Well damn. I killed off my most used dragon.
Welp. What am I going to do now?
I know! Let’s do a cosmic retcon!
But... what kind of retcon? I don’t want to do ‘it was all just a dream’ sorta thing...
Wait. I know.
The time energies of the Shifting Emporium swirled around the
giant crater.
A booming voice came upon the maelstrom of pulsing time.
This will not do.
The energy— time itself— swirled around, and abruptly changed direction.
It spun, faster and faster and faster.
The world dissolved into nothing.
Thornspell came to on a hard, dusty floor.
Ergh… my head. What just happened?
Then it all came flooding back to her. Putting on that god-forsaken bracer. Running away from government agents— blue mead? A giant junkyard. The machine that made everything go wrong.
Being captured—
And then dying.
Or at least, she thought she had died.
Was she dead?
She opened her eyes.
Bright light assaulted her. She blinked. Wha—
A light blue skydancer stood over her. “Well Cat, it seems like things have got a lot more complicated.”
What?
She bolted upright, ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm. Taking stock of her surroundings, she noted Andy, Cat, Hedwig and Eugene standing around her in shock.
She was back in Curious and Curios.
“Andy, what happened? Am I dead?”
Andraste looked on in shock. How did this random coatl know her?
Suddenly, the bell at the front of the shop rang. “Coming!” Eugene yelled.
Andraste shared a look with Cotriona, and they grabbed Thornspell. “Run now, explain later,” said Andraste.
And they were off.
Thornspell didn’t get a chance to explain to Andy.
They were too busy the whole time, what with the whole running for their lives thing. Hedwig and Cat didn’t seem to remember her adventure either.
But it couldn’t have all been a dream. In any case, she decided to do things differently this time.
She found the machine again. This time, she didn’t let curiosity get the better of her. She let Andraste use it on her instead. Her golem said that there was very high chance it would work, and a tiny chance that it would fail.
Of course, they triggered the 2.2% chance for catastrophic failure.
Everything went white.
Thornspell came to on a hard and dusty—
She bolted upright. The scene was exactly the same. She was in Curious and Curios, with Andy, Cat, Hedwig and Eugene around her.
It was a time loop then.
Maybe she could escape it by not dying…?
Many repeats later…
Thornspell didn’t know how many times she had relived this day, over and over. She couldn’t find a way out.
Was it even possible?
Hedwig remained faithfully by her side the whole time. Thornspell was extremely grateful to whatever god there was that Hedwig had somehow ‘woken up’ around ten repeats in. If not, she would have gone crazy by now.
This time she had picked Cotriona’s path and found herself in the sewers. She shuddered. Last time she had been in here she had met an evil sewer monster. She wasn’t eager to repeat that experience.
The mirror— Taliesin as she had learnt his name was— struggled in the murky waters. She pulled him out without a thought. She was tired of people suffering.
“Uh— I can help you. Just… please don’t kill me.”
She had let him help her before. She had been captured again— though it hadn’t been his fault, really.
“You can call me Tali. Only the Commander calls me Taliesin.”
They made small talk. They reached the rope. Unfeelingly, she tied the knots. She knew this was where it all went wrong. She noticed him staring at the tattoo. Hedwig hooted warningly at him.
“If I may ask… how did you get that?”
He’s been quite nice and sincere about asking it every time she’s taken this path. She’s never replied.
This time, she’s tired of holding it all in. Everything that happened since she put her claws on the god-forsaken bracer, it all came spilling out of her mouth— even the part about the time travel, repeats, and being worried that she’s forever doomed to relive this same day over and over and over again.
Tali listened, silently, bewildered yet understanding. He didn’t know how to react. Who would, really?
“Perhaps we should go find this Enzul fellow, then.”
He made to go up the rope. Thornspell stopped him, and told him about how if they go up they’ll be ambushed by Commander Mirshann. He gulped, and decided to find a different way out.
Thornspell felt bad for unloading all her personal baggage onto Tali.
On the other hand, this was the most free she’d felt in ages.
She had made a friend. After all these months of being stuck in the loop, she had a new friend. (And no, she didn’t count the evil twelve-eyed glowing statue that she had stumbled across.)
Tali had found another way out of the sewer (with a proper ladder, too!) and brought her to Enzul. They chatted amicably most of the way, until another surge of painful magic flooded her and she’d collapsed, too tired to go on.
Then he had basically carried her the whole way and haggled with Enzul.
Or, that was what Hedwig told her happened. She came to on a metal table, with her whole body aching, but more importantly, with the bracer off.
Tali stood there looking sheepish. “Sorry… I couldn’t ask you for permission or anything and Enzul said it was really serious so—”
He didn’t get to finish, as Thornspell tackle-glomped him. “Thank you thank you thank you Tali!” She cried with tears of joy. “Now we’re free! Hey, do you think you can resign from your job? You could like, totally live with our clan! And if not… well maybe we can see each other again when I’m not a wanted criminal and…”
Thornspell stopped as she noticed Tali was silent.
“Yeah. Uh… about that…”
She stared in horror as he revealed that he had basically sold away his autonomy for her life. They had just met! Or, well, Tali had just met her.
He was too kind.
Enzul ushered her out with a stern admonishment to stay away from at her cursed artifacts. She wasn’t really listening.
The last she saw of Tali was him waving at her with a sad smile before the door closed between them.
Thornspell lay in bed, in her bed, in her library, in her clan.
She was free… but at a cost.
Her friend had sacrificed himself for her. And that was unacceptable.
Mind made up, she went to sleep.
Hmmm… Is that so?
Very well then.
Thornspell came to on a hard and dusty floor.
She knew exactly what she would see when she opened her eyes.
But this time, she was perfectly fine with it.
