The tentacles holding her slipped off. She hit the water, started to push up, and got flattened into the stream bed under the Kraken. While she was drowning, she heard the muted sounds of two monsters howling and screeching as they pummeled each other. Before she succumbed to death in knee-high water, the beasts rolled off of her.

Rhonda exploded out of the water, coughing and sputtering. The fighting raged behind her. She chanced a look and watched as the two monsters evoked innate magic.

The monstrous bear’s eyes glowed a furious, bloodthirsty red while it emitted a smelly miasma. When it reared up on its hind feet and stood to a staggering 40 feet, the forepaws glowed just as red as its eyes.

The kraken did not glow in return, but the water around it funneled into the air and shaped itself into extra tentacles. The end of the water tentacles condensed and froze over into hard-tipped ice spears that glistened under the moonlight.

The two might beasts stared at each other. Then the enraged bear let loose an air-shaking roar at the elemental kraken, recommencing their wrathful contest for supremacy.

One would be the winner, and the other would be dinner. Rhonda doubted she would know who ended up on top. She was going to take this opportunity to leave this madness behind her and go on her way.

I don’t want to be that gal, but… I told you so.

“Be silent, Londa,” the giantess muttered, crossing over to the other side of the stream. The monster fight kept going behind her, and that was perfectly fine with her. There was enough moonlight to help her on her way and⁠—

Rhonda’s stomach growled softly. It gurgled, and then it gently pinched her. It was still digesting the last meal, but there was probably little left of that. Her hunger was starting to gnaw on her again.

We can find easier food later, Big R, Londa said.

Rhonda looked ahead into the dark woods. She was wet. She was getting hungry. Her sleep had been interrupted, and now she was going to exit with nothing for the trouble?

She pressed her lips together and glared down at her empty hands. It was then, while the noise of two ferocious monsters battling for dominance climbed to a higher volume, Rhonda noticed she had dropped her knife.

We’re going back to get it, huh? Londa sighed. Great…

“And to delight ourselves on new meat,” Rhonda growled, turning on her heel.

Can we let them fight each other first?

The giantess halted. She blinked, letting the question sink. Without a verbal reply, she made her choice known by finding a dry spot out of the water. She sat down against a tree.

Glad to offer an idea that’s up to your speed then. Londa flashed a smile in Rhonda’s head.

The giantess shook her head. She was so caught up by the action she had nearly missed a golden opportunity of letting nature run its course for her.

The potential loss of her knife was worrying. It was a gift from her parents that had a much-needed enchantment. But the opportunity to scavenge the consequence of a big bear fighting a kraken was almost worth its displacement.

The knife shouldn’t float away, anyway. It was too heavy for that. So, all Rhonda had to do was wait. She did so comfortably with her back against a tree trunk. Under the music of kraken squeals and bear snarls, Rhonda started to relax.

Once relaxed, she felt her eyes grow heavier.

Wait, Rhonda, don’t!

Zzz.

Z...

Z⁠—No.

Rhonda shook herself awake. She did it more for her own sake rather than for Londa’s worries. Right now was not a good time to sleep. It was obvious, even if it was inconvenient. It would be more useful to make the most out of her Intellect and actually study the enemy species of this forest. Because if she kept plodding clumsily along without forethought, she would continue to find herself in discomforting positions.

This was a case where Rhonda decided to take the proactive option. She leaned forward from the tree and gripped her knees. She focused on how the bear overpowered the kraken even though the latter was larger than the former. They were near each other's levels, but they clearly had different strengths and weaknesses.

This line of thinking urged Rhonda to ask for Londa’s input.

First, can I applaud you for waking yourself up? That’s… a wowzers. 

Rhonda circled her finger around as a gesture for Londa to hurry.

Yes, of course, mistress. So from what I can tell, the bear’s pumped up on Strength, Vitality, and perhaps Perception. It’s thrashing a monster bigger than it, and it’s enduring the hits that come with the territory of being a furry mack-truck. It’s slow, though, compared to the tenti-beast, which probably has high Intellect, Agility, and a good spread across the board.

Just as Londa said it, the kraken outflanked the bear. It circled on its physical tentacles while the water tentacles lashed sharply at the bear’s body. The kraken had taken a good beating at first, but now it was turning the tides. The bear seemed to be losing.

“The bear is like me,” Rhonda mused.

But way stinkier.

Rhonda ignored that slight and focused on how the bear responded to its disadvantage in speed and magic. The fight went on, and the kraken whipped the bear’s body while staying out of reach. The bear charged forward and tried to bite its foe and missed. It swiped its huge claws and missed again. In return, the kraken took full advantage of every failed attempt by punishing the bear with its power.

Then the bear started to tremble. Its legs soon buckled, and it dropped onto its belly in the middle of the stream, disappointing Rhonda.

The giantess blinked her half-lidded weary eyes. She shook her head, knowing she had desired to see how the bear overcame a superior creature.

In the end, she watched the kraken prepare to consume the spoils of its battle. The magical water tentacles it had summoned broke apart and rained down as droplets. The kraken crawled onto the bear’s body.

The bear pushed up suddenly, throwing the kraken off its back and surprising Rhonda. Before the tentacle monster could react, the oversized ursine ripped its claws into its foe. Then the bear got a hold of the kraken with a vicious bite, sealing the deal as they entered a vicious grapple. One that Rhonda found to be incredibly in the bear’s favor.

Doesn’t that remind you of what you did with those rats? Londa asked.

