strangely bitter smell assails your nostrils. By the time you realize that the air is being flooded with a powerful sleep gas, pumped from vents hidden in the ceiling, you are already succumbing to its irresistible power.
Turn to 165 .
273
A flood of armoured guards pours down the stairs, followed by a pair of hideous black-skinned, dog-faced creatures that wield long, glowing maces. You brace yourself for their assault, but they advance no closer. Instead the creatures make dreadful snickering sounds and raise their maces, tapping the ends together before simultaneously pointing them at you.
Suddenly you are torn with an agonizing pain, as your chest explodes in a gout of red flame. You topple backwards, your body almost rent in two by the bolt of destructive energy.
You have fallen victim to deadly Dhax power-staves, and your life and your quest end here.
275
You tumble into the pit and are swallowed up by total darkness. You fall at a terrifying speed for what seems an eternity and, after several minutes, you lapse into unconsciousness. It is a blessing, for you are spared the agonizing pain of being burnt alive when your body hits a lava pool ten thousand feet below.
Your life and your quest end here.
277
You have taken only a few steps when you hear a faint whispering sound. You watch, horrified, as the hard stone floor beneath your feet disappears into a yawning black hole. Helpless, you tumble into the void, knocking yourself unconscious on a jagged outcrop of rock as you plummet into unknown depths.
Turn to 164 .
278
The creature launches itself at the cocoons, shearing them from the wall with its razor-sharp mandibles. The air is filled with fibrous shards and dust, and you no longer have a hiding place. You have no choice but to retreat along the corridor.
Turn to 233 .
280
Tavig is barely visible inside the massive fist that is retreating down the tunnel. His screams, and the low rumbling growl of the monster that holds him, echo in your ears as you unsheathe your weapon and give chase. You must strike on the move if you are to break the monster's grip and save Tavig from a ghastly death.
Illustration XVI —Tavig is barely visible inside the massive fist that is retreating down the tunnel.
Giant Fist: COMBAT SKILL 10 ENDURANCE 42
If you reduce the enemy's ENDURANCE score to zero or below in three combat rounds or less, turn to 291 .
If you win the combat in four rounds or more, turn to 156 .
281
Pressing yourself flat against the tunnel wall, you draw on your skill to mask the warmth of your body. Nausea rises in your throat as the loathsome snakes slither across your feet and coil around your legs, but to them you are of no more interest than the cold and clammy stones that cover the tunnel floor. The snakes move on, leaving you shaken but unharmed.
Turn to 346 .
284
Covering your nose with your Kai cloak, you edge your way around the smoking flames and head towards the passage. As you step through the entrance, you walk straight into an invisible barrier, a field of destructive energy that flows between the two green pillars. With a thunderous concussion, you are repelled from the shield and sent tumbling back into the chamber (lose 8 ENDURANCE points; lose only 6 points if you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus).
If you are still alive, turn to 128 .
285
The bats are ravenously hungry and have been stirred to a frenzy by the unexpected smell of their favourite food — warm human blood. It is too late to avoid combat; you must fight for your life if you are not to become their feast.
Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, you must double all ENDURANCE point losses you sustain during the fight, due to the bats' poisonous saliva.
Vampire Bats: COMBAT SKILL 19 ENDURANCE 32
If you win the combat, turn to 161 .
286
An escort of armoured guards forces you along a steel passageway lined by a crowd of jeering minions. They punch and spit as you pass
Turn to 165 .
273
A flood of armoured guards pours down the stairs, followed by a pair of hideous black-skinned, dog-faced creatures that wield long, glowing maces. You brace yourself for their assault, but they advance no closer. Instead the creatures make dreadful snickering sounds and raise their maces, tapping the ends together before simultaneously pointing them at you.
Suddenly you are torn with an agonizing pain, as your chest explodes in a gout of red flame. You topple backwards, your body almost rent in two by the bolt of destructive energy.
You have fallen victim to deadly Dhax power-staves, and your life and your quest end here.
275
You tumble into the pit and are swallowed up by total darkness. You fall at a terrifying speed for what seems an eternity and, after several minutes, you lapse into unconsciousness. It is a blessing, for you are spared the agonizing pain of being burnt alive when your body hits a lava pool ten thousand feet below.
Your life and your quest end here.
277
You have taken only a few steps when you hear a faint whispering sound. You watch, horrified, as the hard stone floor beneath your feet disappears into a yawning black hole. Helpless, you tumble into the void, knocking yourself unconscious on a jagged outcrop of rock as you plummet into unknown depths.
Turn to 164 .
278
The creature launches itself at the cocoons, shearing them from the wall with its razor-sharp mandibles. The air is filled with fibrous shards and dust, and you no longer have a hiding place. You have no choice but to retreat along the corridor.
Turn to 233 .
280
Tavig is barely visible inside the massive fist that is retreating down the tunnel. His screams, and the low rumbling growl of the monster that holds him, echo in your ears as you unsheathe your weapon and give chase. You must strike on the move if you are to break the monster's grip and save Tavig from a ghastly death.
Illustration XVI —Tavig is barely visible inside the massive fist that is retreating down the tunnel.
Giant Fist: COMBAT SKILL 10 ENDURANCE 42
If you reduce the enemy's ENDURANCE score to zero or below in three combat rounds or less, turn to 291 .
If you win the combat in four rounds or more, turn to 156 .
281
Pressing yourself flat against the tunnel wall, you draw on your skill to mask the warmth of your body. Nausea rises in your throat as the loathsome snakes slither across your feet and coil around your legs, but to them you are of no more interest than the cold and clammy stones that cover the tunnel floor. The snakes move on, leaving you shaken but unharmed.
Turn to 346 .
284
Covering your nose with your Kai cloak, you edge your way around the smoking flames and head towards the passage. As you step through the entrance, you walk straight into an invisible barrier, a field of destructive energy that flows between the two green pillars. With a thunderous concussion, you are repelled from the shield and sent tumbling back into the chamber (lose 8 ENDURANCE points; lose only 6 points if you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus).
If you are still alive, turn to 128 .
285
The bats are ravenously hungry and have been stirred to a frenzy by the unexpected smell of their favourite food — warm human blood. It is too late to avoid combat; you must fight for your life if you are not to become their feast.
Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, you must double all ENDURANCE point losses you sustain during the fight, due to the bats' poisonous saliva.
Vampire Bats: COMBAT SKILL 19 ENDURANCE 32
If you win the combat, turn to 161 .
286
An escort of armoured guards forces you along a steel passageway lined by a crowd of jeering minions. They punch and spit as you pass
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