Trail of the Wolf (9 page)
Desperately you try to determine how you can release the tremendous destructive energies that are locked within the Urgaroh's sorcerous weapon.
If you wish to point it at the advancing enemy troops and mentally command the rod to discharge a bolt of power,
turn to 134
.
If you wish to place the rod to your Bow and fire it like an arrow at the enemy,
turn to 337
.
If you decide to throw the rod at the enemy,
turn to 257
.
Cautiously you approach the bodies that are half-buried in the dust. The first one that you come to is the carcass of a mountain goat, the object that the flying creatures were fighting over. You suspect that this luckless animal was taken from the foothills of the Ogshezar Mountains, near the Skarorian city of Cragmantle, for this hardy breed of ruminants are common there. When you leave the carcass and approach the crushed remains of the second body, your stomach churns when you recognize its scaly, bat-winged form. It is a Kraan, a vile breed that was spawned and used by the Darklords to provide flying mounts for their Giak and Drakkarim armies. Darklord Zagarna mustered many thousands of these beasts when he invaded Sommerlund, and it was their assault by air which resulted in the destruction of the Kai Monastery. Some of the Kraan survived the fall of Helgedad and the demise of their Darklord masters, and you think it likely that this one has come from Gazad Helkona and was out scouting for food. The third carcass is also that of a Kraan, but unlike the other, this one is equipped with a crude leather harness and collar.
If you wish to examine this Kraan carcass more closely,
turn to 9
.
If you decide not to examine it, you may continue by
turning to 232
.
You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and level your right arm at the crystal sphere. A crackling bolt of energy leaps from your palm and arcs towards the sorcerous orb, but before it strikes its mark, it is deflected away by a sudden gust of icy-cold wind. This supernatural draught takes hold of your fiery missile, spins it around in mid-air, and sends it speeding back towards your startled eyes!
If you wish to use your Kai-alchemy once more,
turn to 278
.
If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 301
.
If you do not possess Magi-magic, or if you choose not to use Magi-magic or Kai-alchemy,
turn to 328
.
As the pain in your head recedes, you curse your misfortune and look for some other means to defeat this magical barrier.
If you possess Elementalism and wish to use it,
turn to 331
.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 99
.
If you do not possess this skill, nor a Bow, or if you choose not to use either of them,
turn instead to 181
.
The deadly bolts slam into the parapet and whistle past your head, dangerously close. One bolt passes so close that it rips the collar of your tunic before it arcs into the roof and punches a hole through a glass panel.
Reflexively you duck back behind the safety of the parapet. Your close brush with death tells you that these Drakkarim warriors are a skilled and 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
.
You call upon your mastery of Elementalism to lower the temperature of the air around your body, in the hope that this action will keep your clothing and equipment from igniting.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. You may add 1 to this number for every level of Kai rank you have attained above the rank of Kai Grand Master Superior.
If your total score is 5 or lower,
turn to 154
.
If it is 6 or higher,
turn to 283
.
You abandon the trail and make your final approach to the fortress under cover of the petrified trees. The perimeter around the base of Gazad Helkona has been cleared and levelled to provide an unobstructed field of fire for its defenders. To enter this area would have once brought a swift and certain death, but now the fortress garrison numbers but a fraction of the troops that used to patrol the battlements during the time of Darklord Chlanzor's rule, and you are quietly confident that you can cross this killing zone and reach the breached wall without being seen.
Aided by your Kai camouflage skills, you zigzag across the open space and make your way swiftly towards the fissure. Clouds of fiery dust billow from this jagged rent in the ground, and the heat scorches your face and hands. The dust helps you to approach the base of the fortress wall unseen but, in order to enter Gazad Helkona through the breach, you must pass along the edge of the fissure where the heat is almost unbearable.
If you possess Grand Nexus,
turn to 217
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 188
.
Anxiety is giving way to desperation when you fail to find your precious weapon among the heaped and mouldering remains. (On your Special Items List, place an asterisk [*] beside your Kai Weapon to indicate that it is no longer in your possession. Should you be able to find it at a later stage of your adventure, you may then erase this mark.)
You are still scrabbling through the foul detritus when suddenly you become aware of the arrival of a new and powerful evil in this hall. Instinctively you clamber to your feet and look to the crystal sphere. Your hopes of recovering your Kai Weapon sink deeper when you see that the swirling black vapours of the sphere 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
.
Lone Wolf commends you on the swiftness of your action. Your quick and effective response to the threat has saved you both from being struck and killed by the Drakkar's explosive orb.
