Flight from the Dark (19 page)

As you approach, the black bird flies off above the trees and soon disappears from view. You search the tree on which it was perched but find nothing unusual. Rather than waste any more precious time, you continue off along the track.

Turn to 121
.

You rush into the clearing and take the Giaks completely by surprise. Without a moment's hesitation, you strike out at the one nearest to you. He is dead before his body hits the ground. The other Giaks unsheathe their curved swords and attack you. You must fight them one at a time.

Giak 1:
COMBAT SKILL
 14   
ENDURANCE
 11

Giak 2:
COMBAT SKILL
 13   
ENDURANCE
 11

If you win, you free the ranger and
turn to 117
.

Just as you remove the ornate pin, a loud crack deafens you.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number picked is 0–4,
turn to 219
.

If the number is 5–9,
turn to 317
.

When you awake, you find yourself lying at the foot of a steep slope in a tangle of long grasses. Your Backpack and Weapons are missing and your head aches violently. You cannot tell how long you have been unconscious, but you realize that time is running out and you must press on. Standing up, you notice your Backpack and Weapon on the slope above. They must have broken free when you fell. You quickly retrieve them and move off into the trees ahead.

Turn to 113
.

You quickly sidestep just as a long dagger shatters the glass top of the counter. A swarthy youth is attacking you and you must fight him.

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 combat by escaping through the front door at any stage of the fight, by
turning to 7
.

You gallop forward to meet the oncoming Doomwolf and rider, your Weapon raised to strike. The Giak sees you and unsheathes his scimitar. You must fight both Giak and Doomwolf as one enemy.

Giak + Doomwolf:
COMBAT SKILL
 14   
ENDURANCE
 24

If you win the fight,
turn to 193
.

The guards do not believe your story and refuse to let you enter. Your escort disappears into the crowd and you are left alone to find your way in this confused city.

Illustration XIX
—The guards do not believe your story and refuse to let you enter.

Shocked, and then dejected by such a rebuff, you are carried along by the crowds until you find yourself at the entrance to the Guildhall. It stands at one side of the Guild Bridge which crosses the River Eledil near where it joins the Holmgulf.

If you wish to use the Kai Discipline of Tracking,
turn to 310
.

If you wish to enter the Guildhall,
turn to 210
.

If you wish to search for another route into the citadel,
turn to 37
.

As your voice echoes through the trees, the stranger slowly turns to face you. Your heart pounds and your blood freezes as you realize that the stranger is not human. It is a Vordak, a hideous lieutenant of the Darklords and one of the undead. A piercing scream fills your ears, and the creature raises a huge black mace above its head and charges at you. Frozen with horror, you can also feel the Vordak attacking you with the force of its mind.

Deduct 2 points from your
COMBAT SKILL
unless you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield. You must fight this creature. It is immune to Mindblast.

Vordak:
COMBAT SKILL
 18   
ENDURANCE
 26

If you win,
turn to 123
.

You are held by the mass of tangled branches and roots. Eventually you free your right hand, grab your weapon, and hack your way slowly through the foliage to the clearer forest beyond. Your cloak is torn in several places and your left arm is cut and badly bruised above the elbow.

Lose 2
ENDURANCE
points and
turn to 213
.

You are weak and dizzy. You can no longer feel your legs and they refuse to bear your weight. You try to crawl for the door but the robber jumps on you and pins you to the ground.

Turn to 60
.

You pull up the hood of your green Kai cloak and hold your breath as the Kraan circles above. After a few minutes, you hear the frantic curses of the Giaks. The beating of Kraan wings fades, as they disappear towards the west. Your quick reactions have saved you from capture and likely death.

You can now return to the track, by
turning to 272
.

Or push on under cover of the trees.
Turn to 19
.

Lodged deep in the rib cage of the skeleton is a Spear. It is in good condition and you may take it if you wish and are able to.

To leave the clearing,
turn to 14
.

