EDGE: I, Hero Quests: Demon Sea (3 page)

Before you hit the sea, you find yourself being sucked into the mouth of the giant waterspout. Mercifully, water fills your lungs and you breathe your last.

The sea has lived up to its name, and sent you to oblivion! To begin again,
go to 1.

You trust in the Ruby of Power to help you overcome the pirates if it comes to a fight, so you decide to stay on the ship.

The ship leaves Yushan and you head up on deck to watch the land slowly disappear from view.

Some time later, the pirate captain approaches you. The rest of the crew are standing behind him.

“Sadly, you have reached your journey’s end,” he snarls and draws his cutlass. “I believe you have some very precious stones. My mistress wants them!”

The crew begin to transform before your eyes! They are ghouls! You realise that you asked the Ruby of Seeing the wrong question. You asked, “Are these sailors pirates?” rather than, “Show me these men’s true nature…” If you had done so, you would know that they are the undead, and that they follow the Red Queen!

To fight the undead pirates,
go to 6.

To hand over the rubies,
go to 39.

“Very well,” you reply. “I accept your offer. We will fight.”

The Old Man of the Sea laughs. “You could never defeat me in battle — especially as I have the Ruby of Power. Instead, I will test your mental strength. I will set you a riddle. If you can answer it, then I will give you the Ruby of Magic.”

“And what if I can’t?” you inquire.

“Perhaps we won’t have to worry if you answer correctly.” The Old Man begins:

“The Moon is my father,

the Sea is my mother;

I have hundreds of brothers and sisters,

I die when I reach land.

What am I?”

You remember the vision you had after diving overboard into the sea. You smile. “The answer is, a wave.” You hold out your hand. “I am correct. I claim my prize.”

The Old Man of the Sea is surprised, but he hands you the Ruby of Magic as he promised.

“And the other two…” you add.

He shakes his head. “Ah, I did not say that I would give you the other two rubies. You lost them to me. They are mine to keep, and you will never get them back!”

If you wish to attack the Old Man of the Sea,
go to 28.

If you wish to grab the Ruby of Power that is balanced on the throne,
go to 41.

If you wish to use the Ruby of Magic,
go to 35.

In one movement you spin away from your enemy’s attack and pull your sword from its sheath. The magic of the Ruby of Power surges through your body and you expertly duck under the were-rat’s claws. In one clean action you swing your sword up and slice off the beast’s head. It rolls into the gutter.

Yushan is a dangerous place! You decide to head to the inn quickly, before anything else tries to attack you.

Go to 33.

You realise that Narwul is too powerful for you.

“As you wish,” you reply.

He leads the way through corridors. Above you, stingrays swim across the glass ceiling. Eventually you arrive at a chamber. Ahead of you is an old man sitting on a throne made of huge shells. He has a crab-claw hand and a seabird foot. Sea creatures of many shapes and sizes surround him. Most of them are armed.

Narwul hands the man the leather pouch containing the rubies. He takes them out and places them on the side of the throne. Then his eyes turn on you.

“Who are you?” he asks.

You tell him your name. “Are you the Old Man of the Sea?” you continue.

The man smiles. “That is one of the many names I have been called through the ages. I understand that my people rescued you from the wolf sharks. What brings you to the Sea of Oblivion?”

If you wish to tell him the truth,
go to 2.

If you don’t think you should,
go to 48.

“My business here is not for you to know,” you reply. “Now, leave me alone.”

The man shakes his head. “I don’t think so. We don’t want your sort around here.” He turns to the crowd. “Why don’t you get back on your bird and go back to where you came from?”

The crowd murmur in agreement. The man pulls out his sword and points it at you.

If you wish to apologise,
go to 4.

If you wish to fight the man,
go to 47.

You leap towards the Old Man of the Sea, but he was expecting your attack.

His crab arm grabs you as the other one transforms into a long tentacle, and you are engulfed in his grasp. He pulls you towards him as his head changes to look like a shark’s. His mouth opens revealing rows and rows of razorsharp teeth.

You are helpless as you are pulled into the mouth and consumed.

You have failed in your quest,
go back to 1.

