Flight from the Dark (6 page)

A searing pain tears through your right leg as it is twisted and crushed by the weight of your body. Down and down you tumble, until you finally land in a ditch at the base of the hill with such force that the wind is knocked out of you and you lose consciousness.

You are awoken by the sharp pain of something stabbing your chest. It proves to be the tip of a Giak spear. You are greeted by the malicious sneer of its owner as he pins your left arm to the ground. Instinctively you reach for your weapon but it is no longer there.

Defenceless against the cruel Giaks, the last thing that you see before all light fades is the jagged point of a Giak lance hurtling down towards your throat.

Your mission ends here.

It would seem that the heavens have not heard your prayers. A spear whistles past your head and embeds itself in the neck of your galloping horse. With a shriek of pain, the horse topples forward and you both roll in a tangled heap on the highway.

Dazed and pinned down by the weight of the dead body of your horse, the last thing you remember are the sharp penetrating spearheads of the Giak lances.

You have failed in your mission.

Just as the Giak makes his leap, you race forward and strike out with your weapon — knocking the creature away from the young wizard's back.

You jump onto the struggling Giak and strike again. Due to the surprise of your attack, add 4 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight but remember to deduct it again as soon as the fight is over.

Giak:
COMBAT SKILL
 9   
ENDURANCE
 9

If you win,
turn to 325
.

You hear the scream of a large winged beast above the trees. It is a Kraan, a deadly servant of the Darklords. Quickly you hide beneath the thick fronds of fern until the horrible shrieks have passed away.

Now
turn to 222
.

The cabin has only one room. In it you see a wooden table and two benches, a large bed made of straw bales lashed together, several bottles of coloured liquids, and an embroidered rug in the centre of the floor.

If you choose to take a closer look at the bottles,
turn to 164
.

If you choose to pull back the rug,
turn to 109
.

If you choose to leave the room and investigate the stable,
turn to 308
.

Bracing yourself for the run, you head off down the ridge at a steady pace. To the west, the army of the Darklords looks like a giant pot of black ink that has been spilled between the mountains and is spreading into the land below.

You have been running for twenty minutes when you catch sight of a pack of Doomwolves lining a shallow ridge to your right.

If you decide to flatten yourself against the rocks along the side of the road and wait until they pass,
turn to 251
.

If you decide to carry on running, but draw your weapon just in case they attack,
turn to 160
.

Peering into the darkness, you notice that rough stairs have been cut into the earth and that the mouth of the cave is in fact the entrance to a tunnel.

Carefully descending the slippery stairway, you notice a small silver box on a shelf at the bottom of the staircase.

If you want to open the silver box,
turn to 124
.

If you wish to return to the surface and press on,
turn to 106
.

If you wish to investigate the tunnel further,
turn to 211
.

The last thing you remember before darkness engulfs you is the flash of a long curved steel knife. You have become yet another victim of the Sage and his robber son — the very one who has just slit your throat!

Your quest ends here.

At last you can reach the wooden fieldworks surrounding the outer city. As you race towards a sentry post, you can hear the excited shouts of the guards cheering you on. Thank the gods that they recognize you, for you must appear a ragged and suspicious figure. Your cloak is torn and hangs in tatters, your face is scratched and blood-smeared, and the dust of the Graveyard covers you from head to toe.

Splashing through a shallow stream, you stagger towards the gate. The full horror of the Graveyard encounter begins to catch up with you. The last thing you recall before exhaustion robs you of consciousness, is falling into the outstretched arms of two soldiers who have run from the fieldworks to help you.

Turn to 268
.

The ‘soldiers’ lie dead at your feet. They were bandits who were stealing from the refugees of Toran, and from the abandoned houses and farms in the area.

Searching their bodies you find 28 Gold Crowns and two Backpacks containing enough food for 3 Meals. They had been armed with a crossbow and three Swords. The crossbow has been damaged in the fight, but the Swords are untouched and you may keep one if you wish.

You adjust your equipment, give a cautious glance towards the west, and continue your run towards the outer defences of the capital.

Turn to 288
.

