### 21

You give voice to your battle-cry—‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’—as you leap fearlessly from the rear deck into the midst of the enemy horde. You slay three of the armoured warriors with the first sweep of your weapon, and cleave the sword arm from the body of another with your backstroke. Noise, death, and confusion press in on all sides, yet you remain ice cool in the heat of this fierce deck battle. A turbaned warrior with mad, glinting eyes hurls himself at you. He whirls his axe above his head to split your skull, but before he can land his blow, you leap into the air and send him cartwheeling backwards with a mighty kick to his chest. The moment your feet return to the blood-slick deck, you spring forward once more like a charging lion and whirl your weapon like a scythe before you. Its blade becomes a deadly blur as you cut a devastating path through the raiders’ serried ranks. You have fought your way to within a dozen paces of Sergeant Dryan when suddenly the enemy launch a desperate counterattack in an effort to halt your inexorable advance.

Shadakine Raiders: COMBAT SKILL 36 ENDURANCE 40

You may evade this combat after three rounds by turning to 13.

If you win the combat, turn to 97.