At that moment, Altaïr barely managed to hold back a curse.
What was this Stinkmink's problem?!
He suddenly remembered Senior Maki's warning from the day before: "Those inconspicuous little creatures can often cause big trouble." Could she have meant not creatures like Paratoads, but this wretched little beast right here?!
After spraying the Hunters in the face with pheromones that attracted Monsters, the Stinkmink covered its mouth with its little forepaws and chittered as though it were laughing.
Using this trick, it had all but wiped out every Small Monster in the surrounding forest capable of threatening it.
The Velociprey and Nargacuga from earlier had also been drawn here by its pheromones. It had planned to use the two Large Flying Wyverns to wipe out both the Velociprey and those two strange "bipedal creatures" in one fell swoop!
With its scheme complete, the Stinkmink turned to flee. What it had failed to anticipate was that Hunters were nothing like the Velociprey and Jaggi it had lured to their deaths before.
Altaïr's hand shot out like lightning and seized its enormous tail. The Stinkmink panicked and struggled, but Altaïr had already caught it by the scruff of its neck.
The Stinkmink immediately went still.
With the slightest pressure, the Hunter could easily snap its neck.
The Nargacuga and Espinas had already locked onto their scent. Their Ghillie Mantles were useless now, so there was no point in remaining hidden.
Altaïr stuffed the culprit behind all this chaos into the net pouch hanging from his waist and pulled the drawstring tight so it could not escape. Then he and Isis burst from behind the rock and sprinted toward the cave entrance.
The Nargacuga and Espinas seemed to forget each other for a moment and roared as they gave chase.
"Shake them off first!" Altaïr shouted, hurling a Flash Pod behind him.
At the same time, Isis loaded several Paintballs into her Slinger as quickly as she could. Still sprinting at full speed, she twisted around and fired them at the two Large Flying Wyverns close on their heels.
The flash erupted.
The dazzling light briefly blinded the Espinas and Nargacuga, stunning them where they stood. Isis's Paintballs struck immediately afterward, splattering both Monsters with thick, pungent paintberry juice. The substance marked them while its acrid odor disrupted their sense of smell.
Seizing the opportunity, the Hunters fled the cave.
They both whistled loudly, giving the signal. The two Palamutes waiting nearby came racing over and carried them away from the dangerous area at full speed.
Beside a small creek, they quickly rinsed their armor and gear, washing away the pheromones the Stinkmink had sprayed on them.
Altaïr let out a long, heavy breath.
Naturally, he was in a foul mood. A perfectly good Hunt had been thrown into chaos by that wretched little beast. Now they would have to locate the Espinas and Nargacuga all over again.
Worse, they first had to find a way to separate the two, lure the Nargacuga far enough away to ensure it would not barge into the fight again, and only then resume the Hunt.
"So what do we do with that thing?" Isis asked as she wrung out her soaked, shoulder-length hair.
She pointed toward a large tree nearby. Altaïr had used his knife to pin the mesh bag containing the Stinkmink to its trunk.
Noticing the Hunters looking at it, the Stinkmink, which had been lying limp and motionless in the bag like a dead fish, began struggling desperately.
It could sense the overwhelming malice pouring from Altaïr...
"It's small, and it doesn't look like there's much meat on it." Altaïr studied the Stinkmink with a frown for several seconds, then turned to Isis. "Fancy a snack before we start the Hunt again?"
"Uh..." Isis's eye twitched. She was not the sort to find just anything appetizing.
Seeing that Altaïr did not appear to be joking, Isis said, "Getting a fire going would be a hassle too. Why don't we spare the little thing for now? It might still come in handy."
"You want to use it to draw the Monster's attention?"
"Mm-hmm." Isis nodded. "Separating the two Monsters shouldn't be too difficult. A Dung Bomb should do the trick.
"The real problem is luring that Nargacuga far away without provoking it into attacking. A Stinkmink can do that. Kamura's Hunters use them that way all the time, and Minoto taught me the trick too."
Since Isis put it that way, Altaïr abandoned the idea of butchering the little creature for the time being.
"Then I'll leave it to you. First, we'll separate the Espinas and Nargacuga. I'll find a way to hold the Espinas back while you ride the Palamute and lead the Nargacuga as far away as possible.
"I'll see if I can draw the Espinas toward terrain that favors us. Once you return, we'll resume the Hunt."
"Okay."
Hanging from the tree like a slab of salted meat, the Stinkmink could not understand the Hunters' words, but it keenly sensed that it had survived for the time being.
When Isis pulled it from the mesh bag and stuffed it into her pack, the Stinkmink did not struggle at all.
At least this was better than falling into the hands of that terrifying-looking one...
—--
The Hunters set out. Following the scent of the Paintballs, they found the two Monsters with ease.
The good news was that the Monsters had already separated.
The Nargacuga bore several fresh punctures and slashes from venomous thorns. The blood seeping from them had a faint purple cast; it had clearly been poisoned, and its vitality had weakened somewhat.
The Espinas had also been injured. Several conspicuous cuts marked its hind leg and chest, wounds carved by the Nargacuga's wing-blades. Overall, however, its injuries were far lighter than the Nargacuga's.
The Espinas still prowled near the cave housing its nest. Judging by the situation, the outmatched Nargacuga had most likely chosen to retreat, and the Espinas had not pursued it.
That was the bad news. From the Hunters' perspective, they had naturally hoped the two would fight to the death, ideally leaving one dead and the other gravely wounded.
Unfortunately, Large Monsters in the wild rarely fought to the bitter end. Territorial disputes like this usually ended when one side admitted defeat and fled.
After assessing both Monsters, Altaïr and Isis split up.
Isis mounted the Palamute and approached the Nargacuga, whose steps were already unsteady. Injured, poisoned, and exhausted, it had little desire to attack and wanted nothing to do with them.
Isis pulled out the Stinkmink, which had been crammed into her pack alongside the Antidobra. With no idea what the Hunter intended to do, it fearfully exposed its belly.
Isis extended a finger and tickled its little belly several times. The stimulation made the Stinkmink immediately release a puff of white smoke.
Drawn by the peculiar pheromone, the Nargacuga's crimson eyes instantly turned toward them.
"It really works."
Smiling, Isis stroked the Stinkmink's fuzzy little head twice, then leaned low over her mount and squeezed with both legs. At her signal, the Palamute bounded forward, its legs a blur.
Entranced by the scent, the Nargacuga roared and raced after them, pursuing the Hunter and her Palamute far beyond the Espinas's territory.
—--
Meanwhile, the Espinas prowling through the forest raised its head. The faint pheromones lingering in the air had caught its attention.
They were not strong enough to provoke it into attacking, but they did pique its curiosity and make it want to follow.
Just as it started forward, Altaïr emerged from the trees and blocked its path.
"If you like sleeping so much, why don't you lie back down and sleep a little longer?" Altaïr drew his weapon, his gaze sweeping over the relatively minor wounds on the Espinas's chest and leg.
"I don't exactly want to take on such a dangerous Monster alone either. But I need to make sure the two of you stay separated and keep those wounds from healing too quickly..."
Despite his words, Altaïr's eyes shone with irrepressible excitement and fighting spirit.
(Translated by yourtl.app)