the bough and send your shaft whistling towards the spider's bulbous great head. It strikes its skull, making it shriek with agony, but its steel tip does not penetrate deep enough to slay the beast. Angered, and in great pain, this fearsome abomination comes scuttling towards your hiding place with frightening speed. Swiftly you shoulder your Bow and draw your Kai Weapon just in time to meet its vengeful attack. Skryza (wounded): COMBAT SKILL 46 ENDURANCE 40 If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Kaistar’ you may add the appropriate bonus gained from its unique properties. You may evade this fight after four rounds by turning to 21 . If you win the combat, turn to 340 .
210 You draw upon your elemental powers to cause a sudden updraft of wind that deflects the orb away from the cage. With grim satisfaction you watch as the orb and its trailing chain explode above a crowded avenue, showering flaming oil upon the heads of the Hammerland bandits who have gathered there to watch your dramatic escape.
Turn to 50 .
212 Quickly you reach into the pocket of your tunic and grasp the glowing amulet. Pain shoots all the way from your fingers to your shoulder as the red-hot surface of this cursed artefact burns deeply into your flesh (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). Despite the agony you suffer, you wrench the Black Amulet from your pocket and hurl it away. The evil object arcs through the air and hits the corpse of Xaol, exploding on impact with tremendous noise and heat. Turn to 187 .
214 Hurriedly you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Invisible Shield and circle your right palm before your face. The spell is only just materializing when the speeding arrow strikes and penetrates this barrier, yet it slows the missile sufficiently for you to be able to duck your head out of its path. To continue, turn to 56 .
216 You step back a few paces from the head of the stairs and unsheathe your Kai Weapon in readiness to defend the observatory platform from these determined Drakkarim. Then the assault trooper leader looms into view with his jagged black sword raised to strike. He pauses for a few moments to allow his comrades to catch up with him; then together they charge up the steps and hurl themselves upon you with a reckless fury. Drakkarim Assault Squad: COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 40 If you win this combat, turn to 143 .
218 You examine the door's iron lockplate and determine that this mortise will be far easier to pick than the one that secures the left door. Diligently you set about the task, and after a few minutes the lock opens with a dull Clunk ! Carefully, you push open the door and enter a spacious chamber that is lit by ten globes of flickering white light. They hang suspended in the air with no visible means of support. The walls of this chamber are plastered and decorated with murals that depict the armies of Darklord Chlanzor despoiling the farms and cities of the Freeland Alliance. Standing against the far wall is a throne-like chair, crudely fashioned from a huge block of black marble. Veins of fluorescent purples and greens colour its surface, and the air around it shimmers like a desert haze. As you approach this chair, you hear the door slam shut behind you. Instinctively you spin around and you see that there is no lockplate on the inside of the chamber door. Its surface is plastered and entirely smooth; it blends in seamlessly with the painted walls. To continue, turn to 90 .
219 Your search of this vile-smelling hall is rewarded when you discover a concealed door located in the far wall. What at first glance appears to be a coat peg is really the dial of a crude combination lock. You wipe away the grime that encrusts its numbers and examine it closely. By turning the dial to its correct numerical setting, you will cause the lock to disengage and the secret door will open. Using your Kai Sixth Sense, you discover that the correct setting is the same as the solution to the