Wolf's Bane (16 page)
Wolf's Bane staggers backwards, clutching at his wounds with his free hand. You move forward, eager to finish him, but he parries your lunge and then, with a look of utter desperation in his soulless eyes, he glances up at the ceiling and shouts:
‘Take him, Doom-blight! Take him now!’
Your blood freezes when you see a great gull-winged horror emerge from a hidden perch among the hall's shadowy rafters. It plunges towards you, a fiery sword held at arm's length ready to be driven through your heart.
If you have ever encountered the Demoness Shamath in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 263
.
If you have never encountered this creature,
turn to 74
.
Frantically you shout the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Halt Missile
and point at the onrushing arrow. The deadly shaft freezes in mid-flight, barely a few inches from the tip of your extended finger. Immediately you crouch down, and as the effects of the spell wear off, the shaft suddenly re-animates and whistles over your head to lodge itself in the tangle of vines that curtain the cave mouth.
Icy fingers of fear run up and down your spine as you brace yourself for the imminent impact of the approaching fire-bolt.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 58
.
If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 113
.
If you possess Assimilance and have attained the rank of Sun Lord (and you wish to use this Discipline),
turn to 176
.
If you possess Grand Huntmastery and have attained the rank of Sun Thane (and you wish to use this Discipline),
turn to 212
.
If you possess none of these skills or do not yet possess the necessary level of Kai rank (or if you choose not to use any Kai Mastery),
turn instead to 259
.
Dazed and trembling, you stagger to your feet and tentatively shake your head in an effort to clear your blurred vision. Close by your feet you see the outline of your weapon and you stoop to retrieve it. (If you were holding a normal weapon when you passed through the wall, you discover it has been destroyed by the blast: delete this weapon from your
Weapons List
. If the weapon you were holding was a Special Item, you discover that it has survived intact.)
As your vision returns you see that you have been hurled back into the chamber. Your fellow Kai, all of whom were knocked to the floor by the blast, are now struggling to get themselves back on their feet. Fortunately their physical injuries are minor; their innate Kai skills have spared them from serious injury. However, you sense that your inability to detect that the wall was an explosive illusion has severely shaken their confidence.
‘Our prey is far more cunning than I feared,’ you say, ruefully, ‘but we are Kai and we shall rise to the challenge. Our enemy possesses strong magic and he is capable of masking it well. Yet he chooses to use it to wound and weaken our party, not to kill us. Why this should be I do not know. But from now on we cannot entirely trust our senses to protect us. We must proceed with the utmost caution.’
Beyond where the illusory north wall once stood, you can now see a small antechamber which is wreathed in acrid blue smoke. Gradually this smoke dissipates to reveal a shallow plinth upon which lies a bronze urn. This heavy object rests on its side and a quantity of pale grey ash has spilled from its hinged lid. Cautiously you approach the urn and see that there is an inscription engraved on its side. From this ancient script you learn that the ashes are the last remains of Baroness Garrulen, the wife of Hul — third Baron of Tyso. Glinting half-buried in the ash, you notice a ring encrusted with crimson gemstones. (If you wish to keep this Ruby Ring, record it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.)
You are righting the urn on its plinth when you hear Steel Hand calling you. He has found something among the rubble which litters the floor at the rear of the antechamber.
Before you can move to avoid the oncoming missile, it hits you in the chest and sends you crashing to the floor: lose 10
ENDURANCE
points.
If you have survived this grievous wounding,
turn to 56
.
With bated breath you watch as the warrior kicks the smouldering remains of the iron chest. He scans the warehouse, the visor of his helmet pulsing a dull crimson glow as he tries to locate where you are hiding. Unable to find you, he cradles his weapon and begins a systematic search of the building.
As he passes beneath the storage tank you seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. You leap onto his back and bring him crashing to the ground. However, you soon discover that he is an exceptionally strong opponent and your advantage of surprise is quickly lost. He draws his power from the armour he wears and you are hard-pressed to maintain your hold on his neck as he wrestles to break free. Then another warrior appears at the rear of the building. He, too, is armed with a magical spear. He aims this weapon at you and a flash of light erupts from its tip.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If your current
ENDURANCE
points score is 12 or less, deduct 2 from the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0 or less,
turn to 93
.
If it is 1 or more,
turn to 63
.
The moment you destroy the mechanism, you feel a shuddering vibration run through the great iron portal. Slowly it grinds open to reveal an antechamber that is lit by a dozen flaming torches set around its glassy walls. The wind has now become so fierce that it is ripping your exposed flesh. Rather than remain outside in the storm a moment longer, you hurry through the open portal and seek shelter within.
Despite your desperate action, you continue to sink further into this dry bog until the soil closes in over your head. You draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus to ease the pain in your aching lungs, but this simply prolongs your life for a further fifteen minutes before the lack of air and the crushing weight of the morass combine to overwhelm you.
Tragically, your life and your duel end here.
