The Captives of Kaag (10 page)

The flames lessen and, as the heat subsides, you lower your cloak and stare with trepidation at the sealed archway.

He who does not serve …
booms the voice, menacingly,
shall not live.

With a startling abruptness, there is a loud
crack
. Chunks of mortar fall from the octopoid mosaic above the archway and, to your mounting horror, you watch as the eyes of the creature begin to glow with a baleful green light.

Like a waking goliath, the mosaic comes slowly to life. Mesmerized by its pulsating gaze, you barely step back in time to save yourself when its tile-encrusted tentacles burst from the wall and come writhing towards your head. You lash out at the flailing limbs but your blow glances off the armour-like skin, inflicting no more than a scratch upon the tiled hide of this supernatural creature. The tentacles move apart briefly to reveal once more the two glowing green orbs. Then a wave of psychic energy buffets your mind, designed to weaken and subdue you, but your Magnakai defences deflect this attack. You sense that the creature is surprised by your natural resistance and, before it can muster its powers to launch a second, far stronger psychic blast, you leap forward and aim a blow between its evil green eyes. You are within an arm's length of striking the creature's bulbous head when suddenly it squirts a stream of clear liquid from its beak aimed directly at your face.

If you possess mastery of Grand Nexus,
turn to 139
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 258
.

Swallowing your fears of what may lie ahead, you descend the ridge and approach the great, frowning bastions of Kaag. Through the swirling dust you see a wide road that leads to the North Gate, its surface littered with Giak corpses, bleached bones, and rusted weapons. Crab-like scavengers scuttle among the debris, fighting for scraps to feed their young, which nest in thousands of empty skulls half-buried in the ground.

Shielded from detection by the storm and your Kai skills, you reach the breached wall unobserved. Swiftly you climb over the huge mound of rubble, which is all that remains of this section of the curtain-wall, and find yourself in a street lined with decaying hovels and ugly, squat towers. A dun pall of smoke hovers above this thoroughfare and the air reeks of iron and sulphurous smoke. At the far end of the street you see a ragged group of Giaks, led by two Drakkarim warriors, suddenly emerge from an alley. They stop for a few moments as if to catch their breath; then one of the Drakkarim barks an order and they take off at a lumbering pace, heading south. You notice that their tattered, orange-coloured uniforms all bear the emblem of a scythe with a bloodied blade.

If you wish to follow these troops,
turn to 123
.

If you choose to avoid them by heading in the opposite direction,
turn to 327
.

You draw your weapon and steel yourself to fight the approaching beast. The boar-thing comes bounding onto the drawbridge, its red-rimmed jaws agape and its great curved tusks glinting evilly in the fires of the moat. Defiantly you shout your battle-cry and step forwards to meet its advance.

Illustration VI
—The boar-thing bounds onto the drawbridge, red-rimmed jaws agape and curved tusks glinting.

Gnagusk:
COMBAT SKILL
 41   
ENDURANCE
 45

If you win this combat,
turn to 247
.

Using your Kai Mastery, you focus upon one of the five feeding Kraan, the only one which is equipped with a saddle and reins. The other four abandon their feast and take to the air as you approach, but the target of your attention remains on the roof, cowed and submissive to your psychic command.

You approach this scaly beast confidently and climb into its saddle. Obediently it obeys when, with a kick of your heels, you urge it skywards. Its powerful wings bear you speedily towards the landing platforms situated high above the great north door and, as you fly closer to your destination, you see two which are open and unguarded. One has an arch-shaped portal, the other a wider, oblong-shaped entrance.

If you wish to land at the platform with the arch-shaped portal,
turn to 121
.

If you choose to land upon the platform with the oblong-shaped entrance,
turn to 282
.

The flaming Arrow strikes the creature in the centre of its chest but causes it no harm. With a dull
crack
the tip snaps off and the shaft ricochets away. There is no time now for a second shot so you hurriedly shoulder your Bow and draw a hand weapon ready. Sensing victory within its grasp, the creature emits a gurgling shriek and comes bounding forwards. You get ready to meet its advance but, when it is only ten feet away, it suddenly opens its mouth wide and spews forth a stream of white-hot liquid fire.

If you possess the Discipline of Grand Nexus,
turn to 333
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 287
.

You are within a few yards of the passage which leads out of the pen when suddenly the dogs begin howling in alarm.

‘Intruder!’ screams one of the handlers, and points accusingly at your back. In an instant your weapon is in your hand and you spin on your heel, ready for combat.

The handlers jump to their feet and fumble for their weapons as they scramble to attack you.

‘For Sommerlund!’ you cry as they approach, and then launch yourself at them in a determined counterattack.

Drakkarim Handlers:
COMBAT SKILL
 35   
ENDURANCE
 39

If you win this combat,
turn to 40
.

Your powerful senses warn you that the entrance to a secret chamber lies directly behind the threadbare tapestry. You sense also that this concealed place harbours a magical being who, at present, is unaware that you have entered the crypt. Forewarned by your Kai skills, you step behind the chair and quietly unsheathe your weapon, using it to push aside the tapestry. You reveal a secret door which you know to be unlocked. Beyond it your acute hearing detects the sound of a voice, distinctly non-human, muttering the words of an evil incantation.

If you wish to use your advantage of surprise, you can burst into the secret room and launch a lightning attack.
Turn to 176
.

