The Deathlord of Ixia (26 page)

The freezing winds of the abyss tear mercilessly at your body as you tumble headlong through this cold and lightless void. You scream with anguish but hear nothing, not even the sound of your own voice, for sound does not exist in the airless limbo of a Shadow Gate. You are in no-space, falling helplessly between two planes of existence.

You are on the brink of unconsciousness when, with shocking abruptness, you splash face-first into a warm and stinking mire. Coughing and retching, you stagger to your feet and claw the oily muck from your stinging eyes. When you prise open your gluey eyelids, the sight which greets your disbelieving gaze is wholly unlike that of frigid Ixia. You find yourself knee-deep in steaming mud, surrounded by a hot and humid jungle of dense vegetation. Your Kai senses detect an all-consuming aura of evil which saturates this swampy land, warning you that this foul, stinking mire is part of the Plane of Darkness — the domain of the Dark God Naar. You scan the fetid landscape and sense that you are not alone — Tagazin is here, beyond the range of your vision but, nevertheless, not too far distant.
¹⁷

A sense of helplessness assails your spirit, feeding a growing fear that you have failed your mission. Your only hope is to find another Shadow Gate through which you can escape from this nightmare plane and return to your home world. Weary and despondent, you trudge through the slime towards a ridge of firm ground which is carpeted with lime-green moss. You sense Tagazin's presence somewhere in this direction and you cling to the faint hope that he may be able to lead you to the Shadow Gate you seek.

Turn to 95
.

From your hiding place among the boulders you watch the activities of the loathsome undead. The causeway and jetty are teeming with cadaverous soldiers who, under the direction of several spindly, black-clad creatures, are busily transferring materials to and from the ice-boats and the open mouth of the submarine. The tunnel entrance lies only two hundred yards away, yet reaching it without being detected by the enemy looks to be a near-impossible task. You are trying to formulate a plan of action when suddenly you notice a means by which you can achieve your goal.

The track, which branches away from the causeway and leads to the tunnel entrance, passes close beside your hiding place. Every so often a wagon loaded with equipment trundles along this track towards the jetty, and an empty one trundles back. When the next empty wagon appears, you get ready to abandon your hiding place and leap aboard its open tailgate.

Patiently you observe your chosen wagon. It is being hauled by a shaggy, grey-furred beast of burden which is harnessed by heavy leather straps. As it trundles past the boulders you break cover, leap aboard the tail, and hide yourself from sight beneath a greasy, foul-smelling tarpaulin. Through a crack in its ancient wooden planks you watch with trepidation as the wagon moves slowly towards the tunnel entrance. It enters the tunnel, unchallenged by the skeletal warriors who stand guard here, and ascends a gentle gradient to another ice-walled cavern. Several passages connect at this point from all directions, like the spokes of a giant wheel converging at the hub.

Turn to 156
.

You recognize the officer at once — it is your friend and former guide, Captain Prarg.

‘We meet again, Captain,’ you say, as you shake his hand gladly in friendship.

‘Aye, Grand Master. It is an honour to serve you once more.’

Turn to 83
.

Groaning from the pain of your wound, you stagger to your feet and barge your way through the skeletal warriors who are now clustered in the doorway to the cell. The speed of your action, so soon after receiving a wound that would have killed outright any lesser mortal, takes the group by surprise and leaves them sprawled helplessly on the ground. By the time they have untangled themselves and found their feet, you are nowhere to be seen.

When you are sure that you are not being followed, you pause for a few moments to attend to your wounded stomach. Once you have staunched the bleeding, you then use your Magnakai skill of Nexus in an attempt to determine the location of your missing weapons and equipment. You sense they are not too distant and, guided by your intuition, you go off along an adjoining passageway in search of them.

The dingy, ice-caked tunnel wends its way deeper into the bowels of this vast alien vessel. You explore a series of empty holds, where the walls are braced with gleaming crystal girders, and pass through low-ceilinged chambers that, despite the biting chill, reek of death and decay. At length your search ends at a great grey door which is guarded by two undead Drakkarim warriors, armed with spears. The noises you heard earlier have now ceased, and so has the movement of the vessel; you sense that this craft is no longer at sea.

From the cover of a curving crystal bulkhead, you spy silently upon the Drakkarim guards while you consider your next move.

If you wish to attack the guards with your bare hands,
turn to 243
.

If you choose instead to use your Magnakai mind Disciplines upon the guards,
turn to 336
.

Intuition prompts you to take out the Onyx Key from your tunic pocket; it is identical to the one lying beneath the glass dome. You then try it in the door and find that it fits perfectly. You twist the key counter-clockwise, unlocking the door; then you pocket the key before passing through into the chamber beyond.

To continue,
turn to 120
.

Your lightning-fast reactions save you from being run through by the spiked helm. Tagazin goes charging past, but as you roll over and spring to your feet, you see that he has already turned around and is now bearing down on you for a second time.

Demonlord Tagazin (with Power Helm):
COMBAT SKILL
 55   
ENDURANCE
 48

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

If you win this combat,
turn to 40
.

For three minutes you swim underwater towards the distant shoreline, covering more than half the distance between the submarine and the entrance to the tunnel, but the icy water and the sheer exertion of swimming fully clothed and equipped conspire to sap your strength. You are fast becoming desperate for oxygen, and you now risk potentially deadly muscle cramps if you do not surface in the next few seconds.

