### 170

For what seems like an eternity, you plummet into the swirling heart of a supernatural vortex. Brilliant sparks and flashes of colour illuminate this funnel of darkness as items of furniture from the banquet hall explode and disintegrate, unable to withstand the extraordinary pressures generated by this cosmic whirlpool. You watch with shock and awe as the lifeless body of your adversary—Wolf’s Bane—is transformed into a fiery meteor before your very eyes. Then, gradually, the spin of the vortex becomes less fierce and you feel the centripetal pull on your body easing. Beams of light penetrate the darkness and you see Alyss glide into view. She appears to be reclining, as if casually resting upon a couch after a weary day’s work, and her expression is mildly pensive. She looks as if to her this whole terrifying journey is nothing more than an irritating inconvenience.

At last the vortex slows to a standstill and you feel ground solidifying beneath your feet. But the darkness gives way to a swirling mist which dissolves to reveal a horrifying sight. A deep and morbid terror returns to twist its knife in your guts when you suddenly realize where you are. You have been summoned to the throne hall of Naar—the seat of power of the King of the Darkness—the inner sanctum of ultimate Evil.

Turn to 331.