You insert the Iron Disc and the portal slides open to reveal an impressive sight. The chamber beyond is stacked to the ceiling with coils of wire and solid bars made of pure platinum. These items are worth a vast fortune on your home world of Magnamund. (If you wish to take a Platinum Ingot, record it on your
Action Chart
. Due to its weight, however, it occupies the same space as 2 Backpack Items.)
To leave this chamber and continue,
turn to 330
.
The passage beyond the fissure twists and turns like an angry snake. Gradually this winding tunnel bears eastwards and descends by slope and stair into deeper levels of the catacombs. During your long trek you detect not a single trace of the impostor and, when eventually the tunnel comes to a dead end, you curse your ill luck. Reluctantly you decide to retrace your steps. It is only then that you sense a faint but lingering aura of Evil close to the tunnel floor.
A closer inspection reveals a trapdoor set into the grimy flagstones. You pull this heavy hatch open and discover a circular chute and a ladder descending into darkness. Your heart misses a beat when you notice fresh tracks on the ladder's iron rungs; at last you have found the impostor's trail.
Cautiously you lead the descent into the chute, using your powers of infravision to scan for signs of movement in the damp darkness below. After several minutes you reach the bottom of the ladder where you discover a large vaulted chamber. Around its walls are positioned urns and grey stone caskets, each embellished with traces of gold. There is an unexpected air of opulence about this vault which prompts you to guess that it is a secret burial tomb.
If you have ever visited the Graveyard of the Ancients in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 182
.
If you have never visited this forbidden place,
turn to 206
.
You approach the open door and pause momentarily to check that no glyphs or other traps have been placed here. The doorway is clear, and you can detect no lingering residues of magical energy that might betray the presence of illusions or shielding spells, so you rush through it and hurry down the flight of steps that descends beneath the ground.
The steps lead down to a tunnel that is dark and narrow. You sense danger ahead and, using your infravision, you detect Wolf's Bane standing at the far end of this passageway, some thirty yards distant. He is holding a long piece of rope which trails back along the tunnel towards you. You follow its course and see that it is attached to a wooden peg which holds secure the door to a cage set flush into the tunnel wall. You focus on the door and sense that the cage beyond is occupied by a large and ferocious carnivore. Wolf's Bane utters a chilling laugh as he whips the rope to dislodge the peg. But you focus on the peg and, using your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, you cause it to jam. Your adversary curses you and casts aside the rope in frustration. Then he turns and disappears into a tunnel which meets this main passageway from the left.
You race towards the swirling mouth of the Shadow Gate, but Naar is determined to launch one last desperate attempt to prevent you from escaping. You are within ten paces of the gate when two of the rubbery-limbed horrors emerge from the smoky walls and hurl themselves upon you.
Illustration IX—Before you can reach the gate, two of the rubbery- limbed horrors hurl themselves upon you.
2 Cryopedeans:
COMBAT SKILL
38
ENDURANCE
32
If you win this combat,
turn to 350
.
Your defensive blow tears a hole in the creature's silvery wing. The wound is not fatal, but the damage to its wing is enough to render the hungry dragonfly incapable of ascending any higher. It emits a loud buzz of frustration which fades as it slowly spirals away towards a cluster of smaller creatures hovering near the centre of the gorge.
At length you reach the apex of the cavern and soar into the light-filled vent. Upon entering this vast aperture you are buffeted by crosswinds which sweep you precariously towards its rocky lip. Only your Kai Disciplines and your lightning-swift reactions save you from being crushed to death as you are blown towards its jagged, volcanic edge.
You survive the impact and are able to haul yourself out of the vent and climb safely onto a surface that you assume to be the roof of the cavern. Seeking shelter from the raging crosswinds, you squeeze yourself into a hollow in the porous rock from where you are able to take stock of your new surroundings. The sight makes you gasp, for it is a view that truly rivals the fertile wonders of the cavern below.
Wary of the uncertain floor of this hall, you utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Levitation
and feel yourself rising slowly to the ceiling. Using the gaps between the bricks in the arched roof, you pull yourself along the ceiling until you reach the far end of the hall. Fortunately, the door is unlocked and you are able to open it with your foot and lower yourself safely through its archway and into the hall beyond.
You soon realize that the creature's iron collar and chain prevent it from reaching you so long as you keep your back pressed to the cavern wall. Mindful of this, you inch your way slowly towards the tunnel. However, you have progressed only a few yards when you feel the floor sloping away. The water is getting deeper.
If you possess Magi-magic and have attained the rank of Grand Thane or higher,
turn to 234
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline or have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 25
.
Fortunately your attempt to evade this magical missile is successful. The onrushing bolt hits you only a glancing blow (lose 1
ENDURANCE
point) before it slams into the wall of the shaft, showering you with harmless crimson sparks.
Make the necessary adjustment to your
Action Chart
and then continue by
turning to 37
.