to victory. The Palace Guard have captured the hill, and the sorcery that threatened to destroy them has been smashed. But from where you stand you can see a new threat fast approaching the Prince and his men, a threat that could kill them all.
Turn to 270 .
138
With breathtaking speed you clear the rampart and reach the stunned Adamas. Rocks continue to crash down but you ignore the danger as you drag the injured lord to safety with just one second to spare.
Turn to 301 .
143
The warrior stoops to snatch up the shimmering rod but the Prince leaps forward and kicks it from his grasp. His action costs him dearly, for when his foot touches the stave a blast of searing flame scorches his leg and hurls him backwards to the ground. You rush forward and block the warrior's attempt to scurry after his weapon. Cursing vilely, he snatches a dagger from his belt and launches himself at your throat.
Ziran: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 33
If you win the combat, turn to 56 .
145
Halgar falls heavily to his knees, the blood oozing thickly between his fingers as life deserts him. With a gurgling croak he stiffens and drops sideways into the fire, smothering the embers and filling the air with the smell of scorched leather. At your feet lies the cruelly fashioned Bullwhip, and nearby you discover a backpack. Flicking open the buckle, you tip the contents out onto the grimy stone floor. The pack contains the following items:
Leather Pouch containing 36 Lune (9 Gold Crowns)
Torch
Tinder Box
Bottle of Water
You may keep any or all of these items. If you decide to keep the Bullwhip, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.
Set into the floor you discover a wooden trapdoor that gives access to an empty cellar. You hide the body in the cellar before remounting your horse, crossing the bridge, and continuing your ride to Pirsi.
Turn to 75 .
148
Both you and the Lencian officer, whose name is Captain Prarg, ride back and forth, rallying the few soldiers left to support the hard-pressed knights locked in battle at the bridge. A motley company of crossbowmen, halberdiers, wounded men-at-arms, wagon drivers, cooks, heralds, and battle-shocked pikemen are finally assembled, and they march forward with their shields raised and their weapons poised.
On your left, the Prince's reserves respond to a signal from the hill and advance to support their leader. On your right, massed ranks of Lencian spearmen are locked in pitched combat the length of the orchard wall. As you near the bridge you encounter the bodies of those slain by the crackling rays of electric fire. The sight of their tortured forms, weapons fused in their lifeless hands, sends a wave of shock through your company. ‘Forward, men!’ shouts Captain Prarg. ‘Raise your eyes and advance!’
The bridge looms out of the battle-smoke ahead and your men surge towards the macabre struggle taking place. The bodies of the dead lie six deep, covering the whole area of the approach and filling the ditch on either side. War-cries roar with harsh anger and the air is alive with the clangour of striking steel and the howl of violent death.
Illustration IX —A Drakkarim Death Knight draws back his weapon and prepares to strike at your neck.
‘Charge!’ you shout, and the company pours across the bridge. Reinforced by fresh troops, the knights finally break through the barricade and into the streets beyond. The struggle grows ever more intense as the Drakkarim defenders throw themselves into the fray with total disregard for their lives. One such defender, an élite Drakkarim Death Knight, hacks his way through the leading pikemen and slays your horse with one terrible blow of his two-handed axe. As you fall, he draws back his weapon, its razor-sharp blade trailing scarlet spray, and prepares to strike at your neck.
Death Knight: COMBAT SKILL 24 ENDURANCE 40
Owing to his state of battle-frenzy, your enemy is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).
If you win
Turn to 270 .
138
With breathtaking speed you clear the rampart and reach the stunned Adamas. Rocks continue to crash down but you ignore the danger as you drag the injured lord to safety with just one second to spare.
Turn to 301 .
143
The warrior stoops to snatch up the shimmering rod but the Prince leaps forward and kicks it from his grasp. His action costs him dearly, for when his foot touches the stave a blast of searing flame scorches his leg and hurls him backwards to the ground. You rush forward and block the warrior's attempt to scurry after his weapon. Cursing vilely, he snatches a dagger from his belt and launches himself at your throat.
Ziran: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 33
If you win the combat, turn to 56 .
145
Halgar falls heavily to his knees, the blood oozing thickly between his fingers as life deserts him. With a gurgling croak he stiffens and drops sideways into the fire, smothering the embers and filling the air with the smell of scorched leather. At your feet lies the cruelly fashioned Bullwhip, and nearby you discover a backpack. Flicking open the buckle, you tip the contents out onto the grimy stone floor. The pack contains the following items:
Leather Pouch containing 36 Lune (9 Gold Crowns)
Torch
Tinder Box
Bottle of Water
You may keep any or all of these items. If you decide to keep the Bullwhip, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.
Set into the floor you discover a wooden trapdoor that gives access to an empty cellar. You hide the body in the cellar before remounting your horse, crossing the bridge, and continuing your ride to Pirsi.
Turn to 75 .
148
Both you and the Lencian officer, whose name is Captain Prarg, ride back and forth, rallying the few soldiers left to support the hard-pressed knights locked in battle at the bridge. A motley company of crossbowmen, halberdiers, wounded men-at-arms, wagon drivers, cooks, heralds, and battle-shocked pikemen are finally assembled, and they march forward with their shields raised and their weapons poised.
On your left, the Prince's reserves respond to a signal from the hill and advance to support their leader. On your right, massed ranks of Lencian spearmen are locked in pitched combat the length of the orchard wall. As you near the bridge you encounter the bodies of those slain by the crackling rays of electric fire. The sight of their tortured forms, weapons fused in their lifeless hands, sends a wave of shock through your company. ‘Forward, men!’ shouts Captain Prarg. ‘Raise your eyes and advance!’
The bridge looms out of the battle-smoke ahead and your men surge towards the macabre struggle taking place. The bodies of the dead lie six deep, covering the whole area of the approach and filling the ditch on either side. War-cries roar with harsh anger and the air is alive with the clangour of striking steel and the howl of violent death.
Illustration IX —A Drakkarim Death Knight draws back his weapon and prepares to strike at your neck.
‘Charge!’ you shout, and the company pours across the bridge. Reinforced by fresh troops, the knights finally break through the barricade and into the streets beyond. The struggle grows ever more intense as the Drakkarim defenders throw themselves into the fray with total disregard for their lives. One such defender, an élite Drakkarim Death Knight, hacks his way through the leading pikemen and slays your horse with one terrible blow of his two-handed axe. As you fall, he draws back his weapon, its razor-sharp blade trailing scarlet spray, and prepares to strike at your neck.
Death Knight: COMBAT SKILL 24 ENDURANCE 40
Owing to his state of battle-frenzy, your enemy is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).
If you win
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