The Heart of Fire (94 page)
If you manage to defeat the undead troll, turn to
724
.
604
The tunnel breaks off into a series of natural shelves, forming a raggedy staircase to the cave below. For now, the skittering sound has stopped, replaced with the grunts and
scrapes of the tigris as they pick their way down the slippery ledges.
The female scout pauses near the bottom, her scowl still evident on her face.
‘Smell bad,’ she hisses. ‘Danger.’
Scar-face nods, extending his claws. ‘Spiders?’
Scowler shakes her head, sniffing at the air. ‘No, worse.’
Then, all of a sudden, lights start to wink on one by one – sweeping across the ceiling of the cave like a mantle of stars. It is both beautiful and eerie, the light quickly flooding the
cave with a soft, white glow. The tigris glance at one another, looking for answers.
You cover your eyes, squinting towards the bright lights. Some have started to move, the skittering sound evident once again. It starts as a few points darting around each other, then all of a
sudden they move as one, sweeping like a bright wave across the ceiling and down the nearby wall. The sound is almost deafening as the light streams over the rocks, picking out black furry bodies
and spider-like legs.
‘What are they?’ you shout above the skittering din.
‘Trouble,’ growls Grey-hair, putting his back to one of the rock shelves.
The creatures rush towards you, some clambering over others in their haste. It isn’t until they near that you see that the lights are actually phosphorescent globes, dangling from their
stalk-like antennae; perhaps some lure used to capture insects and other animals. However, right now they look like they are after bigger prey. You draw your weapons as the first of the strange
creatures springs at you, its entire body yawning open into a fang-filled mouth. You must fight:
Special abilities
Snapping frenzy: At the end of each combat round, you must automatically lose 1
health
for each skitter that
is still alive.
Pile on!: The skitters do not roll for damage. Instead, each time you lose a combat round, roll a die. If the
result is
or less a new skitter joins the battle (with the same stats as its companions). If you roll
or more nothing happens. (Note: You cannot use avoidance abilities, such as
confound, prophecy
and
vanish,
to stop a new skitter entering the
battle.)
In this battle you choose a skitter to attack, rolling against its speed. If you win the round, you must apply your damage to your chosen skitter (or multiple skitters if you have an ability
that lets you do so). If you lose a combat round, see the
Pile on!
special ability above.
If you manage to defeat the skittering swarm, turn to
655
. Otherwise, turn to
640
.
605
Legendary monster: Garm and Erkil
You come to an imposing hallway of flame-red stone, lined with pillars etched with runes. Against the far wall a stepped dais leads up to a twin set of thrones, one of pure
white marble and the other of black obsidian. The white throne has been shattered, its winged back lying in chunks across the ground. Its darker opposite is perfectly intact and seated on it is a
plate-armoured dwarf, his gauntleted fists gripping the arms. He looks up as you approach, his dark visor leaning forward.
At the base of the dais, reclining on its forepaws, is a giant hellhound. It reminds you of the molten hounds that you encountered on the bridge, with blackened skin and veins of fire. But this
one is twice the size, and twice as mean.
‘I guard these halls,’ booms a deep voice, made louder by its echoing resonance. ‘I stayed true to my vows. I will not desert my throne.’
Between the plated armour there is nothing but an eerie, unsettling darkness. You realise that this must be a ghost – a death knight, bound by magic to defend these sacred halls.
‘Garm!’ The dwarf motions to his hound, who stretches lazily before rising. ‘Send these devils back to the shroud!’
The hound gives a nonchalant yawn, belching a bright stream of fire from between its fanged teeth. Then it advances, powerful muscles bunching and rippling with every stride. It is time to
fight:
Special abilities
Molten skin: You automatically take 4 damage at the end of each combat round, ignoring
armour
, from the
hound’s flames. If you have
fire shield
, you can ignore this ability.
Dogged determination: Once Garm is reduced to 30
health
or less, he goes into a frenzy. This raises his
speed
by 1 and his
brawn
by 4 for the remainder of the combat.
Body of flame: Garm is immune to
backdraft, fire aura, sear
and
searing mantle
.
If you manage to defeat this slavering brute, restore your
health
and abilities, then turn to
379
.
606
When the two maps are placed side by side, they chart a hidden trail, passing through the Grey Mountains to a narrow strip of coastline. You are suddenly reminded of a rumour
you heard back on the Emerald Isle, of a secret backpackers’ paradise – of white beaches and sparkling, turquoise waters. Could this be one of the mysterious maps that leads to this
fabled location? If you wish to follow the secret trail, turn to
721
. Otherwise, make a note of the entry number – you can turn to it at any time during Act 2, to
discover the map’s final destination. (You may now return to your previous entry number.)