“We tricked them because you helped me do it,” Rhonda said. “It was a creative maneuver then. It’s a survival maneuver here.”

So not only are you under level here, but the monster animals can use tricks, too?

Rhonda chewed her bottom lip. “I think they came after me because they saw the glow of the campfire. The campfire was their guide to a meal.”

Then that’s a big fat my bad on me. Londa sighed. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m only telling you things I heard about from my past. Darn… I’m an idiot.

Rhonda shrugged. They both made bad decisions on their first day and night out of the manor. They shouldn’t hold that over themselves like it was a weight for them to carry forever. That was too much work.

Instead, Rhonda focused on staying awake while the bear thoroughly ripped the kraken into bloody shreds until it was dead.

Victorious, the bear reared back and roared, its glistening face smeared with the blood of its foes. Without paying Rhonda any mind, the bear then seized its meal and dragged it into the broken spot in the woods that the bear had come from. Only after the sound of its steps receded did the area return to its tranquility.

Rhonda got to her feet and reentered the stream. She was hoping to find a severed tentacle and managed to find three. She could’ve tried to fight the bear while it was injured, but Rhonda found it easier to scavenge what remained.

She devoured each one without a second thought. The flavor was new and savory, and the texture was chewy but not too rubbery. She liked it considerably and didn’t waste time trying to save any of it. These were massive, muscular limbs that were way longer than her body. But she chomped and swallowed, chomped and swallowed, chomped and swallowed until the meal was gone. Her stomach would not bother her for a while with this.

Then she searched around the stream bed for what felt like hours. She didn’t stop even when the black of the night turned dark blue. Not even when it turned a light shade of gray. Just when the egg-yolk yellow light of a new day arrived, Rhonda found her knife.

“Londa, look, I found my knife!”

Zzzz.

Zzz.

“Londa!” Rhonda gaped. “You were sleeping this whole time?”

Hahaha. Nah. Just joking. You don’t mind, do you, mistress?

Rhonda’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. That was the first time Londa purposefully fooled her. She ignored the question because she was uncertain if she would or wouldn’t mind. The subject of the knife’s recollection was more important anyway.

“See.” Rhonda raised the dark blade to her face, smiling. “I decided to toil away on a matter that I deeply cared about. And I… I succeeded!”

Londa squealed gleefully in Rhonda’s head, making a big commotion of the moment. Then another unwelcomed voice added to the hoopla.

Rhonda hissed at the appearance of the blue prompt.

Whoa, my queen, wait. This is one of those automatic System messages, just like the ones for gaining experience.

Rhonda knew that, but she hated how this new message sounded like the in-person System. Whatever it wanted to give her, it better be good. Or Rhonda would use her favorite two-letter word.

Whoa, wow, oh snaps! Big R, I just added my own little 2 cents to your Attributes⁠—[1] to Strength, [1] to Vitality, [6] to Perception⁠—but my additions barely hold a stick to your bonuses from your Achievement and Title. Take a look!

Rhonda did just that.

“Interesting,” Rhonda mouthed. “If we base it on the Attribute Points Total, it seems I’ve jumped up by 100 points.”

Heck yeah! Londa bounced around like a maniac in Rhonda's head. She was probably very thrilled over the sudden increase in points.

Could that make a difference with the stronger enemies here? Especially since all her Attributes improved considerably. Even her bad and frivolous Attributes in Agility, Charisma, and Intellect netted a nice increase from this achievement.

Would the increase in Intellect, despite being small, combined with her new minor affinities for ice and fire encourage more elemental magic play? If not for mastery of magic, maybe for the enhancement of her brute force tactics.

That would… require testing. Only when she was more rested and fed. The testing or live-application would be necessary if it could make her time in the forest easier. And Rhonda adored the idea of having an easier experience regarding anything.

So… we’re going to train, huh?

“If only necessary, and when I’m fully rested and fed.”

That’s always preferable. Londa giggled.

Rhonda smiled a little. She then returned her attention to the prompt. There was more to this update from the System-Not-System.

Rhonda blinked… this might be the first time she had a System-related choice, and she was not inclined to refuse. She did not feel this was a trap of any sort. The actual System did not want her to achieve anything since she was The Dark Candidate.

She hadn’t planned to do so; she was merely trying to live. The act of living past constant threats was awarded to her, even if it was to the System and the Administrator’s annoyance.

Well, that was too bad for them.

Ohmygosh, ohmygosh! Okay, calm down, me, let’s talk about this. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get Quirks to explain themselves. I’m guessing they’re more of an innate thing, you feel, right, Rhonda? 

“They are,” Rhonda agreed. “Some like Minor Fire Resistance and Necrotic Tolerance will only act when I’m met with such elements. While Minor Ice Affinity and Minor Fire Affinity will be a boon when I manipulate those elements, I suppose. Noble Giant’s Blood is something I feel that corresponds with my giantess nature, which is constant without being overt.”

Then we’ll have to trust what their names are implying. Beast Whisper, Acclimated Survivalist, and Super Huntress each sound cool in their own ways.

“Depending on how I choose, I can make my experience here easier.”

Yup! Soooooo, what you gonna choose?

Indeed… what would Rhonda choose?

Epikos

Do know that I'm currently seven chapters ahead now. So things are pretty set in the story right now. Maybe when I get a Patreon going, I can integrate more advanced reader feedback.

With that said, please share your thoughts on what you think Rhonda would choose. We'll see who's right tomorrow, lol.