Afterword - Book 2 - Chapter 58 (Patreon)

Chapter 58: Minor Interlude - Hunting - The Hunter

(Original Chapter Title: N/A)

So, who noticed this chapter title can be read with logical stops for the dashes and as a coherent sentence if you ignore them?!

Words are neat like that.

Writing Hunting was surprisingly difficult. Not because I couldn't get into his character, but because his behaviors are in such a similar vein as to Ranthia's that I kept accidentally misgendering him while I wrote the chapter. I had to fix so many unwanted occurrences of 'her' as I progressed! This isn't to say that they're even all that similar, just that there's overlap in how they react to problems.

She is his pupil, and he took to her for a reason. But Hunting's a lot more crass and savage than Ranthia ever was, and she mellowed a bit once she got out of the Adventurers and became a Ranger.

Moving on, Ranthia hasn't truly fought one (the closest she's crossed blades with was the ex-rebel that protected the ogress twin she sucker-punched) but the shimagu have another type of heavy hitter after their twins. Unwilling hosts of phenomenal physical prowess, which are given to powerful champions from the shimagu's ranks. In effect, they're just the peak of what the shimagu seek out for their hosts, but it makes them a threat magnitudes higher than the average shimagu soldier.

And Hunting has made himself enough of a nuisance to the shimagu that they set one of their best after him—an opponent that could unerringly track Hunting by scent, no matter what tricks he pulled. But those with overwhelming physical might—especially those that receive such might immediately, without training for it—tend to overly rely on that strength. Technique and prowess fall by the wayside easily when you can overwhelm anything you face.

Which leaves you rather vulnerable when you meet someone that can actually match up against you, especially when they're a savage bastard that's willing to fight dirty.