The Deathlord of Ixia (12 page)

You spin on your heel and sprint towards the arched opening by which you entered this chamber, but the insectoids anticipate your action and they move with frightening speed to block your escape. Snickering evilly, they fall upon you from the sides and rear, using their barbed limbs to drag you to the floor.

If you possess a Green Gem,
turn to 349
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 237
.

Before you reach the cover of the ice-shelf, you are caught up in the avalanche and swept away to the bottom of the pass. Buried and crushed beneath the irresistible mass of ice and rock, your death is mercifully swift.

Tragically, your life and your quest end here in the mountains of Ixia.

The instant you project the correct number at the lockplate, the entire door begins to shimmer and lose its solidity.
¹⁰
It becomes transparent and then it fades completely, as if it has evaporated into thin air. With a smile of satisfaction on your lips at having solved the riddle of the door, you step through the now-open portal and climb a set of stairs which await you beyond.

Turn to 180
.

You show Banedon your Korlinium Scabbard and tell him how you came by it. The seemingly plain belt and scabbard were given to you several years ago by Lord Rimoah, for a similar purpose — to conceal the power of the Sommerswerd from the Darklords of Helgedad.

‘I trust it will serve you just as well in Ixia,’ says Banedon, nodding his approval.

Turn to 22
.

You pull away from the speeding missile but it curves in mid-air and impacts against your forehead. Vibrant flashes of white light instantly obliterate your vision and steely fingers of pain tighten themselves about your throat and chest. The force of impact knocks you clean off your feet — but you do not feel yourself hitting the floor. Instead, you experience a sensation of falling, as if you are twirling and tumbling endlessly backwards into the heart of a white-hot sun.

The pressure around your throat and chest is becoming intolerable. You fight against it, struggling desperately to control the mounting pain. Suddenly the agony melts away as your body succumbs to unconsciousness.

Turn to 171
.

The moment you destroy the last undead warrior, the agonizing current which holds you captive suddenly disappears. You stagger away from the door, cradling your blistered hand which trails alarming wisps of blue smoke. Gritting your teeth against the pain, you draw on your Kai healing skills to repair the damage to your fingers and arm.

When you have recovered sufficiently to go on, you return to the door to find that it is no longer closed. The lock has opened, although there is now no trace of the Onyx Key (erase this from your
Action Chart
).

You push open the door carefully and enter a chamber composed entirely of polished black crystal, where you see myriad images of yourself trailing away into infinity within the mirror-smooth walls. At first you see only your own reflections, but when you cast your gaze around this eerie chamber you realize that you are not alone. Standing guard at an open archway are a trio of undead creatures, the like of which you have never encountered before. They are armed with barbed tridents which they hold loosely in their corpse-green hands. Suddenly they become aware of your presence and come scurrying forwards, their tridents raised in readiness to pin you to the wall.

If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 287
.

If you do not,
turn to 64
.

You hit the snow and roll beneath the ice-shelf barely seconds before the leading edge of the avalanche comes roaring down. Tons of rock and ice engulf your shelter, but miraculously it does not collapse under the incredible weight.

When at last the terrible roaring ceases, you count yourself fortunate to still be alive. Buried beneath countless tons of snow, you begin the slow and laborious process of digging yourself out of this icy tomb.

Turn to 179
.

As you slay the last of these golden-winged horrors, their torn bodies dissolve into a hot, steamy vapour which is carried away on a foul breeze. The few Lavas that remained with Tagazin, having seen what has befallen their comrades, now abandon the Demonlord to his fate. Tagazin curses their apparent cowardice as they take to the air and speed away.

For a moment you stare at the Demonlord and he returns your gaze; his bitter hatred of you burns brightly in his supernatural eyes. Then he turns and drives himself on towards the Shadow Gate. You give chase, determined to stop him, but you slow your pace when suddenly you see a wide rent appearing in the sky high above. Through a tear in the clouds you see a new host of Lavas come swooping down.

If you possess Grand Huntmastery,
turn to 272
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 241
.

The corridor gradually ascends to a high gallery which overlooks a chamber two storeys deep. A dozen undead slaves clad in silvery robes are busy attending to a vast machine constructed of quartz-like crystal and black metal. Through holes in its side they probe and manipulate long glassy rods which reach into the machine's core. From these holes there radiates a brilliant, ghostly light.

If you possess Grand Huntmastery and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Lord or higher,
turn to 313
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 127
.

You are making a cursory search of this derelict chamber when suddenly you hear something that makes you reach for your weapon: it is the grating rumble of stone on stone.

