The Deathlord of Ixia (21 page)

Chunks of rock and crystal are raining down on your head from above, and what little remains of the stairs on which you are standing is fast crumbling away. You must act quickly to save yourself before this entire stairwell disintegrates and plummets into the hall below.

If you possess a Rope (oiled or otherwise),
turn to 246
.

If you do not,
turn to 344
.

You take up one of the crystal swords and examine it. It is a fine blade, but one that was not crafted for a human hand. You replace it in the rack before leaving this chamber and climbing the stairs to the ice-cavern. Here you wait in the shadows for a chance to escape by the only other exit — the open archway in the east wall.

Turn to 7
.

The dozen or so winged creatures that surround the ailing Tagazin appear to be urging him on towards the Shadow Gate. Your hopes of returning to your home world rose when first you saw the whirling vortex, but now a familiar sensation of fear returns to chill your blood. The thought occurs to you that if Tagazin should enter the Shadow Gate before you, the dragon-creatures may be able to close it behind him and deny you the chance of ever escaping from this evil domain. It is a risk you cannot afford to take.

Drawing your weapon, you race along the track in pursuit of the Demonlord, grimly determined to prevent him from reaching the Shadow Gate alive.

If you possess Assimilance,
turn to 347
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 38
.

The instant you strike the final blow that consigns the Ziog to its doom, it drops to the deck and crumbles like ancient parchment.

An unhuman cry arises from the skeleton horde grouped on the quay. They come charging down the gangplank towards you, hungry for vengeance. Instinctively you draw your weapon and strike the plank a mighty blow. The wood splits cleanly in two and both sections collapse, dumping the onrushing skeletons unceremoniously into the harbour's freezing water.

If you wish to examine the Ziog's remains,
turn to 88
.

If you do not wish to approach the Ziog's body,
turn to 329
.

When you reach the stone roof, you notice an opening at its centre, partially overgrown with barbed creepers. A closer look reveals a flight of steps, thick with slime, which descend into the darkness of the building which now lies trapped below the surface of the swamp. You are peering into this hellish gloom when suddenly your Kai senses alert you to an approaching threat.

Illustration XIV
—A horde of bloated corpse-things, humanoid horrors, and skeletal warriors approaches you.

You spin around to see a horde of monstrous shapes come streaming along the mossy ridge which you have just travelled. Bloated corpse-things jostle with humanoid horrors and skeletal warriors whose bones are gnawed with decay. It is a ghastly sight — a regiment of Chaos-creatures, drawn here by the scent of human prey. You shiver with dread, for clearly you are the prey they seek.

If you wish to evade these approaching Chaos-creatures by descending the steps inside the sunken stone building,
turn to 259
.

If you choose to stand and fight the advancing horde,
turn to 145
.

You recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Strength
, and within seconds, your body surges with newfound energy. You increase your pace until you are running at three times your previous speed. Within a matter of seconds you close upon Tagazin, your weapon drawn in preparation to strike at him as you pass by, but the Demonlord sees that he can no longer outdistance you and he stops to block your path. He is weaker than before, but he has lost none of his devilish cunning.

As you come to within striking distance, suddenly he leaps at your chest and brings you crashing to the loamy ground.

Demonlord Tagazin (injured):
COMBAT SKILL
 45   
ENDURANCE
 45

This being is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

Conduct this combat for one round only.

If Tagazin is killed outright during this single round of combat,
turn to 33
.

If he is not,
turn to 301
.

You hit the snow and roll beneath the ice-shelf barely seconds before the leading edge of the avalanche comes roaring down. Tons of rock and ice engulf your shelter, causing part of it to collapse and trap your feet: lose 5
ENDURANCE
points.

When at last the terrible roaring ceases and, somewhat to your surprise, you realize that you are still alive, you begin the slow and laborious process of digging yourself out of this icy tomb.

Turn to 179
.

You hit the floor with a numbing jolt that takes your breath away, and leaves you partially concussed: lose 5
ENDURANCE
points.

If you survive this fall,
turn to 36
.

You are about to turn away from the window and engage Captains Lanza and Prarg in conversation, when suddenly a loud, discordant bell rings out from above. The sound transfixes Lanza's face with shock.

‘By the gods!’ he splutters. ‘It's the alarm bell — we're under attack!’

Turn to 181
.

You project a powerful blast of Kai-surge at the group but, to your dismay, it does not affect them.
¹⁴
One of the target creatures utters a sound that resembles a mocking laugh and, from a pocket of its tattered black robe, it draws a silvery rod which it levels at your head. Reflexively you dive for cover, avoiding certain decapitation as a searing bolt of energy surges from its tip. It passes within inches of your back before impacting against a distant pillar of crystal.

As you scramble to your feet, you see all three of the creatures gliding towards you across the snow.

If you wish to attempt to evade these ghoulish attackers,
turn to 256
.

If you choose to stand and fight them,
turn to 35
.

