### 272

You descend the stone ramp and tread carefully through the shallow slime that covers the floor of this lair. As you stalk towards Shom’zaa’s hiding place, you recall Lord Rimoah’s words of warning: you must not be too close to the creature when the Sun-crystal touches his body, or you will risk being consumed when the crystal’s energy is released.

The memory of his wise words makes you pause in mid-step and reconsider your actions. You have not taken your eyes away from the stalagmite since you stepped off the stone ramp, yet you sense that something is wrong. You look again, and suddenly the glimpse that you can see of Shom’zaa’s head begins to fade. Your throat tightens when you realize that you have been stalking an illusion. As you turn to go back to the ramp, you are suddenly struck in the back by a terrific force.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 24.

If it is 5–9, turn to 91.