51
You rush into the forest and glance overhead to make doubly sure that you are not being tracked by the winged Lavas. The darkening sky is clear of the enemy and confidently you press on through the trees, sure in your ability to remain undetected now that you are in your natural environment of the forest.
Soon you reach the clearing and hurry to a boulder which bears the imprint of a human hand. You place your right hand upon it and the imprint fits around it like a glove. Silently a hinged stone slab rises up from the ground revealing a stair that leads down into a brick-lined passageway. You enter and hurry along this familiar tunnel, covering a mile before you come to a door that opens automatically at your approach. Beyond lies the Vault of the Sun, your personal stronghold. It radiates a warm golden light: it is the rays of the Lorestones of Nyxator. Once safely inside your underground lair, you pause to allow the radiant light of the Lorestones to wash over your tired and aching limbs and, within the space of a few heartbeats, the fatigue of your long journey home is melted away (restore all lost ENDURANCE points).
Revived and revitalized, you throw open the door to the vault and see a young Kai Master standing guard at the foot of the tower stairwell. He is Sabre Fox, one of your most gifted students.
‘Gr … Grand Master!’ he stammers, hardly daring to believe his eyes. ‘You have returned. Praise the gods! Our prayers have been answered!’
You smile at the young Kai Master who now has tears of joy in his steel-grey eyes.
‘Yes, Sabre Fox,’ you reply, ‘I have returned. Now let us vanquish this foe and rid our land of their evil shadow.’
