Dolores final scene

> [Final Dolores Event] //triggered on clicking on her button.
Dolores isn't in her room.

However, there is a note on her bed, which you pick up. The neat, elegant handwriting on it apologizes for the [say: terrible inconvenience] and goes on for some time about nothing before asking you to [say: come to the spot where it all began] with some urgency, although it doesn't expound on what exactly "it" means. However, you imagine that she is referring to the place you found her on the night she ran away, given how much she's been dwelling on that incident as of late.

Scribbled at the bottom in a clearly more rushed script is [say: Don't tell mother,] " + player.mf("which seems strange", "which you'll take to mean Sylvia") + ". You knew that Dolores doesn't always handle things "normally," but is there really any reason to keep this a secret? You pocket the note with a foreboding feeling and make your way out of the cave.

But just before leaving, you notice Sylvia sitting on her own, closely examining some silk. Should you say something to her, despite the note's instructions?

[Tell Her] [Leave]

[Leave]; tooltip- No, it'd be better not to. //Don't clear output
The note explicitly said not to, and you're not even sure that there's anything to worry about, so you decide not to tell her about the meeting, or whatever this is. She briefly glances up as you start to [walk] towards the exit. The moth-girl doesn't stop you, instead just giving you a smile and a wave.

Maybe she could have helped you with whatever awaits you in the bog, but you're set on your path now, so you return the wave and move on.

[Tell Her]
Despite what the note says, you feel like it's the right call to let Sylvia know what's happening. You turn around and [walk] over to her, causing her to put the silk down and give you her full attention.

[say: Is there anything wrong, [name]? You look troubled.]

You give it to her straight, informing her of Dolores's recent behavior along with the note you received just now. Through the story, she keeps a calm face, but you can tell that she's a little bit worried. When you've fully caught her up, she begins to speak again.

[say: Hmm... Well, thank you for telling me this. But since we don't know what's happening, maybe I should still... Ah, I've got it. I'll follow at a distance and step in only if there's any trouble,] she says. [say: After all, we wouldn't want to upset her for no reason, now would we?]

She seems fairly confident that this is the best way to go about things, so the two of you exit the cave in tandem, both worried about whatever awaits you in the bog.

[Next] //All converge here

You [slide|step] out into the mire, but notice that it feels quite a bit cooler than normal. In fact, the usually humid air feels oddly dry, and the surrounding flora seems strangely blanched, as if something vital has been sucked out of this place. It could be your imagination, but something definitely feels off about all this.

//if Sylvia told
Sylvia gives you one last glance and says, [say: Well then, I'll take off now. Just call if there's any danger or you need me. I'll be with you in a heartbeat.] She manages to shift her frown into a reassuring smile before turning and spreading her wings. You have only a moment to admire their beauty before she shoots off like a dart, quickly flitting out of sight behind the twisted trees.

With a shiver, you set out. The going is slow, given that you don't know exactly [i: where] you're going, but [if (left before) you feel obligated to do [i: something], just in case she's in some actual danger|you can't let your daughter down, even if it means you'll have to go through hell to do it]. Still, the swamp around you is quite impenetrable, giving you no clues as to where you would even start your search.

You keep [walking], but the bog stays the same. Every tree looks like the same shriveled wreck, and every thicket you pass could be the one you should be looking for. How are you possibly meant to find it without a map? You can only hope that your strong desire to find your daughter will lead you in the right direction, given Mareth's spacial oddities.

But even with this hope, you don't seem to make any progress. It's been many minutes of sludging through the mud, and all you have to show for it is the filth caking your [armor]. Should you try some other method? Perhaps the note has more clues, or perhaps [if (Sylvia) Sylvia could be of some help with her aerial perspective|you could try climbing a tree for a better vantage point]. But no matter what idea you come up with, you start to become less and less sure that you'll be able to find the meeting place.

And there you see it. The tree stands in the exact same spot, the same thick underbrush surrounding it. However, something has changed from the last time you stood here—the light emitted from inside of the hollow is much brighter now. Whereas before you were just barely able to make it out from amid the brush, this time it flares a bright orange, ebbing and pulsating from some unknown source. Your daughter isn't there to greet you, and you don't hear anything from inside, but she must be here, so you steel your resolve and approach.