You tear yourself away from the horde and retreat to the stairs. With the hideous gibbering shrieks of the Chaos-creatures echoing in your ears, you hurry down the slime-smeared steps into the claustrophobic depths of this sunken building. At first the alien cries of your pursuers sound hungry and frantic, like those of a ravenous pack of starving wolves denied their prey, but suddenly you realize that they are not cries of hunger at all — they are howls of glee. The Chaos-creatures are enjoying the sight of you rushing headlong to your doom!

You skid to a halt but it is already too late. With chilling abruptness, the slimy stairs open up and you fall feet-first into a deep, dark pit.

Turn to 59
.

The great alien vessel looms towards your ship, its jaw-like prow hinged open as if in readiness to bite you in half. Then, with stunning swiftness, your entire craft is consumed by this onrushing vessel, swallowed up in its great jaws. There is a moment of deadly silence. Then, in the morbid, greenish gloom, you hear a bubbling rush of icy water echoing through the vast depths of this gullet. With fearful anticipation you unsheathe your weapon, move towards the ship's rail, and then look down. The surrounding seawater is fast draining away, leaving your ship dry-docked upon a long, V-shaped plinth which glistens like polished bone. The bubbling subsides, to be replaced by another noise — the sound of a great portal grinding open. Bright light streams across the deck, blazing down from an archway which is opening close to the starboard bow. Silhouetted in this light are a hundred moving forms, each man-sized and armed with a sword or a spear. A ghastly howl of anger arises from their ranks when they see unexpectedly that the ship is crewed by living men. As the first of their number leap from the arch and crash upon the deck, you recognize their form. Once these creatures were Drakkarim warriors; now they are undead slaves in the service of the Ixian Deathlord. You shout to the Lencians to prepare for battle as the first wave of undead Drakkarim comes surging forwards.

If you wish to stand and fight the first wave of Drakkarim undead,
turn to 260
.

If you choose to evade their attack,
turn to 163
.

You draw your weapon and fight with blinding speed in order to save yourself from these chittering horrors.

Dentaag:
COMBAT SKILL
 51   
ENDURANCE
 38

These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

If you win the fight,
turn to 149
.

The moment you draw your divine blade, the bodies of your attackers undergo a swift and gruesome transformation. The radiant golden light of your sword washes over them, causing their torsos to implode with dramatic effect. They barely have time to cry out in agony as their twisted remains hit the floor and crumble to dust.

You sheathe the Sommerswerd and step away from the foul-smelling mounds of dust. But as you turn towards the archway that these fell creatures were guarding, you are confronted by a terrifying sight. Framed in the archway is the awesome figure of Deathlord Ixiataaga himself, the Deathstaff raised high in his ungodly hand. He has sensed the presence of the Sommerswerd and he has come to destroy it. Stunned by his awful visage, you fail to react in time to save yourself. You see a flash of white light explode at the tip of the staff and, in the very next instant, you feel agonizing pain shoot through every part of your body. Then an explosion of white-hot fire obliterates your senses and, in a terrifying instant, the light that is your life is snuffed out.

Tragically, you have fallen victim to the Deathlord and his staff of unholy power. Your life and your quest end here.

You pray to the God Kai to watch over you as you steel yourself to meet these attacking skeletal warriors.
¹⁵

Ixian Undead:
COMBAT SKILL
 46   
ENDURANCE
 55

If you win the combat,
turn to 152
.

You advance slowly along the slippery foredeck towards steps which ascend to the raised stern of this alien vessel. Every inch of its coal-black timbers are decorated with strange and intricate carvings, and archaic symbols embellish the metal rails which encircle its gunwales. Drawing on your Grand Master Disciplines, you determine that this vessel was not constructed by the unhuman creatures who crewed it, but that it is an ancient ship, built and crafted by a race of mariners who have long since disappeared into the mists of time. Closer examination of the timbers reveals it to be more than eleven thousand years old.

You climb to the wheelhouse, which stands in the centre of the stern deck, and discover there a large, glassy sphere mounted upon an ornate base of glittering black stone. A low hum and a faint greenish glow radiate from this sphere, which in turn is connected by silver tubes and strands of braided metal to the wheel which steers the craft. After careful study of the controls you feel confident that you could sail the vessel.

Prarg enters the wheelhouse and announces that, having thoroughly searched the bow and below deck areas, he is sure that it is empty — no hidden enemies are lurking aboard.

‘Well, Grand Master,’ he continues, staring bemusedly at the strange workings of this craft, ‘this is a rum craft and no mistake. Are you sure it can carry you to Ixia?’

‘Yes, I'm sure,’ you reply. ‘In fact I'm certain that it will be safer to sail the Tozaz in this ship than to attempt the crossing in any ice-boat bearing the Lencian flag.’

Prarg looks out of the wheelhouse window at the sunken remains of the ice-boat, and says: ‘I hope you're right, Grand Master. I sincerely hope you're right.’

Turn to 18
.

Using your Magnakai skills, you magnify your vision in order to better see the new enemy that is descending towards you from out of the sky. However, despite your visual ability, they are too distant for you to be able to make them out clearly. All you can discern is that they are accelerating at an ever-increasing rate.

You increase your own pace, determined more than ever now to reach the Shadow Gate before either Tagazin, or his new wave of helpers, can stop you.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Knight or higher,
turn to 53
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 185
.