Legion of Shadow
Page 35
‘When I kill you,’ hisses the stranger, ‘I will enjoy absorbing every last shred of your pitiful existence.’ His body blazes with dark energy as he speeds towards you, his swords moving impossibly fast:
Special abilities
Lightning reflexes: You cannot use sidestep, evade or vanish in this combat.
Poison: Once you have taken health damage from Budak, at the end of each combat round, you must automatically lose 2 health.
If you defeat Budak, turn to 740. If you are defeated, turn to 732.
602
The remaining swarm wheels away to attack another area of the camp. You hurry onwards, relieved to see that the magic shield is now intact once again. Nevertheless, the camp is still being overrun by the elements of the legion that made it through.
Explosions are ringing out to either side of you as the defending mages let loose barrage after barrage at the legion. You catch up with Ravenwing, who is barking orders to his men as a wave of black-clothed assassins charge through the camp, swords glowing with shadowy magic.
‘Stalkers!’ shouts Ravenwing. ‘Fight them with a mage!’ He catches sight of you and, for a moment, a grim smile plays across his lips. ‘They heal.’
Then the forces clash, swords and magic forming a whirlwind of ringing steel and flaring energy. Ravenwing dispatches one of the stalkers, its body turning into wisps of purple light. A second later and the shadowy energy ignites in a ball of bright flame. A red-robed mage runs past you, his hands flickering with fiery light. ‘Don’t let them heal!’ he cries. ‘Destroy their energy. Focus, mages!’
You are drawn to the left flank where some of Redguard’s men are fighting a small band of shadowstalkers. Nearby, one of the assassins has a hand raised to the air, his long fingers covered in black markings. He is attempting to absorb the energy from one of his defeated comrades to heal his wounds. Turn to 741.
603
You make your way through the jumble of stones and metal, at times having to squeeze through small gaps or lower yourself carefully down high walls of stone. At last, exhausted from your trek through this crude passageway, you come to another blast hole, leading through into a large square room.
Unlike the other chambers, that have all been cold stone and statues, this one is cluttered with furniture and objects. As you look around, you see that most of the items are salvaged junk that has been turned to other uses. A huge ship’s wheel is now resting on its side, covered with planks of wood to form a table. Elsewhere, a mast and several tattered tapestries have been shown together to form a canvas-style awning, stretched over a pallet bed. Next to it, a giant oyster shell has been cleaned and used as a chest for clothing. The rest of the room is littered with mounds of junk, from old boots to barnacle-encrusted anchors.
A metallic clink forces you to turn. In the corner of the room, an old man with a long, green beard, is glaring at you intently from beneath his bushy brows. In his hands, which you notice are webbed like a frog’s, he holds a rusty-looking trident.
‘What yer want here?’ he growls, stepping towards you warily. ‘I ain’t meaning you no harm, but don’t wants you thinking this old merman is an easy push over.’
Will you:
Explain your mission and ask for help? — 626
Draw your weapons and attack? — 596
604
You slide an arm underneath the man’s shoulder, helping him to his feet. He gives a cry of pain, his hands moving to his side where blood soaks through his blue robes. When he catches your worried expression, he gives a ragged gasp. ‘I saw this end for me. The assassin’s blade was coated with poison. It is just a matter of time now . . .’
You start to ask a question but the man waves you to silence, his concentration focused on the stone archway. Muttering under his breath, the old man makes a series of motions with his fingers. There is an answering glow from the runes that have now appeared in the white stone. The old man nods with satisfaction, before making another series of gestures. You can see that each one brings pain to the wounded man, but he is clearly determined to finish his ritual.
Finally, he slumps into your arms exhausted, as a sparkling golden light appears beneath the archway, spreading out to form a glowing doorway. ‘It is done,’ he gasps. ‘You must go through the portal. It will take you to the bone fields outside of Talanost. There you will find Captain Redguard.’ He takes a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. ‘I have seen it all – the fall of Avian Dale, the march of the legion, the destruction . . . I have seen a most dark future. But it can be changed. Yes, now it makes sense . . . you are the one who has been chosen . . .’ He breaks off into a fit of coughing.
You lower him gently to the steps of the dais. ‘What must I do?’ you ask intently.
The man closes his eyes and when next he speaks, his voice is little more than a whisper. You lean in close, hanging on his every word. Turn to 566.
605
Nyms and Caeleb set a gruelling pace, sprinting at full pelt across the hills and valleys. You do your best to keep up, your eyes focused intently on the ground. The bones and rocks are proving treacherous, threatening at any second to twist an ankle or trap a leg.
Then your attention shifts to the sky, as it is lit up by another flare of yellow light. Nyms immediately changes course, swerving to the right.
‘Over here!’ he shouts back.
You follow him down into a steep-sided gorge. In the walls to either side, you can see doorways cut into the grey earth. Some are blocked by tablets of stone, others are open, revealing nothing but impenetrable darkness.
Up ahead, you see a woman racing towards you. From the green tabard she is wearing over her shirt of chain mail, you assume this must be Redguard’s ranger. She has a short bow clutched in one hand, with a quarrel of arrows bouncing at her hip.
