Legion of Shadow (45 page)

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat Shara Khana, turn to
162
.

387

You step down from the carriage, wincing as the cold wind and rain lashes against your face. Lady Roe seems unperturbed by the stormy elements. She throws back her head,
spinning round on the spot with glee.

‘Oh, how I love a good storm,’ she gasps, lifting her hands to catch the rainwater. ‘My dear papa couldn’t have asked for better weather.’

She starts towards a pair of black-wood doors at the base of one of the towers.

You follow her but are brought up short by the coach driver, who blocks your way. His grizzled features look almost bestial in the flickering storm-light, his long black beard dripping with
water.

‘Yer can’t go thata way,’ he says, his rancid breath forcing you to recoil. ‘Yer can see Lady Roe later. At the meal.’ He stabs a finger in the opposite direction,
towards a smaller door set underneath an arch. Outside of it are several barrels and boxes, with piles of rotting leftovers heaped inside. A scraggly dog is currently sniffing at the contents.
‘It’s the servant’s entrance for you,’ grins the coach driver.

For a moment, you wonder if a mistake has been made. You turn back, but Lady Roe has already entered the castle – the oaken doors banging closed behind her.

‘Come on, move it,’ he growls. ‘Yer wanna catch yer death out here?’

The driver pushes you towards the other door. You reluctantly oblige, wrinkling your nose as you pass the rotted food. Surely, Lady Roe never meant for you to take the servant’s entrance,
did she? You open the door and step inside. Turn to
396
.

388

You find yourself back in the rift, facing a pathway of stone that winds down the side of the crevice. Following it, you soon find yourself outside another cave opening. Turn to
426
.

389

You hack and slash your way through the creature’s many heads. At last, after an exhausting battle, the beast finally lies dead, its immense body slowly sinking into the
mire. You may now take one of the following rewards:

You also find the decayed bodies of several other unfortunate travellers, lying in the bog. From their remains, you are able to loot 30 gold crowns. Return to the quest
map
to
continue your adventure.

390

The moment you apply pressure to the wall panel, it swings outwards revealing a small, candlelit landing. There are two sets of stairs here – one set leads up to a door of
banded black iron and the other spirals downwards, past cobwebs and flickering torches.

391

‘Good luck,’ says Bart. ‘This time you’re going to need it.’

As you walk out into the arena, you are met by a roar of applause and cheers. The stadium is full to bursting point, and to your relief, most of the crowd are chanting your name, waving their
blue-coloured tickets in the air.

‘Welcome one and all, to the first of our semi-final match-ups,’ announces the wizard, zipping around the stadium on his flying carpet. ‘In the red corner today, we are
honoured to have the self-proclaimed king of the frozen tundra – King Louis the Sixteenth!’

Two enormous white fists shake and rattle the portcullis. There is the sound of grating, squeaking metal, then, to your surprise and alarm, you see the portcullis ripped free of the wall. You
dodge aside as it goes careening past you in a ball of twisted metal. With a roar, a giant white ape bounds out of the tunnel. Rising up onto its hind legs, the creature beats its broad chest, its
savage snarls revealing a mouth filled with inch-long teeth.

‘Well that’s a grand entrance and no mistake,’ laughs the wizard, his carpet lurching rapidly to a safe distance.

The white ape drops back onto all fours, and then charges towards you, the ground shaking and trembling underfoot. This will certainly be a fight to remember:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat this powerful opponent, turn to
359
.

392

The two guards charge towards you, their gleaming swords held high above their heads. Eldias intercepts them, his own swords cutting a skilful dance through the air. One of the
guards goes down in seconds, his armour dropping empty to the ground as his body is turned to ash. Ducking beneath the remaining guard’s swing, Eldias kicks him backwards. Then, sheathing one
of his blades, he summons yellow fire into the palm of his hand.

‘I judge you,’ he shouts, his voice suddenly taking on a frightening intensity. ‘And I find you guilty!’ He hurls the fire at the guard. It hits him squarely in the
chest, lifting him off his feet and slamming him against the far wall. The guard crumples to the ground, his body turning to dust.

With a snarl, the count spins on his heel and makes a run for it, his black cloak billowing out behind him. You are about to pursue when a scream echoes around the chamber. It came from the far
end of the hall, where the last survivors are defending themselves from a mob of vampires. You can see Spink and the blacksmith with their backs to a pillar. The scream must have come from one of
the vampires, as you spot an explosion of black ash billowing across the room.

‘They need help,’ scowls Eldias. ‘There are too many of them.’

He draws a pistol and starts running towards the crowd of vampires. ‘Go after the count,’ he shouts back. ‘I’ll handle these. Go!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, you hurry after the escaping count. Turn to
450
.

393

The tunnel ends abruptly in a large, rough-hewn chamber. Knotted roots hang down from the ceiling, glowing with a bright yellow light. Beneath them, chewing at the ends of the
roots is the largest beetle you have ever seen.

The moment you enter the cave, the insect stops feeding and turns to face you. Between a pair of stag-like antlers, its enormous mandibles click back and forth, dripping with glowing tree
sap.

‘That’s it!’ gasps Shay in horror. ‘That is what has been feeding on all the trees. It has been absorbing their magic . . . growing bigger and stronger, while the trees
wither away.’

You realise that the roots hanging above you must belong to Woad – the only tree left standing in the withered glade. To save Woad you will have to defeat this monstrous bug.

The creature’s wing cases snap open, revealing pale, translucent wings. As they hum into life, the giant beetle flies towards you, its razor-sharp antlers looking to run you through. You
push Shay to safety, then prepare to take on this mighty mutated insect:

Special abilities