Counterattack
It was the day I tagged along with Trish on a hunt.
Bingo. Found their hideout!
That ugly one sitting in the chair is the boss... and matches the bounty poster!
There's not that many of them. I'll handle this solo.
Just sit back and enjoy the show, Captain!
No need to stop me. It's totally safe!
Like you ever stopped because I told you to...
Haha! Top-tier hunter, Trish, has arrived!
Hey, freeze, you petty thief! Elite hunter Trish has personally arrived, so surrender quietly!
H-hunter? How did you find this place...?!
And how dare you call us petty thieves?! We're honorable bandits!
Honorable? Since when did honorable folks extorted tolls from travelers?
Ahem! That's just a donation in exchange for keeping the peace!
Then I'm here to collect my donation too! With your bounty!
You're not seriously expecting me to come quietly, are you? Heh heh.
You're not the first hunter to come for me. I've filled a whole wagon with wannabes like you!
But every single one of them fell before me, the Flaming Fist of Rockmountain!
One sip of my secret frenzy elixir, and I gain explosive power... Huh?
Right as the boss flashed a wicked grin with his potion, ropes flew in out of nowhere and tied him up tight.
The way of the hunter...
W-wait! Let me at least drink this fir—
Never wait around for villains to finish their evil monologues!
Agh! No fair! This doesn't count! You cheat!
The way of the hunter! No negotiating with bad guys!
Trish headed deep into the cave to check for stragglers, but didn't come back for a while.
When I finally went in after her...
Heh heh heh...
How much would all this be worth...?
Maybe I'll just take a tiny bit?
Trish?
H-huh?! Captain? Why'd you come in? I told you to wait outside.
That's...
Oh, haha! Found some treasure those bandits had stashed away.
And... I was thinking, Captain—
No.
Hey, hear me out!
Most of this stuff probably can't be returned to the rightful owners anyway, right?
C'mon, think of it as a little bonus for hauling it all out of here?
I get that money's tied to your sense of cool.
I still don't fully agree with how Trish lives...
But if she's earning it honestly, I respect her choice.
However, there are lines you just don't cross.
If she starts caring more about the money than anything else, it'll ruin her.
What's wrong is wrong.
...Ugh.
But...
As Trish teetered on the edge of temptation, an idea sparked in my mind.
The way of the hunter!
Hmm?
Never stoop down to cheap tricks!
Earn every coin fair and square!
...Ngh!
Errgh... Kgh...
Kgh...! Right...
You're right. I lost my head for a second.
Taking stolen loot? Not cool at all.
Yeah. I'll drop it. Clean and simple.
Trish scratched her head awkwardly.
Huh... I might actually use that in other situations later...
Whew... Nearly took a tumble there.
That was seriously close, you know.
I-it wasn't that bad—
The way of the hunter!
Never make lame excuses!
Ngh...
Hmm... I'm already outta money.
Hey, think you could put today on my tab—
Didn't we agree to no tabs?
Yeah, but—
The way of the hunter!
Never go back on your word!
Tch...
Fine...! I'll go put it back.
Maybe... Trish's greatest enemy is Trish herself!
At least she's staying on the right side of the line for now.
...But is that really enough?