The Prisoners of Time (20 page)
Read The Prisoners of Time Online
Authors: Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund
Your Arrow tears into its eye, splitting it open like a burst egg. It ends its flight buried deeply in the creature's brain, bringing death in an instant and sparing the beast the agony of its terrible wound.
Despite his attempts to save himself, your shaft penetrates his chainmail vest and sinks deep into his side. He screams in pained surprise before wrenching the offending shaft from his body and hurling it back at you with contempt. His fortitude is impressive but you can tell that he has suffered a serious wound. Feverishly he scoops the Lorestones into a small velvet sack tied to his sword belt, while you shoulder your Bow, draw a hand weapon, and run forward to prevent his escape.
‘It is the cruelty of the Chaos-master that saddens me so,’ she says in a whisper, as if fearing to be overheard. ‘Before his coming, the Plain of Guakor was ruled by a great warrior called Sinay, whose only fault, it was said, was a surfeit of pride. He loved me and wished for the union of our realms, but, alas, his love was unrequited; the joining of Guakor and Vhozada was not to be. To win my love and restore his injured pride, Sinay struck a bargain with the Chaos-master, for in keeping with the paradoxical nature of that god, he is obliged to indulge in the granting of wishes to those who would dare demand them of him. The Chaos-master wove a spell to enchant me and Sinay was granted his wish: I became enamoured of him. But the bargains of the Chaos-master are in keeping with his nature — they are cruel and fickle. Upon the hour of our wedding he appeared and demanded that Sinay pay for his wish by ceding him half his realm. He was refused, and in retribution he imprisoned me here in this tower and wrought upon Sinay such physical mutation that he fled Guakor and hid himself in shame.’
‘Do you know what became of him?’ you ask.
‘Yes,’ she replies, sadly. ‘He is the ruler of a new realm. He has regained his power but his body is forever a cruel reminder of his pact with the Chaos-master. He is the one who sent you to me — he is the Beholder of Yanis.’
You watch the dead beast splash into the water, and then focus your attention on the battle now raging around the chariots. The situation looks desperate: T'uk T'ron and his guards are hard-pressed to keep the Chaos-creatures from breaking through to the bridge. You see the Ookor captain slay a loping, pig-like monster; then he moves towards you, waving his sword and shouting something you cannot hear clearly.
If you wish to find out what T'uk T'ron is saying,
turn to 254
.
If you decide to abandon the Ookor and his guards and escape across the bridge,
turn to 10
.
The ghostly forms possess the faces of every enemy you have ever slain. They twist and contort beneath your gaze, their empty eyes burning with cold blue flames as they return your stare. Frantically you draw on your psychic reserves and succeed in shielding your mind from the shock of this haunting confrontation.
You focus your Kai skill on the Beholder and try to fathom if his intentions are for good or ill. You sense he possesses immense powers, both physical and psychic, which radiate from his body like the rays of an invisible sun. You concentrate on this power but all you can discern is that he is capable of using it to further both good and evil.
As you continue along the track, the strange trees make you feel uneasy, doubly so because they are totally motionless. Soon you come to a clearing where a large bore-hole has obliterated the path. You decide to investigate the hole and, as you peer into the blackness, you hear a thin, wailing cry far below.
If you wish to shout into the hole,
turn to 141
.
If you wish to hurry away from the hole and leave the clearing,
turn to 138
.
A gush of psychic energy floods your mind. It washes over your thoughts, searching for some evidence of hostile intent. You fight to resist this intrusion and the wave quickly recedes, but it leaves you shivering with the chill of psychic shock: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.
You hurry towards the woods that line the valley, hoping the trees will hide you from the watchful eyes of the guards as you skirt the city wall. But your presence has already been noted by a lookout stationed high in the grey tower, who saw you standing at the top of the hill. He has sent word to the gate guards to prepare a special patrol.
Illustration XVIII—Five chariots driven by a score of Ookor guards charge out of the city and come thundering across the grassland towards you.
Five chariots, drawn by fearsome beasts that are only a little like horses, charge out of the city and come thundering across the grassland. Your first reaction is to run for the forest, but the chariots are moving at a terrific pace and you know they could ride you down before you reached the trees. Their riders whoop with glee as they spread out to encircle you.
If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 46
.
If you wish to unsheathe a hand weapon and prepare to defend yourself,
turn to 278
.
If you decide to raise your hands in surrender,
turn to 94
.
Your Kai skill saves you from ending your days in the stomach of this giant Guakor Lizard. It growls menacingly, before turning and retreating to the shelter of its lair among the boulders.
Silently you slip your Bow from your shoulder and draw an Arrow. The creature is close: you can sense it getting ready to pounce. Then, with matchless speed and skill, you twist around and shoot your Arrow beneath the bridge. A loud yelp of pained surprise issues from below and you catch a glimpse of a hairy, misshapen creature tumbling into the river with your shaft driven deep into its forehead.
