Ms. Meow-It-All lifted the deck hatch, and only then did Altaïr and the others realize that there were other people aboard the Pioneer besides her and Millsy, who was piloting the Airship.
Theo handed a Small Barrel Bomb to Ms. Meow-It-All, then turned and flashed them a brilliant smile. "Surprised?"
Sajji also poked his head out. "The cabin is packed with materials, meow. We've been Crafting Barrel Bombs along the way, meow!"
"Mmm. Thank you for your hard work."
"How cold." Theo flicked his bangs at Altaïr. "With such powerful reinforcements joining you, shouldn't you be a little more excited?"
"Ohh!" Isis clapped her hands a couple of times to play along, but when Altaïr and Morgan remained expressionless, she awkwardly lowered her hands.
Altaïr knew Theo was a live wire who thrived on excitement. If he showed too much enthusiasm, Theo would get carried away.
Ignoring Theo's displeased look, Altaïr turned to Ms. Meow-It-All, who was holding up a Barrel Bomb with evident excitement. "Ms. Meow-It-All, are we carrying out the operation tonight?"
Ms. Meow-It-All wanted to nod, but after a moment's hesitation, she set the Barrel Bomb down. "There's no need, meow. You must all be exhausted after the past few days, meow. Get a good night's rest aboard the Airship and recover your strength, meow.
"Daylight will be better for the aerial harassment, meow. As for keeping watch, leave that to us, meow. The Pioneer was built using the same observation Airship technology as the Elder Dragon Observation Team's vessels, meow.
"We'll climb a little higher soon. Even if it wakes up, it won't be able to detect us, meow."
After hearing that, Altaïr and the other two needed no further persuasion.
For the past several days, they had spent their days tracking and investigating, then climbed trees to rest at night. They had to take turns keeping watch, and some unexpected problem arose almost every night.
Fatigue had piled up for all of them. For the sake of the coming operation, a solid night's rest was the best choice.
The Pioneer remained remarkably steady while hovering. The cabin had beds and bedding, and there was no need to worry about their safety. The Hunters fell asleep almost as soon as their heads touched the pillows.
—--
When they opened their eyes again, it was already broad daylight.
Altaïr sat up in bed and finally had a chance to look around the cabin.
Unlike most Airships, the Pioneer's cabin was perfectly circular and looked like a giant spinning top from the outside.
The cabin was divided into two levels. The lower level contained the storage room and machinery bay, while the upper level held their sleeping quarters. With several dozen square meters of floor space, it was quite roomy by Airship standards. It contained several beds, a desk, and a bookshelf without feeling cramped.
A ring of glass portholes lined the cabin walls, admitting so much light that Altaïr, who had only just awakened, found it a little dazzling.
Isis's bed was empty. She must have woken before him and gone to look for food. Morgan was still lying down with his hands folded over his stomach, looking perfectly serene.
People said sleeping on your back helped you grow taller, though the claim did not seem to have much basis.
Altaïr got out of bed. The slight thump of his feet hitting the floor woke Morgan, who rubbed his eyes as he sat up, still looking a little groggy.
Just then, the hatch at the top of the cabin opened, and Isis climbed down the ladder. "Everyone's awake. Come have something to eat first."
She tossed each of them a ration. "I looked around the ship, but this is all there is. Sorry."
"This isn't a large Airship like the Soaratorium, after all. There's no way it would have a kitchen." Altaïr caught the ration and replied with amusement.
After washing up and putting on their Armor, the Hunters chewed their dry provisions as they made their way to the deck.
For safety, the Airship was hovering at a considerable altitude, with drifting clouds passing around it.
Altaïr had grown accustomed to the foul stench of tracking the Pariapuria. When he drew a deep breath of the fresh, humid air, he felt as though his nose and lungs had been cleansed.
"Scree~"
With a soft cry, Hakucho emerged from the clouds. He nimbly wove between the cables connecting the air sac to the gondola, folded his wings, and landed on Morgan's shoulder.
He was clearly delighted to see Morgan in the sky.
"According to Sajji, this is your newly found hunting partner. You're quite fortunate, meow," Ms. Meow-It-All said as she crossed the bridge from the small lookout platform at the bow.
