The Heart of Fire (35 page)

The portal shimmers and then fades to nothingness. The only other exit from the room is the balcony. Thankfully, the remains of the metal warrior lie slumped in a heap underneath it. Using the
warrior as a make-shift set of stairs, you sprint up its iron body and then make a jump for the bottom of the balcony. You manage to grab one of the rails, swinging a leg up to hook around another.
Steadily, you raise yourself up over the side to land in a panting heap on the balcony floor. After brushing yourself down, you draw your weapons and head through the arch at the balcony’s
rear, determined to hunt down this elusive child. Turn to
289
.

229

You have barely entered the cave before you sense that something is wrong – a cold tingle races up your spine. The others seem less perturbed, briskly marching forward,
eyes scanning their new surroundings. As with the previous areas, the cave is lit by phosphorescent fungi, growing in clusters around a series of stone pillars. These pillars form a dense forest,
obscuring the other side of the cave.

‘Are we looking for ants or gobboes?’ growls Surl, his fingers clenching and unclenching around his broadsword.

‘Both, you idiot,’ snaps Vas, spinning her daggers in her hands. ‘Shut up and keep watching.’

The party advances through the cave, taking a snaking path between the pillars of rock. You still can’t shake your sense of dread – your sense that something very bad is about
to—

There is a scream from behind you.

One of your party members grips their chest, looking down at a blossoming wound. You see green venom bubbling between their fingers. With a gargling cry, they drop to the ground dead. There is
no sign of a weapon or even an attacker.

‘What’s happening?’ growls the captain, turning on the spot. ‘Spread out – talk to me. What you see?’

‘I don’t see nothing!’ cries Surl, a hint of fear in his voice.

There is another squeal. You spin around to see someone else from your group toppling to the floor, venom pouring from a puncture wound. Then you catch it – from the corner of your eye.
Some kind of green mist, moving fast. You hurry towards it, but in the poor light it is impossible to keep a track of.

‘You see anything?’ shouts Vas, backing up against a pillar. ‘I thought I . . . there!’

You follow her gaze, to where the party’s last surviving mage is standing. A green-skinned ant-man is looming behind them, its human arms mutated into sharp blades. With a single, precise
movement, the ant drives one of its blades through the chest of its victim. You see a spray of venom, then the mage keels over, dead before they hit the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the ant-man has vanished.

‘It’s just picking us off,’ whimpers Surl. ‘It ain’t fair!’

You sense something behind you, a subtle movement of the air. Your skin prickles . . . In a flash, you whirl around to find yourself face-to-face with the giant bug. It lunges forward, its
venom-laced blades looking to run you through. It is time to fight:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat this elusive predator, turn to
198
.

230

You return to the armourer. ‘Good timing,’ he grins. ‘These little beauties won’t be around for ever.’ He places a shield, a helm and a longsword
onto his work surface. ‘Had more scales than I thought,’ he adds. ‘So, I was able to craft this nice helm and blade too.’

You may purchase any of the following for 200 gold crowns each:

When you have made your decision, return to your previous entry number or turn to
36
to explore Carvel’s lower town.

231

The beast’s claws whip through the air, its yellowed fangs snapping at your body. It is a miracle that you are able to dodge the relentless assault and press your own
attack. Finally, after a tiring battle, the hound’s body slumps back into the fen water, marsh flies buzzing around its smoking muzzle. It isn’t until you inspect the corpse and see the
many scars that crisscross its massive body that you are reminded of the legend of the ancient hound that stalks these western fenlands. The locals call it the black shuck.

You may now help yourself to one of the following special rewards:

As this is a creature of legend, there is a chance that someone might be willing to pay good money for a trophy. You set about acquiring the creature’s head, which you place into a sack.
(Make a note of the
Hound’s head
on your hero sheet, it doesn’t take up backpack space.) With your grim task complete, you head back into the forest, eager to leave this rank
marsh to the flies. Return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.

232

Amongst the putrid mould and clumps of animal hair, you spy a number of interesting items. Some appear to be from previous adventurers. As well as a pouch containing 20 gold
crowns, you also find one of the following rewards:

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

233

You hand settles around something large and smooth. Excitedly, you withdraw your hand to find that you have discovered a trinket box, shaped to resemble a love heart.

Opening it up, you are a little disappointed to find it empty. (If you wish to keep
the heart-shaped box
then make a note of it on your hero sheet, it doesn’t take up backpack
space.) As you turn back to the tree, you hear a grumbling, creaking sound coming from within. Stepping away, you see that the other holes have now closed up, locking away their treasures.

You may now try and climb the tree (turn to
96
) or leave via the magic portal (turn to
46
).

234

The undead behemoth topples backwards, crashing to the ground with a sickening crunch. After disentangling yourself from its gooey innards, you begin a hasty search for
anything of value.

You find 10 gold crowns and one of the following rewards:

Once you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
262
.

235

‘So you must be Edgar,’ you state, approaching the counter. The man gives you a fierce look, his thick brows knitting together with annoyance.

‘Change of management,’ he growls. ‘Me name’s Kam. Last owner squealed and ran.’ He flips the dagger into the air, catching it deftly. ‘I’m waiting on
fresh supplies, so not got much in that would interest the likes of you, sell-sword. I guess you didn’t come here for a fresh pair of boots or a rain hat, eh?’

You shrug your shoulders, staring past him to the empty shelves. ‘Do you have anything at all?’ you ask, in all seriousness.

With a grunt, the man turns in his chair. ‘Margrit! Margrit!’

‘Yes dear!’ calls a woman’s voice from a back room.

‘Bring out the special deals; whatever we got left.’

You hear some banging and scraping, then the sound of creaking floorboards. A few moments later a short woman appears, carrying a jumble of objects in her arms. Unlike Kam, she is well turned
out, her silver-grey hair tied back in a bun. She drops the items onto the counter, nods her head quickly in greeting, and then scuttles away into the backroom.

‘So,’ smiles Kam, his dirty fingers rummaging through the goods as if they were a pirate’s treasure hoard. ‘Do any of these beauties take your fancy?’

You may purchase any of the following for 80 gold crowns each:

When you have made your decision, you may ask Kam about his hunting trophies (turn to
12
) or leave the shop and explore the rest of town (turn to
199
).