The Masters of Darkness (22 page)

You haul yourself over the rim of the nest and discover the lookout: he is huddled on the floor, shivering with fright. He mutters something but his words are lost in the noise of the destruction raging below. Then the ship rolls violently and you grab the mast to stop yourself from being hurled into the sea. The Xargath has freed its head and is now wreaking havoc amidships, tearing the
Intrepid
asunder with its claws. The massive head rises once more, trailing broken timbers, and lunges for the mast. With an ear-splitting crack it bites it clean in two and, in a flashing instant, you are sent tumbling from your perch to crash upon the debris-strewn deck. Death is instantaneous.

Your life and your mission end here.

You insert the key and twist it. The lock clicks and the door swings open silently to reveal a stunning sight. A large, low-ceiling room lies beyond, filled with colossal tanks of glass that bubble and seethe with all manner of sorcerous fluids. Glass tubes loop and contort in curious shapes, connecting the tanks and enabling their contents to flow from one to another. The air is heavy with the stench of acids and harsh chemicals, and the walls are lined from ceiling to floor with stoppered jars, each one filled with a brightly coloured powder, liquid, or gas.

Illustration XVI
—The room is filled with colossal glass tanks and tubes all bubbling with sorcerous fluids.

On one workbench a curious, arrow-shaped rod is suspended in a field of electrical energy. The crackling fire arcs between two vertical plates of metal, making the arrow glow with a strange phosphorescent light. You take a closer look and see that a lever protruding from the bench itself controls the flow of power. Then you notice that behind the bench there is another door.

If you wish to take a closer look at the rod,
turn to 187
.

If you wish to examine the door behind the bench,
turn to 54
.

Once again your quick wits and instinct for survival have saved you from death. The Giak search party rush forward and surround the boulder where you were spotted, only to find it deserted. In frustration at having let you slip through their fingers, they overturn every rock in the vicinity, cursing and stabbing at anything that moves: they succeed in killing three crabs and a sea-snake! By the time they realize that you have escaped, it is too late for them to catch up; you are over a mile away, running northwards along the beach.

Turn to 157
.

Quickly you continue along the tunnel, anxious to put some distance between yourself and the bodies of your foes. You have covered less than a hundred yards when the tunnel splits: one passage slopes gently downwards; the other, steeply upwards.

If you wish to follow the passage downwards,
turn to 116
.

If you decide to climb the passage sloping upwards,
turn to 316
.

Your stern commands seem to impress this Giak soldier. Humbly, he bows his head and beckons you to follow him as he climbs back through the trapdoor and down a stair that descends into the heart of the building. There, stacked on countless shelves, are row upon row of coiled steel cables, girders, iron bolts, and myriad other parts destined for the fleet of ironclads at anchor in Argazad harbour.

You follow the bow-legged Giak out of the building and through a maze of garbage-choked streets, past rusting tenements and squalid huts, to an iron tower at the centre of the city. Unlike everywhere else, this tower appears to have escaped the effects of the corrosive atmosphere: its surfaces are dull yet free from any sign of decay. The Giak speaks with another who guards its open entrance and immediately he stands aside, allowing you to enter the tower's gloomy ground floor.

Turn to 346
.

‘You wield a weapon imbued with great power, Lone Wolf,’ says Rimoah, glancing at the Sommerswerd sheathed at your side. ‘Be sure to use it well. Now that you possess the wisdom of the Lorestones, you will discover new strengths within its golden blade. It is the bane of the Darklords — the instrument of their destruction. Yet by the very nature of its power it can alert them to your presence and betray your identity.’ He reaches to his waist and unbuckles a seemingly plain leather sword belt and scabbard. ‘I have prepared this scabbard from materials impregnated with korlinium. It will contain and keep hidden the powers of the Sommerswerd,’ he says, handing you the accoutrements. ‘Remember, to unsheathe the Sommerswerd inside the Darklands is to light a beacon of warning that Gnaag and his fell minions will surely see. Only when you have Gnaag within striking distance should you draw your blade to seal his doom.’

You discard your old scabbard in favour of Rimoah's and take heed of his advice. (Mark the Korlinium Scabbard as a Special Item on your
Action Chart
. You need not discard another item in its favour if you already carry the maximum number of Special Items allowed.)

Turn to 229
.

From the flickering scarlet doorway of a tower to your right comes a line of robed figures, every one of them dressed in red. They are led by a squat, horny-skinned creature with baleful, milky-coloured eyes. These eyes roll like balls of mist inside its head as the creature emits a fiendish howl, and points at you with its clawed hand.

If you wish to confront this creature and its followers,
turn to 104
.

If you wish to try to evade these creatures,
turn to 242
.

Patiently you wait until the Drakkarim and Giaks are snoring soundly, and then you leave your hiding place and slip away undetected. Your plan is to ambush the Drakkar who was caught cheating at dawn when he rides back to Argazad alone. By discarding your cape and tunic in favour of his battle-armour it should be far easier to enter the naval base unnoticed, especially on horseback and with your face obscured by one of the grotesque battle-masks that all Drakkarim wear.

