Trail of the Wolf (22 page)
As your blade cuts down the third and last of your adversaries, you step back and sheathe your weapon. Then you cover your sightless eyes with the palms of your hands. Using your Magnakai Curing skills, you channel your innate healing powers through your palms and into your eyes, quickly mending the damaged tissues. When your vision returns, the first thing you see is the bodies of three Hammerland bandits lying sprawled on the ground at your feet. Anxious to hide them in case they should betray your presence here, you drag each of your slain foes across the broken altar and into the alcove. Here you begin burying their corpses beneath the dust and rubble.
If you wish to search the Hammerlanders before you cover them,
turn to 109
.
If you do not,
turn to 290
.
The deadly bolts slam into the parapet and whistle past your head. One bolt passes so close that it skewers the collar of your tunic and grazes your throat: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.
Warm blood trickles down the side of your neck as instinctively you duck back behind the safety of the parapet. Your close brush with death tells you that these Drakkarim warriors are a determined enemy. 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.
To continue,
turn to 220
.
Instantly, you recognize the chilling shriek of Zorkaan the Soultaker, and you recall in vivid detail the combat that took place between you and this foul entity just a week ago in the citadel of Skull-Tor. Wary of his psychic powers, you muster your mental defences in readiness to counter any attack that he may launch upon your mind.
If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 59
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 191
.
You reach the stairs undetected and run up the steps to the first floor. Here you discover a wooden door banded with criss-crossing strips of enamelled iron. At its centre there is a polished black handle and a dial which is ringed with numbers. You examine the dial closely and determine that it controls a combination lock. By turning the dial to its correct numerical setting, you will cause the lock to disengage and the door will open.
Using your Kai Sixth Sense, you discover that the correct setting is the same as the distance in miles that you travelled aboard the
Cloud-dancer
, from the Kai Monastery to the Shezar Hills, divided by the 50 miles that you travelled on foot from the Shezar Hills to Gazad Helkona.
If you think you know the solution to this question,
turn to the section of this book
that is the same as your answer.
20
If you cannot answer the question, or if your answer turns out to be incorrect,
turn instead to 195
.
[20] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.
The rod hits the landing and explodes with devastating effect. The advancing enemy are engulfed by a searing ball of yellow and orange flame; then an entire section of the landing and stairs is destroyed by a deafening explosion. You cover Lone Wolf with your body and protect him as fragments of masonry smash into the dome, and a shower of broken glass cascades onto the observatory platform. When finally the dust and debris clear, you struggle to your feet and survey the destruction.
Before you can pull down the hood of your cloak to protect your eyes from the increasing fury of the dust storm, you are hit full in the face by a powerful blast of grit: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 15
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 159
.
Your Kai Mastery enables you to find the correct pitch and quickly you transform the discordant note into a steady unwavering tone. The Kraan responds immediately to this sound; it aborts its deadly attack and flies once around the chamber before soaring towards the portals that encircle the high ceiling. You continue to hold the note until the Kraan pulls itself through an opening and disappears into the cloudy sky.
Your third blow severs Xaol's corpse at the waist and the two halves tumble to the floor. For a few moments the sundered legs and the upper torso writhe blindly forwards with maniacal intent, but then the shade of Zorkaan abandons its crippled host and the two halves collapse and lie still. The funnel of dark vapour that is Zorkaan escapes into the upper reaches of the hall, where it disappears among the vaulted stone rafters. You scour the ceiling with all of your senses, yet you are no longer able to detect your adversary.
You look to Lone Wolf and he holds your gaze; then he glances towards the crystal sphere and you sense that he is urging you to destroy it.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 248
.
If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 347
.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 44
.
If you possess neither of these skills, nor a Bow, or if you choose not to use any of them,
turn to 145
.
The vile stench of this latrine hall is beginning to make you nauseous. Rather than make a second attempt to open the secret door, you decide instead to leave. Once outside, you lock the main door and wait a few moments until the coast is clear before hurrying towards the flight of stairs which ascend to the first-floor balcony.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Assimilance, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 6 or lower,
turn to 91
.
