To a properly trained Hunter, tracking a Monster marked by a Paintball is the most fundamental of basics, not to mention the fact that the team had so many hunting partners with keen senses of smell.
They quickly locked onto the direction in which the Star Butterfly had departed, even roughly estimating the creature's current distance based on the changing intensity of the scent.
"What lies over there?" the Professor asked the Gajalaka leader.
This tribe of Gajalaka had lived in these mountains and forests for generations and was intimately familiar with every plant and tree. Without even needing a map, the Gajalaka leader provided an answer.
"By the Great River... over there... high and low... many rivers... very old... buildings."
"Old buildings? Ruins?"
The Professor held the map in his hands and studied it carefully. After a few beats of confirmation, he gave a light huff. "There are no markings on the map indicating the existence of ruins in that area."
A secret area deep within the Jungle where no one had ever set foot? It certainly sounded like the kind of place an Estrellian would haunt.
"Nymera, have the Cohoot circle above on sentry duty. Hunters, keep a close eye on the surrounding forest. Let's move."
Nymera nodded, whispered a few instructions, and released the Cohoot named Mochi from her shoulder.
The Hunters kept the two scholars protected in the center of the formation as they made steady progress toward the scent of the Paintberry.
After traveling a considerable distance, as the terrain shifted, Altaïr and the others gradually came to understand the true meaning of "high and low" described by the Gajalaka leader.
Unlike the relatively flat Jungle near the camp, the terrain in this region was shattered. Massive jutting rocks and cliffs surrounded a network of waterways carved out by a Great River, together forming a vast karst landform.
Erik was incredibly excited. The ecosystem formed under such unique geological conditions was naturally quite different from the ordinary Jungle; for instance, the Great Hornfly that had just fluttered past showed distinct differences from the usual Jungle Subspecies.
His gaze drifted along with the beautiful butterfly, but before he could indulge in any further thoughts, he felt a freezing stare from the Professor.
Snapping back to his senses with a shudder, Erik regretfully withdrew his gaze and dutifully remained in the center of the group, continuing to sketch and take notes on the map to fill in the details and blanks of this region.
The group came to a halt at the river's edge. To continue following the scent trail, they would have to enter the water.
Several of them looked toward the Professor; swimming across unfamiliar waters was hardly a wise move.
The Professor hesitated for two seconds before asking the Gajalaka leader in fluent Gajalaka language, "Do you come here often? Is the river here safe?"
The Gajalaka leader shook his exaggerated mask. "This is... no longer... our territory. We... do not like to swim... so we... rarely come... here.
There may be... Monsters... in the river, but they should be no match... for you."
The Professor's brow furrowed; he wasn't nearly as optimistic as the Gajalaka leader.
Underwater combat and conventional land combat were two entirely different systems. In this situation, the safest course of action was to have Hunters familiar with aquatic combat enter the water first to assess the situation. He had worked with Olivia many times and was quite familiar with her; he knew she wasn't a Hunter who specialized in aquatic combat, otherwise she wouldn't be using a Hammer.
Altaïr went without saying; the guy had grown up in the Great Desert. It was a miracle he even knew how to swim, so there was no reason for him to be skilled at fighting underwater.
Nymera was a Gunner; unless she used a specially modified Bowgun, she would be at a massive disadvantage in an underwater engagement.
In the end, he could only turn his gaze toward Isis. "Do you have any experience with underwater combat?"
Isis shook her head honestly. "No, but I can try!"
The Professor: "..."
Isis was brave, but an answer like "I can try" was hardly reassuring.
"Leave it to me, meow." Clawdia stepped out from behind Isis. "I'm an expert at underwater combat, meow.
If it's just Monsters on the level of Royal Ludroth or Gobul, I can handle them myself, meow."
The Professor glanced at Clawdia with slight surprise, then nodded.
If there were no Hunters skilled in aquatic combat, having a Palico who was would do just fine. After all, they weren't trying to hunt anything; they were just scouting the way.
"Be careful," Isis said, rubbing Clawdia's head.
Clawdia immediately looked as if she'd downed a bottle of Dash Juice. She puffed out her chest, put her paws on her hips, and declared, "Watch me, meow!" before diving into the water like a cannonball.
