Legion of Shadow (81 page)

‘You will have a second, nothing more,’ states the mage in a cold, impassionate voice. ‘I suggest you move quickly.’ He throws back a hand, gesturing to the shield. You
look up, to see a small hairline crack appearing along its length.

Without hesitation, you race forward, stopping inches from the shield as it slowly parts before you.

‘Good luck, friend.’ You see Ravenwing mirrored in the shield, his hand raised to his forehead in salute. Then the gap widens and you find yourself looking out on a scene of
devastation. Smoke hangs heavy over the blackened shells of the city’s buildings. The streets that stretch ahead of you are little more than smoking rubble, the once idyllic avenues and
promenades torn up and shattered.

‘How could they do this?’ you gasp, your mouth falling open.

‘Move it! Hurry!’

The mage’s words bring you back to your senses. Quickly, you step through the narrowing gap, just seconds before the two sides of the shield snap back together again behind you. When you
turn, you are faced by a perfect wall of shimmering green magic, arching up to form a dome, high above the city.

You put out your hand and touch its surface. The magic ripples slightly at your touch, but feels as hard and impenetrable as stone. A prison, you realise grimly, and now you have become its
latest inmate. Turn to
632

676

You offer to challenge Caeleb, much to the surprise of his companion, Nyms. The tall swordsman moves away, looking disgruntled that this fight will not be his own. Instead, all
attention turns to the warrior armed with sword and shield.

‘I should warn you,’ says Caeleb, as you both circle each other. ‘I was once one of the king’s cavaliers.’

You shrug, implying that the title means nothing to you. Drawing your weapons, you maintain eye contact with the burly warrior, who is hunkering down behind his shield, his sword arm held back
and to his side.

‘You haven’t heard of the cavaliers!’ heckles Nyms from the sidelines. There are amused sniggers from the crowd. ‘Sounds like you better knock some brains into this one,
Caeleb.’

You take your attention away from the warrior for a second – and suddenly you feel an almighty blow to the stomach. The crowd cheer as you are brought to the ground in a cloud of dust.
Caeleb laughs to himself as he shakes his shield at you.

‘They’re not only for defence, you know,’ he grins. ‘Now, get up and concentrate. I want to see what you can do.’

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat Caeleb, turn to
691
. If you lose the combat, then you promise Caeleb you will return when you have had more practice. Turn to
553
.

677

For defeating the knight, you may now take one of the following rewards:

When you have made your choice, turn to
710
.

678

The first of the slavering ghouls reaches the top of the hill. You charge towards it, knowing full well that this could be your last battle. Then, all of a sudden, there is a
blinding white flash. You lose your footing, temporarily dazed by the light. When sight returns, you see white bolts of light streaking through the air above you. As you twist round, to follow
their path, you see that they are ripping into the ranks of undead, sending their bodies flying in all directions.

‘Now that is more like it!’

You look back to see Lansbury punching the air in triumph. Next to her, the immense statue is pivoting around on its stone pedestal. From its eyes, white bolts of light are arcing out across the
wasteland, striking the advancing undead and blasting them to smithereens.

For a moment you are too stunned to react, then you give a whoop of joy. Jumping to your feet, you race to the edge of the hill, watching as the white bolts continue to streak across the bone
fields, decimating the giants, tearing the wyverns to shreds and blowing large holes into the ranks of skeletons. Within seconds, the army that had once threatened to overwhelm you, is now little
more than a smoking ruin.

‘How . . . what?’ You turn back to Lansbury, your mouth making a failed attempt at words.

She pats the side of the statue, which has now ceased its erratic motions. ‘I told you it was a weapon,’ she says, beaming with joy. ‘Any undead that comes near it . . .
boom!’

As your attention shifts back to the wasteland, you see a few surviving necromancers making a run for cover. ‘They will be back,’ you sigh, heavily.

Lansbury shakes her head. ‘I doubt it. This angel will guard the hill and destroy anything that comes within reach. Even if the necromancers try and deactivate it, they will find a few
little surprises of my own.’ She gives you a mischievous wink. ‘Come on, I expect Redguard and Mathis will want to know what just happened.’ Turn to
715
.

679

Holding your breath, you tilt back your head and deposit the squirming maggots into your mouth. Trying to ignore the slimy sea-salt taste, you swallow them as quickly as you
can. As the last one slides down your throat, you quickly reach for your canteen of water from your backpack, swilling out your mouth and spitting the foul taste away.

Then you feel a sharp stabbing pain in your stomach. You drop the canteen, falling to your knees as another wave of agony forces you to gag. Suddenly, there is a rush of stinging hot pain as
something shoots up through your chest, forcing its way into the back of your throat. Your eyes bulge as you begin to choke, gasping for air. Then, suddenly you feel the pressure in your throat
ease as your mouth is filled with something wet and slimy.

Bending over, you watch in horrified revulsion as the lamprey worm drops out of your mouth onto the muddy soil. The creature is writhing from side-to-side, its sides blistered and raw. Then it
finally lies still.

You snatch up your canteen and take a long drink of water, your hands shaking from the ordeal. At last, you feel your stomach settling back to normal. You look down at the worm with a smile of
triumph. The merman’s cure worked – you are now free of Raolin’s deadly leech.

If you have the Dour king’s crown, turn to
685
. If you lost the crown, then with no reason or desire to return to Raolin’s camp, you head back out into the
swamp. Return to the quest
map
to continue your journey.

680

‘When you fought those undead, that was an impressive display of magic’ says Lansbury, smiling with admiration. ‘I could really use an extra pair of hands
around here – ones that know the healing arts.’

If you wish, you may now accept the following item:

(talisman)

+1 armou

Ability: medic career

‘I can’t promise to teach you all that I know,’ states Lansbury. ‘But you look a quick study, and even the basics will be enough to help make a
difference.’

The medic has the following abilities:

Mend (mo)
: You can cast this spell any time in combat to automatically heal yourself or an ally for 15
health.
This ability can only be used once per combat.

Tourniquet (mo)
: This spell can be cast at any time to remove any
bleed, venom
and/or
disease
effects that you or an ally have been inflicted with. This
ability can only be used once per combat.

As soon as the
lady of the lamp
talisman is unequipped or you learn a new career, you lose the abilities associated with the medic career.

Once you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
597
to ask Lansbury another question or
553
to leave the tent.

681

You draw your weapons and head off the wyvern, as it dives towards Janna. The ranger thanks you, scurrying away to find a safer vantage point to rain arrows on the remaining
wyverns.

Dodging past the creature’s clawing talons, you press home your attack: