Wolf's Bane (8 page)
Your blow has ripped a hole in the creature's silvery wing. The wound is not fatal, but the damage is enough to render the hungry creature incapable of ascending any higher. It emits a loud buzz of frustration which fades as it slowly spirals away towards a cluster of smaller dragonflies hovering near the centre of the gorge.
Several minutes elapse before your tireless mount reaches the apex of the cavern and soars into the light-filled vent. Upon entering this vast aperture you are buffeted by crosswinds which sweep you and your air-steed precariously close to its rocky lip. The shock of the unexpectedly violent wind causes your mount to circle around the lip and attempt to dive back into the cavern. Blind with fear, it no longer responds to your commands, forcing you to take drastic action to avoid being carried back into the gorge. As you swoop past a rocky outcrop, you leap from the creature's back and abandon yourself to the crosswinds. Only your Kai Mastery and your lightning-swift reactions save you from being crushed to death as you are blown towards the jagged, volcanic rock.
Miraculously, you survive the impact and are able to haul yourself out of the vent and climb safely onto a surface that you assume is the roof of the cavern. Seeking shelter from the raging crosswinds, you squeeze yourself into a hollow in the porous rock from where you are able to take stock of your new surroundings. The sight makes you gasp, for it is a view that truly rivals the fertile wonders of the cavern below.
You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and loose a power beam of your own at the back of the running warrior. It tears open the canister that is strapped between his shoulder blades and, with a sudden eruption of blue-white light, he is hurled upon the cylinders that cover his slain comrade. For a few seconds a spidery net of pulsating light enshrouds the two lifeless warriors; then it crackles and disappears, leaving behind an acrid stench of scorched metal and roasted meat.
You step away from the body of your enemy and allow yourself a smile of grim satisfaction that you have, at last, rid Aon of this evil intruder.
‘Hurry, Lone Wolf,’ says Alyss, impatiently. ‘Naar is vengeful. He will soon be wanting to know how his champion is faring. If he finds him slain, we will both feel his wrath.’
‘Then we must escape from here,’ you reply. ‘But how? Do you know of a way?’
‘Mmm … maybe,’ she replies, narrowing her green eyes. ‘Yes … I've got a plan.’
If you possess the Discipline of Kai-screen and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Crown,
turn to 280
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 98
.
Black Hawk unsheathes his sword and rests this gleaming band of Sommlending steel across his forearm, awaiting your signal to proceed. You cast your eyes over the surface of the wall one last time, to satisfy yourself that you can detect no lurking traps, and when you are fully confident that it is safe you nod your head affirmatively. Because you are so sure that there is no threat, what occurs in the next instant is doubly shocking.
Black Hawk puts the tip of his sword to the hairline crack in the wall and presses forward with all of his weight. But, unexpectedly, he meets with no resistance. His blade disappears into the wall and the young Kai Master stumbles forwards and vanishes through the seemingly solid granite. For a second or two there is a deathly silence. Then an explosion of white light obliterates your vision and you feel a searing wave of heat buffet your face and body.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 223
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 99
.
You hear the great portal closing behind the hover-wagon. It makes surprisingly little noise for such a huge expanse of iron, barely a serpent-like hiss as it seals out the stormy city wind. You stay hidden until the wagon comes to a halt and then you venture a glance over the side of its cargo bay to assess the situation.
Before your eyes there stretches a cavernous plaza, crafted entirely of steel, glass, silver, and iron. Towering girders arc over your head, buttressed upon each other to support the many upper levels of this stupendous edifice. The plaza is vast and alien in design, and it is virtually deserted. You count no more than six armoured warriors, some so far distant that you have to magnify your vision to be sure that they are what they seem.
The arrival of the wagon attracts no attention. The driverless craft has docked of its own accord at a steel jetty that encircles an iron support pillar. The coast is clear and so you waste no time in attempting to locate your adversary's trail. As expected, you find traces of his tracks close to the portal. They lead you to an archway which opens into a steel-lined chamber that has two exits: one to the left, the other to the right. Here the tracks become indistinct; you are unable to determine which way Wolf's Bane went from here.
If you wish to explore the left exit,
turn to 243
.
If you choose to explore the right exit,
turn to 254
.
You take several deep breaths as you prepare to utter the Kai power-word. Focusing on your enemy's hiding place, you expel the word —
Kai!
— and you see the undergrowth shimmer as the force of your exhalation ploughs through the jungle like an invisible fist.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If your current
ENDURANCE
points score is more than 20, add 1 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 8 or less,
turn to 36
.
If it is 9 or more,
turn to 327
.
Your Arrow flies straight and true and hits the creature's glowing eye, yet it does not penetrate deep enough to cause a fatal wound. The eye dims but the beast does not slow its pace, and there is now no time for a second shot. You only just have time to unsheathe a hand weapon to defend yourself as the metallic horror comes leaping at you through the darkness.
Illustration III—The metallic horror comes leaping at you through the darkness.