‘Janna!’ shouts Nyms, waving to her. ‘Are you all right?’
The ranger is out of breath when she reaches you, her skin and hair caked in grey dust. ‘I saw them . . . I saw them,’ she gasps.
From above, there is a deafening shriek. Looking up, you see four monstrous creatures sweeping down from the sky. They look like giant birds, save that they have no skin or feathers – their bodies are simply bone and sinew.
‘Bone wyverns,’ growls Caeleb, drawing his sword and raising his shield.
‘Yeah, and they’re not our only problem,’ adds Nyms, his own swords leaping into his hands.
Each of the bone wyverns is carrying something in their claws. As they pass above you, they let go of their packages. The four of you scatter, as the ‘things’ thump to the ground. For a moment, they look like piles of bones. Then suddenly they start to animate – the bones sliding and cracking into place to form giant, humanoid creatures with bony claws and horned skulls.
‘Bone constructs!’ yells Nyms.
‘Heads up!’ orders Janna, nocking an arrow to her bow. Her eyes are following the path of the wyverns, who are already sweeping back to join the attack. Turn to 612.
606
If you have a borehole charge in your backpack then now might be the time to use it. You can choose to plant it on the statue, the throne or one of the walls of the chamber. Make a note of which option you have chosen before going to grab the crown. Turn to 614. If you don’t have a borehole charge then you will have to grab the crown and run. Turn to 554.
607
As you enter the tent, your eyes become fixed on the floating map of the bone fields. Everything on it has been picked out in the minutest detail, from the hills and valleys to the sprawling city of Talanost to the south.
Redguard is observing the map with a furrowed brow. ‘Things could go ill for us, if what you say is true,’ he grumbles.
You walk around the map, following the line of a road that leads through the bone fields to the walls of the city. There, arranged in a loose circle, is an army encampment. You can even see the banners atop the tents, fluttering in an unseen wind.
‘That is Ravenwing’s camp,�
�� explains Redguard. ‘The last of the city defenders are holed up there with the mages. They’re trying to hold out until the king’s army arrives from the east. It could be four days or more before that force comes within sight of the walls – until then, we’re on our own.’
You lean closer over the map, noticing a faint dome of light glittering above the ruined city. ‘What is that?’ you ask, puzzled. ‘It looks like some kind of shield.’
‘It is,’ nods Redguard. ‘The mages in the camp have created it. It’s a barrier that keeps the legion trapped and contained within the city. I don’t know how much longer they can hold it though.’
As your eyes trace the rest of the map, they come to rest on two statues, standing atop jagged hills of rock. A closer inspection reveals that they are angels, with flowing robes and swan-like wings. ‘The angels must awaken,’ you mutter to yourself.
Redguard looks up. ‘What was that?’
‘Something Jenlar told me before he died. He said the angels must awaken. What do you think that means?’
The captain cups his chin, looking perplexed. ‘They’re just statues I thought; some kind of marker left over from the war. Not investigated them myself, but I’ll see what Lansbury knows. She always has her nose in a book.’
Will you:
Ask about Zul Ator? — 737
Leave and explore the rest of the camp? — 553
608
The passageway opens out into a square chamber. The air is stale and heavy with the reek of damp earth. Within moments, Janna has lit a set of torches, resting in sconces on the walls. As the chamber fills with a warm, golden glow, your eyes come to rest on the large stone tomb at its centre. Etched onto its lid is the figure of a helmed knight, with sword and shield resting on his chest.
‘What a wonderful plan,’ growls Nyms, who is pacing up and down like a caged lion. ‘Now, we’re trapped. There is no way out of here.’
Janna gives him a narrowed look. ‘Sorry, I missed the part where you were full of ideas, Nyms.’
‘Guys! Guys! Come here.’
It is Caeleb, who has stopped to study a mural, which covers the entire length of one of the walls. It is a masterpiece of artwork, depicting a battalion of mounted knights, charging across a battlefield in wedge-shaped formation. Facing them is a chaotic-looking mass of shadowy creatures, more teeth and claw than anything else.
‘The Legion of Shadow,’ gasps Janna, observing the grisly detail.
‘Who are the knights?’ asks Nyms, his brow furrowed.
‘The Tor Knights,’ states Caeleb, his voice filled with wonder. ‘They fought in the last battle against the shadow. That’s Arthurian, the king’s son.’ He points to the armoured knight, leading the charge. ‘They were slain in that battle, to the very last man. They gave their lives to hold off the legion, buying time for his father’s reinforcements to arrive.’
‘Is this a Tor Knight, then?’ you ask, glancing back to the tomb.
Caeleb nods reverently. ‘Arthurian and the knights were all buried here, in the bone fields.’
‘Enough of the guided tour,’ interjects Nyms. ‘We’ve got company.’
Back down the tunnel, you can see the ghouls clawing and tearing at the wall of thorns. It won’t be long before they are through and into the tomb. Turn to 630.
