"You're here."
Hibasa had been waiting inside the Smithy for some time. He lifted his chin toward the weapon rack and mannequin beside him.
Altaïr headed straight for the weapon rack.
Resting on it was a weapon of interwoven dark green and vivid crimson that brought rose vines to mind.
Unlike conventional "swords," these Dual Blades took the unusual form of two rings.
Altaïr's expression turned complicated. The Taikun Zamuza Long Sword he had yet to receive was oddly shaped, and now these Espinas Dual Blades were too. Why did he keep ending up with weapons that ordinary Hunters would struggle to get used to?
Fortunately, as long as he could lift a weapon, he could perform Blade Dance with it. A less coordinated Dual Blades user would have needed considerable practice to adjust to these particular "blades"...
He lifted the new weapons from the rack, rolled his wrists to adjust to their center of gravity, and launched into Blade Dance on the spot.
The intricately shaped blades became a blur of light and shadow, ripping through the air with a succession of hair-raising shrieks.
After completing the entire sequence, Altaïr came to a stop, sheathed the blades, and let out a quiet breath.
Hibasa gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive. You adjusted to them the moment you picked them up. How do they feel?"
Altaïr pressed the Dual Blades together and ground them hard against each other. Watching sparks and venom burst from their edges, he nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent. Monsters vulnerable to fire or poison will be much easier to deal with now.
"Do these Dual Blades have a name?"
"Rosenzahn. If you ever have the chance to hunt a Flaming Espinas, you can upgrade them further.
"By the way, the Flaming Espinas upgrade was originally called 'Kaktus Zahn,' but our esteemed Village Chief disliked the name and stubbornly insisted on 'Kaktus Ehrgeiz' because she thinks a Flaming Espinas looks like a cactus."
Hibasa shrugged. "Since she's currently the strongest Dual Blades user in the world, the new name has become better known than the original 'Kaktus Zahn.'"
Altaïr had no words.
If he ever had the chance to hunt a Flaming Espinas, he was definitely changing the name back.
"All right, stop fawning over your new weapon and come look at your new Armor."
Hibasa pulled the cloth from the mannequin, revealing an Armor Set dominated by black and dark green.
Compared with the blueprints Altaïr had seen a few days earlier, the finished Espinas Armor Set had changed little in appearance.
The long coat and cuirass had clearly required more work than simply layering one over the other, however. Ingenious joins seamlessly integrated the dragon-hide coat with the armored sections, providing two layers of protection while minimizing any restriction on the Hunter's movements.
Areas prone to wear, such as the toes of the boots, the knees, and the elbows, had been reinforced with metal components that would also be easy to repair or replace.
Although Hibasa favored bold designs, he was still a craftsman who respected his customer's wishes. He had left off the spiked pauldrons and arm blades, which were more decorative than practical, giving the finished Armor Set an understated appearance that greatly pleased Altaïr.
He liked equipment that looked unremarkable but was sturdy and practical.
"There's little to say about its durability. It's an entire tier above your old Regios Armor Set. As for its special properties, they revolve around poison."
As he helped Altaïr try on the new Armor Set, Hibasa explained, "Espinas materials contain a catalytic substance that activates potent poisons and paralytic toxins, significantly increasing their effectiveness. That accounts for Paralysis Attack and Poison Attack.
"At the same time, the Armor Set releases a small quantity of another toxin.
"After special treatment, the dose is so low that it will barely affect you under normal circumstances. But if you're gravely wounded and your body's functions begin to decline, the toxin will activate..."
Sajji and Isis, who had accompanied Altaïr, exchanged a glance. If this explanation grew any more alarming, they were going to strip the Armor Set right off him.
Altaïr was less concerned. The Skalda S Set he had once used had also exposed him to poison, and that had not been entirely bad, had it?
Hibasa loved teasing people, and when Altaïr's expression failed to change, he could not help clicking his tongue.
"Fine. You can't discuss toxicity without considering the dosage. This so-called toxin is actually a hormone-like substance secreted inside an Espinas's body, and it is the key to triggering its enraged state.
"When you're critically injured and weakened, this hormone can greatly enhance your strength and physical abilities. Heroics!"
Altaïr blinked, and a bold idea immediately sprang to mind.
"Mr. Hibasa, this critically injured, weakened state you mentioned... could someone induce it deliberately?"
"..."
Hibasa fell silent. He folded his arms, leaned toward Altaïr, and stared at him for a long while.
Altaïr could not help leaning back. "Mr. Hibasa?"
