Flight from the Dark (14 page)

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
.

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
?

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
.

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
.

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
.

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
.

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.

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 has 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
.

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.)

You carefully get to your feet and stagger towards the tunnel.

Turn to 104
.

You make full use of your Kai Discipline and quickly burrow deep into the loose earth of the wooded hillside. Covering yourself with your cloak, you pull a loose branch across your hastily dug shelter.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If you have picked a number 0–4, then you have passed undetected.
Turn to 265
.

If you have picked a number 5–9, then you are not so lucky!
Turn to 72
.

The path meanders between several small, wooded hills and eventually leads to a ruined log cabin. It seems that it had burnt down not so long ago, for the ashes are still warm and a haze of smoke still lingers. You sense possible danger here.

You may leave by the south route by
turning to 42
.

Or you may take the north track by
turning to 68
.

As you push on into the forest, you hear the wings of the Kraan pass above the trees and disappear northwards. You ride on for nearly an hour until you come to a clearing. On the far side is a track that leads off to the south.

If you wish to enter the clearing and take the south exit,
turn to 34
.

If you would rather skirt the edge of the clearing and pick up the track further on,
turn to 118
.

The path leads along a ridge of wooded hillocks and changes direction towards the east.

Turn to 79
.

The wizard heeds your cry and spins around just in time to loose a searing bolt of energy at the Giak. The creature's head disintegrates in flames and its twitching body falls in a heap at the foot of the pillar. The Giak officer sees you and shouts,
‘Ogot … Ogot!’
to his cowering troops, who quickly run away from the ruins to the safety of the forest beyond.

The young wizard wipes his brow, and walks towards you, his hand extended in gratitude and friendship.

Turn to 349
.

The lid of the sarcophagus slips to the floor with a dull crunch. You are looking at the remains of an ancient king, who lies still surrounded by his treasure. An ornate crown is still in position on his skull. The jaw of the skeleton is wide open and the darkness of the mouth seems strangely bottomless. A distant rumbling can now be heard from deep in the earth.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield,
turn to 166
.

If you do not,
turn to 9
.

Hurrying through the forest, you stumble and fall down a steep slope which drops you in a heap on a hidden path below. On the path is a dead body. It is a Giak, a spiteful and ghoulish servant of the Darklords. Many centuries ago, their ancestors were used by the Darklords to build for them the infernal city of Helgedad, which lies in the volcanic wastelands beyond the Durncrag range of mountains. The construction of the city was a long and torturous nightmare, and only the strongest of the Giaks survived the heat and poisonous atmospheres of Helgedad. This creature that lies before you is a descendant of these Giak slaves. It has been killed by a sword blow to its head, and by its side lies a Mace. You may take this Weapon if you wish.

Continue along the hidden path by
turning to 97
.

Your senses tell you that you are not alone. You are in very great danger. Return to the surface as quickly as you can.

Turn to 93
.

Arrows hit the water above you, and drop harmlessly past as you swim beneath the surface towards the opposite bank.

Quickly you wade out of the river and dash for the trees. You are now out of range of the Giaks, who remount their Doomwolves and continue their chase.

Turn to 190
.

When the ferry reaches the middle of the lake, the man stops rowing and stands up. He laughs menacingly and pulls back the hood of his cloak to reveal himself. He is a Drakkar and you must fight him.

Illustration XIV
—He laughs menacingly and pulls back the hood of his cloak. He is a Drakkar and you must fight him.

Drakkar:
COMBAT SKILL
 15   
ENDURANCE
 23

If you win,
turn to 197
.

The merchant looks angry. He calls to his bodyguard. You must think of something quickly.

If you decide to offer him something of greater value that you have in your Backpack,
turn to 159
.

If you prepare to fight the bodyguard,
turn to 220
.

You reach the base of the hill and hurry into the forest. After only a few minutes you discover an old forest track.

If you wish to follow this track north,
turn to 44
.

If you wish to follow this track east,
turn to 300
.

You descend a flight of stone stairs that lead to a large chamber. A macabre sight awaits you. Directly opposite, across the large stone room, is an ornate archway with a corridor leading into the darkness beyond. The strange green light radiates from two lines of skulls each resting on a stone plinth. They face each other to form an eerie walkway across the room.

If you wish to walk across the room to the archway,
turn to 169
.

If you wish to attack the skulls,
turn to 107
.

Leaping from the top of the trunk, you land in front of two small furry creatures. You recognize that they are Kakarmi, an intelligent race of animals that inhabit and tend the forests of Sommerlund. Before you can apologize for your dramatic entrance, the frightened little creatures scurry off into the forest.

If you wish to follow them,
turn to 186
.

If you wish to continue,
turn to 228
.