The torrid winds sweep across the landscape with increasing ferocity, forcing you to protect your eyes from the gusts of sharp, stinging sand. The need to find cover takes priority when you sense that the winds are merely the prelude to a storm. To remain here in the open could prove a fatal mistake.
Peering through your fingers you try to find somewhere to take shelter. To your left, in the middle distance, you can see what appears to be a mound of volcanic stone slabs; to your right, but further away, you notice a shallow gully running lee to the wind.
If you wish to take shelter behind the mound of stones,
turn to 212
.
If you decide to shelter in the gully,
turn to 89
.
The three creatures bellow and growl as your blows find their way between their plates of armour, and they retaliate by lashing you with their suckered tentacles. Their attacks are ill-aimed and clumsy, but wherever one of their rubbery limbs touches your body it leaves an angry red weal.
Octagtah:
COMBAT SKILL
12
ENDURANCE
43
Unless you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Curing and have reached the Kai rank of Mentora or higher, add 2 to any
ENDURANCE
point losses you sustain during this combat, owing to the poisonous lash of their tentacles.
If you have not already visited Baylon's Tomb, you may evade combat at any time by running towards it:
turn to 166
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 133
.
You jump clear and hit the bank with a jolt that leaves you breathless. The ground is soft but there are many boulders embedded along the river's edge and, as you roll down the slope, you cannot avoid colliding with some of them.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, deduct 2 from the number you have picked.
If your total is now 3 or less, lose 2
ENDURANCE
points. If it is 4–6, lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. If it is 7–9, lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.
Make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
before
turning to 165
.
‘I must search that tomb,’ you say, staring fixedly at the huge door that dominates the Sepulchre's blue-grey sculptured facade. Odel frowns and casts his eyes nervously at the surrounding mist. ‘I cannot enter,’ he says. ‘I am not of clan blood. If you choose to go through that door you must go alone.’
You sense that nothing will induce Odel to break his clan law, but you are anxious not to lose a valuable guide. ‘When I enter the Grand Sepulchre will you wait for me here?’, you ask, hoping he will agree. Silently he considers your request. ‘Yes,’ he says, without enthusiasm. ‘But search swiftly. The creatures of chaos are close. I can feel it in my blood.’
You exchange stern smiles then hurry away through the knee-deep mists, towards the great door.
The area around the monolith is deserted, but it is not long before the ape-like creatures step from the shadows of the trees and surround you in a wide circle. One of their number utters a strange twittering sound, and then narrows his eyes and tilts his head from side to side as if he expects you to answer his call.
If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship and have reached the rank of Scion-kai, or if you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control,
turn to 309
.
If you have neither of these skills,
turn to 108
.
As your blade cleaves his black heart in two, the Chaos-master gives voice to an unearthly howl, loud enough to waken the dead. His great body stiffens and his skin writhes and shimmers, making it impossible to discern any detail. Then suddenly it fades until all that remains to record that he ever existed is the lingering stench of his spilt blood.
You pull away from the packleader and roll under a chariot to avoid its continued attack. But it is determined to kill you and, with a shrill howl, it launches itself blindly at your legs. You avoid the lunge and scramble to your feet, your weapon poised to strike as soon as your pursuer appears. Snarling, the green face bobs out close to the wheel. For an instant its red eyes glare insanely, before, with one swift blow, you cleave its scaly neck in two.
Your reflexes save you from the deadly dart — it hisses past your head and buries itself harmlessly in the soft forest floor. Odel spins on his heel and points at the canopy of branches with an outstretched arm. There is a metallic twang, and the steel drawstring of his crossbow propels its bolt deep into the scaly belly of an Agtah sniper perched high above. It utters a piercing shriek and tumbles to the ground with a sickening thud.
You compliment your guide on his bow-skill and join him as he moves forward to search the dead body.
Your much improved Kai skill enables you to understand the language that these beings are speaking. They want to know why you are trespassing on their hunting ground and how you came to be here, alone and without any means of transportation. You sense that they speak not in their native tongue but in a language they assume to be yours.
If you wish to tell them that you are from the world of Magnamund and that you arrived here after falling through a Shadow Gate,
turn to 156
.
If you choose to ignore their questions and remain silent,
turn to 132
.
Breathless and bleeding, the warrior evades your skilful attacks by leaping for the rope ladder and holding fast. From there he shouts a command and the giant black bird takes to the air, lifting him off the roof. A wave of panic engulfs you. In desperation you leap up and strike a blow at the velvet sack swinging from his belt. He tries to fend off your attack but his position is precarious. Your blow strikes home, slitting open the velvet and gashing deep into the back of his gloved hand. He drops his sword and one of the two Lorestones tumbles from the sack and falls into the graveyard below, coming to rest close to the door of the Sepulchre. Yet he manages to save the second Lorestone from falling and, with a parting curse, you watch as he is lifted above the trees and carried away into the cold, grey sky.