Flight from the Dark

by Joe Dever

  If you wish to investigate this cave further, turn to 59.

  If you wish to press on, turn to 106.

  196

  You follow the man into a small library off the main hall. He pushes one of the many books on the shelves which line all four walls, and you hear a metallic click. One section of the bookcase slowly slides back to reveal a hidden passage.

  If you wish to follow the man into the passage, turn to 332.

  If you do not want to enter the dark corridor, leave the guildhall and return to the street. Turn to 144.

  197

  The Drakkar lies dead at the bottom of the ferry. He has a Short Sword and 6 Gold Crowns which you may keep if you wish. You push the body into the water where it floats for a few seconds before disappearing into the icy depths.

  Grabbing the pole, you steer to the other side of the lake and abandon the ferry.

  Turn to 172.

  198

  You can sense that there is someone else behind the screen. There is a lingering aura of wickedness around this shop. Be on your guard — something is wrong here.

  If you wish to return to the street, turn to 7.

  If you wish to examine the goods in the glass counter, turn to 152.

  199

  Most of the cupboards and drawers are empty. Whoever lived here took nearly everything they owned with them, but you do manage to scrape together enough fruit in the cellar for one Meal. You may mark this on your Action Chart.

  Turn to 81.

  200

  Night is starting to close in. The shadows of the forest are growing longer and darker. Just as you are about to stop and rest, you see through the trees a line of people moving south along a wide highway. Moving closer, you notice a large merchant's caravan in the centre of the dusty turnpike. It is drawn by six large horses and is moving much faster than any of the other traffic. This could be your chance to reach the capital as quickly as possible.

  Illustration XII—You notice a large merchant in the centre of the dusty turnpike.

  If you wish to use the Kai Discipline of Camouflage to hide in among the packing cases strapped to the roof, turn to 168.

  If you wish to jump onto the caravan, turn to 78.

  201

  You follow the rough track for nearly an hour when you notice ahead of you another wider path branching off towards the south.

  If you wish to turn south along the new path, turn to 238.

  But if you wish to head east, turn to 15.

  Or if you wish to go west, turn to 130.

  202

  Urging your horse forward, you gallop down the long stretch of highway towards the capital. After only a few minutes your horse suddenly slows and finally limps to a halt. You dismount and examine its raised right foreleg. You curse your ill luck, for you see that it has thrown a shoe and injured its hoof quite badly. You will have to leave him here and proceed on foot as quickly as you can.

  Turn to 58.

  203

  You suddenly feel a searing pain shoot through your chest as something explodes against you in a shower of red sparks.

  You lose 10 ENDURANCE points. Through the smoke, the Sage is preparing to throw more explosives at you.

  If you have 10 or more ENDURANCE points left, turn to 80.

  If you now have less than 10 ENDURANCE points, turn to 344.

  204

  After an hour of walking you arrive at a junction. The path continues south and another path joins it from the west. You realize that the west path will lead you back to the marsh, so you continue southwards.

  Turn to 111.

  205

  Their leader picks up your discarded Equipment and ushers you along the road ahead. (You must now erase all Weapons and Backpack Items from your Action Chart.) An evil grin spreads across the face of the other two men, and you suddenly realize that they are not soldiers after all. You make a break for it and run away from there, sprinting towards the distant capital.

  Behind you, the ominous click of a crossbow being primed sends a shiver down your spine.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 181.

  If the number is 5–9, turn to 145.

  206

  The path soon joins a highway where a signpost indicates Toran to the north and Holmgard to the south. You turn south towards the capital.

  Turn to 224.

  207

  The track soon reaches a larger road which crosses the stream via a stone bridge. A signpost at the bridge points north to Toran and south to Holmgard. The road itself is jammed with people moving south, some pushing their possessions along on handcarts. You join the refugee column and head towards the capital.

  Turn to 30.

  208

  The ghoulish creatures thrust their spears at you and attack. Fight these creatures as a single enemy.

  Giaks: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 13

  If you win, you can run to the safety of the farmhouse by turning to 148.

  Or you can return to the woods by turning to 320.

  209

  You see ahead a corridor sloping upwards, and as you reach the top of this slope, a stone portal slides across to reveal another passage ahead.

  You step through the opening which then quickly closes with a crunch.

  Turn to 23.

  210

  Just inside the door, you are stopped by a journeyman of the Guildhall and asked to explain your intrusion. You calmly inform him of your urgent message for the King, and he hurries you into the Guildmaster's chambers.

