272

You recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Strength, and feel a wave of vibrant energy course through your body and limbs. Charged with the power of this spell, you take a firm grip of the portcullis with both hands and lift with all your might. The heavy iron portal creaks and shudders; then its hidden counterweights bow to your efforts. The portal rises and you are able to make a swift escape from the clutches of the chained serpent.

You retrace your steps along the tunnel, passing the place where you first appeared in this subterranean labyrinth, and continue on until you reach a large vault that is knee-deep in brackish grey slime. A huge black iron pot hangs suspended by a large chain in the middle of the vault, ten feet above the surface of the slimy floor. The oily chain runs around a large wheel fixed near the ceiling and drops through the centre of a slit, high up in the opposite wall. Carefully you approach the entrance to the vault and, using your Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, you detect that the pot hides two creatures. They are lying in ambush. There is an exit on the far side of the vault, but in order to reach it you will have to pass directly below the hanging pot. Using the cover of shadows at the entrance to the vault, you look to the far exit and consider how you can reach it unscathed.

If you possess the Discipline of Assimilance and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher, turn to 94.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery, turn to 225.