Read The Caverns of Kalte Online
Authors: Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund
The Caverns of Kalte (5 page)
You are lucky. Baknar are known to sleep for anything up to three days, especially after they have eaten a huge meal. This Baknar will sleep for another twenty-four hours at least. You slip past the creature, and leave the chamber.
You take careful aim and hurl the Diamond along the corridor. It bounces just in front of the Ice Barbarian and then comes to rest behind the staircase. His attention is caught by the noise and the gleam of the Diamond, and he leaves his post to investigate. You seize your opportunity to run up the stairs undetected.
You notice that one of the creatures has a Triangle of Blue Stone hanging on a chain around its neck. You may take this if you wish, and put it round your neck. Mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.
Wiping your weapon, you quickly push on, in case other Kalkoth should appear.
Apart from the Bone Swords, you also find a Dagger and a Mace, both carved from solid bone. If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to mark them on your
Action Chart
as Weapons. The Ice Barbarians also have curious Bracelets attached to their left wrists. They are plain, without mark or inscription, and appear to be made of solid gold.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense,
turn to 231
.
If you wish to take one of the Bracelets, put it on your wrist, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item, and
turn to 187
.
If you do not wish to take a Bracelet, you may continue your exploration and
turn to 63
.
You stumble along the bleak rock-face for nearly an hour, finding nowhere to shelter from the bitter wind. Unless you have rubbed Baknar oil into your skin, you lose 2
ENDURANCE
points due to the extreme cold.
If you wish to push on and continue your search for shelter,
turn to 314
.
If you wish to dig a hole in the snow with your hands and try to shelter here for the night,
turn to 205
.
Wiping your blood-spattered face, you stagger out of the cell into the wide corridor beyond. In the distance you can see a junction.
If you wish to search the Ice Barbarian's body, you must drag it into the light of the corridor and
turn to 210
.
If you wish to press on with your mission as quickly as possible, close the cell door and continue along the corridor towards the junction.
Turn to 215
.
The crevasse is opening wider and wider. You see Fenor jump clear and land safely at the edge of the chasm. You too are about to jump when you discover to your horror that your left foot is caught in the sledge ropes.
If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 43
.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter,
turn to 121
.
If you have neither of the above, pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 1–4,
turn to 226
.
If the number you have picked is 5–9,
turn to 266
.
If the number you have picked is 0,
turn to 312
.
The passage continues for a few yards before turning sharply to the east. Directly ahead, you can see light seeping from a crack in the wall. Looking closer, you see a secret door and a small stone lever. You pull the lever and the door slides open to reveal a wide, well-lit corridor. To your left, less than ten yards away, is a junction. To your right, you can see a closed stone door.
If you wish to examine the door,
turn to 203
.
If you wish to head left towards the junction,
turn to 276
.
The statue rises slowly from the altar and advances towards you. As it comes closer, you feel an intense chill radiating from its smooth, stony skin. However, its movements are stiff and uncertain — you could easily dodge its outstretched arms.
Illustration III—The statue rises slowly from the altar and advances towards you.
If you wish to attack this strange statue,
turn to 150
.
If you wish to dodge past it and run towards the archway beyond,
turn to 306
.
As the creatures leap at you from beneath the waterfall, you must fight them one at a time.
3
Kalkoth 1:
COMBAT SKILL
11
ENDURANCE
35
Kalkoth 2:
COMBAT SKILL
10
ENDURANCE
32
Kalkoth 3:
COMBAT SKILL
8
ENDURANCE
30
If you lose any
ENDURANCE
points at all during this combat,
turn immediately to 66
.
If you win the combat without losing any
ENDURANCE
points,
turn to 25
.
[3] If you have already fought these Kalkoth in a previous section, but the earlier fight only included two Kalkoth because you snuck up on the Kalkoth and killed one, ignore Kalkoth 3 in this combat.
Throwing the boy onto the sledge, you grab the whip and lash the Kanu-dogs, driving them for everything they are worth. The Ice Barbarian scouts immediately give chase, shouting to the boy in their strange Kalte language.
