The Land-Walking Ahtal-Neset

Before dawn, at the Val Habar docks.

A gold-and-blue sail bearing the silhouette of an Ahtal-Ka rose.

"Our destination! The shipping lane with all those sandship wrecks!"

"Begin hull salvage operations!"

At Li Le's command, Sisi hauled the anchor out of the sand.

With every cat cheering, the Sandworm slid into motion.

Click~

Atop the pointed hull, the panel covering a round opening slid back.

"Wait, Bug Brother! I'm almost done drawing..."

On deck, Sophia sighed helplessly as Bug Brother flew out through the opening.

At the lookout atop the mast, Li Le and Kaluo surveyed their surroundings.

On a raised platform with a metal base behind the hull, Sisi was making the final additions to an enormous silk net bag.

Morning came, and the sun appeared.

Aboard a medium-sized sandship moored in port, two Felyne sailors were diligently sweeping sand off the deck.

"Ah! Why would a sandship be arriving at this hour, meow?"

"And traveling alone, ah-meow... wait, ah-meow! That outline, ah-meow!"

"Calm down, a Dah'ren Mohran wouldn't have a sail, ah-meow... this is your fault! Even my accent's getting strange, meow!"

"Uh~ I didn't mean to, ah-meow. I remember now, ah-meow. That's the Sandworm, ah-meow."

"You're forgiven... the Sandworm's so slow. Was it damaged sailing at night, meow?"

"Uh~ behind the Sandworm! It's dragging such a huge heap, ah-meow!"

The Felyne sailor cried out.

Li Le hadn't wanted to draw this much attention either.

But spread over the top, the tarpaulin they had prepared looked like a little handkerchief and concealed absolutely nothing.

Snap~

The thick towing silk snapped, and the enormous net bag sank slightly into the sand.

All sorts of broken hull components poked out through the mesh.

Atop the hull, Sisi pointed a scythe claw toward the desert again, clearly not having salvaged enough and requesting another departure.

"No, Sisi. We really need a break. Everyone's having trouble holding out."

Li Le had thought he was greedy enough, but Sisi had turned out to be even more outrageous.

The frenzied salvage work had continued without a single break, and not even a broken plank was readily passed over.

Sisi glanced at the enormous mass of materials behind them and abandoned the idea of setting out again.

"Building something on this scale at the docks could obstruct sandships coming and going. Let's find a suitable open space."

"Okay, meow."

With his eyelids half-open, Kaluo answered listlessly.

That afternoon, Li Le stretched as he woke in his cabin bed.

He removed the two wads of silk stuck in his ear canals, and the pounding of hammers immediately reached him.

He climbed onto the hull's top cover to look around.

On the sand, the outline of the land-walking Ahtal-Neset that Sisi and the Felynes had built together was already quite clear.

Four column-like legs, a crablike shell, and a full-moon-shaped pincer tail.

"I thought the Seltas Queen's stench would put Sisi off. Looks like even a monster Sisi finds repulsive will still be copied and built, as long as its anatomy has advantages."

Li Le slid down the pointed, conical hull and approached for a closer look.

The outward-facing side of each column-like insect leg had a half-wrap of sheet metal glued and bound to it with silk for added strength.

The mouthparts also featured an opening panel, perhaps to make spraying silk easier.

Had Sisi already grasped the Seltas Queen's structural characteristics during their fight...?

Climbing up a leg onto the shell, Li Le saw a slightly recessed round hollow near the rear.

"Isn't this deliberately creating a weak point in the shell? Why design it like this?"

Li Le circled the hollow twice, examining it curiously.

He discovered that it was just large enough for a person to sit in.

Li Le looked at the full-moon tail with its iron spikes behind him, and ultimately didn't dare try sitting in the hollow.

"Right, where's Sisi?"

Li Le asked.

On the sand, Kaluo stopped swinging his hammer and pointed at the Seltas Queen Ahtal-Neset's body. "Sisi's in here, meow!"

"Haha, that's progress. Sisi's already realized how important all-around protection is."

After offering his praise, Li Le lay down where he was and called toward the shell, "Sisi, it's me. Open the door."

"Don't, meow!"

Kaluo shouted to stop him.

Li Le realized something was wrong, because he hadn't found an entrance when he examined the underside.

Now there wasn't one on the upper shell either, which meant getting inside didn't involve an entrance.

Bang!

The crablike shell suddenly flipped open and rose.

Sisi leaned back, poked out a head, and looked from side to side.

But Li Le, who had called out, was nowhere to be seen.

After flipping through the air several times, Li Le landed steadily with his knees slightly bent.

