Grey Star the Wizard (22 page)

The dark passage seems interminably long, and the three of you are panting for breath before you reach its end. The winding tunnel opens into a large, natural cavern. You rush through the cave mouth and down the steep slope of a hill, stopping only when you reach the bottom. You gasp for breath, your chest heaving and your limbs aching.

Illustration XVI
—The dark passage seems interminably long.

If you have the Amulet of the Shianti priest,
turn to 346
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 199
.

You turn your back on the impassable cliffs and make your way to the waterfall. Here, the strange vapours of the lake are most concentrated. You lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.

If you wish to try to swim across the lake towards the waterfall, to see what lies beyond,
turn to 318
.

If you wish to make another circuit of the lake to investigate the cliffs on the other side of Lake Shenwu,
turn to 343
.

Burdened with grief, you stumble like a blind man, trailing Shan's backpack on the ground behind you like a dog on a leash. You stagger into the deepening shadows and welcome the inky darkness of nightfall. You are now friendless and alone in a barren wasteland.

If your current
ENDURANCE
total is less than 10,
turn to 319
.

If it is 10 or more,
turn to 344
.

No matter how hard you resist, the Stone continues to force its way into your mind. Every muscle in your body is tensed, and your nerves are shredded.

‘Resistance is futile,’ says Mother Magri. Her words spur you on, and you redouble your efforts. You lose 2
ENDURANCE
points as you struggle, and still the Stone drains your will.

Fortunately, it is your body that fails you first, and you slump forwards onto the floor, a beaten shell. But the purpose of your mission is safe, for the moment.

‘Such is the fate of all who refuse the truthsay of Mother Magri,’ she sneers. ‘Guards! Throw this one into the dungeon. It seems the stranger desires to hide something of importance.’ She then turns towards you, her sinister voice just penetrating your ravaged mind. ‘There are other ways of extracting the truth.’

Turn to 187
.

Suddenly, the raging assault of the Darkling Room is silent. You grab Shan, who is kneeling in the mud beside you, and drag him towards the far passage, anxious to leave before the Darkling Room can muster another attack.

You stumble into a long, winding passage and run for all you are worth.

Turn to 41
.

Using the straw of the dungeon floor to make a small fire which Shan lights by striking two stones together, you heat the mixture until the crystals have completely dissolved. You plug the stopper into the vial and shake it vigorously. When you are satisfied that the yellow potion is well mixed, you walk over to the door and sprinkle a little of the contents on the lock. A small cloud of yellow gas forms.

Shan looks on, impressed, as the metal of the lock begins to bubble and melt. You have used only half of the potion, and the lock is already eaten away. You may keep the remainder of the potion in your Herb Pouch for future use. (Mark this on your
Action Chart
as Ezeran Acid in the appropriate section.) However, you have used all your Sulphur and Saltpetre to make the potion. (Remember to erase these from your
Action Chart
, although you may keep the two empty Vials, which still count as items, in your Herb Pouch.
³⁵
)

The remnants of the lock fall away, and you push the door open. You and Shan step quietly into a corridor leading to the left and the right.

If you wish to go right,
turn to 23
.

If you wish to go left,
turn to 333
.

At the cost of 2
WILLPOWER
points, you fire into the group of workers, throwing them into confusion. The power of the Staff kills one and injures another, causing it to send a spray of its acid all around, injuring another. Seizing your chance, you burst into the centre of the confusion and make a running jump for the shaft above.

As you run, you step into a pool of acid that burns through your boot, splashing deadly droplets that sear your flesh (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points). Too breathless to cry in pain, you reach out and cling to a shallow handhold in the smooth shaft.

The confusion beneath has bought you the time you need to haul yourself up the shaft, and you climb, with agonizing slowness, to the surface.

Turn to 263
.

‘So be it, wizard,’ says the old hag. Once more, she draws the power of your assault, bending it to her will and hurling it back. ‘Farewell.’

The force of her attack ignites a wall of pain and white flame in your mind. The very fabric of your soul is torn apart, and you collapse to the ground, an empty shell.

Your life and your quest end here.