If it is 7 or higher,
turn to 256
.
You push open the narrow door with your foot and enter an icy corridor that ascends by slope and stair to a bare, torchlit kitchen. This tiled chamber is poorly stocked, but you are able to gather up scraps of food sufficient for 2 Meals. Stacked upon a shelf above an iron door, you discover several earthenware storage jars that are filled with plant leaves and berries. Carefully you rest Lone Wolf down upon the kitchen table before examining the individual contents of these jars.
If you possess Herbmastery,
turn to 163
.
If you do not,
turn to 79
.
You wait until the avenue is clear before you leave the archway and hurry across to the iron door. There is no lock, so you push open the heavy portal with your shoulder and enter a dark hall beyond. The vast chamber is dominated by a circular stone plinth that occupies the middle of a floor strewn with dung and bones. The ceiling overhead is more than 100 feet high, and its upper level is encircled by open portals through which you can see the brooding clouds. You look around this gloomy chamber and notice an arched stairwell directly opposite the door by which you have entered. There is a sticky, unwholesome warmth about this place, and a stale smell that is redolent of rotting meat.
If you possess Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 345
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 168
.
To your horror, you see a Kraan come gliding down onto an exterior platform that runs around the perimeter of the observatory dome. Astride its scaly back is a skull-faced reptilian that is swathed in ragged, funereal robes. It leaps down from the saddled Kraan and, as it crouches on the windswept platform, it levels a rod of glowing crystal at the transparent dome. A flash of sparkling light erupts at the tip of this rod, and a section of the glass wall explodes into a million razor shards. Instinctively you shield your face with your forearm as the deadly splinters of glass come hurtling through the air towards you, driven by the force of the explosion and the gale-force winds that rage around the observatory tower.
Illustration XVI—Suddenly a section of the glass wall explodes into a million razor shards.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 1 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 3 or less,
turn to 128
.
If it is 4–6,
turn to 54
.
If it is 7 or higher,
turn to 36
.
You hack repeatedly at the sticky web and manage to cut yourself free, but you are not quick enough to avoid the spider's initial attack.
Skryza:
COMBAT SKILL
48
ENDURANCE
40
Do not deduct any
ENDURANCE
points that your enemy may lose in the first round of this combat. Also, you must double any
ENDURANCE
points that you lose in the first round of combat only. If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Kaistar’ you may add the appropriate bonus gained from its unique properties.
You may evade this fight after six rounds by
turning to 21
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 340
.
As the last of the skeletal warriors crumbles beneath your crushing blows, you hear a rasping sound. Instinctively you turn and look towards the double doors, and to your surprise, you see that the dial of the combination lock is slowly rotating. It is as if some invisible hand is turning the dial, searching for the correct position that will cause the lock to open.
To continue,
turn to 105
.
You step away from this door and cast your eye over the other two portals.
If you wish to examine the left door,
turn to 342
.
If you choose to investigate the right door,
turn to 166
.
Hurriedly you place an Arrow to your Bow and draw it back to your lips. One of the Drakkarim lunges forward and stabs at your head with his cutlass, but he is felled by your Arrow before his blade finds its target.
As he falls to the floor clutching the Arrow embedded in his chest, his comrade attacks you from the side.
Helkona Drakkar:
COMBAT SKILL
25
ENDURANCE
30
If you win this combat,
turn to 28
.
As you move to avoid the speeding missile, a massive force slams into your chest, and a sudden explosion of light obliterates your senses. The bolt from the Urgaroh's staff rips through your body, killing you instantly.
Tragically, your life and your mission end here, upon the platform of the observatory tower of Gazad Helkona.
You intone the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Levitation
and immediately you feel yourself rising out of the dust. You are little more than ten feet above the ground when you recite the words of another spell
Net
and aim the palm of your right hand at a large boulder which is embedded in the gully wall. A gush of sticky fluid jets from your palm and hits this large rock, bringing you to a halt in mid-air. Quickly you pull yourself towards the boulder. As soon as your feet touch its smooth surface, you cancel both spells and stand upon it.
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.