Legion of Shadow (28 page)

245

‘Rumours eh?’ The barman spits into his cloth, then proceeds to rub the counter with it. ‘Well, latest news I ’eard is that a giant is causing problems
along the eastern pass. Cut off the only trade route to Kimsbrook. Yer can imagine some of the locals ain’t happy with that.’ He nods towards the elderly farmers seated at the bar.
‘Unless the locals can get their produce to market, not much to be made.’ He shakes his head. ‘Tough times, I think yer’ll agree.’

246

You retrace your steps through the caves and tunnels, stopping to retrieve the body of the priest’s son. Using a blanket from your pack, you carefully wrap the body and
then lift it onto your shoulders. The water-logged mud squelches underfoot as you trudge back to the well shaft. After clambering into the bucket, you tug firmly on the rope several times. A moment
later, it begins to rise, taking you back up the shaft towards the circle of daylight above. Turn to
2
.

247

The ruffian lies dead at your feet. You reach down and cut the man’s purse from his belt. Inside you find 15 gold crowns. You many also take:

248

Your footfalls echo as you pass along the wide tunnel, the glow of the torchlight illuminating more puddles of the white acidic goo. As the tunnel begins to angle downwards,
taking you deeper into the earth, you begin to make out a slimy, squelching sound coming from the darkness to your right. You swing round – your torch revealing a narrower side-tunnel heading
south.

249

‘My name is Fetch,’ says the man, bowing his head to you in greeting. ‘My master, a man of some influence in the affairs of Tithebury, is seeking an item of
significant worth.’ He raises a pale hand and gestures towards the dark church on the hill. ‘Do you know the legend of this place? The reason the locals will no longer set foot on the
hill?’ You clear your throat, intending to answer, but the man carries on regardless. ‘It’s the black book. The Grimoire of Naraghost.’ The man’s voice trembles
slightly at the mention of the name. Turn to
290
.

250

You have chosen the path of the rogue. You may permanently raise your
health
by 5 (to 35). Make a note of this change on your hero sheet.

After an hour of sparring with Avian, you are relieved when he finally lowers his sword and steps away. ‘Impressive,’ he says, nodding his head. ‘You are fast and agile.
Perhaps there is something special in you after all. Come,’ he starts towards a pair of double doors at the end of the room. ‘You must be famished after your journey. I think a little
banquet is in order, to welcome you to your new home.’ Turn to
172
.

251

You pull the mattress away from the window, allowing fresh air and sunlight to spill into the dark, stuffy room. As the shadows recede, the true extent of your squalid
surroundings are revealed. Every inch of floor space is covered in rat droppings and refuse. Rotted food and bones lie next to mouldy rags and splintered, broken furniture. How the ruffians could
have lived in such conditions you have no idea. Eager to now depart, you speedily rummage through the debris for any items of interest. You may now take any/all of the following:

Return to the
map
to continue your journey.

252

You toss and turn in your sleep, tormented by dreams of darkness and shadow. Each one is the same – you are running from a nameless terror that hunts you across a plain of
featureless black sand. You never see what it is, but you feel it, constantly at your back.

You trip and fall, your arm throbbing painfully. With trembling fingers, you pull back your sleeve to reveal the mark. It is burning as if newly branded, giving off a sulphurous smoke that
forces you to turn away, choking. Then you see it – your hunter – a hooded giant with demon-like wings. Its features are indistinct, but you can see its eyes . . . a pair of bright
crimson orbs that smoulder with an ancient evil.

‘You will obey me,’ booms a deep, thunderous voice.

In a flash, you find yourself awake, sitting up in bed with your eyes wide open. ‘Obey me,’ booms the voice once again. Your legs slide off the bed, your body twitching and jerking
into a standing position. Like a macabre puppet, you begin to move across the room, your actions no longer your own. Furiously, you try and wake from this peculiar nightmare, but you can only
watch, like a trapped prisoner inside your own body, as you are forced to descend the stairs into Avian’s castle. Turn to
224
.

253

Moonlight streams through the arched, glass windows, illuminating the wooden pews that line the nave. You move slowly down the aisle, your eyes flitting from one deep shadow to
the next.

