Legion of Shadow (89 page)

726

You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

All around you, dust continues to choke your vision as Redguard and his men battle the remaining knights. Turn to
734
.

727

You search the body of the two-headed giant. In a pouch around its waist is a bag containing 50 gold crowns. You may also help yourself to one of the following rewards:

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
.

728

Beyond the smoking bodies of the giants, the steep-sided walls of the valley rise up to either side. Within its lengthening shadows you see a floating palanquin of bone,
hovering several feet off the stony earth. Standing atop the grisly platform is a hooded man, his grey robes edged with gold.

Black lightning flares from his outstretched fingers, sizzling into the mages that dart and soar overhead. Expertly he fends off their attacks, both shielding himself from their fireballs and
picking them off one by one. Their blackened bodies and frayed carpets crash to the ground around his floating palanquin. A dark laughter echoes within the valley.

‘It’s Zul,’ scowls Ravenwing, raising his shield. ‘We must be cautious.’

‘We have bigger problems,’ adds Redguard.

Two flesh golems are lumbering towards you, previously hidden by an overhang of rock.

‘We’ll take these,’ says Ravenwing, nodding towards Redguard. ‘You two, take out the mage’.

You glance over at Mathis. The inquisitor gives you an answering glare, full of distrust and unanswered questions. ‘So be it,’ he says grimly. The two of you advance, while Ravenwing
and Redguard block off the advancing golems. Turn to
552
.

729

With the shadowstalker defeated, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

When you have made your decision and updated your hero sheet, turn to
636
.

730

The giants may be powerful, but they are slow. You dart past their clumsy attacks, slicing and cutting through their animated bones. At last, the four mighty warriors lie dead
at your feet, the dark magic that once held their bones together, now shattered and routed.

Amongst the remains you find 40 gold crowns and one of the following rewards:

As you look back towards the statue, you see that it has started to glow, surrounding itself with a pale radiance. Lansbury is still deep in concentration, her lips soundlessly
forming words as she moves her hands through the air. You assume she is getting closer to fixing the statue’s magic.

In the meantime, you have more pressing problems to deal with. The ground shakes beneath your feet as the biggest bone monster you have ever seen stomps into view. Turn to
650
.

731

Despite your victory, the ride back to Redguard’s camp is a solemn affair, your thoughts turning to what you might find on your return. As you near, you see a black pall
hanging in the sky. At first you assume it is wyverns, still harassing the beleaguered garrison – then you realise it is smoke, curling up into the sky from a pyre outside the camp’s
walls. Riding past, you see wyvern bodies heaped high amongst the crackling flames and more being added to it as a line of sullen-looking soldiers file out of the camp, dragging or carrying the
undead remains.

You dismount, with Lansbury at your side, and enter the camp. There are wyvern corpses everywhere, littering the ground like a grisly carpet. Lansbury rolls up her sleeves and makes straight for
the infirmary tent, barking orders to a nearby guardsman who hurries after her.

Redguard approaches from the tower, his armour caked in dust and blood; thankfully, not his own. ‘We saw the flashes and the explosions,’ he says, still able to smile despite the
carnage around him. ‘You did well. We have struck a significant blow to Zul’s army. I doubt he will try and raid our garrison again – although, I fear his attention will now turn
to Talanost and Ravenwing’s camp.’

You spot Nyms and Caeleb carrying a wyvern body towards the pyre. The cocky swordsman looks uncommonly morose. He glances up at you and nods as they pass by.

‘We took heavy losses,’ sighs Redguard, acknowledging the mood of the camp. ‘But every last one of my soldiers accounted well for themselves. I fear more will be asked of them
before the end.’ He pats you on the shoulder. ‘Now, get some rest. I’m sure we will be receiving fresh orders soon.’ You follow his gaze to Inquisitor Mathis, who is seated
on a boulder at the foot of one of the walls, silently gazing at the ash and blood on his gloved hands.

If you are a warrior and Laine survived the battle, turn to
707
. Otherwise, return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.

732

You open your eyes and give a start when you see a woman’s face close to your own. She jerks backwards, covering her mouth in shock. ‘This one’s alive!’
she shrieks, getting to her feet.