You raise your arms in a gesture of surrender and are immediately seized and led away. Your Wizard's Staff and Backpack are taken from you, and your hands are tied behind your back.
³⁶

You are frog-marched through the city and taken to a large, black stone citadel, called the Hall of Correction where, despite your pleas of innocence, you are unceremoniously dumped. ‘You can tell your story to Mother Magri now, stranger,’ growls one of the Shadakine. ‘The Test of Truth will sort you out soon enough.’

Roughly, you are pushed up a long flight of stone stairs and into a small, bare antechamber. An old woman sits at a wooden table. In front of her is a crystal ball, glowing with a dim, yellow light.

Turn to 289
.

Your sleep proves both rewarding and refreshing. You have a strange dream in which Acarya, High Wizard of the Shianti, appears before you. He raises his hands in blessing and chants gently in the tongue of his people. Briefly, you catch a glimpse of the Temple of Amida and a circle of Shianti wizards standing with their hands raised to the sky.

They have sent the power of their thoughts to aid you. Their blessing strengthens your
WILLPOWER
, increasing it by 10 points.

Turn to 247
.

Shan casts a sheepish glance at you and nervously enters the shack. After a brief pause, he returns with a relieved look on his face. ‘It's all right,’ he says, ‘the place is deserted.’

Turn to 252
.

You return to the ‘Dragon's Teeth’. Trudging through the hot sun, you lose 2
ENDURANCE
points due to dehydration and heat exhaustion.

More by luck than judgement, you come, eventually, to the Great Wall of Azakawa. Evening has begun to fall, and in the dwindling light you survey the great cliffs, stretching from east to west as far as the eye can see.

You increase your pace, wishing to reach the Azanam before nightfall.

Turn to 325
.

At the cost of 1
WILLPOWER
point
³⁷
, you burn through the vine that clasps your ankle. The force of the tendril pulling at your leg causes you to spin to the right, whipping you towards the ugly spines of the Yaku.

Shan leaps to your rescue, slashing at the tendril that threatens to drag you to your doom.

Turn to 128
.

You refuse the Shade's price, for you have heard that the dead are seldom fair.

‘Very well,’ says the old priest's spirit, ‘I cannot free you. I will, however, freely give advice, since I now perceive that you are a servant of the Shianti race, as I was. If you can find a way past the door of your cell, turn right into the corridor beyond. When you reach the end of the corridor, take the left stairway, and thereafter always turn left and always ascend until you reach the surface. In this way you will reach the gate to freedom. Take no other route, for there only death awaits. Goodbye, Grey Star, and accept my blessing.’

The old priest's Shade disappears. The cost of this Magical Power is 2
WILLPOWER
points.

Now
return to 172
and select another Power to aid your escape (you may not choose Evocation a second time).

Suddenly the jutting rock falls away, and you plunge into the gaping chasm to your death.

Your life and your quest end here.

You charge at the wounded Quoku, raising your Staff and readying yourself to deliver a great scything blow.

The enraged Quoku leaps at you, and hurriedly you jump to one side, smashing your Staff down on the creature's back. It drops to the ground, knocked senseless by your mighty blow.

Seizing your chance, you sprint away with Shan in tow.

Turn to 249
.

Taking a deep breath, you plunge into the seething mass and attempt to confront the Shadakine before more people are hurt. Buffeted and crushed by the confused and frightened Suhnese, rushing in all directions, you fight your way to the heart of the chaos.

Through a gap in the crowd you sight the two soldiers, blindly slashing at the terrified crowd. You are standing directly behind them, but the Shadakine are too close to other members of the crowd for you to risk launching an energy bolt from your Staff. Without hesitation, you charge into the fray, Staff whirling above your head. You catch the two warriors completely unawares as you attack them from behind, spurred on by a rousing cheer from the crowd. Owing to the surprise of your attack, add 4 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this combat, remembering to deduct them again as soon as the fight is over.

The Shadakine swing at you with their deadly, gleaming scimitars. You must fight them as one enemy.

Shadakine Warriors:
COMBAT SKILL
 20   
ENDURANCE
 19

If you win,
turn to 127
.

The unsuspecting guard looks on in amazement as you charge to attack. Owing to the surprise of your challenge, you may add 4 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the first two rounds of combat.

Shadakine Guard:
COMBAT SKILL
 12   
ENDURANCE
 16

You may evade this combat at any time and head for the other flight of stairs by
turning to 137
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 171
.