From out of a secret panel in the wall to your right come six skeletal warriors, each one brandishing a rust-pitted sword. The leading two move to block the staircase, preventing you from making a speedy escape. The remaining four stalk forwards with evil intent, their eye sockets aglow with sorcerous green fire.

Turn to 23
.

You see that the Deathstaff is no longer vibrating with power. You sense that Ixiataaga has expended all of its unholy energy in one massive burst, in the hope of destroying you quickly and utterly. It will be several minutes before the Deathstaff recoups its dark powers — you must act swiftly if you are to turn this to your advantage. You raise the Power Spike and shout: ‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’

Then, with a single mighty leap, you traverse the fiery moat and land on the plinth within an arm's length of the Deathlord's foul form. Your brave and bold action takes Ixiataaga aback, but he quickly recovers and, with unnerving speed, he spins around to counter your attack.

Turn to 77
.

As the last skeleton warrior falls to your lightning-swift blows, you drag yourself out of the freezing water, across the bony bodies of those you have valiantly defeated, and stumble up the steps to the top of quay. You are met by Captain Lanza and his men, all of whom are clearly amazed that you are still alive.

‘We have this enemy beaten,’ yells Lanza. ‘We've slain more than half their number and the rest have their backs to the sea. Will you help us finish the job, Grand Master?’

‘Gladly,’ you reply. ‘For Kai and Ishir, we'll send them all to meet their unholy maker!’

Turn to 340
.

You tug the Sommerswerd from its scabbard and a vibrant golden light erupts along the full length of its divinely-crafted blade. For the first time you see clearly the mysterious creature illuminated by the glow of your sword: the sight is chilling to behold. Its mouth is a mass of twisted fangs and from its huge, bear-like body there writhes a score of slimy tentacles, each tipped with a venomous claw. Its reptilian head is domed and from its centre there protrudes a twisted horn, longer than a broadsword.

As the goodly light of the Sommerswerd washes over its ghastly face, it ceases to advance and gives vent to a loud gibbering howl of fear. You seize the advantage and strike out at its throat with the tip of the sun-sword.

Ixian Mhagani:
COMBAT SKILL
 38   
ENDURANCE
 60

Ignore any
ENDURANCE
point losses you may sustain during the first two rounds of combat. Also, remember to apply all the appropriate bonuses whilst using the Sommerswerd against this undead enemy.

You may evade the combat at any time after the third round by
turning to 56
.

If you win the fight,
turn to 16
.

You will yourself to rise once more and slowly you return to the edge of the shaft, but your strength is waning and it is now impossible for you to simultaneously fight and maintain this spell.

‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’ you shout, and leap among the monstrous Chaos-creatures crowding the stairs, lashing out in a wide arc as your feet touch down on the slimy steps. Gleefully, the unnatural horde close in around you for the kill.

Chaos-horde:
COMBAT SKILL
 43   
ENDURANCE
 46

These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

If you win the combat,
turn to 263
.

The metal door is sheathed with ice and there is no handle visible — only a hexagonal-shaped keyhole. You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and point your index finger at this keyhole. A tingling sensation runs along your arm, culminating in a burst of blue-white energy which arcs from your fingertip to the lock.

Use of this spell so soon after recovering consciousness costs you 2
ENDURANCE
points.

Adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly before
turning to 174
.

Abruptly the ghastly laughter ceases, as if the Deathlord has seen something which has shaken his arrogant confidence in his own invincibility. Your senses tell you that it is the Sommerswerd — he has recognized that you possess one of the few weapons capable of destroying him. It is a realization that shocks him to the core.

You move forwards, eager to exploit your advantage, but the Deathlord reacts swiftly. He utters a guttural sound and, in the next instant, a massive bolt of energy shoots from the tip of the Deathstaff and comes speeding towards your chest.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. For every level of Kai rank you have attained above that of Kai Grand Guardian, add 1 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 2 or less,
turn to 178
.

If it is 3–6,
turn to 47
.

If it is 7 or more,
turn to 280
.

You pull the firing lever and send the pantard's heavy iron bolt whistling into the midst of the skeletal horde. It rips through their densely-packed ranks, shattering a dozen bodies before disappearing into the ship's decking. For a few moments the horde falter, but they recover quickly and continue to disembark onto the quay.

‘It's no good!’ you shout to Prarg. ‘We'll need more than a pantard to turn back this dark tide.’

‘Look there, Grand Master!’ retorts Prarg. His face is blanched with shock as he points to the ice-boat. The invading undead have begun to swarm aboard the vessel and it is clear by their actions that they intend to destroy and sink it.

‘They must be stopped!’ you cry, as you turn and run to the stairs. ‘Stay here, Prarg, and cover me with the pantard!’

Turn to 310
.