Beyond the Nightmare Gate (8 page)

As you are flying high in the air, there is very little chance that an earthbound spirit will be able to help you. The use of this Magical Power has cost you 1
WILLPOWER
point. If you wish, you may maintain your trance state and seek aid from one of the other Elemental spirits.

If you desire the aid of the Fire Elemental,
turn to 41
.

If you desire the aid of the Water Elemental,
turn to 54
.

If you desire the aid of the Air Elemental,
turn to 88
.

If you wish to cease using Elemental Magic,
turn to 165
.

You lift your foot, decreasing the pressure on the bar and, hopefully, slowing the Ethetron. The white light is blinding; your head is swimming, your brain reeling, and your body trembling; lose a further 2
ENDURANCE
points.

Turn to 310
.

At first they are distant specks but they are moving towards you at high speed and soon you are able to distinguish details. You give an involuntary gasp: the creatures have oily, purple-black skins with slickly matted feathers; their eyes protrude like two swollen bruises from the sides of their heads and their cry is hoarse like the ringing of a cracked bell. The Ethetron moves sluggishly as the very last of the grey mist seeps from its dome. You turn the ship towards the Trianon but the malformed birds (if birds they are) are gaining on you.

Illustration VII
—The creatures have oily, purple-black skins with slickly matted feathers.

If you wish to attack one of the Chaos-birds at long range with your Wizard's Staff,
turn to 64
.

If you wish to wait for the Chaos-birds to draw nearer,
turn to 108
.

If you have the Magical Power of Elementalism and wish to use it,
turn to 78
.

Aimlessly you wander through the city streets. After observing the Elessin for some time, you realize that your disguise is some sort of uniform. The whole city is very peaceful and the constant music very soothing but soon you notice that the music is changing.

Turn to 79
.

As you regain control of the flying machine you begin to slow down. You make a rather bumpy landing in a field but both you and your craft survive it unharmed. You take out the Gyronome and its shrill call confirms that you are now in the Realm of the Singing City. Away to your left and in the distance the city glints beneath the warm sunlight. Suddenly you notice several figures heading in your direction, though they are still far off.

If you wish to hide yourself and the Ethetron,
turn to 85
.

If you wish to wait where you are,
turn to 214
.

You close your eyes and send out the power of your thought to the Elemental Plane.
¹⁰
A raging wind blows around you, whipping the birds into confusion so that they are unable to attack. Unfortunately, you are now unable to manipulate the damaged craft and find yourself affected as badly as the Chaos-birds. A sudden gust sends you hurtling into the side of the Trianon and the sound of a collision fills your ears.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. Add the number you have picked to your current
WILLPOWER
score.

If the total is 9 or more,
turn to 304
.

If the total is less than 9,
turn to 83
.

The music of the Singing City has changed, and is now a rhythmic accompaniment to the sound of many voices, singing and chanting. You follow the sound and come to a long avenue, paved with crystal stones. At the end of the avenue stands a gigantic palace, and at the foot of its grand staircase, are amassed a large crowd of Elessin, all singing in perfect unison. Standing before them is a man, robed in white and gold, with golden hair and blue eyes. In his left hand he holds a jewelled crozier. He seems to be conducting a religious ceremony or ritual. You guess that the Threnogem lies within the palace.

Transfixed by the beauty of the Elessin's music, you wait for the ceremony to end, and at length, the crowd disperses and the man with the golden hair returns into the palace.

If you wish to mount the steps and enter the palace,
turn to 208
.

If you wish to wait for nightfall, that you might investigate the palace in secret,
turn to 121
.

The Elessin guards do not attack you immediately. Several fall dead under fire of your Wizard's Staff as you move like a whirlwind among their ranks. Soon, however, they overcome their awe and many place silver pipes to their lips and blow. Suddenly, a terrible pain fills your head as the sound of the Elessin pipes tears at your mind. With an anguished cry you fall to the ground and slip into unconsciousness.

Your life and your quest end here.

Drear has worked a subtle magic on your mind and soon you are totally under his control. He is an insane wanderer, an astral vagrant devoted to a purposeless life of journeying. Casting aside your Staff and Backpack you trek after Drear, doomed to follow in his nomadic footsteps forever.

