The duel between master and apprentice was about to erupt.
Ten minutes later, Sita had the unwilling Palicoes carry the unconscious Tonkotsu back, while it rubbed its slightly numb arm.
Although its strength had declined greatly after that serious injury, leaving it unable to sustain prolonged combat—
Against Tonkotsu, a rookie hunter cat, it could still handle things with ease.
Only… its paw was a bit numb.
"Tonkotsu's talent really is impressive. Just now, you almost couldn't keep your grip on your weapon, right?"
The Admiral stepped out from the shadows, arms crossed, looking at his old companion with a teasing smile.
"Taking a great hammer head-on with one paw was a bit overconfident, meow! Tonkotsu's strength is improving at an astonishing pace, meow. If it could settle down and train properly for three years, it might reach the level of a High Rank Hunter, meow." Sita spoke with satisfaction, paying no mind to the Admiral's teasing.
"A Palico reaching High Rank Hunter strength in less than four years? Sounds like this one's talent might even surpass yours. What a shame…"
The Admiral sighed. A shame, because Tonkotsu would eventually return to its Ancient Tree clan to serve as a Fire Wyvern's guard. If it stayed with the Research Commission, their strength would grow even more.
"There's nothing shameful about it, meow. The stronger Tonkotsu becomes, the more it proves that the alliance between the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes and us was the right decision, meow. Isn't that so, meow?"
Sita was optimistic, feeling proud to have trained such a hunter cat.
"That's true enough." The Admiral nodded, gazing up at the starry sky, his thoughts unreadable.
...
Early the next morning, the alarm at Astera suddenly blared.
The hunters remaining at the base rushed to the defense points, while all the ballistae and cannons turned toward the figure circling high in the sky.
"What happened?" The Admiral vaulted out through the cabin window, landing in one leap and grabbing a hunter to ask.
"No idea. I heard there's a Rathalos circling high above the base, like it's got its eyes on us."
"Rathalos?" The Admiral blinked, then suddenly thought of something. He quickly borrowed a spyglass and looked up—sure enough, he saw Logan's figure weaving through the clouds.
"Stand down! It's not an enemy!" the Admiral immediately ordered, his voice carrying across the entire base.
In the sky, Logan was feeling more than a little frustrated. He had flown hard for an entire day, bringing a Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne with him, only for the Research Commission here to suddenly start acting strangely.
A hunter manning a ballista, seeing Logan descend toward the base, had actually sounded the alarm.
In an instant, all of Astera had sprung into action—every hunter mobilizing, taking up defensive positions against him.
Ballistae swiveled, locking onto him in an instant.
That sudden sense of danger had almost made Logan launch an attack on reflex.
Fortunately, he held back just in time. Instead, he climbed back into the sky and circled above, waiting for someone who knew him to show up.
Once the Admiral's order went out, several hunters recognized Logan and awkwardly lowered their weapons.
Only those who hadn't been in Astera back then—having gone to the Wildspire Waste with the Huntsman—still looked utterly confused.
With the danger gone, Logan descended slowly, releasing the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne from his claws onto the deck of the ship before leaping onto the cabin roof to rest and recover his strength.
"Meow!! Boss, meow!!"
Tonkotsu scrambled up to the cabin, bouncing in front of Logan with excited meows.
The Admiral climbed up next via the newly repaired rope, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw Logan unharmed.
At last, there was finally a breakthrough in uncovering the cause of the forest's anomaly.
On the open ground beside the Weapons & Cats Pavilion, the Felynes bustled about, carrying out tray after tray of grilled meat. Having flown for an entire day, Logan and the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warrior tore into the food with big, eager bites.
The Admiral, Carlos, and other high-ranking members of the Research Commission sat cross-legged nearby, listening as Tonkotsu and the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne talked.
The Second Fleet Master kept his gaze fixed on Logan, eyes gleaming as he studied the scales covering Logan's body—clearly wondering if he could get his hands on a few.
The Huntsman, meanwhile, ran a hand over the sword at his side, clearly mulling over how he might further enhance the weapon's performance.
"Meow! Moving, meow?"
