Before departing, Altaïr went to find the Princess and explained that they were about to begin the Hunt.
At first glance, this had nothing to do with the Princess, but nominally, they had come here to hunt Lagiacrus soft roe for her.
To make sure the Princess learned the moment the Hunt concluded and could taste the freshest roe in time, Altaïr discussed the matter with the Head Maid.
The Hunters would fire a green SOS Flare after completing the Hunt. To avoid missing the signal, the Head Maid would arrange for someone to keep watch at the highest point of the Deserted Island, eyes fixed on the direction of the big island at all times as they awaited the message.
The moment the green SOS Flare rose into view, the Airship, which had already finished resupplying, returned from Port Tanzia, and was currently docked near Moga Village, would immediately take the Princess aboard and set out for the big island to enjoy the delicacy.
Altaïr had specifically sought out the Head Maid to discuss this partly out of consideration for their employer, and partly to leave himself and the others a fallback.
If any accident happened during the Hunt and forced them to fire a red SOS Flare, the Princess's people would see it first and help notify the Sea People Hunters of Moga Village to rush to their aid.
In this way, the Hunt would be much safer.
After completing these final arrangements, the Hunter party boarded a rented fishing boat, loaded it with ample rations, supplies, and tools, and sailed toward the big island west of Moga Village.
Altaïr knew how to pilot a Sandship, and the sails and rigging were handled in much the same way. Even if a little unfamiliarity kept him from pushing the boat to its top speed, two hours would be more than enough time for them to reach their destination, the big island.
Together, they hauled the small boat to a safe spot and secured it, then carried the supplies and items from the cabin one by one to the nearby Hunter's Camp for storage.
By the time all this was done, it was already afternoon.
Altaïr was about to speak when Jara cut in first. "I propose we hunt a Mosswine first and roast it! We'll work better on a full stomach!
"I saw tracks on the way to camp just now; we should find one quickly!"
"Agreed!" Isis raised both hands high in approval.
"Denied." Altaïr looked at the two gluttons expressionlessly. "If we go hunting now, skin and clean it, then slowly roast it, it'll be nearly dark by the time we finish eating. What recon could we even do?
"Eat field rations to fill your stomachs now. If you want roasted meat or anything like that, we'll talk about it after dark when we're back at camp with nothing else to do."
"...Fine."
Though Jara was the senior, he had to admit Altaïr had a point. With a grimace on his chubby face, he pulled out two rations and stuffed them into his mouth.
With no one left to back her up, Isis could only reluctantly gnaw on her dry rations.
"We'll split up for reconnaissance. The three of us will divide the island's densely vegetated, complex central areas into zones and scout them, mainly to determine whether any other Large Monsters exist here.
"Nymera, you have the heavier task. Please take Hibiki and Mochi, and circle the entire island along the coastline. It would be ideal if you could confirm the Lagiacrus's nest location as well."
"Understood." Nymera smiled and nodded.
After confirming their respective reconnaissance tasks, the four split up, left camp, and began their operation.
Altaïr took Sajji and headed toward the thicker end of this drumstick-shaped island. The map indicated a canyon nearby, which caught his attention for two reasons.
First, such terrain often harbored large creatures and needed to be checked. Second, for Hunters, a canyon made excellent battlefield terrain.
If a Monster could be lured into a canyon and the entrance then blocked, escaping would become exceptionally difficult.
They had specialized in underwater combat training specifically for this Lagiacrus Hunt, but resolving everything on dry land would naturally be far preferable.
After more than an hour of trekking, the man and his Felyne companion made their way over the hills and finally arrived at the canyon marked on the map.
They discovered that "canyon" wasn't the most accurate term. "River valley," or perhaps "ravine," fit much better.
The surrounding mountains enclosed a space spanning roughly eighty to ninety meters at its widest, and less than ten meters at its narrowest points.
At the bottom of the canyon, a waterfall cascaded from the mountain face, pooling into a body of water nearly a thousand square meters in area.
Water overflowed from this basin, meandering through the valley to form a network of creeks so shallow they barely reached the knees, posing little hindrance to movement.
