Read The Masters of Darkness Online
Authors: Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund
The Masters of Darkness (9 page)
The walls of the tunnel shimmer with reddish reflections, as though somewhere in its unknown depths a great fire is blazing. With the fear of being caught making your heart pound in your chest, you look around you, taking in every detail of your surroundings.
One thing you notice immediately is that the other Liganim all move with a pronounced limp. You take care to copy this strange, irregular gait in order not to attract suspicion. None appears to show you any undue interest until you reach a semicircular chamber at the tunnel's end. There the passengers split up and enter numerous smaller passages that burrow beneath the city in all directions. One group, however, remains in the chamber. They huddle close together and whisper among themselves whilst casting glances at you.
If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the Kai rank of Archmaster,
turn to 33
.
If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training,
turn to 249
.
Before you stands a magnificent warrior, tall and broad-shouldered, clad in purple satin and shiny steel mail. He holds you with his jade-green eyes and says: ‘I am the Slavemaster. Remove your mask, Drakkar, and reveal your true self.’
Illustration V—Before you stands a magnificent warrior, the Slavemaster.
Your Kai senses tell you that he speaks the truth: he is the Slavemaster of Aarnak, and he has recognized the words that identify you as a fellow-agent of the Elder Magi. But the many years he has spent as a servant of the Darklords has taught him to be wary of their subterfuge, and not until you remove your battle-mask and he looks upon your unmistakably Sommlending features does he accept you as genuine. ‘Long have I waited for this moment,’ he says, quietly. ‘I know why you have come and I will help you all I can.’
‘But why?’ you reply, now suspicious of his true motives. ‘Why do you desire to betray your masters? Have they not given you the power you crave?’
‘Aye! That they have, but at a grievous price. Since the war began, they have demanded that the foundries and ore pits of Aarnak produce ever-increasing supplies of black steel. The quotas are impossible and I fear that the day is close when I will be of no more use to them. Ultimately, the Darklords destroy everything over which they have control — cities, land, races, even their own kind. The Elder Magi have promised me sanctuary in return for my help, and help I shall, for my life is dependent on your success.’ He smiles, amused by the irony of his situation, and then he bids you follow him to an adjoining chamber. ‘Come, you must prepare for your journey to the Black City.’
Your Arrow spirals towards the Xargath's eye and, to your astonishment, splinters to matchwood against its stone-hard cornea. Cursing your misfortune, you reach for a hand weapon as the creature advances unceasingly, its jaws widening as it prepares to swallow you whole.
Your Kai skill and experience alert you to the threat of an imminent ambush. The group of creatures you saw whispering to each other in the chamber earlier are creeping up on you from behind, armed with an assortment of deadly weapons. You spin around to confront them as they prepare to attack, and catch all of them wrong-footed.
Minions of Taktaal:
COMBAT SKILL
24
ENDURANCE
28
Owing to the speed and surprise of your counterattack, ignore any
ENDURANCE
points you may lose in the first two rounds of the combat.
If you possess the Sommerswerd and wish to use it,
turn to 208
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 228
.
Silently you watch as the great tube is gradually lowered, by means of ratchets and gears, until it is pointing directly at the waterline of the
Intrepid
. It seems a pointless exercise: the ship is sinking so quickly that to fire upon it now would seem to be wasteful. Then suddenly you realize what the enemy captain is planning to do; the thought of it stirs you to anger.
Standing in the corridor outside is a slim, small, seemingly insignificant figure, clad in a loose-fitting garment of plain emerald cloth. His pinched and pallid face is of human proportion, and, were it not for his pig-like snout and watery, colourless eyes, he could easily pass for one of your species.
‘Humble greetings, Cagath,’ he says, in a syrupy sweet tone that makes your flesh crawl. ‘I bring the compliments of Bazdash-Vool, my worthy master. He invites you to join him in the gallery, where he is about to host an entertainment for his illustrious fellow passengers, to make their journey altogether less tiresome. Will you grace us with your presence, noble Cagath?’
If you wish to accept this creature's invitation and accompany him to the gallery,
turn to 184
.
If you decide to decline the invitation,
turn to 338
.
After spending two hours scrutinizing every move the Giak guards make, you are sure that the two patrolling the wall follow the same routine with little variation. Once every two minutes exactly, their beat brings them both to a point near the watchtower at the middle of the wall, where they turn about before starting another circuit of patrol.
You wait until one of the sentries reaches the end of the battlements — at a point where it abuts the sheer mountain wall — and when he turns to march back to the centre, you make your move. Crouching low, you scurry to the foot of the wall and begin to climb, counting every passing second as you struggle to find handholds in the darkness.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the Kai rank of Primate or higher, add 3.
If your total score is now 0–6,
turn to 22
.
If it is 7 or more,
turn to 227
.
Cautiously you peer into the abyss, your weapon held ready in case another of the fearsome Ictakko should surge from the depths and attack. But in this instance your caution proves unnecessary, for your senses soon tell you that a colony of cave bats are the only creatures that now occupy the dark and silent crevasse.
With ease, you leap across the crevasse at its narrowest point and leave the cavern by the tunnel in the opposite wall. Here, too, the walls are encrusted with light-emitting bacteria, enabling you to progress quickly through a series of interconnecting halls and chambers. The cobwebbed remains of broken mining equipment litter many of these places, revealing why the Darklords constructed this labyrinth of tunnels. After an hour of exploration you find the main exit from the mine. Darkness greets your return to the surface, but your senses inform you that you have emerged in the pass that traverses the mountain range.
Gnaag recoils in terror when he recognizes the weapon you wield. Fashioned in the fiery furnaces that lie buried deep in the bowels of the city, it possesses a power that can seal his doom. He retreats and you take up the attack in this momentous struggle.
Darklord Gnaag:
COMBAT SKILL
50
ENDURANCE
70
The power of the weapon you wield is greatly intensified when used within the walls of Helgedad. Owing to its increased power, add 12 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of the fight. Darklord Gnaag is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).
If you win the combat,
turn to 350
.
Your senses warn you that a large section of the middle deck, severely weakened during the Xargath's attack, is now on the verge of collapsing beneath the weight of fighting men. Forewarned by your Kai skill, you shout an order to the Kirlundins to retreat towards the bow. Immediately they obey, pausing only to help those wounded who cannot move, and quickly withdraw before the renewed Drakkarim assault. Seconds later, with an ear-splitting crack, the timbers split asunder and the host of enemy troops suddenly disappear, amid screams and curses, into the bowels of the ship.
Kraagenskûl's skeletal hand scoops up the sword a second before your own slaps the ground. You raise your eyes and your heart freezes with terror as the black blade whistles towards your neck. With the cruel, gloating laugh of the evil Darklord echoing in your ears, your life is brought to a swift and tragic conclusion.
Your mission ends here.
You pull away from your enemy as he screams and tumbles over the ship's rail. Then, as if in answer to his cry, a horn shrieks loudly. It is the ironclad; it has at last caught up and is steaming alongside the blazing
Intrepid
. Clouds of acrid yellow smoke now merge with the oily black plumes pouring from the inferno that was once the ship's hold, adding to the chaos and confusion. You pull yourself onto the rail and wait for the smoke to thin before you make your leap. Suddenly the ship lurches violently and you slip and fall feet-first into the swirling smog.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 16
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 194
.
The Death Knight spins around and lowers his spear when he hears you approaching. He growls like a hungry lion then demands to know what you are doing here.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you have reached the Kai rank of Mentora or higher, add another 2 points.
If your total is now 0–6,
turn to 189
.
If it is 7 or more,
turn to 65
.
You recognize the bacteria to be Gnallia, a beneficial bacillus that is acclaimed by the healers and herbalists of Durenor. Potions of Gnallia are often prescribed to prevent and cure infections of the blood. The raw bacteria are edible and, despite their awful taste, are rich in protein. There is enough here for more than 10 Meals. If you wish to keep some of this Gnallia, record it in the Meals section of your
Action Chart
. Each Meal of Gnallia will restore 2
ENDURANCE
points.
With your heart pounding in anticipation, you cast your gaze around the grey granite walls of a subterranean vault: your journey through the Shadow Gate has returned you to the land of your birth. You are standing in the Externment Chamber, a room located deep below the Guildhall of the Crystal Star in Toran. Facing you, and illuminated by the glow of several tall candles, is a line of throne-like seats. Two men, both attired in silken robes, are seated at the centre of the row, their heads bowed and their hands clasped in silent prayer. The sound of your footsteps stirs them from their meditations and, as they raise their heads, you recognize the face of your friend, Banedon, and your tutor, Lord Rimoah, speaker for the High Council of the Elder Magi.
Illustration VI—As the two men raise their heads, you recognize Banedon and Lord Rimoah.
‘The gods be praised!’ breathes Rimoah, his eyes wide with astonishment. ‘
Skarn
has returned. The prophecy is fulfilled.’
Slowly they rise and step forward to greet you, their movements hesitant and uncertain, scarcely able to believe that you are alive. Calmly you assure them that they are not dreaming, that you have indeed survived your exile to the Daziarn Plane and have returned, more determined than ever to avenge yourself upon Darklord Gnaag.
Eagerly Rimoah and Banedon listen as you recount your experiences in the Daziarn and, when you have finished, they tell you what has befallen Magnamund during your absence. Although it seemed that you spent little more than a few days in the Daziarn, more than eight years have passed since Gnaag caused you to fall into the Shadow Gate of Torgar. ‘He was quick to proclaim your death,’ says Banedon, unfurling a map of Northern Magnamund upon the floor of the chamber. ‘The news came as a terrible blow to us all.’
Lord Rimoah kneels and points at the map, indicating the city of Torgar with the tip of a slender crystal rod. ‘After your disappearance, Lord Adamas was killed, and the allied armies were quickly ejected from Torgar. Gnaag declared himself invincible, and in the wake of his victory the Darkland defeats were soon halted throughout central Magnamund. A terrible sense of hopelessness befell the allies, which was exploited to the full by the malevolent Gnaag. His sorcerers, the Nadziranim, created devices they call
“Tanoz-tukor”
to enable each of the Darklords to survive in territories outside their accursed realm. Previously they had been unable to survive beyond the Darklands for any great length of time and, during these rare, brief excursions, their powers were greatly reduced. Now they are able to lead their armies in battle personally, and they have been eager to exercise their newfound freedom.’
‘The war against the Darklords is all but lost,’ continues Banedon, his eyes cast down at the map, which is covered with black markers indicating the frightening number of countries Gnaag has added to his empire. ‘With the help of our allies in Durenor, Sommerlund has so far resisted his attempts at invasion, but now we find ourselves cut off from Durenor's aid by a blockade of Darklord warships. Here,’ he says, pointing to the Gulf of Helenag, ‘is where Gnaag has constructed a huge naval base. It is called Argazad, and it is from here that he launches his fleet of ironclad warships to blockade our coast. The Sommlending navy is no match for these monstrous sea machines, and without the troops, food, and weapons we have been receiving by sea from Durenor, our days are numbered.’
Lord Rimoah rises to his feet and stares fixedly into your eyes. ‘Your skill, bravery, and your vow to avenge the death of the Kai are the keys to our salvation. Only you, Lone Wolf, can save us now. You are our only hope in this hour of darkness.’
