The Darke Crusade (29 page)
Baron Maquin and Captain Schera are anxious to move their men away from the river bank. Their military training has taught them to avoid placing their troops with their backs to an impassable body of water, for if the enemy were to attack, there would be no way to escape. You understand their concern and, using your ability to magnify your vision, you scan the landscape in search of a more advantageous position. A mile away, to the northwest, you see a tiny hamlet. It appears to be deserted and you suggest to the two officers that they move their men there. Briefly they discuss your suggestion and both agree that it would be a safer position.
The order to move is passed along the ranks and the men prepare to leave the boats and go forward. You take the lead, together with the Baron and the captain, but you have barely covered a quarter of the distance to the hamlet when your tracking senses warn you that a threat is approaching from the north.
If you wish to insist they return to the river,
turn to 105
.
If you wish to hurry towards the hamlet,
turn to 248
.
Before the door closed you caught sight of a map spread out across a trestle table in the centre of the cabin. You whisper to Prarg what you have seen; then you tell him to wait for you here while you try to get a closer look at that map. It may contain a clue to Magnaarn's whereabouts.
Slowly you work your way across the snowy ground towards the ditch which encircles the camp. Your camouflage skills keep you from being seen by the Drakkarim sentries and you are able to reach the cover of this shallow, ice-filled trench with little difficulty. While you wait here for the chance to make a dash for the cabin, you notice two points of entry: the main door and a side window.
If you wish to enter the cabin by the door,
turn to 295
.
If you choose to enter through the side window,
turn to 16
.
Breathless from the fight, you step away from the slain beast and wipe its foul blood from your weapon before sheathing it in your belt. A distant howl echoes along the tunnel, a chilling cry that warns you that the creature you have just defeated was not the only one of its kind.
Fearful of staying a moment longer, you turn around and hurry along the tunnel. Before long you find yourself in a section of this underground labyrinth which has suffered greatly during the recent rockfalls. Many fissures have opened up the stone floor and shattered the walls, but you take these obstacles in your stride and soon arrive at a ruined staircase which ascends to a landing. Here you are confronted by the corpse of a Drakkarim guard. It is slumped beside a mound of rubble which is blocking the stairs to the next level above. A quick examination of the dead body reveals that both arms are broken. Injured and trapped here by the rockfall, it appears that this guard eventually died of thirst.
If you wish to search the body further,
turn to 299
.
If you wish to attempt to clear away the rubble that is blocking the stairs,
turn to 18
.
Drawing on your mastery, you will the creature to cease its mental attack. It hesitates, but not for long. Its instincts quickly overcome your psychic commands and, with a terrifying howl, it leaps forward and attacks.
You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and point your index finger at the trio of Drakkarim. A surge of crackling energy gushes from your hand and explodes in their midst, scattering them like rag dolls. Their comrades flee the wagon and, without slowing, you gallop through the gap in the barricade with barely inches to spare and race along the road beyond. You have passed successfully through the inner defensive line, but as Prarg quickly points out, you have yet to reach the outer defences of Shugkona.
You exit this chamber by the archway and discover yet another flight of stairs awaiting you. At first you bemoan the thought of another long and weary climb, but then you detect something which quickly changes your mind. You can smell clean, fresh air descending this stairwell.
You hurry up the stairs, spurred on by the wintry chill which grows steadily colder as you ascend. You count one hundred steps before you arrive at a small chamber which is heaped with rubble. Its only door is blocked by debris and huge slabs of shattered marble, making an immediate exit impossible. But it is not the door which commands your attention; it is a narrow circular shaft which is set into the middle of the ceiling. It is the source of the cold, wintry draught.
Expectantly, you step closer and investigate this shaft. For the most part it is dark, but you can see glimmers of grey daylight far above, and you can hear the whistling of the wind. But you can also hear another sound, one that is quite unexpected. It is a buzzing, insectile noise. You focus upon the darkness and suddenly you see that the noise comes from nests of winged insects which are fixed along the inside of the shaft.
