At Sajji's invitation, Ning-Ning gained yet another teacher in Clawdia.
Clawdia could not provide Ning-Ning's preferred "proof of strength" by smashing a huge tree apart in a single blow.
Still, after discovering that Clawdia needed only her tail to whip Ning-Ning until the other Felyne could no longer stand, even with a blade in hand, Ning-Ning began calling Clawdia "Teacher Clawdia" without the slightest hesitation.
Clawdia was a proud Felyne, but once someone understood her temperament, she was not difficult to get along with.
Ning-Ning approached her humbly and asked to be taught, so Clawdia began seriously instructing her in the use of Felyne weapons, though Clawdia usually fought with her steel claws.
From Felyne Swords and Hammers to Felyne Forks and even large ranged boomerangs, Clawdia was proficient with them all. She was more than qualified to teach a self-taught stray like Ning-Ning.
Clawdia also put Ning-Ning through stamina training. That alone made it clear Clawdia was not simply teaching a few moves to humor Ning-Ning; she had genuinely taken an interest.
Watching Clawdia ride on Ning-Ning's shoulders and supervise Ning-Ning's squats, Isis could not help remembering the days when Lambert had traveled with the group and Isis herself had put Lambert through the same kind of stamina training.
The concern Isis had felt over Clawdia's utter lack of urgency abruptly disappeared.
Ha! What was there to worry about?
At the same time, Isis finally understood Francesca's strange look at Lambert back then, as well as her quiet warning to Isis to "stay sharp."
So that was what she had meant...
—--
Upon returning to Dundorma, the group first went to the Guild Hall to settle the Special Permit Quest with the Guild Manager.
After confirming Deadeye Yian Garuga's death, the Guild Manager promptly paid the reward and even offered to introduce them to Guild smiths who could forge the Monster's materials into equipment.
A Deviant was even rarer and more powerful than a Hyper Monster. In the hands of an ordinary smith, the materials would probably yield equipment only slightly better than the standard Yian Garuga Series.
A master smith, however, could tailor the forging process to the materials and draw out their full potential. The resulting equipment would be of High Rank quality at the very least.
Lambert went home alone to endure her parents' nagging.
Rather than following Isis as usual, Clawdia went to the Quest Counter, accepted a Meownster Hunters quest, and dragged Sajji and Ning-Ning along. She declared that actual combat would sharpen the Weapon Arts of both deadweights.
That was right. Ning-Ning was not the only student; Sajji was included as well.
In Clawdia's eyes, Sajji's Weapon Arts were painfully poor for a High Rank Palico.
A 6★ Palico, and you can't even poke a Rathian to death with a Felyne Sword? Aren't you ashamed, meow?
What do you mean, you can just climb onto Rathalos Model-09 and make short work of it?!
Father was right to tell me to find time to improve Sajji's close-combat skills, meow. If I'm already teaching one Felyne, I might as well train two. Both of you are getting special training, meow!
Clawdia set off with the lot of them in tow.
—--
With nothing else to do for the moment, Altaïr and Isis accompanied Morgan to the internal smithy reserved for Guild Knights, using the "Guild Tickets" provided by the Guild Manager.
The smiths carefully inspected the Yian Garuga materials the Hunters had brought, asked who would use them, and took Morgan's measurements.
They ultimately concluded that using the materials to craft only a Heavy Bowgun would be wasteful. With precise cutting and division, there would just barely be enough left to forge a full Armor Set as well.
This was possible only because Morgan was small and accustomed to wearing smaller female Armor. Had Isis been the intended wearer, the smiths would not even have suggested it.
At first, Morgan strongly resisted the proposal.
The reason was simple. He disliked the appearance of the Garuga Armor Set, especially the female design.
The Garuga Armor Set drew heavily on the style of a battlefield commander, most notably in the helmet plumes, which stretched over a meter.
On a tall, imposing male Hunter, such a plumed helmet projected the grandeur of a battle-hardened general. On the comparatively slender, petite female design, however...
The plumes looked like a pair of ponytails. Morgan rejected the set with every fiber of his being.
After hearing why Morgan disliked the set, the smithy's old artisan reluctantly offered an alternative design.
"This is the old design for the Garuga Gunner Set." After rummaging around, the old smith produced a yellowed blueprint. "Compared with the newer styles in fashion today, this Gunner Set is heavier and bulkier, with fully enclosed plate armor.
"The enlarged, reinforced left vambrace was designed specifically for Gunners, but hardly anyone uses this style anymore. Many Gunners say it feels bulky and sluggish when paired with a Slinger..."
(This is the Monster Hunter 4 Yian Garuga Gunner Armor. Honestly, the visor design fits "Deadeye" better.)
"Let's use this one. I really like it. The Slinger won't be a problem; I hardly use it anyway, and I'll get used to the vambrace."
Morgan changed his mind at once, without a trace of his earlier reluctance.
Besides offering more complete protection as heavy equipment, what truly won Morgan over was that the female Garuga Armor did not look "girly" at all.
"By the way, what does this part on top of the female helmet do? It's different from the male version." Morgan pointed at the blueprint as he examined the details.
The old smith glanced at it. "Nothing. Don't you think the male and female versions look too similar? Once the visor is down, you can't even tell them apart.
"So the designer added a ribbon to the top of the female helmet to make it look a little cuter and make the female version easier to distinguish."
"Please remove it!" Morgan slammed both hands on the table, looking deadly serious.
"A-all right... we'll make a note of that." The old smith recoiled, startled by Morgan's intensity.
While gathering the blueprints, the old smith muttered, "First the ponytails, now the ribbon. Such a pretty young lady, yet so averse to cute things."
Morgan remained silent.
He had long since grown tired of explaining himself.
—--
Several days later.
A fast Airship landed at Dundorma's Airship dock.
A short, portly Wyverian elder hurried down the gangway.
His round face held none of its usual warmth and geniality, only a rare solemnity.
The Wyverian woman in shrine maiden attire close behind him could no longer hold back her concern. "Master Hojo, if we're petitioning the Hunter's Guild headquarters for aid, why not send an urgent message by peregrine falcon? Might that not be faster?"
Hojo leaned on his cane, moving far too quickly for an old man. "An urgent letter by peregrine falcon would indeed arrive swiftly, but a falcon can carry only so much information. It would be difficult to describe the full scope of the situation clearly.
"Moreover, this time we need more than the fighting strength of one or two Hunters. We need comprehensive assistance from specialists, including scholars, potion makers, and even Alchemists.
"Sending letters back and forth would waste too much time. Coming in person was the safer choice."
At that, Hojo stopped and glanced back at the Wyverian woman following close behind him.
Her expression was calm, but the anxiety in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"Minoto, the epidemic is only beginning to show signs. We still have time before a true outbreak, and with Maki and the others guarding the village, nothing will go wrong. There's no need to worry so much."
"I understand... Master Hojo," Minoto replied, though her tone betrayed her true feelings.
Hojo sighed softly.
Hojo saw Minoto as his likely successor. That was why he had brought her on this trip to Dundorma to seek aid from the Hunter's Guild headquarters, hoping she could learn from the experience.
Steady by nature, Minoto was usually more reliable than her older sister Hinoa, who spent all day thinking about Bunny Dango. When it came to handling the pressure of a crisis, however, she still fell a little short of Hinoa.
"Let's go. After meeting His Immenseness, we still need to hurry to the Frenzy Virus Research Institute."