609
Suddenly, from out of the portal, four tentacles of dark light streak outwards, wrapping themselves around Avian and yanking him back off his feet. The mage snarls with rage as he struggles to free himself, but the tentacles have his arms pinned to his sides, his magic sparking uselessly in the palms of his hands.
Then, in another dizzying blur of motion, the tentacles draw back into the portal, taking Avian with them.
‘No!’
Frantically, you climb back up through the innards of the machine, your way quickly becoming an infuriating maze of pipes and steam. At last you reach the gantry and pull yourself up onto the bridge. Sprinting to the podium, you falter as you approach the black floating scar. This, you realise, is the shadow gate – the portal that will take you back to your home-world . . .
‘Home . . .’ You clench your teeth and step into the portal. For a moment you are blinded by a white light. Then, all of a sudden, you feel yourself being dragged forward, your stomach left somewhere far behind. Turn to 638.
610
The vaulted chamber is waist-deep in water, which spills from cracks in the walls and ceiling. Opposite you is a doorway leading through into a flooded passageway. To your right, a ladder of woven kelp hangs down from a rock shelf jutting out of the wall.
Will you:
Enter the flooded passageway? — 619
Climb the kelp ladder? — 556
611
‘Your swords are an extension of your thoughts,’ explains Nyms, his twin blades blurring into ribbons of grey as he dances about the circle. ‘Once you understand that, your physical movements will flow from form to form.’ He pivots and spirals, performing a deadly whirlwind of strikes and cuts – his weapons moving with a life and energy of their own.
You try your best to follow his example, finding that meditative state where you and the swords are one, acting in perfect unison.
The swordmaster has the following abilities:
Swift strikes (pa): (requires a sword in the main and left hand) For eachthat you roll for your attack speed, you can inflict damage to any opponent, equal to the speed of your fastest weapon (either main or left hand). This ability ignores armour.
Ambidextrous (pa): You can equip main-hand swords in your left hand, and vice versa.
Once you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 553 to leave the training yard and return to the camp.
612
Nyms and Caeleb charge into the monstrous bone constructs, agilely dodging their raking claws. However, they are outnumbered two to one; you wonder how long they will be able to fend off the creatures’ savage attacks.
Meanwhile, Janna is firing arrow after arrow into the flock of wyverns. As each arrow takes flight, they burst into magical flames – slamming into the wyverns and sending them reeling back through the air. Yet, despite the ranger’s best efforts, one of the wyverns has peeled away from the group and is swooping in to attack.
Will you:
Help Nyms and Caeleb? — 772
Help defend Janna? — 681
613
Quest: Battle of the bone fields
‘Orders have come through,’ announces a soldier as he races into the barracks. You recognise him as Tulcas, one of the more promising young warriors under Redguard’s charge. ‘Assemble outside the tower – five minutes!’
This is the news you have been waiting for. For the last two days, the mood in the camp has been tense. With no word from Ravenwing, there has been little to keep you and the rest of the garrison occupied. Instead, your thoughts have been increasingly turning to Jenlar and the warning he gave you about Avian Dale.
Avian is in grave danger. He thinks he can close the gate. But he can’t . . .
Every night, you have stood at the edge of the camp and listened to the thunderous barrage of the legion’s spells, as they break against the magical barrier that keeps them imprisoned. If that barrier should fall . . . would Avian finally make his bid to enter the city and destroy the gate?
‘Hey, wake up!’
You snap out of your reverie to see Nyms grinning at you – his rakish smile has been a rare sight these last few days. ‘What’re you waiting for, Ravenwing to come in person and deliver his orders with fireworks and a troupe of minstrels?’
You slip off the bed and begin strapping on your belt and weapons ‘What’s the orders, do you know?’
Nyms shrugs. ‘I suspect, my good friend, we’re going to war.’ Turn to 647.
614
You step through the runes and grab the crown. As you do so, there is a rumbling sound from behind you. Turning, you watch as a black stone slab drops down across the exit, sealing you in.
If you planted the charge on the giant statue, turn to 652. If you planted it on the throne, turn to 658. If you chose to plant it on one of the walls, turn to 643.
615
The flesh golem lumbers forward, its hulking mass almost filling the chamber. Janna looses arrow after arrow at its sinuous hide, but the golden bursts of magic appear to only enrage it further. The golem sweeps its clawed hands through the air, one of which hits Caeleb, launching him across the room. He slams into the far wall, where he slumps to the ground, stunned.
With Nyms busy fending off the ghouls, you realise it is now up to you and Janna to defeat this fearsome undead monster:
Special abilities
Distraction: Janna is firing a barrage of arrows into the creature. If you lose a combat round to the golem, roll a die. On a roll oforthe golem doesn’t roll for damage, having been forced back by Janna’s magical arrows. Instead, the combat round ends.
If you manage to overcome this deadly adversary, turn to 759.
616
The beast stares at you dumbly, its slow-brain struggling to register that most of its vital organs are spilling out onto the cold, stone floor. Then, with a baby-like whimper, the monstrous zombie topples backwards, smashing the stone slab to smithereens as it crashes to the ground.