Three miles along the trail you find the ideal place to launch your ambush, where the stony track passes between a cluster of huge rocks. There you lie in wait for the dawn and with it the arrival of your victim. While you wait, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 146
.

There is a loud
bang
and a wave of heat rolls over you as the cannon spits its deadly missile at the advancing Drakkarim. It bores through their ranks and slams into the wheelhouse with shuddering force. Jets of yellow flame roar from a jagged hole, illuminating the grim remains of what a moment before were enemy marines. Then the deck jumps up and slaps the soles of your feet. The missile has penetrated the ironclad's magazine, and, in an instant, the vessel is blown apart. The last thing you remember before darkness obliterates your senses is an eye-searing flash of white and scarlet fire.

Turn to 125
.

As you watch the Vassagonians leave, you edge nearer to Kraagenskûl and prepare yourself to launch a surprise attack. You will need all your speed and skill if you are to catch him off-guard. From the bottom of the stairs you hear the steel door click shut and immediately you spin around to face your enemy. But he has a plan of his own and it is he who catches you by surprise. A crackling arc of blue electrical fire surges from his hand and connects with your chest, shaking you like a helpless puppet on the tip of a fiery lance.

‘Now tell me everything you know!’ he growls, as he increases the current. It is a torture that he has employed countless times, and always it has elicited the truth from his human victims.

Your skin tingles and the charge causes you to shiver, yet you feel no pain. Staring down, you see that the crackling bolt is being drawn to the Golden Amulet that hangs around your chest: its magical properties are neutralizing the evil charge. Kraagenskûl senses that something is wrong. He breaks off his attack, his bulbous eyes filled with fearful suspicion. He steps back, and then utters a curse in the dark tongue, which echoes like thunder around the walls. Black mist pours from his fingers, swirling into a cone that grows in his bony palm. Shadow-shapes writhe at the core, and then gush towards you, engulfing you in a choking flood of deadly Crypt Spawn.

If you possess the Sommerswerd and wish to use it,
turn to 57
.

If you possess the Dagger of Vashna and wish to use it,
turn to 171
.

If you possess neither of these Special Items or choose not to use either of them,
turn to 109
.

Your Arrow flies straight and true, hitting the creature squarely in the head and killing him instantly. The cries of your pursuers are growing louder, so you shoulder your Bow quickly beneath your robe and run towards the entrance to the tower.

Turn to 308
.

Part of the heavy boom glances off your shoulder, making you lose your balance and fall to your knees: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points. The wound causes you to react sluggishly to the burning canvas now draped over your body and, in a matter of seconds, the flames and smoke completely engulf you. Instinctively, you fight to free yourself, and then suddenly you realize that your clothes are unaffected by the blaze, and that the tongues of fire that are licking your hands and face cause you no pain whatsoever. Without haste or urgency you cast aside the blazing sailcloth and emerge unburned.

Turn to 101
.

You are in combat with a wounded Vladoka — an élite Nadziranim temple guard. Despite his injury, you cannot evade his attacks and must fight him to the death.

Vladoka (wounded):
COMBAT SKILL
 22   
ENDURANCE
 25

Owing to the power of the weapon he wields, this denizen of Helgedad is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge.

If you win the combat,
turn to 308
.

The sergeant crashes lifelessly to the deck and, for a few moments, the troops that were fighting by his side stare down at his body in shocked disbelief. For six years he had led them to glory — his battle-skills and cunning ensuring their survival — and now he lies dead, killed by a Sommlending. Taking advantage of their stunned state, you cleave a path up the staircase and force your way towards the helm. You are within ten feet of the ship's wheel when Davan screams a warning: ‘Archer above you!’

You glance up into the rigging and a cold spike of fear stabs your heart when you glimpse the gloating face of a Drakkarim marine. With one hand he holds a bow and with the other he draws back an arrow to his chin. He mouths a curse and lets fly the deadly shaft.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery add 2 to the number you have picked. If you have completed the Lore-circle of the Spirit, add 3 to the number.

If your total is now 0–3,
turn to 122
.

If it is 4–7,
turn to 53
.

If it is 8 or more,
turn to 321
.

‘Gaz dik!’
roars the guard, and reaches for his wide-bladed battle sword. Using his psychic probe — the crystal box-like device that he removed from his pouch — he has detected that it is your intention to destroy the Transfusor and kill Darklord Gnaag. Instantly, the guards spring into action, forcing you to retreat along the corridor as you fumble to unsheathe a weapon.

Imperial Sector Guards:
COMBAT SKILL
 30   
ENDURANCE
 38

These guards are immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).

If you possess the Sommerswerd and wish to unsheathe it,
turn to 208
.

If you win and the combat lasts five rounds or less,
turn to 95
.

If you win and the combat last longer than five rounds,
turn to 199
.