You reach for your bow, but are too slow. The creature slashes your cheek with its claws.

You scream in pain as the were-rat plunges its teeth into your neck. The Ruby of Power fills you with strength and you grab the creature’s jaw and prise it apart. The bones break with a crunch. The were-rat drops to the ground. You draw your sword and slice off its head.

But your own wound is mortal. The power of the rubies cannot help you any more. You drop to the floor in a half death, because you know that when the hour is right, you’ll wake again — as a were-rat!

To restart your adventure,
return to 1.

As the Umibozu continues its attack, you head for your cabin. But as you do, a figure steps into your path.

“Going somewhere?”

Before you can react, you feel a sharp pain rip through your body. You look down and see the captain’s sword sticking into your gut! You drop to the deck.

The captain grins. “I’ll be having those precious stones,” he growls. It is the last thing you hear as you pass into oblivion.

You’ve been skewered! To begin your quest again,
go to 1.

You make your way out of the inn. Few people are up at this hour, and you head into a small square between the houses.

Calling on the power of the Ruby of Seeing, you see Hergal lying outside the port, sleeping. You give a whistle and the gryphon awakes. She quickly takes to the air.

Minutes later Hergal lands in the square and you are soon flying on her back, heading across the blackness of the sea.

As the sun begins to rise in the east, you hear a great roaring noise ahead. The wind gains strength and blasts your body. This is not a normal storm!

Go to 44.

You leap at Narwul. However, he reacts with lightning speed and smashes you away with the trident. You fly across the room, hit the glass wall and crash to the floor. You do not have the Ruby of Power, and he is too strong for you.

Narwul stands over you. “Do not be so foolish, human. I ask you again to come with me…”

If you wish to do as he says,
go to 26.

If you wish to continue the fight,
go to 45.

You arrive at the inn and open the door. Inside, the noisy chatter of voices goes quiet as the occupants stare at you. You grip the hilt of your sword, but the conversation soon strikes up again. You are just another face in a port full of strangers.

You walk over to the innkeeper, who is behind the bar. He is a grobblin — a cross between a troll and a goblin. “Good evening. I’m looking for food and lodgings for the night.”

The innkeeper nods. “That’ll be two silver coins. In advance, of course.”

You pay and glance around the room. Sailors from many nations are standing, drinking and retelling tales of past voyages they have made. You turn back to the innkeeper. “Do you know of any ship that might give me passage across the Sea of Oblivion? I am searching for the Old Man of the Sea.”

The grobblin’s eyes narrow. “I know of no such person,” he replies. “And I have no time to answer any more of your foolish questions.”

If you wish to talk to the sailors,
go to 16.

If you wish to head to your room to sleep,
go to 42.

If you decide to ask the innkeeper more questions,
go to 49.

“Stepping onto a boat full of strangers, is not for me,” you say, turning away.

“Then I’ll have to make you,” says the dwarf. There is a blur of movement and you feel your legs being pulled from under you as he strikes with his weapon. You crash to the floor causing the leather pouch holding the rubies to spill open. The dwarf’s eyes light up at the sight of the precious stones.

He leaps at you and smashes your head with his club. You pass into blackness.

Go to 12.

The Old Man of the Sea grins. “In fact, I think I will keep all three rubies after all.” He gestures to Narwul, who moves towards you with his trident pointing at your chest.

Holding the Ruby of Magic, you close your eyes and whisper, “By the power of this ruby, I ask for aid.”

At that moment a great shadow is cast across the room. Everyone looks up to see the Umibozu outside the dome. The creature hammers at the glass with his powerful pincers.

A crack begins to split along the glass. Water trickles in through the roof. Screams echo inside the dome.

Outside, mer-people try to fight off the sea spirit, but it is too powerful for them. The Umibozu continues its attack. The dome breaks open more and sea water rushes in, sweeping away Narwul and the other guards.

Taking this opportunity, you pounce on the Old Man of the Sea, grabbing the two rubies from his throne.

As you do so, the Old Man transforms before your eyes. His arms turn into dozens of tentacles and engulf you in a deadly grasp.