You resolve to find the Deathlord, even if it means searching every chamber of the Crystal Spire. You turn to leave this hall, but a noise behind you makes you freeze in your tracks. The sudden stench of decay and corruption tells you that you may not have to look too far to find your adversary after all.
You spin around to see a circular section of the floor disappearing. At the centre of this gaping hole there arises a plinth on which stands the awesome figure of Deathlord Ixiataaga. Jets of flame encircle his robed form, shooting up from the moat which now separates the plinth from the floor of the chamber.
The cloying stench of decay is overwhelming. As you reel backwards, you see the Deathlord raising the Deathstaff that hums with the terrible power held precariously within its haft. A ghastly laugh issues from his goat-skull face as he levels the evil weapon and directs its tip towards your heart.
(I can use the Power Spike or the Sommerswerd) I use the Sommerswerd
Abruptly the ghastly laughter ceases, as if the Deathlord has seen something which has shaken his arrogant confidence in his own invincibility. Your senses tell you that it is the Sommerswerd—he has recognized that you possess one of the few weapons capable of destroying him. It is a realization that shocks him to the core.
You move forwards, eager to exploit your advantage, but the Deathlord reacts swiftly. He utters a guttural sound and, in the next instant, a massive bolt of energy shoots from the tip of the Deathstaff and comes speeding towards your chest.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. For every level of Kai rank you have attained above that of Kai Grand Guardian, add 1 to the number you have picked.
I toss a 6 and get a 9.
You dive and roll across the floor to avoid the onrushing bolt of energy. The massive flame-ball passes over your back and explodes at the far end wall of the chamber with devastating effect. It tears open a hole in the steel-hard crystal wall more than ten feet in diameter, and it fills the air with razor-sharp shards. Yet, due to your swift reflexes, you suffer only minor injuries: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.
As you spring to your feet, you suddenly see an opportunity to seize the initiative and carry the attack to the Deathlord.
You see that the Deathstaff is no longer vibrating with power. You sense that Ixiataaga has expended all of its unholy energy in one massive burst, in the hope of destroying you quickly and utterly. It will be several minutes before the Deathstaff recoups its dark powers—you must act swiftly if you are to turn this to your advantage.
You raise the Sommerswerd and an umbrella of golden light bursts from its hilt to illuminate the debris-strewn chamber.
‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’ you shout, and with a single mighty leap, you traverse the fiery moat and land on the plinth within an arm’s length of the Deathlord’s foul form. Your brave and bold action takes Ixiataaga aback, but he quickly recovers, and with unnerving speed, he spins around to counter your attack.
You raise the Sommerswerd and a gout of golden flame engulfs the blade, flaring with such brilliance that Deathlord Ixiataaga is momentarily blinded by its goodly light. He shrieks, and raises the Deathstaff defensively to ward off your first blow. As the blade of the sun-sword bites the haft of Ixiataaga’s fell weapon, a hissing mass of crimson and gold sparks explode into the air. These fiery motes are sucked into the vortex of the Shadow Gate, which has now begun to whirl with alarming intensity.
The Deathlord reels from the force of the impact, but he recovers swiftly and thrusts the sharp tip of the Deathstaff at your face. You duck the thrust, but you sense that this is just the beginning of what will be a titanic fight to the finish.
Deathlord Ixiataaga (with Deathstaff—uncharged): COMBAT SKILL 60 ENDURANCE 39
This supernatural being is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.
Wow. Now he is undead, so I get double damage from my weapon. And I got 4 more EP from the passages -1 for that damage I took. So here it:
12 EP to his 39
56 CS to his 60
But, I have the following benefits:
1). Everytime I hit, I do an extra damage from my fire
2). Every time I hit I double the damage.
But
3). With Kai-Surge, every combat I take an extra damage from using it and…I can’t use it when my EP is lower than 8.
And I have a -4 Combat Ratio. This is not a gimme battle with my EP so low. But it’s still winnable.
So here’s another question? Should I Kai Blast him on the first turn, and trade 4 EP for him as well?
It all comes down to the dice
Round #1 – I toss a 7. Good start. I take 3, he takes 16.
9 vs 23
Round #2 – That’s a 6. I take 4, he takes 12
5 vs 11
Now I can’t use KS. However, no auto one damage. Our CS drops dangerously, and I can’t use Mindblast or something against him
So I have to do 5 damage to kill his this turn (double, and +2 would do it). Only and 8, 9 or 0 will kill him this turn. All of those keep me alive. I also stay alive in a 7. I die from anything else.
Here we go….
If I die here, I’m not restarting the whole freakin’ book so I can take Helshezag or some more Laumspur spots. That’s annoying. I got the 9. I take 3, he takes 5 (cough 12) and dies.
Whew!
The dice can seriously suck at times!