Legion of Shadow (95 page)

If you win a combat round against the horrors, you can choose to direct your damage against the horrors or the locusts. Once the horrors have been killed, the locusts will
immediately swarm away to find an easier opponent.

If you win the combat, you must continue this quest with the
health
and
armour
that you have remaining. Turn to
602
.

765

In a cloud of feathers and tattered black cloth, the undead beast is finally brought down. Amongst its rotting remains you find 50 gold crowns and one of the following
rewards:

Return to the quest
map
to continue your journey.

766

The shadow gate. You had always imagined it to be some kind of door or a magical archway, similar to the portals that you have used to travel the lands of Valeron. But what you
see before you, filling the immense chamber, is something entirely alien.

It is a machine – a vast misshapen mass of cogs and wheels, all moving and spinning in a frenzied dance. Plumes of whistling steam belch out into the chamber, forming a dense haze through
which more pulleys and wheels can be seen, clattering and humming with life.

In the middle of this chaotic contraption is a set of rods, hanging suspended from an arched frame. Lightning crackles from their tips, converging at the centre of a raised podium where a black
shape hangs suspended in the air. It looks like a rip or a tear in the very fabric of space . . . a black gash, beyond which you can see a vast, infinite void.

A gateway to another world.

You make your way along a gantry that spans the enormous machine. To either side of you, the air hums with the motion of the cogs and wheels. As you near the central podium, something catches
your eye, drawing your attention to a higher scaffold. There, a man in white plate armour is clambering up onto a narrow walkway, his feathered cloak hanging in scorched tatters from his back.

‘Avian!’ you call.

The man whirls round, his hands raised to summon a spell. When he sees you he hesitates, his eyes narrowing. ‘Nevarin,’ he growls hoarsely. ‘Don’t try and stop
me!’

‘Wait! It’s me – your apprentice!’ you implore, lowering your weapons. ‘I come with word from Jenlar.’

Avian turns his back on you and starts limping towards a wall of spinning cogs. ‘I must remove the Nexus,’ he wheezes. ‘I’ve come too far now . . .’ In the middle
of the complex jigsaw you see one large, stone wheel, its surface covered in glowing runes.

‘The Nexus!’ you gasp. ‘Avian, no!’

The mage summons white flames into the palms of his hands. ‘I must finish this!’ he declares fiercely. ‘Before I am too weak.’

‘It’s a trap! The Nexus is trapped!’

You leap over the side of the gantry, landing on one of the spinning cogwheels. Leaping from cog to cog, you try and make for Avian’s position, but you stumble, mistiming your step from
one rotating island to the next. Unable to regain your balance, you tumble backwards. For several heart-stopping moments you are in freefall, then you slam down onto another cog, the breath knocked
from your body. High above you, Avian draws back his arms to fling his magic against the Nexus. Turn to
609
.

767

‘I need to find Captain Redguard,’ you explain weakly. ‘I must find him, it’s important.’

The swordsman looks back to the others. ‘I told you he was a spy.’

‘Enough!’ the woman comes forward, pushing past the swordsman to stand in front of you. She drives her staff down into the ash-covered dirt at your feet. ‘Tell me all. Why do
you seek Redguard?’

‘Jenlar Cornelius gave me a message – a warning.’ You squint up at her in the grey light. ‘I am not your enemy.’

The woman appears to recognise the name Cornelius. She lifts her staff and prods your arm. ‘This is a shadow mark. Why would you not be our enemy?’

With a sigh, you explain your story – from the moment you awoke in the knight’s camp to the fight with the shadowstalker and Jenlar’s last words. When you have finished there
is a heavy silence. Nyms, the swordsman, finally whistles through his teeth.

‘Well that was an impressive story,’ he admits. Something has changed in his expression, you notice. You sense there is a newfound respect there – and perhaps even fear.

‘Help them up,’ orders the woman. ‘We’re taking this one with us.’ Turn to
669
.

768

A horde of skeletons spill out of the west passage. (Remember which rod you placed here, as it will help you with this battle.) Most are armed with crude spears and rusty swords
but a few have more impressive-looking weapons and shields. Behind them, you can see a group of black-robed necromancers. Their hands crackle with dark magic, as they raise up more skeletons from
the ground, to bolster their ranks.

Special abilities

At the beginning of each combat round, choose the opponent that you wish to fight, rolling against their attack speed. If you win the combat, you must direct your damage
against your chosen opponent (unless you have an ability that can strike more than one opponent, such as
ignite
). If you lose the combat, both opponents get to strike against you. If it is a
draw, the round ends as normal.

If you manage to defeat the horde, turn to
775
. If you are defeated, turn to
723
.

769

‘Enough talk!’ You run at the monster, looking to drive your weapons into its saggy grey flesh. However, the moment you begin your charge, the mark on your arm
flares angrily, sending hot pain lancing through your body. You stagger, almost falling to the ground as you grit your teeth against the waves of agony.

Sharroth’s mouth curls into a garish smile. ‘Have you learnt nothing, Nevarin. Your people are slaves to the legion – you surrendered so that you could join us . . . so that
you could become immortal and save yourselves from death. That mark is a reminder of your weakness, your enslavement.’

The magical bonds that surround Avian suddenly fade and disappear, dropping the mage to the sandy ground. He looks weak and exhausted, his face twisted with pain.

‘I will show you what you are capable of,’ hisses Sharroth.

The mark flares again, jolting your body into motion. With slow, faltering steps, you advance on Avian, your weapons raised. Despite your efforts to stop yourself, you find that you can no
longer control your own body – Sharroth is directing your actions as if you were a puppet.

‘No!’ you cry out. ‘Stop this! Stop!’

Avian looks up at you, his eyes widening as he realises what is happening.

‘Kill him!’ orders Sharroth. ‘Kill him, slave!’

As you go to strike the mage, Avian raises his hand and sends a bolt of white light into your arm. It hits the glowing snakes, forcing them to hiss and sizzle. Fresh pain wracks your body,
driving you to the ground.

‘No!’

The cry comes from Sharroth who is rocking back and forth in rage. When you open your eyes, you see your mark is now surrounded by a halo of white light. A coolness slowly washes over you,
taking away the pain.

‘That will . . . protect you,’ gasps Avian, the effort clearly having taken most of his remaining strength. ‘The charm of submission will no longer work.’

You rise up off the ground, realising that your movements – your actions – are now your own again. Turn to
779
.

770

The ground shakes as the giant bone monster crashes to the ground, its enchanted bones scattering across the snow. You find 50 gold crowns and one of the following rewards:

The fight is far from over. You look up see a pack of snarling ghouls racing towards the foot of the hill. In the air, wheeling in circles above them, is a flock of bone
wyverns. They screech and holler, their piercing cries making your blood run cold. Then your eyes catch another dust cloud, moving in from the east. You count seven bone giants marching across the
wasteland, leading a fresh horde of reinforcements.

You realise that you cannot hope to defend the hill from such an immense army. Raising your weapons, you take a deep breath, preparing yourself for what is to come. You can only hope that your
valiant last stand will buy Lansbury the precious seconds she needs to complete the ritual. Turn to
678
.

771

To your surprise, Laine urges his horse onwards. He shows no signs of slowing down or changing course – he is charging straight for the ghouls. With no other option, you
fall in behind him, wondering how any of you will survive the fast-approaching wall of death.