The trees start to thin out, and just ahead you can make out the silhouette of an old log cabin beneath an oak tree. This hut seems to have been abandoned and there is little of apparent value left behind. Opening a small chest near the main door, you discover bunches of twigs that have been tied together with strong twine. One end of each bundle has been coated with pitch. They are Torches. Next to the chest are a Short Sword and a Tinderbox. You may take them and a Torch if you wish but make sure that you mark them on your
Action Chart
.
³

Closing the door of the cabin, you head off along an overgrown path towards the northeast.

Turn to 103
.

Raising your boot to kick away the dead snake, your heart skips a beat as you realize that it was a Red Marshviper. There is no known cure for its venomous bite! You decide that to go any further in this direction would be suicide. Carefully retracing your steps, you eventually reach firm ground and continue on your mission.

Turn to 95
.

He is a young blond-haired youth with deep brooding eyes. His face is lined with exhaustion and the grime of battle, and his long sky-blue robes bear evidence of living rough in the wilds. He shakes your hand and bows. ‘My eternal thanks, Kai Lord. My powers are nearly drained. Had you not come to my aid, I fear I would have ended my days atop a Giak lance.’

He is weak and unsteady on his feet. You take his arm and sit him down upon a fallen pillar where you listen intently to what he has to say.

‘My name is Banedon. I am journeyman to the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, which is the Magicians' Guild of Toran. My Guildmaster has sent me to your monastery with this urgent message.’ He removes a vellum envelope from inside his robes and hands it to you.

‘As you see, I have opened the letter and read its contents. When the war started, I was on the highway with two travelling companions. The Kraan attacked us and we lost each other in the forest during our escape.’

The letter is a warning to the Kai Lords that the Darklords have mustered a vast army beyond the Durncrag Range. The Guildmaster urges the Kai to cancel the celebrations of Fehmarn and prepare for war.

‘I fear we were betrayed,’ says Banedon, his head bowed in sorrow.

‘One of my order, a brother called Vonotar, had explored the forbidden mysteries of the Black Art. Ten days ago he denounced the Brotherhood and killed one of our Elders. He has since disappeared. It is rumoured that he now aids the Darklords.’

You tell Banedon what has happened at the monastery, and of your mission to warn the King. Silently, he removes a gold chain from around his neck and hands it to you. On the chain is a small Crystal Star Pendant. ‘It is the symbol of my Brotherhood, and we are both truly brothers in this hour of darkness. It is a talisman of good fortune — may it protect you on your road ahead.’

You thank him, place the chain around your neck, and slip the Crystal Star
⁴
inside your shirt. (Remember to mark this on your
Action Chart
.)

Banedon bids you farewell. ‘We must leave this place lest the Giaks return with more of their loathsome kind to put an end to us. I must return to my Guild. I bid you farewell, my brother. May the luck of the gods go with you.’

Turn to 293
.

You enter the Chamber of State, a magnificent hall decorated lavishly in white and gold. The King and his closest advisers are studying a large map spread upon a marble plinth in the centre of the chamber. Their faces are lined with worry and concentration. A silence fills the hall as you tell of the death of your kinsmen and of your perilous journey to the citadel. As you finish your story, the King approaches and takes your right hand in his.

Illustration XX
—The faces of the King and his closest advisers are lined with worry and concentration.

‘Lone Wolf, you have selfless courage: the quality of a true Kai Lord. Your journey here has been one of great peril and although your news comes as a grievous blow, the spirit of your determination is like a beacon of hope to us all in this dark hour. You have brought great honour to the memory of your Masters, and for that we praise you.’

You receive the praise and heartfelt thanks of the entire hall — an honour that brings a certain redness to your young face. The King raises his hand and all the voices cease.

‘You have done all that Sommerlund could have asked of a loyal son, but she is greatly in need of you still. The Darklords are powerful once more and their ambition knows no bounds. Our only hope lies within Durenor with the power that once defeated the Darklords an age ago. Lone Wolf, you are the last of the Kai — you have the skills. Will you journey to Durenor and return with the Sommerswerd, the sword of the sun? Only with that gift of the gods may we crush this evil and save our land.’

If you wish to accept the quest of the Sommerswerd, begin your adventure with Book 2 of the
Lone Wolf
adventures:

Fire on the Water

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