Legion of Shadow (80 page)

Special achievement: If all four heroes – Gull, Laine, Janna and Klaret – are still alive, you may receive an extra reward. Turn to
735
.
Otherwise, turn to
731
.

665

There are cheers from the surviving fighters as the orb smashes into the ground, spraying gooey black slime in a wide radius.

‘Nice work,’ grins the mage, lowering his carpet to the ground. ‘We’ll make an airborne regular out of you yet.’

You hop off the carpet, thanking the mage for his help. Surveying the gooey wreckage, you notice a few salvageable rewards. You may now help yourself to one of the following items:

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Ravenwing and his soldiers have brought down the other monstrous creation. The remaining ranks of shadow spawn collapse into a full-scale rout,
outnumbered and outfought by the defenders. The pursuing soldiers make short work of the fleeing remnants and soon cries of victory are echoing around the camp. Turn to
757
.

666

Nyms and Caeleb have made short work of the bone constructs, while Janna has dispatched the wyverns using her magical arrows. However, there is little time for celebration.
Echoing from the valley walls comes a gibbering, chattering crescendo. As you regroup, you turn to see a horde of ghouls scampering around the corner, scattering ash and dust as they race towards
you. Behind them, almost matching their pace, is a man dressed in fur and leather. In one hand he holds a whip, which he cracks constantly, driving the bestial ghouls to greater feats of speed.

‘Ghouls and a packmaster,’ grins Nyms. ‘You must have really made ’em angry, Janna.’

‘We can’t fight them here,’ snaps Caeleb. ‘They’ll overrun us.’

‘In here!’ Janna starts sprinting towards a nearby doorway, cut into the side of the cliff wall. Raising her right hand, she calls up a golden flame, to light the way as she rushes
into the darkness.

You follow her into the earthen passageway. Once you are all inside, Janna turns and begins chanting a spell. The light in her hands turns to green fire, which she hurls at the tunnel entrance.
The moment the magic hits the ground, a wall of black thorns bursts up out of the soil.

‘That should hold them for a while,’ she says. Turn to
608
.

667

Sahna escorts you to the edge of the camp. ‘I fear Raolin will not give up his search. He will send more good people down there to find that rotten treasure. I can only
pray that fortune favours us – or else I fear the worst.

‘Good luck with your adventures,’ she says. ‘I have a feeling we will meet again, one day.’ The warrior salutes you, before turning and heading back into camp. Return to
the quest
map
to continue your journey.

668

‘The inquisition is a sacred order,’ explains Laine. ‘We are the king’s finest – carrying the sacred flame of truth and honour in our hearts. It is our mission to
root out evil in all its forms and to uphold the laws of the land. Our methods can be seen, by some, as,’ he licks his lips, choosing his words carefully, ‘direct. But we are dedicated
to the cause, as are our faithful spies and agents, the witchfinders.’

The inquisitor has the following abilities:

Cleansing light (pa)
: Automatically heals the hero for 2
health
at the end of each combat round.

Avenging spirit (co)
: When you take health damage from your opponent’s damage score, you can inflict damage back to them equal to your
armour.
This ability
ignores your opponent’s
armour.
(Note: you cannot use modifier abilities to increase this damage.) You can only perform
Avenging spirit
once per combat.

Once you have updated your hero sheet, return to the quest
map
to continue your adventures.

669

With your hands still tied, you follow your captors out of the ruins. The land beyond is an endless plain of grey ash, littered with bones. The sky above is almost the same
shade of grey – heavy and ominous. It is almost impossible to tell where one meets the other.

‘What is this place?’ you ask, as you trudge across the silent wasteland. To your left, there is the enormous skull of some ancient creature, grinning at you as if in mockery.

‘The bone fields,’ explains the plated warrior, who is carrying the sack of items from the ruins. ‘I guess you don’t remember anything, do you?’ When he looks back,
you see pity in his eyes. ‘Perhaps you better explain, Lansbury.’

