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Obeying an unproven instinct, Jack draws the Sooty Scimitar and flourishes it at the Fire Elemental.

He captured the strange, black-bladed weapon in Red Ghurka territory far below on the Plateau and has not used it since. The appearance of the blade would suggest an affinity with fire, but whether that will be helpful or not, he is unsure. He is about to find out – the Elemental launches a glowing Ray of Flame at him that would singe the whiskers off a Fire Dragon!

Jack raises the Sooty Scimitar to block the ray, and the weapon proves its virtue, soaking up the heat with ease. Jack is perplexed; the weapon seems to simply absorb the heat and nothing more. No matter, the Elemental launches another ray, and again the Sooty Scimitar absorbs it. Jack notes with dawning excitement that the Elemental appears to be diminishing …

He throws the Dancing Dagger to provoke the Elemental again and is rewarded with another heat ray. Now the Elemental has shrunk to quite manageable size! Jack leaps to the Green Pipe to engage it directly and plunges the Sooty Scimitar into the strangely spongey flesh of the Elemental. The scimitar drinks in the last of the Elemental’s heat, spelling its demise.

Still perplexed but pleased, Jack stores the odd weapon away, wondering if he might make use of its stored heat someday …

Add the following to Jack’s Journal: I have absorbed a Fire Elemental with the Sooty Scimitar. I wonder if I can use the stored fire magic in some way?

Turn to 79.