  A distinguished old man in deep purple robes turns to greet you and listens to your story. Taking you by the arm, he leads you into an adjoining library and closes the door. Pressing one of the many thousands of books, he releases a secret panel in the wall and beckons you to follow him.

  If you wish to follow him into the dark passage, turn to 332.

  If you are not completely happy about this man and wish to leave the Guildhall, turn to 37.

  211

  You walk along a dimly lit corridor which opens out into a large square room, with an oak door in the far wall.

  If you possess the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense turn to 244.

  If you wish to walk across to the door, turn to 173.

  If you would prefer to return to the surface and continue your journey, turn to 106.

  212

  When you awake, the pain is but a memory. Restore all lost ENDURANCE points to your original score. A tall man dressed in white robes stands before you, a bowl of herbs in his hands. Placing the leaves into a kettle of boiling water, he then turns to greet you.

  Illustration XIII—A tall man dressed in white robes stands before you, a bowl of herbs in his hands.

  ‘You have passed close to death and have seen his face, Kai Lord, but the Grey One has not claimed you for his flock. You are healed in body but I sense that you are wounded in spirit. What is it that troubles you so?’

  You recognize the man to be one of the King's senior physicians, for the gold embroidered emblem of a dove upon his sleeve is the sign of his respected vocation. You tell the aged cleric of the events at the monastery and of your perilous journey to the King.

  Raising you gently from the bed by your arm, he bids you follow him. You notice that you are in a lavishly decorated room which leads out through a long corridor lined with tapestries. It slowly dawns on you just where you are.

  This is the citadel of Holmgard and you are about to meet the King.

  Turn to 350.

  213

  You have been trudging through the forest for nearly two hours. The nagging fear that you are lost begins to seem a reality. Apart from the occasional cry of a Kraan in the far distance, you have seen or heard no evidence that the enemy is in this part of the forest. As you descend a rocky hillock, you see something unusual in the tangled woods ahead.

  Turn to 331.

  214

  The path grad
ually narrows until it disappears completely into a mass of dense vegetation. You cannot go any further on this route and therefore you must return to the clearing.

  Turn to 125 and take the south path.

  215

  You emerge into a small clearing. In the centre you see the skeletal remains of a large animal. To the south a narrow track leads off into the distance.

  If you wish to examine the skeleton, turn to 346.

  If you would rather press on, turn to 14.

  216

  Placing one hand on his forehead and the other on his wounded arm, you feel the warmth of your healing powers leave your body and give strength to the injured man.

  He tells you his name is Trimis and he is a soldier in Prince Pelathar's army. The Prince and his troops are engaged in battle to the south, where a large force of the Darklords' creatures are attacking the bridge of Alema. During the fight, he had been snatched into the air by a Kraan, and dropped into the forest.

  You make the soldier as comfortable as possible before continuing on your mission.

  Turn to 264.

  217

  You quickly escape from the madman and dodge along a dark alleyway where the houses are small and cramped together. At the very end is a green door with a sign above it that says:

  If you wish to enter, turn to 91.

  If you wish to wait until you are sure the madman has disappeared and then return to the main street, turn to 7.

  218

  Your senses reveal that more than just horses are heading towards you. You can just make out the very high shrieks of Giak war-cries in the distance. By the number of cries and curses you estimate that there are over a dozen Giaks, and probably Doomwolves as well. You decide that advertising your existence is perhaps not quite such a good idea after all!

  Turn to 75.

  219

  All that remains of you now is embedded five feet into the stairs on which you were standing, beneath a vast granite block.

  Your mission and your life end here.

  220

  The bodyguard unsheathes a scimitar and lunges for your head.

  Bodyguard: COMBAT SKILL 11 ENDURANCE 20

  If you win, turn to 24.

  If you wish to evade combat at any time during the fight, you can jump from the speeding caravan by turning to 234.

  221

  Cautiously, you approach the base of the log wall. The tree trunks are rough-hewn and afford plenty of footholds for your climb. As you reach the top of the wall, you come face to face with a crossbow. The soldier holding it in your face motions for you to descend a wooden ladder to the ground. You do not argue with him. Slowly you descend the ladder.

  Turn to 318.

  222

  As you go on you discover a forest path that divides at the point you join it.

  If you wish to use your Kai Discipline of Tracking, turn to 67.

  If you wish to take the south fork, turn to 140.

  If you wish to take the east fork, turn to 252.

  223

  After quite a struggle, you manage to free the heavy trunk from the river bank. Gathering your equipment in a bundle, you stow it on top of the log and then slowly wade out into the river. The current soon takes you and you drift slowly downstream.

