The Heart of Fire (118 page)

‘There are many steps on the path of darkness,’ warns the witchfinder. ‘I pray you find deliverance before its end.’ His hand reaches inside his coat, settling around the
grip of a pistol. ‘Or else . . .’ He waits for you to acknowledge his warning.

‘I understand.’ You bow your head, wincing when you hear the leathery creak of scales. ‘We have to stop Cernos. With the demon’s heart, I’ll become human again
– as I was promised.’ You raise an eyebrow, the statement becoming a challenge.

Virgil shifts his gaze, his jewelled eyepatch mirroring your crimson stare. ‘Modoc is a powerful healer. He will do all he can for you – if we survive this.’ He nods towards
the volcano’s edge. ‘See that?’

You look past his shoulder, to where a line of sharp boulders bank a larger island of rock. Channels of lava converge at its centre, illuminating an anvil of purest obsidian.

‘A rune forge,’ states the witchfinder. ‘The dwarves were master runesmiths in their day, skilled in the art of spirit-forged metals. Ordinarily, I would condemn such heathen
practices, but in our present predicament, we would do well to make use of any advantage.’ He tugs down the brim of his hat, then flips two pistols into his hands. ‘Come. Talk gains us
nothing. Time to pay Tartarus a visit.’

You have now gained the following ability:

Blessed bullets (co)
: While Virgil is your companion, you may use this ability instead of rolling for a damage score. It automatically inflicts 3 damage dice to a single
opponent, ignoring
armour
. It also reduces their
speed
by 1 for the next combat round. You can only use
blessed bullets
once per combat. If you are
hexed
, this ability
does not count towards your quota.

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

763

The body of a hunter lies nearby, a large ring of keys attached to his belt. You quickly grab them, then approach the cages. Warily, you study your options. Wooden signs have
been staked into the ground next to each cage. The first reads:
rhinosaur – male
, referring to the horned, bull-like creature. By the second cage, where the winged reptile is snapping
and clawing at the bars, the sign reads:
drecko – female
.

Will you:

764

As you continue, a thick mist starts to roll in from the surrounding forest, settling like a shroud over the crumbling ruins. You draw your weapons, gripped by a growing sense
of unease – one that has you convinced you are no longer alone . . .

A clatter of stones.

You spin around, but catch nothing save a subtle ripple in the curtain of mist, disturbed by someone’s passing. Then you hear another clink of stone followed by a sharp, hooting cry.
Answering calls suddenly rise up all around you, fast becoming a din of wailing screams and chattering noise. Turn to
769
.

765

Kicking the doll from the witch’s grasp you deliver a backhanded strike, knocking her to the ground. For a moment, mercy stays your hand, but as the witch starts to
summon black flames to her gnarly fingers you bring your weapons down in a brutal arc – silencing her spell.

With the witch defeated, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

Searching the rest of the caves, you find little of value save for some gold coins scattered amongst the dirt. (You have gained 30 gold crowns.) At the back of one of the smaller chambers is a
tunnel that winds away into the earth. If you wish to follow this, turn to
747
. If you would prefer to leave the cave and climb the canyon wall, turn to
776
.

766

Avian leads the way across the bridge, his glowing staff held aloft like a beacon. Halfway across, you spot the hunched shape of Cernos limping towards the other side, the iron
casket still clutched tightly to his chest. He looks back over his shoulder, baring his teeth.

‘Cernos!’ Avian’s voice booms like thunder, amplified by his own magic. ‘Barahar is dead – and Ragnarok is broken. Do you desire a similar fate, demon? You will
find nothing here, but your own end.’

Cernos shifts around on his hooved feet, his appearance now a mockery of his previous grandeur. The once broad shoulders are now stooped, the broken wings hanging limp like tattered curtains.
Black ichor weeps from a hundred angry wounds where the scales have been ripped away, exposing stubs of bone and withered flesh. And yet, despite his ravaged countenance, beneath the grime-stained
horns that puncture his brow, a single eye still burns bright from its dark hollow. ‘I have the heart of fire, fool!’

Avian takes a sharp intake of breath as the demon lifts up the iron casket and pulls back the lid. A blinding white light explodes from the cavity, its heat rippling outwards in shimmering
bands. You see the stone around the demon’s feet crack and buckle. Avian draws back, covering his face – Virgil gives a cry, averting his gaze.

You can feel the searing heat, but you are able to hold your ground, narrowing your eyes against the bright assault.

‘What are you doing?’ cries Avian, peering between his raised gauntlets. ‘That thing will kill you!’

Cernos grips the ball of light in his fist, tossing away the casket. ‘I have suffered much as its bearer. But now, my journey nears its end . . .’

A scream pierces the air. It is followed by a chorus of wails, distant at first but rapidly gaining volume. All eyes turn to the walls of the city, where a flock of ragged shapes are sweeping
down through the steamy haze. As you watch transfixed, hundreds more break away from their makeshift perches, taking to the air on bat-like wings.

