Chapter 26 – Woodswoman Rhonda and Not-So-Nice Londa
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Given that the giantess had a choice of three Quirks, she let her attention shift toward the one that jumped at her the most. There was no mistaking Super Huntress as the more exhilarating Quirk. The sound of it called for a more action-orientated approach toward her forest adventures.

Rhonda imagined she would use it to track more prey enemies to consume, and she would probably enjoy it. After all, she had reveled at the end of the hunt with the boar yesterday. The pleasure of hunting had washed over her in passionate waves, the feeling lingering while she dragged the carcass behind her.

Additionally, Super Huntress had an allure to it that was tantalizing. Out of all of her Quirks so far, only Noble Giant’s Blood sounded the most interesting. Everything else was quite bland⁠—basic this and minor that. Since her character was a cultured giant lady, perhaps it was time to nab something that sounded cool.

That was if, of course, she didn’t have contrarian ideas. It was safe to say that Beast Whisperer stood on the opposite end of the spectrum from Super Huntress regarding Rhonda’s favor. She could imagine its uses, but she didn’t like the idea of talking to prey enemies. It would be useful to communicate with the King Butterfly from before, but she doubted she would see that majestic creature again.

She supposed later down the road she would eventually meet more interesting creatures, but she figured she would be more engaged in conversation with those that could speak Universal. Although speaking Universal wasn’t absolute in saving you from Rhonda’s hunger. Mother wasn't here to stop Rhonda's appetite from exploring other options in her diet.

So, if Beast Whisper didn’t stand a chance, what could she make of Acclimated Survivalist? At first glance, the Quirk lacked flair. It was also a mouthful, and it did not jump at her like Super Huntress. It did not bring to the table an interesting, but a troublesome idea like Beast Whisperer.

If Rhonda was going to take a stab at its meaning, she supposed it would make her a better survivalist. It would probably do so immediately. But that seemed quite… general to her.

Was it suitable for her to be so middle of the road? In regards to Super Huntress, there was a specific theme that stood out like a flag. That Quirk was easy to grasp, and she imagined she would be able to use it for the next meal. Then the next meal after that.

She imagined a Super Huntress with a super hunger would be on the hunt nonstop, thrilled by the process, and enthralled by every success. It would feed into each other⁠—hunting and hungering day in and day out. She would probably never want to stop tracking, killing, feasting until she reached the end of her days.

Such vision of the future was so powerful it made Rhonda salivate. Her stomach gurgled loudly even though it was filled with fresh fish food. The insatiable beast craved Super Huntress.

“Oh my...” Rhonda blinked. She looked around her and saw that the morning light had brightened. “I’ve been up for a long time, haven’t I?”

Yeah, you have.

Rhonda suddenly felt weak. She was not heavily fatigued, but she was disturbed by the disruption of her sleep. It was a much-needed joy in her life. She did not like going without it, even if it was for the sake of eating. She could always wait to eat, but she felt absolutely miserable when she lacked her beloved rest.

Thus, the answer to the System-Not-System’s question came to her quite simply.

“Acclimated Survivalist,” she said. “I choose that.”

The blue prompt disappeared without much fanfare. Rhonda was certain the System-Not-System added the new Quirk to her stats without having to look.

Instead, she stared down the stream’s path as the water trickled around her legs. It bothered her that there was water down her boots. The weight was negligible, but the feel of it was distracting. She ignored it in favor of taking a gander at the sunlight reflecting off the stream’s bubbling surface.

Mistress.

“Yes?”

I’m a little surprised you chose that one. I imagined Super Huntress would fall more in style with your appetite.

“My hunger is powerful, my dear, but it can be my oppressor, too. If it wasn’t for hunger, I could rest more and be at peace.”

I would’ve chosen Super Huntress if it was me. Could’ve made it work, I bet.

Rhonda blinked. Something about Londa’s reply was odd, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. She let it go in favor of standing on one leg and reaching down to take off her boot.

She wobbled a little until she managed to yank it off. Then she did the same to the other. Freed from the pinching footwear, she wriggled her toes in the cool current.

