The Dungeons of Torgar (24 page)

The shouts of the Drakkarim and the rain of their arrows unnerve the guards. They fear it is the prelude to a night attack, and when they see a black-clad figure stumbling towards them and hear him give the wrong password, they panic. ‘Enemy attack!’ they shout, waking a unit of crossbowmen stationed on the high ground behind. They rush to grab their loaded weapons and take aim at the enemy, but the only target they can see is you. ‘Fire at will!’ commands their sergeant.

A scything wave of iron bolts lifts you off your feet and a terrifying pain tears through your chest. You are mortally wounded and, although you fight to hold on to life, it is a struggle you cannot win.

Your life and your quest end here.

When you are halfway down the staircase a shadow looms into view. Seconds later a Drakkarim officer appears and begins to ascend. He is the most repugnant human being you have ever seen. His enormous bloated body bulges with over-developed muscles to the point of deformity and his face is puffy and fat, shiny with sweat, and pitted with disease. A battle wound on his right cheek has scarred badly, drawing that side of his face into an ugly sneer. He sees you and unsheathes a massive, saw-edged scimitar as he strides up the stairs and attacks.

Illustration XX
—A Drakkarim officer appears — the most repugnant human being you have ever seen.

Drakkarim Assault-captain:
COMBAT SKILL
 31   
ENDURANCE
 35

If you win the combat,
turn to 177
.

Your Arrow passes clean through the creature's mouth, tearing a jagged hole in its furry jowl. The beast shrieks at the sudden pain and shakes its head, spraying you with thick crimson blood. Maddened by the pain, it snaps its great fangs and rolls its grim yellow eyes as it steadies itself to pounce on you and exact its revenge.

Hurriedly you drop your Bow and unsheathe a hand weapon as the wolf springs towards your chest.

Taintor Wolf:
COMBAT SKILL
 25   
ENDURANCE
 42

If you win and the fight lasts four rounds or less,
turn to 202
.

If the fight lasts longer than four rounds, do not continue the combat but
turn instead to 234
.

‘Vengeance is mine, Lone Wolf!’ booms the thunderous voice. Terror strikes deep in your heart when you turn and see the ghastly form of Darklord Gnaag, filling the archway through which his minions escaped when first you entered this chamber. A ghastly rasping laugh echoes from his fly-like head as he raises a black crystal and points it at the gantry. ‘The vow I gave at Tahou shall be fulfilled. Now I shall destroy you and the Lorestones!’

There is a deafening crack and a bolt of blue lightning streaks from the stone held in his pincer-like claw. It shears through the rusty metal and you are peppered with red-hot iron splinters. As the shock wave hits the weakened ball of fire, the two Lorestones are sent tumbling into the black abyss. Then a second bolt from the black stone tears the gantry in two, and with the ghastly laugh of Darklord Gnaag ringing in your ears, you plummet headlong into the icy cold pit.

You have fallen into a portal of total darkness, a Shadow Gate that leads to the twilight world of Daziarn. The wisdom and strength of the Lorestone of Luomi is now a part of your body and spirit, and the last remaining Lorestones are still within your reach, but your descent into the Daziarn heralds the beginning of a deadly, supernatural episode of the Magnakai Quest.

If you have the courage of a true Kai master, the wonders and the horrors of the twilight plane await you in Book 11, the penultimate Magnakai adventure, entitled:

The Prisoners of Time

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