The Heart of Fire (98 page)

After each combat, keep a track of the
health
and abilities that you have remaining. You can only use/activate each ability once during the course of this challenge (even those that would
normally happen automatically, such as
thorns
and
bleed
). You decide which abilities are used in each combat. Good luck! Turn to
815
to begin the
challenge.

631

Quest: The rune forge

(
NOTE
: You must have completed the green quest
The bridge of screams
before you can start this challenge.)

You hurry across the magma lake, hopping from one island to the next. The dwarven forge looms tantalisingly close, rising up on a wedge-shaped plateau of crumbling rock. Its centre-piece is the
black anvil, its shoulder and heel picked out by the flickering light from its runes. Next to it, a blazing hearth casts towering shadows against the dark face of the mountain, its firepot rattling
and shaking as if alive. Occasionally, molten fire spills over the cauldron’s rim, spattering the black rock with golden droplets of lava.

‘Over here!’ Virgil sweeps ahead of you, his scorched coat-tails flapping against his boots. He veers to the left, leading the way along a serpentine outcropping. It winds past the
lip of the plateau, leading you round to a series of jagged sills that form a natural staircase up to the forge. At the foot of the stairs you can see a group of fiery sprites dancing and cajoling
around a circle of smoking rubble. There are five of them, their scrawny humanoid bodies made entirely of flame.

Sensing your approach, the sprites scramble together like a pack of startled animals, their blazing heads twitching nervously from side-to-side. Behind them, a larger creature sits crouched atop
a ruined column. It shares the same devilish appearance as the other creatures, but is broader of shoulder, its head crowned by a ring of forked flame.

Undaunted, Virgil fires his guns into the group. The sprites scatter, screeching and hollering. One is caught by a glowing bullet, its body exploding into wisps of smoke. The rest make for the
stone stairs, running on all fours.

The crowned leader clenches his fists, spitting a furious stream of embers. ‘
Back, go back. We are the masters here, mortal!
’

Virgil swaps guns for swords as he strides towards it.

‘Leave this place,’ he commands. ‘Or be purged by the holy fire of the One God!’

The witchfinder crosses his swords, making the sign of a crucifix. The carved inscriptions along each blade flare with a cold white light.

The larger sprite answers with another snarl, before leaping down from its perch and racing after its fleeing companions. When you catch up with Virgil, the witchfinder has lowered his weapons,
a thoughtful frown knitting his brow.

‘They must have been rune spirits, bound to the forge,’ he grunts. ‘Somehow, it must have become damaged – weakened. They’ve managed to free themselves.’

‘Then it’s high time they learnt their place.’ You start towards the stairs, but Virgil slaps your arm with one of his blades, its cold sting bringing you up short.

‘Wait. That larger demon is powerful. I’d advise we proceed with caution.’ He turns from the stairs and points to a section of the ridged wall, where some alien-looking
contraption has been built into the rock. One half is made up of a series of pulleys and chains, mounted into carved channels; the other is a confusing maze of pipes, their loose couplings leaking
geysers of whistling steam into the smoky air. ‘We could work on disabling the forge,’ states Virgil, sheathing his blades and extinguishing their light. ‘Just a temporary measure
– but might help to even the odds. What do you say, fancy getting your hands dirty?’

632

Black Patch leads the way through the jungle, to a spot ahead of the procession of carts. Here the cleared track is narrow, penned in on both sides by heavy undergrowth. A
prime location for an ambush. However, as you crouch in waiting, you spot a problem.

Several hunters are hurrying ahead of the wagons, waving towards a high ridge of grey rock. The dirt track switches back, along its side, to a cave-like opening mid-way to the summit. Other
hunters are standing guard outside, waving back at their companions. You notice the spiked teeth of an iron portcullis protruding from the stone above them.

‘Where does that lead to?’ you ask Black Patch.

‘To death,’ grunts the tigris plainly. ‘Once gate closed, never see again. Take tigris all way to coast.’

You look back to the track, where the carts have started to clatter into view, pulled along by giant blue lizards. Although slow-moving, the carts are heavily fortified with iron plates and
spiked rails, and guarded by hunters. You realise that the carts will need to be disabled one by one, before they reach the cave.

Black Patch raises a paw in the air, his curved claws sliding out of their sheathes. ‘For the Sheva!’ He cries. ‘Shonac guide our claws!’ There is an answering roar from
the jungle, then the tigris surge forward. Drawing your weapons you follow them onto the track, ready to take on the defenders and free as many of the captured tigris as you can. It is time to
fight:

Special abilities

In this combat, you roll against the defenders’ speed. If you win a round against the defenders, you can choose a cart to attack. Once a cart is reduced to zero
health
, it has been successfully destroyed, freeing its captives. If a cart enters the mountain (see
going, going, gone
) then it has successfully escaped – and its captives
cannot be freed. If you lose a combat round then the defenders strike against you as normal. (Note: You cannot use ‘strike back’ abilities in this combat, such as
confound,
retaliation
and
sideswipe
. Damage can only be applied to a cart if you win a round.)

Once the four carts have either been destroyed or have escaped, turn to
646
. If you are defeated, turn to
656
.

633

Legendary monster: Gheira

Branches whip and crack as you hurtle through the jungle, the giant panther snapping at your heels. You know you have little chance of outrunning this fearsome predator, but
since taking flight into the undergrowth you realise that you have no choice – to stop now will spell certain death.

A lapse of concentration and your foot clips a log, tipping you forwards. The beast barrels into you, its hot spittle splashing against your neck.

You hear something ripping.

The panther’s claws have found purchase, its weight on your shoulders forcing you to stagger. Then your pack comes loose. The buckles snap open – and suddenly the weight is gone as
the panther and your backpack go tumbling away. You crash onwards through the trees, not wishing to slow, your arms batting desperately at the clinging branches and leaves. Suddenly the ground
dips, throwing you out onto a steep slope. Before you can change course you find yourself skidding and bouncing towards the edge of a ravine. You try and slow your momentum, grappling blindly to
find a root or a vine – but the earth quickly gives way to a frightening nothingness.

You kick and flail, falling through the mist.

Then you hit something. Soft and buoyant, pitching you back into the air. The world spins over, rolling in a blur. You bounce again, tumbling head-over-heels, to finally land with a painful
thump in a dark pool of mud. Above you, the white cap of a giant mushroom sways back and forth. There are more behind it, growing out of the side of the canyon. The nearest one shudders again as an
object hits it with force, then your half-mangled pack splashes down a few feet away.

You start to rise, but catch yourself.

The low rumbling snarl is your first and last warning that you are not alone. Spinning around, you catch a glimpse of round, yellow eyes and sharp dagger-like canines, bright against a vastness
of midnight black. Then the giant panther pounces! It is time to fight:

Special abilities