The Cauldron of Fear

by Joe Dever

  Pickpocket: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 25

  If you wish to evade combat and run back along the alley to Brooker Court, turn to 334.

  If you win the combat, turn to 155.

  218

  Your spirits sink as you contemplate your fate, for the only way you know of escaping from this gigantic underground grotto has now been sealed off. However, you are not completely without hope, for your senses detect a powerful presence. It is a feeling you have known before when you have been close to discovering a Lorestone, but never has the sensation been as strong as it is here in this dark, subterranean world.

  As your eyes become accustomed to the half-light, you look across the lake to see tiers of grey stone rising out of the water. They are the steps of a gigantic staircase, which ascends to an arch of rock veined with glittering minerals. You skirt the edge of the lake and arrive at the foot of these steps to discover a cave-like hollow chiselled from the stone.

  You are exhausted, and must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. (If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, you are able to forage for food from the wasteland of Zaaryx and therefore you do not need to make any deductions.) Rather than attempt to go on, you climb into the empty hollow and settle down to sleep.

  Turn to 97.

  219

  Your light illuminates the tunnel ahead, and within a few minutes you have found your way through to a hillside exit that overlooks a tiny village called Varta, perched on the edge of the Tahou flats. (If your source of light is a Torch, remember to erase it from your Action Chart.)

  The flats comprise fields of cultivated crops that form a fertile market garden two miles wide. They are farmed right up to the banks of the great moat that encircles the capital. Varta is deserted; its male inhabitants now shelter within the city walls whilst the women and children have long since travelled south to the safety of Navasari. As you ride through the empty village and descend onto the flats, you catch your first awe-inspiring view of the ancient city itself.

  Turn to 100.

  220

  You hurry down the stone stairs that lead to the West Gate arch. The gate has been holed by an explosive crystal and red-cloaked Drakkarim assault-troopers pour through the ragged gap. These evil warriors fight like fanatics, seemingly oblivious to any wounds they sustain. The gate guards are soon cut down and you are faced by three of these fearsome warriors. You must fight all three as one enemy.

  Illustration XIII—Red-cloaked Drakkarim assault-troopers pour through the ragged gap in the gate.

  Drakkarim Assault-troopers: COMBAT SKILL 30 ENDURANCE 42

  Owing to their state of battle-frenzy, these enemies are immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).

  If you win the combat, turn to 30.

  221

  Banedon once told you that Chiban lives in the city's North District. At the end of the alley you find a signpost that points the way north. You wait in the shadows until the coast is clear then hurry across the street into an avenue called Brooker Court.

  Turn to 158.

  222

  Cursing the delay, you steer your horse about and return along the narrow path of flattened corn that marks your route back to the highway. You have covered less than fifty yards when your horse rears up and shies away, refusing to go any further in this direction.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control and wish to use it, turn to 15.

  If you do not possess this skill or do not wish to use it, turn to 296.

  223

  Banedon casts a spell that fills the hall with a flash of light so intense that it stuns everyone for several seconds. In the confusion, you are able to run out of the eating house and escape along the street.

  Turn to 146.

  224

  You can see nothing in the pitch dark. As you descend, you run one hand along the smooth stone wall to keep your balance, and hold your weapon before you in the other, continually testing for obstructions.

  If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship or of Divination, turn to 133.

  If you do not possess either of these skills, turn to 264.

  225

  Using the sole of your boot you push the bed across the trapdoor. The bedclothes are crawling with vermin and you are careful to avoid touching these tattered rags. Whoever is hiding below must know that the exit has now been blocked off, but still they remain silent.

  If you now wish to search the hut, turn to 190.

  If you decide to leave the hut and continue, turn to 123.

  226

  For the first few minutes of your descent you can see the red stone walls encircling the cradle. Then a jagged rim of rock marks the end of the shaft, and you are plunged into total blackness. You can make out no walls or floor and the shaft itself is now just a small circle of grey in the darkness above.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 251.

  If you do not possess this skill, turn to 53.

  227

  You pace the cell like a caged lion, cursing your predicament and trying to think of a way to escape. After an hour you resign yourself to your fate and settle down on your haunches to sleep.

  The prod of a spear haft wakes you from your slumber. ‘On your feet,’ snarls the brutish sergeant-at-arms, standing over you with his spear poised to strike again. Two soldiers grab you roughly by the collar and shove you through the open cell door into the arms of an escort that has come to take you before the Chief Magistrate. Your hands and feet are shackled with chains and you are bundled into a covered wagon waiting beside the South Gate. It moves off at breakneck speed, and by the time it reaches its destination, you are covered in bruises: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.

  Turn to 142.