"That's a pretty good launch height... I'm over here! Sisi!"

With that, Li Le climbed into the cockpit inside the crab shell.

Directly in front of Sisi was a control console nailed together from numerous slats, with quite a few holes in it.

A silk thread dangled from most of them.

Perhaps out of concern that the fine threads would retract into the holes after being pulled.

Each one also had a ball of silk at its end.

Li Le grabbed one and pulled back with all his strength.

Creak~...

The full-moon tail, which had been hanging low behind them, rose in trembling increments.

"So this is how an Ahtal-Neset is controlled..."

Finding it utterly marvelous, Li Le continued pulling the other silk threads.

A leg joint contracted and lifted, a partition in the underside opened, and the crablike body tilted forward...

Every silk thread here seemed to have its own corresponding function.

After he pulled one particular thread, the raised upper shell tipped forward, then slammed down heavily.

Crash!

"This feels so secure."

Hearing his own muffled voice, Li Le suddenly felt sheltered.

In the dimness, two patches of light ahead, along with numerous light-filled cracks between the irregularly pieced-together materials, became particularly conspicuous.

Pfft~

Sisi sprayed silk, filling the cracks one by one.

Li Le leaned toward a patch of light and peered outside.

He guessed these were the Ahtal-Neset's observation ports.

Could the Ahtal-Ka back then have fought with its real body exposed on top, rather than hiding inside the Ahtal-Neset, because its view was restricted?

With this fully enclosed protective structure, it would be good to assign Sisi an observer outside...

No! An overall commander for movement and combat!

When Li Le realized he was the only suitable candidate, he gave the job title a small promotion.

Successfully building the land-walking Seltas Queen Ahtal-Neset greatly excited the team.

The only one who felt somewhat uncomfortable was Bug Brother.

He hadn't dared get too close before, and now he dared even less.

On Trade Street, in front of the Guild carriage.

With dark circles under her eyes, Sophia stood and stretched.

"If I sneak in a little nap, no one will notice, right...?"

"Sophia, any tricky contracts?"

"Huh! Didn't you just get back from a hunt yesterday, then stay up all night?"

Sophia was somewhat surprised to see that it was Li Le.

"Anyone who dares come adventuring in Val Habar has dreams. What's a little fatigue?"

"Another hunter brimming with energy. Let me see which contract suits you best..."

Sophia walked over to the noticeboard and began helping him choose.

"Another?"

"Yes. Disi just left on a hunt too. Right after advancing to two-star hunter, he accepted a three-star urgent contract to hunt a Kecha Wacha. While exploring and hunting in unknown areas does help hunters advance quickly, the route Disi's chosen is far too risky..."

"And Captain Joda! Not only did he not dissuade him, he even said he was a good judge of people and that Disi would definitely be fine."

Sophia looked helpless.

Yet accepting urgent contracts above one's star rank was entirely within the rules.

"Maybe Disi really can do it?"

"I think it'll be difficult. Even Aiden, the personal student taught by the captain of a top hunter team, is still only a two-star hunter. Disi's health isn't very good either. He shouldn't be under this kind of pressure at all."

"Oh, right! Your hunter record shows you've met the requirements for two-star hunter, Li Le. Visit the gathering hall when you have time and exchange your badge."

"Okay."

"This is the commission I recommend for you, Sisi, and Bug Brother."

Sophia turned and displayed the contract she had taken down.

"Gather mushrooms in the Ancestral Steppe..."

Sisi's Seltas Queen Ahtal-Neset is ready to go, and you want us to gather mushrooms in the Ancestral Steppe?

Li Le's expression stiffened as he read the contract title.

Sophia could see his rejection in his expression.

"This is gathering in an area without support. It's a standard two-star contract... if you don't want it, how about Jaggia?"

"What's that contract with the red mark for?"

"This one... sigh~"

Sophia's shoulders drooped weakly as she took down the contract and displayed it.

★★★ Urgent contract

[Troublemaker appears in the Sunken Hollow]

Location: Sunken Hollow (incompletely explored area)

Contract target: Kecha Wacha (highly hostile individual)

Client: Middle-aged explorer

Mission summary: It happened while I was exploring the Sunken Hollow...

When that creature sprayed me with its bodily fluids, I could barely breathe, and even running away was difficult.

Luckily, I received help from the cats then...

But just thinking about that vividly colored fur makes me tremble uncontrollably.

Subquest: Slay five Bnahabra

Additional reward conditions met: None

Reward: 6,820z

Time limit: 15 days

"This is the one... Sophia, why are you gripping it so tightly?"

