War of the Wizards (18 page)

With an impetuous cry, you rush forward, whirling your Staff above your head. The demons stumble backwards in alarm, careering into those behind and causing an uproar of animal cries. With a deadly flash of steel, Tanith fells one of the beasts with her dagger, and, at the cost of 1
WILLPOWER
point, you deliver a powerful blow that sends another crashing to the ground. You reach the doorway of the crypt. The demons are running in the opposite direction, heading for the stairs that lead back down to the hall. Horrified, you notice that some are dragging the corpses of Masbaté dead from the crypts.

Turn to 107
.

You loose a bolt of energy at the horseman, using 2
WILLPOWER
points. A cloud of fire explodes at his chest and he falls from his horse, dead. You run to the body. By stealing the dead horseman's uniform, you will be able to lead the demon host against the Shadakine Army; the Shadakine will think that you are one of their own.

If you still have your Simar stallion,
turn to 285
.

If it has been killed,
turn to 292
.

Taking careful aim at the leading demon, you hurl a bolt of magical fire, killing it instantly. The horde comes to a stumbling halt. This attack has cost you 2
WILLPOWER
points.

The Masbaté reach you. Without stopping to ask who you are, they release a volley of shining javelins that arc over your heads and plunges into the demon ranks. Swords drawn, the Masbaté sprint past. You and Tanith are swept along by the momentum of their charge and into the throes of a bloody battle. You almost collide with a hunched, ape-like creature with four arms and a long tail. You cannot avoid combat and must fight to the death.

Ape Demon:
COMBAT SKILL
 18   
ENDURANCE
 17

If you win the combat,
turn to 150
.

You head south in pursuit of the lone figure. Soon you have drawn close enough to be able to see that the figure is humanoid in shape, although it runs with a curious, shambling gait. The shimmering heat haze prevents you from discerning any further details. Abruptly it comes to a halt. You quicken your pace. Tanith has begun to lag behind but offers no word of protest. Purposefully you stride towards your prey, but stop dead in your tracks when you come within fifty paces of it.

Turn to 110
.

You skid to a halt and try to judge how much time you have before the demon host in the west will reach you. You guess at a quarter of an hour at most. But first you must survive the onslaught of the denizens that speed towards you.

If you wish to fight on horseback,
turn to 277
.

If you wish to fight on foot,
turn to 212
.

You veer sharply, heading west for a while. Soon the figures have passed out of sight and you are able to resume your course towards the Hills of Tilos.

Turn to 237
.

You walk around the building but cannot find a water hole or stream. The west wall of the ziggurat bears a ten-foot high arch. The doors are made of stone.

‘How are we to open these?’ asks Tanith.

You guess that there must be some internal mechanism for opening the doors. They are certainly too heavy to be opened by hand.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it to find an opening mechanism for the doors,
turn to 194
.

If you have the Magical Power of Psychomancy and wish to use it to find an opening mechanism,
turn to 159
.

If you are versed in the Higher Magick of Thaumaturgy and wish to try to teleport yourself to the other side of the doors,
turn to 148
.

If you have none of these Powers, or if you do not wish to use them,
turn to 18
.

Before the next demon dives, you begin an erratic sequence of diagonal moves. The demons are thrown into confusion and you are able to reduce the distance to the pass. When at last the next dive comes, you are taken by surprise. Instead of attacking you, the winged Demon gouges a line of bloody weals along the stallion's haunches. The stallion screams in pain but does not falter. You chance a look behind and see that the horde is still far away. A third demon dives. This beast has an insectoid body combined with feathered bird's wings. You attempt a dummy turn but the beast is not fooled.

Insect Demon:
COMBAT SKILL
 18   
ENDURANCE
 17

Combat lasts for only one round. If your enemy loses more
ENDURANCE
points than you, ignore any
ENDURANCE
points you lose.

If you are still alive,
turn to 265
.

Four distant forms mount a rise that slopes gently away from the Dolani River. As they head towards you, you see that they are ghastly, malformed creatures. Each is misshapen in a different way. These must be the demons summoned long ago by the Wytch-king, Shasarak, and sent as a plague to destroy the Masbaté tribe that once dwelt here. When the demons' purpose was fulfilled they were left to roam the plains at will.

The leading demon, its shining green skin and toad-like features reflected in the dull glow of the setting sun, gives vent to a feral scream and begins to run towards you.

If you have the Magical Power of Necromancy and wish to use it to chant an incantation against evil,
turn to 35
.

If you wish to attempt a long-range attack with your Wizard's Staff,
turn to 65
.

If you prefer to wait for the demons to approach,
turn to 93
.

The remaining Flying Snake keeps pace with you for a short while longer before soaring into the air and disappearing from view, heading east.

Turn to 247
.

You hand Tanith your Staff and Backpack and begin to climb into the uncertain darkness of the well. Halfway down one of the rungs comes loose in your hand. You are unable to keep your balance and fall, hitting the sides of the shaft many times and enduring many cuts and abrasions before splashing into the water below: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.