"This type of small Flying Wyvern is sparsely distributed. Adults are wild and impossible to tame, while hand-raised juveniles die all too easily.
"Bonding with one at this semi-mature age is ideal, meow. It also gives the creature's potential more room to develop, meow."
"Ms. Meow-It-All, you know about this creature?" Morgan asked eagerly. "Then do you know how to train him?"
Ms. Meow-It-All crossed her arms, a confident smile spreading across her furry face. "If you're asking how to bond with one, I have no idea. I've never personally tamed this kind of small Flying Wyvern, meow.
"But if you mean how to raise one, I do know a little, meow. The Wycademy has conducted research into this kind of small Flying Wyvern.
"Their physiology is quite unusual. During the juvenile stage, their bodies are highly unstable. The type of energy they encounter and absorb while growing can send their development down very different paths."
Hakucho, perched on Morgan's shoulder, let out a caw. Though he could not understand what that Felyne was babbling about, he keenly sensed that they were discussing him.
"Highly unstable? In what way?" Morgan asked, growing a little worried.
Ms. Meow-It-All waved her claws. "Don't worry. It isn't anything harmful, meow.
"Many Monsters display similar traits. Environmental pressures can cause their bodies to mutate and evolve, eventually producing various subspecies, meow.
"For example, Agnaktor normally inhabits the high-temperature regions of the Volcano and can even swim through magma. If members of the species migrate to extremely cold regions such as the Frozen Seaway or the tundra, they can give rise to the Glacial Agnaktor subspecies, meow.
"Similar examples include Copper Blangonga, Sand Barioth, Tigerstripe Zamtrios, Shrouded Nerscylla, and Rust Duramboros–"
"Why does it feel like all of them end up in the Great Desert?" Isis muttered under her breath.
Altaïr, who came from the Great Desert, felt his lips twitch. "Things like Tigerstripe Zamtrios and Rust Duramboros must be subspecies that evolved over a long period, right? They aren't exactly cases of sudden mutation."
"Exactly, meow. But there are plenty of examples of sudden mutation too, meow. Glacial Agnaktor is a classic case. So far, no juvenile Uroktor or similar creatures have ever been found in extremely cold regions such as the Frozen Seaway, meow.
"I'm getting sidetracked, meow. In any case, this kind of small Flying Wyvern possesses a similar ability to mutate. One raised by the sea develops one way, while one raised in a volcanic region develops quite differently, meow."
Isis clapped her hands together. "No wonder the ones we saw near the Seacliff were blue, with wings that looked like fish fins, while the ones Clawdia saw in Mezeporta were black and red!"
Morgan stroked Hakucho's head as the young Halk nuzzled against him. "Then what kind of environment would be best for his growth?"
"That method would take far too long, meow." Ms. Meow-It-All shook her head. "The true catalyst behind their mutation is elemental energy, meow.
"Hunters who raise Halks have discovered a more efficient method: feeding them food rich in elemental energy rather than waiting for them to adapt slowly to an environment, meow.
"If you consistently feed them food rich in one particular type of elemental energy, they will not only grow stronger but may even develop a breath attack of the corresponding element, meow.
"But you must be especially careful about one thing: avoid mixing foods imbued with different types of elemental energy. Their bodies might not be able to withstand it, meow."
"So that's why the foreign Hunter Clawdia met was feeding his Halk a Yian Kut-Ku Flame Sac!" Isis exclaimed in sudden realization.
"They can even master breath attacks?" Altaïr murmured in awe, his thoughts drifting to the Egyurasu that could spew dragon flames.
Halks could perform aerial reconnaissance and sentry duty. They had sharp claws and fangs, could develop breath attacks, and possessed excellent combat ability. If they grew large enough, they might even be able to carry a person through the air. Their abilities were remarkably versatile. No wonder some Hunters were willing to invest so many materials in raising them.
Morgan glanced sidelong at Hakucho, the greedy little creature perched on his shoulder, with mixed feelings.
So this little beast had that kind of potential? Morgan had thought he was merely a glutton.
"Do you plan to focus his development in any particular direction?" Altaïr could not help asking.
"I'm not sure yet. When we get back, I'll set out materials imbued with different types of elemental energy and let him sample them. We'll see which kind he likes best."
(Translated by yourtl.app)