Centuries ago, Rhonda’s father once told her that a betrayal from a close friend was one of life’s worse blows. She was a shorter, more audacious child when she asked her successful warband leading father a question that would prompt such an answer. She had expected him to answer that being attacked by fey or dragons was possibly the worst. She could not yet comprehend betrayal. She did not know until now.

It had a taste. Acidic like the bile rising out of one’s stomach. It had a noxious, rotten scent, reminding the giantess partly of the mausoleum that her family manor had become and of the giant bear’s rancid, throat-constricting smell that wafted from its tremendous body. Betrayal was a pain that bludgeoned from the inside out as if Londa took merriment out of putting her foot to Rhonda’s gut. Or perhaps Rhonda was being dramatic, and she should persist in supporting her other⁠—

“Excuse me, Londa.” Rhonda started jogging. “I’m agitated by your statement and cannot seem to form a proper response.” Her jog picked up speed. The forest started to blur by. “I’m, wow⁠—I’m furious!” Her devilish half didn’t respond, leaving the giantess to deal with her upset mood on her own, which was just fine.

Her bump in agility was insubstantial. Her Greater Long Stride outside of combat made up for it incredibly. At full-tilt sprint, the giantess moved faster than she had ever imagined. Leafy branches rustled greatly in the wind that blew in her wake. She smashed brambles and bushes underfoot, throwing heaps of foliage into the air. One would think at this point that survivalist would instinctively scream at her to stop⁠—but rather than work against her, the Quirk shifted perspectives and narrowed her focus on what was most important to her:

To take her anger out on something that could handle it and to survive the match-up. Regarding this, Acclimated Survivalist snapped to action within her from what Rhonda could feel. She felt her anger had a course to follow as she drove herself down a trail with fewer forest obstructions. She followed the curve of a hill rather than crest it to avoid skylining herself, furthering the concealment of her incoming attack. They may hear her coming or feel her en route through the rumble in the earth that would no doubt shake many a pebble, but she would not allow them to see her.

Londa’s voice filled Rhonda’s ears. “You’re putting a strain on your stamina, and you know how that hurts you. You shouldn’t be playing hero now.”

Rhonda ran a little harder.

“Fine, fine.” Londa sighed. “I still have to support you. I put [1] Ability Point in [Ravenous Insight] and [3] in [Cornered Beast]. Don’t die, my pet.”

Then Rhonda smashed out of the treeline. She hammered aside a thicket of saplings that were as tall as her. Their trunks snapped like twigs and scattered hundreds of splinters. Leaves and twigs fell into the wind whipping at her heels as the giantess stormed into the rocky, boulder-filled clearing that happened to be under a scarred cliff. Here, she was faced with the massive, scar-riddled, fur-burnt bear as it chased after the remaining survivors⁠—four now compared to the six she had tracked.

The little people⁠—two humanoid women, one humanoid male, and one male dwarf⁠—lost their concentration on the bear and looked at her.

“On the stank balls of the Adminastar, is that a bloody Fomorian!” yelled the Lvl 29 Dwarf. 

Rhonda quickly noted there was blood leaking through the side of the dwarf’s chainmail. He was furthest to the back, armed with a torn-up great shield that was one swipe away from falling to pieces. He was also armed with a flail that he whirled in her direction to knee-cap her.

“Not now, little one.”

Rhonda hurdled over the dwarf and sailed past him. She left him in her trailing wind, which peppered him with leaves and twigs.

When she landed, the earth jolted underneath her. Pebbles skipped into the air. Nearby boulders trembled. Greater Long Stride persisted as she dashed past a robed woman holding a staff (Lvl 30) and another woman shooting arrows (Lvl30).

Both flailed around from the trembling commotion of a running giantess and nearly fell over. They gawked after Rhonda.

The closest to the tremendous bear was a Lvl 31 Human male wearing a dirty chest-plate over leather armor. His weapon was a long sword that emitted sparkly blue energy.

He was recovering from a roll underneath the monster bear’s swipe when he spotted the giantess. His loss in concentration could’ve killed him if the bear didn’t turn to look at her also. Its bloodshot, frenzied eyes narrowed with recognition.

“It’s a furry fey-damned giant!” yelled the dwarf who was far in the back. His injury wouldn’t allow him to catch up.

“It’s only Lvl 18!” yelled the archer female.

