Wolf's Bane (28 page)
Beyond the net you rediscover your opponent's tracks. They lead you to an unlit storage chamber containing dozens of iron canisters and large steel crates. Using your ability to see in the dark, you follow his footprints as they wend their way around these obstacles and trail off towards a distant door. But before you reach the door you are brought to an abrupt halt by a strange sound — a whirring, mechanical growl. Instinctively you look over your shoulder, in the direction of the noise, and freeze with shock the moment you catch sight of the creature that is moving slowly towards your back.
You scan the jungle perimeter several times but you can detect nothing potentially hostile lurking amongst the undergrowth and trees. You decide to follow the tracks to see where they lead and, as you emerge from the tunnel, the oppressive jungle heat hits you like a sledgehammer. Your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus automatically regulates your body temperature, making the heat bearable, yet even so it comes as a shock that any living creature can exist in this hellish environment.
Unfortunately, the shock of the jungle heat is only the first of two nasty surprises that await you. The second is a barbed arrow that whistles from out of the dense foliage and comes speeding towards your forehead!
If you possess Kai-alchemy and have attained the rank of Sun Knight or higher,
turn to 152
.
If you possess Kai-alchemy but have yet to reach this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 270
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 232
.
Your Kai Sixth Sense reveals to you traces of a magical energy which is lingering around the entrance to the tomb. Your fellow Kai also detect that something is wrong, although their senses are not as finely tuned as your own and they are unable to pinpoint its source.
‘Is it safe to enter, Grand Master?’ whispers Steel Hand.
‘I cannot be certain,’ you reply, uneasily. ‘But of one thing I am sure — the impostor has already descended into the catacombs by way of this entrance.’
You take a few steps back from the open tomb and point to a patch of soft earth amongst the rubble.
‘Look here — it's a footprint.’ You examine it closely and a tingle of apprehension runs down your spine when you realize that the impression is identical to that made by your own boot.
If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 28
.
If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 167
.
You recite the familiar words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and point your index finger at the head of your mortal enemy. You feel a surge of power and a crackle of blue flame explodes at the tip of your finger, but the sudden noise alerts Wolf's Bane to your presence.
A split second before your bolt of energy reaches its target, Wolf's Bane throws himself to the floor. The bolt burns the back of his thigh, wounding him badly, but not so badly as to prevent him from scrambling to his feet and effecting a hasty escape.
The two reptilians have exhausted their supply of arrows and are frantically working at the chain in an effort to lower their iron pot to the floor of the vault. You can see that it will only be a matter of minutes before they accomplish their task.
Anxious to evade them, you examine the portal for a lever or some other means to make it rise. To the left of the tunnel arch you discover two squares of opaque crimson gemstone separated by a small slot. The squares are similar in size and design to those you encountered at the entrance to the temple of Avaros. These, too, comprise a locking mechanism that controls this portal. By tapping upon each square a correct number of times you will cause the lock to disengage and the portal to rise.
You place your fingers lightly upon the squares and feel the tell-tale vibrations that are the key to deciphering the secret code. After only seconds you are able to determine that the first code is equal to the number of islands south of the Kirlundin island of Hemd.
The second code is equal to the number of villages that lie on the highway between the cities of Toran and Anskaven.
In order to discover the exact numbers that will open the portal, consult the
map
.
When you think you know the two-digit solution,
turn to the entry
that is the same number as your answer.
18
If you cannot decipher the codes,
turn instead to 213
.
[18] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.
Aided by your Kai skills, you manage to avoid the falling debris until you reach the base of the skull-rock. Here you are struck by a deluge of earth that knocks you down and pins your legs to the floor: lose 8
ENDURANCE
points.
Your body may be injured but your spirit refuses to give up. Frantically you dig yourself free with your bare hands and crawl the last few remaining yards to the skull's mist-filled jaw. Gritting your teeth against the pain of your injuries, you stagger to your feet and enter the opening barely moments before the entire temple ceiling caves in.
In addition to the
ENDURANCE
points loss, you also lose 1 Special Item and 1 Backpack Item of your choice.
To continue,
turn to 174
.
You let your Arrow fly but it fails to find its mark. It shatters uselessly against the creature's steel skull, leaving no time for a second shot. You only just have time to unsheathe a hand weapon to defend yourself as the great metallic beast comes leaping through the darkness.
Mech-wulf:
COMBAT SKILL
50
ENDURANCE
45
This creature is immune to all psychic attacks.
If you win this combat,
turn to 5
.
‘Follow me, my lords!’ shouts Foilan, as he spurs his black mare along a narrow, cobblestoned street that wends its way through Tyso's shabby North Quarter. At a junction close by the city's main stables, he turns into an avenue that leads to the West Arch of the Old Necropolis.
