"So it's an underwear-style Armor Set, and you were too embarrassed to wear it openly, so you put regular clothes over it?" Altaïr asked. He had pieced together the truth from the fragments of Isis and Nymera's conversation.
Isis nodded frantically, then shook her head. "To be precise, it's even more extreme than underwear! Even my underwear isn't that revealing. It leaves half of everything exposed!"
"Stop talking!" Nymera shrieked.
Understanding dawned on Morgan, another Gunner. "I think I get it. It's ultra-light Armor designed entirely for shooting performance and flexibility, with no consideration for Defense, right?
"Quite a few Light Bowgun users wear that kind of Armor. Nadia is a prime example. But if it is especially revealing... that is the designer's fault.
"What made you decide to have that Armor Set crafted?"
Nymera looked on the verge of tears. "I asked my mother first. She used to be a Gunner too, so I wanted her opinion.
"But she said she had only served as a Gunner part-time during the village's hardest years and had never come close to High Rank. She told me to seek advice from a true High Rank Gunner."
Altaïr nodded as he listened.
Yomogi really was quite conservative. She had even scolded Nymera for wearing the Doom Armor Set because it was too revealing.
Her suggestion that Nymera consult a High Rank Gunner was perfectly reasonable too.
"Master Utsushi can use ranged weapons, but he isn't a dedicated Gunner. The only true High Rank Gunner in Kamura Village is Hinoa.
"Hinoa couldn't offer much advice either. She said she had never paid much attention to such things and had always worn the Medium Set, the shrine maiden attire she normally wears.
"I even went out of my way to research it. The Medium Set's core skills turned out to be eating quickly (Speed Eating) and getting full easily (Free Meal).
"Oh, and it has one more advantage. Supposedly, if you wear it when you collect your quest rewards from Minoto, she sometimes gets so happy that she gives you extra compensation (Good Luck)."
Altaïr: "..."
Strictly speaking, those Wyverian sisters could hardly even be considered Hunters. They were more like shrine maidens and Guild receptionists who had somehow trained themselves into exceptionally capable fighters.
Kamura Village had an unusually large number of these enigmatic, nonprofessional Hunters...
"Then what happened? Who did you end up asking?" Isis pressed.
"Hinoa recommended that I ask Maki. She said Maki knows all about different weapons and Armor.
"Then Maki recommended the Shell Set to me..."
"..."
"...How did you phrase the question?"
Altaïr did not believe Maki was the sort of person who would recommend "underwear-style Armor" to a younger Hunter. His expression grew complicated as he pressed further. "Can you recall the conversation?"
"Well... I said, 'Sorry to bother you, Lady Maki. Could you recommend a good Gunner Armor Set, preferably something fairly light?'
"At first, Maki looked confused and asked why I had come to a Blademaster with that question. I told her Hinoa had sent me.
"Then understanding dawned on her. She gave me a thumbs-up and said, 'What's there to be embarrassed about? The Shell Set is great, great in every way!'
"That was about it."
Altaïr: "..."
Neither Morgan nor Isis sensed anything amiss, but Altaïr had spent the most time with Maki and had occasionally skirted around certain topics with her, whether deliberately or otherwise. He suspected Nymera had unwittingly become caught up in some private "little game" among her elders.
Even if Maki and the others realized the problem afterward, they were probably too embarrassed to explain it.
At any rate, the Shell Set really did perform extremely well...
Altaïr was speechless, but he wanted to spare his elders some embarrassment. With a solemn expression, he said, "I see. Lady Maki truly is a pure pragmatist. Performance is all that concerns her; everything else is irrelevant."
"Indeed." Born and raised in Kamura Village, Nymera looked utterly certain. "As long as it helps on a Hunt, Lady Maki will strap anything to herself without hesitation, whether it's strange equipment or some bizarre living creature."
Altaïr breathed a silent sigh of relief.
The people of Kamura held Maki in such lofty regard that she was almost the "hearthfire" at the center of their faith.
Otherwise, given Nymera's perceptiveness, she might well have pieced together the truth...
"For now, just keep wearing that set." Altaïr decided not to pursue the subject any further. "If you really can't stand how revealing it is, ask a smithy to modify it and add some fabric that won't interfere with its performance. It may end up looking a little odd, though.
"Once we find a suitable target, we'll all Hunt it together and craft you a new Armor Set."
Before Nymera could respond politely or express her thanks, Altaïr called out, "Let's move! We need to reach the Flooded Forest before nightfall!"
Several Palamutes howled and raced toward the Flooded Forest.
Although all four hunting grounds lay within the Flooded Forest region, they were spread across different areas. Isis and Altaïr peeled away one after the other toward their respective quest zones, leaving Morgan and Nymera to continue onward.
—--
The two reached the camp before nightfall.
Their targets' territories were fairly close together, so they would share the same camp.
Although the camp was remote, its site had been chosen well. It stood atop a rocky platform that Small Monsters such as Jaggi and even Large Monsters would struggle to climb.
Several giant trees grew on the platform. Their thick branches formed a barrier against Bird Wyverns and Flying Wyverns, and the camp itself stood among the massive trunks.
Morgan and Nymera worked together to light the campfire but exchanged no further words.
Morgan and Nymera rarely started conversations with people they did not know well. Although the two had worked together on Tidal Island for more than half a year, nearly a full year, their overlapping roles as Gunners meant they had cooperated far less with each other than with Blademasters such as Altaïr and Isis. As a result, they were not particularly close.
Once the campfire was burning, each claimed a place beside it and began inspecting weapons and counting Ammo.
For a while, the only sounds in the camp were the clicks of Bowgun mechanisms being dismantled and the pops of damp firewood drying and catching flame.
The atmosphere seemed somewhat awkward, but fortunately, neither of them was so restless that silence made them uncomfortable. Focusing on their respective preparations suited them well enough.
Morgan's Bowgun had been completed only two days earlier. The smiths had inspected it thoroughly before delivery, leaving it in perfect condition. He quickly finished what was, in truth, a largely unnecessary check.
He reassembled the weapon, loaded the repeatedly counted Ammo into his cartridge pouch and bandolier, then took out a blanket, spread it beside the campfire, and lay down.
"I'm turning in first. Good night." It was the first thing Morgan had said since they lit the campfire.
"Thank you." Nymera nodded and softly wished him good night in return.
The camp's remote location meant its facilities were poor. It had only one small, single-person tent.
Two people could squeeze inside if necessary, but for a young man and woman of similar age, sleeping pressed together like that would be awkward.
If Morgan had not spoken first, Nymera had planned to offer him the tent and curl up beside Hibiki for the night. That would have been warm too.
Seeing that Morgan had already closed his eyes, Nymera quickened her inspection. Soon, the camp fell completely silent.
It should have been a peaceful night.
Then the Rathalos assigned as Nymera's quest target was drawn to the campfire.
Toxic blood dripped from the corner of its mouth, and its bloodshot eyes held nothing but a mindless desire to kill.
The giant trees' branches kept it out of the camp, so it circled overhead, opened its enormous jaws, and hurled a blazing mass of dragon flame downward.
* * *
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