Wolf's Bane (19 page)

‘Release him, my lord,’ says Banedon. The Baron, caught off-guard by the sudden disappearance of the magical shield and the Guildmaster's unexpected request, takes a step backwards and reaches nervously for his sword.

‘Have no fear,’ says Banedon, staying the Baron's hand, ‘for we have here the real Grand Master of the Kai.’

‘How can you be so sure?’ retorts Caldar. Banedon smiles and points to the amulet that you wear around your neck.

‘Look there,’ he says. ‘No agent of Naar could tolerate the touch of that goodly artefact. Banish your doubts, my lord. This man is Lone Wolf.’

Turn to 88
.

You place an Arrow to your bowstring and draw it taut to your lips. Expertly you gauge the distance to your target and then let your Arrow fly. It arcs into the jungle and slams into the tree behind which your enemy is partly hidden, peppering his face with splinters of damp wood.

He curses you, his teeth showing white against the green of the jungle as he spits out fragments of tree bark. Then he springs from his hiding place and disappears into the undergrowth. Determined that you are not going to allow him to get away so easily, you dash out of the tunnel and give chase.

Turn to 90
.

Having been detected, you attempt a hasty escape and sprint as fast as you can towards the exit. As you run, a volley of bone arrows comes whistling down from the iron cauldron. One of the arrows grazes your left shoulder and gouges a furrow of skin from the back of your left thigh. You stifle a cry, but the intense pain that grips your injured limbs warns you at once that the tip of the arrow was tainted with poison.

Your innate healing skills counter the poison before it can do its deadly work, but your body's defences draw heavily on your reserves of strength and the curing process leaves you feeling weak and light-headed: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 70
.

You extend your right arm and point your hand at the trough below. Then you utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and a familiar tingle rushes along your arm to explode into life at the tip of your index finger. A bolt of blue fire arcs downwards to the oily surface and with a deafening
wumph!
it ignites the liquid to create a blazing fireball. Greedily, this guttering ball of flame consumes the creatures gathered around the lip of the trough, sparing none. The heat from the blast buffets you and singes your tunic and cloak, but your body survives unscathed.

On reaching the balcony you speak the words which negate the effects of the
Teleport
spell, and the moment your feet touch the ground you hurry into the archway beyond.

Use of the
Teleport
spell has cost you 4
ENDURANCE
points. Remember to make the necessary adjustment to your
Action Chart
.

To continue,
turn to 50
.

The first thing you see is the creature's eyes. Like two strips of molten sulphur, they radiate a cold, yellow light. Then you glimpse the outline of its angular shoulders, its square snout, and its gleaming steel forelegs. Oily drool hangs from an iron jaw which is set with jagged blades. As this shocking jaw widens, you hear the whirr of metal cogs and gears.

You can be fearless in the face of foes of flesh and blood, but this steel wolf strikes terror in your heart. You turn and flee towards the distant door, praying that it will lead to a safe haven from this bloodless beast, but you reach it only to discover that it is locked. Frantically you search for a bolt or a keyhole but there are none. Then you locate two squares of opaque crimson gemstone set into the wall. The squares are like those you encountered at the entrance to the temple of Avaros, yet these differ in one important respect: they are separated by a small slot.

If you possess an Iron Disc,
turn to 261
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 210
.

Fiery winds sear your face and body as you, and your adversary, tumble headlong towards the whirling white heart of the vortex. Motes of fire stream past on all sides and a roaring wind howls like a demon in your ears. You pass through a cloud of sparkling vapour which wraps threads of silver light around your limbs and torso. As you emerge from the cloud, this shimmering cocoon grows tighter and tighter until the pain becomes almost unbearable.

If you possess Grand Nexus and have attained the rank of Grand Thane,
turn to 229
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 281
.

The seething horde of needle-fanged horrors attempts to surround and overwhelm you. They seem undaunted by the divine glow of your wondrous blade — a blade that can seal their doom.
¹³

Cryopedeans:
COMBAT SKILL
 45   
ENDURANCE
 40

If you win this combat,
turn to 350
.

To your amazement, the portal begins to rise of its own accord. You wait until it has risen a few feet and you are sure that no enemy awaits you on the other side; then you duck under the heavy iron plate and hurry into the tunnel beyond. As you run, you hear the portal slamming shut behind you with a dull reverberating boom.

Turn to 115
.

This psychic assault has been one of the worst you have ever experienced. You have survived it, but your Kai senses warn you that your ordeal has not ended; it has only just begun. You force open your eyes and look with dread at the terrible threat that waits to confront you.

Turn to 300
.

You feel a searing wave of heat wash over your body as the fireball reaches its peak and then rapidly dies to form a sputtering flame which clings to the mouth of the fountain. None of the creatures have survived the conflagration and you are able to cross the hall and ascend the stairs to the balconied archway without meeting any resistance.

To continue,
turn to 50
.

