Flight from the Dark (13 page)
Read Flight from the Dark Online
Authors: Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund
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
.
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.
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
.
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.
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.
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
.
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.
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
.
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
.
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.
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.
The path gradually 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.
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
.
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.
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
.
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!
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.
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
.
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.
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
.
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
.
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.
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
.
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
.
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
.