The Plague Lords of Ruel (9 page)

The Cener's dying scream alerts the Vazhag pack and they come scampering back to investigate the sound. The moment they see you, standing over their leader like a hunter over his kill, their nerve appears to crumble. They lower their weapons and begin to edge away. Then the leading rat-men panic; they turn and run, and the others quickly follow suit, leaving you alone in the clearing with the body of the dead druid lying crumpled at your feet.

Curiosity prompts you to prise away the druid's green mask and look upon the face of this servant of evil. It is an ugly, disease-riddled face, human in shape yet lacking any trace of humanity. Reluctantly you search him and discover the following items:

• Dagger
  
• Cener Robe (If kept, this item will occupy 2 spaces in your Backpack)
  
• Cener Mask
  
• 20 Lune (equivalent to 5 Gold Crowns)
  

If you decide to keep any of the above, remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly.

Your Magnakai skills tell you that the golden rod no longer possesses any magical aura; its destructive powers vanished the moment its wielder breathed his last. You stoop to prise it from the dead druid's hands, but as soon as your fingers touch its metallic surface it disintegrates into a fine, foul-smelling dust.

With twilight but an hour away, you leave the clearing via the gap and hurry along the muddy track beyond.

Turn to 10
.

You raise the Sommerswerd and catch the magical fire upon the flat of its blade. There is a deafening crack and you feel an electrifying jolt run the length of your sword arm as the flame is deflected and sent roaring back towards its caster. He regards the rebounding fireball with a look of cool indifference and proceeds to sheathe himself in a glowing cocoon of pale blue light. The flames split apart as they collide with this protective shell, flowing harmlessly around his body to disappear into the antechamber beyond.

‘There is only one who wields such a blade,’ he spits, pointing at the Sommerswerd with his flame-tipped staff.

‘And I'll see that you perish upon it, Cadak!’ you shout in defiant reply.

‘Ha!’ he sneers. ‘I rejoice that fate has brought you here to me, Lone Wolf, for it is you who will perish. Turn around and meet your nemesis!’

Turn to 125
.

You wait at the corner, relying upon your keen senses for your cue to attack. When you judge the footfalls and the rasping breaths of the Vazhag to be within an oar's length of the corner, you leap out and confront them, striking at the leading rat-man with your weapon. The beast's rib cage cracks under the blow, and its four companions freeze with shock as its body collapses dead at their feet. Before they snap out of their trauma, you cut your way through their ranks and escape along the passageway.

The tunnel continues eastwards for several miles and, with the exception of an occasional Vazhag sentry, whom you deal with swiftly, it is virtually deserted. At length you arrive at the entrance to another hall, smaller than the lava-cavern but equally as crowded. Daylight streams into this hall through a large archway guarded by armoured Vazhag, and pairs of horny-skinned war-dogs which they hold on the leash. Beyond the archway you can see a track that disappears towards a distant ridge of hills.

Your sudden appearance galvanizes the guards into action. They squeal attack commands at their brutish dogs and let loose their straining leashes. With a fearful howling, the war-dogs bound forward and together they leap for your throat.

If you possess the Discipline of Animal Mastery,
turn to 209
.

If you do not,
turn to 100
.

The fearsome Dholdaarg retreats before your blows, half-mad with the pain of its wounds, its eyes rolling and its fanged jaws clashing on empty air. Desperately you draw upon your Psychic Magnakai skills to repel this injured lake-beast, hoping to buy the few precious seconds you need in which to climb to the top of the raised drawbridge and escape.

The beast tries to resist your mental commands but it cannot overcome them. Its natural instinct for food and revenge urge it to lunge at your flailing legs, yet the stinging agony of its wounds, and your potent psychic commands, make the creature hesitate.

With your heart racing and the blood pounding in your ears, you drag yourself over the top of the drawbridge and leap down upon the platform. The cave echoes with the beast's unearthly roar as it beats its scaly head against the underside of the bridge in frustration. Timbers sag and splinter, prompting you to stagger to your feet and enter the tunnel beyond before it is too late.

During your fight, and in your haste to flee the lake monster, you lose two items from your Backpack. Erase those items which you have listed third and fourth on your list of Backpack Items.

To continue,
turn to 306
.

The body of the plague hound crashes to the floor and you see the warrior freeze with shock. Hesitantly he reaches to his sword, but before he can unsheathe it, you leap forward and fell him with a single thrust that pierces his armour and skewers his heart.

Standing over his still body you use the tip of your weapon to prise open the visor of his iron helm. You reveal the brutal features of a Drakkar. He had survived the downfall of the Darklords and had counted himself fortunate to have found refuge here in Mogaruith. Sadly for him he had not reckoned on ever crossing your path.

You conceal the bodies of the Drakkar and his hound as best you can before pulling the portal closed and continuing your exploration of Mogaruith.

Turn to 205
.

Your Magnakai defences are too weak to resist the wave of psychic energy directed against your mind. It tears through your shields and explodes like a fiery ball of white hot plasma deep within your brain. Every nerve in your body is scorched by the blast and, as you fight to remain conscious, your body is contorted by excruciating pain: lose 12
ENDURANCE
points.

