"So that's that, then?" asked Kahli expectantly as she looked around at the clearing. She could hardly believe what she'd just managed to pull off, without so much as lending a finger in order to attack a foe.
Using her [Tale Teller] [skill], Kahli had quickly concocted a story that bewitched the minds of everyone in the surrounding area - from giant Silash to toast-happy Unit 5a23, from Taubitha and Princess to Omar. Indeed, even Lloyd the evil alien found himself completely entranced.
What Kahli had posited was that there were some great changes coming to the world of Nomachiato. She said that she'd had a prophetic vision - and of course this was about half true, she had many visions, although whether or not they were indeed prophetic was highly up to interpretation - that allowed her insight into the future of Nomachiato. Once again, this was partially true - Kahli did have insight into the future, albeit quite minor insight, thanks to some of the [attributes] afforded to her by her new [class] of [Time Manipulator]. She said that a great evil was coming, and that indeed New Curr was but one facet of a much larger happening that was due to take place. She'd gone on to say that, as the world was already doomed, there was not much of a point in trying to destroy it in any way. After all, Kahli had continued, Nomachiato was preordained to be doomed at a later time, a time that even she could not directly pinpoint yet one that she was deathly aware of all the same. With that, Kahli posited that if one was to try to bring forth such an end of the world early, they risked bringing themselves within the crossfire of whatever the what it was that was the what that would end the world. This immediately sold Lloyd on deciding not to fight, and indeed it seemed that even Princess whinnied in a bit of a hesitant manner regarding attacking people. Taubitha, on the other hand, still brimmed with hatred so strong for Kahli that she seeked to defy her despite believing her - however, Taubitha was also someone who generally liked to go along with the crowd. And as quickly everyone - indeed, even Silash, in his transformed robo-body - fell into a pattern of not wanting to battle, she too soon ceded and relented.
With that, everyone was just kind of standing around in the clearing muttering to one another awkwardly. Kahli looked into her purse at Froufrou and smiled. She was so impressed with how she'd managed to pull it off.
"The only thing that's odd, Froufrou, is that we didn't end up getting hit by a [checkpoint] during all this," she added. "Of course, we've been in an awful lot of [checkpoints] as of late, it seems. But still, for some reason I really thought we'd get the chance to decide how to handle that situation. Almost like something was inevitably going to happen that would make all my choices irrelevant, or something. Is that right, Froufrou? Is that how [checkpoints] work?"
Froufrou squelched with minor stinkiness at this thought. In her opinion, Kahli would get a much better answer if she just asked her system instead of her [paired] companion. And indeed, verbalizing the question seemed to be enough, as Kahli's system soon butted its way into her vision.
[Clarification: You presently enter into the number of available checkpoints for your timeline based on a combination of factors, including - stability of available branching timelines, probability of choices to impact timeline evolution, and availability of resources both internal and external in order to initialize a checkpoint. To clarify this third aspect, please note that your checkpoints have a fuzzy cool-down period wherein only events with magnitudes classified by your system as extraordinarily major would launch and initialize another checkpoint. This is an important function and aspect of your skill, as without any of this inbuilt calibration you indeed run the risk of getting caught in a loop of endless checkpoints. Imagine if you will, every time you decided to eat a sandwich or a crepe you launched into a checkpoint. What about when you looked for a glass of water? What if you spent a checkpoint choosing what sandwich you wanted, and then immediately afterwards you found yourself choosing what drink you wanted in yet another checkpoint.]
Kahli furrowed her brow at this, which scratched some of the small pieces of living wood on her face together in an obnoxious fashion. She wondered how relevant this example was to her. After all, sure, choosing something as mundane as a sandwich didn't make a whole lot of sense as far as [checkpoints] went. But how about something of such extreme magnitude as tricking an entire clearing full of foes, many of whom wanted her dead? How was that something that didn't warrant a [checkpoint]?
[Clarification: Magnitude is calculated by system averages on a daily basis. On those days that you do many things of a similar time-impact, you will notice your system automatically scale them down in importance. It is indeed the variance of impact that your choices can have that often triggers full checkpoint events. So, in your present example, one must consider that you have experienced a number of high-stakes events as of late that have skewed your average. Not to worry, this will of course recalculate as the day passes, and indeed after your skill cool-down period times out you will still be more eligible to enter into a checkpoint. It is important to realize that the reason your skill calibrates in such a manner is that otherwise, unbridled, you could easily find yourself living through an eternity in checkpoints before you even finished a day of your normal life. That being said, as you continue to level up and grow your skill as well as your class of Time Manipulator, you may eventually gain the ability to control this calibration either directly or indirectly on your own.]