You push yourself up, your head still groggy and your limbs aching. All around you, there is scorched earth and the charred remains of skeletons and ghouls. As more of your surroundings come
into focus, you see the woman now talking with a group of soldiers.

‘There’s one still alive,’ she says, pointing to you.

The soldiers belong to Ravenwing’s militia. On seeing you they draw their swords and start to advance. You glance down at your exposed shadow mark, pulsing with a faint purple light.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll finish ’im off,’ mutters one of the guards.

You stumble to your feet, your hands raised in surrender. ‘No wait, I am with Captain Redguard . . .’

‘Yeah, likely story,’ says their leader; a grizzled veteran with a face full of scars.

‘Gentlemen, please.’

You turn to see Nyms stepping over the smoking bodies of the undead, his swords now sheathed at his sides. ‘This one is with us.’

The guards look to him and then back at you, their scowls remaining. ‘Then he’s your responsibility,’ spits the leader. ‘I’ll have nothing to do with it.’

Nyms grabs your sleeve and tugs it down, covering the mark. He offers you a thin smile. ‘I guess they’re not quite ready to trust one of your kind, yet.’

You turn, looking out across the scene of devastation. Broken skeletal bodies litter the plain as far as the eye can see. ‘We won?’ you ask weakly, rubbing your aching head.

Nyms gives a hesitant nod. ‘There were losses, but yes – once Zul was defeated the army kind of fell apart. Quite literally.’

‘And the others?’ you ask, scanning the nearby pockets of soldiers.

‘Lansbury and Caeleb are fine – Redguard too,’ says Nyms. ‘You may want to give Mathis a wide berth though.’

You glance over at Nyms, your expression urging him to say more.

The swordsman sighs. ‘He knows what you are now. He saw your shadow mark . . . when you . . . you died you know.’ He shifts his feet nervously. ‘There was all this glowing
black stuff – magic. It was all Redguard could do to stop Mathis wading in and . . . Well, you’re OK now. Quite a gift you have there. Coming back from the dead.’

‘Or a curse perhaps,’ you add darkly, rubbing your sleeve.

‘Come, on friend.’ Nyms pats you on the back, smiling to lighten the mood. ‘I hear the celebrations are already in full swing – that was quite a victory we won. I wonder
if the bards will sing of it one day? Always wanted to be in a song. The great Nyms and his dancing blades!’

You laugh, but there is little feeling behind it. Your eyes keep wandering to the soldiers. Their nervous glances speak volumes to you. Clearly they are not ready to trust a shadow born, despite
everything that you have done to fight for their cause. In silence, you accompany Nyms to the defenders’ camp. Return to the quest
map
.

733

You find a purse containing 50 gold crowns. You may also choose one of the following rewards:

You step over the remains of the shadowy assassin and head back into the fray. Turn to
747
.

734

Half-blinded by the dust, you almost trample over one of the downed knights. As you wheel round, you see his armour rattling together as it reforms itself around his ghostly
body. Slowly, the knight stumbles back to his feet, his dropped weapons lifting up off the ground to settle in the palms of his hands.

‘They’re healing,’ cries Nyms, riding past you in a flurry of ash. ‘Follow me!’

You gallop after the swordsman, who is headed out of the cloud of dust, towards a nearby hilltop. There, a row of black-robed necromancers have their hands raised, black magic curling around
their fingers.

‘They’re the ones we need to kill,’ orders Nyms, his twin blades glowing brilliantly in the grey gloom. ‘They’re using their magic on the knights – keeping
them alive.’

Several of the necromancers break from the others, pulling wands from their belts and aiming them in your direction. Black fire blazes through the air – streaking into the ground and
sending chunks of earth spraying across your vision.

You dodge and weave around the blasts, finally hurling yourself from your saddle to land on the nearest mage. Punching and kicking, you both tumble in a tangled mass down the hillside. You end
up on top, pinning the mage’s wand to the ground. With your other hand you take up a rock and bring it down . . . ending the dark mage’s life. Nearby, you hear the rattle of armour as
several of the knights topple lifelessly to the ground.

You regain your feet as another mage charges towards you, a wand raised to blast you to smithereens. This one is female, with long raven-black hair spilling out from her pointed cowl: