(Sorry about the delays these last two turns. Computer trouble, plus this isn't my only game.)
Well, looks like we're going to keep him alive for now. Time for some questions. But first... Earthen Hold! Can't be too cautious. Now what to say...
You called me a Beast, and so did these guys. I literally just woke up like 5 minutes ago and I have no idea what's going on here. Explain yourself... Okay maybe don't say that. It probably isn't the best way to go about things. Your cultists seem to be waiting for you to do something rather than finishing him off themselves so you have some time.
"Why did you attack this place?" There we go.
"Resurrection of the dead is forbidden." He says without an ounce of doubt on his face.
"Perhaps I should have been more specific. I'm rather new to all this magic stuff. Why?" If it's is really possible bring people back from the dead, I'm not sure I see the issue here. These cultists all seem to think they've died before, and I don't see anything wrong with their bodies. Their minds are still up for debate but really.
He laughs madly for a moment. You aren't sure why. "You just killed 10 people, and you think I'm going to fall for that nonsense? I'll not tolerate your lies Beast."
Our eyebrows furrow. I punch him in the face. His nose bends and breaks in an unnatural way. "You're not in a position to negotiate here. Let's just pretend I don't know what you're talking about."
"Tch. Fine! True resurrection is impossible. The body and soul degenerate if such a thing is done. Many times the dead have walked the earth as a result of your order's foul actions! Many times they have fallen into insanity, and begun to feast on the lives of men!"
"Are you actually sure that's true, or is that just what you were told?" I'm not sure where that line came from, but it seemed fitting.
His face turns into a sneer. "My faith is unquestionable." ...That's an interesting way of putting it. I doubt we're going to turn this guy to our side. The idea of replacing his soul is an interesting one, but the circle burned up in the heat. We're a bit low on mana too anyway. Besides, he probably has a strong will if that last line is any indication. Now to ask if he has any backup or tricks.
"Is there anyone else who is going to arrive here any time soon?"
"I will tell you nothing!" Ah, that's a damn shame. Looks like mind reading time. This feels like a bad idea, but...
We place our hand to his forehead and pull open his eyelids. Looking deep into his golden eyes with our own, I force our way in. SCAN
A flash of images and ideas assaults my mind. I know that in the real world, he is struggling, but I'm confident my followers can hold him down. The mental flurry is probably one that would drive most people mad. But we aren't most people. I now realize that we're actually bunch of people, however much sense that makes. I dig deeper, probing for plans, ideas, alliances, anything useful. Eventually I feel a mental fugue come upon us, and we take our leave.
His membership of the knights of the round isn't anything to worry about. Apparently he had a falling out a while back. As for the rest of the dark hunters and any other such organizations... None of them seem to intend to send more forces quite yet. If this group had been successful, it would have been a week's travel to deliver the news. That's how much time we have to evacuate and find a new base. Ordinarily it'd probably be safe to assume we have 2 weeks, but for all we know teleportation exists, or they might basically nuke this location from orbit or something like that. 1 week is all we have. We definitely don't want to be here when they realize that this group hasn't returned. He also has no hope of escape, given what I now know of his magic. His best bet would be to consume every ounce of his power after a lengthy confinement and pour it into his strength, but that isn't going to happen.
As for his remarks about us being a Beast, I don't get much in the way of information. It largely seems like propaganda and legend built up over many centuries. In all likelihood, the only ones who really have any idea are the people that summoned me/us. There's a couple bits that I'll store later in case they contradict what the Order tells me, but I haven't had any concrete information has settled in my mind yet.
His body lies on the ground unconscious. The Athame is still buried in his chest, and I can feel that my Mana is fully restored. His sword similarly lies to the side.
I take a moment to think. The people that died in the fireball... We couldn't have known how strong that attack really was. Part of me doesn't want to see the result, but I know we'll have to leave this cave eventually. When it comes down to it, I'm not sure I've really understood their deaths. But this... He's just lying on the ground unconscious, at our mercy. He may have tried to kill us, but just finishing him off in cold blood leaves a bad taste in my mouth. However, odds are I permanently screwed up his brain just now, so... Maybe it's for the best that he not wake up mentally crippled or something. That qualifies as a fate worse than death right? ...Gah. I'm not doing this myself. I turn to the cultists. They've probably already bloodied their hands anyway.
"Finish him off. I have some things to think about, and I'm going to have a lot of questions. Our current location is public knowledge, so we'll have to move quickly. After all this, I expect a full answer about what exactly "The Beast of the Bay" actually is." There. Now it's just a matter of passing the time and considering what we've learned. If we do end up changing our mind about the knight, there's still time before the cultists do what I told them to do. What should we ask the leader, and what should our plans for the future be? Its all up to you, I suppose.
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Topic: You are Beast of Bay (Read 4890 times)