With some trepidation, you creep around the side of the tree, inching closer and closer to whatever lies beyond...

[Next]

Dolores is sitting in the middle of the cavity just as she did all those weeks ago, and the ritual implements around her look eerily similar, but there's one major difference: whatever she's doing is working this time. The candle flames flicker and bend, as if drawn towards some unseen point. Lines have been drawn on the ground in odd, unfamiliar shapes that you can't quite seem to follow with your eyes. Dim energy crackles menacingly around your daughter's hands, her eyes shut in deep concentration. And in front of her, the book.

[if (kept) While you did give that to her, she wasn't meant to do anything dangerous with it, and this certainly doesn't look safe.|But you took that from her! Did she steal it back? Is she really so obsessed with this that she'd defy the will of her parent?] You call out to her, and she starts, almost breaking her concentration.

[say: Don't worry, [father]! I have this well under control,] she says, through clenched teeth. [say: Just a short while longer, and It'll all be done.]

You take a step towards her, but everything suddenly feels slow, as if time itself is slowing down. With a start, you recognize this as the same sensation that you felt after her demonstration. You don't know what that could mean, exactly, other than that this spell might end with similarly unexpected results. As you're considering this, your actions suddenly speed up, and your every impulse feels multiplied tenfold in your motions. This has the side effect of causing you to careen to the ground, unable to properly balance yourself.

//if Sylvia
Before you can even call for her, Sylvia wings down from out of the sky to land near you. It seems that she's been watching the situation, so you don't need to explain anything to her. However, the moth fares no better than you in navigating the shifting distortions emanating from the hollow, and she too is quickly thrown off of her feet.

You look up at Dolores, who once again is completely engrossed in the ritual. It looks like you'll only have one shot at doing anything to stop this.

> [StopHer] [LetItContinue] [TalkDown]


[TalkDown] //tooltip- Maybe you can convince her to stop this madness
//If you never left, haven't abused her, and told Sylvia
You take a deep breath and then start talking in a calming voice. You tell Dolores that you love her, care for her, and that you want to see her happy. You say that you're proud of everything that she's done, emphasizing how impressive it is to do something like this given how short a time she's been here. You would even be happy to have her show you something like this under better circumstances. But then you say that this needs to stop.

At these words, she shakes herself somewhat free of the trance you've lulled her in to, but it's clear that your words have still meant a lot to her. [say: I... I... No! This is right! I have to do this! I just know, know that... Can you really not see?]

You're about to try again when Sylvia pipes up from your side. [say: My dear daughter, we can see very clearly. We see our little girl, capable of wonderful and terrible things. We see her all alone in a forest, about to make a grave mistake. Please, just calm down for now. I'm sure that whatever you're trying to show us, we'll be able to understand if you just talk to us.]

Your heart thumps in your chest. The only sound in the clearing is the wind whistling through the branches. Sylvia squirms next to you. But slowly, Dolores's arms lower until they rest at her sides. As if by magic, the tense atmosphere dissipates. The energy seems to evaporate as the strange light coming from the hollow becomes normal.

And your daughter lets loose a single sob. She dashes over and throws her arms around Sylvia, bawling into her mother's bosom. [say: I'm so sorry, mother. I'm... I'm...]

The older moth girl shushes her and pats her on the back. [say: It's alright. We're here.]

It takes some time for Dolores to calm down, but when she does, she steps back, and peace finally settles over the clearing.

//else
You start trying to talk to her, to explain that all of this needs to stop before something really bad happens, but a few words in, your daughter interrupts you.

[say: No! You don't... You haven't seen it the way I do, but once you have, you'll understand. Don't try to stop me!]

It seems you'll have to resolve this another way.
//Same options; [TalkDown] disabled with "This won't work."


[StopHer]
Whatever is going on, you can't let her finish. This ritual is clearly dangerous, and you have no idea what will happen if it is successful, so you start to struggle forward once more.

