Grey Star the Wizard (19 page)

The soldier Mantiz springs into action, rushing forward to meet your charge. It is a swift and deadly opponent, and you will need all your skill to break through the dizzying slash and thrust of its large forelegs and nipping pincers. You cannot evade and must fight the soldier Mantiz to the death.

Soldier Mantiz:
COMBAT SKILL
 14   
ENDURANCE
 10

If you win the combat,
turn to 290
.

A piercing cry wakes you with a start. The sickly, old Shianti priest is sitting bolt upright in bed, silhouetted by the pale rays of the moon that shine through the high window of your cell.

‘A vision, a vision,’ he cries, ‘sent from my masters.’ He turns and points a gnarled finger towards you. ‘You … ’ he shouts, ‘you must be helped … Come closer, young one.’ He rises to his feet, stumbles towards you and whispers in your ear. ‘I would repay your kindness,’ he says, leaning forward. ‘No doubt, you and your friend wish to escape from this terrible place?’ he asks. Quickly you nod your assent; pressing the old man to continue. ‘In my time here, I have learned the safest route of escape. Other prisoners have told me of it.’ His strained, bloodshot eyes pierce yours with a mad ferocity. ‘I know no way of passing through the door of this cell, but the way beyond the dungeon door is — ’

Suddenly he gives a great sigh and falls to the floor. With tears in your eyes, you turn to Shan, who looks anxiously at you. ‘He is dead,’ you say, sorrowfully. The merchant hangs his head. ‘Then we are doomed,’ he groans.

Turn to 62
.

You slash the tip of your Wizard's Staff across the tendril that is wrapped around your ankle. At the cost of 1
WILLPOWER
point,
³⁰
you burn through the tough vine and free your foot. You clamber to your feet only to see the tendrils of another Yaku plant snaking towards you.

With a frightened yell Shan falls to the ground; a Yaku tendril is coiled around both his legs. He hacks at it desperately with his sword.

If you wish to free Shan by attacking the tendril that drags him towards the waving spines of the Yaku,
turn to 204
.

If you wish to strike at the heart of the Yaku plant that attacked you,
turn to 229
.

If you wish to loose a bolt of energy at the centre of the Yaku plant attacking Shan (at long range),
turn to 254
.

Dodging around the limestone pillars, you enter a sloping defile. It is very steep and requires considerable effort, reducing your climb to a crawl.

Finally, you reach the top and pause for breath. The narrow pass opens on to an open plain of sun-baked rock and cracked stones, broken only by sparse lines of gullies and ravines.

You turn and look back along the pass. Shan has fallen far behind, having covered less than half the distance up the slope. To your horror and amazement, you see a creature enter the far end of the defile. It is the wounded Quoku, its body caked with black blood. The creature refuses to die! It creeps along painfully, drawing inexorably nearer to Shan who seems unaware of the danger below.

If you wish to shout a warning to Shan,
turn to 282
.

If you would prefer to hurry to his side,
turn to 257
.

Since the corpse of the Shianti priest is still in the dungeon with you, you decide to summon his departed spirit and ask for its aid. With a wedge of rock, you scratch out a ragged pentacle in the dirt of the dungeon floor. Taking a deep breath, you slowly and carefully fall into a trance state. You focus on the body of the dead priest, sending out an echoing call to the spiritual plane. Your mind fills with the groaning cries of disembodied spirits and visions of phantoms with strange, pale faces.

Shan the merchant backs away in terror as the translucent Shade of the old priest materializes above its discarded, earthly body, shimmering with a silvery light that illuminates the darkness of the cell. ‘I have come, Grey Star,’ the Shade says in a hollow voice. ‘My aid I give thee, but you must pay the price of the dead if I am to free you. Wilt thou pay this price?’

Your heart is full of fear as you realize that you must agree to the dead man's price without knowing what it will be.

If you wish to accept the dead priest's bargain,
turn to 326
.

If you feel that you must refuse,
turn to 305
.

Just as the two soldiers break through the wall of injured and fleeing people, the illusion takes effect.

‘Let me down. Let me down!’ an old woman croaks angrily. The approaching warriors and those who carry you on their shoulders stare at you in disbelief. You have transformed yourself into an old woman carrying a walking stick, or at least that is what the others see.

‘Torment a poor old woman would you?’ you screech, thumping those nearby on the back, slapping a few heads and tweaking an ear or two before prodding a Shadakine warrior with your Staff. ‘And as for you,’ you cry indignantly, ‘have you no shame? Order this rabble to let me down and show some respect for a woman of my years.’ With this, you begin another shower of slaps and thumps to the great amusement of the Shadakine.

