Nil Riiche's unknown sorcery

The false saintess had alluded to her mysterious origins by now, but what truly affirmed them was her command of a strange magic, different than any kind taught in schools. You saw ripples in the spilled wine around the room, each time the woman twirled her parasol in a clockwise motion. How could that be? Was it some unknown machinery, or sorcery? A combination of both?

Whatever the case, ripples in a puddle weren't the primary concern. The bigger worry was that a strange wind had started up inside the tunnel, causing her skirt to billow and her long hair to whirl behind her. For her, it looked like a pleasant breeze. For you, however, it was quickly turning into a problem: the **** of the wind was so strong, you could feel it blowing you back towards the wine casket you'd just exited. You braced yourself to hold your footing, as the torrent of wind became more and more powerful.

"This is a taste of my power, squire. No arrow may touch me. No fire can singe me. No warrior may approach me to sink in a blade. In short, you've fallen into a trap: one in which you are as powerless as the deity you have unwisely chosen to serve," Nil taunted you. "If you decide to be a good boy and kneel, perhaps I'll put in a good word for you with the demon lord."

That was a strange turn of phrase. It was well known that even demons, even ones with great power or seemingly high ranks in the enemy army, didn't have the ear of their lord, any more than anyone in the church could directly speak to Geod Himself. Did she mean by prayer? Do demons even pray?

There was a lot to be distracted by, but this wind tunnel wasn't going to turn your allegiance so easily.

"I can see you're holding strong. But if you think this is the worst I have planned, then you've underestimated me yet again."

Black wisps of fire began to float in the air, reminiscent of the Geodbolt technique devised by the church. Rather than fire them off straight, she moved her parasol around in a circular motion, gathering the flames around its needle tip. "You've done well at standing your ground so far, but I think you'll find it rather difficult to dodge this magic in your current state. My Devilbolt always finds its mark..." The woman grinned wolfishly, then began to send the fire your way. Instead of moving in a straight line, it proceeded in a spiral, like coiling serpents. She was guiding it using the wind magic!{if Belit = True}

"No good! I can't get an arrow through that!" Belit warned you. It would be difficult to even draw her bow and nock an arrow in this kind of wind. "Wind tunnels? Devilbolt? Who the heck are we dealing with here?!"{endif}{if Bangaal = True}

"This is troublesome, even for Bangaal! Oh my! Her mental resistance is a tad too tough to crack! If you can draw her fire for a while, I can use chaos magic to defeat her!"

It was a fun plan, in theory, but it didn't solve the immediate problem of fire spinning forward in your direction!{endif}{if Liens = True}

"Hrrgh! What a pain! I can't... Do anything!" Liens admitted, holding tightly to one of the larger wine casks to try to balance herself. "Never seen magic like this. Reverse engineer. Vacuum? Reverse vacuum? Flamethrower? Can't think with all this damn wind."

Liens seemed to be letting her mind wander. You begged her to focus on the immediate problem.

"Sorry! Don't get hit. Use this! Shield! Hit the button, on top!" She held out a brassy box in your direction, but it was a struggle just to keep herself from flying backward. You'd have to reach out and take it, if you wanted its protection.{endif}{if Amulette = True}

"This is no ordinary occultism, but something of otherworldly origin! Such magic never manifested against the malevolent lord's mystics!" Amulette warned you. If even she, as a witch once embedded in the demon lord's army, didn't recognize this magic, it spoke volumes to the power of the enemy you were facing. Even she seemed to be having a hard time resisting the wind tunnel. "You're not a person I can protect in this perilous predicament! See to your safety, squire!"{endif}{if Helmid = True}

"We have seriously underestimated our opponent, Sir Lavender! Please, stand behind me!" Helmid urged you, trudging forward with difficulty to try and stand in the way, blocking the path of the fire. Her fiery orange braid flapped behind her like a wild animal in the increasing wind-storm, but her feet managed to stay firm upon the dirt. {endif}{if Rosary = True}

"I-I'll protect you with the Geodshield! Please, try to hold on!" Sister Rosary urged you, clasping her hands together for one of her prayers as her golden rolls of curled hair came apart in the windstorm, flapping along with the folds of her hood and habit. She could barely stay on her feet, but she was pouring all of her energy into your protection.{endif}

"All of you saintesses, powerless before this combination of sorcery! It's not too late to crawl over here and kiss my feet, squire. The sooner you do it, the easier this will all be for you," the silver-haired beauty laughed, as her flames drew closer.