She stored the boots in her satchel. Then she removed her cumbersome pelt and stored that away, too. Just like that, she sacrificed a majority of her resistances to fire and slashing damage⁠—and her fashion-sense⁠—for comfort.

Rhonda chuckled at her own inclinations before she continued to answer Londa’s question.

“To invite Super Huntress in my life would spiral my gluttonous habit out of control. I do not feel that is necessary right now. Perhaps Acclimated Survivalist is bland, but I can already feel certain peculiar ideas just under the surface.”

Oh really?

“Aren’t you aware?”

We’re, uh, separate personalities. I don’t breach your deeper thoughts unless you broadcast them. If you’re feeling ideas, but you’re not exactly sure about them, I won’t be able to pick that up.

Rhonda hummed, touching her finger to her lip. “Just like I can’t look into your thoughts unless you speak to me. You can think anything you want in my head.”

Yup. I guess I have more access to you than you do to me. If you have loud thoughts, I can sense all of that. Or if you’re in the middle of some intense visions, I could watch it with you. But that requires my focus, and sometimes yo girl gets distracted by other thangs.

Rhonda nodded. It was good to know Londa’s range in more concrete details now. It meant that Londa wouldn’t be able to figure out the ideations pulling at Rhonda despite her weariness. The Giantess would have to… work it out… herself.

Rhonda muttered, “I might’ve chosen wrong,” before letting her budding intuition carry her where it wanted to go. She walked out of the stream and entered the area of the last seen location of the monster bear.

Rhonda surveyed the destruction of the trees here. Saplings were crushed and splintered on their sides. Shrubs and vines were shredded apart and scattered across the bear trail. Clearly, the beast did not care for the preservation of the forest here.

Rhonda suspected the bear’s continued existence was a brutish life. One where it crushed all in its path on a quest for food to sustain its huge size. It was an immediate example of what a Super Huntress could look like, but way more grotesque.

A pungent odor wafted from sludge-like flakes that remained behind in the wake of the bear’s destruction. Rhonda bent into a crouch over a wet residue clinging to the trunk of a downed tree. The peculiar ideations inside of her grew stronger, giving her a sense of a plan forming. One of many to come, she supposed.

Please don’t tell me you’re going to rub that on yourself.

“No.”

Londa breathed a sigh of relief.

In its current form, the residue would be messy to take. She did not want it to have direct contact with her hands. So, Rhonda started searching around the near area until she found broadleaf foliage. She plucked a dozen leaves the size of her forearm and returned to the bear trail.

I’m so in the dark about what you’re doing. Are you running on instincts?

“Yes.”

She was hyper-focused on the task now. The quicker she could figure this out, the quicker she could sleep soundly.

She crouched down again with her leaves in hand. She looked over the leaves and the residue. The situation was still not right with her. She might have to touch the residue after all, but only with the smallest portion of her finger.

First, Rhonda grasped her locket. Her mind and spirit unified to draw the power of [Hard Ice] from the gear to her hand. The process was exceptionally easier and quicker than last time. She sensed she could load up more of the icy power, too.

By the time she finished charging her arm up, there was more mist trailing down from the limb now. Little ice crystals glinted in the sunlight.

Then, with the utmost concentration, Rhonda poked the residue with the tip of her nail. Her digit glowed a bright blue.

[Hard Ice] flowed gently down the end of her finger and into the residue. The frost magic froze the residue solid, all without wasting the entirety of [Hard Ice] gathered in Rhonda’s arm. This was a small application of the elemental power, but it made the pick-up easier for Rhonda. After she wrapped up her prize in a leaf, she stored it in the satchel.

That’s 1 unit of frozen bear dung.

In no time, Rhonda collected eleven more. She managed to do so without having to recharge [Hard Ice]. Once she completed the task, Rhonda briskly moved on.

