The Heart of Fire (106 page)

Jerem takes his knife and disappears into the undergrowth, returning moments later holding a staff of cane. After stripping away the stray leaves, he quickly sets about tying the animal’s
wrists and ankles to the rod using vines. Then Jerem takes one end, directing you to take the other. Together, you lift up the carry-beam with both hands, the corpse of the tigris dangling between
you. ‘Camp’s not far,’ says Jerem. ‘Let’s go, before more tigris come.’ Turn to
744
.

679

Congratulations, for defeating Nephele while
hexed
you have won the following rare item:

Once you have updated your hero sheet, return to the quest
map
to continue your journey.

680

You hesitate, not wishing to pick a side in the fight – unsure whether anything you are witnessing is real or part of some elaborate fantasy.

‘What are you waiting for?’ splutters Benin. ‘The Wiccan are our enemy!’

You shake your head. ‘No, friend. This is not what it seems . . .’

‘Wise move,’ growls Murlic – suddenly speaking with a guttural, female voice. ‘You are strong, bright claw.’

‘No!’ Benin shrieks with rage, fists clenching at his side. ‘You were supposed to kill her!’

Suddenly your surroundings start to blur, sweeping into ribbons of ochre light. Then you lurch forwards, as if pushed by some invisible hand, to find yourself inside a ruined building, its roof
open to the misty marshland sky.

Where Murlic had been standing there is now a female tigris. She is panting heavily, looking exhausted. ‘The witch,’ snarls Scowler. ‘We must fight her together!’ Turn to
445
.

681

Virgil slays the last of the spectres, its sickly-green body reduced to tattered shreds. The dwarf staggers back, clutching at his wounds. There is no blood, only a thick black
slime, oozing between his rotted fingers.

‘You betray me . . .’ spits the dwarf. ‘Let Barahar take you and be damned!’

He dives past you, looking to grab one of the potion bottles from the table. But you are faster – your weapons swinging round to catch him mid-step. The dwarf gives a shriek, then his body
explodes in a black shower of ash and slime.

‘A death long overdue . . .’ Virgil picks a string of gloop from his coat, flicking his fingers in an attempt to get rid of it. ‘Told you it’d be messy.’

You walk over to the bottles, intrigued to discover what the dwarf was after. You may now take one of the following items:

If you have the key word
clean up
on your hero sheet, turn to
752
. Otherwise, turn to
847
.

682

The hat and gloves float off towards the back of the shop. They disappear through a small doorway, returning a few minutes later carrying a shimmering grey cloak. The ghost
places the cloak on the dusty counter, then pulls it open to reveal the items that were wrapped in its folds – an ivory-and-gold shield and a wide-bladed dagger.

You may purchase any of the following for 450 gold crowns each:

If you wish to make further purchases, return to
557
. Otherwise, you thank the ghostly proprietor and resume your journey.

683

As the worm dives towards you, intending to smash through the stone, you throw yourself into the air, tumbling across its ridged back. The worm bucks and squirms, flinging you
free, its own purchase on the rock slipping away.

You fall together, reeling through the dust and smoke – the jagged remains of the building blurring past you.

Suddenly the worm’s gaping maw spirals into view. There is little you can do to slow your momentum. The worm lunges, swallowing you whole. For the next few seconds you are sliding through
darkness, the rough walls of the beast’s belly ripping at your armour. You strike out with your weapons, but the hard rock jolts them from your grasp. As you continue your hellish descent,
the walls start to close in . . . seeking to crush you to pulp.

Then a miracle occurs. From the scaled skin on your arms barbed spines burst forth, punching through your clothing. At first, they spark harmlessly against the walls – but once they flare
with dark magic, they start to slice through the rock. You sight daylight – a thin sliver which quickly widens.

At last you are free, tearing yourself out of the beast’s stomach and hurling yourself into the smoky air. You smash through walls and floors, your diamond-hard skin taking the brunt of
each impact. Then you finally crash down into a courtyard, the impact blowing a vast crater across the earth.

There is a moment’s reprieve, before an immense shadow obliterates the sky – dropping at speed.

The worm.