  After twenty minutes you hear the sound of horses along the left bank.

  If you wish to hide behind the log, turn to 75.

  If you wish to climb onto the log and prepare to catch the riders' attention, then turn to 175.

  224

  You have ridden several miles and have seen no sign of refugees or of the enemy. You race on towards a high ridge in the middle distance. You should be able to see the capital from there.

  As you reach the peak, the sight that meets you on the far side is one of hope — but there is still one challenge you know you have to face.

  Turn to 153.

  225

  You recognize the language to be that of the Kakarmi, an intelligent race of forest animals that live in, and care for the forests of Sommerlund. You have nothing to fear from these creatures as they are very timid and gentle in their behaviour. Using your skill of Animal Kinship, you call to them in their strange native tongue.

  If you say ‘Do not be afraid, I am a friend,’ turn to 187.

  If you say ‘I am a Kai Lord. I wish you no harm. I must talk with you,’ turn to 39.

  226

  At first the descent is quite easy, but you soon find it difficult to see clearly and your legs feel very weak. The ‘Sleeptooth’ scratches are affecting you, and suddenly you pitch forward and slip head-first into darkness.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 277.

  If the number is 5–9, turn to 338.

  227

  You are now up to your waist in slimy water. The air is thick with small insects that sting your face and clog your nose. Something wraps itself around your leg. It is a Marshviper and you must fight it.

  Marshviper: COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 6

  If you lose any ENDURANCE points in the combat, turn to 271.

  If you kill it without losing any ENDURANCE points, turn to 348.

  228

  The path continues eastwards but soon disappears into thick undergrowth.

  If you continue east, cutting through the vegetation with your weapon, turn to 140.

  If you head south to where the bushes are less dense and then press on through the forest, turn to 215.

  229

  The Kraan hovers above you, raising dust with the beat of its huge black wings. The dust gets into your eyes and nose, and you start to cough. Now the beast attacks.

  You must fight it to the death. Because of the dust, you must reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 1 point.

  Kraan: COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 25

  If you win you have a choice.

  Will you search the body by turning to 267?

  Or will you continue along the east path by turning to 125?

  230

  In the far distance, you can make out the silhouette of soldiers on barges that are strung out in a line across the river. You can hear the low growls of Doomwolves returning along the opposite bank.

  For once you throw caution to the wind and sprint along the river bank towards the barges in the distance.

  Turn to 179.

  231

  You are about to ask the price of the potions when the bamboo screen crashes down and a young man leaps at you. He has a long curved dagger in his hand.

  He is upon you and you must fight for your life.

  Robber: COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 20

  If you kill him within 4 rounds of combat, turn to 94.

  If you are still fighting after 4 rounds of combat, turn to 203.

  You may evade more fighting after 2 rounds of combat by dashing through the front door. If you wish to do this, turn to 7.

  232

  The rough-looking leader approaches you and says, ‘Our needs are simple, kind sir. Your money or your life!’

  If you wish to fight them, turn to 180.

  If you wish to run, turn to 22.

  233

  After nearly an hour, you catch up with the horse and succeed in calming him down. You are now north of the cabin, but you are confident of finding your way back.

  Mounting the horse, you ride back past the cabin, and press on towards the south once again.

  Turn to 206.

  234

  You jump clear of the speeding caravan but land very badly and break your ankle. The pain is terrible and you soon lose consciousness.

  Unfortunately you never wake up, but it may be of interest to you that your head is now adorning the saddle of a Kraan.

  Your life and your mission end here.

  235

  The Prince's horse is indeed a magnificent animal, fast and sure of foot. You gallop along the twisting track as if it were a straight highway, until the noise of battle ha
s disappeared far behind you.

  You are hungry and must eat a Meal during your ride.

  After several miles, the path stops abruptly at a junction. There is a signpost, but it has been hacked down.

  If you wish to use your Kai Discipline of Tracking, turn to 254.

  If you wish to turn left, go to 32.

  If you wish to turn right, go to 146.

  236

  The Gem hovers above the mouth of the skeleton king, glowing a fierce red. Suddenly, an explosion of searing crimson flame lashes upwards from the sarcophagus, destroying the Gem completely. You are thrown against the far wall and knocked unconscious.

  When you awake, the chamber is completely empty. The skeleton king and the sarcophagus have vanished. You have lost 6 ENDURANCE points, and your initial COMBAT SKILL is reduced by 1 point for the rest of your life. (Remember to erase the Vordak Gem from your Action Chart. If you had two Gems, you need erase only one.)