The Plague Lords of Ruel (26 page)

Silently, like a cat, you pad along the corridor towards a distant light. The promise of finding a laboratory has raised your hopes of a swift victory for perhaps it is here that you will find the Cenerese crafting their evil diseases.

The entrance to the laboratory is unguarded, so you slip inside its open door and hide behind one of the many stone pillars that support a cavernous roof. At the centre of the chamber you see two robed figures huddled over a stone table. Surrounding them are wooden racks filled with strange implements, scrolls, books, jars, and other paraphernalia. They appear to be tending to a large frog-like creature which lies spread-eagled upon the table, its limbs secured by coarse ropes. It is not until you are two steps away from the table that you recognize the creature to be a sloat — a beast of burden much used to tow barges along the River Storn. Your stomach churns when you see that the poor creature is being dissected whilst alive and conscious.

If you have ever visited the town of Quarlen or the ruins of Maaken in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 109
.

If you have never been to either of these locations,
turn to 247
.

The instant you slay the last creature an eerie silence envelops the site. The howling horde have ceased their dreadful caterwauling and now their mindless faces contort with sorrow as they stare at the sundered remains of the pit beasts, twitching and convulsing in the last throes of death.

You spin around to face the horde, your steely gaze taunting them to approach you if they dare. But none possesses the will to continue and slowly, one by one, they turn and melt away into the surrounding trees, like phantoms into a mist. Lying on the gore-stained ground close to the pit's edge, you notice a coil of fine copper chain. You pick it up and, in doing so, discover that it is attached to a key embedded in the mud. You can sense no aura of evil surrounding this key, and its cut and crude markings tell you nothing about its origins.

If you wish to keep this Copper Key, remember to record it on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.

You leave the pits and hurry on your way along the leafy tunnel. For several miles you progress in a near-darkness that is broken only by a few scattered rays of grey light creeping through the ceiling above. At length the tunnel ends and you emerge into a clearing where stand the derelict remains of an ancient stone dwelling. You approach it warily, sensing the presence of magic, yet inside its shattered walls you find nothing but mould and clumps of sickly black grass. Then your skills of divination tingle afresh as the presentiment of sorcery increases. Suddenly you realize that the source is not here in this ruined hut: it is approaching the hut.

Through a crack in the stones you see a gap appear in the wall of trees opposite and a group of Vazhag enter the clearing, their ratty faces sniffing at the heavy, humid air. Among their number is one who is not of their breed. He is human in size and stature, though his hooded scarlet robes make it difficult to be sure. For a moment you catch a glimpse of the glassy green mask covering his face and at once you know that this being is a Cener Druid. In his hand he carries a rod of gold that is radiating the aura of magic which you detected when first you entered the clearing.

The Cener calls his pack to a halt. They cease all movement and watch in quiet awe as he raises his golden rod and uses it to make a slow, deliberate sweep of the clearing. Hurriedly you draw on your Magnakai skills of Invisibility and Pathsmanship to shield you from detection as the Cener sweeps back the rod and levels it directly at the derelict hut.

Waves of psychic energy flow across your mind. Steadily they grow in intensity, probing and testing your defences to breaking point.

If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 44
.

If you do not possess this Grand Mastery,
turn to 298
.

The statuette is carved from solid gold. It depicts a delicate female figure with flowing hair and slender limbs. Were it not for the goat-like horns protruding from her forehead, and her long barbed tail, you would have thought this statuette to have been modelled on a beautiful human girl.

Propped against the statuette you notice a Gold Key. If you wish to take this key, record it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.

You are staring thoughtfully at the statuette when suddenly your daydreaming is disturbed by a faint sound; someone or something is moving in the antechamber.

Turn to 222
.

As the last of the rat-men succumbs to your fatal blows, you look towards the bridge to see the Cener Druid gibbering with fright. He is horrified by the ease with which you disposed of his escort. Nervously he gathers up his robe and runs for the safety of the tunnel by which he and his now-deceased underlings entered the cave. Anxious not to allow him to escape and raise the alarm, you clamber out of the shallows and pull yourself onto the drawbridge in time to see his red-robed figure disappearing along the passage.

The tunnel beyond the bridge is narrow yet well-lit and you have no difficulty following your prey. Stealthily and speedily you close upon him like a lion running to ground a frightened fawn. He glances over his shoulder repeatedly as you draw nearer; then, in desperation, he skids to a halt beneath one of the many hanging bowls which illuminate this passageway. He raises both hands as if surrendering, but as you approach him he grasps the underside of the heavy bowl and heaves it at you. Suddenly, with a sizzling rush, a gallon of blazing coal oil spills over the stone rim and comes gushing down towards your unprotected face.

If you possess Grand Nexus,
turn to 324
.

If you do not possess mastery of this Discipline,
turn to 22
.

Without a sound you raise your weapon and tense yourself in readiness to strike. The Vazhag and the Cener are unaware of your presence and, as they move to enter the south tunnel, they turn their backs on where you are hiding. It is a fatal mistake, for in this instance you launch your attack.

