Trail of the Wolf (15 page)
You find your precious weapon and grasp hold of it firmly by the hilt. As you are getting to your feet, you suddenly become aware of the arrival of a new and powerful evil in this hall. Instinctively you look to the crystal sphere, and your heart sinks when you see that its swirling black vapours are now oozing through the glassy surface. These sinister wisps of darkness draw together and swirl around the throne of bones like a small tornado. Then, from the core of this whirlwind, there issues a loud and hideous shriek that makes your blood run cold.
If you have ever visited the city of Duadon in a previous
Lone Wolf New Order
adventure,
turn to 255
.
If you have not,
turn to 136
.
Hurriedly you retrieve the Rope from your Backpack and make one end of it into a lasso. Then you cast this loop around a rock which is embedded in the wall of the gully, and drag yourself out of the dust. The sides of the ravine are steep but the rocks and boulders which pepper its surface make it easy for you to climb. Swiftly you ascend to the top of the gully where you take shelter from the wind behind a rocky knoll. As you settle yourself into a hollow beside a pillar of jagged stone, you are startled by a loud screeching caw that echoes in the dark skies above.
You feel power surging in the haft of the crystal rod, but no matter how hard you try, you cannot make this weapon discharge a bolt of energy. Your Kai Sixth Sense screams a dire warning that the rod is now surging out of control: it is going to explode!
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–5,
turn to 193
.
If it is 6–8,
turn to 26
.
If it is 9,
turn to 323
.
As you cross the hall and approach the iron steps, your Kai Sixth Sense warns you that you are walking towards an electrical force field. This invisible barrier lies between the two obsidian pillars, and it draws its power from magic contained within the silver runes. If you pass between the pillars you will cause the force field to discharge a powerful blast of electrical energy that could prove fatal.
Aware of the danger, you look around the hall in search of something that you can use to break the invisible barrier. Unfortunately, the hall seems to be devoid of small objects.
If you possess Elementalism and wish to use it,
turn to 331
.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 349
.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 99
.
If you possess neither of these skills, nor a Bow, or if you should choose not to use any of them,
turn instead to 181
.
Your Kai Sixth Sense screams a warning that this whirling black tornado is a manifestation of Zorkaan the Soultaker, the evil entity that abducted Lone Wolf and brought him here to Gazad Helkona. Fear wells up in the pit of your stomach as the terrible screech of this ethereal monster rises in level. When the pitch of his cry ascends beyond the normal range of your hearing, suddenly your head is filled with excruciating pain.
If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 309
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 88
.
The deadly missiles smash into the parapet and whistle past your ears, dangerously close. One bolt clips the collar of your tunic within an inch of your throat, and another creases your scalp: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points. Blood trickles down the side of your face as you duck behind the safety of the parapet. These Drakkarim warriors are a determined enemy, and you know that you must do everything in your power to prevent them from reaching the roof if you are to have any hope of escaping from Gazad Helkona alive.
Your advanced powers of healing enable you to quickly overcome the venom that is coursing through your veins. You are able to neutralize the powerful toxins (deduct 2
ENDURANCE
points from your current total) and reduce the swelling at the site of the wound.
To continue,
turn to 330
.
Quickly you retrieve the Kraan Pipe from your Backpack and blow it. This crude device emits a shrill, discordant noise that makes you shiver with discomfort.
If you possess Bardsmanship and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Master Superior,
turn to 259
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 213
.
Torn and bleeding, you struggle to your feet and gasp with disbelief when you see the possessed body of Xaol standing before you. An unholy fire blazes in the eyes of the dead necromancer as his corpse begins to move across the hall with unnatural speed. You pray to the Goddess Ishir for her protection as this ghastly zombie leaps upon you and attempts to fix its corpse-cold hands around your throat.
Xaol Zombie
(possessed by Zorkaan)
:
COMBAT SKILL
55
ENDURANCE
43
This possessed creature is immune to psychic attack. If your Kai Weapon is ‘Alema’ or ‘Valiance’, you may add the appropriate bonus gained through their unique properties. You may reduce the total damage inflicted upon you by 5
ENDURANCE
points due to the protection you gain from wearing the Platinum Amulet. However, unless you possess the Discipline of Kai-screen, you must reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 3 for the duration of this combat.
Conduct this combat in the normal way for three rounds only. If you survive these initial rounds, you may continue by
turning to 260
.
