The Eye of Winter's Fury (111 page)

The monk decides to play his hand. Turn to
593
.

763

For defeating the ancient wind demon, you may now choose one of the following rewards:

When you have made your decision, return to the quest map to continue your adventure.

764

Distance is hard to judge out on the ice. As you gradually near the glacier, what had once been a large pinnacle of ice has now become a colossal mountain blotting out the sky. Swallowed beneath its shadow, you bounce over the steel-grey foothills and head straight into the fissure.

Almost immediately you find yourself skimming through shallow pools of water, the howls and yelps of your dogs echoing back from the high walls of ice. The tunnel broadens, throwing you out into
an immense grotto. One of the racers immediately veers to the left, plunging into a side tunnel which twists and banks like a tight corkscrew. The others have opted for a slope that rises up to form a winding high ledge. Both options look intimidating and treacherous.

765

It appears the trapper was right about the confusing nature of the cave system. The tunnel you are following soon branches, and then branches again, offering a myriad of icy corridors to follow. You put your trust in Caul, who leads with apparent confidence, occasionally pointing out the nicks in the ice where he has marked his previous forays.

Eventually the tunnel you are following widens, the ice receding into bare black rock. Its surface is smooth and faceted, occasionally shot through with the same green-glowing magic that you saw in Reah’s stone.

‘Any idea what this is?’ you ask, putting a hand to the chill stone.

Caul screws up his face. ‘Do I look like one of them geo . . . geo-thingies?’

‘Geologist?’ you supply helpfully.

‘Was gonna say geomancers. Them mages that do all that weird stuff with stone. Probably their doing. Magic.’ He spits at the ground. ‘No good ever comes of it, trust me. Now keep it down, we’re almost there.’

Ahead the ground becomes a series of uneven stairs, which circle round into a small cave. Caul insists that his belongings lie just ahead.

However, you also notice a smaller side-tunnel to your left – more a cleft in the rock, tight and narrow-looking. It may be a trick of the wind, channelled down the many melt holes that pepper the caves, but you are almost sure you can hear a ghostly whispering coming from that direction. You try and discern if there is any meaning
or hidden message to it, but the words, if any, are too faint to be heard.

Caul notes your hesitation and shakes his head. ‘Stay out of those places,’ he says, cutting a hand through the air. ‘Seen things I never want to see . . . Let’s get my weapons and supplies, then I’ll show you a better route.’

766

Searching through the wreckage, you find one of the following items:

When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
755
.

767

The moment you pick up the book, you hear a grating sound from the walls of the room. Suddenly the floor begins to lift up, carrying you past the surrounding bookshelves. You continue to rise, the ceiling of the room vanishing to be replaced by the red-flecked clouds of the Norr. The table begins to sparkle with motes of magic then, in a flash of dark brilliance, it is transformed into a mounted crossbow – just like the one Skyhawk uses in the book during the Siege of Mentorac, to fend off an attack of . . .

A piercing scream fills your ears.

You race to the edge of the battlements, looking out across the bleak wasteland that stretches into infinity. A staccato flash of lightning
reveals the shapes, moving at speed towards you. Giant winged reptiles with oily-black scales and metallic-looking beaks. Nightwings.

You count four of the creatures – hardy beasts, each capable of ripping entire battalions apart. Only Skyhawk could stand against them. And in that instant, you know exactly what you must do. Rushing back to the crossbow, you swing it round, feeling its magic pulsing along the enchanted flight groove. Just like in the storybook, this crossbow will fire magical bolts. You relax your hand on the trigger, leaning against the sight to target the advancing beasts. They are moving fast – unless you weaken them quickly, they will soon be upon you at full strength. It is time to fight:

	Special abilities
	Shoot ’em up : You have five combat rounds before the nightwings reach the tower. They cannot attack you during this time, but you are able to fire at them using the magic crossbow. In each round, roll for speed against a chosen opponent as normal. If you are successful, you have hit them with a crossbow bolt. This inflicts 4 dice of damage, ignoring armour . If you lose, the round ends and the next one begins. At the start of the sixth combat round, the remainder of the combat is fought as normal.
	Ranged combat : For the first five combat rounds, you cannot apply/use any abilities. Once the sixth combat round starts, abilities can be used as normal.
	Outnumbered : Once you are in regular combat, each opponent inflicts 1 damage, ignoring armour , at the end of each combat round. This ability only applies while you are faced with multiple opponents.

