The Eye of Winter's Fury (67 page)

or
Your opponent is inflicted with
venom
and must lose 2
health
at the end of every combat round for the duration of the combat.

or
Your opponent takes 4 damage dice, ignoring
armour
.

Any opponent who is next to them on the combat list (above and below) takes 1 damage die, ignoring
armour
.

This ability can only be used once per combat.

Dry ice (co):
Use this ability instead of rolling for a damage score to shroud the battlefield in swirling smoke. At the beginning of each subsequent combat round, roll a die:

or
You must lower your
speed
by 1 for the current round.

or
No effect.

or
Your opponent/s must lower their
speed
by 2 for the current round.

With little else of interest in the laboratory, you decide to leave the prison. Turn to
426
.

485

With no means of igniting the gas, the riftwing clambers back out of the hole then charges at you once again. It is time to fight:

If you manage to defeat this winged fiend, turn to
217
. If you lose the combat, remember to record your defeat on your hero sheet. You may then attempt the combat again or return to the map.

486

Your eyes narrow to slits of rage. The paladin has suddenly become the representation of everything bad that has happened to you – the betrayal by the roadside, your death, the cursed body you are now forced to inhabit . . . . He has become your target.

You shift your body, edging yourself into a battle stance. Skoll reads your movement, his muscles tensed. You share a brief glance, noting the grim smile on his ragged face.

Then together you move.

The fight is over in moments. But the outcome is a little different to what you had expected. The paladin moves with a speed that is frighteningly quick, the light blurring his body into a dizzying streak. The blast takes you in the stomach before you even know it is coming – a ball of holy energy that burns with the heat of a thousand fires. It blows you off your feet, punching you into the far wall. Dusty rock crumbles around you with the force of the impact. You crumple to the ground, cradling the burns, flinching with each burst of pain. (You must immediately apply one death penalty effect to your hero, see entry
98
.)

Skoll fares no better. The Skard is suffering more than you thought, his actions lacking their usual strength. His charge is more of a stagger, the axe whipping through empty air as the paladin deftly moves around each blow. Then Maune draws out his sword, a short blade notched with angular teeth. They catch the Skard’s axe, twisting it out of his grasp. Maune’s other hand snaps out, fingers catching around Skoll’s throat. There is a flash of light then the Skard is stumbling back, his skin smoking with heat.

The flat of the blade whips down, striking across Skoll’s chest. On any ordinary day, the half-giant would have shrugged off such a blow. But tired and starved as he is, the strike is enough to send him sprawling to the ground beside you.

To his credit he recovers quickly, rolling over and snatching up his axe once again. However the eagle, who had previously been content to watch the encounter with a cold indifference, suddenly leaps across the space, wings stretched wide. Its neck darts forward, beak snapping only inches from the Skard, forcing him back against the wall.

Your eyes flick back to the nearby pack, and its promise of food and water. Life for Anise. You drop your weapons by your side, raising your hands.

‘Forgive us, please,’ you gasp, still wincing from your burns. ‘We are hungry, tired. We have another with us, a girl. We need food and water. Please.’

The paladin barks a command and the bird draws back, still hissing at you with suspicion. ‘I did not take you for thieves. If only you had asked, I would have gladly given.’

‘I’m asking now,’ you insist.

Skoll grumbles something next to you, some curse in Skard. But there is no conviction to it. His shoulders are slumped, resigned to surrender. He uncurls his fingers from around his axe. ‘Food,’ he gasps between breaths. ‘One meal. Then that cursed bird can eat me for all I care.’