If you possess Grand Pathsmanship and have reached the rank of Sun Knight,
turn to 240
.
If you do not possess this Discipline, or if you have yet to reach this level of Kai rank,
turn to 281
.
One of the bolts hits you in the back with such force that you are lifted off your feet. There is a fiery flash of pain, and then a terrifying numbness engulfs your body. As you crash face first into the swirling foam, you realize to your horror that you cannot move any of your limbs. The bolt has severed your spine and, in the long minutes which follow, slowly you drown in the tide.
Tragically, your life and your quest end here on Battle Isle.
A hundred paces further along the tunnel, you turn a corner and find yourself face-to-face with a ghastly creature. From out of the gloom comes a lumbering hulk with hungry scarlet eyes. This beast is covered with vile fur which glistens in the eerie half-light of the tunnel, and its long sinewy arms are outstretched as if it is sleepwalking. But this beast is not asleep. In both of its huge hands it holds chunks of dagger-like flint which it wields like weapons. Its bloated belly skims the floor as it gathers speed, and a brown gluey saliva runs freely from its fanged lower jaw.
With a shriek, the creature lunges towards you, flailing at the air with its brace of dagger-flints as it closes in for the kill. You are forced to retreat as it comes rushing towards you at a breathtaking pace.
Tunnel Stalker:
COMBAT SKILL
44
ENDURANCE
49
Due to the unexpected speed and ferocity of its attack, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
score by 3 points for the first round of this combat only.
If you win this combat,
turn to 330
.
As one, the soldiers draw their weapons and come rushing towards the ground floor entrance to the grain tower. You retreat from the window and look around for a means of escape for already you can hear the first of the enemy climbing the stairs. With fear running cold in your veins you cross to a window on the far side of the tower. Outside, directly below the window, you see a Drakkarim lancer sitting astride a warhorse. His lance is sheathed in a tube-like scabbard fixed to the rear of his saddle, and in his hand he holds aloft a heavy-bladed cavalry sabre. He is staring at the onrushing soldiers and is completely unaware that you are barely a few yards away.
Swiftly you climb onto the window ledge, draw your weapon, and leap onto the unwary lancer below.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 4 or less,
turn to 153
.
If your total score is now 5 or more,
turn to 28
.
The guard crashes to the bottom of the trench, screaming,
‘Gaz rekenarim! Gaz rekenarim!’
The other Drakkarim are slow to react, and only one manages to snatch up his spear in his defence as you come leaping over the parapet. He thrusts it at your head and you dodge aside just in time to avoid a fatal wound, yet the tip gouges your shoulder: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.
‘Sarnac and Lencia!’ cries Prarg, as side-by-side you land in the trench and strike out at its defenders. Your attack is swift and deadly. In less than five seconds, you have dispatched all four of the Drakkarim trench-troopers who occupy this position, overcoming three of them before they could even unsheathe their swords.
Keen to maintain your advantage of surprise, you quickly leave the trench and rush across the remaining strip of open ground which separates you from the town's outlying dwellings. Prarg points ahead to an alleyway that lies sandwiched between two burnt-out hovels, and immediately you follow as he hurries towards its shadowy entrance.
You summon forth the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and extend your right arm towards the portal. A tingling sensation runs all the way from your shoulder to the tip of your index finger, culminating in a crackling arc of electrical power that bridges the gap between your hand and the portal's lock.
The charge slams into the lock, splintering its stone surround and utterly destroying its ancient mechanism. Confidently you move forward and place your shoulder to the portal. One hard push is all that is needed to break the seal of dirt, and slowly it creaks open.
You conjure forth the Brotherhood Spell of
Lightning Hand
and, at once, your right arm is sheathed with rings of glowing, blue fire. Calmly you raise your hand, point your index finger at the leader of the Akataz pack, and with a blink of your eyes you launch a crackling pulse of energy directly at his head. The bolt arcs through the cold air and hits the war-dog squarely between the eyes, sending it tumbling backwards in a flurry of snow to disappear among the trees.
