If Isis only had to make a decision for herself or a single squad, she trusted her own judgment.
Even without the person who usually made decisions for her, she would not be at a loss over what to do.
But now, her decision could affect the lives and property of hundreds or even thousands of Manti Town's residents. She could not simply act on impulse.
"Then you can't ask the rat, meow!" Clawdia retorted, unusually quick to contradict Isis. "If you can't decide, fire a signal flare first, meow!"
"Right, right!" Coming to her senses, Isis hurriedly pulled out an SOS Flare.
The red seal marked it as an emergency SOS Flare, which did not seem appropriate. She hastily rummaged around and found a yellow signal flare instead.
Yellow signal flares were used to mark locations, making one better suited to the situation.
She pointed the flare high into the air and pulled the fuse. A brilliant yellow ball of light shot into the sky.
The volcano was erupting, fouling the air and scattering a rain of embers. She worried that her companions on the road might miss the signal.
So she took another flare from Clawdia, waited a moment, and fired it as well.
They could do little on their own to stop the Shen Gaoren. It would be better to gather everyone and discuss a strategy first.
After launching the flares, Isis felt a little more at ease. She looked toward the Ioprey chasing them.
Whatever happened, those creatures still had to be dealt with.
She shouted a command, and Hibiki wheeled sharply around before plunging back into the Ioprey pack.
—--
Meanwhile, Altaïr's group had just landed from a small Airship at the edge of the volcanic mountain range.
Hunters excelled at slaying Monsters but knew far less about their behavior than dedicated scholars. The Professor and Erik had therefore accompanied them to ensure they could successfully corral and eliminate the Ioprey pack.
The Professor was comparing the map with Isis's speed and trying to estimate her current position when two signal flares rose in succession from the direction of the distant volcano.
Nymera and Morgan were both exceptional Gunners with extraordinary eyesight. They spotted the distant flares almost simultaneously and estimated the distance to them with considerable precision.
The Professor stopped calculating, his finger hovering over a point on the map. "How considerate of Miss Isis to mark her location for us.
"Hmm? This position is deeper into the volcanic region than I predicted, and the volcano is erupting... Strange."
Altaïr furrowed his brow, tension and concern in his distant gaze. "Something's wrong. Knowing her, she would normally slaughter her way through the pack before firing a signal flare this early.
"And she fired two in succession. She isn't usually this cautious or meticulous. She must have found something unusual and fired twice specifically to make sure we wouldn't miss the signal."
"Boss, why don't Hakucho and I fly ahead and take a look, meow?" Sajji indicated the glider on his back.
Altaïr shook his head. "No. The sky above that area is full of Remobra. Whether you and Hakucho go or Nymera sends Mochi, you'd be easy targets."
Altaïr left one thought unspoken. If one Hunter, one Felyne, one Palamute, and one Stinkmink could not handle the problem over there, sending another Felyne and two birds would probably make little difference...
"Everyone, drink a Dash Juice. We're moving at full speed." Altaïr turned to the Professor. "Can you and Erik manage?"
The Professor waved a hand. "Run as fast as you like. I can keep up."
Erik brushed his unkempt bangs aside and flashed them a bright smile. "Don't worry. I haven't been idle in the field these past two years!"
Altaïr nodded. The three Hunters took positions around the two scholars and broke into a full sprint.
Erik had not been boasting. Though he still looked as frail and delicate as ever, he somehow matched the Hunters' pace. Even without them deliberately slowing down, he never fell behind.
This surprised Morgan, who had only just met him and had taken him for a bookworm.
—--
They ran flat out for over an hour.
Mochi, flying low under Nymera's command to avoid the Remobra, suddenly let out a series of sharp cries.
In truth, she did not need to warn them. Everyone could already see several Remobra a few hundred meters ahead, repeatedly diving at something.
The sulfurous air characteristic of the volcanic region was laced with an unmistakable, acrid reek of blood.
"Morgan! Stay here and protect them! Nymera, with me!" In the same breath, Altaïr activated Demon Mode and shot forward in a blur.