The boarding cage is winched up through an aperture in the stern deck of the
Cloud-dancer
and, as it shudders to a halt, the gate is pulled open. Eager hands help you and Lone Wolf out onto the deck, and Guildmaster Banedon salutes you from his position at the ship's helm. All along the port and starboard rails, his young crewmen are firing at the swooping Kraan with bows and Bor pistols. Their unerring marksmanship soon decimates the enemy's squadron and forces the survivors to abandon their attack. Banedon pulls the helm hard about and, with a resounding cheer from his victorious crew, the
Cloud-dancer
soars over the fortified wall of Gazad Helkona and speeds away towards the east.
Your Kai Sixth Sense informs you that the skeletons are all that remains of three unfortunate Talestrians who were imprisoned and tortured to death here during the reign of Darklord Chlanzor. You note the thick coating of dust that has settled on their bones, and gathered around the base of the pyramid, and you estimate that this torture block has stood here undisturbed for more than a decade. As you walk around the pyramid, suddenly you notice something gleaming amidst the dust on the floor. At first glance it appears to be part of a silver crown.
If you possess Kai-surge or Kai-screen,
turn to 226
.
If you possess neither of these mental Disciplines,
turn to 197
.
You call upon your Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery to help slow the rate at which you are sinking into the dust. With great effort, you are then able to drag yourself slowly towards the wall of the gully. The physical effort needed to accomplish this difficult task costs you 3
ENDURANCE
points.
The sides of the ravine are steep, but the rocks and boulders which pepper its surface make it an easy climb. Swiftly you ascend to the top of the gully where you take shelter from the biting wind behind a rocky knoll. As you settle yourself into a hollow beside a pillar of jagged stone, you are suddenly startled by a loud screeching caw that echoes in the dark skies above.
As the hellish creature crashes to the ground, felled by a killing blow to the nape of its neck, you stagger away from its smouldering body and wipe the blade of your weapon upon the hem of your cloak. When you look again at the marble throne, you notice the faint outline of a second doorway that is concealed in the wall beside the seat. Silently it slides open as you approach it, and beyond you can see a tunnel disappearing into darkness.
Inside the entrance to this gloomy passage you discover a niche in the wall. It contains a small crystal decanter of green fluid that is festooned with cobwebs. Cautiously you pull its stopper to sniff the contents, and you are surprised to discover that it contains a tincture of Laumspur. It is old and stale, but it still possesses some of its healing powers. (This Decanter contains the equivalent of two doses of Laumspur. Each dose will restore 4
ENDURANCE
points when swallowed after combat. If you wish to keep the Decanter, it will occupy only one space in your Backpack.)
To continue,
turn to 11
.
Your lightning-fast reflexes save your eyes, but your legs are lacerated by the flying shards of glass: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.
If you have survived this injury, you may continue by
turning to 84
.
You enter the tunnel and follow it to an open portal where an iron platform juts from the wall of the blockhouse complex. Fifty feet below the platform is a broad thoroughfare that is busy with the traffic of bandit columns and Hammerland wagons newly-arrived from Cragmantle. A narrow bridge spans the gap between the platform and another which juts from the side of the central citadel. There you can see a dark, semicircular portal in the citadel wall that is open and unguarded.
The narrow bridge arcs towards the citadel platform, but its smooth span is broken in the middle by a hinged drawbridge. It is open and it hangs down, creating a gap at the apex that is 15 feet wide. You observe that this banded iron flap is operated by two heavy chains that run beneath the span. You magnify your vision and trace their route back to the base of a plinth which stands on the blockhouse platform, close by the entrance to the bridge. A winch handle protrudes from this plinth, but when you attempt to crank the chains taut, you find that it will not budge: it is locked in position. A closer inspection of the winch spindle reveals a keyhole at its centre.
If you possess an Iron Key and wish to use it,
turn to 273
.
If you possess a Copper Key and wish to use it,
turn to 176
.
If you possess neither of these Backpack Items, or if you choose not to use them,
turn instead to 241
.
The shock of having just nearly killed yourself with your own Arrow quickly turns to anger. You shoulder your Bow and 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
.
You call upon your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus to help you pick this stubborn lock.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Nexus, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you possess a Spike or a Dagger, add 1.
If your total score is now 4 or less,
turn to 322
.
If it is 5 or more,
turn to 27
.
You make good use of your advanced Kai camouflage skills to skirt around the perimeter of this entrance hall unseen. As you pass through the archway and ascend the steps to a landing on a level above, you can hear the sounds of the Drakkarim playing their game of dice in the hall below, oblivious to your presence.