Before dawn, inside one of the Pioneer's cabins.
A hand nudged Altaïr's shoulder, rousing him from sleep.
Altaïr opened his eyes to find Isis's excited face hovering before him.
To avoid waking the others, Isis kept her voice as low as possible. "Come look at this!"
Judging by her expression, nothing dangerous had happened. It looked more like she had found something interesting.
Altaïr pulled his pocket watch from beneath his pillow and checked the time. It was a little after four in the morning.
Seriously... are you out of your mind?
Despite his exasperation, Altaïr quietly climbed out of bed and let Isis drag him onto the deck.
As the hatch opened, a refreshing... no, not remotely refreshing night breeze struck them in the face. The air was thick with a pungent, sulfurous smell, and a thin layer of soot had settled over the deck.
Isis did not need to point anything out. Altaïr's gaze had already been drawn to the distant landscape.
The earth burned. Heat and light from its deepest reaches illuminated the sky.
Across blackened rock even more barren than the desert, a vast river of incandescent, golden-red lava surged and branched into a spiderweb of glowing channels.
This was a volcanic hunting ground none of them had ever visited before.
"The Latio volcanic mountain range. The great volcano that never rests," a calm voice said behind them.
Morgan emerged from the shadows. Unlike Altaïr and Isis, who wore only their shirts, he was clad in armor and clearly had not just woken up.
Isis blinked.
She had gotten up to use the bathroom and noticed the fiery glow shining through the porthole. When she ran onto the deck, she discovered that their Airship was passing along the edge of the volcanic mountain range.
She had found the view so remarkable that she had gone to wake Altaïr, never noticing that someone else was already standing on deck.
Altaïr fell silent for a moment before saying, "This seems like a harsh, desolate place."
Morgan smiled soundlessly. "It is. Water is scarce, agriculture is underdeveloped, and the sky is always gray. Throughout the year, there are precious few chances to see the sun in a clear sky.
"The Monsters here are far stronger than those in the surrounding regions. Ioprey, Remobra, Vespoid, and Ceanataur roam everywhere, seizing every chance to feed.
"Even with Hunters guarding them, caravans and travelers are still attacked and wiped out all too often.
"Rathalos, Tigrex, Agnaktor, Gravios... countless powerful Monsters tear at one another in the mountain range's inner reaches, fighting for territory.
"The core area itself is occupied by horrors beyond ordinary imagination. The Guild has declared it a forbidden zone..."
Morgan walked to the side of the ship and rested both hands on the railing, gazing out at the distant volcanic range. "But it is also a good place.
"At least seventy percent of the coal used to power Old World industry comes from here.
"The region also boasts the finest ores and gemstones in the world. It gave rise to the most advanced smelting techniques and contains an astonishing variety of ancient civilization ruins...
"This is also where I grew up."
Altaïr smiled at Morgan. The man was not usually talkative. Had he suddenly said so much because Altaïr had just called his home harsh and desolate?
Back when Isis had called the Great Desert barren, Altaïr had also launched into a lengthy defense of it, simply because it was his homeland.
Uncomfortable beneath Altaïr's knowing gaze, Morgan turned and headed back into the cabin. "We should arrive in about two hours. Make whatever preparations you still need while you can."
"Two hours..." Altaïr grimaced.
That was not enough time for a proper nap. He would probably only just drift off before someone woke him to wash up.
With the rather mean-spirited thought that misery loved company, Altaïr woke everyone else in the cabin.
Rise and shine, you animals! Come watch the sunrise!
—--
The rising sun crested the mountains, its orange-red light illuminating a prosperous town nestled at the mouth of a valley, ringed by cliffs and protected by walls.
Lambert, whose natural dark circles were especially pronounced, yawned, and everyone around her immediately followed suit.
"You call this a town, meow?" Sajji, leaning against the railing, turned to Morgan. "This place is nearly half the size of Loc Lac, meow!"
Morgan did not answer him. His normally calm expression grew slightly strange. "Things may get a little... lively when we land. Don't pay it any mind. Just think of it as a local custom."
At first, Altaïr and the others did not understand what he meant. They only found out when the Airship touched down and the gangplank lowered.
"Ready! Begin!"
"Toot, toot, toot!"
The sudden burst of spirited music startled the Hunters.
Rice Cake had never heard anything like it. With a startled whoosh, the Stinkmink dove down Isis's collar and refused to come out.
Altaïr swept his gaze over the area and was stunned to find a small orchestra gathered beside the Airship dock. Dressed in neat uniforms, the musicians played their instruments at full volume. They were the source of the music.
Was this... a welcoming ceremony?
Could some important dignitary be arriving around the same time, with the welcoming party mistaking the Hunters for their guests?
That was the thought running through all their minds.
Then a plump old man in lavish clothes approached with a warm, beaming smile, gemstone rings crowded onto fingers as thick as carrots. He shook hands with every Hunter and even made sure to greet both Felynes, Sajji and Clawdia.
All the while, he kept up a stream of greetings such as "Welcome to Manti Town!" "Thank you all for coming so far to help!" and "The welcoming banquet is ready, so eat your fill!"
When the old man reached Lambert, she muttered, "Coins jingling..."
Morgan, the only local among them, heaved a sigh. "Mr. Mayor, you're going to frighten people with all this."
"Hmm?" The old man adjusted the monocle wedged into the plump flesh around his eye and peered closely at Morgan. "Do you know me, pretty little girl?"
Morgan's eye twitched.
The mayor had struck Morgan squarely in a sore spot. The Hunters beside him quietly looked away.
Morgan drew a deep breath.
If the man before him had been young and able-bodied, Morgan would have taught him a painful lesson.
But this old man... forget it.
After reining in his temper, Morgan replied coldly, "My name is Morgan. I'm from Manti Town. I only left two or three years ago."
"From Manti Town?" The stout old man stared blankly for a moment, then his face lit up in recognition. "Ah! Now I remember you, Morgan!
"That little girl with such a gift for Hunting! Your Instructor was sorry to see you go when you left home to seek your fortune in the big city!
"Your mother used to run a snack stall on South Street, didn't she? I even held you when you were little! My... you've grown into such a pretty young lady!"
Morgan's face darkened by the second.
For a man of his age, the stout mayor's memory was remarkably sharp. Remembering that Morgan's mother had once run a snack stall proved that he did, in fact, remember Morgan; he even knew exactly where the stall had stood.
But he still did not seem to remember Morgan's gender. Could it be that he had always believed Morgan was a girl?
Worried that Morgan might snap and that the old man's blood would wind up all over him, Altaïr hurriedly stepped forward and changed the subject, explaining why they had come. "Mr. Mayor, we're the support team from the Mangrove Outpost on Tidal Island.
"Four 5★ Hunters and two 3★ Hunters, six Hunters in all."
The stout mayor's eyes lit up. His neatly trimmed, upturned mustache quivered, and his already enthusiastic smile grew even brighter.
These were powerful reinforcements! Of all the support teams that had reached Manti Town so far, this group was both the largest and the most elite.
He seized both of Altaïr's hands and pumped them vigorously. "Thank you, thank you! Manti Town will see that all of you are properly rewarded!"
Then he immediately seized Morgan's hands again.
Tidal Island lay nearby, and its development was closely tied to Manti Town's commercial growth, so the mayor had long followed the advance team's progress.
He knew that the advance team had a small but elite Hunter squad. From the look of things, they had sent nearly their entire force.
The mayor assumed that they had gone to such lengths as a personal favor to Morgan, and the thought left him deeply moved.
"What a good child you are! Such a wonderful young lady!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)