Nymera used a Wirebug to leap and weave through the air as she sped after him.
As they drew closer, the scent of blood thickened. Ioprey carcasses littered the ground, most of them badly mutilated, making an exact count impossible.
The bodies and pools of blood grew denser, even piling up in places. To maintain his speed, Altaïr had to leap over some of the corpses.
At last, a familiar figure came into view.
Isis stood with her back against a massive boulder, a shield in one hand and her Gunlance raised in the other, warily holding off the Remobra swooping down from the sky.
Clawdia stood atop the boulder behind her, acting as bait. Whenever a Remobra tried to snatch her, Isis thrust out her Gunlance in time.
Whenever a Remobra tried to bypass Clawdia and attack Isis instead, the Felyne screeched, leaped onto it, and clawed wildly in a frenzy.
Several Remobra corpses lay nearby. Two had been slashed to ribbons around the head and neck, their flesh mangled beyond recognition. There was no need to guess whose handiwork that was.
As for the Ioprey, whether they had all been killed or merely driven off, not a single moving red shape remained in sight.
If things continued this way, only two outcomes were possible.
Either the Remobra would be slain one by one, or they would abandon the attack and scatter. The two below, their armor and fur soaked with blood, would be powerless to stop them from fleeing.
The arrival of reinforcements merely hastened the first outcome.
Altaïr accelerated, used the boulder behind Isis as a springboard, and cleaved open the chest and belly of the Remobra tangled up with Clawdia.
Nymera raised her Light Bowgun and poured Rapid Fire into the sky.
To a Gunner, a low-flying Remobra was no different from an Ioprey running along the ground.
The crack of Bowgun fire mingled with the shrieks of wounded Monsters plummeting from above. In less than a minute, the battle was over.
Altaïr flicked the blood from his blade and sheathed his weapon. He swept his gaze over the surroundings. "Just how many did you kill?"
"Thirty... forty or so," Isis answered between ragged breaths.
Rice Cake poked its head out from behind Isis's shoulder with a proud "Squeak!" as though boasting about its contribution.
Without Rice Cake continuously drawing the Monsters' attention, they would have killed at most half that number, while the rest would have scattered and fled.
Clawdia's fur was matted into clumps with blood. She jumped down from the boulder, landed on Isis's other shoulder, snatched up Rice Cake, tossed the Stinkmink to Altaïr, and then leaped to the ground.
"These Small Monsters aren't the real problem, meow! Something big has happened, meow!"
Nymera was cleaning Hibiki's fur and checking his wounds. He too was covered in blood, especially around his mouth and between his teeth, which were stained vivid red. There was no telling how many Ioprey necks he had snapped.
At Clawdia's words, Nymera paused and turned toward her. "What happened?"
Isis finally caught her breath. She straightened and looked at Altaïr. "A little over an hour ago, the volcano's main peak erupted. Afterward, the Shen Gaoren suddenly changed course and headed deeper into the volcano."
Altaïr froze at the news.
Everything they knew indicated that the Shen Gaoren had an aversion to fire and high temperatures.
Why would it be drawn to an erupting volcano and head deeper inside? Altaïr could not understand it.
Fortunately, the Professor and the others arrived at that moment. After hearing Isis's account, his wrinkled old face turned unusually grim.
"Anything capable of forcing an Elder Dragon-level creature like the Shen Gaoren to act against its own nature is no small matter. There's a good chance another Elder Dragon-level creature is involved..."
"Should we begin tracking it?" Altaïr asked as he came alongside the Professor.
"Ordinarily, this isn't a job Low Rank Hunters should handle. But dispatching personnel back and forth could cost us the chance to gather firsthand intelligence."
The Professor fell silent for a long moment. Finally, he raised his head and regarded the young Hunters with a complicated expression.
"The risks are enormous. Do you dare?"
Altaïr exchanged glances with his companions.
"Why wouldn't we?"
(Translated by yourtl.app)