The wolfhound slows its pace and turns towards the statue. Quickly you unshoulder your pack and tip the Dargorse Buds out onto the floor. Then you slip away and take cover behind the next statue in the line. The slavering hound comes loping around the first statue and begins to snuffle among the buds. It is now that you notice there are two other items lying on the floor, they fell from your pack when you jettisoned the buds (erase from your
Action Chart
the items you have recorded in the second and third spaces of your
list of Backpack Items
).
Suddenly the wolfhound emits a loud yelp of pain, and you see its nose redden and swell. The buds contain a powerful irritant that has inflamed the lining of the creature's nostrils. The hound howls with pain and the bandits howl with laughter when they see its bright red nose. As the injured wolfhound lopes away, the bandits stop to investigate the cause of its misfortune.
If you wish to leave your hiding place and attempt to slip past the bandits while they are examining your lost Backpack Items,
turn to 327
.
If you wish to stay hidden behind the statue,
turn to 35
.
An unexpected wave of fatigue washes over your body, leaving you feeling weak and sleepy. You draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen to counter the seductive effect of the spider's hypnotic powers, and at once the creature senses your resistance. Fearing that you may escape its clutches, it raises its great hairy forelegs and squirts forth a jet of clear fluid from a vent below its maw. Desperately you attempt to dive aside as this stream of sticky liquid comes gushing towards your chest.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is 5 or lower,
turn to 346
.
If it is 6 or higher,
turn to 224
.
You fight with such ice-cool nerve and deadly precision that the few Drakkarim who survive the combat immediately break and flee, convinced that they face an immortal warrior. As you watch them scrambling headlong down the stairs, a sudden shriek echoes across the observatory platform, making you glance over your shoulder in fearful anticipation.
Cursing your ill fortune, you pull yourself to your feet and make a second attempt to scale this difficult wall.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess a Rope, add 1.
If your total score is now 5 or lower,
turn to 249
.
If it is 6 or higher,
turn to 94
.
You rush towards the sphere with the intention of kicking it from its pedestal, but as you bring back your foot in readiness to strike, suddenly the dark shadow of Zorkaan falls upon you and launches a massive psychic attack from close range.
If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 185
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 296
.
Silently you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Mind Charm
and focus the power of this spell at the seated Krorn. You command the creature to put down its bowl of gruel and lie upon the floor. It complies with your orders, and when you command it further to go to sleep, it curls up into a ball and begins to snore softly.
Having rendered the tower lookout unconscious, you squeeze through the arrow slit and jump down into the chamber unopposed.
By the use of your mastery of Grand Nexus, you are able to unlock this door with ease. You twist its steel handle and the door swings open silently. As you step through into the hall beyond, it closes behind you with a dull boom.
To your dismay, the Urgaroh quickly recovers from the impact of your spell. It pulls itself to its feet and levels its crystal rod at your head. In desperation, you take hold of your Kai Weapon by the hilt, draw it back behind your head, and then hurl it at the Urgaroh with as much force and accuracy as you can muster.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Weaponmastery, add 1 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 0–5,
turn to 175
.
If it is 6–8,
turn to 80
.
If it is 9 or higher,
turn to 182
.
You draw upon your improved Kai Mastery in order to conjure a mist in the hall beyond. Moments later, you hear the bandits cry out in shocked surprise as inexplicably their chamber begins to fill with a dense white fog. Then the iron door opens and the bandits stagger out of the billowing mist, coughing and gasping for air. Stealthily you slip past them and enter the hall. Guided by your infravision, you hurry across this chamber and enter the clearer air of the tunnel which leads to the citadel bridge.
To continue,
turn to 55
.
To your shocked surprise, you see a score of Kraan come soaring up from the open roof of an adjoining blockhouse complex. They are ridden by Drakkarim armed with crossbows, and as the first of the scaly fliers swoops past the boarding cage, the riders let loose a volley of bolts. Fortunately, they are poorly aimed and none of them find their mark. Lone Wolf weaves a pattern with his hands and three of the Kraan come to an abrupt halt, as if the stormy air has suddenly turned to glass and imprisoned them. Meanwhile, you focus your attention upon a Kraan that is swooping down from the clouds above on a collision course with the cage. Its rider is carrying a smoking black orb fixed to a long length of chain. Impact looks imminent until, at the very last moment, the Drakkar tugs on the reins and the Kraan veers away. As it turns, the Drakkar releases the orb and sends it hurtling towards the boarding cage door.
Illustration X—A Drakkarim rider swoops down and hurls a smoking black orb.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 274
.
If you possess Elementalism and wish to use it,
turn to 210
.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 33
.
If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 121
.
If you possess neither a Bow nor any of these Disciplines, or if you choose not to use any of them,
turn instead to 236
.