Dolores sees your movements and recoils backwards. [say: No! No, I'll see this through. If I stop now, you'll never understand!]

//if strength and speed >90
With an incredible effort, you manage to heave yourself several steps forward in one go. Dolores seems surprised at this feat, but she quickly returns her attention to the spell she's casting. It seems that you won't have any direct interference, so you continue to work your way closer to the young moth. The going is tough, as spatial distortion assault you at every opportunity, forcing you to bend, leap, and balance yourself with no warning.

Eventually, however, you push your way into striking distance. Your daughter is almost in arm's reach, and it's all you have to do to lean forward and put your arms on hers. Her head snaps up, and the look in her eyes is almost inhuman.

[say: You will not! You...]

But all at once, something seems to shift in her face, as if a haze is clearing, and she asks, [say: [Father]?] before stumbling back. As she breaks her concentration, the air around suddenly feels tense, like there's some unreleased energy stuck there.
//go to ending

//else
Despite your best efforts, you can never quite manage to close the distance between you and your daughter. Your every movement is countered by some odd distortion or another, and you're neither strong nor quick enough to overcome them. When you look up, panting, to see how much progress you've made, you realize that you're no closer to her than when you started. But you [i: know] that you pushed at least a little bit forward. Was this all impossible from the start?

You have no more time to consider this, as Dolores seems to be finishing her spell.

[say: Yes! Finally, you can stop this senseless struggling and bear witness!]

You turn towards your daughter with dread as she completes the ritual.


[LetItContinue]
You're not sure if you could stop her even if you wanted to, so you're content to see how this plays out for the moment. After all, maybe everything really is fine. She seems confident that this will work, and you have no reason to doubt her. You simply watch with bated breath as your daughter waves her arms in intricate patterns, slowly coaxing something forth.

You don't have to wait long before she looks up with glee and says, [say: Yes! Yes, it's so close!]

There's an inexplicable sinking feeling in your gut as Dolores throws her arms up in success.


//Not Stopped
> [Next]

The energy around Dolores's hands seems to flare before once again coalescing into a ball in between them, just like her last spell. It seems like she's close to completing whatever it is she's trying to do.

[say: [if (book kept) This is what you gave me the book for, don't you see? I'm meant to do this, I... can feel it. It's close.|I can finally show you what I've been seeing this whole time. You'll understand! When you see it, you'll understand!]]

It feels like you're being pulled and pushed at the same time, as if space itself is undulating around you. [say: You'll feel what I feel.] For a moment, you see complete and utter darkness, but in the next, everything is lit with a beautiful light, bringing out wondrous hues in the world around you that you've never seen before, almost bringing tears to your eyes. [say: You'll see what I see.] There's something eerie happening just outside the hollow, like the air itself is bunching up, pulling, tearing. [say: You'll know what I know.]

And then there's a flash. Before your eyes, a pinprick of white light appears, which then widens into a jagged line. The line opens into a gash, a rift from which spills inky blackness. You feel the intense urge to turn away, but your eyes are glued to the unsettling sight.

In the middle of the clearing floats... you're not sure what to call it. There is an... orb, you suppose, roughly your daughter's size. It simply hovers there, unmoving. You have absolutely no idea what this thing is, but Dolores stares at it in awe.

[say: Do you see now? I... I've waited so long, yet still I did not expect...]

The orb shifts ever so slightly, its hazy outline vibrating erratically, and then settles once again. Everything is quiet. Nothing moves. It's so dark that you're not sure anything is actually there—it looks more like someone punched a hole in the fabric of reality.

And then suddenly it blooms. You feel a slimy, creeping sensation as several long appendages slip out of the center with a wet slurch. The tentacles probe around for a moment, but you notice that the inky blackness of their skin looks more painted than real, and when they move, something is... [i: wrong] about it. Its movements are at once jerky and strangely smooth, as if it is moving in ways you can't even comprehend. Whatever has made its way here is clearly not meant for this world, not beholden to the same laws.

