Legion of Shadow (27 page)

237

You are at a stalemate. To proceed further with the game you must put more money on the table. Decide how much gold you will add – and the gambler automatically adds the
same amount. You must bet at least one extra gold crown. (If you have no more money, then you have lost and lose all your gold. Turn to
11
.) Then roll a die. If the result is
or less turn to
259
, if the result is
or more turn to
67
.

238

While one of the men winds up the bucket, the white-robed man walks over to your side. ‘You will need a light, my friend,’ he says. ‘Edward, some wood
please.’

One of the villagers, a boy of around thirteen, runs over and places a length of wood in the man’s outstretched hand. Holding it aloft, the priest utters a short prayer. Suddenly, the end
of the wood ignites, becoming a blazing torch. He eyes it with a smile of satisfaction.

You swing yourself over the side of the well and clamber into the water bucket. The priest hands you the torch, then slowly you are lowered inch-by-inch into the cold, murky darkness. Make a
note of the word
torch
on your hero sheet, then turn to
202
.

239

You are almost to the other side when your foot catches on one of the strands, causing it to wobble back and forth. You think nothing of it, until you hear the skittering sound
coming from above. Almost too late, you spin round – to catch the two giant spiders swinging towards you on strands of webbing. One hits you squarely in the chest, its venomous mandibles
sinking into your shoulder. You drop your torch with a cry of pain, its flame instantly igniting the flammable webbing.

‘The web! The web!’ hisses one of the spiders. ‘Kill it! Kill it!’ As the silken strands go up in smoke, the spiders leap at you, seeking to trap you in their deadly
webbing.

Special abilities

If you defeat the spiders, turn to
179
.

240

Alert for danger, you step warily around the camp fire and are amazed and horrified by what you see. A giant grey wolf watches you from the edge of the light, its amber eyes
reflecting the dancing flames. You notice an oily black liquid dripping from its fangs – the same liquid you saw in the bottle.

With a bestial snarl, the wolf launches itself at you. You have no choice but to fight this ferocious creature:

If you defeat the wolf, turn to
64
.

241

Your sword slices through the last of the turnips, sending a spray of white fleshy pulp showering across the vegetable patch. The creature topples to the ground, its strange
spindly legs kicking in the air for a few seconds, before finally becoming still. You drop to your knees exhausted. In every direction, chunks of turnip lie across the ground, each one giving off a
strange, vinegary smell.

A child’s cry alerts you to the fact that you are no longer alone. Spinning round, you see two young children watching you from the edge of the garden, mouths agape. A third has run back
to the shack. Raised voices follow, then a young woman emerges from the building, striding angrily onto the hillside. A screeching baby is held under each arm – both carried along like a sack
of potatoes.

‘Henry, if you’re playing games again, I swear I’ll . . .’ Martha sees you and stops dead in her tracks. Her eyes scan the scene of turnip devastation.

‘What . . . what have you done?’ she gasps. ‘My turnips!’

242

Manni moves with startling speed, dispatching one of the goblins with a well-aimed swing of his axe. Two of the smaller goblins break away and attack him, leaving you to face
the goblin chief alone. With a snarl, this larger goblin charges towards you, his meat cleaver raised high above his head:

If you defeat the goblin chief, turn to
260
.

243

Back at the tower, the wizard rummages through the wreckage of his front room and produces three items. ‘Thank you again,’ he says. ‘Please, choose one of
these magical artefacts as a reward for your bravery.’

You may choose one of the following:

Thanking the wizard, you leave the tower and resume your journey. (Return to the
map
to begin a new quest.)

244

The moment you touch the stone there is a bright flash of light, followed by a dizzying sensation of movement. When the light fades, you find yourself on a narrow rock bridge,
spanning a cloud-filled gorge. Warily, you advance along it, trying to ignore the vertiginous drop to either side.

You halt when you see a man approaching you from the opposite direction. All but his eyes are hidden behind swathes of blue cloth, that swirl and dance in the wind.

‘You trespass in the halls of ancient kings,’ booms a deep voice, from somewhere above you. ‘Many have come here. All have failed. Fight my champions and prove your
worth.’

The man shows no signs of stopping. In a blur of motion, he draws two steel blades from his belt and leaps into combat:

Special abilities

If you are defeated, you find yourself back on the hilltop, turn to
153
. If you defeat Talos, his body turns to dust. All that is left is a stone rune
with the mark of a crescent moon on it. If you take the
Rune of Talos
, make a note of it on your hero sheet. There is a sudden flash of light and you find yourself back on the hilltop. Turn
to
153
.