The Captives of Kaag (25 page)

Desperately you call upon your psychic defences to shield your mind from this attack, but your reflexes have been dulled by the fatigue of recent combat and you react too slowly to prevent some of the Vordaks' destructive energy from reaching your psyche. Lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.

Turn to 219
.

You call upon your Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control in an attempt to halt the Egorgh advance, but your powers of persuasion are not strong enough to turn away all three of these fearsome hulks. For a moment they halt and settle on their haunches; then, with a chorus of frantic screeches, the creatures come leaping towards you, their mouths agape and their claws extended ready for the kill.

Illustration XVIII
—The creatures leap towards you, mouths agape and claws extended, ready for the kill.

3 Egorghs:
COMBAT SKILL
 37   
ENDURANCE
 42

These creatures are particularly susceptible to psychic attacks; double all bonuses you would normally be entitled to if you choose to employ psychic attacks during this combat.

If you win the combat,
turn to 261
.

With trepidation you step into the glimmering column of light and immediately you feel yourself begin to rise. Bands of darkness flick past with growing rapidity, each one a passing floor level of this mountainous citadel. Then you feel yourself slowing to a halt. The column fades and you find yourself standing on a metal dais in the centre of a domed chamber. Ahead you see a great door, forged of Kagonite, and beside it there is a narrow staircase leading down.

As you approach the door, you notice the lock that secures it. It is inlaid with a series of numbers and, at once, you recognize that they are component parts of a combination lock. One number in the sequence is missing. By tapping the correct number upon the blank square, you will cause the lock to disengage.

Study the following sequence of numbers carefully. When you think you know what the missing number is,
turn to the entry
that is identical to your answer.
¹⁴

If you guess incorrectly, or if you cannot answer the puzzle,
turn instead to 297
.

The bolt of lightning hits the sphere and causes it to vibrate, but the bolt itself is not strong enough to shatter or dislodge it. The curtain of light imprisoning Banedon remains intact and you are forced to abandon the spell and try some other way of freeing him.

If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 245
.

If you possess Magi-magic and have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian,
¹⁵
turn to 108
.

If you do not have a Bow, do not possess the Discipline of Magi-magic, or have yet to reach the required Kai rank,
turn instead to 338
.

As the last of the Drakkarim falls dead at your feet, you turn and help Banedon who has been wounded during the fight. He is bleeding from the upper right arm, but when you examine the wound you discover that it is not as deep as you had first feared. You are helping him to stand when you hear a man's voice cursing you quietly in the shadows. You turn to face this voice, weapon in hand, ready to attack. You command him to show himself, but you are shocked to the core when you see who it is who emerges into the grey light of the pen.

Turn to 54
.

You lash out at the cube with unerring accuracy, but the moment your weapon connects with it there is a tremendous flash and explosion. A searing gout of flame hurls you backwards to the floor, leaving you blinded and semi-conscious. Lose 15
ENDURANCE
points.

If you have survived this grievous wounding,
turn to 72
.

Your lightning-fast reflexes save you from being hit by the searing stream of liquid fire. Several droplets splash your tunic and it catches alight (lose 1
ENDURANCE
point), but you quickly extinguish the flames. Coolly you raise your weapon and stare the creature defiantly in the eye as it gets ready to pounce.

Turn to 39
.

Calling upon the secrets of your newfound Kai Mastery, you summon from the ground a dense mist which rapidly fills the space between you and the advancing Death Knights. The instant they are lost to sight, you throw yourself flat on your chest to avoid their volley of deadly bolts. They fire, but their missiles pass over where you lie and shatter harmlessly against a distant wall.

Before they can retreat from the mist to reload, you spring to your feet and rush forwards, catching them unaware. You dodge through their line with ease, and by the time they realize that you have evaded them, and start to give chase, you have passed the junction and have begun to run along the street opposite.

Turn to 266
.

As you pull away from the body of the dead Gnagusk, the iron drawbridge comes crashing down. The sudden noise makes you spin around and you see the Helghast as it comes rushing across the flaming moat. As it runs, its skin darkens and peels away in tatters as if it was being scorched by some invisible fire. The Drakkarim meet the creature at the end of the bridge and, together, they turn and advance upon you.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 5
.

