Wolf Reflection (Choice)

Image

Encounter Conditions

Gravestone must be uncovered

Initial Text

You can see something moving in the distance, slipping between the mirror's cracks. It's certainly not behind you, through the wall… but instead seems to be moving between the trees… a dark hunting shape.

It looks towards you. You can feel its eyes, dissecting you, boring into you, looking for something… and apparently it finds something interesting.

The creature lopes into view, a massive wolf that towers over you, its movements bending trees aside. Its eyes aren't those of an animal or hunter, though… it's like staring into a child's nightmare, utterly remorseless but still compellingly human.

Summary of Choices

1. Take the fight to it - Lose all HP
2. Stand your ground - Lose all HP
3. Toss a torch (requires a reflected torch) - Costs one reflected torch to unlock greater energy gains of Grave's Perspective. Subsequent choosings of this action grants 60? energy of Grave's Perspective.
4. Feed it fish (requires reflected fish) - Gives the following options, or with any energy of missing hand: lose the fish and gain 10? XP in Perception
   1. Drop the fish - Gain 10? XP in Reflexes, lose the fish
   2. Throw a punch - Lose all HP, lose the fish
   3. Hold your hand there - (gives the following options)
      1. Drop it - Gain 6? XP in Reflexes and 9? XP in Will, lose the fish
      2. Get in a punch - Gain 6? XP in Strength and 9 XP in Will, lose the fish
      3. Hold steady - Gain a reflected wolf tooth and 20 energy of missing hand, lose the fish
5. Catch its reflection (with an antique hand mirror equipped and the Mirror Gazing skill) - gain 4 XP in Will
6. Run like hell - Lose all HP, gain 6? XP in Reflexes

Choice Text and Results

Take the fight to it

You leap forward, driving your reflection towards the wolf. The results… aren't pretty.

The wolf's jaws almost immediately close on your image's side, taking a bleeding bite out of your side as well. You don't have much time to wonder where that chunk of flesh went as the wolf tears your reflection apart and sends you spiraling into unconsciousness on your floor.

You take <remaining HP> damage.

Stand your ground

You stand firm, leaving your reflection staring at the loping creature. It moves around your reflection, slipping in and out of view in the mirror, before it strikes.

Perhaps it's out of respect, it's hard to say, but you only suffer the sharp pain in your neck for a moment before consciousness flees you.

You take <remaining HP> damage.

Toss a torch

You toss the glass shard at the mirror, half expecting it to bounce harmlessly away, but it barrels through the mirror as a burning torch. Your aim was true, slipping past your reflection and striking the wolf squarely.

(First time)
It howls silently and flees. Ha! Ha ha! You did it!

Unlocks greater energy gains of Grave's Perspective.

(Subsequent times)
It howls silently and flees, leaving you to think about questions of fate and death alone among the silent trees.

You've gained 60? energy of Grave's Perspective.

Feed it fish

You slip the shard into a crack in the mirror and it twists suddenly, popping into your reflection's hand as a twitching fish. You cautiously approach the mirror, sending your reflection towards the cautious wolf.

Weapon in one hand, fish in the other, the wolf sniffs at your reflection's offering and opens its mouth wide.

If you had a little floating conscience on each shoulder right now, one would be David, congratulating you for giving interspecies cooperation a chance. The other would be Lo, telling you how utterly insane this is.

or with any energy of Missing Hand

You slip the shard into a crack in the mirror and it twists suddenly, popping into your reflection's remaining hand as a twitching fish.

In a fit of inspiration, you drop the fish in front of the wolf rather than letting it bite off your other hand. You feel smarter already.

You've earned 10? XP in Perception

Drop the fish

You yank your hand back, letting your reflection drop the fish into the wolf's waiting mouth and run. The great beast seems content to eat the fish rather than pursue you for now.

Well… better part of valor and all that.

You've earned 10? XP in Reflexes

Throw a punch

You throw a punch, leading your reflection to mimic the action, crashing its fist into the wolf's head. You're not the best judge of wolf emotions, but you're fairly sure that one is "surprise and anger."

The next thing you know, you're lying in a pool of your own blood, staring up at your ceiling. Your muscles burn like you put up a good fight and, hey, you still have a hand, so that worked out okay.

You take <remaining HP> damage.

Hold your hand there

You carefully hold your reflection's hand, containing its cargo of delicious fish, in the wolf's mouth. You know… really, that's probably not the best place for your reflection's hand.

You feel cold when the snow's blowing around your reflection, so it might not be the best idea to let its hand get bitten off.

Drop it

You open your hand at the last moment and run to the far side of the room, letting your reflection do the same. It seems the wolf is, at least momentarily, more interested in the fish than you, so it all worked out okay.

You've earned 6 XP in Reflexes

You've earned 6 XP in Will

Get in a punch

You wait until the last moment, swinging in with your fist as the wolf closes its jaws. Your reflection puts enough 'oomph' behind it to knock the wolf momentarily off balance, and you give the massive beast the slip.

You're heart's still racing a little bit from all that waiting, punching, and running around, but there's a lot to feel good about too.

You've earned 6 XP in Strength

You've earned 6 XP in Will

Hold steady

You hold your reflection's hand in its mouth for a moment longer and the wolf's jaws clamp down. You see your reflection's mouth open in a scream, echoing yours soundlessly.

A delicate tink of glass hitting the floor distracts you for a moment. You glance down past the bleeding stump of your wrist and see a shard of glass covered in a growing pool of your blood.

When your flick your eyes back up, you see the wolf running with all haste. Perhaps it didn't make out as well as it had hoped.

Okay, now is probably a good time to start panicking… or doing whatever it is rich people do when a giant wolf bites their hand off… probably still panicking.

You've gained 20 energy of Missing Hand.

You found: reflected wolf tooth

Catch its reflection

You pull out your hand mirror and hold it before you. It reflects back and forth with its larger kin, creating an infinite tunnel of cracks and impurities.

Soon, there's no wolf and nothing to fear, just an endlessly shifting trick of the light.

You've earned 4 XP in Will

Run like hell

You turn and run, sending your reflection scrambling away from the wolf on icy ground. Even if you could set this mirror up in an open field, it would catch you, but dodging around real walls and furniture along with the forest's trees?

You're pretty sure you never stood a chance. The crushing pressure against your back carries you into the far wall, ushering you into unconsciousness with a rain of ceiling dust.

You take <remaining HP> damage.

You've earned 6? XP in Reflexes