The Heart of Fire (80 page)

The head snaps up, golden eyes glaring at you. Three scars run down the tiger man’s face, revealing pale flesh between the orange, rain-soaked fur. For a moment, you are caught between
running and fighting – but neither choice seems to offer an appealing outcome. Instead, you lower your weapons in submission.

The tigris straightens to his full height, over eight feet tall, and steps towards you. ‘You help Shara Khana,’ he growls in an abrupt tone. ‘You friend of pack.’ He
retracts his claws, beating a paw against his chest three times.

The foliage to your right rustles as it is pushed aside – and the female tigris reappears, the baby still clutched protectively in her arms. Her fanged mouth curls into a shy smile.

‘Skin good,’ growls the male, staring at you intently. ‘You join us – come to pack den.’

You look back to the female, wondering if this is some kind of trap – but she nods her head, smiling fondly. ‘You saved our lives,’ she says, glancing down at her baby.
‘Come. Meet with Shara Khana. We give thanks.’

You meet the male’s brilliant gaze and give an answering gesture, beating your chest three times. He grins with approval, then strides over to join the mother. ‘We move before blood
scent brings other predators.’ Turn to
559
.

533

As soon as you deliver the killing blow the phantom scene dissolves, leaving the way clear for you to continue. You stumble dizzily towards the next pathway, bent double by the
throbbing pain stabbing between your shoulder blades. Virgil appears at your side, shouting something – a warning, or perhaps encouragement. The words seem distant . . . distorted.

He grabs your arm, half-carrying, half-pulling you along the winding pathway. The floor and walls are now shaking, plumes of dust raining down from above.

‘Do you see the top?’ you gasp, struggling to focus.

All of a sudden, Virgil shoves you aside. You go staggering on all fours, aware that you have reached another platform. There is a croaking roar, accompanied by the rattle and clink of chains.
You look up to see a giant lizardman towering above you, strings of drool hanging from its fanged teeth.

The creature swings back its thick, bulging arms, letting a pair of chains, attached to each wrist, snake through the air. For a second, the distended links hover above its head, then the
lizardman brings them down with a ferocious force. You roll aside, leaving one to whip across the ground, sending cracks branching through the stone. The other catches Virgil across the shoulder,
hurling him back against the wall. Dazed, he slumps to the ground, blood seeping from his re-opened head wound.

The lizardman comes at you again, in a blur of teeth, scales and scything chains. Unless you defeat it quickly, the dark demon will catch up with you, plunging everything into darkness. It is
time to fight:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat Fengz, keep a record of your
health
and remaining abilities, and turn to
712
. If you are defeated (or reach the end
of your twentieth combat round), then the wind demon has outrun you. Restore your
health
and return to
630
if you wish to tackle the challenge again.

534

All that remains of Umbra is a pile of rumpled clothing and a scatter of jewellery, all reeking of dark magic. You also spot the skeleton of an adventurer, propped up against
one of the columns. The mildewed white robes and cross-shaped pendant suggest they had once been a priest.

You find a pouch containing 15 gold crowns and one of the following rewards:

When you have made your decision, you return to the courtyard. Turn to
510
.

535

To climb up to the ledge you will need to take a challenge test, using
speed
or
brawn
(whichever is your highest attribute):

If you succeed, then turn to
501
. Otherwise, after several attempts and more than a few scratches and scrapes, you decide to leave and catch up with the others. Turn
to
513
.

536

Using your chosen reagents you craft a cruel black-bladed knife, its barbed length crackling with dark energies. If you wish, you may now lay claim to:

If you wish to craft another item, turn to
755
. Otherwise, return to the
map
to continue your adventure.

537

You avert your eyes from the serpent’s hypnotic gaze, concentrating your attacks on its white-scaled body. After a tiring fight the snake finally gives a hissing gasp,
then slumps back into the crystal waters, its crimson blood slowly spreading out across the glittering pool.

If you are a rogue, turn to
473
. If you are a warrior or a mage, turn to
383
.

538

There is a brief moment of calm as you stand motionless, muscles tensed, eyes fixed on the wave of shrieking creatures that are sweeping towards you. Avian continues to
advance, arms outstretched to either side, blades glowing in his fists. Against this hellish backdrop he cuts a gallant figure, his embroidered cloak snapping back from his broad shoulders, runed
armour glowing with arcane power. A light of hope amidst the darkness . . .

Then the moment is gone, and chaos descends. The furies break around you, biting and snapping, raking the air with their clawed feet. Avian is lost from sight – and yet the relentless thud
of bodies crashing down around you is a sure indicator that his blades are making fast work of this grotesque flock. You follow his example, stabbing and blasting through the maelstrom, relying on
sheer instinct to guide your blows. It is time to fight:

Special abilities