Guildmarm Sophia directly arranged a bunch of 2★ difficulty quests for Altaïr.
For example, slaying Jaggi packs along the city's migration route, hunting Seltas that might affect the safety of the migration, Cephalos, and so on.
She had been very busy lately with the city's migration and had no time to personally keep an eye on Isis. To prevent these two youngsters from acting up again while she wasn't looking, she had no choice but to fill their schedule.
Using the excuse of accumulating quest counts to promote to 3★, Altaïr wouldn't have any complaints, and it would keep the boy from leading her girl astray.
Indeed, in Sophia's eyes, the reason Isis participated in something as ridiculous as hunting a Tigrex was definitely because she was led astray by that boy. As for the possibility that her own child might also be part of the problem...
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Altaïr truly didn't have any complaints. The only reason he and Isis hadn't taken 2★ quests before was simply because, for the two of them, 2★ quests had completely lost their challenge and weren't very interesting.
Besides, back in Sun Worship Town, didn't it start as a 2★ difficulty quest to slay Vespoids? It only turned into a 3★ hunt for a Vespoid Queen later on...
Well, no matter how many excuses he had, they were useless. To promote smoothly, certain hard requirements always had to be met.
Thus, Altaïr buried his head in resolving 2★ quests.
For a city as large as Val Habar to undergo a migration, there were countless troubles to solve. Combined with the Guildmarm's intentional arrangements, there was simply no such thing as being idle with nothing to do.
In reality, Isis didn't need to do these with him; she had already promoted to 3★, and accumulating 2★ quest counts held no meaning for her.
But Madam Sophia's phrase, "Take this opportunity to consolidate your foundation," fooled her into it. Every day, she worked hard and complained not, toiling away for the public works of Val Habar.
—--
Amidst the hustle and bustle, the great migration of Val Habar began.
Small scout teams of Hunters set out first to ensure the safety of the route to the first transit point. Following closely was a coordination team composed of artisans and Guild staff. Then, one by one, caravans made up of countless large covered wagons followed.
The distance between the leading caravan and the last to depart could reach over a hundred kilometers.
Under the meticulous arrangement of the Guildmarm and other staff, the entirety of Val Habar moved slowly toward the destination of this migration in a busy but orderly manner, in separate batches.
Nearly half a month later, the first batch of caravans successfully arrived at the flat grassland in the southern part of the Ancestral Steppe.
A so-called mobile city was still a city; it wasn't enough for all the caravans to just huddle together in a mess. Artisans followed pre-established plans to build fortifications, demarcate streets, and set up the skeleton for this city.
The caravans that arrived later filled in one by one, fleshing out the body of the city.
Another week or so passed, and when the last caravan to depart also arrived at this grassland, the migration of Val Habar was finally declared over.
The colorful Val Habar appeared on this golden prairie like mushrooms sprouting from the ground after rain.
—--
"Boom!"
A shell detonated beside the Monster, blasting it into a stumble.
The cold glint of a sharp blade broke through the gunpowder smoke. A blade wreathed in Spirit energy slashed across the Monster's short hind leg, nearly cutting the joint in two.
The ugly Fanged Beast, radiating a pungent stench, wailed and tumbled to the ground.
This Volvidon was already at its last gasp, its carapace shattered and dripping with blood. Even its iconic long tongue had been severed by the Hunter's attack, leaving only a short stump lolling at the edge of its mouth.
"Hyaaah!"
A familiar roar sounded from behind. The Long Sword user clad in pitch-black armor immediately rolled to the side to clear the attack position.
The Gunlance user holding a large shield charged in like a chariot. Her alloy large shield almost flattened the Volvidon's triangular head.
Immediately following, she violently heaved the large shield, forcefully flipping the Volvidon, which had been on all fours, up onto its back, exposing its vulnerable chest and belly which were not covered by carapace.
Lifting her Gunlance to strike, the heavy blade sank deep into the Volvidon's chest. Immediately after, a burst of flame erupted from the muzzle.
"Wyvern's Fire!"
"Boom–!"
In the deafening explosion, a huge crater was blasted from the Volvidon's chest to its abdomen. Charred internal organs mixed with blood splashed across the Gunlance user's armor.
Amidst weak hissing wails, the poor Volvidon collapsed onto the ground, losing its last spark of life.
"Isis, there's no need to end it with a Wyvern's Fire every time. Don't you find it troublesome to clean the armor?" Sheathing his blade, the black-armored Long Sword user removed his helmet, revealing a face written with helplessness.
"And the materials were all blown to bits, meow," Sajji muttered while dismantling the portable turret. "I originally wanted to get a complete piece of carapace to use as a shield plate for the 'Rathalos Model-01 - Modified Custom', meow."
