The Rains of Sichuan {Choose Your Own Adventure} // Wattys 2019

Chapter Forty-Six

You place the balls in the order you chose. For a second, nothing happens.

Then you hear the smallest clicking sound... and the heavy stone door shifts, moves, and opens.

Inside is a heavy-set guard.
 
If you are wearing a set of armor found in the armory, go to the Armor paragraph. If not, go to Combat.

Armor
So far, although the guard has seen you and looks suspicious, he doesn't seem ready to attack. Indeed, you are wearing armor from this palace. Do a Charisma test, rolling one dice or getting a random number from a 1-6 draw, for a result of 4 or more.
If you manage: you convince the guard that you're here to take over. He leaves, and you are alone in the room. Skip the Combat paragraph and keep reading.
If you fail: you stutter only once, but that's enough. The guard attacks. Go to the Combat paragraph.

Combat
GUARD (human)

Life points: 3
Weapon: sword - short weapon.

Dice rolls: throw two dice - get a random number from a 1-12 draw.
1 to 4 : you fail your attack and the man strikes back. Lose 1 life point.
5 to 7 : the man blocks your attack.
8 to 12 : your attack carries. The man loses 1 life point.
Repeat until one of you is dead.

If you survived this fight, keep reading.

If you did not, go to the very last part.

You look around the room, the guard's body at your feet. Everywhere you turn, riches greet you. Coin, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, small green figurines of jade... Your attention is drawn by the masterpiece: on a marble pedestal stands a circlet of gold and wood. This is most definitely a crown. You pocket it and turn to go - and see a weapon rack with two weapons on it.

Do a special Talent test with no bonuses or disadvantages, casting two dice or getting a random number from a 1-12 draw, for a result of 7 or more.

If you fail, you go back to the riddle room and choose whether you go through its other door (go to Chapter Forty-Seven) or whether you go back to where the corridor forked left and take that left fork (go to Chapter Forty-Two).

If you manage, you pick up one of the weapons, whichever you can handle (it effectively replaces your current weapon - you may choose not to take either of the following weapons):
* A sword serted with gold and rubies. When an attack carries with this sword, it inflicts 2 damage points instead of 1.
* A spear fit with silver and sapphires. When an attack carries with this spear, your opponent is stunned: the next two dice rolls in combat ignore the 1-4 results (opponent strikes back). What's more, you do not have any disadvantages against spirits, so you fight them with 0 bonus and 0 disadvantages.

At last you go back to the riddle room and choose whether you go through its other door (go to Chapter Forty-Seven) or whether you go back to where the corridor forked left and take that left fork (go to Chapter Forty-Two).