Then a series of slobbering growls add to the crescendo. You spin around to see a pack of devilish hounds clambering up the struts of the bridge, their black bodies cracked with veins of molten
magma.

With a triumphant snarl, Cernos breaks into a loping run, heading for the far side of the bridge. The black swarm parts around him, shrieking and squawking, then proceeds to rush toward you in a
chaotic tumble of wings and claws. You glimpse human faces perched on the straggly, hairy shoulders.

‘What are they?’ you hiss, your hands bunched around your weapons.

‘Furies!’ Avian takes his staff in both hands and pulls the ends apart, revealing two bright blades. They dance with magical fire as he strides towards the fast-approaching tide.
‘They’re the souls of the damned, released when Ragnarok. . .’ The rest of his words are drowned by the cacophony of shrieks.

Behind you, Virgil is facing off against the pack of hounds. Against their flaming bright bodies he is a rapier of shadow, two pistols cutting smooth silhouettes from his gloved hands.
‘Evil will be purged,’ he bellows. ‘By the fire of justice!’

Will you:

767

You place the snake tablet into the hole. There is a sharp click as it slots into place – and for a second you believe you have made the correct choice. However, when the
stepped pyramid starts to collapse back into the stone pedestal, leaving just a flat surface behind, you realise it was the wrong decision. Despite several attempts to prise open the pedestal it
remains tightly closed, guarding its secrets.

If you haven’t already, you can search the main chamber (turn to
508
) or leave and continue your journey (turn to
563
).

768

You successfully reach the ledge. After taking a moment to recover from your ordeal, you proceed to follow the path to the top of the rock face. As you near its summit, the
path widens into a set of worn stairs, leading to an open doorway in the side of the building. Warily, you follow Virgil inside. Turn to
875
.

769

From out of the haze a set of stone stairs swim into view, leading up the face of an immense ziggurat of black rock. Small figures are clambering over them, hooting and
jabbering to each other. Monkeys. Hundreds of them. The majority are small, almost like squirrels, with large round eyes and red whiskers. Others are larger, with white bodies and coal-black
faces.

You halt at the foot of this peculiar temple, looking around at the excited mob of monkeys. They settle on the stairs, their heads turning in unison to face you. Then a heavy silence descends
– almost as unsettling as the earlier din – as the monkeys glare at you, their bright eyes keen with intelligence. Suddenly one of the black-faced monkeys bares its teeth, hissing.
Another beats its fists against the ground, hopping and leaping in an agitated dance. A second later and its anxiety has spread to the rest of the group, who quickly resort to screeching and
hollering, deafening you once again with their angry, savage noise. From somewhere above a stone comes whipping through the air, catching you on the cheek and drawing blood.

A final warning, perhaps.

The monkey temple presents a dangerous challenge – and one that is likely to be far beyond your powers to defeat. If you do not wish to battle this foe yet, make a note of this entry
number and return here at any time during Act 2 when you feel up to the challenge. If you wish to take on the monkey temple, turn to
596
. Otherwise, you carefully
retrace your steps and find a safer path through the ruins. Turn to
667
.

770

Amongst the remains of the drake, you find one of the following special rewards:

When you have made your decision, turn to
551
if you still need to choose rewards, or
844
to continue.

771

The demon has suffered since your last meeting. Half of his body is a black crust of scabs and lesions, as if it has been exposed to a monstrous heat. One eye is closed
permanently, where the melted flesh has seeped down his face, twisting his features into something even more malign and hellish.

Resting on his lap is a black iron chest. You recognise it as the one from Duerdoun, which once contained the heart of fire – the white orb, encased in the runed hammer. Cernos clutches it
protectively with one hand, whilst the other plays with a black stone, glimmering with runes.

There is a heavy silence as you regard each other – both changed by your experiences since the forest of thorns.

‘Why?’ hisses the demon at last, fixing you with his one good eye. ‘Why come here? You live – is that not enough?’

You tug open your clothing, exposing the black scales covering your flesh. Since you entered the jungle, they have continued to spread. Now they cover your entire torso and arms, forming bony
ridges along your spine. ‘Look at me!’ you scream in anger, beating your chest. ‘You did this!’

Cernos seems unmoved by your plight. ‘Tell me. How does it feel?’

For a moment, his question disarms you. Then the bitter fury returns. ‘I am turning into a monster! Look at me!’

Cernos rises to his feet, his immense wings flexing behind his broad shoulders. ‘I was once like you – exactly like you. Although . . .’ He pauses, glancing down at the iron
casket, now cradled at his side. ‘I suppose I had a choice.’

‘What choice?’ you growl, fists clenching at your side. ‘Why are you here, demon? Why come to this accursed place?’