Shadow on the Sand (25 page)
Beads of sweat break out on the faces of the guards as they frantically race to load their crossbows. Your bold move has unnerved them, and their fear makes them clumsy.
You reach the top of the steps and attack with the speed of a tiger, dashing the crossbow from a guard's shaking hands with your first blow and splitting his jaw with the second. He screams and falls, toppling from the bridge to crash into the garden below. Meanwhile, the other guard has thrown away his crossbow and drawn a steel mace. He runs at you with hatred blazing in his dark eyes; you have just killed his brother and he is thirsty for revenge. Due to his frenzied state of mind, this guard is now immune to Mindblast.
Tower Guard:
COMBAT SKILL
17
ENDURANCE
22
Illustration XXII—The other guard has drawn a steel mace and runs at you with hatred blazing in his dark eyes.
If you win the combat, you enter the tower.
Turn to 396
.
Forty paces along the street is a barracks, a long whitewashed building with ugly square windows. A soldier sits dozing in the evening sun with his spear resting across his lap. Some children are tossing hollowed-out larnuma fruits at him, trying to catch them upon the tip of his spear. Opposite the barracks is a tavern with a line of saddled douggas tied to a rail near the main door. The braying of these sand-horses rivals the sound of revelry drifting from the tavern door.
If you wish to enter the tavern,
turn to 351
.
If you wish to continue along the street towards the Dougga Market,
turn to 202
.
Clasping your hands around Banedon's injured arm, you concentrate your Kai skill on healing the torn muscle and splintered bone. The warmth of your healing power numbs the pain and repairs the internal damage sufficiently to be able to remove the blood-soaked strips of cloth. The wound is still open, but you have saved the limb.
‘We'll help him now, Lone Wolf,’ shouts a strange voice. You are surprised by this bold claim and turn around to discover who has made it.
Pressing yourself against the damp soil, you hold your breath and pray you will not be seen as the Vordak glides into view. Its bony arm is outstretched, and a skeletal finger sweeps the lush undergrowth on either side of the path. You sense the Vordak is using its Mindforce to try to locate your hiding place — as the finger points in your direction, a wave of pain washes over your body. You are near to crying out, when the pain ceases; you have not been detected. The finger sweeps away and the enemy continues its search along the path.
The terrible pain racks your body, making your muscles twist and contort in spasms of pain. You scream for the agony to cease. Lose 6
ENDURANCE
points.
If you are still alive after the psychic ordeal,
turn to 223
.
Shortly after dawn the following day, you wake with a splitting headache. With bleary eyes you peer around you at the snoring dwarves who occupy the tiny bunks of the cramped cabin. The low hum of the ship only increases the pain that throbs like a demon inside your head, causing you to wince and grit your teeth at the slightest movement of your stiff and aching limbs. You lose 2
ENDURANCE
points due to this monstrous hangover!
Painfully, you gather up your equipment and climb on deck to find everything in deep shadow, for the
Skyrider
is hovering beneath a massive outcrop of sandstone that juts from the side of a mountain. Banedon still stands at the helm, but he is no longer in a trance.
‘Kraan-riders,’ he says, pointing to a sun-bleached valley beyond the shadows. ‘They arrived with the dawn.’
You stare out across an alien landscape, a mountain valley filled with thousands of pillars formed from massive and precariously balanced boulders. The pillars reach so high into the sky that an avalanche looks inevitable. The Vassagonians call this place the Koos — ‘the needles’. Perched upon two of these huge rocky columns are Kraan, their Drakkarim riders scouring the valley with telescopes. An hour passes before they take to the sky and disappear.
‘Trim the boom-sails, Bo'sun Nolrim,’ orders Banedon, his voice barely audible above the increasing hum of the
Skyrider
. ‘We've a fast run ahead.’
Illustration XXIII—Perched upon the huge rocky columns are Kraan, their Drakkarim riders scouring the valley with telescopes.
If you possess a Black Crystal Cube,
turn to 229
.
If you do not have this Special Item,
turn to 247
.
You run through the arch and straight into a black-robed palace guard. You bruise your ribs and the impact throws you off balance, but you manage to grab the wall to stop yourself from falling over. The guard lies sprawled upon the floor, but with incredible swiftness he draws a shining steel axe and lashes out at your legs.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Kai Discipline of Hunting, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–4,
turn to 368
.
If it is 5–11,
turn to 252
.
Suddenly the Drakkar screams, his limbs outstretched, his gloved hands clawing the air. He is in the grip of some invisible power which is crushing him to death inside his armour.
You step back as the ghastly sound of cracking bones rises above the screech of the swooping Kraan-riders. The Drakkar crumples to the deck and topples over the edge of the platform.
