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Even as Perilous Jack emerges from the Warp Portal into the next room, his intuition tells him he has come to a turning point.

His progress through the Castle has been relatively unimpeded; now he senses the real fight will begin. Indeed, true to his expectations, this room more than any other poses a serious threat to his skill and stamina.

He finds himself in a spacious chamber, hot as the intestines of Hell. The metal of the Red Pipe is hot to the touch, and suffocating waves of heat wash up from the floor. A glance over the edge of the Red Pipe is sufficient to learn why. The entire floor of the vast central chamber of the Castle is flooded with lava, in which numerous Fire Elementals sport and gambol, their bodies seemingly composed of glowing coal, heads streaming with fiery hair. Three Green Pipes emerge from the lava pool and two others emerge from the ceiling. Aside from a shelf of steel blocks projecting from one wall, the remaining architecture of the room consists of a few precariously narrow pillars of steel, suspended over the lava.

This must be the Hall of Lava!

A flock of demonic-looking winged creatures loiter around the entrance Red Pipe, evidently in expectation of an intruder. They are Fire Gargoyles, fearsome creatures of stone and fire with the ability to spit firebolts. A moment later it becomes evident why they stand guard; he hears the exclamation of a Lorikeet woman. The Fire Gargoyles are hampered by the nearness of the steel blocks hovering around the Red Pipe and are consequently unable to dive and strike with their solid bodies, or to aim their explosive fireballs. They clamber at him through the blocks, stone claws grating harshly against the steel.

Does Jack have the WhipTail Bow and WrackDance Arrows? If so, turn to 109.

Otherwise, turn to 160.