Sometimes, you can’t figure things out by yourself. You need answers. And this person claims to have them.

“Wait!” you call after the woman. She has now turned south on Washington Square, and continues to jog hurriedly away from the danger. You run to catch her, shouting that you just want to talk. As she passes MidTown Brewing Company, she trips, and her books and other items go flying out of her hands. You catch up with her halfway down the block, in front of an empty storefront nestled between a barber shop and a cigar club. You become vaguely aware of the sound of approaching sirens.

“Let me help you,” you say, as you bend down to pick up her fallen items. There are some ancient looking books about legends, a fantasy encyclopedia, a sketchbook and artist’s pencils, and a wooden ball the size of a small grapefruit. “What is all this stuff?”

“It’s the only way to slay the dragon,” the woman explains, a touch of exasperation in her voice. “It’s a combination of all of this. And more. But we have to hurry!”

The sound of a nearby siren distracts her, and you follow her gaze to the northern block. The dragon has been momentarily stymied by firemen spraying water at its head. You doubt this will prove much of an obstacle, as the spray seems to only be making the creature angry.

“Wait,” you say. “I don’t understand.”

The woman points to the vacant storefront. “They understood. Battling a monster of this size…it’s just like marketing!”

You blink. “Like…marketing?”

“Yes! It’s the combination of elements, don’t you see? No one thing is enough on its own. You have to define the beast, and capture the beast, and engage with the beast…”

A roar from the north shakes you both. The dragon has dispatched with the last overpowered firefighter.

The woman grabs your shoulders. “I can’t do it,” she screams, inches from your face. “It’s too late for me. Slay the dragon yourself!” Before you can reply, she is running once again, south on Washington Square at a full sprint, no longer weighed down by the books and other items she had been carrying, which still lay at your feet.

You turn around. The dragon is half a block away, staring right at you.

Do you:

Use the knowledge provided by the woman to attempt a battle.

Or:

Break into the vacant storefront to see if the marketing firm had left anything useful behind.