"Let me ask a rather presumptuous question. You and Chief Maki aren't actually... blood relatives, are you?"
Altaïr stared at him in utter bewilderment.
"She has taken such an interest in you. She not only trains you and takes you on Hunts, but also came to me personally and asked me to finish your new equipment as quickly as possible.
"All of that is understandable, but how did the two of you end up thinking exactly alike?"
Sajji mimicked Hibasa and folded his arms. "Boss is twenty-one this year. Come to think of it, how old is Chief Maki, meow?"
Altaïr's face darkened, and he kicked Sajji aside.
Hibasa turned to Isis, his expression grave and his tone utterly earnest. "If he suddenly changes his fighting style one day and suggests bringing Barrel Bombs on a Hunt, make sure you keep a close eye on him.
"He might not be trying to blow up a Monster. He might be trying to blow himself up. And before you question me, Chief Maki did exactly that when she was young."
Isis gave Altaïr a wary look.
Altaïr looked helpless. "Using Barrel Bombs would be going too far, and they're much too unpredictable. Don't worry, I won't do anything like that."
Better to stab myself once instead. At least then I can avoid the vital spots, Altaïr thought.
Isis and Sajji exchanged another glance and saw the same wariness reflected in each other's eyes.
Altaïr's answer had not reassured them in the slightest. They would have to keep a much closer watch on him from now on.
After hearing a few tips on maintaining Espinas equipment, the two humans and one Felyne bade the head smith farewell and left the Smithy.
—--
On the way back to their lodgings, Altaïr asked Sajji about his "mechanical studies" at the Kamura Smithy.
Altaïr laughed. "So, did you manage to build a miniaturized engine? You can't keep relying on Engine No. 2 forever, can you?"
As the owner of "Engine No. 2," Isis rolled her eyes.
Sajji's whiskers twitched. "It's not that easy, meow. Forget about me. This would be an almost impossible engineering problem anywhere, meow.
"Mr. Hibasa and the others drew up several designs and even tried building prototypes, but either the materials weren't strong enough, the power output was too low, or the whole thing was too large. None of them worked, meow..."
Sajji's voice grew quieter, but he soon perked up again. "Still, I learned about all kinds of interesting mechanisms, meow!
"Even if I can't build a practical engine anytime soon, the blueprints for the Rathalos Model-10 are already complete, meow!
"It's smaller and faster, converts power more efficiently, and a single Felyne can pilot it without any trouble in actual combat, meow!"
As Sajji grew more excited with every word, Altaïr could not help feeling a pang of regret.
He had never imagined that the price of advancing their technology would be giving up the "dual-engine system."
"But Mr. Hibasa said the dual-engine linkage system is very practical, so I kept that too, meow... Whenever the Model-10 needs more combat power, we can still run both engines in parallel. It's just that the cockpit gets a little cramped, meow..."
"...You little rascal."
Altaïr gave a soft, amused huff, and even Isis could not resist flicking Sajji on the forehead.
As luck would have it, when the two humans and one Felyne reached the entrance to Nymera's home, they ran into Clawdia, who was returning at almost the same time.
Clawdia was covered in dust and bore several injuries, yet she radiated the keen edge of a freshly sharpened blade.
The Stinkmink named Rice Cake clung to her back, looking for all the world like a fur cloak.
Both Altaïr and Isis were seasoned fighters, so they immediately sensed the change in Clawdia's demeanor.
"Well, look at you. That's quite the presence." Altaïr studied her in surprise. "Don't tell me you even beat Chief Kogarashi?"
Clawdia faltered. "N-no, not quite, meow. But other than Chief Kogarashi and Seniors Chestnut and Red Bean, there isn't another Felyne in the Meowcenaries who can match me, meow."
Apparently deciding that did not sound impressive enough, she hurried to add, "Seniors Chestnut and Red Bean are Chief Maki's Palicoes, meow!"
"Clawdia, you're amazing!" Isis scooped up Clawdia and Rice Cake together, and the group went inside.
"You're finally back! We've been waiting forever!" Nymera had been waiting in the entryway, and she led them into the backyard.
Beneath the cherry tree that blossomed year-round, two square tables had been pushed together.
Freshly sliced fish, Shipshells from the Frost Islands, giant shrimp tempura, rolled omelets made from Bird Wyvern eggs... Every kind of dish imaginable had been piled onto the tables until they could hold no more.
Master Iori invited them to sit with a smile, while Yomogi brought out the final dessert, a large platter of meticulously prepared Bunny Dango.
This was their farewell feast.
(Translated by yourtl.app)