Wolf's Bane

by Joe Dever

  Turn to 18.

  220

  You can feel a warm breeze wafting along this new hallway and you sense that it comes from a stairwell at its far end. When you investigate it, you rediscover Wolf's Bane's footprints on the stone steps. You cast your hands over them and detect that this is not a false trail: your enemy passed this way sometime within the last hour.

  Slowly you ascend the stairs and arrive at the arched entrance to a large, vaulted stone chamber. Gathered around a fountain set into its north wall are a group of six grey-skinned humanoids. They are busy drinking a clear, oily fluid that pours from the fountain's spout into a semicircular trough. All are barefoot and clad in rags, and they are each armed with a spear and a bow. The only exit from this chamber appears to be an archway set high in the north wall. There is a balcony in front of it that can only be reached by two flights of stairs which rise up on either side of the fountain.

  Quietly you observe the creatures slaking their thirsts, and you try to formulate a way in which you can get past them and reach the balconied exit in the north wall.

  If you possess a Bow and the Discipline of Magi-magic and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian, turn to 138.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy and have attained the rank of Grand Crown (and wish to use it), turn to 26.

  If you do not possess these skills, or a Bow, or if you have yet to attain the required levels of Kai Mastery, or if you choose not to use either of them, turn to 121.

  221

  The shock of impact sends you tumbling helplessly into the gorge. You fall several hundred feet before you finally stop spinning, yet before you can unscramble your senses, you are struck from behind by the predatory dragonfly. White hot pain shoots through your body as you are impaled upon the tip of the creature's proboscis. You struggle to get free but your strength quickly deserts you. Mercifully, you are spared further agonies when you slip into unconsciousness — the prelude to a sleep from which you never awaken.

  Sadly, your life and your quest end here.

  222

  You have leapt and scrambled your way to the base of the skull-rock, when suddenly a starburst of pain explodes in your head and the taste of blood fills your mouth. You fall face-first to the ground, breaking your nose on impact, but you are numb to the pain; a falling boulder has already snapped your neck in two.

  Tragically, your life and your duel come to an end here.

  223

  The blast sends you tumbling backwards into the chamber. The instant you come to rest, you roll over onto your hands and knees and try to scramble back onto your feet. But before you can do so, something heavy strikes your side and knocks you down, pinning your legs to the ground. You reach out to pull yourself free and discover that the heavy object is Black Hawk. Dazed and trembling but otherwise uninjured, you drunkenly help each other to stand.

  Once you are upright, you look around and see that the others have all been knocked flat by the blast. They, too, are now struggling to pull themselves to their feet. Fortunately their innate Kai skills appear to have spared them from serious injury. However, you sense that your inability to detect that the wall was an explosive illusion has shaken their confidence.

  ‘Our prey is far more cunning than I feared,’ you say, ruefully, ‘but we are Kai and we shall rise to the challenge. Our enemy possesses strong magic and he is capable of masking it well. Yet he chooses to use it to wound and weaken our party, not to kill us. Why this should be I do not know. But from now on we cannot entirely trust our senses to protect us. We must proceed with the utmost caution.’

  Turn to 345.

  224

  You lower yourself through the hole in the floor and quickly give chase. Wolf's Bane sprints through the ruined building, leaping obstacles with a catlike grace that rivals your own legendary agility. He is more familiar with this treacherous cityscape and, despite your best efforts, he soon widens the gap between you until you lose sight of him completely. Yet 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 the 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 running 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.

  Turn to 308.

  225

  Using your psychic and Pathsmanship skills, you focus your attention on the iron pot and determine that the two creatures lurking inside are armed with a variety of weapons. Your acute senses detect the presence of bone, oiled twine, and bronze, as well as some volatile chemicals which you cannot identify. Also, you sense that they possess very sensitive hearing and are receptive to goodly auras. There is a very great risk that if you attempt to cross the vault undetected, relying solely on your advanced camouflage skills, these ambushers would be able to detect you using their own innate abilities.

  If you possess Kai-screen and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Crown, turn to 184.

  If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery, turn to 105.

  226

  You draw upon your Magnakai Disciplines of Curing and Animal Control in a desperate attempt to revive your unconscious mount before it is too late.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If your current ENDURANCE points score is 20 or higher, add 1 to the number you have picked. If it is 10 or lower, deduct 1.

  If your total score is 2 or less, turn to 89.

  If it is 3 or higher, turn to 346.

  227

  The iron portal grinds to a close behind your back, shutting out the storm so completely that the roar of the wind instantly disappears. The abrupt silence and lower air pressure within this entry chamber make your ears pop painfully. You lower the hood of your cloak and carefully wipe the sand from your eyes before taking your first tentative steps across the antechamber's polished glass floor.

  You pass through a triangular arch and down a ramp that leads to an echoing hallway. The floor and walls of this broad hall are fashioned from a black, glassy mineral that is veined with fluorescent greens and sickly purples. You sense strong pulses of psychic power radiating from an open arch at the far side of the hall and your skin prickles with a presentiment of danger. You unsheathe your weapon and move towards the arch with the utmost caution; you are expecting the unexpected.

  Turn to 150.

  228

  It takes you nearly half an hour to cleave a path through these magical strands, and the effort leaves you tired and aching with fatigue.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If the number you have picked is 0–4, reduce your ENDURANCE score by 1 point. If the number you have picked is 5–9, reduce your ENDURANCE score by 2 points.

  To continue, turn to 316.

  229

  Rapidly the pain melts away as your advanced Kai Mastery sheathes and protects you from the crushing grip of the vortex. The strands o
f light unravel themselves and dissolve as you plummet ever nearer to the blazing white heart of this cosmic whirlpool. Then, at the moment you plunge into its core, your senses are obliterated and you are engulfed by total darkness.

  From out of the depths of this cold, dark universe there appears a pinpoint of light. You feel yourself being drawn inexorably towards it and, although you struggle to resist, you cannot tear yourself free from its irresistible pull. You feel yourself accelerating towards the speck until it becomes as large as a glowing sun. Then, with an abruptness that leaves you gasping, there is a flash of blue-white light and you find yourself lying spread-eagled upon a bed of moist green foliage.

  Turn to 49.

  230

  You leap from the rent in the plant wall and land safely on a mound of soft black earth. As you struggle to your feet, you notice that this rich soil forms a narrow clearing between the base of the plant and the stems of many others, all of a similar species. Their colossal stalks soar into a dimly amber sky where gigantic flowering heads bend and sway in a humid breeze. Staring at this awe-inspiring canopy, hundreds of feet above, makes you feel incredibly small and vulnerable — like a tiny insect. This feeling is made worse when suddenly a huge, horse-sized beetle comes careering through the plant stems. Instinct and quick thinking save your skin. Instantly you freeze and the shiny black monstrosity ignores you and continues its chaotic rampage through this forest of gigantic plants.

  It is several moments before your pulse slows and your senses detect a distant source of energy, somewhere away to the north. You cannot discern its nature or purpose but you feel compelled to investigate. Guided by your tracking skills, you trek through this extraordinary forest for nearly an hour before arriving at a huge clearing where, from the cover of a huge fallen leaf, you gaze upon a spectacular sight.

  Turn to 334.

  231

  You are rapidly approaching the safety of the balcony, yet two of the ghoulish creatures manage to aim and fire their bows at you before you disappear out of their field of fire.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess the Discipline of Assimilance, add 3 to the number you have picked.

  If your total score is now 2 or less, turn to 126.

  If it is 3 or higher, turn to 54.

  232

  You throw yourself flat to the ground in a desperate attempt to avoid being hit by this deadly missile.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.

  If your total score is now 0, turn to 8.

  If it is 1–6, turn to 15.

  If it is 7 or higher, turn to 86.

  233

  You cast the Brotherhood Spell Counterspell at the sticky strands, and watch as they sag and smoulder. Your magic has weakened the fabric of this net, but it has not completely removed it. You are forced to draw a weapon and slash your way through the remaining strands in order to be able to continue along this tunnel. (The fatigue of overcoming this obstacle costs you 1 ENDURANCE point.)

  Turn to 316.

  234

  You recall the verses of the Old Kingdom Spell Hold Enemy, and as you whisper these arcane words, you focus upon the eyes of the chained serpent. Instantly, the creature ceases to thrash the water and falls silent and still, enabling you to wade across the deep channel which bisects this cavern.

  Turn to 342.

  235

  The tunnel zigzags to the left and right for several hundred yards before it widens at the entrance to a long, low-ceilinged hall. The slabs of stone which have so far paved the tunnel end abruptly at the entrance to this chamber. The floor here appears to be made of a gritty brown soil that gives off a pungent, earthy aroma. You scan its surface but you can see no tracks — it looks perfectly smooth.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy, turn to 164.

  If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline, turn to 48.

  236

  You are within a few yards of the exit when suddenly you hear gleeful, rasping voices. You have been detected! Your immediate reaction is to bolt for the tunnel and, as you run, arrows whistle down to splash into the mire all around your feet. Anxious to avoid risking being hit by a second volley, you increase your pace as you approach the mouth of the tunnel.

  Turn to 70.

  237

  You feel the strength ebbing from your limbs as the pain in your air-starved lungs begins to worsen. You are near to the bottom of the flooded cellar when you manage to unsheathe your weapon and strike out at your rubbery foe.