  228

  The speed with which you slew your attacker strikes fear into the grisly hearts of the advancing ghouls. Slowly they slink away, their grey forms merging with the shadows at the far side of the lake. You are about to hurry away from the hollow, in case they should return with more of their kind, when you notice an odd-looking token lying next to the dead ghoul.

  If you wish to examine the token, turn to 43.

  If you choose to ignore it and leave this place, turn to 175.

  229

  The Giak enters the shadows just as you are ready to fire your Bow. Although you can no longer see your target, you are able to sense approximately where he is.

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

  If your total is now 0–5, turn to 330.

  If it is 6 or more, turn to 107.

  230

  You search the road ahead for somewhere soft to land, but the surface is strewn with sharp boulders.

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

  If your total is now 0–6, turn to 89.

  If it is 7 or more, turn to 297.

  231

  The descent is slow and arduous and fraught with hazards. The wind becomes stronger and colder the further you go, numbing your fingers and sapping your strength. A sudden gust swings you into an outcrop of black rock, invisible in the gloom, and the impact forces you to lose your grip.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery or Nexus, add 3 to the number you have picked. (If you possess both of these Magnakai Disciplines, you may only add 3 to the number picked.)

  If your total is now 0–1, turn to 195.

  If it is 2–6, turn to 332.

  If it is 7 or more, turn to 81.

  232

  Reluctantly the lurker steps into the shaft of light that streams through the open hatch. A hunchbacked old man dressed in rags, he has thin, grey hair and a wrinkled face that bears the marks of a lifetime's poverty. Two eyes, clouded with cataracts, stare fearfully at you. You take hold of his scrawny arms
and haul him out of the cellar with ease, for he weighs no more than a young child. You ask his name, but he does not reply. Instead he hobbles around the hut, running his withered hands lightly over his meagre belongings and mumbling incoherently under his breath. He stops at the door and inclines his head towards you.

  ‘Are you and your friend outside lost?’ he asks in a thin and squeaky voice. ‘I know a short cut to Tahou. Would you like me to show you?’

  If you wish to take up the old man's offer of help, turn to 299.

  If you choose to decline his help, you leave the hut and continue; turn to 123.

  233

  The circular walls shake violently and you slip and tumble headlong down the shaft, landing with a jolt on a slab of flat, spongy rock at the edge of a huge, subterranean lake. There is a tremendous roar as the ceiling of the tunnel collapses and tons of rock crash down to seal the shaft.

  Turn to 218.

  234

  The street leads to a far more grandiose part of the city. Government offices surround a broad plaza that narrows to a thoroughfare flanked by clean little town houses, each with a blossoming garden. You are wondering how such a prosperous avenue came to be named Gallows Street when you happen upon the Magistrates' Court.

  Turn to 323.

  235

  The beggars squabble noisily over who should have your donation, and you are jostled on all sides as the bickering develops into an ugly brawl. Banedon grabs your cloak and pulls you clear as they set about each other tooth and nail.

  ‘Generosity can sometimes be unwise in Anari,’ he says, as you remount your white horses and ride away from the village. ‘And costly too,’ you reply, as you notice that your Backpack has been cut open. Unfortunately the beggars have stolen the items you have placed third and fourth on your list of Backpack Items. Erase these from your Action Chart before continuing your journey to Tahou.

  Turn to 52.

  236

  You flatten yourself against the floor and the net passes harmlessly over your head. Before the guard can react, you are back on your feet and running headlong down the stairs.

  Three soldiers await you at the bottom of the staircase. They clutch wooden staves in their sweaty hands, ready to beat you senseless the moment you appear. ‘Get 'im!’ they shout, and run forward, clumsy and flat-footed compared with your cat-like strides. Before they can land a blow, you leap among them, striking left and right too quickly for their eyes to follow. They scream and clutch at their wounds as you make your getaway unharmed.

  Turn to 90.

  237

  By holding the mirror to the gap in the door you are able to see beyond it without exposing yourself. Your caution is well placed, for in the mirror you can see the reflection of two reptilians kneeling in the corridor beyond. Supported on their shoulders is a huge rod of crystal encircled with tubes and glowing metallic buttons.

  If you have a Bow and at least two Arrows, turn to 184.

  If you do not, turn to 116.

  238

  Your Kai Mastery charges you with a superhuman response to this deadly situation. Suddenly the spinning arrows are approaching with exaggerated slowness, and every detail becomes crystal clear as they spiral lazily towards your heart. You raise your sword and strike the leading shaft, hacking it clean in two. Your backstroke shears through the underside of the second arrow, splintering it to useless matchwood. The archers stare in disbelief, their mouths agape. The sergeant and his men hesitate, frozen in awe of what they have just witnessed. Seconds slip away before they come to their senses and draw their swords.

