time literally stops (due to
@sterben's innate skill [
TIMEsterb] that freezes time whenever his meter fills up. btw we still don't know exactly how or why his meter fills up. we've done various tests throughout our adventures to try and figure it out, but to no avail.)
now, one thing you need to know about sterben's [
TIMEsterb] is that when it activates, there are actually two separate time factors that are effectively stopped: physical time and mental time. both are as you would intuit: physical time refers to the actions that an individual can take, while mental time is the actual observation of time's continuity (basically, whether or not an individual can observe what sterben does while his innate skill is active). one more thing to note, however: sterben can choose up to one person to stay unaffected by the skill's mental time-stop. that one person can comprehend what sterb does during the stop, and time SEEMS to move for the chosen individual, but he/she cannot physically move while the skill is active — only observe. sterben cannot choose the person unaffected by [
TIMEsterb]'s mental time-stop on the fly, however. instead, he must give the person a talisman imbued with his energy, and that talisman must maintain contact with the chosen individual's physical form in order to take effect. if more than one person has been given both sterben's blessing and is in physical contact with the talisman, mental time will remain stopped for everyone other than sterben during his skill's activation. also, one last thing: sterben was born with his innate skill [
TIMEsterb] as a result of his parent's genetics and respective innate skills.
while time is stopped, i observe sterben's actions. he takes a potion out from his shirt pocket and pours it into the priestess' mouth. he then flees the scene without resuming time. i stay still for what seems like hours until sterben finally comes back, now wearing a brand new pair of pants he must have stolen from somewhere not-so-nearby. i feel a bit irritated that sterb still hasn't remembered to check his habit of malingering during time-stops, even though i've reminded him to countless times, but i internally sigh and let it go for now.
then, with a flick of his wrist, sterben resumes time. the titless priestess immediately faints due to the sterben's potion. "sterben, you should've moved her somewhere else BEFORE resuming time" i exclaim, verbally.
we flee the scene and make our way towards the titless castle, where the final boss surely awaits. but suddenly, sterben trips on his pant leg! i knew he should've asked me to hem them, but it's too late now. sterben lays sprawled out on the sidewalk, his fancy new pants in tatters (metaphorically speaking). i roll for int to decide how i should console him.