If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 280
.

If you possess Kai-surge and wish to use it,
turn to 132
.

If you have none of these Grand Master Disciplines or choose not to use any of them,
turn instead to 48
.

You invoke the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Mind Charm
and direct it at the sleeping Drakkar. Telepathically, you ask him where the Sommlending wizard is being held prisoner, and at first you detect no reply. You ask again, and this time you get a faint response.

Above … high above … In old Zagarna's courtroom.

Satisfied that you have gleaned all the information you are likely to from this Drakkar, you climb the stairs and emerge in the centre of a hall on the level above. This vault-like room contains a wealth of grim exhibits, hung upon the walls or displayed in glass-fronted cases. The skulls of rare creatures are displayed beside tanned hides and jewel-encrusted bones. One item in particular catches your eye: it is a statuette, fashioned in the likeness of Darklord Zagarna.

If you wish to keep this Statuette of Zagarna, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item. If you already carry your maximum quota, you must discard one item in its favour.

To continue,
turn to 209
.

Warily you follow the avenue deeper into the black heart of Kaag. This cobbled street, beslimed with nameless refuse, winds its way between mountainous piles of rubble and derelict dwellings. You reach a square where you see huge scarlet flames roaring skywards from a vent in the ground. The flames fill the air with intermittent flashes of blood-red light and billowing clouds of sooty smoke. Shadows play upon the surrounding walls, cast not only by the fire but also by the winged Kraan which swoop back and forth across this section of the city.

You are watching the Kraan diving and twisting above the rooftops when suddenly your senses alert you to an imminent danger. You sense a troop of Giaks approaching along the avenue towards your hiding place.

If you wish to avoid them by entering one of the buildings that border the square,
turn to 148
.

If you decide to hurry away from the square,
turn to 303
.

Beyond the door awaits a sumptuous chamber dominated by a magnificent fireplace crafted from blocks of glassy rock. The walls are hung with fine tapestries, looted from the Stornlands during times of war, and you note that the furniture is carved from best Durenese oak.

You pass through the chamber into an adjoining passage which leads to a library. As you enter, you disturb a robed creature seated at a lectern. Before it can rise or raise the alarm, you draw your weapon and silence it with a swift blow to the base of its skull. Pulling back its hood reveals it to be a Ligan, a thrall of the Nadziranim sorcerers.

Illustration XIX
—Beyond the door lies a sumptuous chamber, walls hung with fine tapestries and furniture carved from Durenese oak.

Suddenly you hear movement and glance up to see another Ligan peering over the parapet of a gallery which encircles the upper level of this library. The creature, having witnessed the slaying of its companion, lets out a horrified squeal and turns to run towards an archway on the far side of the gallery. Determined to prevent his escape, you lower Banedon to the floor then rush towards a flight of wooden stairs that also lead to the archway. However, as you near the landing at the top of these stairs, two more of the creatures appear from either side, with wands gripped in their clawed hands. They shout a spell-word in the dark tongue and a crackling curtain of energy flares between the two rods, blocking your path. The power-wall looks formidable, but you sense at once that it is really quite weak.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 134
.

If you wish to run straight through this magical barrier,
turn to 241
.

If you choose to retreat down the stairs and rejoin your unconscious companion,
turn to 15
.

Outside the window there is a covered courtyard. You crouch in the shadows while you wait for a group of Drakkarim stablehands to finish their duties here; then you cross to the far side, climb over a low wall, and make your escape into the ruins beyond.

For over a mile you wend your way through derelict buildings before you happen upon an avenue which is surprisingly clear of debris and obstructions. You are conscious that perhaps it is too clear, offering you no cover at all from the tall buildings that line this route to the centre of Kaag.

You decide to trust to the ruins rather than run the risk of being detected out in the open. However, within a matter of minutes you are confronted by a new hazard. The ground in this section of the city is unsafe. It is riddled with pot-holes and concealed cellars, covered by rotten wooden beams and slabs of paper-thin plaster. Suddenly one such section gives way beneath your feet and you find yourself falling headlong into coal-black darkness.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 0–5,
turn to 32
.

If it is 6 or more,
turn to 51
.