Dawn of the Dragons (15 page)
You steel yourself for the impact, but you hit the flagstones with such numbing force that your preparation does little to lessen the injuries you receive to your legs and body (lose 12
ENDURANCE
points). Moments later, you are hit by Nathor who comes crashing down upon your prone form. Your body softens his fall, but even so, the impact leaves him with a broken left ankle and severe cuts to his face and hands. Despite his obvious pain he manages to smile when he realizes that you are both still alive, revealing gaps where he is now missing two of his front teeth.
Using your natural Kai curing skills, you repair your internal injuries sufficiently for you to be able to stand and assist your companion. Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your hands to his injured foot (reduce your
ENDURANCE
score by a further 4 points). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen comes rushing from out of the gatehouse with their swords drawn. Cursing your luck, you unsheathe your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.
Castle Guardsmen (impostors):
COMBAT SKILL
48
ENDURANCE
48
If you win this fight,
turn to 93
.
The first spatterings of rain are dampening your shoulders as you approach the forest town's solitary inn. The smell and soft noises of horses waft from an adjoining stable, and the flickering orange light of an open fire can be seen shimmering through the bull's-eye glass of the inn's leaded windows. You halt outside the main door and stoop to read a weather-faded board that is fixed to the wall:
Room & Stabling — 2 Gold Crowns per night
If you possess sufficient Gold Crowns to stay here for the night,
turn to 103
.
If you do not,
turn to 302
.
The Lavas veers away from you and uses its wings to deflect the Sun-crystal. With dismay you watch as the glowing crystal drops harmlessly among the rocks, below the entrance to the Shadow Gate.
Hurriedly you scramble over the jagged granite in a desperate attempt to retrieve the Sun-crystal and try again, but as you are about to stretch out and close your hand upon it, the Lavas swoops down and fixes its claws into your backpack.
The river track runs parallel to the Kinam for nearly a mile before bearing east and entering a coppice of tall conifers. On the far side of this cultivated wood you come to a bridge across a wide, fast-flowing tributary of the Kinam. The parapet of the bridge is lined with imposing stone statues, each depicting a past lord of Scade Manor.
In the distance you can now see Castle Tranius. Its curtain wall and fortified barbican are illuminated by torches which were lit, as is the custom here, an hour before sunset. On arriving at the gatehouse, Lord Nathor and the rest of you are welcomed into the castle keep where your horses are attended to. A trio of Knight Tranius' guards come to escort you to his hall and, as you follow them to the castle's upper chambers, Nathor asks after Guetor the Boarmaster, the leader of Knight Tranius' hunt.
‘He's no longer with us,’ answers one of the guards, tersely. ‘He's gone away.’
Before Nathor can enquire further as to the whereabouts of his old hunting instructor, you are ushered into the castle's main hall and asked to wait a few minutes for Knight Tranius to arrive.
Swiftly you regain your footing and flatten yourself against the rocks. The granite is cold and damp against your cheek as you watch the second flight soar into the sky and fly away, heading due east.
You resume your climb quickly. When you are within thirty yards of the Shadow Gate, you draw back your arm and get ready to hurl the Sun-crystal into its inky black core. At this moment, a piercing shriek rises above the Shadow Gate's throbbing hum and, to your horror, you look up to see a Lavas diving towards your chest. Hurriedly you throw the Sun-crystal before the creature can press home its attack.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 139
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 233
.
The pack leader comes leaping through the air as you are unsheathing your weapon. You only just manage to sidestep in time to avoid being slammed to the ground beneath its vast bulk. As it flashes past, you spin around and sever its spine with one mighty, backhanded blow.
Within seconds, the remaining pack members appear. They catch the scent of their leader's blood and it drives them into a frenzy.
If you possess Assimilance and have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher,
turn to 166
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 216
.
With painstaking care, you inch your way up the side of the ravine. Bits of rock and soil crumble away beneath your feet with alarming regularity, and often you are left dangling precariously in mid-air, holding on by just the fingers of one hand.
You are within sight of the top, more than a hundred feet from the base of the ravine, when suddenly there is a thundering roar. You look up and, to your mounting horror, you see a deluge of rock and stone come tumbling towards your face.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If you possess a Rope, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, add 1.
If your total score is now 3 or less,
turn to 223
.
If it is 4 or more,
turn to 329
.
The leading wolf-creatures swarm around you and then attack with chilling ferocity. As they leap at you from all sides, desperately you lash out, left and right, in an attempt to cut your way free from their deadly circle.
Illustration VIII—The wolf-creatures swarm around you and then attack with chilling ferocity.
Hounds of Vikkak:
COMBAT SKILL
50
ENDURANCE
50
These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.
If you win the combat,
turn to 45
.