  ‘Take him!’ yells the sergeant, and together they surge towards you. You cannot evade this combat, and because the corridor is narrow you must fight the guards two at a time.

  Sergeant and Guard: COMBAT SKILL 20 ENDURANCE 32

  Tower Guards 3 and 4: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 32

  Tower Guards 5 and 6: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 29

  Your display of Kai Mastery has made a big impression on Sogh, who fights by your side: add 2 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the fight.

  If you win, turn to 177.

  239

  You have only one chance to kill the Zakhan before he releases another deadly bolt of energy from the Orb of Death.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Dagger, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you have completed the Lore-circle of Fire, add 1.

  If your total is now 0–4, the dagger misses its target; turn to 20.

  If your total is 5 or more, it strikes the Zakhan in the heart; turn to 350.

  240

  The dust cloud grows bigger and the rumble of hoofbeats can now be heard drifting towards you across the open plain. Twenty lightly armoured riders approach, their lances bearing blue pennants embroidered with the arms of Tahou, their faces stern and unsmiling beneath the peaks of their winged helmets. Their sergeant makes a signal and the horsemen change formation, drawing up into a circle that quickly closes around you. ‘State your business here!’ bellows the sergeant. ‘Why do you ride to Tahou?’

  At first you are suspicious of their identities, but your basic Kai Sixth Sense confirms that these men are genuine Anarian rangers.

  If you wish to tell the sergeant your real reason for riding to Tahou, turn to 279.

  If you possess an Invitation and wish to show it to him, turn to 136.

  If you demand to know what right they have to hinder your passage to the capital, turn to 343.

  241

  You follow the corridor to a curved flight of alabaster stairs and descend them to a massive chamber. The floor is constructed of steely-blue metal flecked with silver, and a hundred darkened archways line the walls. Directly ahead stand two gigantic doors of sheeted platinum, engraved with patterns breathtaking in their intricacy. The chamber is deserted, but as you cross the floor and approach the doors, you are acutely aware that any one of the arches could be hiding a legion of reptilians.

  In the centre of the door there is a lock that consists of four hexagonal buttons, arranged in the shape of a pyramid, with one button at the top and three buttons in a line below it. Every time you touch a button, a glowing number appears on its surface. Your basic Kai sense informs you that this is a combination lock; if you press each button several times until the correct numbers show on all four buttons the lock will release and the doors will open.

  If you know the correct number to press for the top button, and the correct three-figure number for the bottom three buttons, add both numbers together and turn to the entry that has the same number as the total.

  If you know only one of the two correct numbers that you need to open the lock, turn to the entry of that number.12

  If you do not know the correct numbers to press for either the top button or the bottom three buttons, turn to 207.

  [12] The section corresponding to the correct code for the combination lock will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.

  242

  Leaving your horses and the South Gate tower behind, you enter a wide avenue flanked by workshops and houses, all built of red stone or rock sheathed in red plaster. The buildings themselves are small and densely packed, yet each one, no matter how humble, has a spire or tower that soars into the sky.

  The large sleepy-eyed heads of stone dragons gaze down from the balconies of minarets, crowned either with bulbous, onion-shaped domes of copper, or with platforms housing engines of war recently installed.

  Banedon points to an eating house and suggests that you stop there for some refreshment. Chiban's house is more than an hour's walk from here, and you are ravenous after your long ride.

  If you wish to enter the eating house, turn to 80.

  If you decide to ignore your rumbling stomach and continue your walk to Chiban's house, turn to 146.

  243

  Before you lies a huge chamber. Its walls are hung with silk and fine tapestries and its su
nken floor is piled high with glittering treasures. As you enter, a perfumed breeze ruffles your hair and the sound of song-birds fills your ears.

  Sogh leads you past a bubbling pool of crystal-clear water into an antechamber. Here, lying on a couch of vivid scarlet, rests the ruler of this sanctuary, dressed in an extravagant costume of many colours. His large, squarish face is framed by a hood trimmed with a strange purple fur. He stirs from his slumber and opens his coal-black eyes.

  Illustration XIV—‘Kad-dul da-nar Li-ook!’ he breathes, and a vivid green flame engulfs the sparkling jewel.

  ‘Sogh! Who is this man?’ he shouts, angrily. ‘Why have you brought him here?’ The thief tries to offer an explanation but it only serves to anger him even more. ‘Sogh, you snivelling fool!’ he bellows. ‘You know it is forbidden to bring outsiders into the secret enclaves of the guild. I should have you flogged for your stupidity. For all we know, this Northlander could be a spy, or even … ’ he pauses, staring up at you fearfully, ‘an assassin.’ He snatches a gem from his pocket and holds it in the air. ‘Kad-dul da-nar Li-ook!’ he breathes, and a vivid green flame engulfs the sparkling jewel.