Through the clear river water, everyone watched as Clawdia kicked her limbs, darting off like a nimble fish. She covered a great distance in an instant and vanished into the ripples within the blink of an eye.
Five seconds, ten seconds... Suddenly, the surface of the river about fifteen to twenty meters from the bank began to churn. Bright red blood rose to the surface along with bubbles, only to be swept away an instant later by the flowing current.
Isis was so nervous she had already drawn her blade, and Nymera had readied her Bowgun, prepared to provide covering fire at a moment's notice.
A second later, a bright yellow figure about three meters long, resembling a large lizard, floated to the surface belly-up.
It was a Ludroth, an aquatic carnivorous Monster commonly found in freshwater environments. They were fierce by nature and prone to attacking creatures that fell into the water, occasionally even venturing onto land to hunt.
But this Ludroth's throat had been torn open. Blood sprayed continuously, and as its life entered its final countdown, it clearly no longer possessed the ability to attack anything else.
Just a few seconds later, the same scene played out again further from the shore.
A second one, then a third...
After dealing with four Ludroth in one go, Clawdia returned to the bank.
She shook her body vigorously to shed the bloody water clinging to her fur. "It's all clear, meow. There were only these four Ludroth nearby, meow. It's safe to swim across now, meow."
Altaïr opened his mouth to speak. "Won't... won't this attract other Monsters?"
"Don't worry, meow." Clawdia stowed her weapon and said confidently, "The current is strong enough that by the time we get in, the carcasses and the blood will have washed downstream, meow."
The Professor watched the Ludroth carcasses drifting away with the current and nodded appreciatively. "A bleeding corpse also serves as bait. Even if it attracts Monsters, they won't come looking for us.
A very clever approach, killing two birds with one stone. Let's hurry into the water and cross."
With that, the elder Wyverian was the first to tighten the cuffs and hem of his robes before stepping into the river.
Since the Professor, a mere scholar, had entered the water, the Hunters naturally hesitated no longer and followed suit. Altaïr could only feel relieved at that moment that he had taken the time to learn how to swim after leaving the Great Desert. Otherwise, having to say "I can't swim" right now would have been far too embarrassing.
Just as Clawdia had said, this small stretch of the river had already been "cleaned" by her. Aside from Altaïr and Sajji, who were not particularly skilled swimmers, choking on a few mouthfuls of water, the group swam to the opposite bank of the Great River without any real danger.
A massive crag stood here, and the scent trail of the Paintberry led straight to it.
(That feeling...)
In other words, this rocky mountain jutting out of the water and splitting the flow of the Great River was very likely the hiding place of that Estrellian.
Clambering onto the shore with some difficulty, Altaïr and Sajji lay there coughing up water for a good while before wobbling to their feet.
With their barely-avoiding-drowning level of swimming technique, crossing a high-volume river while fully armed was truly asking a lot of them. Had Hibiki, who was an adept swimmer, not lent them a hand, it wouldn't have been impossible for them to sink halfway across.
Without giving Altaïr and the others much time to catch their breath, the Professor simply wrung out his clothes and donned his mantle, his movements agile in a way that didn't resemble an old man at all.
"Keep quiet. From now on, everyone equip your Ghillie Mantle. Standard stealth protocols."
Under the Professor's command, only Olivia, Athos, and Clawdia followed him immediately. The other young Hunters, including Erik, were clearly a beat slow, obviously uncertain about how to proceed.
The Professor's face darkened, but considering these youngsters had likely never received specialized training in covert operations, he suppressed his impatience and offered a low-voiced explanation.
"If you don't understand, just follow our movements closely. Treat it the same way you would move when stalking a Monster."
With that explanation, Altaïr and the others finally realized what to do. They lowered their bodies, lightened their footfalls, and quietly followed the Professor's group.
Imitating the veterans, they pressed close to the rock wall, using the terrain and vegetation as cover to evade any gaze that might come from above as they skirted halfway around the base of the crag.
They eventually arrived before a narrow waterfall dozens of meters high, where the scent of the Paintberry vanished.
The Professor scanned the area and immediately reached a conclusion. "There is a cave entrance behind the waterfall. Stay alert. We're going in."
(Translated by yourtl.app)