Legion of Shadow (59 page)

As you approach, a pair of sentries hurry towards you, armed with spears. Bern doesn’t slow. Instead he raises his hands and summons roots of thorny vines to trap the sentries in place.
‘That is the last of my magic,’ he says, his face looking pale and drawn. ‘I hope we don’t face much more resistance this day.’

Thankfully, the wreekin in the village are so intent on pushing and jostling each other to see into the mud hut, that they don’t even notice your arrival. As you make your way through the
crowd, there are a few warbling cries of alarm, but when Bern draws his glowing sword and raises it high into the air, the wreekin cower away, covering their eyes. Most of them appear to be simple
fishermen and hunters, unlike the fierce warriors that you fought in the swamp.

Unhindered, you follow Bern into the hut. The single large room is dominated by a large pallet bed and sprawled on top of it is a giant toad, its brown-green skin glistening with moisture. From
his size and appearance, you can only assume that this is the leader of the village – and he looks as though he is dying. From between his rubbery lips comes a moan of pain, as his bulging,
glassy eyes roll back and forth in a feverish delirium.

The wreekin in the headdress has already unwrapped his pack, revealing a glowing ivory horn. He now holds it over a bowl of steaming liquid, a knife held ready to begin cutting into it.

‘No! Wait!’ demands Bern, rushing forwards. He snatches the horn from the surprised wreekin’s grasp, and clutches it protectively to his chest. He speaks something in a
guttural language. The wreekin answers, stabbing a finger towards his dying leader. Their exchange continues for some minutes, before the wreekin finally appears to concede. Bern walks over to the
bowl, rolling up his sleeves.

‘They took the horn for its magical properties,’ he says to you. ‘Their leader has a fever. He could die unless he gets a cure. It looks to me like a rare strain of the marsh
fever. I can cure it, I think – but I will need your help.’ Turn to
523
.

502

The stones bob and tilt dangerously as you hop across them to reach the island. As you get closer, there are shrieks from the fire sprites, who stop their dance and turn to eye
you – their flaming bodies sparking angrily. Behind them, the giant gives a thunderous grunt of displeasure. The immense beast stands over three hundred metres tall – its conical head
of flames almost lost from sight amongst the clouds of smoke and steam. The heat from its body is like a raging furnace, drawing you to a halt at the edge of the island, as you feel it burning your
exposed skin.

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 giant, turn to
738
. Otherwise, you head back to the previous island. Turn to
439
.

503

You expertly swing yourself to the side, grabbing hold of stronger roots as the previous ones crumble to rotted dust. With a final burst of speed, you clamber up the tangle of
roots and pull yourself up onto the ledge.

The first thing that hits you is the stench – a sickly aroma of death and decay. All along the ledge, the dirt is littered with bones. In alarm, you notice that several look distinctly
human. As you proceed along the ledge, weaving between the thick gnarly roots, you spy a cave opening. Outside, there are more gnawed bones and the rotting carcasses of several animals.

504

‘I work for the Royal Botany Society,’ explains Totsvig, clearly looking delighted to be able to talk about his work. ‘I moved here with my team two weeks ago
to study the local flora and fauna.’

He lifts up one of his copper bowls, which contains tiny fragments of black rock. ‘A meteorite hit down here, just south of the forest,’ he says, poking at the contents. ‘The
devastation was fairly significant, but of greater concern to the society are the changes that have been occurring since. I’ve observed and recorded several cases of mutations. The rock
appears to have brought with it some kind of reactive agent. In all the areas where we have found traces of the rock, we have seen the localised wildlife changing – and not for the better.
One of my assistants is currently investigating a hotspot to the west. In fact, I’m starting to grow a little concerned. She should have been back by now, although she is easily distracted
from her studies.’

505

Impressive, very impressive,’ grins the count. With a swish of his cloak, he unsheathes his bright-bladed rapier. ‘It’s time we finished this,’ he
hisses, his fanged teeth gleaming beneath his golden mask. ‘It will be a fine pleasure to drink your blood!’

At last, it is time to face the count – a powerful vampire lord:

Special abilities

If you defeat the count, turn to
487
. If you lose the combat, turn to
424
.

506

You defeat the scorpion, dodging its twitching tail as the giant creature crashes to the ground, dead. If you wish, you may now take one of the following items:

Having tarried here longer than you intended, you leave the ruins and continue your journey through the swamp. Turn to
304
.

507

The key fits the lock perfectly. You twist it and unlock the box, eagerly flipping open the lid as your mind races with images of all the possible treasures you might find
inside. Your face drops, however, when you discover that the box is empty – except for another small key, resting within a velvet-lined cavity. This one is made from gold, inlaid with silver
runes. If you wish to take the
rune key
then make a note of it on your hero sheet (it does not take up backpack space). After shaking the chest repeatedly, in the hope that something more
interesting might fall out, you give up on it and throw it aside, turning your attention back to the chamber. Turn to
215
.

508

You chop up the purple worm until there is nothing remaining but a heap of sliced worm meat. The woman lowers her short sword, still trembling from her ordeal.

‘Thank you,’ she says, sheathing her blade. ‘I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along. I am Shay Blackwell, a researcher from the Botany
Society.’ She walks over and retrieves her pack, which you notice has several glass bottles and vials attached to it.

Shay takes a small knife from her belt and cuts a chunk out of the nearest tree root. She turns it around thoughtfully in her hands. ‘I really don’t understand it. These are elder
roots, and as such they should be positively full of magic. Look, it isn’t healing at all.’ She puts her fingers in the fresh cut that she has made. ‘Something has just simply
sucked all the life out of it. But what . . .?’

Her eyes settle on the worm remains. ‘The creatures here seem changed. My tutor, Totsvig Hellen, thinks it is the sky rock. It dropped down in the forest just over a month ago. Since then,
very peculiar things have been happening. The wildlife has been mutating . . . becoming much more aggressive.’

She deposits the root sample into one of her bottles, then straps on her pack. When your eyes finally meet again, the woman gives you an awkward smile. ‘I don’t suppose . . . well,
now that you’re here, you would mind accompanying me deeper into the caves? As you can see, I am no fighter. I could use your protection.’

509

While Solandris and the eagle hold the giant’s attention, you slice, cut and blast away at its enormous legs. After a tiring battle, the colossal creature finally gives a
thunderous roar of pain and then begins to topple forwards. In horror, you realise that you are standing directly beneath it and, without any chance of moving aside quickly enough, you are going to
be squashed!

Suddenly, you feel a rush of wind as something grabs your shoulders and lifts you up out of the water, just as the giant smashes down into the swamp, sending a tidal wave of mud and weed rushing
out across the mangroves.

‘I would say that was good-timing on two accounts,’ grins Solandris as her eagle drops you beside the body of the defeated giant. To your surprise, you notice several items of
treasure tangled up in the monster’s vines and roots. You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards: