Grey Star the Wizard (23 page)

The dead bodies of the soldier Mantiz lie all around you. There is no time to relish the glory of your victory, for the far end of the tunnel is already filling with many more Mantiz, certainly too many for you to challenge single-handed.

You dash in the opposite direction and soon arrive at the point where the tunnel divides in two. There can be no going back this time, and you have but seconds to choose which passage to take.

If you wish to take the passage sloping upwards,
turn to 267
.

If you wish to take the passage sloping downwards,
turn to 272
.

You are seized roughly by the triumphant Shadakine who lead you away, grinning maliciously. Your Backpack and Staff are taken from you, and your hands are tied.
³⁸
For more than an hour you are marched through the streets of Suhn, coming at last to a large, black stone citadel built on a broad hill overlooking Suhn. This is the Hall of Correction, an instrument of Shadakine law more concerned with punishment than order.

A burly Shadakine guard grabs you by the shoulders, pressing on your wound where the crossbow bolt's shaft still protrudes; pain shoots through your body. He drags you through the heavy iron doors and throws you to the floor of a sparse, stony entrance hall. The wound has opened again, and warm blood runs down your arm. ‘I'm bleeding,’ you say to the brutish Shadakine guard. ‘I need a Healer. This quarrel must be removed and the wound dressed.’

The Shadakine guard looks at you contemptuously. ‘Wound? … Dressed? … ’ He snorts with disgust. ‘That's just a scratch. I've had far worse fighting in the Old Wars of the Empire. No “Healers” on the field then. Where's your grit, boy?’ He steps towards you and grabs at the bolt shaft.

‘NO!’ you shout, horrified. But before you can stop him, he has torn the bolt from your shoulder, complete with barbed head. You feel that you must faint with pain.

‘Healers … dress the wound … hmph!’ the Shadakine mutters to himself. He produces a flask and pulls out the stopper. ‘This'll stop the greenrot,’ he says, pouring a clear liquid over the wound in liberal quantities, washing away the blood. The liquid burns like acid, but it quickly staunches the bleeding. The Shadakine laughs and thumps you on the back, making you flinch.

The crude battlefield remedy has cost you 1
ENDURANCE
point, but the treatment is effective, and the injury heals without complications, although you will have a livid scar on your shoulder for the rest of your life.

You are pushed up a long flight of stone stairs and into a small antechamber. An old woman sits at a wooden table, her shrunken flesh lit up by the dim yellow light of the crystal ball before her.

Turn to 289
.

You have found the Guard room. Six Shadakine warriors overcome their initial surprise and pounce on you, killing you.

You have failed to escape the Hall of Correction, and your quest is over.

Reaching out with your senses, you probe the minds of those seated near you. Your Power reveals to you that the cloaked character in the corner wishes to help you. Indeed, it seems he is waiting for some sign from you. He is a member of a holy order known as the ‘Redeemers’, pilgrims devoted to a life of silent prayer and the study of the healing arts.

The use of this Magical Power has cost you 1
WILLPOWER
point.

Turn to 209
.

You hurl the ball of energy into the Kazim Stone at the cost of another
WILLPOWER
point. Immediately, the assault on your mind stops. The glow of the Stone erupts into a blinding, white light as your ball of power penetrates it. Mother Magri raises her eyebrows and shrugs confidently. She pulls the charged mass of energy towards her and throws your ball of energy back, only now it is greater in strength. As it envelopes you, you lose half your current
ENDURANCE
points total.

If you wish to use 2
WILLPOWER
points to duplicate her attack,
turn to 320
.

If you do not want to do this, you must use 2
WILLPOWER
points to extinguish the deadly circle of light that engulfs you.
Turn to 226
.

If you do not have sufficient
WILLPOWER
points for either of these options,
turn to 150
.

Bravely, you wreak a trail of destruction with your whirling Staff, but it is already too late. The swarm of worker Mantiz behind have reached you. You are dragged to the ground, and screaming in agony, you are torn into a thousand pieces.

Your life and your quest come to a terrible end here.

You slip and fall into the waters below. As you hit the water, you try to scream, for the water is burning your flesh. Water pours into your open mouth; there is no hope of escape. You sink, unconscious, to the bottom. You have been poisoned by Lake Shenwu.

Your life and your quest end here.

You expend a great amount of energy in attempting to move the heavy body of the dead Quoku. Within seconds, you fall paralysed to the ground: the poison that covers the Quoku's warty skin is lethal. You will never know if Shan survived or not.

Your life and your quest end here.

You plunge into the waters of Lake Shenwu. You begin to swim when suddenly you feel as if your flesh is on fire. Your body weakens, and you start to sink. The waters of Lake Shenwu are poisonous, and even its vapour can kill in a matter of hours. Within a few seconds, you have drowned.

Your life and mission end here.

Half dazed with fatigue, you stumble in the darkness and fall headlong down a slope of loose shale, finally coming to rest at the bottom. (You lose 1
ENDURANCE
point in your fall.)