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Well, that was interesting enough. While it was frustrating to Kahli in the moment that she couldn't tap in to all those features immediately, she did like the idea of growing into it. And she definitely didn't want to be in [checkpoints] for an eternity - that was a stressful thought indeed, and she had no idea how one would escape such a situation. Perhaps it was for the best that she'd only be able to configure such things in her system when she gained more [XP] and became a stronger [Time Manipulator].
Regardless, there was scarcely any more time available for Kahli to spend wondering about this concept. Not because of any of her enemies, of course - they were all muttering amongst one another regarding their fears and fancies related to the the end of the world. Instead, this was due to a well-intentioned and yet altogether disastrous decision to brazenly act by none other than G'athoong the water dragon.
Kahli suddenly got an inkling that something was coming when she heard a roar and a grumble from the air that battered her ears and shook the ground with a terrifying force.
"AAAGH!" shouted Lloyd. "Is it the end of the world?!" The little, purple alien grabbed a blue mushroom off the ground and cowered under it, as it if were to function as a disguise. Ironically, he'd proved himself to be absolutely terrified at the idea of someone or something ending the world other than himself, as his inferiority complex had him assuming that whomever or whatever would do such a thing would indeed be much more powerful than even himself.
"Whether or not it is now, or in the future, I choose not to act until it is a genuine threat to myself," said Unit 5a23 as he hovered there, cross-legged and half meditating. "Indeed, it is such that I may luck out and get passed over when the world starts ending. That being said, if it tried to end me, heh, then I may end up being he who ends the world."
"Princess is ending the world! Obviously!!" said Taubitha as she gestured to her glittery, sparkling pet. "Don't look at me like that. She's deadly! She's a killer!"
"She is pretty powerful," said Kahli quietly. "But-"
"Don't you dare agree with me, Kahli, you... you skank!!" hissed Taubitha with a flap of her oversized wings.
"I wasn't finished!" said Kahli. "But I think if we all put our heads together about this, Froufrou is really a serious threat to the sanctity of the world. And if anyone has any problems with that, well, good luck - she could probably squelch you to death in half a second if you tried anything."
"I'm fucking bored!" spat Omar. "Why is everyone too fucking afraid to fight, again?"
Before Kahli could say another word, the scaly blue hide of G'athoong shot through the clouds with a roar and a bellow and circled around the scene.
"G'athoong!" shouted Kahli.
"What are you saying about thongs?" asked Omar incredulously. "Also, a fucking dragon? Not even a bone dragon? Am I in a fucking religious service or something? Did I take some wacky drugs? All the dragons are supposed to be asleep!"
"Asleep until the end of the world," corrected Silash coldly.
G'athoong roared a mighty roar that sent Taubitha toppling right over. Which was funny, but it also wasn't too surprising - her wings had totally ruined her sense of balance and center of gravity. With that, all of Kahli's enemies seemed to be rightly shaking.
"Does this dragon know you, Kahli?" asked Unit 5a23.
"Unit 5a23, this dragon knows you!" said Kahli. "It's G'athoong. Don't you remember?"
"No," replied the automaton.
Kahli frowned. How frustratingly obtuse her mechanical companion was being!
"Are you fucking shitting me?" asked Omar with vitriol. "You know, when I saw this thing up in the sky hanging out with you I just assumed it was undead. It's genuinely alive?"
Yes, I am alive. Alive and sick of hiding! mind spoke G'athoong with defiance in her tone.
"Like, oh my gods! Am I losing my mind?!" asked Taubitha. "I hear the dragon speaking in my head!"
"It's what they do, the crazy fuckers," said Omar with a sigh.
BEHOLD, MY MIGHTY POWER! G'athoong opened her jaws and released a mighty deluge of icy cold water, spraying all of the foes while conveniently missing Kahli and Unit 5a23. Everyone soon found themselves swimming and submerged in chilling waters that had them struggling at length to stay above the tide and indeed to breath as well.
"This is crazy," said Kahli with a shudder and a shock as she watched the chaos of the flowing water surrounding her. "How did you manage not to attack me?"
Don't overthink it, Kahli. I'm a magic water dragon.
Kahli shrugged with a smile, and Froufrou squelched with glee.
"HALT!" shouted an unfamiliar voice.
Kahli froze as she saw a cluster of mushroom-headed taumans - fungus elementals, no doubt - standing about a field or so's length away from the clearing. They had numerous poisoned crossbows loaded and pointed in her and G'athoong's direction.
"FOUL ENEMIES OF PEACE IN FLUNGUNGLIA! STAND DOWN NOW, OR PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED!"
Kahli sighed. She just couldn't catch a break, could she?