She turned her bow and arrows on Rhonda. The projectiles splintered against the armored lizard hide under the giantess’s furs.

“Still a pain!” The male with the glowing sword cocked his weapon back just as the giantess grew ever closer.

More power emanated from his weapon, making it shine brighter. At the same time, the bear faced her fully and braced itself to charge her head-on.

Seeing how there was no backing out, and Rhonda still had the lingering effects of Greater Long Stride until she fully engaged, the survivalist made some quick adjustments. Moments before impact, she veered off to her right slightly.

Just in the nick of time, too. A fireball roared like a flaming comet by her left shoulder. It erupted in the bear’s face.

“Oh, my! I was aiming for the giant!” yelled the female wizard.

“I got it!” The magic sword male slashed in Rhonda’s direction.

A crescent of blue energy cut through the air between them. It would’ve hacked her thighs if Rhonda didn’t take the high road.

The giantess stepped up on a boulder. Then she bounded onto an even bigger one, the magic blade arcing underneath her feet. Then she skipped onto the largest one that stood nearest to the bear. The monster was still shaking off the fireball it took face-first when it looked up just in time to see Rhonda fling herself fully into the air. And at its direction.

“Systemus’s mercy!” yelled the female wizard.

“My eyes can’t⁠—it’s a flying giant!” yelled the dwarf.

“Move, Marcus!” screamed the female archer.

The magic sword male, presumingly named Marcus, scrambled desperately for dear life as Rhonda body-slammed the bear. The earth shuddered from the force! The thudding noise rang far and wide into the force or bounced hard off the cliff’s face and stone walls. The initial clash was like thunder, and it rattled around Rhonda’s head hard.

The force of her slam nearly knocked the remaining wind out of her, too. She felt her fatigue climb to dangerous levels. But she was too invested, now. Rhonda latched onto the bear’s back as the two of them tumbled. The massive monster rolled onto her. It crushed more of the air out of her and filled her mouth with its dirty fur. She nearly lost her grip when it got to its feet.

Then Rhonda bit the bear. Putrid flesh filled her mouth. It was toxic, and she could feel her insides curdle at the taste. But her ever-burning furnace of a stomach demanded the tribute. So, Rhonda buckled down and drove her face into the bloody hole she widened further with her chomps and hearty swallows.

The bear roared as the giantess tore pieces off its back. It entered a mad, thumping run and threw itself into a destructive fit. It nearly squashed Marcus under its paw as the magic sword male ran to reach his friends. The bear whipped around faster than the giantess expected. The jerky movement displaced her position on its back that was loosely secured by the grip of all four-limbs.

Rhonda wanted to hold on until she saw the emergence of powerful spellcraft being prepared by the wizard. There was the scent of burning ozone in the air and a building charge that crawled along Rhonda’s skin. Acclimated Survivalist gave her a good kick in the butt to get her moving.

The giantess rolled off the bear. She hit the earth hard and rolled further. She then got to her feet behind a boulder just when a bolt of lightning blasted the bear’s hide. Rhonda planned to follow up when a massive arrow darted through the air and sliced across her left shoulder.

Rhonda hissed. The injury was light since it did not land flush. The combination of [Ravenous Insight] and [Healthy Eater] would help her. But it was annoying to be in the middle of a fight with the greater alpha predator while an aggressive party of little people pestered her. Now that Greater Long Stride was spent, she would be a way easier target.

“I’m not your enemy!” Rhonda shouted, her voice booming wide. “If we are to win this engagement, you must work with me!”

“Then you’ll eat them,” whispered Londa.

“And I won’t eat you!” added Rhonda.

“You ‘ear that, lasses! She won’t eat us!” boomed the dwarf from the other side of the rocky clearing. “She’ll only step on us. Isn’t that just dandy?”

“That’s a Freudian slip, love.” Londa snickered. “He totes want you to step on him.”

Rhonda imagined herself grabbing Londa by the face. Then she shoved Londa into the back of their mind space. Far into the back.

 It seemed to work, for now, allowing the giantess to refocus on the monster bear. It was looking warily between Rhonda and the adventurers. For the first time since Rhonda had seen it, the big bear seemed distraught. She couldn’t imagine such a creature ever feeling fear. But now that she was more aware of the subtle gestures, sounds, and signs beasts show at certain stages of an engagement, she was certain of it.

