The Heart of Fire (46 page)

You also find a small pocket-sized book floating in the slime. Silver lettering on its cover spell out the title:
Handy Herbalist’s Spotter’s Guide
. This might prove useful,
so you pluck it out from the sticky sludge. (Make a note of the book on your hero sheet. It doesn’t take up backpack space.) Turn to
328
.

301

The beast is fast and powerful, and yet somehow you are able to stay one step ahead of its attacks, expertly weaving between sharp claws and searing breath attacks.

After an arduous battle the demon is finally defeated, its blistered body exploding into a cloud of fine black dust. You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

If you have the word
duty
on your hero sheet, turn to
285
. If you are carrying the
broken silver locket
, turn to
313
.
Otherwise, you leave the farmstead and continue your journey. (Return to the
map
.)

302

Murlic hands you a second training dagger and then proceeds to teach you his technique. You discover that the Wiccan favour heavier daggers, adding their own weight to that of
the weapon to deliver slow, punishing strikes. Murlic watches you, nodding with approval as you move through the stances. ‘You make good fighter,’ he grins.

If you wish, you may now learn the pariah career. The pariah has the following abilities:

Beguile (mo):
You may use one of your speed abilities twice in the same combat, even if its description states it can only be used once.

Double punch (co):
(requires a dagger in the main hand and left hand.) Use this ability instead of rolling for a damage score, to automatically inflict 2 damage dice plus the total
brawn
modifier of your two weapons to a single opponent. This ability ignores
armour
. You can only use
double punch
once per combat.

You may now ask Murlic about Durnhollow (turn to
129
) or explore the rest of the cave (turn to
485
).

303

A fatal blow extinguishes whatever infernal life this demon once had, sending its body flying apart in a spray of black ink. You spin away, covering your face as the liquid
showers across the room, splashing over the floor and walls. As it settles you realise, with a grim sense of unease, that the ink blots are spelling out a familiar phrase:

paper, scissors, stone

In the distance you hear a child’s laughter.

Quickly, you set about searching the remains of the dark demon. You find one of the following items, which you may take:

You also find an ink pot, which you fill with some of the magical ink. (Make a note of the
magic ink
on your hero sheet, it does not take up backpack space.) Your task complete, you cross
the room to the iron door. To your relief you find it unlocked, its rusted hinges screeching in protest as you force it open. Turn to
46
.

304

You find yourself in a corridor fashioned from black stone, smooth and without decoration. To your left it continues for several metres before ending in a set of worn stairs
leading up to a decorative wooden door. To your right, there is an open metal grille, beyond which you can see a set of rusted stairs spiralling down towards the sound of buzzing, hammering
machinery.

305

You deposit your grisly trophy on the counter. Kam’s eyes widen with interest as he stumbles to his feet. ‘It can’t be . . .’ He lift’s the
beast’s head, observing the smoke still billowing from its eyes and muzzle. The room steadily fills with the stench of sulphur. ‘They say seeing is believing, but . . .’

‘So, what will you give me for it?’ you ask confidently.

The burly hunter straightens. ‘It’s the black shuck all right.’ He places the head carefully back on the counter, then proceeds to make a number of grunting sounds as he
ponders the situation. ‘Reckon, this’ll cover it.’ He takes a pouch of money from his belt and hands it to you with a hopeful grin.

You count out the grimy collection of coins. ‘Forty gold,’ you reply, making your disappointment evident.

‘Okay, okay.’ Kam blows through his moustache. ‘You ever heard of the Colt Phoenix, kid? The fastest crossbow in Valeron.’

You shrug your shoulders. ‘How does this help our negotiation?’

Kam reaches behind the counter and produces a small hand-crossbow. Its cross-piece is covered in runes, some of which are glowing with a fiery magic. A bolt already rests in the chamber.
‘She’s fast enough for you, kid. If you can handle her. Made a few modifications myself.’ He straightens his arm, resting the bolt-head to your chest. He stares down the groove,
grinning through his beard. Your heart skips a beat as you wonder what his next move will be. A heavy silence descends, broken only by the creak of the hunter’s finger on the trigger.

Then, with a grunt of laughter, Kam spins the crossbow and offers it out to you. ‘She’s all yours, kid.’

If you wish, you may now take the 40 gold crowns and the following item:

If you do not want to take the crossbow, then Kam agrees to sweeten his bargain to 80 gold crowns instead. When you have made your decision, you thank the hunter and leave the shop. You may now
explore more of Raven’s Rest (turn to
199
) or return to the
map
to continue your journey.

306

Unable to progress, you clamber back down the tree – stepping through the magic portal to continue your journey. Turn to
46
.

307

You march forward into the cave, determined to end this threat once and for all. The queen has clearly sensed you, lowering her head as if to charge.

‘Tzzk chkk, my brood!’ she snarls. ‘Tzzk chkk, do not defile the eggs!’

With a deafening screech, the queen surges forward, breaking free of her silken egg sac. The ground trembles as she approaches, her spiked crown and bladed arms looking to spit you through. You
must fight:

Special abilities