Legion of Shadow (8 page)

37

Bursting out of the woods, you find yourself in a clearing, dominated by a large, gnarly tree. A young girl is dangling up-side down from one of its branches, her feet tangled
in a rope. She is dressed in boyish breeches and a tunic, with a thick red shawl hanging loosely off her shoulders.

Below her, two spindly goblins are hunched over the girl’s basket, rummaging through its contents. As you approach, one of them looks up, its black glassy eyes glinting in the dappled
sunlight. The creature gives two hooting cries, then scurries towards you, pulling a rusty sword from its belt. The other goblin slides a knife from its boot and hurries to join the battle. You
must fight the goblins as a single enemy:

* Once the goblins have been reduced to 10
health
or less, turn to
77
.

38

‘Well, it is a fitting end of sorts,’ says Martha, eyeing up the turnip with a thoughtful expression. ‘Now, she’ll win that silly competition after
all.’ You both exchange bemused glances.

If you gave Martha a gift of ten gold crowns, turn to
104
. Otherwise, turn to
145
.

39

‘Why, he is the great Perinold the Magnificent – explorer and scholar to the king no less. Do you think I would travel around with just
anyone
? You must have
heard of him – author of the award-winning History of Everything?’

You shrug your shoulders apologetically. The bird makes a snorting sound through its beak. ‘Well, you don’t strike me as the type to have ever opened a book, let alone know how to
read. Humph!’ The bird twitches its head disapprovingly. ‘Look, it doesn’t matter
who
he is – all you need to know is that he’s gone and got himself in a
pickle. He was doing research for a new book – investigating some old stones, up on the hill. Everything was fine until they started to glow. Then he touched one of them, there was a bright
flash of light and he was gone! Gone! And I have no idea how to find him.’

40

The three ruffians lie dead at your feet. You search the bodies as quickly as you can, covering your nose from the stench of their unwashed bodies. You find five gold coins and
can take any/all of the following items:

You peer over the edge of the platform, scanning the hay barn below. There is no sign of the other ruffian – and the ladder he took is now firmly out of reach, propped up against the far
wall. Turning back to the loft, you discover that your only route of escape is through a narrow window, leading out onto a sloping, tiled roof.

Perhaps you could pretend to be ‘Gilbert’ and call for the other ruffian – or escape by climbing out onto the roof.

41

The king falls to his knees, his head bowed. ‘I yield . . . now begone from this cursed place.’ There is a faint serpentine hiss from somewhere in the darkness, then
the spectral body of the king vanishes, leaving behind a golden casket, engraved with runes. As you watch, the lid creaks open of its own accord, revealing a series of magical treasures inside. You
may now take one of the following before the chest closes and disappears:

When you have made your choice, turn to
170
.

42

The barman whistles through his stumpy, yellowed teeth. ‘I says it’s magic – some kind of curse. I ain’t seen rain around ’ere for months.’
He dabs at his brow with the dirty cloth. ‘We’re all tired of the heat. If I wanted this weather I’d pack me bags and travel south. This ain’t normal, I tell yer
that.’ The barman casts a nervous glance over his shoulder, then leans in over the counter. ‘They say it’s that witch,’ he says, dropping his voice to a whisper. ‘The
old crone that lives out in the woods. Since she moved to Tithebury two summers ago, things been going wrong. Calves born with three legs, children with the pox . . . I reckon this weather is all
her doing. If I was you, I’d pass straight through Tithebury and be on your way. Safer.’ He gives you a wink, then settles back behind the counter.

43

With relief, you discover that your weapons and magic can harm the shadow. Dodging its snapping jaws and cold, piercing touch, you are finally able to overcome the nightmarish
creature. As you deliver the killing blow, the shadow evaporates with an echoing hiss, leaving behind something small and round, which drops to the earth at your feet. You may now take:

You pick your way past the last of the gravestones and approach the double-doors of the church. Turning the black circular handles, you push open the heavy doors and enter. Turn
to
253
.

44

They say the bigger they are, the harder they fall . . . as you land the killing blow, the giant teeters back on its heels, then topples backwards, arms flailing in the air. The
ground shakes as the mighty giant hits the ground, throwing up clouds of billowing dirt and dust.