Tonkotsu could hardly believe it. This time, the Ancient Forest's abnormal changes had left even the Fire Wyvern boss with no real solution—forcing a mass migration.
"It's gotten that bad, meow?" Tonkotsu drew in a deep breath, finding it hard to believe.
"Only for now, meow!" Blowing on a too-hot piece of grilled meat, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warrior glanced at Logan and explained to Tonkotsu.
"According to the Fire Wyvern lords' predictions, this time the Ancient Forest will likely lose a great many creatures, meow. Staying in the forest would only mean going hungry. It's better to migrate to the Wildspire Waste for a few years, meow—then, once the prey population in the forest has mostly recovered, we can move back, meow."
"I see, meow! As long as everyone's safe, that's good, meow!" Tonkotsu let out a breath of relief before asking, "So, have you decided on a settlement site, meow?"
The Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warrior shook his head. "Not yet, meow. The Fire Wyvern boss just brought me here to explain the situation to you, meow—so you won't risk heading back to the Ancient Forest, meow."
Tonkotsu nodded in understanding. Indeed, if not for having been knocked out by Sita last night, he might already have been on the road.
He then summarized the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne's words for the Research Commission members who had been waiting.
At that, those present all furrowed their brows.
They hadn't expected even the Fire Wyvern clans of the Ancient Tree to abandon it and head toward the Wildspire Waste.
It seemed this abnormal change was far more severe than they had originally estimated—and from Tonkotsu's words, it sounded as though a massive number of creatures would die during it. The losses would be so great that even with the New World's robust ecosystem, it would take years to recover.
Still, on second thought, this might actually be a good opportunity.
Once the miasma cleared, the forest would remain far less dangerous for a long time. The Research Commission could seize the chance to open up and secure every route deep into the forest.
With the Ancient Tree's Fire Wyverns helping to maintain safety along those paths, keeping them open would be much less trouble.
And before the miasma dissipated, the Commission could also use the Fire Wyvern migration to the Wildspire Waste as a reason to prepare operations there in advance.
Compared to the long-prioritized Ancient Forest, the Wildspire Waste's development had been negligible—so this was the perfect chance to explore and expand it as well.
Carlos and the Wyverian hunter exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other. The stockpiled camp-building supplies the Commission had been holding on to would be perfect for pioneering the Wildspire Waste.
The Admiral waited until Logan finally slowed his eating before rising to his feet. Under the somewhat tense gazes of those present, he walked over to stand before him.
"Yo, long time no see."
Logan rolled his eyes inwardly. He didn't even need Tonkotsu to translate to understand what that meant.
Every single time the Admiral saw him, his greeting was exactly the same.
Logan already knew what the Admiral wanted to ask, so he spoke directly.
"The Corpse Coat Dragon is the cause. Duration unknown. The Sunfire Dragons will handle it."
That was all Logan knew. After saying it, he began relaying, through Tonkotsu, the true purpose of this trip.
"You'll be needing plenty of tents, daily necessities, and tools?" The Admiral turned to Carlos, and when Carlos nodded, he gave his answer.
"No problem. We'll prepare all of that in advance. When the time comes, we'll also send craftsmen to assist. In addition, I suggest you have Tonkotsu issue the corresponding requests here under the name of the Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern clan. That would make it more formal."
The new cooperation agreement from before had already specified that the Astera outpost would open a dedicated request counter for the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne—now was the perfect time to use it.
Requests issued by the Grimalkyne carried more weight than a simple trade and could deepen ties between both sides.
Once the Grimalkyne adapted to it, the arrangement might even extend to the Fire Wyvern groups themselves.
This wasn't mere wishful thinking. The Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern clan of the New World could already communicate amicably with the Grimalkyne, which meant the Research Commission could, through the Grimalkyne, engage directly with the Fire Wyverns.
Friendly communication between humans and monsters was something that had never happened in history. If they succeeded, the Commission would be the first to achieve it—and it could lead to a complete upheaval in the way humans and monsters lived alongside each other.
In that case, in this harsh and unforgiving ecosystem, humanity might finally gain another path to a stable existence.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---