When the Arch is less than a hundred yards distant, Foilan brings his horse to a halt and you rein in your steed beside him. Several dozen guards and rangers have gathered at the Arch and they have erected a barricade which completely blocks the entrance to the burial ground beyond. The Reeve-lieutenant tells you to wait here with your men while he goes forward to inform the guards of the situation and to tell them that you and your companions are not Kai impostors.
Patiently you wait for Foilan to complete his task. Then, on seeing his signal, you move forward and join him at the Western Arch. He shouts an order and hurriedly the guards pull aside a wagon which blocks the entrance, enabling the five of you to dismount and proceed into the necropolis on foot.
Aided by the moonlight, you lead your party along a gravelled path towards the centre of the burial ground, to where a tunnel-like opening has been excavated in the side of a mossy mound. On arriving at this shadowy entrance you stop to examine the surrounding area, to check for any clues that may help you track your quarry. You find no fresh prints and you sense no lingering aura of an evil that could betray his presence. Confident that it is safe to proceed, you enter the mound and lead your comrades down a wide stone ramp to an oval-shaped chamber. A dozen stone coffins, each carved with the likeness of its occupant, are laid out in a circle like the spokes of a wheel. The chamber is cold and unwelcoming, but it does not harbour any trace of evil. You are sure that the impostor has not set foot here.
On the far side of the burial chamber, opposite the ramp, there is a stairwell which descends deep into the catacombs below the necropolis. You go down these stairs until you come to a landing where a passage crosses from north to south. Black Hawk suggests that the party split in two and explore both ways, but you are not in favour of this idea. Splitting the party would make it easier for the impostor if he chose to launch an ambush. You peer along both passages and draw on your Grand Master skills to determine the best route to follow, but with little success. Neither passage looks especially inviting.
If you decide to enter and explore the north passage,
turn to 275
.
If you choose to investigate the south passage,
turn to 107
.
You enter the building at ground level and follow your adversary's tracks to a mouldering hall at the rear of this derelict dwelling. From the cover of a shadowy alcove you watch as Wolf's Bane meets and converses with two warriors. They are both helmeted and clad in suits of close-fitting grey armour. They have shiny steel spears slung over their shoulders which radiate a faint hum of electrical power. Their meeting is brief. Wolf's Bane issues terse commands and the two warriors leave to enact his orders. As you watch them go, you hazard a guess that their mission is to find and kill you.
Illustration XVIII—As you watch the warriors go, you guess that their mission is to find and kill you.
Wolf's Bane leaves the hall by a broken rear door. You wait for a few minutes, to reduce the risk that he may detect how near you are, and then you follow his trail. The rear of the building opens onto a wasteland of shattered rubble which is bisected by a dead stream of salty, acidic water. You follow your opponent's trail across this bleak and forbidding landscape, past sharp spires of crimson and jet that erupt through the dereliction to scratch the cloudy sky. Rust-red water encircles their bases, lending them a wholly sinister aspect. To your eyes it seems as if this blighted city has been impaled upon these cruel, towering spikes.
Beyond the spires you see Wolf's Bane descending a flight of stone steps that disappear into the ground. Suddenly he stops and looks in your direction; it is as if he has sensed you are on his trail. Instinctively you dive to take cover behind a broken wall, but as you hit the ground it collapses, dumping you unceremoniously into a cellar that is flooded with black, briny water.
Coughing and spluttering, you bob to the surface and reach out to grab at a stone step. It is the lowest of a flight of slime-smeared steps that rise out of the water and ascend to a trapdoor in the ceiling. Suddenly you see two fiery red eyes emerging from the darkness and your stomach churns. They belong to the hungry, rubbery-skinned creature that dwells in this dismal cellar. It reaches out to grab you with its taloned hands, but you avoid its attack by wrenching at its wrist, sending it somersaulting over your head to splash into the water. Quickly you attempt to pull yourself onto the slippery steps before this creature recovers and tries to attack again.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Pathsmanship and Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 4 or less,
turn to 145
.
If it is 5 or more,
turn to 52
.
As the last of these ghoulish creatures falls to your lightning-swift blows, you leap over its body and race up the stairs to the balcony above. You spare one last glance at the hall below and then, when you are sure that you have left behind no survivors who could raise an alarm, you hurry into the arch beyond.
You soon discover that the creature's iron collar and chain prevent it from reaching you so long as you keep close to the cavern wall. Mindful of this, you skirt around the writhing serpent and inch your way carefully towards the tunnel. However, you have progressed only a few yards when you feel the floor sloping away. The water is getting deeper.
If you possess Magi-magic and have attained the rank of Grand Thane or higher,
turn to 234
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline or have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 25
.
Your target is beyond the effective range of your power-word, yet there is still sufficient energy in your attack to knock him down. However, use of this Discipline at such long range puts an unnecessary strain on your vocal chords: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.
Wolf's Bane struggles to his feet and he curses you, his teeth showing white against the green of the jungle as he spits out a mouthful of damp soil. Then he turns and disappears into the undergrowth. Determined that you are not going to let him get away so easily, you dash out of the tunnel and give chase.