"Take it. The Guild's Felyne rescue team has been assembled. Make sure you hire them."

Sophia reminded him.

"Don't worry, we have our own rescue team. Right, I'm still a one-star hunter. I need to get to the gathering hall and complete my promotion as soon as possible. Otherwise, a procedural irregularity might cause you trouble."

"Uh... I didn't expect you to be so considerate of me."

Sophia thought she must be too tired. She had only just reminded Li Le about his promotion, then made an oversight like this.

"Goodbye, then."

Watching his departing figure, Sophia sighed. "Li Le, Sisi, Bug Brother, make sure you come back safely."

"Hmm... wait, what did Li Le mean when he said they had their own rescue team?!"

At the counter in the overcrowded gathering hall.

Li Le accepted his two-star hunter medal.

Pop! Pop!

On either side of him, two Felynes pulled party poppers in unison.

"Congratulations, friend. My turn."

What a quick process...

"Congratulations to you too, friend, on becoming a two-star hunter."

Li Le offered his congratulations in return, then stepped away from the counter.

"Did you see it?! A mechanical insect modeled after a Seltas Queen, right outside the base!"

Someone shouted inside the Gathering Hub.

"The Guild really came through this time. They built a mechanical insect for training in such a short time."

"The report was only submitted yesterday... that's impossible, isn't it?"

Some voiced their approval, while others raised doubts.

A heated discussion soon broke out inside the Gathering Hub.

The receptionists behind the counter exchanged bewildered looks.

Clearly, they knew nothing about any Guild training insect having been assembled or delivered to Val Habar.

"Right, if I fitted Ahtal-Neset with a coin box... no, Sisi really would get angry if I did that."

Dismissing the thought, Li Le squeezed his way out of the Gathering Hub.

He collected the supplies and sewed a flag.

By sunset, everything was ready.

With four pillar-shaped insect legs stepping forward, the team set off toward the Ancestral Steppe.

Behind the Seltas Queen Ahtal-Neset, the wagon being towed by insect silk jolted violently.

Perhaps because he practiced aerial insect glaive techniques every day, Li Le felt no discomfort.

Kaluo and the three Spade Felynes traveling with him had a harder time.

Helping Li Le pedal the wagon might have been more tiring, but at least the ride had been smoother.

Only when they had traveled late into the night did they barely manage to adjust.

"A Kecha Wacha couldn't possibly be stronger than the Seltas Queen Ahtal-Neset, could it, meow?"

Kaluo recalled the ecological report on Kecha Wacha and looked at the Seltas Queen Ahtal-Neset pulling the wagon ahead, already getting a clear sense of the difference.

"In a space where the opponent has room to move freely, it should barely manage a couple of hits."

"So a Kecha Wacha can trade blows too, meow?"

"A hit is one strike, and a couple of hits means two. Barely managing a couple of hits means the Kecha Wacha could barely take two strikes: one to seriously injure it, and one to kill it."

Li Le demonstrated with his fists as he spoke.

"Uh... that's brutal, meow."

"But I'm still not sure how long Sisi can keep Ahtal-Neset moving like this. So our main task this time is to test Sisi's endurance limit first, then allocate each day's travel distance accordingly, to make sure there's still enough strength left to hunt when we reach the Underground Cave."

"This trip sounds more like a test. No wonder you don't seem under any pressure, meow."

Kaluo understood.

"There is some pressure. After all, we don't have enough information on the Underground Cave, so we still need to be careful."

"I heard the survey team discovered a monster called Tetsucabra there. It's terrifying, meow... about how many hits would a Tetsucabra take, meow?"

Kaluo asked tentatively.

"A Tetsucabra..."

Li Le counted on his fingers.

"One hit to shatter its big tusks, one to smash the boulder in its mouth, one to knock it over... about three or four hits."

"Then I'm relieved, meow."

Kaluo let out a long breath.

Seeing that the three Spade Felynes in the rear cargo compartment had started vomiting again, Li Le guided Sisi to a stop and knocked the back shell open.

He sent the three Felynes inside along with several sticks of Felvine.

Although the cockpit was bumpy too, at least the jolting would be less severe than in the two-compartment wagon being dragged behind.

Meow, meow~ Meow, meow~...

The three Felynes let out a chorus of grateful meows.

"You're welcome. It's a little dark in there, so you'll need to adjust first... I forgot, this environment is just right for you."

Clack~

The back shell closed tight.

Out on the plains, the Seltas Queen Ahtal-Neset set off again.

With the experience from his previous journey, along with a more thoroughly drawn map, Li Le reached the entrance to the Sunken Hollow in just one night and one day this time.