Instantly the others halt in their tracks, visibly shaken. You sense that the pack is torn now between its desire to satisfy its gnawing hunger and its natural instinct for survival. Eventually the instinct for self-preservation wins out, and one by one the dogs turn and flee for the safety of the Tozaz Forest.
Confident that the Akataz will not be back this night, you return to the boat to catch some sleep while Prarg begins his turn on guard.
After several minutes you notice a ledge which juts out from the chasm wall. It is located fifty feet or so directly above the place where you are currently standing. Close to this ledge you see a dark shadow. It marks the entrance to another tunnel, one that hopefully may lead all the way to the surface.
With renewed optimism, you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Levitation
and at once you feel gravity losing its grasp. Assisted by this magic, you climb the rough chasm wall with ease and quickly reach the ledge above. Here you cancel the spell before hurrying into the new tunnel in search of a clear route to the surface.
Shocked by the death of their leader, the few remaining enemy turn tail and flee across the open plain in panic, with the stinging cheers of their foes echoing in their ears.
Then the cheering is cut short when an ominous noise comes rolling across the plain from the city of Darke. It is a thunderous boom that shakes the very ground on which you stand. You look towards the city and see that the battle is growing ever fiercer. But now there is a new and sinister aspect. Flickerings of magical fire can be seen dancing along battlements, engulfing friend and foe alike. You sense that it is the work of Magnaarn; he and his Nadziranim allies are responsible for this.
Then, through the smoke of battle, you see a Lencian flag flying proudly amidst the carnage that is taking place on the coastal plain, to the south of the city. Here, King Sarnac's crusaders have turned an enemy flank and are storming its weakened centre. Maquin and Schera see the flag and, encouraged by their own victory, they decide to march at once in support of the crusaders' brave attack.
You wish them both good fortune, for you know the time has come to part company with these brave men. Their destiny awaits them on the field of battle; yours will be found inside the city of Darke itself where, if you are to fulfil your quest, you must confront Warlord Magnaarn. You bid them farewell and watch as they lead their men in a marching column along the river road towards the field of battle. When they are a mile distant, you set off alone across the plain towards the hamlet, which lies
en route
to the gates of Darke.
There is a loud
bang
and a great grey cloud billows from the muzzle of the musket. It startles the horse, but you swiftly control the animal and urge it forwards, out onto the road. In the confusion you make your escape northwards, hidden from the eyes of your pursuing enemy by the acrid cloud of gunpowder smoke.
Your ears are ringing but otherwise you and Prarg escape unharmed. The mare is strong and sure-footed, and despite the snow, you quickly cover more than eight miles before you encounter something on the road ahead that brings you immediately to a standstill.
With weapons drawn you wait for the boat to strike the frost-covered raft of weeds. An unnatural silence has descended upon the surrounding mire, as if every creature of the Hellswamp were holding its breath in anticipation, waiting for the trap to be sprung. The bow grazes the obstruction and suddenly the silence is torn apart by a gurgling screech. Like sorcery-conjured demons, a dozen ghoulish creatures rise up from the murky depths of the swamp amid a seething froth of bubbles. Swiftly they climb from beneath the weed-raft and slink from hiding places along the bank. Within seconds they have you surrounded.
Illustration XX—A dozen ghoulish creatures rise up from the murky depths of the swamp amid a seething froth of bubbles.
‘Ciquali!’ growls Prarg, naming these ghoulish foes. He moves forward, sword raised, and lashes out at the first of these dome-headed creatures as it tries to climb aboard. His razor-sharp blade severs its forearm at the wrist, sending a scaly webbed hand spinning into the swamp, trailing green ichor. The beast screams and falls over the side, yet no sooner has it vanished beneath the surface when two more of its kin attempt to haul themselves into the boat.
If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 180
.
If you do not, or if you choose not to use it,
turn to 7
.