Godcard

Sacrifice

As Zane leaped forward in a desperate attempt to interpose himself between the enemy and his ally, his Knight Arm manifested with a flare of black particles and dark wind that ruffled his clothing and hair; as laces of dried wood around his arms, ending in sharpened protuberances of pale steel. It seemed much grimmer for its enemy, somehow, even despite no actual change in external appearance. It didn't change the fact that his Knight Arm wasn't a sword nor a shield, and it wasn't a steel cestus that could absorb the shock of the oncoming blow. It left most of his fists exposed, as a matter of fact.

It'd have to do.

There was a shocking interval, maybe two seconds before the Mangler's claws actually reached him, during which Zane was left to contemplate his decision, seeing the approaching trajectory of the blow. He barely considered his own safety - a notion that'd be laughable mere weeks ago - but how to best approach this foe.

And then, as the beast's claws neared him, he parried with both arms, and time resumed its normal flow with a sharp howl.

He somehow managed to deflect the blow, his body's entire strength poured into the contact point to offer maximum resistance, pushing and buckling under the Mangler's single forearm. A contest that lasted for nearly a tenth of a second before the Mangler's raking claws finally slid off. It was a defense managed - but at grave cost.

The Mangler's claws left inch-deep gouges on Zane's forearms in return; clipping through his Knight Arm, like a pair of scissors nipping a length of yarn into so many halves and quarters. Along the trajectory of the Mangler's swing came a crescent of blood drawn from Zane's arms, spilling onto the street like a rich burst of cruel scarlet art upon the pavement, the pain bursting in his nerves the worst he'd ever felt - sufficient to make Zane realize that, without supernatural intervention, any idea of ever making a career as a martial artist would have been preposterous.

As he was no longer undetectable, the Mangler redoubled his efforts instantly to kill him.

There was no time in which to react. A dumb smack of the front paw aimed at the upper torso, and Zane was thrown across the street, like an ignoble cannonball fired from its apparatus with artillery force, feeling his entire ribcage burst like an exploding firework - he could feel the air itself buckle behind him under the sheer velocity of his flight, almost like a lens pressing against him, causing all of his limbs to drag behind almost like ribbons or trails. It was an overpowering experience, maybe twice as bad as what happened to his arms, leaving him breathless, making the very draw of oxygen in his throat into an agonizing ordeal.

His flight was at a slightly parabolic arc, and yet long enough that he was more likely to crash into a tree, building, lamp post, or something of that effect instead of landing on the tarmac or sidewalk. It offered a perfect opportunity to see as Spike threw a javelin of scorching lightning at the Mangler, who'd already left his spot a half-breath earlier to pursue Zane with dogged leaps and pounces, almost catching up to his own blow, like an excited pup about to jump and catch a frisbee in his mouth. He could even picture it, and Zane knew that as soon as those jaws closed around him, the teeth attached to them would punch through his soft, spongy flesh and eviscerate him.

It was useless to even try and hurt the Mangler - as fast as Spike was, he wasn't Mangler-fast, and neither was Johnny Buddha for that matter. Even Zane could only match the monster by cheating with temporary bursts of speed. A second one waited for his word to activate, but he wasn't sure if that mattered especially - with his present injuries, he wouldn't have been able to fight Spike effectively, let alone an entity of this sheer power level.

A part of him realized it'd be smarter to die here and give the others a better chance.

Zane closed his eyes, in order to blink away some of the accumulated wetness and dust. As he did, there was a strong feeling of dissociation, like he was being pulled out of a body of water, and then Zane felt himself be dragged elsewhere, in the slip-space between the moment of flying and the Mangler catching up.

"It seems like you're about to lose. A real shame."

It was the same man from before, draconic wings in a rainbow of colors, white fangs like those of a movie vampire, a simple dark-brown longbow strapped across his shoulder. He was profoundly sad, now, clearly having observed the course of events on some level and disliking where the matter had seen its dice fall.

As before, too, they found themselves in that oriental world of natural vistas and landscapes, impossibly beautiful and captivating, every sight a rich experience that invigorated mind and soul. In the middle of the copse was the crystal-blue lake and a blossoming lotus flower gently coasting in its center. There was a somber atmosphere to this realm's sky, however, no longer shining brilliantly, but overcast with thick clouds and more than a few gray canopies above, providing only a twilight of illumination. It felt appropriate, and yet almost guilt-inducing to think his own soon-to-be death caused such a change in this place.