Welp. What am I going to do now?
I know! Let’s do a cosmic retcon!
But... what kind of retcon? I don’t want to do ‘it was all just a dream’ sorta thing...
Wait. I know.
The time energies of the Shifting Emporium swirled around the
giant crater.
A booming voice came upon the maelstrom of pulsing time.
This will not do.
The energy— time itself— swirled around, and abruptly changed direction.
It spun, faster and faster and faster.
The world dissolved into nothing.
Thornspell came to on a hard, dusty floor.
Ergh… my head. What just happened?
Then it all came flooding back to her. Putting on that god-forsaken bracer. Running away from government agents— blue mead? A giant junkyard. The machine that made everything go wrong.
Being captured—
And then dying.
Or at least, she thought she had died.
Was she dead?
She opened her eyes.
Bright light assaulted her. She blinked. Wha—
A light blue skydancer stood over her. “Well Cat, it seems like things have got a lot more complicated.”
What?
She bolted upright, ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm. Taking stock of her surroundings, she noted Andy, Cat, Hedwig and Eugene standing around her in shock.
She was back in Curious and Curios.
“Andy, what happened? Am I dead?”
Andraste looked on in shock. How did this random coatl know her?
Suddenly, the bell at the front of the shop rang. “Coming!” Eugene yelled.
Andraste shared a look with Cotriona, and they grabbed Thornspell. “Run now, explain later,” said Andraste.
And they were off.
Thornspell didn’t get a chance to explain to Andy.
They were too busy the whole time, what with the whole running for their lives thing. Hedwig and Cat didn’t seem to remember her adventure either.
But it couldn’t have all been a dream. In any case, she decided to do things differently this time.
She found the machine again. This time, she didn’t let curiosity get the better of her. She let Andraste use it on her instead. Her golem said that there was very high chance it would work, and a tiny chance that it would fail.
Of course, they triggered the 2.2% chance for catastrophic failure.
Everything went white.
Thornspell came to on a hard and dusty—
She bolted upright. The scene was exactly the same. She was in Curious and Curios, with Andy, Cat, Hedwig and Eugene around her.
It was a time loop then.
Maybe she could escape it by not dying…?
Many repeats later…
Thornspell didn’t know how many times she had relived this day, over and over. She couldn’t find a way out.
Was it even possible?
Hedwig remained faithfully by her side the whole time. Thornspell was extremely grateful to whatever god there was that Hedwig had somehow ‘woken up’ around ten repeats in. If not, she would have gone crazy by now.
This time she had picked Cotriona’s path and found herself in the sewers. She shuddered. Last time she had been in here she had met an evil sewer monster. She wasn’t eager to repeat that experience.
The mirror— Taliesin as she had learnt his name was— struggled in the murky waters. She pulled him out without a thought. She was tired of people suffering.
“Uh— I can help you. Just… please don’t kill me.”
She had let him help her before. She had been captured again— though it hadn’t been his fault, really.
“You can call me Tali. Only the Commander calls me Taliesin.”
They made small talk. They reached the rope. Unfeelingly, she tied the knots. She knew this was where it all went wrong. She noticed him staring at the tattoo. Hedwig hooted warningly at him.
“If I may ask… how did you get that?”
He’s been quite nice and sincere about asking it every time she’s taken this path. She’s never replied.
This time, she’s tired of holding it all in. Everything that happened since she put her claws on the god-forsaken bracer, it all came spilling out of her mouth— even the part about the time travel, repeats, and being worried that she’s forever doomed to relive this same day over and over and over again.
Tali listened, silently, bewildered yet understanding. He didn’t know how to react. Who would, really?
“Perhaps we should go find this Enzul fellow, then.”
He made to go up the rope. Thornspell stopped him, and told him about how if they go up they’ll be ambushed by Commander Mirshann. He gulped, and decided to find a different way out.
Thornspell felt bad for unloading all her personal baggage onto Tali.
On the other hand, this was the most free she’d felt in ages.
She had made a friend. After all these months of being stuck in the loop, she had a new friend. (And no, she didn’t count the evil twelve-eyed glowing statue that she had stumbled across.)
Tali had found another way out of the sewer (with a proper ladder, too!) and brought her to Enzul. They chatted amicably most of the way, until another surge of painful magic flooded her and she’d collapsed, too tired to go on.
Then he had basically carried her the whole way and haggled with Enzul.
Or, that was what Hedwig told her happened. She came to on a metal table, with her whole body aching, but more importantly, with the bracer off.
Tali stood there looking sheepish. “Sorry… I couldn’t ask you for permission or anything and Enzul said it was really serious so—”
He didn’t get to finish, as Thornspell tackle-glomped him. “Thank you thank you thank you Tali!” She cried with tears of joy. “Now we’re free! Hey, do you think you can resign from your job? You could like, totally live with our clan! And if not… well maybe we can see each other again when I’m not a wanted criminal and…”
Thornspell stopped as she noticed Tali was silent.
“Yeah. Uh… about that…”
She stared in horror as he revealed that he had basically sold away his autonomy for her life. They had just met! Or, well, Tali had just met her.
He was too kind.
Enzul ushered her out with a stern admonishment to stay away from at her cursed artifacts. She wasn’t really listening.
The last she saw of Tali was him waving at her with a sad smile before the door closed between them.
Thornspell lay in bed, in her bed, in her library, in her clan.
She was free… but at a cost.
Her friend had sacrificed himself for her. And that was unacceptable.
Mind made up, she went to sleep.
Hmmm… Is that so?
Very well then.
Thornspell came to on a hard and dusty floor.
She knew exactly what she would see when she opened her eyes.
But this time, she was perfectly fine with it.
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__snek, snek, let down your necc | _ |
  
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