Legion of Shadow (14 page)

You may leave the combat at any time by simply moving out of range of the roots. If you take this option, then you leave the room via the archway, turn to
154
. Otherwise, if you defeat the tree roots turn to
167
.

94

The elemental crackles and hisses, then is extinguished, becoming little more than a wisp of cloudy smoke. As you waft it away, your eyes settle on a door at the far side of the
room. It swings open and the weather wizard emerges, tugging nervously at his white beard. After quickly scanning the room, he gives a hoot of laughter.

‘At last! At last! You did it!’ He rushes over and grabs you by the hand, shaking it so hard, you fear it may come off. ‘Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!’ he cries.

You ask the wizard to explain what happened. ‘It was my rainmaker,’ he says, rummaging through a pile of scorched papers. ‘A-ha, here it is.’ He picks up two pieces of
charred wood. ‘It got struck by lightning, right here in my tower. Broke in two, and released the water spirit that was trapped inside. The dratted thing went crazy – it was
uncontrollable, so I had no choice but to shut myself away, in my upper rooms. Been stuck there for weeks now, living off magic bread. Have you ever tasted magic bread?’ He sticks out his
tongue, pulling a disgusted face. ‘Horrible! Horrible!’

You tell the wizard that the local farms have been suffering because of the heat. The wizard nods. ‘Yes, yes. I have been observing the weather – my speciality you see.’ He
taps his nose in a knowing fashion. ‘That weather isn’t normal . . . some magic behind it I’m guessing, although why anyone would want to cause a drought, I just can’t
fathom.’ He eyes the two broken ends of his staff thoughtfully. ‘Hmm. I need a new rainmaker. Well, no time like the present. Come on, let’s get cracking!’ Turn to
81
.

95

Ignoring the girl’s protests, you race into the trees, in pursuit of the goblin. It isn’t long before you realise the foolishness of your decision. The undergrowth
is thick and knotted, pulling and clawing at your clothes. Floundering onwards, you try your best to keep up with the fleeing goblin but it is soon lost from sight.

Scratched and bleeding, you head back to the clearing. When you re-emerge from the trees, you see the girl watching you with an amused expression.

‘Well that was very brave of you, wasn’t it?’ she says in a mocking tone. ‘Leave a poor defenceless girl behind while you go playing off in the woods. Now, do something
smart for once and get me down. NOW!’ Turn to
21
.

96

You approach the door to the farmhouse, stepping over the straggly weeds and vines that snake across the cracked stone path. Trying the handle, you discover that it is locked.
To break down the door, you must pass a
brawn
challenge.

If you are successful, turn to
119
. If you fail, you are left with no choice but to leave the farm and return to the road. Return to the quest
map
.

97

Boss: Bridge troll

At the southern edge of Tithebury, the quiet woods and meadows give way to dusty, boulder-strewn slopes and craggy cliffs. After several tiring hours of navigating the maze-like
valleys, you finally arrive at a wide ravine. You walk up to the edge and tentatively peer over the side of the vertiginous drop. Below there is nothing but clouds and water vapour, thrown up from
the numerous waterfalls, which spill into the sheer precipice.

The only way across the ravine is by way of a rickety old rope bridge. With no other choice, you cautiously step out onto the bridge, clutching the sides for support as it sways alarmingly.
After taking a deep breath, you begin to cross.

You have just passed the halfway point when you spot something clambering up the far side of the ravine. It moves quickly, using its long, muscled arms to pull itself onto the bridge.

You realise that this must be the troll the locals told you about; the one that guards the pass. It advances towards you, the bridge creaking and swaying with each heavy footstep. Standing a
head taller than a man, the creature’s leathery skin is brown and mottled, its face little more than an enormous snout, protruding between two yellowed tusks. As the troll nears, your
attention focuses on the large, mean-looking club it is now tugging free from its belt.

‘Oi you,’ says the troll, stopping several paces in front of you. ‘To cross da bridge ya gotta give me forty of those shiny fings or I gonna clobber ya. What’s it to
be?’

98

You push aside the lid – the chamber echoing with the sound of grating stone. As you lean over the tomb to look inside, a rotted, skeletal hand suddenly shoots out of the
darkness, grabbing you around the throat. Gasping for breath, you jerk backwards – your sudden movement snapping the hand from its limb. There is a wheezing cry from inside the tomb as
something bangs and rattles to get free.

You rip the still-twitching hand from your throat, throwing it away with disgust. As you ready for battle, you watch as a mould-covered skeleton lurches out of the tomb. In its remaining hand it
grips a mighty, rune-etched sword, its glowing blade untarnished by the rot and mould that seems to permeate every other surface of this room.

Clad in little more than a tattered cloak and some mildewed rags, the ancient warrior stumbles towards you, its mouldy bones creaking in their sockets. You must now fight:

Special abilities

If you are victorious, turn to
222
.

99

This is your opportunity to choose the path you wish to follow – the warrior, the mage or the rogue. The warrior is a master of weapons and armour. Although slow in
combat, the warrior compensates for this with a hardy endurance and mighty strength. If you have a high
brawn
or
armour
score, then the path of the warrior could be for you. If, on
the other hand, you have a high
magic
score, then you may favour the path of the mage – mastering arcane magics to smite your foes or impede their abilities. Finally, the rogue is the
master of speed and deception. Whilst weak and vulnerable in longer fights, the rogue excels in exploiting weaknesses and avoiding damage. If you have a high
speed
and
brawn
score,
then the path of the rogue may be a wise choice.

100

You quickly search through your pack, rooting around for the scroll. Just as you are about to tug it free, the ghouls are upon you, jabbering and howling with glee. You have no
choice but to battle these three deadly opponents:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat the ghouls, turn to
127
.

101

You grab the last of the witch’s spell books and place them inside the open sack. She looks at you in surprise, then offers you a smile. ‘Thank you,’ she says.
‘You have a kind heart.’ After tying up the sack, you help the witch to load her belongings onto the horse. In the distance you can hear the jeering crowd, advancing through the
woods.

‘I must go,’ says the witch, hoisting herself into the saddle. ‘My time here is at an end.’ She leans over to you, beckoning you closer. ‘Listen to me. The Speaker
is a changeling. He is the one responsible for the villagers’ woes. He is the one that has brought the goblins here – and the dark things of the underworld. It has taken me many years
to track down that demon-spawn. Now that I know the true nature of its form, it wants me dead.’ She reaches into the pocket of her dress and pulls out a small phial. Inside the glass casing
is a clear, blue liquid. ‘If this potion comes into contact with its skin, it will reveal the changeling for what it truly is.’