War of the Wizards (8 page)

The hatred and the fear are too much for your soul to bear. Your mind lacks the strength to withstand the horror of the demon horde. The light of the Moonstone dwindles and, with the fading of its light, the demon horde swarms out of the valley of fear. You are dragged from your steed and delivered as an offering to the unknown power that dwells on the other side of the portal. It drinks your soul with a hideous cackle of triumph.

You have failed. Your quest ends here.

Spellbound, the rider heads towards you. As he draws alongside, you drag him from his saddle. A swift blow to the back of his head renders him unconscious. Quickly you don his uniform. By dressing in the Shadakine uniform you will be able to lead the demon host towards the Shadakine Army without being attacked, for they will think that you are one of their own.

Turn to 250
.

You take aim at the nearest of the demons, the smallest of the four. Its back is bent and its arms end in crab-like pincers. Its purple body shines like the shell of a giant beetle. You release a bolt of magical fire that rips through it and hurls it to the ground, squealing with rage and pain, before it lapses into lifeless silence. You have expended 2
WILLPOWER
points. The remaining three demons step back in alarm, cowering.

If you wish to charge at the remaining three,
turn to 105
.

If you wish to fire a long-range attack at another demon,
turn to 117
.

The miles roll by and eventually, the Simar steed adopts a more relaxed pace. You estimate that you are halfway to the pass. Looking over your shoulder to the west, you see only the broad expanse of the plain and the distant Hills of Tilos. Of the demon plague you can see nothing.

High in the afternoon sky you see two black specks wheeling above you. As you walk, one of them begins to spiral downwards. It is a long, snake-like creature with broad, feathery wings. Its talons are like small, clutching needles and it has a small set of forelimbs. The other creature follows and, to your surprise, you see that it is exactly the same as the first, only smaller. That these are plague demons is certain, but it is the first time you have ever seen two of the same kind. The Flying Snakes make no move towards you; they merely drift on the air currents. Evidently these are not affected by the Agarashi's
¹³
inspired state of crazed frenzy.

If you wish to attack one of the Flying Snakes with your Staff at long range and you have 2
WILLPOWER
points,
turn to 88
.

If you wish to ignore them,
turn to 103
.

Close examination of the well reveals that the rope is rotten and likely to snap if you use the handles to draw up the receptacle attached to it. You decide, therefore, to haul up the rope by hand. You do this, drawing up a large, clay bowl, full of clear water.

Turn to 25
.

The potion is mixed under the sun's rays and the light you have summoned from the Moonstone. You must fill one of your empty Vials with the fluid that is produced. (Delete one of your empty Vials from your
Action Chart
.) You have now created a Potion of Invulnerability. Mark this as an item on your
Action Chart
. It may be stored in your Backpack or in your Herb Pouch.

Turn to 57
.

A swirl of colour passes before your eyes. Instinctively you reach for Tanith's hand and clasp it tightly. The walls of the circular chamber shimmer in and out of focus: the Shianti are transporting you from the Daziarn plane to the real world. A brilliant flash of light fills the room and you close your eyes involuntarily. When you next open them you look upon a vast plain of grass that undulates like the sea beneath a clear, sunlit sky. The journey is complete.

The Moonstone is still in your hand. However, where once it shone with the purity of white light, it now glows a smoky grey. You can but guess at the meaning of this transformation.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it,
turn to 162
.

If you do not have this Power, or if you do not wish to use it,
turn to 239
.

You lead the Simar steed slowly to allow him some rest. Stopping and shielding your eyes from the sun, you gaze into the distance. Suddenly something clutches at your feet and tries to drag you down. A small, green-skinned demon like a hairless ape has crawled through the knee-high grass. You have walked into a trap. More ape demons leap out of the grass around you, their eyes blazing with unreasoning hatred and you attempt to fend off the nearest of your foes who, even now, clutches at your legs. You cannot evade this combat. The demon is only three feet tall making it harder to hit him: deduct 1 from your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of the fight.

Ape Demon:
COMBAT SKILL
 20   
ENDURANCE
 15

If you win the combat in three rounds or less,
turn to 109
.

If you win the combat in four or more rounds,
turn to 123
.