If you choose to avoid a confrontation, you can leave the crypt by
turning to 7
.

In a moment of vivid realization your Kai senses inform you that this creature is unaffected by normal missiles, yet it is especially vulnerable to fire. Hastily you replace your Arrow in your Quiver and search instead for something capable of igniting a fire.

If you possess a Lantern, or a Torch
and
a Tinderbox,
turn to 223
.

If you do not possess any of these items,
turn to 14
.

You draw your weapon and support your friend with your free hand. You tell him what you have sensed, that there is a strong chance that an ambush awaits you in the pen, but he agrees with you that a sudden rush towards the landing platform stands a good chance of success. Then, with a nod of your head, you indicate the Zlanbeast that is perched outside on the platform and whisper to Banedon that that particular creature is the one that will soon be carrying you out of Kaag. He nods his approval and you get ready to enter the pen.

You have taken less than five steps towards the platform when an unexpected sound makes you look up. To your horror, you see a weighted net falling from the ceiling directly onto your heads.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have Grand Huntmastery and have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 0–4,
turn to 27
.

If it is 5 or more,
turn to 262
.

Using your skill, you will the gigantic Doomwolf to return to sleep. At first it tries to resist, but soon it succumbs to your psychic command and settles down to sleep once more on its bed of filthy straw.

Rather than attempt to force the door open, you cross the room and investigate its solitary window. It is criss-crossed with iron bars, but on closer examination you discover they are loose and badly corroded. A swift blow with the heels of your hands is enough to dislodge them, allowing you to escape with ease.

Turn to 329
.

Your throw goes awry. The weapon hits the crystal, but it only grazes its surface before falling to the floor. Cursing your aim, you retrieve your weapon and try once again.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have Grand Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is 4 or less,
turn to 216
.

If it is 5 or more,
turn to 259
.

After what seems like an eternity, the guards draw back their spears and at once the crackling crimson energy ceases to arc between the shafts.

‘You may pass,’ they say, without any trace of emotion, and as they stand aside, so the two great doors glide silently open. Steeling yourself, you stride towards the blazing purple light which fills the chamber.

Turn to 186
.

Swiftly you unshoulder your Bow, but as you are drawing an Arrow to your lips, the Akataz rips free of the curtain and comes leaping at your chest.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the skill of Grand Pathsmanship, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your score is now 4 or less,
turn to 334
.

If it is 5 or more,
turn to 135
.

Beyond the rubble you discover a large chamber fashioned from great blocks of polished blue-green stone. At the centre of this eerie hall there lies an oval pool of water, the surface of which appears to be alight with a myriad of tiny, pale green flames. The flames shed light on the surrounding walls but generate no heat.

As you approach the pool, you see a mosaic of glittering stones set high upon the far wall. They have been fixed to depict the shape of an octopus-like creature with two bulging eyes, a hooked beak, and twelve snaky tentacles. Directly below this mosaic is an archway which is sealed by a featureless sheet of solid blue-green metal.

Your senses tingle in response to the aura of magic that saturates this chamber. Fearful of what may lurk here, you unsheathe your weapon and hold it in readiness for your defence. For a moment the light of the pool flickers and the flames waver from side to side, as if disturbed by the passage of an invisible hand. Then, from the sealed archway, there issues forth a deep, resonant voice.

Which Darklord of Kaag do you call master?
booms the disembodied voice.
Zagarna or Slûtar?

If you wish to answer ‘Zagarna’,
turn to 157
.

If you decide to answer ‘Slûtar’,
turn to 204
.

If you choose not to answer at all,
turn to 193
.

The Ashradon comes crashing to the ground with a tremendous noise. Its crumpled wings collide with one of the braziers, knocking it over and scattering glowing coals the length of the hall. One of these coals sets alight the sleeve of Banedon's robe, and you have to act quickly to extinguish the flames before he is badly burned.

Once more you heave your friend across your shoulders; then you hurry out of the hall and follow the tunnel for almost a mile before you reach a chamber where eight smaller passages disappear off in all directions. You scan these exits and a familiar fear returns to haunt you, a fear that you will never find your way out of Kaag alive.

Using your innate healing skills, you try once more to revive Banedon. You remember once, during a tutorial at the Kai Monastery, that Banedon conjured up a vision of the monastery and its surrounding estates. You were able to see yourself in miniature, standing in your chambers as if you were a tiny animated doll in a doll's house. If he were able to perform that spell here in Kaag, you might well be able to locate your position and plan a route of escape.

Mustering your skills, you place your hands on Banedon's chest and transmit your power directly into his heart. (Reduce your
ENDURANCE
by 3 points.) Gradually he stirs to consciousness and, as his strength returns, rekindled by your healing power, he is able to grant your request. On the floor of the chamber he calls forth a living, three-dimensional vision of Kaag. Gradually this vision expands until you are looking at yourselves, kneeling on the floor of a chamber on one of the upper levels of the central citadel. The vision blurs and fades, but not before you are able to trace the quickest way out of this dreadful place.

The passage that heads due south from this chamber leads directly to the Zlanbeast pens and landing platforms situated on the exterior wall of the citadel, high above the great South Gate. It is from here that you plan to escape, leaving the citadel the same way you entered it: by air.

Confident that the success of your quest is now within your grasp, you help Banedon to his feet and support him as you make your way along the south passage.

Turn to 267
.