The woman nods, dropping back to walk beside you. ‘This is where the last battle took place,’ she says. ‘When the shadow gate was closed, a thousand years ago, the last of the
legion faced the mages of Talanost here. There was an epic battle. The accounts say it lasted forty days and forty nights.’ She waves her staff across the grey expanse before you. ‘This
is what was left. The wreckage of a terrible war.

‘The legion was defeated,’ she continues. ‘Many heroes were made in that war. Most of them mages. They were the ones who proved instrumental in ending the legion’s reign
of terror. That is why the gate was dug up and moved to Talanost – where it could be kept safe beneath the university, under the watchful eyes of the Arcane Circle.’

Nyms gives a dismissive snort. ‘Yeah and that worked out just great, didn’t it.’ He gives you a sideways glance, scowling.

‘Ah, here we are,’ says Lansbury, breaking the tense silence. ‘Home, sweet home.’

You crane your neck over the next rise to see the grey ash turn to red, scorched sand. It drifts in lazy swirling clouds around a series of rocks, arranged to form a wall or barricade. Behind it
is a tall crumbling tower. Several parts of it have already broken loose – but instead of having toppled to the ground, the fragments hang suspended in mid-air, as if trapped in time and
space.

‘What is
that
?’ you ask in wonderment.

‘A relic left over from the war,’ explains Nyms. ‘Caeleb, you’re the engineering expert – tell him.’ You look to the plated warrior, who you assume he is
referring to. The older warrior nods.

‘The mages built a number of towers like this. They used their magics to pull the stone up out of the earth.’ He motions with a finger, tracing the line of a deep rift, cutting
across the ground. ‘Took a day to build, if the records are true. Fine craftsmanship too . . . for mages.’ He arches an eyebrow in Lansbury’s direction. The woman smiles at the
comment.

‘Come on,’ she says. ‘Let’s see what Redguard makes of our new visitor.’ Turn to
683
.

670

You bring up the small matter of the lamprey worm, which you can still feel wriggling around inside your stomach. The mage frowns impatiently, as if such matters are now beneath
him. ‘Oh, Sahna, take this vagabond from my tent now. I will not have my valuable time wasted.’

You start forward angrily, your fists clenched. After all that you have gone through, the least you expected was to be treated with some respect. Sahna intercepts you, grabbing your arm and
gripping it tightly. She leans in close to you, speaking between clenched teeth.

‘Don’t do it,’ she says. ‘Just come with me.’

You relax your muscles, glowering at the mage who has already turned his attention back to the crown. Sahna leads you out of the tent and across the camp. ‘It’s best you don’t
cross him,’ she explains quickly. ‘Raolin is a powerful mage with powerful friends. Trust me, you can’t afford to get on the wrong side of that one. Come on, in here.’ Turn
to
646
.

671

You meet up with the riders at the edge of the rubble-strewn gardens.

‘You’re alive!’ laughs Nyms, jumping down from his saddle. ‘Which life is it this time? I’m losing count now.’

You stop and take a deep breath of fresh, morning air. ‘I feel alive for the very first time, my friend.’

‘Your mark,’ he leans back in surprise. ‘What happened?’

You glance down, to see that the purple mark has grown bigger – stretching from the tips of the fingers to your chest and neck. Its purplish light seems to glow brighter than before,
thumping with newfound power. ‘I guess there’s no hiding what I am now,’ you smirk dryly.

‘What you are is what saved us,’ he grins. ‘Come, you’re to be the guest of honour at the king’s feast.’

We won then?’ you ask, arching an eyebrow.

‘All thanks to you,’ nods the swordsman, patting you on the back. ‘All thanks to you. Look.’

Above the jewelled spires of Talanost, a squadron of mages soar through the skies, their magic carpets trailing rainbow hues that sparkle in the sunlight. As they pass overhead, bright fireworks
burst from their raised staffs. The dazzling shards rain down across the liberated city, while in the distance the blare of horns sing of a triumphant victory.

