After the members of the Desert Fins left, Nuri beckoned to Altaïr, Asa, and Sajji.
The three of them and the Felyne sat down together to discuss their plan for what to do next.
Asa was the first to speak, his words rushing out. "They're the 'Desert Fins'? The hunting party that's rumored to only hunt Cephalos?"
So they recognized them too. In a desert region where Cephalos frequently appeared, that hunting party's name was quite well-known.
Altaïr glanced at Asa and corrected him, "Not 'only hunt Cephalos,' but 'specialize in hunting Cephalos.'"
"What's the difference?" Asa said, looking somewhat dismissive.
As the leader, Nuri keenly sensed the hint of displeasure in Altaïr's tone and quickly cut his brother off. "Of course there's a difference. That's like saying the Fishing Fleet only fishes in the sand sea."
"I guess you're right." Asa finally realized that his words had carried a hint of disdain.
There were far more fish in the ocean, so why didn't the Fishing Fleet go there to fish?
Faced with such a question, the members of the Fishing Fleet would probably not even bother to explain, and it was the same for the members of the Desert Fins.
"Ah, I didn't mean any disrespect by what I just said," Asa said, waving his hands repeatedly once he realized his mistake. "I'm just a rookie hunter who hasn't even been promoted for a full year. Those seniors are three or four-star elites. What right do I have to look down on them? I just thought of the rumors about them and spoke without thinking."
"You'd better stop speaking without thinking," Nuri said, feeling utterly helpless about his brother's lack of a filter. "It's a good thing you didn't say that to their faces, or I wouldn't have helped you if you got beaten up."
Asa grinned sheepishly. "I'll be careful next time, I'll definitely be careful next time!"
"Alright, let's discuss our strategy." Nuri took out a map, and eight eyes, belonging to three people and one Felyne, gathered around it.
"The seniors from the Desert Fins have already scouted ahead. Their intel should be reliable, so our strategy will be based on their recommendations. After all, their mission is more important. We, the Loc Lac Rangers, are in a supporting role." Nuri glanced at his companions.
Altaïr and Asa both indicated they had no objections.
"Using our current camp as the center point, the Cephadrome should be active in the area from due north to northwest. According to the habits of a Cephalos school, it will have at least a few Cephalos following it as guards."
"So our mission is to lure those Cephalos away for the seniors and open up a path?" the somewhat impatient Asa asked, cutting in.
Nuri held up a hand to quiet him. "Don't overestimate our role in this operation. The ranks of the three of us combined might not even be as high as one of those seniors. The Cephadrome, including the Cephalos around it, has nothing to do with us. Our target is here."
Nuri pointed to an area southwest of the camp on the map. "Cephalos are quite large, so they spread out to hunt in order to fill their stomachs. There are shadows of Cephalos swimming through the sand dunes in this area. We'll go there, lure them out one by one, and hunt them. If things go smoothly, we won't even need to get close to the Cephadrome's location to complete our mission."
"Aren't we completely useless here?" Asa muttered. "It feels like it makes no difference whether we're here or not, like we just came along to get a cut of the reward."
"I told you, the seniors don't need our help," Nuri said, his tone firm. "Besides the Cephadrome, there are probably ten to twenty Cephalos in this pack.
While the seniors are hunting the Cephadrome, they'll take care of a few of them along the way. The rest will scatter and flee after the Cephadrome is dead, leaving a potential threat to the nearby trade routes.
What we need to do is thin out the number of Cephalos before the Cephadrome is hunted and the pack scatters. Got it?"
Faced with his older brother's slightly stern tone, Asa could only obediently agree, "Got it."
Altaïr glanced at him and said, "Actually, it's not that we're completely useless. While the seniors are fighting the Cephadrome, it will summon the scattered, foraging Cephalos back to aid it in battle.
If we can take care of some of them beforehand, or intercept a few on their way, it will reduce the pressure on the seniors."
Hearing Altaïr's words, a smile bloomed on Asa's face. "You really know what to say!"
Sajji gave the transparent fellow a sidelong glance. "You're like a little kid, meow. Still need to be coaxed, meow."
"Who are you calling a little kid?"
Glaring at the bickering human and Felyne, Nuri walked over to the supply box next to the tent and took out the items provided by the Guild.
"Five Sonic Bombs. The high-frequency noise they release upon detonation can blast a Cephalos out from under the sand. They're also very effective against the Cephadrome, making them the most crucial item for this hunt.
But be aware, this thing isn't much use when the Cephalos is on the surface. Watch for the right moment; don't waste them."
The three humans each took one Sonic Bomb, and the remaining two were given to Sajji to use when he saw fit.
