### 187

The force of the blast hurls the body of the dead necromancer against the far wall of the chamber. It hits the unyielding stone with a sickening thud, and slumps to the floor in a broken heap. Yet despite the terrible damage caused by the explosion, the possessed body of Xaol does not lie still for long. It drags itself upright, and you see an unholy fire blazing in its eyes as it begins to move across the hall towards you at a frightening speed. You pray to the Goddess Ishir for her protection as this mutilated zombie leaps upon you and attempts to fix its corpse-cold hands around your throat.

Xaol Zombie (possessed by Zorkaan): COMBAT SKILL 52 ENDURANCE 40

This possessed creature is immune to psychic attack. If your Kai Weapon is ‘Alema’ or ‘Valiance’, you may add the appropriate bonus gained through their unique properties. You may reduce the total damage inflicted upon you by 5 ENDURANCE points due to the protection you gain from wearing the Platinum Amulet. However, unless you possess the Discipline of Kai-screen, you must reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 3 for the duration of this combat.

Conduct this combat in the normal way for three rounds only. If you survive these initial rounds, you may continue by turning to 260.