### 18

You strike the Krorn a powerful blow in the middle of its forehead with the toe of your boot, and send it spinning backwards into the chamber. With a muffled groan, it slides down the grimy wall, leaving a trail of bloodied gruel smeared in its wake.

Having incapacitated the tower lookout, you squeeze through the arrow slit and jump down into the chamber. The moment your feet touch the flagstones, you hear a high-pitched squeak somewhere above your head. You glance up and a shadowy blur flashes before your eyes. It is followed almost immediately by a sharp stabbing pain that runs all the way from your neck to your stomach. Something small and furry has attached itself to the flesh beneath your jaw, and it is feeding hungrily on your blood.

Instinctively you take hold of the creature with both hands and crush it in a vice-like grip. You hear its bones crack and you feel it go limp, and then you detach it carefully from your neck and hurl its lifeless body to the floor. A wave of nausea wells up in the pit of your stomach and you feel your punctured neck begin to swell alarmingly. Your Magnakai Discipline of Curing slows the effect of the creature’s venom, but you have been gravely weakened by this unexpected attack and you feel barely able to remain standing.

If you possess Deliverance, turn to 138.

If you do not, turn to 275.