Unlike yesterday, she moved with a purpose. She swiftly followed a small game trail that maneuvered around wall-like thickets, vine tangles, and leg grasping bushes. She enjoyed the sensation of the soft, loamy earth being beneath her feet. Her footfalls sounded quieter, too. She was paying attention to how she walked now.

She really was moving faster, and not just because of the new points in agility. Her strides were long, powerful, and quick. Even though she was walking, it felt like she could outpace most humans who lacked speed.

“Basic Long Stride,” Rhonda said into the passing wind.

Grasping branches rushed overhead as she ducked under. Reaching roots fell behind as she nimbly stepped over. She was accomplishing all of this while following the rise and fall of the hills or the valleys' curving bends.

She knew she wasn’t the quietest creature. She was not the most graceful, either. She was a huge being, and there was no mistaking that. But she moved way better than she did before. She stayed on the move until her newly acquired instincts found what she was looking for.

She stopped just short of leaving the forest line and entering a flat meadow. The walk here took Rhonda a good hour perhaps, but what she found was very suitable.

There was a creek babbling nearby. It was thinner than the stream, but it would be a freshwater source. She saw a plethora of berries and mushrooms in the area. She noticed grand old trees that were starting to break and fall over, the bark pitted with invasive holes.

Rhonda licked her lips, craving not the bark itself but what she would find residing within the tree’s flesh. She would scour through that easy picking later. For now, she ambled around, examing the treetops. The branches did not hang too low, but they were reachable. There were vines, moss, and a great biodiversity of life, too.

The vibrant meadow and the surrounding patch of woods were flat, thankfully. That meant she could rest comfortably without the risk of rolling down a hill or something else unsavory. When she found a ring of trees and shrubbery that could shelter her from the wind, and it was close to the meadow and creek, Rhonda knew she found the perfect spot.

“This is it,” Rhonda said, smiling.

Mmm-aaaah-huh? An image flashed of Londa rubbing at her eyes. Hey, what’s up? I was taking a nap. Like, for real, for real, this time. You were on auto-pilot, so I decided to chill out for once.

“That’s perfectly fine. I was…” Rhonda swished the words around her mouth. It would most likely taste awful once spoken, but she continued anyway. “I was working.”

Whoa. What? Really? Londa made a series of incredulous noises. Aren’t you tired?

“I am.”

She probably burned through her belly’s storage of food, which was a big meal, too. And to top it off, she wasn’t done with today’s… work… just yet. She had to mark the camp at the very least.

“I have a little more to do,” Rhonda said. “But I’m fine for now, Londa. You can continue resting for the both of us.”

I gotta admit I’m troubled. Can one Quirk make that much of a difference? It feels like you’ve just changed up on me. Is that really you?

“Is it really me?” Rhonda repeated, feeling a little irked. “Yes, Londa, it is I, the one who must live or die, who must survive comfortably or torturously, while you pantomime a jester in my head. Does that answer your question?”

Yes, mistress, Londa deadpanned.

Rhonda blinked. Was that… annoyance in Londa’s tone?

For the time they had gotten to know each other, Rhonda had never suspected Londa of being annoyed. That would suggest that Rhonda could rub her pet the wrong way, which was shocking.

Was the pet allowed to be angry with the mistress? Or was this a case of Londa learning to be her own individual?

Rhonda quickly brushed these questions aside since they were getting in the way of her work, which was getting in the way of her rest. “I’m doing what is called an investment of my time now so that I can reap greater rewards later. Does that make sense?”

Understood, mistress. I’ll stay awake and keep on the lookout. Your added points to Perspective should give me a little more range.

Rhonda waited for Londa to say more, expecting something extra frivolous. Instead, only silence rang out.

The giantess returned to the business of setting up a hasty camp. She needed to mark the territory with an alpha predator’s dung piles. She suspected it would be an alarm to all other predators to keep far away. It would probably scare off prey, too, but Rhonda felt it would be better to keep the campsite separated from the hunting grounds.

Nonetheless, she made sure to plant the frozen dung far enough away from camp so she wouldn't smell them.

I'm returning to a Monday to Friday schedule. See y'all on Monday.

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