If you possess some Sabito,
turn to 13
.

If you do not possess any Sabito,
turn to 274
.

You hurry down the steps to the base of the watchtower and sprint along a slate-cobbled avenue which leads directly to the harbour. As you run, you see Captain Lanza with some of his garrison troops engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat against a maniacal horde of skeletal warriors. The fighting is blocking the road which leads down to the quay, so you slip into an adjoining alley in the hope of finding another route to the ice-boat. You emerge from the alley and turn towards the harbour, only to find yourself confronted by a howling mass of fiery-eyed skeletons. You barely manage to unsheathe your weapon in time to defend yourself from their crazed attack.

Illustration XVIII
—Captain Lanza fights the maniacal horde of skeletal warriors.

Ixian Undead:
COMBAT SKILL
 43   
ENDURANCE
 52

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

You may evade combat after three rounds by
turning to 295
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 48
.

Squatting upon a plinth of stone arising from out of the floor is a huge, snarling, jackal-like creature which you recognize immediately. It is the Demonlord Tagazin, the supernatural beast which you encountered many years earlier during your quest to the dungeons of Torgar.

The unexpected sight of this creature, whom you fought, defeated, but did not destroy all those years ago, sends a shiver of dread coursing down your spine. Your Kai instincts tell you that Tagazin is slave to Ixiataaga — he is the Deathlord's loyal companion.

Tagazin, too, recognizes you to be a former adversary. He recalls his ignominious defeat at your hand and, enraged by this bitter memory, he leaves the plinth and comes stalking towards you. Venom drips from his bared fangs and murder glows darkly from the depths of his nightmarish eyes.

Turn to 254
.

The lightning strike leaves you dazed and shaken yet you have survived it without lasting injury. Your improved Kai Mastery enabled your body to withstand the massive jolt of electricity and discharge it away harmlessly into the ground.

You stagger to your feet and unsling your smouldering Backpack. After smothering with snow the parts which have been scorched by lightning, you unbuckle the flap to discover that two items have been completely destroyed. (Erase two items of your own choosing from your Backpack list.)

Thankful to have survived the strike unharmed, you shoulder your Backpack and hurry the remaining few yards towards the welcoming shelter of the cave.

Turn to 146
.

Using your Kai Mastery, you are able to see patterns in the ultraviolet spectrum of light. You recognize that the light which is pouring from the holes in the side of this diabolical machine is very similar to that which normally radiates from the sun, but it is abnormally intense. A tingle of fear runs along your spine the moment you realize that the ghostly rays are a deadly threat to any living creature.

Turn to 127
.

For five hours you stay in hiding, listening to the noises which echo through distant parts of the vessel that has swallowed your ship. During this period, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

Gradually you become aware that this mysterious craft is slowing down as if in preparation to dock. Anxious to escape, and doubly anxious to discover the fate of the crew, you leave your hiding place and climb the stairs to the deck above.

Turn to 153
.

The terrible pain of the injuries you have sustained drags you groaning to the floor. For several minutes you lie on the coal-black tiles, half-blinded and racked by nausea, until your natural Kai healing abilities mend the damage sufficiently for you to be able to go on. When your strength returns, you stagger to your feet and hurry away towards the shadowy exit, eager to distance yourself from the debilitating power that arcs between the pillars.

Turn to 300
.

You sprint across the rubble and rush through the collapsing archway. But in your desperate hurry to escape you slip on a chunk of crystal and fall heavily against a pilaster, gashing your head. Dazed with concussion, you fail to move out of the way in time to avoid being crushed to death by a falling keystone.

Your incredible courage has brought about the defeat of the evil Deathlord, saving untold millions from an eternity of slavery in his service. So long as there is Good upon Magnamund you will never be forgotten. Sadly, though, death is the price you have paid for this victory.

Your life and your quest end here in Xaagon.

You arc through the smoke and flame towards the harbour wall and land on the quayside with a jolt that leaves you breathless. Fortunately, your agility and Kai skills save you from injury and you quickly regain your composure. Minutes later you are joined by Captain Lanza and his men, all of whom are clearly amazed that you are still alive.

‘We have this enemy beaten,’ yells Lanza. ‘We've slain more than half their number and the rest have their backs to the sea. Will you help us finish the job, Grand Master?’

‘Gladly,’ you reply. ‘For Kai and Ishir, we'll dispatch them all to meet their unholy maker!’

Turn to 340
.

In their frenzy to get at you, many of the Chaos Horde tumble headlong into the pit to be consumed by the creatures which lurk within its slime-filled base. Soon you have thinned their ranks sufficiently for you to be able to leap over the scuttling, severed remains, and make a swift escape up the steps to the surface.

Without looking back, you leave the stone roof and hurry away along the mossy ridge towards a thicket of mist-enshrouded trees. As you pass through this eerie wood, you detect the presence of Tagazin once more. Fresh tracks indicate his direction and determinedly you set off, finding it an easy task to follow his clawed footprints in the loamy soil. They lead you through a tangle of saw-toothed briar and up a gently sloping rise. As you crest the top of the rise, you look upon an awe-inspiring sight.

Turn to 150
.