Wolf's Bane (6 page)

You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and point your right hand at the onrushing beast. A tingle runs down your arm and a bolt of power bursts from your fingertip. It arcs towards the creature's head and there is a splash of hissing sparks as it rips a strip of steel from the creature's skull. But the wound is not fatal. The beast shudders under the impact yet it hardly slows its pace, and now there is no time left to launch a second bolt. You only have two seconds remaining in which to unsheathe a hand weapon, as this great metallic horror comes leaping at you through the darkness.

Mech-wulf:
COMBAT SKILL
 40   
ENDURANCE
 36

This creature is immune to all psychic attacks.

If you win this combat,
turn to 5
.

The arrow clips the top of your right shoulder and rips away a strip of skin: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. Wincing at the sharp pain, you clasp your left hand to the wound and use your healing skills to staunch the flow of blood. Then you get to your feet and look to the jungle to pinpoint the place where the arrow emerged. When you magnify your vision you see the face of your enemy, Wolf's Bane, partially hidden by a tree. He is laughing, his teeth showing white against the deep green of the jungle. He mouths a curse before springing to his feet and running off into the undergrowth.

Determined that you are not going to allow him to escape so easily, you rush forward and give chase.

Turn to 90
.

You trawl the depths of your psychic defences to construct a fortress wall to protect yourself from this agonizing mental assault. The process drains your reserves of strength (lose 5
ENDURANCE
points), but the effort is not in vain. You feel your vitality returning as you force the pain from your mind.

This psychic assault has been one of the worst you have ever experienced. You have survived, but your Kai senses tell you that your ordeal has not ended. You force open your eyes and look with dread at the terrible threat that confronts you.

Turn to 300
.

You raise your weapon and lash out at the creature's ugly maw. You wound the beast but it only serves to make him more angry. With a jerk of his head, he spits a gout of venom which splashes the front of your tunic and rapidly melts through the cloth to attack your skin.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(0=10). If you possess the Discipline of Grand Nexus, deduct 2 from the number you have chosen. The resultant score is equal to the number of
ENDURANCE
points you lose due to the harmful effects of this creature's highly corrosive saliva.

Before the beast can spit at you again, you strike a blow which crushes its windpipe and sends it sinking fast to the bottom of the flooded cellar. Free now to continue your pursuit, you climb the steps to emerge amongst the ruins of the city. There is no sign of Wolf's Bane, but when you hurry to where you saw him last, you discover a flight of steps leading down into a wide underground passage. His tracks can be seen clearly embedded in the muddy floor of this tunnel.

The tunnel passes under a broad avenue and then surfaces in front of a grand two-storey building. This was once a busy warehouse that stored braided coils of fine copper cable. You avoid the main entrance in case your adversary is lying in ambush there, and enter instead by way of a flight of iron steps that lead to a second floor window. The moment you set foot inside the building you sense that Wolf's Bane is here. Warily you explore, your nerves stretched to breaking point as your eyes seek out detail in the darkness. You are approaching the west wing of this building when you suddenly catch sight of your opponent through a hole in the floor. He is sitting on his haunches behind a mound of wooden crates, busily eating a green-skinned fruit, and he is unaware that you are watching him.

If you possess Magi-magic and have attained the rank of Grand Thane (and wish to use your skill),
turn to 81
.

If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 106
.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 319
.

If you possess none of these skills, have yet to reach the required level of Kai rank, or simply choose not to use them,
turn instead to 20
.

To the left of the tunnel arch you discover two squares of opaque crimson gemstone separated by a small slot. The squares are similar in size and design to those you encountered at the entrance to the temple of Avaros. These, too, comprise a locking mechanism that controls this portal. By tapping upon each square a correct number of times you will cause the lock to disengage and the portal to rise.

You place your fingers lightly upon the squares and feel the tell-tale vibrations that are the key to deciphering the secret code. After only seconds you are able to determine that the first code is equal to the number of islands south of the Kirlundin island of Hemd.

The second code is equal to the number of villages that lie on the highway between the cities of Toran and Anskaven.

In order to discover the exact numbers that will open the portal, consult the
map
.

When you think you know the two-digit solution,
turn to the entry
that is the same number as your answer.
⁶

If you cannot decipher the codes,
turn instead to 242
.

Suddenly the Bangrol shrieks in agony as a steel-tipped arrow skewers its skull. The force of the impact sends it cartwheeling through the air to crash limply against the chamber wall. You glance to your left and see a grinning Blazer calmly shouldering his bow.

‘Well done, Blazer,’ you say, as you sheathe your weapon. ‘Your bowmanship's as keen as ever. Those many hours you've spent in the monastery butts were not in vain, eh!’ The young Kai Master smiles his gratitude for your welcome words of praise.

‘Now, my lords, we must press on. We've a trail to find,’ you say, and motion your companions to follow as you leave this chamber by a tunnel in its south wall.

