In the evening, the Hunters who had split up to scout gradually returned to camp.
Jara had lugged back a Mosswine along the way, and Isis casually brought back a Kelbi. Altaïr had no idea what to make of the two of them, but since there was nothing else to do that night, he got the campfire roaring and set both pig and deer to roast.
The four sat around the campfire, the smell of roasting fat drifting through camp, and shared their discoveries.
"I've confirmed the Lagiacrus's nest. It's here, on the westernmost side of the island," Nymera said first, pointing to a spot on the map near the coastline.
"That area is a sea cliff, and beneath the cliff is a massive cave. The Lagiacrus's nest is inside that cave. I sent Mochi in to confirm it; there is one Lagiacrus present, but right now it's impossible to determine whether it is male or female. The other may have gone out to forage. Tomorrow, I'll scout the cave again and try to obtain more precise information."
"Hmm."
Altaïr stared at the point Nymera indicated, roughly measuring the distance with his fingers. "I scouted this canyon on the map. It's a decent battlefield."
Altaïr explained the situation inside the canyon in detail, then continued, "That canyon is a little far from the Lagiacrus's nest, but with some planning, we should still be able to lure the Lagiacrus there. When the time comes, as long as we guard the entrance and exit, that Lagiacrus won't be able to escape."
Isis listened with her eyes bright in a smile. "That would be wonderful. That way we won't need underwater combat. If that thing tries to flee, I'll block it!"
"The Lagiacrus is huge. Taking its charge head-on when it tries to break out is too dangerous. When the time comes, we only need to stall it for a few seconds; then we can surround it and drive it back into the canyon," Altaïr reminded her.
Sajji raised a paw. "I'll help with the One-shot Binder, meow. I also spotted fire herbs on a nearby mountain, meow. I plan to gather some tomorrow and make a few trigger-type Barrel Bombs to bury at the canyon's entrance and exit, meow. If the Lagiacrus tries to rush out, it'll step on a Barrel Bomb. Even if the blast only staggers it and slows it down, Isis will have an easier time blocking it, meow!"
"Sajji, you can make Barrel Bombs?" Isis looked at him in surprise.
Generally speaking, making explosives was the specialty of a Bombing Palico. Crafting explosives fell under alchemy, a completely different field from the mechanics Sajji excelled at.
Sajji scratched an ear. "It's nothing powerful, meow. I only know how to craft the most basic gunpowder, meow. But I got a blueprint for a trigger-type Barrel Bomb from Teacher Naziya, meow. It explodes as soon as a Monster steps on it, meow. It's similar to a trap and very convenient to use, meow!"
"Then I'll leave it to you." Altaïr patted Sajji on the head. Sajji was willing to think proactively and fill the gaps, so naturally Altaïr wanted to support him. The more thorough their preparations, the better.
"What did you two find? Don't tell me you just brought back a Mosswine and a Kelbi?"
"How rude. That Kelbi really was just something I picked up on the way back, okay?" Muttering a complaint with puffed cheeks, Isis began her report:
"I scouted the eastern side of the island, the part shaped like the bone of a drumstick. The terrain there is flat, probably because the soil has badly degraded, so the vegetation isn't very lush. Overall, it's quite open.
"I ran into a few Ludroth there and also found some larger tracks and drag marks. That area should be a Royal Ludroth's territory."
"A Royal Ludroth, huh," Altaïr murmured thoughtfully.
The Royal Ludroth, like the Lagiacrus, is an amphibious Leviathan monster and the leader of the Ludroth pack. Its primary diet is Fish, and its threat level is 3★. Compared with other Leviathans, it doesn't sit very high in the food chain.
"I read in a book that there is no predator-prey relationship between the Royal Ludroth and the Lagiacrus, but because their diets overlap, and because Royal Ludroth can threaten Lagiacrus young, Lagiacrus will actively drive them away from their territory.
"Judging from the map, the signs of Royal Ludroth activity you found and the Lagiacrus nest Nymera discovered sit at the island's far eastern and western ends, respectively.
