"Don't rush the pursuit. Drink your Potions and sharpen your weapons first. That thing isn't going anywhere," Altaïr called out, stopping Clawdia just as she was about to dive headfirst into the pool.
In the battle moments ago, both he and Isis had taken injuries, but to keep pressure on the target, they had not had any chance to recover.
Now that the Lagiacrus had retreated into that enclosed pool of water, this was their chance to regroup.
After downing two Potions in quick succession, Altaïr crouched halfway and began sharpening his blade.
Isis and Nymera would not be taking part directly in the underwater combat, but anything could happen during a real Hunt. They also seized the moment to sharpen their weapons, load their Ammo, and use Potions to recover.
"BOOM!"
The ground suddenly shuddered. The previously calm surface of the pool churned with waves, and from beneath the water came a muffled sound like a Barrel Bomb detonating.
Everyone on the shore was startled. What was happening? Before they could collect themselves, another loud bang and tremor came from underwater.
Clawdia sprinted to the edge of the pool, peered down into the water, and immediately shrieked, "It's ramming the rock wall, meow!"
A chill of realization shot through Altaïr.
When he had scouted the battleground two days earlier, he had specifically dived into the pool to inspect it. He confirmed that the space inside was not very large and that the Lagiacrus could not escape, which was why he had chosen this small canyon as their arena.
When the Lagiacrus had fled into the pool earlier, their attempts to intercept it had not been especially desperate either. After all, the pool was so small that even if the Lagiacrus got in, it could not maneuver or escape. They could take their time dealing with it.
Only now did he realize how careless his judgment had been.
There was a fissure at the bottom of the pool that led to an underground river. The fissure was extremely narrow. Forget the Lagiacrus; not even Hunters like them could pass through. Only small fish could travel back and forth.
Back then, he had thought that as long as they guarded the canyon's entrance and exit, this canyon would be an inescapable cage for the Lagiacrus.
What he had not realized was that while the fissured rock wall was an impenetrable barrier for them, the same could not be said for the Lagiacrus. "BOOM!" The ground tremor intensified. Even rock could not withstand that kind of sustained battering from a Lagiacrus.
Altaïr tossed his helmet into Isis's arms and quickly donned his breathing mask. "If it smashes through that rock wall, it'll get away. We have to stop it now!"
"Meow!"
Clawdia likewise tossed her usual steel claws into Isis's arms. Strapping a razor-sharp Felyne Fork to her back, she was the first to plunge into the pool.
Altaïr and Jara followed right behind her, leaving Isis, Nymera, and Sajji to wait anxiously on the surface.
After jumping in, Altaïr quickly adjusted his posture in the water, glanced around, and then sped toward the Lagiacrus, which was relentlessly ramming the rock wall.
The Lagiacrus's movements had stirred up the silt and sand at the bottom of the pool. The once crystal-clear water became murky and opaque, and the chaotic currents made it extremely difficult for the Hunters to move.
It was at this moment that Altaïr and Jara truly understood the difference between training in open water and actual underwater combat.
Clawdia, as expected of a Felyne born in Moga Village, nimbly evaded the chaotic underwater currents and was the first to reach the Lagiacrus's side.
The barbed Felyne Fork in her paws aimed straight for the wound on the Lagiacrus's neck and stabbed down viciously.
The Lagiacrus shuddered violently, but it did not stop its assault on the rock wall.
It knew full well that if it failed to smash through this stone barrier and escape into the underground river, it would likely be killed here today.
Altaïr stretched one arm forward and kicked with both legs, spinning through the water as he surged forward a considerable distance in an instant.
This was another underwater sprint technique Az had taught them, a movement said to have been developed by imitating Monsters like the Lagiacrus.
Swiftly swimming to the side of the Lagiacrus's head, Altaïr ignored the risk of retaliation. He clamped his legs around the carapace on the back of the Lagiacrus's neck to stabilize himself, then drew Khanga Rebellion and slashed fiercely several times.
Then, flipping the blade downward, he aimed for the gaps between the armored plates and thrust it in with all his might.
Jara remained fixated on the wound on the Lagiacrus's shoulder. He wielded his Insect Glaive like a fishing spear, relentlessly jabbing it deep into the injury and driving biting frost into the very depths of the wound.
Under the combined, all-out assault of one Felyne and two humans, the Lagiacrus finally began to falter.
