"This is a great idea, meow!" Sajji seemed very excited. "We can handle even more of them around this skeleton, no problem, meow!
Maybe we can even take out the Gendrome this way, meow!"
"It's not that simple." Altaïr's expression remained unchanged. "But we should be able to fight alongside our 'big friend' for a while longer.
Don't start carving the bodies yet. The materials aren't worth it right now. Let's use this time to sharpen our weapons and recover our stamina."
"Got it, meow!" Sajji pulled out a small dried fish and began to nibble on it, asking, "What did you mean when you said it's not that simple, meow?
Can the Gendrome find a way to get past this cover, meow?"
That kind of tacit understanding takes a long time to build. He and Altaïr hadn't yet reached the point where they could guess each other's thoughts with a single glance.
That being the case, clearly communicating their ideas was the key to successful cooperation.
Altaïr also realized that his previous instructions had been a bit too vague. Being a man of few words was not a good habit at a time like this; he had to make a note to correct it.
"After we took out those first two, there weren't many Genprey left, so we could easily handle them using the skeleton as cover.
But if the number of Genprey doubles, and with a Gendrome leading them, some could squeeze into the skeleton's rib cage while others circle outside. No matter where we move, we'll be attacked.
If we slip up and get even slightly injured, we could be paralyzed. Then we'd be the ones on the defensive."
"I see, meow."
"As for why we're not leaving immediately, it's because the smell of blood will attract more Genprey. We can use this opportunity to further reduce their numbers so they don't interfere when we hunt the Gendrome later."
"But won't the Genprey move in a pack once they sense danger, meow?" Sajji asked with some concern. "What if the Gendrome shows up with a huge pack of Genprey? Wouldn't that be really dangerous, meow?"
"That's unlikely. Genprey normally move in packs of three to five.
The number that usually follows and guards a Gendrome is only about two or three.
If it has too many underlings, the Gendrome can't command them all effectively, so it's highly improbable that a Gendrome would charge at us with a dozen Genprey in tow."
"That's true, meow." Having also grown up in the wild, Sajji thought about it and felt that Altaïr had a point.
"Let's use this spot as our base of operations for now and thin out the Genprey, meow. Just give the word when you think we should retreat, meow.
I'll use a Flash Pod to create an opening and break through their encirclement, meow."
"You're so reliable." Altaïr ruffled the fur on Sajji's head. "When the time comes, we'll run north toward the rocky Gobi region.
The terrain there is complex, which will make it easier for us to use hit-and-run tactics."
"Understood, meow!" Sajji puffed out his chest and gave a "Yes, sir" salute.
Altaïr shot him an amused glance before continuing to sharpen his blade.
He had to admit, the reforged and upgraded Hunter's Dagger was now much sharper. The blade should have been dulled after hacking through four or five Genprey, yet it remained smooth and sharp, needing only a quick sharpening to be battle-ready again.
The man and the Felyne sat beside the enormous skeleton, eating and resting. They had dragged the bodies of the Genprey they'd killed earlier twenty to thirty meters away.
This would prevent the corpses from interfering with the coming fight and could also, to some extent, distract the Genprey. After all, to a pack of Genprey, the bodies of their own kind were also edible.
Nearly a quarter of an hour passed like this, and nothing appeared.
But Altaïr didn't feel anxious. Sitting on the familiar lakeside sand and leaning against the 'big guy's' skeleton, he felt surprisingly calm.
The anxiety and loneliness from when he set out had long been swept away.
Sajji was curled up in a ball beside him, looking as if he had fallen asleep. But judging by the rhythm of his breathing, he was merely resting with his eyes closed. One ear remained pressed tightly to the ground, vigilant against any potential danger.
Several more minutes passed before Sajji suddenly lifted his head.
"Something's coming, meow."
"Cautious, aren't they? Well, we're ready too."
Altaïr placed a hand on his knee and stood up steadily. Sajji also shook the sand from his fur and looked in the direction of the sound.
Several figures walked across the dry, cracked lakebed, approaching their position.
The Genprey was a Monster with no 'charm' whatsoever. It always kept its head low as it walked, glancing from side to side from time to time, giving off a cowardly yet cruel and cunning impression, like the minions in a gang of bandits.
But the one that strode forward with its head held high, surrounded by several Genprey, gave off a completely different feeling.
Its large, forked crest was as conspicuous as a crown. Its back alone was over two meters high, its body was nearly six meters long, and it weighed more than a ton.
As it turned its head, its crimson eyes surveyed its surroundings, like a sand bandit chieftain carrying a greatsword, flanked by his entourage, searching with a picky gaze for his next target to rob.
"Its presence is on a whole other level," Altaïr said, tightening his grip on his Hunter's Dagger.
Drawn by the scent of blood, the Gendrome also turned its gaze toward them. It paused, tilted its head, and sized up the hunter and Felyne by the giant skeleton from afar.
In the natural world, size was often an important measure of an opponent's strength. Compared to the large Monsters that were often over ten meters long, the size of a human and a Felyne could only be described as completely non-threatening.
At this moment, the Gendrome didn't even consider them the culprits who had killed its kin. It merely thought they were some kind of small predator that had been drawn by the scent of blood and had arrived a step ahead of it.
The Gendrome looked around again but didn't see any other Monsters it had expected.
Have they already left? To think I was so cautious that I called a few more of my pack to come check things out with me.
Fortunately, it wasn't a complete waste. Although those two 'little animals' weren't large, they were still enough to fill its stomach.
"Graaaw–" the Gendrome let out a low roar.
The four Genprey at its side, who had long been eager to attack, broke into a run. Two launched a frontal assault, while the other two fanned out to flank the hunter and his companion, cutting off their escape.
The Gendrome itself remained where it was, looking too lazy to even bother making a move.
"Take out the two in front as fast as possible." Altaïr's tone even held a hint of joy.
"Got it, meow!"
Altaïr and Sajji charged out together.
He charged forward, closing the distance to his opponent, turned sideways to block and deflect the attack with his shield, then followed through with his sword to slash the opponent's throat. Altaïr finished off the first one in the blink of an eye.
This was a technique honed from countless Genprey hunts over the past few months, one that never failed against a lone Genprey.
Sajji, meanwhile, used his own light and nimble advantage to dodge the other Genprey's attack and leap onto its back.
His F Hunting Knife, similar in size to Altaïr's Hunter's Dagger but requiring two paws for a Felyne to wield, plunged viciously into the back of the Genprey's neck.
As the Genprey cried out in pain and twisted its head, Sajji leaped off its back, dove under its belly, and with a powerful slash of his Felyne Sword held in both paws, sliced the creature's abdomen open.
Its entrails spilled out with a gush of fresh blood. The Genprey wailed as it collapsed to the ground, its life fading rapidly.
Having dealt with their respective opponents, the hunter and Felyne quickly returned to the skeletal remains. Using it as the perfect cover, they swiftly dispatched the other two Genprey that had been flanking them from behind.
The Gendrome that had stayed behind watched all this in a daze. By the time it came to its senses, all four of the minions that had come with it were lying in pools of their own blood.
Sajji stuck out his little tongue and made a face at the Gendrome not far away.
Altaïr, however, crouched down and, right in front of the Gendrome, took out a whetstone and began to sharpen his blade.
"Gyaaaoh!"
The Gendrome's eyes turned scarlet, but it didn't let rage cloud its judgment and charge recklessly toward the 'cover' that restricted its movement.
Instead, it remained where it was, threw its head back, and let out a series of howls to summon its minions.