"Sorry..." Isis grabbed her blood-stained hair, trying to change the subject to hide her embarrassment. "Anyway, Altaïr, your 2★ quest count should be enough now, right?"
"Yeah," Altaïr smiled.
Since Val Habar migrated to the grassland south of the Ancestral Steppe, more than a month had passed.
During this time, Altaïr, Sajji, and Isis hadn't had a proper rest. They continuously completed 2★ quests with a high efficiency of one every few days.
Counting the many tasks assigned by the Guild during the migration, he had finally reached the minimum standard to apply for a Rank-Up Quest.
After heading back this time, he planned to rest for two days, prepare well, and then go to the Guild Hall to take the Rank-Up Quest and try to promote to 3★.
After carving some materials from the Volvidon's corpse that weren't very useful but could be sold for some money, the two humans and one cat rode Gargwa back to Val Habar.
They first went to the Guild Hall Dragonship to settle the quest, and then they came to the Wyverian artisan's forge.
When they entered the forge, Uncle Smithy was busy grinding something with a whetstone. He didn't speak when he saw the two enter, only looking toward them after finishing the work at hand.
"You're here. How does it feel?" The artisan addressed this question to Altaïr.
Before this quest, Altaïr had just switched to this "Skalda S Armor" set, which had cost the smith quite a bit of effort.
This armor set, forged with Large Toxic Kumori as the primary material, had prominent advantages but also very obvious disadvantages.
The armor itself contained trace amounts of Large Toxic Kumori toxin. Because the dosage was very small, this toxin would not cause damage to body organs, but it would put the user in a sub-healthy state of mild poisoning, thereby causing strength to weaken (Attack Down).
However, when the user exercised strenuously, encountered danger, took damage, or felt their heart rate accelerate, the trace toxins flowing in the blood would transform into another type of substance similar to a stimulant, greatly enhancing the user's strength and Focus (Latent Power).
At the same time, this armor would activate various toxins, thereby increasing the efficiency of accumulating various toxins, making it very suitable for use with weapons that had poison, paralysis, or sleep attributes (Critical Status).
Not every Hunter could accept that their daily-wear armor was "poisoned," so the Wyverian artisan had specifically reminded Altaïr to come back after the quest.
If Altaïr couldn't adapt to these double-edged effects, he also had a way to completely detoxify the armor.
But if he did that, this armor would be reduced to just a relatively sturdy set of ordinary armor. To be honest, he didn't really want to do that, but specifically how to proceed depended on the user's own will.
Facing the Wyverian artisan's question, Altaïr answered without hesitation, "It's wonderful! It doesn't need any modifications at all!
If I had to say anything, it's just that the full-face helmet is something I'm not used to, but that's just a matter of my personal habits."
In fact, when he first put on this "Skalda S Armor," he was also a bit uneasy.
But he quickly discovered that the "toxicity" of this armor was not as terrifying as he had imagined. It was roughly only a degree where ten parts of strength dropped to nine or nine and a half parts.
Relatively, the buff provided by this armor once combat began was far above this negligible weakening.
The reward was much higher than the cost; what else did he have to be dissatisfied with?
After confirming Altaïr's intent, a trace of a smile appeared on the Wyverian artisan's otherwise indifferent face.
What could be more pleasing to an artisan than seeing their carefully forged work receive recognition from the customer?
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES: LORE SECTION
Some terms and creatures referenced in this story may be unfamiliar to readers new to the Monster Hunter universe. The following entries provide additional context.
MONSTERS
Volvidon — A mid-sized Fanged Beast introduced in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, recognizable by its bright red armadillo-like carapace and its unusually long, adhesive tongue used to snatch prey. It can curl into a ball to roll at high speed and is capable of inflicting paralysis through its saliva. Found in arid and semi-arid regions. Its rolling mobility makes it difficult to pin down, though its exposed underside is a significant weak point.
Seltas — A large insect-type monster classified as a Neopteron, introduced in Monster Hunter 4. The Seltas is the male of its species and typically operates in conjunction with the much larger Seltas Queen. On its own it is a manageable threat, using flight and its drill-like horn to harass hunters; its danger level increases sharply when paired with its queen.
EQUIPMENT & SKILLS
Latent Power — An armor skill that activates after the hunter takes a certain amount of damage or after a set amount of time in combat, temporarily boosting affinity and reducing stamina consumption. It rewards hunters who stay in the fight and absorb hits, making it a natural fit for aggressive styles. The Skalda S Armor simulates this trigger through its toxin-stimulant mechanism.
Critical Status — A skill that increases the frequency of status buildup (poison, paralysis, sleep, blast) when landing critical hits. Particularly effective on weapons with innate status elements, as it turns every well-timed strike into a more efficient delivery of the debuff.