The next day, on the bridge at the entrance to Kamura Village.
As agreed, Maki was already waiting on the bridge early that morning, ready to set out. When she saw Minoto following close behind Altaïr and Isis with a face as cold as frost, utter disbelief spread across her face.
Did you set me up, kid?
Altaïr awkwardly averted his gaze.
Maki had warned him more than once that he absolutely must not let the twin sisters know they were sneaking off to do this, especially Minoto, the younger sister "with the two hair bows."
He remembered that perfectly well. When he went to the Guild Hall, he had deliberately taken a route around the Quest Counter to avoid running into the sisters.
But he had forgotten to tell Isis, who had turned around and immediately given Maki away.
"Sorry, Senior Maki. I didn't mean for this to happen," Altaïr mouthed silently when he reached her.
Maki glared angrily at him. Then Minoto stepped between them and fixed Maki with an icy stare. "You've spent half your life sneaking off on your own. Now that you're an 8★ Hunter and there aren't any Monsters left for you to sneak off and Hunt, you want to pass the habit on, is that it?"
"No, Minoto, let me explain." Maki raised both hands in surrender. "They wanted to challenge a 6★ Monster. I accepted the quest for them, and I'm going with them too. Isn't that safer?"
Maki tried to put a different spin on the situation, but Minoto was not buying it.
"Is that so?" Her tone remained cold and flat. "I spoke to the client, Mr. Yan. He said he entrusted this quest to you alone and that it had nothing to do with Altaïr or Isis. How do you explain that?
"If you hadn't invited him, how would Altaïr have known you had this quest form?"
Maki opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Sensing the oppressive atmosphere around Maki, Altaïr steeled himself and spoke up. "Miss Minoto, I was the one who asked to challenge a powerful Monster. Senior Maki only agreed reluctantly."
Maki immediately pointed at Altaïr. "See? He admitted it!"
Minoto's expression did not improve. Instead, she frowned. "You don't need to make excuses for her. I can guess perfectly well how this all came about.
"No 5★ Hunter would have the nerve to ask an 8★ Hunter they'd known for only two days to sneak off and Hunt a 6★ Monster.
"You probably started thinking about challenging a powerful enemy, and she noticed. Then she told you she happened to have a suitable quest and could take you along, didn't she?
"She also specifically told you to register the quest with Guild Master Hojo rather than come to us at the Quest Counter, or there would be trouble.
"Otherwise, on your first visit to the Kamura Village Guild Hall, why would you deliberately bypass the conspicuous Quest Counter just to seek out Guild Master Hojo?"
"..."
Altaïr had no choice but to shut his mouth as well.
She's already figured everything out. There's no point making up more lies to defend ourselves now.
Maki's expression shifted several times before she finally spoke in an ingratiating tone. "I was only trying to keep you from worrying."
Minoto gave her a cold glare. "It's just an Espinas. Why would we worry about you?
"I'm worried about these two juniors. Knowing you, you'd probably toss them in front of an Espinas and then wash your hands of the whole thing, wouldn't you?
"If anyone asked, you'd just say things like 'I went through the same thing in my day' and 'Skill is forged between life and death.'
"You never even considered what might happen if something went wrong, did you?"
Maki sheepishly closed her mouth.
Only then did she notice that Minoto had arrived in full gear, with her Fine Kamura Spear strapped to her back.
Clearly, Minoto had not come to drag them back. She seemed more inclined to join them.
Once she realized that, Maki stopped making excuses. Grinning, she sidled up to Minoto and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Ah, I knew you were soft-hearted beneath that icy exterior. You always care the most about the juniors.
"With 'Kamura's Sturdy Shield' here, even a Flaming Espinas wouldn't be able to hurt those two!"
Altaïr was just thinking that the flattery was a little too obvious.
To his surprise, however, Minoto blushed faintly. She made a feeble attempt to pull away, failed, then simply let Maki hang from her and stopped scolding her.
