EDGE: I, Hero Quests: Demon Sea (2 page)

You wish you had the Ruby of Seeing to tell you what the Old Man is planning. You do not really trust him, but you need the rubies back!

If you agree to the trial,
go to 24.

If you don’t want to take the Old Man’s trial,
go to 41.

Some time later, you wake up. It is dark. Although you are still dazed, you realise that you are inside a wooden barrel.

You thump at the sides and the lid, but cannot break free. Holes have been drilled into the sides, and the lid has been nailed down! You feel for the pouch containing the rubies, but it has been taken. You hear voices and you shout out as you feel the barrel being lifted up and thrown into the air.

Then there is a tremendous splash — you have been thrown into the sea! You are helpless as water pours in through the holes in the barrel and slowly sinks, sending you to oblivion.

To begin your quest again,
go to 1.

You place your hand on the leather pouch containing the rubies.

“What is my destiny?” you ask.

Immediately an image forms in your mind. You see hundreds of waves crashing against a shoreline. Olderon, your dead companion, stands on the beach and says,
“Remember this!”
Then the vision is replaced by an image of you diving down into the depths of the ocean. Olderon’s voice echoes through your mind,
“Now go. Seek out what is below.”

The image disappears and once again you see the wolf sharks circling around you.

If you wish to follow the advice in the vision from the ruby,
go to 21.

If you don’t want to,
go to 37.

“I am seeking passage across the Sea of Oblivion,” you tell the man. “I am looking for the Old Man of the Sea.”

The man laughs. “Then you are wasting your time! No such person exists! He is just a legend!” The crowd nod and laugh in agreement. “Why would you seek him?”

You shake your head. “That is not your business,” you say. “And if he doesn’t exist, then there is no point telling you what my business is with him. Now get out of my way.”

The man draws his sword. “You should watch that mouth of yours. Maybe you need to learn some manners, eh?”

If you wish to apologise to the man, in the hope he’ll put away his sword,
go to 4.

If you wish to tell him tell him about your quest for the Blood Crown,
go to 40.

If you’d rather draw your sword and defend yourself,
go to 47.

You wake to find yourself in a cell. Blood stains your clothes and your body is racked with pain. You sit for some time wondering what will happen.

A small window in the door opens and you make out the face of Narwul. “Hurting, are you?” he growls. “Don’t worry, the pain won’t last for long. We’re going to feed you to the fishes very soon.”

The window slams shut leaving you to imagine the horrors that await you…

Your quest has failed. To begin the adventure again,
go to 1.

You leave the innkeeper and head over to a group of sailors sitting by a blazing fire.

“Greetings, friends,” you begin.

They stop talking and stare at you. The largest of them stands up. “What makes you think we are your friends?”

You throw a gold coin on the table. “Well, if we are not friends, perhaps I could buy some information off you.”

The sailor picks up the coin and bites it to check that it’s real. He smiles. “Speak…”

“I am searching for a ship to take me across the Sea of Oblivion.”

The man nods. “I know of a ship that leaves tomorrow. Be at the harbour wall at sunrise. I will see you there.”

You thank the sailors and decide to turn in for the night.

Go to 42.

“You’ll have to kill me, first,” you tell the captain.

“Happy to oblige,” he replies. “First one to get the rubies gets a barrel of grog!” he shouts.

The ghoul crew don’t waste a second and charge at you. You strike at the creatures, but whenever you make a hit, they just drop to the floor before rising up and continuing their attack. You are forced backwards as the creatures move in.

Just as you think it is all over for you, the ship begins to rock violently. The ghouls are thrown across the deck as a massive wave crashes over the pirate ship.

You look up and see an enormous creature emerging from the depths of the sea. It is an Umibozu, a deadly sea spirit! Its pincer hands grab at the ghoul pirates and thrust them into its huge mouth.

You have a chance to escape!

If you want to hide on the ship,
go to 30.

If you want to dive overboard,
go to 43.

You urge Hergal through the blackness of the sky. Below you, the Sea of Oblivion stretches out for thousands of miles. You realise that searching for the Old Man of the Sea is like looking for a needle in a haystack!

As you head across the sea, you hear a faint roaring noise. You continue on your way but the noise gets louder and louder. You feel the wind and sea spray ripping at your body. Hergal’s wings beat faster as she tries to battle through the raging elements.

If you wish to turn back to Yushan,
go to 36.

If you wish to carry on,
go to 44.

As the waters of the Sea of Oblivion crash around, you once more call on the power of the Ruby of Magic to help you.

In the presence of the other two rubies, the power of the Ruby of Magic is immense. There is a flash of brilliant blue-white light as you feel yourself being ripped apart. Stars burst around you in a kaleidoscope of colour.

Then there is blackness

Sometime later, you wake up. You move your hand and feel sand beneath your body. You open your eyes and see Hergal standing above you. The gryphon bends her head and looks at you quizzically.

You get to your feet and pat Hergal. “I am glad to see you, my friend,” you say.

Your leather pouch containing all the rubies hangs around your neck. The Ruby of Magic has kept them safe! You open the pouch and take out all three of the precious stones.

Now where to?
you wonder…

Go to 50.

You head out of the inn and step into the sea mist that is covering the city. You make your way down to the harbour wall for your meeting.

As the sun rises across the sea, you hear the sound of approaching footsteps. You grip your sword as the sailor from the inn steps out of the mist. “So you survived your stay at the inn,” he grunts. “Not many do. Follow me.”

You do as he says and soon find yourself standing by a gangplank to a large sailing ship. The sailor gives a whistle and shortly afterwards a dwarf wearing an eye patch walks down the gangplank towards you.

The sailor points at you. “This traveller needs passage across the Sea of Oblivion.”

The dwarf nods. “Come on board. You can meet the captain.” He nods at the sailor, who turns and disappears into the mist.

If you wish to go on board,
go to 46.

If you think this is a bad idea,
go to 34.

Taking a deep breath, you plunge downwards. The wolf sharks follow you and move in for the kill.

You kick on down into the depths and your lungs feel close to bursting.

Just as you are about to pass out, you see a light below. It gets closer and you can make out the figures of several mer-people armed with blowpipes and crossbow harpoons. They shoot at the wolf sharks, who begin to attack the mer-people.

You don’t see the outcome of the battle. You cannot hold your breath any longer. Your mouth opens and you feel water pour into your lungs before you pass out into blackness.

Go to 5.

You take up your bow and begin to shoot at the zombie birds. You hit several of your attackers, but there are too many for you to deal with. They swarm all over you and rip at Hergal’s flesh. The gryphon roars out in agony and plunges down towards the sea. You lose your grip and are thrown into the air.