However, after a few moment of aimless flailing, its appendages retract, and it reforms itself into an orb once more. You wait a breath, then another, and then exhale. It seems stable for the moment—or at least, if it's not, you don't know what hope you have—so you consider your options. You could try fighting it directly, or you could ask Dolores to try something, or maybe you could even solve this, if you feel capable enough.

[Fight] [AskDolores] [UseBook]


[Fight] //tooltip- You have no choice but to battle this... [i: thing].
Well, there's nothing else for it, so you ready yourself for whatever this thing might throw at you. However, even as you approach with your weapon [if (fists) out|drawn], it doesn't seem to react at all to your presence. Does it even sense you? You're not sure, but you're also not sure if you'd be able to capitalize on that, or even hurt it at all. [if (Sylvia) Sylvia seems preoccupied with protecting Dolores, so it looks like you'll be on your own for this.]

Well, no matter, you [if (ascension perk) already have some experience fighting things like this|have to do [i: something]], so you start your offensive.
//combat stuff below


[AskDolores]; tooltip- She brought it here, maybe she can send it back.
You ask Dolores if there's anything she can do to reverse whatever she's done. [if (cor<50) You reassure her that anything, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, might help|You demand that she fix this problem, as it's her fault in the first place].

[say: I-I-I don't know!] she near screams, her eyes wide with fear and wonder. [say: It's so... be...] She starts to lose focus for a moment but quickly shakes her head and returns to the present. [say: There is something, but I'm not so sure...]

//if Sylvia warned
But before you can say anything to her, you hear Sylvia clear her throat to your right, and the two of you turn to look at her.

[say: Now, I might not be an expert on any of this, but I do know you, Dolores. I know that you can do this, I know that you have it in you. All of those days spent reading, studying, practicing, all of those nights spent staring up at the stars in wonder, I believe that all of it mattered. Now, go and make us proud.]

Dolores seems transfixed by her mother's words, but at this last command, she snaps out of it, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. [say: Yes. Yes, I will... I </i>will<i>.] She turns her attention to the book in her hands, rapidly flipping though pages before suddenly stopping, her finger jabbing at a diagram that doesn't quite look right to your eyes.

[say: Here. This is the page which details the summoning of the... outsider. While I have not completely deciphered this script as of yet, I can make a reasonable guess that this]—she points to a small circle drawn in the lower right-hand corner with some tiny script scrawled around the edge—[say: should allow me to send it back whence it came.] She nods once in affirmation.

[say: Alright.] She turns to Sylvia. [say: Mother, would you be able to hold its... attention, if you could call it that? With your speed, you should be able to stay out of danger...]

Sylvia smiles warmly in response. [say: Of course, honey. You just worry about doing whatever you need to do.]

She turns to you. [say: And could you help me with the preparations?]

You quickly agree, as you're not sure how much time you have before something really bad might happen, and the two of you get to it with no delay. Dolores directs your movements with a crisp, confident voice, and it's not long before you've finished all of the tasks she gives you. When you're both done, there's a circle on the ground similar to the one back in the hollow, but different in ways you can't quite see properly.

[say: Alright, I will begin now. If this doesn't work, [father], just know that...]

She doesn't finish, and you tell her that there's no time to waste. She nods and closes her eyes, falling into deep concentration. As you watch, your daughter begins to move her arms in a stunning display of dexterity, muttering incomprehensible syllables under her breath. You don't see the same energy gathering around her arms as before, and you start to worry that whatever she's trying to do isn't working, but you hear a sound from behind you, so you turn to look.

The orb is reacting. Sylvia still flits around it, still trying to distract it, but you can tell somehow that all of its attention is focused on the young moth behind you. There's a tension in the air, and you feel for all the world like you're at the top of a cliff, staring down at your inevitable doom.

But the feeling abates, and the entity recoils back, as if struck by a mighty blow. Dolores does not let up her efforts, continuing to chant as the inky black orb contorts and contracts, becoming smaller by the second. As the reduction becomes more clear, it almost looks like it's bulging around the edges of something, like it's being forced back through a hole too small for it. However, whatever your daughter is doing is strong enough, and the being is eventually pushed all the way through, causing the rift to snap closed with a resounding crack.

//else
She trails off, apparently too uncertain of her solution, but you implore her to do anything.

[say: A-Alright, I'll try... I'll try...]

Dolores doesn't finish, but she does open the book once more and start reading it, her eyes scanning the pages at a frantic speed. Eventually, she seems to alight on what she's looking for, exhaling shakily and putting the book down.

Without further explaining what she's doing, she begins a low, guttural chant, her arms swaying rhythmically. You can tell that this isn't the same spell she used to bring the orb here, but you aren't able to determine anything other than that. After a short duration, she raises all four of her hands towards the being and utters a single syllable which you can't quite understand.

At her incantation, the tentacles seem to writhe in pain for a moment before becoming sharper, more [i: real], somehow. You ask her what she did.

[say: Hmm... That should have sent it back, but... I don't think it worked, at least not in the way I had intended. I'm not sure that there's anything else I can do.]

It seems you'll have to fight this thing after all.


[Use Book] //requires > 90 int; tooltip- Grab the book from her and solve this yourself.|You wouldn't be able to do anything with the book.
You tell Dolores that you're better suited to solving this problem and hold out your hand for the book. She meekly turns it over, her gaze glued to the ground. You are just as surprised by its heft as the first time you held it, but there's no time to waste on distractions, so you have Dolores show you the pages she used and begin your examination.

The script is entirely unfamiliar to you, and it doesn't seem to be a cipher of any language you know, but there happen to be diagrams next to the entries which serve as instructions for the ritual you presume she used to summon this thing.

You're engrossed in studying a particularly interesting picture when a loud noise startles you out of your concentration. You look up to see a writhing appendage snake out from the being and probe its surroundings. When it comes into contact with a tree, the bark is ripped off in ragged strips, leaving behind bare wood which then starts to wither before your very eyes.

This thing has to be stopped, and you're not sure how much time you have left. However, you do think that you're close to a breakthrough. You find that one page has a small diagram in the lower right which, if you're seeing it right, could possibly be used to reverse the initial ritual.

Well, it doesn't look like you have any other options, so you begin, drawing a rough approximation of it in the mud below you. That done, you begin to move your hands in the specified manner, and to your surprise, words that you don't understand come unbidden to your mind. You hurriedly start chanting them, and whatever you're doing at least [i: feels] right.

The orb stops all other movements, and in a moment, you can feel it turn its attention towards you. That baleful look drains all of the heat from your body, but you hold fast, continuing to cast this unknown spell. And, as you watch, it begins to work, and the being lets out what you can only interpret as a cry of pain as it's pushed back through the rift. Its bulk bulges around the edge, but you keep at it, and the mass is steadily drained away, sent back whence it came.

Then, with a small 'pop' and a shockwave that almost knocks you off [if (singleleg) balance|your feet], the tear closes as it's sucked all the way in.


//Losing in combat
Space warps around you, knocking you to the ground, and you stay there a moment, panting. You're on the ropes, but you haven't lost yet, and you know that you can't. This thing can't be left to wreak havoc on the world, and there's no one but you to stop it. [if (cor > 50) Even if you're not the heroic type, you can't exactly live in this place if it's destroyed.]

You look at it. It still floats there, imperious, untouchable, ambivalent. What does it want? Does it understand what's going on? Is it even sentient?

But these questions are just a distraction, so you jump [if (singleleg) up|to your feet] and dive in for another attack. However, this time, just before you can muster up the strength to follow through on your impulse, an inky tendril shoots out of its body faster than you can blink and hits you straight in the stomach, knocking the wind from you.

You have no time to react to the blow before the tentacle wraps around you and lifts you into the air. Your mind rings with abject terror, but there's nothing you can do as you're drawn into the orb, into this otherworldly black mist. As you lose contact with the last bit of Marethian air, a primal fear grips you, and you feel absolutely certain that you're not meant to be here, that your body is not suited for this place.

