Legion of Shadow (74 page)

‘And let me guess – those things are what attacked you,’ states Lansbury, pointing to the south. There are gasps of alarm from the assembled crowd as all eyes come to rest on
the black swarming clouds that are drifting towards the camp.

‘What are they?’ asks Mathis squinting.

‘Bone wyverns,’ says Witchfinder Gull, speaking in a high scratchy voice. ‘There are a hundred of them. Maybe more. And they are all headed straight for your camp.’ Turn
to
639
.

619

The passage turns sharply to the left, before ending in a row of wide stairs. They lead up, out of the water, into a vast stone chamber. Braziers along the walls flicker with
magical blue fire, which cast an eerie sheen against the cold black walls. At the centre of the triangular room, there is a circle of glowing runes hovering several inches from the ground. In the
middle of this circle you can see a stone pedestal and resting on top of it is a magnificent crown of black obsidian. There is no doubting that this must be the real crown of kings; the crown that
you have come all this way for.

However, your eyes are drawn from the crown to the huge ten-metre high statue of the Dour king, seated on a throne of black stone. The blue light from the braziers makes the scowling face look
even more malign and evil.

You have a sneaking suspicion that the moment you break the circle of runes to get the crown, some form of trap will be triggered. And looking up at the immense statue of the king you have some
inkling as to what it will be.

620

As the packmaster falls, you notice that the remaining ghouls appear to lose their bestial vigour. It takes only a few moments for Nyms and yourself to pick off the stragglers,
one by one.

With the last of the ghouls defeated, you walk over and search the packmaster’s body. You find 50 gold crowns and may help yourself to one of the following rewards:

When you return to the chamber, you see that Caeleb and Janna have skilfully downed the flesh golem. However, your problems are far from over. Turn to
654
.

621

Together, you race between the fingers of rock, which form a winding pathway up the side of the snow-drenched hill. Several times you lose your footing and fall, slipping in the
wet snow, but the baying horn in the distance drives you quickly back to your feet.

At the top of the hill, Lansbury points to the sack you are carrying. For several seconds she is too out of breath to speak. ‘Rods . . . get the rods. Quick!’

You drop the sack to the ground and pull out the three metallic rods. Each one has a different set of gems embedded along its length. ‘OK, what do they do?’ you ask hurriedly.

‘Each rod has a different power,’ explains Lansbury. ‘Look, if they attack they can only reach us by these three pathways.’ Her hand points to the winding formations of
stone, that lead up to the summit. ‘Place a rod at the mouth of each of these pathways,’ she says. ‘They will help you fend off any attacks.’

‘What about you?’ you ask, glancing up at the huge statue.

‘I’m going to have to work out how to fix this,’ she says, sounding less sure of herself than before. ‘Otherwise, we could be done for.’

The baying horn has got louder. In the distance you can now see plumes of ash as a huge force advances across the wasteland. You spot several bone giants leading the way, their mismatched armour
glinting in the pale light. Around them, a pack of ghouls are scampering through the dust, with men armed with whips driving them forwards.

‘We can’t hope to win this,’ you gasp.

Turning, you see that Lansbury has already started some spell or incantation, as her arms are outstretched and her concentration is focused solely on the angel. It looks like it is now up to you
to defend the hill from the advancing horde. Turn to
704
.

622

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
.

623

Sahna escorts you to the edge of the camp. ‘You saved us,’ she says, her eyes flicking back towards Raolin’s tent. ‘At last, we can all bid farewell to
this forsaken swamp.’ She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a purse of gold. ‘Here, take this. You deserve it.’ (Inside the purse is 100 gold crowns.) You thank Sahna for her
generosity.

‘Good luck with your adventures,’ she smiles. ‘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.

624

Darkness falls suddenly, the grey sky blotted out by the dense clouds of bone wyvern. There are hundreds of them, more than you had possibly imagined – all shrieking and
cawing as their featherless wings drive them through the air towards Redguard’s camp. A few have peeled off, diving down towards you – twenty or thirty wyverns, screeching to each
other, as if already celebrating a quick kill.

But Janna has her bow drawn, firing a volley of magic arrows into their ranks. The leading wyverns drop from the sky, their bodies blazing – but there are countless others to take their
place. Beside you, Witchfinder Gull pivots in his saddle, bringing two flint-lock pistols to bear on the nearest wyverns. There is the flash of gunshot as his glowing bullets tear through bone and
sinew, bringing down more of the beasts.

As you gallop onwards, you hear explosions behind you and a fierce heat at your back. Glancing over your shoulder, you see the young mage firing bolts of flame into the remaining wyverns. Their
charred, scorched bodies form a smoking trail behind you.

You turn back in the saddle, focusing on what is ahead. With relief, you see the hill and the statue of the angel coming into view.

‘We’re going to make it,’ you hear Lansbury cry. ‘Look, there it is.’

But then you catch something moving at the foot of the hill; the ground itself is rising and falling like waves on the ocean. Light catches on bone and claw, and then you realise what it is you
are seeing. Ghouls. Hundreds of them, scampering across the grey wasteland. There is no way past them and they are charging at full speed towards you. Turn to
771
.

625

While Nyms and Janna battle the necromancer, you and Caeleb take on the undead knight. Its grey-and-black armour is thick and plated, making it difficult to penetrate.

‘I must obey!’ snarls a voice from deep within the helm. ‘My new master commands me.’

As you and Caeleb continue to press the attack, you can’t help but marvel at the knight’s speed and agility. The undead creature dodges and deflects your blows with ease, seemingly
unencumbered by the heavy shell of armour that it is wearing:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat this heavily-armoured foe, turn to
617
.

626

The old man lowers his trident and offers you a toothless grin. ‘The crown of kings, eh? You do realise it’s guarded by the biggest stone giant I ever saw. Ah well,
wish you luck with that one. Perhaps I could fix you up a last supper, before you head off to your foolish and somewhat untimely demise.’ He tosses his trident onto the nearest pile of junk,
then wanders over to a small stove.

‘My name is Steverwellida Blartvaarti.’ He pauses and glances over his shoulder. ‘That’s my mer name. My friends just call me Steve. Sea Shanty Steve.’ He clicks
his fingers and a small blue flame appears beneath the stove. ‘You like fish? I have plenty of fish.’ The old man clambers over a mound of junk to reach the silver-scaled fish dangling
from a rope line. ‘You won’t find better silverbacks anywhere else this time of year; I’d bet all five feet of me ridiculous beard on it.’

627

You hack and blast your way through the tide of shadow spawn, quickly reaching the ring of soldiers that have surrounded the giant creature. Despite their best efforts, the
soldiers’ swords and spears are proving no match for the beast’s scaled hide.

‘Move aside!’ you order, barrelling past the soldiers. With your magical weapons raised, you dodge the snap of the beast’s whip and hurl yourself against its scaled might: