"Are you Chief Kogarashi?"
Judging by the Felyne's fur and attire, Altaïr quickly guessed who he was.
After a brief silence, the Felyne dipped his head. "You've heard of us, Master Altaïr, meow?"
His voice sounded somewhat aged. Even though Felynes tended to live longer than humans, he was already well into his later years.
Altaïr offered a polite compliment. "Lady Shalan has mentioned you. She told me she once trained under you in the Meowcenaries.
"I imagine only a veteran as experienced as you could have trained a Palico as outstanding as Lady Shalan."
Kogarashi fell silent for even longer.
A full four or five seconds passed before he spoke again. "Master Altaïr, have you come to see Clawdia, meow?"
Even Altaïr could tell that Chief Kogarashi had no desire to discuss Shalan, so he naturally let the subject drop.
"That's right. Isis and I are planning to join Maki on an Espinas Hunt, so I came to get Clawdia."
"I see." Kogarashi leaped down from the rock where he had been standing. "Please follow me, Master Altaïr, meow."
With Kogarashi leading the way, they soon arrived at a steam-powered mechanical beast.
It was modeled after a Tetranadon, just like the one in the Training Area, but was one size smaller.
A Felyne atop its head frantically worked the controls, making the mechanical Tetranadon spin and stamp at a speed its bulky frame had no business achieving as it fought off an attacker.
Moving as nimbly as a loach, Clawdia slipped inside the mechanical beast's defensive perimeter, leaped onto one of its leg joints, and tried to climb higher.
Her target was clearly the Felyne operating the mechanical beast. If she could drag them out of the cockpit, she would win.
The mechanical Tetranadon was little more than an advanced training dummy, slow and cumbersome. In a straightforward one-on-one fight, not even the most skilled operator could have defeated Clawdia, whom Sajji called a "muscle engine."
But the Meowcenaries' special training was obviously not going to be that simple.
Several lightly armored, masked Felynes that looked every bit like ninjas swarmed the machine, matching Clawdia's agility as they bounded across its body in coordination, cut off every route she could take, and easily knocked her from the beast.
The operator yanked hard on a control lever, and a water ball shot from the mechanical beast's mouth, blasting Clawdia away as she tried to right herself in midair.
Soaked from head to toe, Clawdia crashed to the ground not far from Altaïr and rolled several times before coming to a stop. She tried to push herself up with both paws, but dizziness made her limbs buckle, and she flopped back down.
Altaïr clicked his tongue at the sight of Clawdia sprawled on the ground like a dead fish, drenched in muddy water.
It was rare to see her in such a sorry state.
Had Isis been there, she might have rushed over in concern, scooped Clawdia up, and asked whether she was hurt, but Altaïr was not nearly that gentle.
He walked over, crouched beside Clawdia, and flicked one of her ears with a finger. Grinning, he asked, "Enjoying the training?"
Only then did Clawdia notice Altaïr's arrival. Around him, she always felt a strange sense of rivalry.
She could lose face in front of anyone except Altaïr!
Gritting her teeth, she struggled upright. Then, noticing Kogarashi nearby, she gave him a shaky bow. "Chief Kogarashi, meow."
Kogarashi dipped his chin, then turned to Altaïr. "As you can see, Master Altaïr, Clawdia's special training is not yet complete, meow."
Altaïr caught the implication behind his words.
They had not only activated the mechanical beast but also assigned several Meowcenary Felynes to serve as Clawdia's training partners. Anyone could see how much Kogarashi valued her.
By comparison, Clawdia was hardly indispensable on this mission.
"Isis and I are leaving to hunt an Espinas. I'd planned to bring you along, but since your training isn't over yet, you should stay here.
"Sajji and I will take good care of her for you."
"..." The remark left Clawdia bristling.
She bared her fangs and was about to protest when Altaïr raised a hand to stop her. "Missing one Hunt won't matter. The stronger you become, the more help you'll be to Isis in the future.
