Diplomacy

you decide to go the diplomatic route and drop your weapon, surrendering. The figures rush towards you and take everything you have, dragging you to the center of the commotion: an alter beneath a statue of a massive owl. The robes begin to shout, the shouting intensifying and the rythmic drummers beating faster in response as you're carried wave-style across the sea of black.

You see people in the far corners of the cavern ramming their spears into the ground along with the chant. You see {s} dragged by a few larger robed figures and brought to her knees forcefully a few feet away from you, her gag taken out and bonds released. The torchlight reveals just how rough they had treated her. Ripped clothing beneath scratched and torn armor, several light wounds across her body and dirt covering her limbs. It certainly doesn't look like they got her without a fight, but she doesn't look seriously injured in the sense of broken limbs or fatal cuts. Still, a wave of rage washes over you and you begin to regret not taking a few blows yourself before being taken.

You're freed as well, or at least as freed as you can get surrounded by an army of armed cultists chanting incomprehensible nonsense.

"GENTLEMEN!!!" a shout quiets everything immediately. It's from {T}, who's also standing next to you and {s} in the middle of the small circle of 'freedom'.

"These two people were attempting to put an end to our ritual!" His words are met with hundreds of shouts and screams of outrage, but the circle remains unbroken. "Now, they shall become our new ritual!" Even louder shouting ensues and you see the crowd's arms wave high above their hoods in agreement.

"This-" he gestures towards {s} "-is princess Strength, better known as {s} to her companions." 'You're a princess?' You give her a curious look, which she responds with a little bob of her head. 'Doesn't really matter.' You couldn't help but think she still looks beautiful covered in sweat, dirt and the remains of her outfit. {T} continues, "She is a traitor to her nation! But it was not by her own volition that she came to betray you, my friends, no...she was mislead by the madness of THIS man!" he now gestures towards you, the shouts resume for a short time, and you see a few people throw things your way but thankfully they're too far back to aim properly. {T} has to raise his hands to quiet the mob this time and goes on, "His name is Daniel, and he's been-" {s} lunges at him, his guards barely stopping her and manage to shove her back into the ground, which appears to knock the wind out of her. She begins trying to shout "LIER!" To which the guards re-gag her, you have a feeling even beneath the armor they took a few bruises to her wild struggles though, sadly not any more then she took in response. Your rage continues to well up...any moment now you were gonna go out with a bang of adrenaline and rage if you couldn't calm down.

{T} merely smiles and continues "It's not your fault princess! Nor, gentlemen, is it even his! For he's been deceived himself! He cannot be blamed, for the great serpents from the depths of the Wing's Wrath were behind his deception, isn't that right Daniel?" He looks at you with an expectant expression, clearly pressuring you to go along with his narrative to give him leverage and you a chance at escape.

You hate the very idea..after he treated {s} like that?! But you also have no clue how you're gonna get out of here alive without his help...he has a whole army by the looks of it, and as bad-ass as Brayden is, you doubt he can fight off everyone in the room, certainly not all at once, and you dare not look to where you know he was for fear of giving away his position. The crowd stays silent, awaiting your response.