You are almost at the pulpit when a gargling, guttural cry forces you to turn. Bounding along the tops of the pews is a ragged, bony creature with a hairy, wolf-like face. It springs towards you
at unnatural speed, using its spindly arms and legs to propel itself forward. As the creature leaps down into the aisle-way, its sharp claws throw up sparks as they rake against the stone. With no
chance of evading this fast foe, you must fight:

Special abilities

If you defeat this fearsome opponent, turn to
264
.

254

The tunnel broadens out into a small cavern. You examine the rough-hewn walls but find no other side passages. In the middle of the cavern there is a bowl-shaped dip and, at its
centre, a pool of dark water. Walking over, you see that the pool is in fact a flooded tunnel, heading deeper into the earth. You try to see what may be down there, but the water is murky and
dark.

255

You push open the door of the cottage, to find Beatrice sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath. She is clutching at her throat with both hands, her once rosy-cheeks now a
deathly shade of white.

‘Oh what have I done?’ cries Martha. ‘This is terrible. We have to help her!’

You start towards the flailing woman, but draw back when you see the body start to shake and convulse.

‘We’re too late!’ gasps Martha, backing up towards the door. ‘It’s the witch’s magic. It’ll do to her what it did to those turnips!’

All of a sudden, Beatrice Fletcher begins to expand, growing outwards like a giant balloon. Gnarly roots burst from the ends of her fingers and toes, followed by a flurry of green shoots growing
out of her mouth and ears, to slowly form a tangle of leaves.

‘She’s . . . she’s turning into a . . . no, it just can’t be!’ Martha is staring at the growing monster in horror. ‘She’s becoming a turnip!’

As you continue to watch, the old woman grows bigger and bigger, her root-like legs and arms shrinking into her bulging, round body. Seconds later and there is nothing that remains of Beatrice
Fletcher . . . only an enormous turnip resting on the floor of her living room.

You walk over and warily prod the turnip with your foot, fearing it might be another of those strange creatures that attacked you in Martha’s garden. But this turnip appears ordinary. Turn
to
38
.

256

You have chosen the path of the mage. You may permanently raise your
health
by 10 (to 40). Make a note of this change on your hero sheet.

After an hour of sparring with Avian, you are relieved when he finally lowers his sword and backs away. ‘Impressive,’ he says, nodding his head. ‘A practitioner of the magic
arts, I see. You remind me of myself at your age. Perhaps there’s something special in you after all. Come,’ he starts towards a pair of double doors at the end of the room. ‘You
must be famished after your journey. I think a little banquet is in order, to welcome you to your new home.’ Turn to
172
.

257

‘There have been some changes in these parts of late,’ says the man. ‘You could say that it has created some opportunities for those with the . . . right
ambitions.’ He cackles to himself – a dry, heartless sound that makes you shiver. ‘My name is Fetch. A collector, nothing more; someone fascinated in the relics of a bygone
age.’ He turns and points to the church, its angular features silhouetted against the full moon. ‘There is something there that I desire. Something that I desire greatly.’ Turn to
290
.

258

You slice open the maggot’s belly, moving quickly out of the way as a wave of gooey acid pours out of the squirming body. After a final, trembling spasm, the wurm lies
still, its acid steaming and sizzling in the sudden silence. As you retrieve your torch, you notice several objects resting in the puddles of acid. The maggot obviously found the objects and ate
them, but miraculously its acid has not harmed them . . . too much.

You may take one of the following items before the fumes of the acid force you to retreat:

You return to the main passage and continue deeper into the tunnel network. Turn to
232
.

259

You have a bad hand of cards and immediately lose the round. The gambler takes all the money, chuckling to himself. ‘Another game?’ he asks eagerly. If you would
like to play again turn to
54
, if you decide to leave the table turn to
11
.

260

The goblin chief slumps to the ground dead. On seeing their leader defeated, the other goblins, both wounded from the fight, turn and flee into the woods. Manni turns and offers
you a nod of approval. ‘You handle yourself well. It was an honour to fight by your side.’