Vampirium (25 page)

As you gallop over the crest of the ridge, you see the first rays of dawn sunlight brightening the eastern horizon. You continue to ride at a swift pace for you are anxious to put as much distance as possible between yourselves and your pursuers, but as the sun illuminates the way ahead, you catch sight of a dense forest stretching across the southern horizon like a long dark wall.

‘That's the Vanchou,’ calls out Gildas. ‘I've heard tell it's haunted.’

The trail continues due south towards the centre of this forbidding timberland and, as you draw steadily closer, you feel an unnatural chill radiating from its tangle of sickly-coloured pines. You are inclined to disbelieve that it is haunted, yet you do not relish the thought of riding through it. Then a sudden sense of unease makes you glance over your shoulder, and your heart skips a beat when you see that the Imperial Guards are gaining fast; they are now less than 3 miles distant.

If you wish to leave the trail and ride east across grasslands,
turn to 250
.

If you choose to stay on the trail and enter the Vanchou Forest,
turn to 143
.

You tear the scrap of papyrus into small pieces and swallow them to ensure that Rimoah's message will not be discovered by the enemy. Then you return to the mountain pass to rejoin Captain Gildas and his men, but upon arriving there you discover that his ambush has failed. Gildas triggered a rockfall to block the pass, but the Autarch's men used the Claw of Naar to blow their way through the resulting obstruction. In the ensuing fight, Ranger Durasso was killed and Sergeant Paviz was wounded in the shoulder. You use your Kai healing skills to numb the sergeant's pain, and then you scan the trail leading south from the pass for signs of the enemy squad. In the failing light you glimpse their black-clad forms hurrying away along the trail which leads towards the Bhanarian Plain.

Gildas and his rangers are too shocked after their deadly encounter with Autarch Sejanoz's guards to attempt an immediate pursuit. You inform the dazed captain that Lord Rimoah was forced to flee in order to save
Cloud-dancer
and his crew from the attacking horde, and he nods his head in silence. You also tell him of the message that Rimoah left behind. Then you hear Ranger Yalin shouting a warning: the flying creatures are returning. Hurriedly you take cover among the rocks and watch as they circle above the pass. Your Kai instincts tell you that these beasts cannot survive for long beyond the mountain borders of the Doomlands, and soon you see them returning north to Naaros. When the last of the creatures has disappeared, you beckon Gildas and his men to follow you down onto the mountain trail. Here you discover the bodies of two Imperial Guards who were caught by the rockslide ambush and crushed to death.

If you wish to search their pockets and backpacks,
turn to 80
.

If you choose to ignore them, you may leave the pass by
turning to 291
.

A swift search of his chamber uncovers the following items:

• Dagger
  
• Axe
  
• Laumspur (sufficient for 3 doses. Each dose is an individual Backpack Item. One dose will restore 4
  ENDURANCE
  points when swallowed after combat.)
  
• Food (enough for 3 Meals)
  
• Bow
  
• Bar of Soap
  
• 5 Arrows
  
• Sword
  
• 100 Ren (equivalent to 10 Gold Crowns)
  

If you wish to keep any of the above items, make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
.

To leave the chamber and return to the rangers,
go to 125
.

Hurriedly you draw an Arrow to your Bow and take aim at the woman. She sees you but she seems undaunted by your threat. You release your Arrow and send it arcing through the air, but as it falls towards her it passes through a shimmering wall of heat and erupts into flame.

Fearing that you could be facing a powerful sorceress, you shoulder your Bow and try to think of a more effective weapon to use against her.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 151
.

If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 53
.

If you possess Elementalism and wish to use it,
turn to 124
.

If you possess Kai-surge and wish to use it,
turn to 281
.

If you possess none of these skills, or if you choose not to use them,
turn instead to 164
.

You tell Gildas and his men to keep a lookout, and then you kneel in front of the doors and examine the keyhole. You discover that the doors are fitted with a formidable lock, and you suspect that you may have to resort to force to open it.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 65
.

If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 263
.

If you possess neither of these skills, or if you choose not to use them,
turn to 324
.

Gildas and his men emerge from beneath the bridge and they each choose a stallion. They are all expert horsemen, and they are able to make bridles and saddlecloths from ropes and blankets that they have stored in their packs. Within the hour, all four of you are ready to leave the bridge and ride south in pursuit of the enemy.

Before you set off, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 130
.

