After circling above the forest with the wyvern flock for a while, Logan chose a suitable high ground to land on.
The Poison Wyvern that lived there was quick to vacate its nest, and nearly a hundred Fire Wyverns settled around the high ground, each finding a spot to rest.
Though this was not their final destination, after so many days of flight, both the adult wyverns and the hatchlings—as well as the cats—were exhausted. They would need to stay here for two days to recover before continuing their journey.
The arrival of the Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern flock was nothing short of an overwhelming force for the local monsters. Each individual Fire Wyvern could stand at the top of the food chain in any other region—let alone nearly a hundred of them together.
By the first night of their stay, there was not a single large monster to be seen within their territory.
Even the occasional short-sighted creature that dared to resist often ended up as dismantled material for the Grimalkynes.
Thanks to the powerful recovery of his Regeneration trait, Logan felt the fatigue from the migration almost entirely fade after a single night’s rest.
After chatting briefly with the Grimalkyne leader, he picked up a warrior Grimalkyne—one that often traveled between the Ancient Tree and the Astera camp—exchanged a quick word with Aki, and then swiftly took off toward Astera.
The migration of the entire upper layer of the Ancient Tree was something the Research Commission had to be informed about.
The Wildspire Waste did not have the same naturally ideal conditions as the Ancient Tree for Fire Wyverns and cats to live in. Once a permanent settlement site was confirmed, the Research Commission’s help would be necessary.
The wyverns themselves were indifferent to their living environment, but the cats would need support with supplies such as tents and tools. What’s more, some of the cats were currently undergoing Palico training in Astera—such a major move needed to be communicated to them as well.
Meanwhile, at the hunters’ camp on the edge of the Ancient Forest—
Falcon held up a sealed glass container, watching in fascination as the white spores inside continued to release effluvium.
During this time, the Research Commission, which had been working to open up paths deeper into the forest, had also begun to notice the strange anomalies lurking within its depths.
A large number of large monsters had fled, smaller monsters parasitized by the spores had grown even more violent, and now—within this forest—there was this acrid effluvium that, when inhaled, weakened the body.
Such an abnormal phenomenon made the Research Commission realize that something was wrong. The Commander immediately ordered the suspension of the forest expansion plan, redirecting efforts toward collecting the effluvium and spores, and—while ensuring their own safety—determining the cause of the forest’s anomaly as much as possible.
This time, Falcon and his handler were here precisely to gather these spores.
“Huh? Falcon, have you seen my Max Potion?” The handler rummaged through her pack over and over, but aside from the usual essentials, all the special medicine she had prepared for this trip had completely vanished.
“Max Potion? Haven’t seen it.” Falcon put away the glass jar and looked at her in confusion.
“Maybe you forgot to bring it?”
They hadn’t been in any battles on this outing, and the handler’s pack had been with her the whole time. Other than forgetting to pack it in the first place, Falcon couldn’t think of any other explanation.
“Mm~” The handler scratched her head. She clearly remembered preparing the Max Potion before departure… could she really have left it behind at Astera?
“Woof~!”
Just then, the Canyne let out a plaintive bark.
When Falcon glanced over, the Canyne turned its body, angling the supply pouch on its side toward him.
“What is it?”
Puzzled, Falcon reached in and unzipped the pouch—only for his eyes to suddenly widen as he exclaimed in disbelief, “Huh? Where are my healing potions?!”
If the handler’s missing Max Potion could be chalked up to her forgetting it, then the disappearance of the Canyne’s supply of healing potions was something else entirely.
These potions had been freshly mixed at the camp over the past two days during their downtime, never even placed in the camp’s supply chest—yet somehow, they were gone.
“Hss~ Something’s not right… it feels like there’s something filthy in the forest. Let’s just hurry back, okay?” The handler shivered, tugging on Falcon’s hand in a pleading tone.
Although Falcon found the matter strange—perhaps even worth investigating—seeing the handler’s timid expression made him decide to let it go.
He nodded, then stepped into the tent to pack up his weapons and gear. The two of them, along with the Canyne, quickly left the camp, heading back along the route toward Astera.
Not long after their departure, the hunters’ tent at the camp was suddenly pushed up from inside by something. Moments later, the supply chest inside was violently forced open, and all the stored medicinal herbs and mushrooms were swept away.