As the agony fades and your powers of cohesive thought return, you are dimly aware of another hostile entity drawing closer, attracted by your psychic screams. Then, from out of the black shadows of the pits, you hear a dreadful, rumbling roar. Something huge is stirring deep within each of those dark forbidding shafts. As the ghoulish laughter of the horde reaches its pitch, you turn to see three giant, misshapen cat-like heads rise up into the light, each perched atop a snaky body as thick as the trunk of a tree. They bare their fangs and shake off the tangle of human bones that cling to their stinking, corpse-green manes.

The sight of these unholy creatures makes you reel back in shock and utter a cry of disbelief. Your cry is lost among the barrage of screeching howls, yet the cat-things react as if they hear it and, together, they come oozing out from their dark, noisome lairs and glide slowly towards where you stand.

If you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Kai-surge,
turn to 80
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 38
.

Your search of the dead Cener's robes uncovers the following items:

• Potion of Alether (increase
  COMBAT SKILL
  by 2 points for duration of one fight only)
  
• Enough food for 1 Meal
  
• Dagger
  

If you wish to keep any of the above, remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly.

To leave this chamber and continue,
turn to 214
.

Your advanced Sixth Sense alerts you to danger. At the end of the tunnel you feel the presence of several creatures, some of which you know to be Vazhag. They are a noisy crowd although the sounds they are making are not particularly hostile. Their voices echo strongly, giving you the impression that the creatures are occupying a large and spacious location.

If you wish to spirit-walk in order to gather more information about what lies ahead,
turn to 337
.

If you choose not to risk spirit-walking here in hostile tunnels,
turn to 244
.

Using your Magnakai skill of Psi-surge, you focus your power at a Vazhag guard who is standing on top of the wagon, and release a stunning burst of psychic energy aimed at its brain. Immediately, the creature grasps its head between its paws and lets out an ear-splitting squeal of pain as your attack sears its nervous system. The sudden cry freezes the surrounding rat-men and, when the victim of your attack tumbles from the rear of the wagon, they surge forward, eager to find out what is wrong. In the ensuing confusion, you leave your hiding place and attempt to escape unseen through the portal.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have Kai-screen, add 2 to the number you have chosen.

If your total score is now 4 or less,
turn to 223
.

If it is 5 or more,
turn to 331
.

Your weapon glances off the creature's head, opening a wound which kills it instantly. But the force of the impact is not enough to prevent its hand from reaching the button. As the creature topples lifelessly to the floor, you stare with mounting fear at the sight of the depressed alarm button.

Turn to 216
.

The Vazhag pushes his snout to within an inch of your face and says, to your surprise, that you can enter Mogaruith so long as you first register your arrival. He points to a door in the tower wall and requests you to enter it. ‘There,’ he says, ‘is where you can make your registration.’

Immediately your Magnakai sense of Divination warns that the Vazhag is lying; nothing but a prison cell awaits you beyond that door.

If you wish to do as the Vazhag requests and enter the door,
turn to 30
.

If you refuse to enter the door,
turn to 162
.

You grit your teeth and fix your eyes on the observation platform as you wait for the chain to reach the end of its arc. Upon the instant the momentum stops, you release your grip and hurtle through the air towards the platform's rail. You have timed your jump to perfection. You skim the rail and land on the metal floor, roll over to lessen the impact, and then spring to your feet and run towards the inviting darkness of the doorway which services this platform.

Turn to 128
.

You struggle to extricate yourself from the bodies of the Vazhag you have slain. As you rise to the summit of the grisly heap, you glimpse the Cener Druid scurrying towards the gap in the trees by which he, and his late minions, entered the clearing.

You know that he must not be allowed to escape. If he were to reach Mogaruith and raise the alarm, your mission, and probably your life, would soon be over.

If you possess a Bow and Arrows and wish to use them,
turn to 176
.

If you possess mastery of Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 334
.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 264
.

If you possess none of the above or choose not to make use of them,
turn to 237
.

Exterminus is no more than an arm's length from you when you manage to tear free of your thorny bonds. With cat-like grace you duck below the creature's outstretched hands and drive your weapon deep into its unprotected belly. It screams in agony and reels backwards to crash down upon the table which stands beside Cadak's black chair. The awesome bulk of the creature's body crushes the table to matchwood and breaks open the crystal sphere that rested upon it. Immediately there is a loud boom and a tremendous rush of putrid air knocks you down. A funnel of darkness engulfs the body of Exterminus and, with stunning suddenness, there is silence. Both the creature and the shattered remnants of the sphere have vanished completely.

You stagger to your feet and turn to face the Arch Druid. The shock of what he has witnessed has left him open-mouthed and drained of colour. He is mumbling incoherently and trembling with fear. You take up your weapon and advance towards him, determined to rid Magnamund of this evil druid once and for all, but the sight of you drawing closer snaps him out of his trauma and galvanizes him into action. He weaves his hands before his face and, in an instant, he is shrouded in a cocoon of light. You strike out at the light but your weapon passes clean through it, meeting with no resistance. Then the light fades and you are left standing alone in the druid's empty throne room.

Turn to 259
.

You step away from the water's edge as the Vazhag come thundering off the drawbridge and onto the platform. With the manic curses of their leader echoing in their ears, they leap to the muddy shore and charge straight at you, their rusty weapons glinting dully in the light of the cave.

Vazhag:
COMBAT SKILL
 26   
ENDURANCE
 30

If you win this combat,
turn to 142
.