However, you don't die. There's no sound, and you can't see anything in the billowing black smoke, but you're certainly still conscious. Far from the unthinkable end you were expecting, it's almost... pleasant in here. As if you were resting on a cloud, its gentle caress lulling you into a relaxed state. You feel vague, strange sensations, like you're being probed by the being, but it doesn't quite hurt. It's more like you're being drawn in, held up for inspection by something much, much larger than you. And then, for just a moment, a gargantuan eye opens in front of you.

You're on the ground, panting and shouting with panic. But nothing is here, just the bog. What happened there? You pat yourself down, finding everything to be in its proper place. With a start, you realize that you don't see the orb where it last was, so you whirl around, but it appears that it's not even here at all anymore. Could it have returned to wherever it came from? Or has it just slipped out of sight?

You simply don't know, but there's nothing left to do but pick yourself back up and assess the situation.


//Ending (all converge here)
And everything is normal. You're worried for a moment that it's not over yet, as no grand sign of your success is in sight, but as you observe your surroundings, you're struck by how mundane everything seems again. The tepid heat. Branches softly swaying in the wind. An errant mosquito buzzes its way past your nose, as though the entire world is at peace. And, as you realize, it is. [if (not stopped) Whatever that thing was, it's gone now, and you let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding.]

Dolores runs up to you and throws her arms around you, the impact startling you out of your reverie. Tears flow freely from her eyes, and she almost can't get a word out through them. After roughly a minute of this, she steps back, wipes her eyes, and start to talk.

[say: [Father], I... I cannot properly express to you how sorry I am, for making you go through all of this. I]—she looks down at the ground, searching for the words—[say: was not quite myself. I don't know what came over me...]

//if Sylvia
At this, the older moth-girl chimes in. [say: Well, I'm not always... of my right mind, either, so I know how you feel.]

What do you tell her?
> [Explanation] [It'sOkay] [TryHarder] [NeverAgain]


[Explanation] //tooltip- Before you decide anything, you'd like to know why exactly she did all this.
You ask Dolores to tell you what exactly she meant when she was rambling about making you "understand" something.

She blushes slightly at the question, but responds anyway. [say: Ever since I first found that book, I've felt as if... it were calling to me. I can feel something there, some sort of presence, and it is...] She mulls this over for a moment, apparently struggling to find the proper words. [say: Beautiful,] she finishes. [say: I felt this urge to show everyone that beauty. To make them see it in the same way I do.]

However, at this, she frowns. [say: But there was something more. I felt compelled, bound to this task, and fear gripped me. It felt as though were I not to come here and cast the spell, that some grave misfortune would befall me. I suppose that the book may be dangerous after all...]


[It'sOkay] //tooltip- While this wasn't the most pleasant experience, you still love her.
You tell your daughter that everything is okay. Nobody got hurt, and nothing particularly bad happened in the end. Everyone makes mistakes, but that's how people learn. As long as she takes this experience as a lesson and doesn't repeat her blunders, then you could even look at this as a net positive.

Dolores bears a soft smile, her eyes a bit misty. [say: Thank you, [father]. I don't know that I deserve someone to cheer me up right now, but still you're there for me.] Tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face, she takes off into the bog, her small wings beating with genuine joy.


[TryHarder] //tooltip- She shouldn't let this single failure deter her.
You tell your daughter that despite how wrong things may have gone, she was clearly on the cusp of something grand. Failure should not make one wary of success, and all progress must inevitably come at a price. All things considered, this one was relatively light for how fascinating and novel this magic seems to be.

As you say all of this, Dolores's eyes remain wide-open, entranced by your mesmerizing words. When you finish, it seems like she doesn't really know how to react. [say: Yes. [Father]... I will do better, for you. I will overcome this. Thank you.] She takes off with purpose, her small wings carrying her towards a brighter future.


[NeverAgain] //tooltip- You'll forgive her, this time...
You tell your daughter that just this once, you won't punish her for her impudence. But only this once. She recklessly endangered not just you, but potentially the entire world. This was a grave error, one that you won't soon forget, and she would do well to make certain that she never again puts you in this position, or else your reaction might not be as pleasant.

Dolores stands before you, trembling with shame. [say: Yes, [father]. I will be better. I am sorry.] With this, she takes off into the bog, her small wings bearing her off somewhere where she can lick her wounds.

