Kahli focused on the last of the three timeline scenarios, the only one that was still lit up as opposed to just fairly outlined beside her big left foot.
[Scenario 3]
Kahli started kicking her rock and by result herself up into the air as fast as she could reasonably muster without snapping her legs off unintentionally.
And there she could see Lloyd. She knew that he was going to launch into a dreadful monologue about Gates and such, and that it was going to be full of his obnoxious cackling laugh, so she just completely ignored him. She chalked up his enthusiasm to mean that Lloyd was distracting himself, and as long as Kahli didn't also distract herself she could probably land an absolutely nasty hit on him before he even realized what was what.
So Kahli kicked herself up. The only thing was, her energy for fighting - specifically kicking - was a little lower than ideal. She figured that this was a result of having to continuously kick herself into the air - it must've taken up some of her stamina, and while it wasn't taking a lot, she could definitely still tell a difference.
Still, this was her chance. But Kahli would only really get one hit, wouldn't she? Probably, yes, because she had no idea how else she could distract Lloyd.
Then, she looked at Froufrou in her bag.
"Hey, um, Froufrou, I have a weird question."
Froufrou squelched putridly.
"Yes, yes, well... Um, you see... Can I throw you at Lloyd?"
Froufrou bristled and squelched the nastiest, stinkiest squelch Kahli had ever had the displeasure of smelling.
"Great Theseosus, Froufrou. Okay, I get the point, that's a no."
With that strategy a bust, unless Kahli wanted to annoy her pet and potentially risk ruining their strange little bond, she racked her brain to try other things. The best Kahli could really think of was to kick herself up higher, closer to Lloyd. Then, when she was right behind him, she could kick the rock away from him, crouch, and then send her big rock as a result soaring back towards herself, leading her right to his weird little alien head.
It seemed a pretty underhanded thing to do, but what else was there to do?
[End scenario]
That's it? I don't even get to see what happens next until I choose scenarios?
Does it matter? asked the jellyfish. After all, you just essentially admitted that your plan is always going to be to go with the third option here, the third scenario.
Kahli had been planning to do that, yes. But here seemed to be a bit more of a gray area. She hadn't necessarily died in the second scenario. In fact, the only thing that had really happened was that she had thought about something other than her enemy, Lloyd.
Maybe that was the problem, though, the jellyfish thought. After all, every other time you've used this [skill], I will admit, the third has been the clearly advantageous option.
Kahli filled herself with rage. Are you serious right now? Like, really? Listen, you, you big jellyfish!
Oh, I'm listening to your thoughts, Kahli, don't worry.
I'm not worried!
I'm always listening.
UGH! Anyways, look, big jellyfish, I seem to remember you telling me the exact opposite thing last time we met!
Oh really? I don't recall.
Are you serious? You said to me that if I looked at the timelines from different perspectives, that I could potentially see an advantage to each one!
Well, sure, but we have to think about it from your perspective too, right? And you seemed pretty well convinced that the third choice was always the best. And in fact, you had so much conviction that I must admit I too found myself convinced. So, with that considered, I actually really do think you ought to do the third option.
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Why? Why not do the second? What exactly was wrong with it?
Well, I mean, you didn't really do anything, and you just let him monologue there for ages!
Kahli realized that the jellyfish was.. dare she think it... right. After all, not only had she just sat there and listened to Lloyd, but she'd gotten distracted herself, lost in her own thoughts instead of taking an ideal opportunity to attack a distracted opponent! It really did seem like Kahli needed to stick with the third option. She'd already acted with the knowledge that she'd gleamed from the second - which really was the ideal situation here. Now she had effectively eavesdropped on Lloyd and learned more about his plans without having to waste an opportunity to beat him up!
[Scenario selected]
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Kahli watched as her boulder soured far, far away from her, and away from Lloyd's head, too. He was currently cackling about something, though at what stage in his monologue he was in she couldn't be certain.
Shortly the boulder stopped flying away, and zoomed back towards them, catching with blue flame as it got closer.
