[X] Conjure tiger, ambush with tiger. (non-lethal, if possible)
You've already removed the runes- whoever is down here with you knows you're here. You'd rather force a confrontation right now. And you'll force it in your favor. You weave your prana expertly into the shape of a glittering bronze tiger. You hop onto its back and lead it forward out of the storage room. The space is a little cramped, but your tiger is agile enough to navigate the narrow hallway.
Your ambush will have all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but you're not trying to be stealthy. You're going for an all-out offensive. Nothing says 'Surprise, motherfucker' like an enormous feline running full bore straight at you. You channel even more prana into your arms and legs, reinforcing their structure and making you both more powerful and durable.
You turn the last corner, and your tiger starts accelerating to pounce on your target. You grip the lattice-wire tightly so as not to fall off. The figure in the distance turns around to face you and reveals itself to be the baron himself. You lean in on your ride, urging him forward and preparing yourself to leap off as you approach.
You hop off the side and direct your creation to jump straight at the baron, wire-claws extended to subdue him. You don't feel too worried about doing lethal damage. You can heal him up later as long as you don't instantly kill him. You hit the stone floor hard, but the recoil is minor to your reinforced limbs. You straighten up and start pumping your legs forward, running in to support your tiger with an aura of decay spreading out from your fingertips.
Your tiger isn't faring too well, though. The baron raised some kind of wind-based shield, deflecting the tiger's leap and sending him careening in the other direction. He can't advance on the baron without the baron firing a compressed wind blast that looks awfully damaging, forcing him to dodge.
But your tiger isn't acting alone. Difficult as it is to split your concentration in so many ways, you have always been a quick-witted child. You can maintain your prana link with the tiger, keep your body reinforced, and coordinate with your wire-animal to make a two-pronged assault all at once. The baron has an eye on your position, but the majority of his concentration is in fending off the tiger. It's a mistake- you're actually the bigger threat here, but he doesn't know that.
You rush in as one, tiger on the left, with you on the right. Your tiger makes a menacing leap to crash his claws down onto the baron, forcing him to react. You use the opportunity to sneak up on the baron's flank to apply your decay. You're deceptively fast with your legs reinforced. It's this crucial detail that leads to your triumph.
The baron's wind spell finally connects with the tiger in midair, blowing it to shreds. You feel the link dissipate and the baron starts to turn his attention to you, but it's too late. You're already in range. He throws up the same wind shield he used initially, but you're not attacking him physically. You slam your hands into the ground, concentrating as hard as you can to extend your decay as far as possible from the center of your body.
A purple fog rises from the ground around you. Your combination of willpower and prana is so thick, it's manifested into the physical world. It fast expands and clogs the entire corridor, leaving no avenue for escape or evasion. The mist does nothing to you, but the baron immediately collapses to one knee when the fog wraps around him like an oppressive blanket. You can't see him through the haze, but you can hear his wretched screams.
Skill improved: Healing and Decay C-
New spell: Plague Mist
You let the mist die out to make sure you haven't killed him. You need answers to give to Joseph. Killing a noble will do you no favors if you don't have evidence of his corruption. When it clears, you see the baron collapsed in a heap on the ground in a pool of his own blood. He's moaning in pain, evidence that he's not quite dead. You try to hide your own tired panting. That Plague Mist took quite a lot of willpower to use.
You keep your reinforcement going, not wanting to be unpleasantly surprised, as you step forward and lean down to get a better look at your opponent. He glares up at you from the ground, spitting in your face as a last act of defiance. You grimace and wipe off the drool, conjuring a set of bronze wires to tie him up and confiscating his wand. Once you're sure he poses no threat, you let your reinforcement drop with a sigh.
Skill improved: Reinforcement D
He continues to glare daggers at you. "You idiot! You have no idea what you've done!"
So. What now?
[ ] Q&A with the baron. What do you want to ask? (check as many as you like)
- [ ] The egg?
- [ ] The underground bunker?
- [ ] The shrine?
- [ ] The attacks, and the request for help?
- [ ] More things? (Write-in.)
[ ] Get rid of him, take the egg and leave. (Kill him.)
[ ] Stuff him in a closet somewhere, take the egg and leave.
[ ] Something else. (Write-in.)
1-25: Tiger+0
26-50: Tiger+1
51-75: Tiger+2
76-100: Tiger+3
101+: Tiger+4
1-25: Decay+0
26-50: Decay+1
51-75: Decay+2
76-100: Decay+3
101+
ecay+4
1-25: Reinforcement+0
26-50: Reinforcement+1
51-75: Reinforement+2
76-100: Reinforcement+3
101+: Reinforcement+4