Like a tiger hungry for prey, swiftly and silently you bound into the cavern and strike down the two nearest rat-men with one scything blow. A mighty kick sends a third Vazhag crashing head-first into the cavern wall, and a backhanded slash puts paid to a fourth of their number, neatly parting its disease-riddled head from its shoulders. Shocked and confused, the remaining Vazhag fumble ineptly with their weapons whilst the Cener screams frantically at them to avenge their slain comrades. With ease you duck a whistling sword stroke, and then dispatch the beast with a lightning-fast stab to its heart. Your strike is executed with such economy of movement that, to the druid and the remaining Vazhag, it looks as if you hardly moved at all. For the Vazhag it is the last straw and, with a squeal of terror, it drops its torch and rusty blade and scurries for the dark safety of the south tunnel.

Cursing vilely, the Cener retreats until his red-robed back is pressed flat against the cavern wall. His mask hides his entire face, yet even so you can sense the blazing hatred that is pouring from his eyes, as if it were a stream of liquid fire. You raise your weapon and advance, eager to finish the druid swiftly, but you are halted by a sudden, unexpected pulse of psychic energy that crashes like a wave against your mind.

If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 107
.

If you do not possess this Grand Mastery,
turn to 272
.

You have entered a chamber constructed entirely of black marble and illuminated by artificial light. A dozen spheres of white flame hang motionless in mid-air near the ceiling, each positioned directly above an operating table bearing the corpse of a Slovian soldier. You are shocked to see that their skulls are open and empty. The brains float in glass tanks standing at the head of each table, yet still connected to their respective bodies by coils of thin copper wire.

Two Cenerese initiates are attending to the corpses. Their hands are sheathed in transparent gloves and they are clad in close-fitting papery suits. Startled by your dramatic entrance, they abandon their grisly work and seek the protection of their mentor, a druid who wears the hooded purple cloak of a Cenerese High Priest. He faces you across this hellish chamber, his lips drawn back in a silent, gasping snarl as he fumbles for a golden rod which is tucked into his belt.

‘Kill him!’ he commands, and he pushes his terrified students towards you. Hesitantly they draw their daggers and, being far more frightened of their tutor than of you, they advance. With swift and deadly precision you dispatch the two initiates and stride towards the priest, your weapon poised to deal a third fatal blow. The Cener spits a curse and instantly a sparking web of energy appears, writhing around the golden rod which he is now holding in his hand. Another curse, and the web becomes a lance of crackling power that comes surging towards your face.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 199
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 316
.

The creepers coil around your limbs and neck in an attempt to crush the life from your body, but you resist this attack just long enough to raise your weapon and strike back. Your first blow tears away a great swath of the writhing vines and, unexpectedly, you see a fountain of ichor erupt from every severed end. Then the realization hits you that you are fighting a creature — not a plant!

From somewhere above the canopy of branches you hear an unearthly roar of pain. Once more the remaining tendrils seek you out; this time they are no longer soft and fibrous, but stiff and studded with barbed thorns. The swirling mass strikes out for your throat. Desperately you hack at them with devastating effect, yet one of the limbs avoids your blows and wraps itself tightly about your neck. Pain fills your head and chest as its razor-sharp thorns bite deeply into your flesh and release a powerful acid.

Stragnah:
COMBAT SKILL
 36   
ENDURANCE
 39

Due to the surprise of its attack, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 3 points for the first two rounds of this combat. This creature is immune to all psychic attacks.

If you win this combat,
turn to 327
.

Quickly you unshoulder your pack and remove the Cener Robe and Mask. The garment and the mask still bear the vile smell of the creature that once owned them, making you hesitate before putting them on, but you are determined to enter Mogaruith undetected and, by wearing this Cenerese outfit, you hope to achieve that aim. (Erase the Cener Robe and Cener Mask from your list of Backpack Items, but note in the margin of your
Action Chart
that you are now wearing them.)

Once you have donned your disguise, you crawl to a clump of dense foliage at the edge of the forest and wait patiently for your opportunity to act. Eventually your patience is rewarded when you spy two Vazhag approaching Mogaruith from the Skardos Trail. They are leading on a chain what appears at first glance to be a man, although this impression is soon dispelled when they draw closer to your hiding place.

Trailing behind the Vazhag is a creature with no free will of its own, a being that was once human but is now consigned to the twilight world of the undead. The sight of this stiff-limbed zombie, propelling itself forward on withered grey limbs, fills you with revulsion and pity. With difficulty you suppress your anger at the creatures who have caused this transformation and, as the Vazhag draw level, you emerge from the foliage and order them to stop. At once the rat-men obey, deceived by your disguise and your command of the Cenerese dialect. Nervously their red eyes regard you and they shuffle uneasily as they wait for your next command.

If you wish to ask them what they are doing,
turn to 122
.

If you wish to order them to accompany you into Mogaruith,
turn to 210
.

A sharp pain runs up your left leg and, with fearful expectation, you glance down to see that a Vazhag arrow has gouged your thigh: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

You draw upon your healing skills to numb the stinging pain and, as it fades, you continue your ascent towards the winch with increased determination.

Turn to 103
.

There is a blinding flash followed by a terrible pain which fills your head. Then the pain subsides and you feel as if you are falling forwards into a dark, bottomless pit. The end of the heavy chain has lashed out and struck your skull, fracturing it badly. As you are plunged into unconsciousness, you lose your footing and fall to your doom in the hall below.

Your brave action causes the cauldron to tip its contents into the hall, thereby destroying the plague virus and the druids who know the secrets of its cultivation. This destruction has saved millions from a terrible death, and your courage in bringing this about will never be forgotten by the free peoples of Magnamund. Sadly, though, death is the price you must pay for your victory.

Your life and your quest end here in the plague hall of Mogaruith.