Perhaps because the water flow had washed away the valley's soil, the ground was covered in cobblestone with sparse vegetation. It was practically wide open, a feature that pleased Altaïr immensely.
This was a fine battlefield, far from the coastline. If they could lure the Lagiacrus here and then have Isis block the narrow pass when it tried to flee, it would become a perfectly enclosed space.
As for the canyon's wildlife, two Ludroth were sunning themselves beside the pool. Upon spotting the intruders, Altaïr and Sajji, they immediately hissed and crawled over.
"Ludroth. Looks like there are fish in that pool," Altaïr muttered to himself. "But fish in an enclosed valley pool... is there an underwater passage leading to another body of water?"
As he pondered, the two Ludroth wriggled and crawled closer.
Sajji glanced at the still-thinking Altaïr, drew his rarely used Felyne Hammer, and charged forward, striking one Ludroth into a staggering stumble.
The other Ludroth lunged at him, but Sajji leaped clear, then continued swinging his hammer, relentlessly pounding the first Ludroth's skull.
Altaïr snapped out of his thoughts and watched Sajji tangle with the two Ludroth in a brawl. He chuckled and didn't step in to help.
Though Sajji rarely engaged in direct melee combat with his weapon, he was still a veteran Felyne. Dealing with two Ludroth was well within his capabilities.
After a series of clattering blows, the two Ludroth, their skulls smashed in one after another, slumped limp to the ground.
"Not bad, your melee skills haven't gotten rusty either." After teasing him with a chuckle, Altaïr turned his gaze toward the distant pool.
"There might be a passage to other bodies of water under that pool. I'm going to check it out. Are you coming down with me, or will you stand guard by the water's edge?"
Sajji shook his little head. "I'll keep watch for you from the shore, Boss meow. I'm not fond of going underwater, meow."
Altaïr looked at Sajji with some amusement.
He knew all too well that Sajji disliked water. Unlike a short-haired breed like Clawdia, Sajji was a typical long-haired Felyne. Once his fur got soaked, it became heavy and cumbersome, making swimming impossible no matter how hard he tried.
Noticing the teasing look in Altaïr's eyes, Sajji scratched his ears with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. "I'll find time later to rig up a submarine, meow. That way I won't have to get my fur wet when I go underwater, meow!"
"..."
The teasing expression on Altaïr's face turned into one of resigned acceptance. He reached out and rubbed Sajji's small head. "Everyone has things they aren't good at. There's no need to be so stubborn about it.
"You rest here for a bit. I'll be back soon."
With that, Altaïr removed his helmet, took out a breathing mask and fitted it over his face, then plunged headfirst into the dark, seemingly bottomless pool.
As he had expected, there were quite a few fish in the pool. Though they were all small, no longer than a forearm, their numbers proved that this water was definitely not completely sealed off.
He began diving deeper.
The pool was even deeper than he had anticipated, more than twenty meters, almost thirty. If it had been any deeper, he would not have been able to reach the bottom at all.
Using the oxygen provided by the breathing mask, he swam around the pool and found no passageways. However, following the sensation of the current, he located a crevice in the rock about three or four meters long, but less than fifty centimeters wide.
The Ludroth and the small fish he had encountered earlier seemed to have entered the pool through this very fissure.
Altaïr returned to the surface for a breath of air, then immediately dove back to the bottom to re-examine everything carefully. He ultimately confirmed that the only connection between this pool and the underground waterways was that single crack.
This put his mind at ease.
With such a narrow crevice, even larger species of fish could not squeeze through, let alone a Lagiacrus. No wonder there were only small fish in the pool.
Altaïr swam back to shore, and Sajji, who had been crouching by the water's edge keeping watch, hurried over. "How did it look down there, Boss meow?"
"The water's quite deep. There's a crack that probably leads to an underground river, but it's very narrow. There's no way a Lagiacrus could get through.
"As long as we seal the pass at the entrance, this canyon will be a completely enclosed space for the Lagiacrus.
"We'll use this canyon as our battlefield. We'll figure out a way to lure the Lagiacrus here, and then trap it inside!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)