If you manage to blast these winged horrors out of the skies, turn to
598
.

768

You misjudge the angle and hit the side of the web. The magic threads tangle around your transport, sending crackling bolts of magic ripping along its length. (You must lower your transport’s
toughness
and
stability
by 2.) Thankfully, your momentum breaks through the sticky webbing, stopping you from becoming entangled. However, your collision has ripped a sizeable hole in the structure. Your two pursuers are able to pass through unscathed. Turn to
773
.

769

Animal hides have been raised across one side of the camp, stretched taut between a line of mammoth tusks. They act as wind-breakers, taking the brunt of the storm’s fury as it blasts across the snowy plain.

You help Desnar to drag the wolf into the centre of the camp. A horn blast fills the air, followed by shouts and hooting calls. Gradually the Skards emerge from their shelters, like haggard ghosts materialising from out of the storm. They gather around the pair of you, looking expectantly from yourself to Desnar, awaiting the outcome of your test.

You spot Sura moving through the crowd, aided by a younger girl with red hair shot through with streaks of white. As the old woman comes to a halt at the edge of the circle, you see she has the bear necklace wound around her staff. Behind her a boy holds a leather bag in both hands, the many bulges and lumps suggesting it is filled with objects. He grips it tight to his chest as if fearful the wind might snatch it from his grasp.

‘Well,’ says Sura, raising her voice above the buffeting gale. ‘Who has been chosen?’ (If you have the word
triumph
on your hero sheet turn to
679
. Otherwise turn to
645
.)

770

The maggot’s maw sweeps down, engulfing you inside its mouth. With a blast of magic, you smash through the membranous flesh
before the inner jaws can take hold. The creature gives an agonised squeal as you rip out of the ruptured hole in the beast’s side, making for the safety of the tunnel.

Squirming in pain, the giant maggot throws itself bodily at the wall of the cavern, raking the fetid earth with its immense bulk. You are caught by the blow, sustaining significant damage to your transport. (You must lower your transport’s
toughness
and
stability
by 4.) Luckily you are able to regain control, levelling out of your spin and accelerating into the tunnel before the enraged maggot can strike again. Turn to
675
.

771

You rip the mirror from the demon’s face, revealing a single bulbous eye surrounded by a pulpy mass of scarred tissue. Drawing back your weapon, you plunge it into the eye, pushing and twisting until the air rings with the creature’s anguished shrieks. When you finally withdraw your blade the demon staggers, black ichor pouring from the gaping wound, then it hits the ground, its bony body collapsing into red sand.

‘Sweet dreams,’ you spit with derision.

In your hand, the mirror glows softly for a moment, then begins to change shape and appearance, becoming a smaller fragment of dulled metal – the last piece of the broken shield.

If you are a warrior, turn to
766
. If you are a mage, turn to
657
. If you are a rogue, turn to
370
.

772

The Skard einherjar drops to one knee, his head bowed. ‘My Drokke.’

Skoll glares down at the man, confusion turning to surprise. ‘Leif . . . ?’ His face softens into a smile. ‘Leif . . . I thought you were lost – the witch had taken you. This is good news, indeed.’ He pats the man’s shoulder, his grin widening. ‘We will drink deep of your deeds in the great hall – of your bravery, my friend. I will have the bards make a song of it.’

The warrior’s expression remains solemn. ‘My duty is done,’ he states, rising slowly to his feet. ‘My spirit is freed and now I will pass on.’

Skoll shakes his head, bewildered. ‘We can go back. I can return to my body – the same for you, Leif, I am sure of it. We will fight again, as brothers.’