Congratulations, hero! You have overcome the challenges set before you and have earned yourself the title
The Betrayer.
Thanks to your efforts and decisions,
you have helped save the kingdom of Valeron from the sinister Legion of Shadow! (Bonus: A special quest has now been unlocked! turn to
798
to join the resistance and help
rid Talanost of the last remaining shadow spawn.)

672

‘I’ve been stationed here for twenty years now,’ says Lansbury, with a hint of pride in her voice. ‘Yes, a long time – some would say too long. Oh,
I know this is a dead-end garrison, but for me this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The bone fields have barely been explored or studied in any great detail. Those plains are filled with
relics from that great war, not to mention magics that are now long forgotten.’

She glances down at her tabard, displaying the golden dragon on a field of green. ‘I have always been proud to serve the king at this outpost. Little did I know that another war is looming
here. If what you say is true,’ she looks up, her bright eyes catching the candlelight. ‘Then it was fate I came here. I will serve the king in whatever manner I am able.’

If you are a mage and wish to learn the medic career, turn to
680
. Otherwise, turn to
597
to ask another question or
553
to leave the
tent.

673

The air grows colder as you travel eastwards, until you find yourself huddling into your cloak, your breath steaming in front of you.

‘Why is it so cold?’ you ask, shivering.

‘A magic anomaly,’ explains Lansbury, seemingly unaffected by the freezing conditions. ‘In the war, a lot of magic was discharged over the bone fields. Some of it remains . . .
sort of like a magical echo. Winter’s Hill is just one such place.’

‘Winter’s Hill?’ you ask – then you see it for yourself as you pass over the next rise. The hill is a peaked mound of grey earth, surrounded by a winding maze of jagged
stones, similar in size and shape to those that surround Redguard’s camp. Thick snow coats most of the hilltop, including the statue of the angel. She towers high into the sky, her head
crowned with ice and her giant wings glistening with rime frost.

‘That’s . . . impossible,’ you gasp, rubbing your eyes as if to clear them of some illusion.

‘Magic makes all things possible,’ grins Lansbury.

Suddenly, you can hear a baying horn in the distance. Lansbury stiffens, her eyes scanning the northern horizon. ‘I think those wyverns were scouts. We’ve been found. Come on!’
She starts sprinting towards the hill. You follow, drawing your weapons. Turn to
621
.

674

As you approach the camp, you see Sahna standing at its edge, looking out over the waters of the lake. Sensing you, she turns quickly, drawing her sword. Then her eyes widen
when she recognises you.

‘You’re back! You made it back.’

She sheathes her blade and hurries over to you. ‘What happened? Did you find it?’ she asks hopefully.

You shake your head sadly, explaining what happened in the Dour king’s chamber. ‘Finding the crown will now be impossible,’ she says bitterly. ‘I dread how Raolin will
react to the news.’ The warrior glances down at your stomach. ‘I suppose we still have your little problem to sort out, don’t we? Come, let’s do this quick – I think
it best Raolin doesn’t know you made it back. You’ll just be another “deader” as far as he is concerned.’

You quietly follow Sahna into the camp, receiving some lingering stares from her men. But none dare to challenge you, moving aside quickly to let you pass. Turn to
646
.

675

Ravenwing secures two horses from the camp and soon you are both riding around the perimeter of the city walls. Every hundred metres a mage is positioned at the foot of the
shield, their arms outstretched, brow furrowed in concentration.

‘The majority of the legion are situated to the north,’ explains Ravenwing. ‘They see us as their only immediate threat.’ He reins in his horse next to one of the mages.
‘Entering here, they won’t see the breach – if they do, they’ll think it’s a glitch, nothing more. The wall here is ruins – easy for you to slip
inside.’

Together you dismount. Ravenwing walks over to the mage and gently places a hand on their arm. The mage jerks as if suddenly coming awake. For a moment, the shield in front of him wavers,
flickering like a dying flame. Ravenwing explains something to the mage who nods, glancing at you with interest.