"From that perspective, the Royal Ludroth shouldn't dare approach the Lagiacrus's active territory. The chance of it stumbling into the Hunt is low, so we don't need to worry too much."
The others nodded in agreement, affirming Altaïr's judgment.
"There's no need to worry about the Royal Ludroth, but I found something that does warrant concern." Jara shifted his gaze away from the Well-done Steak on the grill.
"Up here, on the western highlands, I discovered a Qurupeco."
"Qurupeco..."
Altaïr and the others fell silent at the same time.
The Qurupeco itself isn't a particularly dangerous Monster; its strength might even be inferior to the Yian Kut-Ku, another Bird Wyvern.
However, this Monster has a very troublesome ability: when faced with danger, it can vibrate its huge, hollow beak and throat sac to mimic the calls of various other Monsters.
If you're lucky, it might only summon a few Jaggi or something similar. If you're unlucky, it might even wake a sleeping Deviljho in the nearby mountain forest and call it over.
"But! I have an idea." Slapping his thigh, Jara changed tack.
"It's true that the Qurupeco can summon Large Monsters, but there is a prerequisite. It can't conjure a Large Monster out of thin air; it can only call over monsters already nearby, right?"
"That's definitely true."
"Then on this island, what monster's call would it mimic, and what monster would answer?" Jara asked.
A knowing smile touched Altaïr's eyes as he understood what Jara meant. "The Royal Ludroth won't come to the west side of the island; it would be attacked and driven off by the Lagiacrus.
"If there are no other Large Monsters on the island, then the Lagiacrus should be the only one the Qurupeco can call."
"Exactly!" Jara snapped his fingers. "At first, I wondered whether we should take out that Qurupeco first, but then I thought, isn't it a natural decoy? We can send someone to rough up the Qurupeco first. Once the bird is frightened, it will most likely mimic the Lagiacrus's roar.
"Once the Lagiacrus hears the commotion and leaves its nest, we shut the bird up."
Jara made a throat-slitting gesture.
"That doesn't seem right," Isis said, her face conflicted.
"Oh come on, if killing it seems inappropriate, then just beat it until it can't open its mouth."
"That works!"
"Anyway, once the Lagiacrus hears the commotion and leaves its nest, it'll notice the scent trail from the rival male Lagiacrus's mucus we've placed nearby, which should enrage it even further. After that, it's the usual luring procedure. We lead that rage-blinded Lagiacrus into the canyon Altaïr mentioned and finish it off!" Jara clenched his fist.
"Sounds pretty solid." Altaïr nodded with a smile. "Tomorrow we'll continue scouting, ideally sweeping the entire island thoroughly. If we can confirm there are no other Large Monsters on the island, we'll finalize the decoy operation."
Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers away, in an atoll region dense with reefs and surging currents.
Clawdia hid behind a reef, cautiously watching two colossal blue beasts locked in a vicious struggle in the shallow sea.
One had lighter-colored scales, marking it as a young individual in its prime.
The other's scales were an indigo almost as deep as the abyss, and its body was covered in scars large and small, clearly a battle-hardened veteran of countless bloody fights.
Within only a few exchanges, the physically robust but inexperienced young challenger had its weakness exploited by the fierce opponent, who locked its jaws around the youngster's neck.
After a brutal bout of thrashing and tearing, the young Lagiacrus realized it was outmatched and fled in panic.
"GROOOAAAR!!"
The imposing deep-blue Lagiacrus coiled atop a jagged reef, raising its head high and roaring as it awaited the next challenger bold enough to test its strength.
"This one should meet the requirements, meow?" Clawdia's ears twitched, though she seemed a little worried. "Isn't it a little too strong, meow? I hope it doesn't scare the male Lagiacrus over there so badly that he won't dare come out, meow... Whatever, meow. First things first, let's figure out how to scrape off some mucus and bring it back, meow."
(Translated by yourtl.app)