You are in a wide, shallow basin, on the banks of Lake Shenwu, and you peer around, straining your eyes to see in the darkness of the night.

Turn to 43
.

To the amazement of Mother Magri, the light of the Kazim Stone is suddenly snuffed out. You slump forward, exhausted by your exertions, and Mother Magri jumps to her feet, howling curses and abuse.

‘You dare to resist!’ she screams. ‘Guards! Throw this one into the dungeons. It seems that sterner measures are needed to wring the truth from our fledgling wizard,’ and she smiles wickedly.

You have exerted 4
WILLPOWER
points and 4
ENDURANCE
points
³⁹
in this duel with the Kazim Stone.

Now
turn to 187
.

You have entered the gaoler's private chamber. He turns and sees you, letting out a startled cry. He draws a small Dagger and charges at you.

Gaoler:
COMBAT SKILL
 8   
ENDURANCE
 10

You may evade this combat at any time and head for the other flight of stairs by
turning to 137
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 37
.

You cleave a chaotic path of destruction, clearing the way ahead with only seconds to spare. The swarm of raging worker Mantiz are snapping at your heels, and gouts of acid burn into the tunnel walls.

You hurry through the exit of the tunnel and turn the corner to run into another passage, the worker Mantiz barely a few feet behind.

Turn to 267
.

You throw the ball of energy at the Kazim Stone at the cost of another
WILLPOWER
point. The Stone flares, turning an angry red as the attack hits home. The energy field of your attack lingers and then, to your surprise, is absorbed by the Stone which glows even brighter.

‘So it's a fight you want, is it?’ Mother Magri snarls. She flings the ball of power back at you, now doubled in strength, and as it envelopes you, you lose half your current
ENDURANCE
points.

If you wish to use 2
WILLPOWER
points to turn the attack against her,
turn to 299
.

If you do not wish to do this, you must use 1
WILLPOWER
point to extinguish the energy field that surrounds you (or you will lose further
ENDURANCE
points).
Turn to 226
.

Too late you realize that he is standing in the doorway of the Guard room. A group of Shadakine warriors pour out of the doorway and bear down on you from above, mercilessly hacking you to pieces.

Your life and your quest end here.

The limestone towers — with their tall, ragged peaks — cast lengthening shadows across the broken floor of the gorge. Silhouetted in the orange glow of the evening sun, they unnerve you with their brooding silence.

A strange creaking sound echoes above the muted rush of the Shenwu Falls. It sounds like an old, rusty door being opened very slowly. It must be the noise of an animal, although it is quite unlike the cry of any beast that you have ever known. You hear the sound again over to your right, and then again, ahead of you, as if in answer.

A sense of grave danger washes over you, and Shan, infected by your disquiet, has paled with fear. With slow, careful steps, you move forwards. The hairs on the back of your neck prickle, and you have the distinct feeling that many eyes are watching you.

Turn to 136
.

Warily, you agree to accept the dead priest's offer.

‘So be it,’ drones the Shade. ‘For my part, I will give you the help you seek, since I now perceive that you are a servant of the great Shianti race, as once was I. You must turn right beyond the door of this cell and, when you reach the end of the corridor, take the left stairway. Thereafter always turn left and always ascend, until you reach the surface. In this way you will come to the inner courtyard where the gate to freedom stands. Take no other route, for death awaits you any other way.’

‘What then is the price I must pay?’ you ask.

‘You must free the dead of this place. Step outside the pentacle and speak the forbidden tome that will release the wronged souls that have died here. The dead desire their revenge on those who cruelly murdered them. Deny them not, for your soul will be forfeit if you do.’

You are filled with dread. It is forbidden by Shianti law to free the dead upon the Earth, for once freed by the ‘forbidden tome’, they can never be controlled. They will roam the Earth eternally, able to act in any way they choose, whether for good or ill.

If you agree to speak the tome,
turn to 87
.

If you deny the dead,
turn to 220
.

You head south across the desolate plain, but after a few minutes Shan stops, shielding his eyes with his hand as he peers eastwards. ‘Can you feel it?’ he asks.

At first you are not sure what he means, but then you notice that the atmosphere has changed. A wind has started up, and tumbleweeds and pools of fine brown dust eddy in busy spirals. Shan points towards the horizon and you spot a great cloud of dust rolling towards you.

‘Dust storm,’ says Shan. ‘Looks like a mean one.’

If you wish to head back to the shack and take cover,
turn to 78
.

If you would rather keep moving on towards the Azanam,
turn to 283
.

You hit the line of the river and pick your way south. Owing to your long exposure to the scorching sun, you must lose 2
ENDURANCE
points. When at last you come to the point where the Yaku plants grow, you resolve to stay with the river and overcome the difficulties of the dense undergrowth, as best you can.

Turn to 104
.

Your Staff burns a great hole in the nearest Yaku plant, killing it instantly at the cost of 1
WILLPOWER
point. Unfortunately, it was not an attacker, and still the two Yaku plants pull at you with an ever-tightening grip. You grit your teeth against the pain. Your right leg is being wrenched from your body and you must lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.

Turn to 42
.