Yeah. Sorry, I didn't make that quite clear. Fingers getting ahead of my brain. Basically pick as many as you like, but bear in mind how much energy we've got, and how much each costs. At half total energy we become sluggish and a bit useless, at a 1/4 energy it's time to really panic, and at 0 energy we totally shut down.
I vote we help the lady, and then take Sneakery 1 and Get Huge 1. We won't do much good attacking those fuckers when we're the size of a worm, nor will we if we don't get the drop on them, nor will we do very well if we're sluggish.
We can get the delicious other things once we get some more energy.
Yeah, once you pick an upgrade it's applied in the next update and then it's a permanent feature of your character for the rest of the CYOA. Like if you pick just Slime Ooze, our tentacle body will be capable of emitting sticky slime from now until doomsday (there's no energy cost to use these... 'evolutions', once you've bought them).
I just got a brilliant and devious idea!
First take Stealth I.
Now target one of the goblins off to the side or rear depending on their formation. Sneak up its body, as he is surely distracted with the lady soldier, and enter its ear.
Once nestled deep in its brain take Growth I. ^_^ (If we can use it to get some energy back before growing i would say take Infest I and drain its brain first, if not then just the kill)
If there is some way to tickle its nerves and have it fall onto the others than that would be cool. We have to use our current body to as much advantage as we can till we learn some pew pew spells.
OK, I'll just take two upgrades this time, just so people who were confused get a handle on the whole idea of how it works. The voting got a bit confused, but from what I can make out a decision was made for Option 2 and Aura Sense I and Growth I.
----
You reach inside, drawing upon the energy reserves you gained from draining the crystal. It'll have to be quick to stop those Hobgoblins taking the woman...
There! Your form shuffles and writhes against the back wall, growing... expanding. Cells multiply and divide, and after a moment of overwhelming pain, your new body is formed, bigger and better than before. OK, so there's room for improvement - you're only the length of the woman's forearm, and considerably narrower - but at least you won't be mistaken for a bloody worm anymore. In fact, your shiny purple body is perfectly smooth and well-formed. Aura Detect I seems to have kicked in as well; if you squint, you can see a faint golden outline around the woman, and red, angry outlines surrounding the Hobgoblins. None of the auras are very strong, which is reassuring, though there is a separate glowing outline on the woman's chest - perhaps an enchanted pendant of some sort? Might help you regain energy lost evolving...
Right, the plan. You dart out from behind the woman, sliding your length up the side wall of the cell - and waving it around dramatically. The Hobgoblin on the right (they're in a triangle formation, the one on the point being behind the other two) pauses in his ominous advance, turning to look at you. What you can see of his face furrows in bemusement - then goes flying through the air, as the woman takes advantage of his lapse in concentration and slices his head off in one clean blow.
His body collapses to the floor, orange blood pouring from the stump. The two other Hobgoblins stop their advance, looking warily at the woman. One of them, clearly the quicker thinker of the two, chucks a dagger at you, but you twist out of its path with ease.
The woman takes a step towards the Hobgoblins, bloodied sword dripping menacingly.
They've had enough. The pair scarper; the woman lunges forward with her blade again, catching one of them heavily across the shoulder. His metal armor deflects the worst of the blow, but his howl of pain is still rather satisfying. Together the two make it out of the door of the cell and scramble away rapidly down the outside corridor.
Satisfied, the woman peers out the cell, looking both ways for any new approaching danger. Apparently satisfied, she coughs, ducks back into the room, pulling the door shut behind her. She starts to speak to you - but it's just noise! This form isn't capable of understanding the words.
Annoyed, you twist in the air, forming patterns and shapes. Hopefully she'll get the idea that you're harmless. Thankfully, it seems to work; keeping her sword leveled at you at all times with one hand, she lowers the other towards you, finger extended.
It brushes softly against your body. Contact.
You feel a rush of confusing, conflicting emotions from the woman. Pain, hurt, a deep feeling of mistrust, and a peculiar sense of self-righteousness.
Eventually a comprehensible sentence makes its way out of the maelstrom. It sounds rather reluctant.
"Thank you for helping me. I am indebted to you, small and repugnant though you may be. My honor dictates that I should grant you some small boon; though it's doubtful I have any artifacts of interest to you, perhaps you would accept passage out of here?"
----
Option 1) Decline. Check out the pool, then make our own way out of the dungeon. We need no help from someone being pressured by three measly Hobgoblins.
Option 2) Accept the offer... then, when the moment is right, slide under her clothes and drain her pendant. Perhaps pausing for other activities on the way out...
Option 3) Accept the offer, taking her at her word. She'd provide good protection whilst we're temporarily vulnerable.
Option 4) Attack the woman and steal her pendant. If we could avoid the sword, it might work...
Option 5) Other.
Status:
Health: 25/25
Energy: 30/50
Morality: 30 (Good).
Evolutions:
All Level I upgrades require 10 energy to 'unlock'.
- Swim I
- Infest I
- Stealth I
- Slime Ooze I
- Growth II (25 energy required)
- Aura Detect II (20 energy required)
- Magic Sting I (Fires a small bolt of magical energy. Does negligible damage to most foes, but use enough of them and weaker enemies might eventually be overcome. And it's better than nothing. Each bolt of energy costs 1 Energy to shoot).
5. Accept her offer; but rather then just taking her energy for ourselves, ask her to imbue some of the pendant's energy unto us. Just enough to completely refill what may have been lost during evolution and any fights we happen upon on our way out.
Heh, guess my plan was more of a Black Tentacle plan of attack...gotta remember Purple, Purple!
3 Take it at face value, but maybe try and coil around her arm playfully/thankfully/cute worm puppy to get a closer 'look' at the aura of the pendent...or is this more of a Blue plan? bah! So hard to think of a strategy for being a good magical tentacle without some bad thrown in...