It paused its ramming against the rock wall, coiling its body. Bright arcs of electricity leaped across its back before rapidly spreading over its entire form.
Seeing this, Altaïr did not dare hesitate for even a moment. He immediately broke off his attack, kicked hard against the Lagiacrus's body with both feet, and retreated at full speed.
Underwater, the range and power of the Lagiacrus's electric discharge attack were both enhanced. With the Regios Armor Set's miserable Thunder Resistance, taking a hit at close range would likely render him unable to fight on the spot.
Jara and Clawdia also chose to retreat. Even though their armor offered better Thunder Resistance, no one wanted to take a hit like that willingly.
After a brief charge of two or three seconds, electric light burst from the Lagiacrus's entire body, arcs as thick as an arm spreading outward like a spiderweb.
In those two or three seconds, Altaïr had already flown back more than a dozen meters, yet he still could not fully escape the range of the discharge.
He felt paralysis and searing pain wash over his entire body. His diaphragm spasmed, squeezing his lungs and forcing a large stream of bubbles from his mouth. His limbs twitched violently, completely beyond his control.
Jara, whose swimming speed was slightly slower, was also struck by the electric shock, but the Gypceros X Armor Set's outstanding insulation blocked the vast majority of the current for him.
Although he had taken some minor damage, it was nowhere near enough to affect his mobility, let alone leave him paralyzed like Altaïr.
He swam swiftly to Altaïr's side, grabbed his arm, and hauled him back to the surface.
On the shore, Nymera and the others waiting above had also noticed the burst of electricity erupting underwater. Seeing Jara pull Altaïr up to the surface, they hurriedly helped drag Altaïr onto the bank.
Jara flipped over and dove back down to the bottom. He had to return to the fight as quickly as possible; otherwise, it would be nearly impossible for Clawdia alone to hold off the Lagiacrus.
Sajji, frantic and flustered, helped remove Altaïr's breathing mask and was just about to pour medicine down Altaïr's throat when Nymera stopped him.
"Wait!"
Isis placed both hands, one over the other, on Altaïr's chest and pressed down hard. Immediately, a large gush of water spouted from Altaïr's mouth.
"Cough, cough, cough." Altaïr coughed violently.
Isis's press had been rather forceful. It not only helped expel the water that had choked his airway but also released the muscles that had cramped from the paralysis.
He strongly suspected that if he had not been wearing armor, Isis would have broken his ribs.
With no time to complain about Isis's excessive strength, Altaïr took the Potion from Sajji's paws and poured it down his throat in one go.
The Potion's effects were as reliable as ever. Within mere seconds of the liquid entering his stomach, the searing pain throughout his body from the electric shocks subsided considerably.
He stamped his numb feet hard and swung his arms a couple of times, preparing to jump back into the water and rejoin the fight.
But at that moment, a deeply ominous muffled rumble came from beneath the water.
"Ruuuuumble..."
This was clearly no longer just the sound of the Lagiacrus crashing around; it was more like the noise of a rock wall collapsing. The water's surface churned as if boiling, vast bubbles surging up, and the water grew even murkier, as if choked with sediment.
Altaïr took a few quick steps to the edge of the pool just in time to see Jara climbing back onto the shore.
Before Altaïr could ask, Jara pulled off his breathing mask, his normally cheerful, chubby face filled with frustration. "The rock wall collapsed. The thing escaped into an underground river."
Immediately after, Clawdia surfaced as well. She took a few deep breaths before saying rapidly, "The water conditions behind the wall are unknown, and your swimming skills aren't good enough. It's too dangerous to follow recklessly, meow. I'll go ahead first to scout the situation. If it's safe, I'll come back and get you, meow."
Without waiting for a response, Clawdia dove back into the water.
Watching the surface gradually calm, Altaïr let out a deep sigh.
He had ignored the elemental weakness of the Regios Armor Set, clinging to the wishful thinking that if he was careful and his comrades covered for each other, they could offset the disadvantage of the armor's elemental vulnerability.
This was the biggest mistake in this Hunt, and the first time since becoming a Hunter that he had suffered badly because of an armor set's elemental weakness.
He pounded his still-numb thighs, stared intently at the water's surface, and muttered in a voice only he could hear, "There won't be a second time."
(Translated by yourtl.app)