As you slay the last of the line of Lavas, you feel the wrath of Naar sweep down upon your back. The ground beneath your feet begins to shudder and fissures appear in the black soil, running red with glowing lava. You struggle to reach the entrance to the Shadow Gate, barely ten yards distant, as the ground is transformed into a heaving molten mass.
If you possess Grand Huntmastery and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher,
turn to 228
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 162
.
Upon the instant you defeat the spirit of Roark, the whirlwind ceases and all the airborne debris drops harmlessly to the ground. Roark's ghostly apparition mouths a silent scream before it, and its hideous mount, melt into the shadows of the night. You sense that the evil which pervaded this sad city has, at last, been banished for good.
You sleep easily this night, and you awake the following morning to the sound of bird song. It brings a smile to your face to hear that life is already returning to Amory. You gather your equipment and, as you are leaving, you are blessed by an unexpected stroke of luck. By accident you step on a rotten board, and, when you pull your foot free, you discover 10 Gold Crowns hidden in the hollow beneath the floorboards. (You may record these on your
Action Chart
, maximum allowances permitting.)
You recognize these creatures at once — they are Lavas, winged horrors from the Plane of Darkness, the domain of the Dark God himself. The memory of your previous experience with these creatures sends a shiver coursing down your spine.
With a silent signal you bring the regiment to a halt. Captain D'Val leans towards you from his saddle and whispers: ‘Here is the enemy who have your monastery surrounded, Grand Master, and this is the weakest point in their line.’
‘I know this place,’ you reply quietly. ‘The monastery lies over the next ridge of trees. If we are to break through here, we must be quick about it. These creatures can take to the skies — it would not take them long to summon reinforcements.’
‘You are right, Grand Master. The risks are indeed great, but I and my men are willing to take them to ensure your return to the Monastery of the Kai. You must get through. You are the only one who can destroy the Shadow Gate and remove this curse from our land.’
‘Very well then, captain,’ you reply, unsheathing your weapon. ‘Pass the order to prepare to charge.’
You recoil from the insidious green cloud and fall back towards the cell door. Your mastery of Nexus protects you from this highly poisonous gas, but the gaoler and Lord Nathor are not so fortunate: both are vulnerable to its deadly effect. Choking and retching, they collapse to the floor, their fingers scrabbling at their swelling throats as they fight desperately for breath. You grab hold of their tunics, one in each hand, and drag their bodies out of the cell into the cleaner air of the corridor beyond. Here you use your Magnakai Discipline of Curing to ease the effects of the poison gas; your skill and the swiftness of your actions save them from a painful, suffocating death.
‘Wh … what happened?’ wheezes Nathor, as he slowly recovers from the deadly gas.
You peer into the cell at the man now hanging limply in chains, and then you turn to Nathor and say: ‘Suicide. A suicide and an attempted murder. The prisoner has just killed himself with a poison pellet and it seems his last wish was to take all three of us with him.’
Calling upon your Kai Mastery, you cause yourself to slip into a coma-like state which gives every outward appearance of death.
High above, you hear Prince Lutha howling delightedly at the sight of your seemingly lifeless body. He calls for his guards and, a few moments later, you hear them entering the pit. They pronounce you dead; then there follows the tinny sound of metal scraping on metal before you feel yourself being lifted by the shoulders and feet and lowered into a slippery chute. A wave of panic makes you awake from your death-like trance with a start. This sudden and unexpected resurrection makes the guards scream and drop you. They scurry away, gibbering like idiots, and you are left to slide headlong down a chute which leads to a fast-flowing underground river. You hit the cold waters head-first and are carried swiftly away by the strong undercurrent.
For several minutes you ride the river, keeping to the centre of its course to avoid being dashed against the rough rock walls of the tunnel through which it flows. Then you glimpse a moonlit opening in the distance and, a few moments later, you are tumbling from an outflow at the base of Duadon's east city wall. You fall amidst a torrent of frothing water and hit the surface of a river twenty feet below.
Immediately you strike out with your hands and rise as quickly as you can, spitting out a mouthful of foul-tasting water as soon as your head breaks the surface. The current pushes you towards the river bank where a group of beggars, clad in mouldering rags, are sifting through the flotsam that is being flushed out of the city. You note with disgust that this floating debris consists mainly of corpses, many the victims of Prince Lutha's brutal regime. The beggars take fright and scatter when you stagger out of the water. You watch them run away; then you hurry towards the beckoning safety of a wood which borders upon a rutted river road. Here you spend a damp, uncomfortable night trying to formulate a new plan of action that will enable you to reach Casiorn as quickly as possible. At length you resolve to go east and attempt to cross the River Storn to the Salonese city of Rhem, located on its east bank. It has the reputation for being a tough and lawless place but you feel sure it can be no worse than Duadon.