Turn to 298
.

You call upon your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge and focus a pulse of psychic energy at the head of your mortal enemy. The moment you launch your mental attack, you see him physically shudder. Then his body stiffens and his half-eaten fruit drops from his grasp. You have hit your target, but you sense resistance; your adversary has powerful psychic defences with which he can counter your attack.

You feel a sudden wave of pain wash through you as he repels your mental assault and turns it back on you: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point. To your dismay, you watch as Wolf's Bane leaps to his feet and makes a hasty escape, seemingly uninjured by your mental assault.

Turn to 224
.

Cautiously you approach the slain warriors. You are eager to examine their strange armour and you are particularly curious about the light-emitting spears they wielded; weapons such as these could prove useful in your fight against Wolf's Bane. However, on examining these steely shafts you discover that they are now useless. The source of their power was contained in the canisters strapped to the warriors' backs, a power that is now depleted.

When you prise open a helmet and breastplate, you discover a thin, pale-skinned humanoid within. His bone structure and muscularity is surprisingly weak for a warrior, prompting you to suspect that he must have relied heavily on his power-fed armour for strength and protection. This sallow-faced soldier has a lean and brutal appearance, a look which resembles that of an emaciated Drakkar.

After having satisfied yourself that there is nothing worth salvaging from the bodies of these two slain enemies, you make a cursory check of your own equipment. You are hungry, and unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. Having satisfied your curiosity and your appetite, you hurry out of this derelict warehouse by a rear door and continue your hunt for Wolf's Bane's trail.

Turn to 31
.

The creature's sharp proboscis misses you by inches. Before it can strike again, you prise yourself out of the cluster and retreat back along the stamen until you are out of harm's way. Blindly the giant insect stabs and slashes, splintering stamen tips and drenching you with showers of sticky pollen. Fortunately, the span of its gigantic wings and the narrowness of the plant's corolla conspire to prevent it from reaching deeper into the plant, and you are able to escape without injury.

You retreat all the way down to the bowl of the corolla, from where you began your ascent. Looking around you see that the hollow stem is now the only remaining chance you have of getting out of this plant alive.

Turn to 103
.

The instant you tap in the second code the portal begins to rise.
⁷
You wait until it has risen a few feet and you are sure that no enemy awaits you on the other side, and 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
.

Your Kai camouflage skills keep you hidden from the unwanted attentions of these thirsty creatures, and you reach the stairs without being detected. Once you are here, you ascend to the balcony and hurry through the arch.

To continue,
turn to 50
.

Suddenly the tip of the creature's tail erupts from beneath the water and comes swishing towards your face. Instinctively you dive to avoid being hit and ripped open by the scores of razor-sharp barbs that encircle its tail.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 7 or less,
turn to 2
.

If it is 8 or more,
turn to 169
.

You summon your Kai skills to mask your body prior to uttering the words of the advanced Brotherhood Spell
Teleport
. You focus on the distant balcony and feel yourself leave the ground and surge towards it. As you come close to passing over the fountain, you pray that your camouflage skills will keep you hidden from the eyes of the creatures gathered there.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Assimilance, add 4 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is 5 or lower,
turn to 179
.

If it is 6 or higher,
turn to 245
.

You approach the hut and crouch down beside its mud wall, close to its open door. Your senses detect no glyphs or other traps here, and there are no residues of magical energy that might betray the presence of illusions or shielding spells. However, your Kai senses do pick up a strong aura of Evil lingering at the rear of the hut, close to the water's edge.

You move around to the rear of this hovel and discover that the bank is deeply undercut where the soft earth has been eroded by the fast-flowing stream. Standing in a line in the shadow of the undercut are a dozen wooden cages, each containing a fleshless skeleton. A shiver runs down your spine as your Magnakai Discipline of Divination detects the lingering agonies of these luckless victims. They suffered cruelly at the hands of the natives of this settlement before death finally ended their torment. The shock of your discovery is unnerving: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.

You leave the stream and return to the front of the hut. Inside the open doorway you discover several fruits stacked in mounds on a mat of woven rushes. Somewhat to your surprise, your senses tell you that they are nutritious and safe to eat. (There are sufficient fruits here for 3 Meals.)

Wary of further delay, you approach the trench at the centre of the hut. Your tracking skills locate your enemy's tracks leading down the flight of steps, and quickly you follow them into an underground tunnel. You have gone only a few yards along this narrow passageway when suddenly you hear the terrifying roar of a large cat. With an abruptness that takes your breath away, a huge tiger-like beast comes bounding from out of the darkness ahead. So sudden and unexpected is this creature's attack, that you only just have enough time to unsheathe a hand weapon as it hurls itself upon you.

Illustration I
—A huge tiger-like beast comes bounding out of the darkness ahead.

Rahjaz:
COMBAT SKILL
 48   
ENDURANCE
 41

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

If you win this combat,
turn to 249
.