  Ekmakon: COMBAT SKILL 40 ENDURANCE 25

  Reduce your COMBAT SKILL by five for the duration of this fight, due to your lack of oxygen.

  If you win the combat, turn to 9.

  238

  The Baron escorts you and Banedon through the echoing corridors of his castle, past watchful ranks of court guards and Border Rangers, to a hall which is lavishly furnished with Durenese oak and rare silken tapestries. Awaiting you there are a group of young men attired in hooded grey cloaks and close-fitting tunics. You recognize them immediately for they are four of your most promising students — Kai Masters Black Hawk, Star Lynx, Blazer, and Steel Hand.

  Illustration XIII—Awaiting you in the hall are four of you most promising students: Black Hawk, Star Lynx, Blazer, and Steel Hand.

  ‘Praise Ishir you've returned to us, Grand Master!’ says Black Hawk, laying his right hand across his chest in a formal Kai salute. His companions breathe an audible sigh of relief as they, too, salute you and bow in deference to your rank.

  ‘Stand easy, my lords,’ you say, smiling as you motion them to relax. ‘It warms my heart and gives me strength to be with you again.’

  ‘We have heard the Guildmaster's account,’ says red-haired Blazer, ‘and we await your orders, my lord. Upon your command we will find the impostor and avenge the honour of the Kai.’

  You are about to give your answer when a court herald announces the unexpected arrival of Lord Foilan, Reeve-lieutenant of Tyso, the man charged with keeping law and order in the city. Upon entering the hall he is momentarily taken aback by the sight of you standing at the Baron's side.

  ‘Calm yourself, Foilan,’ says Baron Medar, ‘this is the true Lone Wolf, not the impostor who stalks our land. What news have you?’

  ‘Sire … the Kai impostor has been sighted within the hour by rangers in the city's North Quarter. They tried to take him captive but he slew two and wounded three of their number before escaping into the old necropolis. The city watch now have both entrances to the necropolis secure — he will not be permitted to escape.’

  ‘Very good, my lord,’ retorts the Baron. ‘So we have him cornered.’

  ‘If he's gone to ground in the old necropolis,’ says Banedon, ‘he'll be hard to track down. The catacombs of that ancient burial field are vast. It could take months to search them all.’

  ‘Never fear,’ you say confidently. ‘With the help of my able young Kai Masters I shall track and trap this impostor before dawn.’

  ‘Aye, my lord,’ pipes Star Lynx, elated by the thought of the hunt, ‘we'll flush this cur from his hole before sunrise and bring him to justice.’

  Guided by Lord Foilan, you take your leave of Banedon and Baron Medar and depart from the castle on horseback, accompanied by your eager Kai. During your ride through the twisting, lantern-lit streets of Tyso, you learn from Foilan that there are only two ways in and out of the city's old necropolis: by its South Gate or by its Western Arch.

  ‘The impostor fled into the burial ground by the South Gate, my lord,’ says Foilan, ‘but that was more'n an hour ago. He'll be deep un'erground by now.’

  If you wish to ask Foilan to lead you to the South Gate of the necropolis, turn to 337.

  If you choose to ask that he take you to the Western Arch instead, turn to 323.

  239

  Before your disbelieving eyes there spreads a vast volcanic landscape, punctuat
ed by mountainous dunes of blue-grey sand and columns of towering rock. The amber sky is mottled and banded, like the eye of an angry tiger, and within its fathomless reaches you count twelve multi-coloured moons. These glowing spheres cast their light upon the burnt and crusty soil, lending it a ghostly aspect. Thick clouds, black and turgid, swollen with humid vapours, rear up like shadowy castles upon the far horizon. You can feel coarse grains of sand in the stinging crosswinds and your senses warn that a storm is fast approaching.

  Seeking safer shelter from the coming storm, you get to your feet and cast your eyes across this warm yet unwelcoming land. Away to your right, lying less than a mile distant within a shallow basin of age-worn rock, you see a monstrous temple crafted from opaque black glass. Spikes of crystal embellish its many tiers and atop its highest level there stands a tower, tall and sleek.

  A square of yellow light marks an open portal at the tower's base. You glimpse something standing in the doorway and, when you magnify your vision, you see that it is a cloaked warrior silhouetted against the portal's fiery glow. Your pulse quickens the instant you recognize the warrior. It is your accursed adversary — Wolf's Bane.

  The compelling urge to move northwards, that you felt shortly after you broke free from the plant stem, returns to haunt your senses. You feel drawn towards the temple as if you are being summoned by a force beyond this world. Your Sixth Sense screams danger, and every fibre of your being knows it should resist, but you suppress these natural instincts and set off towards the temple. This towering edifice holds many dangers, of that you are in no doubt, yet bravely you resolve to confront and overcome them. Only by doing so can you hope to triumph over your enemy and find a way back to your home world of Magnamund.