You skirt the edge of the valley, keeping a great distance between yourself and the hell below. You feel the burning heat of countless eyes concentrated on you. At last you reach the other end of the valley. You lift the Moonstone high in the air and point it at the gate. A hiss floats up from the valley. You allow the protective aura to fade and begin to concentrate your mind upon the Moonstone and the closing of the portal. The host creeps towards you. They seem to sense that the power of the Moonstone is now being diverted.

If you wish to expend 2
WILLPOWER
points in a long-range attack at the demons below with your Wizard's Staff,
turn to 73
.

If you do not wish to attack them
turn to 78
.

Taking Tanith by the hand, you stride forward. The demons retreat before you, gibbering with fear and cowering in the Moonstone's light. You come to the top of the stairs that lead into the hall.

Turn to 30
.

It is a brave but foolish decision. How could you hope to stand against so many? After a valiant defence, in which many demons are slain, you are killed by the evil horde.

Your life and your quest end here.

Your heart is pounding as you teleport through the stone door. A sickening feeling is followed by absolute blackness, chill and silent. Then you appear on the other side: you have succeeded. The use of this spell has cost you 2
WILLPOWER
points. Looking up, you see a long, thick rope trailing from an opening in the side of one of the doors. You reach out and pull.

Turn to 32
.

A moving cloud in the sky attracts your attention as you stand panting over the last of the fallen beasts. It is a flock of Winged Demons, and they are heading straight towards you. At your back, the yammering horde draws ever closer.

You sprint away again, travelling as fast as you can.

Turn to 309
.

When the spell is cast and the protection complete, you turn and face Samu. ‘I am ready,’ you say. ‘Summon your men, we must make ready to leave.’

‘I have a gift for you, Grey Star,’ he replies.

Turn to 29
.

Using your Power, you probe into the near future. You sense that there is danger nearby: the Masbaté is being used as bait for a trap, and the danger lies in venturing into the basin. The use of this Magical Power has cost you 1
WILLPOWER
point.

If you are versed in the Higher Magick of a Visionary and wish to use it to discover more before you make your choice,
turn to 67
.

If you still wish to go to the aid of the Masbaté,
turn to 97
.

If you prefer to leave the man to suffer and hide behind the ridge that overlooks the lake,
turn to 116
.

You maintain your rapid pace and sit up in the saddle. The Flying Snake alters the course of its flight with precision and dives towards you at lightning speed. As it swoops over you, it rakes your shoulder with a sharp talon before climbing back into the sky. Both the snake and the horse were travelling so fast that there was no time to use your Staff in self defence. Your shoulder starts to bleed: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.

Turn to 42
.

You set a brisk pace for more than an hour but then the burning sun slows you down. Tanith, too, looks very weary. Your throat is parched. Neither you nor Tanith has seen a waterhole or anything that could yield nourishment or moisture and there has been no sign of any living creature. You are further disturbed by the sight of a lone figure heading towards you from the south. It is too distant for you to be able to distinguish any details, but it is moving at great speed. You peer into the shimmering heat and try to guess what it is that approaches.

If you wish to stand your ground and wait for the figure to arrive,
turn to 267
.

If you wish to advance against it,
turn to 273
.

If you wish to try to evade it,
turn to 286
.

With a dry swallow, you urge the white stallion down the slope and into the valley. You can feel its mighty heart thumping against its ribs, matching the speed of your own. With the Moonstone held high above your head you move through the ranks of the Demon host. Gibbering with fear, they shield their eyes from its pure, white light and back away, stumbling over one another. The sea of deformity parts like a tall swathe of grass to let you pass. Resolutely you stare ahead ignoring the hideous mass of malignancy that surrounds you; nothing must distract your gaze as you focus on the flaming archway that draws nearer with each tentative step of the stallion's hooves. Now, the moment of no return, of death or triumph, has come. You release your necromantic aura of protection and begin anew, focusing your mind on the Moonstone and on the closing of the portal. The demon horde wavers, but only for a moment: they are still spellbound by your presence and intimidated by the Moonstone.

Illustration IV
—You look upon a valley of fear crawling with the demon host.

Turn to 112
.

Looking up, you see the forest some five hundred paces away. You put on a last desperate spurt in an attempt to reach the safety of the woods. Your body is racked with pain and exhaustion, your lungs feel as if they are on fire and your heart pounds relentlessly. You stumble. You are not sure if you have enough strength to succeed.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. Add this number to your current
ENDURANCE
total.

If the total is 12 or more,
turn to 71
.

If the total is less than 12,
turn to 96
.