Mech-wulf:
COMBAT SKILL
44
ENDURANCE
40
This creature is immune to all psychic attacks.
If you win this combat,
turn to 5
.
The swift and unexpected ferocity of this psychic assault makes you fall to your knees and clasp your head in both hands. Pain is flooding your mind and causing your body to convulse with psychic shock. Dimly, through a red haze, you sense that the Platinum Amulet you are wearing around your neck affords you some defence against this attack. Sadly, it is insufficient to save you from sustaining damage to the fabric of your mind.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(0=10). Now add 5 to the number you have chosen. The resultant total equals the number of
ENDURANCE
points you have lost due to this psychic attack.
If you survive this mental assault, you may continue by
turning to 203
.
You open the cage door and command the creature to jump onto your outstretched arm. You are hoping to be able to use it as a guide to help you find Wolf's Bane, but the primate does not cooperate as expected. It is deeply confused. It thinks that you are Wolf's Bane and adamantly it refuses to leave its cage.
You detect that it has suffered cruelly at the hands of the impostor, and this sudden realization serves to strengthen your determination to find and defeat him. You take one last look at the pitiful creature before closing the cage door and continuing your exploration of the tower by way of the circular stairs.
As you emerge from the tunnel, the oppressive jungle heat hits you like a sledgehammer. Your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus automatically regulates your body temperature, making the heat bearable, yet even so it comes as a shock that any living creature can exist in this hellish environment.
Unfortunately, the shock of the jungle heat is only the first of two nasty surprises that await you. The second is a barbed arrow that whistles from out of the dense foliage and comes speeding towards your forehead!
If you possess Kai-alchemy and have attained the rank of Sun Knight or higher,
turn to 152
.
If you possess Kai-alchemy but have yet to reach this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 270
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 232
.
The instant you set foot into the hall, your worst fears are realized. The floor is not solid and quickly you sink up to your waist in a dry, foul-smelling quicksand. You spread your arms and legs to slow your rate of descent, but your action does little to help your situation. It seems the more you move the quicker you sink. In desperation, you attempt to swim through this dry morass.
Pick a number from the
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. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 1 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Pathsmanship, add 2. If your current
ENDURANCE
score is 12 or less, deduct 1.
If your total score is now 3 or lower,
turn to 158
.
If it is 4 or higher,
turn to 257
.
With mixed feelings of fear and fascination you force open your eyes and gaze upon your alien surroundings. At first it seems as if you have fallen into a humid, green-walled cell, illuminated by a solitary lantern at the apex of a fluted chimney-like ceiling. Then slowly your mind makes sense of sights and smells and the realization of where you are makes you shiver with dread.
You have landed inside the corolla tube of some gigantic flower. Huge stamens rise up to the light from the sticky bowl-shaped floor on which you lie, and nearby there is a large, chute-like tunnel which drops away into the plant's hollow stem. For a moment you close your eyes and let your psychic senses explore this strange environment. Your greatest fear is that you have been drawn through the Shadow Gate to the Plane of Darkness, the supernatural realm of Dark God Naar, yet you can detect no abnormally high concentrations of Evil. Also, you are unable to sense the presence of your adversary — Wolf's Bane. Your hopes begin to rise when suddenly you realize that you are still somewhere within the material universe of Aon. You are able to determine that this alien place is not your home world, yet you are certain that it is a planet that lies within the same galaxy as Magnamund.
You cling to this small crumb of comfort and resolve to find a way of returning to Magnamund as quickly as you can. You open your eyes and stare around the walls of your plant-prison, searching for a means of escape. There appear to be only two ways out: by climbing a stamen towards the light high above, or by sliding down the nearby chute which plunges deep into the plant's stem.
If you wish to climb a stamen,
turn to 264
.
If you choose to slide down the hollow stem,
turn to 103
.
You have covered twenty yards of a passageway that extends from the balcony when you hear a grating noise. It is a concealed portal, and it is sliding shut to seal off the hall through which you have just passed.
Ahead lies a chamber which is bedecked with a score of lavish tapestries, each depicting the landscapes of remote and wondrous planets within the universe of Aon. Your adversary's tracks pass through this opulent chamber and end at a pair of stout wooden doors, inlaid with exquisite gold marquetry. You place your ear to one of the doors and concentrate. The only sound you can hear is the crackle of a log fire, but your Kai senses detect the presence of your adversary in the room beyond. You peer through a keyhole and glimpse part of a gallery with a railed parapet. The wooden rails are lit from below by the warming yellow flicker of a fire.
You reach out to open the doors and confront your enemy, but a strong sense of unease stays your hand. It feels as if a swarm of butterflies are fighting to escape from your churning stomach. You have a chilling premonition that a confrontation with Wolf's Bane in the room beyond could prove fatal for both of you. This fear prompts you to pray to the Gods Kai and Ishir to sustain and protect you in the coming fight.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 104
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 216
.
