Legion of Shadow (34 page)

‘I hope this was worth it,’ you muse, as you place the plant, complete with its long trailing roots, into your pack. Hoisting the bundle back onto your shoulders, you gaze down at
the cold, wet murk of the swamp, and release a heavy sigh. It will be a long and tiring journey back to the wreekin village.

Suddenly, you are jolted out of your thoughts as the ground shakes violently from side to side. Unable to keep your balance, you fall backwards into the swamp, surfacing just in time to see the
hilly mound that you were standing on, rise up into the air. Beneath it, sand and water drain in rivulets across a huge face chiselled into stone; a face that is alive and contorted with rage.

As the water swells and froths around you, two enormous shoulders and then two vast limbs tear themselves free of the swamp. Frantically, you grab onto the nearest branch and cling on for dear
life, while boulder-sized rocks and giant clots of earth rain down from the sky.

When you finally dare to open your eyes again, you gasp in fear and disbelief at what you see. A gargantuan monster towers above you, its black eyes gleaming beneath a jutting, forehead of
stone. Your instincts are screaming at you to run, but snagged by weeds and buffeted by churning swamp water, you realise that your chances of escaping are slim. Resigned to your fate, you draw
your weapons and valiantly prepare to defend yourself against this colossal foe. Turn to
486
.

305

Quest: The withered glade

You make your way through the deep undergrowth of Mistwood, clambering over the thick roots and logs that litter the forest floor. Above you, giant trees, gnarled and withered
with age, stretch their branches across the sky – blotting out the sunlight and plunging your surroundings into a perpetual, murky twilight.

As you head further westwards, you find yourself wading into a green-tinged fog. The air has become thick and stifling, carrying with it the odour of rot and decay. Within moments, you have lost
all trace of the path that you were following. Instead, the ground underfoot has become wet and boggy, sucking at your feet as you struggle onwards through the swirling mist.

Soon, you are wandering out into a wide open clearing, the bleak space punctuated with the rotted remains of dead trees. Most are little more than stumps, others lean sullenly over the blighted,
black earth as if begging the land to finally take them.

At the centre of the clearing, one tree still stands proud, seemingly unaffected by the blight that surrounds it. As you near, however, you realise that even this tree is fighting for its very
survival. Much of its lower bark is rotted and black, and many of its winding roots are now dried and shrivelled husks, belching a foul green smoke into the air.

You are about to turn and leave this sorrowful scene, when you hear a rumbling groan coming from within the tree. As you take a step back, you suddenly realise that the trunk is actually a
wizened old face – a knobbly stump gives the appearance of a nose, a shabby growth of lichen forms a drooping moustache, and above the tree’s deep set eyes rests a splintered crown of
wood.

‘Go! Leave this place,’ croaks the tree, its lichen moustache rustling up and down. ‘The land is lost. My brothers and sisters are gone . . . all gone!’

306

You rush to attack Baron Greylock, while Eldias moves to intercept the vampiress. The burly warrior gives a blood-thirsty roar, then charges towards you, sweeping his mighty
battleaxe through the air:

Special abilities

(Note: You cannot heal after this combat. You must continue this quest with the
health
that you have remaining. You may use potions and abilities to heal lost
health
while you are in combat.)

307

Knuckles, as it turns out, was a former fighter in the arena, but was forced to retire after a few too many knocks to the head. Nevertheless, he hasn’t forgotten
everything he learned out in the pit, so he offers to show you some of his best moves.

As a gladiator you have the following abilities:

Blood rage (mo)
: If you win two consecutive combat rounds and cause health damage in both rounds, you automatically go into a blood rage. This increases your
brawn
by 2 for the remainder of the combat.

Head butt (co)
: Use this ability to prevent your opponent from rolling for damage. This automatically ends the combat round. You can only use
head butt
once per
combat.

308

The blacksmith is relieved when he sees you running over to help. One of his adversaries turns and launches itself at you, its spindly body flying through the air. This time you
are ready for it, and dodge aside as the creature goes crashing into a table. The blacksmith quickly dispatches the other vampire, driving a stake into its heart.