Guided by your Kai Mastery, you successfully avoid the tumbling debris until you reach the base of the skull-rock. Here you are struck by a falling boulder which clips your left shoulder and leaves you sprawled on the floor: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.

Your arm may be injured but your spirit refuses to give up. Cradling your injured arm, you stagger to your feet and hurry through the misty opening. Barely seconds later there is a tremendous explosion and the entire temple ceiling caves in.

In addition to the
ENDURANCE
points loss, you soon discover that you have also lost 1 Backpack Item. Delete from your
Action Chart
the third item you have recorded on your list of Backpack Items.

To continue,
turn to 174
.

Wary of danger, you focus your Kai Sixth Sense on the urns and caskets which line this chamber and, to your relief, detect no evil creatures lurking within. You instruct the others to examine them with care and, to your surprise, they discover that some contain Laumspur leaves. They are spotted with age but they still possess healing powers. (There are enough leaves here for three Potions of Laumspur. Each potion counts as one Backpack Item and will restore 4
ENDURANCE
points when swallowed immediately after combat.)

You are helping Blazer to tilt one of the urns when a sudden and unexpected noise at the far end of the chamber sets your pulse racing.

Turn to 80
.

You lower yourself through the hole and catch sight of Wolf's Bane running away. He is clutching at his injured leg as he weaves and swerves to avoid the debris which litters his escape route. You move to follow him, but your attention is momentarily distracted by something that has fallen from his tunic pocket. It is a small disc of bronze that is engraved with alien symbols. (You must keep this Bronze Disc. Record it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item. You must discard one non-weapon Special Item in its favour if you already hold the maximum number permissible.)

You pocket the disc and give chase. Despite his wounded leg, your adversary is more familiar with this treacherous cityscape and he widens the gap between you. Soon you have lost sight of him completely. However, he cannot shake you off his trail, and you have no difficulty following his tracks as they leave the building and wend their way across a desolate wasteland beyond. You follow his footprints to a gutted building, several storeys high, which is adorned with strangely angular gargoyles. The inside of this crumbling edifice is completely empty and your adversary's trail passes through it to a rear exit. As you emerge on the far side, you catch your first breathtaking glimpse of this grim city's tallest structure.

It is a great tower of gleaming black stone which rises from the depths of a fathomless moat and soars to within a hundred feet of the stormy grey clouds. Its pitted surface bristles with metal discs and antennae, streaked with rust, yet there are few windows and you can see but one portal. Wolf's Bane is limping towards it. He approaches the deep trench that rings the tower's base and, as he halts at the edge, a semi-transparent drawbridge extends from beneath the portal. It resembles a flattened beam of solid, green-grey light. This beam bridges the moat and provides your enemy with a means to reach the open tower door.

Powerless to stop him, you can only stand and watch as he crosses the moat and disappears into the tower. At first glance this stronghold looks to be impregnable, but you have gained access to far tougher fortresses in the past and you do not allow your spirits to be dampened by the difficult task of finding a way into this one.

Illustration XI
—Powerless to stop Wolf's Bane, you can only stand and watch him disappear into the tower.

Turn to 308
.

Drawing upon your Animal Mastery, you will the giant snake to retreat towards the far wall of the cavern. Its hypnotic eyes widen and its huge body trembles as it struggles to resist your psychic command.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. Add 1 to the number you have picked for every level of Kai Mastery you have attained above the rank of Kai Grand Guardian.

If your total score is now 6 or less,
turn to 175
.

If it is 7 or more,
turn to 32
.

You unshoulder your Bow and draw an Arrow from your Quiver. As you fix the notch of the Arrow to the bowstring, you cast the Old Kingdom Battle-spell
Flameshaft
upon its tip, keeping the last word of the spell upon your lips until you are ready to fire.

Patiently you watch the warrior kicking at the smouldering remains of the iron chest. The moment he turns away, you utter the completing word of the spell and let loose your Arrow at his back. The tip of the Arrow ignites in flight, the magical flame illuminating the gloom as it arcs towards your unwary target with deadly precision. The fiery point penetrates deep into the metal canister strapped to the warrior's back and, in a terrifying instant, he and his sorcerous weapon are engulfed by a crackling mass of electrical energy. He screams and staggers across the floor, his limbs and torso trailing blue-white snakes of light which earth themselves to the surrounding metal debris. Then, finally, the energy that is contained within the canister is expended. Released from his torment, he loses his balance and falls heavily to the floor.

You shoulder your Bow and move to descend from the top of the storage tank, but you freeze when you see a second warrior running to where the first has fallen. As he passes beneath the tank, you leap onto his back and bring him crashing to the ground. To your shocked surprise you discover that he is an exceptionally strong opponent. He draws power from the armour he wears and he uses it to break your grip. In desperation you utter the words of the Old Kingdom Spell
Energy Grasp
and use it to discharge a powerful pulse of energy into the fabric of his armour. The effect is devastating. His armour disintegrates, crushing him to death as it crumples and compresses his body.

Turn to 21
.