work here and you shout a command to your young Kai comrades to prepare themselves for combat. They react as one, their years of training suppressing their fears, and swiftly they draw arms and form up in a protective circle around you. The impostor unsheathes his black-bladed sword and gives vent to a chilling laugh that momentarily drowns the roar of the flames. His cruel laughter fills your head and suddenly the stone walls of the vault seem to writhe and buckle inwards. Your psychic Kai defences resist this illusion and the distortion ceases, yet as it does so you realize that something important has changed. You command your companions to retreat towards the chute but they do not respond. They are completely rigid, frozen immobile like four stone statues.
‘Ha ha ha … ’ cackles the impostor, ‘so we meet at last, Lone Wolf.’ He advances a little nearer and you feel an icy chill wash over you. The body of this bogus Kai Lord radiates coldness.
‘How I have enjoyed myself in your guise,’ he sneers. ‘Let me introduce myself … I am Wolf's Bane. An apt name, don't you think?’
‘What is your purpose?’ you growl in reply, your hand poised to draw a weapon in case he should attempt to launch a sudden attack.
‘Why, I've come to kill you, of course,’ he retorts, his voice full of contempt. ‘There should be but one Grand Master and only I am worthy of such distinction.’ The impostor narrows his coal-black eyes and curls back his lip in disdain.
Illustration V —‘Why, I've come to kill you, of course,’ retorts Wolf's Bane in contempt.
‘And I intend to prove my worthiness, Lone Wolf,’ he adds, with quiet menace.
‘How so?’
‘By a duel,’ he replies. ‘I challenge you to a duel. A fight to the finish. A fight between just you and I, Lone Wolf.’
‘And if I refuse your challenge?’ you retort, defiantly.
‘Then your four frail acolytes will die.’ The impostor sweeps his sword in a wide arc, as if to emphasize his threat, and the fiery wall at his back begins to change. The plumes of flame twist and spin with increasing speed until the wall is transformed into a swirling vortex. Fear tightens its icy fingers around your throat as you witness the creation of a Shadow Gate — a portal to another plane of existence. At once you know his threat is real. If he were to direct the power of the vortex towards your paralysed companions, they would be helpless to resist. They would be sucked into the Shadow Gate and destroyed.
‘Very well,’ you say, ‘I accept your challenge.’
Wolf's Bane gives a triumphant smile and whirls his black sword around his head. Then he dashes the blade to the floor and, in a terrifying instant, a mighty gust of wind tears the two of you off your feet and sends you both hurtling into the fiery heart of the dread Shadow Gate.
Turn to 200 .
81
You focus on Wolf's Bane as you intone the words of the Old Kingdom Spell Hold Enemy . You see him shudder, and the half-eaten fruit drops from his grasp. But suddenly you sense resistance: your adversary is casting a counterspell. There is an abrupt release of energy as the effects of your spell are negated and broken: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.
To your dismay, you watch Wolf's Bane leap to his feet and make a hasty escape.
Turn to 224 .
84
You increase the rate of your ascent and swiftly accelerate beyond the reach of the predatory dragonfly. Unable to catch you, it emits a loud buzz of frustration which slowly fades as it spirals away. You glance down to see it satisfying its appetite in an attack upon a number of smaller dragonflies. From this great height they appear to be no larger than a cluster of colourful dots hovering above the centre of the great gorge.
After several minutes you reach the apex of the cavern and soar into the light-filled vent. Upon entering this vast aperture you are buffeted by crosswinds which sweep you precariously towards its rocky lip, yet your Kai Mastery and your
‘Ha ha ha … ’ cackles the impostor, ‘so we meet at last, Lone Wolf.’ He advances a little nearer and you feel an icy chill wash over you. The body of this bogus Kai Lord radiates coldness.
‘How I have enjoyed myself in your guise,’ he sneers. ‘Let me introduce myself … I am Wolf's Bane. An apt name, don't you think?’
‘What is your purpose?’ you growl in reply, your hand poised to draw a weapon in case he should attempt to launch a sudden attack.
‘Why, I've come to kill you, of course,’ he retorts, his voice full of contempt. ‘There should be but one Grand Master and only I am worthy of such distinction.’ The impostor narrows his coal-black eyes and curls back his lip in disdain.
Illustration V —‘Why, I've come to kill you, of course,’ retorts Wolf's Bane in contempt.
‘And I intend to prove my worthiness, Lone Wolf,’ he adds, with quiet menace.
‘How so?’
‘By a duel,’ he replies. ‘I challenge you to a duel. A fight to the finish. A fight between just you and I, Lone Wolf.’
‘And if I refuse your challenge?’ you retort, defiantly.
‘Then your four frail acolytes will die.’ The impostor sweeps his sword in a wide arc, as if to emphasize his threat, and the fiery wall at his back begins to change. The plumes of flame twist and spin with increasing speed until the wall is transformed into a swirling vortex. Fear tightens its icy fingers around your throat as you witness the creation of a Shadow Gate — a portal to another plane of existence. At once you know his threat is real. If he were to direct the power of the vortex towards your paralysed companions, they would be helpless to resist. They would be sucked into the Shadow Gate and destroyed.
‘Very well,’ you say, ‘I accept your challenge.’
Wolf's Bane gives a triumphant smile and whirls his black sword around his head. Then he dashes the blade to the floor and, in a terrifying instant, a mighty gust of wind tears the two of you off your feet and sends you both hurtling into the fiery heart of the dread Shadow Gate.
Turn to 200 .
81
You focus on Wolf's Bane as you intone the words of the Old Kingdom Spell Hold Enemy . You see him shudder, and the half-eaten fruit drops from his grasp. But suddenly you sense resistance: your adversary is casting a counterspell. There is an abrupt release of energy as the effects of your spell are negated and broken: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.
To your dismay, you watch Wolf's Bane leap to his feet and make a hasty escape.
Turn to 224 .
84
You increase the rate of your ascent and swiftly accelerate beyond the reach of the predatory dragonfly. Unable to catch you, it emits a loud buzz of frustration which slowly fades as it spirals away. You glance down to see it satisfying its appetite in an attack upon a number of smaller dragonflies. From this great height they appear to be no larger than a cluster of colourful dots hovering above the centre of the great gorge.
After several minutes you reach the apex of the cavern and soar into the light-filled vent. Upon entering this vast aperture you are buffeted by crosswinds which sweep you precariously towards its rocky lip, yet your Kai Mastery and your
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