The creature spits out your rope, but it is angered by your mental commands and it comes speeding towards you, its jaw agape in readiness to swallow you whole. You must fight it.

Sligza:
COMBAT SKILL
 49   
ENDURANCE
 22

This enemy is immune to Mindblast (but not Kai-surge).

If you win the combat,
turn to 328
.

You take a single Gold Crown from your belt pouch and toss it onto the floor (remember to erase this Crown from your
Action Chart
). The fortune-teller scurries after the coin like a cat after a mouse. While he is searching for it, you leave the table and stride towards the tavern door with Gildas and his men following close behind.

To continue,
turn to 295
.

You draw an Arrow to your Bow and take aim at one of the leading Xanon as it comes charging through a puddle of crude oil.

If you possess Magi-magic and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher,
turn to 6
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 34
.

You magnify your vision and see that the approaching figures are Bhanarians. Armed with swords and spears, they are all clad in black quilted tunics edged with gold braid and emblazoned with the tiger's-head emblem of Autarch Sejanoz. They are clearly a unit of Imperial Guards from the Autarch's court in Otavai. As the squad of twelve guardsmen draws nearer, your Kai Sixth Sense tells you that something is wrong. These are élite soldiers of the Autarch's personal bodyguard, yet they seem to have forgotten basic military practice: they have placed no scouts at the head of their squad to check that the way ahead is clear.

If you possess Grand Huntmastery and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Lord,
turn to 49
.

If you do not possess this Discipline, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai rank,
turn instead to 74
.

As you gallop through the stables, you quickly recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and raise your right arm. You point your outstretched fingers towards the closing doors and a crackling bolt of blue fire leaps from your fingertips. It strikes one of the troopers who is attempting to bar your escape, and it sends him cartwheeling across the straw-covered ground. His companion slams shut one door, blocking half of the doorway, but there is still space enough for you and your companions to make good your escape into the street beyond. As you gallop through the narrowed exit, you steer your horse to the right and race away along a cobblestoned street.

Turn to 14
.

You show the Tiger Ring to the sergeant and he nods his approval. Believing that you and your companions are the Autarch's secret agents, he steps aside and allows you to enter the barracks.

Turn to 110
.

You steel yourself for the act you are about to commit; then you draw back your Kai Weapon and deal the creature a stabbing blow to its chest. With a chilling cry, the beast crumples to the ground and begins to shrink and change. Within the space of a few fleeting seconds the transformation is complete, and you find yourself staring with disbelief at the wounded body of a frail old man.

Instinctively, you rush to his side and cradle his greying head in the crook of your arm. Then you attempt to relieve the pain of his chest wound by the use of your Kai healing skills. You lay your right hand upon his chest and transmit the power of your healing into the wound. You feel some of your energy draining from your body (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points) as the mending process takes place, but when finally you remove your hand, you discover that no trace of the wound remains.

To continue,
turn to 76
.

Only the swiftness of your reactions saves you and your companions from a watery death. You race back along the hill road, through the blinding rain, with a surging torrent of mud and debris chasing you all the way. Trees are uprooted and loose boulders are sent hurtling into the air by the destructive force of this merciless flow.

You succeed in outrunning the mudslide but at some cost. Your horses are so drained by the ordeal that two of them die of exhaustion, and a third becomes too lame to continue. You are forced to abandon them and continue your journey on foot. You head east, and take shelter on a wooded hillside while you wait for the rains to abate.

While you are resting, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 59
.

There is a blinding flash of scarlet light upon the instant that your blade strikes the shaft of the Claw, and a searing wave of energy sends you crashing backwards to the ground: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

Dazed and gasping for breath, you drag yourself to your feet and approach the altar stone which is now wreathed with trails of grey smoke. To your dismay, you discover that the Claw is still intact. Despite the huge burst of energy that your blow released, you discover no mark or blemish upon its gnarled shaft.

The blade of your Kai Weapon, however, is notched and discoloured at the point where it struck the shaft of the Claw. (The damage to your Kai Weapon has caused a permanent reduction of 2 points to its
COMBAT SKILL
bonus. You should now adjust the bonus on your
list of Special Items
.)

To continue,
turn to 103
.

You instruct the rangers to unsheathe their swords and insert the tips of their blades in the gap in the door, close to the hinges. You detect that the hinges are rusty, and they are far weaker than the lock. On your signal, the rangers push against the flats of their blades and lever the doors open.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 3 or lower,
turn to 177
.

If it is 4 or higher,
turn to 249
.