Maki turned back and gave Altaïr a look that said, "Watch and learn." Then she put two fingers in her mouth and let out a piercing whistle.
Several sturdy Palamutes soon came bounding out of the village and gathered around them.
"You two know how to ride Palamutes, right?"
Altaïr and Isis nodded in unison. They had ridden Nymera's Palamute, Hibiki, plenty of times before.
"The hunting grounds where our target is located are two or three hundred kilometers from the village. Taking an Airship would be excessive, but walking there would take too long.
"Riding Palamutes should get us there by this afternoon. We'll scout the terrain today, begin the Hunt tomorrow, and, if all goes well, return the day after.
"Let's move!"
Each of them mounted a Palamute. Amid a chorus of wild barks and howls, the group charged into the mountain forest like the wind.
—--
Their destination was a dense jungle near the coast.
The winding coastline, rolling hills and cliffs, and lush vegetation thick enough to blot out the daylight all gave Altaïr and Isis a powerful sense of familiarity.
The environment was almost identical to the coastal reaches of the Metapetatto Jungle.
Once they rode their Palamutes into the jungle, Maki and Minoto used their Wirebugs' Ironsilk to "fly" away.
Everything from scouting the terrain, confirming the target's location, and devising a battle plan to conducting the Hunt itself would be left to Altaïr and Isis. Unless they encountered mortal danger, the two seniors probably would not show themselves.
With Palamutes to carry them, scouting the terrain became remarkably easy. In just over two hours, Altaïr and Isis gained a thorough understanding of the dozen or so square kilometers around the target's territory. They located a Nargacuga that might intrude on the Hunt and found several places suitable for a battlefield.
Isis also picked quite a few mushrooms along the way, and a poor Mosswine now lay squealing and grunting across the back of her Palamute. Finally, they arrived before a rocky mountain covered in bushes and vines.
Judging by the surrounding terrain and the various tracks left in the forest, this was the most likely place for the Espinas to have built its nest.
The rocky mountain was hollow, with an opening about twenty meters wide at its summit. Even a Large Flying Wyvern could easily enter and leave through it.
That was precisely why caves like this held such a special appeal for Flying Wyverns and Bird Wyverns.
According to the markings on the map, this had been a Khezu's nest a little over half a year ago. By now, it had most likely changed owners.
Leaving the two Palamutes outside, Altaïr and Isis donned their Ghillie Mantles, slipped through the hanging vines at the cave mouth, and entered the hollow mountain.
Sunlight streamed through the opening in the cavern roof, so the interior was not dark. The cavern covered a good six or seven thousand square meters, and the air reeked with the musky, gamey stench unique to a beast's lair.
At the center of the cavern, warm sunlight bathed a wyvern nest built from branches, vines, and dried bones. Its master lay coiled inside, sleeping soundly.
It was a dark green behemoth. At first glance, it looked somewhat like a Rathian, but its build was noticeably larger, with a body length approaching or even exceeding twenty meters.
Hard, thick, armor-like carapace encased its body, bristling with bright red spikes saturated with venom. The sight was enough to make even the fiercest predators think twice.
There was no doubt. This was the target of their Hunt, the Espinas.
The Hunters naturally had no intention of waking it immediately.
Altaïr silently gestured, and the two quietly retreated from the cave. Only after putting some distance between themselves and the entrance did they whistle for the Palamutes and return to the Hunter Camp near the coast.
—--
Not long after the Hunters left the cave, a small, furry creature poked its head out from the sleeping Espinas's embrace.
It climbed onto the Espinas's head, bounced a couple of times, and swept its fluffy tail across the Monster's nostrils in an attempt to wake it.
The Espinas seemed completely oblivious and continued sleeping soundly.
The little creature angrily stamped on the Espinas's forehead several times. Its eyes darted around, then it jumped down and scampered out of the cave.
P.S. The Jungle's terrain resembles the Telos Jungle near Jumbo Village, but its Kamura-specific Endemic Life does not fit that geography, so its exact location remains uncertain.
(Translated by yourtl.app)