"Opportunities to train like this don't come around often. The final decision is yours, so think it over carefully."
Clawdia looked from Altaïr to Kogarashi, who stood nearby with his feet planted at right angles and his arms folded like a statue. After a brief struggle, she gave her answer through her actions.
Baring her claws, she cried, "Meow!" and charged at the mechanical beast.
The Meowcenary Felynes were not about to go easy on her just because she had made such a difficult decision. Barely a dozen seconds later, they harried her into the mechanical beast's path, and one of its claws swatted her back through the air.
Kogarashi said nothing. He simply watched Clawdia rise and charge again and again, and even through the cloth covering his face, Altaïr could clearly sense the admiration in his gaze.
"She isn't suited to the Meowcenaries, meow," Kogarashi said suddenly, still standing motionless. "But she'll become the finest of warriors. In a few years, perhaps even I won't be a match for her, meow."
"What about Sajji, then?" Altaïr could not help asking.
He looked like a parent asking a teacher how his child was doing in class.
Kogarashi gave him a sidelong glance. "He would be better off at the Smithy than with the Meowcenaries. I referred him to Mr. Hibasa, meow."
"And Mr. Hibasa is...?"
Since arriving in Kamura Village, Altaïr had spent every day training under Maki and had learned little about the village itself. This was the first time he had heard the name.
"The head of Kamura Village's artisans. He invented the Machine Cannon, meow."
"..."
Altaïr had a feeling Sajji would not be joining them on this Hunt either.
—--
Kamura Village's Smithy.
"Boss, look at this, meow!" Sajji held a spiral-shaped mechanical component larger than his entire body high above his head, bouncing on his hind legs in excitement.
As for what the component was meant to do, Altaïr's limited knowledge of mechanics left him without the slightest idea.
Sajji knew that too and immediately explained, "With this core component, we can increase the portable Dragonator's power by more than fifty percent, meow!
"Next, all we have to do is design a new housing around it, and we can upgrade the Monoblos Model-3 into the Monoblos Model-4, meow!
"And that's not all, meow! Mr. Hibasa helped us improve the wing structure of the Yian Kut-Ku Series glider, so taking off will be easier now, meow!"
"Mr. Hibasa, I hope Sajji hasn't caused you too much trouble." Altaïr rubbed Sajji's head, then bowed slightly to the cheerful middle-aged smith.
Unlike most rough-hewn smiths, Hibasa wore his slightly wavy hair down to his shoulders, and the small goatee on his chin was neatly trimmed, giving him a refined, dashing, if slightly slick appearance.
Hibasa waved a hand. "Not at all, not at all. Felynes who study mechanisms and machinery are rare. This little fellow has plenty of novel ideas and has given me quite a bit of inspiration himself.
"Take his Rathalos Series, for instance. The Rath-of-Meow is already a well-established piece of equipment used by many support Felynes, but I've never seen anyone improve one as extensively as young Sajji has.
"A dual-engine linkage system! Hahaha! What a practical design!
"But young Sajji, if you want to build the miniature Airship for Felynes that you've been imagining, pedaling with your legs alone won't provide nearly enough power."
"True, meow..."
Hibasa winked at Sajji. "We've drawn up several designs for a miniaturized steam engine, but the technology isn't mature yet, and we've run into a bottleneck with the materials. We still haven't managed to build a stable prototype. Interested in taking a look?"
"Meow!"
Watching Sajji bounce so high that he looked ready to fly, Altaïr smiled. He did not explain the Espinas Hunt in detail, merely said that he and Isis would be leaving to train for a few days and told Sajji to study hard under Mr. Hibasa.
As Altaïr left the Smithy, he gazed at the fiery sunset clouds along the horizon, unable to decide whether he felt happy or lonely.
"Looks like this really will be a two-person Hunt."
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New story: Conquering the Anime Multiverse, Starting with Overlord
If you enjoy Overlord and multiverse crossovers, you can check it out on my profile
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