Gasping for breath, you reach out blindly in the dark until you locate a large, bowl-shaped object. Having made sure that it is full of water, you begin the slow, arduous climb to the top, struggling to hold on to the rungs and the bowl of water. Eventually you reach the top and Tanith takes the bowl from you. Bruised and bedraggled, you haul yourself out.

Turn to 25
.

The Shadakine are wheeling large engines of war to the front of their lines: they are powerful catapults. Pinpoints of flame appear. Sado has guessed their intentions and orders his bowmen to fire. The archers of the Freedom Guild send volley after volley singing through the air towards the Shadakine and many of the distant spots of light go out. Suddenly many balls of flame arc through the air above the heads of the men of the Freedom Guild to fall into the trees behind.

‘Hah!’ Sado shouts. ‘The fools are way off target.’

‘I think not,’ replies Samu.

You understand his meaning as you watch the dry brush of the forest begin to burn. ‘They mean to flush us out!’ you cry with alarm.

All around you small fires are catching the trees and in a short time smoke billows in choking clouds throughout the Freedom Guild's ranks. Orange tongues of flame are licking on every side.

Turn to 351
.

As the group draws nearer, you realize that these are the horrific forms of demons. Half-man and half-beast, with slavering fangs and sword-sharp tusks, they run towards you. They come within a hundred paces, their cackling yells and feral howling indicating that they mean to attack.

If you wish to charge,
turn to 246
.

If you wish to attack them at long range with your Wizard's Staff,
turn to 258
.

While your enemies are dazed, you charge forward, whirling your Staff above your head. The demons are too stunned to react and suddenly you are upon them, raining deathly magical fire in all directions.

Turn to 264
.

You tug the stallion's head to one side and pull away from their shambling advance at a gallop. You skirt the edge of the valley, keeping a large distance between yourself and your enemies. They fall into babbling confusion, splitting into disorganized groups and making their various ways out of the valley. You move at great speed, faster than the confused mass that seeks you out, and you cover the mile in a short time, thundering to a halt at the other end of the valley where the portal burns halfway down the slope.

As you study the burning arch, a large, winged spider with eight bulbous but distinctly human eyes swoops towards you. It is coming at you too swiftly for you to be able to fire at it from long range and you cannot evade without risking serious injury. It is a fight to the death. If you have swallowed a potion of Invulnerability, or used the Higher Magick of Thaumaturgy to render yourself invulnerable, ignore all
ENDURANCE
points lost by yourself for the duration of the combat.

Demon Spiderfly:
COMBAT SKILL
 25   
ENDURANCE
 24

If you win the combat,
turn to 197
.

You continue at an even faster pace in your bid to find the lake before nightfall. Your throat is parched and the exertion of walking in such heat causes you to lose 1
ENDURANCE
point. You notice that the plain is beginning to slope gently upwards.

If you have the Magical Power of Alchemy, or if you are versed in the Higher Magick of Theurgy,
turn to 241
.

If you do not possess either of these Powers,
turn to 43
.

The large Flying Snake hurtles towards you. You hold your Staff aloft and brace yourself to receive the attack but the stallion is nervous and unsettled and you are unable to remain in any one position for very long. Also, you are forced to use one hand to control your mount. You cannot evade combat and must subtract 2 from your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of the combat.

Flying Snake:
COMBAT SKILL
 21   
ENDURANCE
 24

Combat lasts for only one round as the demon swoops past. If your enemy loses more
ENDURANCE
points than you, ignore any
ENDURANCE
points you lose.

If you are still alive,
turn to 313
.

You run along the gallery and down many stairways to confront three reptilian beasts. Hunched and malformed, the creatures have glistening fangs and baleful eyes. Before you are able to take any further action they hurl themselves at you emitting blood-curdling screams. You cannot avoid combat and must fight to the death.

Three Demons:
COMBAT SKILL
 18   
ENDURANCE
 24

If you win the combat,
turn to 245
.

Judging from the position of the sun in the blue, cloudless sky, you estimate that it is well past noon when the green Hills of Tilos come into view. There has been no further sign of the demon plague. The protection of the Moonstone and the aura of light that you have summoned with your necromantic powers must have kept the demons at bay. Where then are they? Samu told you that there are possibly a thousand of the evil creatures. Surely they will seek to prevent you from reaching the portal that is the sole gateway to their world?

If you are versed in the Higher Magick of a Visionary and wish to expend 2
WILLPOWER
points in its use, you must give up the protection from evil granted to you by the use of the Higher Magick of Necromancy, since both spells require the use of the Moonstone. If you wish to cease your use of the Power of Necromancy and use your Power as a Visionary,
turn to 249
.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it at the cost of 1
WILLPOWER
point,
turn to 266
.

If you do not possess either of these Powers, lack sufficient
WILLPOWER
points to use them, or do not wish to use these forms of magic at the moment,
turn to 271
.