Humbaroth the giant is dead. There will be much rejoicing in Tithebury when the locals hear the news. You may now take one of the following items as a reward:

Return to the
map
to continue your adventure.

45

The rungs of the ladder creak in protest as you make your way towards the hayloft. As you near the top, you can make out a scuffling sound coming from above. Perhaps the man was
right after all – there really are rats in the barn. As you pull yourself up onto the straw-covered platform, your eyes widen at the sight before you. Instead of a swarm of black-bodied rats,
you find yourself facing three scruffy-looking ruffians.

Instinctively you draw your weapon, eyeing up the largest of the three, who you assume is the leader. An ugly scar cuts across the man’s face, disfiguring his nose and mouth. He watches
you intently, licking his lips as if planning his next meal.

At his side a spindly old woman cackles with delight. ‘Ooh, this one looks delicious. What do you say, my beloved?’ The third ruffian, an elderly man with a wild tangle of beard,
giggles in a manner that suggests he has long since gone mad.

‘Delicious! Delicious! Yes! Yes!’ he barks, clapping his hands together.

The scarred leader begins to advance. ‘About time we got some food sent up,’ he growls. ‘I’m famished.’ His foot knocks into something, sending it skittering across
the floor. You give a cry of revulsion when you catch sight of it – a half-eaten human hand.

‘Careful, Gilbert,’ says the crone, revealing a dagger from beneath her tattered shawl. ‘This one looks smarter than the rest.’

The scarred man tightens his grip on the spiked club he is holding. ‘Don’t worry, ma. He won’t give us any trouble.’

A scraping sound forces you to turn. Alarmed, you see that the ladder has been pulled away, leaving you trapped in the hayloft.

‘Save some for me, my dears,’ calls a voice from down below. You recognise it as belonging to the man you met on the road.

Slavering like animals, the three ruffians rush towards you. Turn to
62
.

46

You pass under the cloth awnings to explore the village market. Three stalls immediately catch your eye. The first is crammed full of herbs, jars and bottles. Behind it, an
elderly man is weighing ingredients on a small set of brass scales. On the stall next to him, an elegantly-dressed woman is sewing cloth. Displayed all around her are a number of fine-embroidered
garments, all neatly folded in colourful piles. At the end of the row, a rickety table has been set up, covered in a bizarre assortment of odds and ends – from wooden toys to battered pieces
of rusty armour. The stall-owner is currently rummaging in a box underneath the table.

47

You decide to leave your torch behind (remove the word
torch
from your hero sheet). Swinging your legs over the side of the pit, you take a deep breath and push yourself
off, dropping into the darkness. The pit is deeper than you thought and your shoulders bang painfully against its rough walls several times as you tumble down the shaft.

Then, all of a sudden, you are swallowed up by a freezing torrent of fast-moving water. The shock of it knocks the breath from your body as you are brutally dragged under the surface. Caught in
the river’s tow, you are powerless to stop yourself as you are buffeted along through the cold, pitch blackness. Turn to
171
.

48

You may collect some of the silk from Spindle’s web to take with you:

Searching the rest of the cavern, you find little of interest. You decide to leave and return to the villagers at the well. Turn to
246
.

49

Legendary monster: Zalladell the satyr

The path leads you down into a thickly wooded valley – the trees pressing in tightly on either side. You stop to examine the sheet of parchment that a passing traveller
gave to you. It shows a map and the location of some ruins. Apparently, local archaeologists are excavating the site and could do with some paid muscle to help with the dig. Sounds like easy money
. . .

You leave the path, following a narrow trail into denser woodland. As you plunge deeper into the wilderness, you start to make out sounds coming from up ahead. They sound like cries for help . .
. and a scream, cut short by a gurgling cry. You quicken your pace, pushing your way past gnarly branches and stinging nettles.

You emerge in a large clearing dominated by a series of ivy-covered ruins. A number of men are fleeing towards the tree line – spades and other equipment left scattered around a half-dug
hole. Wondering what has spooked the men, you enter the clearing.