The wild old man is screaming at you. He blames you for the war and curses the Kai Lords as agents of the Darklords. He will not listen to reason and you must fight him.

Illustration VI
—The wild old man is screaming at you.

Madman:
COMBAT SKILL
 11   
ENDURANCE
 10

If you win,
turn to 269
.

You are awoken by the cries of a Kraan circling above the caravan. It is early morning and the sky is clear and bright. You can see a pack of Doomwolves less than a quarter of a mile away along the highway ahead. They are preparing to attack. You must act quickly.

If you decide to gather your equipment and run for the cover of the trees,
turn to 188
.

If you decide to cut free one of the horses and try to break through the attacking Doomwolves to the clear road beyond, then
turn to 16
.

Your senses scream at you that this place is very evil. Leave as quickly as you can.

Turn to 104
.

Startled, you turn around to see a burly sergeant and two soldiers running towards you, their swords drawn as if to strike.

You prepare to defend yourself for it looks as if they are about to attack first and ask questions later; but suddenly the sergeant calls his men to a halt. He has recognized your cloak. They put away their weapons and apologize many times for their mistake. The sergeant orders one of the men to fetch the captain of the Guard as he leads you to the doors of the Great Hall.

You are greeted by a tall and handsome warrior who listens intently to your story. When you have finished the account of your perilous journey to the capital, you notice a tear in the brave man's eye as he bids you to follow him. You walk through the splendid halls and corridors of the inner Palace. The richness and grandeur are a wonder to behold. You eventually arrive at a large carved door, guarded by two soldiers wearing silver armour.

You are about to meet the King.

Turn to 350
.

Your Kai Discipline of Tracking reveals to you fresh paw prints leading off along the south path.

They are the prints of a black bear, an animal renowned for its ferocity. You decide the east path would be a much safer route.

Turn to 252
.

After a short walk, you reach a junction where a path crosses your present route heading from west to east.

If you wish to turn west,
go to 130
.

If you wish to head east,
turn to 15
.

You are very near a friendly village.

Avoid the gallowbrush and
turn to 272
.

You have reached a small bridge. A track follows the stream towards the east. A much narrower path disappears into thick forest towards the south.

If you wish to use the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense,
turn to 8
.

If you wish to go east,
turn to 28
.

If you wish to go south,
turn to 157
.

You are winded but not hurt. You have fallen fifteen feet or so through the roof of an underground tomb. The walls are sheer and you cannot climb them. An arched tunnel leads out of the tomb towards the east, in front of which lies the sarcophagus of some ancient noble.

If you wish to use the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense,
turn to 65
.

If you wish to open the sarcophagus to see if it contains any treasure,
turn to 242
.

If you wish to leave via the tunnel,
turn to 104
.

You turn to face a sneering Giak and the razor-fanged jaws of its mount. You must fight them as one enemy.

Giak + Doomwolf:
COMBAT SKILL
 15   
ENDURANCE
 24

If you win,
turn to 265
.

Pulling your green cloak about you, you blend into the foliage and rocks. Peering carefully up at the track, you are shocked to see that they are not the King's men at all.

They are Drakkarim, some of the Darklords' cruellest troops. They must have disguised themselves as soldiers of the King in order to get this far into the forest. Thanking your Kai training for saving your life, you silently slip away from the stream and push on into the forest.

Turn to 243
.

The Kraan and its riders land on the track barely ten feet from where you are hidden.

The Giaks leap from the scaly backs of the Kraan and move towards you, their spears raised to strike. You have been seen.

If you decide to fight them,
turn to 138
.

If you decide to run deeper into the forest without delay,
turn to 281
.

Peering out carefully, you can see three green-clad men on horses racing along the bank. You recognize them as Border Rangers, the regiment of the King's Army that police the western borders. One of them is wounded and is slumped over the neck of his horse.

Close behind follow a pack of twenty Doomwolves. Their Giak riders are firing arrows at the rangers which fall all around them. One ranger drops from his horse and rolls down the river bank, a black arrow deeply embedded in his right leg.

If you wish to help the ranger,
turn to 260
.

If you wish to stay hidden and drift downstream,
turn to 163
.