, edging closer to the table. ‘And you look like the kind of man I could use right now.’ She lifts her chin, eyes peering over at your weapons and armour. ‘Yes, you’re positively perfect.’

732

A smooth stone corridor angles downwards for several hundred metres before levelling off into a wider corridor lined with carved heads. They appear reptilian, like the Nisse you fought at Bitter Keep, with blue fire flickering in the hollows of their eyes. Their light bathes the black-stone passage with a cold luminosity, picking out a series of glittering runes running across the floor and ceiling.

Caul stops you before you take a step. ‘It’s a trap,’ he whispers. He takes one of his knives and throws it down the corridor. As the spinning blade passes each of the drake heads fire gouts from their nostrils, filling the passage with billowing flame. The knife brightens with the heat, leaving a smoking trail as it arcs down the corridor to finally rattle down onto the rune-covered floor. As it comes to rest the surrounding glyphs immediately ignite, triggering a flurry of lightning
bolts. The knife is thrown back into the air, where the flames continue to bake it in a fierce heat.

A few moments later and the corridor is silent, the fire having receded back into the carved heads. You are left staring wide-eyed at the melted pool of metal on the ground – all that remains of Caul’s knife.

The trapper shifts nervously beside you. ‘Still want to risk it?’

733

For a while, the only sound is your flapping footfalls as you follow the long, winding passageways. They slope ever upwards, taking you higher and higher into the mountain. Occasionally the walls recede, leaving you to stumble out into vast empty spaces. The paladin’s glowing body and Skoll’s torchlight are the only flickers of life amidst the encroaching gloom; even your heightened senses struggle to penetrate the furthest reaches of the halls. There is a sense of age here – and of ancient power. Statues and carvings leer from the dark like ghostly apparitions, depicting giants and dwarves and sometimes humans. The ground underfoot becomes grooved and uneven, suggesting some sculptured design marked into the stone – but you do not pause to investigate. Instead, you follow the bobbing lights of your companions, moving ever onwards, ever upwards . . .