### 52

The bolt strikes the pool and the inflammable liquid ignites with a deafening whoomph that knocks you flat on your back. For a few seconds the chamber is aglow with a blinding white light; then the glare fades to reveal the octopoid writhing on the floor, close to the blazing pool’s edge, its loathsome body being consumed by a hungry mass of guttering yellow flames.

Covering your mouth with your cloak, you skirt around the burning carcass and approach the archway through the thick smoke. The sheet of blue-green metal that once blocked this exit is no longer there; it has moved aside to reveal a dark tunnel leading away from the chamber. Eager to leave this smoke-filled hall and continue your search for your captive friend without further delay, you hurry through the archway into the darkness beyond.

Turn to 200.