holds you with his glowing eyes and you feel waves of powerful psychic energy buffet your mind. Your advanced Kai defences repel this attack, but you are left in no doubt that he is deeply jealous of your supposed defeat of Lone Wolf.
Turn to 255 .
185
You race towards the hover-wagon and, as it sweeps by, you hurl yourself towards its open cargo bay. You hit the side of the vehicle with numbing force (lose 2 ENDURANCE points), but you manage to keep your grip and haul yourself aboard.
By the time the wagon reaches the windswept moat, you have concealed yourself in amongst its cargo of steel cylinders and bales of wire. You hear the distant clang of a bell and, from your hiding place, you are able to watch as the drawbridge extends from beneath the portal to span the deep chasm. Swiftly the wagon passes across the semi-transparent bridge and glides through the tower's open portal unchallenged.
Turn to 42 .
186
Your killing blow opens a gash across the giant insect's belly and brings the creature crashing down into the plant's corolla. Hurriedly you retreat along the stamen and narrowly avoid being crushed to death beneath its huge rainbow-coloured torso. You have triumphed in combat, yet the creature's death has thwarted your chances of escaping this way. Slippery ichor drips from its fatal wound and runs along the stamen, making it difficult for you to maintain your grip, and the bulk of its lifeless body now blocks any chance of your being able to escape upwards.
Reluctantly you are forced to retreat all the way down to the bowl of the corolla, to where the hollow stem is the only chance you now have of getting out of this sinister plant alive.
Turn to 103 .
187
You concentrate your attention upon the cutting edge of your weapon and, using your advanced skill, cause tongues of magical flame to ignite along its length. Then you vigorously attack the sticky strands of the net and cleave through them with surprising ease. They shrivel at the touch of your fiery weapon and drop in smouldering heaps onto the floor of the tunnel. Within a matter of seconds you have cut a path through and are able to continue your pursuit.
Turn to 316 .
188
You approach the hut and crouch down beside its mud wall, close to its open door. Your senses detect no glyphs or other traps here, and there are no residues of magical energy that might betray the presence of illusions or shielding spells. However, your Kai senses do detect a strong aura of Evil lingering at the rear of the hut, close to the water's edge.
You move around to the rear of this hovel and discover that the bank is deeply undercut where the soft earth has been eroded by the fast-flowing stream. Standing in a line in the shadow of the undercut are a dozen wooden cages, each containing a fleshless skeleton. A shiver runs down your spine as your Magnakai Discipline of Divination detects the lingering agonies of these luckless victims. They suffered cruelly at the hands of the natives of this settlement before death finally ended their torment. The shock of your discovery is unnerving: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.
You leave the stream and return to the front of the hut. Inside the open doorway you discover several fruits stacked in mounds on a mat of woven rushes. Somewhat to your surprise, your senses reveal that they are nutritious and safe to eat. (There are sufficient fruits here for 3 Meals.)
Wary of further delay, you approach the trench at the centre of the hut and descend a flight of steps that lead down to an underground tunnel. You can detect no traps, yet you have gone only a few yards along this narrow passageway when you hear the terrifying roar of a large cat. With an abruptness that takes your breath away, a huge tiger-like beast comes bounding from out of the darkness ahead. So sudden and unexpected is this creature's attack, that you only just have time in which to unsheathe a hand weapon as it hurls itself upon you.
Rahjaz: COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE
Turn to 255 .
185
You race towards the hover-wagon and, as it sweeps by, you hurl yourself towards its open cargo bay. You hit the side of the vehicle with numbing force (lose 2 ENDURANCE points), but you manage to keep your grip and haul yourself aboard.
By the time the wagon reaches the windswept moat, you have concealed yourself in amongst its cargo of steel cylinders and bales of wire. You hear the distant clang of a bell and, from your hiding place, you are able to watch as the drawbridge extends from beneath the portal to span the deep chasm. Swiftly the wagon passes across the semi-transparent bridge and glides through the tower's open portal unchallenged.
Turn to 42 .
186
Your killing blow opens a gash across the giant insect's belly and brings the creature crashing down into the plant's corolla. Hurriedly you retreat along the stamen and narrowly avoid being crushed to death beneath its huge rainbow-coloured torso. You have triumphed in combat, yet the creature's death has thwarted your chances of escaping this way. Slippery ichor drips from its fatal wound and runs along the stamen, making it difficult for you to maintain your grip, and the bulk of its lifeless body now blocks any chance of your being able to escape upwards.
Reluctantly you are forced to retreat all the way down to the bowl of the corolla, to where the hollow stem is the only chance you now have of getting out of this sinister plant alive.
Turn to 103 .
187
You concentrate your attention upon the cutting edge of your weapon and, using your advanced skill, cause tongues of magical flame to ignite along its length. Then you vigorously attack the sticky strands of the net and cleave through them with surprising ease. They shrivel at the touch of your fiery weapon and drop in smouldering heaps onto the floor of the tunnel. Within a matter of seconds you have cut a path through and are able to continue your pursuit.
Turn to 316 .
188
You approach the hut and crouch down beside its mud wall, close to its open door. Your senses detect no glyphs or other traps here, and there are no residues of magical energy that might betray the presence of illusions or shielding spells. However, your Kai senses do detect a strong aura of Evil lingering at the rear of the hut, close to the water's edge.
You move around to the rear of this hovel and discover that the bank is deeply undercut where the soft earth has been eroded by the fast-flowing stream. Standing in a line in the shadow of the undercut are a dozen wooden cages, each containing a fleshless skeleton. A shiver runs down your spine as your Magnakai Discipline of Divination detects the lingering agonies of these luckless victims. They suffered cruelly at the hands of the natives of this settlement before death finally ended their torment. The shock of your discovery is unnerving: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.
You leave the stream and return to the front of the hut. Inside the open doorway you discover several fruits stacked in mounds on a mat of woven rushes. Somewhat to your surprise, your senses reveal that they are nutritious and safe to eat. (There are sufficient fruits here for 3 Meals.)
Wary of further delay, you approach the trench at the centre of the hut and descend a flight of steps that lead down to an underground tunnel. You can detect no traps, yet you have gone only a few yards along this narrow passageway when you hear the terrifying roar of a large cat. With an abruptness that takes your breath away, a huge tiger-like beast comes bounding from out of the darkness ahead. So sudden and unexpected is this creature's attack, that you only just have time in which to unsheathe a hand weapon as it hurls itself upon you.
Rahjaz: COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE
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