"I have a question for you, Knight-Aspirant Zane Li Black," said the man, leaning forward with a curious but solemn look. His voice was full of hidden meaning as he continued, "How far are you willing to go for your cause? What are you prepared to do to save your uncle, your friends, and the people of New York? How much do you actually desire to live and open a flower shop, and how much of your actions is merely the result of coasting on existential inertia? I ask, because there is one last possibility for you. An option that you can take, still and even now. It's risky. It's... suicidal, but it's there. How far shall you go?"

As the scene disappeared, brushed away into the flakes of myth and illusion around him, back into the flight with the Mangler chasing him, Zane was faced with a choice...

---

As of right now, you have 3.1 Ambrosia.

[ ] Fall Down Until The End - It's no time to surrender - fight down until the last breath. As he closes his eyes again, Zane Li Black replies to the man's question. "I'll go down fighting, to spit into the bastard's eyes, make him understand that the little people won't die just because he's a big predator."

A simple and self-explanatory option. As soon as the Mangler leaps or Zane crashes into a terrain feature - whichever happens first - he'll do his best to fight against the beast, to his last breath. An epic deed - the man you're speaking to approves, and offers you a significant boost in power. It's nowhere even near enough to actually kill the Mangler, but it can enable options that hamper or permanently harm him in various ways - a last epic gasp of the hero that was.

After Zane dies (he almost certainly will - a roll of astronomically low probability would be required to alter that fate), the quest will continue in a slightly different form.

[ ] Fly Up Like Booming Thunder - A suicide option (literally.) As he closes his eyes again, Zane Li Black replies to the man's question. "I'll go as far as needed - even unto the grave. Goodbye to you, whoever you are."

He doesn't fight against the Mangler's slaying attempt - quite the opposite. As he's about to die, Zane rapidly re-tunes some of his Invocations in order to increase his own mobility at the cost of every other parameter and shoots himself even higher into the air, away from New York City, and then detonates his own Knight Arm in a searing flash-explosion of his accumulated power - an explosion comparable to several nuclear detonations, but primed and directed specifically at his pursuer and away from the city. It normally wouldn't be possible for Zane to do any of this - from the re-tuning of learned Invocations to the explosion, but the man is willing to give him a small push to help.

However, after Zane dies, the quest will continue in a slightly different form.

[ ] Defiance - Absolute defiance, in the face of this world and in the face of everything. As he's about to fall to the Mangler's teeth, a flash of lightning spears into Zane's consciousness and makes him aware of the vaster options in front of him.

*Make a deal with one of several Archdemons in order to gain sufficient power to overcome this challenge. (Or Archdevils, although one category is merely an extension of the other, like how a square is a rectangle, but not the opposite.)
*As a result, you receive a boon that resolves the following situation...
*...And you owe your life and soul to a demon, eventually.
*Seals away the use of your Knight Arm, as the Maiden no longer welcomes you in her entourage...
*...However, that's irrelevant - the power you receive may likely prove to be greater still, like how stars are greater than comets. Hell is far more willing to reward and ennoble its servants, as it has far more power to draw on in a context of this sort.
*Don't be too discouraged or appalled by the external appearance of this vote - it may seem like the ultimate evil option, but in actuality, it merely converts an immediately hopeless situation into one whose hopelessness is spread over time; the former can't be resolved easily, but in the case of the latter, you may well have an eternity to do so!
*The Mangler faces an appropriate and ironic punishment.
*Redemption is never beyond you, whatever you may become.

[ ] Hopeless and Tireless Maiden Prayer [All Ambrosia] - As a result of the current situation's desperate nature, you receive a flat 10% chance to unlock the equivalent of a 25-Ambrosia power, as well as a further 1% for every Ambrosia you have as the dice is thrown - it costs all of your current Ambrosia. If that fails, you roll again, but instead receive a flat 15% chance to unlock a 12-Ambrosia power. If that fails, you roll again, but instead receive a flat 20% chance to unlock a 7-Ambrosia power. After that, Zane makes his last stand, whatever fortune - or absence of such - comes his way.

However, if this fails, you will simply face immediate death and if you die, the quest will end.