Slowly, you are lowered to the ground. Grumbling, you hobble away while puzzled and suspicious eyes look on. However, the Shadakine Warriors are completely fooled, slapping their thighs and roaring with laughter as the stunned crowd disperses in angry silence. A sense of unrest emanates from those who remain behind, and you know that you must leave the harbour area quickly, before your illusion is challenged. An illusion is easily dispelled by one who disbelieves in the image or picture that Enchantment places in the mind, and a visual illusion is hard to maintain for long periods, as details tend to fade and waver after a time, losing their consistency and revealing flaws to the cynical observer.

If you want to leave by the main entrance to the harbour,
turn to 50
.

If you would prefer to turn into a dark, narrow street leading from the harbour area,
turn to 40
.

You enter the shack and see dust-laden furniture and a clutter of spades, picks, and sieves stacked in one corner. Suddenly a yellow-spotted lizard scuttles out from under the table and dashes towards you.

‘It's all right,’ says Shan. ‘It's a Jerbokan — they're harmless.’ The frightened lizard scampers past you and out through the door.

Shan begins to rummage around while telling you that the former occupants were probably jade prospectors, since the Azan River is said to carry deposits of jade, the precious stone used to make Noble pieces. He finds some appetising smoked meat and shares it equally, offering you enough food for 5 Meals. (Remember to mark these on your
Action Chart
.) A further search reveals nothing else of value, and you leave the shack.

Turn to 327
.

You have climbed only halfway up the steps when the door at the top is thrown open by a Shadakine guard. He regards you with shocked surprise.

If you wish to turn and run back down the stairs and head for the other stairway,
turn to 80
.

If you wish to attack the Shadakine guard,
turn to 324
.

With your eye, you trace the tendril that holds Shan back to the main stem. Taking careful aim, you fire at the heart of the plant, destroying it easily at the cost of 2
WILLPOWER
points. Immediately Shan is released and he scrambles over to your side as two more creepers wind themselves around your legs. The creepers belong to different Yaku plants, and you feel yourself being pulled in two directions at once. Again you drop to the ground and howl in agony as the two Yaku plants attempt to wrench your body apart.

Turn to 279
.

The speeding chariot swerves into a skid and turns over onto its side, throwing the two Shadakine warriors from the vehicle as it flips over. Unfortunately, they are both unharmed, and they jump quickly to their feet and charge towards you, scimitars drawn. It is too late to avoid the attack and in order to protect your unarmed companions, you must fight the Shadakine to the death!

2 Shadakine warriors:
COMBAT SKILL
 15   
ENDURANCE
 25

If you win the combat,
turn to 75
.

The Quoku keep their distance, circling above your heads in lazy spirals. You crouch behind the cover of the large, overhanging rock, trying to guess their next move. ‘Why don't they attack?’ asks Shan. ‘You must have given them a scare. Perhaps they've given up?’

‘They're surprised, not scared,’ you reply. ‘They're planning their next move. While we're holed up in these rocks they lose the advantage of attacking from the air; we're too enclosed for them.’

Daylight has almost faded when the Quoku fly in a line towards you, each one coming as close as it dares before turning away. Soon they are swooping so close that you find it hard to resist the urge to duck.

A large rock crashes to the ground by your feet, followed by another. ‘They've been ranging-in on us,’ you say, ‘judging the distance before hurling rocks at us.’ Another rock thuds to the ground, dangerously close.

‘Their aim is improving,’ Shan remarks.

You cannot remain where you are any longer: you are sitting targets. You resolve to make a break for it, and begin to judge the frequency of the stone-throwing Quoku. ‘Now — run!’ you shout to Shan.

You burst out into the open to a cacophony of Quoku cries. In seconds, you realize your mistake: you have played into their hands. Poised on top of the overhanging rock is the largest Quoku you have ever seen. The huge monster rears up, its yellow eyes glaring with hatred, the poison glistening upon the warts of its slime-encrusted flesh. It leaps and swoops down on you.

If you wish to stand and fight the Quoku as it hurtles upon you,
turn to 281
.

If you prefer to keep running,
turn to 107
.

You drop back down the slope, half running, half sliding on the gravel of the gully. With Shan at your back, you confront the unyielding Quoku once more.

Using the advantage of standing on the higher ground, you deal the Quoku a crushing blow, sending it tumbling down the slope in a landslide of loose stones and dust. It finally comes to rest in the scree. Your attack has cost you 1
WILLPOWER
point.
³¹

Turn to 174
.