Swamped

There's no need for subtlety, really. If they thought they were a match for your strength, they wouldn't need to set up an ambush in the first place.

The commander seems like he might be clever enough to come up with a plan for dealing with that, though. So it would be best not to give him time to.

You break through the ropes as they lose their potency, and rush at the commander. The troops see you and start panicking; you use the opportunity to fling the Florp at the commander's head.

It's not actually harmful, since it can only consume ether. And rather slowly, at that. But the soldiers don't know that, and it's going to make it hard for their leader to see.

He does manage to get loose, but by then you've already collided with him. He falls to the ground, groaning.

Now there's five soldiers around you, and none of them look particularly eager to fight. They're just staring at you, two daring to raise their pikes defensively, the other three just shaking.

You're used to this. Frightened soldiers are usually amenable to surrender, but they're also prone to rash actions.

This is a good time to talk, but you'll have to choose your words carefully to avoid making them any more afraid. What should you say to them?