Your quest ends here.

Tanith takes the Eagle Key and begins to chant. The Jahksa makes to attack but once more you successfully fend off his blows, for though he possesses a supernatural strength, you possess far greater fighting skill, aided by your Wizard's Staff. Before the Jahksa can attack again, an eagle's cry fills the air. It screams towards him and a look of panic contorts his face. The eagle is an awesome enemy and the Jahksa chooses not to fight it. Rapidly, his body grows transparent.

Turn to 273
.

The Ethetron is thrown from the sky, flinging you and Tanith to your deaths.

Your life and your quest end here.

The Ethetron rocks and lurches as you try to steer her in tight curves and turns to evade the looming creatures of the mist. It is hard to control and the cracked glass dome of the craft glows feebly.

Miraculously you pass beyond the monsters. You look back to see them disappearing into the mist and you realize that they are more like plants, fixed and rooted but able to attack anything within range.

Turn to 33
.

You spot a grove of trees nearby and drag the Ethetron into it, covering the craft with twisted deadwood and branches. Then you crouch within the grove and wait. Peering out, you watch as four people approach. Each is dressed in a short, white toga; their hair is blonde and they have strange, circular ears. They are laughing and talking in a language you cannot understand but you cannot help but notice the soft, flute-like quality of their light, musical voices.

These people are Elessin, citizens of the Singing City. They are searching methodically and thoroughly, without hurrying, and, as they draw closer to the grove, you realize that they will soon discover your hiding place.

If you have the Magical Power of Enchantment and wish to use it,
turn to 103
.

If you have 4 or more
WILLPOWER
points remaining and wish to ambush the Elessin and attack them with your Wizard's Staff,
turn to 220
.

If you wish to wait and do nothing,
turn to 260
.

You fly through the mind-numbing visions shifting constantly around your craft. Eventually, the unrestrained madness of the sky gives way to a more sober panorama as a vast sea unfolds beneath you. The multi-coloured waters writhe and roll and monstrous half-shapes pierce its oily surface.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it,
turn to 345
.

If you do not have this Power, or if you do not wish to use it,
turn to 327
.

With your Staff held in both hands, you brace yourself for the eagle's first strike as it swoops down at an incredible speed. The golden bird crashes into you with a force that knocks you off your feet. In a terrifying confusion of slashing talons, flapping wings, and the crazed pecking of its hooked beak, you struggle desperately to fend off the giant bird.

Giant Eagle:
COMBAT SKILL
 30   
ENDURANCE
 30

If you are still alive after three rounds of combat,
turn to 150
.

You can feel the presence of the Air Elementals that the Jahksa has already summoned as they twist and coil around you. You must choose between summoning more winds to blow against the magical storm, or trying to master those that surround you.

If you wish to master the winds that surround you,
turn to 96
.

If you wish to summon your own powers of the air,
turn to 101
.

You step on the flagstone and, to your relief, no sword drops. The stairway is ahead and to the left, the tower entrance is behind, and the small doorway is to the left and behind.

If you wish to step on the flagstone that is ahead and to the left of you and bears one sword,
turn to 42
.

If you wish to step forward onto a flagstone bearing two swords,
turn to 349
.

If you wish to step on the flagstone that is diagonally behind you in front of the small door and bears one sword,
turn to 118
.

You take out the Copper Coin and give it to the guard who regards it closely. Thinking that you have successfully bribed the Elessi, you turn to walk away. Immediately the Elessi guard grabs your arm. Your heart misses a beat but the Elessi is smiling as he returns the Copper Coin to you. You realize that the coin is not the currency of the Singing City but a kind of pass key or identity disc.

Anxious to place as much distance as possible between you and the guard, you turn and walk into the city at a brisk pace.

Turn to 175
.

You begin the arduous climb once again. There are many intricate decorations carved on the crystal wall of the tower that make your climb harder but your skill is great and your luck good and, with a sigh of relief, you eventually reach the top. Pausing for only a moment to catch your breath and rest your aching limbs, you then begin to haul on the Rope as Tanith scrambles towards you and she is soon at your side. You turn to survey your new surroundings.

Turn to 17
.