The Deathlord of Ixia (23 page)

As the first line of screeching Drakkarim hurl themselves forwards, you advance to meet their attack, your weapon dealing them destruction in a wide arc. Resistance meets your weapon's keen edge, though it is not the touch of armour or flesh. Your powerful blows shear through Drakkarim bodies with the sickening feel of clinging jelly. It is as if you are fighting against a horde of bloodless phantoms possessed of a rubbery strength in their rotting, wasted limbs. The first line falls, but a second is poised ready to throw itself upon you with a mindless fury.

Drakkarim Marines (undead):
COMBAT SKILL
 42   
ENDURANCE
 42

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

If you win the combat in five rounds or less,
turn to 37
.

If you win the combat in six rounds or longer,
turn to 124
.

When the insectoids come to within a body's length of where you stand, suddenly their shiny black shells sprout masses of razor-sharp spines. The leading creature, the one who survived your Bow fire, emits a high-pitched screech; it is the signal to attack.

As one, the creatures leap into the air and fall upon you from above. Desperately you twist and dodge to avoid being crushed beneath their heavy, spiky bodies.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 160
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 43
.

Your Kai Mastery warns you that the rod is ready to discharge another blast of energy. If you touch this sorcerous weapon, it is you who will be the victim of the blast.

Aware of the danger, you quickly pull your hand away. Instead of retrieving the rod, you change direction and barge your way head-first through the skeletal warriors who are blocking the door. The speed of your action leaves them sprawled helplessly on the ground and, by the time they have untangled themselves and staggered to their feet, you are nowhere to be seen.

You escape along a dark corridor and, when you are sure that you are not being followed, you pause for a few moments to use your Magnakai skill of Nexus in an attempt to determine the location of your missing weapons and equipment. You sense they are not too distant and, guided by your intuition, you go off along an adjoining passageway in search of them.

The dingy, ice-caked tunnel wends its way deeper into the bowels of this vast alien vessel. You explore a series of empty holds, where the walls are braced with gleaming crystal girders, and pass through low-ceilinged chambers that, despite the biting chill, reek of death and decay. At length your search ends at a great grey door which is guarded by two undead Drakkarim warriors, armed with spears. The noises you heard during your time in the cell have now ceased, and so has the movement of the vessel; you sense that this craft is no longer at sea.

From the cover of a curving crystal bulkhead, you spy silently upon the Drakkarim guards while you consider your next move.

If you wish to attack the guards with your bare hands,
turn to 243
.

If you choose instead to use your Magnakai mind Disciplines upon the guards,
turn to 336
.

Before the sundered remains of your enemies can merge and reform, you kick them into the pit where they are consumed by the creatures which lurk at the bottom of its slime-filled base. Then, without looking back, you make a swift escape up to the roof and hurry away along the mossy ridge.

Minutes later, you come to a thicket of mist-enshrouded trees. As you pass through this eerie wood, you detect the presence of Tagazin once more. Fresh tracks indicate his direction and determinedly you set off, finding it an easy task to follow his clawed footprints in the loamy soil. They lead you through a tangle of saw-toothed briar and up a gently sloping rise. As you crest the top of the rise, you look upon an awe-inspiring sight.

Turn to 150
.

You follow Captain Lanza as he races down to the base of the watchtower and hurries off along the slate-cobbled avenue which leads directly to the harbour. As he runs he curses and barks orders at the garrison soldiers who are fleeing from the quay, but they are wide-eyed with terror and all appear deaf to his commands. As you reach a bend in the road, you see the great black ship shuddering to a halt alongside the harbour wall. Instantly, a horde of undead warriors leap onto the quay and come rushing in pursuit of the routing Lencians. Their eyes burn with an unnatural fire and they howl like unchained demons as they mercilessly hunt their human prey.

Lanza manages to rally a dozen of his best men to form a defensive line across the narrow avenue. With their shields overlapping and their swords poised ready to thrust, they brace themselves to receive the first wave of undead. The pugnacious captain shouts words of encouragement to stave off their fear but it is clear to you that every single one of them is terrified. Their faces are drenched with sweat despite the biting cold.

With a hideous howl, the advancing mass of undead fall upon their line, hacking and stabbing at their shield-wall with their rust-dulled blades. The Lencians fight back furiously, shattering bones and cleaving skulls, but they are forced to give ground before the pressing onslaught.

Illustration XVI
—The Lencian's sword is corroded by the creature's foul blood.

Then, from the midst of the enemy ranks, a grisly creature clad in mouldering black robes comes bursting through the shield-wall. A Lencian turns to thrust his sword into the creature's wormy flesh. His attack releases a gout of venom and instantly his sword crumples — corroded by the foul blood. The venom splashes him and he falls screaming to the ground, clutching at the smouldering stump that was once his hand. The creature howls with malicious glee as it leaps over his writhing body. It rushes towards you, its eye sockets blazing and its black claws extended to rake your flesh.

Cabalah:
COMBAT SKILL
 47   
ENDURANCE
 45

This undead creature is immune to Mindblast, Psi-surge, and Kai-surge.

You may escape from this creature after three rounds of combat by
turning to 76
.

If you stay and win the fight,
turn to 209
.

