Legion of Shadow (54 page)

If you defeat the boggart, turn to
497
.

463

You follow the tunnel as it slopes downwards into the under-earth. Someone or something must still use this passage, as the walls are lined with torches – their magical
blue flames casting eerie shadows against the smooth stone walls.

Eventually, the tunnel opens out into a vast cavern, the size of which is truly breathtaking. The ceiling, if indeed there is one, is lost to sight in the smoky darkness high above you.
Similarly, the two nearest walls sweep away into the distance, with no sign of meeting an adjoining wall. Ahead of you, the ground is cracked and broken – revealing veins of molten lava that
crisscross this vast space with heat and flame.

And there, reclining on a mound of gold and jewels, is a huge black dragon. From its snout to the tip of its long, spiked tail, the creature is over a hundred metres long. Thick black smoke
spirals out of its nostrils and flames lick along its forked tongue, dangling from the side of its mouth.

This would be a mighty opponent to battle, but one that is likely to be far beyond your powers to defeat. If you do not wish to battle this foe yet, make a note of this entry number and return
here at any time during Act 2 when you feel up to the challenge. If you wish to fight the dragon, turn to
454
. Otherwise, you head back up the tunnel. Turn to
215
.

464

The countess’s deafening screams sap at your strength and willpower. This will be a tough fight – particularly as the count looks to be an accomplished fighter. His
rapier slices through the air in a dizzying whirlwind of cuts and thrusts:

Special abilities

In this combat you roll against the count’s
speed
. If you win the round, you may choose to strike against the countess or the count. If you reduce the
countess’s
health
to zero, then the painting is slashed to pieces and the
Wailing bride
ability no longer applies (your attributes are instantly restored back to their original
values). If you defeat the count first, then the painting immediately falls silent and no longer attacks.

If you defeat the count, turn to
487
. If you are defeated, turn to
424
.

465

At the centre of one of the ruined temples you discover a large, flat-topped stone. A number of intricate symbols have been carved into its surface. If you have
The
Compendium of Dwarven Lore
then turn to
456
. Otherwise, you cannot understand the complex markings. Finding little else of interest, you rejoin Shay and together you
head out of the cavern, taking the tunnel north. Turn to
393
.

466

The moment Bern puts a hand to the door, there is a deafening explosion of black light, sending him reeling through the air. The ranger slams into a rock, then crumples to the
ground, his body flinching and jerking as black magic crackles about his body.

Paralysed by shock, you watch as a dark shape begins to coalesce in the doorway. As the shape grows and solidifies, it quickly becomes a writhing mass of black tentacles, each one ending in
sharp, snapping teeth.

‘Shad . . . shadow magic,’ croaks Bern, his voice weak with pain. ‘Someone trapped the door . . .’

To your surprise, the tentacled horror glides past you, heading straight towards Bern – its black body growing larger by the second. As a creature of shadow, the beast has not attacked
you. However, in order to save Bern, you will have to fight it. Issuing a battle cry, you charge in with your weapons blazing:

Special abilities

If you defeat the shadow terror, turn to
513
.

467

You offer a healing potion to the wounded stranger, who takes it and gulps it down in one go. (Remove one healing potion from your backpack.) After wiping his mouth with the
back of his hand, the man gives a noisy belch of appreciation.

‘Why, thank you,’ he smiles. ‘Hopefully that’ll get to work on my injury.’ With a groan, he pushes himself up into a sitting position. Turn to
538
.

468

As you wade deeper into the marshland, the humming drone of the cicadas is joined by a woman’s wailing cry. Disorientated as you are, it takes several minutes for you to
pinpoint the direction of the sad, mournful noise. It is coming from an area to your right, where the thick fog swirls around a dark line of stunted trees.

469

When you push against the wall panel, you hear a loud click. It is followed, moments later, by a sharp stabbing pain in your hand. As you pull away, you quickly realise that the
secret door was trapped. In the palm of your hand is a single pinprick of blood.

Your legs give way beneath you. Then your body begins to shake and convulse. The last thing you see, before your vision fades, is the count standing over you.

What a shame,’ he sighs, sheathing his blade. ‘I hoped for so much more.’ His chilling laughter joins his wife’s tormented screams. You have been defeated. Turn to
424
.

470

You swim through the blast hole, to find yourself in a vast hall covered in stone pillars. Each one has a series of Dwarven faces carved into the rock, one above the other. As
you swim past, you notice that all the bearded faces are leering or scowling at you in some manner. It is almost as if they are expressing their silent anger at you for daring to enter this sacred
hall.

But you are not the only one to intrude here. Something large and ungainly is moving through the murky waters, heading straight in your direction. Its thick, rubbery skin is coated in barnacles,
which scrape noisily past the pillars, leaving flakes of stone swirling in their wake. Within seconds, the beast’s barnacled head is in full view. It has the appearance of a giant, bloated
fish with a black gaping chasm for a mouth.

However, it isn’t just the creature’s size you need to worry about. The beast has allowed a number of parasitic creatures to take residence on its body, boosting its natural
defences. From the poisonous horn-like anemones on its head, to the writhing tubular spines growing between its teeth, this beast is a living battleship. You ready yourself for combat, watching in
silent alarm as the leviathan reveals another of its deadly weapons – a shoal of razor-toothed snapper fish. They emerge from the beast’s mouth, streaking towards you like a volley of
silver arrows: