at the swooping Kraan with bows and Bor pistols. Their unerring marksmanship soon decimates the enemy's squadron and forces the survivors to abandon their attack. Banedon pulls the helm hard about and, with a resounding cheer from his victorious crew, the
Cloud-dancer
soars over the fortified wall of Gazad Helkona and speeds away towards the east.
Turn to 350 .
52
You call upon your Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery to help slow the rate at which you are sinking into the dust. With great effort, you are then able to drag yourself slowly towards the wall of the gully. The physical effort needed to accomplish this difficult task costs you 3 ENDURANCE points.
The sides of the ravine are steep, but the rocks and boulders which pepper its surface make it an easy climb. Swiftly you ascend to the top of the gully where you take shelter from the biting wind behind a rocky knoll. As you settle yourself into a hollow beside a pillar of jagged stone, you are suddenly startled by a loud screeching caw that echoes in the dark skies above.
Turn to 295 .
53
As the hellish creature crashes to the ground, felled by a killing blow to the nape of its neck, you stagger away from its smouldering body and wipe the blade of your weapon upon the hem of your cloak. When you look again at the marble throne, you notice the faint outline of a second doorway that is concealed in the wall beside the seat. Silently it slides open as you approach it, and beyond you can see a tunnel disappearing into darkness.
Inside the entrance to this gloomy passage you discover a niche in the wall. It contains a small crystal decanter of green fluid that is festooned with cobwebs. Cautiously you pull its stopper to sniff the contents, and you are surprised to discover that it contains a tincture of Laumspur. It is old and stale, but it still possesses some of its healing powers. (This Decanter contains the equivalent of two doses of Laumspur. Each dose will restore 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed after combat. If you wish to keep the Decanter, it will occupy only one space in your Backpack.)
To continue, turn to 11 .
54
Your lightning-fast reflexes save your eyes, but your legs are lacerated by the flying shards of glass: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
If you have survived this injury, you may continue by turning to 84 .
58
You make good use of your advanced Kai camouflage skills to skirt around the perimeter of this entrance hall unseen. As you pass through the archway and ascend the steps to a landing on a level above, you can hear the sounds of the Drakkarim playing their game of dice in the hall below, oblivious to your presence.
Turn to 6 .
59
You complete the erection of a strong defensive wall around the core of your mind barely moments before Zorkaan unleashes a massive psychic assault. As the searing waves of his incorporeal powers shatter against your mental defences, you sense Zorkaan explode with anger and frustration at having been thwarted by your formidable Kai protections.
To continue, turn to 243 .
61
Valiantly you hack and slice at the sticky web but, before you are able to cut yourself free, the spider seizes you in its forelegs and stabs at you with its fanged maw. When it clamps its great mouth down upon your shoulder, it injects a powerful venom which paralyses your entire body. Numbed by the poison, you are mercifully spared the agony of being eaten alive by this gigantic arachnid.
Tragically, your life and your quest end prematurely in the petrified forest of Helkona.
63
The Drakkar's swift reactions are handicapped by his heavy armour and your ball of invisible energy strikes him in the chest before he can shield himself. The force of the impact buckles his breastplate and brings him crashing to his knees. Groaning in agony, his ribs crushed by his dented armour, he topples backwards and tumbles down the stairs, felling his comrades like skittles as he careers through their ranks. The few who are not bowled over by their leader
Cloud-dancer
soars over the fortified wall of Gazad Helkona and speeds away towards the east.
Turn to 350 .
52
You call upon your Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery to help slow the rate at which you are sinking into the dust. With great effort, you are then able to drag yourself slowly towards the wall of the gully. The physical effort needed to accomplish this difficult task costs you 3 ENDURANCE points.
The sides of the ravine are steep, but the rocks and boulders which pepper its surface make it an easy climb. Swiftly you ascend to the top of the gully where you take shelter from the biting wind behind a rocky knoll. As you settle yourself into a hollow beside a pillar of jagged stone, you are suddenly startled by a loud screeching caw that echoes in the dark skies above.
Turn to 295 .
53
As the hellish creature crashes to the ground, felled by a killing blow to the nape of its neck, you stagger away from its smouldering body and wipe the blade of your weapon upon the hem of your cloak. When you look again at the marble throne, you notice the faint outline of a second doorway that is concealed in the wall beside the seat. Silently it slides open as you approach it, and beyond you can see a tunnel disappearing into darkness.
Inside the entrance to this gloomy passage you discover a niche in the wall. It contains a small crystal decanter of green fluid that is festooned with cobwebs. Cautiously you pull its stopper to sniff the contents, and you are surprised to discover that it contains a tincture of Laumspur. It is old and stale, but it still possesses some of its healing powers. (This Decanter contains the equivalent of two doses of Laumspur. Each dose will restore 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed after combat. If you wish to keep the Decanter, it will occupy only one space in your Backpack.)
To continue, turn to 11 .
54
Your lightning-fast reflexes save your eyes, but your legs are lacerated by the flying shards of glass: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
If you have survived this injury, you may continue by turning to 84 .
58
You make good use of your advanced Kai camouflage skills to skirt around the perimeter of this entrance hall unseen. As you pass through the archway and ascend the steps to a landing on a level above, you can hear the sounds of the Drakkarim playing their game of dice in the hall below, oblivious to your presence.
Turn to 6 .
59
You complete the erection of a strong defensive wall around the core of your mind barely moments before Zorkaan unleashes a massive psychic assault. As the searing waves of his incorporeal powers shatter against your mental defences, you sense Zorkaan explode with anger and frustration at having been thwarted by your formidable Kai protections.
To continue, turn to 243 .
61
Valiantly you hack and slice at the sticky web but, before you are able to cut yourself free, the spider seizes you in its forelegs and stabs at you with its fanged maw. When it clamps its great mouth down upon your shoulder, it injects a powerful venom which paralyses your entire body. Numbed by the poison, you are mercifully spared the agony of being eaten alive by this gigantic arachnid.
Tragically, your life and your quest end prematurely in the petrified forest of Helkona.
63
The Drakkar's swift reactions are handicapped by his heavy armour and your ball of invisible energy strikes him in the chest before he can shield himself. The force of the impact buckles his breastplate and brings him crashing to his knees. Groaning in agony, his ribs crushed by his dented armour, he topples backwards and tumbles down the stairs, felling his comrades like skittles as he careers through their ranks. The few who are not bowled over by their leader
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