Flight from the Dark (5 page)

You try to comfort the injured man as best you can, but his wounds are serious and he is soon unconscious again. Covering him with his cape, you turn and press deeper into the forest.

Turn to 264
.

You have ridden about three miles when, in the distance, you spot the unmistakable silhouette of five large Doomwolves. Riding on their backs are Giaks. They seem to be going on ahead to where the path leads down into an open meadow. Suddenly, one of the Giaks leaves the others and begins to ride back along the path towards you.

If you wish to hide in the undergrowth and let him pass,
turn to 176
.

If you wish to fight him,
turn to 340
.

The floor of the cave is quite dry and dusty. As you explore deeper in the half-light, you detect the stale odour of rotting flesh. Littering a crevice are the bones, fur, and teeth of several small animals. You notice a small cloth bag among these remains which you open to discover 3 Gold Crowns. Pocketing these coins, you leave what appears to be the lair of a mountain cat and carefully descend the hill.

Turn to 248
.

Without warning, a terrible apparition in red robes swoops down from the sky on the back of a Kraan. Its cry freezes your blood. The beast is a Vordak, a fierce lieutenant of the Darklords.

He is above you and you must fight him.

Illustration III
—A terrible apparition in red robes swoops down from the sky on the back of a Kraan.

Deduct 2 points from your
COMBAT SKILL
unless you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield, for the creature is attacking you with the power of its Mindforce as well as with a huge black mace.

Vordak:
COMBAT SKILL
 17   
ENDURANCE
 25

If you win,
turn to 328
.

The forest is becoming denser, and the path more tangled with thorny briars. Almost completely hidden by the undergrowth, you notice another path branching off towards the east. Your current route seems to be coming to a prickly end, so you decide to follow the new path eastwards.

Turn to 207
.

The old watchtower ladder is rotten and several rungs break as you climb. Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number is 4 or lower, you have fallen. Lose 2
ENDURANCE
points and
turn to 140
.

If the number is 5 or higher, you do not fall.
Turn to 323
.

You are feeling tired and hungry and you must stop to eat. After your Meal, you retrace your steps back to the citadel and begin to walk around the high, indomitable stone wall.

You discover another entrance on the eastern side, guarded as before by two armoured soldiers.

If you wish to use the Kai Discipline of Camouflage,
turn to 282
.

If you wish to approach them and tell your story,
turn to 289
.

For half an hour or more you press on through the forest, through the rich vegetation and ferns. You happen upon a small clear stream where you stop for a few minutes to wash your face and drink of the cold, fresh water.

Feeling revitalized, you cross the stream and press on. You soon notice the smell of wood smoke which seems to be drifting towards you from the north.

If you wish to investigate the smell of wood smoke,
turn to 128
.

If you would rather avoid the source of this smoke,
turn to 347
.

After a few seconds, two small furry faces nervously appear over the top of the trunk. They say they are Kakarmi and tell you that the Kraan are everywhere. To the west lie the remains of their village but little is left of it now. They are trying to find the rest of their tribe who took to the forest when the ‘Black-wings’ attacked. They point behind them — east along the path — and tell you that the trail appears to be a dead end, but that if you continue through the undergrowth for a few yards more, you will find a watchtower where the path splits into three directions. Take the east path. This leads to the King's highway between the capital city — Holmgard — and the northern port of Toran.

You thank the Kakarmi, and bid them farewell.

Turn to 228
.

Keeping a careful watch on the huts for any sign of the enemy, you make your way around the clearing under the cover of the trees and bracken. Rejoining the track, you hurry away from Fogwood.

Turn to 105
.

Three rangers gallop past the river bank, closely followed by the Giaks on their snarling Doomwolves.

Illustration IV
—The Giak leader orders five of his troops to open fire at you with their bows.

The bank is steep and you are spotted by the Giak leader who orders five of his troops to open fire at you with their bows. Their black arrows rain down on you.

If you decide to paddle downstream as fast as you can,
turn to 174
.

If you decide to head for the cover of the trees on the opposite bank,
turn to 116
.

You follow the track for nearly an hour when you come to a crossroads.

If you wish to continue east,
turn to 86
.

If you would rather head north,
turn to 238
.

If you decide to venture south,
turn to 157
.

Or if you prefer to go west,
turn to 147
.

From behind the rock a huge black bear comes into view. It advances slowly towards you, its mouth open and its face lined in anger and pain.

You notice that it is badly wounded and is bleeding from its neck and back. You must fight it.

Black Bear:
COMBAT SKILL
 16   
ENDURANCE
 10

If you win,
turn to 195
.

After three rounds of combat, you position yourself so that you can run down the hill. If you wish to evade at this time then
turn to 106
and chance being wounded as you flee.

Without warning, the old track ends abruptly at the edge of a steep slope. The ground here is very loose and unstable. You lose your footing and fall headlong over the edge.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

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

If the number is 5–9,
turn to 338
.

These men are not what they seem. The tunic of the leader is genuine but it is heavily bloodstained around the collar, as if its true owner had been murdered. Their weapons are not army issue, but expensive and lavishly decorated like the weapons made by the armourers of Durenor.

The leader has a crossbow slung over his pack. An attempt to run would be suicide. You decide that you must fight them or you will surely be murdered as soon as you drop your weapon.

Turn to 180
.

You have covered about two miles when the trees ahead thin out. You can see a small wooden shack on the edge of a lake. A cloaked man approaches you and offers to row you and your horse across the lake for a fee of 2 Gold Crowns.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense,
turn to 296
.

If you accept the offer,
turn to 246
.

If you refuse and try to ride around the lake,
turn to 90
.

Breathless and sweating, you claw your way towards the summit of the hill. Suddenly, a large winged shadow passes across the hillside. You look up to see a Kraan circling the peak above. Behind you the Giaks are gaining ground.

Do you stand and fight the Giaks where you are, using the high ground to your advantage? If so,
turn to 136
.

Or do you grit your teeth and press on towards the peak of the hill?
Turn to 322
.

Your Sixth Sense warns you that these troops are not all they seem. You can detect an aura of evil about them. They are in the service of the Darklords.

You must leave here quickly before you are spotted.
Turn to 243
.

As you begin to read the inscription, you notice a shadow moving towards you from behind the screen.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If you have chosen a number that is 0–4,
turn to 339
.

If the number is 5–9,
turn to 60
.

The sound of fighting can be heard in the distance.

If you wish to continue towards the sound of battle,
turn to 97
.

If you wish to avoid the fighting, change direction and
turn to 243
.

You climb the wooded bank of the river and see the log walls of the fieldworks disappearing into the distance.

Illustration V
—The log wall has collapsed in several places where the Darklords are attacking.

A battle rages about two miles away and the log wall has collapsed in several places where the Darklords are attacking.

Most of the fieldworks ahead are unmanned, the soldiers having left to supply reinforcements for the raging battle.

There is a gate in the log wall. If you wish to approach it,
turn to 288
.

If you would prefer to climb over the wall instead,
turn to 221
.

Now that you are closer, you can make out that the voices are not human. The sound is more like a kind of grunting and squeaking.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Animal Kinship,
turn to 225
.

If not, you must climb over the tree and face whatever lurks on the other side.
Turn to 250
.