Legion of Shadow (91 page)

743

Nyms has taken out the last of the necromancers and is already headed for another group further along the ridge. Meanwhile, Redguard and his remaining cavalry have defeated the
undead knights. They ride past you in a wedge-shaped formation, heading back into the thronging mass of the undead host.

You tag along behind them, fighting on foot as you wade through the masses of skeleton warriors. Their rusty swords and age-old shields shatter as your mighty weapons and powers beat them away.
You have lost all sense of the bigger battle now – all that matters is the immediate space around you and destroying everything that gets in your way.

Above you, a barrage of explosions light up the sky. A moment later and you are running for cover as a giant bone wyvern smashes into the ground, leaving a smoking crater on impact. A red blur
flashes by overhead. To your surprise you see that it is a red-robed mage, standing astride a magic carpet. He is rapidly followed by a whole squadron of mages, twisting and weaving through the air
as they engage with the wyverns. Turn to
747
.

744

Each chest contains a number of items from the king’s treasury. If you wish, you may now choose up to two of the following rewards:

After brushing the stone dust from your clothing, you take the archway through into the next chamber. Turn to
725
.

745

‘Stop!’ You duck beneath one of the inquisitor’s hasty swings and back away, raising your guard. ‘It is not what you think, he was controlling
me!’

‘A likely story,’ growls Mathis, advancing once again.

In desperation, you spin away from the inquisitor and charge towards Zul. Your only chance to convince Mathis of your innocence is to defeat this shadowy sorcerer. As you leap onto the
palanquin, Mathis skids to a halt, confused by your actions.

‘So, it has come to this,’ grins the mage, meeting your gaze calmly. ‘You cannot hope to defeat me, you do know this, don’t you?’

You give your answer, in a flurry of magic and steel:

Special abilities

If you defeat Zul, turn to
541
. If you are defeated, turn to
732
.

746

The shadowstalker charges towards you, a magical sword in one hand and a curved dagger in the other. From the black markings along his fingers you see a set of black claws
quickly distend, forming a third deadly weapon.

You must now battle this powerful assassin:

Special abilities

If you win the combat, turn to
751
. If you are defeated, then you must begin this boss encounter from the start. Restore your
health
and
armour
, then turn to
764
.

747

You cut, blast and pummel your way through the skeletons that block your passage. They are slow and cumbersome fighters, their reactions no match for your abilities and prowess.
Soon, you find yourself on a rocky series of crags. To your left you can see Nyms, expertly twisting and dodging the attacks of a band of necromancers as he slices them down with his twin blades.
To your right, you can see Lansbury and Tulcas. The latter is now holding the battle standard of Redguard’s battalion, while the medic blasts the surrounding undead with her powerful
magics.

Then the ground shakes as more powerful explosions rip into the earth. You turn your attention skyward, to see a flock of giant crows soaring over the battlefield. On their backs are archers,
firing black-glowing arrows towards the surviving defenders. You look around desperately for the flying mages, but they are still fending off the bone wyverns to the east of your position.

You scramble for cover as another blast hits the ground nearby, leaving a smouldering black crater where you had once been standing. If you are a mage or have a bow or flint-lock pistol
equipped, turn to
559
. Otherwise, turn to
579
.

748

The monstrous beast turns to face you, its half-human, half-demonic visage contorted with rage. ‘Nevarin!’ it snarls. ‘Destroy the mages –
now!’

You do not slow as you charge forwards, your grim expression a clear indicator of your intent.

‘What is this!’ hisses the hunter. ‘Stand down, now!’

With the nearby mages now forgotten, the beast moves to meet you, its blades forming a deadly blur of steel as they spin expertly in its hands.

‘Traitor!’ it growls. ‘Your betrayal is a sign of weakness!’ From the hunter’s back, its taloned appendages claw hungrily at the air, their serrated lengths
dripping with black poison. ‘Prepare to die, traitor!’:

Special abilities