Afterword - Book 5 - Chapter 11 (Patreon)

Chapter 11: In Which Ranthia Goes on a Hunt

I know this chapter isn't super exciting, but I'm still pretty fond of it. Ranthia got to show off her competency and, in a lot of ways, this chapter hearkens back to a Ranthia we haven't seen since book 1.

She's out for an adventure, facing a large and powerful beast to earn the money she needs! Sure, it's no longer a matter of survival for her (elven society's better than that), but she's not one to sit idle and subsist on the charity of others.

Writing the elven forest was fun. This shouldn't be a surprise to any readers that've paid attention, but don't really consider Selkie's limited bestiary to be the whole of what roams Pallos. Life is a varied and plentiful thing, and most of what Selkie wrote focused on either Remus or the deadliest monsters around. As such, we have a bunch of CrimCat originals in this chapter, including the firetrap mimic.

I'm also making caster monsters far more common beyond Remus' borders, mostly because I want Pallos to feel like a fantasy world. In Remus they were rare, but beyond the Dead Zone, elemental Skills feel far more essential for younger creatures to survive where their competitors, predators, and peers might have significantly higher levels. And the world needs to make sense, even with clumsy divine efforts in play!

Anyhow, not a lot to say this time. Even though the dino was a higher level than Ranthia, she kept control over the entire battle, found its weaknesses, and brought it down cleanly. She's no rank amateur, and it's always nice to see that come to life on the page!