As its stone body nears the ground it starts to break up, becoming fragments of razor-sharp obsidian. You dive for cover, sheltering behind a carved pillar as the shards rain down, hammering
their points deep into the rock.

Then there is silence.

You slump against the pillar, exhausted from the fight. But you find little comfort in your escape. You look down at the hooked spines, bristling along your arms. Your demon-side has saved you
once again. But at what cost?

You have gained the following special ability:

Demon spines (co)
: When your opponent’s damage score causes health damage, you can immediately retaliate by inflicting 1 damage die
back to them, ignoring
armour
. You can only use
demon spines
once per combat.

You retrieve your weapons before searching through the debris. Amongst the remains of the worm you find one of the following rewards:

Beyond the ruins the jungle continues south until it meets a vast wasteland of orange-grey rock, shimmering in the heat haze. You clamber up onto a nearby ridge to get a better view of the
barren plateau. It presents many days of arduous travel, but such matters quickly pale into insignificance next to the one landmark that has remained a constant these last few days: the colossal
black volcano. Even at this distance you can feel its formidable presence; its air of inescapable doom.

You sense that is where Cernos is now headed: to find the dwarven city of Tartarus and recover the demon-sword, Ragnarok. (Return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.)

684

Appearances can be deceiving. Stepping out onto the ramshackle bridge, your stomach gives a dizzying lurch as it sways alarmingly from side to side. But, after taking a moment
to balance yourself, the bridge soon settles into a rhythmic swaying, allowing you to take your first cautious steps out across the gorge. The wood creaks and groans beneath your weight, the
tightly-wound vines squeaking in protest, but miraculously the bridge holds – much to your relief, as you glimpse the raging river thousands of metres below.

After a knee-trembling crossing, you finally make it to the forest at the other side. Relieved to be back on solid ground, you give the gorge a triumphant glare, before heading into the trees.
Turn to
614
.

685

Searching the cave, you also discover one of the following rare treasures:

Before you leave you help yourself to a trophy, to celebrate your victory over the spider. (Make a note of
Anansi’s eye
on your hero sheet, it does not take up backpack space). If
you have the
glaive of souls
equipped, turn to
450
. Otherwise, return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.

686

The surviving tigris have already dashed into the jungle, heading for the compound. You understand their eagerness for revenge, but you worry their headstrong attack –
even with their superiority of numbers – may still fail to overcome the compound’s sturdy defences.

As you break out of the trees you see the tigris have already started their attack, and put paid to many of your concerns; several of the compound’s walls have been breached and one side
of the fort is already ablaze. Sounds of battle ring out from the compound as the hunters rally to defend their camp. Turn to
669
.

687

You have no idea how long the battle has raged, but when the attacks finally stop coming you see that the ground is now littered with bodies. The few remaining squirrel monkeys
rush for cover, wailing and howling like mourners at a funeral. Their cries bring fresh enemies to the stairs, seeking to halt your ascent of the monkey temple. Turn to
754
.

688

The hidden room is clearly some sort of vault, containing the temple’s treasures. Many of these are of little interest: clay tablets covered in indecipherable script,
urns and pots possibly used for ceremonies, and some rotted sets of clothing looking like they once belonged to a sect of priests.

However, amongst these artefacts you spot some valuable-looking items. Brushing away the dirt and cobwebs, you inspect your finds. If you are a warrior, turn to
550
.
If you are a rogue, turn to
511
. If you are a mage, turn to
531
.

689

Reaching the bottom of the ravine, you decide to follow the course of the river. After a short trek, you see a ramshackle cabin at the edge of the treeline. Next to it is a
raft and paddle, pulled up onto a bank of gravel. Eager for some friendly company at last, you approach the cabin. However, your steps falter when you hear angry mutterings coming from inside,
punctuated by outbursts of high-pitched, manic laughter.

690

You are about to turn back when you hear a screech from up ahead. It sounded like a woman’s voice, raised in alarm. As you pass around a series of shell-covered rocks,
you spy an old woman perched on a boulder. She is crouched down, her tattered dress hanging off her wrinkly, weathered skin.

‘I smells it! I smells it!’ The woman swings around, her face almost entirely hidden by a curtain of matted grey hair. ‘Muireal! Gorma! Come quick! It’s over
here!’