The rest were common supplies like First-aid Meds, Whetstones, and Portable Rations. Of course, they carried their own, but since the Guild provided them for free, they would naturally use the free ones first.
"Here's the specific tactic: the three of us will lie in ambush while Sajji goes to lure a Cephalos. Once he leads it to the ambush point, we'll use a Sonic Bomb to blast it out.
During the fight, I'll hold the front. Altaïr, you'll skirmish as the situation demands, attacking its legs as the seniors suggested. Asa, you'll attack from a distance and be on lookout.
Any questions?"
"None."
"None, meow." Altaïr and Sajji shook their heads in unison.
"If the bait has no objections, then of course I don't either," Asa said with a grin.
"Meow..." Sajji swiped a paw at him indignantly.
"Alright, stop fighting." Halting the childish behavior of the human and Felyne, Nuri looked at Altaïr. "Little brother Altaïr, this is your first time working with us, so be mindful of the Gunlance's and Heavy Bowgun's lines of fire.
That's all. Stay calm. One last check of your equipment and items, then we move out."
—--
Among the rolling dunes was a low-lying area. Faintly visible, a few grayish-yellow fins appeared and disappeared within the fine sand of the basin.
Someone with only a passing knowledge of the desert might mistake those fins for a Delex's.
But an experienced hunter would know that what swam in the sandy basin was another, more dangerous creature.
Sajji tightened the Felyne Acorn set on his body, got down on all fours, and stuck his bottom in the air. Like a leopard ambushing its prey, he moved silently toward the basin.
When it was only twenty or thirty meters away, it dared not advance any further.
Cephalos are highly sensitive to vibrations. Even for a Felyne born and raised in the desert, it wasn't confident it could get any closer without being detected.
It took out a small, nut-sized pebble, weighed it in its paw, and threw it with force.
The small pebble accurately struck a dorsal fin. The fin's owner, which had been moving aimlessly, paused and turned its body in this direction.
Sajji wasn't alarmed. He quietly crawled back the way he came.
The other Cephalos in the sand basin were not disturbed. The one hit by the pebble turned its triangular head, its sensory organs (Ampullae of Lorenzini?) on either side of its head aiming in Sajji's direction.
It had caught a faint trace of the minute vibrations caused by the friction of his paw pads against the sand.
Its eyes having degenerated, the nearly blind Cephalos couldn't be certain if the sound was caused by prey or was simply the white noise of wind blowing across the sand.
But in any case, it was worth getting closer to 'take a look.'
That Cephalos wriggled its body like a fish, breaking away from its companions and swimming through the fine sand, approaching him.
Seeing the distance between himself and the Cephalos shrinking, Sajji remained calm. He knew full well that he had not yet left the alert range of the other Cephalos in the sand basin.
If he jumped up and ran, he would only startle the other Cephalos as well, leading to even greater danger.
Finally, he crawled far enough away from the sand basin, and the distance between him and the Cephalos was now less than ten meters.
This should be about right.
Sajji stopped crawling, pushed himself up on all fours, and broke into a light run.
The Cephalos finally confirmed the presence of its prey. It excitedly wagged its caudal and pectoral fins, accelerating in pursuit.
And so they went, one fleeing and one chasing, moving farther and farther away from the sand basin where the Cephalos gathered. When they reached an unremarkable sand dune, a small, inconspicuous sphere was thrown in front of it.
"Bzz..."
A high-frequency noise exploded. The Cephalos, which had been excitedly chasing its prey just a second before, spasmed and leaped out of the sand as if electrocuted, then lay on the ground twitching nonstop.
"Yeehaw!" Asa, who had been hiding atop the dune, shouted strangely as he stood up and readied his Heavy Bowgun.
Altaïr and Nuri, who had been lying in wait in the sand, also rushed toward the downed, struggling Cephalos at top speed.
It had to be said that although the six-to-seven-meter-long Cephalos was classified as a small Monster, it still looked quite intimidating. Even a Gendrome might not be as big as this thing.
Reaching the Cephalos's head, Nuri raised his greatshield and Gunlance, even sparing a moment to glance at Altaïr.
The latter's movements were completely free of hesitation, not the least bit intimidated by the Cephalos's size. He drew his blade in a single bound, his Hunter's Dagger slashing viciously into the Cephalos's hind leg, opening a bleeding wound.
Seeing this, Nuri smiled in relief. He shoved the muzzle of his 'Eizenlitter' Gunlance into the Cephalos's mouth and squeezed the trigger.
"Wyvern's Fire!"
"Rumble..."
With his low shout, the Gunlance's muzzle spewed forth scorching flames, and a deafening roar echoed all around.
Altaïr: "..."