Or it could be a dangerous trap set by the bear to bring its enemies closer. Nonetheless, the archer and the wizard were picking at the bear from afar now. Fireballs and size-enhanced arrows lit its flank up. Then Marcus added to the adventurer’s firepower with magic crescents that lashed at the monster bear. Greatly bothered, the beast turned to engage them.

Rhonda scrambled around her hiding spot and rushed the bear’s hindquarters. She could feel a huge difference the loss of Greater Long Stride made. It was like running through tangles of bramble. There was a lack of spring to her step, too. Every footfall thudded hard up her body and seemed to make her feminine parts jiggle more annoyingly.

She was begging between huffs and puffs for the adventurers not to strike at her as she gained on the bear’s flank. Then she started wishing for more speed as the bear whipped around and charged her in return. Since she had no gods to pray to, she answered her own prayers with her knife. She invoked [Boost Thrust] with the knife’s point aimed at the bear’s rear foot.

Rhonda zoomed into the bear. She leaned back and kicked her foot forward. Heaps of gravel rolled along with her as the giantess slid underneath the bear’s counter-swipe. With one hand occupied with stabbing the bear’s left rear ankle, the other⁠—the ice arm⁠—lashed out with claws of [Hard Ice]. She gouged the inside of the monster’s right knee. Arcs of frozen blood rained along the ground behind the giantess.

Rhonda slid to a stop on the other side. “Please, don’t attack me!” she yelled at the adventurers. “Help me!” She hoped that she had just enough Charisma to convince them. She could not afford them any more of her attention now. She wanted to refocus everything she had on defeating the big bear. She had to because if she didn’t do something that could burn away her fury, she would not be able to withstand Londa’s treachery.

Pain yanked at Rhonda’s heart. She gritted her teeth and funneled that into her forest war for dominancy with the bear. By the time she stood, the monster hobbled around to reface her. A reddish aura covered its body. The aura shone through its eyes. Its paws were ablaze with bloody power that it undoubtedly pulled from the depths of its wrathful soul. It seemed to say that it would stand here and now, ready to die or survive like always.

“We’re alike, then,” Rhonda muttered. “Until you fall.”

The bear roared, the noise nearly bursting the giantess’s eardrums. It threw itself up into a massive stance held up by its injured back legs. It shouldn’t be able to do that, but its power was berserk magic. Rhonda felt her blood cool as she realized she was not yet powerful enough to punch so far above her weight with a Lvl 43 Big Bear. It was probably the boss of this forest, and it was going to crash down on top of her and crush her!

“On your right! [Shield Charge!]” The dwarf zoomed past her knee. The five-foot being moved like a ball out of a cannon, his ruined shield held out before him. Then he smashed his shield into splinters against the monster’s weakened ankle. He bounced off to the side and quickly removed himself from the scene while the bear wobbled and crashed down near Rhonda.

The giantess barely stepped to the side before the massive impact slammed the earth and brushed her with wrathful magic. That was enough to throw her back and lay her flat. Rhonda shook her head. She sat up and watched fireballs and massive arrows strike the big bear. Then Marcus appeared next to her, his blade shining like a sliver of a blue night.

“You’re really here to help?” he asked.

“I’m here to kill the big bear,” Rhonda answered, for it alone could absorb her fury. “But I greatly appreciate the help.”

She pushed up to her feet. “Are you unhurt?”

“Uh, yes, I drained our last health potion, unfortunately,” Marcus said.

“When you land, continue rolling.”

“What?”

“And aim for the eyes as you pass.”

Before the man could question her again, Rhonda hooked onto the back of his chest plate's straps. She took one step forward and swung her arm in an underhanded motion. She hurled the magic sword male up into the air as he shrilled throughout. Just when she started to think he would not take advantage of his air superiority on the bear, Marcus readjusted mid-flight and swung his glowing sword.

The bear looked up just when a crescent of magic slashed across its eyes. It might’ve been the archer's job to blind the beast, but the height difference and its constant thrashing might’ve made the smaller targets undesirable. On top of that, Rhonda imagined the bear was unfamiliar with creatures attacking it from above, just like she had when she slammed down onto its back. All Marcus had to do was let the boulder on the other side of the bear break his fall a little and keep rolling.

“Are you bloody crazy?” yelled the dwarf from a distance.

“I’m bloody mad!” Rhonda roared as she thundered forward to reengage the bear.

It had lost its red aura, and now it was making hoarse breathing sounds. Blood whipped from its face as it shook it about. When it lifted its mangled head to face the giantess, Rhonda saw the full extent of its damage. Smoke wreathed from smoldering patches of its body. Rivulets of blood streamed down all of its limbs and soaked what remained of its fur thoroughly. It was practically standing on willpower alone from the look of it.

Then it proved it had more than willpower; it ferociously attacked Rhonda. It smashed its paw along her torso and scraped off much of her fur and armor. It sliced red grooves into her flesh and bloodied her right arm and side. When it attacked again, Rhonda raised her left arm and invoked [Hard Ice] to fortify the limb. The impact staggered her and scattered chunks of ice left and right.

“Give us an opening to hit it again!” yelled the female archer.

“No need,” Rhonda grunted, bracing herself. She knew what would come next as soon as the bear reset itself. In preparation, Rhonda tossed her knife from her right hand to her left hand.

The bear lunged forward with its head tilted, and maw stretched wide. Down that glistening gullet, Rhonda could see the many ends of many creatures that fell to the wrathful beast’s hunger. She could imagine her own end down that throat. But she knew it would remain an imagination as her loaded right fist swung up from her hip. At the same time, Rhonda invoked [Soft Blaze].

Instead of an extension of magic, a spiral of flames swirled into a contracted ball at the tip of the middle knuckle claw. It exploded with the shovel uppercut, blasting the bear’s head up and away. Flames roared around its face and smoldered more of its fur. Before it could even bring its head down, Rhonda aimed her knife and [Boost Thrust] the blade into the side of its neck.

The bear gagged.

Rhonda rotated around and faced the same direction as the bear.  She latched onto the bear’s head with her free arm. The weapon was still puncturing the other side of the neck while she gripped it.

The bear flailed and tried to pull away as if knowing what would come, but the giantess’s grip was absolute now. Her feet skidded a little until she got her weight set under her, her determination locked.

She dragged her knife from one side of the neck to the other. The blade ripped a bloody smile along its throat and forced the bear to drown in its own blood.

“It’s okay, mighty bear,” Rhonda said sweetly. “Your torment ends here. Let the darkness take you away, and let your slumber be forever restful.”

The giantess knelt as the bear dropped onto the floor. Its chest heaved for air. Spasms racked through its limbs. Rhonda stayed by its side, her anger gone. Now she traced her fingers along with its wounds. She waited with it until it stopped moving.

The Big Bear died.

 

You’ve earned good experience defeating a greater enemy with the help of others! You are now Lvl 19. Congrats! You’ve completed the Mercy Kill the Undying Quest! The Big Bear has been a long-time predator of this area. Its huge vitality resisted all manners of death that would bring down lesser creatures. Unfortunately, this has tormented the creature for years. Poison and rot had run rampant across its flesh, soiling its fur with a sickening odor. Every waking moment has been torture for this creature. Still, it lived until you came along. Since you didn’t follow the questline traditionally, you won’t gain the items rewarded by the quest giver, and the experience is reduced even though it's good. But you will gain great QAP for completing a quest that’s many times your level: [8] to Strength, [12] to Vitality, [10*2] to Endurance, [6*2] to Agility, [8] to Perception, [4] to Intellect, [4*2] to Charisma, [12] to Faith.

 

“I’ve put all our level up points in strength,” whispered Londa. “Still mad at me? I promise the dark side will be tasty!”

Rhonda did not answer. She sat next to the bear corpse and leaned against it. She soaked in the moment of peace that she won for herself. Who knew how the next moments would play out.

This was her opportunity to find answers to her questions surrounding JourneyFall. But Londa’s witchery could interfere...

The best the giantess could do for now was rest, nibble on the bear’s ear, and check her stats. What she saw in consequence of the fight was interesting. She didn't know what it all meant in the grand scheme of things, but perhaps she would soon find out how she compared to others.

 

Attribute Points Total [353 ⁠—> 503] and Attribute Points Unspent [0]— Strength:  84+[(4+4+8+8)*2] ⁠—> 132 Vitality: 100+[(4+4+12)*2] ⁠—> 140 Endurance: 61+[20] ⁠—> 81 Agility: 22+[(12)/2] ⁠—> 28 Perception: 27+[3+8] ⁠—> 38 Intellect: 15+[5+4] ⁠—> 24 Charisma: 18+[(8)/2] ⁠—> 22 Faith: 26+[12] ⁠—> 38