159

You batter your way through the door successfully, but having gathered momentum, you cannot stop, and fall headlong down a flight of stairs on the other side.

You landed in a heap on the hard marble floor of an antechamber, (you lose 2 ENDURANCE points) barely a few feet away from an armed soldier, who is guarding the doors to the palace armoury. He is startled by your dramatic entrance but quickly regains his senses and attacks.

Armoury Guard: COMBAT SKILL 16   ENDURANCE 22

Deduct 2 from your COMBAT SKILL for the first 3 rounds of combat, as you are lying on the ground. You cannot evade combat and must fight the guard to the death.

If you win, turn to 52.