//All
//if Sylvia
Your moth lover drifts over to you, draping her weary arms over your shoulders. [say: Well that was certainly quite the experience. Enough excitement for one day, I imagine?] You agree. [say: Well as much as I would like to drag you back for a round of stress-relief, I won't keep you any longer.] She gives you a peck on the lips before flitting off in the same direction as Dolores, back towards their cave, you presume.

Once everything is silent in the clearing, your arms slump, and all of the exertion and stress of the past few hours hits you at once. You feel like you could almost fall asleep right here, but you know that you have to get back to camp before that can happen. With weary satisfaction, you set off, though you are still worried about how Dolores will take all this.
_________________________________________________________________________
//completely reactive foe, so no AI necessary
//lasts 3 turns before retreating

You are facing off against... something. It is an amorphous blob roughly [5 feet] across at rest, although it frequently shifts and morphs into a myriad of shapes. You can't ascribe any particular color to it, as it's more like light cannot even touch it, and even looking at it too long makes your head start to hurt. Even now, it moves slightly, and the world seems to fluctuate around it, the rules of reality bending in its presence.

//ATTACK REACTIONS
//melee attack
You bring your [weapon] down on the orb, but are shocked to find no resistance to your attack. However, when your [if (unarmed) hand|weapon] has passed almost all the way through the being, it locks in place, as if set in stone. Try as you might, you can't seem to wrench it free, but suddenly, you feel a soft pressure coming from the end. Slowly, your [weapon] is pushed out in a straight line, as if it were just a splinter being extracted. When it finally pops out, you stumble backwards, panting.

//ranged attack
Your projectile sails straight through the orb, and when it shows no signs of damage, you begin to despair. However, after a moment, it starts to shake a bit, and a roughly tunnel-shaped portion of its interior bulges inside of it. It seems that even just passing through the being has caused some sort of effect, but the gash quickly closes up, so you don't know if you've actually accomplished anything.

//magic
When you cast your spell, instead of the intended effect, the magic kind of pools up around the orb, never quite touching it. It's almost as if they were oil and water. After a few moments, a small hole opens up in the being's surface, and the energy is sucked into it. It rumbles for a moment, then stays still, apparently having absorbed your spell.

//Hostile action a second/third time
This time, before your attack can even land, there's suddenly a inky black tendril in front of you, and it's all you can do to dodge out of its way. However, even passing close to it [i: burns] you, as if your skin is being flayed from your flesh. You roll away, and the pain quickly fades to a dull ache, but you've lost much of the sensation in your shoulder. The tentacle pulls back, but you're now wary of the damage this thing can inflict.
//Does 50% max health damage. So if you hit it again without healing, you get the "loss" scene above

//tease
Your attempt to seduce the eldritch being does not work. At least, you don't think it does, but there's a brief flash of pink which emanates from inside of it. Could that mean...?

//WAIT REACTIONS (in order)
You do nothing, and neither does the creature.
==
You take a moment to simply stare at it. Its sheer incomprehensibility, its otherworldliness is almost beautiful, in a way. Maybe... maybe this is what Dolores meant. But before you have much time to consider that, a ripple passes over its surface, breaking the spell and reminding you of your situation. You grit your teeth and raise your [weapon].
==
As you look at the being, it almost seems like it's looking back at you, observing you in the same way you are it. Could it be that this thing is just as confused as you are? It would make sense, given how alien it is.

//Next (after 3 turns)
Just as you're wondering what's going to happen next, the orb shudders. All of its tendrils pull back into the main mass, which then squishes and contorts itself in an odd fashion. But as you look, you realize that its volume is steadily decreasing, as if its being drained away. As the reduction increases, it becomes clear why this is happening—this thing appears to be cramming itself back through the rift that it first spilled out of.

You keep your [weapon] at the ready just in case, but it really does appear to be leaving of its own volition. You thank whatever merciful god smiled upon you today as the last of the orb is sucked back whence it came, the rift snapping shut with a resounding shockwave. You almost can't believe that things ended this easily.