The most stressful part of this, as it always was, was when to move. Kahli knew she needed to act quickly, but-
Kahli gasped. She was falling again! Somehow, she'd failed to notice this as she kicked her boulder away. Immediately she felt incredibly foolish. This meant that her boulder was never going to connect with Lloyd's head. She felt like such an idiot! Why had Kahli let that jellyfish talk her into taking the third scenario?
Then again, all the other third scenarios had been ideal. Maybe this one was, too - but how?
And then it came zooming in an arc - Kahli's boulder. And she had an idea. She curved her body and stretched out her big left foot as wide as possible, bracing for impact.
With a mad slam, the boulder connected with Kahli's foot and sent her rocketing back upwards with all of the force that it had been using to travel towards her, and then some! She was bleeding through the sky at breakneck speeds, but Kahli and Froufrou both seemed absolutely fine! It was amazing!
And then she saw her foe getting closer and closer. He was still oblivious and talking to himself. What a buffoon!
Kahli raised her right arm and formed a fist. She watched with glee as little sparks of flame grew around it - something a stone elemental would've never truly expected, and yet here she was, doing it! It must've been the speed, plus the power of her [skill]. Having a system was truly amazing!
Kahli took short breaths as she got closer and closer to Lloyd. Suddenly, he saw her, and he tried to gasp, but the time between him noticing her and Kahli's fist connecting with his jaw was so minuscule that it seemed to be almost none at all.
[Critical hit]
That was a new message! She'd landed a critical hit on him, had she?
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"So you're saying she landed a crit on the little guy?" asked Philhip as he stared out the window at Kahli and Lloyd, anxious not to lose his betting money to Omar.
"Essentially, it's the only way possible, considering how low her level is," said Brahd. "Now how she landed the crit, I really have no idea. What I do know is there's no way someone like her could get someone like him to such a low stage of [HP] without landing a crit. It's just not possible when taking into account base damage limitations in system based fights!"
"Base damage limitation?"
"Yes, Philh," groaned Brahd. "You wouldn't need me to explain this to you if you just had a system, of course, but since you don't and you won't shut up about it, and it looks like Kahli just keeps falling to her impending doom and then kicking herself up again in a way that I would best describe as 'hacky' and 'boring,' I guess I can take the energy to explain it to you. You see-"
"Boring? How is this boring? Did you not see what Kahli just did? She just rocketed herself through the air with her boulder and used it to punch the alien."
"Oh, wow. Guess she'd done that a few times now, huh?? Look at how much damage that attack deals! Must crit the little alien nearly every time she does it." Brahd snickered. "Oh, wait you can't! Silly me."
"No need to be an ass, ass," Philh groaned.
"Well, well, well," Omar walked up to both of them and smiled, putting his arms around them. Thankfully for everyone, his right arm was not currently ignited in flame. "You know I just finished counting all the money in the pot, because I'm going to win it when Kahli beats this fucking alien goon. And I've got to say, I think I'll be treating myself to some champagne soon!" He guffawed with glee and puffed his cigar.
"How many of those cigars do you have?" groaned Brahd. "You know, normally we really don't allow smoking in here."
"Seeing as half of the buildings in the downtown are smoking right now on account of being fucking blown up, I can confidently say I don't give a flying fuck what you normally allow, Brahd. Okay?"
Brahd looked tense and uncomfortable for being scolded in this environment.
"Sorry, sorry, that was a little uncalled for," said Omar. "Still, though, no use being uptight. I'm just glad to be alive. And as for my cigar count, I technically have both none and infinity, because I have a [skill] that lets me summon them at will."
"That's kind of a stupid use of a [skill]," said Philhip with a mutter.
"Not to me! It's a natural one based off me being a fire elemental, of course." Omar smiled and puffed on his cigar. "Now, let's see how badly Kahli is going to cream this crazy alien guy before I use my awesome cigar [skill] to summon myself another sweet stogie. Or, maybe I'll buy some with all of your money once I've won it! Not that I need to, of course, because I can summon them at will as previously established, but I'll probably do it anyway to rub it in your fucking faces for doubting me and my apprentice."
Everyone looked at Omar like he was the wet blanket, but that only made his smile wider as he looked out the window.
"Would you look at that? Seems Kahli's about to connect another hit, this one aimed at the alien's groin!"