The Shagaru Magala died cleanly and decisively.
The battle could be summed up simply: Maki used the Bazelgeuse to bombard it relentlessly, then went all out to suppress it head-on. Realizing it could not escape, the Shagaru Magala flew into a desperate rage and made a final stand. Then the Shagaru Magala making its final stand died...
Altaïr wanted to help, but Lady Maki's offensive tempo left him no opening to join in, so he withdrew from the battle of his own accord.
Ayame barely managed to keep up, but Maki decided she was in the way and sent her to the flank to focus on hacking at the Shagaru Magala's dragon wings, ensuring the creature could never take flight again.
Master Utsushi and Hinoa arrived later and split the supporting roles between them: he played the Hunting Horn, while she skirmished and loosed arrows whenever an opening presented itself.
During the fight, Hinoa even wanted to try Wyvern Riding, but for some reason, Lady Maki sternly stopped her.
When Maki said she could take down the Shagaru Magala by herself, she really had not been joking...
With the Shagaru Magala's death, the core source of the Frenzy Virus outbreak was finally gone.
Although the infected creatures scattered across the region had not yet been completely eradicated, the greatest threat had finally been dealt with.
Clearing out the rest would take time.
The personnel stationed at the Red Stronghold returned to the village in batches, bringing the mission to support Kamura Village to an end.
The members of the Cluster Heavy Bowgun Squad, led by Rosso, were the first to return to Dundorma and report to the Hunter's Guild headquarters.
Altaïr and his companions planned to stay in Kamura Village a little longer for various reasons.
Once the scholars completed their dissection and research, a large quantity of Shagaru Magala materials became available for distribution.
Knowing that his contribution had been limited, Altaïr was too embarrassed to take much. He selected only a little carapace, some scales, and a few Wingtalons to reinforce critical sections of his Armor.
Moreover, as Hibasa explained, the fact that Shagaru Magala was stronger than Gore Magala did not mean using more Shagaru Magala materials would necessarily improve the equipment.
If Altaïr wanted to do that, he might as well forge a Shagaru Magala set outright.
Equipment crafted primarily from Chaotic Gore Magala materials sought a kind of "balance." Incorporating some materials from both Shagaru Magala and Gore Magala was the ideal approach.
—--
Accordingly, Altaïr continued searching far and wide for Gore Magala.
Whenever a report suggested a Gore Magala sighting, he raced over to investigate.
In some ways, that persistence truly paid off...
A medicinal-herb gatherer from a mountain village north of Kamura spotted a black shadow on a distant cliff. Ordinarily, a report like that barely counted as a rumor, let alone reliable intelligence, and would easily have been ignored.
Determined not to let any possibility slip away, Altaïr made a special trip to search the area carefully and actually flushed out a Gore Magala lurking deep in the Jungle.
The Gore Magala Hunt went smoothly. Before undergoing metamorphosis, this kind of Monster was not particularly powerful.
The corpse was meticulously burned, of course. Even so, Altaïr gave Guild Master Hojo and the others a tremendous fright when he returned with Gore Magala materials.
If one Gore Magala had been lurking in the region, there could be a second or a third.
With the Shagaru Magala dead, another Gore Magala could molt and evolve into a new Shagaru Magala.
The comforting assumption that "We've searched this long and found nothing, so there probably aren't any Gore Magala left, right?" vanished completely.
One Cohoot after another flew out carrying messages. Hunters from not only Kamura Village but also the surrounding settlements sprang back into tense action, sweeping the blight-ridden land again and again.
As a result, Altaïr and the others suddenly found themselves with time on their hands.
After delivering the Gore Magala materials to the Workshop, he spent several days resting properly, allowing his mind and body, which had remained tense for the past month or two, to relax completely at last.
—--
Then he went to the Workshop to find Hibasa.
Hibasa thought Altaïr had come to ask about the progress of his new equipment and was about to tell him not to rush. Gear of this caliber needed to be refined slowly.
Instead, Altaïr asked a question that left him utterly bewildered.
"Mr. Hibasa, what kind of gift would be best if I wanted to get on Ayame's good side?"
"?"
That could not have been further from the question Hibasa had expected.
"I want to ask Ayame to teach me her sword techniques," Altaïr said honestly. "That powerful technique called the 'Sacred Sheathe Combo'... I have my eye on it."
"Hmm. If all you want is to ask her to teach you a sword technique, you can tell her directly. Knowing her, she definitely won't refuse. A gift isn't really necessary. But if you insist on bringing something, you could consider a couple of bottles of sake. Kamura doesn't have many heavy drinkers, but she made quite a few drinking friends while traveling through the Old World and developed a real taste for it."
Sake, then?
Altaïr considered the idea for two seconds, then nodded firmly. "Understood. Thank you very much."
Even though Hibasa had said a gift was unnecessary, Altaïr had no intention of neglecting that courtesy. A warmhearted, generous person would gladly offer guidance to someone who simply came to ask. Bringing a gift she liked would make her teach even more carefully.
It was only human nature.
—--
With a clear direction in mind, Altaïr returned home. It was almost lunchtime, so he asked Nymera and Yomogi at the table whether there was anywhere in Kamura Village that sold good sake. Their family was close to the village merchants and might have some useful connections.
"There is," Nymera replied with a bright smile. "Kagero keeps some high-grade sake from Yukumo Village and occasionally invites me over for a drink or two..."
"Kagero takes you drinking?" Yomogi's small brows shot up.
Nymera's expression stiffened. She clung to her mother's arm, pinched her fingers together in a "just a tiny bit" gesture, and said, "Once in a while! Just a little! Really, only a tiny bit!"
Yomogi tapped Nymera firmly on the forehead with one finger, exasperated, but said nothing more.
Now it was Isis's turn to grow curious. She set down her bowl and the chopsticks she had been using to shovel in rice, swallowed her mouthful of food with some effort, and asked, "Why do you need sake? Is it a gift?"
She knew Altaïr was not much of a drinker, so buying sake could only mean it was a gift.
"Yes, for Ayame. I want to ask her to teach me her sword techniques." Altaïr saw no reason to hide it and stated his intentions plainly.
"..."
For a moment, Isis, Nymera, and even Morgan all froze and stared straight at him.
Wasn't he supposed to be resting and recuperating?
He had just gathered the materials for a full set of High Rank Armor and upgraded his gear, and now he already wanted to improve his sword techniques too?
"Ahem." Morgan cleared his throat. "One thing first. I'll probably be heading out for a few days. Lady Maki told me that once the quest report is submitted, I have a very high chance of being promoted directly to 6★. Even so, I intend to test myself first. I spoke with Guild Master Hojo, and he agreed to issue me a 6★ Rank-Up Quest. If I complete it successfully, I'll be able to accept promotion to High Rank with a clear conscience, regardless of whether Guild headquarters promotes me. If I fail, I'll decline the promotion for now."
"You'll succeed," Altaïr said with a smile.
He was more confident of that than Morgan himself.
Isis gnashed her teeth nearby. "Damn it! My Gunlance is still being modified at the Workshop. Once it's done in a couple of days, I'm picking two tougher quests to test my new moves too!"
Nymera stared at them in silence.
"..."
After a long silence, Nymera rasped, "I-I'll... head to the Training Area later too. I should reacquaint myself with those Silkbind attacks I learned before. The mechanical beast in the Training Area is pretty good for practicing moves, so..."
"..."
At this point, Nymera could no longer admit that the only reason she had readily agreed to stay in Kamura Village a little longer was to spend a few more comfortable days lazing around at home.
* * *
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