Wolf's Bane (25 page)
You speak the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and point your right index finger at the iron pot. There is a flash of bluish light and then an arc of crackling electricity leaps from your finger to strike the top of the pot, blowing a fist-sized chunk of rusty iron out of its turned rim. One of the creatures is killed instantly by the blast and the other is stunned when the electrical charge is earthed along the supporting chain.
You sense that the surviving creature is only temporarily incapacitated; it will soon revive and it will be sure to attempt to avenge its dead companion by shooting at you with its bow. Mindful of the pending danger, you hurriedly examine the portal for a lever or some other means to make it rise.
You escape through the steel roof of the tower and catch a fleeting glimpse of the rain-swept city far below. Suddenly there is a tremendous flash, followed almost immediately by the concussive blast from an enormous explosion. A debris-laden shock wave hits you from behind, flattens you against the dragonfly's crusty neck, and leaves you bleeding from several minor wounds: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.
Fortunately your winged mount survives the shock wave unscathed and is propelled upwards at greater speed into the base of the thick storm clouds.
You press the index finger of your right hand against the plant wall and whisper the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
. You feel a tingling sensation run down your arm and then a crackling flame ignites at your fingertip which burns a neat hole through the stem. Then, quite suddenly, the sap within the plant wall catches fire and within seconds you find yourself trapped inside a roaring cocoon of fire.
The highly flammable sap feeds the flames, and the temperature rapidly increases until the inside of the stem becomes as hot as a blazing furnace. Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you lose 5
ENDURANCE
points before the flames die down and you are able to burst free from the smouldering stem.
To continue,
turn to 230
.
‘Come, Grand Master. You're going home,’ she says, and she takes you by the hand and leads you to the middle of the banquet hall, to a place directly opposite the great fireplace. ‘But first we must make preparations for the journey.’
Alyss then proceeds to tell you to use your advanced Kai Mastery to mask the goodly aura that radiates naturally from your mind and body. When you have done as she requests, she touches the Platinum Amulet which you wear around your neck and smiles.
‘Good, good,’ she enthuses, ‘this bauble will take care of the rest.’
She then takes a piece of limestone from her pocket and proceeds to draw a pentagram on the floor of the hall. She has half completed the complicated design when suddenly she becomes agitated.
‘Must hurry,’ she mumbles, ‘must, must hurry.’
Suddenly the fire in the hearth flares brightly. The flames begin to grow and whirl and slowly change colour.
‘It's no good!’ cries Alyss, tearful with frustration. Angrily she casts her chunk of crumbling limestone at the roaring flames and then leaps to her feet and comes rushing to your side. ‘It's too late!’ she screams, her voice now barely audible above the unnatural crackling of the fire. ‘Naar is summoning his champion!’
Illustration XVI—‘It's too late!’ screams Alyss. ‘Naar is summoning his champion!’
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 273
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 67
.
You draw upon all of your defensive Kai Disciplines to protect you from the effects of the vortex. The agony abates, but the effort depletes your reserves of mental and physical stamina: lose 5
ENDURANCE
points.
As the pain melts, so the strands of light unravel themselves and dissolve. As the silvery cloud disappears, you find yourself plummeting ever nearer to the blazing heart of this cosmic whirlpool. Then, at the moment you plunge into its core, your senses are obliterated and you are engulfed by a total darkness.
From out of the depths of this cold, dark universe there appears a pinpoint of light. You feel yourself being drawn inexorably towards it and, although you struggle to resist, you cannot tear yourself free from its irresistible pull. You feel yourself accelerating towards the speck until it becomes as large as a glowing sun. Then, with an abruptness that leaves you gasping, there is a flash of blue-white light and you find yourself lying spread-eagled upon a bed of moist green foliage.
Desperately you scramble across the throne hall and leap towards the swirling maw of this supernatural portal, but your entry is barred by a horde of shrieking horrors which materialize from the smoke surrounding the circumference of the Shadow Gate. Immediately you recognize them and your heart sinks — they are Crypt Spawn.
Now Naar himself is aware of your true identity and he is determined not to let you escape from the Plane of Darkness.
If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 3
.
If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 123
.
Unable to decipher the code, you decide instead to attempt to dismantle the locking mechanism. Using the buckle of your belt, you work it between the gemstone lockplates and attempt to prise them away. It is a difficult and delicate procedure, made doubly so by the increasing ferocity of the storm which is tearing through the fabric of your cloak and tunic: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
After several painful minutes you succeed in lifting off the gemstone plates. But this does not release the locking mechanism; it simply exposes it to the elements. In order to force the door to open you must now physically destroy the exposed mechanism.