‘Take them to the stables,’ shouts the blacksmith. He nods towards the family, who are standing by the wall, paralysed by their fear. ‘It’s through that archway and down
the hall. Hurry!’

You are about to insist that he comes with you, but then you see another group of vampires racing towards you. The blacksmith heads them off, raising his crucifix. ‘Go!’ he shouts.
‘I can handle these!’

As more screams echo throughout the hall, you hurry over to the panic-stricken family. The husband looks at you, his face drained of all colour. ‘Wha . . . what’s happening?’
he gasps.

You grab him by the shoulder and shake him. ‘Come on! We’re moving. All of you come on!’ You push the man and his wife towards the archway, their young children clinging to
their mother’s dress. You follow them into the passageway. Turn to
429
.

309

Lowering your weapons, you turn to face the silent crowd of children. They flinch away, eyeing you with a newfound fear and respect. Afty pushes to the front and, with a
humble-looking smile, holds out your money pouch.

‘He weren’t much cop anyway,’ he says, glancing down at the dead thief. ‘Probably did the boss a favour; she wanted to stick ’im in the back for a long
time.’

You take back your pouch and hook it back onto your belt (you may restore all your lost gold). As you turn to leave, the boy puts a hand out to stop you. ‘Hey, wait up,’ he says.
‘With Fargin gone, guess there’s a position vacant if yer want it. Could use an extra pair of hands, if yer know what I mean.’

If you are a rogue you can now learn the pickpocket career (turn to
369
). Otherwise, you politely decline the offer and leave (turn to
348
).

310

The dirt path takes you through cool, dark forest, eventually bringing you out into a sunlit clearing. A number of tents have been set up around its perimeter – one of
which houses a crude-looking laboratory. From inside, there is a series of bangs and flashes, followed by the acrid smell of ammonia and rotten eggs. A bald-headed man in white robes is hurrying
from one workbench to another, adding chemicals and ingredients to a row of brass bowls, balanced over small magical flames.

‘Bah, that’s not right at all!’ snaps the man, peering at one of his concoctions through thick glass spectacles. ‘Tanner, get me more bronze filings from the
crate.’

A short blond-haired girl in brown overalls leaps to attention, and hurries over to a set of crates, where she begins picking through a selection of packets. ‘Are you sure we have some
bronze left?’ she asks worriedly, almost disappearing inside one of the crates as she roots through the contents.

The bald scientist is about to answer when he sees you approaching. He squints at you through his spectacles, the thick glass magnifying his eyes to twice their normal size. ‘Good day,
I’m Totsvig Hellen. Can I help you?’ he asks, a little abruptly. ‘I am rather busy. Very important work.’

Leave the camp – return to the
map
.

311

The tinker turns the leather case to face you. To your surprise, you discover that the interior of the case is far bigger than its outward appearance suggests. Inside is a
veritable treasure trove of armour and equipment.

Rummaging through the selection, the following three items catch your eye. Each is available for 200 gold crowns.

Once you have made your purchases, you turn back to the tap room. Turn to
404
.

312

You awake on a pallet bed, your head thumping with pain. Beside you, the wind and rain lash against a window, rattling its shutters. Then lightning flashes, casting a ghoulish
glow over your austere surroundings.

You find yourself in a small room, furnished with a simple wooden desk and high-backed chair. Opposite you, next to the door, is another pallet bed. A young man lies face-down on top of it, his
clothes sodden with rain water.

You swing your legs off the bed and sit up, wincing as fresh pain shoots across your brow. It is then that you notice the contents of your backpack, scattered across the floor. Quickly, you take
a stock of your inventory. To your annoyance you discover that some of your equipment has been taken. (You must remove your main-hand and left-hand items from your hero sheet and make the necessary
adjustments to your attributes. Keep a note of these, as they may be returned to you at a later date.) Thankfully, you still have all your backpack items and your clothing.