The Heart of Fire (71 page)

468

‘Have faith!’ bellows Ventus, raising a glowing fist into the air. ‘The One God tests us – and we will not be found wanting.’ He sprints towards
the giant, throwing his body into a spin as he kicks and punches at its enormous legs. Bea joins him, her magic swords hacking at the enchanted wood.

‘Fools!’ hisses Cernos. ‘You are weak! Children fighting mountains with stones.’

As the giant’s shadow sweeps over you, you start to wonder if the demon speaks the truth. But it is too late now – your beleaguered companions need your aid. It is time to fight:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat Orgorath a second time, turn to
411
.

469

‘We go!’ Anse grabs you by the arm and starts running for the edge of the island of floor. You instinctively pull back, fearful that he may have lost his mind, but
the paladin is strong, dragging you with him. At the last moment, he jumps into the nothingness, putting a hand to the necklace dangling around his neck. A crucifix. You cling to him tightly as a
chill wind roars in your ears, ripping and tearing at your clothes. There is a burst of bright light and then . . .

You find yourself lying on your back. Above you white clouds drift by at a leisurely pace, while a chill wintry breeze rustles the stems of long grass.

‘The Moors . . .’ You sit up quickly, looking around.

Anse stands several metres away, his sightless gaze fixed on the dark tower. It is steadily falling to ruin amidst a storm of whirling chaos.

‘The others!’ You gasp, hurrying to his side. ‘Polk, Joss . . .?’

The paladin shakes his head, his eyes unreadable behind the band of white cloth. ‘It was too late for them,’ he whispers at last. He pats you on the shoulder, then turns and walks
away.

You stand alone, watching as the tower is finally engulfed by the maelstrom. There is a pulse of dark light, then everything seems to implode inwards, as if pulled back into some other space,
leaving behind an empty moorland. There is no evidence, no trace, that the tower was ever there.

(Return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.)

470

You place the rune stone into the cavity (you may remove this item from your hero sheet). There is a dull click as it slots into place – the five glyphs suddenly lighting
up with a red glow. The light continues to brighten, spreading out from the glyphs to form a glittering pattern of criss-crossing lines that cover the stone. Then there is a grating rumble as the
lid draws back of its own accord, revealing the container’s hollow cavity.

The tigris back away, looking uncertain. ‘Dwarf magic not good,’ sniffs Scar-face, covering his face with the back of his paw. ‘Smell worse than bats.’

Unperturbed by your companion’s reaction, you lean over into the stone treasure chest. Inside, you find a small casket containing 100 gold crowns and one of the following rewards:

After examining the items, you rejoin the others and continue into the opposite tunnel. Turn to
513
.

471

Following Andos’ instructions, you discover a hidden trail that leads you through the forested hills. It eventually widens into a sandy clearing, where the youth is
waiting for you.

‘Did you get the books?’ he snaps, fixing you with an intent glare. ‘You’ve kept me waiting for quite some time.’

If you have
The Book of Alpha, The Book of Omega
and
The Book of Enigma
, turn to
390
. Otherwise, you vow to return when you have tracked them down.
Return to the
map
to continue your journey.

472

You clamber up the last section of the wall, pulling yourself across stones and gravel to the edge of a rocky bluff. As you take a moment to catch your breath, your eyes settle
on the forest below – and the crumbling ziggurats of a Lamuri city, protruding above the treetops.

The southern jungle.

And there, in the distance, is an immense black volcano, its dark form brooding and ominous against the white haze. It immediately tugs at a memory, reminding you of the black peak from your
vision at Durnhollow – the mountain that rained fire.

Congratulations, you have successfully navigated the dark interior. If you have the word
explorer
on your hero sheet turn to
817
. Otherwise, you may now return to the quest
map
to
continue your adventure.

473

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

As a rogue you may also take one of Kaala’s enchanted scales. This unique item will reward you with the venommancer career:

You must have
Kaala’s scale
equipped if you wish to learn the venommancer career. As soon as this item is unequipped or you learn a new career, you lose the abilities associated
with this item/career.

The venommancer has the following abilities:

Snake strike (pa)
: (requires a snake in the left hand.) Before the first combat round begins you may automatically inflict 2 damage dice to
a single opponent, ignoring
armour
. This will also inflict any harmful passive abilities you may have, such as
bleed
and
venom
.

Toxicology (pa)
: You are immune to all
delirium
,
disease
and
venom
effects.

Prising open the serpent’s mouth, you tug one of its enormous fangs loose. You decide to take this as a trophy. (Make a note of
Kaala’s fang
on your hero sheet, it does not
take up backpack space.) If you have the
glaive of souls
equipped, turn to
430
. Otherwise, return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.

474

Using your chosen reagents you craft a clawed wand, its gnarled fingers gripping the coal-black heart of a phoenix. 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.

475

You believe that the demon speaks the truth. Without its aid, you will not be able to defeat the guardian of the forest.

‘Time to put your words to the test, demon.’ You bring your weapons down on the first of the iron restraints.

‘Stop!’ Conall looks back over his shoulder, his eyes bulging beneath his protruding brow. ‘The demon is a trickster! Its words are lies.’ He spins on his heel, stalking
towards you – but Damaris intervenes, whipping her staff around to aim it at the warrior.

‘Do not stop us, Conall. Or I will end you right here.’

Conall draws up short, frowning at the witch through his matted strands of dark hair. ‘You betray me.’

‘No, you fool. You betray yourself,’ she snaps. ‘We need the demon. Can’t you see that?’

Ignoring your companion’s bickering, you continue to move quickly around the dais to smash the remaining restraints.

‘I am your king!’ Conall lifts his runed axes above his head, preparing to strike the witch. ‘This is the end of us! The end of you!’

‘No,’ snarls the demon, its breath quickening with excitement. ‘This is your salvation!’ Turn to
393
.

476

You rejoin Damaris and recount what happened. When you have finished, there is a moment of silence as the woman stares at the ancient tree, lost in thought. Then she gives a
disgruntled snort. ‘Duerdoun. I should have known.’

Before you get a chance to ask, Damaris has turned away, starting up the winding stairs that lead back into the mountain. You hurry to catch up.

‘Duerdoun is a dwarf site, to the south,’ she explains at last, once you are halfway up the long stairs. ‘We avoid it – mostly ruins now, but it has become a haven for
dark things, ancient magic best left alone. The relic that surfaced recently must have been taken there. We need to find it if we hope to get inside that forest.’

You are already struggling to recall many of the things that were shown to you in your vision, but you can still picture the strange artefact in perfect detail; an ornate warhammer, with a head
fashioned from panels of gold and silver.

The climb is exhausting, your legs burning from the exertion. Even Damaris has become silent, her attention focused solely on navigating the narrow stairs. Finally, you feel a cool breeze
brushing against your face. Having reached the top, you find yourself back on the ledge, overlooking the moors. The sky is now a deep blood-red, shot through with purple. ‘We leave at first
light,’ states Damaris, her stoic expression cast in crimson hues. ‘I suggest you prepare yourself, Sanchen. Duerdoun will be. . . unforgiving.’

Record the word
Wiccan
on your hero sheet. If you wish, you may now return to the
map
. When you are ready to continue this quest, turn to
489
.

477

You follow Jacob up the ladder. As you pass through the glimmering circle of light, you feel a cold sensation prickling along your skin. Gripping the rungs tightly, you
continue to ascend – until a cracked stone floor comes into view. You drag yourself onto it, aware of the
whirling maelstrom of black cloud thundering above your head. Angry bolts of
lightning arc through the hellish sky, illuminating the tower battlements.