As you approach the curtain of light, your senses scream a warning that you are in dire peril. With difficulty you suppress your natural instincts and force yourself to step into the light; instantly a wave of acute pain washes through your body as the curtain of shimmering radiance swallows you up. You writhe in agony as gravity releases its hold on your body, and you feel yourself begin to rise: lose 10
ENDURANCE
points.

You are on the threshold of unconsciousness when suddenly the light fades and you find yourself kneeling on a floor of black crystal, staring at the reflection of your pain-wracked face in its highly-polished surface. Wearily you raise your aching head and see, to your horror, a trio of undead creatures scurrying towards you from an open archway. They have barbed tridents clasped in their corpse-green hands, held raised in readiness to pin you to the floor.

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

If you possess Kai-surge and wish to use it,
turn to 96
.

If you cannot, or if you choose to use neither of the above, then
turn to 64
.

Determinedly you battle your way through deepening snow and sleeting crosswinds to reach the remnants of Xaagon's west gate. This once-magnificent portal lies scattered in pieces around the open archway of a twin-towered barbican. As you approach the arch, you catch brief glimpses of the city's ruined buildings through the driving sleet. You also become aware of a noise — a low hum — reverberating beneath the howl of the wind. You pause briefly to listen and determine at once that this strange noise comes from the direction of the Crystal Spire.

Warily you press on towards the barbican, your eyes peeled all the while for guards. You are within a few yards of the archway when suddenly your Kai Sixth Sense alerts you to danger. Moments later, a dozen undead Drakkarim warriors come looming out of the storm, marching two abreast towards the west gate arch. To avoid detection you quickly sidestep into a shadowy portal at the base of the barbican wall. Here you discover a flight of stone steps which ascend to a derelict chamber that once served as a guardroom.

If you possess Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 202
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 107
.

The undead warriors carry out a thorough search of the hold, passing several times within inches of where you are hiding, yet they fail to find you; your Kai Mastery keeps you safe from detection. As you wait patiently for them to leave the hold, your thoughts are with the Lencian crewmen. The sound of fighting on the deck above has ceased and you are fearful that all the crew may have been slain by these merciless enemies.

If you wish to follow the undead when they leave the hold,
turn to 186
.

If you choose to stay hidden in the hold,
turn to 314
.

You draw your weapon and throw it at the glass dome. It shatters the dome on impact, releasing a crackling halo of energy which quickly dissipates. You retrieve your weapon and quickly snatch up the key, taking care not to touch the plinth on which it lies. (Record the Onyx Key on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item, which you carry in the pocket of your tunic.)

Having obtained the key you now try it in the door and find that it fits perfectly. You give it a gentle twist, confident that it will unlock this door and allow you access to whatever lies beyond.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–6,
turn to 50
.

If it is 7–9,
turn to 6
.

You land badly, breaking your legs and your pelvis and rendering yourself incapable of moving. Concussed and in great pain, you attempt to draw on your healing skills to mend your broken bones. Unfortunately, before your bones have healed sufficiently for you to be able to go on, you are crushed to death beneath a deluge of falling rock and crystal.

Your incredible courage has brought about the defeat of the evil Deathlord Ixiataaga, saving untold millions of living souls from an eternity of slavery in his service. So long as there is Good upon Magnamund you will never be forgotten. Sadly, though, death is the price you have paid for this victory.

Your life and your quest end here in the Crystal Spire of Xaagon.

Soon you stumble upon a ruined watchtower where you stop to rest awhile and get your bearings. Through a hole in the tower's dull, glassy wall, you can see the wide stone ramp which services the archway entrance of the great Crystal Spire. Hidden from sight, you observe the traffic of undead warriors passing through this grand archway. The low hum that you detected earlier is much louder here, almost painfully so. Its concussive vibration is so strong that it leaves ripples in the snow.

You crane your neck to look at the uppermost tip of the spire, and you shiver with dread when you detect the unmistakable presence of the Deathlord. His cloying aura of evil makes you break out in a cold sweat, but you fight back this fear and resolve to gain entry to the Crystal Spire; you are determined to defeat him. Patiently you wait, crouched in the rubble of the ruined watchtower, observing his undead slaves come and go. During this time, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 335
.

You climb out of the forward hold and hurry along the deck to a flight of steps which ascend to the raised stern. A wheelhouse stands in the centre of the stern deck, inside of which you find Prarg examining a large glassy sphere mounted upon an ornate base of glittering black stone. A low hum and a faint greenish glow radiate from this sphere, which in turn is connected by silver tubes and strands of braided metal to the wheel which steers the craft.

‘What do you make of this, Grand Master?’ says Prarg, inviting you to take a closer look. You inspect the devices and determine them to be the propulsion and steering mechanisms. After careful appraisal of the controls you determine that you could easily sail the vessel.

‘Well, Grand Master,’ he says, staring bemusedly at the strange workings of this ship, ‘this is a rum craft and no mistake. Are you sure it can carry you to Ixia?’

‘Yes, I'm sure,’ you reply. ‘In fact I'm certain that it will be safer to sail the Tozaz in this ship than to attempt a crossing in any ice-boat bearing the Lencian flag.’

Prarg looks out of the wheelhouse window at the sunken remains of the ice-boat and says: ‘I hope you're right, Grand Master. I sincerely hope you're right.’

Turn to 18
.