The Heart of Fire (99 page)

If you manage to defeat Gheira, turn to
580
.

634

You hand over the pendant that you found in the wood cabin. Yootha glares at it in shock, then carefully takes it into her shaking hands. ‘My . . . my Stan,’ she
gasps, stroking the silver boot. ‘Where . . . where did you . . . find it?’

You hesitate, stumbling over the words to convey what happened. It seems Yootha can sense your discomfort, reading her husband’s fate in your eyes. She raises a hand to stop you. ‘It
is all right. I do not need to know.’ She places the pendant in the pocket of her dress, then gestures to the cluttered shelves. ‘Please, choose something from my shop – anything
you like. You deserve it for bringing him home.’ She pats her pocket tenderly, giving a tearful sigh.

You may now choose one of the following:

If you don’t wish to take any of the items, then Yootha offers you 40 gold crowns instead. When you have made your decision, return to
520
.

635

The end of the passageway is blocked by a hill of bones, reaching from floor to ceiling. Thankfully, a jagged crack in the left-hand wall glimmers with crimson light, offering
a way back out into the volcanic chamber. Virgil peers through the hole, twisting his head to view the side of the bridge.

‘We can climb out this way,’ he states, squeezing his body through the crack. ‘Let’s hope things have quietened down topside.’ He disappears from view, the sound of
grunting and cursing drifting back from the narrow hole.

You follow the witchfinder’s lead, adjusting your weapons and pack so that you can pass through the opening. On the other side, you see that the cracked stone provides sufficient hand and
foot holds to climb back up onto the bridge. Virgil has already reached the top. There is a tense moment as you wait for a response, fearing that the bridge guardians may still be patrolling
– then his face reappears, his gold teeth flashing a grin. He signals for you to follow.

To climb the side of the bridge, you will need to take a
speed
challenge:

If you are successful, turn to
553
. Otherwise, turn to
561
.

636

You trudge back through the marsh, the journey proving easier without the witch’s nefarious magic to contend with. At last you rejoin the Khana pack, who are waiting on
the rocks outside the cave. Grey-hair moves to meet you, tapping his chest softly three times – the gesture of tigris pride and welcome. No words need to be spoken; your eyes drift to the
mother and the young cub, both looking expectant – waiting for Scar-face’s return. Grey-hair nods, taking a deep breath.

‘We know Khana would pay the price for freedom. Few could have done what you did – to match claws with the witch and defeat her. The Khana owe you a debt of gratitude.’ The
elderly tigris looks out across the marsh, its steaming mist suffused with a golden light. ‘The hunters will not follow us here. We can now cross to the stone claws and find new dens –
safe dens – to start Khana anew. I have nothing to give . . . but this.’ The tigris lifts his paw. Resting on it is a circular disc of bone, carved with a magical rune. ‘I hope it
keeps you safe, bright claw.’

If you wish, you may now take:

You say your farewells to the Shara Khana before heading back through the caves. Return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.

637

For defeating Krakatoa, you may now help yourself to one of the following special items:

When you have made your decision turn to
651
, if you still need to choose rewards, or
545
to continue.

638

The cabin door creaks open, revealing a squalid space filled with rotted, mouldy blankets, decaying fruit and the half-eaten remains of various animals – most of which
are now riddled with flies and maggots. Sat on the edge of a bed is an elderly man, bone-thin and dressed in rags. As you enter he springs to his feet, pulling a rusty-looking knife from his
belt.

‘Leave me be! Leave me be!’ he hisses. You note the ashen tone to his skin and the gaping wounds across his scalp, exposing torn flesh and hunks of brain. This man is clearly one of
the undead – and also deranged. Before you have a chance to react to the man’s protests he is upon you, his blackened teeth reaching for your jugular. You must fight:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat this wild maniac, turn to
648
.

639

You take the vial – and crush it in your fist. The milky liquid runs between your scaled fingers, dripping onto the ground where it is greedily absorbed by the ash.
Opening your hand, you let the remaining dust sift away on the warm currents of air.

‘There is your answer.’

The witchfinder gives a dismissive snort, shouldering past you in anger. ‘I pray you don’t live to regret that, demon.’

Your eyes drop to the wet mound of ash, now fizzing and steaming with the Elysium. There is a strange comfort in not knowing the future; being blind to how all this might end.
I won’t
be made a prisoner of, not again
. . . You turn to watch Virgil as he strides away across the bridge, your suspicions mounting that he is not all that he seems.

‘Hurry up,’ he snaps, glancing back over his shoulder. ‘We have double the work to do, thanks to you.’

For the remainder of this act, you must now suffer the following penalty:

Broken trust (pa)
: If you wish to use Virgil’s
blessed bullets
ability, you must roll a die. On a
result, you can use the ability as normal. If the result is
to
then
the ability fails. You cannot try to use the ability again, or use a different combat ability, until the next round.

Once you have updated your hero sheet, return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.

640

You awake to find yourself lying on a bed of grass, your wounds bound by palm leaves and vines. A sickly scent wafts up from the makeshift bandages, where a thick poultice
seeps around the edges. It seems that the tigris are not without some skill with herbs and natural remedies, which may well have saved your life.

Surprised to feel no pain, you lever yourself into a sitting position. There is no sign of the tigris, nor any message of fond farewell. You are reminded of Grey-hair’s words before you
left the river: ‘If you fall, bright claw, we leave. That is our way. We move on – you understand?’