Temple Portal:
COMBAT SKILL
50
ENDURANCE
50
Conduct a combat in the usual manner. Any
ENDURANCE
points lost by yourself result from the effects of prolonged exposure to the storm.
If you succeed in reducing the door's
ENDURANCE
score to zero or below before losing all of your own,
turn to 157
.
Nimbly you dodge aside, but droplets of the creature's drool splash your arm and shoulder to burn straight through your tunic with frightening speed. You immediately call upon your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus for protection against this acidic saliva, but the substance is highly corrosive and your innate skill is hard-pressed to provide you with adequate protection.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(0=10). The resultant score is equal to the number of
ENDURANCE
points you lose due to the effects of this acid on your skin and muscle.
If you wish to attack the creature that has spat at you,
turn to 141
.
If you wish to evade this creature,
turn to 91
.
Warily you approach the settlement, your keen senses absorbing every detail. The line of deserted mud huts looks innocuous, but the words of the voice of Naar still linger in your memory. This humid jungle realm lies within his domain; it is therefore reasonable to expect the inhabitants of this place to be wholly devoted to the cause of Evil.
You reach the edge of the undergrowth and pause to assess potential threats. The huts are semi-derelict, all bearing some signs of neglect and decay. The clay-tiled hovel that Wolf's Bane entered appears to be empty, but when you focus upon its open doorway, you see what appears to be a trench cut into the earth. You magnify your vision and at once you see steps in the wall of this excavation. Your heart sinks: Wolf's Bane has escaped underground.
If you wish to enter the hut and follow your enemy without further delay,
turn to 161
.
If you choose to investigate the hut to check for traps,
turn to 188
.
Obediently, Black Hawk stands aside. You cast your eyes over the surface of the north wall for one last time, to satisfy yourself that you can detect no lurking traps, and when you are fully confident that it is safe you take up your weapon and put it to the crack in the wall. Because you are so sure that there is no threat, what occurs in the next instant is doubly shocking.
You press forward with all of your weight yet, unexpectedly, you meet with no resistance. Your weapon disappears into the wall and you stumble forward to plunge through seemingly solid granite. For a second or two you are consumed by total darkness; then an explosion of white light obliterates your vision and you feel yourself being hurled backwards by a searing wave of heat.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(0=10). Now add 2 to the number you have picked. The resultant total is the number of
ENDURANCE
points you have lost as a consequence of this explosion.
Make the appropriate adjustment to your
Action Chart
and continue by
turning to 154
.
As you climb the stairs, you are filled with a growing sense of uncertainty and dread as you ponder what may yet await you in this alien tower. However, these feelings of impending doom are quickly banished when you reach the third level, for here you pick up the trail of your adversary. Your tracking skills determine that his trail is fresh and you pursue it eagerly.
You pass through a maze of empty passageways which lead eventually to a large, circular hall. Cautiously you approach the entrance and peer inside. Your tracking skills and your curiosity are handsomely rewarded when you see Wolf's Bane; he is standing alone and he is unaware that you have found him.
Quickly you take the incendiary from your Backpack, prime its crude detonator, and hurl it at the hanging cauldron. There is a splash of oily yellow flame as it impacts and smashes against the lip of the iron pot; then, in a terrifying instant, the two reptilians are consumed in a roaring ball of fire. You watch with shocked fascination as they shriek their last and tumble from the pot to splash, like two fiery meteors, into the mire.
You turn your eyes away from the terrible sight and, to your amazement, you see the portal beginning to rise of its own accord. You wait until it has risen a few feet and you are sure that no enemy awaits you on the other side; then you duck under the heavy iron plate and hurry into the tunnel beyond. As you run, you hear the portal slamming shut behind you with a dull reverberating boom, sealing away the smouldering remains of your two would-be assassins.
You drag the body of the dead Manoyd into the ruins of a house and cover it with rubble. Then you put on the armour, which you have stripped from the unconscious Manoyd, and lower the visor of the helmet to hide your face. A black haversack taken from the warrior provides you with a convenient means to hide your own weapons, equipment, and cloak.
After checking that the avenue is clear, you emerge from the alley and stride boldly towards the tower. On reaching the edge of this windswept canyon, you hear the distant
clang
of a bell and watch as the drawbridge extends from beneath the portal to span the chasm. You march across, trying not to look down through the semi-transparent bridge to the dark floor of the moat that lies thousands of feet below, and enter the tower's great portal.