Rather than waste any more precious time, you continue off along the track.
Turn to 121 .
336
You rush into the clearing and take the Giaks completely by surprise. Without a moment's hesitation, you strike out at the one nearest to you. He is dead before his body hits the ground. The other Giaks unsheathe their curved swords and attack you. You must fight them one at a time.
Giak 1: COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 11
Giak 2: COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 11
If you win, you free the ranger and turn to 117 .
338
When you awake, you find yourself lying at the foot of a steep slope in a tangle of long grasses. Your Backpack and Weapons are missing and your head aches violently. You cannot tell how long you have been unconscious, but you realize that time is running out and you must press on. Standing up, you notice your Backpack and Weapon on the slope above. They must have broken free when you fell. You quickly retrieve them and move off into the trees ahead.
Turn to 113 .
340
You gallop forward to meet the oncoming Doomwolf and rider, your Weapon raised to strike. The Giak sees you and unsheathes his scimitar. You must fight both Giak and Doomwolf as one enemy.
Giak + Doomwolf: COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 24
If you win the fight, turn to 193 .
342
As your voice echoes through the trees, the stranger slowly turns to face you. Your heart pounds and your blood freezes as you realize that the stranger is not human. It is a Vordak, a hideous lieutenant of the Darklords and one of the undead. A piercing scream fills your ears, and the creature raises a huge black mace above its head and charges at you. Frozen with horror, you can also feel the Vordak attacking you with the force of its mind.
Deduct 2 points from your COMBAT SKILL unless you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield. You must fight this creature. It is immune to Mindblast.
Vordak: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 26
If you win, turn to 123 .
343
You are held by the mass of tangled branches and roots. Eventually you free your right hand, grab your weapon, and hack your way slowly through the foliage to the clearer forest beyond. Your cloak is torn in several places and your left arm is cut and badly bruised above the elbow.
Lose 2 ENDURANCE points and turn to 213 .
344
You are weak and dizzy. You can no longer feel your legs and they refuse to bear your weight. You try to crawl for the door but the robber jumps on you and pins you to the ground.
Turn to 60 .
346
Lodged deep in the rib cage of the skeleton is a Spear. It is in good condition and you may take it if you wish and are able to.
To leave the clearing, turn to 14 .
348
Raising your boot to kick away the dead snake, your heart skips a beat as you realize that it was a Red Marshviper. There is no known cure for its venomous bite! You decide that to go any further in this direction would be suicide. Carefully retracing your steps, you eventually reach firm ground and continue on your mission.
Turn to 95 .
349
He is a young blond-haired youth with deep brooding eyes. His face is lined with exhaustion and the grime of battle, and his long sky-blue robes bear evidence of living rough in the wilds. He shakes your hand and bows. ‘My eternal thanks, Kai Lord. My powers are nearly drained. Had you not come to my aid, I fear I would have ended my days atop a Giak lance.’
He is weak and unsteady on his feet. You take his arm and sit him down upon a fallen pillar where you listen intently to what he has to say.
‘My name is Banedon. I am journeyman to the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, which is the Magicians' Guild of Toran. My Guildmaster has sent me to your monastery with this urgent message.’ He removes a vellum envelope from inside his robes and hands it to you.
‘As you see, I have opened the letter and read its contents. When the war started, I was on the highway with two travelling companions. The Kraan attacked us and we lost each other in the forest