Soon, under the flicker of the campfire’s light, a Chameleos slowly revealed its form. Its large eyes stared fixedly in the direction Falcon and the others had gone. After a moment of thought, its long tongue slid across its lips before it vanished once again, leaving behind only a trail of footprints at the scene.
...
At that moment, in the meeting hall of Astera—where even the Admiral was present—silence hung in the air, the atmosphere heavy.
“Still no confirmation on the cause of the forest’s abnormality?”
Commander Carlos shook his head, picked up the report in his hand, and said in a deep voice, “No. This anomaly struck far too suddenly, and it’s concentrated mainly in the depths of the forest. By the time we realized something was wrong, we had already lost contact with all the Grimalkyne clans in the Ancient Forest.”
“Because the effluvium is so dense, the monsters have grown even more violent. Our hunters have had to turn back after only penetrating a short distance. As of now, we have no leads whatsoever on the cause of this forest anomaly.”
“Could this anomaly be connected to Teostra… or perhaps that unknown Elder Dragon?” the Admiral suddenly asked, plunging the room into deep contemplation.
“Not necessarily. While most large-scale anomalies known in the world are indeed related to Elder Dragons, judging from the behavior of the Teostra in the Old World, it’s impossible for it to be the culprit. As for that unknown Elder Dragon, I already compiled the report and sent it back to the Old World. Now we can only wait for their reply and hope the Old World Guild has information on it.”
Carlos rubbed his forehead, clearly troubled.
Of all times for an anomaly to occur, it had to be now—right when the Research Commission had barely managed to prepare and was ready to begin a full-scale expansion into the Ancient Forest.
The previous plans had to be put on hold, and many preparations were now useless.
“I request to lead a team into the depths of the forest to investigate, meow!”
At that moment, Tonkotsu suddenly spoke up.
Its physique was now nearly on par with Sita’s, the dense muscle hidden beneath its armor. Looking at everyone present, Tonkotsu’s tone was firm.
“This batch of Palico training has already produced three Grimalkynes who’ve successfully completed it, meow. I can lead them deep into the forest and return to the Ancient Tree to confirm the situation, meow!”
“No! I object, meow!” Sita immediately voiced its opposition, looking at Tonkotsu with a tone heavy with meaning.
“We don’t even know what the forest is like right now, meow! But the Ancient Tree is home to the strongest group of Fire Wyverns in the entire forest—they won’t fall into trouble so easily, meow! I know you’re anxious, but have you thought about this? With your current strength, charging into the forest recklessly could end up making you a burden, meow!”
Sita’s words were merciless. Tonkotsu’s time in training was still far too short. Though its talent was remarkable—reaching a level comparable to a Low Rank Hunter in just over half a year—
This was the New World!
Even if Tonkotsu was a native, under the current circumstances, recklessly entering the forest was still courting danger.
“That’s right, Tonkotsu. You need to trust your Fire Wyvern boss. With it around, at least the upper levels of the Ancient Tree won’t be in trouble so easily,” the Admiral added.
Hearing their words, Tonkotsu clenched its paws in frustration, falling into silence.
The meeting had nothing more to discuss, and it soon adjourned. Everyone hurried back to their posts—they were still very busy.
And so, time passed quickly.
That night, four small figures crept quietly through the Smithy and the Felyne Gathering Hub, intending to slip out through the back door. But Sita suddenly appeared on the watchtower above.
“Go back, meow! You’re heading straight to your deaths, meow!”
Seeing that they’d been discovered, Tonkotsu stopped in its tracks, looking up at Sita with unwilling eyes.
“Teacher Sita, I want to go back, meow! My kin are there—my faith is there, meow! Please don’t stop me, meow!”
Sita looked down from above, locking eyes with Tonkotsu. The latter didn’t flinch, its gaze unwavering.
“Defeat me, and I’ll let you go, meow!”
Sita knew that words could no longer persuade Tonkotsu. Then it would use strength to wake it up.
It wasn’t stopping Tonkotsu from leaving—it was stopping it from walking to its death.
Tonkotsu said nothing. After a brief silence, it reached back and drew out its great hammer. The other three Palicoes quickly stepped aside, giving Sita and Tonkotsu enough space.
Sita leapt down from the watchtower, its single eye fixed on Tonkotsu, and drew the broken blade from its back.
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