The Heart of Fire (125 page)

Virgil staggers over, nursing a shoulder wound. ‘That’s one way of deposing a king, I guess.’ He looks back at the obsidian throne. You follow his gaze to the skeleton that is
now seated there, its bones webbed with grime. ‘I think the magic trapped his spirit here,’ sighs Virgil. ‘To keep his oath, to defend these halls. Let’s hope he is finally
at rest.’

If you are a warrior, turn to
834
. If you are a rogue, turn to
794
. If you are a mage, turn to
716
.

812

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

If you are
hexed
then you have gained an extra reward, turn to
732
. Otherwise, return to the quest
map
to continue your journey.

813

The dwarf gives an astonished shriek as your enchanted weapons penetrate its ghostly form. When you draw them out, its squat body collapses into wisps of green light, which go
flickering away like embers on a breeze.

‘Well, aren’t you the mighty hero . . .’

You look back at Virgil, who is eyeing you with a smirk.

You shrug your shoulders. ‘I gave it freedom – who would want to remain bound to this cursed place?’

He lifts an eyebrow. ‘That was just a harmless servant, performing the same task he was given thousands of years ago.’ He edges past you, glancing warily at your bared weapons.
‘Perhaps not the reward for loyal service our friend was hoping for.’

He leads the way down the corridor, past more of the neatly-stacked shelves. You wonder if the ghost’s task had been to keep them in order – a task that it couldn’t complete
for some reason. You notice several spaces on the shelves where books are missing. Turn to
866
.

814

You take a bite out of one of the mushrooms, then wait tensely for any effects to become apparent. After several minutes, you grudgingly conclude that it doesn’t have any
special properties. Then, suddenly, you feel a tingling race along your arms and legs as your muscles start to expand with a powerful surge of strength. Eagerly you taste another of the mushrooms,
discovering that this one heightens your already exceptional abilities, making you feel quick and alert. If you wish, you may now take any/all of the following:

Pleased with your finds, you leave the cabin and continue your journey. Turn to
618
.

815

With the wind demon hurtling ever closer, you draw your weapons and charge the ghostly Lamuri warrior. It is time to fight:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat Shonac, keep a record of your
health
and
remaining abilities, and turn to
298
. If you are defeated (or reach the end
of your twentieth combat round), then the wind demon has outrun you. Restore your
health
and return to
630
if you wish to tackle the challenge again.

816

Congratulations! You have created the following item:

If you wish to create a different spell book, you can start the process again (turn to
850
). Otherwise, you may now leave the chamber and continue your journey. Turn
to
866
.

817

You scramble back up the rocks, to take in the view of the canyon below. While the mist obscures much of the landscape, you can still make out the course of the rivers and
deltas cutting through the forest. You carefully add these details to the scholar’s map. Make a note of the key word
south view
on your hero sheet. You may now return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.

818

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

If you are
hexed
then you have gained an extra reward, turn to
679
. Otherwise, return to the quest
map
to continue your journey.

819

The moment you open the cage door the winged creature is upon you, cawing and screeching as it seeks to rip you apart with its teeth and talons. You must fight:

Special abilities