Section 186 Quickly you make your way to the other exit. It is less than a stone's throw from the passage that you hear a noise, a barely audible scrape of stone upon stone. Immediately you turn around and look about the chamber. There is still little to be seen but the noise returns again, louder and more definite. It is coming from the Taal. Still you cannot see anything unusual, and can only assume that you have heard nothing more than a natural movement in the surrounding stone. It is then that you see the Taal's guardians come to life. On either side of the shrine the statues begin to move, huge and glowing dimly in the gloom, they are carvings of shimmering stone that slowly stretch and test long immobile limbs. For the measure of a heartbeat you watch, unsure of the intentions of the guardians, but as both draw long metal swords from stone scabbards you realise you are in mortal danger. One of the statues cuts off any chance you might have of using the exit, the other makes directly for you, swinging its sword in glimmering arcs as it advances. You have no choice. You must fight. Options: Each of the Taal Guardians has a combat value of 20 and endurance points of 3. The statues are immensely strong, but they are also immeasurably old. One solid hit will shatter them, you need only survive to strike the blow. In this combat you will have to fight them one after the other. If you succumb to these ancient automatons then your quest ends here, but you may find consolation in the hope that there may be better luck to be found in a latter life. If you survive you can continue on your quest by turning to your Room Generation table. The Orncryst is close. The Torchlight Text Edition is the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Any questions regarding this title, or any other book in the Chronicles of Arborell series can be answered by emailing the author at densleyw@shoal.net.au