If you have ever been given a Crystal Star Pendant,
turn to 399
.
If you do not have this Special Item,
turn to 294
.
You trudge through the loose red sand, your faces covered to protect them from the dust and the blazing heat. The landscape is stark and desolate; all that seems to thrive here is the wire-hard grass that scratches your boots and leggings. You soon come across a dried river bed that leads to a cave in the orange sandstone hillside. A wooden plaque is nailed by the mouth of the cave, but you are unable to understand the strange words painted on its sun-blistered surface.
If you wish to investigate the cave,
turn to 235
.
If you wish to press on towards Ikaresh,
turn to 272
.
Unfortunately, you misjudged how hard you need to blow to make the dart reach its intended target. The sleep dart falls short, accidentally hitting a seagull that has alighted on the edge of the landing platform. The unfortunate bird takes a few shaky steps before keeling over onto its back, its splayed legs pointing stiffly at the sky.
The guard walks over to the bird and with the toe of his boot, casually flicks it over the edge of the platform. He watches as it spirals down towards the palace gardens far below, unaware that he has only just escaped a similar fate.
The searing flash of blue flame scorches your arm and face. You are thrown across the platform by the blast, and your body is peppered with shards of black crystal. Lose 12
ENDURANCE
points.
If you are still alive after this calamity,
turn to 316
.
A few paces beyond the marketplace, a small alley heads off to the left. At the end you see a house with a bright blue door.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Tracking,
turn to 292
.
If you wish to enter the alley and knock at the door,
turn to 206
.
If you wish to continue along the street,
turn to 346
.
Your heart sinks; there are no other stairs down from the platform — you are trapped. Before you can think of a plan, the Drakkarim burst from the arch and attack.
Drakkarim:
COMBAT SKILL
17
ENDURANCE
35
The only way you can evade combat is by leaping from the tower to the gardens below, a drop of over one hundred feet.
If you wish to jump,
turn to 205
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 341
.
You follow the avenue as it twists and turns through the Armourers' Quarter of Ikaresh. A street vendor is selling a selection of swords and daggers that catch your eye; they are beautifully crafted, well-balanced and very sharp. A wooden sign displays his prices:
- Swords — 5 Gold Crowns each
- Daggers — 3 Gold Crowns each
- Broadswords — 9 Gold Crowns each
You may purchase any of the above weapons if you wish. Continuing along the avenue, you pass a meat market where carcasses of oxen are hung out in the open. You are not surprised to see the Ikareshi of this quarter walking about the streets with pieces of cotton stuffed into their nostrils (suspended by a thread around their necks), for the smell is dreadful.
Eventually you arrive at a fork, but there are no signs to indicate where the new streets lead.
If you wish to take the left street,
turn to 216
.
If you wish to take the right street,
turn to 367
.
As you leap from the gangplank onto the landing platform, the sentry wheels round to confront you. He snatches up his spear in preparation for attack. He now stands between you and the Itikar's pen; combat is unavoidable.
Sentry:
COMBAT SKILL
15
ENDURANCE
23
If you win the combat and wish to search the sentry's body,
turn to 207
.
If you wish to ignore the body and hurry into the Itikar's pen,
turn to 224
.
You leap at the staggering form of Darklord Haakon, your weapon poised to strike a killing blow. However, as your arm sweeps down, a spiked fist lashes out; blood spurts from your wrist, your fingers go numb and your weapon falls from your hand. Haakon strikes again, catching you in the chest with a blow that pitches you backwards across the chamber.
You struggle to stand but the battle is over: Haakon has retrieved the glowing stone. The last thing you see before you are consumed by searing blue flame is the evil and triumphant grimace of the Darklord.
Your life and hopes of Sommerlund end here.
As you follow the track deeper into the arboretum, high-pitch shrieks echo above the ceiling of creepers and low branches. The air is humid as a jungle. You press on but the going is difficult; the soft, sticky, rotting humus clings to your boots like river clay.
A sudden movement on the path ahead makes you dive for cover; a handful of Drakkarim are coming this way, led by a figure dressed in red.
If you have reached the Kai rank of Warmarn or higher,
turn to 242
.
If you not yet reached this level of Kai training,
turn to 222
.
The ale is thick and creamy, with a taste like malted apples. You lower the half-empty tankard and wipe away the froth from your lips with your sleeve.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If your current
ENDURANCE
point total is less than 15, deduct 2 from this number. If your
ENDURANCE
point total is above 25, add 2 to this number. If you have reached the Kai rank of Savant, add 3 to this number.
If your total score is now below 7,
turn to 364
.
If your total score is now 7 or above,
turn to 218
.