You have covered less than a hundred yards when the boy leaps from the sledge into a deep snowdrift. At the same time, a volley of bone-tipped arrows whistle past your head, and one grazes your shoulder. You lose 1
ENDURANCE
point. Although the boy is free, two scouts continue to pursue you; but your dog team is fast, and you have soon outdistanced them and their arrows.
By nightfall, you reach the very edge of the Viad Mountains. These awesome granite mountains rise vertically out of the ice and snow; they will be impossible to cross on this cold and moonless night. A wind rising in the west heralds a night blizzard. You must find shelter or you will die of exposure.
If you have the Kai Discipline either of Tracking or of Sixth Sense,
turn to 348
.
If you wish to search northwards,
turn to 27
.
If you wish to search southwards,
turn to 314
.
You suddenly realize that you possess an Effigy of this hideous creature. Taking the Effigy from your pocket, you hold it before you. It begins to glow with a strange iridescence that holds the creature mesmerized. Vonotar has lost control of the creature and it is yours to command. The wizard, realizing he has lost, retreats from the moat. Loi-Kymar arrives at your side. He is breathless and is trying to say something to you.
‘Use it, Lone Wolf … send it … against Vonotar!’
You will the monster to capture and hold Vonotar and it instantly obeys your command. The traitor shrieks with terror and faints as the slimy tentacles close around him. You notice Loi-Kymar hurl a handful of powdered herbs into the moat. Within seconds, a mass of vines and creepers coil upwards, forming a bridge across the moat to the Brumalmarc Throne. Once safely across, you will the creature to release Vonotar and return to the moat. Obediently it slithers into the darkness and the crystal blocks slowly rise.
‘Tie him, Lone Wolf,’ shouts Loi-Kymar, as he searches for his Guildstaff. ‘And be sure to strip him of his rings and amulets — he is a master of trickery. We would not want him to miss his special homecoming to Sommerlund.’
You follow Loi-Kymar's instructions and make sure that Vonotar is securely tied.
‘Ah! Here she is!’ the old magician eventually cries triumphantly, discovering his Guildstaff amongst the tangle of vines at the base of the throne. He is anxious to leave so you thank him for his help and pass him your map of Kalte, pointing out the position of the ship
Cardonal
.
‘I'll not be needing that,’ he replies. ‘Maps are invariably wrong; I prefer to rely on my own sense of direction.’
Loi-Kymar raises his Guildstaff and a dazzling beam of light flows from its tip. He makes three wide sweeps of the air and the Hall of the Brumalmarc is transformed into an umbrella of colour.
You get an uneasy feeling that someone or something is watching you. You leave the tent and peer into the night for some sign of life, but the snow and the darkness hide everything. Reluctantly, you return to the tent and go to sleep with one hand by your weapon in case of a surprise attack.
You climb over fifty steps before reaching the archway. As you catch your breath, you notice that a billowing and swirling veil of mist completely covers the arch, hiding whatever lies beyond. You suddenly realize that the temperature is much colder around this archway.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense and if you have reached the Kai rank of Guardian and therefore possess 7 Kai Disciplines,
turn to 341
.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, but have not yet reached the Kai rank of Guardian,
turn to 124
.
If you do not possess the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, prepare yourself for attack and pass through the archway by
turning to 264
.
In the darkness you have stepped into a narrow but very deep fissure in the ice floor. You fall over fifty feet and break both legs as you crash into a jagged outcrop of rock. You are unable to move and there is no one to rescue you.
Your life and your quest come to a tragic end here.
After ten minutes of searching the room, you discover an old fur Backpack and a long coil of Rope. You may take the Backpack only if you do not already wear one. The Rope counts as two Backpack Items, as it takes up extra space.
Finally satisfied that there is nothing else of value in this junk-filled room, you leave and continue your exploration along the east passage.
So far, so good. The guards do not seem to be paying you any attention. You pretend to adjust the laces of your boot and hide the bowl behind a pilaster. You return to the kitchen and wait for the fumes to take effect. In less than a minute, the Ice Barbarian guards have collapsed to the floor, and you can approach the hall safely. To your delight, you discover that one of the magnificent jewelled doors is unlocked. Preparing yourself for attack, you gently push the door ajar and enter Vonotar's chamber.