The Heart of Fire (32 page)

If you manage to defeat the margoyle, turn to
91
.

201

Within minutes the earthen mound is littered with bones and chunks of pumpkin. You wipe the fleshy pulp from your blade, before searching what remains of the creature’s
body. You may now take any/all of the following items:

The witch must have been summoning this grisly guardian to help protect the burial mound. You set about breaking up the ritual area, extinguishing the candles and scuffing the chalk circles with
your boot heel. Satisfied with your efforts, you leave the mound and head deeper into the barrows. Turn to
215
.

202

‘Stories, eh? I like stories and got a good head for ’em too.’ He furrows his brow, tapping his chin as he thinks. ‘Let’s see – the latest
one I got was from a ranger, stopped off here for feed for ’is horse. He said that there been a battle west of here, out on the Witch’s Wold. Two of them inquisitors went at it against
a ’ole band of wild men. It didn’t end good. And now the place is haunted – very bad from the sounds of things.’ He taps the wood of the counter with his knuckles. ‘I
can ’andle what’s real and solid – that makes sense to me – but when we talkin’ ghosts . . .’ His metal teeth scrape together as they form a scowl. ‘I
prefer ’em to just stay in the stories, where they belong.’

To ask the barman about his teeth turn to
344
, to explore the rest of the tap room turn to
172
, or to leave turn to
199
.

203

You are pressed against the building by the endless tide of bodies. With barely enough room to swing your weapons, you realise that you cannot possibly defeat so many enemies.
Frantically, you look around for an opening, a means of escape, but the zombies form an impenetrable wall of snarling, snapping death. There is only one route left available to you now – up.
Turn to
227
.

204

The man chuckles as if there is some hidden joke to the question. ‘I’m Bim Mamba. But when I start to mix up the special magic, I get the name Boom.’ He spins
the staff around skilfully in his hands. ‘I make the boom skulls and the potions, but this is my favourite.’ He aims the staff at the far wall, sending a bolt of magic crackling through
the air. It slams into a wooden shield propped up against the rocks, shattering it to pieces. ‘Boom stick. You like?’

205

Congratulations! Your boarding party has managed to wrest control of the ship. The captain picks up the leader’s pirate hat and turns it around thoughtfully. ‘Nice
bit of headwear.’ He tosses it to Surl, who giggles with delight as he places it on his head.

You take a moment to search the bodies of the cannon team. You may choose up to two of the following rewards:

When you have made your decision, turn to
118
.

206

You hurry through the portal. For a second you experience a lurching, dizzying sensation, like falling, then you find yourself stumbling forwards into a narrow stone
passageway. The air is cold and musty, a stark contrast to the blazing heat of the courtyard. Sadly, there is no sign of your companions – you can only assume that the doors they chose must
have taken them to different parts of the tower. And as for Anse . . . you hope that the paladin was able to escape from the fiery demon before it was too late.

Behind you is a smooth wall of black stone. With no other choice but forward, you warily advance along the passageway. As you progress, you become aware of a constant rumbling sound
reverberating through the rock. Every so often there is a thunderous clunk, like something suddenly locking into place. Then the rumbling starts again. You wonder if it might be the tower itself,
moving and rearranging itself in some strange fashion. It is a thought that brings little comfort.

After several hundred metres you come to a junction. Ahead, the passage ends in an archway, beyond which you can see a chamber filled with flickering lights. To your left, a smaller side passage
leads to a plain wooden door.

207

You stand over the beast’s lice-ridden corpse, torn between pity and loathing for such an unfortunate beast.

‘Give me space,’ says Boom, tapping his staff against the ground. ‘I need to get spirit.’

You step away from the body as it starts to decompose, quickly forming a foul-smelling yellow dust. From the shaman’s staff there is a bright flash of light, then the dust sweeps up into
the air, funnelling towards the staff. The runes glow for a second, then the dust is gone.

‘That be good riddance to him,’ grins Boom, his staff now surrounded with a sickly yellow aura. ‘We got his power now.’

(By defeating Lycanth, the shaman’s staff has gained the
infected wound
ability. Make a note of this on your hero sheet.)

If you are a warrior, turn to
232
. If you are a mage, turn to
350
. If you are a rogue, turn to
507
.

208

The portal glimmers once again – and out steps your largest foe yet. It reminds you of the metal warrior that you first saw with the child when you entered the tower, but
this one is bigger – a hulking monstrosity of iron plates, riveted together to form a cruel mockery of a human. From its metal gauntlets a set of buzz saws suddenly whirr into motion,
spinning into a grey blur as the giant advances. You must fight:

Special abilities:

If you have one of the following and wish to use it, turn to the relevant entry number:
metal soldier
(turn to
456
),
paper soldier
(turn to
448
),
rock soldier
(turn to
252
). Otherwise, you must fight this opponent yourself. If you win, restore your
health
and turn to
228
. If you are defeated, turn to
464
.

209

Joseph stares at the coat open-mouthed. ‘I don’t . . . I don’t know what to say. Can I . . . can I try it on?’ You hold it open, letting him slide his
arms into the sleeves. When the coat is finally on, he spins around on the spot, the coat-tails whipping through the air.

‘This is amazing! My coat of many scales!’

You cough into your hand, interrupting his spinning and dancing. ‘I thought your plan was to sell this. We’re splitting the profits, aren’t we?’

Joseph’s enthusiasm deflates, his arms dropping by his side. ‘I know. I just . . . I never owned anything this special before. Basilisk scales are second only to dragon scales in
their worth. Can’t I keep it?’ (Remove the
coat of many scales
from your hero sheet.)

210

Stepping over the charred corpses of the zombies, you re-enter the reverend’s home through the blasted wall. For a moment you scan the scorched papers and books that
litter the ground. It could take hours to search through them all in the hope of finding a stray clue. You are about to leave and explore the rest of the building when your eyes catch on a section
of the far wall. It would have been covered up by the writing desk, but that now lies on its side, revealing a patch of paint that is damp and peeling. A hairline crack runs across it, forming a
square.

Intrigued, you walk over and kneel beside it. Yes – you can feel a breeze coming from between the cracks. It must lead through to a secret passage. Pushing on the square panel, you
discover that it is loose. It slides back, revealing a damp, musty-smelling cavity. You duck down and crawl forwards, the rough stone grazing your hands. After several metres, the tight passage
makes a right-hand turn, depositing you in a small room. Candles flicker in numerous alcoves set around the walls, the hot wax forming dripping beards over the grey stone.

The only item of furniture in the room is a metal reading stand, stood against the opposite wall. Resting on it is an open book, its pages grime-stained and crumpled. You quickly walk over to
take a closer look. It appears to be a field guide or journal, covered in sketches and scribblings. Lifting it up, a loose piece of parchment slides out from between the pages. Intrigued, you hold
the sheet closer to the candlelight. The writing is erratic, most of the rambling obscured by blots of ink. Only one section is clear – a list of ingredients to make a potion called elixir
vitae. They are underlined several times, as if the writer was keen to stress their importance:
meadowsweet, lemongrass
and
white willow
. You stuff the sheet of paper into your
backpack before leaving the reverend’s home. (Make a note of those ingredients on your hero sheet, they might prove useful later.) You may now investigate the wishing well (turn to
13
) or
search the herbalist’s cottage (turn to
224
).